Re: Looking for a curse

On Aug 11, 7:17 am, Keith Davies <keith.dav...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Brent <digital.br...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Ok, I just checked with Archimedes, and he says that each 100lb limb
would weigh 100lb - the weight of the water it displaces. So what is
the volume of an arm? Well, Google says a human has a volume of about
3 cubic feet on average. Wikianswer says that a cubic foot of water
weighs about 60lb, meaning a human's worth of volume is about 60lb of
water.

A 'human's worth of volume' of water -- 3 cubic feet -- would be about
180 pounds of water, not 60 pounds.

How much of a humans volume is on average in the arm? I'm just
going to guess this. The body and head together would probably accound
for about half, leaving the 4 limbs with the other half. For
simplicity, lets divide it by 4 evenly, meaning each limb is 12.5% of
60lb.

One set of figures I'd seen that looks fairly reasonable is "1/2 for
body and head, 1/6 for each leg, 1/12 for each arm" (6/12+2*2/12+2*1/12
= 1, okay). Assuming a spherical human of uniform density, this
suggests each arm would displace about 15 pounds of water -- 1/4 of a
cubic foot.

Windows calculator says that is 7.5 lb each, a total of 30lb.
That ain't too much of a weight discount off of 400lb, so perhaps for
DM kindness, it would be better to say that the curse effects the
whole body, not just the limbs, though the weight is borne by the
limbs. This would double the above figure, giving a 60lb underwater
discount to the 400lb weight, cutting it back to 340lb. Not fantastic,
but it'll make the difference between 'lift off ground' and 'push/
drag' for fighters with STR scores around 13 or 14.

If you assume the victim is neutrally bouyant in water (which isn't far
off; the human body floats, but not by much), then ignore his weight --
assume he and the water break even. Ignore his volume and mass. This
still leaves him trying to move 400 pounds underwater. To keep the
model simple, this has *no* volume (the volume is already accounted for
in his own, since he hasn't 'grown' -- that I'm aware of). Being the
water is of no help whatsoever.

Had he simply been 'normal weight' himself, carrying 400 pounds of lead,
being in water *would* help -- a little. 400 pounds of lead doesn't
displace very much water, though -- a little over 35 pounds worth.
AFAICT, 400 pounds of lead still 'weighs' a little over 360 pounds. It
helps, but not a lot.

However, since the poor bugger under the curse 'stays the same size'
(AFAICT), the 'extra weight' has zero volume and thus gains nothing from
displaced water (there *is* no displaced water, after all).

Keith
--
Keith Davies "History is made by stupid people
keith.dav...@xxxxxxxxxxxx "Clever people wouldn't even try
keith.dav...@xxxxxxxxx "If you want a place in the history bookshttp://www.kjdavies.org/ "Then do something dumb before you die."
-- The Arrogant Worms

You wouldn't believe it, but I actually failed science. [/sarcasm]
Yeah, sciences and maths were never my strengths. Anyhow, I still like
the idea of a human anchor curse. Particularly if blended with water
breathing and being tossed to the bottom of the ocean. Ideally, you
would taylor the curse weight to allow encumbered movement underwater.
then you would have the PC go after the villain on his Pirate ship.
After engaging and boarding the enemy ship you either allow a victory,
or in the case of loss 'walk the plank'. Have the plank snap under the
extra weight, and the PC sink to the bottom of the ocean. It is
important to give the PC a chance here, either a preachieved water
breathing item/spell, or at least a previously referred-to external
benevolence (perhaps a pod of mermaids). Maybe a final cannon
discharge from a loyal henchman blows a hole in the enemy's boat,
dislodging and smashing open a chest in the hull, with a helm of
waterbreathing toppling out. Or perhaps the enemy purposely wants to
curse you to crawl the ocean floor for eternity (or a very long time),
and thus simply gives you the helm of water breathing. Actually, I
like the last one.

However, to do that, you have to increase the anchor weight so that
only lift off ground or drag is possible underwater. then, as the PC
plummets to the ocean floor, the effect of gravity diminishes,
allowing him to move simply encumbered below a certain very deep depth
(effectively locking him to the deeps of the ocean, as the shallower
he goes, the heavier his load becomes). Obviously you have to fudge
the pressure physics to avoid him from being crushed by the immense
pressure that deep in the ocean. Perhaps it is an innate trait of the
helm.

Then you have a new campaign in the alien depths of the ocean. I am
already imagining an intelligent race of medium-sized molluscoid squid/
cuttlefish people. Plus, you build the PC's avid burning hate for the
original enemy who banished him there. ooh, you could include atlantis
perhaps as a hyperadvanced submarine civilisation with steampunkish
ultratech. Think of steampowered eel-trains, geothermally heated
cities, and possibly even retro-future temed nuculear capabilities
(which are an ancient and hidden taboo power, due to it somehow
landing Atlantis in the ocean in the first place). Only the advanced
tech of the Atlantians could hope to return the hero back to the
surface world, though the surface world is the one thing Atlantis has
sworn never to return to. indeed, they fear the vengeance of former
surface civilisations they abhorrently wronged in the heat of war.
Atrocities unspeakable, the only option for the Atlantians is to hide
at the ocean floor presumably annhilated. Though millenia have passed,
and the former civilisations toppled, the Atlantians still fear
retribution for their crimes (think of nuclear MAD, but Atlantis
actually pushed the button)

Unbeknownst to them, their final attack did indeed all but wipe out
their rivals as they sunk to the ocean in the ensuing nuclear war.
Now, on the surface, Atlantis exists only as an ancient myth of
uncertain origins. Convincing them to allow a stranger, a terran, not
only to live, but to return with the secret of Atlantis, well...

Perhaps if there was something the hero could do to win their
gratitude and debt...

Wow, I ramble well.

.