Two Posts
Let me know when it's time to go back to my room and go to sleep. I want to pray about a few things.
John Cross in TerrraTerraTerranova
(663 posts) (4 voices)-
Lauren also knows that magic only works if you believe it. She wouldn't teach you how to use magic if you don't believe, because that wouldn't work.
All right, day 4 ends and you head to bed. You learned telepathy to humans today.
--M. J. Young
Thu Mar 26 2009 6:59 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberLauren also knows that magic only works if you believe it. She wouldn't teach you how to use magic if you don't believe, because that wouldn't work.
"Well, why don't you show me some things? Demonstrate them. I'd like to see what you can do."
After that, when I get back to my room, pray about versing next to an Old-West frontier town, a place where gold and silver and valuable and weapons are cheap. Also pray about perhaps Lauren versing with me.
This would amount to prayers before bedtime, I don't even think I would want you to roll for it. Maybe if I can build up prayer points for later or something. Ya know, pray the same prayer every night for a month, THEN roll for it against all of the points I've built up. Probably spend 10 minutes on my knees before I sack out.
Thu Mar 26 2009 5:52 pm # -
You can't have prayer points. You can claim to be "practicing" your religion skill, although praying ten minutes a night is not sufficient practice to gain a significant (noticeable) benefit.
Lauren laughs. "You're serious, aren't you?" Deciding that you are, she continues, "well, a lot of what I do is aimed at fighting undead monsters--vampires, mostly, and also ghouls and zombie dogs. I have a few magic gadgets that one of my students made for me and I know how to use those, but I won't give them to you so there's not much point in teaching you how to use them. Some of my magic is connected to woodcraft, living and traveling in the wilderness, which obviously isn't going to work here. I've done some healing--that's close to prayer, I think. I've knocked missiles out of the air. I've created food and once created a mattress, but those kinds of things are really hard to learn and do, and I don't know that they would work here. Oh, I know," and with a flourish of her hand she causes her fingers to glow. "I do a lot of divine light spells, because they're important when you're fighting the undead; but this is just a simple thing to give me light by which to read my bible. It's not very bright, and it gets tiring to read by it, but I've gotten better at it over the decades. But then, Joe would think that I did this by psionics, because he doesn't believe in magic."
--M. J. Young
Thu Mar 26 2009 10:45 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberYou can't have prayer points. You can claim to be "practicing" your religion skill, although praying ten minutes a night is not sufficient practice to gain a significant (noticeable) benefit.
So praying about the same thing every day doesn't make a difference? For some reason, I find that hard to believe. That's what I mean by "prayer points". Praying about the same thing every day. A variant of the Pray Until Something Happens prayer time, except I'm doing it over the course of several days and weeks.
"That's interesting Lauren. I believe that we can call on the power of God. In fact, I did it a few times before I versed. I've had visions, I've had God reveal Himself to me through modifying the weather. Once, God even gave me driving directions when I got lost going to meet a friend. I wonder, can you teach me how to do that more quickly? Praying takes time. Praying in the midst of a combat situation makes me kind of vulnerable. How can I call upon God faster?
Fri Mar 27 2009 4:06 am # -
O.K., let me attempt to answer this. There are four ways in which "praying the same thing every day" would make a difference.So praying about the same thing every day doesn't make a difference? For some reason, I find that hard to believe. That's what I mean by "prayer points". Praying about the same thing every day. A variant of the Pray Until Something Happens prayer time, except I'm doing it over the course of several days and weeks.
- The first, already mentioned, is that you can pray in a way that is not expecting any particular results, with the outcome that you increase your religion SAL. Every two intensities of increase there increases your chance of success on all prayers by one percent. Thus it makes a difference that way.
- If you are praying for something specific to happen, each such prayer can be counted as an individual attempt to get the result. Each time you prayed it, the dice would be rolled. The more times you pray it, the more chances you have that it would be answered--and then it would have been answered. Of course, you could also botch, and then you would have botched.
- You can tell me that you are not really asking for this, but practicing asking for it. In that way, you could increase your skill ability level by continual practice, provided you were doing it enough to have a real impact on your ability.
- You could craft an extended interrupted ritual. This would be something like, "I am going to pray for ten minutes a night for a hundred nights, repeating the same prayer, and at the end of the hundred nights expect my answer." There would be a penalty for breaking the ritual into segments thus, but the time bonuses would build powerfully in your favor.
"John, there are many secrets to magic. Let me see if I can give you a few of them.
"First, and really, this is probably the most important secret of everyone who works in magic from the stage magician to the tribal shaman to Merlin himself: it's not so much what you can do as what you can make someone think you can do. Did you ever see that movie about the little people trying to protect the infant princess from the evil witch? In the end, the hero tells the witch that he has the power to send the princess to a realm of goodness and safety that the witch cannot reach, and he pronounces his spell, and shakes his blanket, and the child vanishes. This throws the witch off balance, and she is destroyed by her own magic--when all the little guy did was hide the baby under the table while creating the impression that she was in the blanket.
"Put another way, if you can solve the problem with a little magic, that's a lot better than hoping for a lot.
"There's also a commitment factor, what you might think of as a sacrifice factor. See, I could probably just think magic into the world, but that's not very focused. If I speak it into the world, I'm doing more; and if I speak it loudly, that's more. If I involve my hands, or my feet, so that I have to do something to bring the magic, that does something more. If I have to have something with me--a lot of what we call magic wands and magic staves are mostly focal points, objects that the wizard or priest uses because having it be part of his magic makes it easier to do the magic.
"I showed you how I can create light on my fingertips with just a wave of my hand. I can also create light that will flood a large room, but I do a lot more to get that much light. So on some level, you have to ask yourself how much the power you want is going to cost, or how much you are willing to pay for it, and how much power you want to get for that price. That's the point. You can pay more by using a longer prayer, but you can pay more by speaking more loudly, or by raising your hands, or including your cross or your bible or your staff as part of the requirements for the magic.
"Does that make sense?"
--M. J. Young
Sat Mar 28 2009 6:58 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberDid you ever see that movie about the little people trying to protect the infant princess from the evil witch?
"Willow, wasn't it? Yeah, that was cool. I remember an episode of the Smurfs where Gargamel took away Papa Smurf's magic powers by some spell or another. In the end, the rest of the Smurfs tricked Gargamel into taking the spell off, by using fireworks and other tricks to convince Gargamel that the spell botched, and Papa Smurf was actually 100 times more powerful. So yeah, I know what you mean. In my last world, I convinced a blacksmith that I was a wizard by using a TK pulse to knock his anvil off its base. I also told him that my 30-06 bullets were magic totems that got angry around fire, and proved it by throwing one into his forge. So yeah, I know what you mean there. Well, how do you do that light spell? The first words God spoke were 'Let there be light' so that HAS to be something divine. Can you show me how to do that?"
# You could craft an extended interrupted ritual. This would be something like, "I am going to pray for ten minutes a night for a hundred nights, repeating the same prayer, and at the end of the hundred nights expect my answer." There would be a penalty for breaking the ritual into segments thus, but the time bonuses would build powerfully in your favor.
This is kind of what I had in mind. Pray the same thing 10 minutes a night, every night. The prayer is that Lauren and I verse together, and that we wind up in a old-west frontier town, where gold is valuable and weapons are cheap. Since I'm praying this every night until I verse out, then I guess I'm expecting it to happen on versing out. If we stay here for 40 years, then that's how long I will be doing it.
Sat Mar 28 2009 7:11 am # -
"Creating light looks easy when I do it, because I have done so much already; but it is a tremendously difficult bit of magic whether you do it by prayer or by knowledge. If you're not grounded in magic, you could release enough energy to vaporize the entire station. After all, this is what theologians call creation ex nihilo, making something from nothing, and even though it's only energy, it is still an amazing feat.
"But if you want to learn magic, I can begin with the basics and build up. We'll alternate between magic and psionics. Right now, though, I've got to meet someone, so I'll catch you tomorrow. Good?"
--M. J. Young
Sun Mar 29 2009 11:33 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberDid you write down and/or otherwise record that prayer that I'm going to be doing? How are you planning to handle that?
"Creating energy? I thought that was scientifically impossible.... Wait, this is God we're talking about here... What's impossible? Ya know what? I think I'll just stick with psionics lessons for now. I'll worry about 'magic' when I have to. God seems to answers prayers a lot faster in the Multiverse.
"Oh yeah, Lauren, you watched me make those two silver knives, do you want one of them? You mentioned fighting vampires in a world once. A silver knife would be good for that. If you want one, call it payment for the psionics lessons."
If she accepts the offer, give her the knife made out of the Demon Silver.
"That I made out of silver that was growing on trees in a demon fortress. (give a brief synopsis of the Dancing Princess battle) You might want to ask God to bless it before you use it in combat. I've always been a little superstitious about that gold and silver.
"Oh yeah, and if I might ask, who are you going to go meet?"
NOTES:
437.5 grains in an ounce
6 one ounce silver tree leaves left
makes 18 146 grain 357 magnum bullets (three loads)
better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.Don't forget to get a pound of lead from the scrap dealer. I could easily imagine lead being a precious metal.
Mon Mar 30 2009 5:22 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTwo Posts
The magic Lauren can teach me, would be ways to speed up praying. Perhaps a way to heavily bonus a Heal Self prayer, so that it would have an 80% chance of success in a 10@ bias world, you could do it in the middle of a gunfight and it would only take 10 seconds. That would be the kind of "Magic" I'd want to learn.
Mon Mar 30 2009 11:23 pm # -
"Thank you, but seriously, I already have so many weapons that I sometimes hesitate trying to decide which to use next. You use it; get good at it, and you'll be glad you have two so similar."
"Aren't you the nosey one? I'm supposed to meet with Raeph Williams, to fill in my identity here. I'm being listed as a traveling anthropologist and lecturer, so I'm going to have to give some talks in the college program on some of the cultures I've visited. It should be interesting."
--M. J. Young
Tue Mar 31 2009 5:18 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberThe magic Lauren can teach me, would be ways to speed up praying. Perhaps ways to heavily bonus a Heal Self prayer, so that it would have an 80% chance of success in a 10@ bias world, you could do it in the middle of a gunfight and it would only take 10 seconds. That would be the kind of "Magic" I'd want to learn. Let me see if I can communicate this to Lauren.....
"Lauren, one quick thing before you go. Like I said, I've heard people call praying magic. I've used self-healing prayers that worked on the spot, when I was pretty badly injured. The thing was, they took quite some time to pray. Do you know of any, I guess you would call it 'magic' ways to speed up things like that, so they could have the same chance of success, but be done much faster?"
Thank you, but seriously, I already have so many weapons that I sometimes hesitate trying to decide which to use next.
(thinking, not speaking) "Typical, indecisive woman....."
"Aren't you the nosey one? I'm supposed to meet with Raeph Williams, to fill in my identity here. I'm being listed as a traveling anthropologist and lecturer, so I'm going to have to give some talks in the college program on some of the cultures I've visited. It should be interesting."
(speaking) "A thousand apologies. I would have really preferred to stay out of their system entirely. Oh well, can't do anything with it. Have a good time."
