using mind scanning to track a target

[dsatow]

How do you handle mind scanning a target from a building and tracking that target when it leaves the build and travels into say a park.  The mind scanner is constantly paying the end throughout.

1) Is it that the mind scanner can not keep tracking of the target?

2) Does the mind scanner need to re hit the target if the area the target is in changes area or number of people around?

2a) If a re-hit to target is needed, then do they need to reroll effect?

 

[Steve Long]

As discussed on 6E1 263-64, knowledge of the target’s location depends on the strength of the Mind Scan lock-on:  at Greater Than EGO, the attacker simply knows the direction to the target, all the way up to EGO + 20, in which case the attacker knows the target’s exact location. (The GM may also provide further information, such as “He’s not on ground level,” depending upon the strength of the lock-on, as discussed on 6E1 263.)

 

Me fully getting into the complex subject of “tracking” a mind via Mind Scan will have to wait for APG3, so consider these general guidelines to tide everyone over until then:

 

1. To “track” a mind that a character has a Mind Scan lock-on to, he must have a lock-on that’s at least EGO +10 strong. A weaker lock-on than that breaks as soon as the target begins to move substantially. Determining what “substantially” means is up to the GM, but I generally consider it to be a significant form/amount of movement. Walking between floors in a building doesn’t count; nor does walking around in a small, defined area (such as a corner park or a restaurant). On the other hand, getting into a car and driving away, the target activating his Flight and zooming off, or teleporting halfway across the city probably are “substantial” enough to break the lock-on. The attacker does not know which direction the target started to travel when the lock-on broke. (Alternately, depending on the situation the GM might let him learn that one bit of information if he succeeds with an EGO Roll at the same penalty to the character’s OMCV from the table on 6E1 261.)

 

2. If a character has a Mind Scan lock-on of EGO +10 or greater, he is able to track the target as he moves, with a few caveats.

 

First, if the target moves into an area with fewer (or the same number of) people than the area where the attacker established the Mind Scan lock-on, the attacker can automatically “track” the target without having to make any rolls. (This assumes, however, that the target’s moving at a fairly slow rate of speed, such as walking, or driving in a car at normal urban speeds. If the target’s moving with “significant” speed, see the third point, below, for further guidelines.)

 

Second, if the target moves into an area with more people than the area he was in when the attacker established the lock-on, the attacker must make another EGO Combat Roll (at the new, harsher, modifier) to maintain the lock-on (regardless of the target’s velocity). If he succeeds, the lock-on remains intact; if he fails, the lock-on breaks (but the attacker is aware of roughly what direction the target was traveling).

 

Depending on how fast the target’s traveling, the attacker may have to make EGO Attack Rolls on each of his (the attacker’s) Phases to maintain the lock-on. If appropriate, the GM may add up all the people in the areas through which the target traveled since the attacker’s last Phase and use that larger figure to determine the OMCV penalty.

 

Third, if the target travels with “significant” velocity — such as activating FTL Travel, driving at high rates of speed (60 MPH or more), or Teleporting over a metropolitan (or longer) distance — then the GM may rule that the lock-on breaks automatically. At the very least, the attacker should suffer a large penalty to the OMCV roll to maintain the lock-on:  double (or more) the penalty listed in the Mind Scan Modifiers Table on 6E1 261.

 

3. In any case described above where the attacker has to make an EGO Combat Roll to maintain his Mind Scan lock-on, if he succeeds with that roll he does not need to re-roll his Effect Roll — all he’s doing in this case is maintaining the existing Effect Roll. However, he may choose to re-roll the Effect Roll (perhaps because he hopes to establish a stronger lock-on to make it easier to keep tracking the target). If he does so, he must accept and use that second result.

 

I think that covers everything in your question. If not, please PM me or post a follow-up. Thanx!