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I'm curious how others would play this.
True Seeing
You confer upon the target the ability to see all things within
120 feet as they actually are. The target sees through normal
and magical darkness, notices secret doors hidden by magic,
sees the exact locations of creatures or objects that are
invisible or displaced, sees through illusions, and sees the true
form of changed or transmuted things. Further, the target can
focus its vision to see into the Ethereal Plane (but not into
extradimensional spaces).True seeing, however, does not penetrate solid objects. It
in no way confers X-ray vision or its equivalent. It does not
negate concealment, including that caused by fog and the like.
True seeing does not help the viewer see through mundane
disguises, spot creatures who are simply hiding, or notice
secret doors hidden by mundane means.
The first sentence says you see things "as they actually are" but I'm a little surprised technological aids to disguise are not mentioned more directly later.
Holoskin
This holographic projector is generally mounted to a belt or
arm strap. It can be programmed using the Disguise skill to
project a different appearance. When you use a holoskin, you
can disguise major features, race, or creature type without the
DC of your Disguise check increasing, except
against Perception checks that involve
physical examination.
Being that True Seeing sees through normal darkness, I'm inclined to say it sees through Holoskin projections, being a light manipulation effect.
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You use a holoskin when rolling Disguise to "Change Appearance", and true seeing "sees the true form of changed or transmuted things".
Now that the question's been posed, my problem is that I can easily see myself arguing for either conclusion.
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You use a holoskin when rolling Disguise to "Change Appearance", and true seeing "sees the true form of changed or transmuted things".
"True seeing does not help the viewer see through mundane disguises..."
"as they actually are" is not, in any way, specific enough to be considered in a rules argument.
I've always ruled that magic counters magic, and technology to technology, unless they specifically say otherwise. But, to be fair, I prefer that technology maintains an equal, or slightly more prominent, role in the setting. If I wanted magic to rule the setting, I'd play pathfinder. So that is my bias.
I think this defaults to table variation.
Personally the way I see it is this.
Disguise with a kit is physical changes, so no bonus from True seeing.
Holoskin is light. It doesn't have a physical component so it doesn't stop the magic.
So in my game, I think I would have True seeing work against Holograms.
The problem with the tech over magic arguement is the Technomancer. They are a tech based mage who has access to the spell. For me, it helps back the idea that True seeing would work.
If you also look at the Holographic Image spells the Technomancer gets, they are Illusions.
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Thanks for the various viewpoints.
Since True Seeing is a sixth level spell, which in Starfinder is the most powerful level, and a holoskin is a 2nd level item, it feels to me that True Seeing should easily cut through the holoskin effect. But it really depends on the balance of power you want between technology and magic in your universe, so I can see it being played either way.
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It's true seeing. Its the strongest illusion counter in the spellcasters repetoir.
It roflstomps a 500 credit holoskin.
The language mundane was lifted from pathfinder. I don't think it was intended to cover a "mundane" hologram projector that's functionally an illusion spell. True seeing doesn't let you see through mundane disguises for the same reason it doesn't let you see through fog: they're both really there. The elf costume really does have pointy ears. The elf projection from the emitter does not.
A hologram is either a fake image, or one image covering up another. True seeing lets you see things as they actually are, ie, the hologram isn't really there and the thing its covering up doesn't look like what the hologram is projecting.
The spell will tell you if the "human" you're talking to is a shapeshifted gray alien, even if the Gray is using a Doppleganger morphic skin that has physically changed their appearance. It will also tell you the "wolf" you're seeing is actually a human lycanthrope even if they are physically in every way a wolf.
Look how most of the illusion spells have been renamed hologram. A hologram is functionally a technological illusion. That's the exact sort of thing that true seeing counters.
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roflstomps
Great word. LOL!
Consider it pinched.
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roflstomps
Great word. LOL!
Consider it pinched.
I agree! Maybe "Rolfstomps" will be a brand of Vesk combat boots in the next visit to the equipment store...
I agree! Maybe "Rolfstomps" will be a brand of Vesk combat boots in the next visit to the equipment store...
Well played sir!