Three
I probably couldn't see out the windows when we were driving here, so I probably couldn't know this, but what kind of environment are we in, if I can tell? I always think of Mexico as a desert, even though I know that there are jungles down here. Can I tell what kind of environment we're in? A jungle would probably be much easier to find food. I've been told the other rule of thumb for identifying edible plants is watch the animals. If a rabbit can eat it, it's a safe bet you can too. Then you have a nice salad when you eat the rabbit. Don't take my word for it though, and don't sue me if you try it and kill yourself.
I think we should discuss this survivalist mindset. I have a great deal more information on it, let me know if you have any questions.
(Doing Therapy)
You're five months old and eating cereal mush and pureed fruit along with formula and breast milk. At your age, breast milk is not sufficient, and is being phased out of the diet.
Jeeps are not designed with significant secure cargo space--they're open, so locking the doors doesn't help much. Think "Jeep"--canvas roof, the cargo area is an open shortbed like a miniature pickup, and the only space that locks is the glove box.
You're on the seat, which is pitched back slightly making it something between a chair and a bed. She took her purse; the diaper bag is in the rear.
To remind you of your current physical abilities:
- You can't crawl.
- If you were on your belly you could roll over onto your back, but you're on your back and you can't get onto your belly from that position.
- You can keep your head from lolling over to one side, and turn it enough to look around.
- You can flail your arms and kick your legs.
- With a lot of concentration, you can pick up a small object with either hand, but you can't pick up an object in each hand, as you'll always drop the first when you grab the second.
- You can put such objects in your mouth, if you want. This actually gives you a much better sense of the object, because your tactile sense is very well developed in your lips but not in your fingers.
Block letters are still completely beyond your abilities.
Let me see if I can explain this to you. Have you ever seen coloring books in which little kids picked up crayons and scribbled in broad lines over the pictures, with no regard for where the lines are, like huge overlapping zig-zags? Well, when you make a successful hand/eye check, you can do almost as well as that. And your hand/eye is not yet 1@1.
Are you trying to learn Spanish? My impression was that you were trying to discourage her from using it around you, and that will impede your efforts to learn it.
Before she pulled the canvas roof over the car, you could tell that you were under the cover of trees.
--M. J. Young
Jeeps are not designed with significant secure cargo space--they're open, so locking the doors doesn't help much. Think "Jeep"--canvas roof, the cargo area is an open shortbed like a miniature pickup, and the only space that locks is the glove box.
Ever seen those toolboxes that sit in the bed of pickup trucks? They're locked to the bed of the truck, and they themselves lock shut? Sarah could put one of those in the jeep to hold the survivalist gear. If nothing else, after this, she should change her attitude more towards the survivalist attitude I described. My diaper bag, her purse, the belt bag, anything she routinely carries, would be filled with gear to survive.
Well, if I can't do anything, why do you keep asking me what I'm doing? Just sit here and be good and practice my psionic hearing. Do I have any skill increases in that?
Are you trying to learn Spanish? My impression was that you were trying to discourage her from using it around you, and that will impede your efforts to learn it.
Not really no. There's just some things you couldn't help but learn in the situation. I think I'll hold off on that until I can actually speak English.
My hand/eye is below 1@1? I thought you said below 1@1 was subhuman. I am a human, am I not?
Two
So how old will I have to be before I will be able to reliably pick up a pen and write, and will I be able to do that before or after I'm able to speak reliably? How could I know? I couldn't, but I don't see what harm it would do to tell me.
(Doing Therapy)
I think you'll begin to realize when you are able to do things. After all, I've been telling you what you can do.
As to why I'm asking what you're doing, you're not entirely helpless--you are quite capable of using several psionic skills, and of botching with them as well.
Sure, you're human. As far as I'm concerned, you were human at the moment of conception--when you were a zygote, without limbs, without muscles, without a nervous system or senses. Since then you have been building your physical attributes toward human normal. You're still an infant. It takes a long time to become strong enough to crawl, sit, stand, walk, and everything else.
You're getting there.
