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Ancient Artifact Ideas

Good Time for the referee

DaveChase said:
Hmm, so how long before

A player with no Robotic skill that continues to fix the robot gets Robotics Skill Lvl 0
A player with Robotic skill lvl 0 gets skill level 1
etc

Actually this sounds like a quite useful device, if one only knows about it.

Plus as a twist the robot might want to help the player get it self fixed. It has been a student learning device so long that it might actually take a 'liking' to the player that fixes it over and over again, especially if the player is 'kind' to it.

Dave Chase
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I was thinking of switching this robot for the children's toy robot found onboard the ANNIC NOVA. My players are my two kids and I am not sure the learning tool robot would reasonably survive* the encounter to provide enough beneficial experience to increase any skill levels much less provide me with the trade marked Evil Referee enjoyment I was looking for.

*The picture of the smoking debris slowly reassembling itself might just cause them to "cleanse with fire", repeat and space the still twitching smoldering remains.
 
A small hand held sonic welder that looks like a can opener.

It opens cans and cooks the food at the same time.

Or a small mirror that if left in the sunlight recharges and becomes a portible x-ray machine with no radiation leakage.

Or a cube that has a open top and a slot in the side. Just add gravel and dense compacted bricks come out the slot.

Used for building sites.

Or for the truely strange,

A writing tablet and stylus that clears itself every 25.3 hours. Now where did I leave those directions?
 
Burocrate said:
I was thinking of switching this robot for the children's toy robot found onboard the ANNIC NOVA. My players are my two kids and I am not sure the learning tool robot would reasonably survive* the encounter to provide enough beneficial experience to increase any skill levels much less provide me with the trade marked Evil Referee enjoyment I was looking for.

*The picture of the smoking debris slowly reassembling itself might just cause them to "cleanse with fire", repeat and space the still twitching smoldering remains.
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i can see why- a robot starts reassembling itself in front of me, I`d be cleansing with fire, then dumping on a tradjectory towards the nearest star, at high speed.

burn, fowl xenotech!
 
On any number of worlds throughout space, there are crazy combinations of statistics. Atmospheres on worlds that could not possibly retain them. Etc.

On these worlds are Ancients artifacts of immense proportions. Terraforming engines permeating the crusts and mantles of these worlds. They function on a type of technology that involves quantum string manipulation, and so their presence is invisible. They account for overcoming whatever geological or atmospheric impossibility is present.

These engines are a part of the Ancients' efforts to terraform star systems throughout local space in concert with their various uplift projects; they were creating extra room for their project experiments to spread out.

----------

Down through the millennium, especially during the First Imperium, space travellers came upon the occasional orbital satellite of Ancient origin. They were all of exactly the same physical design. They were highly resistant to damage and possessed means to alter their position (with no apparent propulsion system) to maintain orbit or avoid unwanted contact. If captured or breached despite those factors, they exploded with the force of a nuclear weapon in most cases. A few were rumored to have been taken for study. If anyone ever discovered what they were for, it was never published. By the time of the Second Imperium, Vilani space had effectively been cleared of them. A few more have been found in other areas (Aslan, Hiver, K'Kree, etc.). If anyone checks, the library data files in the ship's computer contain the basic information presented above, including the physical shapes of the satellites.

The satellites were used for information gathering. They could survey an entire solar system down to its atoms and possessed FTL communications systems to relay information back home (wherever that was). The TL is in the upper 20s.

The players are in a star or spaceship near a minor world in a random solar system, well within the 100D limit. Within 500 kilometers of the player's ship, a starship of "unusual design" jumps in, drops off a satellite, and immediately jumps back out. The players have just witnessed a functioning Ancient's starship arrive and depart (whether it was automated or crewed is up to the GM, but is probably immaterial).

Do the players interfere with the satellite and blow themselves up? Do they report the information to anyone else? I wonder how much the ship's sensor records of the Ancient's starship transit would be worth. News at 10:00 PM.
 
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This device measures 10cm x 40cm x 90cm. If stared at long enough, an image will form just under its largest surface. This image will, at first, be blurry, monochromatic and motionless; a slightly out-of-focus "snapshot", if you will.

The image will relate to the viewer's past, and invoke a forgotten memory. Another viewing will reveal another image, this time a little clearer. Subsequent viewings will become progressively clearer.

Eventually, the viewer will be able to watch entire days from their pasts unfolding before their eyes.

After the first viewing, the viewer must roll 2D under his or her INT to avoid the urge to spend that entire day watching the images in the item. This urge will be expressed as a -1 DM to all rolls for success, as the viewer's concentration suffers. This withdrawal effect lasts for 336 hours from the most recent viewing.

Ther are no other ill effects.
 
Keklas Rekobah said:
This device measures 10cm x 40cm x 90cm. If stared at long enough, an image will form just under its largest surface.

