BOOM Table vs HERO

[Kristopher]

This is part of the Boom Table from Project Rho. I'm curious to see how it compares to the numbers given by HERO for what it would take to destroy Earth.

 

http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3x.html#boom

 

• 5.5 x 1024 J: total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each year = 1 petaton/year
  
• 3.2 x 1026 J: Energy required blow off Terra's atmosphere = 77 petatons
  
• 3.9 x 1026 J: total energy output of the Sun each second = 92 petatons/sec
  
• 6.6 x 1026 J: Energy required to heat all the oceans of Terra to boiling = 158 petatons
  
• 4.184 x 1027 J: 1 exaton = 1000 petatons
  
• 4.5 x 1027 J: Energy required to vaporize all the oceans of Terra = 1 exaton
  
• 7.0 x 1027 J: Energy required to vaporize all the oceans of Terra and dehydrate the crust = 2 exatons
  
• 2.9 x 1028 J: Energy required to melt the (dry) crust of Terra = 7 exatons
  
• 1.0 x 1029 J: Energy required blow off Terra's oceans = 24 exatons
  
• 2.1 x 1029 J: Earth's rotational energy = 50 exatons
  
• 1.5 x 1030 J: Energy required blow off Terra's crust = 359 exatons
  
• 4.184 x 1030 J: 1 zettaton = 1000 exatons
  
• 2.9 x 1031 J: Energy required to blow up Terra (reduce to gravel orbiting the sun) = 7 zettatons
  
• 3.3 x 1031 J: total energy output of the Sun each day = 8 zettatons/day
  
• 5.9 x 1031 J: Energy required to blow up Terra (reduce to gravel flying out of former orbit) = 14 zettatons
  
• 2.9 x 1032 J: Energy required to blow up Terra (reduce to gravel and move pieces to infinity) = 69 zettatons
  

[TSandman]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

You might want to take shelter while lighting the fuse...

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

This is part of the Boom Table from Project Rho. I'm curious to see how it compares to the numbers given by HERO for what it would take to destroy Earth.

 

5.9 x 1031 J: Energy required to blow up Terra (reduce to gravel flying out of former orbit) = 14 zettatons

 

The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator!

[Nyrath]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator!

 

"Where's the Kaboom? There should have been an Earth-shattering Kaboom!"

[Cancer]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

Sound doesn't propagate through space.

 

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

Sound doesn't propagate through space.

 

 

You've never been to a Disaster Area concert, have you?

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

I luvs me the Boom Table.

 

"Robinsons First Law of Space Combat: Anything moving 2 miles a second packs it's own weight in Blam"

[Nyrath]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

I luvs me the Boom Table.

Thanks!

I just compiled it myself out of bits and pieces. Ordinarily it would have taken months, but by the magic of Google it only took a few days. And I still occasionally add to it when I stumble over a new bit of boom.

[Blue Jogger]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

Well, let's start with the basics. 1 Stick of TNT is 8.4x10^5 Joules OR 5D6 N EX

 

Now, we just convert into sticks of TNT. Take 5.9 x 10^31 J which is what the Death Star seems to be able to do or 7.0 x 10^25 sticks. Well that's roughly 85 doublings (log x/log 2 where log can be any base) or 90D6 N EX. Although, you will need Mega Area to cover the planet.

 

Isn't logarithm progression fun?

[Nyrath]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

Well, let's start with the basics. 1 Stick of TNT is 8.4x10^5 Joules OR 5D6 N EX

 

Now, we just convert into sticks of TNT. Take 5.9 x 10^31 J which is what the Death Star seems to be able to do or 7.0 x 10^25 sticks. Well that's roughly 85 doublings (log x/log 2 where log can be any base) or 90D6 N EX. Although, you will need Mega Area to cover the planet.

 

Isn't logarithm progression fun?

 

Fun, but incredibly useful. Using a log scale in the Hero system allows them to squeeze in a far larger range than otherwise. Very smart move on their part.

[ajackson]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

Usefully, you can convert from powers of 10 to powers of 2 fairly easily; it's roughly division by 0.3. Thus, 10^6J is roughly 5 DC, 10^9J is 15, 10^12J is 25, 10^15J is 35, 10^18J is 45, 10^21J is 55, 10^24J is 65, 10^27J is 75, 10^30J is 85, etc. Complete destruction of the earth, moving pieces to infinity, should be 93d6.

