Detecting Shapeshifters

[darthauthor]

My question is:

"Can or should a player or NPC be able to detect a shapeshifter with thermal vision or do they still look human in their heat signature as a part of their shapeshifting?"

Mostly I ask in case a player asks what they see through Thermo bionoculars when they see their captured teammate return with a story that they escaped.

I already know that there are psionic powers such as:

See Aura
Sense Evil
The magic spell, "Sense Magic."
Presence Sense

And from the book CS Manhunters:
Psychic Probe

I also know that Psi-Stalkers and Dog Boys can sense the supernatural and magic so those who can shapeshift with it. Which, if I was running the CS, I would use pretty much all the time.

Is this one of those questions whose answer is, "It is up to the GM?"

IF I have to decide in the moment, I feel I would say Thermo vision does not reveal a D-Bee or Demon or Dragon who changed their shape.

IF I am critical, I would look up the creature for things like immunity to fire or cold and such and say they are hot when they should be cold or cold when they should be hot, or their temp never changes with the environment, etc.

Probably make them roll a skill check with the Optic Systems Skill and reward them experience points for it.

[ShadowLogan]

"Can or should a player or NPC be able to detect a shapeshifter with thermal vision or do they still look human in their heat signature as a part of their shapeshifting?"

SNARLS (Rifts Japan pg116) includes a heat sensor (plus others) and it only has a 25% chance to identify shape changers (Vampires, Changelings, etc) or magically transformed. Given SNARLS has such a low chance, and that is with multiple sensors ("distances, motion, heat, radiation, pheromones [...], and detectable bio-patterns (including high levels of P.P.E [...]) as well as using radar and other sensors to help locate and identify non-humans and invisible beings."

This leads me to think that NO a thermal vision system would not detect most, if not all, shapeshifters. There are going to be exceptions due to other factors, like Vampires (they radiate no heat, so would appear as a void, WB1o pg26) or possibly Amorphs (WB30/12) as ectoplasmic beings. Keep in mind to that there are a variety of shapeshifting methods, and other factors that have to be considered so there is no simple yes/no answer for all shapeshifters and it might be best to consider them on a case-by-case basis.

[darthauthor]

Thanks Shadowlogon,

You are a brilliant and quick source of answers and explanations.

[Ice Dragon]

IMHO, no. That's one of the powers of shapeshifting, to obfuscate and to look "normal".

[Library Ogre]

I would say that their thermal signatures might show signs, but that they'll be within the normal range... for example, it might be that all werebeasts run hot, but that they don't get hotter than a human might... their coldest just tends to be near human average.