When objects fall

[barsoomcore]

1. Do objects accelerate towards the earth as they fall in your world?
2. Do objects have Newtonian trajectories when they are thrown?
3. What do the stars that people see in heavens actually represent?
4. Does water conduct electricity?
5. Are your world's physics based on a consistent model or do you just make them up as you go?

1. Dunno
2. Dunno
3. Dunno
4. Dunno
5. 100% consistent. The model followed is called "Phun Physics". I can elaborate if desired.

 

[Desdichado]

Oh, and while I'm not going to answer the questions as posed, I'll point out that while we play on a grid, it is non-Euclidean because we don't do the 3/2 diagonal thing. Drives me a little nuts

Isn't that the whole point of non-Euclidean geometry? Drives everyone a little nuts and all that?

As to the questions posed; I don't really give it too much thought. Why would I? I'm curious what you do with physics that adds to your game.

 

[Ibram]

1. Do objects accelerate towards the earth as they fall in your world?

Yes, but not in a way that would change falling damage (if a character somehow managed to fall for a mile i'd just say that they were dead rather then calculate the damage dice).

2. Do objects have Newtonian trajectories when they are thrown?

Yes, but the range penalty compensates for this (so i dont have to do any geometry in game)

3. What do the stars that people see in heavens actually represent?

distant supermassive clouds of gasses that are collapsing under their own weight.

4. Does water conduct electricity?

that it does

5. Are your world's physics based on a consistent model or do you just make them up as you go?

well barring the influence of magic I assume that my world opperates under real world physics principals. Burning objects consume oxygen, its not a good idea to drink from a lead cup, and somewhere out there is some fun metal that can make cities go bye-bye.

 

[painandgreed]

1. Do objects accelerate towards the earth as they fall in your world?

Yes.

2. Do objects have Newtonian trajectories when they are thrown?

Unless traveling at realativisitc speeds.

3. What do the stars that people see in heavens actually represent?

Not sure. Probably just more balls of hydrogen undergoing fusion, but if I could fit it into the spirit world IMC some way as magic in a way I liked, I might do so.

4. Does water conduct electricity?

Yes, so long as it's not magic electricity, then it becomes DM call.

5. Are your world's physics based on a consistent model or do you just make them up as you go?

Consistent model as far as my degree in engineering physics will take me. Beyond that, I wing it.

Actually, I'm all for the hit point scale being a logarithmic representation. that make much more sence than trying to fit the world into a different set of physics.

 

[Desdichado]

Yes, but not in a way that would change falling damage (if a character somehow managed to fall for a mile i'd just say that they were dead rather then calculate the damage dice).

I'd think the 528d10 damage would do it. Then again, who wants to roll all that...

 

[Tinner]

1. Do objects accelerate towards the earth as they fall in your world?
2. Do objects have Newtonian trajectories when they are thrown?
3. What do the stars that people see in heavens actually represent?
4. Does water conduct electricity?
5. Are your world's physics based on a consistent model or do you just make them up as you go?

The answer to all these questions is that the physics of my world behave in whatever manner my twisted little heart desires.
I'll make Newton bark like a dog, I'll make Aristotle cry like a little girl, I'll let jet planes have a reverse gear if it makes for a good story.

 

[AuraSeer]

1. Do objects accelerate towards the earth as they fall in your world?

Well, some downward acceleration is clearly necessary. If stuff didn't accelerate, everything would just hang in the air like an oblivious Wile E. Coyote.

That said, gravity on my world works different than in the real world. Instead of gaining a certain velocity per unit time (i.e. 9.8 m/s/s), a falling object gains a certain amount of kinetic energy per unit mass per distance fallen. This conveniently explains why falling 100 feet does exactly twice as much damage as falling 50 feet.

2. Do objects have Newtonian trajectories when they are thrown?

In simple cases, yes. If a normal person were transported from the real world to my campaign world, he could play catch without having to learn a new set of reflexes.

On the other hand, with skill it's possible to produce trajectories very different from the real-world ballistic. A master sniper can fire an arrow hundreds of feet in a straight line with apparently no arc. Halfling children can throw rocks in curves that would put any major league pitcher to shame. Some of these differences are just for flavor; the rest help explain why a nonmagical (Extraordinary) ability can apparently do the impossible.

3. What do the stars that people see in heavens actually represent?

Some of them are physical objects, far away from the world's surface. Others are magical effects, planar portals, living creatures, or even divine aspects. It is not certain which points of light fall into each category, because no one from this world has ever flown high enough to check.

Astrologers do know that particular stars are associated with particular elements, events, or principles. They are able to predict the movement of such stars, in general terms, and many prophecies and omens are tied to the stellar conjunctions.

4. Does water conduct electricity?

Natural electricity, yes. Sages have noted that lightning seems to strike wet surfaces and objects more often than dry ones. However, energy conjured or evoked by magic does not behave quite the same as the real thing, so a lightning bolt spell is unaffected by the conductivity of things it strikes.

5. Are your world's physics based on a consistent model or do you just make them up as you go?

Everything is internally consistent. This does not necessarily mean that it is well-modelled, only that its game effects work the same way every time they come up.

 

[alsih2o]

So, I thought I would ask:
1. Do objects accelerate towards the earth as they fall in your world?
2. Do objects have Newtonian trajectories when they are thrown?
3. What do the stars that people see in heavens actually represent?
4. Does water conduct electricity?
5. Are your world's physics based on a consistent model or do you just make them up as you go?

1. Yes, but it doesn't necessarily reflect in the damage they take.
2. Yes, low ceilings= no distance shots.
3. The souls of heroes
4. Yes, non-magical electricity. Magical electricity is excused form this.
5. Consistent making up as I go.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Yes or no, arbitrarily.

'Cause that's the effect magic has!

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Ummm, the damage system for falling in D&D does apply acceleration - it is the increased velocity that imparts the increased damage.

The stupid ! damage, where 10 ft. does 1d6, 20 does 3d6 is pretty ridiculous from a real world standpoint, most people the real world will walk away from a 20 foot fall, in D&D that would knock most people (not PCs, but Joe Bloke the 1st level Commoner) into negative hit points. Of course the difference in surviving a 20 foot fall vs. surviving a 30 foot fall are pretty large, so while Joe Bloke will likely survive a 20 foot fall, 30 foot will still knock him into the negatives.

The Auld Grump

*EDIT* ! in this case is the symbol for this kind of increase, not an exclamation...