Gravvabow - a wildspace sport

Enjoy :)

and dammit ppl, more SJ posts cmon ;)  are u all so wrapped up in living SJ
that u forgot about this list??

;)

Tilaurin
tilaurin@?????????????????.com
or
tilaurin@???????.com
http://www.planetbaldursgate.com/atreus/index.html
"Out of the silent planet/Dreams of desolation.
Out of the silent planet/Come the demons of creation"
Iron Maiden - Out of the Silent Planet (Brave New World album) 2000


Gravvabow


 The newest craze sweeping the nobility of Bral is something known as a
Gravvabow.  Involving a strangely modified shortbow, and small, two-inch
diamter balls of leather filled with steel, this game tests both the
co-ordination, along with mind, of the user.  The bow is modified from
standard with a small cup, fixed to the string, used for firing the ball.
Normally, the bow's weak nature will only allow a shot of perhaps 40 feet -
but it is in wildspace that this piece of sporting equipment shows it's true
potential.  Used to fling the ball out of one gravity plane, and into
another, the bow itself does not need to be very strong - as a missile
leaving a gravity plane retains its velocity, and direction, until it hits
another such plane.

 Gravvabow is played on a 3 dimensional field, in an open area of wildspace.
Several platforms make up the field, towed to specific positions, and
angles, for the sportsmen (and women, with whom this game has become
increasingly popular) to attempt to fire their balls to.  Play is started
upon a specific platform, ususally a piece of sodden covered ground.  The
sportsman then fires their ball at their target, a large piece of steel,
made transparent with the Glassteel spell.  Upon one side of this platform
are 2 concentric rings, designating the fields (and thus, points, as
discussed shortly) the ball can land in.  Some balls, especially at first,
are lost completely (although flying mages with locate object are sometimes
used for recovery), but once one gets the hang of now only the bow and ball,
but the opposing target's gravity plane, they can become much more accurate
with it.  As the ball enters the target's air envelope, at the relatively
low speed the bow provides it with, it "falls" somewhat toward the target's
gravity plane (which may either speed up, or slow down it's velocity,
dependant on the angles etc).  From this point, dependant on the side of the
target clearest to the sportsman, several things can happen - albeit only
really two at the base game skill.

 Firstly, it must be stated that only ONE side of the target provides points
from it's fields - this is called its facing.  The facing will, for basic
users, typically be towards them.  Thus, there is only limited gravitational
pull from the target, when the ball lands.  In this instance, it is only
required to aim the ball roughly where you want it, as the target's gravity
plane is going to pull it in the same direction anyway.  If anything, this
type of shot requires the finesse to fire very gently, so that the ball wont
bounce too far when it hits the target.

 If the target is tiled slightly away from the sportsman, the shot is a
little trickier.  The ball must be fired such that, when it hits the gravity
plane of the target, it will fall in the desired area - not an easy feet
when it is at an angle where it will likely roll to much if too much force
is applied, or not get far enough if there isn't enough force.

 The third style of shot is a much more interesting - it involves the target
facing completely away from the sportsman.  As the Concordance of Arcane
Space states, it is possible to use a gravitational plane of a ship, or
similar object, to orbit, at least temporarily, the object creating that
plane.  This is the technique used to "slingshot" a ball around an object,
and attempt to get it on the right spot.

 Particularly competent players, when forced to play on a standard, facing
towards them target, usually fire similarly to the shot described above, but
make it continue its orbit - slinging the ball around the back, and then
back around the front, to land on the "bullseye" area.

 In high-stakes competitions, additional points are given for certain
 "bonus" targets.  Such targets are other objects to rebound from, or loop
the ball through - such as a hoop on the side of the target platform, or a
set of plates set at various angles at the edge of the gravity plane, on the
rear of the target.

 Points for the various targets, and fields (as well as their common slang
names), are shown below.  A win is scored by the highest points total.  The
bonus points are gained if a successful hit is scored with the requirements
of a bonus - but note that bonuses need not be successful to achieve the
standard points (ie, you may, or may not, shoot the ball through a hoop at a
specific spot, which may in fact be moving.  If you do not, but are
successful, you receive the amount of points for the specified field.  If
you do, you receive the points for the specified field, as well as the bonus
points listed.

Target facing   Field   Points  Bonus points
Towards to 10 degrees Star   3  -
  (wreck)   Flow   6  -
    Nebulae  9  -

11 to 75 degrees  Star   6
  (trader)   Flow   9
    Nebulae  12

76 to 135 degrees  Star   9
    Flow   12
    Nebulae  15

136 to 180 degrees  Star   12
  Flow   15
    Nebulae  18

 The target discs themselves are 25 feet in diameter.  The Star field takes
up the outer ring, seven and a half feet thick.  The Flow ring is four feet
thick, in the middle of the rings, and the Nebulae ring, similar to a
bullseye, is two feet in diameter, at the center of the target.  Note also
the points are given for the field the ball stops in - if it rolls off the
edge, no points are given.  A "liner" (a ball upon the thick, black line
defining the borders between the fields) gives the points of the lesser
field.

 There is also a range modifier for points.  Within a range of 25 to 75
feet, the points are standard, within 76 to 125 feet there is an extra 1/3,
and over 126 feet there is an extra 2/3's.  Note this modifies the base
points, not the extra from the bonus.

 Note also, a course does not only hold one target.  The target's, and the
base platform, themselves, have an enchantment placed on them (the Noble
courses at least, cheaper rate courses simply use other means of transport),
enabling a Dimension Door to open up, to the next target in line.  The
enchantment also allows dimension door's back to the beginning platform.
The last target, obviously, only door's to the beginning platform, from
where other Dimension Door's may take people to other targets, or "range's",
as groups of targets are called.  A typical course holds between 6 and 10
ranges, while Noble courses hold anywhere up to 20.  There is also a test
target, which is similar to the target's themselves, but is instead a clear
platform, 25 feet wide, and 150 feet long.  It has bands across it, the same
width as the Field's on the targets, running along its length.

 Gravvabow is a non-weapon proficiency, in game-terms.  It lies within the
General category, costs one slot, and has a check based upon the average of
dexterity/aim, and intelligence/reason.  The check is as follows:

Prof Check   Field Hit
Critical pass (roll of 1) Nebulae Field, with bonus points if available.
Pass on 14 or up  Nebulae Field
Pass on 8 to 13  Flow field
Pass of  less than 8  Star field
Fail    None (ball within gravity plane)
Critical Fail   Bad miss (ball lost)
Exact Pass   next higher result

 Note that a pass exactly on the result needed (ie if someone requires a 12
to pass, and they roll a 12), provides someone with the next field - ie,
Halam requires a 9 to pass.  He rolls a 9, exactly what needed.  Normally, 9
falls within the Flow section, of a result of 8 to 13, but because Halam
requires a 9 to pass, and cannot (obviously) get anywhere near a Nebulae
pass normally; this result is a Nebulae.  If he required a 15 to succeed (a
much better chance), and rolled that, he would get a Nebulae field, with
whatever bonus points that are available, if any.

 This proficiency may, as it is in the General section, be learnt by
anyone - but it requires them to have either a dexterity/aim, or
intelligence/reason (one, not both) of 10 or less.  If they have a 10 DEX,
and a 3 INT, they can still learn it, but of course, they are highly
unlikely to pass.  If they have a 6 DEX and INT, however, they do not have
either of the basic attributes this game requires, at a high enough level.