Basil

Re: Twisted magic items

Lotion of Giant Stretch. This thick, viscous glop is rubbed on the skin. There is only enough to cover one limb, or about half of the torso. The area coated lengthens (but does not thicken) to about 4 or 5 times normal.

Unfortunately, the character gains no ability to actually use such a disproportionate body part. Thus, DEX is reduced, the character cannot lift the arm or walk on/with the leg, etc.

Use on the membrum virile is not recommended, as engorgement results in unconsiousness (no blood left to go to the brain).

Re: Super Names

Well, I still haven't gotten my list fully sorted out, but here are a few more names inthe mean time:

The Hack//Hack Writer, The

Medieval Man//Medievalist, The

Sheerluck

Handcuffs

Divided Man, The

Strange

Batchfile &/or Batfile

Blue Giant

White Giant

Tail Gunner Joe

PieceMaker

411

Ten Speed

Left Hand of Darkness

Peacemeal

Re: Weaponsmithing/Armorsmithing question

I have a couple of questions about the skill "Weaponsmith"/

 

1. I can see why weapons can only be made with the weaponsmith skill (instead of a Professional skill, which would cover bowls and birdhouses), but then why isn't Armorsmithing a skill? Wouldn't the ability to craft armor be almost as useful as the ability to craft a sword? Could it just be another catagory under Weaponsmith?

 

2. If a person buys weaponsmith, but only knows how to work certain materials, do they need to take a limitation on their skill, or just roleplay it? Examples would be a Druid who crafts wooden armor, but doesn't have a clue about how to make Steel armor, or a troll who makes stone spears, but doesn't know how to make bone tipped spears. Now, these characters might use bits and pieces of other materials in their products, they can't do anything without their favored material. the druid uses leather fastners to hold the wood plates in place, but that doesn't mean he can make a descent suit of leather or hide armor.

Fantasy Hero, p.85, does have the Skill: Armorsmith. Basically, it's an Agility Skill (3 pts for 9+(DEX/5), +1 for 2 pts). That text gives it as applying to metallic armor, and suggests PS: Leatherworker (on p.93) for leather armor; however, the entry on p.93 also suggests using PS: Leatherworker for leather, cloth, or hide armor. I suggest using PS: Woodworker for wooden armor---unless you have PS: Armormaker cover shield-making, in which that's the skill for wooden armor.

Re. weaponsmith only for certain materials: I would allow a -1/4 to -1/2 Limitation for rare materials, nothing for common ones. IMO, the Limitation should be for the rarity, not the "lack of usefulness." That is, wood, though it doesn't make very protective armor, is so easily available it doesn't much limit the use of the Skill.

BWT, SleepyDrug, some types of Science Fiction use complex armors, too, so an Armorsmith Skill would be appropriate there as well.

Re: What is Vacuum Decay like?

Thanks. That gives me a formula tsub l = m0/3K where K=hc^4/(30720PI^2G^2) =~3.98e15kg^3*s^-1. Lets assume a mass of, oh lets make it easy. Lets set the mass (m0) to the cube root of 3.98e15. (158,475.09kg) We end up with 1 second life time.

 

In its frame. In our frame, again assuming we can accelerate it to 99.99999994999999998749999999375%c, that means each second its time will equal 8hours 47 minutes, 2.7seconds in our frame.

 

Hmm...

 

A fast traveling micro black hole's energy output will be smaller as well. Remember that power is energy per unit of time. So while this black hole is exploding, it will appear in our frame to explode "slower" than one would expect. Which would mitigate any danger from being too close to the explosion of such a micro black hole. (Of course as it is moving relative to you anyway, that will also further mitigate the damage.)

 

General Relativity is a strange bird.

Actually, you'll want the cube root of 3K, to get a life time of one second. Thus, the mass you want is ~228,600kg. And at that mass, the temperature is ~5.37*10^17 Kelvin. Which is not reduced by the velocity of the mini-black-hole! It'll be red-shifted like crazy, but the formula for temperature is dependant only on the mass. Thus, your ultra-high-speed mini-black-hole is MORE dangerous than a slower one -- in some respects, at least.

Re: Eiditic Memory, Speed Reading and Cramming ?!?

