Sneaking while using jet pack/grav boots/power suit?

[garhkal]

I know when swimming or using power suits/jet packs etc your dodge roll is replaced by your operation roll (for the latter items) or swimming roll.
But should it also take over when attempting to sneak while using one of those items? Or should sneaking while using say a power suit/jet pack/grav boots be impossible?
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[Leon The Lion]

Generally yes, I think sneaking with those pieces of equipment should be handled with their specialized skill instead of the normal sneak skill, just like dodging, swimming, or running, jumping and climbing.

Alternativley, you could use the normal skill, but use the powersuit/whatever skill as a limiter on that, so you'd basically roll the lower of the two.

I imagine sneaking with a powersuit would be possible, albeit with penalties depending on exact type, size and weight class.

Sneaking with a jet/rocket pack would be flat-out impossilbe, unless the item was specifically designed and equipped to allow it, otherwise I imagine a standard issue jet/rocket pack is just too loud. Unless you can go faster than sound, in which case you always automatically succeed at sneaking up on someone, and do it very fast to boot.

Grav boots and similiar devices I'd imagine to be rather quiet, and so allow sneaking normally, or at a modest penalty at most. And even that may be balanced out by your actual footsteps not making any sound, regardless of surface you're floating above.
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[Naaman]

Given that sneak is a perception skill, Id say that you can sneak in conjunction with those pieces of equipment. Being a perception skill means that sneak represents your ability to avoid detection, not your ability to "move silently". Therefore, if the only method of detection to be avoided happens to be visual, then its irrelevant how loud the equipment is. On the other hand, if you only need to escape aural detection, you could be decorated like a christmas tree, and as long as you can disguise or mask the sound of your equipment (using ambient noise such as a storm, gunfire, jet engines, etc), then ypu have "sneaked" successfully. Just use some discretion as to whether to apply a penalty based on what methods of detecction are available to possible observers/guards.

[jmanski]

I say use Sneak but give an appropriate penalty when using something inherently un-stealthy.
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[garhkal]

Would it make a difference if i am using sensors to find whom ever is near our base, rather than going off my perception/search skill?

EG imp listening post has 2 guard towers with troopers in, but also auguments it with occasional sensor sweeps (1k out of the base).. Would that make a difference?
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[Naaman]

Well, sir, I refer you to the movie "Predator" crica 1987-ish...

Arnold was able to escape detection by covering himself with mud.

This obviously would depend on how the sensors worked (thermal, radar, motion sensors, vibration sensors, etc). The type of sensor used would render some forms of evasion useless, while other types would be particularly vulnerable to certain forms of evasion or might be "fooled" by certain tricks.

In these cases, you might need a different skill such as a high sensors skill, which might represent your knowledge of how to defeat a particular type. While sensor repair would almost certainly represent this (and at a lower die code). In some situations, the security skill might cover this knowledge.

Essentially, if a machine is using the same senses as a person would use (sight, smell, hearing, etc), then the sneak skill is probably applicable. If the sensors have other methods of detection (such as detecting a heartbeat or an electromagnetic signature) the character would probably need some sort of special equipment to overcome the sensors, in addition to having to sneak past...

All that to say, simply, that "situation dictates."