[Torg] Jumping in Torg

[Phil Dack]

For what it's worth, I agree with your estimate of how a speedster's velocity might contribute to a truly massive jump distance.... but I also agree with KJ's reasoning that it probably doesn't happen, superhero physics being what it is. After all, it is not physically possible for an organic bipedal creature to achieve speeds of 7,500 mph (bear in mind the current vehicular land speed record is just 763 mph). So if you're relying on real world physics, I'm afraid you fall down at the very first hurdle. 

I might be inclined to consider an alternative check on superhero speedster jumping distance though, which is allow them a jumping distance at least equal to the distance they travel in a single round. I.e. they're just lifting their feet up for a few seconds. Given a speed of around 12.5 miles per round, that's a fairly hefty jump if they're already at full speed (however, I don't believe such a speedster is ever likely to achieve full speed for long, or they'll be crashing into things at very much terminal velocity!!). However, for high jump, I'd probably not give them any increase on the human limit value unless their particular method of super-locomotion justifies it. 

As it
 happens, basing jumping distance off strength is one of my pet hates of many superhero rpgs - but particularly those, like HERO, that try to be generic rpg systems, because while I believe that this approach is clearly nonsense (evidence: olympic jumpers aren't built like sprinters, let alone weight lifters!) it is at least partly excusable for the superhero genre.


--- On Wed, 10/12/08, Kansas Jim <ksjim at sdc.org> wrote:
From: Kansas Jim <ksjim at sdc.org>
Subject: Re: [Torg] Jumping in Torg
To: torg at justintimeadventures.com
Date: Wednesday, 10 December, 2008, 3:16 AM

Benjmain Grant wrote:

> In other words, if the superhero goes a vastly shorter distance than the
> projectile, and the reason is *because* he has superpowers, that is
bizarre,
> even for
 supers.

<shrug> Show me a speedster in a comic book long jumping thousands of
feet and I'll reconsider.

Something to think about is that in the comics, what characters do we
see with ridiculous jumping distances? Not the fast guys, it's the
strong guys. A running start may help but it's strength, not speed,
that's seen as the determining factor. I've looked over a bunch of
superhero RPGs tonight and that's how they all approach it, jumping
ability is based on a character's strength. If they even mention a
running jump it does increase the distance jumped but the speed at
which the person runs doesn't enter into the equation. Perhaps the
jumping limit value should be based off of Strength rather than
Dexterity? That'd dovetail nicely with speedsters not being shown in
the comics as prodigious leapers, they may move really fast but they
usually have normal human strength levels.

-- Kansas Jim,
 Torg guru (ksjim (at) sdc (dot) org)
Torg website: http://www.sdc.org/~ksjim/index.html
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