Dumpshock Forums > Ultrasonic Adepts

raggedhalo

Oct 4 2007, 09:43 AM

Hi all,

This is my first post here on Dumpshock, though I've been playing and GMing Shadowrun since 2nd Ed. Anyhow, I've just started running a 4th Ed campaign set in Denver, and one of the players asked for the ultrasound vision mod as an adept power.

After looking over the rules, I figured that wasn't allowed, because the eye-mod for ultrasound requires a technological aspect (the ultrasound emitter). So he asked whether he could do it with the combo of ultrasound ear-enhancement and voice modulation (so he can make ultrasonic meeping noises, I guess).

I remember reading something like this in Augmentation, but can't find the reference. I figure he needs to take a Free Action to "speak" his ultrasonic emission, but should I run it as being exactly like the ultrasound vision mod or a bit different?

Cheers,
Joe

Eurotroll

Oct 4 2007, 10:26 AM

The reference in Augmentation is on pages 63-64, I believe -- Echolocation bioware.

However, given the description, I don't see why an Adept shouldn't be able to do the same with Voice Modulation, Improved Sense (High Frequency Hearing) and Improved Sense (Echolocation). I'd allow it in my game as the exact same thing, seeing how it is nothing but a magical version of a cyber-enhancement.

Mr. Croup

Oct 4 2007, 10:28 AM

The tough part would be working out PP costings, maybe have them analogous to echolocation essence costings?

Fortune

Oct 4 2007, 10:30 AM

I just treat it as a Sense, just like any other sense, and peg it at .25 PP. I don't see a need to get any more detailed than that, as it is supposed to be magic.

Cweord

Oct 4 2007, 11:07 AM

The technological aspect shouldn't be an issue, this is a direct reproduction of an animal sense (and as far as I know, bats don't have electronic emmiters).

Another interesting animal sense to look at would be a sharks electrical sense . . . Giving you and idea of the life forms around you.

Havn't thought about how it would work in detail, but it could be interesting.

Eleazar

Oct 4 2007, 11:26 AM

QUOTE (Cweord @ Oct 4 2007, 06:07 AM)

The technological aspect shouldn't be an issue, this is a direct reproduction of an animal sense (and as far as I know, bats don't have electronic emmiters).

Another interesting animal sense to look at would be a sharks electrical sense . . . Giving you and idea of the life forms around you.

Havn't thought about how it would work in detail, but it could be interesting.

The shark sense wouldn't work outside of water. The sense does more than just give you an idea of the lifeforms around you, at least according to what is thought by scientists. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember things like water temperature and finding north. There are other things it is believed to do, but I fail to remember at the moment.

Moon-Hawk

Oct 4 2007, 05:02 PM

QUOTE (Fortune)

I just treat it as a Sense, just like any other sense, and peg it at .25 PP. I don't see a need to get any more detailed than that, as it is supposed to be magic.

/agree

Cweord

Oct 4 2007, 05:47 PM

QUOTE (Eleazar)

The shark sense wouldn't work outside of water. The sense does more than just give you an idea of the lifeforms around you, at least according to what is thought by scientists. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember things like water temperature and finding north. There are other things it is believed to do, but I fail to remember at the moment.

The sense of small, water pressure and vibration sense wouldn't work underwater, but there is no indication that the sense of magnetic fields (including the ones made by moving muscles) would require immersion.

darthmord

Oct 4 2007, 07:39 PM

QUOTE (Cweord)

QUOTE (Eleazar @ Oct 4 2007, 06:26 AM)

The shark sense wouldn't work outside of water. The sense does more than just give you an idea of the lifeforms around you, at least according to what is thought by scientists. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember things like water temperature and finding north. There are other things it is believed to do, but I fail to remember at the moment.

The sense of small, water pressure and vibration sense wouldn't work underwater, but there is no indication that the sense of magnetic fields (including the ones made by moving muscles) would require immersion.

Let's stop and think about that for a moment...

Sharks are reputed to be able to smell blood in water at levels of 1 drop per 25 million at up to 1/4 mile away. That is an incredible level of sense of smell.

================

Sense of water pressure doesn't work in water? As opposed to it working where?

================

Lastly... vibration based senses doesn't work in water? Then I guess it's just fiction that one can hear sounds (which are VIBRATIONS) much further and clearer while in water than in air?

The last I checked, the denser the transmission material, the more detectable the vibrations in it are.

In fact, check out the following search terms "shark sense of smell" and check out the first two links. Here's the first & second ones...

1. http://www.milton.edu/academics/pages/mari...ebio/shark.html

2. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/...my/Senses.shtml

CyberKender

Oct 4 2007, 07:59 PM

A shark's electrical sense would work in air, but the sensitivity of the sense would have to be a magnitude greater since air is a poor conductor compared to water. The spell/magical effect Detect Life would be a *much* simpler way of duplicating it.

You can do like a shark's sense of smell, it's just an increased (existing) sense. But I would say that an adept isn't going to be as sensitive.

The air equivalent of a fish's lateral line sense is hearing. Both are merely the detection of pressure waves in a transmitting medium. Again, the fish has the advantage of water being a much better transmitter of sound, and that the lateral line is like having a hundred ears with which to determine range and direction. A spell/magical effect of Detect Motion would be a simple way of duplicating the effect.