Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zombayz1 07-23-06, 07:22 PM	My question (it's for a BBEG I'm working on), is are there smaller sizes than fine? I know some people use Collosal+(double collosal), Collosal++(4*collosal), Collosal+++(8*collosal), But is there a version of that for fine objects/creatures?
MasterOfPsychic 07-23-06, 08:26 PM	I think Colossal+ is an offical way of counting size, but ++ and +++ are all non-official. You could, likewise just add on a fine- or fine-- for your BBEG. I fail to see what could be the use of such a BBEG, but I'm sure you have your reasons.
Archmage Atrus 07-23-06, 08:42 PM	I dunno. I wouldn't bother. I mean, a fly is fine. What are they fighting, microbes?
Zombayz1 07-23-06, 08:53 PM	You could, likewise just add on a fine- or fine-- for your BBEG. I fail to see what could be the use of such a BBEG, but I'm sure you have your reasons. The BBEG himself will not be fine(-*1000), it's what's inside him :plotting: :evillaugh . I dunno. I wouldn't bother. I mean, a fly is fine. What are they fighting, microbes? Nope. As I hinted above, it will be one guy. Full of nanorobots, capable of manipulating substances on the sub-atomic level. Adamantine bones anyone?
utilitarian 07-23-06, 09:02 PM	The words "sub-atomic" are sounding awefully physicsy for AD&D. Bad things happen when you try and bring real physics into AD&D. Bad bad things. Things dont' work on physics in this world, the workings of the world are based entirely on faerie tales and moon magic.
pierow37 07-23-06, 09:04 PM	The words "sub-atomic" are sounding awefully physicsy for AD&D. Bad things happen when you try and bring real physics into AD&D. Bad bad things. Things dont' work on physics in this world, the workings of the world are based entirely on faerie tales and moon magic. Bad things such as a uranium sword?
Deekin 07-23-06, 11:57 PM	From D20 Future, by WotC on NanoTech NANOTECHNOLOGY Nanotechnology is a broad, new, mostly hypothetical area of research. It is, practically speaking, the ultimate step in miniaturization. Nanotechnology involves manipulating objects that are as small as a nanometer (one billionth of a meter) to create materials and products that are only the size of a dozen atoms. Of course, nanotechnology is not merely futuristic speculation. It is used in its most rudimentary form in many products and materials today. For example, clothing manufacturers use nanotechnology to create stain-resistant cloth, auto manufacturers use it to make scratch- and dent-proof parts, and environmental researchers use it to develop substances to remove toxic metals from water. Current uses, though, only scratch the surface of nanotechnology’s potential. The possibilities are practically limitless. Imagine a computer processor with all the capabilities of today’s top-of-theline desktop models, but that is the size of a single bacterium—or a super-computer the size of a sugar cube. These are considered reasonable expectations for the future of nanotechnology. Experts in the field suggest nanotechnology will change human culture in ways that can scarcely be imagined. Indeed, some believe it will directly result in a “postmonetary economy” where money becomes meaningless, industrial manufacturing is unnecessary, and nanoassemblers instantly create any item a person desires. The term nanotechnology refers to many different potential disciplines—nanomedicine, nanobiotechnology, nanolithography, nanoelectronics, artificial intelligence, and microencapsulation, just to name a few. But when the term is used in futuristic fiction, it almost always is in regard to nanorobotics. THE LITTLEST ROBOT The basic working unit of nanotechnology is a nanite—a single robot that can be as small as a dozen atoms in length. Nanite is a generic term: Any robot built using this technology, no matter what its purpose, is a nanite. Each one must be constructed and programmed for a specific purpose, and a nanite’s true power lies not in what it can do individually, but what it can be programmed to do in complete synchronization with millions of other nanites that make up a nanocolony. It is possible for a single item or piece of material to be composed of hundreds or thousands of different types of nanites, just as a human body is composed of a multitude of different types of cells. AMBIENT NANOCOLONIES In addition to the independent and internal nanocolonies, a third type of nanocolony exists. The ambient nanocolony floats in the air with no fixed location or purpose. Most ambient nanocolonies exist in areas where nanotech has either grown out of control or where civilization has declined, leaving behind only microscopic remnants of its technology. Often referred to as “zombie nanites,” these nanocolonies float around aimlessly until some outside stimulus reactivates them. In some cases, ambient nanocolonies even try to continue to fill their intended purpose long after the conditions necessary to do so have passed; ambient utility fog (described below) might continue to try and build roads where no roads have been needed for years, while