Approved Tech Isorite Barinium

[Chip]

Spoiler

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To make a fancy new metal
Image Source: Here
Canon Link: NA
Primary Source: NA

PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Homeworld: NA
Manufacturer: Mastercraft Alloys Ltd.
Model: Isorite Barinium
Affiliation: Closed Market
Modularity: Moderate
Production: Semi-Unique (Can only be used to create Unique Production submissions)
Material:

• Magnetite
• Isotope 5
• Barab
• Agrinium

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Metal Alloy
Weight: Light
Resistance:

• Blasters: Exteme
• Lightsabers: Extreme
• Plasma (non-Electromagnetic): Low
• Kinetic: Low
• Other: NA

Color: Silver with Red reflections

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Highly Radioactive, but self-absorbing
• Blocks radiation from passing through itself
• Highly Magnetic
• Produces strong electromagnetic and gravity distortions

Strengths:

• Weakens the effectiveness of Dovin Basal Singularities projected near the metal, producing a stronger effect the closer to the metal the singularity is projected
• Distorts electromagnetic containment fields of blaster bolts and lightsaber blades, effectively curving blaster bolts around the metal and lightsaber blades away from itself
• The metal is flexible and unlikely to shatter, though it will crack under high velocity impacts

Weaknesses:

• Draws other magnetic objects towards itself (such as iron-based mass driver rounds)
• Distorts energy shielding away from itself, preventing any metal plating made from this from being shielded
• Not particularly noteworthy in terms of physical durability to kinetic and thermal stresses (Low)
• Surface catches fire when exposed to oxygen, releasing radiation and corroding the alloy
• If broken down to a molten state, releases enormous amounts of radiation
• Disrupts electronics in the metal's immediate surroundings
• Easily dented and bent

DESCRIPTION

Where most applications of Isotope 5 rely upon converting the exotic metal into fuel rods and bombarding these rods with exotic particles to generate electromagnetic and gravitational fields strong enough to produce sizable quantities of power, Isorite Barinium instead incorporates the volatile, radioactive substance into a metal alloy with a number of other metals. Mixed in with this alloy is Barab, an ore known to absorb, store, and amply radiation it is exposed to, as well as Agrinium, a metal known for its outstanding ability to prevent radioactive particles from passing through it. With these two supporting elements, along with a mixture of the iron ore Magnetite, Isorite Barinium is able to relatively safely contain the more dangerous properties of Isotope 5 and creating a unique metal alloy with exciting prospects for Scientific and Military application.

Though the metal alloy itself is highly radioactive, the material is self-absorbing and blocks external sources of radiation from passing through the metal. In its solid state, this makes Isorite Barinium safe to utilize without fear of accidental radiation exposure. However, if superheated and reduced to a molten state, this metal releases enormous amounts of radiation and is extremely toxic. Complicating this hazard is the metal alloy's unique tenancy to produce a volatile chemical reaction when exposed to oxygen, producing a flame as oxygen in direct contact with Isorite Barinium is excited and burns. Somewhat alarmingly, this conflagration also causes the metal alloy to release substantial discharges of radiation while the surface is burning. Because of this, it is highly recommended that any starships plated in Isorite Barinium avoid atmospheric operation at all costs, as doing so not only releases toxic material into a planet's atmosphere, but will erode and compromise the armor plating if done frequently.

The metal itself is un-noteworthy in terms of overall durability, with the possible exception that the metal ally is more likely to dent and bend than to crack, shatter, or sheer and is no more resistant to the thermal stresses of contact with molten material than any other common steels. Additionally, the metal is highly magnetic and can cause nearby electronics to malfunction if said electronics are not properly shielded against this effect.

