Does Detect only detect the nearest source?

[Maz]

So, I'm playing around with designing a Detect power. And as I read it I am unsure if I understand it correctly.

So here are some examples and if I understand them correctly.

Detect (no mod): You make a Sense roll. Then if the thing you Detect is within the maximum range you can detect based on your roll. You will know it's there and you know the direction to the nearest source. As well as the quantity of that, nearest source.
Then there is a follow-up analyse roll. That can tell you more about that one, nearest source.

Detect (Vague): You simple know there is a source within the range, dependent on your skill roll.

Detect (Precise): you know the exact distance, to the source you detected... which is the nearest.


So, my problem is that no matter what I only detect ONE source, the nearest. So if you are in a Dragons Hoard and used "Detect Magic" you would only get a "ping" for the nearest magic item, even though there might be a more powerful one 5y further away. Vague or Precise doesn't really change this. Nor does Analyse.

Assuming my reading is correct, what would a modifier cost that let you know all of the sources within the range? How to build a "Detect all Psionics within range"

[weby]

Yes, base detect detect the nearest significant thing in the class.

The basic Selective Effect(power ups 4 page 16) should allow such by the first sentence, but the specific text for detect talks about narrowing the type only.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by weby

The basic Selective Effect(power ups 4 page 16) should allow such by the first sentence, but the specific text for detect talks about narrowing the type only.

I do not have Power ups 4, and I must admit I simply do not understand what you are saying here.

Do you mean that there is a modifiers Selective Effect, in power ups 4, that allow you to detect all sources within range? What is it priced at?

[weby]

Originally Posted by Maz

I do not have Power ups 4, and I must admit I simply do not understand what you are saying here.

Do you mean that there is a modifiers Selective Effect, in power ups 4, that allow you to detect all sources within range? What is it priced at?

There is a modifier Selective Effect +20%. That allows you to exclude specific things. So you could do detect, exclude the found and repeat to find all. But the description of the Selective Effect enchantment is kind of unclear overall.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by weby

There is a modifier Selective Effect +20%. That allows you to exclude specific things. So you could do detect, exclude the found and repeat to find all. But the description of the Selective Effect enchantment is kind of unclear overall.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. That's very similar to Selective Area from the core book. That might be the easiest way to go.

[David Johnston2]

The wiggle room is in the word "significant". If there's a far more powerful object within range to be easily sensed, then the lesser object can become insignificant.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Maz

Detect (no mod): You make a Sense roll. Then if the thing you Detect is within the maximum range you can detect based on your roll. You will know it's there and you know the direction to the nearest source. As well as the quantity of that, nearest source.

Note that Detect gets you the nearest significant source, not just the nearest single source. So if you have Detect Gold, the GM shouldn't be going "hah hah, you detected the one flake of gold on your shirtsleeve!". And Detect Life is actually useful, it won't just stick you on "Yup, you've detected yourself" or "you pick up the bacterial flora living on your body".

Kromm's answer to this question also suggests that Detect, by default, also gives you a collective response, on everything inside your range. So if you have Detect Life, you'll get a response along the lines of "there's a lot of life here, including bacteria, plants, several animals, and a couple of people". The Analyzing enhancement can give a more precise breakdown on a basic sense roll, including type and location.

[Mr_Sandman]

There's another Kromm-quotes that indicate that the basic, unmodified Detect advantage should be interpreted to detect more than just the single nearest source: http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...5&postcount=20

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

Note that Detect gets you the nearest significant source, not just the nearest single source. So if you have Detect Gold, the GM shouldn't be going "hah hah, you detected the one flake of gold on your shirtsleeve!". And Detect Life is actually useful, it won't just stick you on "Yup, you've detected yourself" or "you pick up the bacterial flora living on your body".

Kromm's answer to this question also suggests that Detect, by default, also gives you a collective response, on everything inside your range. So if you have Detect Life, you'll get a response along the lines of "there's a lot of life here, including bacteria, plants, several animals, and a couple of people". The Analyzing enhancement can give a more precise breakdown on a basic sense roll, including type and location.

Yeah. In fact, the wording "the nearest significant source" implies that you should have a vague idea of other, less significant, sources. And the default analysis function of unmodified Detect should give you information roughly equivalent to what Analyzing does for Telescan, if you make the necessary IQ roll.

[Refplace]

Kromm makes it clear the GM can and should exclude insignificant things even if the player frgot to say they were excluding them.
Not that adding Selective Area lets you focus on certain areas in range and ignore others. Handy for searching.
Selective Effect lets you narrow the focus to a sub class (Detect Life can be narrowed to Detect Human Life for example) or even a specific thing.
So both could be added for an even more refined search ability.