an inert ambient nanocolony of gray goo (also described below) might suddenly reactivate, essentially becoming a nanite minefield. Only in rare cases are internal nanocolonies found in ambient situations, usually having been removed from (or drained from the decaying body of) a character or creature that once made use of them. ACQUIRING NANOTECHNOLOGY In most settings, nanotechnology is not some cheap technology that can be picked up off the street. While it is feasible that some campaign settings could have nanotechnology so common that any character could go to the local nanotech clinic and receive the latest nanite injection, it is more likely that obtaining nanotechnology for personal use is more difficult than simply dropping down the cash. Gamemasters might limit the availability of nanotechnology by not only making nanocolonies expensive to purchase, but also requiring the character to obtain permission or a permit. Conversely, the Gamemaster may wish to dole out nanocolonies as a reward for completing a task, or might determine that a nanite injection would be standard procedure for a particular organization. PROGRAMMING NANITES Since nanites are small machines controlled by small computers, they can be programmed and reprogrammed accordingly. Reprogramming a nanocolony requires a special computer that can broadcast signals on a frequency the nanocolony recognizes; such computers require a Wealth check (purchase DC 30) to purchase and, depending on the setting, are frequently restricted by the government. Nanocolonies are programmed using the Computer Use skill as normal. Typical commands given to a nanocolony include activation and deactivation, movement (both internal and external), as well as instructions to follow orders only from particular computers or individuals. Though hacking a nanocolony is possible, changing a nanocolony’s purpose can be quite difficult. The hacker must not only overcome the nanocolony’s programming, but also must find a way to use the nanite’s hardware to serve a new function. INDEPENDENT NANOCOLONIES An independent nanocolony is one that is capable of functioning and surviving outside of a contained environment. Independent nanocolonies can take many forms and can be either airborne or part of another piece of technology. These nanocolonies usually perform independent tasks, creating or building or destroying, without having to enhance or alter an existing object. In fact, most independent nanocolonies are designed to function as autonomous units once released into the air, only altering their objectives when given new commands or new programming. Independent nanocolonies are among the most dangerous because they can move about freely and cannot be reclaimed easily (if at all) should a malfunction occur. In some settings, independent nanocolonies are the direct cause of the fall of entire civilizations, thank s to nanites that consumed natural resources or destroyed infrastructure. Some independent nanocolonies are capable of wiping out entire planets, moving from one object to the next devouring and destroying all that stands in their paths. Gray Goo: Gray goo is the ultimate destructive application of nanotechnology. This colony of nanites exists for the sole purpose of destroying all other types of matter. The nanites within gray goo attack any material they come in contact with and convert it into additional gray goo nanites. In other words, any object or person that touches this material is subsumed by it. Anyone touching gray goo must attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC 35). If the save is successful, the character has severed contact before any damage was done. If the save fails, the nanites have gotten into the character’s system. In 3d10 hours, the character is irretrievably killed and completely transformed into gray goo. The only way to prevent this is to amputate any portion of the body that has come in contact with even a single gray goo nanite. Unfortunately, gray goo is generally one of the first nanocolonies that scientists learn to create (sometime toward the end of PL 6). The material must be contained in a magnetic storage field so that no physical object ever touches it. Unseen Bodyguard: Unseen bodyguard usually does not appear until PL 7 or PL 8, due to the complex nature of its programming. Essentially, unseen bodyguard nanites form a completely invisible nanocolony that can rearrange itself to provide a character protection from incoming attacks. Unseen bodyguard works on many of the same principles that create force fields, and in essence is made up of thousands of tiny nanites that project a webbing of deflective force between one another until a nearly solid shield springs up to protect the character. When a character utilizes unseen bodyguard, the nanocolony creates a force shield in a single direction that hovers in place and protects against all incoming attacks. The user of the nanocolony directs the nanites to either its front, right, left, or rear facing where it stays until redirected. The nanocolony provides a +4 equipment