Full Version: Traceless Snowshoes.
In the description for the physad power Traceless Walk, it says something to the effect of being a type of levitation so that you leave no footprints etc. Does this power then act like magical snowshoes to keep you from sinking into snow and leaving your footprints?
Yep.
Along with rice paper, pressure plates, thick mud, egg shells, dusty floors, sleeping trolls
So then it will keep mobility from being compromised when walking through deep snow?
That's a tough call.
I'd probably charge more for the Power (1PP), but would also allow the full Legolas Effect (walking on soft snow).
One could reasonably say that with traceless walk you can cross thick mud/snow without sinking in, but that it still slows you down because some extra care or effort is required not to sink into something so soft.
A snowshoe effect would be a sort of cool side effect though.
A snowshoe effect would be a sort of cool side effect though.
yeah, traceless walk is a requirement for all my physads now.
Almost every physad i've seen has it, plus alot of the ones i design have a spare .5 so it gets thrown on that. It's a No-brainer choice really...
don't have it, myself, even though i'm a sneaky-type physad. it's on my list, but right now, i'm getting by with 13 sneaking dice. i need some improved ability: stealth, too. so much to buy, so little karma...
+4 To their Tn's to hear you.... worth it's weight in dice to be honest
+4? that's it? thought it was better than that. i've already got +10 to visual TNs, if i'm wearing my sneaking suit (+9 thermo). ruthenium = teh awesome.
| QUOTE (mfb) |
| if i'm wearing my sneaking suit (+9 thermo). |
What sneaky type of armor has 9 ballistic or impact?
none, that i'm aware of. but my sneaking suit--diving armor with ruthenium and thermal damping--gives +10 to visual perception checks to spot him, or +9 if the perciever is using thermo.
Ruthenium's just a visual effect, right?
yeah.
next grade, i'm picking up a custom power called Camouflage, lets you hide your aura completely.
next grade, i'm picking up a custom power called Camouflage, lets you hide your aura completely.
SR seems to have a ton of spells/gear to hide the visible and magical aspects of a person from sensors, but not so many options if you're trying to conceal yourself against other kinds of detection. Someone in a ruthenium suit with thermal damping could probably be found out by a pretty mundane guard dog, if the runner happened to have eaten a cheeseburger with extra onions before going to work. There goes all that tech and nuyen down the tubes, doesn't it?
So anyone know of any spells/gear that masks scent?
So anyone know of any spells/gear that masks scent?
The spell is easy enough to make as it is just a variance on Invisibility/Silence.
| QUOTE (Limping Jacob) |
| So anyone know of any spells/gear that masks scent? |
Create a more powerful scent that does not track back to you.
Clean metabolism and scent glands can be helpful as well.
There are also scent removing soaps used by modern day hunters. Take a look at the add sheet for scent killer.
| QUOTE (Herald of Verjigorm) | ||
Create a more powerful scent that does not track back to you. Clean metabolism and scent glands can be helpful as well. |
Bug/critter repelling pheromones
Inspire fear in bug spirits, turn away paracritters. Juggernaut repellant anyone?
Yeah, Bob has got it. That sorta stuff is commonly avilable at WalMart today =)
I would say the power would, by the wording in the book, allow the full Legolas effect. Mmm, sprinting on a four-foot snowdrift...
~J
~J
That would be pretty cool...although, what if he falls and lands on the snowdrift, then will he sink in?
Or maybe he could just miss the ground 
Tough call there. I'd say when appropriate to flavour he or she will just roll along the surface, while when appropriate they'll just sink in normally in a flurry of snow.
~J
~J
Heh. Three runners flee through a thick layer of newfallen snow, one running normally due to his traceless walk power, as the others slog with great effort. They come to a dropoff, 10 meters straight down and decide that considering the thick soft layer of snow they will probably make the jump. The exhausted two make painfull, but survivable belly flops into the deep snow. The third pancakes as it it were made out of concrete then sinks slowly, unconcious. 
I always played traceless walk as a voluntary thing, i.e. you have to be concious and intentionally using it. Also, it only works for your feet. No traceless handstand.
eh. i don't see any logical reason to limit it like that. it's not like allowing traceless handstands will unlock some kind of crazy munchkin thing, and disallowing it removes the possibility for some cool scenes and inventive problem-solving opportunities on the players' part. i also don't see any real in-character reason for it.
I've always had this question about Traceless Walk... What happens when a physad with TW jumps from a building (or other high point)? Does he land squarely on the cushion of air and suffer falling damage if the drop was high enough (assuming he has no other way to break his fall) or does he tap the ground as his magical power adjusts to his body weight?
| QUOTE (Crimson Jack) |
| I've always had this question about Traceless Walk... What happens when a physad with TW jumps from a building (or other high point)? Does he land squarely on the cushion of air and suffer falling damage if the drop was high enough (assuming he has no other way to break his fall) or does he tap the ground as his magical power adjusts to his body weight? |
I believe he would splat like bird droppings if the fall is high enough. It is traceless walk not free fall or what ever that Physical Adept power is that lets you fall without getting hurt. If he didn't splat then why take the free fall power? As .5 points will let you do 2 things. Free fall doesn't let you traceless walk so it would be dumb to take free fall over traceless walk.
| QUOTE (Frag-o Delux) | ||
I believe he would splat like bird droppings if the fall is high enough. It is traceless walk not free fall or what ever that Physical Adept power is that lets you fall without getting hurt. If he didn't splat then why take the free fall power? As .5 points will let you do 2 things. Free fall doesn't let you traceless walk so it would be dumb to take free fall over traceless walk. |
I believe that it should be "splat like bird droppings without a trace." Remember he might take damage but he should do so without a trace. So if he falls onto glass, he takes the damage but leaves no trace that he had fallen onto the glass.