[megaplayboy]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

My approach is this: with a STR 10, I assume a character is roughly able to lift 100kg to 1 meter height under terrestrial gravity, creating a change in potential energy of roughly 10^3 joules. Every +50 STR increases the energy by x1000:

60 STR: 10^6 joules

110 STR: 10^9 joules

160 STR: 10^12 joules (this is close to "kiloton range" weaponry)

210 STR: 10^15 joules (roughly megaton range weaponry)

260 STR: 10^18 joules (gigaton range)--Pre-Crisis Superman in 1st edition DC Heroes had a STR in this ballpark

310 STR: 10^21 joules (teraton range)

360 STR: 10^24 joules (petaton range)

410 STR: 10^27 joules (exaton range)--more than enough to lift a planetary mass under 1 g conditions

460 STR: 10^30 joules(zettaton range)--beginning of planet-busting energy levels

510 STR: 10^33 joules(yottaton range)

560 STR: 10^36 joules

760 STR: 10^48 joules

960 STR: 10^60 joules

1125 STR: 8 x 10^69 joules, total mass energy of the universe(ballpark)--225 Damage classes, with pushing and haymakering maybe 231(about 77d6 KA)

 

The first thing that occurs to me is that nukes are probably "overrated" in Hero system under this--they should probably be in the range of 12 to 16 d6 KA rather than 20d6.

[Kristopher]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

Usefully' date=' you can convert from powers of 10 to powers of 2 fairly easily; it's roughly division by 0.3. Thus, 10^6J is roughly 5 DC, 10^9J is 15, 10^12J is 25, 10^15J is 35, 10^18J is 45, 10^21J is 55, 10^24J is 65, 10^27J is 75, 10^30J is 85, etc. Complete destruction of the earth, moving pieces to infinity, should be 93d6.[/quote']

 

325 average damage on a single hit. I'd say that in order to get the effect you describe, I'd want twice the actual BODY of the target in a single hit.

 

~162 BODY for Earth? Still sounds WAY too low, if a person has as much as 20.

[Clonus]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

When you consider that such a person can take a punch from the Hulk and live in the comics, not really. Humans (certain humans) are just real tough and/or lucky in comic books and action movies and that's represented by the system.

[Kristopher]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

When you consider that such a person can take a punch from the Hulk and live in the comics' date=' not really. Humans (certain humans) are just real tough and/or lucky in comic books and action movies and that's represented by the system.[/quote']

 

Or it shows that comic book writers have no sense of scale.

 

Oh hell, that's a fault for too many science fiction, fantasy, and PRG writers as well.

[ajackson]

Re: BOOM Table vs HERO

 

325 average damage on a single hit. I'd say that in order to get the effect you describe, I'd want twice the actual BODY of the target in a single hit.

 

~162 BODY for Earth? Still sounds WAY too low, if a person has as much as 20.

Actually, it's only 93 body on a single hit, that was 93d6 normal, not 93d6 killing. I'd give the earth 10 Body and ~80DC damage negation, on a logarithmic scale the line between undamaged and total destruction is fairly small (note that the Hero system is not designed for realism, and doesn't do it very well).

My approach is this: with a STR 10' date=' I assume a character is roughly able to lift 100kg to 1 meter height under terrestrial gravity, creating a change in potential energy of roughly 10^3 joules.[/quote']

That overstates the kinetic energy of a punch (2d6) by a factor of 20-50. It's also single target damage, which should generally be around 5-10 dice higher than explosions (see realism comment above).

The first thing that occurs to me is that nukes are probably "overrated" in Hero system under this--they should probably be in the range of 12 to 16 d6 KA rather than 20d6.

If a kilogram of TNT is 8d6N, which is ballpark correct, a ton should be 18d6N, a kiloton 28d6N, a megaton 38d6N, and the normal range of nukes should be around 33-40d6N (11-13d6K). Of course, this may seem unduly un-scary (see realism).

When you consider that such a person can take a punch from the Hulk and live in the comics' date=' not really. Humans (certain humans) are just real tough and/or lucky in comic books and action movies and that's represented by the system.[/quote']

Basically, named characters are real tough and/or lucky in comic books.