|
Post by Andrew on May 9, 2015 2:22:18 GMT
Botanical engineer, this grows off topic. I’ll make a separate thread for comparing different world’s available materials and resources.
|
|
|
Post by Leaf on May 9, 2015 2:32:49 GMT
The "doesn't need any sort of infrastructure that didn't exist in 1995" part is the real difficulty here... I'll consider it and get back to you.
If you acquire access to the selling-things spell, would you be willing to set yourself up as a kind of zorkmid exchange for those of us who don't have handy magical beings around to produce zorkmids for us?
|
|
|
Post by Andrew on May 9, 2015 3:37:18 GMT
I would, but I will probably not be able to do that for a while. I don’t know how much mana that spell takes, but I would expect it to be a lot, and getting more maximum mana takes a while. It seems like it can be done with months of dedicated hard work (and I’ll be going slower because I can’t do this full time), with enough exposure to magic (which is probably why I have enough to even cast the two spells I do have), or with exposure to danger (which I generally avoid, and which might not work for me anyway because I will become a daeva or Limboite if I die; I think it should work, given the book’s theories, but I’m not certain and don’t want to test it).
As for 1995 infrastructure, could any of that be temporarily replaced? For example, many of our newer technologies require access to electricity, which is usually taken care of with infrastructure but can be replaced by a big enough battery if it only needs to be used once.
|
|
|
Post by Andrew on May 9, 2015 3:48:13 GMT
Oh, and I just checked: the spell is not in the catalog, but the one they use for this forum and one which could be used similarly are. The one they use for this forum says it’s only for special order, where there special orders are a “pay now, get the spellbook later” deal which I believe can’t be guaranteed the same way an instant trade can.
|
|
|
Post by Andrew on May 9, 2015 7:52:11 GMT
I’d like to place another order. This should be my last order for several months, unless my life suddenly gets a lot more dangerous or I decide to special order prestidigitation (which basically looks like it can do most things the parlor tricks can do but better).
I would like to order the spellbooks for read magic, mage hand, mending, and (although I hope I will not be able to cast it for over a decade) plane shift. This should come to 1037 zm, with free shipping. I’m glad I’m not planning to go much of anywhere tomorrow; I’d hate to have to carry this weight around with me until I’m contacted.
|
|
|
Post by Leaf on May 9, 2015 12:42:04 GMT
What can all these spells you've bought do, exactly?
|
|
|
Post by Dispersive Prism on May 9, 2015 14:36:34 GMT
I really really really like the idea of having some way to trade my money for zorkmids! If there is any way I can help you do that thing, Andrew, let me know!
|
|
|
Post by Leaf on May 9, 2015 14:58:00 GMT
Oh, dear.
Well, at least QDS seems to be mostly not a scam...
|
|
|
Post by QUALITY DISCOUNT SPELLBOOKS on May 9, 2015 17:18:37 GMT
Thank you for your purchase of QUALITY DISCOUNT SPELLBOOKS!
You have been automaticaly subscribed to receive updates when we have new HIGHEST QUALITY PRODUCTS for sale! Our stock is SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY, So BUY NOW while supplies last! To unsubscribe, contact us by planar message during standard business hours.
|
|
|
Post by Andrew on May 9, 2015 17:51:45 GMT
I hope I’m not subscribed twice. If they get a spellbook that’s not in their catalog I want to hear about it, but I don’t want to hear about it twice.
|
|
|
Post by esthfora on May 9, 2015 17:54:31 GMT
That would be silly and funny!
|
|
|
Post by Leaf on May 9, 2015 17:56:19 GMT
Silly and funny but probably also inconvenient and annoying. Let's hope they're reasonable about this. I wouldn't assume it, but they've surprised me positively before.
|
|
|
Post by Archangel on May 9, 2015 20:40:02 GMT
Andrew, can you send images of a zorkmid and its mass (to whatever precision you can measure)? There is probably some tolerance in how precise the engravings have to be to count as a zorkmid, and that goes double if the edges are not milled. Composition is harder, but between knowing the density and having a list of metals historically used in debased coinage it may be possible to guess close enough by brute force.
|
|
|
Post by Andrew on May 10, 2015 7:47:36 GMT
Since that does seem to be the best I can do, I’ve attached photos of a zorkmid in as much detail as I could (far more than 1995-era technology would usually allow, but demons have some advances in hardware just due to lack of manufacturing constraints). I’ve taken them from a few different angles so you can see things like how deep the engraving is; I think I’ve got shots of every part of the zorkmid. I’ve also taken calipers to the coin in a variety of different different directions. It’s not quite regular, but I’ve attached the measurements too. The total volume is about 3.2 mL, according to dropping it into a graduated cylinder of water. Finally, the mass is about 9.072 grams. This doesn’t fit the volume at all; if it were pure gold the mass should be closer to 62 grams, and if it can be made from gold with shape metal it shouldn’t have that large a non-gold percentage. Curious, I asked my demon friend to summon half a zorkmid (specifically, the left half of the zorkmid in the first photo I took). It apparently is not solid, but has a lot of little holes throughout. This foam could easily be 6/7 air, but the demon I summoned said that the metal could not be pure gold. He said that pure gold is soft enough to be shaped with bare hands, while the zorkmid obviously isn’t. I think it’s the same stuff they use in gold rings, but I don’t know how pure that is or what impurities it has.
|
|
|
Post by Leaf on May 10, 2015 11:46:56 GMT
Thanks, Andrew.
|
|