Tools Phase-matter Scanners

Name: Phase-matter scanners

Description: Phase-matter scanners are a model of scanner that uses long masses of living phase matter to scan its surroundings. The masses come in many different shapes, from ribbon-shaped to fans to tentacle-like tendrils with fans on the ends. It scans its surroundings by passing through physical matter. Every time it passes through something solid, a signal is sent back to the user. The result is an accurate three-dimensional scan of the world around them.

Abilities:

• Inexpensive models can detect all solids. More expensive models can also detect liquids and gasses.
• Much like advanced sonar, constructs a three-dimensional map of the world around it.
• Unlike sonar, however, it can also “see” inside closed spaces due to its ability to pass through matter. Where sonar would see the outside of a human, phase scanners would see the internal organs as well.
• Can also “see” through walls, provided the phase matter mass is long enough to be in the other room.
• Can easily find Qarin and other phase matter creatures.
• Often used in Visitant proxies and augments.

Conditional Abilities (Optional):

• Expensive models of visitant/symbiote versions can regenerate given time and nutrition. It takes a week per meter of tendril.
• Tendrils can condense like qarins. The uses of this is generally very limited, since the tendrils are weak and it makes them vulnerable to damage. Each tendril is around as strong as a novakid’s arm. Good for strangling people with severe muscle atrophy or slapping solid snake’s ass from across the room.

Limitations:

• Can’t see colour, ability to see fine texture is limited.
• Unlike sonar and vision, can only see what it’s touching. If something moves after being scanned, it isn’t seen until that thing is rescanned. Think of it as constantly taking a phone panorama of your surroundings.
• Tendrils, being intended for sensory purposes only, are generally very delicate. Just as easily as it can find a qarin, the qarin can tear it in half.
• Destruction is extremely painful if attached to a visitant/symbiote. If the visitant is a beta, destruction is extremely disorienting instead (you’d be surprised too if you suddenly went blind)
• Vulnerable to plasma and phase matter vacuums. Destroyed by exposure to either.
• This includes novakid plasma. Novakid can’t be scanned.
• One part of the scanner must be solid at all times, typically where all the tendrils connect. This app is only for technologies that aren’t entirely made of phase matter. Drones and bodies made of only phase matter are theoretically possible but will require their own app.

Conditional Limitations (Optional):

• Some anti-qarin technology may mistake it for a qarin and destroy it on sight.
• Inexpensive models require manual repair from Aindivasi or Visitant engineers.
• If all phase matter on an expensive device is destroyed, it can’t regenerate and requires manual repair.
• Most sapients can tell when phase matter is passing through them as a faint “tingling” sensation, meaning even non-qarin users can determine if they’re being scanned, as long as they know what the sensation means.

How does it work: The tendrils of phase matter pass through normal matter and determine which parts of the tendrils are touching a solid and which parts are passing through air or void. This information comes as CT scan-like “slices” and is used to reconstruct a full 3D picture of everything that is touched. The tendrils themselves achieve this by either containing sensors that send a signal when passing through matter, or in the case of the visitant version, containing highly specialized sensory neurons that are excited by matter passing through them.

Flavor text: Phase-matter scanners are found naturally as a sensory organ in one of Hyperspace’s native sapient species. The mechanics behind it still work in realspace, allowing the scanner to function in a low cuil environment (as long as any visitant matter involved doesn’t die.) It is often used as a sensory alternative to sight and hearing in theta that were once this particular species.

Referenced Technologies (Optional): Phase matter, Visitant symbiosis

Attainability: Semi-closed (Aindivi empire technology. If your nation has done extensive research into phase matter, they may be able to invent this.)

Tags: [Civilian] [Racial]

Category: Tools

 

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