Decrypt Enemy Transmissions power build

[tammer]

I wanted my char to use Inventor to make a device to hack into a hi-tech enemy's radio transmissions and listen in on their troop movements, orders, etc. What would be the build for this?

I was thinking:
Sense: Radio [1 rank, 1PP] + Comprehend: Languages (understand only) [1 rank, 2PP] - Check Required (Technology skill) [-1PP] = 3PP

This seems cheap to listen in on an enemy's conversations. Does it sound right? Should Radio have to have Area (to "scan the area for signal")? That still only adds 1PP...

[Shock]

If the transmissions are encrypted or masked you might want to add some ranks of Notice to get past Subtle. Adding Acute, Accurate and/or Analytical wouldn't hurt either. That would let you know who's giving the orders and the location of the transmitter, if it's in range.

[Greyman]

I wanted my char to use Inventor to make a device to hack into a hi-tech enemy's radio transmissions and listen in on their troop movements, orders, etc. What would be the build for this?

I was thinking:
Sense: Radio [1 rank, 1PP] + Comprehend: Languages (understand only) [1 rank, 2PP] - Check Required (Technology skill) [-1PP] = 3PP

This seems cheap to listen in on an enemy's conversations. Does it sound right? Should Radio have to have Area (to "scan the area for signal")? That still only adds 1PP...

Radio is ranged, radius, and acute by default. You just need to make a perception check. If the communication is point-to-point, or Selective Area, you need to be withing normal sensory distance of one of the communicators. You can add Extended to enhance this ten ply.

Noticing a Subtle 2 communication should cost similar to Counters Concealment or Counters Illusion. 2 points.

[poodle]

surely that all just means he can hear the transmission. I thought decrypting it would be specific skill check, maybe linked to mental quickness to reflect the ability to do it in real time.
nullify:encryption (just guessing here)
Isn't encryption just obscure:language.

[Madwand]

Encryption is a lot more than just an obscure language. It can be totally unbreakable (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-time_pad for an example). More practical encryption, such as public key encryption (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_key_encryption), is only unbreakable given a certain (very large) limit on computational resources and time. In a realistic settting, sometimes no amount of Technology skill will let you listen in. However, if it *IS* possible to break the encryption (not all encrpypted radios use good encryption), all you need is a good radio, computer, time, and Technology skill (and not necessarily a lot of the latter two. Bad encryption is... bad).

That said, in a comic book universe, anything is possible, even the impossible. Comic book heroes decrypt "secure" encryption all the time, which is totally impossible in the real world. Superheroes could even have wierd superpowers that could bypass the need for decryption entirely, such as the power to read any computerized device in the world. Once you can do that, encryption is useless as soon as anyone turns on the device and reads the data (i.e., enters the key).

[Shadowchaser]

Honestly? If the character is an inventor, you could simply have him build a device with the Radio sense, perhaps with "Counters Concealment" to find subtle or encrypted signals. Then have the character make a Technology check against the enemy's Technology check to see if he can decrypt the signals, if you want to add some drama.

That's how I'd do it, anyway.

For something that automatically decrypts all signals, you could use a rank of Comprehend as you suggest.