Transmit Smell

[ned-kogar]

I've a (low level) villain whose abilities centre around being able to reproduce effects of chemicals he's ingested (he suffers no damage as he ingests them) - so, if he drinks sulphuric acid, he can emit acidic sweat; if he ingests psychotropic drugs, his breath can can be used as a Con-based mental illusions... That sort of thing.

 

As I adapt him to 6E, it strikes me that adding Transmit to his Smell/Taste group might be an interesting little 'colour' power.

 

How do people think that would work?

 

Cheers,

 

Ned

[ShadowEater]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Transmit smell would, I imagine, allow you to make a variety of odors... combine with Discriminatory for a pheromone communication system like insects use? Though, given the basis for his powers, drinking all that perfume would taste nasty!

[Alibear]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

And if he had disguise then he could make himself smell like other people.

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

And if he had disguise then he could make himself smell like other people.

 

I think that Shape Shift vs the Smell/Taste sense group would be a better way of building that. I've always viewed Transmit as being, "This is what I sense," not, "This is how you sense me."

[Talon]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

I would go with the pheromone thing...Transmit Smell would let you create a series of smells which could be used for communication, but not to disguise yourself (that would be Shape Shift).

[ShadowEater]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

I've always viewed Transmit as being' date=' "This is what I sense," not, "This is how you sense me."[/quote']

 

I've generally envisioned it as 'voice' (yes, I know speaking isn't technically transmit on hearing)... not immediately useful for disguise or for much other purpose, but just to allow other people to sense what you are sending out there.

 

Transmit smell might be a good way to help people track you by smell also. Does this guy have some trained dog minions he trained to follow him and respond to non-verbal smell commands?

[dmjalund]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Transmit Smell would be using a scent based language, and would only use the "alphabet" of the language rather than being a "here smell this" type of thing. Images vs Smell sense group will allow you to tranmit any smell

[prestidigitator]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

The problem is that scent isn't generally very directional or anything. If you can emit the scent of an oxen, what's the difference between that and, "smelling like one." I suppose the difference is that your scent is there also, but to most people the other smell is probably going to be overpowering enough to mask it. I MIGHT allow someone to mimic smelling like something else using Transmit on Smell, but only to ordinary people; not to anyone with anything like Discriminatory on their Smelling. The kicker being that those ordinary people you are likely to fool generally don't rely on their sense of smell, so the benefit is questionable.

[The Main Man]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Transmit Smell? Like "come here and smell my finger?"

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

The problem is that scent isn't generally very directional or anything. If you can emit the scent of an oxen' date=' what's the difference between that and, "smelling like one." I suppose the difference is that your scent is there also, but to most people the other smell is probably going to be overpowering enough to mask it. I MIGHT allow someone to mimic smelling like something else using Transmit on Smell, but only to ordinary people; not to anyone with anything like Discriminatory on their Smelling. The kicker being that those ordinary people you are likely to fool generally don't rely on their sense of smell, so the benefit is questionable.[/quote']

 

Strictly speaking you are right, but animals like sharks can track prey by scent despite the diffusion of the odor through the water. How do they do it? A recent study appearing in Current Biology by Gardiner and Atema inidcates it is all in the timing. Sharks have two nares (scent detectors), and they will steer in the direction of the nare that picks up the scent first, regardless of the strength of the scent. It is not intuitively obvious that this should always work, and maybe it doesn't, but it works often enough that sharks have been around for hundreds of millions of years, so you can't knock success. Sorry, that was a bit off topic, but too intriguing (to me) not to mention at least.

