Re: Steampunk Jammer

In <URL:news:local.spelljam> on Tue 09 Aug, Scratch wrote:
> At 04:09 AM 8/4/2005, you wrote:
> >In <URL:news:local.spelljam> on Wed 03 Aug, Scratch wrote:
[snip]

> >If you used the full alchemical manikin creation rules, with the
> >options for the longer range Mind Links, having the homonculus at
> >one end, and their master at the other, gives a highly secure
> >method of instant communication. Micro homonculi would probably
> >do, as long as they have some way of transcribing messages, such
> >as hands to write with, or voices to repeat them to (short-hand
> >trained) scribes.
>
> Kind of like a alchemist telegraph service. Well, more like an alchemist
> homing pigeon service. That's a really good idea. Too bad theres no way to
> connect two homunculi to each other and do away with the alchemist
> altogether after creation.

Having the homonculi fly around is one option, that could make
for all sorts of interesting gaming possibilities. Homonculi
really, really, don't like to get out of range of their Mind
Link, so if you move them around in an inactive state (say done
by the manikin 'special' Feign Death), they are going to work
really hard to try and get back to their master. If they die
while out of range the master doesn't feel the death shock, but,
that also means the master doesn't know what's happened to them.

You can sort of connect homonculi together without involving an
alchemist, as a non-alchemist can be master to them. The original
rules were to allow alchemical creation of a sort of familiar for
a magic-user, but in theory almost anyone willing can be used as
a master. You can even use a free-willed manikin, once it has
gone up a couple of it's (most expensive) levels, and so is
independent enough to hang homonculi off it!


> >Really high Wisdom communicators might have quite a few
> >homonculi, maybe as many as five, making them a switchboard for
> >communicating with quite a few places, or even military forces.
>
> I definitely see this being limited by the actual amount of alchemists who
> are willing to demean themselves by turning their abilities into a sort of
> cellphone. Which is good. The ones who would prolly agree to this would be
> the ones who are at the right level but don't want to go on with their
> studies. A definite minority.

Even if you restrict homonculi so that only alchemists can be
their masters, junor alchemists could have homonculi made for
them by more senior alchemists.

The other suggestion is an alchemist sub-class, which just deals
with Manikin Creation, and having homonculi linked to them.


> >Of course, there are hazards for the comms operator, including
> >mental attacks on any of their homonculi, and the injury they
> >receive if any of their homonculi die. Being a communicator would
> >be an alternative to entering the priesthood for high Wisdom
> >characters, though it is not really fleshed out as a class.
>
> And imagine losing one of your alchemists to the enemy? Kind of brings new
> meaning to code breaking.

Something like that happened in a recent game... The enemy turn
out to have stolen a clone sample of the most senior alchemist,
and used major magic to turn this into an independent, but
insane, evil clone. We think the clone is about the same level as
the original, 18th or so... Yes, we are worried!


> >Having at least one homonculus which has (Comms) Telepathy, and
> >hence acts as a universal translator, that the comms operator
> >could tap and make use of, might be a good idea. Useful if
> >dealing with peoples with different languages.
>
> The longer I talk to you the more I'm liking alchemists.

It has been suggested, by some, that Alchemists, and the Manikin
Creation rules, may have been developed so that they can do too
wide a range of things. I am not sure about this, as I feel there
is still a definite limit on what they can do, based on their
style, but I can understand the argument.

If they are useful to you, well, that's what this list is for, to
pass on useful stuff! [grin]


> >If your homonculi are good enough to have (Bio) Aport then they
> >form a system for moving small packages around, travelling
> >along the Mind Link, as well. Throw in Height Control and Share
> >Power, and at least a pair of homonculi, and you can move people
> >around as well! [grin]
>
> You haven't been watching Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome have you? Think they'd
> be useful in combat at all? I mean I imagine intercepting these lil guys on
> the way to deliver things would make a lot of sense. Kind of like Wild West
> train heists. Maybe a Homunculi pony express? Imagine the surprise when
> they find some shrunken prince in the pocket of a homunculi. <grins>

Carrying people around in shrunken form could be fun! In
particular if you are afraid the enemy have some way of detecting
instant travel, or, maybe even grabbing people in mid transit!

You can build some really nasty combat homonculi, but if you feel
there is a significant risk of their dying, and you don't need to
be able to communicate with them via Mind Link, independent
manikins might be better. The various Immune to weapons specials
can be useful, as can Regeneration (particularly if you add Fire
Resistance [grin] ), and in a spelljamming setting Adaption
usefully removes the need for air.

One alternative to steam-powered Helms would be to have a manikin
which can act as a (Minor) Helm itself, though this needs a high
Mark of special, and hence at least a 14th level Alchemist. The
manikin gets tired pretty quickly, though, and wouldn't normally
be good for more than 12hrs, then needing the same period of
rest, so you might want three, in 8hr shifts. A specially
designed manikin in an emergency might be good for 24hrs.

