Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-12-2019, 10:18 AM   #21
Fred Brackin
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by lwcamp View Post
Maybe?

I'm not familiar with the rules for Unsupported Strength - can you point me to the rules?
Bio-tech p.215.

That entry cites "gengineering or biomods" as source for muscles that are stronger than the bones they're attached to. Steroids aren't quite "biomods" and I suppose a bodybuilder could manage to do it even without using steroids but it's probably quite a rare condition in the contemporary world.
__________________
Fred Brackin
Fred Brackin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 10:26 AM   #22
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by lwcamp View Post
Maybe?

I'm not familiar with the rules for Unsupported Strength - can you point me to the rules? If it is for something like a whale, which is plenty strong but can't really use than strength when lying on land, I'm not sure it would make much of a difference.

Luke
BT215, as Fred notes. It's meant for muscles that either aren't properly attached, or are properly attached but are stronger than what your bones can handle. Basically, it means using your full strength (not even going to Extra Effort) runs the risk of injury or crippling, as the muscles lack proper support structure. I'm not certain it exists at our TL 8 (although some sort of bone-degenerative disease could theoretically result in it, if the muscles somehow avoid losing mass as an indirect result), but it's certainly a possible option at TL 9 and higher, and some more realistic modern fantasy settings - like Icelander's "Caribbean by Night," where a recent antagonist had the trait - can have it as well.
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 10:32 AM   #23
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by lwcamp View Post
In this case, the beams would probably look more like a soft violet glow than the brilliant blue-white incandescence of a lightning strike.
I would expect the electrical current to further ionize the air to create lower resistance channels and spark-like paths, though they would likely wander across the width of the laser.
__________________
My GURPS site and Blog.
Anthony is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 10:33 AM   #24
Daigoro
 
Daigoro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by lwcamp View Post
That is one of the thing I like about thinking through the physics - you get interesting and novel consequences.
If these are common enough, what countermeasures would people possibly be equipping themselves with? Conductor-threaded clothing? Metallic paint on the skin? Is it possible to ground the charge somehow? How about water mist sprayers or ionised mist sprayers?
__________________
Collaborative Settings:
Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation
Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse
And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting!
Daigoro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 10:38 AM   #25
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
If these are common enough, what countermeasures would people possibly be equipping themselves with?
RAW has body armor protect against them, which isn't absurd. There are various other options, but for the most part if you're being hit with electrolasers and they don't work the next option will be shooting you with bullets, so being resistant only to electrolasers isn't all that desirable.
__________________
My GURPS site and Blog.
Anthony is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 10:53 AM   #26
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
I would expect the electrical current to further ionize the air to create lower resistance channels and spark-like paths, though they would likely wander across the width of the laser.
That's kind of how I visualized it - a miniature lightning bolt, constrained to the width of the beam. Two of them, really, since it's a circuit. Realistically, the electrical discharge probably isn't strong enough to create a visible effect within the beam - although I'd be very happy to be wrong about that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
If these are common enough, what countermeasures would people possibly be equipping themselves with? Conductor-threaded clothing? Metallic paint on the skin? Is it possible to ground the charge somehow? How about water mist sprayers or ionised mist sprayers?
Thin wires in the clothing would do it. Mail could potentially make a comeback (although more likely in a form too thin to offer DR beyond maybe 1 vs cut). Some decorative jewelry could potentially help - Mr. T would undoubtedly pity the fool who tried to shoot him in the chest with an electrolaser.
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 11:02 AM   #27
Daigoro
 
Daigoro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

More brainstorming: is it possible for a target to carry a charged capacitor that delivers a blowback overcharged voltage to the attacker's gun? What happens to the gun if it gets a 100 kV charge instead of the 50 kV it operates at?
__________________
Collaborative Settings:
Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation
Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse
And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting!
Daigoro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 11:04 AM   #28
Sam Baughn
 
Sam Baughn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and some other bits.
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
Steroids aren't quite "biomods" and I suppose a bodybuilder could manage to do it even without using steroids but it's probably quite a rare condition in the contemporary world.
Without steroids, it seems unlikely. Stressing your muscle enough to encourage growth will also build stronger bone, etc. With steroids (and other artificial muscle growth stimulants) it might be possible; I've seen some horror stories about steroid users who managed to tear their muscles while exercising due to weak connective tissue.

As I understand it, even serious strength athletes don't 'fully activate' their muscle all at once and the theoretical force they could generate if they did would be twice as much as normal or more. That certainly seems like it would be enough to cause problems, so a really strong spasm could conceivably cause injury.
__________________
My blog.
Sam Baughn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 11:07 AM   #29
Daigoro
 
Daigoro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
RAW has body armor protect against them, which isn't absurd. There are various other options, but for the most part if you're being hit with electrolasers and they don't work the next option will be shooting you with bullets, so being resistant only to electrolasers isn't all that desirable.
That's a question about the setting, expected armaments of the people you'll encounter, LCs and so on. Civilians might be able to carry e-lasers but not handguns, so muggers would find countermeasures useful there. Law enforcement policy might be to stun first, use guns second, so countermeasures would give crims a few second window to escape or fight back. But those are setting questions, not tech questions, which should be settled first.
__________________
Collaborative Settings:
Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation
Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse
And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting!
Daigoro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2019, 11:11 AM   #30
Flyndaran
Untagged
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
Default Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Baughn View Post
...
As I understand it, even serious strength athletes don't 'fully activate' their muscle all at once and the theoretical force they could generate if they did would be twice as much as normal or more. That certainly seems like it would be enough to cause problems, so a really strong spasm could conceivably cause injury.
My grandfather had a spasm that broke a rib. I can't remember exactly what caused the spasm though. At the time, he had very good bone density.

I'm naturally strong, but never lifted weights. So I wouldn't be surprised if something would break if an emergency required me to go full out.
__________________
Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.
Flyndaran is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:14 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.