From: moolick@shrsys.hslc.org Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf Subject: Monitors - The Hubble Date: 14 APR 95 00:48:02 GMT Organization: MIT PLASMA FUSION CENTER NNTP-Posting-Host: shrsys.hslc.org The Hubble Monitors: To sleepers, the Hubble Space Telescope has been viewed alternitely with hope of its promise, dismay at its cost, rage of it not working p properly, and finally acceptance that its fixed. Sleeper scientists are now convinced it is a success, and they convinced the public. To most mages, the telescope is reguarded as another example of the conventions punishing the Void Engineers. To most technocrats, it is a waste of money. To the Void Engineers, the Hubble Space Telescope is a front for an Umbral physics project of startleing success despite frequent paradox problems and some major setbacks. The Hubble Monitor is a singular, powerful spirit now associated with the Hubble Space Telescope, existing in the same umbral areas as the scope does in space. A site of research for a number of Void Engineer masters, they have been pushing their technologies and theories to the bare edge at the site. In the Umbra, the Hubble Monitor is visible as a huge spirit shaped as a thick worm; over one hundred and fifty feet long and thirty feet in diameter. It seems to be made mostly out of metal and plastics. The major exceptions being its spread solar collector wings and it's ominous lense facing directly outward from earth. The whole is just within the horizin. The Hubble Monitor is known as "the Big Eye" or " the Reality Cannon" among the Void Engineers. The device can peer into the Deep Umbra more efficiently than ground-based VE scopes, and most outsiders assume this is its function. The true main function of the Hubble device is to operate as a "static cannon." The static cannon is a complex, powerful magickal effect. Upon sighting a Deep Umbral Realm, it can selectively co-locate it with a part of the physical world. Space is distorted so that a large area of physical space is co-located with a small area of the Umbral Realm. The co-location is screened with spirit, mind, matter, and prime magick so that only limited sections of the properties of the spaces are combined. The paradigm of the physical world is imposed upon the area of the Umbral Realm stongly, static reality is slammed into effect in the Umbral Realm. When the static cannon is used, any physical or magickal aberrations from the physical world's paradigm immediately being to attract, cumulate, and suffer from paradox. Often, this creates a powerful paradox storm that has, in test runs, decimated or destroyed large areas, even entire small realms. The Void Engineers are still tyring to perfect the process. Currently, the process causes paradox, results in paradigm anomalies in the physical space used that increase as the duration of the firing increase, and consumes prodigous amounts of quintessence. The Hubble Monitor can defend itself if attacked, spending large amounts of quintessence in its 's own defense. The Viod Engineer do go to great lenghts to ensure this does not occur. The area near the scope is patrolled by Void Strikers, the small combat versions of Void Engines. A small Umbral research stationis nearby, with competent mages and Iteration X guardians. The entire area is scoured by Spy Monitors, as are all approaches. Preperations have also been made against attacks from the physical world. The Hubble Monitor's nuclear reacot serves as a node of power, providing it with quintessence and Tass in the form of thruster fuel, which the spirit stores in internal tanks. The hubble Monitor is very intelligent, and an active participant in theresearch that it is involved with. ATTRIBUTES: Str: 7, Dex: 2, Sta: 8, Cha: 3, Man: 3, App: 0, Per: 6, Int: 5, Wits: 3. ABILITIES: Alertness: 2, Brawling: 5, Computer: 4, Cosmology: 4, Etiquette 4 (technomancer), Firearms: 4, Science: 4, Spirit Lore: 5 (monitors), Spirit Names: 3. Spheres: Correspondence: 5, Forces: 3, Matter: 3, Mind 3, Prime 4, Spirit 5, Time: 2 Willpower: 8 Rage: 8 Arete: 7 Quintessence: 20 Tass: 100+ ( will use it too. ) Paradox: 5 Health Levels OKx4 / -1x3 / -2x3 / -3x3 / -4x3 / -5x3 / Incapacitated ATTACKS: - Tentacles: The Hubble Monitor has eight tentacles to attack without dividing its dice pool. The tentacles cause seven dice of dmaage and are used with a diffculty of seven. attacking with more than one tenticle increases damage by one die per tentacle used. They can be used to bash a victim or grapple them. - Armor: The heavy Primium armor of the Monitor gives it there extra soak dice. The Monitor also has two dice of countermagick against any magickal attack. - Regeneration: The Hubble Monitor is self-repairing, and regains one health level per round so long as the damage isn't aggrivated. MAGICK: - Static Cannon ( Correspondence 5, Matter 3, Prime 4, Spirit 5 ): The static cannon is the main experimental function of the Hubble Monitor. initiating the use of it is a prolonged process, involving at least 20 points of quintessence and several hours. Once the effect is established, Parados is incurred in the Umbral Realm as if it was an area of the physical earth. The correspond- ing space of the physical world is destableized and the force of paradox there greatly reduced. This are is in outer space however, and changes with each fireing. The static cannon is only effective on Deep Umbral targets, and if it became effective against Horizin Realms the Traditions could be seriously endangered. - Umbral Sighting ( Correspondence 3, Spirit 1 ) As a prelude to fireing, the target must be sighted and precisely targeted. The location s viewed can be at almost infinite depths in the umbra. Unlike other Monitors, the Hubble Monitor is capable of producing a variety of magikal effects to defend itself and attack others with relative spontenaity. Mike M.