[Torg] Nile Weird Scientist/Pulp Powers

[Michael Jason Teegarden]

Hey, Jon,

You have several approaches you can take for this request.  Personally, I like to cultivate a player's intentions for her/his character(s), but I won't usually grant the power level (so we start simpler, smaller, lesser, and give the player ample room to grow).  The item your player is requesting does sound like it is, on the face of it, too powerful for a starting character.  But it is not too powerful if it has any of a number of flaws: unreliability in production, questionable definition of "perfect," side effects of the potions (not to mention the device itself), specific and rare components required, and so on.  

You may also consider making the device itself the explanation for the player's use of Drama Deck cards (if the player does not have suitable cards, the potions don't do anything; whatever cards the player may have access to, the potions can bring about those effects).  You may contemplate having the player "buy" potions, just like pulp powers, spells, miracles, etc.  These are paid for via Possibility points, and once purchased, can be consistently duplicated.  I do, though, recommend the usual drawbacks for alchemy: the need to obtain certain rare/wondrous materials/items (mummy wrapping, ancient scarab carapace, gold from the artificial sun itself, etc), the occasional flaw (explosive-gas burps, skin color changes, inconvenient pheromone release, etc), the "explosive" potential for mixing potions and obtaining "undesireable" results, etc.  I agree the device should be large and non-portable, though it would be a suitably expensive device that was
 small enough for travel.  

Consider, also, the need for containers.  Inside what items does the character keep these liquids?  Some of them might be caustic or otherwise negatively effecting the normal type of containers (but not the drinker ... probably).  Consider also the Nile Empire magic system's involvement with astrology and the stars.  Does this device work the same?  If so, needing stars to be in the proper alignment will certainly limit its production.  

:)
Michael



----- Original Message ----
From: Jon Woodman <drjon at minnesota-twins.net>
To: torg at justintimeadventures.com
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2008 10:24:43 AM
Subject: [Torg] Nile Weird Scientist/Pulp Powers

.........And now for something entirely different.

Looking for a little advice/suggestions.

I've got a player that wants to build a Nile Empire character, probably best suited under the 'weird scientist' title.  At any rate, what he envisions is his character designing a weird science device that produces potions of various sorts.  More specifically, he wants to produce the perfect potion for each circumstance as he needs it, of course.  God love him for trying.  I realize it is way too powerful, potentially, but it is an interesting suggestion and I would like to reward his ingenuity by helping him do something of the sort.  

My first inclination was that this would be more suitable for an Orrorsh adventure, and I pictured a long campaign of adventures finding parts and pieces to his occult device and then more adventures spent finding the particular components of each potion.  And of course, each potion would be a one time thing and I could just picture the corruption points adding up.  And that's definitely not what he wants.  He wants it to be a weird science device of some sort from the Nile Empire.  And I was so looking forward to killing some characters off!  Ha-ha.

At any rate, I can certainly figure out making a device that could produce one potion reliably, But does anyone have any ideas on how to do one that might make multiple potions?  Personally, I would envision some machine that could produce a few (maybe up to five) different potions.  Probably would have to be lab based, so he'd have to prepare the potions ahead of time.  Definitely not a concealable weapon and non-man portable.  I really haven't gone through trying to draw out the plan for the machine and neither has he.......simply in idea stage now.  

But, I'd love to see if any of you have any input on how we could accomplish this.  Mind you I haven't given up on the occult version for Orrorsh yet, but for some reason he thinks such a thing could spell the doom of his character.........(evil laugh).

Thanks guys.

Dr. Jon

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