System:Superscience
From DevilshireWiki
Superscience is the creation of high tech items that perform seemingly magical feats, technological wonders far beyond the expectations of the common man and well into the realm of science fiction and fantasy. Laser swords, shrink rays, gravity belts and more can be crafted by the cunning and, quite often as not, mad superscientist.
As far as systems go, most created superscience devices will work the same as any magic spell. However, while a sorcerer may have a number of magic spells at her disposal, a superscientist will only have those technological devices she's created. On the other hand, a superscientist is capable of creating a device which can emulate even the most complex magic in the palm of her hand, negating the necessity for such superstitious nonsense as ritual, magic words and spell components.
Contents |
Creation
First, the superscientist decides on the effects of his device. This basically means that the player needs to choose the spell that her device will emulate. The spells available to the superscientist will be limited not only by her Superscience score (see below) but also by her Intelligence. A superscientist cannot craft a device that emulates a spell of a PL higher than her Intelligence.
The PL of the device will be equal to the PL of the spell emulated, with a few exceptions. A device that emulates a variable level (PLV) spell will be a PL equivalent to the lowest possible PL of the spell. For instance, PL1 for Black Cat's Friend, PL3 for Healing Fire. The successes to activate a PLV device will always based on what is being accomplished, as with spellcasting. Most (with staff approval) ritual spells can be made into devices, though this will be at a +1 or +2 adder to the total PL, depending on potential for abuse/usefulness. If no spells properly convey the desired effect, use the spell creation rules to determine the proper PL of the superscience item, then submit it as if submitting a new spell.
Next, the superscientist needs to make the item. The superscientist rolls Intelligence + Mr Fix It + Superscience + Lab and needs to get a number of successes equivalent to the PL of the spell. If she fails the roll, the build time is wasted but nothing else happens. If she gets one success but fails to get enough successes to craft her device, the time is wasted and she should roll on the Superscience Miscast Table. Build time for the device is two days per final PL of the device. Once the roll is made and the time is waited, the superscientist has herself a crazy new device that defies all the known laws of physics! Awesome!
The total number of devices that a superscientist can have is based on the total PL of all devices. The superscientist can have a total number of devices with a combined PL equal to twice their Superscience score, plus 1 for each level of the Lab quality they have. So a superscientist with Superscience 3 and Lab 2 could have a total combined device PL of 8. This means they could have three PL 1, one PL 2 and one PL 3 device or two PL 4 devices or two PL 2 devices and one PL 4 device. As stated above, the PL of a PLV device will always count as being the lowest possible PL, so PL1 for Black Cat's Friend, PL3 for Healing Fire.
Activation
Activating a device is easy! Just recalibrate the internal quantum singularity calipers, charge the Platonic m-brane field to 1.21 gigawatts, reverse the polarity and press the big red button. Or don't press the big red button. In fact, never press the big red button! While the superscientist may be doing all of that to activate their Matter Remodulator, all the player has to do is roll Intelligence + Science + Superscience. If they get a number of successes equal to the PL of the device, congratulations, it works! Damage, duration, range, etc will all be based on the spell being emulated, with the exception that Will gets traded for Intelligence when determining any variable that would use Will, such as damage. The opposed roll (dodge, mental resist) will be the same as for the spell on which the device is based.
Overly clever superscientists can use their devices multiple times per turn, with an Intelligence of 5 or 6 allowing two uses a turn, 7 or 8 allowing three and 9, well, if it's a 9 then why are you resorting to violence, good sir? Wow them with your wits! Said clever superscientists would be wise to keep in mind that when a superscientific device malfunctions, the results can be particularly impressive. In a bad way. A very, very bad way. Trust me, no one ever says 'remember when the Atomic Phase Inverter exploded and then we all went out for ice cream'.
While the devices a superscientist makes seem to be standard technology, their status as 'superscience' means even their use is quite outside the skillset of most people. Only a superscientist can use a superscientist's devices, and even then a superscientist attempting to use the device of another superscientist does so at a -4 penalty to their activation roll.
Permanent Devices
While creating an item that anyone can use, or which is free roaming such as a robot, is within the domain of superscience, it is outside of the reach of most PC superscientists.
See Also
| Devilshire News File Topics | ||
| News Files | Building Guide • Copyright • Policy • Resources • Staff | |
| New Player Information | Application Procedure • Census • Character Types • Playing Villains • Restricted Concepts • Sample Character Background | |
| Game System | Attributes • Combat • Drama Points • Drawbacks • Fear • Global Commands • Experience Points • Human Qualities • Human Drawbacks • LP & Healing • Magic • Spells • Note • Package Qualities • Rolling • Skills • Supernatural Qualities • Supernatural Drawbacks • Superscience | |
| Setting and Theme | Overview • History • Folktales • Speech • The Four Families • Town • Conflict • Theme | |
| Characters | Casting • NPC Casting • The Devlin Family • The Harget Family • The Moore Family • The Swann Family | |
