Zeropoint

Well, after considering the comments from the "Hyperspace Sickness" thread and consulting Star Hero, I've come up with a writeup for a generic space-opera hyperdrive system:

Hyperspace Insertion/Extraction System:

Extra-Dimensional Movement, anywhere in hyperspace corresponding to current realspace location, x2 mass (30 pts.)

Not in a gravity field (-1/2)

Requires a Skill Roll vs Hyperspace Navigation *or* two levels of luck (-1/2)

Side Effects: 3d6 Drain DEX with delayed return rate (5 pts / 20 min) (-1)

Costs END (-1/4)

Increased END Cost: x10 END (-4)

Active points: 30, Real points: 4, END cost: 30

plus:

Hyperspace engines:

FTL Travel at one light-year per day (roughly) (28 pts.)

Only in hyperspace (-1)

Costs END (-1/2)

Increased END Cost: x10 END (-4)

Active points: 28, Real points: 4, END cost: 30

Now, this is basically what I've got in mind, but there are some details that I don't quite know how to represent in game mechanics.

First, a marginal failure on the skill roll should still put the craft into hyperspace, but with the "jump shock" effect occurring. I'm thinking this is covered by the statement in the RSR text that "The GM should also consider allowing a 'partial success' with the Power if the character fails Skill Roll by only a point or two." So there we go: fail your roll by one or two, and you still get to hyperspace--you just won't enjoy it.

Second, "Not in a gravity field" is a little vague. What I'm actually thinking is more like 1) not at all within 50 diameters of an astronomical body, 2) a penalty of -1 applies within 2 AU (or so) of a star, and 3) as an exception to the first restriction, with a Combat Piloting roll and a penalty to the Hyperspace Navigation roll, a sufficiently bold pilot can jump to hyperspace at a LaGrange point.

One the one hand, that seems like a lot to include in the text of a limitation, and on the other hand, I hate to have to include explanatory notes for a power writeup.

Third, with this writeup, a ship could jump to hyperspace and then just sit there for a while, then jump back at the same point that it entered from. While that's not necessarily a problem, it seems a little weird to me, and I can't recall any SF vessels ever doing that.

I'm assuming that the precise requirements for navigating in hyperspace will go in the campaign notes rather than a power or skill writeup. Furthermore, it just occured to me that the details of the jump restrictions could go there as well.

Finally, the x2 mass adder is there to represent that the ship can pull nearby objects into hyperspace with it, up to about the ship's own mass. Since this isn't an intentional feature (at least not with this model), I haven't included the Usable by Others advantage.

So, there it is. As always, I'd appreciate any comments that you might have.

Zeropoint

I hadn't thought about the drives being a problem for everyone, even though (in retrospect) that's a reasonably common effect in science fiction books. I think I'll use the idea of poorly handled hyperspace insertions causing effects for all passengers. Of course, anyone who already has problems with hyperspace is going to have it even worse at this point.

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Zeropoint

"...It's unpleasantly like being drunk."

"What's unpleasant about being drunk?"

"Ask a glass of water."

I seem to have volunteered to run a one-shot "trial" game in the Metroid universe, and was wondering if anyone had some advice or references. Writeups would be handy, but even a website with some basic background information would be useful.

On the other hand, the information given in the games and their manuals is so sparse that I really don't have to worry about contradicting it, so I'm currently planning on making it a generic space opera, taking what I can from the Metroid games, and maybe flavoring with a little "Iria: Zeiram the Animation" and "Outlaw Star" to keep things interesting.

I would also appreciate any advice you might have about creating pregenerated characters for a small (2-3) group of players who aren't familiar with the HERO system.

Zeropoint

I'm trying to come up with a way to model a character suffering from "hyperspace sickness", analagous to seasickness. I was thinking along the lines of a susceptibility, but that looks like it would either be something that the character could effectively ignore, or could be potentially fatal, depending on the character's REC. Now I'm thinking along the lines of a Physical Limitation, something like:

Hyperspace sickness (infrequently, greatly): When in hyperspace, the character will suffer from headaches, nausea, and disrupted equilibrium, resulting in a penalty of -3 on any skill roll and most characteristic rolls. The effects will fade within a few minutes after exiting hyperspace.

Does this sound reasonable? (in terms of dramatic sense--we obviously can't reality-check this)

Also, has anyone else ever written up a similar disadvantage? If so, I'd like to see your take on it.

