From: | Louis Barrera <lbarrera@****.NASA.GOV> |
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Subject: | Dragons (et al) As The Next NERPS!!! |
Date: | Wed, 15 Mar 1995 10:39:29 -0700 |
pithy (NOT) thoughts into one note to save everyone's mailbox. The
hydrogen theory won't float (sorry). I work with the stuff, and you don't
want to have a factory walking, or flying, around loose. It's survival
potential is low. And unless they store alot, the lift derived from the gas
is going to be minimal, especially for a 2000 kilo mass. And what about
the dragons without wings. What do they use to augment their flying.
Do they vibrate like a bee? Maybe they fly because they think they can,
and don't know any better.
The stats for the breath was presented for mechanic's sake, not a group
of scientists putting forth their academic POV. The sustained drain is an
effect of a natural resource drain on a being, in game mechanics terms.
The question seems to be what the resource is. If it is a stored gas (I still
find the thought humorous), then there will be a physical limit on how
long it can be sustained, not just a matter of making continued Drain
saves. Given the Body rating of dragons (and dracoforms), they could
probably (and have in a couple of runs) sustained the effect, much
longer than a gas supply would last. So, do we imposed a fixed limit on
their breaths? Not me. Dragons are the penultimate power, and should
stay that way. It's not for us to piddle.
To add to my comment about flammable dragon corpses, not only would
their tissue be flammable, but the blood would also probably be
flammable (neat thought.) The flames would probably not be visible,
unless one used thermo. Lots of smoke (yech), but no flames.
As far as existance during the fifth cycle, any obvious metaforms were
hunted down by the supertitious/pious locals. Extinction. Har'lea'guin
didn't. Did he have an illusion, cosmetic surgery, or did his appearance
alter because of the recision of the mana? No way was he going
through the Inquisition or the Dark Ages with pointy ears. As for the
dragons, another story. They aren't elves, so their means of existence
were probably difference, unless you want to draw some connections
between dragons and elves. Homey don't think so. The dragons either
changed appearance, formed some camouflage/cocoon/field with the
last of their mana, or retreated to another (meta)plane. In regards to this
latter thought, only a high enough level of mana allows them to manifest
(for lack of a better term) in this plane. That kind of relagates them to the
status of spirit (greater or other), and I don't get a warm and fuzzy
feeling putting them in that catagory. I vote for transformation and/or
hibernation.
As far as runs with dragons go, ya sure. Any runner with a survival
instinct, or a clue, isn't going to want to get tangled up with them. My
group runs away and refuses to play. Granted they may have had one
or two unfortunate experiences (purely their own fault, hee hee.) And
the thought of making a deal with a Dragon.... Save it for those chrome
monsters that feel invulnerable. Teach them a little respect. Frag, for
that matter, airdrop them into Chicago.
Lou - Attack, Adapt, Migrate, or Perish.