Alternative Bioscanners and Other Stuff

[GypsyComet]

Posts duplicated (by quotes) at http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38801

I'm going to yank my posts out of this topic.

 

[Jame Rowe]

Here are my revisions of a few of the augments from TMB, this time going with my own pricing scheme.

Neural comm: TL 9, audio only, computer/0, Cr 1000 (includes cost of surgery).
TL 10, audio and visual, computer/1, Cr 2500 (includes cost of surgery).
TL 12, multiple forms of data, computer/2, Cr 5000 (includes cost of surgery).
TL 13+ versions improve in terms of security but do not significantly increase in cost (the difference is that each TL adds one more form of data).

Subdermal armor: TL 9, armour 3, Cr 10,000.
TL 10: Armor 5, Cr 10,000.
TL 11: Armor 6, Cr 12,000.
TL 12+ versions decrease time to implant and time to recover.

Physical characteristic augment: TL 9/Cr 500,000/+1, TL 11, Cr 100,000, +2, TL 13, Cr 75,000, +4, TL 15, Cr 50,000, +5. At TL 10 + they may be used to affect more than one attribute.

Intelligence augment: TL 9/Cr 500,000/+1, TL 11, Cr 200,000, +2, TL 13, Cr 100,000, +4, TL 15, Cr 75,000, +5. At TL 10 + they may be used to affect more than one attribute.

Skill augment: Work In Progress.

Wafer jack implant: As TMB version but allows remote access to computers. Computer/1. TL-10.
TL-11 version has computer/2; TL-12 has computer/3.

Cybereyes (note that the types of data below are merely intended as a starting point, and that referees are encouraged to make suggestions):
TL-9/merely replaces eyesight, but has recording ability.
TL-10/adds 2 of binoculars, IR, LA, ultrasound. Recording ability.
TL-11/adds 3 of binoculars, IR, LA, ultrasound. Recording ability.
TL-13/contains binoculars, IR, LA, ultrasound. Recording ability.

 

[Infojunky]

Intelligence augment: TL 9/Cr 500,000/+1, TL 11, Cr 200,000, +2, TL 13, Cr 100,000, +4, TL 15, Cr 75,000, +5. At TL 10 + they may be used to affect more than one attribute.

'Splain how one Augments ones Intelligence?

I can see implants improving things associated with intelligence, just not the base attribute.

 

[phild]

Intelligence augment: TL 9/Cr 500,000/+1, TL 11, Cr 200,000, +2, TL 13, Cr 100,000, +4, TL 15, Cr 75,000, +5. At TL 10 + they may be used to affect more than one attribute.

'Splain how one Augments ones Intelligence?

I can see implants improving things associated with intelligence, just not the base attribute.

Intelligence is your ability to analyse and process data. This can be improved by increasing the amount of data that can be held in "active" memory, by increasing the speed of neural links, by introducing parallel processing to the nervous system, etc. etc. etc.

This is sci-fi. There's really no limit to the number of potential solutions!

 

[Jame Rowe]

Axe
TL 9. Damage 3d6, mass 3, heft 1, Cr 70.
TL 11. Damage 3d6+2, mass 1.5, heft 0, Cr 80. Can be used in zero-G.
Further TLs lessen weight to a minimum of mass 1.

Mace
TL 9. Damage 3d6, mass 2.5, heft 1, Cr 70.
TL 11. Damage 3d6, mass 1.5, heft -1, Cr 80. Can be used in zero-G.
Further TLs lessen weight to a minimum of mass 0.75.

Cybernose TL 9, Cr 1,000. Is merely a prosthetic that allows someone to smell.
TL 10, +1 to perception tasks involving smell at a range of close, can record smells. 3,000 Cr.
TL 12, +2 to smell at a range of pistol, can record. 5,000 Cr.
TL 14, as TL 12 but range of rifle. 6,000 Cr.

Cyberears TL 9, Cr 1,000. Is merely a prosthetic that allows someone to hear.
TL 10, +1 to perception tasks involving hearing at a range of pistol, can record smells. 3,000 Cr.
TL 12, +2 to smell at a range of rifle, can record. 5,000 Cr.
TL 14, as TL 12 but range of long. 6,000 Cr.

Bioware (with apologies to Shadowrun 4E)

Adrenaline Pump:
TL 10, +1 to initiative for 1d6 turns, -2 to Endurance for 2d6+1 turns afterwards. 15,000 Cr.
TL 11, +2 for 1d6+3 turns, -2 to endurance for 1d6+3 turns afterwards. 25,000 Cr.
TL 12, +3 for 2d6+1 turns, -1 to endurance for 1d6+1 turns after. 35,000 Cr.

