Nanoware made of Orichalcum?, Possible? Uses? |
Nanoware made of Orichalcum?, Possible? Uses? |
Oct 29 2010, 02:50 PM
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#1
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 252 Joined: 26-August 10 From: Greensboro, NC Member No.: 18,971 |
So I've got this idea of made a dose of nanites out of Orichalcum, particularly worked to be a sustaining focus. The nanites would do nothing more than get this into the body, and thus be harding to remove, and maybe given the spread through said system, make it harder to break the spell. My question is basically does this work? Would it work? Would you lety it fly? Limitations? Cost (in nuyen) for everything?
Of course this could have great uses for runners, but I'm thinking from an antagonistic point of view, too. For example, shoot a runner with a dose of nanites sustaining levitate, for example. It's not their spell, so they would baiscally just float there (allowing for enough hits to lift them, of course). Takes them out of the fight. Or try darkness. Visual penalties follwoing them, everywhere. Or things like Mana Bind/Net, and so on. I should probably actually re-read up on all stuff involved, but I'm away from the books at the moment. Thanks in advance! |
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Oct 29 2010, 02:53 PM
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#2
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,996 Joined: 1-June 10 Member No.: 18,649 |
would this not be.. disturbingly cost ineffective?
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Oct 29 2010, 02:54 PM
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#3
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
Eyah, you're spending tens of thousands of nuyen on something where a $2 box of bullets is going to do the job.
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Oct 29 2010, 04:03 PM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 206 Joined: 9-September 10 From: Minneapolis, MN Member No.: 19,032 |
It might make for an interesting plot-hook, i.e. some bad magical thing dumped into the runners, but it's rather wacky as a regular weapon. That assumes that it would even work, nanite sustaining focus isn't exactly supported by the rules. Whatever works for your campaign though.
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Oct 29 2010, 04:09 PM
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#5
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,147 Joined: 2-May 10 Member No.: 18,539 |
"I find your lack of frugality... disturbing."
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Oct 29 2010, 04:21 PM
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#6
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Target Group: Members Posts: 52 Joined: 12-March 02 From: Terra Member No.: 2,334 |
I wouldn't allow it.
1. Nanites are made of semi-conductors like Silicon, Carbon, Selenium-Germanium. There is no proof that orichalium is a semi-conductor. 2. If it is a semi-conductor, then you need to introduce impurities to get it to behave as a p+ and p- semi-conducting material. If it's impure, then you likely won't be able to use it for enchanting. Best option is to have particles of orichalium as a payload in thousands of nanites. It won't possibly work any other way. |
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Oct 29 2010, 05:40 PM
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#7
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,507 Joined: 11-November 08 Member No.: 16,582 |
Why use orichalcum at all? Foci needn't be made from it. You can enchant any material. Some are just easier than others. Just enchant regular nanites.
If they aren't supposed to do anything anyways just use tatooing ink, and "paint" the focus on you. For the negative spells there are several problems:
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Oct 29 2010, 05:42 PM
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#8
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
There's also the fact that as soon as a focus is no longer in contact with its owner, it switches off. You couldn't shoot somebody with a sustaining nanofocus and have it levitate them any more than you could hang a regular sustaining focus on them and have it levitate them. Nanofoci inside the owner's body is a bit murkier. I would allow it, so long as the player is aware of the following caveats: unless you get a nanohive (and accept the Essence loss therefrom), the nanofocus will degrade just like any other nanoware at the rate of one point of Force per week. Basically, if you want a Force 4 sustaining nanofocus, you either have to buy it over and over again every month, or you have to suck it up and take the nanohive. The hive, of course, must be fed with orichalcum, or the focus degrades anyway.
IMO, it's a huge PITA for not much benefit. If a player laughs at the opposition often enough, saying, "Ha ha! My foci are nanoware suspended in my blood," the opposition is likely to start saying, "Ha ha! We'll just shoot you full of holes and let your blood run out and/or shoot you full of FAB III!" If somebody really wants to screw you, they're gonna screw you, and the more creative you make them get, the worse it will be in the end. |
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Oct 29 2010, 05:48 PM
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#9
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,883 Joined: 16-December 06 Member No.: 10,386 |
It bears mentioning that nanites are only useful because they are so much more than a mere delivery system. Combined with a nanohive they're literally wee self-replicating engineers that tinker with and maintain biological systems. If you just want to inject something you should get a syringe and save yourself a few grand. Better yet, get a skin pocket to fill in some of that useless essence fraction left by your cybereyes and try not to get caught in the first place.
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Oct 29 2010, 06:36 PM
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#10
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
A focus is one unit, not a disparate cloud. Also, nanites are constantly destroyed and replaced.
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Oct 29 2010, 06:38 PM
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#11
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
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Oct 29 2010, 07:41 PM
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#12
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,899 Joined: 29-October 09 From: Leiden, the Netherlands Member No.: 17,814 |
Oricalchum is an impossible material - it shouldn't exist according to physics, and can only be made by alchemy. I don't you you can make nanotech from it.