--M. J. Young
Well, if I can't move, just sit here and be a baby, practice my psionic hearing (Is five months long enough for an increase? I've asked a couple times) Just sit back and wait for Sarah. How long am I waiting? What happens when she comes back?
Two
Can I practice the psionic shield and the psionic hearing such that I could hear Sarah coming and stop the shield without having a roll? I'm betting not, but no harm in asking, right?
At any rate, practice psionic shield and psionic hearing. Drop the shield immediately if I do hear Sarah coming. (Could have be a GE roll on if I hear her coming? Just curious)
How long does it take to get a skill mark on practice? The psionic hearing has been practiced since before I was born. How long has that been? Is my skill up at all?
Future actions are as follows. Any time I get the chance to, practice the psionic shield. If she is sleeping and I'm awake, if she's gone like this, any time I have a chance to practice it, do so. Just try not to get caught. What is it? A hundred days? Two hundred days? I can't seem to recall. I should be at least to 1@10 by the time the T-1000 shows up.
(Doing Therapy)
Three
Minimal survival gear for Sarah to carry:
Knife
Pocket Fisherman
Fire starting gear (My magnesium tool, if she knows what it is, or a lighter or two)
The survival book
Chlorine water tabs (if she knows what they are) use baby bottles for holding water.
Aluminum foil (for cooking the fish she catches)
Three days food (for herself, and for me)
In the car (if she could lock it down)
Crossbow and arrows (Why the crossbow? It's silent, and still makes a formidable weapon.)
tent
sleeping bag
Basically, everything she would need to go camping for a weekend. (What am I telling you what she would need? You've got a thousand miles of that.)
Most of this I had in the VSP, and all of the first list she could easily carry on-person at all times. She could figure out a way to carry much, much more in the jeep, and have that VSP backpack ready to grab. You might not understand that there are people who carry stuff like this at all times. Those "Get up and Go" packs are quite common among survivalist types. The world as we know it has just ended, they walk into their house, grab a backpack, and they're ready to go camping. Understandably, she hasn't yet developed this attitude, but this is one she should be adopting. It fits with the Sarah Connor character from the movies, don't you think? This event should inspire it in her. Maybe it's a good thing.
Here's a botch for you. Sarah hallucinates an endoskeleton....
(Doing Therapy)
You practice your psionic skills while she is gone. She returns with some fruit.
"Well, it's not the best meal we could get, but it's food, right?" She smiles. "Cheer up. You'll probably have worse days."
--M. J. Young
What kind of fruit?
Do you know how mothers would feed babies? Just like a bird. Chew the food up, and spit it into the baby's mouth. It's supposedly the origin of kissing. Wow, 5 months old and I get to kiss a Linda Hamilton lookalike....
(Doing Therapy)
It is true that some cultures do this, although I gather that Mexicans remove the chewed food from their mouths with their own fingers and insert it into the child's mouth.
Your diaper bag will contain the bowl and spoon used to feed you cereal, so she will probably mash the fruit with that. I would look for banana, which you've probably already tasted as pureed baby food or in cereal. I am less familiar with tropical fruits (largely because I don't care for many of them) but I think mango is a likely choice, and possibly kiwi. She will also mix it with the powdered cereal, reconstituted with a bit of formula.
Periodically she turns on the radio, usually near the top of the hour to catch the news. She's obviously listening for something. Your understanding of Spanish is still non-existent at this point, so you don't know what she's hearing, but apparently she's not hearing what she expects.
Your stay in the clearing will stretch to several days. If you're simply going to live through it without doing anything unusual (i.e., apart from practicing those skills you can practice in this condition) we'll speed to the next event.
--M. J. Young
If you're simply going to live through it without doing anything unusual (i.e., apart from practicing those skills you can practice in this condition) we'll speed to the next event.
Yes, let's do that.
Two
Are we going back to the trailer? If it were me in Sarah's place, I probably would dismiss it as my eyes playing tricks on me, at least if I hadn't heard anything new. I just hope it inspires in Sarah the survivalist attitude described a few posts ago. This event would be the first step towards what she will soon have to become.
