How do I endure 2,000 degrees?

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Temperature tolerance doesn't clearly specify that it applies to internal temperature, though it also doesn't state otherwise. There's also a problem that the temperature of sources of burning damage is by default undefined, and the effects of your tolerance range overlapping is also undefined.

Well, temperature tolerance does not reduce any burning damage (except that from heat itself.

DR will be required for handle burning attacks

[Dragondog]

I figured it would be those two and I can calculate how much temperature tolerance is needed to live in both normal temperatures and at 2,000 degrees. But how many levels of DR would be needed?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Dragondog

I figured it would be those two and I can calculate how much temperature tolerance is needed to live in both normal temperatures and at 2,000 degrees. But how many levels of DR would be needed?

Well, being immersed in molten metal does 3d damage. I think you'd have to figure that it was the sudden temperature increase that caused the injury, as you could do just fine at environmental temperatures at which many metals would be liquid. You might take DR 10, which would be enough to stop the average rolled damage, or DR 20, which would stop the maximum possible roll.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Dragondog

But how many levels of DR would be needed?

There is no really firm answer, because burning damage is not particularly correlated with temperature -- temperature limits what targets can be affected at all, and limits the rate at which targets can be affected, but in many cases what matters more is the raw quantity of heat -- which can vary by several orders of magnitude between different sources. A candle flame and vat of liquid copper are both about 2,000F, one of them will be stopped (at least in combat time) by DR 1 gloves, the other will be for practical purposes instantly fatal.

[Culture20]

Originally Posted by Anthony

. A candle flame and vat of liquid copper are both about 2,000F, one of them will be stopped (at least in combat time) by DR 1 gloves, the other will be for practical purposes instantly fatal.

And if 2000F is normal temperature for you, the molten copper is no different than a vat of molten gallium at 86F is for normal humans.
Falling into a vat of copper should count as an ambient temperature shift and cause no damage per TT RAW.

[ericthered]

Ambient temperature you don't need to be protected from with DR. Attacks are a different matter. And they're tricky because as has been noted, they don't exactly scale with DR. As a GM I'd either handwave ignoring some attacks through just having Temperature tolerance or a high base temperature. As a player I might try to take insubstantial (accessibilty only vs. heat-based damage).

On the other hand, when I look at the damage different types of attacks do, I don't see very much in the way of burning damage that isn't ambient.

Most explosives do crushing damage, maybe with the incendiary modifier.
Plasma weapons probably have temperatures high enough that they still do damage.
Magic and powers are where you create fire generally create fire that looks like that of wood. Power modifiers may be able to justify why those don't do damage.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by ericthered

On the other hand, when I look at the damage different types of attacks do, I don't see very much in the way of burning damage that isn't ambient.

Flaming liquid projectors like flame-throwers.
FAEs.
Nukes.
Most directed energy weapons.

[Anthony]

Note that directed energy weapons tend to have fairly absurd temperatures (tens to hundreds of thousands of degrees), so temperature tolerance is mostly not an issue. Incendiary weapons and environmental hazards can easily be only a few thousand degrees, though.

[whswhs]

One other option is being Resistant or Immune to Heat or Cold (occasional) or to Thermal Stress (common). This represents, not having insulation that keeps your body temperature from changing when you're in a hot or cold environment (like fur or subcutaneous fat), but the ability of your metabolism to compensate for changes in internal body temperature. It's a partial substitute for Temperature Tolerance, but not for Damage Resistance; sudden or intense enough heat or cold can still harm you. See GURPS Supers, p. 104.