Zeropoint

I seem to recall reading that an LV-426 alien will take on some of the characteristics of its host. For instance, the alien incubated in the dog was smaller, quadrapedal, and seemed less intelligent than the aliens incubated in humans.

Zeropoint

Make 10 rolls of a D10, record the average on a graph. It will likely be about 5.5.

Repeat that 10 times, recording each *average*. Most will fall around 5.5; some will fall high, some will fall low. Very few will fall at the extremes. Bell curve.

Of *course* you get a bell curve--you just rolled 10d10 ten times.

Also, with ten dice, your bell curve will be severely clustered around the midpoint. It's been a while since my statistics class, so I can't say exactly how severely, but with ten d10's you'd only have a one in ten billion chance of a critical success (all ones).

Zeropoint

Nitpick: while you CAN throw something into orbit, it will be an orbit which intersects the ground. To get a more nearly circular orbit, you need another impulse to provide some lateral motion.

Zeropoint

That makes a lot of sense. I think I'll go with that approach.

Thanks.

Zeropoint

In the Sluggy Freelance universe, Santa's elves were quite capable of combat performance, especially the group that split off to become Bun-bun's Black Ops Elves.

Of course, Santa himself is a little different than the usual conception at this point...

Zeropoint

Greetings, all.

In trying to create a cyberpunkish character, I wanted him to have guns which had some electronics mounted on them, which, when connected to his internal computer, could display targetting information on a heads-up display (the same effect could be obtained with appropriate goggles for non-chipped users). This is pretty obviously just some combat skill levels, maybe some penalty skill levels for range.

I can think of three obvious ways to model this:

Skill levels, only usable with smartlinked guns, restrainable/OAF (as appropriate). This is unsatisfying because the gun writeup won't reflect their special nature.

Skill levels built into the guns, only usable with appropriate display hardware. The reverse of the first problem: what power would the smartlink goggles have in this case?

Split the skill levels between the guns and the display hardware, put "only with appropriate equipment" on them. This works, but is aesthetically unsatisfying, because ALL the levels should be dependent on BOTH items.

Hmm...

Now that I've got it down in writing, that third approach isn't looking too bad. It also has the effect that different display hardware/gun sensors would give different results with the same gun sensors/display hardware.

Well, if anyone has a better idea, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, I think I've answered my own question.

Zeropoint

Here's an idea I've been kicking around:

Power armor is usually depicted as being a super-sleek, high-tech affair. Picture, if you will, a suit made by someone who is bright, maybe even brilliant, but neither a super-genius nor a millionare. What happens when your suit is powered by off-the-shelf hydraulic systems and your defenses are oridinary hardened steel? Your suit gets BIG, that's what happens. It looks more like a walking WWII tank than the metallic spandex that Iron Man wears. Why not throw in some WWII super-science weapons, as well? Maybe a Tesla coil based electrical blaster, or a sonic weapon powered by repeated detonations of a flammable gas would be a good fit.

To *really* play up the "clunky" feel, make it diesel-powered.

Not being able to fit through most doors will be an inconvenience, or a roleplaying opportunity, depending on your perspective.

Well, that might be more than two cents' worth, but there you go. Make of it what you will.

Zeropoint

According to http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/earth.html , the earth masses 5.972e24 kg. That's 5.972e21 metric tons, obviously, or about sixty billion trillion tons ( I think. Something about that figure is bugging me.)

A few moments' work with a scientific calculator reveals that starting from a base mass of 100 kg, you need 75.66 doublings, rounded up to 76.

As a side note, this clearly reveals the awesome power of exponential growth.

Zeropoint

Behold the power of two!

[edited to correct a tyop]

Damage scales are problematic no matter which way you go. GURPS uses a linear scale, which is great at low levels, but presents two obvious problems.

First, (and this is more an aesthetic point) you get tanks with DR 3000 on the front and weapons that do 6d6 x 120 damage, or something like that.

Second, when you start dealing with high-powered weapons (like sci-fi stuff), you tend to go directly from "the shot bounces harmlessly off your armor" to "your armor has a hole in the front and a lot of red paste on the inside."

The logarithmic scale that Hero uses may not always be realistic, but it has the distinct advantage of making good dramatic sense.

