And to add your comments from Behind the Screens:
MJ, without knowing the game mechanics, there's no way my character could design a prayer that would eliminate botches. However, my character has seen some very crazy things happen as a result of things not working right. He wants to eliminate those crazy things. You're expecting me to design a prayer that would say this without using the game mechanics. My character is talking to God. God would know what I mean. You and the dice are God in this case. So, if you understand what it is that I mean, why must I design the prayer that says that? I mean you don't need to understand how or why gravity works to drop a brick on someone's head, ya know?I'm sure that God knows what you want. I am not certain that you know exactly what it is you want, and I certainly do not know what it is with sufficient clarity to design a spell that would do that. From the words that you prayed, I would simply give you a bonus on the chance of success, which reduces your chance to fail and thus your chance to botch. You have stated that this is not what you expect or want, but you cannot describe in words that do not demand interpretation of game mechanics exactly what it is you want.
To clarify, let us shift away from the fact that you are using it for a psionic skill and address the fact that you wish to use it for a magic skill. You would undoubtedly say that a prayer for a supernatural outcome is not "magic" but "miracle"; Harry would agree with me that this is semantics, and I would further insist that the operation of magic without prayer is as much "miracle" in that sense. But let us accept that as you attempt to walk on water, you are asking for a miracle.
Miracles--there is a wonderful movie of that name (Tom Conti, Terri Garr, Paul Rodriguez, and Christopher Lloyd) which is on my short list of must-see movies for understanding the subject. In the opening scene, somewhere in the jungles of Mexico the daughter of a tribal chieftain is dying. The priest/medicine man cannot help her. The chief stakes him to a mountainside, angry at God for the illness of his daughter. From that place, the medicine man prays, loudly shouting to the Great Spirit, that he needs help, and hopes that help will come. It rains. The medicine man shouts, "Not rain! I need a real medicine man!"
Now here's the point: you're asking for a miracle. What if you get the wrong miracle? What if you want water from the rock, but you get fire from heaven? What if you want destruction but you bring healing? That's often what a botch is in magic, or in psionics: the wrong thing happened. Efforts are made by the referee to make "the wrong thing" somehow related to "the right thing"; but the release of incomprehensible power into the universe ultimately can do anything--whether it comes from heaven or hell or from your own spirit.
You will object that God could not possibly make a mistake. I agree--but you certainly can. Not only can you make a mistake, God's other servants can make mistakes as well. Do you think every saint and every angel is as perfectly competent as God? If God sends His minions to aid you, can they not misunderstand and get it wrong? Or is it not possible that for reasons completely unknown to you, you are trying to do something that is completely contrary to what God wishes in this situation? You certainly can botch, even in prayer.
You may still object that God would not allow that--and that is covered, in part by the fact that when you are doing holy magic (praying to God) you are bonused by your own "faith"--your religion score, which increases your chance of success and thus reduces your chance to botch. You are also protected in part by the referee's instruction to soften the results of botches when they are holy magic--not to eliminate them, but to be mindful that someone else is involved in the control of the power.
Why did we include botches in the rules, when they can be so devastating? We did it because we wanted them to be devastating. We wanted the player to stop and consider that using powerful magic in a non-magical world was risky, just as using powerful technology in a low-tech world was risky. It had to be more than that it might not work; it had to be that it might go very badly. It might go very badly even in a world that strongly supports such things, if you're the Sorcerer's Apprentice trying to use magic you do not know well, or the basement tinkerer building his own atomic bomb. The rules urge caution, because anyone who is dabbling in anything at which he is not completely capable is taking a risk.
If you still insist that you ought to be able effectively to pray that nothing outrageously terrible would happen when you dabble ignorantly in powers that are outrageously dangerous, I would make two final points. First, my observations of reality suggest that such prayers frequently avail nothing. Second, if you could eliminate risk from the game, it would no longer be fun.
Figure out what you really expect here.
--M. J. Young
Am I STILL not clear here? All I want is for the prayer to change botch dice rolls into failed dice rolls. What is unclear about that? If you rolled a botch, it is no longer a botch, but is now a failure. What's the sticking point?
Derek (controlled by you, I might add) made a reference to botching in his computer hacking attempt. So, obviously, the term "botch" is known to versers. They might not understand game mechanics, but they understand what botches are. In my last world, I prayed for a woman to be healed. Instead, I got a huge explosion. That was not a miracle healing, now was it? So, my character would call that a botch, if he knew that term. My character knows that bad things can and do happen when he plays with these kinds of things. He doesn't want that to happen anymore. My character wouldn't know how to say it in non game mechanics terms, but I know what the effect is that he is looking for. The effect he is looking for is for dice rolls that come up botches to not be botches, but to be failures instead. Let me say that again, the effect is that botch dice rolls are failures instead. Do you understand that? That's the effect that my character is looking for. What's the sticking point? What is not clear to you about that?
15@10 DO ANYTHING. Or is that an example of false advertising?
If I have not made myself clear what it is I want this prayer to do by now, then I'm through arguing about it. I think you understand damn good and well what I want it to do, and you're just being obstinate over technicalities. If you want to be obstinate over technicalities, that's your business, but I'm done arguing. If you still don't understand what I want it to do, then forget it and just roll for the non corporeality.
The sticking point is that from your character's perspective the dice do not exist. He cannot pray anything that would affect the reading or the rolling of the dice directly; he can only pray to affect things that are within his reality. Further, despite your claimAm I STILL not clear here? All I want is for the prayer to change botch dice rolls into failed dice rolls. What is unclear about that? If you rolled a botch, it is no longer a botch, but is now a failure. What's the sticking point?
Derek (controlled by you, I might add) made a reference to botching in his computer hacking attempt. So, obviously, the term "botch" is known to versers. They might not understand game mechanics, but they understand what botches are. In my last world, I prayed for a woman to be healed. Instead, I got a huge explosion. That was not a miracle healing, now was it? So, my character would call that a botch, if he knew that term. My character knows that bad things can and do happen when he plays with these kinds of things. He doesn't want that to happen anymore. My character wouldn't know how to say it in non game mechanics terms, but I know what the effect is that he is looking for.the word is being used informally to refer to any really serious foul-up. Derek would not know the difference between accidentally triggering the alarm which he failed to override and accidentally triggering the alarm because he attempted to override it; both would, in his language, be "botches".
I believe it was C. S. Lewis who responded to the question of whether God can do anything by saying that whatever it is, it has to be a real thing. You are asking God to do an unreal thing--to change the way dice which do not exist are read by people who do not exist. Sure, you can "do anything" with a 15@10 wish, but that does not include altering the bias of a M15@10 wish to a T1@1 skill comparable to keeping a fire burning, because the bias is not real, but an unreal description of the fabric of reality. In the same way, the dice are the unreal mechanism by which the laws of reality, the physics of the universe, are simulated. You, the player, botch because the dice came up 00; your character botches because something fouled up somewhere setting off a chain reaction of events that had disastrous results. Yet those chain reactions are all simple causal chains; anything that would prevent them from happening would also prevent the intended outcome from happening. You might want to create a flame to start a fire. On a botch, you get the unspecified outcome that you douse the tinder with water, causing it no longer to be easily ignited. That happens because something went wrong in the causal chain. To stop it, you have to disrupt the causal chain. If you disrupt the causal chain, you will not get water--or fire, either.
Pray your prayer. I know my answer.
--M. J. Young
Pray your prayer. I know my answer.
And your answer is "THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK!!!! IT'S BROKEN!!!!!!!!!" (long story)
However, I'm going to pray it anyway. I was trying to get you to understand what I wanted. What I want is for botch dice rolls to become failures. However, my character would pray:
"God, please eliminate any unexpected results in the psionics (or magic, as the case may be) that I am about to attempt. The expected results would be success or failure. Anything outside of that (read "botch") I ask you to negate and nulify. Prevent any and all unexpected results (read "botch") from happening." Pray for 5 minutes
After that, go non-corporeal, and walk through the door.
