Forums of the Megaverse®

When activated, the grenade showers the area with PPE particles which adhere to subjects in the area. The effect is powerful enough to scramble the senses of Dog-Boys and sensitives for close to an hour. As people touch other objects or even rub each other passing on the streets, the false-PPE is transferred to the new object, spreading the particles in an ever-expanding radius.

Used primarily to hide the location of magic or magic-users in specific areas while on the run. Can also be effective against magic users; when detonated in close proximity the PPE gives the target a false high which overwhelms them with a short-term headache and, depending on their abilities (magic save), unable to tap into their PPE base to cast spells (GM’s discretion).

Each grenade is a stasis field (temporal) which keeps the PPE from degenerating until broken open, at which time it is flung out in a 30-50ft radius, depending on many environmental factors. The half-life of the particles, once exposed, is approximately 15 minutes.

They can be set in a trap, for impact, or 3-, 6-, 9-second delays. Many users on the run from psi-stalkers or Dog-Boys find it beneficial to throw the grenade in the air for maximum dispersal across the widest area. The grenade itself does no actual damage unless directly targeted and struck, then the damage is like being hit with a rock.

PPE is not "particles".

I've already made a False Magic Spell (which makes areas of active magic to distract psi-sensitives that can sense active magic). It has been posted it in the Fan Magic topic in the Magic & Psi forum so people can use it.

TW Grenades are already a part of the Canon. They are made via the 'Single Use' TW formula. No need for a 'stasis field'.

Trap option.... These are call mines, and TW mines are also a part of the PB canon.

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:PPE is not "particles".

I've already made a False Magic Spell (which makes areas of active magic to distract psi-sensitives that can sense active magic). It has been posted it in the Fan Magic topic in the Magic & Psi forum so people can use it.

TW Grenades are already a part of the Canon. They are made via the 'Single Use' TW formula. No need for a 'stasis field'.

Trap option.... These are call mines, and TW mines are also a part of the PB canon.

Just because there is one type of object in the books doesn't mean there can't be others. Creativity is what role-playing is all about.

This isn't made of true PPE hence it has a half life and not immediate dispersal once opened. (True PPE does not stick around, but is absorbed by those who can or dissipates into the the environment rapidly.) The stasis field is in temporal limbo where time does not run at the same speed as on Earth.

It's not a TW device or I would have designed it as such.

Since what you said in the OP was written in a ..."This is my Idea form" and not in a finished magic item format nor finished TW object formate, it was taken to mean you were looking for feedback to put your idea into PB canon format.

As such I pointed out the places for you to look at to finish up putting your Idea the standard PB format.

There is a few spells in the Fan created spell topic that create liquid PPE.
Since you put PPE and stasis field in the same topic...In the Rifts forum... it was natural to presume you were talking about a TW item.

Go, Look, See at the mentioned places and Read up before disparaging someones help to get your ideas to fit into the PB game system.

TW grenades and mines...see the Original Fed. of Magic book or the Rifts BoM.

Trap/Mine....Yes, I am OCD about words.
----------

Now since you said it was not a TW item, I'm guessing you meant it is a mundane device that throws out mystic chaff to hide the real magic users within that area.
Is this the "Core Idea" you were working round? Remember...stop and think about it before responding.

I think this is a great idea, Blackwater Sniper, and look forward to including it in my game.

Blackwater Sniper wrote:When activated, the grenade showers the area with PPE particles which adhere to subjects in the area. The effect is powerful enough to scramble the senses of Dog-Boys and sensitives for close to an hour. As people touch other objects or even rub each other passing on the streets, the false-PPE is transferred to the new object, spreading the particles in an ever-expanding radius.

Used primarily to hide the location of magic or magic-users in specific areas while on the run. Can also be effective against magic users; when detonated in close proximity the PPE gives the target a false high which overwhelms them with a short-term headache and, depending on their abilities (magic save), unable to tap into their PPE base to cast spells (GM’s discretion).

Each grenade is a stasis field (temporal) which keeps the PPE from degenerating until broken open, at which time it is flung out in a 30-50ft radius, depending on many environmental factors. The half-life of the particles, once exposed, is approximately 15 minutes.

They can be set in a trap, for impact, or 3-, 6-, 9-second delays. Many users on the run from psi-stalkers or Dog-Boys find it beneficial to throw the grenade in the air for maximum dispersal across the widest area. The grenade itself does no actual damage unless directly targeted and struck, then the damage is like being hit with a rock.

Nice idea, Sniper - I could see many situations where this would make for fun/interesting encounters.

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:Since what you said in the OP was written in a ..."This is my Idea form" and not in a finished magic item format nor finished TW object formate, it was taken to mean you were looking for feedback to put your idea into PB canon format.

As such I pointed out the places for you to look at to finish up putting your Idea the standard PB format.