Of particular note, and the only truly valuable property possessed by Isorite Barinium, is the metal alloy's effect upon electromagnetic and gravitational fields. Thanks to the inclusion of Isotope 5 in the composition of this metal alloy, Isorite Barinium is capable of producing significant distortions to electromagnetic and gravitational fields. In laboratory experiments, these distortions are capable of distorting and bending the electromagnetic containment field of blaster bolts and lightsaber blades, effectively curving a lightsaber blade away from the metal alloy and radically altering the trajectory of blaster bolts (in most cases, causing the blaster bolts to 'wrap' around the metal alloy and be flung off in a random direction on the opposite side of the metal). Far less promising, but also highly interesting for scientific purposes, is the tenancy of this metal to draw other magnetic objects towards itself (such as iron-based projectiles). This warping only effects electromagnetically contained plasma, however, and does not effect the more basic plasma projectiles of most Plasma Cannons.

Also of note would be the gravitational distortions caused by this metal. Powerfully distorting, this metal significantly weakens the effectiveness of Dovin Basal singularities projected near the metal, with stronger distortions to an attempted singularity in the metal's immediate vicinity. And while tests have not been done to determine the effects of this metal upon, say, a starship's interaction with planetary gravitational fields or naval interdiction fields, test HAVE shown that Isorite Barinium, when used as starship plating, produces strong enough electromagnetic and gravitational distortions to make the use of energy shielding entirely non-functional as the shielding is distorted away from the ship itself and weakened to a state of uselessness. More alarmingly, artificial gravity used aboard said starship has been shown to produce near fatal results as constant distortions radically alter the direction and strength of artificial gravity fields in non-uniform striations. While most of the ship may function normally, bands of high intensity distortions will ripple through the ship, causing effects ranging from weightlessness to organ-crushing intensity projecting from random directions and angles.

 

[Netherworld]

<p>Under Review.</p>

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Chip"]

Blasters: Average
Lightsabers: Low

Distorts electromagnetic containment fields of blaster bolts and lightsaber blades, effectively curving blaster bolts around the metal and lightsaber blades away from itself

• These two things are completely at odds with each other. With the capabilities you describe, both resistances would warrant an Extreme rating. And that's not going to fly at Semi-unique.
• Tone this ability back and give it some caveats / limitations. Also alter the related resistance ratings as appropriate.

Weakens the effectiveness of Dovin Basal Singularities projected near the metal
The metal itself is Immune to damage from Dovin Basal Singularities

• This is a pretty long stretch from Isotope-5's capabilities. In fact I'd say the opposite would be more likely.
• Dovin Basals create black holes. Isotope-5 causes gravity disturbances... which is what black holes are. If anything, they would amplify each other's effects. Since there's no way to control the distortion they cause (and matching their magnitude would be a similarly impossible task), I simply don't see them canceling each other out.
• Remove or heavily rework this trait.

While this does not deteriorate the metal alloy itself, it does produce an alarming flame as oxygen in direct contact with Isorite Barinium is excited and burns. Somewhat alarmingly, this conflagration also causes the metal alloy to release substantial discharges of radiation while the surface is burning, even though the metal is not deteriorated by the process.

• If the metal reacts to oxygen by burning, then it is unavoidable that it should be affected. Molecules of it would fall apart in the process. Even if it's slow going, there's no way the metal won't eventually burn up. Fuel always runs out.

@Mention me with edits and/or questions.

 

[Chip]

[member="Netherworld"]

These two things are completely at odds with each other. With the capabilities you describe, both resistances would warrant an Extreme rating. And that's not going to fly at Semi-unique. Tone this ability back and give it some caveats / limitations. Also alter the related resistance ratings as appropriate.

Those ratings are in reference to the physical heat and kinetic resistances of the metal itself. If you damage the metal with the thermal properties of a blaster or lightsaber, the durability of the metal is far from Extreme and would be slightly worse than Durasteel overall. Thus the Average/Low ratings.

If the metal reacts to oxygen by burning, then it is unavoidable that it should be affected. Molecules of it would fall apart in the process. Even if it's slow going, there's no way the metal won't eventually burn up. Fuel always runs out.

The metal does not burn, the Oxygen burns. The metal simply releases radiation while the oxygen is heating its surface. Or... that's how it's written. If you would rather it be the metal itself that undergoes chemical combustion, I can make that edit.

