Chameleon Movement

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Veknironth
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Chameleon Movement

Unread post by Veknironth »

Well, I know that the Chameleon spell keeps you 90% undetectable if you don't move and then there are lower percentages if you move. However, the only movement mentioned in the lower percentages is locomotion. What about something like moving your arms, bending over, crouching, grabbing something, etc.? Does that remain at 90% detectable? Does it drop to the next level at 70%? Is it something other? Is there a sliding scale depending on how demonstrative the motions you make with your stationary body?

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Franko Tyrador
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Re: Chameleon Movement

Unread post by Franko Tyrador »

I would use the book as a baseline, but modify it by what you are doing. A lot in all of these books is subjective. Hell, majority of the time things are contradictory.
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Re: Chameleon Movement

Unread post by Grazzik »

I haven't had to deal with this scenario yet, but this may be a case of rolling the spell's hiding % vs the observer's perception ability / detect skill. As Franko Tyrador suggested, judgement will be needed as a person sized distortion will be easier to notice than a limb sized distortion if they move their arm. Unless any movement at all ripples across the enchanted person's profile. It really comes down to how you imagine the effect working.

As inspiration, I keep going back to the old Predator movies where only sharp-eyed people see the Predator move a little or crouch, but when on the move running or jumping everyone has a chance to see a distortion.
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Re: Chameleon Movement

Unread post by Library Ogre »

I tend to include every kind of movement... just because my feet are planted doesn't mean I remain invisible if I'm swinging a sword.

Crossbows are a really good idea from Chameleon.
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Re: Chameleon Movement

Unread post by kiralon »

I take it case by case, but if somoene is even attempting to prowl i tend to go with slow movement, even if they fail the prowl check.
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Re: Chameleon Movement

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

The movement list is there to give the GM an idea about how well the spell (or power or optical camouflage) keeps up with reality around it.
(Though all three fall short of what is portrayed in the Ghost in the Shell movies/series.)

So if the movement of the subject's limbs out paces the ability of camo. that they are providing then use the higher movement rate that is like the movement being done.
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Re: Chameleon Movement

Unread post by JuliusCreed »

I had a player who adored using Chameleon. (The Predator movies are his fave so you can guess why) We had a similar discussion on movement effects while Chameleon is active and figured that we could base how effective it was with other actions he took based on how long he took to do them. For example, drawing a sword, something that normally takes a single action to do, could be construed as moving 6 feet or faster per melee round, thus rendering Chameleon only 20% effective. However, if he expended 2 or even 3 actions to slowly draw his weapon, it stood to reason that he could increase Chameleon's effectiveness accordingly. The same concept applies to virtually any action a person can take while under the effects of the spell. Basically, just use a little common sense to figure out if some of the simple actions you normally do in a couple seconds time as a single action and declare that you want to take an extra action or two to do them and let your Chameleon spell will react accordingly.
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Re: Chameleon Movement

Unread post by hager »

Chameleon effect is not perfect, but it lasts for the entire duration of the effect, regardless of what actions you take. You become more difficult to see at a distance and in light, like a partial invisibility. As you approach 100% chameleon, you become so difficult to see that you can literally steal in front of shopkeepers in broad daylight
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