Psylite - The OTHER side of crystals
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 11:26 pm
OK, I posted this in the Dimension Books forum, but realized this might be more effective here.
Of all the things I find interesting about the Phaseworld books, Psylite (the psychically resonant form of Quartz crystal, is one of the most perplexing. Talked about in Dimension Book 2, page 127, they talk about its rarity and value as a resource and ISP storage even in its natural form, but other than its use in the Nuros’ tech, it’s not really defined at all.
This presents me with some questions for clarification:
Now, the book (old that it is at this point) says that Psylite grows in one millionth of quartz deposits. This may seem like a little, but actually you’d be surprised. Quartz is one of the most common chemical elements in the universe, being comprised of Oxygen and Silicon atoms. It’s found everywhere, and on Earth, comprises approximately 20% of the Earth’s crust. So if you could literally strip-mine the planet, you’d be collecting a little over 3.6 billion cubic kilometers of Quartz, of which approximately 3600 cubic kilometers would be Psylite. The trick, unfortunately is finding it where it is.
So has anyone really come up with functional information? Has official rulings been laid down? Or is this just one more thing for GM’s to figure out? I’ve actually been meaning to start this thread for years, and don’t know if anyone’s done it before.
Of all the things I find interesting about the Phaseworld books, Psylite (the psychically resonant form of Quartz crystal, is one of the most perplexing. Talked about in Dimension Book 2, page 127, they talk about its rarity and value as a resource and ISP storage even in its natural form, but other than its use in the Nuros’ tech, it’s not really defined at all.
This presents me with some questions for clarification:
- What is the credit cost by carat value of Psylite?
What is the ISP storage capacity by carat? (for example: according to RUE Technowizard construction rules, p. 131, Emeralds can hold 10ppe/carat, and Diamonds 20ppe/carat)
Given the nature of quartz formation, can Psylite be synthesized with lots of psychic energies present, or can it only form naturally, possibly where large amounts of PPE are present?
Does Psylite grow in all dimensions in some form, only a few dimensions, or just in the Three Galaxies dimension? (This one’s likely up to the individual GM)
Now, the book (old that it is at this point) says that Psylite grows in one millionth of quartz deposits. This may seem like a little, but actually you’d be surprised. Quartz is one of the most common chemical elements in the universe, being comprised of Oxygen and Silicon atoms. It’s found everywhere, and on Earth, comprises approximately 20% of the Earth’s crust. So if you could literally strip-mine the planet, you’d be collecting a little over 3.6 billion cubic kilometers of Quartz, of which approximately 3600 cubic kilometers would be Psylite. The trick, unfortunately is finding it where it is.
So has anyone really come up with functional information? Has official rulings been laid down? Or is this just one more thing for GM’s to figure out? I’ve actually been meaning to start this thread for years, and don’t know if anyone’s done it before.