 

On topic, you might consider Images vs. Scent if you want to "transmit" smells. You don't need to buy it up very high to achieve the basic effect, so it would be a low cost flavor power.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Strictly speaking you are right' date=' but animals like sharks can track prey by scent despite the diffusion of the odor through the water. How do they do it? A recent study appearing in Current Biology by Gardiner and Atema inidcates it is all in the timing. Sharks have two nares (scent detectors), and they will steer in the direction of the nare that picks up the scent first, regardless of the strength of the scent. It is not intuitively obvious that this should always work, and maybe it doesn't, but it works often enough that sharks have been around for hundreds of millions of years, so you can't knock success. Sorry, that was a bit off topic, but too intriguing (to me) not to mention at least.[/quote']

That's why I say it shouldn't work against creatures that have things like Discriminatory on their sense of smell. Probably Tracking and/or Targeting wouldn't be fooled either. If you had really strong scents attached to you (just walked through a sewer, have been drinking heavily, got sprayed with some perfume, etc.) it shouldn't do much either; maybe a small negative modifier for, "noise," but that's about it.

[ned-kogar]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Yes, I think Images vs Smell would be a sensible way to go for a man who could reproduce smells at will (my character would need a limitation to reflect that it's only things he's already ingested) - but now I'm intrigued to figure out what Transmit would do for each of the senses.

 

"This Sense Modifier allows a character to transmit information similar to that which he can perceive".

 

If you have Radio Reception/Transmit it allows you to use Hearing (and the Voice - a 'sense' that's part of the hearing group [6E2 p11]) via the medium of Radio. High Range Radio Reception/Transmit extends that, I believe, to the Sight Group, still via the Radio sense group.

 

So, should Transmit Smell allow you to transmit what you perceive through your other senses, via odour? I see a dangerous situation and put out a 'message' via Transmit Smell - because of the innate qualities of Smell/Taste group, this has limited range, but some staying power - someone with a suitable sense of smell could walk past and smell the warning later. By this token, normal human Smell/Taste has a 'sort of transmit' on it already (we emit scent and taste involuntarily), similar to Voice being a 'sort of transmit' on Hearing, so adding the full Transmit would perhaps be like a sentient's more sophisticated version of scent marking. This would be nearer to ShadowEater's pheromonal transmission of data.

 

What about Transmit on other senses?

 

Please note: I'm really interested in the possibilities that might be thrown up by discussion, rather than alternative methods by which Enhanced Senses could have been delineated. Obviously, not all Enhanced Sense Modifiers will be an easy fit for very sense group, and I'm not trying to pick holes.

 

Cheers,

 

Ned

[prestidigitator]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Smellophone. Odorvision.

[Lucius]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Transmit and Range on Touch.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary notes that Lucius wants to reach out and touch someone

[dmjalund]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Transmit (as the exampel of Radio) uses one sense type to transmit information rather than a sense. Some of this information may be visual or audial.

 

so Smell Transmit transmits information VIA smell, rather than smells themselves.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Transmit (as the exampel of Radio) uses one sense type to transmit information rather than a sense. Some of this information may be visual or audial.

 

so Smell Transmit transmits information VIA smell, rather than smells themselves.

Yeah, but the information COULD be what something smells like. Hey! So we could have smellovision already, with just HRRP! Woo hoo!

[randian]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

What about Transmit on other senses?

Transmit Touch is weird, since Touch has no range, so you'd have to be touching the person you want to transmit to, rendering it rather moot (they could directly touch the object in question themselves). There are of course Not Safe To Discuss uses of this ability.

 

Technically, Radio Perception/Transmission doesn't have to be in the Radio group. You could put it in the Mental Group, for example. You could broadcast thoughts to anybody who could "hear" you with their own Mental Perception/Transmission, which makes it unlike Telepathy (one-to-one) or Mind Link (only the defined group). Also, unlike the latter two Transmit Mental does not create a secure link (you can eavesdrop on the transmissions).

 

I would allow Transmit on Sight so long as you couldn't do any of the large scale effects Images can: create a believable fake, block Line of Sight, occupy more than 1 cubic meter, or be especially hard or easy to perceive. Think of it like an iPad screen.

