On 1/2/26 05:37, Thomas Jones-Low - tjoneslow at gmail.com (via tml
list) wrote:
> It is mentioned in some of the DGP material that use of a Neural
> Activity Sensor would give a clear reading about the level of
> Sophonence. Unfortunately, the NAS is a TL15 device, with examples
> produced at TL-14, so only for the past few hundred years. Before the
> Psionic Suppressions, it's very possible that PSI talented people with
> Telepathy would be able to read the minds of the creatures in question
> and make that determination.
>
According to Travwiki
(https://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Third_Imperium#Technology_.26_Trade), the
3I had hit TL-14 by 628 Imperial, roughly 170 years before the
suppressions.  Still within "past few hundred years".

For the next 160-odd years, I'd figure the telepath method would
continue to be used to determine sophonce, on grounds of "ain't broke,
don't fix."  Prototype NAS may be used, but they'd be secondary to the
psion.

IIRC, GT: Psionics Institutes has the IISS, post-suppressions, being
_somewhat_ more favourable to psions than the other uniformed Imperial
services.  As a result, prototype NAS would be significantly more used,
both in their own right and as _cover_ for the psion.

Question for the list - for those teams with both a telepath and a NAS,
as the great first-in scout, Animal, said, "WHAT DO?" when they disagree
about a critter's sophonce?

Alex