The West End Star Wars game had an interesting approach: it broke weapons down into personal, speeder, fighter, and capital classes. The dice spread between heavy and light weapons in each category was about the same, but using a weapon against a lower category gave you a damage bonus and a to-hit penalty, and vice-versa going up the scale.

Just some random thoughts on the subject.

Zeropoint

How many times has the Doctor had trouble with his mobile emitter? I seem to recall many episodes where it has been simply pulled off of him, shutting him down or transferring his program to the local holo-matrix, or deliberately attacked, shutting it down.

I'd say that having your physical existance in a fragile OAF would be enough of a vulnerability to keep you from overshadowing the other characters.

Oh, and as far as the Doctor walking through walls: IF he is in an environment with holo-emitters on both sides of the wall, I see no reason that he couldn't do so.

He could concievably move through a window even without a holo-emitter on the other side, although he might lose the force-field portion of his projection, rendering him desolid until he returns.

Zeropoint

"Don't anthropomorphize computers. They hate that."

The reactor has almost no moving parts and doesn't need an operator.

And here I was, hoping there'd be job openings in the civilian world for me.

I'm not too sure about that concept, really. I've had a little experience with US Naval nuclear power, and while most of the problems that occur are due to human error, there are far more cases where something was prevented because a human operator caught the problem before it became serious.

I'm sure that they can make a reactor that will be safe without a human operator (ours already are), but the safest condition for a reactor is shut down, which doesn't yield a lot of power.

Hmm...underground heat source, circulating molten metal as a power transmission medium...why not make it a geothermal plant and save yourself the hassle of refeuling every 30 years? That would also avoid getting around the the general public's "nuclear = bad" attitude.

"The word 'nuclear' makes me nervous," said Randy Virgin of the Alaska Center for the Environment.

Poor guy--he'll never be able to sleep if he finds out that his cells have nuclei.

...

As far as bases go, the Evil Overlord List has some comments on bases that would apply equally well to hero bases.

Zeropoint

Who gets less radiation than you do, when his ship is underway.

Special Agent Michael Trent paused for a moment (as did everyone else in the pet shop) and just stared at his opponent. Psychoticman's eyes glinted with the light of madness, and his pupils were the size of pinheads.

Trent cradled his face in his hand for a moment.

"I do NOT get paid enough for this," he muttered. Sighing, he straightened himself and regarded the cat's crazed captor once more. The gun gave a "click", loud in the sudden silence.

Psychoticman's finger tightened reflexively on the trigger, but nothing happened. The safety? He reached for it with his thumb, but the gun twisted in his grasp, and came free. Instead of falling, it rose up and slammed its muzzle against HIS forehead. The gun was too close for him to get a good look at it, but he heard the safety click back off and the hammer cock.

"Putting the kitten down," said Trent, "would convince me that you're *just* smart enough to continue living."

Zeropoint

Special Agent Michael Trent, AKA "Agent Orange" (who got telekinetic powers as an involuntary VIPER test subject):

1) curse VIPER, after a moment of shock

2) try to regrow the hand, and see what happens, and then

3) get to a lab and have himself tested

Golem (shape-shifter of unknown origin):

1) "What the heck?!"

2) check to see if he can still shape-shift

If he can, he'll decide that it's some kind of trick. If he can't, he'd probably get a little "numb", psychologically, not really knowing how he feels about it. He'd probably sit back and let the other members of the team decide how to deal with it.

Zeropoint

My apologies; on reviewing my post it becomes obvious that I failed to adress anything that you said in your last post.

Unfortunately, it's getting late, and I don't have the intellectual capacity to do you justice at the moment.

Zeropoint

Bitter alkaloid

Sparks synapses in my brain.

I need some caffiene.

Man, look at that. I use words like "alkaloid" and "synapses" in a poem.

Water lilies float

Beneath my daughter's fingers

She only sees the frog.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm male, and things like swords have more immediate impact for me than water lilies and frogs do, but this haiku doesn't grab me like the first one. Of course, in light of my earlier statements, this is a reflection of my own personality rather than a statement of the intrinsic quality of the work.

A question for you, Lucius: I've seen some indications that in feudal Japan, haiku was treated as "iaijutsu poetry," so to speak, composed on the spot with no prior refinement. On the other hand, it seems to me that it would take considerable time and effort to distill concepts down to the minimum number of words while still adhering to the prescribed form. Where on this spectrum does the author of these haiku reside?

