The Recent "Mind Loads" Thread
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From a purely role-playing and story-telling angle, the limitation that a Psi
loose intelligence, skills, knowledge, or personality in a mind-transfer is so
limiting to the ability that it is extremely unlikely to be used (at least for
this purpose). This may have been the intent of the original author of the
power. Personally, I would have this power either (A) work only between
members of the same species, with the newly transferred personality have all of
the intelligence, skills, and personality (perhaps with fragments or tints of
the previous personality), or (B) make it magic, and allow the Psi to transfer
to any mind of any creature, retaining full personality, intelligence, and
mental abilities, or (C) not allow it at all.
In my opinion, the power should be chosen for its story-telling and
question-raising ability, and the rationale worked out from that. Suspension of
disbelief can be worked on pretty flimsy ground, of the story is interesting.
On the other hand, if the story is dull, even the most well-reasoned mechanics
are not going to help. So do what you are comfortable with!
You know that you are onto something when the players (all on their own) start
speculating about how the power *MIGHT* work, and are debating the various
philosphical points raised by such a psionic ability.
What Does a Gravitic Field Look Like?
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In my Traveller "universe" a Paragravitic Field (or "Grav Field") is the force
field created by a Paragravitic Field Generator ("Grav Generator" for short).
The field is emitted by plate-like emitters ("Grav Plates") connected to the
Grav Generator by some type of waveguide or conduit.
Objects (or people, or whatever) within the field experience forces *EXACTLY*
as if the gravitic forces were being created by a point mass of a specific
size, at a specific location relative to the emitter plates. This mass is not
really present, it is a "Virtual Mass". The size, shape, and location of the
plates, as well as the power and control inputs to the generator determine the
aparrent size and position of the "Virtual Mass", as well as the size and shape
of the gravitic field.
With a large enough generator, and enough conduit and emitter plates, the field
can be nearly any imaginable shape and size. Within the field, everyone and
everything experiences the gravitation of the virtual mass (for example, the
virtual mass might be that of an Earth-sized planet, with an aparrent location
of several thousand miles below the grav plates; the net result being a field
with earth-like gravity. In this case, the field would probably be flat
pancake, about three meters thick above each grav plate.
Outside of the field, the effects of the virtual mass are not felt at all. At
the very edge of the field, the effect is undefined, and the usual result is
a region of gravitic turbulence (not usually dangerous, but awfully
disconcerting to pass through).
Grav generators are usually kept running whenever possible. It takes time for
the field to build up strength. As energy is input to the grav generator, it
uses that energy to build the strength of the field, thereby increasing the
potential energy of everything inside the field. When the generator is switched
off, the field strength gradually decreases, as the potential energy is
dissipated by the grav generator. During normal operation of the grav
generator, it requires some power to maintain the field, and additional power as
the energy of objects inside the field changes.
Special cases (such as when two fields overlap) are usually left to the
referee. Fields normally overlap and simply add effects; although in special
cases (such as when an experienced grav technician made a skill roll) fields
have been created to cancel out or interfere with other ones. Some sensors
(the densitometer, to be specific) have the ability to detect grav fields.
Other, more specialized diagnostic equipment can be used by a grav technician
to map out a grav field and determine its characteristics.
To fit this explanation in with the philosophy above: My intent was to have a
gravitic device that was conceptually simple (it creates a virtual mass at a
certain aparrent distance) so that anyone could get a workable handle on the
"how it works", and I wanted something that would not grossly violate
conservation of energy (since there are typically a number of scientists or
engineers in any Traveller crowd). The numbers presented for grav equipment in
the various Traveller and MegaTraveller books are then treated as
approximations.
Wildstar
[email removed]
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Science-Fiction Adventure
in the Far Future