You pray the prayer and are filled with the assurance that you did it right, that there is now no chance that you will release uncontrolled power release.
You then attempt to become non-corporeal and find you are unable to do it.
--M. J. Young
"I've only done this once, I'm not surprised that it didn't work. Let me try again."
So I try again, and again, and again, and again. Then you tell me that it never works at all.
"Well, I haven't been able to do very much in my last 2 worlds. I'm not totally surprised."
Try TK pulse a few times, without using the prayer first. My character would check to see if psionics still worked at all. He would feel comfortable using the TK pulse.
After that, attempt 4@2 simple TK on anything handy.
"I had a headache similar to a psychotic episode last time I tried this. That's more than I got in my last two worlds. Let's see what happens."
Keep trying until something happens, be it a botch or a successful roll.
If it's a successful roll, try the non-corporeality a few more times. You then tell me it doesn't work. Keep trying other TK skills. Again, keep trying until something, ANYTHING happens.
(And please, don't argue with me about rolling until something happens. This is what my character would do. Let him do it.)
If I can get the other psionics to work, try non-corporeality again. You then tell me that it doesn't work.
"I wonder........"
A few minutes in contemplation later......
"Hey Derek, do you know how to go non-corporeal?"
(Just a suggestion. Perhaps this would be a good time for the verser teacher that I prayed for to make an appearance.)
(And now, about 10 minutes after I post that, I realize I remember something you said about making such suggestions, because you might have been planning to do that anyway, and it's bad etiquette to suggest it (or something) I still want to make the suggestion, but kindly remind me whether or not it is a good idea to do so in the future.)
Yes, you fail to become non-corporeal on multiple attempts.
Your first TK pulse works quite well.
It takes you two attempts to manage a simple TK; but then, you are not nearly as practiced with it as with the other.
After this, you successfully become non-corporeal and pass through the door, assuming that's what you want to do.
--M. J. Young
How much time went by between praying the prayer, my last failed non-corporeality attempt, and my first successful non-corporeality attempt? I was thinking it was permanently blocked.
(Said whilst non-corporeal)
"That's weird Derek. Why couldn't I do that? I tried 5 or 6 times. Then all of a sudden, it comes back to me."
(I know you told me not to tell you what rolls to make, but could I get an intuition check to see if he figures it out?)
"I'm not going to assume that I can't botch. Last time I tried that......"
(If I make the intuition check, that I'm hoping I'm allowed to ask you to roll)
"Maybe God is not letting me botch, by not letting me do it at all. I wish someone was here who could tell me what's happening"
(If I fail it)
"I wish someone was here who could tell me what's happening"
THEN walk through the door.
MJ Two Posts
Making the suggestion and asking for the roll are my way of putting myself into my character's shoes. I know he would be trying to figure out what was happening. I'm trying to imagine what my character is thinking. The only way I can think to express that to you is to make the out of character suggestions. My character would be thinking that now would be a good time for the teacher to show up. (Expressed in the out of character suggestion) My character would be desperately trying to figure out what was happening. (I know I would) Hence, asking you for the intuition check. It's my way of expressing to you what my character is thinking. Is there a more preferable way to do that?
You have no idea why it did not work and then it did work.
You pass through the door to the other side. You are now inside the vacant residence.
--M. J. Young
See if I can figure out how to open the door from the inside. Doors do tend to be easier to open that way.
Opening this door is not different from opening the door from your hotel room: you press your hand on the palm reader. Of course, you would have to become corporeal first.
--M. J. Young
Stay non-corporeal and walk back out.
When I get back out, take off my wrist stop computer watch thingie, and give it to Derek.
"Do whatever hacking you can with this thing. When I wake up in 8 hours, I'm going to report it stolen, so that it doesn't get traced back to me. I'm going to bed, have a good time."
And so Derek takes the watch and you leave to return to your room and get some sleep.
He is already pulling the cover off the palm pad with some tool he pulled out of a kit, but you don't hang around to see how he does it.
When you awaken he is not there; you have a job, I believe.
--M. J. Young
When I'm leaving the hotel, report the wrist watch stolen. I told Derek that he had 8 hours with it. If he isn't finished, that's his problem.
Get all of my stuff and move to the next hotel that we found. It was 300 for the last night here, and the new room is 70 a night. I'm going to have to go back and check on my credit count.
Then get to the scrap dealer, and find out what's what.
There's no sign of Derek when you awaken. You figure out how to report stolen property via the computer/communications system.
Your job isn't really much of a surprise. You have to move and sort scrap materials, sometimes dealing with customers who want to buy or sell. Most of the stuff has set prices, some of it fluctuates over time, but it's easy to get the values. Various kinds of testing equipment are used to determine the exact material makeup of different kinds of scraps; most metals are heated for spectroscopy, unless there is reason to think that heat would reduce their value. There are other scanners as well.
You keep busy between doing assigned tasks and having things explained to you, working for eight hours.
--M. J. Young
Slow this down a bit. What equipment am I using? What skills am I acquiring? I could see this adding a host of new skills to my sheet.
I'm earing 20 credits an hour. Eight hours. 160 credits. Any tax taken out? I've completely lost track of that.
No tax taken. To keep things simple, employers pay the wage tax based on the amount they pay employees, so it sort of comes out of your pay but does so outside the part you ever see.
The equipment you're using is pretty basic--electric carts, hydraulic lifts, that sort of thing. You are interacting with the computer, but it's easier than Windows.
You are learning to use the mass spectrometer and some other detection equipment, but it's all user-friendly idiot-proof stuff--you put the stuff in, and the computer gives you the result.
--M. J. Young
What is the bosses name?
"Well boss, I guess it's time to knock off for the night. When should I be back?"
After that, go check out the martial arts school.
The boss' name is Sam Ash, and the shop is called The Ash Can.
He says to be back in eighteen hours. He runs a 26-hour schedule.
Which martial arts school were you visiting?
--M. J. Young
Which martial arts school were you visiting?
"Sam Ash huh? Back where I come from, that was a record store. How about I just call you "Record Man"? It's a compliment, believe me. Records had the best sound."
I think I'm just going to see if I can figure out which is the closest school to the job. No matter what style it is. Whatever school is closest to the job.
How much is the average cost for a fast-food style meal here?
NOTES:
Earn 160 credits a day
Hotel 70 credits a day
Meals ?? credits a day40 a day for martial arts lessons is about all I could afford. But I'm willing to bet they're a lot cheaper than that
Don't forget to ask for the faith of Apostle Peter and try to walk in thin air.
"How about you just call me 'sir'? I like that much better."
The cost of a fast food style meal depends on what you think constitutes a meal. You can get a two ounce White Castle style burger, a very small french fry, and an eight ounce soft drink for two credits, but it might take four of those to feel like you had a light lunch. You can spend as much as twenty credits on the best fast food available, and get something delicious, nutritious, filling, and healthy, including dessert. You should probably figure four credits for breakfast, five for lunch, and eight for dinner, assuming breakfast and lunch are light meals and dinner will be enough to hold you until breakfast. If you're skipping a meal, you'll spend more at the next one, although if you eat only one meal a day you'll be hungry quite a bit and might run out of energy before you reach it, but you can probably get by on ten to twelve credits a day.
The nearest martial arts school to The Ash Can is about a quarter mile away on the same level, and teaches Slammed Unk. You are already aware of a school about five levels below you and half a mile away that teaches Okydoky Smoky, which was on your short list, and another just below your hotel (above The Ash Can) but about a mile and a half laterally that teaches Doju and Won Ton, both also on your short list.
Your choice?
