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Old 06-01-2010, 11:47 PM   #21
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post

How do they do this? They all have to have at least skill
22 in Flux Awareness and Flux Mastery, and they all have to
succeed in skill rolls on both to start, at -5 on both, just as Alminiyax
did above. They can individually spend Flux Points to help these rolls,
but they may need those points for the next step! Flux Affinity helps,
of course, just as above.
However, they go in sequence, telling the GM what order they
are rolling in when they tell the GM that they intend to combine their
efforts. Each one who succeeds in both skill rolls can join the
effort, but once one of them fails either roll, they either have to
start over or be content with the number of successes they have.
There is a -1 penalty on every skill roll for a repeat run of the
sequence, an they have to go in the same order again.

When they think they have enough, they must then make the attempt to
sway the Matrix to cooperate, (i.e. the GM makes the reaction roll on
behalf of the Matrix). The reaction roll is made once, the GM
treats them as one fluxon, averaging their positive and negatives
for the reaction roll. Here is where they start to really need those
Flux points, since the cumulative Flux Points spent add to the reaction
roll bonus!

The member of the group who most recently took part in an individual
or group Controlled Manifestation attempt counts as the most recent
for the whole group. If that attempt failed, add -1 to the reaction
roll for each member of the group. Thus the group is wise to make
sure that the person who most recently engaged in this activity
succeeded, it helps their reaction roll! Planning things out ahead
of time is important when using the Flux!

If the reaction roll is good enough, now comes the communication
roll. Their average skill in Flux Mastery becomes the collective
skill in the attempt to imprint their desires on the Matrix, again,
here's where the Flux Points are needed, since any project difficult
enough to need so many fluxons is likely to be operating under heavy
penalties to start with. If they fail this roll, something will still
happen, and since they are probably trying something spectacular,
there's a good chance whatever wrong things happen will be
spectacularly wrong!

The upshot is that any effort at a group-based Controlled
Manifestation needs the highest skill levels they can get, and should
be as rested, prepared, and on as possible!

It takes as many hours of game time to do a group imprint (meaning the
imprinting roll) as there are members in the group, and if they are
interrupted it automatically fails!

(The same is true of an individual effort, but the time involved is
far shorter, usually no more than one hour (GM's discretion)).
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Old 06-01-2010, 11:56 PM   #22
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

EXAMPLES:

In the year 2010, the Atlantean master fluxon NPC Ylarines and his
followers have decided to try and destroy a mountain dam in the
western United States, creating a disaster to distract official
attention from even more nefarious doings elsewhere. (What's an
Atlantean master fluxon doing in the modern USA? That's for me to
know.)

Ylarines has Flux Awareness 30, Flux Master 28, 3 levels of Flux
Affinity, and 60 Flux Points. Each of his six followers, for
convenience, we will say has one level of Flux Affinity, Flux
Awareness 28 and Flux Master 26, and 30 Flux Points, giving the group
a total of 240 Flux points if they can manage to spend them usefully.

They begin by gathering not far from their chosen target (distance
doesn't necessarily stop such activities, but it can add penalty to
the cost), they are on the top of the canyon overlooking the dam below
in the early dawn light. The seven of them begin chanting and
engaging in the autohypnotic processes that enable them to enter the
proper trance state for using the Flux on this level. The local area
has a Flux Rating of +1.

In GURPS terms, each one takes a turn to try and 'find' and 'contact'
the Flux. For each character the GM rolls against first the Flux
Awareness, and if they succeed then against their Flux Mastery, at
-5. (If these were PCs, the players would roll for their characters
and the choose the sequence beforehand). Of the seven, the first four
makes both rolls successfully. Ylarines went first, he now has three
other fluxons ready to join him. They can try again, but at -1 to the
effort, or make do with what they have.

With 150 Flux Points among them, Ylarines decides they have enough.
Now the Matrix (i.e. the GM) makes a reaction roll, with the following
bonuses and penalties: the average of their Flux Affinity is 1.5,
(6/4), rounding down to 1. That's a +1 on the reaction roll. None of
them have called on the Flux for anything complicated lately, the GM
decides that's worth a +1. They're asking for something fairly basic,
so that's only a -5 penalty. They spend 5 Flux points to cancel that
penalty, and another for a +5 bonus, leaving them with 140 in reserve.

The GM rolls 3d and gets a 14, adding +1 for the average Flux Affinity
bonus and +10 for the spent Flux Points gives 24, they made the roll
easily. In fact they'd have made it without spending their points,
but they had no way to know that beforehand and those 10 Flux Points
are lost.

Now that they can sense that the Matrix will go along, they attempt to
imprint their wishes onto the Matrix. This takes 4 hours of game time
(4 fluxons in the effort). In GURPS terms, the GM averages the Flux
Mastery skills of the four contributing fluxons, (30+28+28+28)/4=28.5,
round down to 28. Add +1 for the
local Flux Rating. They have to roll below 29 on 3d to succeed. This
does not mean success is guaranteed, however! Now we look at the
cost of what they’re trying to do.