Any contacts made?
(Doing Therapy)
You spend four or five days in the wild, Sarah listening to the radio every day.
Finally she decides to head back to civilization, and you return to the trailer. She approaches it cautiously, leaving you in the car until she's certain it's clear, and then moves you inside.
Nothing was touched.
She says, "Well, anyway, we're not going to stay here, whatever that was. But we'll stay tonight, and tomorrow we'll pack up and find somewhere else."
--M. J. Young
When I was inside Sarah, she said that she was making off the grid contacts. Well, why have I not seen any of them? When is Sarah going to go start training? When does Enrique come into the story?
Is Sarah yet adopting the survivalist attitude? If that doesn't instill it in her, then she's a MORON!!!!!
Ya know, if nothing fantabulous is going to be happening any time soon, I'd be OK with skipping ahead until I can speak reliably. How long will that be? I feel trapped inside my own body. I'm practicing my psionics whenever possible (any increases?) But I'd be OK with skipping ahead until I can speak reliably. Your call though.
Actually, I want you to feel trapped inside your own body. You're supposed to be experiencing what it's like to be a fully grown mind in an infant's body.
You are now able to hold yourself erect in the high chair, resting your hands on the tray as a balance counterpoint, for as long as you can keep awake. That's gotten to be longer--you're awake for long stretches, and asleep for long stretches. You can pick up your own spoon, but you can't control it well enough to use it; you are offered small stuffed animals, rattles, and balls too large to get in your mouth, for most of your toys. You still can't seem to manage two objects at once, but you can hold your own bottle to feed yourself, and you can raise your feet high enough that you can grab them with your hands and stuff your toes in your mouth--which apparently is something that feels good, stretching the muscles in your legs and back, in addition to giving you a better sense of your own kinesthetics (your ability to sense where your body parts are relative to each other).
You can now pronounce one syllable words as long as they do not contain diphthongs ("eye", "cow") or consonantal strings ("ski", "string", "try" "juice"). Thus "juice" sounds like "doose" and "ski" like "key".
You have to stop between words if you want the next one to be clear, although you can string random syllables together quite rapidly as long as you don't care which set of consonants and vowels you are using. You can say "Yabadabado", but not if that's what you're trying to say.
--M. J. Young
Can I say SKY-NET? Do I have access to blocks with letters on them?
Sarah said that we were moving. Where are we now? What's happening?
Do I have any psionics increases yet? Or perhaps it would just be easier to tell me when those are coming.
And what the hell is a diphthong?
Two
MJ, I was thinking, everything that I had from Dancing princess came. I was either at weight, or not so grossly over that you bothered to check. Between the 10% increase that I had, and the 76 pounds that I had on-person, I'd think most everything from TerraNova would come. Thousands of rounds of ammo would probably put me overweight, but just drop some of that off. That would probably put me pretty close. I'm just curious how that's handled. I believe you rolled a GE roll on it, I think Kyler just picked things based on what he thought I'd need. Is that a referee's thing? I'm just trying to understand how that works. Between the 10% increase, and the 76 pounds I had on me, I would think just dropping some ammo would probably do it. I should be able to replace most of the ammo here. Just curious how that's handled. And I'm rambling.
(Doing Therapy)
You can now pronounce one syllable words as long as they do not contain diphthongs ("eye", "cow") or consonantal strings ("ski", "string", "try" "juice"). Thus "juice" sounds like "doose" and "ski" like "key".
Can I say SKY-NET?
Kah net, sah net, kee net, or see net: that's as close as you can get without the ability to pronounce consonant clusters or dipthongs. Also, with that requirement that you pause between words, it would sound like you were saying "kah" (for example) and then "net," not a connected word "kah-net."
Oh, and a dipthong is two vowel sounds happening in the same syllable. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that the word "I" is actually composed of two different vowel sounds: it starts out sounding like "ah," but it finishes sounding like "E". That's a dipthong.
"Sky" is particularly difficult because it has a consonant cluster at the beginning ("s" and "k" with no vowel in between) as well as an "ah-E" dipthong for the vowel.
