Five Earths, All in a Row

[warellis]

So how drugged up are they? Because they sound kinda like the drugged up enemies Inp-USA would've been fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. And like them they also have no body armor. And are even worse equipped, albeit better trained, than the insurgents Inp-USA has been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by warellis

So how drugged up are they? Because they sound kinda like the drugged up enemies Inp-USA would've been fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. And like them they also have no body armor. And are even worse equipped, albeit better trained, than the insurgents Inp-USA has been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not everyone gets the same formula (or the same quality), and the rank-and-file may not get it at all. The regular infantrymen are still regular infantrymen, but tankers outside their vehicles, downed pilots, Waffen SS troops, and similar will usually be harder to put down, yes. OTOH, sometimes they get a bad batch, and you come across a tank with a dead crew from one of them going berserk, killing the others, and having a stroke, or a group of pilots who are 'way to mellow to fight, man' (or vice versa), or a Waffen SS platoon with several sturmtruppen running around screaming about invisible bees, or any number of other examples of why drugging your troops with experimental chemicals and questionable quality control is a very bad idea.

[warellis]

Tell me on Dsp-Earth most militaries really aren't issuing any real body armor as we think of it right? I mean outside of stuff that can maybe stop pistol bullets at long range. I don't count flak jackets really because they aren't capable of stopping both bullets and shrapnel IIRC.

As for that guy who wrote that Ordo Nocturne article about Clp-Earth having those Christian fighting order vampires and werewolves, have you thought of asking him if he has any new ideas for stuff on Clp-Earth?

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by warellis

Tell me on Dsp-Earth most militaries really aren't issuing any real body armor as we think of it right? I mean outside of stuff that can maybe stop pistol bullets at long range. I don't count flak jackets really because they aren't capable of stopping both bullets and shrapnel IIRC.

Some of them are, but most of it isn't great. They're doing better since getting the computers during the fire mission that arrived in June, 2013, which did contain some information on body armour. Still expensive, though.

Originally Posted by warellis

As for that guy who wrote that Ordo Nocturne article about Clp-Earth having those Christian fighting order vampires and werewolves, have you thought of asking him if he has any new ideas for stuff on Clp-Earth?

Haven't asked him yet, but have thought about it.

[Prince Charon]

An article relating to Clockpunk Earth/Earth-4:

Day Ward and Night Watch of London

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...London.svg.png

The Day Ward and Night Watch are arguably separate police forces, but meet at the top, with the Prefect of the Watch and Ward, currently Sir William Cordell. He is assisted by three Sub-Prefects: one for each of the Day Ward, Night Watch, and the Peculiars, who overlap somewhat with the first two, and serve as a cross between the Criminal Investigation Department and Special Branch. Other English (and Irish, Welsh, Cornish, et cetra) cities are beginning to form similar forces. Some of these leave out the Peculiars, instead relying on traditional thief-takers and such for criminal investigation.

It should be noted that the Prefect of the Watch and Ward does not answer to the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, but his men do turn criminals over to them. While the current Prefect and Sub-Prefects are political appointees, it is intended that future Sub-Prefects will be chosen from experienced Master Beadles, and that future Prefects will have previously stood as Sub-Prefects.

Ranks

Titles below Sub-Prefect are prefaced in official documents and announcements by the branch one belongs to, such as 'Ward Constable George Evans,' or 'Peculiar Beadle John Smith.' The Sub-Prefects have their branch after the title, as in 'Sub-Prefect of the Night Watch Lionel Duckett.'

Police Ranks in the London forces cost 5 points per level.

Police Rank 4, Courtesy Police Rank 2: Prefect of the Watch and Ward (three-inch gold badge)

Police Rank 3, Courtesy Police Rank 2: Sub-Prefect (three-inch silver badge)

Police Rank 2, Courtesy Police Rank 2: Master Beadle (three-inch copper badge w/ wreathe)

Police Rank 2, Courtesy Police Rank 1: Beadle (three-inch copper badge w/ ribbon)

Police Rank 2: Assistant Beadle (three-inch copper badge)

Police Rank 1: Sergeant-at-Arms (three-inch white cloth badge)

Police Rank 0:
Constable (two-inch white cloth badge)
Runner (two-inch grey or beige cloth badge)


Runners are irregular constables, having no particular authority, and are most often young people chosen for speed, agility, and a good knowledge on London's streets and alleys - though some are instead chosen for other special abilities.

The Day Ward and Night Watch each have a small troop of mounted constabulary, and a troop of clanks. The clanks do not patrol, but are kept on standby in case of emergencies. The Peculiars do not have mounted officers, but may request them. The mounted police tend to patrol the better neighborhoods, unless needed elsewhere, as during riots or potential riots.

A house on Thames Street has been given over to the Peculiars, and with the help of the embassy from Stp-Britain, has been converted into a crime laboratory.


Uniforms: Both the Day Ward and Night Watch wear uniforms resembling Tudor-era infantry (or cavalry for mounted officers), the Day Ward having a medium blue, and the Night Watch a darker blue. Both wear brigandines and helmets, and are granted badges of office to show their authority as officers of the law. Constables are equipped with simple wooden staves or clubs, while Sergeants at Arms and above carry tipstaves with increasing levels of decoration. They also carry rope and occasionally manacles to restrain prisoners, and distinctive loud whistles to attract attention in an emergency. As with military buglers, specific patterns of whistles serve as a message code. The Peculiars have no uniforms, but do possess badges, whistles, and tipstaves, and may wear whatever armour they can afford, or request a brigandine and helmet, if their duties are likey to require them.

Watch and Ward men may be equipped with firearms or other weapons as necessary. In a serious emergency, they may also call out the Army.