The GM considers the situation. They want something basically simple
(break a dam), but fairly large (it's a big, solidly made Bureau of
Reclamation dam anchored on both sides in good solid dense rock), but
they don't want to just break it, they want to pulverize it, shatter
it into gravel (to set a mystery for the authorities to puzzle over). Pulverizing
a well-made, well-placed concrete dam takes quite a bit of energy, so
the GM decides that a -50 penalty is in order.

Ylarines and his fellows decide to spend 50 Flux points to kill the
penalty, meaning that they succeed on anything but a critical
failure. This leaves them with 90 Flux points among them (costs
divided equally, rounded down).

The GM rolls, gets a 6, the Matrix properly understood what they had
in mind and acts upon it immediately. In the canyon below, without
any warning, the dam suddenly begins to vibrate for no visible reason,
as a surge of psychokinetic activity grips it, the water in the
reservoir behind the dam churns in sympathy, the power wires leading
from the power plant strum and break, then the metal pylons anchoring
the power lines to the canyon wall begin to fall apart. Cars driving
along the road on top the dam are shoved off into the water on one
side, over the 700 foot drop to the other as alternating waves of
psychic force sweep through the structure.

Then, just minutes later, the dam begins to disintegrate, solid
concrete crumbling steadily into gravel-sized chunks, and the
reservoir begins to sweep through the space being evacuated by the
collapsing dam. A wall of water sweeps along the canyon...

Last edited by Johnny1A.2; 12-14-2015 at 10:24 PM.
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Old 06-02-2010, 12:06 AM   #23
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

EXAMPLE:

What if another fluxon did not like the idea of what Ylarines and his
accomplices are doing? Well, if another group of fluxons has the
necessary skills and Flux points, there are two general ways they can
oppose him, the crude way and the subtle way.

The crude way is to use Flux power to oppose a manifestation with a
manifestation. In our above example, suppose that another Atlantean
master fluxon, the redoubtable Adaronades, and his student-fluxon
Tamara (from our above examples) and her husband Phillip happen to on
the opposite side of the canyon, playing tourist. Shortly after
Ylarines starts his nefarious activities, Adaronades senses what's
happening, and Phillip looks through his binoculars in the direction
Adaronades sensed activity and they spot Ylarines.

Adaronades realizes he has only a few moments to do anything, since he
can feel that the other team is almost past the point where it's safe
to interrupt him. By himself he lacks enough Flux points to do
anything too big, Tamara lacks the skills to help with a Controlled
Manifestation or fighting one directly. So he has to try something
quick and crude. Luckily he has Flux Awareness 37 and Flux Mastery
35, and 60 Flux points and has level 2 Flux Affinity, all of which
helps now. He succeeds in his sense and mastery rolls, and goes for a
very simple Controlled Manifestation, and spends 20 Flux Points on his
reaction roll to help it along, he succeeds. He spends another 20
Flux points on the controlling roll, which has only a modest penalty
because it's so simple. He makes it the roll.

Even as Ylarines and Co. are in the approaching the last safe moment
to stop them, Adaronades' manifestation appears: a sudden tremendous
surge of psychokinetic force sweeps Ylarines and his allies over the
edge of the cliff, sending them plummeting to their deaths.

EXAMPLE:
If Adaronades and his companions were a little later, Ylarines would
have been too far along to safely interrupt, interrupting the process
without proper care could be just as bad as letting him finish it. Once
the Matrix ‘reaction roll’ is successfully made, interrupting the control
stage counts as a badly fumbled control roll, a wide variety of things
could then happen, but something will happen.

The last safe point to interrupt a Controlled Manifestation, in game
terms, is before the GM makes the reaction roll.

By himself, Adaronades probably could not safely stop things if it got
that far. If he had enough high-skill, high Flux Point help, though,
he could either let Ylarines finish while setting up his own
counteracting Controlled Manifestation, or he could try to 'contest'
the manifestation.

The first is straightforward, it might consist of something like
collapsing the rock walls of the canyon down-stream to contain the
rushing flood, or the like. The effort would work like any other
Controlled Manifestation, no contests of skill or anything of the sort
involved, it would just be a matter of one group using the Flux to
create an effect, another creating a different effect, and letting
them interact like any other physical phenomena.

The other way is to 'contest' the Manifestation. Contesting a
Manifestation works roughly the same as creating one. The fluxon(s)
involved must make their Awareness and Mastery rolls, and then the
'contesting' group makes a reaction roll too, in effect asking the
Matrix to stop whatever it's doing for the other group. Whichever group
gets a better result on their reaction roll from the Matrix ‘wins’ the
contest. That is, if the contesting group gets a higher reaction roll
than the first group did, the control of the manifestation shifts to them.
He/she/they must then make a Flux Mastery roll of their own to either
shape the manifestation or dismiss it, just as if they had started the process.

