Ship-board Cloaking Device?

[EldritchFire]

I know that the CSC has a personal cloak (Vislight Chameleon, page 27) but am unable to find an equivalent for ships. I know that HG has the option for (Superior) Stealth coating that makes it nigh invisible to sensors, but I'm looking for something that cloaks it from sight as well.

Is there something from an older book perhaps that could help me out?

 

[Reynard]

As far as I can remember cloak technology per se is not a Traveller reality as in Star Trek or Star Wars. I'm guessing stealth coating and energy dampers were chosen as being more 'realistic' especially since low tech examples exist for 21st century craft. Not sure how one would implement cloak tech without it being vastly superior to what is available in the games and needing equally superior script writing to defeat. . Closest would be Globe technology and they are as rare as hen's teeth and have their own limitations.

Oh, do remember that 'Visual' is part of the sensor package and I don't mean eyeballing for a starship a couple thousand kilometers away.

 

[EldritchFire]

As far as I can remember cloak technology per se is not a Traveller reality as in Star Trek or Star Wars. I'm guessing stealth coating and energy dampers were chosen as being more 'realistic' especially since low tech examples exist for 21st century craft. Not sure how one would implement cloak tech without it being vastly superior to what is available in the games and needing equally superior script writing to defeat. . Closest would be Globe technology and they are as rare as hen's teeth and have their own limitations.

Oh, do remember that 'Visual' is part of the sensor package and I don't mean eyeballing for a starship a couple thousand kilometers away.

I thought about that, but stealth coating is 'always on' while cleaning devices need to be turned on and off. That makes me think that it would be a power issue: cloaks drain a ton of power.

I was thinking of taking the holographic hull as a base, 1 power per 2 tons, and TL somewhere around 16.

To save power and cost, ships would have enough power for the M-drive, basic systems, and cloak—no weapons, shield, or J-Drive.

 

[Condottiere]

I think it's a question as to whether you can create a field that bends light waves, or the full spectrum up and down, or a material that somehow does this, to a greater or lesser extent.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I think it's a question as to whether you can create a field that bends light waves, or the full spectrum up and down, or a material that somehow does this, to a greater or lesser extent.

I just came up with something for this.

I combined the 2% hull requirement from the basic cloak, the price and power requirements of the Holographic Hull, the -6DM from Advanced Stealth (but also applied to visual and thermal sensors, such as the Mk1 Eyeball) as well as the price.

So basically, it is really expensive. It uses a ton of power. It gives you a -6DM from electronic, visual, and thermal locks and detection. It is TL-15, same as Advanced Stealth. It can be switched on and off.

This doesn't seem to be overpowered to Me. I doubt this will see much more use than Advanced Stealth, but should lead to some fun shenanigans. lol

 

[Condottiere]

If you either find or create the ideal conditions, you could utilize these features where they could stack, and perhaps be as effective, or even more so.

If the holographic effect is most effective where light gets blurred, say at the edge of an atmosphere, the less detectability would be reflected in better dice modifiers.

 

[MasterGwydion]

If you either find or create the ideal conditions, you could utilize these features where they could stack, and perhaps be as effective, or even more so.

If the holographic effect is most effective where light gets blurred, say at the edge of an atmosphere, the less detectability would be reflected in better dice modifiers.

I figured the pre-existing -6DM should be enough.

Also, strangely enough, I had this idea while designing a Patron's house. Cool Grav-House just floating around on the wind, cloaked...lol...

 

[Terry Mixon]

If someone were willing to pay buckets of money, active camouflage from the Robot Handbook would fit the bill. No idea how much power it would use or tonnage it would take, but it would do exactly what the original poster was looking for.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Well... 256 slots per ton x 100-ton scout ship x 10,000Cr per slot = 256MCr and it only gives you a -4DM

It seems to use no power and only takes up 1/256th of a ton. lol

 

[Terry Mixon]

Well... 256 slots per ton x 100-ton scout ship x 10,000Cr per slot = 256MCr and it only gives you a -4DM

It seems to use no power and only takes up 1/256th of a ton. lol

I didn’t know how to do slots for vehicles or ships, so I’m glad to find out. Ironically, I made a guess at how much a 400 ton ship would cost (I guessed a billion credits) and was accidentally right. lol

 

[Terry Mixon]

Well... 256 slots per ton x 100-ton scout ship x 10,000Cr per slot = 256MCr and it only gives you a -4DM

It seems to use no power and only takes up 1/256th of a ton. lol

Would it stack with the stealth treatment you can put on a hull?

 

[MasterGwydion]

Would it stack with the stealth treatment you can put on a hull?

Nope. Usually only one Coating can be on the ship at a time. There are exceptions, but I doubt this would be one of them.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Nope. Usually only one Coating can be on the ship at a time. There are exceptions, but I doubt this would be one of them.

Makes sense. Thanks.

 

[agentwigggles]

I know that the CSC has a personal cloak (Vislight Chameleon, page 27) but am unable to find an equivalent for ships. I know that HG has the option for (Superior) Stealth coating that makes it nigh invisible to sensors, but I'm looking for something that cloaks it from sight as well.

Is there something from an older book perhaps that could help me out?

What in the world would visual light camo do for a space ship?
And how would it be different than holo projection hull thingy?

 

[Sigtrygg]

Without space magic there is no stealth in space.
I proposed a way to adapt the explanation of gravitics in the new Starcship Operators Manual to incorporate the potential for greater stealth if a referee wanted it in their game.

 

[Condottiere]

I think it's termed a black globe.

 

[Jame Rowe]

I think it's termed a black globe.

Why is it a bleak globe, anyways?

 

[Condottiere]

When it's blinking?

 

[Jame Rowe]

That's no reason to be so starkly bleak.

 

[Condottiere]