After the first viewing, the viewer must roll 2D under his or her INT to avoid the urge to spend that entire day watching the images in the item. This urge will be expressed as a -1 DM to all rolls for success, as the viewer's concentration suffers. This withdrawal effect lasts for 336 hours from the most recent viewing.
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Hey, I've got something very similar to that - except mine has a surface that measures 14 to 19 inches on the diagonal. ;)
 
Another might be a variant of Jack Chalker's Well World. Say, a braclet that when worn alters the DNA (or equivalent) of the wearer to make them something else. Or, some variant of that. This is particularly fun in games where the players have been allowed to make their own characters without restriction. Your impossibly vicious character just turned into a newt.....
 
A device composed of ceramics and various fused metals. measures about a meter by a half meter and is about 15 degrees of arc (when connected to the others of its type, it would comprise a ring-shaped structure). The device absorbs solar (or power plant) neutrinos. The device is apparently storing them to be discharged into a larger device for unknown purposes. Beyond that...

In the campaign I used it in, it also interfered with any energy source (batteries, biological sources, neurological energies -it LOVED being near the Zho.) and created a zombie adventure. when the PCs left the world it was buried on, it interfered with the jump navigation system, as it was trying to take them to whee the other components should be. Unfortunately the PCs were having none of that.
 
How about a 'thing' that looks like a crucified mobius foil made of a light weight material. There are parts some of which can be moved, or move in unison (ie you move one and another moves with it), along the surfaces. None of these parts is designed to be removable. The device is also covered with markings, many of which are repetitions of the same marking. The whole thing is about the size of a hollow softball with a couple of straight parts about a third meter long sticking out. or so....

What it is is a "slide rule" for doing higher dimensional calculations. If you knew how to use it you could do jump calcaluations without a computer, that sort of thing. The ancients designed it for use in schools for younger students to learn how the calculations actually work before moving on to more automated methods.
 
I need an artifact...thanks to MgT passing them out like candy in CharGen.

Whipsnade's wins, morph metal toy takes 2nd.

P.S. A bit late but Oar is not ore.
 
How about a Not an ancient artefact

Players are investigating a supposed Ancient sight, they find a funky looking building, say a gold ceramic pyramid with spires, crystal windows and such, scattered around are the ruins of a pre-fab Darrian Class D or E starport and some other pre-fab buildings and wrecked vehicles, all dating back to the Old Confederation.

The inside of the "Ancient" structure their isn't much, a couple of rooms look like they where appropriated by a Darrian science team with the remains of a sight office, an armoury (only a few defensive weapons that have long since degraded to useless), living quarters and such, any TL 14-16 Tech worth salvaging has since degraded in to scrap most only of interest to museums or Tech firms R&D departments.

The Prize is a Lab deep in the "Ancient" structure where background radiation is significantly lower than planetary normal, present will be a couple of Darrian portable TL 15-16 Laboratories (Physics & Material Science) and some TL 16 prototypes of TL 17 scientific equipment, all has deteriorated to non-functionality and the "Ancient" Artefacts, small things ranging from the size of a button energy cell up to something the size of an E-Cell battary or Laser weapon Belt power-pack it looks like the old Darrians have rigged them with power output contacts and jacks (all old confederation standard), when the players run tests on them it will found that they produce electrical current (in very small amounts), if removed to an area with higher background radiation they will beguine to produce enough electricity to power low draw devices.


What the players have found are not real Ancient artefacts but in fact prototypes of either advanced TL 16 or TL 17 Self-Charging Energy Cells of Darrian design, only the storage component has long since gone inert, all that remains is the collector that converts background radiation and other energies not understood by TL 15 or lower science in to usable electricity but even the collectors ain't what they used to be.

the "Ancient Sight" is just a TL 16 Darrian research station, the central building is itself is just an experiment in to advanced TL 16 building materials and architecture. the research station was evacuated in the aftermath of the Maghiz and the last of the evacuees left behind spare samples and copies of research they conducted during the long evacuation process, every thing else is just stuff that wouldn't fit on the last transports.
 
Sir Brad said:
the "Ancient Site" is just a TL 16 Darrian research station, the central building is itself is just an experiment in to advanced TL 16 building materials and architecture. the research station was evacuated in the aftermath of the Maghiz and the last of the evacuees left behind spare samples and copies of research they conducted during the long evacuation process, every thing else is just stuff that wouldn't fit on the last transports.
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It's a fine idea in itself, but the misunderstanding will be cleared up the second someone finds any writing at all. Te-Zhlod, the language used by Old Darrian scientists, became the common world-wide language of the post-Maghiz Darrians, so recognizing and translating any writing should be a breeze.


