08-19-2022, 01:11 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2018
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crushing coal into diamonds
Superman does it in one of the Reeves films - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyHFPV-j8Gs
and recently Disney had Hamster (from Hamster and Gretel) do the same to cover damages I'm wondering how you'd cover that... like I thought Create (Diamonds) with Environmental/Components (Coal) but Create requires character points be spent any time you do it. In this case it seems like in lieu of character points it's just an application of Crushing ST. |
08-19-2022, 01:26 PM | #2 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
Quote:
Last edited by David Johnston2; 08-19-2022 at 01:29 PM. |
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08-19-2022, 02:08 PM | #3 |
Join Date: May 2010
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
Setting aside RAW and game balance concerns, forming diamonds normally requires not just high pressure but high temperature, and the ability to produce extremely high temperatures without special tools definitely isn't included in ST, no matter how high your score.
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08-19-2022, 02:20 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
The classic treatment had Superman using his heat vision to heat up the carbon while he held it in his hands, and his invulnerability to avoid giving himself third degree burns while he did it.
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08-19-2022, 02:28 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
How about Wealth with the appropriate limitations?
We really don't care that he's creating diamonds, merely that when the day ends, he has cash. I don't imagine that a reporter's salary pays enough to cover the collateral damage of a single fight in Metropolis.
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A little learning is a dangerous thing. Warning: Invertebrate Punnster - Spinelessly Unable to Resist a Pun Dangerous Thoughts, my blog about GURPS and life. |
08-19-2022, 02:31 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
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Though coal is a [horrible] starting material for this, as even the highly metamorphic coals are like 50% stuff other than graphite, and those are going to take things in who knows what alternative directions before you get to the graphite/diamond phase transition line.
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08-19-2022, 02:44 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
One thing I've considered for a while is to have any character who can just naturally create stuff that's worth a lot of money - spider webbing (for spider silk), for example - to simply have Independent Income, with the money coming in the form of a specific high-value substance rather than cash or whatever. Add appropriate Limitations if you need something to turn into the stuff, like coal into diamonds.
Alternatively, either have a Wealth level that justifies it or fast-talk the GM into allowing it, and take "Coal->Diamond Transmuter" as your Job, then just pay for Tenure to represent the fact you can't be fired.
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GURPS Overhaul |
08-19-2022, 04:18 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
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Ignoring reality, my preferred rule on characters who can produce valuable materials is:
Last edited by Anthony; 08-19-2022 at 04:21 PM. |
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08-19-2022, 04:31 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
Yeah I'd let someone do this with a Superman character if they had high Wealth, or if it was the kind of campaign where money wasn't a thing, or if they spent some type of resource point which can be used to do cool things. Other than that, it's a Snatcher type power I think? Not sure.
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08-19-2022, 05:06 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Re: crushing coal into diamonds
Obviously, people are dancing around the physics on this one. I don't blame them.
The stock answer of, "Sure, yeah, you want a PC who can make diamonds. Buy Wealth (Multimillionaire), Create (Diamonds) or Alter, and maybe Enemies, Reputation, Tenure, and Unusual Background" nicely sidesteps all the thermodynamics equations, but I'm not sure that it was the answer the OP was looking for. In GURPS terms, the crushing coal into diamond trick requires, at a minimum: Pressure Support 3 - To handle the massive pressures generated as you crush the diamond. High levels of DR/Damage Resistance vs. burn damage to cope with the intensely hot temperatures required. Utterly insane levels of (possibly limited) ST to generate the hundreds of gigapascals of energy required to create a diamond via high pressure. GURPS ST is deliberately vague on exactly how much force you can apply when breaking or damaging things, but it would probably have to be at least ST 100, probably more. Possibly some method of heating the coal in your hand before you crush it, assuming that just friction from compression isn't sufficient. That requires some incredibly high levels of Innate Attack (Burning, Limitation: Melee Attack (C), -30%). Superman uses his heat vision, which is effectively the same thing. Sulfur and all the heavy metals found in coal smoke/ash could conceivably vaporize or get squeezed out during phase change, so add Filter Lungs and/or Immunity (Poison) to avoid getting poisoned by the fumes. Add to that some level of purifying the coal into graphite before or as you crush it. That could be a skill roll (Chemistry/TL7+, Machinist/TL9+, PS (Gem Creation)) possibly with the Craft Secret perk. (Supes' real achievement when he made a diamond was getting a crystal clear, homogeneous, bezel-cut diamond, as opposed to a gritty-looking rock with lots of slag inclusions, which could eventually be cut apart into a bunch of industrial grade diamonds.) |
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