Super-science

18. november 2012

17:08

Use rules from Adventure! Book p.177-178, with the following changes.

Research and construction time modifiers

Reduce R&D and construction time by 25% The die roll for success then subtracts from this adjusted total.
Having the Speed Reading enhancement will reduce R&D time by 10% per dot of Mega-Intelligence.
Having the Fast Tasks enhancement will reduce contruction time by 25% (cumulative with the already reduced time, meaning a total deduction of 50%).
Having Adaptability or Tireless will reduce R&D time by 10% each (due to the sudden lack of time eating or sleeping).
Having the appropriate Prodigy just gives you more dice to roll for the final step.

Summarized process for advancements and inventions:

Step one: R&D
• Time of R&D determined by factors below
• Success or failure determined by Int+ability (+mega-int and other factors) roll. Rolled by storyteller in secret.
○ Standard success means it takes the time determined.
 Amount of successes needed for standard success determined by factors below.
○ Extra successes reduce time it takes.
○ Failure means time is spent and nothing worthwile was researched. The nova can try again.
○ Botch means there is a fundamental flaw in the concept of the research.
 The technology cannot be researched again until the gets more dots in int, mega-int or the relevant ability.
• For invention, must spend one quantum when rolling the R&D. This fuels the invented device.
○ For each additional quantum point spent, reduce the R&D time by 3 days.
 This is done before the roll is made. The builder does not know if he is successful or not before investing his quantum points.

Step two: Construction

• See table on p.178 in book for construction time
• The builder must have facilities and resources enough to build it. (assumed this is the case based on the resource/backing re quirement below, but very large devices might require something special in
addition, at the storytellers discretion)

Step three: field testing (using the device)

• For advancements, use is automatic. (example: For firing an advanced gun, you use dexterity+firearms, just as with any normal gun). Botches while using advanced devices are often more destructive for
the user however..
• For inventions the usage is more complex:
○ The user:
 uses an action
 subtracts a quantum point from the quantum battery of the gadget (or his own pool if he has one and wants to)
□ The gadget has as many quantum points as are left in the battery.
□ When the battery is depleted, the gadget has one quantum point left. This fuels the device.
 Using this last quantum point breaks the device.
 rolls the dice pool for the device (not his own)
□ (unlike in the book, the user can not use his own dicepool instead if he has the power.)

Size of device
Size can be increased or decreased as shown on p. 181.

Advancements of existing technology

For adding options to existing technology, generally improving it a generation or two beyond what is commonly manufactured.

A device cannot contain more than (mega-int + relevant ability) number of options. The maximum levels of each option are as stated in the book, or up to your mega-intelligence score, whichever is higher.
(Usually the levels are maximum 3 or 4. This opens up for novas with very high mega-intelligence (4 or 5) to advance devices beyond even other, less supersmart, novas capabilities.)

Advancements require mega-intelligence or very high skills and abilities. Assume minimum intelligence 4 and ability 5 needed without mega-intelligence.

Advancements require backing of someone to supply the resources for the research and construction of the invention. This translates into backing 3 from a relevant group (or 4 from a non-relevant), or
Resources 4 if the Nova is using his own resources.

For details on advancements, see p 1

Inventions
For building gadgets with powers, megas, or enhancements.

Inventions are even harder to create than Advancements, as such require mega-intelligence. At the storytellers discretion, some highly talented humans (int 5 + ability 5, and relevant speciality or other bonus)
might also use the invention rules.

Inventions require even more backing than advancements. This translates into backing 4 from a relevant group (or 5 from a non-relevant), or Resources 5 if the Nova is using his own resources. A botch can at
the storytellers discretion lead to a temporary or permanent loss of backing/resources as too much

Steps 1 to 7 below give details on inventing a gadget.

1. Effect
The builder decides what Quantum Power (with or without Extras), Mega Attribute or Enhancement the invention should posess.

The R&D time and difficulty depends on the level of the power, the rating (dots) of the power and how well the inventor knowsit.

Megas and enhancements count as level 2 powers.

The chart below shows how many days it adding an effect takes.
Knowledge of effect R&D time in days Notes
Lvl 1-3 Power posessed by inventor 10 x power level x dots of power/mega attribute
Lvl 1-3 Power possessed by assistant 20 x power level x dots of power/mega attribute
Lvl 1-3 Power not possessed 30 x power level x dots of power/mega attribute +1 difficulty
(subject to GM approval to research power)

(example: if the inventorhas mega-strength 2 and want to invent a gadget that duplicates that effect, the R&D time would be 40 days and no difficulty increase)

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(example: if the inventorhas mega-strength 2 and want to invent a gadget that duplicates that effect, the R&D time would be 40 days and no difficulty increase)

With storyteller approval it is possible to make gadgets with higher powers higher than lvl 3. There are two methods for doing this:
1. Add extras to push the power to lvl 4 or 5.
2. Have enough quantum rating to actually posess a lvl 4 or 5 power (builder or assistant)

It is usually impossible to duplicate a lvl 4 or 5 power that is unknown by builder or assistant, so the lvl 4 and 5 "power not possessed" entries below are for powers pushed to that level by adding extras (method
1 above)

Lvl 4 Power posessed by inventor 40 x dots of power/mega attribute +2 difficulty

Lvl 4 Power possessed by assistant 80 x dots of power/mega attribute +2 difficulty

Lvl 4 Power not possessed
(subject to GM approval to research power)
Lvl 5 Power posessed by inventor
Lvl 5 Power possessed by assistant
Lvl 5 Power not possessed
(subject to GM approval to research power)
120 x dots of power/mega attribute +3 difficulty
60 x dots of power/mega attribute +3 difficulty
120 x dots of power/mega attribute +3 difficulty
180 x dots of power/mega attribute +4 difficulty

(example, a gadgeteer could design a device with Holo, with Extra Sense three times so that the gadget power covers sight, sound, touch, and smell. This would make it a Level 5 power for purposes of R&D time,
but it still only requires a base quantum of 1.)