Hans
 
after 2K years any un-preserved writing will be gone, any Rome Te-Yulep embossing or engraving on leftover gear will be explained away as stuff the Darrian expedition brought with them by most PC groups, unless they are a Special Arm Archaeology team or have an expert in Darrian Pre-Maghiz experimental architecture in the party their not going to recognise the central building for what it is and the remains of the other buildings will be mistaken for the Darrian teams camp. anyway how many PCs can recognise Pre-Maghiz Yaser Te-Yulep that may have bean used for what it is, most PC's get by with Trade Basic, Military Basic, Slang and Glangelic, they would likely mistake Classical either Te-Yulep scientific notation for Ancient.

most Tomb Raiding PC's will curse the Classical Era Darrians for getting to the good stuff before them and deicide to make up their losses by selling off a bunch of old Darrian relics that don't work any more.
 
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We've got TL1 writing on Earth that is twice as old and durability seems to be a characteristics of OLd Darrian materials (There are ships that have survived well enough to still be functioning). And you don't invent an entirely new technology for each new invention you come up with. Anything that isn't experimental will have manufacturers' marks, serial numbers, etc., and all the individual features will be in a recognizable style even if the architecture is experimental. Any basic ultra-tech library data program would IMO have language recognition functions.


Hans
 
True, but those old earth texts where preserved, leave "paper" products out and they will be illegible in less than a century and a long forgotten memory a few more later, Archive Scientists today are already predicting bad things for the little pieces of Metal, Silicon and Polymer we are entrusting our Digital Media to, even with active preservation measures, Magnetic Tape in a number of Government and Corporate Archives from the 50's has begun to fail at an increasing alarming rate, Hard-drives from the late 70's have fallen prey to gradual de-magnatiasion and and corrosion, then don't get me started on Floppy disks from the 80's onwards and non-industrially burnt CD's from the 90's are showing disturbing signs of degradation.

almost all Trav PC's are Mercs, Trouble-shooters and Freebooters not Dead Language Scholars and Archaeologists, when visiting a suspected sight they will will load up on Guns, Ammo, Breaching Charges, Plasma Cutters and Grav Hand Pallet trucks, their interests will be on getting in and back out in as short a time as possible with as much Loot as they can carry, not bringing the tools to carry out an extended and through archaeological dig (a hand computer will cost you the encumbrance of a couple of Gauss clips or RAM grenades), their methods would horrify a mid 19th century Egyptologist.
 
Sir Brad said:
True, but those old earth texts where preserved, leave "paper" products out and they will be illegible in less than a century and a long forgotten memory a few more later, Archive Scientists today are already predicting bad things for the little pieces of Metal, Silicon and Polymer we are entrusting our Digital Media to, even with active preservation measures, Magnetic Tape in a number of Government and Corporate Archives from the 50's has begun to fail at an increasing alarming rate, Hard-drives from the late 70's have fallen prey to gradual de-magnatiasion and and corrosion, then don't get me started on Floppy disks from the 80's onwards and non-industrially burnt CD's from the 90's are showing disturbing signs of degradation.
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That's TL7 electronic storage media. As in pioneer technology. Ultra-tech storage media should have the kinks worked out and be a lot more durable. After all, we can make glass discs that are expected to last for 50,000 years today.

But in any case I deliberately didn't mention any electronic or holographic writing. Just brand marks and serial numbers on TL16 materials.

Almost all Trav PC's are Mercs, Trouble-shooters and Freebooters not Dead Language Scholars and Archaeologists,
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Almost all PCs you know of, perhaps. Any Traveller character of mine has a very good chance of having history and/or archeology as a hobby.

...when visiting a suspected site they will will load up on Guns, Ammo, Breaching Charges, Plasma Cutters and Grav Hand Pallet trucks, their interests will be on getting in and back out in as short a time as possible with as much Loot as they can carry, not bringing the tools to carry out an extended and through archaeological dig (a hand computer will cost you the encumbrance of a couple of Gauss clips or RAM grenades), their methods would horrify a mid 19th century Egyptologist.
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I suppose such a bunch of yahoos might be fooled. I've yet to encounter a PC in any of my games that wouldn't carry a hand computer.


Hans
 
Oho! back when I played CT regularly I was ridiculed for playing a LBB1 Merchant and worse for investing in Book 7 and Supp 4, everyone else would only play book 4 Marines, Book 6 Scouts and the occasional Book 5 Navy Vet, Character hobbies where mainly Target Shooting, Speeder Racing, Marital Arts, Drinking, Brawling, Petty Crime and one guy was in to Robotics. my least ridiculed characters where a Ikarian/Army Commando/Bounty Hunter who's hobby was the study of Warrior Sect histories & Philosophies and Exotic Fighting Styles & Weapons. and a Cop turned PI/Bounty Hunter who was in to Forensics and Criminal Behavioural Sciences.

today as a GM the characters I GM have hobbies ranging from 3I Civil War era Literature, Modern Sword Worlds Cinema, Women's Fashion, Conspiracy Theories, Comparative Theology and one character has just earned her Masters in Geography and started working on a PhD in Palaeontology.
 
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