Tainted Atmo

[Badbru]

TNE's World Tamers Handbook has a d10 table for determining atmospheric taint composition. Two results are duplications thus you get eight possible taints, of which only four carry the notation (F)-requires filter mask.

This suggests that atmospheric taints we're not expected to allways require masks.

In addition there are numerous adventures set on Tainted atmosphere worlds throughout the history of Traveller where the authors and the artists fail to take taint into account. This could merely be laziness or lack of forethought on their part, or they may have considered it a taint that did not require masks. Vampire Fleets jumps to mind as the most easily remembered example. None of the societies there, with the exception of the sentient council -who wouldn't need them-, have the technology to make filter masks! nor is the taint mentioned or any art work shown of masked characters. When I ran Vampire Fleets I had the taint as an allergen.

 

[parmasson]

How about a Helium taint? Raises everyone’s voice an octave?

 

[Laryssa]

What if the taint is only the smell of rotten eggs universally all over the planet? Its like going through some parts of New Jersey when the wind is blowing the wrong way, only you can't get away from it. Volcanoes are constantly belching this foul odor, it doesn't kill you but in makes life on this planet unpleasant. Also when you move to other planets from this one, people notice this foul odor all about you as if you just farted.

So would a planet that reeked of foul odors count as one with a tainted atmosphere?

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Badbru:
TNE's World Tamers Handbook has a d10 table for determining atmospheric taint composition. Two results are duplications thus you get eight possible taints, of which only four carry the notation (F)-requires filter mask.

This suggests that atmospheric taints we're not expected to allways require masks.

Quite so. Not all taints require filter-mask equipment!

In addition there are numerous adventures set on Tainted atmosphere worlds throughout the history of Traveller where the authors and the artists fail to take taint into account. This could merely be laziness or lack of forethought on their part, or they may have considered it a taint that did not require masks. Vampire Fleets jumps to mind as the most easily remembered example. None of the societies there, with the exception of the sentient council -who wouldn't need them-, have the technology to make filter masks! nor is the taint mentioned or any art work shown of masked characters. When I ran Vampire Fleets I had the taint as an allergen.

I recall that from running VF myself, Badbru! I used one a similiar allergen that took a decade to gain immunity, and caused shortness of breath.

I do concur with your view that most of the adventures written unless they specified the affects, this atmospheric aspect of the world's "alien-ness" got overlooked more often than not.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Kurega Gikur:
Here is a little something.

A microorganism that naturally occurs in the air causes a pimply rash after 2d6 hours of exposure. Continuous exposure causes respiratory irritation and swelling of the mucous membranes. Any TL-10 anti-infection agent will repress the effects. After several years of exposure humans can develop a immunity.

Fritz88 wrote But, it gets in your air circulation system when you land. Giving everyone a bad case of hives and allergies after they go into jump.......

I like the delayed reaction affect! NOW..if the planet had no orbital port, and landing WAS a must..

you gents are on the ball!

my hat off to you both!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Kurega Gikur:
How about a Helium taint? Raises everyone’s voice an octave?

"Squeek-squeaker-squeeken squeek!"
[trans.] "I owe you an acorn!"

LOL--Good example of a gaseous taint Kurega! I like it!!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Laryssa:
What if the taint is only the smell of rotten eggs universally all over the planet? Its like going through some parts of New Jersey when the wind is blowing the wrong way, only you can't get away from it. Volcanoes are constantly belching this foul odor, it doesn't kill you but in makes life on this planet unpleasant. Also when you move to other planets from this one, people notice this foul odor all about you as if you just farted.

So would a planet that reeked of foul odors count as one with a tainted atmosphere?

IMHO,
yes.

We had a GM who took us to such a place on the far side of the Reft, a water world, with shallow seas, and the major agro-aqua-product was kelp--seaweed, which was farmed, dried and prepared in open air fashion--not to mention the smell was everywhere!

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Originally posted by Laryssa:
With every breath you take you taste oranges.

Just so long as it's not almonds!

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Originally posted by Kurega Gikur:
How about a Helium taint? Raises everyone’s voice an octave?

And, folks who are "native" to that world would compensate (adapt) in their vocal cords. They would sound normal (within normal hearing parameters, anyway) on the planet, but their voices could be almost subsonic in normal atmo.

(BTW, any visitors would ultimately need a filter mask - breathing that stuff for too long makes you very hoarse, IIRC....)

 

[SanDragon]

Helium is also an asphyxiant. It displaces oxygen in the bloodstream.

 

[Anthony]

Buh? No, helium is just a neutral gas. You can asphyxiate from breathing in helium and talking, but that's because you're not breathing in air, not because of any special trait of helium.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Yes, and it would still be a gaseous atmospheric taint, asphyxiant though it be.

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
Yes, and it would still be a gaseous atmospheric taint, asphyxiant though it be.

No, it wouldn't be. Helium is a neutral gas, there's no need to filter it out, it won't cause you any harm other than possibly drying you out or chilling you quickly, neither of which are really helped by a filter mask anyway. The reason breathing in helium is dangerous is that it contains no oxygen -- which means the taint is 'low oxygen', not 'helium'.

 

[Malenfant]

Would you even get helium near the surface if you had other, denser gases (eg O2, CO2, N2) there? You'd have to have some serious vertical atmospheric mixing going on to get it to the surface since it'd want to be at the top of the atmosphere due to its very low density.

 

[Anthony]

I doubt mixing would be a problem; gas giants don't have any problem mixing various gases.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Not even from a gas giant moon, atmo 2? thin tainted? If the mixture were higher than say earths, this is not considered a taint? Hmmm.

 

[Malenfant]

Helium isn't a chemical taint because it's inert - it's not something you need to filter out otherwise your lungs would be corroded or something. It's not biological either obviously. The proportions of it in the atmosphere wouldn't matter - it only kills you because you die from oxygen starvation, not helium overdose.

 

[Anthony]

Assuming you don't have 15+ atmospheres of helium, at least; eventually high pressure nervous syndrome becomes a problem (this is known because of divers; heliox (He/O2) or trimix (He/O2/N2) is used for some deep dives. Of course, at that point you have atmosphere type A or worse.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Thanks Mal, Anthony. Appreciate the sharing of your knowledge! (on gases, this time)

Hmm so overabundance of He = Atmo A type. Alrighty. Not a problem.

There goes the helium accented idea though...

 

[Plankowner]

Also, since Helium is has such a low molecular weight, it will be easy for it to escape from most worlds. One of the main reasons we don't have helium in Earth's atmosphere is the gravity. Gas Giants have a much higher gravity and can keep gasses with low molecular weight. Temperature comes into it to, but I am talking about Habitable Zone worlds.

If you want Helium in your atmosphere, you are going to have to use a world with a large size (A+) or come up with some good reason for the presence of Helium where it shouldn't be.

While Helium may not be a taint in your atmosphere, it could make for everyone talking funny, which is a good role playing idea, even if they don't have to wear a mask.