The Duelist
08-28-2008, 11:04 PM
I came up with these rules while researching the Weird Science rules for adaptation for a cosm I was (and still am) designing. I forget if I've posted them on other forums, but oh, well. Feel free to pick them apart at your leisure
Jury-Rigging (An alternative to the Gizmo rules in Terra SB)
The Terra Sourcebook has rules for creating "Gizmos", which are one-shot Weird Science devices not paid for unless they're used. These rules also suggest they can be used to create items from "ordinary" materials. The rules are rather vague in their presentation and are open to quite a bit of interpretation. I have created alternate rules that are more substantial and are more well-rounded in flavor.
Jury-Rig can be purchased as a type specialization of the Weird Science skill.
In order, here are the steps to Jury-Rig a Weird Science device:
1) Determine what the jury-rigged item will do (What power will be emulated, etc., note the Limit Value of the emulated power)
2) Decide on the housing (Generate Housing Value as normal)
3) Gather the materials. The GM will assign a penalty based on the Diffictlty scale (p 79 Torg R&E), Average for close approximation of actual scientific materials, all the way up to Nearly Impossible for "Bubble Gum and Baling Wire"
4) Make a Weird Science(Jury-Rig) roll vs. the Limit Value of the power/Ability or whetever difficulty number chosen by the GM if not emulating a Power plus any modifier for substandard materials above.
5) The base time is the Housing value - 10, minimum 14 (600 sec). Result points from the Weird Science(Jury-Rig) roll may be applied to reduce the actual construction time on a one-to-one basis, to a minimum of 8 (four rounds)
6) Any remaining Result points are applied via the Power Push table (ignore shock), and the base effect value (The power's Limit Value) is increased by the result. The base duration that the device will remain active is a value of 24 (1 day) upon activation. After this time, the device burns out and may not be reused; a new device must be built from scratch.
7) The duration value may be decreased by any amount to a minimum of 5 (1 round) in order to increase the effect value. The difference is run through the Power Push table and the result is added to the effect value. It may also be increased by reducing the effect value by an equal measure (one-to-one). This cannot allow a jury-rigged device to last past the end of an Act.
The device is now complete. Activating the jury-rigged device requires expenditure of Possibility equal to the Adventure Cost of the emulated power minus 2. It will remain active once activated for the chosen duration. If the effect is ended before that time, it will "burn out" as if it had went the full duration.
Ex1: Dr. Quickpatch (Weird Science 16) wishes to make an Electro-ray(LV 7) pistol during a lull in his current adventure in Core Earth North America. Able to find suitable parts in a nearby abandoned Radio Shack (Complicated, +2 to difficulty, giving a final difficulty of 9), he takes an old soldering iron as his housing, creating a Housing Value of 18 (-10 is 8, which defaults to a time value 14, or 10 minutes) Attaching the materials to the housing, he makes his Weird Science roll of 18, leaving 9 result points. Not in any hurry, he decides not to apply any result points to reducing the time. 9 result points on the Power Push table is +4, creating a base effect value of 11. Tweaking the device to boost the power output at the cost of reliability, he shifts the duration value down 12 points from 24 to 12 (4 minutes, 10 seconds). Running 12 through the Power Push table gives a +5 to the effect value, giving a final effect value of 16.
Later, back home in Cairo, the good Dr. suddenly runs into some shocktroopers looking to (ahem) "recruit" him into Dr. Mobius's Weird Science lab. Telling the shocktroopers where they can stick their offer, they strike. He pulls out his weapon, spending 2 Possibility (Adventure cost 4-2), the gun becomes active. He smiles as he begins his escape through the alleys of Cairo.
Ex2: In the middle of the ruins of Detroit, MI, MacGyver (Weird Science (Jury Rig) 20) and his crew of Storm Knights are being chased by Edeinos riding some very hungry Bor Aka. They hole up in an abandoned factory and try to think of a way out. MacGyver spies a nearly-finished Corvette and a skylight in the ceiling and gets an idea. He sends the others to open the skylight and reinforce the door, which is being slowly battered down. Gathering the admittedly substandard materials (Some electronic items and car parts, Very Hard: +7 to the difficulty), he prepares the Corvette for adding the Flight power (LV 12, total difficulty 19) getting a Weird Science total of 22 (-10 is 12, minimum 14) for the housing value. Time running out, he spends a Possibility on the Jury-Rig roll and gets a 34, giving him a result of 30. Applying this to the modified difficulty gives MacGyver 11 result points. Hearing the loud pounding of the Dino outside ready to breach the factory doors, he pumps 6 result points into the build time to drop it to the minimum (Time Value 8, 4 rounds). Taking the remaining 5 result points to the effect value (+2 on the Power Push table), the Flight power built into the car has a base effect value of 14 for the Flight power of the car for a duration of 24 (1 day). Satisfied with this value, he declines to shift any duration into the effect value.
Having opened the skylight and gassed up the 'Vette, MacGyver expends 1 Possibility (3 for the Flight Power - 2), turns the key, and the car starts to float. The rest of the party climb in just as the dino and their Edeinos riders burst through the door, and float out through the skylight at a top speed of 150 MPH.