In general, the easiest syllable to pronounce is a single consonant followed by a single vowel, like "ma" or "ba". Any variation from that pattern increases the difficulty.
OK Scott. If I had some letter blocks, this would be soooo much easier.
How old do I have to be before I can say SkyNet? I want that to be his first word.
(Doing Therapy)
More than one
MJ, what BRA are you using for my character? Charisma and An-Mag are kind of based on your looks, right? I'm an infant. If there exists a human with a 3@ Charisma and An-Mag, it's an infant. (I know there isn't, but you know what I mean). I'm using John Connor's stats now, not mine. What are the stats on this character as far as all of that is concerned?
(Doing Therapy)
If you had letter blocks, you could probably scatter them all over the room, but whether you could put them adjacently so as to spell words is a much less certain issue.
The answer to most of your questions is "How would you know?" The only one which might have a different answer is if when you wrote
Can I say SKY-NET?you meant
I am going to try to say Sky-net.If that's what you mean, you should say that--although in view of the fact that you argued that your character would have been able to anticipate Sarah's reaction to seeing the force shield appear near her, you might want to consider her reaction if her baby's incoherent babble started to sound like he was trying to say "Sky-net" repeatedly. Good chance she'll wind up in the mental hospital sooner rather than later, and you'll be dealing with state-appointed foster care.
--M. J. Young
If you had letter blocks, you could probably scatter them all over the room, but whether you could put them adjacently so as to spell words is a much less certain issue.
It's a much more certain issue than trying to speak.
Good chance she'll wind up in the mental hospital sooner rather than later, and you'll be dealing with state-appointed foster care.
Yeah, that's a good point. Thanks for pointing that out to me. Cease and desist all abnormal activity (including TK pulse and Shield practice) and just be a baby for a while. Still practice the psionic hearing. (How could she tell?) Until I can speak reliably.
although in view of the fact that you argued that your character would have been able to anticipate Sarah's reaction to seeing the force shield appear near her, you might want to consider her reaction if her baby's incoherent babble started to sound like he was trying to say "Sky-net" repeatedly.
I don't know that you're giving Sarah enough credit. I think you see her as somewhat mentally frail. I think she's stronger than that. I think she would think it was some kind of mental connection mother to baby. That I am so deeply connected to her, that I know her innermost thoughts. I already know of the war, because I was so deeply connected to my mommy. That's how I would expect her to react, but she's apparently not like that. (Or is she like that? Maybe MJ is the one who is wrong about how Sarah's mind works?) I'm not going to do it. Since you're in charge of the character, and that must mean she is rather mentally frail (Otherwise, why would you be warning me?) My character would be able to tell that. I can't, really. I think I'll stop that until I can explain to her what I'm saying.
I'm a messiah. A child destined to save the world. Even my name, John Connor, JC, Jesus Christ. The mother claimed I was fathered by a soldier from the future (Her Savior). How much closer can you get to being fathered directly by God? Don't think Sarah and Doctor Silberman didn't notice these things. If her baby started saying "SkyNet" repeatedly, she would likely see it as a miracle, or a sign from God.
(Dextroland)
Two
(Just so you know, this is supposed to be funny)
I think I would rather be playing as fighting with John Connor, rather than as John Connor. I hate this being trapped in my own body. (Is this a normal thing for zygoted versers?) This is going to be a great scenario, but you're right. No more paranormal stuff. Just the psionic hearing. (How would she know?) Be a baby until I can adequately explain it to her. Still try to practice speaking, and try to say Sky-Net once in a while (it would be (at best) a difficult intuition check for Sarah to recognize it, I'd think) but not a lot. Baby babble, learn to speak, but don't try to say anything until I can actually explain in full. (A year and a half, at least.)
Her baby isn't going to have a first word, he's just suddenly going to start speaking in complete sentences.
(Dextroland)
Three
Now that I'm thinking about it, does the magic bias HAVE to be flatlined? What I mentioned about John Connor being a savior and such is true. That's cannon with The Terminator. (Pretty easy to see why) Obviously, some manner of religion must exist in this world. It could be a 0@something bias, so only I can pray, but I don't think the magic bias HAS to be flatlined. Your call of course.
