Electromagnetic vision power

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

I was looking at Scanning Sense, but it seems it has to be an active emission.

Does it? hmm. It does say that, and early in the description. You can always add no signature +20%, I suppose.


Where is vision-based from? Is there a place where it applies to detect? I fought the "detect does not do vision" principle for a long time.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Where is vision-based from? Is there a place where it applies to detect? I fought the "detect does not do vision" principle for a long time.

Powers p106, under Sense Based-Reverse, with Detect (Smell-based) as an example. It's probably something that should've been in Basic Set, as I see this version of Sense Based more often than the standard version.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by Lameth

thank you! so what other enhancements to see bio also and "through walls"? and how deep through walls or objects could it penetrate?

You could just call it Detect (Bio-electric Fields), either as its own power or as an extra domain on top of EFs.

Depth of penetration, realistically, depends on the electric permittivity (IIRC) of the shielding material- low penetration for conductors, high for insulators- and the current strength, so it'd just be up to the GM to give a circumstantial modifier, to which Reliable would add a bonus. Maybe Bill Stoddard's Powers: Enhanced Senses book goes into this kind of detail. (Maybe it does, covering electric fields and currents on p17.)

[cosmicfish]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Pretty much a given, as the OP says he's trying to duplicate a superhero power.

But this has in-game implications. If it is just a matter of seeing the radiation, then there could be cameras that can see people behind walls and detectors that can tell when a person is near. Plus people would be interfering with anything transmitting in their spectrum.

There is also still the question if why he can only see people. Are people emitting in a spectrum that is otherwise dead? And why is that the only spectrum the character can see?

I have no problem with the superpower, but explaining it as electromagnetic in nature causes problems.

[Daigoro]

Because he can see biofields with Kirlian vision!

Slightly paranormal, but that would be the justification to go with.

[Anthony]

Yeah, electromagnetic vision is clearly supernatural aura detection that's been whitewashed with bad physics.

[Lameth]

Ok all objects, including human bodies, emit electromagnetic radiation. The wavelength of radiation emitted depends on the temperature of the objects. Such radiation is sometimes called thermal radiation. Most of the radiation emitted by human body is in the infrared region, mainly at the wavelength of 12 micron. So would this just not be seeing that "living field" as a bio energy?

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Lameth

So would this just not be seeing that {infrared} "living field" as a bio energy?

If you like. You wanted to see through walls, so Penetrating Vision is a reasonable start. Or you could base the handwaving on a kind of electroreception, as some fish have.

And certainly one might be able to build gadgets to do the same thing, if the GM likes. Talk to Reed Richards; maybe he can whip one up for you.

I wouldn't get too hung up on actual physics. If BL can see people through walls, then he can see people through walls. In comic books, ice does things real ice can't so, magnetism does things real magnetism can't do, super-strength does things super-strength can't do, so there's no reason to fash yourself unduly just because this ability is supposed to be "electromagnetic" in nature.

I also note that his actual black lightning, as opposed to his usual kind, is described as a "mystical" ability by Wikipedia, so it's not necessarily the case that it's just electromagnetism, and so the Kirlian photography and aura business suggested upthread reappear.

If he does see through walls just the way a real-world infrared camera can, then just give him an Equipment Perk to have such an infrared camera. No reason to charge points for abilities available in off-the-shelf gear.

[Lameth]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

If you like. You wanted to see through walls, so Penetrating Vision is a reasonable start. Or you could base the handwaving on a kind of electroreception, as some fish have.

And certainly one might be able to build gadgets to do the same thing, if the GM likes. Talk to Reed Richards; maybe he can whip one up for you.

I wouldn't get too hung up on actual physics. If BL can see people through walls, then he can see people through walls. In comic books, ice does things real ice can't so, magnetism does things real magnetism can't do, super-strength does things super-strength can't do, so there's no reason to fash yourself unduly just because this ability is supposed to be "electromagnetic" in nature.

I also note that his actual black lightning, as opposed to his usual kind, is described as a "mystical" ability by Wikipedia, so it's not necessarily the case that it's just electromagnetism, and so the Kirlian photography and aura business suggested upthread reappear.

If he does see through walls just the way a real-world infrared camera can, then just give him an Equipment Perk to have such an infrared camera. No reason to charge points for abilities available in off-the-shelf gear.

all good points thx

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Lameth

Most of the radiation emitted by human body is in the infrared region, mainly at the wavelength of 12 micron. So would this just not be seeing that "living field" as a bio energy?

That's just infravision. Usually the bioelectric field stuff is more interested in electrostatic fields generated by cells.