I will also be modifying these rules for my Steamtech cosm as well.
Jury-Rigging (An alternative to the Gizmo rules in Terra SB)
The Terra Sourcebook has rules for creating "Gizmos", which are one-shot Weird Science devices not paid for unless they're used. These rules also suggest they can be used to create items from "ordinary" materials. The rules are rather vague in their presentation and are open to quite a bit of interpretation. I have created alternate rules that are more substantial and are more well-rounded in flavor.
Jury-Rig can be purchased as a type specialization of the Weird Science skill.
In order, here are the steps to Jury-Rig a Weird Science device:
1) Determine what the jury-rigged item will do (What power will be emulated, etc., note the Limit Value of the emulated power)
2) Decide on the housing (Generate Housing Value as normal)
3) Gather the materials. The GM will assign a penalty based on the Diffictlty scale (p 79 Torg R&E), Average for close approximation of actual scientific materials, all the way up to Nearly Impossible for "Bubble Gum and Baling Wire"
4) Make a Weird Science(Jury-Rig) roll vs. the Limit Value of the power/Ability or whetever difficulty number chosen by the GM if not emulating a Power plus any modifier for substandard materials above.
5) The base time is the Housing value - 10, minimum 14 (600 sec). Result points from the Weird Science(Jury-Rig) roll may be applied to reduce the actual construction time on a one-to-one basis, to a minimum of 8 (four rounds)
6) Any remaining Result points are applied via the Power Push table (ignore shock), and the base effect value (The power's Limit Value) is increased by the result. The base duration that the device will remain active is a value of 24 (1 day) upon activation. After this time, the device burns out and may not be reused; a new device must be built from scratch.
7) The duration value may be decreased by any amount to a minimum of 5 (1 round) in order to increase the effect value. The difference is run through the Power Push table and the result is added to the effect value. It may also be increased by reducing the effect value by an equal measure (one-to-one). This cannot allow a jury-rigged device to last past the end of an Act.
The device is now complete. Activating the jury-rigged device requires expenditure of Possibility equal to the Adventure Cost of the emulated power minus 2. It will remain active once activated for the chosen duration. If the effect is ended before that time, it will "burn out" as if it had went the full duration.
Ex1: Dr. Quickpatch (Weird Science 16) wishes to make an Electro-ray(LV 7) pistol during a lull in his current adventure in Core Earth North America. Able to find suitable parts in a nearby abandoned Radio Shack (Complicated, +2 to difficulty, giving a final difficulty of 9), he takes an old soldering iron as his housing, creating a Housing Value of 18 (-10 is 8, which defaults to a time value 14, or 10 minutes) Attaching the materials to the housing, he makes his Weird Science roll of 18, leaving 9 result points. Not in any hurry, he decides not to apply any result points to reducing the time. 9 result points on the Power Push table is +4, creating a base effect value of 11. Tweaking the device to boost the power output at the cost of reliability, he shifts the duration value down 12 points from 24 to 12 (4 minutes, 10 seconds). Running 12 through the Power Push table gives a +5 to the effect value, giving a final effect value of 16.
Later, back home in Cairo, the good Dr. suddenly runs into some shocktroopers looking to (ahem) "recruit" him into Dr. Mobius's Weird Science lab. Telling the shocktroopers where they can stick their offer, they strike. He pulls out his weapon, spending 2 Possibility (Adventure cost 4-2), the gun becomes active. He smiles as he begins his escape through the alleys of Cairo.
Ex2: In the middle of the ruins of Detroit, MI, MacGyver (Weird Science (Jury Rig) 20) and his crew of Storm Knights are being chased by Edeinos riding some very hungry Bor Aka. They hole up in an abandoned factory and try to think of a way out. MacGyver spies a nearly-finished Corvette and a skylight in the ceiling and gets an idea. He sends the others to open the skylight and reinforce the door, which is being slowly battered down. Gathering the admittedly substandard materials (Some electronic items and car parts, Very Hard: +7 to the difficulty), he prepares the Corvette for adding the Flight power (LV 12, total difficulty 19) getting a Weird Science total of 22 (-10 is 12, minimum 14) for the housing value. Time running out, he spends a Possibility on the Jury-Rig roll and gets a 34, giving him a result of 30. Applying this to the modified difficulty gives MacGyver 11 result points. Hearing the loud pounding of the Dino outside ready to breach the factory doors, he pumps 6 result points into the build time to drop it to the minimum (Time Value 8, 4 rounds). Taking the remaining 5 result points to the effect value (+2 on the Power Push table), the Flight power built into the car has a base effect value of 14 for the Flight power of the car for a duration of 24 (1 day). Satisfied with this value, he declines to shift any duration into the effect value.
Having opened the skylight and gassed up the 'Vette, MacGyver expends 1 Possibility (3 for the Flight Power - 2), turns the key, and the car starts to float. The rest of the party climb in just as the dino and their Edeinos riders burst through the door, and float out through the skylight at a top speed of 150 MPH.
I will also be modifying these rules for my Steamtech cosm as well.