--M. J. Young
3,789 +15 selling arrow + 160 pay 3,964 credits (It's probably wrong, but I can live with that)
Check out the Okydoky Smoky school, since it was on my list and it's almost as close.
Any sign of Derek?
And don't forget to stop and get some lunch.
You have not seen nor heard from Derek since you left him yesterday.
When you are at work, the boss brings in lunch. You don't really have much choice as to what it is--today it was something like sliced steak sandwiches on round rolls, but he does something different every day. There were three other employees plus him today, but one of them tells you that it varies with a lot of factors, including a computer analysis of arrivals and departures predicting when high traffic volume will be based on ship's schedules. (It is frequently the case that a large passenger transport will have all guests on the same schedule, and they will hit the mall simultaneously when it is "day" for them.)
When you arrive at the Okydoky Smoky school, you are greeted and offered assistance. In response to your questions, he gives some insights to the style. It is designed around the fact that humans have known weak points, and that it takes very little force to cause someone pain. Thus the basic attacks are looking for these so-called "pressure points". It is fast-moving, but focuses more on blocking than hitting, even though it hits faster than many more aggressive styles, as it uses both hands and feet to strike.
It also teaches two weapons. The tetsubo looks something like a slightly oversized baseball bat with rounded studs. It is a two-handed weapon. The kiseru is about fifteen inches long with an obtuse bend at one end, and hollow; it doubles as a metal smoking pipe.
There are quite a few techniques taught that are not based on pressure points, including a couple kicks, a focused push, a crushing hand attack, and an anti-weapon technique.
The school is headed by a Most Highly Honored Master, but of course he rarely trains even the other Masters who train the beginners, giving his attention to the most experienced Honored Masters and Most Honored Masters. These are those who have learned such difficult maneuvers as the paralyzing and stunning strikes and the untouching push.
Classes are weekly, paid in ten week installments; it comes to twenty credits per class. Students also have free use of the dojo to practice.
--M. J. Young
So the Okydoky Smoky classes are only one day a week? Is there any way to get more lessons more often? Would they be interested in hiring a boxing instructor? I'd like to take the classes 3 or more days a week. When can I begin?
I know I didn't actually say it, but I would have been trying to periodically read Derek's mind. Do I have enough familiarity with him to find him and find out what he's up to if I tried? Not trying yet, until you answer that.
The school teaches no other methods or styles, and seem somewhere between amused and offended that you suggested it.
You take the class itself one day a week, and work out on any day you can. It is recommended that you do so at least three days a week. There are other students of various levels in the gym most of the time, so you can get assistance, but the masters themselves do not believe that their time is well spent teaching students who have not taken the time to practice between classes, and that a week is barely enough time for anyone to review the lessons of the week.
Since you never said you were trying to read Derek's mind, you weren't. We would have had to have rolled for success to determine whether you developed familiarity by making contact, and that in turn would have meant that there would have been a chance to botch. Since we don't know when that might have happened, we can't change it now.
--M. J. Young
Fair enough on the mind reading. I thought perhaps it could just be chalked up to random practice. Understood though.
At the Martial Arts school
"What's this Untouching Push? Also, when can I begin classes? Can I start right now? How much is it for the uniform, weapons, and everything else? You mentioned a studded club weapon. I have an aluminum baseball bat. Would that work as a substitute? Also, you don't teach boxing, but would you mind if I used your gym to train myself in it, whilst I am training in your martial art? I can pay extra if that's a problem."
After class, check into the new hotel room. I believe you said it was 70 credits a night. Then go get some dinner.
Also, check out the Slammed Unk school. Three days a week doing each, plus practicing boxing, would make me into a helluva fighter quickly.
I believe you said it was 3 days for the jeweler to finish converting my gold and platinum into ingots. How long has it been? And is my 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammo in yet? I believe you said that was 3 days also.
NOTES:
You're almost ready to start getting into your routine and start skipping ahead. A job, martial arts lessons, and a place to stay. Once all of that is established, you can start skipping ahead.