Hi Everyone,

 

I know that Skills, Skill Enhancers and Talents don't often come into play in most games but this particular combination has always made me wonder since the combination of ALL 3 is never mentioned.

 

1. What if a character is born with the Talents: Eiditic Memory and Speed Reading and later learns the Skill: Cramming? FRED suggests that Eiditic Memory can provide the same or better effect (8- or 11-) than Cramming (8- with any one skill till end of adventure).

Would you just treat it as Cramming 8- usable twice or would you say the combination instead gives you Cramming 11- usable once?
What does Speed Reading actually give you by itself beyond the time saved? An INT roll to recall any fact from whatever you just read? How is this different from Cramming?

Inquiring Minds Want to Know !

Spead Reading just makes Cramming or E-memorizing faster. Not better.

My reading is that EMem lets the character stick a bunch of "pictures", including pictures of pages, into his head. (I put "pictures" in quotation marks, as it could be sounds, smells, etc.) Cramming, OTOH, is actually learning some subject, though only at the basic level (and not for Combat Skills). If anyone has read "Small Gods" by Terry Pratchett, you'll remember Brother Brutha and his never-forgets-anything skill/curse. That is an extreme form of Eidetic Memory.

Someone with both Eidetic Memory and Cramming would, IMO, be doing two different (though related) things when using his abilities in play. He might be able to use his EM to recall a particular fact relevant to the task he was trying to do with the Skill he Crammed; in that case a situational bonus to the roll might be appropriate. However, if the question was whether he could do a particular action, then IMO the EMem is irrelevant.

YMMV

Re: Something to think about: Gliding

Hero is full if powers with names that imply an special effect, but whose mechanics are SFX neutral.

{snip}

Be that as it may, the Hero System mechanics labeled "Gliding" really ought to work anywhere. We cannot allow ourselves to get caught up on names.

{snip}

While in general, one should look at the mechanics, rather than at the (implied) SFX, in the case of Gliding it is clear that the character 'generates' movement in one vector by reacting to, and accepting, movement in a different vector. If there is no effective 'force' pushing/pulling a character in one direction, there is no way to "Glide" (in HS mechanics terms) in a different direction. BTW, as I read the rules, the 'resultant' direction should be, roughly, at right angle to the 'inducing' force.

So, no, in a "Zero-G" condition, I cannot see a way to have "Gliding" as HS defines it. Except if the SFX was that the character or vehicle was naturally pushed/pulled by something other than gravity (e.g., the galaxy's magnetic field), and was able to 'convert' that push/pull to movement at right angles. Even then, the character/vehicle would also move toward/away from the source of the push/pull.

Now, in a vacuum, one could use "Gliding" as defined, and assume gravity as the power-source. The SFX of converting gravitational force to forward movement would get interesting, but it would be within the rules.

BTW:

If the effect you're going for matches the mechanics of Gliding, why not?

 

Gliding in a vacuum would be an excellent way to model solar sails.

I disagree. Light sails are pushed by the sun's light (the solar wind's effect is negligable), and thus expend no END. However, the light-sail-equipped vehicle does not move only at right angles to the line of incident light force. It moves outward, inward, sideways, etc. It is much better modeled as Flight with 0 END.

Re: Super Names

I've been gathering together, and thinking up, some names. Right now, my list is a mess.

So, I'll give you all a few names, and get the rest straightened up soon. All these names have been checked against the last "official" list, but not against all the many, many posts in this thread. So, if I duplicate suggests already made but not accepted, my apologies.

Bailiff

Tarantula

Wither

Immaterial Girl

Cross-Eyed Mary

Cat’s Claw

Jumping Spider, The

Carat

Sherlock

Re: Hooray for Newbies! why are you suddenly here?

Ah' date=' Synnibar. The game where every shopkeep was a retired 50th level character, and you could get equipment like "Radioactive Black Sunstone Armor". The creators of EverQuest were obviously fans.[/quote']

 

Oh?!????

 

Well, that tells me all I need to know about EverQuest.

 

I'm not shuddering at the memory of Synnibar. No o o I''''m nnoottt.

 

f

 

hx88g

n,b

 

 

 

 

GAKK

Re: Superstitions

Some more general burial-related superstitions.

Do not spit into an empty grave; you will soon die.