There is a few spells in the Fan created spell topic that create liquid PPE.
Since you put PPE and stasis field in the same topic...In the Rifts forum... it was natural to presume you were talking about a TW item.

Go, Look, See at the mentioned places and Read up before disparaging someones help to get your ideas to fit into the PB game system.

TW grenades and mines...see the Original Fed. of Magic book or the Rifts BoM.

Trap/Mine....Yes, I am OCD about words.
----------

Now since you said it was not a TW item, I'm guessing you meant it is a mundane device that throws out mystic chaff to hide the real magic users within that area.
Is this the "Core Idea" you were working round? Remember...stop and think about it before responding.

I apologize. I misunderstood your reply to my post.

I got my idea from a TV show (https://almost-human.fandom.com/wiki/DNA_Bomb) that used a "DNA Bomb" at a crime scene to ruin the tech's ability to take pure samples.

I normally only look at why something was made, how an item may be used, and not how it's built or what it's built with.

I only put the stasis field in there to show how something that degenerates when made can be held stable until used.

I couldn't have described it better by saying it's a "mundane device that throws out mystic chaff to hide the real magic users within that area."

A version of a PPE stink bomb, essentially(and I've made a few literal stink bombs that react to PPE usage).
Not so sure about giving magic users a 'false high', since magic users aren't always in a 'receptive' mode to absorb PPE(it would work best if they were meditating or otherwise in an 'open' state...Mystics might be especially susceptible since they're more prone to be 'open' and sensitive to PPE fluctuations in their immediate environment, but other mages, such as Elemental Warlocks I can see as less likely to be picking up on PPE spikes and vibes)

taalismn wrote:Not so sure about giving magic users a 'false high', since magic users aren't always in a 'receptive' mode to absorb PPE

My thought was that anyone caught in a direct blast (say 3-ish ft.) who could absorb PPE would get the full and instantaneous effects of the brain's neurons reading what they think of is PPE and having sensory overload for a short term (aka a headache or false high).

It's the same way a magic-user can tap into the river of pure PPE called a Ley Line and not fry their parietal lobe; the brain regulates how much the body is able to take in and lets the rest pass through/around.

Anyone outside the specific range and the body/brain has enough time to react to the massive false-PPE wave and automatically block what it can't use naturally.

I would say call them PPE charged particles and not PPE particles. There is already PPE in the environment but this is not just releasing more PPE>

Blue_Lion wrote:I would say call them PPE charged particles and not PPE particles. There is already PPE in the environment but this is not just releasing more PPE>

You know what....if the particles were emeralds (smashed) and somehow the mage enchanting them with the PPE could infuse the PPE into the smashed bits 'in masse' then the OP idea could be partially implemented.

The problem would be that the area effect would be just an increased level of apparent PPE that is in the area of effect. Not the whole area being an active spell effects, as proposed by the OP idea. An area of 'Active Spells' effect takes 'active spells'.

Who says PPE is not a particle?

Who knows what kind of scientific theories those Dimension Door Project researchers on the 9th level of the Lone Star Complex were developing to explain the how the mystic energy of ley lines works. They apparently found a technological means to generate PPE and create a dimensional rift. The technology they used could have involved the discovery of a new "PPE particle" much in the same way those guys at the Large Hadron Collider have discovered many subatomic particles like the Higgs Boson.

DD The Shmey wrote:Who says PPE is not a particle?

Who knows what kind of scientific theories those Dimension Door Project researchers on the 9th level of the Lone Star Complex were developing to explain the how the mystic energy of ley lines works. They apparently found a technological means to generate PPE and create a dimensional rift. The technology they used could have involved the discovery of a new "PPE particle" much in the same way those guys at the Large Hadron Collider have discovered many subatomic particles like the Higgs Boson.

PPE is Energy. That is what the 'E' in PPE stands for.
Moreover, the It is Mystic energy which does not interact with mundane matter without life using it.
Life...to quote a media star said it best for this forum...."Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

DDtS, there's nothing I've seen specifically addressing atomic scale properties possessed by magical energies vis-à-vis real world descriptive models. Whether a given game might choose to handwave it or make up something with subjectively sufficient technobabble (I'm currently tickled with a wave/particle/Silverberg-Eischen fragment triality), the books keep things vague enough to be accommodating. Regardless it's irrelevant because this item was clearly describing properties at the macroscopic scale, for which a word like particle means something different enough that conflating the two leads to people making unwarranted assumptions.

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:You know what....if the particles were emeralds (smashed) and somehow the mage enchanting them with the PPE could infuse the PPE into the smashed bits 'in masse' then the OP idea could be partially implemented.

The problem would be that the area effect would be just an increased level of apparent PPE that is in the area of effect. Not the whole area being an active spell effects, as proposed by the OP idea. An area of 'Active Spells' effect takes 'active spells'.

