Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 What with Star Hero and The Ulitmate Vehicle now out (and the expaned Size tables for vehicles) I'm considering, just for fun, doing a write-up of the Skylark of Valeron. Anyone else planning any really BIG write-ups? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Escafarc Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 I don't have UV yet and I don't know how big the Skylark of Valeron is. But I'm planning one day to write up the ships of the Honorverse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 The Skylark of Valeron is from a series by E. E. "Doc" Smith (also creator of the Lensman series). She was the biggest "built" ship I can recall (i.e. not a converted asteroid or something) and was 1000km in diameter. Despite that ridiculous tonnage, she had the power-to-mass ratio of a speedster and could traverse vast intergalactic distances in mere days...and the amount of firepower and defenses she packed made many galactic-wide civilizations look underarmed by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent X Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly The Skylark of Valeron is from a series by E. E. "Doc" Smith (also creator of the Lensman series). She was the biggest "built" ship I can recall (i.e. not a converted asteroid or something) and was 1000km in diameter. Despite that ridiculous tonnage, she had the power-to-mass ratio of a speedster and could traverse vast intergalactic distances in mere days...and the amount of firepower and defenses she packed made many galactic-wide civilizations look underarmed by comparison. Great! But I want to see the schematic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Yeah? Well, I'd like to see one, as well! Have you actually read the books in question? If not, I'll say that all we ever see of the interior of this monster is (1) the multiple layers of kilometer-thick airlock doors leading to the innermost chamber and (2) said innermost chamber which was the size of, and had the look & feel of, a small park. The park contained 3 houses and a small control room building, as well. We're told the 1 cubic km of Brain that runs the thing is "underground" in relation to the houses, but we never see it once the ship has been constructed. (The Brain was built first, then the ship was materialized around it.) Other than that, all we're told in the books is that the main sixth-order drive engines, main power plants, shield generators, etc. are within a spherical area about 100 km in diameter that makes up the core of the vessel. We know this because at one point, the Valeron is hit with such an attack that she gets mostly vaporized -- peeled like an onion -- by such strong forces that the creator has to re-tune the shield generators to protect only the vital 'interior' instead of protecting the whole vessel. Only with the supposedly invincible screens doing a 200x overlap over a much smaller area does the core of the ship survive the attack and escape. [by the way, if you're not familiar with "Doc" Smith's over-the-top style and love of synonyms for 'huge' or 'gigantic', the end of this particular series will illustrate it quite nicely. Determining that the antisocial race that runs the galaxy which nearly destroyed his vessel has GOT to go (it's a threat to all humanity everywhere, y'see) the creator of the Valeron with some help from notable allies and one major enemy, destroys said enemy galaxy. Yes, the galaxy. Actually, he destroys two galaxies, because he uses the stars from one galaxy as ammunition to destroy the stars in the enemy galaxy. (He picks a star in the enemy galaxy, determines its direction and velocity; picks a like-sized star from the 'ammunition' galaxy with a diametrically-opposed velocity, and flips the 'ammunition' star through the 4th Dimension so it reappears in the path of the enemy star. Splat, Kaboom: super-super-super nova. Wash, rinse, repeat. Since nearly every star in the enemy galaxy had a planet of the enemy around it, pretty much every star gets destroyed.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent X Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly Yeah? Well, I'd like to see one, as well! Have you actually read the books in question? If not, I'll say that all we ever see of the interior of this monster is (1) the multiple layers of kilometer-thick airlock doors leading to the innermost chamber and (2) said innermost chamber which was the size of, and had the look & feel of, a small park. The park contained 3 houses and a small control room building, as well. We're told the 1 cubic km of Brain that runs the thing is "underground" in relation to the houses, but we never see it once the ship has been constructed. (The Brain was built first, then the ship was materialized around it.) Other than that, all we're told in the books is that the main sixth-order drive engines, main power plants, shield generators, etc. are within a spherical area about 100 km in diameter that makes up the core of the vessel. We know this because at one point, the Valeron is hit with such an attack that she gets mostly vaporized -- peeled like an onion -- by such strong forces that the creator has to re-tune the shield generators to protect only the vital 'interior' instead of protecting the whole vessel. Only with the supposedly invincible screens doing a 200x