Don't make a headstone out of red (or even slighty-pinkish) stone; the person will rise as a blood-hungry undead.

If you pass a graveyard at night, whistle if you wish (e.g., if it keeps up your courage), but do NOT sing!! Demons will join you in song, and then take you away.

Don't count the number of headstones out loud. Some say it's alright, if you skip 13 and all its multiples.

If you find a (live) lily growing on a grave, do not uproot it. Cutting it off flush with the ground is OK, so is covering it so it dies off. Just don't uproot it, or the body in that grave will come up too, the next full moon.

Re: Super-Skills Megathread

I Can Drive Anything

Given an automobile (but not an out-and-out racecar), motorcycle, pickup, or panel truck (or anything of comparable size) that travels on the ground, a character with this superskill can drive it magnificently.

NB: the top speed comes from the Lamborghini Diablo, The Hero System Vehicle Sourcebook, page 19. A Size of 6 is enough for a panel truck (HSVS, p.13). This uses the STR of the Panel Truck, and assumes a character with a STR of 10, and 6" of Running.

Running, +29", x4 (total) Non-Combat Movement, 0 END (+1/2) (94 Active); Turn Mode (-1/4), OIF (vehicle of opportunity; -1/2), speed limited by vehicle (-1/2), Not with vehicle larger than Size 6 (-1/4), RSR: Combat Driving (-1/2) (31 total). Plus +35 STR, 0 END (+1/2) (52 Active), OIF (vehicle of opportunity; -1/2), STR limited by vehicle (-1/2), Not with vehicle larger than Size 6 (-1/4), RSR: Combat Driving (-1/2), Only to carry and make Move Through/Move By attacks (-1/4) (17 total). Total cost: 48 points

You can remove the "Not with vehicle larger than Size 6" limitation for someone able to handle tractor-trailer rigs, busses, etc.

Re: Superstitions

Never store a map face down.

If you must draw on a map (one that is finished), put a drop on ink on the back of your hand first, and don't draw on the map until that drop dries.

Don't drum your fingers on a map.

Re: Superstitions

Never lie books flat on a shelf, or you will forget all the knowledge you gain from reading them. Always store them on edge.

If you lay a fork flat on the table with the tines up, do not rest a knife on edge using the tines to support it. If you do, you and whoever you're eating with (or whoever you next eat with if you're alone) will quarrel.

If the handle of a door comes loose in your hand when you're trying to open it, appologize to the door (or the god of doorways, according to some); else you will be blocked from "entering" some project you are just starting (or about to start).

If a lit lamp suddenlly starts to smoke, and there's nothing wrong with the wick nor is the fuel low, it means someone you care for will soon be in danger from fire.

Re: Magic field names

And if you really want to be a stickler about it (stickler = pedantic nerd)' date=' you can even forbid "bastard words" like television, which was built from Greek "tele-" (far) and Latin "vision" (vision), as opposed to most historically established words that use either Greek or Latin roots, but never both.[/quote']Of course, we should be driving around in ipsomobiles

 

If you really want to' date=' you can find enough info on language rules to drive yourself completely insane! [/quote']Drive? Drive?? For some of us, it's a short stroll.

 

A very short stroll.

Re: Further thoughts about the UES Centauri and the AW space combat environment

Well, I could not resist to think more about the Centauri's propellant problem.

 

First, I thought "Okay, it is flight, not cumulative flight, so they'll probably just spend lots of time in free fall." Space battles thus wouldn't be too exciting, but at least it could work, I thought.

 

However, they want to be in orbit around an Earth-sized planet and want to make Hyperjumps from there. The Hyperdrive requires "a distance of about a hundred thousand kilometers" from an Earth-sized world, which means essentially leaving orbit. But to do that, one needs escape velocity- 11.2 kilometers per second. The Centauri with chemical rockets, however, could not hope to carry anything but propellant and manage to reach that speed at the same time.

{major snip}

Actually, it won't be a full 11.2 km/s. First, the ship will be in orbit, so it gets the advantage of the velocity it already has. Second, you are not escaping from Earth's surface, but from a few hundred to a few thousand km above it's surface. This is important, because escape velocity depends on one over the square root of the distance (as measured from the center). BTW, escape velocity equals orbital velocity times the square root of 2.