(Dextroland)
Four
Magic bias flatlined? Certainly God would help His creation against that ungodly, soulless, mechanical creation of man, don't you think? Or not.
I don't know that you or your character know anything about the mag bias in this world as yet.
You continue practicing those few psi skills of which you are already confident, and trying to get as much bodily exercise as you can manage along the way, as well as working on trying to improve your diction so you will be able to speak the sooner.
--M. J. Young
The answer to most of your questions is "How would you know?"
I asked where we moved to. I think I would know that, unless I've been blindfolded the whole time. (That's supposed to be funny, BTW) You probably just missed it in the jumble.
Ya know, you're right, I don't know what the magic bias is. I've got prayers for calling an off-world informant, and another for an on-world warrior. I wonder what it would be for a soldier from the future? Is that on-world, or off world, informant or warrior, or something else entirely? Should we discuss that? Perhaps it would be better to use one of those, as opposed to making another up.
Pray for a soldier from the future. Derek Reese (Should be easy enough for you to remember, considering who was in my last world) Desired results: Derek Reese arrives, hopefully far enough away that his arrival will not be known to Sarah, but close enough for him to find us. The arrival would freak her out, she would run, and it's Kyle's brother. Kyle was 21, in the book, Derek was younger, in the TV show, he was 7 years older than Kyle. I'd prefer the older version.
"God, if you're there, bring me Derek Reese. We need a soldier from the future. Surely Kyle's only brother would be eager to check up on him. Can you send to us Derek Reese?"
Time would be silently praying to myself from the moment I wake up, to the moment I fall asleep, then stopping. If I can stay awake for hours, then that's how long I'm praying. Since I can't guarantee that I could stay in one spot with my head bowed or anything, might as well get the most out of the time bonus.
If this could be a new use on an existing prayer, I'd prefer that, as opposed to making another up.
A botch could be that a Terminator comes as well as Derek. That could be interesting. My fledgling psionics against that metal monster....
Oh and nothing dead will come through a time portal, but there are ways to bring objects back. Swallowing, insertion into a body cavity (I hope I don't need to explain further) cutting open a living being (dog, etc) and inserting the object in that, cauterizing the wound, and sending the animal alive. Kill it on the other side and remove the object. Other ways have been theorized, if you need more than that. (Since it's possible time travel might come up in a post or two, I thought I'd mention this)
So what do you say? Can Derek Reese come too?
Man, what would the stats be on him? He'd have some 3@ gun skills for sure. He was born into it, it's all he's ever known. Explosives and demolitions, computer hacking (and to him, everything here is 40 years old) Chemistry (Homemade explosives anyway) Mad driving skills, all kinds of stuff. He probably knows how to use those laser pistols too. Yeah, bring me Derek Reese.
(Doing Therapy)
Two
That invisibility cloak has a "Penetrate disguise" as one of its features. Would that mean that, if I was wearing it, I could see a Terminator for what it really was? That's probably a "How would you know?" Too bad I can't bring back a reprogrammed Terminator instead of a future soldier. Sarah would never trust it.
Just an aside, I have a feeling magic is flatlined and this won't work anyway, but on the off chance that it does, Derek Reese was played by Brian Austin Green in the TV show, so that's what he looks like.
Three
Just an anecdote, about the attitude of a future soldier. From the TV show the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Derek Reese and another future soldier are doing target practice shooting at apples. (This is set in the 1990s, John is a teenager in high school.)
Derek Reese "It's nice to be able to waste bullets shooting at apples."
Other soldier "No, it's nice to be able to waste apples."
For some reason, I thought that might give you some insight on how to play Derek.
(Doing Therapy)
Is it your intention to include in the summoning a magical means of transporting this person from the future, or are you relying on him to provide his own time travel?
You know that I will not accept "I pray for an unspecified period of time." My answer in this case is simple: you will make a simple stamina check every minute you continue praying until you fail one, at which point you will stop praying. If you don't like that answer, don't give me open-ended times, because I really, really, really, really, REALLY hate them.
