PSION detection
- Thread starter doktor57
- Start date
Old School
Mongoose
There are binoculars in the central supply catalogue that include a psion detector. They are TL16, however.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
Such a campaign-wrecker would be immediately banned IMTU...Old School said:
How are we supposed to do intrigue if all Zho spies have large blinking neon sign on them?
How would underground Psi Institutes still exist?
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
If TL 16 binoculars are common in one's particular universe, the secret psionics is kind of moot. In most Traveller games, those binoculars are a one of a kind artifact which I doubt... are going to be handed over to the authorities. How often are player characters going to bump into lots of psions? Those binoculars would be part of a quest and a key to solving an adventure similar to searching for the magic ring of invisibility to sneak past a dragon.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
A few TL16 worlds exist in the Imperium. E.g. Vincennes/Deneb is close enough to the Spinward Marches for Imperial security to order such sensors by the Dton.Reynard said:
Magical "Detect Secret" in all forms is just a bad idea.
Maybe it’s more of a “it takes a psion to find a psion.”
I could picture psi-sensitive bio detectors (like a species of plant whose leaves change color when psi activity occurs nearby) in existence. But I would rule that such detectors only work when a talent was active, and maybe only with certain talents (Telepathy but not Clairvoyance?).
There’s a player in my current campaign with this issue. He used his telekinesis to delay a noble on his way to an important party and was sloppy about it, leaving a wrecked control panel behind. The noble claimed it was an assassination attempt by Zhodani spies and called in an Imperial investigation team. The team has found no physical evidence of psionic use and their reviews of the station security footage show no one in close proximity to the panel, but there were a number of people (including the player) within 100 m or so. So the team is working their way thru hundreds of interviews of people on the station that night, looking for witnesses or perhaps provoke the culprit into revealing themselves.
In most cases I suspect that’s how detection of psi activity would usually - reports of weird stuff spurring a lot of careful investigation.
I could picture psi-sensitive bio detectors (like a species of plant whose leaves change color when psi activity occurs nearby) in existence. But I would rule that such detectors only work when a talent was active, and maybe only with certain talents (Telepathy but not Clairvoyance?).
There’s a player in my current campaign with this issue. He used his telekinesis to delay a noble on his way to an important party and was sloppy about it, leaving a wrecked control panel behind. The noble claimed it was an assassination attempt by Zhodani spies and called in an Imperial investigation team. The team has found no physical evidence of psionic use and their reviews of the station security footage show no one in close proximity to the panel, but there were a number of people (including the player) within 100 m or so. So the team is working their way thru hundreds of interviews of people on the station that night, looking for witnesses or perhaps provoke the culprit into revealing themselves.
In most cases I suspect that’s how detection of psi activity would usually - reports of weird stuff spurring a lot of careful investigation.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Brain scans, one assumes.
Possible mutations in the DNA.
Possible mutations in the DNA.
It may be that Deneb has a Psi-busters team that can weedle out psions using this TL16 tech along with the psi protection armor and enhancements but the expense and actual number of times they are needed would make it fairly small. I don’t think prions should be a “magic” that no one can defend themselves against, you just need to know WHO to defend yourself against.
Old School
Mongoose
Vincennes has very recently acheived TL16, and has limited production of what TL16 tech it has. Tech levels dont have to be (and shouldn’t be) absolute jumps from one to the next, where all this new tech comes online at the same time. So its easy enough to say the psion detecting goggles havent been invented yet, even at Vincennes.
steve98052
Mongoose
I'd rule that even a solidly TL16 world isn't going to have psionic equipment unless it has either some openly psionic people, a significant covert psionic population supported by research, or some trade with worlds where psionics.
I'd also rule that the gadget only detects psionic effects in.use, unless the rules clearly state that they're for detecting psionic individuals.
I'd also rule that the gadget only detects psionic effects in.use, unless the rules clearly state that they're for detecting psionic individuals.
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
I would think that a NAS (Neural Activity Scanner - ala Life Detector) should be able to pick up on Psionic activity.
Also, if you can build a Psionic Shield at TL12, you have to know what you're blocking, so I would think something should be reasonable at TL12 ish. It may not be portable, but it would exist.
Also, if you can build a Psionic Shield at TL12, you have to know what you're blocking, so I would think something should be reasonable at TL12 ish. It may not be portable, but it would exist.
Old School
Mongoose
Nah. There's plenty of things that we know work without really understanding how or why. Block away. No detection. Game is better that way.Rikki Tikki Traveller said: