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Gaming Outpost Discussions » Tag: Maxx - Recent Topics http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/tags/maxx Gaming Outpost Discussions » Tag: Maxx - Recent Topics en-US Thu, 24 May 2012 10:52:35 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/search.php M. J. Young on "Maxximum Reality: Maxx Starts Play" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/maxximum-reality-maxx-starts-play#post-11161 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:42:02 +0000 M. J. Young 11161@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ This picks up the story of Maxx from the fourth page of <a href='http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/the-character-generation-thread/page/4'>The Character Generation Thread</a>. You still feel yourself floating, weightless, without any sensory input apart from that--no light, no sound, no smell or taste, nothing at all. You realize that you are tired; then you realize that your consciousness is returning. You may have been asleep, but you do not know even whether that is so, never mind for how long. --M. J. Young Max on "Time travel theories and temporal anomalies" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/time-travel-theories-and-temporal-anomalies#post-19683 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:56:38 +0000 Max 19683@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ <blockquote>You're more than welcome to read it, but don't reply to it. Is that cool with you?</blockquote> Yes, but to answer that question I have to reply in another thread. To resolve that, I have created a new thread. Somehow that reminds me of replacement theory. <blockquote>So I guess my exact coordinates would be EF timeline, AB3. Something like that?</blockquote> I think the original you would be in EF1 and CD2 time line as shown below. <blockquote>E1 (because Kyle interfered with the CD1 timeline)...C2...F1...D2 </blockquote> ***** <blockquote>Therefore Abe-1-Copy was never created, because it had to be created from Abe 1, who now never existed. It could have been preserved had Abe 2 made the trip that Abe 1 originally made and had himself copied, but then Abe 3 would also have to have made the trip to confirm Abe 2's trip into an N-jump termination.</blockquote> So Abe-1-Copy have to ensure that Abe 2 also makes the same kind of copy to make time stabilize. A1-----B1 C1/A2--B2--D1 (Both anomalies targets the same time/space) E1/C2--D2--F1 (If first anomaly does not cause second anomaly then the second anomaly should be the first anomaly) If second anomaly depends on first anomaly then time would probably stabilize if first anomaly is duplicated by sending the copy from F1 to E1. So if second anomaly would depend on the first anomaly, making the copy send a copy prematurely would not stabilize time. <blockquote>the you that has no knowledge that there ever was another time traveler in the past must do whatever is necessary to prevent that time traveler from coming to the past without altering the fact that you will come to the past and do that.</blockquote> The time traveler might probably do that if the time traveler does not know there was other time traveler in the first place and just coincidentally choose that time or place. A1--B1 C1/A2--D1--B2 (Here the second anomaly target the same time/space coincidentally) E1/C2--F1--D2 (EF1 would probably vanish if CD2 does not caused by EF1) If CD2 is not caused by EF1, C2-----D2 (Time stabilizes) If CD2 is caused by EF1, C1/A2--D1--B2 (Time loops back to this time line) <blockquote>It's really complicated, and I think that I should say at this point that if you don't understand it</blockquote> I think I understand. <blockquote>I tend to think that real lateral time means "sideways time" and thus parallel dimension theory. In Multiverser terms, parallel dimensions are related universes, and if you travel between them it is not inherently time travel.</blockquote> Yes, that is right. There is an interesting feat that have to be noted if a person travel back to previous "sideways time". It would probably change the future of other "sideways time" so if the traveler is not careful the traveler could be caught in "sideways time" loop. First example, First depth: A1-----B1---A2 (Time is how is looks after the next target is the unchanged future) C1-----D1-B2-- Second depth: A1-----B1---C2 C1-----D1-D2-A3 (If D2 could get to C2, then time would stabilize. A3 is where the traveler would produce a sideways time copy but the actual self is at C2. A3 would not meet another self because that self have departed) Second example, First depth: A1--A2--B1--- (Time is how it looks after the next target is the unchanged past) C1-----D1--B2 Second depth: C1--C2--D1--- E1--A3--F1--D2 (If D2 could get to C2, then time would stabilize, if not a loop will happen which will begin at point B2. This would happen if C2 would prevent D1 or A3 prevents D2. A3 is the anomaly produced C2 which will produce sideways time copy.) If the traveler want to avoid this, the traveler could travel: First depth: --A1-----B1--- --C1-----D1--A2 B2-E1-----F1--- (Time is how it looks after the next target is the unchanged past but sideways time future) Second depth: --A1-----B1--- --C1-----D1--A2 (Travel to lateral point of the future but is the unchanged past) B2-E1-----F1--A3 (If the traveler prevents changes by EF1, time would still continue forward. A3 is where EF1 self to go to future lateral time if not prevented.) WilliamTWodium on "Body/Spirit Separation and Multiple-Universe/Temporal Complications" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/bodyspirit-separation-and-multiple-universetemporal-complications#post-20025 Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:06:50 +0000 WilliamTWodium 20025@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ These questions are brought on by situations in Maxx's thread. Is there any degree of separation between body and spirit which would, in and of itself, be sufficient to result in the death of either body or spirit? (I suspect "no, whether separation results in death depends entirely on the method of separation.") If a spirit whose body is wholly inaccessable (as by temporal separation on the order of centuries) undergoes an effect which would ordinarily force it to return to its body, what results might you as referee consider probable (obviously depending on the effect, but in general)? One of the reasons, I understand, that the spirit is presumed to be the undisownable property of the body is to avoid the scenario in which the verser somehow loses his body and verses out, never to see it again. While in general the Multiverser philosophy is "any problem is temporary; anything can be fixed," it also embraces the idea that the character is in some sense the player, and that this identity can somehow remain constant even in the face of the dramatic changes most characters undergo (thus the rule that ensures that the verser will always be able to eventually reclaim his original body, no matter what happens or how long it takes). However, if it is possible for a fantasy villain in Disney's Sleeping Beauty (for example) to trap the soul of a verser in a shard of glass and subsequently abscond with that soul to DC's Metroplolis via magic portal (a completely distinct and unrelated universe) without the death of the verser, I as referee have a problem: time. In the event that the verser's body and soul are operating in separate and distinct timestreams, then - for lack of a better question - what do I do? Max on "Deep supernatural, portal and consequences" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/deep-supernatural-portal-and-consequences#post-18164 Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:04:09 +0000 Max 18164@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Can a portal lead to the deep supernatural? What would happen if someone accidentally go through that portal? Can a person take a peek of what is on the other side of the portal? What is the alternate way to go to the deep supernatural? WilliamTWodium on ""Time" "Stop"" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/time-stop#post-19025 Sat, 15 May 2010 17:00:43 +0000 WilliamTWodium 19025@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ So Maxx is about to attempt a pseudo-time stop via personal hyper-acceleration. The rule book is not terribly helpful in this regard. I find 14@1 Slow, 14@2 Haste, 14@4 Suspended Animation, and 14@8 Time Stop. Slow and Haste have baselines that adjust subjective time for the target by a factor of two. Suspended Animation is like a Slow that slows the target so much that time for the target has practically stopped. Time Stop actually stops time within a limited area, which Maxx has specifically said he is not doing. What I don't see listed is a Haste counter-part to Suspended Animation: a skill which accelerates the charter so much that time has practically stopped for everything else. Should this just be a new listing, perhaps at P14@5? That seems odd, though, because the skill is superior to the higher-biased 14@8 Time Stop in that it has no need of an area of effect. Thoughts? Max on "Rift sealing ritual and related mechanics" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/rift-sealing-ritual-and-related-mechanics#post-19041 Sun, 16 May 2010 09:43:14 +0000 Max 19041@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ The below would probably be questions that relate to rift sealing ritual or a similar skill in the future. Is thought projection or telepathy considered as native tongue? Would it considered as loud if the distance of the thought projection is the same as speaking loudly? What would be the penalty and bonus for a unison prayer? If at least one person is expected and one person participates would this penalize the skill? What are the bonus for additional participants? If the participants are asked to say things in their own language, would this be considered as native language for the participants but is a language other than character native tongue relative to the caster? Would it count as spoken loudly if the participants are the one who does it? Would the participants body involvement counts as additional bonus? If the participants are asked to spin around while carrying the body of the caster, would this count as full body involvement? If the ritual is physically exhausting for the participants other than the caster, would this count as additional bonus? The caster would not be "physically" exhausted because the caster is in spirit form but would feel exhausted if the caster returns to the body. If that is the case, would that counts as additional bonus? ***** Edit: Does the rift sealing ritual penalized for including a second skill? If it is then what is the second skill? Max on "Various illusions, delusions and their interactions" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/various-illusions-delusions-and-their-interactions#post-18165 Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:15:25 +0000 Max 18165@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ An illusion could be done with: <blockquote>an elaborate P14@2 Alter Appearance applied to the air itself.</blockquote> Could the appearance be perceived even if there are no light? If someone try to make a firefly using this technique in the night, could anyone see it if there are no light or do the other person perceive this air as a firefly even if there is no light? If someone give the air the appearance of light, can this air light the surrounding or only this air would appear bright but not affecting its surrounding? Can something not real be affected by something else that is not real (or specifically can illusion affect delusion)? Can delusion resist the suggestion of an illusion if that person think the delusion could do so and alternatively the delusion could not resist if that person think the suggestion of an illusion will be effective to the delusion? M. J. Young on "What I don't like about mixing concentration and chaining" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/what-i-dont-like-about-mixing-concentration-and-chaining#post-17313 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:33:17 +0000 M. J. Young 17313@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Maxx has been developing psionic skills rather quickly and impressively, and doing two things that make sense within the context, but which I feel inherently ought not work together, and I'm having trouble determining how to disconnect them. He's asked what I don't like about his latest chaining application, and the answer really is that he has already combined two concepts that are contradictory to each other, and now taking advantage of that contradiction to increase the power of his abilities significantly. So I'm using this thread to hammer out my thoughts and get some input hopefully from people who can help me make sense of how it "ought" to work. The problem begins because Maxx has been using preparatory concentration to bonus his psionic skills. Psionic skills are in the main envisioned as "instant activation" skills with carefully circumscribed levels of power--you think it, it happens, but if you want something very powerful to happen you either need multiple success rolls (e.g., to fly is easy, but to fly at supersonic velocities takes a lot of successful rolls to accelerate) or you have to take significant penalties on making it happen (e.g., you can crush with lethal damage at ranges up to 30' long, but if you want to increase the damage to fatal or the range to 60' that's a -10 penalty on chance of success). Thus it makes sense that if instead of doing it at the beginning of the minute (RF1) you do it at the end of a minute of preparatory concentration (1:00 TF), you've gained at least +10 for the conversion. It then follows that for every doubling of the time for you are genuinely focused on preparation you get another +10, and with his 30:00 concentrations he is getting +59. That makes him very nearly failure proof on most skills. Now, I certainly don't disallow "failure-proof" skills, if someone wants to invest the ritual into the magic or whatever the bonuses are to get a chance of success over one hundred percent. The detriments are built into the skill. The problem is that it has also been inherent in psionic skills that they are easily chained. That is, if you have launched a clairvoyance and tracked your target in flight for fifty miles when the end of the skill's duration arrives, in an instant you can restart the skill and keep it from failing. That makes perfect sense, because it would only take an instant to activate the skill anyway, and your chance of restarting it is the same as your chance of maintaining it, and presumably you know where the target is from tracking him, so it's not a big deal. It actually gives the character a bonus, because he gets two rolls--one to keep it from fading, another to restart it immediately. And I would not object to someone chaining a TF skill with a TF of one minute, because you probably have about that long before the skill dies; and thus assuming you're not doing something else that prevents you from concentrating on this, you should be able to put the minute into the preparatory focus necessary to keep the skill alive. Thus without really talking about it, skills with preparatory concentration also get their chaining on a successful roll, and the bonus for the preparatory concentration is included. But Maxx has skills that require half an hour of preparatory concentration which then makes them nearly failure proof, and he is chaining them without repeating the preparatory concentration but at the same probability of success. Part of this is because some of the skills in which he did this initially required skill success rolls to make changes in their effects. If you created a force object such as a support wall and you wanted to move the wall or bend the wall, you would have to make a skill check to see whether you managed to get it to do what you wanted; but this is not really "chaining" the skill in the same sense. It is successfully manipulating the skill while it functions, and incidentally includes extending the time if the new roll happens to add to the time (that is, if you have twenty minutes left on the skill and the manipulation skill check is a 30, you would have thirty minutes from the moment of the manipulation skill check, or an added ten minutes). If you are flying and roll to accelerate your velocity, it is the acceleration that is at issue; the increase in duration, if there is one, is secondary to this. At present, though, Maxx is attempting to chain a retrocognition skill that reads targeted objects in a fashion that allows him to move from one object to another. It strikes me that if he were reading his mother's mind and wanted to read his father's mind, I would not allow that as chaining--that's a different targeted mind, with a different chance of success (because his mother's mind is more familiar to him). I should not permit a chaining of retrocognition to connect to a different object, by that reasoning. If a skill requires an extended preparatory concentration, "chaining" rolls are thereafter limited to such purposes and targets as were envisioned when the preparation was undertaken, and any change in those purposes or targets which takes it beyond the initial parameters will require a fresh performance of the skill including the preparatory time. Thanks for asking, Maxx. That seems the fair solution. --M. J. Young M. J. Young on "Spirits versus Souls" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/spirits-versus-souls#post-16883 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:17:16 +0000 M. J. Young 16883@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ This is barely on topic, so I'm dropping it in the Off Topic forum, despite the fact that it arose in connection with a game. It has to do with the specific use of the words "spirit" and "soul" in my vocabulary, which happens to be the vocabulary used in writing the Multiverser rules, so it matters to understanding those rules. The problem arises because the Greeks have a word, psyche, which we often translate "soul" but