Tue Mar 31 2009 2:35 pm # -
"Well, as I mentioned, it's a matter of what you might call investment. One thing I do is recite scripture in my prayers; that means I have to memorize the scripture and recall it exactly. Also, I noticed a couple things about some of the magic in the Bible. For example, did you notice that in James when he talks about praying for healing, he suggests anointing the sick with oil? I thought that was silly at first, but then, when Jesus healed the blind man he made mud from saliva and dirt and put it on his eyes, so having something material that is part of the healing is certainly scriptural. Also, there's talk of laying on hands--that's hands, plural, using both hands, which would mean that for that moment you would have to set down your weapon and be vulnerable, because you are using both hands for the healing. Then there's Peter healing the cripple at the temple. What does he do? He commands in a loud voice. You think no one noticed that? People were already turning their heads to stare before the man stood, so they saw the miracle; but that means that part of what made the difference is Peter put himself on the spot by calling attention to himself by his loud voice.
"I think that there's a degree to which these things make a difference. If you have to have some kind of oil to pray for healing, that makes it more likely to work. If it has to be, say, olive oil, that's better, and if the oil has to have been blessed already, that helps too. Add using both hands, maybe make it so that you have to open your Bible and read a particular passage from it, or recite a verse from memory.
"Also, if you're talking about prayer, you want to put more time into your relationship with God. Spend time every day in prayer, worship, and Bible study--I try to set aside at least an hour a day, more than that several times a week. Paul performed miracles casually. He also tells us that he never stopped praying. That kind of contant communion with God--well, I'm nowhere near achieving that, but the closer I get to it, the easier it is for God's miracles to happen around me.
"Got to run."
--M. J. Young
Wed Apr 1 2009 6:38 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberSorry about missing yesterday. I was sleeping most of the day.
"OK Lauren, have a good one."
What time is it? How much longer until bed time?
No, wait, I've already stated the praying I'm going to be doing, must be bed time.
Then I guess it's tomorrow now.
Before work, go into the gun store, and see if they have my two holsters in yet. I really want to start carrying those guns on me and not in the bag.
I would be wearing jeans, a t shirt, and one of the army jackets most of the time, and always carrying the Verser's Survival Pack whenever I leave my hotel room.
Also, whilst at the gun store, see about getting a bullet mold, press, dies, primers and powder for my 357. Revolvers are much more forgiving of poorly made ammo than automatics, in case you're wondering why only that one. I'd get a pound of powder, and 500 primers. The cases are reusable, and lead or other soft metal should be easy to come by. (I'll melt down my gold if I have to) I would say 1@10 reloading ammo skill. Never done bullet casting, but I'm certain that's something a blacksmith would be more than capable of doing.
If they have them, get 6 more speedloaders for the 357. If not, order some. Once I have everything, (if I can get it, that is) melt down the remaining 6 silver tree leaves, and make 18 silver bullets. (437.5 grains in an ounce, makes 18 146 grain bullets. I would be 3 grains short, but that isn't much. I'd file a crown if I had to.) Ya know what? I was going to just do silver bullets, but what the heck, make 18 gold bullets too. Melt down 6 gold tree leaves. Keep the speedloaders with the gold and silver bullets in the Verser's Survival Pack. So, 3 speedloaders of lead, 3 speed loaders of silver, and 3 speedloaders of gold bullets. I'll shoot the gold and silver if I run out of lead, but some things aren't hurt by lead.
Do they have any of Lauren's 50 caliber shells at the gun store? If so, get a box or two of them. On earth, those would be about $2.00 a shot, and come in boxes of 20, but that means precisely squat here. Just thought I would let you know. I do want to shoot one of those puppies. Any bullets we don't shoot, give to Lauren.
After that, use the Bless Weapons prayer on the gold and silver bullets, and the two silver knives. Also the new crossbow, all the arrows, the 357 and all of the 357 bullets. I know that just says demons, but my definition of demon is "Any enemy of God." Be it a vampire, werewolf, or even a human who was an enemy of God. See Also, the movie "Frailty" with Bill Paxton.
At work, ask the boss if I can beg or buy a pound of lead scrap and melt it into 1 ounce ingots. Can be molded into bullets, and I could easily see lead being a precious metal in some worlds. The lead scrap goes into the Verser's Survival Pack. The rest of the reloading supplies don't.
