GURPS Powers: Enhanced Senses

[Irioth]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

TL12? Hyperspectral Vision is available (Bio-tech page 60).

Quite true. But the Enhanced Senses supplement doesn't have it, at least not as an Enhanced Senses (or Sensor Implants) ability, which I found even more odd and frustrating, given its inclusion in Bio-Tech and the fact it is the logical outcome of combining the various Enhanced Senses (or Sensor Implants) Vision enhancements.

On a side note, I'm greatly pleased Enhanced Senses acknowledges the possibility with the Advanced Electronics power modifier far-future tech may overcome many flaws of near-future cybernetic implants. With TL 12 far-future tech, the boundary between genegineered Enhanced Senses, nanotech-based Advanced Electronics, and neurological Hypercognition enhancements should become quite blurry and essentially meaningless in terms of availability. The different power modifiers should only remain relevant in terms of the flaws different kinds of implants cause due to their workings.

[NineDaysDead]

Use of Reflexive +40%

A number of abilities make use of the Reflexive Enhancement, but seem to make no mention of the fact that "If this normally requires a success roll, activation requires a roll at -4". These include:

Radiation Scanner
Passive Electroreception
Magnetic Field Sense
Cutaneous Chemical Sense
Gravimetry
Mass Perception
Warpsense

If you want these abilities to work as described, with an unpenalized IQ or sense roll, then you probably need to add Reliable +4, +20% to all of the above.

[b-dog]

This just makes it clear that there needs to be a paranormal sense book too.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

TL12? Hyperspectral Vision is available (Bio-tech page 60).

My copy of Bio-Tech lists it not under Sensory Modifications, but under Transformations, which is used for extreme modifications that go beyond the usual range of biological possibility, at least for anything human in form; p. 61 specifies that such changes are "perhaps more realistically achievable through exotic nanotech than with 'genetic engineering.'" I based the Enhanced Senses abilities as closely as I could on documented sensory functions of actual animals, and there are no animals that have the wide spectral range of Hyperspectral Vision; there are some that can see into the UV and some that can see into the NIR, but no eyes work for the thermal IR, partly because the materials of biological lenses don't refract those wavelengths efficiently. (Pit vipers and vampire bats have what amount to pinhole IR cameras.)

You could do this as a more modest variant on Omnivision, which is a power under Supersenses; I think that's the appropriate place for any form of Hyperspectral Vision. Or you could make up a suitable Sensory Implants ability. Either of those would be plausible places for such a power, if you want it in your campaign. And after all, this book isn't a complete compendium of every possible sensory ability; it's designed to hit the high points and to demonstrate how powers can be built.

[Refplace]

Ok, I have a question here.
TS is about shooting someone and ES is about sensing or resolution.
Am I the only one who think the former should not be penalized as much as the latter?
For example, I can see someone and shoot them much less hot them in dim lighting more easily then I can read a book. Same for light that is too bright or the wrong color. Before saying the whole chart needs to come into line with TS maybe we should consider a sentence that says for combat, basic spotting or low resolution move the penalties by 1 step?
Something like that, wont work perfect for absolutes.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Normal Senses and Modifiers
Seems to be treating vision as 20p, hearing as 10p, smell as 2p, touch as 10p. Given that Blind is [-50], Deaf is [-20], No Sense of Smell is [-5], and Numb is [-20], those numbers are odd.

That seems at least moderately consistent. Having the sense at Per is worth some amount, and having it at all is worth about the same amount (rounded for SSR). That is, Blind is [-20] for buying down Sight to nothing, and [-30] for "Holy crap I can't see a blasted thing."

For a parallel of sorts, consider Extra Arm and No Manipulators. Human arms are worth [20] for Extra Arm purposes, but No Manipulators is [-50].

Originally Posted by Anthony

Illumination Levels
Um, no. While overcast can give penalties due to lack of shadows, this has nothing to do with brightness. Light levels won't directly affect human vision at all until you get down below a few thousand lux, and won't do so in a way that corresponds to a DX penalty until you get below a few hundred.

Yeah, I think I like your illumination levels better. I think one of the big issues here was marking Full Daylight as the +0 level, when really that should (provided you don't hit some glare) probably give a vision bonus.

...

Haven't had a lot of a chance to read through the .pdf, but I'm certainly looking forward to giving it one.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Ok, I have a question here.
TS is about shooting someone and ES is about sensing or resolution.
.

I believe this statement to be inaccurate.

As a Powers book Enhanced Senses is about modeling its' subject matter with the Powers system. Special emphasis was given to9m modeling known exotic senses from the animal world.

Enhanced Senses is no more the general sensing book than Psionic Powers was The general Psi book. That's probably a lot of he reason there's a Psionic Campaigns book and separate Psi-tech book too.

You want a general Gurps GM Guide with lots of material expanding and collating subjects covered only briefly in Campaigns and scattered through various supplements? It's not a bad idea but you probably need to be the one to write up a proposal and submit it to the Powers That Be.

But please stop whining and kvetching about Enhanced Senses not being a different book.

[Kromm]

Folks, please remember that if you have an issue with a rule because it wasn't done the way you would have done it, you're welcome to discuss that in a new thread about that rule – this thread is a general announcement. If there's an actual error, you can report it and hope for the best (yes, there have been issues with errata coordination of late) or you can condense it down to a few words, at which stage the author or editor can request a quick update, which will be free for those who already own the file. I'd prefer to see that in its own thread, too, but it's just barely on-topic. The main thing is that there's a lot more in the 36 pages of GURPS Powers: Enhanced Senses than the half-page Illumination Levels box on p. 13.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

You want a general Gurps GM Guide with lots of material expanding and collating subjects covered only briefly in Campaigns and scattered through various supplements? It's not a bad idea but you probably need to be the one to write up a proposal and submit it to the Powers That Be.

But please stop whining and kvetching about Enhanced Senses not being a different book.

I never said either.
Other then more Detects I was happy with the book and did not expect it to be what you think I want. Nor was I aware that I was whining, especially enough to be singled out by you.

My comment was a way to deal with the complaints about the book levels being applied to combat rolls.
In my mind there is a difference between seeing well enough to read or recognize someone and seeing well enough to hit them. It doesn't have to be in the book, though it could merit a box like several others already there.
The point was not bemoaning the lack of it but rather saying its a way to make both charts compatible.

[johndallman]

And now the dust has settled, and I've finished reading the PDF, it's an excellent collection of worked examples of small-scale power design. I foresee Archer's Trance becoming very popular with any character who can make a decent excuse for buying it.