I want to take a look at the various stealth options in SR3. It seems to me, that the magical methods of non-detection are weak, compared to the non-magic equivalents. But lets look:

Two basic scenarios.

A. Appearing as someone else.

B. Appearing to not be there.

Several basic methods:

1. Stealth Skill

2. Mundane masking/makeup (Ski masks, rubber face, fake contact lenses etc.)

3. Camouflage Clothing

4. Ruthenium Polymer Armor

5. Thermal Dampening Armor Mod.

6. Camouflage Spell

7. Improved Physical Mask

8. Stealth Spell

9. Silence Spell

10. Concealment Power

11. Masking Metamagical Ability

12. Adept innate ability to hide powers. (2 successes on assensing test to notice each Power)

Most of the time, a Runner will want to not be detected at all. And if detected, want to appear as something other than his true identity.

Best setup to B/E:

Astral Security - How to dodge the pesky mages/spirits/elementals on sentry duty:

Mundane intruder. - No imprint on the astral, beyond as a mundane. Immediate hostile reaction unless physically camouflaged as a mundane who's allowed to be there. - Or does the mundane runner have other options?

Adept intruder. Masking ability, can "vanish" on the astral. Can focus on making his physical form undetectable.

Mage intruder. Masking ability. Can appear non-existant like the Adept, but must remember than sustained spells or foci must be masked too or be discovered.

This section poses a few questions. How does a mundane avoid astral detection? - And, how easy is it to spot a person astrally if he's physically well hidden? - And, splitting that up, the difference between hidden by cover, and hidden by blending into the background with gear.

Also, does Concealment Power help vs.

Physical security is split up into several aspects:

- Guards, vision and sound.

- Critters, vision, sound, scent.

- Sensors, electronic vision, electronic sound, tremors, chemical.

Tremorsense is generally not triggered by runners other than in the form of Ultrasonic Sensors. These can be foiled by Ultrasound Emitters that mimic the echoes of "nothing", making the intruder able to move slowly through a field of ultrasound detection. See page 293 of SR3.
- Roll intruder (emitter rating+Stealth) vs. detector rating, reduce intruders TN by 1 for each half-meter less than 2m pr. combat round. That is, if you move ½m pr. round you have -3 TN. A single net success means you are not detected. If you move fast though, you recieve +1 TN pr. half-meter.

AFAIK the Concealment Power adds to the detectors TN.

Questions raised from this section are: - What rating is cybernetic ultrasound vision? - Can you use cybernetic ultrasound vision to defeat hostile ultrasound detection? - If no, then how do you implant cybernetic ultrasound emitter/detector that Can defeat hostile ultrasound detection?

Chemical detectors or MAD can be hard to foil. They roll Rating vs. weapon concealability. They can have up to rating 9 when built into walls/doorways and usually require you to beat concealability 8 to even notice them. There is no reason to turn these off due to own security, if your own guards can be identified when passing the system.

Several ways to beat this system, or avoid triggering the alarm:

1. Do not bring explosives/ammo. Only really an option for magical characters.

2. Steal/create a detection ship that allows you to "smell" like a security guard.

3. Use Concealment Power of spirit.

4. Use specialized spell: Improved Hide Scent, copy of Imp. Inivisibility.

5. Wrap weapons in extra cover, that adds chemical concealability. Will demand some creativity and GM accept.

Scent, related to chemical detectors and foiled by the same measures, but measures should include the entire runner.

Sound. Foiled by Stealth, Stealth Spell, Silence Spell, Concealment Power, Traceless Walk. The weaknesses of the spells are the sustaining penalty, plus the fact that magical types can resist them easily.

Vision. I saved it for last, since its the most commonly used detection method. And also the method that has the most modifiers and countermeasures.

Scenarios:

Hiding in plain sight, at a range.
- Ruthenium
- Imp. Invis.
- Camouflage, both spell and mundane
- Concealment Power
- Stealth Skill

Hiding in close combat.
- Ruthenium
- Improved Invisibility Spell
- Concealment Power? - Does it add its modifier in melee?
- Camouflage Spell

Hiding in partial cover.
- Ruthenium
- Imp. Invis.
- Camouflage, both spell and mundane
- Concealment Power
- Stealth Skill

Hiding from Drones and Thermal Vision.
- Thermal Dampening Clothing
- Concealment Power
- Imp. Invisibility? - I'm in doubt on this one.

Conclusion and summation:

The overall most effective way of stealth, is the concealment power of a spirit. It adds a flat modifier to the detectors TN and works on everything, at every range. Secondly, it can be combined with other measures for a higher total modifier.

Weaknesses, its tied to the spirit providing the Power. The spirit must be Greatform in order to travel across domain borders with you. The spirit has to pass barriers with you (or leave the material plane, go to its homeplane and then materialize with you on the other side of the offending barrier).

No elementals have concealment Power, so you have to be a Shaman to call a spirit who has it. Particular interesting spirits are Desert, Mountain, Prairie, Mist, River, Sea and Swamp. They all have both Movement and Concealment powers.

A strong alternative is the Storm Spirits, its innate lightning bolt spell is very powerful vs. electronics, and its a ranged power, rare in summoned spirits.

The Stealth Skill helps you in many ways. Both detecting and avoiding detection. I think all characters should invest in it eventually, but its also a skill that can be skimped on during creation, if you have other methods of stealth.

The spell methods of concealability have a considerable weakness. They are hard to Mask if cast at a strong Force (6+), and they are of little value if cast at low force. Since, if resisted they do not help you at all. Most initiated mages grab spell defence, adding to the spells TN to delude the mage. Secondly, any mage on sentry duty will (well, should) have all his dice dedicated to defence, meaning that they are likely to pierce your spell and send you down to relying on mundane stealth measures.

Secondly, you have to sustain the spells, either adding to your TN for all other actions, or costing money and karma for sustaining foci.

Ruthenium is the best-in-class mundane stealth gear. Its prohibitively expensive though.

Camouflage only works vs. ranged combat, but can be integrated in most armor setups. RTS and Camouflage suits are common runner armors. Oft seen is the RTS + Formfitting Body Armor.

Ultrasonic defence is expensive, but probably worth it. Particularly when moving slowly past guards, while in plain sight of them. cool.gif

Thermal Dampening treatment is also money well spent. Each level increases your Signature, making you incredibly hard for sensors to pick up. Its time-limited though.

Astrally, mundanes are in plain trouble. They stick out as "life" on the other plane, but cover modifers should modify the TN to spot them. I do not know of an armor mod that can foil astral perception.

Well, I didn't get around to the other aspect of apperance altering, but will follow up later.