Also note that making a manikin that can act as a Helm in theory
needs blood from a creature that can naturally spelljam. Hunting
space dragons for their blood? [grin]


> >It could be very different, but just not hierarchically organised
> >- it depends on how much control the spirits of the dead have
> >over their immediate afterlife environment. If some wished to
> >live in a community like a city, then there might be a council,
> >or city admin, which the city dwellers had agreed controlled a
> >lot of the details! [grin]
>
> Or how much control the living have over the afterlife. Can you imagine a
> Spirit Guild specifically dedicated to giving your recently departed a
> raise in the afterlife? "Sure your grandpaw can get out of shoveling coal
> for the rest of his afterlife. But its gonna cost ya!" Kinda reminds me of
> the indulgences the catholic church had early in the medieval ages.

Introduces some interesting relationships with the afterlife!
[grin]


> >One big issue is, what is the purpose of the afterlife? R&R?
> >Training and preparing for the next life? Protecting the living
> >from the dangers of planar attack? Some/all of the above?
>
> Hmmm...I think it might be a bit of all of it. I imagine some would have
> other reasons. A warrior would either want to practice before returning to
> life so he can be a better warrior or he might try to fight out planar
> incursions. A recently departed politician might enjoy being taken care of
> and watching their relatives and ensuring that their enemies have a
> terrible time.

The other question might be, how accurate do you want these
people's beliefs about the afterlife to be? Also, how much is
still a mystery to them. Then, there is the question of how much
those in the afterlife can affect the living, except indirectly
through things like priests (or maybe mediums).


> > > >Maybe their idea is that the afterlife just gets on with itself,
> > > >and you have your funerals and baptisms, to celebrate people
> > > >entering and leaving life, maybe with the occasional memorial
> > > >service, but nothing else. "Maybe we will meet in our next
> > > >lives?" [grin]
> > > >
> > > >It could be that the idea is that you do as good a job as
> > > >possible at being whatever your life has led you to, and,
> > > >eventually, you get to leave the Wheel Of Incarnation, and ascend
> > > >to a higher, unknown, plane of existence.
> > > >
> > > >Whatever produces the right results for your campaign!
> > >
> > > That would definitely fit the feel of the nation. I'd start posting what I
> > > have now, but a) its 30 pages long and b) no where near complete.
> >[snip]
> >
> >I am certainly interested in what you produce!
>
> Right now I have the bare bones of a campaign connected by some really
> loose plots. I could show you what I have but I doubt you'd understand much
> without me putting more down.
>
> Though, I will say that I think I made one of the few binary star systems
> in spelljammer. I haven't heard of many of those.

Interesting! I will have to get back to my own campaign and
crystal sphere design work! [grin]


> >If you mean the Azimov book, yes, but quite a long while ago.
> >
> >It might work better if you make a clear distinction between
> >scientists and technologists, the first being the ones seeking
> >understanding and new knowledge, and the second looking for
> >practical ways to use what the scientists have produced, or
> >improving the existing way of doing things, or repair stuff.
> >
> >So, the common person would not want to become a scientist, with
> >their long (university?) theoretical training in the Sacred Ways
> >of Science, but a technician or engineer would be seen to be
> >something anyone practical could apprentice in. That gives you
> >your train drivers, and anyone else needed to run or repair the
> >tech, rather than come up with radically new stuff.
>
> Good point. I didn't think of that. I don't think a commoner would have the
> money to make it into a university, but a technologists guild would be a
> lot easier to get into. Doesn't take much training to learn how to repair
> and operate things. It might also keep technology from becoming a religion
> in itself since people will know that tech isn't magic or godly. But it
> would give them an advantage over others in that you can't work a train
> without a conductor who's part of the technologists guild or something to
> that effect.

'Engineer' used in the RW to be someone who had some respect, and
who made things like trains work, or repaired things so they go
on working. If the cost of making and distributing things is high
in your campaign compared to the cost or repair, say due to being
based on cottage industry, rather than factory assembly line mass
production, repair should be a very important side of things.

Knowing how to repair and operate things is, I guess, probably at
least a three year apprenticeship, unless it is highly
specialised. Knowing how to do it so it works well, is efficient,
and gives minimum trouble to people later, might be a bit harder!
[grin]


This is one of the 'specials' from the Manikin Creation rules:

Machine Empathy: at will establishes a mental bond on the
physical and emotional levels with a machine. This works with
machines which are complex or have interacting moving parts. It
will not work with beings which acquire a living spirit as part
of their nature, eg: when conceived or born; but might work on
machine parts added to such later. A 'feel' is gained for the
works of the machine, and any problems it is having working; the
machine in turn may also 'feel' this attention, and typically
works better for it. INT, WIS and Normal Emotions function as per
the Empathy special. Machine Empathy does not alter the workings
of a machine, but with thought and care can give a lot of
guidance to repairing (or wrecking) it. For a Technologist gives
+15% Understand Machine, and +5% Repair/Modify Machine, but this
is not typically additive with bonuses from things like a Field
Probe, though Workshop bonuses still apply. DMs may give a
further bonus of up to +10% UM for the careful study of a
non-living machine while it is actually working. For a Thief
gives +10% Open Locks, and +10% Find/Remove Traps, and up to a
further +10% OL if the lock is studied while being operated. This
is -1 Mark if restricted to only one type of machine, such as
ships; this type must be specified in creation. Range: 3". Type:
Mind.
Mark: II.

Maybe some sort of 'talent' like this might be what really good
engineers have a touch of?


Regards.

--
Dreamer
dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk
http://www.romsys.demon.co.uk/