Results 331 to 355 of 355
Thread: Psionic Bias?
-
2010-04-05, 08:29 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2009
-
2010-04-05, 08:30 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- In a box of dice
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
There's a few theories on how it might be possible to go faster than light. But one of the biggest problems is fuel. We just don't have a way to provide enough accelleration to get to the kind of speeds required.
That and the faster something moves in relativistic terms, the more mass it has. Until it reaches infinite mass at the speed of light. Scientists and engineers just don't have a way of coping with that.
-
2010-04-05, 08:31 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Tampa, FL
- Gender
-
2010-04-05, 08:32 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
NOW COMPLETE: Let's Play Starcraft II Trilogy:
Hell, It's About Time: Wings of Liberty
Does This Mutation Make Me Look Fat: Heart of the Swarm
My Life For Aiur? I Barely Know 'Er: Legacy of the Void
-
2010-04-05, 08:34 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2007
-
2010-04-05, 09:00 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Gender
-
2010-04-05, 09:08 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Gender
-
2010-04-05, 09:17 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2010
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
or y'know...you can always just shorten space itself, don't have to go faster than light, just shorten the distance required to get to your destination.
-
2010-04-05, 09:17 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Tampa, FL
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
Hence the "fiction" pa-
I'm just going to get a stamp made with "FICTION!" on it, and save myself some typing
And anyway, we were talking about how to theoretically achieve FTL. Who said anything about stopping? Stopping is for girly-men who cannot subsist on space ether and their own chest hair!
-
2010-04-05, 09:21 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Gender
-
2010-04-05, 09:23 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Tampa, FL
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
I think this topic has run its course.
Um... Psionics is a-okay! Or something.
-
2010-04-05, 09:51 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2008
- Location
- Bristol, UK
Re: Psionic Bias?
That's backwards. Light having different speeds in different media is what causes refraction when it encounters an interface at an angle. Note that light is not the fastest thing in a given medium. There is even a light equivalent to a 'sonic boom'.
Generally, what people mean by 'faster than light' is 'faster than 299,792,458 ms-1', the speed of light in a vacuum.
The mass of an object is given by the equation (iirc):
m = m0 / sqrt(1 - v2/c2)
i.e. if the rest mass is other than zero, the mass of an object moving at the speed of light will be infinite (this equation cannot be used to find any information about what happens when the rest mass is zero)
In any event, the bottom line is that faster-than-light travel is not "just an engineering challenge" in the same way that supersonic travel was. Even then, some engineering challenges aren't necessarily surmountable - for example, the Death Star's superlaser required about a thousand times more energy than its own estimated rest-mass converted into energy (and would have produced a much less spectacular bang).Last edited by lesser_minion; 2010-04-05 at 10:00 AM.
-
2010-04-05, 12:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
-
2010-04-05, 03:51 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2009
Re: Psionic Bias?
If you're going to respond to my posts; read them. I've been supporting the psionics rules on grounds of mechanical adaptability, their fluff versatility, their balance, and intuitive nature and easy-of-use functions. Not merely "cause I like 'em". That's pretty disrespectful too.
That said, I've never attacked the system itself. I don't have a problem with that at all. My problem is entirely about aesthetics of setting. And if a player doesn't like the organisations and structures of a campaign setting enough to be willing to go along with them, why is that player going to have any respect for the GM or the other players at the table?
If you don't like the Zhentarim or playing Evil characters, or playing parties with "magic classes only" for a Magic-School style game or something, then just don't play. If you and your DM can work out some way to fit something want to play in, then that's great. If you don't like the subject matter, simply bow out and wait for another game.
I'd see that as player entitlement and the worst kind of browbeating brinksmanship. After all, if I join a new group, I don't go trying to throw my weight around and change the established order of how they do things at their table. That's just disrespectful. Rules be damned, there are things like manners and respect to consider here.
