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Sensor Spook (Homebrew Quality)

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Finstersang

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« on: <03-01-18/0635:24> »
I recently started watching the 3rd Season of Fargo, and to my surprise I found a funny little idea for a SR quality in it.

(Mild) Spoiler ahead! If you watch the show, then you know that the main heroine of season 3 has the anomalous quirk that everyday sensors are not responding to her presence. Iīd guess this might be beneficial for her at some later point of the story, but so far, this is mostly to her dismay, since this also applies to automatic doors, faucets etc.

I think this would be a really cool and funny Quality in the 6th world - especially because of the everyday problems this may cause. I branded it a positive Quality for sneaky Shadowrunners, but itīs cheapened because of the obvious drawbacks.

Sensor Spook ("Positive" Quality, 3 Points per Rating, max. 6)
You know the kind of people that are always overlooked by others? For you, itīs the same experience with technology. Sensors and automated systems just seem to have a problem of detecting your presence, leaving you flailing you arms like an idiot in front of automatic doors and sometimes even unable to flush those motion-controlled public toilets - but also making you a great infiltrator in high-tech environments. For each Point of Rating in this Quality, a dice pool modifier of -1 is applied to (almost) all sensor tests to detect and/or track your presence. This can be quite a nuisance in everyday life, so the GM is encouraged to roll sensor tests (with the according modifier) just for you in any situation where the rest of the team would just pass through an automated door etc. Keep in mind that sensors in everyday appliances usually donīt have strong ratings - you might get stuck a lot! Also note that this is somehow limited to automated, non-sentient systems. An autonomous drone or an automatic security cam will overlook you, but the security rigger (even if itīs a sentient AI!) will recognize you in the camera feed just fine - they will still have problems when using sensor targetting against you, though.  The quality applies only to yourself, but not to your equipment, as long as itīs not an implant you paid essence for. It has also no influence on your Matrix presence, your SINs and licenses.

PS @ the freelancers: Might be a cool entry to bolster up the new Matrix sourcebook with something else than pointless chatlogs  ;)
« Last Edit: <03-01-18/1148:35> by Finstersang »

legionof1

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« Reply #1 on: <03-02-18/0331:07> »
Being a person that suffers from this problem in real life, i heartily approve. In my case i have circulation problems, so my skin temp is lower then average, so cheap thermal stuff wont notice me. Also makes touch screens that rely on conductivity rather then pressure finicky. 

Senko

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« Reply #2 on: <03-05-18/1834:35> »
Interesting though I'm not sure I'd have it be a positive quality. Cameras will still record you afterall and in the world of Shadowrun there would be a massive amount of automated sensors in day to day life anywhere from low quality of life up. I don't know about implanted comlinks but trodes for example would be affected by this. Plus of course any automated sensors for doors/escalators/elevators/lights/etc, interactive displays, any non mechanical device is going to give you trouble and even today most phones are touch screen. I'd be more inclined to have it be a negative quality with occasional benefits. I know as a gm I could torment a player with this a lot everything from mobile trash bins in high quality malls running into them to emergency systems triggering after all life signs have been determined to be extinct.