(Doing Therapy)
NOTES:
Ya know, ammo reloading is something else you could teach Lauren. Those 50 caliber shells can't be easy to come by.
Thu Apr 2 2009 8:02 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTwo Posts
I'm doing therapy, and I'm not thinking real clearly. I just wanted to clarify the timeline here. Before work, go to the gun store. At work, beg/buy the lead, AFTER WORK, make the bullets. Not making any lead bullets, only gold and silver. See if Lauren wants to join me. After that, ask Lauren if she would like to go to the shooting range. Does Lauren know how to use a crossbow? Yeah, yeah, can't decide what weapon to use as it is, but who knows? A crossbow might be all she can find. Better to know how.
Bless the weapons after the visit with Lauren. And what's the psionics lesson?
Are there any punches in Okydoky Smokey that I could incorporate into my boxing skill? Perhaps hitting a certain pressure point or something? You said OkyDoky Smokey was based on pressure points. That should be fairly easy for a high-amateur boxer. Perhaps a New Use on the boxing skill? Also, if I used OkyDoky Smokey punches in Boxing, would it be against the 1@3 OS score, or against the 1@10 Boxing score? Would the 1@10 boxing assist in any way in throwing OS punches?
Also, just curious, I used the boxing successfully right before I versed out of Pearl Harbor, in a fight against 2 of my captors, one of them wielding a knife. Kyler didn't give me a new use for that. Should he? Do I get a New Use, or would using boxing in a fight count as a New Use for next time? That was the only real fight I've been in.
Thu Apr 2 2009 8:41 am # -
I don't mind you missing a day, but did you have to rub it in that you got the opportunity to sleep? (Insert appropriate emoticon here.)
My recollection is that the holsters are expected after about ten days; it is now day 5.
The equipment to make your own bullets is not something this sporting goods store would know how to order.
Speedloaders for archaic design weapons are special order. It may take a while. Are you ordering them? Are you making the bullets for them now, or waiting for them to arrive?
They have .50 caliber bullets, but not seeing the gun they're not sure they have the right ones for that weapon.
You can buy lead from your boss.
Lauren's lesson for today is a trick to compel candor, to get a person to tell you what they think (not what they are thinking, but their honest opinion or beliefs about something). You learn it successfully.
Lauren is using some sort of psionic defense to prevent you from using it against her.
You asked about using Oky-dokey Smokey maneuvers in boxing. The answer is you have not learned any maneuvers yet.
--M. J. Young
Fri Apr 3 2009 12:38 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberMy recollection is that the holsters are expected after about ten days; it is now day 5.
The equipment to make your own bullets is not something this sporting goods store would know how to order.
Speedloaders for archaic design weapons are special order. It may take a while. Are you ordering them? Are you making the bullets for them now, or waiting for them to arrive?
"Darn, I thought those holsters might have come in early. Well, I'll be back in 5 days then.
"Never mind about the reloading gear. I'll be able to find it eventually.
"Never mind about the speedloaders too. No point if I don't have the bullets to do it with."
They have .50 caliber bullets, but not seeing the gun they're not sure they have the right ones for that weapon.
Well, you forget that I know what a 50 caliber machine gun bullet looks like. That's the kind that Lauren's revolvers take. I could tell if it was the right one by looking at the rounds. Open up a box or two of them, and visually check. I would know it if I saw it.
You can buy lead from your boss.
"One pound of lead please."
When I get a chance, melt it into 16 one oz ingots.
Lauren's lesson for today is a trick to compel candor, to get a person to tell you what they think (not what they are thinking, but their honest opinion or beliefs about something). You learn it successfully.
And what happens if someone does this to me? Do I have to type out my honest feelings for that person?
Lauren is using some sort of psionic defense to prevent you from using it against her.
"I want to learn that defense eventually."
You asked about using Oky-dokey Smokey maneuvers in boxing. The answer is you have not learned any maneuvers yet.
