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From: hutch@hammer.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Using a light spell as a laser
Message-ID: <1675@hammer.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 1-Dec-85 02:13:31 EST
Article-I.D.: hammer.1675
Posted: Sun Dec  1 02:13:31 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Dec-85 08:24:53 EST
References: <34@ttidcc.UUCP> <678@k.cs.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: hutch@hammer.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison)
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 32

In article <678@k.cs.cmu.edu> tim@k.cs.cmu.edu (Tim Maroney) writes:
>Provided that you have some way of knowing this will work in the first
>place, the obvious way to make the carborundum and shape it is with a
>Polymorph Any Object spell.  You could find out how to do it by evoking any
>of the demons who give "Knowledge of Sciences" as one of their boons.  (See
>any medieval grimoire.)  The light source could be a shuttered receptacle of
>some sort with multiple Continual Light spells cast within it.
>-=-
>Tim Maroney, Etc

Tim, while this would work in a Chivalry and Sorcery game, it would not
be consistent with what most people play.  Further, many people would
find your suggestion unacceptable, not because the idea is a bad one in
game context, but because any medieval grimoire or pseudo-medieval grimoire
would give names that just come TOO CLOSE to names that COULD work.  Or
to names that the players might BELIEVE could work, which is close enough.
Remember that it is wise to avoid the plague of Fundamentalists.

I do tend to think that there would be problems even coming up with the
idea IN A MILEAU which is lower-tech than early industrial revolution.
In a contaminated mileau, or in a high-physics magic school, the chances
are good that the IDEA could be gotten.  In such a case it wouldn't be
nearly as difficult to do the job.

By the way, a letter mentioned that it is impossible to construct a
hand-held laser which would do decent damage.  Baloney, I've SEEN one.
Ed Kline made one, although he normally doesn't carry the battery pack
with him because it weighs 25 or so pounds and it only holds enough juice
for a few shots.  A visible light laser is used to locate the target,
and a second gas laser shoots an IR beam.

Hutch