This is a pretty long stretch from Isotope-5's capabilities. In fact I'd say the opposite would be more likely. Dovin Basals create black holes. Isotope-5 causes gravity disturbances... which is what black holes are. If anything, they would amplify each other's effects. Since there's no way to control the distortion they cause (and matching their magnitude would be a similarly impossible task), I simply don't see them canceling each other out. Remove or heavily rework this trait.

Isotope - 5

• As light as Shimmersilk, stronger than Durasteel, predictably distorts gravity and electromagnetic fields
• Has a powerful warping effect on gravitational and electromagnetic fields (even in minuscule quantities)
• A radioactive form of Illerium (which means it explodes when you 'jostle' it)

Illerium (the 'common' version of Isotope 5)

• Highly volatile, especially when exposed to air
• Produces similar results as detonite (SW version of C4), but much less explosive results

Makeb (the planet Isotope 5 comes from)

• Enormous amounts of electromagnetic interference in its upper levels
• Below standard gravity, but possessed "anomalies" (not specified if higher or lower gravity points)
• Anomalies produces massive stone pillars that reached above cloud layer
• Stone pillars "riddled with complex cave systems" (which sounds like evidence of irregular gravity, not low gravity OR high gravity)
• "the mineral had a powerful warping effect on electromagnetic and gravitational fields"

Dovin Basal

• Creates gravity fields
• Able to generate powerful gravitational fields
• capable of creating "Micro-black holes"
• a variant was able to collapse other gravity disturbances, such as those created by interdictors

My conjecture here is that Dovin Basals must generate a powerful, but highly specific gravitational field in order to create a micro black hole. And it is a micro black hole, not a full fledged stellar anomaly. As Isotope 5, even in very low quantities, produces "a powerful warping effect on gravitational fields", a Dovin Basal's singularity should not be able to properly form in the vicinity of Isotope 5 and should be weakened as a result as its gravitational effects are spread over a wide area and not centered over a single point. An effect which would be all the more pronounced near high concentrations of Isotope 5 (such as the solid rods made out of Isotope 5 that are used as a fuel source).

Also, the canon material states that Isotope 5 "warps" and "distorts" electromagnetic and gravitational fields, it does not state that Isotope 5 weakens or amplifies existing fields. While how that works with gravitational fields is open to conjecture, we know a bit more about electromagnetic fields and how they function with 'lines' of varying intensity. Warping a powerful electromagnetic field causes these lines to bend and shift and move in abnormal properties.

http://www.coolmagnetman.com/magvisual.htm

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/3600160/cold-war-nuclear-weapons-warped-earths-magnetosphere-revealing-what-the-true-fallout-could-be-if-world-war-3-launched/


And while we may not know as much about gravity as we do about electromagnetism, we now know that gravity can produce "gravitational waves" and have measured such waves passing through our solar system. According to the wiki on the subject - "Gravitational waves transport energy as a gravitational radiation, a form of radiant energy similar to electromagnetic radiation."

Which (as far as I understand it) means that gravity does, or at least can, produce a banding effect of higher intensity 'lines' similar to those of magnetic fields.


The basis of this material is that, if Isotope 5 causes electromagnetic fields to bend and warp (as specified by wookieepedia), and Isotope 5 causes the same distortions to gravitational fields as it does to electromagnetic fields (which is implied on wookieepedia), then Isotope 5 should cause a bending in existing lines of higher/lower intensity gravity, or should create lines and ribbons and "walls" of high and low "density" / "intensity" gravitational forces.

And, if a Dovin Basal functions by compressing gravitational forces into a single point of particularly high intensity to produce a singularity... then Isotope 5 should be able to distort that abnormal concentration of gravitational intensity and spread it around erratically. Which, at the very least should weaken the strength of a Dovin Basal singularity. And if trying to force two magnets of equal polarity to touch one another has taught me anything, it is that electromagnetism produces significantly stronger reactions the closer two magnetic objects are to one another.

