Activity for James‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	Symbiotic Assassin Vines I have an idea for an encounter in my world that goes like this... A weary group of adventurers are trekking through a great ancient forest. This forest is avoided by most due to strange tales of the forest attacking travelers. Undeterred, the stalwart group of heroes delves into the foreboding wi... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Would there be any major disadvantages for a species to have six legs instead of four? Interesting question, Sleipnir approves. The short answer is, it sort of depends on your creature's body design. From the reading it sounds like you are describing something that would function similarly to a centaur...possibly. It's also possible that the creature would travel on all six legs wit... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Question	—	Solar recycling or: How to keep your star from dying I was in the shower the other day thinking about the sun going Nova, you know...like you do, and a thought occurred to me: Could you turn the sun into a stable, mostly closed system? Some details of the universe in question: The actor in this case is a type II civilization They have colonized 5... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Question	—	Shatoum: The Granite Citadel I have a location in my story, the design of which needs a reality check. City Description: As my ship cut across the waves a blurred grey smudge appeared in the distance, as the hours passed it became more distinct and it's true scope came into view. As we neared the end of our voyage a g... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	How to create an annual celestial event for a world Yesterday while Green, Andy and I were recording new episodes for the podcast we stumbled upon a bit of a problem that we need someone with physics/astronomy knowledge to help out with. We want to create an annual astronomical event for the sake of one of our species hosting a once per year festival... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What would the impact of 2 suns have on the development of humanoid ocular organs? How would the human eye have developed differently on a planet with two suns? One sun will be a yellow star functionally the same as Sol and the other will be a red dwarf. The planet will be earth-like and orbit around both stars. I am curious about the impact to: Eye and component part size E... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How do we create an Anemone Tree? Those of you who have been listening to the new podcast will know that Andy came up with an idea for an Anemone Tree. The idea is that this "tree" would prey on small animals for some of its needed nutrients. In a vein similar to the Anatomically Correct Series we would like some help making this t... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	A lone mountain without volcanism? A lone mountain on a plain is powerful visual setup and one I would like to use in my world. My concern at this point is that I don't want this location to be volcanically active, now or in the past. Is it possible for such a mountain to come into existence without volcanic activity? Any combinati... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Question	—	Naturally occurring phenomena allowing for hallucinations or "visions" So I am working on a concept for a location, wherein a sort of oracle will exist. This oracle will in no way be super natural rather the strange behavior of the oracle (a human for the sake of the question) will be the result of interaction with some naturally occurring chemical/compound. The plac... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	A realistic option for enclosing a geographic area So in many games you have regions that are bordered on all sides by impassible geography of some sort or another. This has always bothered me as necessary but also acts as a reminder to pull you out of the fantasy. I am looking for some real world examples of geography that could fit the bill and b... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	The impacts of the Moon's limited gravity on the design of a Moon city's transportation network In the near future mankind could well permanently settle on the Moon. Whether for research or mining or just good old fashioned novelty is irrelevant. The colony includes: Large domed structures for farming and recreation. The largest dome on Earth (according to Wikipedia) is the Singapore Nat... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Is it possible to have a volcanic planet that is survivable by a human? I am working on a story where ships are tricked and crash land on a volcanic planet due to some sort of electromagnetic interference. The survivors of the landing essentially become gladiators on a planet fighting for survival. I doubt it is possible but I am curious as to whether it is possible ... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Question	—	How long would it take a region to geologically settle down after a major cataclysm? So in my story/world I have a region that is straight up destroyed...demonic magic is nasty stuff. So we have rings Ring 1 (1 is in the middle) This ring has a diameter of about 200 miles. At this range things got real real bad. The land that was here was completely gone, either ejected into t... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Question	—	Are there logical gaps in the periodic table in which you could insert a new mystery element for use as a fuel? As in the title. We have the modern periodic table: In a potential near (or far) future setting humanity discovers a new element which serves as the basis for a cleaner, higher energy density fuel than anything we have today. How this element is found is irrelevant, I don't care if it came fro... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Question	—	Lemmings, making the myth the reality So we all know that Lemmings are known for following blindly to their death but that is not the reality. I would like to create the myth in the real world, or rather I would like to know how such a creature could be created via evolution. Creature must be a vertebrate Creature must be at least a... