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hyzmarca
A recent attempt to create an absurdly powerful cybermage has led me to this question. Can a blind character with astral perception get any benefits from a Smartlink?

Of course, the obvious answer is no since the eye display would be useless to a character without working eyes.

However, I eventually had the idea that a heavily customized (in other words, Deltaware) smartlink processor with a guncam and a dedicated datajack could send out a simsense limited feed instead of just display data, giving the shooter a virtual view from the perspective of the gun. While providing the standard -2 TN for shooting, this setup would provide an additional +2 TN for everything else.

Ideas? Suggestions?


Backgammon
I *think* there are 2 kinds of blindness, eyes that don't work or brain processing defect. In the former, cybereyes will fix that, so no need to go all complicated. Otherwise, I don't think there's anything you can do. Even if you generate a new view, the problem lies in the fact that the brain can't process it, so it doesn't matter. Of course I may be wrong in my understanding of blindness...
Cochise
QUOTE (hyzmarca)
A recent attempt to create an absurdly powerful cybermage has led me to this question.  Can a blind character with astral perception get any benefits from a Smartlink?


Plain and simple: No

The smartlink interacts with physical sight. A character with the blind flaw cannot use that sense.
Astral perception is a totally psychic sense (and currently can't even be recorded with simsense) => Those two don't have anything to do with each other ...

QUOTE
Of course, the obvious answer is no since the eye display would be useless to a character without working eyes.


The more important part is that sight and astral sight are two totally different senses ...

QUOTE
However, I eventually had the idea that a heavily customized (in other words, Deltaware) smartlink processor with a guncam and a dedicated datajack could send out a simsense limited feed instead of just display data, giving the shooter a  virtual view from the perspective of the gun.


That would still imply that the visual cortex of the character in question is still operational, which in turn would mean that the blindess of said person could easily be cured with cybereyes. The blind flaw however explicitly prohibits that.
Then of course there's still the fact that astral sight is still a seperate sense which more or less overlays the normal physical sight (regardless of that sense being operational or not) and requires some amount of concentration (thus leading to that +2 TN modifier for purely mundane actions while perceiving) ...
So far there's no precedence for one sight enhancement actually being transfered to another type of sense. And that's what you're trying to do here ...

QUOTE
Ideas? Suggestions?


Just one: Forget that idea ...
Zeel De Mort
QUOTE (hyzmarca)
Can a blind character with astral perception get any benefits from a Smartlink?

Yes.

He wouldn't get the various target number modifiers, but he would get some benefits like being able to change fire modes and eject clips as a free action. If those are normally handled by the eye display, I'm sure the Smartlink could be modified to accept mental signals to perform those functions instead.

Probably not really worth paying the essence and money just to be able to do those few things, but then Smartlinks are relatively cheap in both so perhaps it is.
toturi
I woud rule that characters with the Blind Flaw is effectively immune to all other Visual modifers except Blind Fire. So no, he may not make use of the SM 2.
TheScamp
QUOTE
He wouldn't get the various target number modifiers, but he would get some benefits like being able to change fire modes and eject clips as a free action. If those are normally handled by the eye display, I'm sure the Smartlink could be modified to accept mental signals to perform those functions instead.

You could probably get all that done with just a datajack and modified smartgun adapter on the weapon itself.
Toa
QUOTE (Zeel De Mort)
Probably not really worth paying the essence and money just to be able to do those few things, but then Smartlinks are relatively cheap in both so perhaps it is.

And you could further reduce the costs by doing without the image link and the simrig (used to calculate the position of the gun).
Tal
M&M has lists for the components of a smartlink, IIRC. Hmmm... Is it perhaps possible to enchant a weapon to allow the person firing it to see through the barrel, or somesuch?
Canid13
I seriously doubt you could enchant the weapon to allow someone to see through it. That'd be a cool spell if you could get it to work.

The simrig and induction pad are used to carry the commands from the brain via the smartlink processor to the weapon so the aforementioned blind mage could use smartlink to change choke, fire mode and eject clips (and fire the gun without a trigger too) but they'd still suffer the penalties to shooting of either +8 blind fire or +2 for astral perception.

The only way to get a blind character to use Smartlink is to have a VCR and be rigging. Since the brain is getting the data in a different manner when rigging you could still use the Smartlink for shooting then. However, the VCR counts for everything except the processor anyway, so it'd be a bit of a waste :o)
Cain
QUOTE (Tal)
Is it perhaps possible to enchant a weapon to allow the person firing it to see through the barrel, or somesuch?

Not really. The best you could do is to enchant the gun as a sustaining or anchoring focus, holding a Clairvoyance spell.
Joker9125
Clarvoyance/Enhance Aim

Ive heard people in here talking about the people your shooting at being able to resist enchance aim awhile back does anyone got a page number?
MYST1C
QUOTE (Canid13)
The only way to get a blind character to use Smartlink is to have a VCR and be rigging. Since the brain is getting the data in a different manner when rigging you could still use the Smartlink for shooting then.

