Parabolic Hearing vs. Acute Hearing

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Perhaps not the best example considering that rules for just such a situation can be found on page 24 of Pulp Guns volume 1.

IIRC they only handle the Boomstick range, not the fact that any Success by 5 means 6 pellets hit an SM+0 target for GURPS Shotguns at other ranges (with no further way to differentiate grouping).

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Except that distinction is not really supported by the rules. If you try to make your Hearing roll to the hear the same volume sound at a greater distance, it's a simple penalty from the Speed/Range table, and Acute Hearing will counteract that penalty just fine. Ergo, with Acute Hearing +6, you can indeed hear a pin drop from 10x as far away.

Hearing doesn't use the Speed/Range table, it uses the Hearing Distance Table, with Acute Hearing +6, you can hear a pin drop from 64x as far away.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

IIRC they only handle the Boomstick range, not the fact that any Success by 5 means 6 pellets hit an SM+0 target for GURPS Shotguns at other ranges (with no further way to differentiate grouping).

It does more than you remember. A choked shotgun beyond boomstick range (which the choke extends) is at -1 to skill but number of hits is increased 50%.

[Nymdok]

Apologies folks, I forgot all about Discriminatory Advantages! My Bad :)

Nymdok

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

It does more than you remember. A choked shotgun beyond boomstick range (which the choke extends) is at -1 to skill but number of hits is increased 50%.

Is the rule replicated in any non-pulp PDF? HT or TS or GF perhaps?

[malloyd]

There probably isn't any real difference. It's not the only advantage or disadvantage pair apparently distinguished only by one version being originally written for humans and one for machines.

The way a parabolic microphone actually works is to provide amplification for sounds in the direction you point it (which is the same thing a non-directional microphone would do of course) and to reduce or eliminate sounds coming from other directions (which would cancel some noise penalties, but at a cost of not allowing you to hear sounds from those directions you might really be interested in).

I suppose if you wanted to distinguish them you should ignore penalties for noise sources for sounds coming from another direction for Parabolic Hearing. Though there aren't any real rules for assigning the contributions of each noise source to a total noise penalty. Still the ability to stand next to a jet engine or roaring waterfall or something and still hear people it doesn't block your view of could come up enough to justify a couple points. The differnce in cost does start looking pretty unreasonable when you compare high levels though.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Is the rule replicated in any non-pulp PDF? HT or TS or GF perhaps?

Not that I'm aware of. I'm pretty sure it isn't in HT, and it isn't reprinted in TS. I don't have Gun Fu, but I wouldn't expect it to be there.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Except there's nothing at all to make it work like that. Telescopic vision is distinguished by the 'zoom in' mechanic and by functioning as a weapon scope. If you took both of those out, there'd be nothing to differentiate it.

I think I may recast Parabolic Hearing as a direct parallel to Telescopic Vision. Eliminate -1/level of range penalties, or -2/level when "zoomed in", and give +1/level to skills principally using sound (targeting, tracking, etc.).

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

Hearing doesn't use the Speed/Range table, it uses the Hearing Distance Table, with Acute Hearing +6, you can hear a pin drop from 64x as far away.

If, that is, there are no other sources of noise.