Note that the first group can then attempt to contest it again, to
regain control, and if they succeed their opponents can try
again...but each time this happens the reaction roll penalties get
worse. In game terms, the Matrix is getting irritated by the constant
importuning. Normally a 'good' or better reaction is needed for
anything to happens on a Controlled Manifestation, something is
already happening, the reaction rolls are a struggle for control, and
can keep going down. When one side or the other hits a ‘very bad'
or worse result (1-3 or less), both groups lose control and the
manifestation runs wild.

Note that there are no limits to have many different fluxons or groups
of fluxons can contest for control of a manifestation, but the more
contestants the faster the situation is likely to turn into an out-of-
control disaster.

For example, suppose Adaronades had enough support to 'contest'. He
and his people go through the same processes they would if they were
trying for a Controlled Manifestation of their own, but when they
reach the part when the GM rolls their reaction roll, they have to not
just get a 'good' reaction, they have to equal or beat the Matrix's
reaction to the first group. A tie is a win. If they succeed, they
then must get their own wishes across the Matrix (succeed on a Flux
Mastery roll), even if their intention is simply for the whole thing
to dissipate harmlessly.

Suppose Adaronades and Ylarines get into a series of contests for
control, driving the Matrix into an irritated state, until finally
Ylarines tries once too many times. In GURPS terms the GM rolls a 2
on the reaction roll, the Matrix is now irritated and the dam does not
just crumble, it essentially explodes, spraying billions of bits of
gravel at assault-rifle velocity in all directions! Or maybe the
effect hits the walls instead of the dam itself and the canyon
collapses downstream leaving the dam intact. Or something equally out
of control happens. The GM is free to indulge his imagination.
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Old 06-02-2010, 12:13 AM   #24
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

OK, the above thread captures most of the basics of the Flux in GURPS
gaming terms, though there are lots of implications and details left
unmentioned. A few considerations and a bit of recap:

1. Almost all Flux-related game events boil down to two GURPS skills,
Flux Awareness and Flux Mastery. The former enables the fluxon to
sense and perceive the Flux, with its ebbs and flows, pulsations
and shifts and alterations. The second enables the fluxon to
communicate with the Matrix (the mind behind the Flux) to command the
power. Flux Mastery skill is limited to (Flux Awareness -2). Almost
everything involving the Flux can be 'gamed' with these two skills.

2. Unlike most GURPS skills, where super-high levels of skill show
diminishing returns, Flux Awareness and Flux Mastery keep on getting
more useful even with skill levels in the 30s and 40s, because
enormously high skill levels help offset the tremendous 'cost' of the
higher level Flux powers, especially the fantastically powerful and
versatile Controlled Manifestation ability. The usual diminishing returns
effect simply does not apply here, a skill of 40 is notably better than 20,
and a skill of 50 would be more useful yet.

3. It's [i]theoretically[i] possible to teach yourself the Flux skills
from written references and other such sources, but it's much harder,
much of the talent of a fluxon is a learned thing, best taught by
direct experience. Triple all learning times for flux training
without a skilled teacher.

4. Even with high skill, there are ways to lose access to the Flux
power, or to have it become reluctant to respond to you. Likewise,
there are things that can make the Flux temporarily more malleable to
a fluxon.

5. The Flux can be a very powerful tool, but it's also quite
dangerous, in ways both subtle and gross! Like fire or fission, it
makes a good servant and a very bad master.

6. Since there is really no upper limit of diminishing returns on
the Flux Awareness and Flux Mastery skills, and both are ‘expensive’
in game terms, an high IQ is very very useful for a would be
fluxon.

OK, let's talk about some of those dangers in item 5. We've already
mentioned some of what can go wrong with critical failures on the
skill rolls, or if a contest of control gets too intense. Other risks and
dangers exist implicit in Flux power as well.

One of the dangers has its roots in the fact that the Flux is
basically the psychic field of the Matrix mentality, just as an
individual Homosentient has a personal psychic field that is the basis
of psi. This super-psychic field can be and is influenced by other
minds, indeed this is the basis of Flux skill. It happens in a more
general way as well, however. The Flux takes on an impression from
the thoughts, emotions, and imaginations of living beings in proximity
to it, meaning in practice almost everyone. The impression is barely
there, faint, a ghostly semi-presence...on the scale of the Matrix.
On a mortal scale it can be quite significant.


Thus the Flux reacts to the thoughts and feelings of the general
population, and indeed of the plant and animal kingdoms, any
biological mind with sufficient self-awareness to have feelings
or desires or thoughts may influence the Flux slightly. The effect of
any one individual is usually almost immeasurably slight, but
cumulative effects can become important. More potent minds have
greater effects as well, thus Homosentient thoughts and feelings can
be especially important in influencing the Flux whenever there is a
large population of Homosentients in one locale ('locale' meaning a
planet or something of comparable size).

