02-11-2012, 08:07 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
Sequeing off of a recent sub-thread about whether or not tL5 steel made ofr superior results to TL4- we will now proceed one step beyond that.
The premise is that through magic or soem fucntional equivalant an otherwise pre-industrial society is actually melting its' iron ore and producing "fluid steel" without slag, inclusions or significant impurities. Appropriate heat-treating and other finishing techniques are also assumed. There are multiple ways this could be done with the default Gurps Magic system, So how ogood si this stuff. I assume this is the tech that changes the normal weapon quality from "Good" to "Fine" for no extra expense (though I am prepared to learn differently) but what does it do to the DR and weight of armor (and anything else anybody can think of)?
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Fred Brackin |
02-12-2012, 12:25 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Dec 2006
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
Assuming they have access to a good selection of the spells in GURPS magic (and not counting the essential spells/earth->stone spells)- then it would be possible for a mage/smith to produce steel alloys of quality at least on par with TL8 (Shape metal, destroy air, heat, protection from heat/fire being the most important ones that I can see).
They would further be able to make use of manufacturing abilities that are equivalent to late TL8 (Shape metal will allow you to get results that could only be achieved in the real world with high end CNC cutting and 3d printing). As for actual game effects- I think I would just let a society that has lots of mage/smiths produce items as if they were TL8, but only from materials and metallurgical concepts that are available at there base TL (So they can make TL8 steels, but not TL8 transparent aluminum, and not ceramic trauma plates) |
02-12-2012, 12:32 AM | #3 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
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It probably is simplest to do as you suggest, and just let them make TL8 quality/cost versions of TL4 equipment. |
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02-12-2012, 12:46 AM | #4 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
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02-12-2012, 06:22 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
All you are going to do is reproduce the best quality TL4 steel. Without modern alloys and high-tech hardening technology you won't get anything better.
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02-12-2012, 06:30 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
Fine and Very Fine Quality weapons are possible at TL4-. Could these magical techniques have the effect of reducing the cost of such high-quality gear to that of TL7+ manufacturing?
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02-12-2012, 06:54 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
That's how I would handle it.
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02-12-2012, 08:50 AM | #8 | |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
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Stress also has the units of energy per unit volume; if we use this as a (poor) gauge of DR, we'll find pure carbon steel, with nothing more than good knowledge of quench and temper, can hit about 95% of the DR of RHA, the "gold standard" by which GURPS measures its armor. Call it DR 66 per inch, or 2.6 per mm.
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02-12-2012, 09:54 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
I do not understand why you think using magic allows you to create Fine or Very Fine with no extra expense.
Even if everyone was a mage with these spells your still talking about extra skills and effort being used. In most settings not everyone will be able to have them so on top of that you have to increase cost for rarity. |
02-12-2012, 09:56 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Magitech-Fluid Steel Arms & Armor
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Fred Brackin |
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