Which, when applied to Isotope 5 and Dovin Basals, should mean that the extent to which Isotope 5 screws with a Dovin Basal's singularity should increase in intensity (meaning more banding over a wider area) the closer to Isotope 5 a Dovin Basal attempts to create a singularity.


For example, consider the following electromagnetic field.

"The diagram on the left shows the arrangement of eight permanent magnets in an octagon. The diagram on the right shows the field that this arrangement will create. Notice how uniform the field is within the assembly (all of the field lines are just about equally apart), and how weak the field is outside of the assembly."

http://www.coolmagnetman.com/magvisual.htm
If you visualize that image as what a Dovin Basal has to do to create a singularity, imagine the effect of Isotope 5 on said field as what happens when you remove, move, or invert any one of those magnets, or simple toss an additional magnet into the grid.

Everything goes to hell and the highly precise banding is thrown to hell.

Which should prevent a singularity from being able to form. A wide area of higher gravity with banded areas of higher and lower intensity? Sure. But it should screw up any attempt to create a single, highly concentrated pinprick of gravity strong enough to shred anything it touches.

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Chip"]

Those ratings are in reference to the physical heat and kinetic resistances of the metal itself. If you damage the metal with the thermal properties of a blaster or lightsaber, the durability of the metal is far from Extreme and would be slightly worse than Durasteel overall. Thus the Average/Low ratings.

• The point of the resistance ratings is to give people an idea of how a material fares vs. certain types of damage. Currently, your ratings are extremely misleading.
• Secondly, the situation you reference is irrelevant, because it can't happen. Blaster bolts will bend around, and so will lightsabers. Thus the metal won't ever come into contact with the "thermal properties" of either.
• Please make the required edits.

The metal does not burn, the Oxygen burns. The metal simply releases radiation while the oxygen is heating its surface. Or...that's how it's written. If you would rather it be the metal itself that undergoes chemical combustion, I can make that edit.

release substantial discharges of radiation while the surface is burning

• If the surface is burning, then the material is being depleted.
• If it's heating up enough to release radiation, then the material is being depleted. Radioactive elements produce said radiation through decay. Thus, material depletion.

Now to address that last part. I'm no physicist, and this is a Star Wars forum, so we're not here to debate physics anyway.

There's some merit to your argument, but it's almost exclusively based on assumptions. And even if it weren't, that isn't my main concern here – the Factory is about balance, which I currently feel is lacking.

You can either make the edits I asked for, or you can request a Second Chance.

 

[Chip]

[member="Netherworld"]

I'm not against edits. I am totally willing to work with you to edit this so that you're comfortable with it. I can adjust the burning/surface thing. I'm cool with that. The interaction between Dovin Basals and Isotope 5 and our conflicting views on the matter, I'd like to sit on the shelf for the moment and focus on the first request you made.

I'd just really like to discuss some of the different wording options and such to see if we can find something that complies with your requests without... I don't know, breaking my sense of aesthetics. It's weird. It just feels really strange to me label that as Blaster/Kinetic resistance. The metal itself is intended to have very bland physical properties. Do you have any suggestions for how to organize the Resistance ratings and Strengths/Weaknesses so that it is clear to the reader that "should they be able to hit this stuff with plasma-like materials not wrapped in an electromagnetic field", that the resistances (in such cases) would not be extreme?

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Chip"]

Sure. We can look into a more elaborate option if you can provide me an example of weaponized plasma that’s not suspended by an electromagnetic field.

But having those two Resistances as low as they are is muddy at best and deceptive at worst. So make the edits, and if you’ve an example for the above, a Weakness delineating that one caveat to its high resistances can be added.

 

[Chip]

[member="Netherworld"]

We can look into a more elaborate option if you can provide me an example of weaponized plasma that’s not suspended by an electromagnetic field.

That's easy enough.

You're assuming that all plasma weapons are based on Blaster/Turbolaser technology. Which, a good example of which would be Gir Quee's Firestorm Plasma Turbolaser. But there's lots of alternatives that go an entirely different route.

