Micronization

[ssveter]

I have a robotech question sorta.

The character is a full-size Zentraedi and uses the micronization chamber to become normal sized. This is obviously Alternate Form with takes extra time (days) and accessibility, right? If so what are the percentages.

[Nereidalbel]

If the only thing that changes is your size, that's normally Shrinking. Either way, you're using a Gadget and Takes Extra Time (whatever multiplier fits your needs).

[Dead Monky]

It's not really using an innate ability. It's using a tool. Like a socket wrench or a mecha.

[Phantasm]

What I'd do is set up a racial package for Full-Sized Zentraedi, and treat a micronized Zentron as effectively having the Human racial package (though possibly with an ST bonus and slight Tough Skin DR).

That said, I wouldn't build it as an Alternate Form; it's more of a piece of superscience technology that permits swapping the two racial packages. Most of the Zentraedi who went micronized never returned to full size in the anime, only in the American comics and various later novels in that (slightly more internally consistent) timeline did a good number return to full-sized.

I should note that the procedure requires authorization to perform; Zentraedi don't have at-will access to it. (I seem to recall the The Sentinels novel and comics series indicating the last few micronization units were wearing out, so those Zentraedi returning to full size were the last who would undergo the procedure.)

What I'd look into is figuring out a weight, size, and dollar cost for the micronization chambers (power requirement is likely "uses external power").

[ssveter]

Thats all and good. At least from the GM side of things. I was trying to figure it out in game mechanics. The micronization facilitates the tranformation, hence the accessibility. If I recall correctly the process takes at least a day possibly a week and can only be done in the chamber.

I was thinking in terms of GURPS Supers. This character is a villain in my GURPS Supers "The Gulf Coast Avengers" campaign. The villain is an advanced scout for the empire.

[Nereidalbel]

Is the chamber limited to just the one "race" that's being shrunk, or, can you put ANYTHING in there?

Also, this sounds more like a plot device than a power, unless your Zentraedi can MacGyver another chamber together post-shrinking.

Still sounds more like Shrinking to me (with One Use Only if they can't return to full size)!

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Is the chamber limited to just the one "race" that's being shrunk, or, can you put ANYTHING in there?

Also, this sounds more like a plot device than a power, unless your Zentraedi can MacGyver another chamber together post-shrinking.

Still sounds more like Shrinking to me (with One Use Only if they can't return to full size)!

It's never shown to work on anything but Zentraiedi and the process looks rather bio-techish. The Z-guys are some of the original bioroids (biological androids) and are "vorn" full-sized in pods at c. 40-45 feet tall.

I actually could make a Zentraedi with Gurps Bio-tech at TL12 and in those terms the micronization process and its' reverse would be a sort of upload/download thing.

[Gadfly69]

There is 1 president that I am aware of for a non-Zen; in Macross DYRL, Maximillian was modified to the same size as Milia 639.
The events of the movie are referenced in the series (Macross 7) when their daughter asks questions about the movie that she is playing a part in, and is told that it really was like that by her parents. However, it doesn't dissuade from artistic leanings that that detail might have been movie only.

[Varyon]

This is an old thread that's been resurrected, but I'll note the upcoming GURPS Meta-Tech will have rules for creating a micronization chamber like this. As Nereidalbel noted, this would probably be built as Shrinking; take 5 levels of that (to go from 15 yards tall to 2) and turn it into a rather large piece of gear and you're good to go.