Adaptive Camouflage

[Phoenix]

First let me stop the idea of Invisibility builds, the GM has already said no to any use of that power. Second this is a conversion from 4th to 5th edition, campaign resurrection.

The concept is a vehicle skin that mimic the effects of a chameleon. I’ve been thinking of using images to do this, but I’m not sure of what modifiers would be used. At the moment we have the 4th edition vehicle with shape shift between colors (Gloss Black to Flat Camo), with Bulky Focus, and Zero END.

[ghost-angel]

Shapeshift: Sight Group

or

Images: Sight Group

or

+10 Concealment; "self only" -1/2
(Self Only means the vehicle can only hide itself in terrain, not that it has hidden compartments or any other use of Concealment)

[Greywind]

Stealth

Concealment

[braincraft]

What do you want it to do, if not become effectively invisible? Do you just want to foil APBs, or do you also want bonuses in foliage, or what?

If you know exactly how you want this effect to behave, there exists a construct in HERO that closely approximates it. If you aren't specific about what you want, it's gonna be hard to help you.

[Phoenix]

Braincraft, I would have liked fully invisible, but as I mentioned in the first post the GM nixed that. So I'm trying to come up with an alternative passive defense to villainous car-jacking, tow-truck assault and police spotting while the PC’s are off in an encounter. By my reasoning, if the vehicle is harder to spot (say Images with a ≈2-4 PER penalty) it should be functionally invisible in dark alleys.

Any way it’s the Limitations and Advantages I’m having the problem with not the actual power. The Image also needs to function as a disguise of sorts as well. When turned off the vehicle looks like any other H-1 Hummer on the streets, when active it makes the vehicle look like a camouflaged military Humvee – that’s why the ability was originally built as Shape Shift, but as it was only the paint job that changed appearances and not the complete vehicle I thought maybe Images instead. While trying to write up the power I remembered the electrochromic paints being developed by Nissan (yes, I had to look the name up) that when a mild electric current is passed through it makes it alter the dominance of pigments within itself, there by changing the color (The GM said he would allow that technology).

[ghost-angel]

Shape Shift may still be your best bet. There's no Perception Roll to attempt to foil Shape Shift and it's a "real" change to the vehicle's appearance.

Shape Shift: Sight Group with Extra Time to simulate needing to give it a little bit to reconfigure the external appearance will probably do exactly what you want.

[braincraft]

Why did your GM nix Invisibility? Was it because he felt it was overpowered, or because it ruined plots he had in mind? Does he ban Invisibility (the power) in the game entirely, or did he specifically not want you to be able to cloak your parked car? If you use some other power construct to do exactly the same thing, isn't that really trying to do an end-run around him? I don't know how you brought it up; maybe he had an idea that you wanted to be driving around in an invisible truck, running down criminals in the streets. Maybe he has some plan that he wants your car jacked, and your insistence on having anti-carjack invisibility wrecks that.

If this is something you want, you need to talk with your GM to make sure it's okay, and to make sure it's not just one of you being a dick and trying to run something by the other.

For the record, Shapeshift works fine for changing colors, but it might not give you Concealment/camoflage bonuses if you don't pay for it. Again, ask your GM.

[Toadmaster]

Mind control, "this is not the car you are looking for".

[Phoenix]

@ Toadmaster: You’re a loony... :faceplant: though I may use that in my Super Champions game :eg:.

@ braincraft: Exact words here "Existing or developing technologies, I don't want to see energy shields, cloaking devices or other super sci-fi technologies." He did however say OK to electrochromic paint as it is a developing technology. So yes I had already checked with the GM, now if you would please quit trying to come off as a superior lifeform to me. Thank you.

[ghost-angel]

The reaston Braincraft is asking is because Invisibility is a Mechanic, so he's curious why a specific Mechanical Construct is not being allowed.

"electromagnetic paint" is a Special Effect. How you model that SFX depends on what you believe it's doing.

Invisibility may not be the right Mechanic in this case, but it could be a viable Mechanic for camouflage depending on how you see it working. You could, for example, model a particularly well built ghillie suit with proper setup time as Invisibility: Sight Group.

Braincraft is asking why that particular Mechanic has been outlawed - saying "because the GM wants real world or developing tech only" doesn't really help since Invisibility Power isn't anything but a Mechanic used to model a Special Effect.

I don't think he is trying to come off as a superior lifeform but wondering why that particular Mechanic is not viable. So that comment is uncalled for.

[wcw43921]

I would go with ghost-angel's idea--Images vs. Sight Group--and throw in Requires A Concealment Roll.

Toadmaster's idea gets an "A" for originality. :)

[TheQuestionMan]

10 Optical Camouflage: Sight Group Images 1" radius, +/-6 to PER Rolls (28 Active Points); Set Effect (Only to Camouflage Wearer; -1), No Range (-1/2), IIF (-1/4) - END=3


Cheers


QM

[Toadmaster]

Obviously the Obi-wan quote was just in fun, but really the idea isn't taht out there. I was thinking of the somebody else's problem generator from the Hitchhikers guide. It's not invisible but nobody pays any attention to it.

Probably more of a supers solution but really it isn't inherently super powered than invisibility, images etc. It's all in the description, if it was scientifically designed to be unremarkable, then mind control seems reasonable. Kind of like forcing an intelligence roll to notice that the weather beaten junker parked by a dumpster is actually not quite the junker it appears to be.

[Prometheus]

Probably more of a supers solution but really it isn't inherently super powered than invisibility, images etc. It's all in the description, if it was scientifically designed to be unremarkable, then mind control seems reasonable. Kind of like forcing an intelligence roll to notice that the weather beaten junker parked by a dumpster is actually not quite the junker it appears to be.
A simple version is just the Disguise skill with limitations: the vehicle looks like something it isn’t.

For a while DC's Nightwing hid his transportation in plain sight by designing it with interchangeable bodies that could be bolted on. The interior, roll cage, electronics, supercharged engine, etc. were all integrated into the basic frame, over which- with a little work in the garage- he could add a taxi exterior, a sports car exterior, a police cruiser exterior, and so on, as was appropriate to where he might be patrolling. It may require a little foresight, but there’s no super-tech involved other than an arguably ludicrous understanding of transportation design and engineering.

[AnotherSkip]

you could also handwave the requires foresight and have the 'correct' choice be automatic.