Then what in the hell have I been doing in class all this time?
Fri Apr 3 2009 12:33 pm # -
Have you actually seen the bullets Lauren uses in her guns, or are you going by what you read about that other Lauren Hastings?
You make the ingots. You use that to demonstrate more of working with soft metals for Lauren and Derek.
Lauren's lesson for today is a trick to compel candor, to get a person to tell you what they think (not what they are thinking, but their honest opinion or beliefs about something). You learn it successfully.
And what happens if someone does this to me? Do I have to type out my honest feelings for that person?
Very astute. The answer is yes, if a skill is used on you that would force you to speak truthfully, unless you have a skill that enables you to lie or conceal information under such circumstances, you will have to have your character reveal his true thoughts or feelings in response to the questions. It does not matter whether it is a psionic compel candor, a magical charm, a dose of truth serum, an electronic mind probe, or a parasite.
Lauren fully intends to teach you mental defenses, when she gets that far. It's not really all that far.
You've been in class once a week. You've been working on the basic stance, defenses, and fundamental attacks, as well as building strength in those specific forms. It's a bit like The Karate Kid: at the end of a long session, he knew how to move his arms and legs in ways that kept him protected and on his feet, and had some basic knowledge of how to attack, but he still had to learn those special attacks.
Basic attacks and defenses are not transferable between styles, because they are the style. Special maneuvers are taught once the style is in place. I think you have not learned any special maneuvers yet, mostly because I don't see them on your sheet. I have a note that you will learn the first of these on day 7 of the current countdown, which is tomorrow. A decision will be made at that time whether it will be Focused Push, Spinning Kick, Leaping Kick, or Crushing Grasp, primarily on the basis of what your sensei thinks are your strengths. You will then learn one per week. (If you have a preference on the order in which you would like to learn them, I will allow a GE roll to determine whether they teach them to you in that order).
Which reminds me: the day after tomorrow is your martial arts class.
--M. J. Young
Sat Apr 4 2009 12:50 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberDid you ever see The Wild Thornberry's movie? The girl gets the ability to speak to animals from an African shaman. The shaman had the ability to shape shift into a warthog, and probably other things. He gives her the ability to speak English, and the animals can understand, and speak English back. If the American Indians had magic, it would be things like that. And I believe that if anyone did, people like the Indians would have had it.
(Doing Therapy for the above)
Have you actually seen the bullets Lauren uses in her guns, or are you going by what you read about that other Lauren Hastings?
Point Made
"So Lauren, what would you like to do now?"
Basic attacks and defenses are not transferable between styles, because they are the style.
That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. If the style is that you're trained to hit a certain pressure point (which is what it sounds like) then it wouldn't matter if you hit it with boxing, or with a baseball bat. If OkyDoky Smokey teaches certain punches, those punches could be thrown whilst in a boxing stance. Ah, I see... It would be too complicated to do that. You'd have to describe every single move in every single martial art in order to pull that off. Oh well.
It's a bit like The Karate Kid
Karate Kid is a movie about a kid that desperately needs his ass kicked repeatedly. Wait, that's exactly what happens....
"Lauren, when I first got here, I tried telekinesis. I must have been a little bit rusty, because all it did was give me a really bad headache (brain burn) The thing was, the headache felt a lot like one of my old psychotic episodes. (I'm assuming that would have come up in conversation at some point) Do you know how to intentionally do that to yourself? Being able to fake the symptoms of a psychotic episode could be useful someday."
Sat Apr 4 2009 6:16 am # -
"I cannot imagine how simulating a psychotic episode would ever be useful. I can see how it might be useful to induce one in someone else, but I don't think I'd want to do that."
--M. J. Young
Mon Apr 6 2009 2:46 am # -
JohnA1nut
Member"I cannot imagine how simulating a psychotic episode would ever be useful. I can see how it might be useful to induce one in someone else, but I don't think I'd want to do that."