This means that especially common, universal thoughts and feelings can
be especially influential on the Flux. A feeling, thought, or image
common to millions of minds is more likely to leave its mark on the
Flux than something occupying only a few minds. Also, an especially
intense emotional image or idea will be more potent than a more
'relaxed' one. In some cases the overall behavior of the Flux may
even change in response to such influences, Flux-based phenomena may
actually start to behave in the way that large numbers of people
'expect' them to. This does not always happen, but it is does
happen often.
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Old 06-02-2010, 12:16 AM   #25
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

I mentioned something called a Spontaneous Manifestation above.
That's what it's called when the Flux causes some effect without any
specific command or request from a fluxon, reacting instead to the
randomized images and feelings and thoughts it absorbs from the myriad
minds that it briefly touches all the time. It's as if the Flux has a
sudden overload of local energy, and attempts to shed it by producing
a random effect. Spontaneous Manifestations happen throughout space
and time, but usually they are totally natural-seeming events. When
large numbers of living beings are close at hand (such as a planetary
population), the Flux can and often does begin to shed these energy
surges by manifesting something reflecting absorbed mental/emotional
images and thoughts.

This can range from the trivial to the humorous to the awe-inspiring
to the terrifying, depending on the circumstances and the intensity.

Note that such effects rarely if ever reflect a single person's
complicated thinking or imaginings, instead they tend to reflect
generalied things, things that many minds might recognize or dwell
upon. Emotional resonance helps, too. If you were not too far from
Disneyworld, and one day you saw a cloud apparently sculpted by wind
into a nearly perfect image of Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, you might
(highly likely) be losing your mind...or you might be seeing a
Spontaneous Manifestation (unlikely, but not impossible).

This would be a fairly harmless Spontaneous Manifestation...not all of
them are so safe.

The higher the local Flux Rating, the more the chance of a Spontaneous
Manifestation, and the more spectacular it can tend to be.

Even in high-Flux areas, such events are uncommon, but they do
happen. They're more likely in some specially affected areas, about
which we'll talk more later.
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Old 06-02-2010, 12:30 AM   #26
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

The example from upthread of Adaronades using the Flux to just
sweep his opponents to their deaths raises the question: in a complex
fight between fluxons, would not 'quick and dirty' techniques be the
favored means of battle? One fluxon can invoke them, they're fast, and
they're brutally effective. So why would anything more complex be
used?

The answer is that there are defenses against these techniques.

The first defense is common sense, if Ylarines and his fellows had not
been standing so close to the edge of a steep lethal drop, it would
have taken more than a simple shove to deal with them. They were
careless and had no idea another fluxon was around, making Adaronades'
task easier. The common sense defense against Flux-based attacks is
to avoid situations where the 'natural danger level' is high, since
that makes it easier to use a modest manifestation to cause a bad
(for you) result.

The second and more general defense is to use the Flux to guard
against such attacks. This technique we will call 'warding', and like
everything else to do with the Flux, in game terms it involves the
familiar basic Flux skills. It works almost like a Controlled
Manifestation, and in fact it could be considered a form of that.

A minimum skill level of 20 in both skills is needed, and again a -5
penalty applies to both rolls. A success on both means that the
fluxon has found and made contact with the Matrix/Flux.

But to ward himself or someone or something else, the next step is
slightly different. Instead of seeking some physical effect, the
fluxon is asking that the Matrix 'immunize' whoever or whatever is
being warded from attack by others using the Flux. Again the GM
makes a reaction roll, and again the fluxon can spend Flux Points to gain a
roll bonus. (Note that the ‘reaction rolls’ I keep talking about are just
that, perfectly conventional GURPS style reaction rolls, treating the
Matrix as if it was an NPC reacting to a character.)

Warding is 'easier' than other Controlled Manifestations, though, since
instead of asking the Matrix/Flux to do something, the fluxon
is asking that it not do something...later. A 'neutral' or better
reaction is a success, and each higher level of success (i.e. good,
very good, or excellent) gives a +1 bonus on the following skill roll.

Now the fluxon (assuming he made the first roll) notes what he wants
warded and how intensely, and rolls vs. his Flux Mastery skill, with a
bonus from the previous reaction roll (+1 for good, +2 for very good,
+3 for excellent), along with the usual bonuses from the local Flux
Rating and Flux Affinity. The GM assesses a penalty based on the
thing warded and much it is to be warded.

If the fluxon makes his skill roll, he (or the other subject) receives
the requested warding. A failed roll has no result at all, except to
consume however many Flux Points were spent. This process is very
safe, there's little risk of anything going wrong with a warding
attempt, assuming one doesn't blow the initial attempt to make contact
(a risk common to all Flux use).