bonus to Defense against all attacks coming from the specified direction. Unseen bodyguard has a purchase DC of 22 and can be activated (and left running permanently) by a simple voice command. Utility Fog: This collection of intelligent nanites looks like a formless, colorless substance. However, when fed instructions through a computer, it can reorganize its size and physical properties to become more or less any object. As long as the computer can pass along the structural and functional parameters, utility fog (or UFog) can become anything—from a clear protective coating, to a wall of steel, to a piece of furniture, and more. All that is required is the software to implement the transformation. UFog is not generally discovered until late in PL 7. It has a purchase DC of 20 for a liter of the material (since its density and weight can vary widely depending on what material it becomes, the most accurate way to measure UFog is by liquid volume). This price includes a terminal for communicating with the material, but not the software necessary to program it into various forms and functions. INTERNAL NANOCOLONIES Internal nanocolonies operate within a living host. These nanocolonies interact fluidly with the body’s natural biological functions and blend seamlessly with the other cells in the body. Most internal nanocolonies are coated with the same chemical compounds that coat the outer portion of blood or skin cells (depending on the nanocolony’s function) so that the body they inhabit sees each nanite as just another natural system at work. After injection into a creature or character, it takes 10 minutes for the nanites to spread to their desired positions in the body. Once in place, the nanites are immediately functional and begin work as soon as they are given commands. Each host can typically only support two internal nanocolonies; more than that causes conflict between the nanites, since some might try and overtake others. Any nanocolony injected into the bloodstream after the second immediately attacks (and usually destroys) one of the colonies already in the character or creature’s body. NANOVIRUSES Nanoviruses are nanocolonies that act like viruses. They move throughout the body, typically with a single function in mind, and alter cells they are programmed to affect. Nanoviruses can lay dormant within a body for long periods and are only destroyed by the body’s natural recycling systems; a nanovirus can stay dormant for up to one year before it washes out of the body completely. Nanoviruses typically serve a single purpose, then deactivate and are absorbed by the body. Calcion: A beneficial nanovirus, calcion is one of the most commonly used nanocolonies in the field of medicine. Calcion is a bone-knitting nanite that repairs fractures and breaks in bones with advanced calcium-grafting technology. Additionally, calcion repairs joints and aids with skin regeneration. A character injected with calcion heals from damage at twice the normal rate until she reaches full hit points. After her health is fully restored, the calcion nanites deactivate and cease to function. Gray Death: A derivative compound based on gray goo, gray death is a horrible weapon that kills in a slow and painful manner. Gray death nanites are gray goo nanites held within a special containment field. When the command is given, the nanocolony dissipates the containment field and the gray goo is released into the bloodstream of the character. The character must make a Fortitude save (DC 35). If the save is successful, the character’s immune system flushes the nanites out of the body before they do any harm. If the save fails, the character is irrevocably killed in 3d10 hours and transforms into gray goo. Gray death is a horrible biological weapon. It is outlawed by almost all civilizations that have discovered it. Onco-Guard: One of the most beneficial discoveries to come out of nanotechnology, onco-guard nanoviruses treat and stave off the effects of cancer. Though not the “cure for cancer” that 20th century scientists so voraciously sought, onco-guard attacks and contains cancerous cells. Additionally, onco-guard prevents a character from developing cancer while the nanites remain in the bloodstream, either in their active or inert states. A character injected with onco-guard recovers from any negative effects of cancer almost immediately and is immune to further developments of the disease for 2d6 months. Resilite: Another incredibly dangerous nanovirus, resilite is used in both torture and espionage. Resilite has a single purpose—to deal severe amounts of damage to a creature upon activation. Resilite floats inert in the bloodstream until activated, at which point the nanites burrow outward in random directions. In addition to causing internal bleeding, resilite tears through vital organs and damages bones and nerves as well. Whenever resilite is activated, the creature or character immediately suffers 6d10 points of damage. This damage is physical and internal and may not be prevented by any form of shielding or damage reduction. Stiletto: