Empathic Disguises - Vampires, Lycanthropes and Ravagers

[Zvezda]

Few things remain unclear for me, you might be able to help me with some questions.

Regarding the non-empath: by ‘that critter’ do you mean this individual critter or the entire group? (additional question concerning my English: would the individual critter be this critter) In any way I would not use the rule since it is to drastic in my opinion. I would rather allow them stage two for an outstanding success. But I run a dark world…

Ragarding neuros and sorcerers: I think I like the idea that they actively have to probe the reaver before they can see through the veil. So without the active attempt to establish an empathic link they would not sense anything at all?

Psionics and Mystics: Basically the same is true for them. If they don’t ‘look’ for the Reaver they won’t discover it by accident.

It seems to me a bit easier for non-empaths to discover the reaver. All they need to do is to pass a willpower roll. Additionally I think the roll should be allowed to every body. I mean empaths who are not actively searching for a reaver or something.

Finally: Thank you for working on the DC3 empathy rules! I have the strange feeling that this is a particularly difficult task.

[Linden]

Thought I'd give this a bump as something's occurred to me: Can an empathic disguise fool a camera? e.g. If a Ravager/Bloodkin?Werewolf goes wandering around an area where there's a lot of CCTV are they going to end up being swarmed by a load of cops/security guards?

[Morthrai]

A very good point Linden

I think I would handle it one of two ways:

1 - when in disguise they don't show up on cameras at all, like in the UK TV show Ultraviolet, but are only seen with the naked eye. An extension of the old myth about vampires not having a reflection.

2 - or how about the cloaked monsters actually do show up on security cameras in their disguised form so any non-empath who sees them at the time (including security personnel) sees a human being.
HOWEVER...anyone looking at the recordings later sees them as they really are The empathic disguise works if you are watching the cameras "live" but recordings show the truth...by which time it is too late!

[Linden]

Lee, both good explanations, and I especially like 2.

The other more prosaic explanation I was mulling over was that the monsters show up in their disguised form because the empathic projection has a three dimensional substance, or at least the appearance of it, like a hologram maybe.

[Morthrai]

the monsters show up in their disguised form because the empathic projection has a three dimensional substance, or at least the appearance of it, like a hologram maybe.

Makes good sense! It's just that I was always of the opinion that kind of empathy only works on the minds of sentient beings. However, plenty of empathic powers can affect physical things, so there's no reason why these creatures couldn't bend light too

Of course, you now have three choices to spring on your players

[fenlason]

I would work it like this:

For "live" viewers over CCVT or other means, it should work just like Lee explains: their minds clouded by the darkling-projected image. The concept of locality being sacrificed by the act of observing within some tolerance of syncronicity (but it's kinda technical).

For recorded images, video & stills, the images should be distorted horribly and unexplainably. To the straights in law enforcement, it would appear to be an equipment malfunction or some unexplained jammer technology. To those initiated, it is obviously a darkling in disguise. The distortions should be kind of horrific, like those from a couple of recent movies. Your average technologist would proclaim that such jamming technology does not yet exist.

To spice things up, toss in a HiTek or DarkTek jammer to distort the images of igors, agents, minions, or hunters. Keeps the PCs guessing.

<CARNIVORE>BTW in real life there are jammers that can detect and jam via laser, cameras that use lenses (most do). With the speed that lasers can be switched, this could conceivably be used to jam cctvs in real time.</CARNIVORE> The principle difference is that the images are washed out instead of distorted.

Rationale: Empathy in DC is a measurable emotive force that effects reality as well as the mind. Darklings using empathic protections reach out and manipulate observing minds, but also the light passing through the detectors of the cameras, although in a different way. Their dark nature causes the images to be horribly disorted into really scary images -- a reflection of their inner evil.

Just my 2p.
Cheers!
Norm

[ReHerakhte]

Some fantastic ideas there Lee & Norm and speaking of synchronicity, this thread bump comes at a time when PCs in my newly started campaign are going to 'bump' into a Ravager

I'm using a very high tech setting for the corporations with a late 1990s-early 2000s tech setting for the Mikes, this tech (plus the thermograph technology in my real world security gear post), makes life somewhat more difficult for the Referee in terms of how Darklings can get away with Empathic disguises. These discussions shed some light on interesting or more-in-game ways of dealing with it.

Cheers,
Kevin

[Morthrai]

Rationale: Empathy in DC is a measurable emotive force that effects reality as well as the mind. Darklings using empathic protections reach out and manipulate observing minds, but also the light passing through the detectors of the cameras, although in a different way. Their dark nature causes the images to be horribly disorted into really scary images -- a reflection of their inner evil.

Darn, I wish I'd thought of that one!

If that is the case I guess I ought to change my avatar

[Linden]

Quality Norm, quality. Think I'll go with that one.

[fenlason]

If that is the case I guess I ought to change my avatar

And mine's any better?

Glad to assist where I can!

Cheers!
Norm

[Zvezda]

Even though it is spam it has revived the threat. Wich reminds me of the fact that I have to write stuff to you...

[Morthrai]

Above post is spam. Could we please get rid?

Sadly I do not have admin privileges here but I have notified Marcus and Norm

[Linden]

Have just been watching the Ultraviolet TV series from the 1990s. In that vampires don't show up on film, video etc. Also electronic devices in general don't recognise their existence. Thus a vampire can't call someone on the telephone. At least not in the conventional sense: There's a great scene where you see one tapping away on a keyboard and using a text-to-speech programme to make a call, and of course he sounds like just Stephen Hawking.

I don't think it's quite a good idea as the one Norm suggested, but an interesting approach nonetheless.

[ReHerakhte]

However, this is Dark Conspiracy so...
The PCs encounter some Minions that react the way Norm mentioned in regards to cameras and electronic devices. The PCs get quite used to that and the Players become comfortable with the idea that their characters can detect Minions with a camera.

Then they encounter 'someone' who doesn't even show up on the camera.
What do they do then?

[Linden]

As and aside I thought Ultraviolet did a good job in presenting the way vampires organise themselves and interact with humans. Occurs to me it would make a good model for Bloodkin behaviour in Dark Conspiracy.