Some detection devices augment a character’s natural ability to perceive its environment (for example, macrobinoculars), providing a bonus or reducing penalties on Perception checks. Others use sensors to scan their surroundings beyond the normal visual and audible range.
| Detection & Surveillance | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient Aural Amplifier | 3,000 | 0.5 kg |
| Aural Amplifier | 2,000 | 0.5 kg |
| Communication Scanner | 1,000 | 1 kg |
| Demolitions Sensor | 1,000 | 0.5 kg |
| Electrobinoculars | 1,000 | 1 kg |
| Fusion Lantern | 25 | 2 kg |
| Glow rod | 10 | 1 kg |
| Glow Rod, Decoy | 100 | 4 kg |
| Halo Lamp | 30 | 1 kg |
| Heat Sensor | 250 | 0.2 kg |
| Motion Sensing Visor | 2,500 | 0.5 kg |
| Neural Band | 3,500 | 0.5 kg |
| Proximity Flare | 50 | 0.5 kg |
| Radiation Detector | 20 | — |
| Recording unit | ||
| Audio Recorder | 25 | 0.1 kg |
| Holo Recorder | 100 | 0.1 kg |
| Video Recorder | 50 | 0.1 kg |
| Sensor pack | 1,500 | 9 kg |
| Sonar Mapper | 400 | 1 kg |
| Spy Bug | 1,300 | 0.5 kg |
| Stealth Field Generator | 5,000 | 0.2 kg |
| Surveillance Detector | 450 | 0.5 kg |
| Surveillance Tagger | 450 | 0.5 kg |
| Veridicator | 4,000 | 0.1 kg |
| VidVox Scrambler | 3,400 | 0.5 kg |
Ambient Aural Amplifier
Rebellion Era Campaign Guide, page 51.
Cost: 3,000 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
Although aural amplifiers have existed for centuries, vast improvements to the technology are made during the Rebellion era, driven by the need to surreptitiously listen in on contacts who could be Imperial spies, Rebel recruiters, or bounty hunters looking to make a few quick credits. Previous models of aural amplifiers were bulky and obvious, and they garbled messages almost as often as they worked. They also required power cells, limiting the degree to which they could be concealed.
Employing the same technology used for protocol droids, the new ambient aural amplifiers can pick out sounds, analyze them, and amplify only the sounds that are likely to be useful. these devices draw power from the body heat of any warm-blooded creature that wears them, giving the amplifiers an effectively unlimited operation time. (Cold-blodded species can power the devices by placing them on a warm surface or piece of gear.0 The result is a +5 equipment bonus to Perception checks to eavesdrop or hear distant or ambient noises.
Aural Amplifier
Knights of the Old Republic, page 73.
Cost: 2,000 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
The aural amplifier is a device worn on the head, allowing the wearer to hear from a great distance. By amplifying sound waves originating from the direction of the wearer’s interest while damening ambient noise, the aural amplifier grants the wearer a +5 equipment bonus on Perception checks to eavsdrop. An aural amplifier cannot be worn at the same time as armor with a helmet or any other device worn on the head.
Communication Scanner
Galaxy at War, page 46.
Cost: 1,000 credits Weight: 1 kg
A communications scanner is a datapad-sized device used to interept, analyze, decode, and record comlink, transceiver, and HoloNet transmissions. Unencryptedt broadcasts are automatically picked up. By making a DC 15 Use Computer check, the user can determine the number of typs of communication being broadcasted and received within a 50-kilometer radius. A DC 20 Use Computer check reveals the direction and distance of a broadcast. the communication scanner grants a +5 equipment bonus to decipher encrypted messages that it receives. However, it cannot be used to locate the presence of tightbeam comlinks unless the scanner is directly in the path of the comlink.
In addition, the communication scanner functions as a recording unit for the transmissions that it intercepts.
Demolitions Sensor
Knights of the Old Republic, page 73.
Cost: 1,000 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
Resembling a pair of goggles, the demolitions sensor can detect both the explosives and triggering mechanisms of mines, grenades, and other explosive devices, highlighting them in the wearer’s vision. the demolitions sensor grants the wearer a +5 equipment bonus on Perception checks made to find mines and other planted explosives. A demolitions sensor cannot be worn at the same time as armor with a helmet or any other device worn on the head.
Electrobinoculars
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
Cost: 1,000 credits Weight: 1 kg
This device magnifies distant objects in most lighting conditions. An internal display provides data on range, relative and true azimuths, and elevation. Viewing options include zoom and wide-vision observation. Electrobinoculars also feature radiation sensors and a nightvision mode that grants darkvision out to the user’s normal range of sight.
Electrobinoculars reduce the range penalty on Perception checks to −1 (instead of −5) for every 10 squares of distance.
Fusion Lantern
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
Cost: 25 credits Weight: 2 kg
A hand-held light source larger than a glow rod, the fusion lantern produces light and heat. The light spreads out from the lantern, producing illumination in a 6-square radius.
Glow Rod
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
Cost: 10 credits Weight: 1 kg
A glow rod is a portable illumination device that projects a beam of light up to 6 squares.