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Question	—	The really really big mountain So in many a fantasy world mountains, or in some cases a particular mountain that play an important role in the story. Maybe it's the seat of the gods or hosts a hidden Shangri La, you get the idea. Often times one mountain stands alone (a la Erebor) or one mountain stands significantly taller th... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Question	—	Making doomsayers right - a moon(s), planet alignment that matters Considering our topic challenge, and the fantastic eclipse last Sunday a question came to me. Could there be a stable (relatively speaking) planetary system where a(n) eclipse/alignment would actually make a noticeable difference on an earth like planet? The eclipse/alignment should cause one or mo... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Question	—	Can you add a mini moon to Earth? So we have had multiple questions on having multiple moons and this is another. I did check and didn't find questions that covered this specific setup. I have an earth-like world I am working on, including a similar moon. In my world I would like to add a second smaller moon that is about half th... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Question	—	Targeting cities with meteors So this was done in Starship Troopers and I am curious if it is realistic for interplanetary warfare. The idea is that aliens launch meteors at major metropolitan areas...and it ends poorly for those cities...like, they're gone. In this specific scenario aliens are using asteroids from our asteroid... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	The limits of human biology: atmospheric tolerances (#1) This is the first question in a series on the physical limits of the human body. The intent of this series is to, illustrate the upper and lower limits of human biology for the purpose of building worlds on which they can (or cannot) survive. Other Questions: (obviously this will get updat... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	A world with far more mobile continents? On earth our continents move...real...real slow. This is of course a good thing for sentient life. I am trying to imagine/develop a world where...things move a bit faster...ok a lot faster, but in a regular pattern that doesn't generally result in two plates ramming into each other...the idea is th... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	What single element could destroy the world? What single chemical element (get out your periodic tables) could most efficiently destroy all life on the planet. Restrictions: Natural elements only, and no anti-matter...nice try. Looking for the element that a mad scientist would need the least of to wipe out all vertebrate life. How much woul... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	A city of Sand...stone Picture this...the sun sets over an orangish red desert, in the distance you see a town rising from three hills, a river snaking between them. The buildings rise from the hills and spread between them. Atop the highest hill sits a magnificent cathedral that rises above the rest of the city, its red... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	Can telepathy and telekinesis exist in biological creatures? I would like to create a sentient creature with telepathy and/or telekinesis. Can either (or both) of these concepts exist biologically? If yes, what would the biological mechanism be? Would a specialized organ of some sort be needed and how would it interact with the rest of the body? How stro... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	A Human Hunter with Sonic Powers? As part of Fortnightly topic challenge #3: Creature Design I am looking for a realistic way to create a particularly nasty creature. What I would like: A creature that is capable of emitting a sonic 'noise'...maybe wave is a better term This ability should allow the creature to render higher orde... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	How would multi-race humanoid evolution happen? If we were to pull the following races out of a D&D players handbook and remove them from the setting/history of Faerun and look at them from a biological/non-magic perspective (no other planes of existence, no Fey realm etc etc etc) Human Elf Halfling Gnome Dwarf Orc Half Elf Half Orc I feel it ... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Question	—	Restoring the world after a global apocalypse So the world has been destroyed. Pick your poison. We have probably 300 different scenarios lying around here somewhere. What's Left: The world is a desolate wasteland, dry and crispy and barren Temperatures are significantly higher (Greenhouse gasses) Wildlife is all but wiped out (something al... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Question	—	Scientifically Plausible Reincarnation? Is it scientifically plausible for reincarnation to exist? When I think of reincarnation I am thinking of the following: Memories, personality, biases, opinions and feelings carry over from one life to the next I am NOT thinking about an afterlife, as in returning to life as a better or worse kind... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Question	—	Does an earth-like planet have to have Ice Ages? When you look at the history of earth, the last ice age had major impacts on the flora and fauna of the world as well as biological migration. If I am creating an earth-like world and am developing a history for it, does that history need to include ice ages? Are they a forgone conclusion in the wa... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Question	—	How does the age of a planet impact terrain? As the title suggests, what happens to a planet geologically and geographically over time? This question came to mind from the many sessions of Civilization I have played where when you set up a custom game, "World Age", measured in I want to say millions of years, is an option. But this got me thi... (more)	—	about 10 years ago