So, at ~40,960 km, you are orbiting at ~3.13 km/s, and need to accellerate to ~4.42 km/s, which is a delta-V of ~1.29 km/s. Not much after all, is it.

BTW, The Starflight Handbook says fusion rocket engines are expected to have a thrust/weight ratio of ~10^-4 to 10^-5. You won't use much propellent, but you won't get anywhere in a hurry. OTOH, fission rockets will have thrust/weight ratios near to chemical rockets, and much higher exhaust velocities. Light sails, BTW, have very, very low thrust/weight, but of course, no propellent at all.

Re: Things that are cool about Alien Wars

Very interesting!

{snip}

Not sure about UV creating flourescent effects though - there is a specific mixture of noble gases in flourescent lights, and they may be at higher pressure. Our normal atmosphere could be too dispersed to create much in the way of a visible beam.

Actually, if you pump enough energy into any gas, it'll fluoresce. Sometimes, just before it becomes a plasma.

And flourescent lights are, AFAIK, at or below atmospheric pressure. However, they're contained, which helps make them bright. A UV laser shot through the air would not fluoresce very well, but it would fluoresce.

Re: Average Seperation

1) True but only sorta. It depends on how long you look at the star. The longer you look, the longer period of a planet you can pick up. If you look at the sites mentioned, you will find planets with much longer orbits.

 

The shorter the orbital period, the easier it is to find the planet. But the longer period planets are still findable. It just takes longer.

Jupiter's siderial period of revolution is ~11.9 years. Watching for a similar planets is going to take decades. After all, you'll need a few revolutions to get enough data to prove it's an orbiting body, not a hiccough in the data.

2) And there is also interferonmeters being built to do the same trick without cancelling the light from the central star (Or rather' date=' canceling it out via a different method.)[/quote']

That just one of the methods the article discusses. That's why I put "block" in quotation marks.

 

This is great because once you get an optical image of the star, you can run it through a spectroscope and determine if it has an oxygen atmosphere.

 

You got an oxygen atmosphere, you got life.

I think you meant to say "...an optical image of the planet..."

And oxygen is not the only possible "life-formed" chemical to look for. There's also free clorine & fluorine, hydrogen sulfide (IIRC, it reacts quickly enough to disappear from an atmosphere), and I believe others that won't be around in a equilibrium atmosphere.

Re: Alien Wars: Before hyperdrive, there was...

You will have plenty of time to save for Solar Hero. Based on current production schedules I doubt if it will be published before 2008 or 2009. .

Oh. OK, then how are you getting to read the rough draft?

Re: Superstitions

Never set two mirrors directly opposite each other (this applies to the refective side only, BTW). Similarly, do not ever get between two mirrors or other highly reflective surfaces, nor see a reflection of a reflection of yourself. To do so practically invites some"thing" to come and possess you.

Do not throw scissors. If you do, you will soon be snubbed, insulted, or otherwise "cut"--in a social/emotional sense.

If you kill a cat, it will wander to the Underworld, and tell your name to the first demon it meets, and command it to harrass you. Then the cat will come back as a ghost, and delight in watching your misfortune. BTW, there are dozens of explanations for why any demon would do a cat's bidding. But all agree that they will.

If you wear purple shoes, you will become an alcoholic, unless you carry (but never drink) some wine with you. It's OK if you drink alcohol that someone gives you, but not any that you buy.

Do not whistle in the presence of a corpse. The ghost will haunt you.

If you meet with a dog with orange "eyebrows," cross the index and middle fingers, and the ring and least fingers, of your left hand, and show this sign to the dog. Otherwise, it is likely to bite you.

Treat an old woman with a remarkably small nose with the greatest kindness and respect. This is the favorite disguise of the goddess of abundance, when she wanders among humankind.

If you put a pitchfork tines down into the ground, and are going to go farther from it than your arms' reach, tell it "Goodbye". When you come to pull it out again, say "Hello" before touching it. Failing to do so will mean it (and perhaps some of your other tools) will break when you most need it to work.

If you ever accidentally tap a knife against a horseshoe (except if it's on a horse), tap it twice more. There are some kinds of imps that are attracted by the sound of one such tapping, but three close together drives them away.

