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garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14173
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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 Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:50 pm Post subject: Seeing where you are from a planet's surface. |
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Bringing this question over from the holonet.
Ok, lets say your group of pc's got kyboshed by the baddie, but due to his mannerism's he does not want to kill them. So he sets them off on an unknown planet in system Blah! Would they, be able to tell where they were, and possibily what planet they were on, by looking up at the stars???
What skill(s) would it be?
How difficult would it be??
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masque
Captain
Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 626
Location: Houston, TX
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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I would say that the relevant skill is astrogation, and it would depend on how good of a navigation computer they have in their starship. If they don't have a starship (which sounds likely in the scenario given), or an astromech droid with an extensive database, or a HUGE astrogation skill, I'd say they're screwed.
Needless to say, it would be hella difficult.
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Maur
Cadet
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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I'd say no they couldn't tell just from the stars because of the sheer number of positions and combinations that would exist. Think how different the night sky is just based on which hemisphere you are in then add in seasonal variations. Stars and constellations would shift and come apart as you moved from star system to star system due to Parallax Shift. You could have an astrogation skill of 5000D, but that doesn't mean you know what the night sky will look like from any given planet at any given time of the year.
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Gry Sarth
Jedi
Joined: 25 May 2004
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Location: Sao Paulo - Brazil
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 12:18 am Post subject: |
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I agree, if they don't have a starship or astromech or anything like that, they're in trouble. Just by looking at the stars it would be impossible to tell where in the entire galaxy you are located. The only exception would be if they could see some unique stellar body from their position. Say, if they could see the Maw cluster of black holes, they could know they are somewhere near Kessel...
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Xynar
Commander
Joined: 10 Aug 2003
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Location: Northwest Indiana
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:52 am Post subject: |
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But if someone had a high enough Planetary Systems, they may know about this world or have at least heard about it from somewhere. Also if there was a Force user in the group, I'd say they have a good chance to know where they are or at least find out after they have explored a bit.
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Xynar
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masque
Captain
Joined: 16 Mar 2006
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Location: Houston, TX
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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There still needs to be a reference point. If it is an utterly obscure, isolated world, they're just screwed, unless you decide to take pity on them. In the scenario given, however, I would think that the not knowing where they are would be part of the GM's plot. Good way to curb the bloody-nindedness of players, actually.
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Xynar
Commander
Joined: 10 Aug 2003
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Location: Northwest Indiana
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Xynar wrote: | | or at least find out after they have explored a bit. |
There may be some sort of local flora or fauna that may tip things off. Or the way the system's star(s) look or if there is a regular eclipse (Pitch Black) or other natural occurrance.
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Xynar
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Jedi Skyler
Moff
Joined: 07 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:50 am Post subject: |
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| Xynar wrote: | | There may be some sort of local flora or fauna that may tip things off. Or the way the system's star(s) look or if there is a regular eclipse (Pitch Black) or other natural occurrance. |
Again, though, this would probably require a decent Planetary Systems roll. Just waking up there, you wouldn't know where "there" was. That way, you as a player couldn't say, "Oh, well, my character was on (insert planet name here) several years ago on a smuggling run. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket..."
But make the roll, and the GM could say, "Your memory suddenly clicks as you look at that peculiar stand of trees off to the west. Something about it looks very familiar..." |
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garhkal
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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Im not sure if flaura/fauna would qualify for planetary systems.. maybe survival might.
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jmanski
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| Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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Just to stir the pot a little....
But what good is it going to do (or, what harm, on the other hand) for the PC's to know what planet they are on? They'll still need to find transport to get off-planet.
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garhkal
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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| jmanski wrote: | Just to stir the pot a little....
But what good is it going to do (or, what harm, on the other hand) for the PC's to know what planet they are on? They'll still need to find transport to get off-planet. |
"Yarr maty, we knows of this one pirate group who, once a year, comes to this planet, for RnR.. Maybesss if wesa wait, we can barter our way off"...
Alternatly, someone could know that since they are on planet X in the Y system, they could realise that ZZZ happens in the next system over, and if they could only reconfigure their telemetrix-dwohicky, to the skeet band septum, they could reach out and call for help..
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Ray
Commodore
Joined: 31 Oct 2003
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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, North America, Western Hemisphere, Earth, Sol, Western Arm, Milky Way
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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Or, when investigating and trying to survive, they find a huge stash of Bootleg Lum.
"Why is the Lum gone?" |
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jmanski
Arbiter-General (Moderator)
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Location: Kansas
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | "Why is the Lum gone?" |
(Stumbles)... "Oh, that's why...."
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garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:26 am Post subject: |
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"hic..."
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