In all circumstances, remember fighting invisible/unperceived enemies is -10. Also, if an opponent is invisible, you can't target him if there are other perceived enemies attacking you or people near you. Most spells that don't have an area effect can't be targeted on an invisible enemy. Area effect weapons can be spread in the enemy's general vicinity if you know where they are; I think the modern weapon rules cover this.
If you can make out something but do not have 100% vision, you are generally either -5 (most cases) or -1 (have some other detection). These characters can be targeted normally; you are not blind to attack them.
A note on psychic invisibility: It's effectively an area blind that only blinds the enemy to you.
DETECTION
Nightvision
What it does: Amplifies normal light to allow characters to see in the dark.
What it beats: Almost nothing, although it does extend visual range in darkness. It neutralizes any bonus to Prowl to move unseen in darkness.
See Aura
What it does: Allows your normal sight to see auras. It slightly illuminates a visible target. Auras can be -seen- at any range, but it is hard to read an aura except at close range (depends on character's vision, but around the range of the spell for humans).
What it beats: At 20 feet, it can perceive outlines of enemies in smoke, reducing the -5 (partial blind) to -1. Past that, the enemy is invisible. Chameleon is completely rendered obsolete, and normal darkness offers no vision penalty. See Aura may be able to see enemies concealed normally, granting a -15% prowl check to anyone in the character's sight range and reducing obscuring penalty of bushes to -1. It can also be used to force an opponent out of Doton or other esoteric (non-magical) hide skills.
What beats it: Any targeted blind, invisibility, basically anything that mostly obscures the target. See Aura isn't meant for perception.
Light Target (and Invincible Armor)
What it does: Make your enemy glow like a beacon
What it beats: All forms of invis (the spell's effect is visible). Shadow Meld in most cases. All forms of normal concealment also automatically fail. Chameleon fails. Like See Aura this will also beat smoke out to 20 feet (no penalty), but past that the enemy is invisible.
What beats it: Cloak of Darkness, total obstruction. All targeted blinds work.
Thermal optics (FLIR)
What it does: Make infared spectrum visible, allowing a character to see radiant heat
What it beats: Invis simple, shadow meld, and most forms of smoke and concealment. Very few things are not spotted by thermals.
What beats it: Invis superior obviously. Other than invis superior, only targeted blinds are effective. However, large amounts of radiant heat screw thermals. Any sort of environment-altering magic that raises the ambient temperature to that similar to humans (in the 80-90 degree range) makes using thermals almost impossible. Lighting shit on fire also makes thermals hard to use. All targeted blinds still work. Cloud sensors beats technological versions of FLIR, but magical (non-TW) versions work fine.
Improved hearing, smell
What it does: Amplifies the effects of normal senses not dependent on sight
Who has it (in the campaign): Sara could with mods to PA; BS has it naturally (super-smell). Hearing cannot be modded into body armor, but can be modded into an exoskeleton or vehicle.
What it beats: At close range (within about 100 feet or so) it changes total blindness to partial blindess (only -5) in any blinding circumstance where the sense in question is still available.
What beats it: Anything that obscures the sense in question. Smoke for instance will screw up super-smell, as will a lot of battlefield carnage. Lots of nearby explosions or chemically propelled weapons also mess with super-smell. Super-hearing can be dampened by nearby explosions or rail gun fire on the same turn, or by a silence effect on target. Obviously, invis superior and psychic invisibility are immune.
Magic sense
What it does: Effectively grants a sense of 'smell' for magic
Who has it (in the campaign): BS only. Lion has it as well. No other character can get this; it's a class ability exclusive to racial magic sensitives and the Mystic classes (Mystic, MK, MW). The spell/psi offers no bonus other than knowing the enemy is present.
What it beats: Almost all active magic is beaten by this, reducing total blindness to partial blindness (-5) if the target is in range. This sense can see through walls. Spellcasters and supernatural creatures with high mana totals or magic "scent" (such as gargs and entities, which have low 'mana' but are supernatural) are also revealed, reducing a -10 to -5 and a -5 to -1.
