the process, part 1

There are some modes of gaming that compel between-game homework more than others. I am currently and joyfully waist-deep in one of them; the technological character. Now, I call it this to differentiate it from the crafter, whose labors are often magically augmented. The technological character may have supernatural aids for his work, but the finished product is the result of pure applied science.

I bring this up to demonstrate, in a sort of blow-by-blow fashion, one such piece of extracurricular research. Besnik Zacker, former military engineer and religious zealot, is now quite undead, quite steeped in the stolen power of exsanguinated foes, and has the potent ability to bring forth from nothing his body volume in nearly anything, from finished man-sized steam engines, to fully loaded and ready to use firearms, to puddles of acid. And he is my character for my tt group's vampire game (for you crunch wonks out there, he uses a souped up version of Path of Conjuration...the setting is a bit more fantasy, and bit higher power level than the average bear). I can't make active chemical processes, like fire, and I can't create living tissue (yet). Now, when I walked into the setting, the technology level was maybe late 1600's. Through my power's ability to make precision devices instantly, and some minor investment into Academics and Engineering, I have at this point invented the high explosive, the self-contained bullet, the revolver, the telescopic sight, the chain-driven belt (to which I have attached a friction generator, that can power a decent sized electric current), a circle-loop air compressor, a two-cylinder chemical-gas powered flamethrower, a high-caliber bolt-action rifle so heavy I can only use it by virtue of several dots of potence.

Last session, I came across four major developments. The first is rocketry. It isn't really related to what I will be researching for these posts. But it let me build something nasty called the rocket spear, a two-stage pointy exploding stick...rocket. So it is getting mentioned. Because it rocks.

The second is the delivery, by virtue of our social character, of a huge stack of alchemically transmuted quartz crystals that not only hold and store a great deal of electricity, but self-recharge slowly over time. Why yes, I would like to skip the voltaic pile step thank you. The third is the discovery of electromagnetic conduction. Right now it is just serving as a sweet party trick, but I have big plans (maybe). The fourth is that I have created an array out of some of the crystals that let me hook them up to wires hooked up to the friction generator. Easy and relatively fast recharge is now possible.

Considering that touching these crystals exposed gives you a strong jolt (not really harmful because I laugh at silly things like nerve damage and vaporized body fluids), which implies that they are very high conductive, I smell an opportunity for yet another major breakthrough. In part 2, I will begin the endeavor of forming a productive and exploitable plan for technological development, and building a plausible scientific case for its emergence in the game. Stay tuned!