Glow Rod, Decoy
Force Unleashed Campaign Guide, page 101.
Cost: 100 credits Weight: 4 kg
Though not officially manufactured by any corporation, the decoy glowrod is ap iece of equipment used by enemies of the empire and smugglers alike. This device is a fully functional glowrod with a hollowed-out handle that can be used to hide small objects. A decoy glowrod can hide up to 3 kilograms of equipment, no on pice of which can be larger than Diminutive in size. This allows the owner to hide everything from code cylinders and datacards to credit chips and small comlinks within the interior. Best of all, since the glowrod is functional, Imperial customs agents almost never suspect that such a device is being used to carry contraband. Hiding an item inside decoy glowrod grants the user a +10 equipment bonus on Stealth checks to hide the item.
Halo Lamp
Clone Wars Campaign Guide, page 66.
Cost: 30 credits Weight: 1 kg
A pocket-sized disc small enough to fit in the palm of a Human hand, the halo lamp shines a birght light in a circle around the person holding it out to a 3-square radius. While lit, it remains cool to the touch, and it can easily be attached as a weapon accessory.
Heat Sensor
Threats of the Galaxy, page 37.
Cost: 250 credits Weight: 0.2 kg
Used primarily to locate fires and damaged components buried behind wall panels and beneath deck plates, a heat sensor is a common device in the hands of emergency crew memebers. A heat sensor monitors air temperature out to a distance of 100 meters and presents color-coded readings on a small screen. In addition to its normal uses, a heat sensor can also identify heat signatures generated by hidden creatures, maling it a useful tool for rooting stowaways or alien parasites. A heat sensor grants a +2 equipment bonus to Perception checks mad to detect hidden creatures, machines, or hazards that generate heat.
Motion Sensing Visor
Knights of the Old Republic, page 74.
Cost: 2,500 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
The motion sensing viszor tracks movement and highlights moving objects with color-coded warnings. This allows the wearer to see moving enemies with ease, even those attempting to be stealthy. The wearer of this visor gains a +5 equipment bonus to Perception checks against targets that have moved at least one square since the end of the wearer’s last turn. However, a motion sensing visor can be disorienting, especially in the heat of combat, and a character must spend two additional swift actions to use the recover action when attempting to move up the condition track. A motion sensing visor cannot be worn at the same time as armor with a helmet or any other device worn on the head.
Neural Band
Knights of the Old Republic, page 74.
Cost: 3,500 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
Developed in response to both Sith and Jedi using the Force to manipulate soldiers and scurity personnel, the neural band reinforcs various synapses throughout the brain and provides alternate conduits for electrical impluses withtin the mind, making the wearer’s thought difficult to affect. Neural bands grant their wearers a +2 equipment bonus to Will Defense, but lower the wearer’s damage threshold by −2. A neural band cannot be worn at the same time as armor with a helmet or any other device worn on the head.
Proximity Flare
Galaxy at War, page 47.
Cost: 50 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
Soldiers and explorers use proximity flares as warning devices on the perimeters of encampments. A flare is housed in a small cylinder with a spike on the bottom, allowing it to be securely placed in the ground. Sensors in the cylinder detect nearby shifts in air pressure. When any Small or larger character, creature, droid, or vehicle comes within a 3-square radius of the proximity flare, the flare launches, creatign a strak, btight light illuminating a 10-square radius and eliminating concealment penalties due to insufficient lighting. Creatures can avoid tripping a proximity flare by making a DC 25 Stealth check.
A proximity flare can be used as a makeshift weapon when it is aimed horizontally instead of vertically. The proximity flare can shoot only in a straight line, determined when it is placed. The flare makes a +2 attack roll against the first target that it contacts, dealing 3d6 points of fire damage. If used in this way, the proximity flare sputters out after the attack and provides no additional illunination.
Radiation Detector
Galaxy at War, page 47.
Cost: 20 credits
Worn on the wrist or on the front of armor r uniforms, a radiation detector alerts the user to the presence of radiation within 6 squares. The radiation detector gives a color code indicating the strength of radiation and additionally, can be set to provide either a vibrating or an audible alarm.
Recording Unit
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
This storage device is an audio, video, or holor recorder with a playback feature. It has Intelligence 1 and 1 memory unit. You can modify a recording (edit, erase, or rearrange the order of events) with a DC Use Computer check. However, anyone can make an opposed Perception check (if observing the recording) or oppoased Use Computer check (if inspecting the data from the recording) to detect any modifications you have made. Editing or modifying a recording without first uploading it to computer can be difficult: Add the recording unit’s Intelligence modifier (−5) to any Use Computer checks you make to change the recording.
Audio Recorder
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
Cost: 25 Weight: 0.1
An audio recorder stores 100 hours of high-quality sound.
Holo Recorder
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
Cost: 100 Weight: 0.1
A video recorder stores 10 hours of high-quality two-dimensional video.
Video Recorder
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
Cost: 50 Weight: 0.1
A holo recorder stores 1 hour of high-quality three-dimensional holos.
