"Rapid" Sense Adder follow up

[Trebuchet]

Rapid is primarily meant for building things like scanners and other sensory devices, abilities like Speed Reading, and so on. Due to the ease with which it could be abused, I'd be highly reluctant to let a PC go around using it to get significant bonuses on PER Rolls. I'd say that while he can take in more information from whatever he sees, that ability doesn't necessarily make him more observant, or more aware of the significance of what he observes -- and that's more that a PER Roll is about in most cases, I think.

If "Rapid" cannot be used to allow a character a PER bonus, then exactly what bonus does it provide to the character paying the 3 points for it? I see no Enhanced Senses that take X time to use over Y area that Rapid can modify. Does it allow the use of multiple-sense scans within a single half-Phase?

 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just trying to learn just why anyone would buy "Rapid" instead of straight bonuses to a particular PER roll? What actual purpose does this Adder serve within HERO?

[Steve Long]

It lets you take in information more quickly. While there may not be specific rules for general information intake (we all like detailed rules, but I think that would be going well over the "ridiculousness" line:)), I think the GM can probably adjudicate its effects on a case-by-case basis. In fact, IIRC, the senses article in Digital Hero #10, which is today's free article, has an idea or two for using Rapid.