Constabulary equipment at this time tends to be of decent quality: anyone caught passing cheap goods to them is likely to be visited by 'concerned citizens', especially if it results in the death of a policeman.

The badge and official coat-of-arms of the Prefect of the Watch and Ward bear the motto Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes ('Who Watches the Watchmen?'). At the feast to commemorate Sir William Cordell's ascension to the post, Her Britannic Majesty's court jester asked 'Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes Qui Custodes Custodiet?' ('Who Watches The Watcher Of The Watchmen?'), to which the Queen replied, also in Latin, 'Facio' ('I do').

The Sub-Prefects' badges (and those of their subordinates) bear the mottoes of their respective forces:

The motto of the Day Ward is Ordine et Lege ('Order and the Law').

The Night Watch's motto is Semper Vigilans ('Always Watchful').

The Peculiars' badges bear the motto 'Nulla Praetermissa Parte' ('Leaving No Stone Unturned').

EDIT: I've edited the Rank advantages to be more consistent with the chart in Social Engineering p14 (boxed text), as the Day Ward, Night Watch, and Peculiars put together are not a large enough force to put the Prefect at Rank 6. A mix of Rank and Courtesy Rank is more appropriate.

[Prince Charon]

Legal Enforcement Powers of the Day Ward, Night Watch, and Peculiars

In general, the LEP for the Day Ward and Night Watch is the standard 5 point version, with some exceptions:

Runners have what amounts to Perk-level Courtesy LEP: they are generally recognized as being on the business of the city, and will not be harassed (save by criminals or those who do not recognise them) when running messages hither and yon, or hanging about crime scenes waiting for same, or otherwise helping the regular police, but they have no real authority beyond that.

A small number of particularly respected members of the Watch and Ward have 10-point LEP (Not obligated to respect the civil rights of others). These are usually Assistant Beadles or above. This authority can be lost if abused, but is sometimes needed when investigating crimes committed by the nobility. The Sub-Prefects of the Day Ward and Night Watch have this level, as does the Prefect of the Watch and Ward.

Peculiar Assistant Beadles and above, as well as a few Peculiar Sergeants-at-Arms, and even fewer Peculiar Constables, have 10-point LEP (Free to engage in covert investigations). The Sub-Prefect of the Peculiars also has this level. A Queen's Warrant can also exempt them from the need to respect the civil rights of others for a specific investigation, but this is not the same as having the advantage.

[Prince Charon]

Something I've been working on, that has reached a point where it should be posted here (since I don't seem to have posted it, yet):

With purely mundane technology, the more complex the machine, the easier it is to disrupt or control with magic. This is especially true with electronics, hence spells like Hexus, below:

Hexus Defaults to Path of Gadgets, Path of Elements-1, or Path of Luck-1; 5 minutes*
Energy Accumulating: 2 points*
*Base penalty or cost; may be modified.

Disrupts complex machinery (primarily electronics and electrical equipment) that lacks magical protection. Mundane 'hardening' has no effect, though distance and simply not being noticed do (use standard distance modifiers from pB550), as does magical shielding. It seems to work mostly by injecting focused 'chaos' or 'bad luck' directly into the working parts of the machine, often combined with electromagnetic and/or kinetic energy (bypassing any armour), causing it to malfunction or shut down, and sometimes damaging parts enough to need replacement.

At base, any machine that depends on electronics to operate will malfunction, and particularly delicate equipment (e.g. anything with microchips) will either freeze or shut down entirely, needing to be rebooted. Many modern cars will become inoperable at this level. Likewise, complex machinery that isn't electronic or electrical will have a greater probability of malfunctioning - decrease Malf number by 1 for automatic weapons, and similarly advanced machinery. Additional skill penalties or energy costs increase this effect, or increase the range or area of effect, though no amount of effort in this spell can disrupt simple machines like swords or levers.

PLACEHOLDER <some kind of table or tables for the above>

Dresden Files-style wizards (currently found only on Inp-Earth/Earth-1) cast this spell spontaneously and unconsciously, both when stressed and when casting other spells, as a common limitation on Thoughtform Talent and/or Path/Book Adept (a variant of Uncontrollable (-30%) - it only does one thing, but it's a remarkably inconvenient thing - and Nuisance Effect (-10%); the other significant limitations on DF-style spellcasters are the Seven Laws of Magic, worth -20%, due to how easy they make it to go crazy-evil, and the reduction of power when entering a home uninvited, worth -10%, for a total of -70%; yes, this makes DF magic rather cheap point-wise, but as you might have guessed, there is still a significant cost, especially if you wish to live in a modern Earth-1 nation). Some Harry Potter-style wizards and witches do this as well (though they generally lack other limitations).

Casters whose styles do not place magic and technology in opposition, or that do, but believe that technology suppresses magic, are likely to find this ritual more difficult, or even impossible. They might reduce the difficulty by invoking the Concept of 'the Dresdenverse,' but doing that too often can lead to gaining the limitations of a Dresdenverse spellcaster. How often, and how much time and effort the invocation adds to the spell, varies by style, and is thus the GMs call.


Thoughts?

[warellis]

How well could Hexus work on tech from Dsp-Earth or Stp-Earth?

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by warellis

How well could Hexus work on tech from Dsp-Earth or Stp-Earth?

It would actually do more to the micromechanical gears that a lot of Stp-Earth tech uses, than to most of the stuff on Dsp-Earth, barring machine guns and various delicate and/or precision mechanisms that in most cases should not be taken into battle if possible.

[warellis]

https://www.artstation.com/artist/jakubrozalski

Something might be useful for Dsp-Earth stuff from the 1920s? Most of the mech stuff I mean.