Sensor Pack
Saga Edition Core Rulebook, page 136.
Cost: 1,500 credits Weight: 9 kg
A portable scanning device, the sensor pack is a bulky rectangle featuring a variety of dials and switches, a readout display, and a scanning dish. It provides general details on comm signals, life forms, and hazards within 1 kilometer. Operating a sensor pack requires a standard action and grants a +5 circumstance bonus on your Perception checks until the end of your next turn.
Sonar Mapper
Unknown Regions, page 42.
Cost: 400 credits Weight: 1 kg
Modern sensor systems are reliable and can be used in many circumstances. However, in some situations a standard sensor pack does not work. In those instances, a sonar mapper can be used instead. A sonar mapper is a specialized sensor system that emits sonar pulses at regular intervals, mapping an area through echoloaction. The sonar mapper does not provide the detail that a sensor pack can, because its dedicated screen displays only the echolocation. Also, the sonar mapper does not have as great a range as a sensor pack, because it reads the pulses only up to a range of 100 meters with any degree of accuracy. The sonar mapper can internally record up to 12 hours of readings, making a good backup map if the user becomes lost.
Spy Bug
Legacy Era Campaign Guide, page 66.
Cost: 1,300 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
This Diminutive, bioengineered insect records sights and sounds within 20 squares of it. It can be replaced in a hidden area nd remains there until retrieved. When the spy bug is retrieved, the data that it has absorbed through its senses for the past 24 hours can be extracted. (The Yuuzhan Vong use living devices to retieve the data, but a DC 25 Mechanics check can transmit the data via electronic connectors or comlink.)
A spy bug functions as a holorecorder unit. A spy bug registers as a life form on sensors, not as an electronic device.
Stealth Field Generator
Knights of the Old Republic, page 74.
Cost: 5,000 credits Weight: 0.2 kg
A small an onobtrusive device worn on the belt, the stealth field generator emits a sound-dampening field around the wearer that make sneaking up on an opponent easier. Additionally, the stealth field generator uses technology similar to that of a personal energy shield to bend light around the wearer, making them harder to see. the stealth field generator grants concealment (but not total concealment) to the wearer when activated. Activating a stealth field generator is a swift action, and it lasts for the duration of the encounter, until the wearer takes damage or until the wearer attacks or uses a Force power, whichever comes first. A stealth field generator requires a power pack to operate. After 5 uses, the power pack must be replaced.
Surveillance Detector
Galaxy of Intrigue, page 67.
Cost: 450 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
A surveillance detector is a small, handheld device that scans an area for eavesdropping devices and surveillance taggers (see below). When activated, the surveillance detector granst a +10 equipment bonus to Perception checks for locating active or passive surveillance devices within 6 squares of the detector. It can be set to either dispaly the presence of eavesdropping or to emit an alarm when such attempts are detected.
Surveillance Tagger
Galaxy of Intrigue, page 67.
Cost: 450 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
The surveillance tagger is a tiny, unassuming tube containing a Fine sized dart and a compressed air canister. When fired, the dart attaches itself to the target with a combintion of adhesives and magnetism and activates a homing beacon. The homing beacon has a range of 1 kilometer and enough power to transmit for 40 hours.
To use the surveillance tagger, the user must succeed on a ranged attack against a target within 6 squares of the user. The size of the dart imposes a −20 penalty to Perception to notice it. An activated signal tagger allows the user to track the movements of the dart with a DC 10 Use Computer check and a datapad or an appropriate sensor package.
Veridicator
Galaxy of Intrigue, page 67.
Cost: 4,000 credits Weight: 0.1 kg
Worn as an inconspicuous bracelet, the veridicator uses sophisticated sensors to monitor a target’s heart rate, pupil dilation, perspiration, and other involuntary strees responses. It compares this information to its internal database, determining the emotional state of the target and indicating if he or she is lying. Ther veridicator then relays this information to the wearer as a series of pulses, temperature variations, or vibrations.
Once activated, the veridicator needs a full round to acquire the data from a single target within 6 squars of the user. Then the veridicator provides a +5 bonus to Perception checks for the puropses of sensing deception or influence or for gambling against other players in games such as sabacc. The veridicator can be programmmed for only a single species at a time. Changing the settings requires a DC 10 Use Computer check.
Vid-Vox Scrambler
Galaxy of Intrigue, page 67.
Cost: 3,400 credits Weight: 0.5 kg
When activated, this Tiny handheld device emits a low-frequency wave that scrambles all video, audio and holographic recording within its area of effect, while leaving normal conversation unaffected. Vid-vox scramblers are prized by anyone worried that their conversations are being recorded, including criminal masterminds, CEOs, spies, and the paranoid.
The vid-vox scrambler prevents all video, audio, and holographic recording in the squares adjacent to and the square including the device. Anyone eavesdropping or reviewing recordings of targets protected by an interference generator must make a DC 30 Perception or Use Computer check to pik up only scatterede words and phrases. A scrambler can operate continuously for one week on a single power cell, or it can be connected to a generator or other permanent power source.