The effect of the Ward is that any attempt to use the Flux to attack
the Warded object suffers a penalty on the skill and reaction rolls
of the attack. This works against both Uncontrolled and Controlled
Manifestations, and even offers protection from the natural
Spontaneous Manifestations. The only thing is offers no protection
from is the parallel-psi technique, because this works through the
mind and body of a fluxon and involves no overt manifestation, it does
not apply to that.

Suggestions for penalty roll on the skill roll for GM:


Fluxon seeks to ward only himself: -3 * Ward Rating

Fluxon seeks to ward a group including himself: (2* number of group *
(-3 * Ward Rating))

Fluxon seeks to ward one other person: (-5 * Ward Rating)

Fluxon seeks to ward group not including himself: (2 * number in group
* (-5 * Ward Rating))

Fluxon seeks to ward object: -5 * Ward Rating * number of hexes
object occupies


These are just guidelines, the GM can and should apply bonuses and
penalties according to specific circumstances.

The Ward Rating is the penalty on the reaction and skill rolls used to
attack whatever is warded.

EXAMPLE:

Ylarines survived the fall from the cliff due to Villain
Survival Effect (i.e. the good guys didn't find the body afterward).

He eventually recovers, and sets out for revenge on Adaronades. He
searches high and low, tracks him across the country, and finally he
catches up to Adaronades, finding him having a late dinner in a little
diner in a small town in Iowa. Watching from his car across the
street, listening to the driving rain and musing over how he was
wronged by Adaronades (after all, Ylarines was minding his own
business in the process of trying to engage in mass murder, and
Adaronades went and interfered, insufferable busybody), Ylarines
launches his attack.

Ylarines figures he'll keep it simple, and tries for a Controlled
Manifestation, he asks the Flux to choke Adaronades to death. That's
easy, basic, and simple, and Ylarines spends several Flux Points to
make sure it works.

Trouble is, Adaronades Warded himself heavily, unknown to the outraged
Ylarines. Ylarines gets off to a good start, his first two rolls (to
find and connect with the Flux) go well. Then he tries for his
strangling Manifestation, and things promptly go sour.

His reaction roll is penalized by Adaronades' ward, which has a -25
rating. The GM rolls 3d, and when all the Flux Points and everything
else are totaled up, he gets a 16, a very good reaction. However, the
Ward Rating now subtracts 25 leaving a -21, a Disastrous reaction.
Because it was a Ward penalty, there's no real loss to Ylarines'
popularity with the Matrix, it's just that the Matrix has already been
programmed against what Ylarines wants. He has to try again,
spending more Flux Points to make up for the deficit.

(NOTE: The GM should NOT tell the player exactly how
many
Flux Points are needed to overcome the penalties, the penalties
are secret, because the character has no way to know except to try
and see! A fluxon can make an Awareness roll at any time to try and get a
'sense' of what is needed, but the answer will be something general,
like 'at least 20 points are needed', or 'something like 30'. On a
critical success on a Flux Awareness roll, the exact penalties are
revealed.)

Suddenly suspecting that Adaronades is protected, Ylarines tries to
sense how strong the protections are. His player rolls against Flux
Awareness, and gets a success, he learns that it will take at least 15
Flux Points, but how many more he doesn't know. (On a crit success
he'd be told he needs '25' to kill the penalty.)

Ylarines spends 20 more Flux Points on the next try, the GM rolls an
18, and because of the extra Flux Points the -25 Ward penalty is only
-5, final result 13. That's a 'good', Ylarines is back in business.

BUT...he still has to explain to the Matrix what he wants, i.e. his
player must make a Flux Mastery roll as with any other Controlled
Manifestation. Knowing Adaronades is warded, he spends another extra
20 Flux Points, and on the 3d roll he makes a 16. When all the
bonuses and penalties (including the Flux Points and the Ward penalty)
are added up, Ylarines' player ends with 37, his roll failed!

In game terms, the Matrix 'protects' Adaronades, since Ylarines failed
to overcome the previous programming. This protection takes the form
of doing something else (i.e. skill roll failure). The idling engine
of Ylarines' car fails, as the Flux proceeds to use PK to choke off
the fuel line of his car, instead of the breathing passages of
Adaronades. The fuel pump promptly gives out, the fuel line bursts
and sprays expensive gasoline everywhere, Ylarines curses in Atlantean
and pounds on the driver's wheel in frustration, and in the diner,
Adaronades asks the waitress for a slice of apple pie with a big scoop
of ice cream, blissfully unaware of the drama playing out across the
street.
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Old 06-02-2010, 12:36 AM   #27
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

In the above example, Ylarines tried to use the Flux to attack
Adaronades _directly_. But the Ward also protects from indirect
Flux-based attacks.

