| 6 people marked this as FAQ candidate. 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So I've got an ysoki mystic with blindsense (scent), and I was hoping to get him an Advanced Pheromap from Interstellar Species. But I'm confused about how it's been written and what its intention is.
The Basic Pheromap states the following:
"Your olfactory senses are enhanced and connected to the vlaka pheromap, giving you access to the connection between pheromones and emotions for many other species.
"When a living creature is within the radius of your blindsight (scent) as a move action you can attempt a Perception skill check to identify it. The DC of the check is determined by the creature’s rarity, as presented on the Creature Rarity table (Core Rulebook 133). If you have blindsense (scent) or blindsight (scent), you gain a +5 enhancement bonus to this check. If successful, you also determine its initial attitude toward you (Core Rulebook 140). You can attempt this check untrained regardless of the DC, and having this augmentation counts as having access to an information network for the purposes of taking 20 on a check to identify a creature."
So the text says it enhances your olfactory senses but then jumps right into stating what happens if a living creature is within the radius of your blindsight (scent). But it hasn't established a requirement to actually have a scent-based sense prior to this, and then later it goes on to say that you get bonuses if you have blindsense (scent) or blindsight (scent) - but surely having those goes without saying if the whole thing is dependent on the range of blindsight (scent)..?
The fluff text says it's not only for vlakas, but also helpful to other species - and even if it were just for vlakas, not all vlakas have blindsight. And Interstellar Species has a general piece of text in the Overview (page 4) that says they were intending to create things that are "thematically tied to that species, but generally not mechanically tied, so they’re available to a wide array of characters."
So... what's the deal with Pheromaps? Is having blindsight (scent) a pseudo-requirement of using one, meaning my ysoki can't make use of it? Or is it meant to be interpreted a different way?
|
Hmm, interesting. I see what you mean. Link for reference.
I'm hitting the FAQ button so we'll maybe get an official clarification someday, but until then: I'd guess that it was originally designed as an aug that only worked if you have BlindSomething (scent.) But then, in keeping with the general idea that most PCs should be able to use stuff (which I agree with, so: yay!) that requirement was dropped, and turned instead into the bit about getting a bonus if you have BlindSomething (scent.) But, the initial trigger of "a living creature is within the radius of your blindsight (scent)" was left in (I'm guessing in error.)
As a houserule, just to make it useable without BlindStuff, I'd change that first sentence to, "When a living creature is within 30 feet of you in an atmosphere that can transmit scents, as a move action you can attempt..." and hope for the best. That way PCs without BlindStuff can still use it, and PCs with BlindStuff can just do it better.
Agree it needs a FAQ.
RAW you need blindsight to make it work, but the raw seems a little at odds with itself. As a mystic I'd just cast extra sense to make sure it could work