"Ancient and difficult technique, where the attacker presses aura against aura, spirit against spirit, and so moves his opponent away without touching his body. It will be long time before you are ready for this.""What's this Untouching Push?"
"Start tomorrow. Classes given every six hours, last two hours. Must have gi--what you call uniform.""Also, when can I begin classes? Can I start right now?"
Gi is fifteen credits. Weapons later--style first, then weapons. Nothing else.""How much is it for the uniform, weapons, and everything else?"
He scowls at this. "Learn with real weapon. Adapt to 'baseball bat' later."You mentioned a studded club weapon. I have an aluminum baseball bat. Would that work as a substitute?
"Students may use dojo for exercise. Boxing good exercise. No extra charge. Please do not confuse other students with techniques."Also, you don't teach boxing, but would you mind if I used your gym to train myself in it, whilst I am training in your martial art? I can pay extra if that's a problem."
How much are you spending on dinner? (I'm assuming that by now you've bought a few dinners and can make the distinction between a White Castle hamburger and a Tavern on the Green banquet.)
Are you checking out the Slammed Unk school the next day after work?
These things would be ready after your second day at work.I believe you said it was 3 days for the jeweler to finish converting my gold and platinum into ingots. How long has it been? And is my 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammo in yet? I believe you said that was 3 days also.
--M. J. Young
3,964 credits
"I can do an untouching push already. It's called a TK pulse. Probably not as advanced as your technique, but it's served me and gotten me into trouble."
If he asks to see it demonstrated, find something small and pulse it across the floor.
As far as dinner, just find something. Anything. As long as it's cheap (below 20 credits) I'm interested in sampling other cuisine that is unfamiliar. I mean what's the point in versing if you're just going to eat the same things you eat at home?
I'd check out the Slammed Unk school right after dinner.
I'm worried about Derek, but not enough to be concerned or take any action to find him. For all I know, he versed out. He's been in the verse longer than I have. He can take care of himself. He will find me if he needs me.
I am wearing that backpack that I bought at all times where it is feasible to do so. If it's not actually on my back, it's close by. On person equipment.
Kabar knife
Straight razor
Ronco pocket fisherman
S/W .357 magnum, loaded
500 rounds .357 ammo
crossbow, folded up
120 arrows (all of them)
1 Pearl Harbor jumpsuit
100 chlorine tabs
2 quart canteen
three days food
10 four ounce silver crowns
20 two ounce gold pieces (when the jeweler is finished with them)
20 two ounce platinum pieces (when the jeweler is finished with them)
32 1/2 oz shillings (nickel)
32 1/2 oz pence (bronze)
5 BIC cigarette lighters (one sealed pack)
2 glue grenades
2 fragmentation grenades
The plastic ground tarp that I bought. I didn't see it on your list.
The master tries not to be condescending when you say you can do something like an untouching push and does not ask you to demonstrate this.
The Slammed Unk school is similar. This style focuses on using the movement of your opponent against him, what would best be described as throwing the opponent. It has a substantial variety of specialized techniques including the ability to avoid injury in a fall and to return rapidly to your feet, plus a broad range of other seemingly unrelated techniques. The weapon taught here is called a gunsen, and looks something like a metal version of a chinese fan; it is used for strikes and blocks, and advanced students learn to use it to break opponent weapons. Most of the details are very similar to the other school.
--M. J. Young
If the styles are that similar, I would probably just stick to Okydoky Smoky.
Go back to the hotel room, 70 credits a night, 3,894 credits after paying for that. Once I have all of my equipment in one place, and know all of the scriff vectors, sit down and see if I can home in on Derek's vector. Is he even still here?
If I can get an idea of where he is, go out and see if I can find him. Get something to eat along the way. Something exotic, but not overly expensive.
There is still the sense of the presence of another verser. From your location it is toward the center and down, but of course it could be beyond the center and below the station, since you can sense direction but not distance.
