Waterproof surface: a perk?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Had a quick convo with the GM... best I can do with Essential Acid is 3d-3.

So no chlorine trifluoride for me.(

There is no actual definition of what "essential" acid is in chemical terms in the rules. It could be some highly active form of normal matter (for example, Essential Air might just be oxygen!). Or it could be some arcane form of matter that doesn't even exist in the real world; for example, a substance definable in terms of the alchemical elements. Or it might be magically created and not stable if taken into a mana-free area

All that the rules say is, "It has such and such properties."

For comparison, GURPS Powers: The Weird has several abilities based on "hyperacid." But there is no mandatory definition of what hyperacid is. It might be an acid, or an alkali, or an oxidizer, or a stabilized free radical, or just a highly efficient solvent. It's "weird science" and that's all you need to know. And it has the same properties as "alkahest," defined in the alchemy rules in GURPS Magic, which is effectively the same as essential acid.

As far as the flavor text is concerned, you can make stuff up. Though of course no one in medieval times would call it "chlorine trifluoride" anyway, because neither of those names had been coined that early; chlorine was named in 1810 and so was fluorine.

[Anthony]

Chlorine Trifluoride isn't an acid anyway. HF is. However, if ClF3 isn't good enough, there's always Dioxygen Difluoride.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Chlorine Trifluoride isn't an acid anyway. HF is. However, if ClF3 isn't good enough, there's always Dioxygen Difluoride.

Well as long as the fact its lifetime at anything above hard cryogenic temperatures is approximately zero isn't an issue for your application.

The scariest thing about ClF3 is it has actual *uses* - people actually manufacture and ship tank cars full of it.

[dcarson]

For ideas for (al)chemical fun the Things I Won't Work With section of the Pipeline blog is good. Here is chlorine trifluoride some empirical findings which is a video of normal protective gear going up in fireballs on exposure to CF3. Follow the link at the start of Sand Won't Save You This Time.

it’s bad enough when your reagent ignites wet sand, but the clouds of hot hydrofluoric acid are your special door prize if you’re foolhardy enough to hang around and watch the fireworks.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by malloyd

The scariest thing about ClF3 is it has actual *uses* - people actually manufacture and ship tank cars full of it.

And presumably the xenomorphs use it for blood. :o)