EXAMPLE:

Replaying the example above, Ylarines decides to try to make
it look like an accident. Instead of trying to strangle Adaronades
with PK, Ylarines asks the Matrix to collapse the restaurant roof.
That's a little more energy than simple strangulation, and is a bit
more complicated, so the penalties are worse, but still not too very
bad from Ylarines' point of view. He makes his rolls, but again he
finds that when he gets to the reaction roll it's weirdly hard. The
thing is, as long as Ylarines himself knows that his ultimate goal
is harming Adaronades, directly or indirectly, the Matrix will
sense that too, through the connection with the Flux, and the Ward
kicks in.

Once again, Ylarines has to spend far more Flux Points than he
thought he would for so basic an effect, and again he blows the
final skill roll because of the Ward penalty. This time, instead of
collapsing the roof of the diner, the Flux blows the hood, trunk,
sunroof, and doors of every car on the street right off their hinges,
making a horrible ruckus!

All this noise alerts the inhabitants of the diner that something's
up, just as the waitress brings Adaronades his apple pie. He walks to
the door to see what's up, and sees doors and trunks and hoods and
other car-parts scattered through the street, a plethora of damaged
parks cars, and sitting in a ripped open car across the street is
Ylarines, pounding on the wheel of his car and cursing in Atlantean as
the rain through his now-open sunroof soaks him.

This time our villain managed to give State Farm some interesting
insurance claims, but Adaronades is still safe and sound (the same
can't be said of his car, but better his car than him!)

Warding is cumulative, multiple wards can be piled upon one person or
one object or one being to raise to cost of attacking it, though each
subsequent additional Ward must be laid at a penalty that doubles with
each effort. That is, for a second layer of protection, the reaction
and skill rolls are at -1, for a third ward -2, for a fourth layer of
Warding it's -4, then -8, -16, and so. Flux Points can cancel this,
but additional layers of protection get expensive.

Still, master fluxons in the Antediluvian Age might well have triple-
digit Ward penalties protecting them. Funny how much work and effort
people will go to in order to stay alive and healthy.

OK, the above gives some idea of how the Matrix/Flux works, I should
probably have given it a separate thread, given how much of it there
was, but it is part of the 'basics' of the backstory. A few other odd
bits and pieces about it:

1. Flux use costs nothing in terms of energy form the user, other than
the effort of concentration.


This is important. Whenever the Flux is tapped into, it's doing all the work.
The only effort put out by the fluxon is the effort necessary for the basic
concentration to use it. That might, in hard cases, cost a bit of Fatigue,
but otherwise it's perfectly possible for a fluxon to wipe out an army and
not even be breathing hard when s/he finishes.

2. The Flux can be used, in theory, to do just abotu anything (a few limits
exist, but not many). Game balance is maintained by the GM, who has
the 'handle' necessary by his/her right to set the penalties for each major
effect. It's necessary to be both fair and ruthless. The GM should not set
penalties arbitarily far worse for the same basic effect for one fluxon than
another without a specific reason. OTOH, the GM should not hesitate to set
appropriately high penalties for big, dangerous, complicated things. This is a
different thing than most GURPS skill rolls, though it sill uses the basic 3d.
The GM should be prepared to assign three and four digit penalties when the
situation calls for it, that's the reason for the Flux Points.

Make the fluxons cherish their Flux Points!! This is how you can make a
fluxon both very powerful (they're supposed to be) and keep them from going
totally Munchkin on you (which Flux power would readily permit if the GM doesn't
make sure the Flux Points are necessary!)

3. The fluxon has nothing to do with the effects s/he generates other than
making them happen in the first place. Once a Manifestation is going, killing
the fluxon won't stop it
unless s/he included that feature in the 'program'.
For that matter, unless the fluxon specified the ability to make the manifestation
stop at will, s/he will have to go through the process again to make the Manifestation
end early!

Now, I'm thinking that we've just about wrapped up the 'basics', but I might think of
something else that goes on this thread.

Last edited by Johnny1A.2; 06-06-2010 at 11:13 PM.
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Old 06-02-2010, 12:55 AM   #28
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

I promised upthread to post these two tables:

Note that this is not an inclusive list of all possible manifestations.
Use it as a guideline.

RANDOM FLUX MANIFESTATION TABLE
---------------------------------------------------------------
03 - All hexes adjacent to fluxon suffer Richter 9 vibrations.

04 - All hexes adjacent to fluxon temperatures drop by 25 degrees F
per round for 1d rounds

05 - All hexes adjacent to fluxon temperature rises 25 degrees F per
round for 1d rounds

06 - Mental attack manifestation, all hexes 3d or closer to fluxon
suffer effect of mental stab at power 3d.*

07 - Darkness! Photokinetic manifestation blocks out all light over
area 3d*10 yards around fluxon.

08 - Small local earthquake, Richter intensity 2d-2 2 minimum 2.

