Re: Waterjammers

At 16:37 +0930 5/26/03, Tilaurin wrote:
>  > I have a question regarding one of my ideas. I have
>>  been using waterjammer ships in my spelljammer
>>  campaign. They are spelljammers, but they are
>>  surrounded by liquid instead of an air envelope.
>
>This is one of those things I've meant to get around to thinking about, your
>questions give me an excuse to finally do so ;)  Keep in mind this is all
>based on my own logic, known as Terry logic (or Til to those on the net -
>which can at times be dicey)
>
>>  Would the liquid envelope affect (added to) the rated
>>  tonnage of the waterjammer ships?
>
>I wouldnt think so - air doesnt add to the tonnage of the ship, and tonnage
>is based upon area not weight.  You're simply replacing air with water - it
>seems fine that itd be the same size.

I concur.  If you're simply extending SJ physics to allow
water-breathing creatures to bring their atmosphere with them, like
the air-breathers can, then the tonnage is for the ship, never mind
the water.  Heck, they seem to have just waved their hands on a ship
full of water with the lizardfolk broodships.

>  > If a spelljammer ship rams a waterjammer ship, will
>>  the liquid envelope hold even when pierced?
>
>Normally when two air envelopes meet they mix.  Personally I'd think the
>same of an air and water - half the air from the normal envelope, and half
>the water originally on the watership for each ship :)  Course, that could
>be bad in a way, cuz an 80 ton ship ramming a 20 ton is gunna unbalance
>things.  Perhaps just auto-filling to half half would be good?

Well, you could also do the math--it's not that complex, generally.
So the 80t ship would end up with sufficient water for
((80/(80+20))*80=) 64 beings for 4mo, plus air for ((20/(80+20))*80=)
16 beings for 4 mo, and te 20t ship would have water for 16 and air
for 4 (assuming the atmospheres were both pure to begin with).  It's
SJ, so i'd buy either that the atmospheres stay separate aboard each
ship (water nearest the gravity plane, air at the top/bottom), or
that they mix, resulting in super-oxygenated water or really humid
air, if the ratios are really off.

>  > Will the liquid envelope affect the gravity plane?
>
>Apart from the normal bouyancy issues I wouldnt think so, but imagine if you
>had a huge ship with a water envelope - you'd hafta come up with something
>regarding the pressure then.

Why?  Doesn't SJ already posit that pressure doesn't increase with
depth in water worlds?  Seems the same would work for this.

>  > 4) Old galleon, coral encrusted, salt water envelope
>>  with sea creatures, Sahuagin.
>
>The insides of a wood ship would need proofing...  unless by encrusted you
>mean a thin layer of coral across the wood within and without?

or the ship would just waterlog and then rot--maybe they don't care
if the ship only lasts 50 years.
--
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