Players are also entitled to having fun too dagnamit. I DM virtually all the games I participate in; often because no one else around feels up to DMing (try as I do to encourage them); and from the standpoint of a DM I say that it is not all about me nor all of my "intricate laid out plots". DMs exist to serve the players; and sometimes that service also requires you to say "no". However, I'm not going to tell someone "no" for no reason. If you do, I will loose respect for you. It's just how it is.
Respect and manners goes both ways.
What if the concerns aren't fluff related at all, but instead are setting related? I tend to go with guilds who regulate and monopolise the use of arcane magic, while churches do the same for divine magic. They are usually not monolithic multinationals, working on the principle of power isn't for sharing unless people want to pay our prices or it's a matter of national security. And then you come along demanding to play a Psion, even though I've made it clear that I'm not using those rules, nor am I using anything from Forgotten Realms or Eberron.
If you're not using Psionics because you're not familiar with it, then now's a good time to become so. If you say no arbitrarily without reason, then that's a big red-flag to me that it's going to be a great game of "my-rules & railroads" the whole time (when I was hoping to play D&D). If you won't use logic or reasoning behind your DMing judgments, then why should I assume you will with other things; and why should I play in your game?
I would politely let you know that I changed my mind; bow out of the game; and then find something else to do; or another game.
Causing a scene and having a tantrum about it makes you a problem player in my book, especially if you're the new guy. If you're going to make waves over certain books not being used at the table, what else are you going to make waves over?
What other things would I make waves over? Well here is a list for you.
- The DM having a female wizard of mine be dominated an anally raped, and then rolling some dice behind the screen and declaring that she's enjoying it. (Yes this happened)
- The DM picking on one person or intentionally killing off PCs because they feel like it.
- The DM throwing in more random encounters because he thought a deity shared by another player and I's PCs was stupid. (Happened as well; was Eliastree from the Forgotten Realms, and always interrupted our characters when we spoke of her with random encounters.)
- The DMing making up rules on the fly to be a jerk. (Happened. I described my cleric holding up her shield and attempting to goad opponents into attacking her instead of the squishier allies. He rolls against my AC and misses, then rolls damage against my shield as if it were a sunder-attempt, using "Well it would hit your shield". Also, called-shots.)
- The DM looking for players invites me to a game. I ask up front if it's fine if I play a Psion (since I hadn't played one in a long time). He says sure, he totally allows psionics. Later as I'm presenting my 1st level human psion made to the DM's specifications. The DM then declares that because psionics are overpowered, he is adding a will-save to disbelieve them to every psionic power; but he's using the recharge magic varient for core casters. (Actually happened. I explained how Psionics wasn't unbalanced and that his ruling made no sense even fluff-wise; and he ended up lifting his will-save penalty; but I bowed out because...well because that's seriously messed up; and totally dropped my confidence in him as a DM.)
Ultimately, I'm not certain what you're trying to prove here. Twisting my words, attacking my character, and suggesting that I'm going to throw tantrums and what-not aren't very respectful either.You are my God.
-
2010-04-05, 03:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
-
2010-04-05, 03:56 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
- Gender
NOW COMPLETE: Let's Play Starcraft II Trilogy:
Hell, It's About Time: Wings of Liberty
Does This Mutation Make Me Look Fat: Heart of the Swarm
My Life For Aiur? I Barely Know 'Er: Legacy of the Void
-
2010-04-05, 04:01 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
-
2010-04-05, 04:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
But to someone uneducated, or sufficient ignorant, they'll be functionally identical. "Magic" is an incredibly vague term in that case...teleportation or personal flight are both magic spells, but they've also got significant presence in science fiction as technology-based. Violating the laws of thermodynamics with, say, a Fireball spell could be harder.
If you just define 'Magic' as 'Impossible Things', then yes, we will never discover magic...but then it becomes a cyclical argument.NOW COMPLETE: Let's Play Starcraft II Trilogy:
Hell, It's About Time: Wings of Liberty
Does This Mutation Make Me Look Fat: Heart of the Swarm
My Life For Aiur? I Barely Know 'Er: Legacy of the Void
-
2010-04-05, 04:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2009
Re: Psionic Bias?
