TL 12 Mechanical Tool Set

[atpollard]

Of course, you'll need something to dissolve epoxies and such. Better be careful storing this stuff......

At the R&D offices of Epimethius Industries:
"Sir, we have some good news and some bad news. The lab has finally perfected the Universal Solvent ... they think that it should stop when it reaches the center of the planet core. Legal says our standard disclaimer will limit our liability exposure."

 

[HiverLord]

Don't think I saw this in the responses below, but:

Long-reach magnet (there's GOT to be a better name than this!):
Basically, a magnet on the end of a long, snake-like hand tool.
Useful for retrieving dropped screws and nuts from the innards of a drive. (I hope it wasn't ON when dropped!) [been there, done that, working on cars...]

 

[SanDragon]

This still assumes fasteners will be ferrous-based metals!

 

[SpaceBadger]

OK, for non-ferrous dropped items - or maybe just for all dropped items, in case a magnet is a bad thing to poke around inside your drive - an articulated, maneuverable grabber with a fiber optic eye on the end to let you see what you are grabbing.

 

[atpollard]

This still assumes fasteners will be ferrous-based metals!

I have thought about that too.
However, the starship armor progression seems to suggest that ferrous metals dominate well into the far future. As just one specific example, the MegaTraveller armor does not become substantially lighter like one would expect from a shift to titanium at some TL, so it seems that Iron is as good a candidate as any for the base element in Superdense. (YMMV - I am just pointing out that for strength and availability, steel is a pretty good choice.)

 

[SanDragon]

And I myself just thought that crystaliron is... iron...

The higher tech materials read to me as if they're also ferrous metals with partial collapsing, and an electric current running through them, depending.

Fasteners would probably be the same materials.

 

[Icosahedron]

Nobody mentioned the Sonic Screwdriver.

Some good ideas in these threads, but as someone else said, I don't go for that level of detail. Yes, we know a TL12 toolkit will contain stuff you don't find in a TL8 toolkit, but I'm more interested in whether the broken bit can be fixed than in the size and shape of the device used to fix it.

Not that that has any relevance, this thread is for those who want the detail.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Some good ideas in these threads, but as someone else said, I don't go for that level of detail. Yes, we know a TL12 toolkit will contain stuff you don't find in a TL8 toolkit, but I'm more interested in whether the broken bit can be fixed than in the size and shape of the device used to fix it.

Not that that has any relevance, this thread is for those who want the detail.

I find that a certain amount of detail about what you have and roughly how it works adds to the roleplaying immersion. You probably would not expect to find too many gun fanatics willing to generalize their character's weapon as "ranged, doing X damage" without any further detail, would you?

It can make a difference, too, when you need to go a bit beyond the boundaries of the normal usage. What if your character needs to use his Imperial issue toolkit to fix a broken Vargr gravbike. Is that possible? Should it require a negative DM? If you have already defined your tools as being adaptable enough to cover the different fasteners, then there should be no argument over this issue.

Or what if you need to pick up a small item out of a crevice? If you've already discussed and defined your tool for that purpose, there should be no question over using it. Or using your remote sensors to spy on what is happening in the next room, so long as you have your hand computer for control and your work goggles to view the images. Or using your extensible magnetic braces for some other purpose, such as blocking a doorway. If you have the detail, then you are not just pulling stuff out of... the air.

 

[aramis]

I find that a certain amount of detail about what you have and roughly how it works adds to the roleplaying immersion. You probably would not expect to find too many gun fanatics willing to generalize their character's weapon as "ranged, doing X damage" without any further detail, would you?

I would go as far as "Rifle, 100/300m, does 4d6" and "Pistol, 10/50m, does 3d6"....

 

[Icosahedron]

You probably would not expect to find too many gun fanatics willing to generalize their character's weapon as "ranged, doing X damage" without any further detail, would you?

LOL. What Aramis said. Works for me. I generally leave it to the gun-nut to devise his own weapon and describe it in as much detail as he likes. When he comes to use it, though, it's a Rifle, 100/300m, does 4D6.

I might give him a +1 if he's been particularly inventive and designs something I might use elsewhere.

I tend to spend my GM time creating worlds, governments, cities, starships and vehicles, and make up the rest on the fly.

But then as a CTer I've been pulling stuff out of weird and wonderful places since around 1980, so I just do it as second nature.

As I said, though, there are some good ideas here - I might give a few of them a +1...

 

[Chuck Anumia]

TL 12 Wrench idea

Plasma "RAY" (TM) Driver
Perhaps there will be a wrench or screwdriver (in various sizes) which projects a plasma field controlled electronically which not only adapts to the head of the bolt/screw but also can be adjusted to assist with increasing the torque used to loosen or tighten the fastener?
Works as well in Zero G as in gravity
Compact and portable
Able to get into any space an Engineer can reach
Provides its own illumination
Works on all bolt or screw materials

 

[Fritz_Brown]

First, on ferrous fasteners and such: we're not just talking about the hull of the ship. There may be LOTS of things you work on that use plastic or other synthetic fasteners, or non-ferrous metals. (Heck, any fastener in my car that isn't directly attached to the engine or the suspension seems to be plastic. Maybe in a couple thousand years, they won't be such crappy fasteners.)

Second, when you start talking about something like a bonding agent that you can "dissolve" with a zap from a gun or some such... what happens when someone else points one of those at your hull? Oops. Or, someone uses their sonic screwdriver from across the hallway to let themselves out of the brig? In many ways, you're going to want fasteners/bonding agents that require actual touching to undo.