sometimes translate "mind". Plato co-opted this word within his philosophy. Platonism holds that there is a realm of "real" "absolute" "ideas" or "ideals" which is the better place, and that the material world is comprised of what are in essence copies attempting to reach the level of that reality. That is, we have trees, but in the ideal world there exists "tree", which is the perfect object of which "trees" are imperfect copies. Within Platonism, then, the "soul" is the thinking and feeling individual that comes from the "real" world of ideals, and in many forms of Platonic Gnosticism that "soul" is trapped in a corrupt material body, and needs to escape to the better world of ideals first through knowledge and then ultimately through death. Greek has a separate word for spirit, pneuma. Both words etymologically derive from concepts of air or breath, and thus that which is non-corporeal. The problem is complicated because Hebrew also have words we render spirit and soul, and its word for Spirit also derives from and is very close to the word for breath or wind. However, the earliest use of the word says that God formed a material body and "breathed" or "spirited" into it the "breath" or "spirit" of life, and that when this happened man "became a living soul" or "being". When Alexander the Great's scholars were translating the Hebrew into Greek (the ancient translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint), they rendered the word "spirit" with their "pneuma" and the word "soul" with their "psyche". But a Hebrew soul is not a non-corporeal part of a person; it is a person, and absent both a material body and a non-material spirit it does not exist. Not all Christian theologians follow this Hebrew formulation, as the Greek formulation entered our theological history very early (most of the theologians in the second through fifth century were trained in Greek philosophy at some level). This leads to a great deal of confusion concerning what it is that the New Testament means when it uses the word "soul", and there are many Christians who have a very neo-Platonic view of the matter, that there is this ephemeral something within us that is our real person, our bodies being shells we ultimately escape. The view I think is more consistent with Paul's discussions is that the bodies are temporary structures that are ultimately converted into permanent structures, and that we will never exist as immaterial beings--it is the nature of humanity to be spirits in bodies, which is what I believe the Bible means by the word we render "souls", people, beings, humans. Because of this, I generally use the word "spirit" to refer to that incorporeal part of a person and the word "body" to refer to the rest. If I use the word "soul", what I mean by it is an entire united person. I also recognize that this "soul" is so closely joined that it is not easy to determine where the spirit is divided from the body--all our thoughts, feelings, sensations, desires, and much more are combinations of physical and spiritual elements. The soul thus exists as the person, united. The part that is able to leave the body is the spirit, and when the spirit is not with the body, the soul does not exist, and the body is for practical purposes "dead", or at best comatose, having no spirit in it. --M. J. Young Max on "Maxx In-game Journal" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/maxx-in-game-journal#post-11689 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:15:18 +0000 Max 11689@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Day 1 AS: (note below) Since I have been able to write now because of the mind sync effect this journal is born. Although I do not know how Lelach got her hands on the stuff to write this but since there are holy writings then I guess writing down is not a problem. I will write this at a secret place temporarily until I can find an easier alternative. I will also write down the dream I had that contains the conversation with people across all dimension here. (That means any reply is considered a dream) I really wonder how mithisella look like. "Does it look like a cotton candy or something" is what I think before I know what it looks like. Seems pyrokinesis will be my first power I automatically learn because of mind sync effect but I am still not too sure if this is pyrokinesis indeed. Can I burn words on a piece of leaf to write this journal? Lets try that later. Lelach has something else on her mind so got to run. Note: Still not knowing what the date or how the people (or sprite) in this world calculate days I will just put this as Day 1 AS (After Sync). M. J. Young on "Maxx' Meditation Botch" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/maxx-meditation-botch#post-13757 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:32:37 +0000 M. J. Young 13757@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ In his <a href='http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/maxximum-reality-maxx-starts-play/page/5'>current game thread</a>, Maxx botched on a very unusual skill check. The skill reads: <blockquote>1@3 Meditation P1@0 one minute of mind relaxation gives +RS/10 to immediately subsequent psionic skill attempt, touching hand to head for focus gives +5SM</blockquote> He was doing it to help him learn a new skill, one that has been giving him trouble for months, the ability to use his tactile sense to enhance auditory information. But he didn't botch on the new skill--he botched on the meditation. Making a botch list worked well last time, so we're going to do it again. This is a very minor skill, though--no power is released in his meditation, so we can't have explosions directly. But here are some thoughts to get the ball rolling: <ul> <li>Falls asleep.</li> <li>Catatonic state.</li> <li>Pass through: the skill learning attempt botches (which means we need another botch list).</li> <li>Reverse effect: -10 penalty on skill learning attempt.</li> <li>Psionic shutdown: relaxes his psionic abilities into non-responsiveness for a while.</li> </ul> So, what are your thoughts? --M. J. Young