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From: lrj@lasspvax.UUCP (Lewis R. Jansen)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Laser Crystal
Message-ID: <721@lasspvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 00:12:15 EST
Article-I.D.: lasspvax.721
Posted: Wed Nov 27 00:12:15 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Nov-85 08:11:13 EST
References: <740@alberta.UUCP>
Reply-To: lrj@lasspvax.UUCP (Lewis R. Jansen)
Distribution: na
Organization: LASSP, Cornell University
Lines: 41
Summary: 


I'm sorry to have to pop any balloons, but the word from my friend,
who is studying lasers, is this:

  (1)  The purity of the crystals needed for a laser is higher than
	that found in nature... In other words, you'd have to know
	how to grow/create your own crystals...  Would YOU go out 
	adventuring if you could GROW your own rubies???

  (2)  The light source driving the laser has to be pulsed... That means
	that a Continual Light spell would just make a pretty red ruby
	with an internal light source.  The period of the pulses depends
	upon the material, but usually is on the order of nanoseconds...

And my conntribution:

  (3)  You have to remember that the people of this world don't have
	even the FOGGIEST notion of what light is or how it propogates.
	Remember, this is a fantasy ROLE playing game...  Sure, they 
	MIGHT, with the aid of some spell research (for a pulsating
	light spell) and lots of alchemical work (pure crystals), or
	the use of a Wish, be able to create a laser.

	  But, who would ever think of it?  If you showed a laser to
	a Mage from a frp world, he'd say 'neato, a wand of fire!' and
	if you asked him to creat on for you, he'd do it with Flame-based
	spell research.

  See what i'm gettng at?  You have to get into the role of the character
you're playing, and forget todays's world.  It's a neat idea, making a
laser in a frp world, but i (as DM) would never allow it.  This, of course,
excepts the Techno class from Arduin.

-----
-- Lewis R. Jansen   UUCP:  {decvax,ihnp4,allegra,vax135}!cornell!lasspvax!lrj
     ___.-.___     Bitnet:  uxhj@CornellA.BITNET
   ['  `(o)'  `]     Arpa:  lrj@lasspvax.tn.cornell.edu.ARPA

 Fire for'd phasers!

	      (My opinions are mine alone, but are for sale...)