A particularly vicious nanovirus, stiletto causes damage directly to a creature’s brain and can render the creature brain dead if successful in its attack. Unlike most other nanoviruses, stiletto does not linger in the bloodstream but instead flows directly to the brain. The nanites burrow directly into the brain and shoot out harmful jolts of energy until their supply is depleted and they deactivate. Any creature or character targeted by stiletto immediately suffers 2d6 points of ability damage to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. NANOHUNTERS Nanohunters are nanoviruses with one specific purpose: to search and destroy other nanites. A nanohunter colony can be injected into a living creature to destroy some or all nanites already in the creature. Each nanohunter colony combats a single type of nanocolony. For example, a nanohunter designed to eliminate gray death nanites seeks out and removes all traces of inactivated gray death in a creature’s system, but completely ignores all other nanites. Nanohunters are often the only means of removing a nanocolony from a creature or character and are highly sought-after in societies where nano-warfare is common. In addition to nanohunters that destroy internal nanocolonies, some nanohunter colonies target ambient and independent nanocolonies. These nanocolonies function in the same way as their internal nanite-hunting counterparts, but must be released in the vicinity of the target nanites. These nanohunters are often used to eradicate dangerous nanites and are one of the few reliable means of disposing of overactive nanocolonies like gray goo. NANOAUGMENTERS Unlike nanoviruses, nanoaugmenters latch onto a specific biological system and provide consistent bonuses for as long as the nanites remain active. Most nanoaugmenters are injected into a character or creature to permanently enhance performance and continue to function indefinitely. Nanoaugmenters are only removed by other nanites or by commanding the nanocolony to cease all activity. When this occurs, nanoaugmenters are absorbed and recycled by the host body in the same manner as inert nanoviruses. Most nanoaugmenters simply provide energy or transmit signals between the nanocolony and the host body, but some actually alter the host’s genetic structure or change the host’s chemical balances. Brain Boost: Frequently used by scientists, researchers, and mathematicians, brain boost is a nanoaugmenter that gives the brain increased memory capacity. The nanites in brain boost latch onto the memory and thought centers of the brain and transmit data back and forth between these centers at an incredible rate. Each nanite can store large amounts of data and acts as a temporary memory storage center. Brain boost nanites also move back and forth between various memory centers, copying and moving information in the most efficient manner possible. The thought and memory abilities of the creature or character are increased greatly. Any creature injected with brain boost immediately gains a +4 bonus to Intelligence. This bonus remains in effect for as long as the nanoaugmenters remain attached to the brain. Chatter: A useful nanoaugmentor frequently injected into soldiers on covert missions, chatter allows communication without speech. In many ways, chatter resembles the technology of the micro-aural communicator. However, unlike the microcom, the nanites in a chatter nanocolony attach directly to the speech and language centers of the brain. When a character wishes to communicate via his chatter nanites, he needs only to think of what he would say and the nanocolony transmits those thoughts over a communications channel. When other nanites receive the communication, they transmit the information directly into the brain of their host. Each set of chatter nanites is keyed to only communicate with certain other chatter colonies, or with other computer systems. Those without the chatter nanoaugmentation can communicate and receive communications from those with the chatter nanoaugmentation through the computer system. When a character is injected with the chatter nanoaugmentation, he must spend 30 minutes practicing so that ambient thoughts do not interfere with the communications. Doppelganger: A devious nanoaugmentation popular with criminals, the doppelganger nanoaugmentation acts as a dynamic plastic surgery system that alters the physical appearance of its host. The nanoaugmentation can change the hair and eye color of a character instantly and, if desired, can reconfigure the bone structure and actual facial appearance of a character in thirty minutes. Reconfiguring the bone structure and facial features of a character are excruciatingly painful. Most doppelganger colonies release anesthetics before and during the process to eliminate or reduce some of the pain. A doppelganger colony can change the character’s features any number of times, though each time requires 30 minutes of transformation time and another 30 minutes of recovery time. A character that has a doppelganger nanocolony transform his physical features