09 - Lightballs! Ball-lightning like manifestations materialize in
surrounding hexes, doing 2d damage on contact.

10 - Paralysis field effect opposes all motion, whether by living
thing or machine or anything else in range of effect (3d*100 yards),
with equivalent of ST 50.

11 - Psychological manifestation, everyone within 3d*100 yards must
save vs. Will or fall into total terrified panic.

12 - Serious regional earthquake! Richter intensity 2d-2 minimum 4.

13 - Major dangerous weather manifestation (GM discretion based on
local climate, whatever kind of dangerous weather might afflict the
region can happen)

14 - Lightballs! Ball-lightning-like manifestation sweeps through
entire local region, damage as in case 09.

15 - Poltergeist activity! (range, duration, and strength GM
discretion, at least 100 yards across)

16 - Deathwave. All living things within 3d*10 yards must save vs HT
at -2 or expire!* No visible cause of death, though high TL examination might
reveal some information.

17 - Darkness! Photokinetic manifestation casts a region 1d miles
across in total darkness for 1d rounds.

18 - Madness! Everyone within 3d*100 yards must save vs. Will or
suffer temporary insanity (GM discretion)

* Effects friend and foe alike, only fluxon unaffected, unless fluxon
can gain control of manifestation.

The above table is simply for convenience or a guideline, the
potential random manifestations available to the Flux are almost
limitless, and the scale can range from the trivial to the
nightmarish. GM should make the call based on circumstances and
situation.

Last edited by Johnny1A.2; 06-02-2010 at 01:01 AM.
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Old 06-02-2010, 12:58 AM   #29
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

FLUX FAILURE TABLE
----------------------------------------

03 - Lucked out, fluxon and everyone within 1 hex has a splitting
headache for 1d6 hours

04 - Fluxon suffers -10 penalty on all Flux skill rolls for 1
planetary day.*

05 - Fluxon suffers -10 penalty on all Flux skill rolls for 1d6 local
planetary days*

06 - Fluxon loses all Flux abilities for 1d6 planetary days

07 - Fluxon takes 1d6 damage direct to hit points (GM specify specific
nature of damage)

08 - Fluxon and everyone within adjacent hexes takes 1d6 damage to hit points

09 - Fluxon knocked unconscious, takes 1d6 damage to hit points

10 - Fluxon unconscious, takes 2d6 damage to hits points, everyone
within adjacent hexes takes 1d6 hits

11 - One person within adjacent hexes (randomly chosen) must
successfully roll vs HT or die instantly. If nobody in area of
effect, roll again.

12 - Everyone within adjacent hexes must roll successfully vs HT or
die instantly. If nobody in area of effect roll again.

13 - Explosion does 3d damage to everyone within 100 yards, fluxon
unaffected.

14 - Local earthquake (2d-2) on Richter scale, effects (3d6 * 100)
yards in all directions. (If in earthquake territory near a fault
line, roll 3d again, _major_ earthquake occurs on 3-9)

15 - Major earthquake! (If in earthquake zone _catastrophic_
earthquake occurs on 3-15 on 3d roll)

16 - Freak event! Firestorms blaze from nowhere, local weather
changes in bizarre ways (GM use judgement based on local climate),
bizarre psychic manifestation, other [1]

17 - Deadly psychic manifestation, everyone within 1 mile roll vs IQ
or suffer effect of mental stab with a Power equal to local Flux
Rating. Animals tend to die outright, plants may be affected in
strange ways. Also roll _again_.

18 - Roll _three more times_ on table. Roll again on contradictory
results. [2][3]


[1] The GM should judge the size of the freak event on the conditions,
the higher the local Flux Rating, the bigger the area of effect should
be.

[2] For example, let's say the 3 repeat rolls are a 6, an 8, and an
11. The 8 says the fluxon is unaffected, the 6 says the fluxon is
unconscious. GM should choose one and reroll it.

[3] Yes, this implies that the bad results can keep coming and coming
if the player is really having a bad day.
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Old 06-06-2010, 11:27 PM   #30
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: The Orichalcum Universe...Basics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post

Now, I'm thinking that we've just about wrapped up the 'basics', but I might think of
something else that goes on this thread.
I think what I'm going to do is use this 'basics' thread to post things that explain or go into more detail about stuff on the long threads.

In my thread about the Solarigens, I discuss the 'buddings' the alien biologicla machine NEMESIS uses to imbue intelligence into its machines. Here are some details about that:
---------------------------------------------------


This is a feature used for certain machines in my backstory. Recall
that the entity NEMESIS (the entity itself, not the planetoid and its
associated machinery) is basically an artificially-created
helium-suspension life-form, a creation of the Helians.

NEMESIS has access to a wide array of TL10 and TL11 tech, but it
still can not do certain things, including construct a purely
electronic/conventional AI system with the kind of self-initiative
necessary for working totally unsupervised for long periods (in this
context, 'long' can mean hundreds of millennia) unsupervised. It can
built rather impressive neural-net computers, with high effective IQs,
but they lack the sort of imagination and will a sapient being
possesses.