"Well, they say there's no such thing as bad knowledge. Besides, you just don't see the potential. Let's say you get arrested and put on trial. Being able to fake that you were insane could get a lesser penalty. Or, who knows what else could happen? If nothing else, maybe it could be used as a distraction. You're just not using your imagination."
Does Lauren know how to fight with knives, and/or throw them?
Having read Behind the Screens about the true nature of associate versers, I'm going to forget that notion. (I'm just going to assume that The Architect explained that to my character at some point) So, just spend 10 minutes praying each night about landing in an Old-West frontier town.
In the gun store, have I seen anything resembling a Derringer laser pistol? Something of incredibly small size, that is easy to conceal? I might look into getting one. Small enough to hide, but probably puts out more punch per shot than my 357.
(Doing Therapy)
Mon Apr 6 2009 3:57 am # -
Lauren does not use knives as weapons. She does have a psionic blade that she has used, on one occasion decapitating a vampire with it. She was rather upset that it did not kill the thing, but it was rather gratifying to hear it yelling to its lackeys to get it out of there, and watching them carry the head under one arm and the body under the other while they fled the scene--except of course that she was so focused on trying to get one more attack on that opponent that she was blindsided by the other, and versed out of there.
The do have small lasers, but they probably do not put out more punch per shot nor more shots than your .357. There is the power supply problem involved.
--M. J. Young
Tue Apr 7 2009 2:21 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberWhere are we? I was thinking that if we are close by my work, I bet they have the tools to cut a piece of silver or gold into a perfect cylinder .357 inches in diameter. I'm certain of it. That would be metal machinist work on our world. They probably use cutting lasers here or something, but at any rate, it would probably be a new use on my metalworking skill.
Or perhaps the tools to roll 6 ounces of silver into a (say 1.5 foot) long wire .357 inches in diameter, then just cut it at lengths that would be the correct bullet weight. I could do that too.
I keep forgetting, I'm in a metalworker's candy store. Do they have some kind of device which would separate the bullet from the casing without spilling the powder or using any human force? Spilling the powder would be the most likely botch if I did this by hand. In reloading, we use a special hammer. The completed bullet gets screwed into one end of the hammer, then you smack the hammer on the ground. This separates the bullet from the casing, and lets you recycle the powder (most of the time). Anything like that?
I know they have the ability to weigh it out to 148 grains (or whatever I said) (My character would know how to convert it from grains to grams if he had to.) Then I would simply pull out the original bullet and replace it with the silver bullet. I'd need a lightweight hammer or equivalent, a vice, and perhaps some other tools for this.
I could give Lauren the general idea at least.
And right now, I know you're thinking about me botching and the bullet exploding. That would be a really bad GE roll botch. I've only seen that happen once in my life, and I've reloaded probably tens of thousands of rounds. Botches would be crushing the case, denting it, spilling the powder, things like that.
(Doing Therapy)
Tue Apr 7 2009 4:26 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberMultiple Postings
Does the sport of Boxing exist ANYWHERE in this universe? You said it wasn't available at TerraNova, but is it available ANYWHERE that I could get to? How would I know? Because I would check the computer.
Perhaps a change of scenery might be nice.
Tue Apr 7 2009 8:13 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberMultiple Postings
I know there's no way you could or would tell me, but I'm wondering how much of that Leatherman tool came, and what else might have come from Mr. Smith's shop. I know that errant scriff sense is driving him nuts. I think I'm going to see if I can go after it. How does one hire a private ship for a few hours? Someone to take me to retrieve that stuff. It could be floating out in space for all I know.
Tue Apr 7 2009 8:21 pm # -
You wouldn't have a tool specifically designed to reload bullets, but you would have most of the tools you could use for the job, and you might be able to design and build the kind of tool you want.
Given a few hours, you manage to make 6 ounces of silver bullets. (How many bullets is that?) What are you doing with the steel slugs you removed from the casings?