Hey, these are fun to invent!

Re: Average Seperation

Nyrath: thanks for the link to www.extrasolar.net! I just spent over an hour there. Which is why I don't have time to check out your other link tonight. I'll get to it tomorrow.

Re: Average Seperation

You'll probably find tons of info about that on the 'net. One thing' date=' though: the as-yet-detected planets are almost all of the gas giant variety. AFAIK, only one "terrestrial planet" (which means "a ball of rock") could be located, and they're not sure whether it is that or just a very small gas giant.[/quote']

Actually, the article I mentioned says there are two bodies they believe are terrestrial, the smaller of which is still 14 times the mass of Earth.

 

The problem with detecting extraterrestrial planets with curent technology is that one cannot spot them directly with a tetelscope or something- they simply look at the star and try to see when it is dragged a tiny bit towards a direction were it douldn't be dragged' date=' thus assuming that there must be some planetary body whose gravity well draws thestars towards them. The exact size of that (_very_...) tiny bit tells the astronomers how large and heavy the planet is. Humanity will need a lot better telescopes for directly spotting extraterrestrial planets.[/quote']

Two things:

1) One aspect of depending on the star's "wiggle" to detect planets: the planet has to be extermely massive (usually a gas giant) and it has to be orbitting very very fast (on the order of a couple weeks, maximum). The period has to be that short so that the "wiggle" repeats quickly enough that it can be shown to be from an orbiting body, rather than just a random fluctuation (which could be a one-time event, an error in measuring, etc.)

 

2) The article talks about a few groups of astronomers who are working on various ways to "block" the light of the star, so as to see planets directly. IMO, in a just few years, someone will take the first picture of an extrasolar planet. Cool stuff!

Re: Average Seperation

Does it mention any trend as to the types of stars that have planets?

Well, the smaller-mass stars react more to any planet orbiting them, so I'd imagine the smaller-mass ones are more likely the ones being looked at. Of course, there are more small-mass stars than large-mass stars.

All-in-all, if there's any "trend" it may (or may not) be a result of the search method rather than a result of the actual presense/absense of planets.

Oh, and nothing in the article mentioned any "trend". It is more a "Yahooooo!!! Look at all those planets!" sort of article.

Re: Things that are cool about Alien Wars

Another thing I liked about Alien Wars was the well detailed military hierarchy and structure. Firmly based on common current-day hierarchy and structure, to make it believable, simplified some to make it easier to play. A definite for that.

Re: Alien Wars: Before hyperdrive, there was...

Ok now that I've had a chance to read more it all starts to make more sense. Solar Hero deals with the establishment of colonies within the solar system. Mars was the first to be established in 2093. The next year the United Nations became the United Earth Senate.

 

In 2104 the UES establishes the colony act which allows individual Earth Senators to have control of whatever colony worlds they wish to pay to establish. Over the next 4 decades colonies are established on Venus and various moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The colonist arrive at these distant locations by means of sleeper ships.

 

In 2203 the hyperdrive was created. This lead to the establishment of more Senate Worlds outside of the solar system. The first of these worlds was Alpha Centauri IV in 2214. From their other Senate Worlds are established on other planets. By the 24th century there are 91 Senate Worlds, which then leads into the Xenovore Wars.

 

There never were any Senate ships slowly creeping their way to Alpha Centauri or anywhere else until the hyperdrive was created. That's my current understanding of it anyway.

Thank you very, very much. That clarifies things, AFAICS.

I'll definitely have to get Solar Hero.

As soon as damaged copies go on sale. I can't afford HG books otherwise.

Re: Magic field names

If it's predicting lives with dice - you could call it roleplayingomancy

You could.

Or, if you had a copy of The Insomniac's Dictionary you could check the chapter "'-Omancy' Fancy" and find out divination my dice is Astragalomancy.

If folks are interested, I could give the list of the other 155 words listed, all ending in -mancy (all but 13 end in -omancy, BTW).

Re: Average Seperation

BTW, regarding the Drake Equation and the presense of planets around a star, some advice

Go down to your neighborhood library and check out the December 2004 copy of National Geographic. It has an article on current, real-world efforts to locate and identify planets around nearby stars. So far 130 (!) stars have been proven to have planets.