What beats it: Area magic can only detect magic in that area, and much like thermals, it can't make out different magic sources unless the power levels are radically different (<10 vs. >50 for instance). Large amounts of magic AoE interference may make this sense useless. It is also useless on a leyline for detecting magic, but its supernatural detection and detecting rifts works fine. Psychic invisibility is immune, but invis superior is not.
See invisibility
What it does: reveals all invisible objects and entities to optical detection
What it beats: Both invisibility powers.
What beats it: All forms of normal concealment, psychic invisibility, targeted blindness.
See in Magic Darkness
What it does: Removes all vision penalties from magic 'darkness' spells
What it beats: ...magic darkness spells? Oh, and shadow meld
What beats it: Anything that is not a magic darkness spell or shadow meld
Quick note on radar sense: It doesn't work against anything that absorbs radio waves or doesn't reflect them, most notably shadow meld
Quick note on zanshin: It can only be blinded by blocking the enemy's Chi, glhf there
Sonar is effectively super hearing in terms of what beats it, but it reduces most penalties to 0 instead of -5
STEALTH
Prowl
What it does: Allows a character to hide from enemies; can be combined with other methods
What beats it: Normally thermals. See aura is effective. Light target makes prowl useless. Super-smell is prowl's worst enemy.
Smoke and fog (any type)
What it does: Obscures vision in an area
What beats it: Thermals, super-hearing. Melee range also makes smoke useless; visibility is good enough that penalties are only -1 on both sides. At 20 feet or less, visibility is only -5. Super-smell is highly ineffective against smoke. NOTE: At 20 feet, energy weapons are half damage.
Chameleon
What it does: Blend in to the environment
What beats it: Super-smell, magic sense, see aura, and thermals. Useless against light target. Super-hearing might be effective, but this is generally combined with prowl to obscure hearing.
Invis (simple)
What it does: Makes you invisible to sight. You still leave a minor shimmer that may be detectable if people are looking closely.
What beats it: Super-smell/hearing, magic sense, see invisible, thermals.
Shadow Meld
What it does: Allows you to blend into shadows. While in shadows, you are invisible.
What beats it: Super-smell/hearing, magic sense, thermals.
Blindness
What it does: Produces any effect that blinds the enemy, including flashbang grenades, tear gas, and magic.
What beats it: Super-smell, super-hearing. Magic sense may be applicable.
Invis (superior)
What it does: Obscures virtually all methods of detection. Does not leave any trace.
What beats it: Only see invisible and magic sense. Light target works, but cannot target an unseen enemy so it generally must be applied beforehand. Motion detection is effective if the sensitivity of the motion detection is very very high and the invisible character is moving quickly. Pressure plates and such are also effective. These are the only defenses!
Darkness effects
What it does: Creates a radius of magical darkness.
What beats it: Thermals, see in magic darkness. Sometimes nightvision is effective, depending on the spell, but generally not.
Psychic invisibility (also Chi invisibility)
What it does: Clouds the minds of people viewing you
What beats it: Mind block. Detect psionics and such are useless. Escaping the power's range will render him visible, but you don't believe he is there, so why would you do that? Video camera footage can view him, but if you're affected you will not see the character on video camera footage. If inside any vehicle that sufficiently blocks psychic powers, he can be seen normally.
Cloud sensors
What it does: The CK is partially invisible to anyone viewing him with technological sensors or vision enhancements, granting him a +20% circumstance bonus to Prowl in appropriate situations
What beats it: Normal vision, psi sense (as long as the CK is within range). For tech optics, characters with electronic scopes cannot take aim at the CK at all, but are otherwise reasonably okay (besides the problems for the CK's marked target). RPA optics are screwed. Normal helmets are generally fine (no special optics are standard). Multi-optics helmets are only jammed if the special optics enhancements are used. This has no effect on laser aiming modules, which provide their normal strike bonus -- however, a visible laser must be used (unless the character has magical/natural FLIR vision). Target marking, such as with Light Target, also negates the effect (the enchantment comes up on thermals just fine).
