02-15-2019, 08:07 AM | #31 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: traveller
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
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02-15-2019, 08:23 AM | #32 |
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Iceland*
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
In flight, it seems fairly practical. I'm concerned, however, that anything similar to a hang-glider tripod might interfere with the ability of the pterosaur to launch itself airborne using its wings as extra legs.
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02-15-2019, 11:23 AM | #33 |
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Southern Sweden, possibly on an Alternate Earth
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
This thread is totally awesome! Thanks everyone.
Yes I am thinking of how to add these monsters somewhere.... |
02-15-2019, 04:03 PM | #34 |
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
I'm gearing up for a GURPS Space 1889 campaign on Venus so dinosaurs are a given. This means that there will be a area where the local tribes of lizardmen ride pterosaurs.
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02-15-2019, 04:15 PM | #35 | |
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Iceland*
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
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*The far more respectable specified handwavium.
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02-15-2019, 06:24 PM | #36 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
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02-15-2019, 06:57 PM | #37 | |
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Iceland*
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
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What will be the effects on other wildlife? How does this affect human endurance and comfort? What is the effect on the airship the visitors might have and the steam engines they no doubt use? What happens if the visitors fire cannon or the Maxim gun in an atmosphere of, say, around 25-30% oxygen, and with a significant* atmospheric pressure increase? What about a forge? How would this atmosphere affect the attempts of the omni-capable Scottish engineer to make spare parts for a downed airship in the Venusian wilds? *How much would you mean by 'significant', I wonder?
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02-15-2019, 07:22 PM | #38 | ||||||
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
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[/quote] What happens if the visitors fire cannon or the Maxim gun in an atmosphere of, say, around 25-30% oxygen, and with a significant* atmospheric pressure increase?[/quote]It goes bang! like normal, the bullets slow down faster (but not super fast - you won't notice except in long-range firefights), and you want to be a bit cautious about your muzzle flash around flammables. However, Venus is really wet and humid, so it's not too much of a problem (until the GM decides it is). Quote:
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02-15-2019, 07:34 PM | #39 | |
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Iceland*
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
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I gather, then, that it would not be wildly implausible to propose humans living in a place with a pressure of 1.5-2 atmospheres, with atmospheric oxygen around 30% in the air? But could such humans (or human like natives) ever form a civilization? Would they have to find highlands and mountains, where it might be drier and the air pressure less? Huh, and where they might be competing with pterosaurs with living space!
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02-15-2019, 07:54 PM | #40 | |
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: The plutonium rich regions of Washington State
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Re: Pterosaur Size, Weight, ST and Maximum Encumbrance when Flying
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Flammability usually scales with the oxygen fraction, rather than the absolute partial pressure. The main idea is that with 20% oxygen and 80% inert gasses (like Earth), every oxygen molecule that reacts has to share the energy of reaction with four other gas molecules, so whether it is one atmosphere total pressure or ten, you still get the same fraction of usable energy being sapped off that can't go into sustaining your fire. Now, a more detailed investigation gives some dependence on absolute partial pressure, but not a lot. So if you bump up the O2 partial pressure to 0.3, but increase the total atmospheric pressure to 1.5, the flammability won't change. Counter-intuitively, increased pressure doesn't change the thermal conductivity of the air. At oxygen partial pressures in excess of 0.5 atmospheres, you start getting into oxygen toxicity territory. This typically manifests as pulmonary inflammation and retinal detachment, with nervous system toxicity at very high partial pressures (> 1.5 atm.). For pulmonary inflammation, you experience coughing, a burning sensation upon inhalation, and shortness of breath. In extreme cases it can lead to alveolar collapse and suffocation. The onset of symptoms ranges from over half a day to as little as 3 hours at many times the threshold oxygen partial pressure. For atmospheric pressures above 2 atmospheres, you'll start to be affected by narcosis. At low levels it can manifest as a decrease in anxiety and increase in confidence. As the pressure climbs, judgement, reaction time, and coordination can be impaired while the victim becomes indecisive and has difficulty focusing, multi-tasking, and completing unpracticed tasks. This can be accompanied by difficultly in visual focusing, giddiness, anxiety, exhilaration, overconfidence, paranoia, or depression, depending on the victim, her personality, and history. At extreme concentrations, pressure narcosis leads to confusion, hallucinations, long delays in reaction time, dizziness, possible hysteria or panic, loss of recall, stupefaction, hallucinations, euphoria, sense of floating, progressive blackout, loss of sense of progression of time, unconsciousness, and death. The effects are cumulative with other mind-altering substances; alcohol and cannabis in otherwise safe amounts can lead to serious affliction. Nitrogen narcosis occurs within minutes of breathing high nitrogen pressures, and disappears within minutes of breathing at standard pressure. If you have relatively high levels of carbon dioxide in the air, you can suffer from hypercapnea. Clinical symptoms include tiredness, irritability, difficulty thinking, confusion, drowsiness, headaches, and trouble sleeping. Symptoms manifest within hours, and likewise disappear after several hours breathing air with reduced CO2. Interestingly, while the impairments of pressure narcosis and hypercapnea are cumulative, the symptoms often mask each other, making it more difficult to realize what is happening if both occur at the same time. Rapidly going between the high pressure atmosphere and a more normal pressure risks decompression sickness - most likely aching joints, but also rashes, swelling itchiness, vertigo, nausea, hearing loss, partial paralysis, limb weakness, malaise, generalized aches, fatigue, headache, and possible brain injury or difficulty breathing. Increased atmospheric density means that airships get more lift from a given volume of lifting gas. Given the same insolation, winds will be slower but will exert greater aerodynamic forces for the same speed. Venus, with more insolation, can expect to have more damaging winds and worse storms. The dense air makes it take somewhat more effort to breathe in and out. This might be countered by the increased oxygen, which means you don't have to breathe in as much. Luke |
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Tags |
dragons, pterodactyl, pterosaur, pterosaurs, realistic fantasy |
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