Yuuzhan Vong Yaret-Kor Plasma Cannons, and any technology based on them, hurl plasma projectiles without any form of magnetic or electromagnetic containment field. Most are organic, while I believe some are also mechanical in nature. They simply hurl the same projectile. I believe there are also a handful of projectile mass-drivers that create plasma, antimatter, and other exotic material explosions upon impact.

Then there's Ion Cannons. They fire ionized plasma particles. Ionization can be caused through electromagnetism, but can also be caused by... well, lots of ways that I don't understand and I'm not going to pretend to. You have some Ion weapons that specify that they utilize electromagnetic containment to keep the ion bolt highly concentrated, such as with the Ion Railgun. However, the core Ion Cannon wookieepedia page (and the iconic V-150 page) makes no mention of electromagnetic containment fields and cites the weapons of having the weakness of not having "tight beam accuracy", which implies either a tenancy for the shot to wander off in random directions, or that the ion bolts tend to expand as they travel. Which would be evidence of the weapons lacking electromagnetic containment fields.

Ignoring the speculation on Ion Cannons for the moment, there are several starships on Chaos that make heavy use of traditional Plasma Cannons. Here are some of them.
Sekot Pulsar, Sekot Crosscurrent, Gretchin, Skrii Ro'ik, Aarshlut, Teleute, Skaar Ro'ik, Marauder Mesen'loras,



Here are some approved weapon submissions that use Plasma Cannon technology without pairing it to Blaster/Turbolaser technology.
EDC Mk.2 Deck Cannon, H.T.E. Plasma Cannon MkI, Retribution Plasma Cannon, J1 Plasma Cannon, Yaret-Krinra,

Then there's the more exotic stuff that causes plasma damage via entirely different means, and also don't use electromagnetic containment fields in the weapon discharge.
XLC-1 X-ray Laser Cannon, SIC-32 Solar Ionization Battery (I think this is a traditional light-based beam), Mace Kinetic Energy Weapon,

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Chip"]

Those ships are One Sith or Vong tech that scarcely anyone uses anymore.

The rest of the links are mostly relevant, but you're still looking at a very limited amount of weapons that can bypass its plasma/lightsaber resistance. We don't reduce cortosis' general ratings vs. lightsabers just because a few out there might have non-dimetris circuits or a mestare crystal.

Therefore, as I said – change the ratings to appropriately reflect all of the capabilities of this material. The fact that plasma without electromagnetic fields affects it normally can be added under Weaknesses, thus ensuring greater overall clarity. Please also make the edits I asked for in my very first judgment.

This goes for the Dovin Basal side of the issue as well. Consider it taken off the shelf.

 

[Chip]

[member="Netherworld"]

We don't reduce cortosis' general ratings vs. lightsabers just because a few out there might have non-dimetris circuits or a mestare crystal.

That's a good point that I hadn't considered. Honestly, I wouldn't rate Cortosis as being particularly "resilient" to a Lightsaber, since it's effect is entirely based upon shorting out the electronic components of the weapon. If that's the standard procedure for submissions including Cortosis, then anything that's highly conductive or superconductive should be highly resistant to lightsabers.



Anyway...

I've gone through and made quite a few edits regarding the resistance ratings (and the corrosion effect of burning), made tweaks to the strengths and weaknesses section, and made a lot of edits to the description section. Please review the changes and let me know how you feel about those particular issues in the submission's current form.

I'd also like your opinion on the electromagnetic field stuff. At it's current state, it bends blaster bolts and lightsabers away from itself, bends mass-driver rounds towards itself, has no particular effect against plasma cannons, and cannot be shielded. For those properties alone, I felt it balanced out fairly well but I was trying to think of an upper limit to add in to balance the submission out (because I still want to incorporate the gravity stuff into the submission) and was wondering if I should set some sort of limit as to... say... a ship of X size would still be damaged by a weapon of X strength, because the strength of the containment field is strong enough to endure being warped and still hit whatever's plated in this stuff.