While I agree with you in principle that the OP's wording leaves much to be desired, there is at least one substance in the Rifts catalogue that could provide PPE charged particulates: Xiticix's PPE Sludge (WB23 pg41, it's also mentioned later in the book, and appears in an early Rifter article). Note this Xiticix Sludge holds 24 PPE per 1lb of material, not enough to implement the OP's intent IMHO as is (maybe the Sludge can be purified to higher PPE concentrations).

The problem with using Gems is that the PPE they hold is based on the carat of the gem (RUE pg131, right column, bottom near the end of the page). Unfortunately the text is not clear if the PPE storage gem or secondary spell gem has to be a single gem or if it can also be a collective of gems like the Primary Spell (RUE pg131) or even how close the gems have to be.

An option that breaks the TW construction rules (if this is a single use device, though I suppose 2 single use devices working together might avoid the limitation) would be to use: Energy Sphere/Talisman-as-PPE-battery with Transferal. It would work by transferring (and divided up evenly) the PPE stored via Energy Sphere using Transferal to everyone in the radius effect (using TW spell tweaking to trade decreased duration of Transferal effects for increased radius).

Now if the OP has this as some sort of TECH-only device. That is a bit harder, SNARLS in Japan (WB8 pg116) would indicate that technology can detect PPE levels of organisms. The CS-Psi-Scanner detects psychic categorization (Minor, Major, Master), so another device that can detect mystic energies (2 ISP = 1 PPE, why I lump them together here).

So either the OP's grenade interacts with ambient and target PPE by some means to create the desired effect, or the grenade is scattering PPE rich micro-organisms coating everyone/thing in the radius. Weather these micro-organisms are natural, super-natural, or genetic/magically engineered I can't say, and why the durational effect is so short I could tell you.

PPE would be considered an energy field.

If you want "particles" held in temporal suspension, you would have to go the "sand" route suggested by Drewkitty, or with the sacrificial life form as suggested by ShadowLogan.

Morally/Ethically, the latter would be questionable...at best.

Please also keep in mind, a tracker will still be able to follow a caster despite the presence of a "Spat" of PPE, because they are following the "flavour" of the caster's PPE, or the surge from an active use of an ability or casting of a spell.

I would (as a GM) rule a new skill roll to keep your "lock" on your target if in the area of effect...when it "detonated."

Borast wrote:PPE would be considered an energy field.

If you want "particles" held in temporal suspension, you would have to go the "sand" route suggested by Drewkitty, or with the sacrificial life form as suggested by ShadowLogan.

Morally/Ethically, the latter would be questionable...at best.

Please also keep in mind, a tracker will still be able to follow a caster despite the presence of a "Spat" of PPE, because they are following the "flavour" of the caster's PPE, or the surge from an active use of an ability or casting of a spell.

I would (as a GM) rule a new skill roll to keep your "lock" on your target if in the area of effect...when it "detonated."

Good points.

The life form could be a virus (a living organism) which the charged particles embed themselves. The virus then attaches to whatever it touches and is transferred accordingly. The stasis field is used to slow time and keep the virus alive until used, while the half-life is explained by the rate of which the viruses die as exposed to the environment.

Bloodhounds and other trackers may be thrown off the trail if too many scents are in a single area or if there is an overwhelming scent masking the original. The skill roll would need to be rolled when they are outside the AoE and able to focus on individual scents again.

The trackers would initially be at a severe penalty: not knowing the exact dimensions affected, the PPE that has been spread out in a widening area, and the original target would probably use that to mask modes of travel.

Blackwater Sniper wrote:The life form could be a virus (a living organism)

I was trying to avoid that ... Disney has some long litiginous arms.

Blackwater Sniper wrote: The life form could be a virus (a living organism)

I would point out that Viruses are, at their essence, just sequences of code that highjack the protein making processes of living organisms.

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:

Blackwater Sniper wrote: The life form could be a virus (a living organism)

I would point out that Viruses are, at their essence, just sequences of code that highjack the protein making processes of living organisms.

True, but they are generally classified as the simplest known form of life.

Borast wrote:

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:

Blackwater Sniper wrote: The life form could be a virus (a living organism)

I would point out that Viruses are, at their essence, just sequences of code that highjack the protein making processes of living organisms.

True, but they are generally classified as the simplest known form of life.

Actually they Viruses are not a life form scientifically speaking:
https://blogs.webmd.com/public-health/2 ... individual.

The simplest from of life is bacterial (there might be simpler, but in terms of common lexicon), and is considered a micro-organism. Which is what I was thinking of specifically, but you could also have tardigrades.

ShadowLogan wrote: ...but you could also have tardigrades.

Then the PPE "splat" would never go away...t's are indestructable! I swear, they could survive on the surface of the Sun! >sigh<

Tardigrades are tough, but they do have limits. You don't have to use Tardigrades, you could use other organisms at that scale who aren't as resilient.