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Razorwire
What do you guys think? Does thermo work for line of sight? Can you blast through walls then?

What about an invisible person, but you spot through ultrasound? Thanks, I appreciate the help.
Razorwire
Another question. With perception can you see through walls and other barriers? What about casting a spell while perceiving? Is that considered physical damage?
Kagetenshi
Natural thermographic vision does in fact work for line of sight, as does cybernetic thermo (anything you paid essence for). This does not mean that you can target spells through walls, since while some people claim that heat signatures bleed through walls this is only true through a tent wall on a cold day. Smack the next person who tells you thermovision sees through walls.
Ultrasound is more iffy. I might rule that a cybernetic ultrasound system could work, but it'd be GM's call all the way.
Astral perception does not allow one to see through walls and barriers. While astrally active a mage's astral form can pass through the wall and thus see on the other side. All spells cast while astral give physical drain.

~J
Velocity
Thermo definitely works for line of sight, but ultrasound does not. Ultrasound draws an image of the target on the mage's HUD so technically, the mage is not perceiving the target--s/he is perceiving an image of the target. This forbids targeting.

Incidentally, this is the same reason that one cannot target spells through electronic imaging devices.

As for thermo seeing through walls... I dunno about that. Discuss it with your GM but I certainly wouldn't allow it except under very specific circumstances (i.e. a fire elemental standing on the other side of a thin plaster wall).

[edit] Kagetenshi said it better than I coulda. Ditto with the smacking-of-the-person next to you.[/edit]
Ancient History
In cases where an individual has lost their sense of sight, astral perception can serve them to cast spells.

If an individual cannot see or, for some reason, cannot astrally perceive, then I think they should not be allowed to cast spells except personal spells (Detection spells, for example).
BitBasher
There has been threads in the past about it, but thermographic cannot see through walls like in the movies. in fact, a purely thermographic camera cannot even see through glass. The lenses of thermo cameras are made of germanium which works in that spectrum like glass works in our visible light spectrum.
Razorwire
Thanks so much for the help guys.

Just to clarify, while perceiving, you take physical drain?


Thanks.
Fortune
Not as far as I know. That rule only applies to Projecting, IIRC.
Reth
Drain when you're perceiving depends on the target, if it is a physical target on the physical plane then the drain is stun or physical depending on the spells force and your magic attribute, if the target is astral, then the drain is always physical.
DigitalMage
QUOTE (Reth)
if the target is astral, then the drain is always physical.

I don't think that is true, I belive it is more to do with the state of the caster (projecting or not) rather than the target.
QUOTE
SR3 p162, Drain
Drain damage is usually stun damage. Whenever a magician attempts magic with a Force greater than the magician's Magic Attribute, the Drain does physical damage.  The Drain from magic performed while astrally projecting (p. 182) also does physical instead of stun damage, regardless of Force.
Cray74
QUOTE ("BitBasher")
There has been threads in the past about it, but thermographic cannot see through walls like in the movies. in fact, a purely thermographic camera cannot even see through glass.

Depends on the infrared properties of the transparency. For example, go to MPEG 019 in this list of thermographic videos:

Real Thermographic Videos

In MPEG 019, you can see through the plastic soda bottle. Not just the fluid level where the liquid touches the walls of the soda bottle (thus altering the bottle's temperature), but also the interior surface of the liquid.

Further, in MPEG 021, a thermographic camera uses a mirror to look at itself and the cameraman. That means it's looking through the glass to the reflective backing of the mirror.

Germanium isn't the only thing transparent to IR light. Some glasses and plastics are, too.
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