Bone density increase:
TL 9. Strength mod becomes (or is increased by) +1 for brawling damage purposes. 20,000 Cr.
TL 11. Strength mod becomes (or is increased by) +2 for brawling damage purposes. 40,000 Cr.
TL 13. Strength mod becomes (or is increased by) +3 for brawling damage purposes. 60,000 Cr.

Immune system booster:
TL 10. Endurance modifier is improved by 1 for the purposes of resisting disease and biological toxins. Cr 10,000.
TL 11. Endurance modifier is improved by 2 for the purposes of resisting disease and biological toxins. Cr 20,000.
TL 13. Endurance modifier is improved by 3 for the purposes of resisting disease and biological toxins. Cr 35,000.
TL 15. Endurance modifier is improved by 4 for the purposes of resisting disease and biological toxins. Cr 50,000.
TL 17. Character is immune to all known diseases. Cr 250,000.

Digestive expansion:
TL 10. Decreases food portion of lifestyle costs by 1/10th. Allows more biological items to be considered food. Cr 20,000.
TL 12. Decreases food portion of lifestyle costs by 1/5th. Allows more biological items to be considered food. +1 to End mod when resisting eaten diseases/toxins. Cr 35,000.
TL 14. Decreases food portion of lifestyle costs by 1/4th. Allows more biological items to be considered food. Adds +2 to End mod when resisting eaten diseases/toxins. Cr 45,000.

Sleep regulator:
TL 11. Decreases sleep needed and fatigue gained by 1/4th. Stay awake and functional for up to 48 hours straight before fatigue. Cr 20,000.
TL 13. Decreases sleep needed and fatigue gained by 1/2. Stay awake and aware for up to 60 hours straight. Cr 50,000.

Heart Booster:
TL 10. +1 endurance bonus to all athletics tests. Cr 10,000.
TL 12. +2 End bonus to all athletics tests. Cr 20,000.

Pheremone booster (usually quite illegal):
TL 10. +1 to all charisma-based tests (diplomacy, persuade, deception, carouse, steward). Cr 15,000.
TL 12. +2 to all charisma-based tests. Cr 30,000.
TL 14. +3 to all charisma-based tests. Cr 60,000.

Flesh Pocket:
TL 9. Creates a skin flap concealing any items up to a total weight of 1 Kg. Cr 5000.
TL 11. As TL 9, but allows up to 2 Kg and add +1 to concealment. Cr 15,000.

Lung Filter:
TL 10. Filters out airborne substances, giving +1 to endurance tests. Cr 10,000.
TL 11. As TL 10 but gives +2. Cr 25,000.
TL 13. As TL 11 but gives +3. Cr 40,000.

 

[BP]

What no Special Enhancements (Viagra replacement)? :wink:

 

[aspqrz]

Axe
TL 9. Damage 3d6, mass 3, heft 1, Cr 70.
TL 11. Damage 3d6+2, mass 1.5, heft 0, Cr 80. Can be used in zero-G.
Further TLs lessen weight to a minimum of mass 1.

Mace
TL 9. Damage 3d6, mass 2.5, heft 1, Cr 70.
TL 11. Damage 3d6, mass 1.5, heft -1, Cr 80. Can be used in zero-G.
Further TLs lessen weight to a minimum of mass 0.75.

You do realise that both the Axe and the Mace rely significantly on their mass to do damage?

Which makes making them lighter at higher TLs ... counterproductive ... :?

Phil

 

[phild]

You do realise that both the Axe and the Mace rely significantly on their mass to do damage?

Which makes making them lighter at higher TLs ... counterproductive ... :?

In the absence of vibroblade / monofilament / ever-sharp future tech, of course.

And I'm no physicist, but isn't speed more significant than mass in determining impact? So if a lighter mace can be swung significantly faster, it may end up doing more damage - the barrier in the past being materials that were sufficiently strong to withstand the impact it was causing?

 

[rust]

And I'm no physicist, but isn't speed more significant than mass in determining impact?

The problem was - and is - that speed is restricted by the human physio-
logy, a human being can only reach a certain speed with its actions.
Therefore the only way to increase the power of the impact was - and is -
to increase the mass of the weapon.

 

[alex_greene]

Or to simply increase the moment arm, by concentrating the centre of gravity as close to the striking edge as possible.

That means light, strong, hard handles and all the weight concentrated in the head of the axe, for a heftier swing and a deeper impact.

Same goes for hammers and cudgels.

 

[rust]

Or to simply increase the moment arm, by concentrating the centre of gravity as close to the striking edge as possible.