So, how long are you planning to pray, given that you are about six months old and can barely do anything at all?
Apart from thinking the words, do you intend to do anything?
--M. J. Young
Is it your intention to include in the summoning a magical means of transporting this person from the future, or are you relying on him to provide his own time travel?
I wouldn't want to force him to come. How about this.
"God, would you please compel the future Derek Reese to voluntarily come to us via a future time portal? Arriving far enough away so as not to frighten Sarah, but close enough so that he can find us quickly. We need all of the protecting and help we can get."
That might be a willpower check for Derek to resist coming, might it? Why would he resist getting away from the war, and protecting John and Sarah? He might even know that I'm his nephew. In the book, John Connor revealed that Kyle was his father right after Kyle was sent. Kyle wouldn't have known, but Derek might.
You know that I will not accept "I pray for an unspecified period of time." My answer in this case is simple: you will make a simple stamina check every minute you continue praying until you fail one, at which point you will stop praying. If you don't like that answer, don't give me open-ended times, because I really, really, really, really, REALLY hate them.
I understand that, but it's NOT open-ended. Out of character, I have no idea how long the infant me can stay awake. He knows, you know, I don't!!! He would be praying from the moment he wakes up until he falls asleep. You know how long he can stay awake without a check. I can't answer the question in this case. The stamina check I think is a misunderstanding of the task I'm proposing. It's not an open-ended time frame, it's for however long he is awake, which is a question I can't answer. So, how long can I stay awake? That's how long I'm praying. You're the only one who knows the answer. If you're still going with the stamina check every minute, then stop and let's talk about it some more. You're asking me a question that you already know the answer to, and I don't know the answer.
You could not persuade me that thinking a prayer in his mind would tire him out faster than just living a normal baby life. How long is he awake in his normal baby life? That's how long he's praying. You've told me that I could stay awake for hours. How many? Hours is more than one, so anywhere from 2 hours on up. Is it 4 hours he can stay awake? Is it 6? Can he stay awake for 12 hours under normal circumstances? I don't know the answer to that question.
Even I were to answer you, how long I say might be short of how long he can stay awake, or it might be way over. I have no idea. I'll accept that he started shortly after awakening, and stopped when he fell asleep. I don't know how long that would be. What does the scenario say for how long a 5 month old infant can stay awake?
So, how long are you planning to pray, given that you are about six months old and can barely do anything at all?
How long can I stay awake at a single stretch? You're the only one who can answer that.
Apart from thinking the words, do you intend to do anything?
Would remaining verbally silent and refusing to eat count for any kind of bonuses? I've been told that fasting is a religious thing. I could get away with that for 5 hours. If I didn't cry, mommy probably wouldn't feed me. Or do it whilst she's sleeping. I'll wake up at some time in the night to be fed, just don't cry. Remain verbally silent (no baby babble) and fast for the 4 or 5 hours. Does that add anything? And yes, I'd say 5 hours is fasting for an infant. Mom deserves a good night's sleep after everything I've put her through lately. I just won't cry when I wake up for my nighttime mommy is asleep feeding. Just hope I don't need changing..... Would all of that count for bonuses? Not eating, not getting a diaper changed, not speaking. Allowing mommy to sleep for a change. For an infant, that would be a huge sacrifice to bring someone here to protect him and his mother. Would that be a bonus?
If I pull this off, Uncle Derek is going to be in his late 30s/early 40s when the T-1000 comes back. Maybe he knows an easier way to kill it than melting it in a steel mill.....
And what I was saying about bringing back objects? He could swallow or "insert" a bag of diamonds or something. In the future, they're worthless. He could bring back millions of dollars in highest-grade diamonds and no one there would even argue with him about it.