Actually no. I've never played FATAL but I've heard it was terrible. Unfortunately, I'm actually listing things from different games with different DMs. Those are games that I walked from; and would walk from again. I have no luck with finding games as a player; but I've been DMing for 10 years almost exclusively.
I don't even think I hold DMs to a high standard. I always try to make characters who get along with party members; I prefer playing NG/LG characters (not in the Lawful Stupid way); write my characters according to the fluff the DMs provide whenever possible; try to keep things pretty simple; and I tend to attempt to follow plot-hooks and what-not. It's just the few games I've been in that were great games, only lasted for a few sessions because of various out of game issues such as work schedules or school.Last edited by Ashiel; 2010-04-05 at 04:14 PM.
You are my God.
-
2010-04-05, 04:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
-
2010-04-05, 04:23 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2005
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
Last edited by The Glyphstone; 2010-04-05 at 04:23 PM.
NOW COMPLETE: Let's Play Starcraft II Trilogy:
Hell, It's About Time: Wings of Liberty
Does This Mutation Make Me Look Fat: Heart of the Swarm
My Life For Aiur? I Barely Know 'Er: Legacy of the Void
-
2010-04-05, 09:57 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Boston, MA
Re: Psionic Bias?
Not exactly. First of all, c is the speed of light in a vacuum. The speed of light through other media is slower. In fact, this is an important fact which leads to something useful phenomena such as Cherenkov radiation. Moreover, even then nothing actually says that you can't get to c. The key is that objects with positive rest mass cannot accelerate to c in real space. That's not due to an undefined energy level being required but rather an infinite energy level. In any event, none of this rules out other forms of FTL travel. For technical reasons warp drives are extremely unlikely. But wormholes are not severely implausible given our current knowledge level.
Disclaimer: I'm a math grad student not a physicist so I could have details wrong.Last edited by JoshuaZ; 2010-04-05 at 09:58 PM.
My homebrew:
Spoiler
Completed:
ToB disciplines:
The Narrow Bridge
The Broken Blade
Prestige classess:
Disciple of Karsus -PrC for Karsites.
The Seekers of Lost Swords and the Preserver of Future Blades Two interelated Tome of Battle Prcs,
Master of the Hidden Seal - Binder/Divine hybrid
Knight of the Grave- Necromancy using Gish
Worthwhile links:
Age of Warriors
-
2010-04-05, 10:06 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Tampa, FL
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
Psst - Ix-nay on the ATAL-Fay in the layground-Pay.
And science fiction is the middle ground - starting within the laws of physics, and then diverging to either a small or large degree depending on the subject matter at hand.
Psionics, on the other hand, doesn't do this; they handwave away most effects with "ectoplasm" which might as well be "mana" for all the scientific implication it has.
-
2010-04-07, 02:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2008
Re: Psionic Bias?
I originally made this post in order to get some explanation on why Psionics tend to get flak for reasons that I am unaware of. I'm not exactly sure how Sci-Fi vs. Magic came into play.
I am just more confused than when it began.
-
2010-04-07, 02:23 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- Enterprise, Alabama
- Gender
Re: Psionic Bias?
Apparently, Psionics gets flak because it seems Sci-Fi. But since no one can sanely define Sci-Fi. Magic and psionics seem indisguishable.
One person thought: Sci-Fi is where we could be.
But then since we haven't proven how anyone can use psionics yet: that means Sci-Fi is more magic than psionics.
With started argument that they are the same.
Meaning, Fantasy should have both but that brung the people who don't like psionics in their fantasy because of Nar-wals*.
*(okay I tuned out that argument but I think uniciorns and nar-wals were involved. If they weren't, they should have been).Last edited by Starbuck_II; 2010-04-07 at 02:23 PM.