Hm...
If a character is blind in the brain-damage-blind meaning, could he actually do rigging (or decking BTW)?
After all, his brain is unable to process visual data - doesn't matter if it comes from his eyes or from a rigger-deck trough a datajack.
He could use the SimSense-feed for all senses except sight!
Herald of Verjigorm
Blind mages use the 2 point cost for blind. When blind mundanes buy it at that price, they have full functionality in the brain just damage in the optic nerves or eyes. GM call.
BitBasher
QUOTE (Joker9125)
Clarvoyance/Enhance Aim

Ive heard people in here talking about the people your shooting at being able to resist enchance aim awhile back does anyone got a page number?

You don't need a page number, it's a detection spell, and all detection spells are resisted. Same with Detect Enemy, Detect Person, ect.
TheScamp
QUOTE
You don't need a page number, it's a detection spell, and all detection spells are resisted.

Well, only if anything is actually being detected. Combat Sense, for example, isn't resisted as it applies only to the subject. Not having MiTS, I can't comment on the specific language of Enhance Aim. If it somehow interacts with the people the subject wants to shoot, then it's resisted. If, however, it gives the subject a better feel for where exactly the weapon is pointing, then it shouldn't be resisted.
BitBasher
No no, nothing so complicated. It's resisted because IIRC it has ® in the target number field of the spell, meaning it's explicitly resisted, just like all the other detection spells with that notation.

Or, am I on crack?
Fortune
The fact that it is resisted is on crack, but you're clean. wink.gif
Edward
Although it may be possible to run a gun cam to a data jack suitable processing power creating a sim sense feed so a character with the blind flaw can “see” with his gun the sim sense feed would probably block astral perception or at least give huge penalties for overlaying sim sense sight on astral sight from a different viewing angel.

I say it would probably work because I recall the blind flaw has 2 levels, 1 means no sight and cyber eyes wont help. The other adds blind in simsence. If this is incorrect and you are always blind to simsence then you would only get the mode changing mental fire commands and would not need o pay the nuyen or essence for the eye display if you choose not to have it installed.

Edward
hyzmarca
QUOTE
Individual gamemasters and players must determine if this flaw effects specific characters jacked into rigs or the matrix. ... If caused by a nevrve defect it may not affect a character who is rigging or decking.  However, if the flaw is caused by a brain disorder it can make rigging and decking impossible.


That answers that question. Jacking into a gun may or may not be possible depending on the character.
Edward
If you do this the flaw cant be worth as much.

Edward
Canid13
QUOTE (M¥$T1C)
QUOTE (Canid13)
The only way to get a blind character to use Smartlink is to have a VCR and be rigging. Since the brain is getting the data in a different manner when rigging you could still use the Smartlink for shooting then.

Hm...
If a character is blind in the brain-damage-blind meaning, could he actually do rigging (or decking BTW)?
After all, his brain is unable to process visual data - doesn't matter if it comes from his eyes or from a rigger-deck trough a datajack.
He could use the SimSense-feed for all senses except sight!

Actually, Rigger 3 Revised (the chapter on Rigger characters) and the similar chapter in Matrix mention that just cos you're blind and incapable of seeing doesn't mean you can't use Simsense because it's coming in a different way. I distinctly remember R3R saying that because VCR's interact with the hypothalamus you aren't actually seeing, your mind thinks it's seeing when it isn't. Hence why blind costs 1 point for Riggers and Deckers as well as Mages.

I can't give page numbers right now, but I'll look it up tonight if people insist :o)
Kremlin KOA
hey two cameras, a Sony deck with a program to turn the feed into visual simsense, and a datajack... presto insta vision
hyzmarca
However, the penalities for performing actions physical actions while jacked in a pretty sever if I remember correctly. Its really only viable for sniping, since any character with this set-up would be a sitting duck.
Moon-Hawk
Only if you're using the RAS Override. That's the thing that keeps you from flipping out and waving your arms around while decking or watching a simflick.
If you leave it off you get the superposition of the simworld and the real world, and your physical actions are unrestricted. It would work great.
Cain
QUOTE (Moon-Hawk @ Oct 5 2004, 09:32 AM)
Only if you're using the RAS Override.  That's the thing that keeps you from flipping out and waving your arms around while decking or watching a simflick.
If you leave it off you get the superposition of the simworld and the real world, and your physical actions are unrestricted.  It would work great.

No it wouldn't. Check out pg 21, M&M; you're at +8 to all real world TN's.

You're confusing the devices. The RAS is what keeps you from "flipping out"; the Override is what allows you to move about anyway.
hyzmarca
QUOTE (Cain)
QUOTE (Moon-Hawk @ Oct 5 2004, 09:32 AM)
Only if you're using the RAS Override.  That's the thing that keeps you from flipping out and waving your arms around while decking or watching a simflick.
If you leave it off you get the superposition of the simworld and the real world, and your physical actions are unrestricted.  It would work great.

No it wouldn't. Check out pg 21, M&M; you're at +8 to all real world TN's.

You're confusing the devices. The RAS is what keeps you from "flipping out"; the Override is what allows you to move about anyway.

+8 TN is for performing actions while uner the influance of a RAS override.
Without the RAS override the penality is "up to +4". I assume that the actual value depends on the GM and the type of sim.

The RAS override disables real sensory input. Removing it would allow you to experience the simsense reality and actual reality at the same time.
Cain
Um, no. The "Up to +4" only applies to specific sims, and not with the RAS override active.
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