Weird Scientists

Information and discussion for players of the game. No spoilers here please!
Tellim-Tor
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Tellim-Tor » Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:53 pm

Sorry but this Topic is Not complety clear for me.

WS learns Spelle as normal Masters, Check
Instead of Casting, they use an Device. Example Bolt-gun.
How much Bolts could He fire ? And how ist Strain handled?

For clarification:
Could you please explain how the creation of the folllowing Device would be handled?

A self Walking and aming gun which can shoot on command on an target of choice, as Long AS it hast Munition, or i Order of to Stop.

Which step does the gun have to fire and for damage?

Thanks in advance

ChrisDDickey
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by ChrisDDickey » Sun Sep 29, 2019 4:56 pm

I would also like to see (another) example walk-though of an item creation such as this.

I think I know the broad strokes of how it would be done, but would love to see somebody fill in some details with target numbers and costs.
The broad strokes would be, it has to be designed, The clockwork or steam powered body would need to be built. Then the enchantments would need to be added on.

It would be much easier to do a controlled or remote controlled mechanism, where a pilot and/or a gunner control where or how it walks and shoots. If you are looking for a small carry-able clockwork gun, then maybe a remote-control panel could be used. But in the absence of a control person, then ether a very sophisticated Engine Program might be needed, or maybe a bound Spirit to control it. I would think that ether one would raise the difficulty enormously.

I would actually be extraordinarily interested in seeing two designs for device, one from a classic "Weird Scientist" perspective, where the designer says there is nothing magical about it at all. There is a clockwork and/or steam powered body, an control engine, and a mundane gun. What intellectual and financial resources does it take to design and build this? How does the "enchanting" so to speak work? What sort of maintenance and/or renewal would it need?

How about a different design that was meant to achieve the exact same results from a more magical perspective? An Enchanted body that requires nether winding nor coal to move. A magical blaster about as powerful as a gun. and a bound spirit to control it. What intellectual and financial resources would that require? Does this require more AP for the enchanting?

So you can see, I am never quite sure if there is a difference between WS building and classical mage "enchanting", and if there are differences, what they are.

And, like the previous poster, I would be interested in seeing somebody post a walk-though of the design, building, and enchanting processes, with costs and target numbers.

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Andrew1879
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Andrew1879 » Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:49 pm

I've noted this line of questioning for a future blog entry. This is a bit more complex than I want to go into on a forum, and is going to involve some policy declarations. Look for a blog entry with the working title of Two Roads to Rio sometime in the next month. In the meantime, feel free to discuss among yourselves and speculate on the form the canonical examples will take.

Slimcreeper
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Slimcreeper » Mon Sep 30, 2019 1:48 pm

Okay, I have like a whole system that I've written up, but I'm not going to post it because I don't want to put a bunch of free stuff up here to compete with official products.

I have clockwork items having Size (hand-held to carriage), Power Source (Hand-wound spring to vehicular microsteam), and optional Control Systems (cam system to compact analytic engine).

Enchanting has the following questions: What will we Enchant (with rules for Craftsman, Craft Tool, Masterwork & Bespoke items)? What Tier? Single use, charges, or permanent? What techniques will be used? (categories: energy source, control system, adding a function, sympathetic symbolism)? Then you make the enchanting test.

So if you can make a think with clockwork, it is usually easier and cheaper. And it can be repaired. Weird Scientist Devices can have more exotic effects, but are less predictable. An example item:

Weird Science Permanent Device
What Will We Enchant?
Gripping Mitt

What Kind of Magical Item?
Novice, Charged

What Techniques?

Provide the object
Clockwork, £32. -2 to Enchanting TN
Artisan Test, one success. -1 to Enchanting TN

Power Source
Alchemical Fuel, £3 per fueling.

Control System
Magical Ingredients, £32
Gathering TN 7, Craft Device TN 7. -3 to Enchanting TN.