It's "Traceless Walk", not "Traceless High Velocity Impact". For that matter is is also not "Traceless Jog", "Traceless Run" or "Traceless Sprint". Since you can technically walk on your hands I can let that go. 
I agree with toturi's basic premise:
The adept experiences the physical effects of encountering the world around him, but the world around him does not suffer the forces caused by gravity that involve the adept.
So, the adept who falls 200m onto a glass ceiling will splat in a most impressive manner, but the glass will be unbroken. Unless he deactivated traceless walk (free action) before impact.
The adept experiences the physical effects of encountering the world around him, but the world around him does not suffer the forces caused by gravity that involve the adept.
So, the adept who falls 200m onto a glass ceiling will splat in a most impressive manner, but the glass will be unbroken. Unless he deactivated traceless walk (free action) before impact.
| QUOTE (BitBasher) |
| It's "Traceless Walk", not "Traceless High Velocity Impact". For that matter is is also not "Traceless Jog", "Traceless Run" or "Traceless Sprint". Since you can technically walk on your hands I can let that go. |
By your defination of the power, it would be very ridiculous. If the guy was simply standing still, he would sink into the soft mud but if he was walking, he would leave no trace.
| QUOTE (Herald of Verjigorm) |
| So, the adept who falls 200m onto a glass ceiling will splat in a most impressive manner, but the glass will be unbroken. |
But would he make a noise when he went splat?
| QUOTE (FlakJacket) | ||
But would he make a noise when he went splat? |
Initially, no. After the adept is quite dead, all the pieces that are airborn will clatter as they hit.
| QUOTE (FlakJacket) | ||
But would he make a noise when he went splat? |
... and if no one's around to hear it... ??
it would probably be smarter to judge the effects of a power by it's description, instead of solely by its name. "an adept with the traceless walk power can move over soft or brittle surfaces blah blah blah." doesn't say anything about not being able to run. it doesn't say anything about landing on those surfaces from a great height, either.
I was being sarcastic.
In reality I do interpret this power as being something thats definitely conscious. It's never really come up in gameplay so much.
In reality I do interpret this power as being something thats definitely conscious. It's never really come up in gameplay so much.
heh. you were being sarcastic, but i'll take good odds on there being lots of GMs out there who aren't. for instance, i remember the argument being put forth that killing hands doesn't apply to kick attacks.
heh, I prefer the name "Killing Area of Unarmed Melee Impact" for that power, as it's more appropriate.
In all fairness I do employ some restrictions for traceles walk. It can only be done when walking or slower. It's a conscious action, and you cant be running, jumping or sprinting. Alternatively you can do it while running or jumping but theres a chance it will fail. Falling a few feet onto a pressure plate its very liekly that you will set it off. beyond that the power is still insanely useful.
In all fairness I do employ some restrictions for traceles walk. It can only be done when walking or slower. It's a conscious action, and you cant be running, jumping or sprinting. Alternatively you can do it while running or jumping but theres a chance it will fail. Falling a few feet onto a pressure plate its very liekly that you will set it off. beyond that the power is still insanely useful.
| QUOTE (BitBasher) |
| In all fairness I do employ some restrictions for traceles walk. It can only be done when walking or slower. |
But ... what about the ninjas?? =D Maybe make a skill test to be able to run without a trace?
:: ducks all the incoming flames, shuriken, dead fish, small woodland animals, and old copies of Reader's Digest ::
Honestly, I liked the idea of being able to run without a trace too. It's just Darn Cool. However, I can certainly see why you'd want to limit it from a balance perspective. And yet -- if that's what the character's Coolness Hook is, as opposed to being faster than most crack-infested spider monkies, I think more power to him
| QUOTE (BitBasher) |
| It can only be done when walking or slower. It's a conscious action, and you cant be running, jumping or sprinting. Alternatively you can do it while running or jumping but theres a chance it will fail. |
You mean like Remo Williams.
Pretty much exactly like Remo, and like in Remo, Chuin in my game will beat you 9 ways from sunday
Another neat traceless walk trick is to walk on stuff that the opposition can't cross. Run a piece of string between two buildings walk across carrying a rope that will let the rest of your team make it a across. Dig a deep pit where the hall in your house used to be and cover it with paper, traceless walk across. Intruding goons need not apply.
I never thought of that.
| QUOTE (Crusher Bob) |
| Another neat traceless walk trick is to walk on stuff that the opposition can't cross. Run a piece of string between two buildings walk across carrying a rope that will let the rest of your team make it a across. Dig a deep pit where the hall in your house used to be and cover it with paper, traceless walk across. Intruding goons need not apply. |
You still have to balance on the string though. I do like the paper idea over a trap.
Yeah, Arthur Dent style!
woah, that last comment got put into the wrong spot, my bad.
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