How to Build: Team Communicator

[Doctor Agenda]

I don't have my 6th Ed handy, so pardon if this has already been addressed, but I noticed when designing team communicators for my players (a gift from the GM) that there were a couple of things that seemed odd about the advanced concealed tactical headset I got from the equipment guide. Although it is audio only, it costs more points than a model that has visual reception/transmission would be. This is because Affected as Sight and Hearing as well as Radio Groups is a (-1/2) limitation, while just Affected as Hearing and Radio is just a (-1/4).

 

Because clearly not being able to view or send visual transmissions is a limitation compared to the HRRP full monty, I'm using an additional limitation: Audio Only (-1/2).

 

I also noticed lack of directionality is a (-1/2) limitation, and to my knowledge, directional radio is not a feature of radio headsets, so I added No Direction, too. Here is what I wound up with:

 

Advanced Concealed Tactical Radio: HRRP (12 active points), Affected as Hearing as well as Radio (-1/4), Audio Only (-1/2), IIF (-1/4), No Direction (-1/2), One Continuing Fuel Charge of six hours (-0). Real Cost: 5 points.

 

I figure they could be creative and get a direction finding by using a couple of the radios in tandem and making a System Ops roll, but this would only be out of combat so I figure it's okay as a gimme.

 

So, do you think this is a good build, or am I letting my experience as a former radio comm analyst in the AF make me a radio martinet?

[JmOz]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

where did you see lack of directionality? I am not familiar with this, and would assume that HRRP would already be non directional by nature. I could be wrong, audio only at -1/2 seems high, maybe -1/4. I think you might be analyzing it a bit more in depth than you need, however having said that your game, if you like it this in depth go for it, I would however put most of the lims together as a single "Team Radio limitations" limit to put on the character sheet as a space saver.

[Ice9]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

If Audio Only was only -1/4 though, then a video headset would cost the same, which seems wrong.

I'm split on No Direction. On the one hand, most HRRP devices lack direction. On the other hand, nothing in the sense group specifically denies directionality, and I could see someone with an innate ability to sense radio signals being able to tell the direction, so I guess a limitation would be appropriate. Not sure of the exact value, but at this point we're talking +/- 1 RP, so it's fine.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

where did you see lack of directionality? I am not familiar with this' date=' and would assume that HRRP would already be non directional by nature. I could be wrong, audio only at -1/2 seems high, maybe -1/4. I think you might be analyzing it a bit more in depth than you need, however having said that your game, if you like it this in depth go for it, I would however put most of the lims together as a single "Team Radio limitations" limit to put on the character sheet as a space saver.[/quote']

 

Page 166 in 5th Ed, Revised. So, if HRRP is non directional by nature, how would you go about getting directionality for it? A radio direction finder is not an unusual military gadget.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

If Audio Only was only -1/4 though, then a video headset would cost the same, which seems wrong.

I'm split on No Direction. On the one hand, most HRRP devices lack direction. On the other hand, nothing in the sense group specifically denies directionality, and I could see someone with an innate ability to sense radio signals being able to tell the direction, so I guess a limitation would be appropriate. Not sure of the exact value, but at this point we're talking +/- 1 RP, so it's fine.

 

Exactly, it has to make at least a little difference on cost since it's a significant difference in functionality.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

Thanks for the input, gentlemen.

[Gideon]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

Over all I do like it. If directional/ non-directional is in the books then go for it.

 

I'm sorry, but I would never put the fuel charge on the radio. If a real world watch battery will work for months, then a high-tech-comic-book-super-hero radio battery should work non-stop for at least 2-3 days. Not that it matters its a -0 anyway.

 

Hero Designer says that affected as radio and hearing is a -1/2, so take that for what its worth.

 

The book says that one aspect of HRRP (such as TV only) is worth -1/2 to -1, so radio only is worth at least -1/2

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

Good point about the fuel charge, thanks! I thought a fuel charge would be appropriate because only the time it's in active use would count, and that probably works for a cell phone that sits in your pocket when you're not using it to talk to someone-mine lasts 2 or 3 days on a charge-but a set like this would see more constant use and the limited charge would be more of a problem.

[Ghost Archer]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

Why use HRRP when Radio Perception/Transmission accomplishes what you want by being audio only to start. It is 10 points vice 12. Also note radio transmissions are generally omni-directional unless a directional antenna is attached to the transmitter. Radio reception is also omni-directional unless the antenna attrached to the receive side is directional, such as with a RDF (Radio Direction Finder). Directional antennas are primarily designed for tight beam line-of-sight transmissions such as Microwave. This reduces the chance of intercept and limits transmission/reception range based on height of the antennas above the ground. This would be useless to a mobile superhero.

 

I'd suggest:

*Radio Perception/Transmission Cost: 10 Character Points (Detect AM/FM/Police Radio Transmissions [3 Character Points], Transmit, Increased Arc Of Perception [360 Degrees]; Passive): IIF (-1/4), Affected as Radio and Hearing (-1/4): 7 points

 

 

*Stuff in Italics is a quote from 6th.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

Perfectly valid build. I'd suggest No Direction (-1/2) also applies, unless the gadget lets you determine what direction the signal is coming from. This would mean that all you would know about the location of a radio signal is that it is in range, which is all most radios will tell you. That would take it down to 5 points. This is a fairly trivial gadget that is useful in moving the plot along, so why make it pricy?