Function
Crushing function - Weaving in True Earth, £5
Spellcasting TN 7 to Weave True Element
-1 to Enchanting TN
Heat Resistance - Weaving in True Air, £20
Spellcasting TN 14 to Weave True Element
-1 to Enchanting TN

Other Techniques
Magical Ingredients, £32
Gathering TN 7, Craft Device TN 7
Sympathetic Symbolism -1 to Enchanting TN

Enchanting Test
Enchanting Test is another Craft Device.
Enchanting TN is 13 - 2 - 1 - 3 - 1 -1 = 5. Takes 1 day.
Each extra success on the Enchanting Test makes the device more efficient in terms of using fuel.

Final Cost is £124.
Effect is 11 (hypothetical Weird Scientist with Willpower 8) gripping power. Can either hold onto something securely or do Step 11 crushing damage. Mitt allows the user to handle very hot materials, such as the contents of a kiln.

Slimcreeper
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Slimcreeper » Mon Sep 30, 2019 4:24 pm

I went back and remade this same item with Clockwork and came up with this:

Clockwork Gripping Mitt

What will we make?
2 Functions: Gripping Claw, Resist Heat.
Novice Tier (TN +0, Step +0, Cost/Success = £5)

What Size?
BackPack
Weight: 25 lbs.
Physical Defense: 6 Mystic Defense: 2
Barrier Rating: 4 Physical Armor: 0
Base TN to Create: 10
Base Cost: £30

What Power Source?
Power-cranked Spring
Cost: £25
Weight: +10 lbs.
Base Step 9
Minimum Size: Backpack
Novice, 13 uses per charge.

What Control System?
Cam System
Cost: £5
Minimum Size: Handheld
Maximum functions: 3.

Make the Clockwork test
Successes needed: 5
Function: Claw Step 9
Function: Claw +1
Function: Claw +1 Total of Step 11
Physical Armor vs Heat +5
Physical Armor vs. Heat +5
TN: 10, Each test takes 5 days. Successes can be accumulated.
Total Cost: £85

Gripper Mitt
Weight: 40 lbs Backpack, power-cranked spring.
PD: 6 MD: 0 Barrier Rating 4
PA: 0 Physical Armor vs Heat: 10
Function: Claw Step 11. 13 uses per charge

So it wound up being more expensive and harder. Hah! still need to massage the system, obviously. But it doesn't have the chance of complete failure like the enchanting one does (in the weaving True Elements Step)

**Edited! Modified the Power Sources to be more effective, dropped the TNs slightly across the board. I might drop the number of days per test to a flat 1 day, rather than 1 per success attempted. Or maybe one day per Tier (Novice 1, Journeyman 2, Master 3, Warden 4. Seems like this should take about a week to build, not a month.

Slimcreeper
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Slimcreeper » Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:13 pm

Erm, sorry to kill the discussion …

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Andrew1879
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Andrew1879 » Wed Oct 02, 2019 5:12 pm

I don't think you killed it so much as put a definitive explanation at the end of it. Although I'm still going to explore this in a future blog entry.

Tellim-Tor
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Tellim-Tor » Sun Oct 06, 2019 4:23 pm

Thanks a Lot for the Exploration and explanation...

The WS is Kind a interesting class, but definately Not for running adventures. All you explained ist Quite logical for me, but IT will Take a "Life" Just to build or rebuild a Device of IT IS Destroyed. About Money i wont even Talk. I thought fix could Help Here Out, but i only repairs Things for hours, Not permanent. With that Points in mind i dont see a way for WS in a campain AS PC.

In the best scenario a ws Puts much efford Info crafting and enchanting via XP spending in skills and enchants, without gimping himself Not to much, to save some Money. In the worst Case of Devices are Destroyed He IS useless.

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Andrew1879
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Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Andrew1879 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 2:14 pm

The Weird Scientist has worked quite well in independent play for several years. Perhaps you're looking at it from the standpoint of old school gaming, where the DM spends a lot of effort trying to deprive the party of magic items they've acquired? Yes, there's serious costs to developing a device, and getting the wherewithal to create a device could be the source of a quest all on its own. However, the odds of it being destroyed on the first field trial should be pretty low, unless your GM is actively targeting it. Beyond that, the story and roleplay possibilities of the Profession make it playable all on its own.

Tellim-Tor
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Joined:Sat Jul 20, 2019 6:01 am

Re: Weird Scientists

Post by Tellim-Tor » Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:20 pm

I See you got a Point there.

Still i See now way for WS in my group.

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