Who better to train us how to battle these things? Beside, he would realize that my anomalous shields and whatnot are not SkyNet's doing. Maybe between us, we could persuade mommy that I am not normal. Would Derek know in the future that I am capable of doing that? I will certainly use that shield at least once in the future war. (I know you probably won't answer yet, I'm just thinking out loud)
(Doing Therapy)
Two
If, for some reason, you still can't go with what I said, then four hours. Certainly he can stay awake longer than that. In fact, I just called my grandmother (She raised 6 five month old babies) She said that four or five hours is about right. So, four hours if not longer.
I'm just curious. Am I the first player to ever give you open-ended time frame prayers? The system doesn't seem to handle those very well.
(Doing Therapy)
Three
MJ, I think that invisibility cloak would work under the new mag bias. Might Sarah accidentally trigger that thing? She will probably think it's some kind of future stealth technology.
(Doing Therapy)
God, would you please compel the future Derek Reese to voluntarily come to us via a future time portal?
I would ask how that does not "force him to come" but I don't want to get into that argument. It does appear, though, that you want this summoning to be compulsory, yes?
Why would he resist getting away from the war, and protecting John and Sarah?
That's not entirely the sense of the will power check. It's really a matter of whether he is going to do what you want him to do or what he would have done absent your intervention. Your argument can suggest that the will power check be made harder for him, based on the idea that he is less likely to resist the suggestion, but the point isn't that he is fighting against it but that we need some way to determine whether your suggestion overrides his will whatever it is.
As to whether he would want to leave the war to come help you, he knows that you got through this without his help in the original timeline and he does not know whether his friends will survive without his help in his future, so he might feel as if going back to give you help you don't actually need (from his perspective) is avoiding the real need of his time.
I will accept a four hour prayer, but you'll need to make a will power check to do that, given that you will be hungry and in need of a change, and you will also need to focus your attention for that time without the aid of any external movement. But I'll give you +10 for that.
Anyone who has ever told me they were praying for something has been asked how long they were intending to pray.
Might Sarah accidentally trigger that thing?
Perhaps unfortunately, no.
In its own world it worked by the rules of its own world, the "always works" rule for the magic items in that world. Once it leaves its own world, it works under Multiverser rules, which means that the person trying to use it must make a skill check to have it work, and therefore must expect the magic to happen in response to the stated actions. Sarah does not have the skill and does not have the necessary expectation to learn the skill.
You could teach her, once you are able to do so.
Was the cloak with you at the time you versed out?
You attempt to pray as you indicated, but you can't maintain focus on this for four hours and before you've finished you involuntarily start crying from the combination of hunger and a very sore and raw buttocks.
--M. J. Young
I would ask how that does not "force him to come" but I don't want to get into that argument. It does appear, though, that you want this summoning to be compulsory, yes?
By that, you're implying that God forces people to do ANYTHING. I've had God tell me to do things. It was still my choice to do them. What I would want is for God to tell Derek "Hey, I want for you to go back in time and help your family." It would still be Derek's choice to do so. (Hence, the willpower check) I don't think the willpower check would need to be made, because I see no reason for him to resist that. He would want to get away from the war and help Sarah. At least I think so.
As to whether he would want to leave the war to come help you, he knows that you got through this without his help in the original timeline and he does not know whether his friends will survive without his help in his future, so he might feel as if going back to give you help you don't actually need (from his perspective) is avoiding the real need of his time.
Since they didn't have control over a time machine until the war was won (as stated by Kyle in the first movie) he would have no reason to stay there to help them. Now the humans of the future just need to clean up the mess that was made.
Was the cloak with you at the time you versed out?
Yeah, it was in the VSP.
You attempt to pray as you indicated, but you can't maintain focus on this for four hours and before you've finished you involuntarily start crying from the combination of hunger and a very sore and raw buttocks.
Try again tomorrow night.
Again the next night you are unable to keep yourself from crying from the hunger and the soreness. Sarah scolds you for not letting her know sooner that you were dirty, because you've developed a serious diaper rash. The ointment helps, but it still stings, and is rather distracting particularly when you shift positions.
--M. J. Young
OK, is the being hungry and having a dirty diaper a required part of this prayer? If I drop that, will I have perhaps less of a bonus, but not have the willpower check? That would work too. Perhaps wake Sarah up crying, get fed, get the diaper changed, THEN stay up and pray. The problem with this prayer is that this is the only time it's ever going to work. I can't exactly be in Dancing Princess and call Derek Reese from the future, ya know?