suffers a –2 penalty on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma based skill checks for the 1 hour of transformation and recovery time while the anesthetic is functioning. Micro Muscles: Often used to enhance soldiers and those involved in athletics, micro muscles are nanoaugmentations that attach themselves to muscles and enable them to perform beyond their normal limitations. Micro muscles not only enhance the strength of a creature injected with the nanites, but also allow the creature to push its muscles beyond their normal capacity. Only one micro muscle colony may function in a host at a time. Any creature or character injected with micro muscles gains a +4 bonus to Strength while the nanites are functioning. Additionally, the creature gains an additional +4 bonus on all Strength-based skill checks that involve endurance or long-term activity. Prophecy: Another of the brain-altering nanoaugmentations, prophecy allows the character to receive visual and audio data from a remote source. Prophecy nanocolonies link to a computer system that receives images and video from multiple sources and funnels the information directly to the nanocolony. A character can be fed images from other locations, giving her access to everything from security camera locations to computer representations of terrain. Like chatter, prophecy is often used on soldiers in the field to transmit dynamic battlefield representations directly into a soldier’s mind. Additionally, prophecy is used to give mission briefings on the fly. Prophecy nanites cannot record or transmit data, however, and only act as receivers of information from the remote computer system. Soullink: Pilots and drivers that want greater interaction with their vehicles frequently seek out soullink injections. The soullink nanites connect the mind of a character directly to the vehicle, starship, or mecha the character is currently piloting. The mind of the pilot directly links to the vessel, melding his consciousness with it. The pilot maneuvers the vessel as though it were an extension of his body. In combat, this nanoaugmentation allows the pilot to know when and where the vessel sustains damage; he also knows the severity of the damage. An unfortunate drawback to this link between pilot and machine is that if the vessel’s onboard computer system suffers trauma, such as when it takes damage, the pilot’s mind often suffers damage as well. Whenever a soullinked vessel suffers damage that affects the computer systems, the soullinked pilot must make a Will save (DC 17) or suffer an immediate 1d4 points of ability damage to his Wisdom score. A character with this nanoaugmentation gains a +6 bonus on Pilot or Drive checks while piloting a soullinked vessel. This nanoaugmentation works with only those vessels that support soullink technology. 20/20: One nanoaugmentation that can be incredibly useful for scouts and investigators is the 20/20 nanocolony. By attaching to and enhancing sensitivity of a creature’s optic nerves, the 20/20 nanites improve the creature’s vision. One of the most common consumer nanotech injections, 20/20 corrects eye problems such as nearsightedness and astigmatism. A creature injected with 20/20 nanites immediately gains a +6 bonus on all Spot and Search checks involving vision. Watchdog: Often used in medical situations as well as in space exploration, the watchdog nanoaugmentation is a catchall phrase used to describe nanocolonies that monitor the health condition of a creature. Watchdog nanites monitor everything from heart rate and blood pressure to brain activity and the purity of air being taken into a host’s lungs. Hospitals and other medical facilities often inject their patients with watchdog nanocolonies to monitor vital signs and watch for early warning signs of illness relapses or other medical problems. Additionally, organizations involved in space exploration often use the nanoaugmentation to monitor the vital signs of their explorers in remote regions of space. Watchdog nanocolonies can be linked to computer systems to monitor and report data automatically; however, a watchdog nanocolony cannot take action to heal or prevent damage to a host in the event of a problem with the host body’s physiology. NANOLIFE After a society creates artificial intelligence, nanomachines become far more than simply computer-controlled microscopic machines. Many argue that nanites become microscopic life forms, and that nanocolonies are hive minds, with the nanites behaving in much the same way as insects. This raises the issue of whether or not nanites can be controlled, especially if their programming can be overcome by their artificial intelligence. In some cases, nanolife takes on an agenda of its own, and it is often in these circumstances that catastrophic turns of events bring entire civilizations down. Additionally, moral questions are raised when the creation of new nanotechnology mirrors the creation of new life, and doubly so for the termination or destruction of nanocolonies.
ccerose 07-24-06, 12:12 AM	^ Holy crap, that was a long post.