Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!ucla-cs!mccolm From: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: Using a light spell as a laser Message-ID: <7883@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Wed, 4-Dec-85 18:44:55 EST Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.7883 Posted: Wed Dec 4 18:44:55 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 7-Dec-85 16:25:52 EST References: <6700005@uiucdcsp> <938@udenva.UUCP> <> <880@nmtvax.UUCP> Reply-To: mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP (Eric McColm) Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 79 In article <880@nmtvax.UUCP> wildstar@nmtvax.UUCP (Andrew Fine) writes: > > This is a device I thought about for a possible campaign. Take some rough >crystal ( ruby, sapphire, emerald, but it has to be carmorundum , glass simply >will not do), and cut it into a cylindrical rod. Polish one end perperdicularly >and silver it. Polish the other end at about a five degree angle, and >partially silver it. Result: LASER CRYSTAL! > I have a host of objections to this, some of which are technical, and others more along the line of how the game is played. I'll briefly harp on the technical side before going on to the more interesting reasons: 1) A crystal laser amplifies light of only one wavelength, so the amount of amplification is directly related to the beam path within the crystal and the original light. As even daylight has not too much light of, say, 3000 Angstroms, (red, I believe) the path length must be large. But a long beam path means all the energy of the laser travels through the crystal many times, back and forth, leading to excessive heating of the crystal. The heat would likely distort the crystal (or melt or vaporize it) before cutting power is reached. 2) The heat produced by such a laser causes the crystal to expand radically. Silver (and most other metals) have radically different expansion ratios, so the silvering would be strictly one-shot. Also, firing a crystal laser twice within an hour usually results in breaking the crystal, because of problems in cooling the interior. 3) The surfaces must be precisely cut, and the gem must be very near perfect. Given a medieval culture, no-one could cut the surfaces without magic. (no screw-lathes, remember?) Using magic (like polymorph) certainly wouldn't create a perfect crystal with perfect surfaces unless the caster said so. The caster probably doesn't even know what an atom is! So the maker of the crystal is not medieval. There are more, but you get the idea. More importantly, why should such a thing be found in the game? Here are some good reasons against it: 1) Magicians are already better than that. The L18 mage who polymorphs up the crystal already fires 9 magic missiles with a L1 spell. 2) Darkness stops it, period. Too easy. 3) People know about fighting Medusae already. That'll really up your life insurance. 4) Shatter will break the crystal. 5) The Arduin spell Skorzandon's Mirror would kill the user of the laser, NO SAVE. 6) Publicly displaying a multi-inch rod-shaped jewel will give you a clear understanding of the meaning of the term "Thieves' World." And so on, but you get the idea. Now, here's a few arguments from the referee's point of view: 1) Either decide to have technology, or don't. If not, don't let the party be the only ones to invent it. If the party can build one, then the demons they stole the idea from will have LOTS of them. Why not (from the demons' point of view) just give the party one and tell them it's an artifact? 2) How much damage will it do, anyway? Not enough for instant death, and there are excellent reasons for thinking none at all. And do you really want to have to calculate refractory indexes and specific heats for dragon scales and roc feathers? Let's not get carried away. Tell them to make up a spell, build a wand, or do anything within the game, but not try to make Traveller weapons unless the referee has specified the campaign will have them. --fini-- Eric McColm UCLA (oo' - kluh) Funny Farm for the Criminally Harmless UUCP: ...!{ihnp4,trwspp,cepu,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!mccolm ARPA: mccolm@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU Quotes on the Nature of Existence: "To be, or not to be..." -Hamlet (Wm. Shakespeare) "I think, therefore I am." -R. Descartes "" -Gleep (Robt. Asprin)