Tracking him is more time consuming than simply walking somewhere, since you have to stop and relax to feel the direction and then figure out which way of the available hallways will take you more toward that point. After about an hour you think you're getting closer (because the vector shifts more as you move), and you realize you're in the management offices area. You get plenty of smiles from workers at counters and desks, and someone asks if they can help you find something.
--M. J. Young
You get plenty of smiles from workers at counters and desks, and someone asks if they can help you find something.
"Uh yeah, I was just looking for the bathroom."
When they point me to the bathroom, go into a stall, sit down on the toilet, hands folded, and pray.
"God, I have a feeling Derek is caught. He was trying to do computer hacking, and I have a feeling that's what happened to him. I had to learn about the verse from the school of hard knocks, and now Derek can too. I couldn't exactly ask God to help me help a fugitive, now could I? However, if you can at least tell me the details of why he's here, and the severity of the charges, if any."
Pray for 5 minutes.
I mentioned this some time ago, that I prayed for God to give me driving directions, and it happened. Could that be an example, or otherwise a bonus? It's praying for information that I don't have, and couldn't otherwise obtain. I'd say it's the same kind of thing, but that is, of course, your call.
The answer to your first question is Derek is here today so he can be where he needs to be tomorrow.
The answer to your second question is that the most severe charge against him is theft of personal electronics, and then there are some minor charges connected to vagrancy, breaking and entering, and unauthorized access to data.
--M. J. Young
Come back out and ask the receptionist:
"I reported a watch stolen the other day. Do you know if it's been recovered or not?"
I'm assuming that is the personal electronics that Derek got caught with. If so:
"I'm not pressing any charges about it getting stolen, I just wanted to get it back. No harm, no foul."
Derek is now on his own. I did everything I could do, short of storming the place. I don't know him well enough to do that.
Go get something to eat. Something exotic, but not too pricey.
Assuming that nothing prevents me from getting this far, I want to try an experiment. While I'm sitting down eating, concentrate on throwing a TK pulse, but don't throw it. Build it up inside me, but leave it where it is. Hold it in. Do that a few times. Build the pulse up inside me, but don't throw it. After I've got 3 pulses worth of energy built up, throw it at someone in the eatery. My objective is to knock the person unconscious, so I would be aiming at their head. My character failed to throw 2 pulses before he botched, so my (and his) theory is that I hit the MP with 3 pulses worth of energy. Let's see if we can duplicate that. I've got the botch example of knocking out the MP at Pearl Harbor for this. I've been meaning to try it again since then, but I wanted to get my skill raised a bit first.
"I'm sorry, are you saying the watch was not stolen? You'll have to talk to the police about that--ahead" she points "past three crossing corridors, room 2096. I'm in the utilities and plant management department; I don't have anything to do with stolen property."
*****
Later, you find that you can wind up for a TK pulse and then release it without using it; but the power does not store, and when you use the TK pulse on someone's head he is thrown off balance, stumbles, catches himself, and turns around looking for whoever it is that pushed him. "Very funny," he says, and storms off.
--M. J. Young
"I'm sorry, are you saying the watch was not stolen? You'll have to talk to the police about that--ahead" she points "past three crossing corridors, room 2096. I'm in the utilities and plant management department; I don't have anything to do with stolen property."
"Uh, actually, never mind. It's not that important, I'll just get a new watch."
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Well, if I can't build up the power, then I'm going to have to try to throw it harder. If I can botch and knock someone out, then I can do it on purpose. Concentrate on throwing the pulse harder. Focus Danielsan!!! Concentrate on throwing the pulse harder. Then try to knock someone out with it. I've still got the botch example of knocking out the MP.
What you must have learned from the example of knocking out the MP is that the trick there was catching him at a moment when he was already moving, in such a way that the combined force of his movement and your push caused his head to collide hard with an object that was also moving in a fashion that increased the impact. In other words, the man's head was already moving down toward the steering wheel and the steering wheel was moving up toward his head, thanks to the bump you hit just as you also tossed in your push, which went in exactly the right direction to slam the moving head into moving steering wheel at the right angle to cause a concussive blackout.