 

All an Audio-Only HRRP gets you is more channels: Shortwave, TV (audio), military frequencies, cellphone band, etc. Also for 5 points, though even reducing the Audio-Only limitation to (-1/4) still yields 5 points (5.33). My somewhat more useful version costs the same, which maybe it shouldn't. Maybe because I'm speaking 5th and you're speaking 6th (let a new player borrow my 6th). I don't mind saying they cost the same number of points but the advanced (HRRP) version costs much more money.

 

BTW, do you have a background in radio, too? You sound like you know what you're talking about.

[Ghost Archer]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

BTW' date=' do you have a background in radio, too? You sound like you know what you're talking about.[/quote']

 

In a way. I was an Electronics Warfare tech in the Navy and the properties of anything transmitted sorta fell under my area. Radar, radio, all electronic intercept...well, no sonar since I didn't have any underwater antennas but then that would be acoustic frequency rather than radio frequency. Also I've been working electronics for over 37 years now, so long, in fact, I can remember tubes and single transistors.

 

One thing I wonder is why No Direction is a concern? Unless I missed something in 6th, I've never seen a rule in any edition to indicate HRRH(HRRP) or RTR(RPS) is capable of RDF(Radio Direction Finding). As a GM I would require an extra power be added to a radio such as 'Detect Direction of Transmitter' and increase the cost by 3 points rather than making it a limitation that you CAN'T 'Detect Direction of Transmitter'.

 

Also just FYI, RFD will give you a direction, but cannot give you a range so if you wanted to detect the range, I'd require 'Detect Range to Transmitter' to be added as well for another 3 points. Normally to get a range to a transmitter requires triangulation and that means more than one RDF unit or a stationary target and time for the single RDF to move to several points to allow different angles.

 

Of course this all goes out the window depending on the GM. There is no wrong way to build anything in Hero.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

True that, it's a GM build, so ymmv.

 

If radio does not have directionality assumed, it is the only detect for which that is the case. It's built as a detect, detects give you a general direction for the source.

 

I'm not sure if range is 'built-in' to the Radio sense group, I don't have a book handy, but I'm thinking it isn't and in the case of Radio Listen/Transmit and HRRP the person is noting radio transmissions that are 'impacting' the receiver, which may be a good reason for not being able to determine how far away the source is. The only reason we can guesstimate the range for sound is knowledge of how loud the source 'should be', but it's hard to know for sure if a sound is faint because it's far away or because it's weak, without using a hearing sense that's 'active'.

 

Unusually, this stuff actually matters for the next couple of adventures. The crew is brand-new, recruited by a grizzled vigilante who has lost the war on crime because his enemies started using metahumans (ultras in this game) against him and was not only badly injured but lost almost all of his resources. So he decided to recruit his own ultras. Unable to finance the team, he is leading them on an undercover mission to capture 'Z-3', the head of the notorious Los Zetas drug cartel, on whom the USA has a $5 million bounty. Los Zetas have a sophisticated communications system and military training, and the team is trying to communicate without their transmissions being intercepted while also trying to use the gang's radio communications to locate their leader, who moves around constantly, including border crossings.

[Ghost Archer]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

I’d suggest Contact: NSA Analyst for 3 points. That would give them the assets of the NSA, including satellite and de-cryption capabilities.

 

The problem is, in real life, with the situation you’ve laid out, intercept and tracking of this type of communications is all but impossible. With a mobile transmitter, encryption, digital data micro-bursts and possibly narrow beam or microwave transmission the odds are a million to one for any usable intercepts. IRL

 

Of course, there is…the possibility of a minor, undetected by the user, system fault. Perhaps a harmonic of the carrier wave, something low frequency, below the AM band. Something short range, like 30 miles or so to an airborne receiver and only a few miles to a ground-base receiver. That, coupled with the terrain your target seems to be moving through, maybe canyon country in the Southwest, might limit this unnoticed side band to intercept only if the receiver is nearly overhead and the ground unit would have to find the right canyon to pick up the signal. Then you know those canyons, a maze, and RF does bounce off rock sometimes. Naturally no information could be gained from such a signal, it being a carrier wave and not modulated but it might still provide a direction. One never knows.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: How to Build: Team Communicator

 

Thanks for the input. If one of the players wasn't running a cyberkinetic, I wouldn't give them a chance of this working when in RL the FBI is after this guy and can't find him. OTH, a gang this size operating in the field can't be entirely restricted to narrow beam encrypted transmissions. I figure even with their limited resources they can get intercept on guard #3 using a walkie talkie to check in.

 

We have an acrobatic detective, an ex-special forces guy who summons a psychokinetic medieval armory and horse, the cyberkinetic, an alien bug guy with scent tracking, and a brick. They've already rescued a couple of kidnaped girls from a Los Zetas party out in the desert, and have captured one of their soldiers for interrogation. I figure clever interrogation of the prisoner (maybe let him get to a radio and see what he does), the cyber guy gets some kind of read, we find a place where El Verdugo has been and the bug guy gets the scent, and eventually they get him after a couple more fight scenes.

 

Or maybe one of the players will get an NSA contact after tomorrow's adventure, after a day of lousy rolls.

 

I was with that particular agency my last year of service, although I wouldn't have been worth 3 points as a contact. I had a t-shirt that said 'In God We Trust, All Others We Monitor', until my CO made me throw it away.