A given invention can only produce one effect.

Quantum
The device must have a base Quantum of 1, and fulfill the minmum quantum requirement of the power chosen in effect.

This 1st quantum costs 20 days. Each additional point of Quantum adds another 20 days of R&D time, up to the builder's Quantum -1.

Raising the gadget to match the builder's Quantum score adds another 30 days of R&D, and a +1 difficulty.

Raising it above the builder's Quantum score adds another 50 days of R&D per point, along with a cumulative +1 difficulty perpoint.

(example: A gadgeteer with Quantum 4 wants to build a device with Telekinesis. To meet the minimum Quantum score will take 40 days of R&D. Giving the gadget up to Quantum 4 will take 90 days of R&D
time, and a +1 difficulty on the die roll.)

2. Secondary functions
Add any wanted advancement options as long as they are appropriate for the gadget. Increased damage and accuracy options onlyapplies to any mundane effects, not the power effect.

(Example +1 to damage and accuracy are not usable for a gadget that is a laser rifle duplicating quantum bolt. For that, add to the dice pool in step 3.

3. Dice pool
Gadgets start with pools for Attributes and Abilities at 0 points.

Raising the gadget pool to 1/2 the builder's rating costs 20 days of R&D per trait. Raising it to match the builder's rating costs 50 days of R&D per trait. Raising it to maximum (assuming the builder's rating is less
than five dots) costs 50 days, plus an additional 20 days R&D and +1 difficulty for each point needed to raise it to five.

(example: A gadgeteer with Dex 2 wants to build a device with a Q-bolt. For 20 days R&D, the gadget will have its own Dex 1. For 50 days R&D, the gadget will have its own Dex 2. For 110 days R&D, the gadget
will have its own Dex 5.)

4. Usability
Normally, only the inventor can use the gadget.

Making a gadget usable by any nova adds 10 days of R&D time and +2 to the difficulty. Making a gadget usable by anyone (human or nova) adds 30 days of R&D time and +4 to the difficulty.

Making a gadget usable by any single person who's not the builder (for example, a quantum-powered implant for a specific person) adds 5 days of R&D time and +1 to difficulty if the user is a nova, or 15 days of
R&D time and +3 to difficulty if the user is a human .

5. Durability
The invention has the soak and health levels determined by the least durable material that it consists of. Adding one health level or soak adds 10 days of R&D and +1 difficulty.
Material Health levels (per m3) Soak
Glass 2 0
Ice 3 2
Wood 5 3
Stone and soft metals 8 5
Hard metals 10 6+

6. Warranty
All inventions have a base life expectancy, after which they grow increasingly unstable. Once the invention is constructed,

The life span of the gadget is determined by subtracting the gadget's own Quantum score from the number of dice the builder has in their relevant pool. Each dot in Mega-Intelligence counts as two dice for this,
and any inventor or prodigy enhancement posessed by the builder also adds its successes as dice.
(example: A gadgeteer has built a device with a Quantum of 3. His Engineering dice pool is 15 dice (5 Intelligence, 5 Engineering, +1 for specialty in Mechanics,+ 4 for 2 Mega-Intelligence). The device has a life
span of 12 months.)

The builder can add to the lifespan of the gadget in two ways:
Each success from the roll may be used to extend the gadget's lifespan by one month, instead of reducing R&D time
The builder may sacrifice one permanent Quantum Pool points to make the gadget immune to breakdowns.

7. Powering inventions
All inventions need quantum points to operate. Each use of the effect of the invention costs one quantum point, taken directly from the nova using it or the quantum battery in the invention.

Quantum batteries for a gadget cost 3 days of R&D time per point it holds.
The weight of the battery (and thus the size and weight of the gadget) follows the list below:
QP capacity Mass (in KG)

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QP capacity Mass (in KG)
5 1
10 5
15 10
20 20
25 40
30 60
+5 +20

The gadget contains the quantum points from the quantum battery, and one more quantum point that fuels the inital creation ofthe item (see summarized steps at the start of the document).

When using all the quantum points in the battery, the device is merely out of power. If the device is used one more time whenempty, it will consume the initial quantum point and break after the effect has
taken place.

If the gadget's pool can recharge itself from ambient quantum energy at the rate of one point per day, add 50 days of R&D time. If the gadget's pool can recharge itself from ambient quantum energy at the rate
of one point per hour, add 250 days of R&D time.

All gadgets may be recharged by a nova pumping quantum into them, as long as they are not broken.

Repairing and rebuilding inventions

Inventions can be repaired and rebuilt if broken from use or damaged.
To repair, you roll the same ability and attribute used to create the item in the first place, at the same difficulty. (Itemsthat are hard to create are hard to repair as well).

The base time taken is 1/10th of the inital creation time.

In addition, you must spend the quantum points to fuel the initial point and any needed for a full quantum battery.

(The repairer must not be the same person that build it, you can attempt to rebuild a broken gadget created by another person).

Pasted from <http://www.rpgpost.com/topic/9870-adventure-super-science-rules-in-aberrant/>

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