 

I've considered the use of Transmit on Clairsentience, to allow you to Transmit any of the affected senses through the perception point of the clairsentience. If you had Hearing Clairsentience, you could speak to the people on the other side of the link.

[feralucce]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Images; smell/taste group?

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

I think how you build it comes down to utility. You shouldn't buy a Follower with Transmit Sight to use as an inexpensive form of Clairsentience. But if you just want to communicate information via scent I think Transmit would be fine; ants do that all the time. Now if you wanted to be able to lay down an informative scent trail, like leaving leaving sticky notes for the nose, you might want a bit more than just Transmit. How much info could actually be transmitted would depend on the complexity of the olfactory language (if any) and who knew it, but basic smells would be pretty straight-forward.

[Ice9]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

You shouldn't buy a Follower with Transmit Sight to use as an inexpensive form of Clairsentience.

Given the many limitations of a follower vs Clairsentience (not invisible, needs to actually gain access to a place to see it, takes time to travel, can be targetted), I think the lower price is fair. Now if you buy invisible teleporting ghost followers, they would be pretty much like Clairsentience. But they probably wouldn't be any cheaper.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Given the many limitations of a follower vs Clairsentience (not invisible' date=' needs to actually gain access to a place to see it, takes time to travel, can be targetted), I think the lower price is fair. Now if you buy invisible teleporting ghost followers, they would be pretty much like Clairsentience. But they probably wouldn't be any cheaper.[/quote']

I agree. In fact, I've always been a bit uncomfortable with video cameras and such being defined as Clairsentience, for some reason. Why not just a Transmit adder bought through a focus (maybe with some UBO thrown in)? Hmm....

[randian]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

I agree. In fact' date=' I've always been a bit uncomfortable with video cameras and such being defined as Clairsentience, for some reason. Why not just a Transmit adder bought through a focus (maybe with some UBO thrown in)? Hmm....[/quote']

Besides "that's how we've always done it" and "it nerfs PC bases", security and indirect. Clairsentience is a private unhackable link. Transmit is a public broadcast. Clairsentience works through the walls of the building. Transmit sight is blocked by the walls of the building.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Besides "that's how we've always done it" and "it nerfs PC bases"' date=' security and indirect. Clairsentience is a private unhackable link. Transmit is a public broadcast. Clairsentience works through the walls of the building. Transmit sight is blocked by the walls of the building.[/quote']

But radio isn't blocked by walls, or could even be transmitted over a wire. Add some Systems Operations and Cryptography to help it be untraceable. Perfect? No, but it's a good solution IMO and pretty balanced point-wise for what it does. It also removes considerations like End cost, duration, range, etc. when those really aren't that big a deal for this simple and unabusable application. I'm not saying it is the answer, but I think it's another good tool, especially when Clairsentience is so expensive and is overkill for what you're trying to do.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Given the many limitations of a follower vs Clairsentience (not invisible' date=' needs to actually gain access to a place to see it, takes time to travel, can be targetted), I think the lower price is fair. Now if you buy invisible teleporting ghost followers, they would be pretty much like Clairsentience. But they probably wouldn't be any cheaper.[/quote']

 

Well, yeah, I was thinking of ghosts or tiny flying insect minions or something. Maybe I need to check on the cost of Followers again, but I am pretty sure I could build a Follower with the dedicated purpose of spying for me for considerably less than the cost of Clairsentience. Besides which, Clairsentience costs END, which means it is visible, so strictly speaking I don't even need to make my Follower imperceptible in order to match the utility of Clairsentience. Although if I don't I will likely be losing a lot of Followers.

[randian]

Re: Transmit Smell

 

Besides which' date=' Clairsentience costs END, which means it is visible, so strictly speaking I don't even need to make my Follower imperceptible in order to match the utility of Clairsentience.[/quote']

No, Clairsentience is Invisible. 61E 124 states "Perceivability does not depend on a Power’s duration, whether it costs END, or other factors". 6E1 124 later states "Sensory Powers are Invisible".