Now, if you can spot someone in a similar situation and hit him just right, you might get a similar outcome. However, note that you did not render someone unconcious by hitting him with a TK pulse. You rendered someone unconscious by throwing his head into the path of a club that knocked him out.
Your next attempt fails; you get no telekinetic force at all.
--M. J. Young
MJ, I read what you said Behind the Screens. That makes sense. However, I kind of need you to do me a favor. I need you to roll against my next attempt at doing that in a similar enough way that my character could conceivably learn that. That my character could realize what happened, or maybe just an intuition check, to see if he does. Adam wasn't overly clear about what happened. It was my belief as a player that my pulse knocked him out. However, my character would have seen it happen. See what I mean? Does my character already know this? Could he perhaps remember it at random all of a sudden? Could there be a dice roll or two, to see if he figures out what happened on his own? I, the player, believed that the pulse knocked him out. My character saw his head hit the steering wheel, and screamed "OH SHIT!!!!" right before the jeep hit the guardrail. Does my character know how he did it?
I, the player, believed that what I did was build up the charge of the TK pulse, and that is what knocked him out. My character saw it happen. See what I mean? I'm asking for a few rolls here. An intuition check, a GE roll on my duplicating it by random chance, and whatever other rolls could possibly tell my character. He has different information than I do. We can't think the same way about the problem. I really think some rolls should be made here. I had completely the wrong impression about what happened.
You said you would have asked "How would you know?". Well, my character saw what happened. That's how he would know.
And yes, I think my character would be thinking about that. (I mean if I have been this obsessed over it, how much more is he?) I thought that what I had done was chain the power of three pulses into one. My character now knows he can't do that. He would be looking for alternate explanations.
And yes, I know it's an OOC post, but I think this is necessary.
Ya know, I left a pair of shoes at Mr. Smith's shop. That's the other scriff sense I'm picking up. Could I have taken anything from Mr. Smith's shop? The unfinished Leatherman tool that I was building I could see taking. Perhaps there was equipment that Mr. Smith let me use, that I considered mine, and he wouldn't have fought me over. It's possible. I know there's no way I could know this, so I'm not asking. I was just throwing it out as a possibility, that's all.
NOTES:
John, forget what you're thinking.
And John, you were planning on never using that anti-botch prayer again. MJ said you're not allowed to do that. You've got to try it at least a few more times, because you know your character would.
Can a compromise be reached? Your character would think "Maybe make it 1% less likely to botch." (And yes, I have prayed prayers like that before.)
John, pray the Anit-botch prayer right before you try to spend a day practicing by lifting skirts. I think my character would do that, considering what happened last time he tried it.
That would, in a sense, be asking God not to punish you for looking at women with their skirts raised. My character would probably do that. He still thinks like I did when I was 29.
My character would add the following to the Upskirt Anti-Botch prayer. "God, I've seen you work. If it is your will that I not see ladies underwear, then grant me the ability not to botch today." I think he's trying to have an epiphany.
Have some of that 25 pounds of silver made into rings. High end silver rings. I bet those would be good.
Does the sporting goods store sell bullet molds? A blacksmith could mold silver bullets easily. Why not?
You did not see clearly what happened. You had been knocking the MP around, and you suddenly slammed him forward, and the next thing you knew he was unconscious and the jeep was speeding toward a tree faster than you could bail.
You try the experiment again, building up a TK pulse but not releasing it, then doing so again, and then firing off a TK pulse--this time all three felt successful, but the pulse you actually released was not in any way more powerful from any other you've used, and in fact was a bit on the weak side.
I had not thought of that for a while. For the record, so that I don't have to remember, both the sneakers and the unfinished leatherman tool are yours, and are out there somewhere together. I've just gotten an idea about them, but I'll play with that some other time.
--M. J. Young
Edited to correct omitted word.