overlap over a much smaller area does the core of the ship survive the attack and escape. [by the way, if you're not familiar with "Doc" Smith's over-the-top style and love of synonyms for 'huge' or 'gigantic', the end of this particular series will illustrate it quite nicely. Determining that the antisocial race that runs the galaxy which nearly destroyed his vessel has GOT to go (it's a threat to all humanity everywhere, y'see) the creator of the Valeron with some help from notable allies and one major enemy, destroys said enemy galaxy. Yes, the galaxy. Actually, he destroys two galaxies, because he uses the stars from one galaxy as ammunition to destroy the stars in the enemy galaxy. (He picks a star in the enemy galaxy, determines its direction and velocity; picks a like-sized star from the 'ammunition' galaxy with a diametrically-opposed velocity, and flips the 'ammunition' star through the 4th Dimension so it reappears in the path of the enemy star. Splat, Kaboom: super-super-super nova. Wash, rinse, repeat. Since nearly every star in the enemy galaxy had a planet of the enemy around it, pretty much every star gets destroyed.] Wow! How many points for that Teleport? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Remember -- it'd be Teleport Usable As an Attack, too. Points = uh...ouch? Actually, if you're actually gonna pay points for it, it'd make more sense to buy it as a really, really, big RKA with loads of MegaRange (intergalactic) and MegaArea (volume of a large star), Expendable OIF ('ammunition' star). STILL more points than I really wanna think about, tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent X Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly Remember -- it'd be Teleport Usable As an Attack, too. Points = uh...ouch? Actually, if you're actually gonna pay points for it, it'd make more sense to buy it as a really, really, big RKA with loads of MegaRange (intergalactic) and MegaArea (volume of a large star), Expendable OIF ('ammunition' star). STILL more points than I really wanna think about, tho... I am sure that somebody out there will try to build it on 250, whoops! make that 350 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Agent X I am sure that somebody out there will try to build it on 250, whoops! make that 350 points. Hey, I once built a nuclear bomb on 5 real points, 4 if you decided to make it independent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Agent X I am sure that somebody out there will try to build it on 250, whoops! make that 350 points. 1 pip major transform galaxy to random mass of energy nonstandard autofire (+1.5) 5.5 trillion shots (+20) area effect (+1) 69 doublings (+17.25) (roughly 1 galaxy in radius) (did not use megascale because I didn't want too large of a drift from misses) 0 end (+1) does knockback double knockback (+1) +41.75 total in advantages. 214 active points. OAF (-1) Immobile (-1) 5 minutes to activate (-2) 43 real points. This attack transforms a galaxy into a random mass of energy. 5.5 trillion body should do the trick. Even if it doesn't, 11 trillion inches of knockback is pretty lethal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent X Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Gary 1 pip major transform galaxy to random mass of energy nonstandard autofire (+1.5) 5.5 trillion shots (+20) area effect (+1) 69 doublings (+17.25) (roughly 1 galaxy in radius) (did not use megascale because I didn't want too large of a drift from misses) 0 end (+1) does knockback double knockback (+1) +41.75 total in advantages. 214 active points. OAF (-1) Immobile (-1) 5 minutes to activate (-2) 43 real points. This attack transforms a galaxy into a random mass of energy. 5.5 trillion body should do the trick. Even if it doesn't, 11 trillion inches of knockback is pretty lethal. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroooo Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Gary 1 pip major transform galaxy to random mass of energy nonstandard autofire (+1.5) 5.5 trillion shots (+20) area effect (+1) 69 doublings (+17.25) (roughly 1 galaxy in radius) (did not use megascale because I didn't want too large of a drift from misses) 0 end (+1) does knockback double knockback (+1) +41.75 total in advantages. 214 active points. OAF (-1) Immobile (-1) 5 minutes to activate (-2) 43 real points. This attack transforms a galaxy into a random mass of energy. 5.5 trillion body should do the trick. Even if it doesn't, 11 trillion inches of knockback is pretty lethal. You scare me But since its a Transformation, what's the 'common' defense/recovery? Aroooo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Aroooo You scare me But since its a Transformation, what's the 'common' defense/recovery? Aroooo Considering that the galaxy has to heal 5.5 trillion body, I think it's safe to say that in that period of time, the random mass of energy has coalesced into a new galaxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 That is the FUNNIEST thing I have read in some time! My hat's off to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Oh, yeah, is that "5 minutes to activate" for *each* shot? If so, it's gonna take a while to transform the galaxy. If not, it needs a longer set-up time (it took them a couple of weeks in the book to set up the baselines, etc. for the 4th-D trajectories, using star clusters on opposite sides of the target galaxy as "anchors" from which to work). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly Oh, yeah, is that "5 minutes to activate" for *each* shot? If so, it's gonna take a while to transform the galaxy. If not, it needs a longer set-up time (it took them a couple of weeks in the book to set up the baselines, etc. for the 4th-D trajectories, using star clusters on opposite sides of the target galaxy as "anchors" from which to work). It's autofire, so it happens all at once. If you want to save points, you can change the limitations to: OAF (-1) Immobile (-1) 1 Month delay (-5) Must make skill roll (-1/2) Real cost 25 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Yeah, baby! But I don't think I'll be able to get the Valeron herself anywhere NEAR that cheap...apart from the defensive screens, etc. (which it took the combined output of over 1,000 worlds to overcome) she's constructed of inoson: "a synthetic metal that is as toughest and resiliant as is possible to any substance that has a molecular or atomic structure." I.E. you simply *can't* have *any* material that is stronger, tougher, etc. That's gotta be like 100 rPD / 100 rED, x64 Hardened, at least... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent X Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly Yeah, baby! But I don't think I'll be able to get the Valeron herself anywhere NEAR that cheap...apart from the defensive screens, etc. (which it took the combined output of over 1,000 worlds to overcome) she's constructed of inoson: "a synthetic metal that is as toughest and resiliant as is possible to any substance that has a molecular or atomic structure." I.E. you simply *can't* have *any* material that is stronger, tougher, etc. That's gotta be like 100 rPD / 100 rED, x64 Hardened, at least... Don't forget Damage Reduction 75% for its sheer size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterVimes Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Gary 1 pip major transform galaxy to random mass of energy nonstandard autofire (+1.5) 5.5 trillion shots (+20) area effect (+1) 69 doublings (+17.25) (roughly 1 galaxy in radius) (did not use megascale because I didn't want too large of a drift from misses) 0 end (+1) does knockback double knockback (+1) +41.75 total in advantages. 214 active points. OAF (-1) Immobile (-1) 5 minutes to activate (-2) 43 real points. This attack transforms a galaxy into a random mass of energy. 5.5 trillion body should do the trick. Even if it doesn't, 11 trillion inches of knockback is pretty lethal. I fear you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted February 16, 2003 Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dr. Anomaly Yeah, baby! But I don't think I'll be able to get the Valeron herself anywhere NEAR that cheap...apart from the defensive screens, etc. (which it took the combined output of over 1,000 worlds to overcome) she's constructed of inoson: "a synthetic metal that is as toughest and resiliant as is possible to any substance that has a molecular or atomic structure." I.E. you simply *can't* have *any* material that is stronger, tougher, etc. That's gotta be like 100 rPD / 100 rED, x64 Hardened, at least... I'm sure you can do it if you try hard enough. All you have to do is build it in sections and have all the sections fit together. Each section can be individually cheap, but every 5 points you spend gives you double the number. Spending 100 points on doublings gets you 1,000,000+ sections... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2003 Hmmmm... a nice idea, but... 1) The Size of the vehicle will be bought just once 2) The Armor/DEF of the vehicle will be bought just once 3) The Movement of the vehicle only gets bought once for each type of movement So at least a few of the really expensive things gotta be bought "as is." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syberdwarf2 Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 But wouldn't firing stars at another star in a galaxy, whether at once or one at a time lead to making objects so incredibly massive that black hole of incredible proportions would be created? I shudder to think of all that mass adding up to increase gravity over and over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 Not really. Mass has to be REALLY concentrated before it will collapse into a singularity. If you look at the Main Sequence, 80%+ of the stars in the average galaxy are less than 2 solar masses anyway, which is well outside Chandresarker's Limit. Besides, if you hurl two fast-moving hot stars head-to-head, when they hit most of the kinetic energy gets turned into heat -- heat which has no place to go, so it causes a runaway fusion reaction in the outer layers of the stars, instead of in the cores where it belongs. Result: a really BIG boom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syberdwarf2 Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 Here's a scary thought; What if you had a whole fleet of these ships, each armed with lots of these autofiring 'Star Cannons', firing simultaneously? Bet that'd put a damper on your day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted February 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 You looking to wipe out a whole galactic cluster or supercluster? Geez... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.