Yep, as well as by increasing the length of the weapon, for example
by turning the axe into a halberd or the mace into a staff-mace - al-
though this also makes it heavier.

 

[kristof65]

Therefore the only way to increase the power of the impact was - and is - to increase the mass of the weapon.

Not necessarily. Technology can provide some interesting solutions to shift mass inside - like a water filled bat in baseball.

 

[rust]

Therefore the only way to increase the power of the impact was - and is - to increase the mass of the weapon.

Not necessarily. Technology can provide some interesting solutions to shift mass inside - like a water filled bat in baseball.

True, but this does not really change the problem, a heavier weapon of
the same type would still do more damage.

 

[phild]

And I'm no physicist, but isn't speed more significant than mass in determining impact?

The problem was - and is - that speed is restricted by the human physio-
logy, a human being can only reach a certain speed with its actions.
Therefore the only way to increase the power of the impact was - and is -
to increase the mass of the weapon.

Assuming that weapons have reached that limit. I suspect the issue with medieval weapons was more that they reached a material strength limit - the force was greater than the material could bear, meaning that the weapon broke. Where this was the case, if you increased the mass and therefore the strength you overcame that problem, albeit at the loss of some speed. Presumably the weapons we see in museums are at the peak "cost-benefit" for speed vs. mass (with the added factor of the resistance of the material against which they were impacting).

Because of this, a lighter but stronger material would allow the user to use peak momentum without the fear of destroying their weapon - although this would suggest that the peak for a weapon would be around Tech 9, after which the only option would indeed to be go back to adding more mass.

 

[AndrewW]

How about a small antigravity generator in the weapon? This is on most of the time as the weapon starts a downward swing it switches into reverse or just off and the full weight of the weapon delivers an impact. But is lighter to carry around and during the upward swing.

Ok, probably wouldn't really be concentrating on weapons of this type by the time this tech is available but a possibility.

 

[phild]

How about a small antigravity generator in the weapon? This is on most of the time as the weapon starts a downward swing it switches into reverse or just off and the full weight of the weapon delivers an impact. But is lighter to carry around and during the upward swing.

Ok, probably wouldn't really be concentrating on weapons of this type by the time this tech is available but a possibility.

For a high tech subculture for whom bashing one another with blunt instruments is a historical tradition, that sounds like a fascinating way to do so as easily as possible! Hell, let's have a trans-dimensional mace that uses micro jump tech to accelerate through 14 dimensions meaning that it hits with near relativistic mass (and the shockwave of that impact is also absorbed through 14D to ensure that the individual doesn't turn themselves into jelly when the mace actually hits) :twisted:

 

[rust]

Hell, let's have a trans-dimensional mace that uses micro jump tech to accelerate through 14 dimensions meaning that it hits with near relativistic mass (and the shockwave of that impact is also absorbed through 14D to ensure that the individual doesn't turn themselves into jelly when the mace actually hits) :twisted:

You could even add a temporal factor, so that the mace has already hit
(preferably several times) before the fight even started ... :lol:

 

[AndrewW]

Hell, let's have a trans-dimensional mace that uses micro jump tech to accelerate through 14 dimensions meaning that it hits with near relativistic mass (and the shockwave of that impact is also absorbed through 14D to ensure that the individual doesn't turn themselves into jelly when the mace actually hits) :twisted:

You could even add a temporal factor, so that the mace has already hit
(preferably several times) before the fight even started ... :lol:

Well, there is the Temporal Manipulation psionic talent...

 

[Jame Rowe]

Axe
TL 9. Damage 3d6, mass 3, heft 1, Cr 70.
TL 11. Damage 3d6+2, mass 1.5, heft 0, Cr 80. Can be used in zero-G.
Further TLs lessen weight to a minimum of mass 1.

Mace
TL 9. Damage 3d6, mass 2.5, heft 1, Cr 70.
TL 11. Damage 3d6, mass 1.5, heft -1, Cr 80. Can be used in zero-G.
Further TLs lessen weight to a minimum of mass 0.75.

You do realise that both the Axe and the Mace rely significantly on their mass to do damage?

Which makes making them lighter at higher TLs ... counterproductive ... :?

Phil

Actually, as I, personally and individually, understand it, axes and maces (1.) were actually fairly light and (2.) weren't so much about relying on their mass as much as relying on their mass being delivered to a specific point - as a matter of fact, very old Egyptian axes look very light...

 

[rust]

To give an example of the usual description of how a mace works:

The earliest maces had heavy objects attached to the end rather than
metal blades or spikes. The overwhelming usefulness of the mace was its
ability to generate enormous swinging force that could bring a tremen-
dous blow to an opponent. This is why it had a heavy end. It generated
more force than a sword.