Representing Ice

[CptPatriot]

I was working on an ice based character for a more street level power feel and I was thinking to try depicting ice in a more realistic manner for certain powers like Barrier, Entangle, and possibly Resistant Protection.

 

So, my questions for the moment are:

1. What is the PD/ED of Ice?
   Are there circumstances where the PD/ED might be higher?
2. What BODY for a given thickness?

[bluesguy]

Not exactly sure how you might use this but here is some information from the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources about Ice Safety (when it is safe to go out on the ice) ... http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/thickness.html   You might be able to take weight vs. thickness of the ice to come up with a way of defining the PD/ED & BODY.

 

There is also this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nATJ3KJqekI and http://www.dontow.com/2008/06/the-physics-of-martial-arts-breaking-boards/

[CptPatriot]

So, it looks like for a 1/2 meter of conventional ice would have about a 35 Strength to hold up a car/light pickup or about 7 PD. Now, to determine how much body it has. I wonder how long it would take for a human to use an ice pick to make a mansized hole into a 1/2 meter of ice?

[idesofme]

I remember as a kid using a hand auger to drill through 2 feet of ice to go fishing, and that took about an hour.... but then again, I was only about 12 or so.

 

and I was not a muscular kid.

[Christopher]

So, it looks like for a 1/2 meter of conventional ice would have about a 35 Strength to hold up a car/light pickup or about 7 PD. Now, to determine how much body it has. I wonder how long it would take for a human to use an ice pick to make a mansized hole into a 1/2 meter of ice?

Most "realistic" writeup for materials end up having incredible amounts of body with next to no defenses. In hero we are generally not interested in what you can archive with long term activity. Those things fall into skillrolls. And maybe Long Term Endurance loss. The basic idea is to fold almost all of those "hundreds" of Body poitns into a bit of defense.

Barrier is a combat power. If you cannot overcome it in combat time (too much PD/ED), it is effectively impenetrable for you. Yes you could chop it down with enogh time and proper tools. But then again you can also make a man sized hole using a handgun - given enough time and amunition - despite it not being allowed by "beam" Limitation. Still the handgun would be considered unable to create a mansized hole in combat, so we jsut don't sweat those details.

[Boll Weevil]

An ice pick likely does Killing Damage so ice has no Resistant Defense. Ice also has a Vulnerability to heat energy. It's inherent properties also make it an excellent heat sink, especially once it is cracked enough to increase its surface area. Punching a wall of ice would hurt like the dickens if you don't break it on the first try. 

[dmjalund]

an ice pick arguably does piercing damage, so some resistent defence is appropriate

[bigbywolfe]

An ice pick likely does Killing Damage so ice has no Resistant Defense. Ice also has a Vulnerability to heat energy. It's inherent properties also make it an excellent heat sink, especially once it is cracked enough to increase its surface area. Punching a wall of ice would hurt like the dickens if you don't break it on the first try. 

Why would ice have no Resistant Defense?  Virtually every substance listed has rDEF (I think the one exception might have been regular glass).  

[Armitage]

According to the Masses of Materials table in The Ultimate Brick (5e), solid ice has 2 DEF and 15 BODY per cubic hex.

[CptPatriot]

Just what I needed, a solid in-game reference. Thanks.