Terminal Velocity

[Foxiekins]

I've come up with a special effect, where a character is able to generate acceleration for themselves, like Superman's flight, but the max acceleration they can create falls a bit short of 1 gee.  No way they can get aloft, but I figure, based on Terminal Velocity calculations, that a pair of roller skates would let them sail along with running of 84 meters, if their speed is 7.  This is no problem, I give them speed 7 and 72 meters of running with a focus.  The problem is that if they were falling, they could cut the acceleration they were under due to gravity to a tiny fraction of a gee.  My calculations indicate this would give them a Terminal Velocity of 20 meters per second or so.  How would you construct this ability?

[Foxiekins]

Would Falling count as a Movement Mode for purposes of Change Environment...?

[unclevlad]

IMO, no.  A movement mode suggests that you have control.

 

Also,  how are you thinking CE would apply?

 

Rather than a movement mode...come to think, from a physics perspective...terminal velocity is the point at which the force exerted by drag, as you move through the medium, equals the force exerted by gravity.  Drag points up;  gravity points down.  (Buoyancy comes into play, but would be negligible for this discussion.)  Gravity is basically constant.  Drag force is a function of velocity and drag coefficient...how does the medium affect your movement?  A parachutist can adjust his drag coefficent before deploying his chute, by adjusting his position in the air.  Upright, arms and legs in tight?  Faster...even much faster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_velocity#:~:text=Terminal velocity is the maximum,G) acting on the object.

 

So if a power essentially alters your drag coefficient, it would, as you note, cap your terminal velocity.  If your terminal velo is 20 m/s...note that this is 1/3 of the book's terminal velo (6E2 141) of 60 m/s.  That's enough that I might adjust how long it takes to reach terminal velo, as the drag kicks in.  (Drag increases with the SQUARE of velocity, so the high drag would become a factor once you start having some fall velo.)  So maybe 10m in segment 1, 15 in segment 2, 20 in segment 3 and beyond...just to be reasonably simple.  

 

But also note that per 6E2 140, once you're moving 20+ m/s, the falling damage is 1d6 per 2 m/s of fall velo.  That's still 10d6.

 

So, a power that alters your drag coefficient?  That would be fine.  I'm NOT!!!! invoking Flight or anything else.  Flight requires phases, which makes things a mess.  Nope.  Make a new one.  Slowfall.  Definition?  Lots possible.  Let's start with a relatively tight one, by my lights anyway:

 

1 CP reduces your terminal velo by 5 m/s....so 10 CP reduces your terminal velo to 10 m/s.  The power is Constant, and costs END.  You can abort to this power.

 

Variants?  1 CP reduces terminal velo by 10 m/s, would be an obvious one.  I'd probably keep the rest the same.  If 1 CP for 5 m/s, then perhaps it's defined to be 0 END, like Clinging.  This is nice, as END use is per phase...so we get back into the phases vs. segments issue.  

 

Note that on a longer fall, if you're only falling 10 m/s, you're something of a sitting duck;  the rules about attacking a falling character still apply.  Velocity-based DCV wouldn't help much.  It'd also potentially take a rather long time.

[Foxiekins]

The big thing is if you're falling at 60m per segment, and you turn the power on, you'd start *decelerating*...

[Doc Democracy]

10 hours ago, Foxiekins said:

The big thing is if you're falling at 60m per segment, and you turn the power on, you'd start *decelerating*...

 

On 5/3/2023 at 10:29 PM, Foxiekins said:

the max acceleration they can create falls a bit short of 1 gee

 

I guess these things match up.  If you had it on, and started falling you would indeed accelerate - as there would still be a net acceleration due to gravity.

 

If you were already at terminal velocity and you reduce the effect of gravity, then I guess you would begin to decelerate until you hit a new equilibrium.  It is kind of head twisty and complicated though, and so potentially not good for the gaming table....(unless you came up with a handy reference that made it easy to use at the table.

 

I think it essentially needs a movement multipower.  Unlike @unclevlad I am going to go flight because I would rather work with existing powers than making up new ones, especially as the made up one only addresses the falling aspect and not what would happen if you were on roller skates or in the water.  The two movement slots are fine.  the falling one hits the problems Vlad mentioned.  To counter that, I think I would give the flight (only to counter gravity) and include in that custom limitation the details of what you want from it.  So it would not involve phases any more than the movement due to gravity does as the power is only countering that gravity. You would need to consider that the flight would need to be bought as if you were falling at 60m/s and were reducing it to 10m/s even though the full extent of that speed would not be applied if you had just begun to fall.

 

Doc

[Hugh Neilson]

The conventional build for something like a parachute has historically been limited gliding.  This sounds very similar.

[Foxiekins]

4 minutes ago, Hugh Neilson said:

The conventional build for something like a parachute has historically been limited gliding.  This sounds very similar.

I would use Gliding, but hasn't gliding been changed in 6th Edition to a limitation you place on flight, instead of being a separate power...?  I'm not sure how to work it with the new version...

[Hugh Neilson]

^e V1 p 228 offers this parachute. That seems like a decent baseline - falls at 20 m/segment and still takes falling damage based on that speed seems more limited than 12m down/1m forward.

 

Quote

Parachute: Flight 12m (12 Active Points); OA F (-1), Gliding (-1), Limited Movement (character cannot gain altitude,and must move at least 12m downward for
every 1m forward; -½), 1 Recoverable Continuing Charge (lasts until character hits the ground or ’chute is fouled; -¾). Total cost: 3 points.