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Oct 29 2010, 08:53 PM
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#13
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,883 Joined: 16-December 06 Member No.: 10,386 |
I also kinda have to wonder how you would go about activating or binding a focus that's in your bloodstream. By the RAW I suppose the focus couldn't be any more in contact with you, but I personally sorta like the idea that a focus should be something tangible that you well, focus on, if only even for a moment. I don't expect my players to do anything so elaborate as a centering ritual or anything, but I do think it'd be sort of nice if they knew what it looked or felt like. The fact that you need an object at all hits me as something of significance, after all.
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Oct 29 2010, 08:55 PM
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#14
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Freelance Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 7,324 Joined: 30-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 6,714 |
I guess it would be a good way to pad your facility's R&D budgetary requirements, if nothing else.
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Oct 30 2010, 12:52 AM
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#15
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,899 Joined: 29-October 09 From: Leiden, the Netherlands Member No.: 17,814 |
I also kinda have to wonder how you would go about activating or binding a focus that's in your bloodstream. By the RAW I suppose the focus couldn't be any more in contact with you, but I personally sorta like the idea that a focus should be something tangible that you well, focus on, if only even for a moment. I don't expect my players to do anything so elaborate as a centering ritual or anything, but I do think it'd be sort of nice if they knew what it looked or felt like. The fact that you need an object at all hits me as something of significance, after all. That's not the problem.. I could get behind a mage listening to his heartbeat and using it to focus on his blood. Actually, bleeding (pissing) out oricalchum nanites is another major issue; how do you replenish enchanted nanites? |
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Oct 30 2010, 02:10 AM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 252 Joined: 26-August 10 From: Greensboro, NC Member No.: 18,971 |
I guess it would be a good way to pad your facility's R&D budgetary requirements, if nothing else. Way better than my idea, and I'm not just saying that because all the rules seem against it, heh. But imagine some R&D dudes doing this, as said to pad the budget. Rumor gets out, and the team gets hired to get this intel. Paid a butt load, to boot. Breeze in, and find... nothing. Well, nothing real, but they probably don't know that. So off to the Client, who is unahppy with his purchase when he realizes it's crap. Probably thinks the runners screwed him over and sold to some one else for a higher price. Comes gunning for some payback, and the money, and the real intel. I've been meaning to the proverbial "1 in 10" run where the runners get screwed, this would be a completely different way of doing it. |
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Nov 3 2010, 03:43 AM
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#17
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 609 Joined: 13-August 07 Member No.: 12,615 |
The technomancers of the old WoD rpg Mage developed something called Primium (IIRC, the same basic idea as orichalum). Among other things, when you laced a subject's bones with this material, it allowed even sleepers to resist aggravated damage. I was toying around with something similar: a process that would allow mundanes to affect creatures with Immunity to Normal Weapons (using unarmed combat).
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Nov 3 2010, 10:56 AM
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#18
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,236 Joined: 27-July 10 Member No.: 18,860 |
QUOTE . Better yet, get a skin pocket to fill in some of that useless essence fraction left by your cybereyes and try not to get caught in the first place. Not to mention the fingertip compartment. |
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Nov 3 2010, 12:58 PM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 944 Joined: 19-February 03 Member No.: 4,128 |
I think you can make nanoware from orichalcum, since from a mundane point of view it is just another precious metal. I just don't think you can practically enchant nanoware.
Foci are harder to create the more processed the item is, right? I can't imagine anything more processed than a nano-scale robot. Wouldn't you also need to enchant each nanobot separately? I have never seen a reference of enchanting in bulk. |
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Nov 3 2010, 03:44 PM
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#20
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
Yes, the main problem (but not the only one) is that 'nanoware' is a pile of separate nanites. Magic prefers single objects; you generally can't, for example, enchant piles of sand. If you put that sand in a pouch or bottle, then you could—but it'd stop working if it broke, of course.
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Nov 3 2010, 04:40 PM
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#21
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,507 Joined: 11-November 08 Member No.: 16,582 |
On the other hand AFAIK nothing prevents you from enchanting a single grain of sand.
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Nov 3 2010, 04:45 PM
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#22
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
But we're saying nanoware. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Nanites are diminished and replaced, so even a 1-nanite 'nanofocus' would be destroyed in a snap. Which is why people said 'just implant/fingernail/etc.'.
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Nov 3 2010, 05:50 PM
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#23
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,248 Joined: 14-October 10 Member No.: 19,113 |
I always thought this is what smuggling compartments were for
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Nov 3 2010, 06:13 PM
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#24
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Advocatus Diaboli Group: Members Posts: 13,994 Joined: 20-November 07 From: USA Member No.: 14,282 |
Mages tend not to want to spend Essence, and I'm not even sure that a Smuggling Compartment counts as 'touching you'. I could see arguments either way. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
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Nov 3 2010, 06:39 PM
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#25
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,507 Joined: 11-November 08 Member No.: 16,582 |
Skin to focus contact isn't even required. the focus can just as well be in a pocket. A smuggling compartment is at least as close.
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