What NEMESIS can do is 'bud' off tiny sections of itself, (recalling
that NEMESIS is almost half a mile in diameter), ranging in size from
30 cm up to 5 meters. The larger the 'budding', the more
intelligent the creature that results, but in any case they always
embody all of the basic directives and goals incorporated into
NEMESIS. They can later be remerged, without any conflict, since
NEMESIS lacks anything comparable to the Homosentient ego, and so do
its 'buddings'.

These buddings are sapient, with the larger ones being more
intelligent and powerful than the smaller, much like computers.
NEMESIS generally incorporates such buddings into well-protected
life-support mechanisms, linking them to actual fairly conventional
computers, and uses them to incorporate reliable, capable
self-motivated intelligence into its machines. This is critical,
because not even NEMESIS can communicate in real time over
interstellar distances, save by use of special relays, and
teleoperation at such distances is out of the question at TL11.

Because these 'Nemetic Brains' are living things, they require a
life-support system, and because that life is Heliugen, they together
with their support systems are bulky and fragile, for TL11 tech. But
they can provide the sapient intelligence that NEMESIS can not build
into its conventional computers.

Since Heliugen life requires temperatures no more than a few degrees
above absolute zero, considerable additional equipment is necessary
for any Nemetic Brain that must operate in an environment clement for
Solarigen life, as many must do. Even the smallest Nemetic Brain
assembly capable of reliable operation on an Earth-like world, using
the smallest 'budding' class, is rarely more compact than 100 cubic
feet, when life-support systems, insulation, and other necessities are
added in. Fortunately, from the POV of NEMESIS, the larger Nemetic
Brains can use much the same life support systems the smaller ones
can, so the increase in size is not linear. The big
'macroframe-scale' Nemetic Brains are a partial exception, since they
are already so large (5 meters across in some cases). Matters are
simplified for NEMESIS by the fact that such huge buddings are almost
never deployed in Solarigen environments anyway, they are very rare
and usually used to run entire automated bases or the like.

NEMETIC BRAIN IQ factors (before any experience, size is diameter, not
volume):

Size 1 (~30 cm) IQ 8
Size 2 (~60 cm) IQ 10 Will +1 Intuition Advant (-1 on all Int rolls)
Size 3 (~100 cm) IQ 14 Will +2 Intuition Advant (+1on all Int rolls)
Size 4 (~2 meters) Q 16 Will +3 Intuition Advant (+1 on all Int rolls)
Size 5 (~2 -5 meters) IQ 17 Will +4 Intuition Advantage (+2 on all
Int rolls)
Size 6 (~5- 10 meters) IQ 18 Will +5 Intuition Advant (+3 on all Int
rolls)

In addition to greater effective intelligence, the number of
multitasks each Nemetic Brain can perform simultaneously grows with
size.

Size 1 - Operate a single small ship and Infiltrator robot.

Size 2 - Operate a major spaceship or 2D6 teleoperated robots at
human-normal ability levels.

Size 3 - Operate any vessel NEMESIS ever built, run a small base,
supervise up to 20 smaller Nemetic Brains, simultaneously teleoperate
up to 200 Infiltrators.

Size 4, Size 5, and Size 6 are rarely seen outside NEMESIS' automated
bases and hidden facilities, though rare exceptions exist. Their
abilities rise steadily. A Size 6 Nemetic Brain can run thousands of
complex operations simultaneously, with effective conscious attention.

Such 'macroframe' versions are quite rare, since they are expensive
to produce and stabilize, and such capacity is rarely required 'in the
field'.

Note that all Nemetic Brains share certain limitations in common with
their 'parent' creature. They are derived from a very alien origin,
sharing not even the same basic chemistry as Homosentient life. This
sometimes limits their ability to fully comprehend and predict the
reactions of Homosentients in various situations (and vice versa).
They all share the same programming compulsions as their parent
creature, and are literally incapable of intentional disloyalty to
the master program they share with NEMESIS.

Nemetic brains are fragile, once exposed outside their protective casings,
even the slightest damage will destroy one. Note also that any direct
exposure to any environment habitable to a Homosapient will be instantly
lethal. [1]

These fragile creatures will usually be encased within protective armor and
life-support equipment, however. [2]



[1] In GURPS terms, an exposed nemetic brain can be destroyed by 1 hit
of damage at sizes 1 and 2, by 1d hits of damage for sizes 3, 4, and 5, and
a size 6 will require 2d hits. They can not survive Earth-range temperatures,
or chemical environments, even momentarily.

[2] Thus the 'combat stats' of a nemetic brain will actually depend on the
capabilities of the hardware that houses it. Any attack that actually
reaches the creature will probably destroy it.
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