And... now for... what I guess are the last two things.

First, I wanted this material to be on the market for people to tinker with in their own creations. When you say that you want this material to be Unique, do you mean that it can only be used to create Unique production submissions or that only one submission can be created using this material? I dropped the production to Unique, as you requested. But which of the two will govern how this stuff is used?





And second... the Dovin Basal thing.

How do we balance the manner in which this material interacts with Dovin Basals so that it is fair and viable?

Part of the reason for creating this material was that I wanted to make something that served as a direct counter to Dovin Basals. The electromagnetic bending of blaster bolts and such was actually entirely secondary.

Dovin Basals, when used defensively, can be dealt with through volume of fire. Which balances out and works fairly enough. But when Dovin Basals get used offensively, that's when they become scary. There really isn't any defense to being targeted with a Dovin Basal. They strip away shields and warp, deteriorate, and/or crush metal plating to an extreme extent. Which is bad enough for Starships, but Dovin Basals are also used against ground vehicles and personnel. The things even get put into mines.

So, in your opinion, what defensive capabilities would be fair and balanced for this material to have against Dovin Basals.
We've already got it in here that the metal cannot be shielded, and that the electromagnetic stuff doesn't effect Plasma Cannons (which are the other primary weapon of Yuuzhan Vong)... So what can we do with this stuff that would still let it be balanced? Because, right now, without any special protection against Dovin Basals, the metal's useless. The "resistance ratings" can entirely be achieved through conventional armor and shields without incorporating the weaknesses that are already inherent in the design of this metal (the "no shields and no artificial gravity" thing). This stuff needs the "Dovin Basal Protection" gimmick in order to justify the extremely limited production rating and risk of radiation exposure.

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Chip"]

Apologies for the wait! Was away for the weekend.

First, I wanted this material to be on the market for people to tinker with in their own creations. When you say that you want this material to be Unique, do you mean that it can only be used to create Unique production submissions or that only one submission can be created using this material? I dropped the production to Unique, as you requested. But which of the two will govern how this stuff is used?

• Unique means that only one character can use it, and no products using this may surpass Unique production.

Anyway, a couple things for you to edit still:

Not particularly noteworthy in terms of physical durability to kinetic and thermal stresses (Low/Average)

• The Average needs to go. If it's a weakness, then it's Low.

Disrupts nearby electronics not shielded against electromagnetism

• Right now this could be seen as a passive EM weapon, which would make it a strength, not a weakness.
• Please limit the range of this effect to its immediate surroundings (i.e. the ship it'll be used on)

I conferred with the powers that be on the gravity stuff and it's fine as-is. Just make the above edits and I can send this on its way.

 

[Chip]

[member="Netherworld"]

Made the edits.


If I bribe you with cookies, can I put this submission at semi-unique and specify that anything made using the metal can only be made at a Unique production rating? I'd like to let people tinker with this stuff and see what they come up with.

 

[Netherworld]

[member="Chip"]

That production limitation sounds fine by me.

 

[Chip]

[member="Netherworld"]


yay! Updated the production rating with the limitation.

 

[Netherworld]

Awesome. Pending Secondary Approval. Thanks! [member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

[member="Chip"]

This has a lot going on for it in comparison to typical RMs... Two extreme resistance ratings and:

Easily dented and bent, but the metal tends to stay in a single piece

This reads more like a strength than a weakness.

 

[Chip]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Removed the last part. That line was paired with the third strength.

The metal is flexible and unlikely to shatter, though it will crack under high velocity impacts

It distorts easy, but it's not brittle.

For something like this, being brittle would be advantageous.


EDIT:

This has a lot going on for it in comparison to typical RMs...

Yeah, I was surprised when I read the details on Isotope 5 and realized what it should really be capable of. Which made me more surprised when I realized that people had only ever been making reactors out of it. Definitely right up there with Pyronium, Ostrine, and Ultrachrome in terms of neat sciency applications.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Approved.