Concerning the probability of an exploding bullet botch, note first that I am letting you do a "reasonable sized batch" on a single roll, not roll for each bullet, and if you were to botch there would still be a botch list. So probably you have a chance of an explosion somewhere between one in seven hundred and one in fifteen hundred, depending on things like how many items are on the botch list and exactly what your chance of success is in this universe.
This is not actually the Internet. This is an internal computer system designed to enhance communication and business and personal needs of those aboard TerraNova. You can find information about other places--that's under the category of traveler information, mostly stuff about destinations to which you might be headed.
As you search for information on boxing, you find
- Boxing, also known as pugilism, a form of supposed sport in which opponents attempt to kill each other with fists while others bet on the outcome, outlawed by interstellar law along with several other inhumanly cruel practices. See also cockfighting, dogfights.
--M. J. Young
Wed Apr 8 2009 3:28 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberGiven a few hours, you manage to make 6 ounces of silver bullets. (How many bullets is that?) What are you doing with the steel slugs you removed from the casings?
Are the projectiles steel? Usually it's copper coated lead. If they're steel, then they would have limited armor piercing capabilities. Just thought I would add that.
Six ounces of gold and six ounces of silver. Makes 18 gold and 18 silver bullets. That's why I said order 6 more speed loaders. Back to the gun store and ask if I can order some speed loaders. I'll pay a small amount extra if they can be in on the shipment that has my holsters.
If the slugs are steel, I would probably put them in my Verser's Survival Pack. I could imagine steel and stainless steel being precious metals in some worlds.
Concerning the probability of an exploding bullet botch, note first that I am letting you do a "reasonable sized batch" on a single roll, not roll for each bullet, and if you were to botch there would still be a botch list. So probably you have a chance of an explosion somewhere between one in seven hundred and one in fifteen hundred, depending on things like how many items are on the botch list and exactly what your chance of success is in this universe.
OK, no offense intended. I just know guns aren't one of your strong suits, and I just wanted to make sure you didn't think it was as likely as TV and movies would make it seem.
Boxing, also known as pugilism, a form of supposed sport in which opponents attempt to kill each other with fists while others bet on the outcome, outlawed by interstellar law along with several other inhumanly cruel practices. See also cockfighting, dogfights.
(Thinking to self)
"OK, that doesn't sound TOO threatening. If they're going to arrest me for looking up information, then they are fascists indeed. Nothing to worry about. Kind of quashes my hopes for opening a Boxing school though."Since I now have (OOC) reason to believe that authorities may come for me, I just wanted to tell you how I would be around the apartment. Around the apartment, the 357 and the 9mm would not be in the Verser's Survival Pack. I would likely sleep with the 9mm, loaded, in the holster with a single spare magazine, next to my pillow. Somewhere else in the apartment, probably in a drawer or something by the front door would be the 357 magnum. Also, it would not be uncommon for me to have one or both of them on my person around the apartment. The 9mm in the holster and the 357 next to me on the couch. It's just something I do sometimes.
So, they're obviously on the top inside the Verser's Survival Pack when I'm wearing it.
(Doing Therapy)
Wed Apr 8 2009 8:14 am # -
It was my understanding that they stopped making lead bullets because of the desire to eliminate lead from as many products as possible, and so reduce the amount of lead in the environment. I could be mistaken, but I thought they replaced lead with steel in most bullets. Check on it, let me know.
The rest of the day passes uneventfully.
--M. J. Young
Thu Apr 9 2009 11:50 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberIt was my understanding that they stopped making lead bullets because of the desire to eliminate lead from as many products as possible, and so reduce the amount of lead in the environment. I could be mistaken, but I thought they replaced lead with steel in most bullets. Check on it, let me know.
Nope, bullets are copper jacketed lead. Of course, that's on our world, which means nothing in TerraNova. If they're steel, then they would have armor piercing capability.
What's the next day? What's happening?
Fri Apr 10 2009 12:01 am #
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