I have a group that is preparing for a classic heist where they will be stealing a macguffin, and they have (reasonable) concerns that the macguffin might have a tracking device hidden on it. We're looking for equipment that might give a bonus to scanning for and/ or blocking the effects of the bug.
For blocking, it seems like a signal jammer would do the trick, although it would block all other comms as well. Maybe a null-space chamber would work, though I'm less certain about that. Can comm signals go in or out of an NS chamber? Does an object in a NS chamber count as being on a different plane?
For scanning, I'm not aware of any gear or spells that specifically help you sweep for bugs. Starfinder has a lot of gear, though. Am I missing something?
Detect tech, a 1st-level technomancer spell, can potentially be used as a bug-finder.
This probably is way too late to help as this question was asked months ago.
The 200 credit tool Broad Spectrum Scanner gives +4 to perception checks to search and would thematically be appropriate for seeing if a transmitter was broadcasting any signals.
The relevant link for the tool is here https://www.aonsrd.com/TechItems.aspx?ItemName=Starfinder%20Armory&Fami ly=Tool%20Kit
Although at GM discretion a tracker might feasibly only broadcast at set intervals to conserve battery power/ be harder to detect if you wanted to make that a harder check for your players.
Yeah, this thread is months old but I would say that putting something in a null space chamber is effectively like putting it on another plane. That said, the published tracking bug only has a range of 500' which honestly means it's practically worthless.
Though there might be other items that can do some sort of tracking from a longer distance, the specific tracking bug item cannot.
Anyways, putting an item in a nuill space chamber should negate any tracking bug or ability that doesn't say it works across planes...which is probably all of them. SO a tracking bug would work better on vehicles or things normally too large to be stowed.
|
For what it's worth, there are number of existing tracking options: spells, items, class features. The means of detecting them range from the classic "15 + 1½ your level," to "obvious if you can see invisible things," to "Perception check opposed by your Sleight of Hand check," all of which sounds appropriate, to base other check DCs off of?