Block Skill makes it impossible for the target to use a skill--even through defaulting--for the duration.
If this is applied to Perception, does it effectively render the target totally incapable of accessing their physical senses? If so, doesn't this make almost all other REF and SOM tests nearly impossible too?
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Using the Block Skill psi sleight on Perception
Fri, 2019-09-27 11:56
#1
ICU2
Using the Block Skill psi sleight on Perception
Fri, 2019-09-27 12:01
#2
chaos_forge
well usually when you just
well usually when you just walk into a room and want to know what it looks like, the GM doesn't make you roll perceive. I'd probably rule that you can't find things that are hidden or difficult to detect, but you can still be aware of your basic surroundings.
Fri, 2019-09-27 12:40
#3
ICU2
chaos_forge wrote:well
I was going from this entry on page 226:
PERCEPTION
The default mode of observation for characters is called basic perception. This is general awareness of the things around you as you go about whatever you are doing. It is an automatic action, but your Perceive Tests suffer a –20 distraction modifier.
Even as an automatic action, it still requires Perception. Sure, many things will be so obvious that the situational bonus will make success nearly automatic (and the GM can rule it as such), but if you cannot even attempt to use Perception at all, then you would seem to lack even "general awareness of the things around you as you go about whatever you are doing."
Fri, 2019-09-27 13:01
#4
chaos_forge
I mean yeah, by rules as
I mean yeah, by rules as written, you'd stop being able to use any senses, but that's ridiculous and OP as fuck, so I (and any other GM) would probably houserule it to be something more reasonable. Or just say that you can't use that sleight to block perception. Especially considering it takes a whole entire different sleight to block only one sense.
Fri, 2019-09-27 14:31
#5
ICU2
I agree that it seems rather
I agree that it seems rather potent, probably abusively so.
Other uses my player was considering included blocking another asynch's Psi skill (no gamma sleights for you), blocking Fray to make an enemy a sitting duck, or blocking Deceive as a form of psychic "truth serum." Blocking combat skills like Guns or Melee is always an option too, but with Guns the range of the sleight can prove problematic.
Fri, 2019-09-27 15:48
#6
chaos_forge
ICU2 wrote:Other uses my
Those all seem more reasonable IMO. Even with blocking Fray, at least you still have the option of running away. But if you can't perceive, you can't do ANYTHING.
Fri, 2019-09-27 18:20
#7
ICU2
chaos_forge wrote:ICU2 wrote
I agree, but I have to wonder how the writers intended Block Skill to interact with Perceive, because it is pretty much a total shutdown for a vulnerable target that fails to resist it.
Fri, 2019-09-27 19:10
#8
Franwax
Blocking Perceive
I think a reasonable use of this would be to ensure that the target is surprised in an ambush. They fail their perceive test and suffer during the surprise turn of their assaillants, but on the next round at least they can react.
Fri, 2019-09-27 21:15
#9
chaos_forge
ICU2 wrote:I agree, but I
I mean, they probably just weren't thinking about it tbh. It's a big book with a lot of rules, and the devs aren't infallible.
Sat, 2019-09-28 04:53
#10
Androminous
This should be clear
1. No RPG system works as a complete world-simulator where every combination of rules have been thought out or tested, so you have to use common sense.
2. If actually reading the text describing the Perceive skill, this should be easy to interpret, though:
« Perceive skill is awareness and use of your physical senses. Use Perceive to spot an intruder, find a clue, locate a trap, search a room, or scrounge up something useful. You start with a base Perceive of INT × 2. Perceive is opposed by Infiltrate skill.
Basic perception is an automatic action, with a –20 distraction modifier as your attention is elsewhere. Detailed perception, without modifiers, is a quick action. Thorough investigation is a task action.»
So it should be clear that the second paragraph pertains to the usage described in the first. This means ‘basic perception’ isn’t meant as simply to use your senses, but to «spot an intruder, find a clue, locate a trap, search a room, or scrounge» when you are not using a quick or task action for doing this ‘detailed’ or ‘thoroughly’. So, we can infer that by using the Block sleigh on Perceive the target cannot «spot an intruder, find a clue, locate a trap, search a room, or scrounge». As a GM I would also rule that this would extend to similar cases.