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Schilcote 02-24-2013 06:48 PM

Number Intuition
 
I'm building a character who has the ability to make supernaturally accurate guesses about the numerical properties of things; i.e, if he came across a chasm, he could just 'guess' how far the gap was down to the inch.

How would this be implemented advantage-wise? Intuition doesn't really seem to fit as a base.

ericthered 02-24-2013 06:57 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
What does it enable him to do besides that?

If its just flavor or allows measurement to be made I'd go with a perk

If it allows him to piolot rockets by knowing where it will end up and adjusting, thats something different.

Schilcote 02-24-2013 06:59 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
He's a mathematician and a physicist, so he can make pretty good use of the numbers he gets. He probably could eyeball the trajectory of a rocket if he had a piece of paper to do calculations on.

It's also his "one supernatural trait" (the setting dictates that we're normal people who have one odd thing about them that crops up sometimes), so it probably ought to be a full advantage.

roguebfl 02-24-2013 07:04 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
Have you looked at Lightning Calculator B66 especial the "Intuitive Mathematician" version?

Sunrunners_Fire 02-24-2013 07:05 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Schilcote (Post 1530307)
He's a mathematician and a physicist, so he can make pretty good use of the numbers he gets. He probably could eyeball the trajectory of a rocket if he had a piece of paper to do calculations on.

It's also his "one supernatural trait" (the setting dictates that we're normal people who have one odd thing about them that crops up sometimes), so it probably ought to be a full advantage.

Intuitive Mathematician [5] (GURPS Basic, pg 66)

Agemegos 02-24-2013 07:07 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
If he sees a hot redhead, can he guess his or her 'phone number? Bank balance? SAT score? SSN?

Schilcote 02-24-2013 07:07 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
Intuitive Mathematician is about the calculations themselves- his ability is getting the numbers in the first place.

EDIT:

Brett: No, just physical properties. Height, weight, blood alcohol content, that sort of thing he could do.

roguebfl 02-24-2013 07:20 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Schilcote (Post 1530314)
Intuitive Mathematician is about the calculations themselves- his ability is getting the numbers in the first place.

EDIT:

Brett: No, just physical properties. Height, weight, blood alcohol content, that sort of thing he could do.

you can get the distances, they know their own height and make the calculation of the measurements based on that for what they can see. they take "sight measurements"

of you want to it when you can't see, then you want Scanning Sense

Sunrunners_Fire 02-24-2013 07:21 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Schilcote (Post 1530314)
Intuitive Mathematician is about the calculations themselves- his ability is getting the numbers in the first place.

... Right.

Okay. You want to know the dimensions of the thing you are looking at. How does a normal person acquire those numbers? Comparison to an object of known dimensions at a known distance and some math. Normal people use their body parts for such comparison all the time; they simply do so unconsciously and without pinpoint precision due to it being an unthinking calculation rather than an intentional thing. (We call this "binocular vision" or "depth perception".)

This character does so instantly, with pinpoint precision, because it does the math faster than most computers can without even thinking about it. So it has the numbers. It knows the precise distance and dimensions of anything it looks at, it can look at a complex formula and just answer it, it can do engineering design and orbital transfer calculations in its' head.

Alternatively, you could just design it as:
Detect ("Numerical Properties Of Things", Very Common) (Analyzing, +100%; Cosmic (Because I say so!), +50%; Precise, +100%; Reflexive, +40%) [117]

Peter Knutsen 02-24-2013 07:21 PM

Re: Number Intuition
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Schilcote (Post 1530307)
He's a mathematician and a physicist, so he can make pretty good use of the numbers he gets. He probably could eyeball the trajectory of a rocket if he had a piece of paper to do calculations on.

It's also his "one supernatural trait" (the setting dictates that we're normal people who have one odd thing about them that crops up sometimes), so it probably ought to be a full advantage.

There's nothing in GURPS 4th Edition that says that you always have to represent "one odd thing abourt the character" with a single Advantage.

Sometimes correct simulation warrants two or three Advantages, or one Advantage and a Perk, or seven Advantages and a Power Talent and four Perks.


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