...

You know, I don't really seem to have much of my own to contribute to this topic, other than making obvious observations and relating things that I've read. But, if that draws out useful information from those who have it, I suppose it's worthwhile.

On the writing of haiku again: I've tried to compose some haiku over the past few weeks, but I can't seem to do much beyond counting syllables. My natural mode of thinking is mainly logical and analytical, and my my writing experience mostly academic. I suspect that I am not well suited to the creation of this particular art form, regardless of how much I appreciate it.

Zeropoint

There, the easy death.

Here, pain, hardship, and honor.

Which am I to choose?

Depending on your perspective, Heavy Metal 2000 is either a halfway decent sci-fi story with a lot of gratuitous T&A, or halfway decent sci-fi T&A with a lot of gratuitous plot.

The main character seemed to be somewhere between strongly, if shallowly, characterized, and a collection of "tough chick" stereotypes.

Overall, I would give the movie a C: it fulfilled the requirements of a movie, but that's pretty much it.

If anyone actually finds my micro-review worthwhile, I'm a little surprised, but grateful.

Zeropoint

Also keep in mind that the behaviours of materials in extreme circumstances may not be quite what you expect. Metals splash at high impact velocities--researchers actually model them as liquids for computer simulations.

This means that the penny ceases to exist as a coherent object after the first serious impact.

Zeropoint.

Sorry for taking so long to respond.

Yes, it does change my perception somewhat. From the male perspective that I assumed initially, the son's development into a warrior seemed like a good thing, but a mother might be worried about losing her son to war.

I've been thinking about this for a while (part of the reason it took me so long to respond) and this is what I've come up with:

The haiku presents three distinct elements (the small son taking his first steps, the swept hearth, and the warrior's sword) but does not give any indication of the relationship(s) among them. This allows the reader to project his or her own perceptions onto the three emotionally charged concepts.

The son will grow up and become a brave and honarable warrior.

The son, now innocent, will one day be trained to fight and kill.

The son will have a chance to grow up because the home (represented by the hearth) is defended by the warrior.

The son means everything to his mother, because the sword is all that's left of his father.

A father appreciates being there for his son's first steps, giving thanks that he can keep his sword over the fireplace instead of on his belt.

...

I could keep going, but you get the point: what you see in this haiku may say more about you than about the author.

Lucius, I would be interested in discussing this further, if you are willing.

Zeropoint

Evoke a season,

Use seventeen syllables;

You've got a haiku.

My small son's first step

Above the swept hearth is hung

A warrior's sword.

This reminds me more of a samauri's son than anything nordic. That could be the anime influence showing through, or maybe the fact that haiku is a Japanese poetic form.

This (to my eyes anyway) is a good haiku, conveying its meaning clearly (or is it clear? maybe we're all having different interpretations) and concisely.

Haiku is an interesting art form, really. We in the west tend to use it mainly for comic effect, which is fine, but I think its real value is the fact that it forces you to choose your words carefully. When you only have seventeen syllables, all of them need to count. The haiku must be elegant, in the sense used to describe a mathematical proof.

That elegance is where I see beauty.

Zeropoint

Hippopotamus,

Antihippopotamus:

Annihilation.

I wish I could take credit for that one...

Zeropoint

Restricting myself to the characters I've actually played:

Nucleon (radiation-themed energy projector) would assume that because he was the hero, things would work out nicely and attempt to talk the criminal down, and most likely wind up as a hostage himself. He wasn't nearly as hot as he thought he was.

Icefox (highly cinematic "ninja" with a bokken and minor ice powers) would try to get close and then quickdraw his bokken and take off the hand with the switch, assuming the manual switch isn't also a deadman switch. Brutal, but there are lives in immediate danger.

Golem (shape-shifter in the T1000/Odo vein) would ooze along/inside the ceiling, the drop tendrils down to try to foul the switch before the criminal pushed it. Not a sure thing.

The best bet would be The Wraith (oh-so-creatively named invisible/desolid guy) would just walk up behind the guy and club him over the head with his quarterstaff. If the manual switch was a deadman, he'd hold it down.

Realistically, I'm very risk-averse, and my characters would all hold back until they could be SURE that they had a plan that would work. Wait for the trained police negotiator, maybe.

Zeropoint