Name: PNSOT (Portable Non-Sapient Object Transmitter), AKA The Hammer Disc Description: A thin (.25in, 6.35mm), translucent disc, approximately the size of a record album (~1ft, ~30cm Diameter), and wired in a way that gives it the appearance of a futuristic Frisbee. Abilities: Functionally, this operates similarly to Hammerspace tech, but without the limitations of the user handling the full weight of 'tagged' objects (see below), allowing the user to transport items (as small as a pen or as large as an oil drum) to and from their vessel (or other applicable point of origin) without the direct use of a telepad, allowing for such applications as quickly swapping gear in the field. Conditional Abilities (Optional): Given the way this tech operates, it is theoretically possible to circumvent its primary limitations by daisy-chaining multiple PNSOT's together, although this is incredibly risky and would add significant delivery-time for the object. Limitations: Like most teleportation, it must be used either when above ground, with a clear shot to the vessel (or other applicable point of origin), or within a clear shot of an active teleporter that can access the vessel (or other applicable point of origin). Additionally, the larger the object, the longer it will take to spool the amount of power required to initiate transport and receive it (A pen would take less than a full round of combat ~2 seconds, while something larger like a barrel or mingun would take just under two full rounds ~6seconds). Conditional Limitations (Optional): While the science behind teleportation relies on tachyons and effectively ignores the rest of the material world, the transmitter that initiates the delivery is still based in radio technology. As such, in a circumstance where such waves are blocked or impeded, ability to initiate retrieval of an object is subsequently blocked (however, if underground and still within line of a teleporter, if the radio signal can piggyback on another system that allows radio transmission to the surface, retrieval can still be initiated). How does it work: The overall wiring and design of the PNSOT is built around mimicking a telepad on a smaller-scale, with most of its critical components and software located at the center. Among these components is a battery, that receives the majority of its charge by absorbing residual energy that is otherwise harmlessly dispersed as a result of standard teleportation (this also assists in calibrating the nuances of teleporting objects indirectly, in the case of relying on a telepad as a relay for transport to the user). On the other side of this equation are the 'tags' that allow the PNSOT to recognize what to teleport down. The tags are small beacons, cheap and mass-producible, that are attached to objects, and scanned over by the PNSOT, utilizing a compact ENDI-scanner that simply obtains the geometry of an object, to ensure you get the full gun, and not just a receiver or a handful of gunpowder. Tertiary to this assembly is a simple program/app that can be utilized by virtually any handheld device, to communicate to the PNSOT which tagged item to transport (this program is fairly open-source, and even allows simple voice commands, but the user should be careful of what they program those commands to be). Flavor text: Back when the U.S.C.M. first made its foray into the Fringe, supply lines became an increasingly taxing issue. It was impossible to make every military resource available on touchdown, so calculated decisions had to be made as to what each soldier was given. That said, it became increasingly imperative that each soldier be as versatile as possible in their endeavors, as they typically lacked any foresight into what they'd be engaging in a given sortie. At the time, Hammerspace Tech was deemed not nearly as useful to military application, as it could not store ammunition or other volatile substances; not to mention the issue of weight and instability. Hence began the PNSOT Project, which quickly became referred to by involved U.S.C.M. Engineers as "The Hammer Disc." Unfortunately, after extensive R&D and preliminary testing of the prototype, both the schematics and the prototype itself were stolen. The project was cancelled, as man-hours were required elsewhere in the U.S.C.M.'s efforts in the Fringe. Behind closed doors, plans were shifted away from the project to focus on terminating both the prototype and the thief. Typical U.S.C.M. mentality of "If we can't have it, then no one can." Referenced Technologies (Optional): Hammerspace is used to better-explain the concept, while the tech itself relies on the principles behind Teleportation lore. Oh also ENDI scanners. Attainability: Semi-Closed. While the concept isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility, there is currently only one-known prototype: whether it still works or not is unknown ((This will quickly change to Open once some IC shit happens. Probably.)) Tags: What are tags Category: Transportation
I'm going to have to give this a recommendation of a fail for several reasons. The first is just that you never elaborated on the potential risk of "daisy-chaining" multiple of these together. You said it's risky but not why or what would happen if this perceived risk is realized, and that's important. The second is just that it's a bit of a loophole toward devices we already have (Hammerspace modules), that we put certain limitations on for balance purposes, like the effect of the object's weight being present in the device it is packed into. That's there for a reason and I'm sorry to say that circumventing it would make this a bit overpowered, as you can basically have a pocket-minigun with no weight disadvantage. This doesn't have to be grabbed mid-combat for it to be overpowered; you can just walk into a separate room making no attempt to conceal anything, wait a few seconds, and walk back out wielding a minigun that wasn't there a few seconds ago. The last is the power supply. This is a hammerspace teleporter essentially. Teleporters are typically seen as quite high on the scale of energy usage. No compact battery would ever be able to power a teleporter regardless of its size especially if it can still beam in heavy machinery the size and weight of a minigun. The effort you put into this is appreciated, but in execution, I feel like it would be a bit much. It does something we already have very useful technologies for but this one is better than all of them in every way to a point of being sort of unbalanced.
Appreciate the feedback. I see your point, and I'll be dragging this back into the workshop for more re-tooling. Ended up rushing this out to try and initiate an arc. While the original concept was to take Hammerspace and shift around pros/cons, I realize I ended up coming up far too short on cons, from a balance-POV.