(Doing Therapy)
Actually, the skill description readsThe problem with this prayer is that this is the only time it's ever going to work. I can't exactly be in Dancing Princess and call Derek Reese from the future, ya know?
1@1 Attract Off-world Sentient Fighter/Informer from Future M11@9 prayer is entirely by thought, appropriately requesting a specific individual to choose to travel from the future by his own means, thought prayer continuing for four hours, will power check required to maintain focus despite hunger of not eating or other discomforts, 4:00:00TF +33 SM--which means you can substitute the name of any other person in that space, subject to the condition that this specific individual exists in the future of the world in question and that time travel is available to him to reach the past. It does not even specify that it must be technological time travel, and so it might work in a high-mag or high-psi world in which temporal effects are achievable.
If that's not what you intended for the skill design, we can change it; but there's no difference between a skill that summons a specific individual versus a specific type of individual, so there's no advantage to adding that limitation.
I have trouble with the concept of a person in an infant's body focusing entirely on one thought for four hours, with or without starting clean and fed. You can lose the dependence on the will power check, and drop the bonus that comes from having it a necessary part of the skill, but then I will have to roll a general effects roll for whether you are actually undisturbed for four hours and can focus on the prayer for that period of time; probably a very good GE roll would mean that you succeed, a moderately good roll that you must make a simple will power check to succeed, a moderately bad one that you must make a difficult check, and a very bad one that you fail without a check. I don't know that that's better than your current situation, and I do know that if you tried to do it again as an adult I would interpret the GE roll more generously (much easier for a well-rested and fed adult alone in the wilderness to close his eyes and focus on one thought for four hours than for an infant whose mother is constantly checking on him to do so).
I can create the new skill if you want, or you can try the old one again. I think, though, that the not eating and not getting changed part was secondary; you can be fed and changed and still have to make the will power check to stay focused on task.
--M. J. Young
After reading Behind The Screens, you're right. This isn't worth playing with. Time travel is too dangerous. Pray for 4 hours for God to raise my body to the age of 18. I will have the physical body of an 18 year old man. Then, suicide out of the world. It's not worth messing with. I really hope you weren't looking forward to playing this world as much as I was, because this has now become a major disappointment. Time travel is too dangerous to mess with, and I will not be responsible for sending this world into an infinity loop. I'd rather the machines win. With my death, the time trips won't be confirmed, and the world will continue to snap, with the world led by the John Connor who was originally supposed to be here. At least I know his timeline resolved. Mine might not. In this leg, the machines have an easy victory, John Connor leads the humans to victory next. I can live with that. I will not be responsible for causing an infinity loop, especially one I will be trapped in. This can't be the start of an infinity loop, since I will never be here in another timeline. I'm setting up a sawtooth snap that started long before I got here. I can live with that.
"God, please raise my physical body to that of a man of the age of 18, so that I might leave, and spare this world the temporal disasters I am certain to cause. In your infinite wisdom, I trust that you will save mankind from its creation, the machine, without my help."
That last is not asking for God to help the humans. It's just a statement of trust in God.
Same circumstances as the other 4 hour prayer, except after a feeding and changing. I'm doing this at night, after my nighttime feeding and changing. Sarah will be asleep when I turn into an adult. I am reclaiming possession of everything I own which had been loaned to Sarah. It all verses with me. Since none of it ever belonged to Sarah, it should all come with me. Hell, I might even disown everything else. It's 10,000 miles away at least. As long as the contents of the VSP come, I'll be fine in the next world.
I'm sure this is going to need further discussion, but this is my action. And no, it's not based on out of character knowledge. This has been in the back of my mind ever since I realized where I was. You just brought it forward. The fun of the scenario blinded me to the dangers of it. I will not be responsible for an infinity loop, even to play a Terminator scenario.
Yes, I'm serious. I bet you never expected that, did you?
(Doing Therapy)