Also, a MAD scanner finds things on ONE hit.

A Cyberware Scanner can require up to 4 hits.

For everything that a MAD scanner can detect at all (in one hit) a cyberware scanner can also detect in one hit. Cyberware scanners just get to try to find even MORE things (with more dice, as it is available in higher rainings, AND gets bonus dice!)

No, not really. Firstly, the book mentions nothing about ferrous metals (just to get that out of the way) and secondly, a great deal of cyberware has metal bits in it. That means that it will show on a MAD scanner. Even DELTA grade stuff will be just as easy to detect as nondelta.

Unlike a cyberware scanner.

Not really. Most Ware doesn't contain nearly enough metal to have more in it than average clothing... or even much more than the rest of the natural body - bone enhancements and cyberlimbs may be an exception.

But, in most cases, a MAD will never have the chance to detect ware.

Except if you go by the fact that ware is made of metals, or the fact that cyberware makes circuits by nanites creating pathways using gold to allow the transfer of electircal currents through the body to the 'ware. But that may have changed by SR4, not sure really if they still use the gold pathways thing.

Also, go through a metal detector sometimes wearing clothing with even a little metal in it, some go off, hell I've even had one go off because of my earrings and necklace, not to mention what would happen if there was rhinestones, studs, or like many articles of clothing in shadowrun, metal in the clothing for protection, it would all go off, and every bit would be noticed, from the studs, to the weave in the jacket, to what is behind the jacket, atleast that how I think the MAD works.

Page [b]255[/i] is what you meant. And you are correct, it mentions ferrous at the very bottom of the paragraph - I didn't notice that.

You are also correct that it wouldnt tell you WHERE the 'ware is.

But I think you're incorrect about it not showing up cyberware. Some, of course not - for example, plastic bone lacing. But I'd expect most bodyware (dermal sheathing, dermal plating, limbs, datajacks, etc etc) would show.

It's really more of a way to tell lax security guards "SCAN ME!" with something better.

Yeah. I could definatly see bone plating, and most cyberware... but, as with the cyberscanner, higher grade cyberware would use less metal, and would be harder to scan (could assume you need the same number of hits).

I also agree that its jsut asking the guards to use a better scanner - and the time thing. Say you set off the MAD scanner, so you take off your jacket and pat your cyberlimb... well, they can't very well ask you to remove that... so they'd have to bust out a hand-held cyberscanner and start doing a more complete search. Someone who passes through the MAD scanner without setting it off could just go ahead and go in.

As long as a recording of a video camera - just pass by.

It has a range of 15m, too.


This indeed means that any real security system incorporates a MWS - MADs are outdated.

But the thing is, MADs -will- detect, RAW, deltaware just as easily as normal ware. Cyberware scanners use the cyberware scanner table - MAD scanners do not. If the metal is there, it -will- beep, doesn't matter if it's a Delta Datajack or an obvious normal cyberleg with 2 points of armor and a lot of strength.

That is why MADs only go up to rating 1 - because you only ever need ONE success. Cyberware scanners you may need up to 4 - hence why the dice pool gets up to 6.

MADs are available up to rating 3.


BTW, I wonder how hard it would be to get mm radar-absorbing paint... Won't help with your cyber, but could certainly help you get weapons through a cyberware scanner...

Yes. Rating 3. That's what I meant. I was just really, really tired.

Half the possible rating, but only needing 1 hit vs. more.

I don't really know much about metallurgy. Honestly, I'd be more willing to just ignore the ferrous thing, since it just makes things complicated, and would be an endless source of argument among players. But that's me. I don't like complication (well, I dont mind it, to an extent).

Actually, ignoring the ferrous part is probably a good idea. MADs in the real world can detect any conductive metal, not just magnetic ones. Magnetic metals are easier to detect, of course, but anything *should* be detectable. Otherwise, they'd be useless for detecting things like: gold, US quarters (made mostly of copper since the mid 1960's), silver... basically anything valuable. So, despite my rather long post above about ferrous metal usage, I'd agree just forgetting the ferrous part of the RAW is the best way to go.

I would be hesitant to say that. I walk through a metal detector every day. Generally I have, at minimum, 4 keys on my keychain (plus an anti-theft thing I swiped). One of the keys is ferrous, the other four are not (I've tested this with a magnet. Unfortunately, my anti-theft thing no longer works as a result.) It is not uncommon for me to also have loose change in my pocket, a belt buckle of some other non-conducting material, etc. The metal detector does not ever notice ANY of this stuff. It does, of course, pick up my steel toed boots. Hence, my personal experience would indicated MADs are of limited use when attempting to find people with too many keys or gold or silver coins in their pockets.

Magnetic anomaly Detectors work in one of several ways, but most methods share one thing in common: They create a strong magnetic field (Sometimes as a pulse, sometimes at a given frequency.) This field will induce current in ANY conductor (theoretically, even organic conductors, or ceramic ones!). This induced current will, of course, create its own electromagnetic emissions (remember your physics! This is also how RFID tags work!) which the MAD can then listen for. It is sort of like an electromagnetic "echo" -- the MAD creates an EM pulse, and listens for the response created by a conductive material.

Different metals will have their induced fields decay at different rates, depending on their inductance. Thus, a MAD can screen out certain metals (by screening out metals with a certain phase difference in their electro-magetic "echos"), and of course can have varying degrees of sensitivity.

So, the way real life MADs work, the "ferrous" metal part is nonsense. Ferrous metals often create stronger echos; and are detected at lower sensitivities; but any conductor can be detected.

As for sensitivity, theoretically, you can set the MAD for any level of detection, and find (through trial and error with controlled testing) which setting finds all the weapons with the least number of false positives. Too low of sensitivity, and guns get through, too high, and everyone is searched and the MAD is useless.

In practice, a few studies I've read have shown that the settings are, essentially, random -- that is, whoever is in charge of calibrating these machines regularly isn't doing their job. Thus, a die roll determining the sensitivity is also acurate to RL.

All in all, the thing to remember most about MADs is this: They are, like everything else in 2070, equipped with wireless access; and they are only available up to rating 3 -- which means a maximum firewall of 3. Any technomanceror hacker or even decker in a box is going to cut through that like butter and set the sensitivity to "only detect a 55 gallon drum full of iron" for the next three minutes. They will then waltz past assuring the guards that their assault rifle must be a plastic toy to have not set off the MAD.