2013/04/19 [DMFA #1395] LEEROOY!

[Mao]

(and apologies to all those who aren't terribly interested - I'm just getting sidetracked...)

I'd say.

I have to admit, that last panel made me giggle insane amounts.  Seriously.  The big eyed look of excitement over the chance for a battle just makes me love her as a character.  I'd say she's the sort who, assuming she wasn't trying to eat or kill me, would be a blast to be around as I'm certain everyday would be an adventure.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Is there really enough difference between .50 and 25mm to require a different barrel?

25mm is about double the bullet diameter of .50 cal, so I'd say yes.

Oh, yes. Now I've had some sleep, I've realised I was thinking 25.4mm to the inch, so 0.5 inches is about 1cm, which is 25mm...


... spot the deliberate mistake in my maths there. ;-]

[Prroul]

The first time I heard of a 25mm sniper rifle, I though they were talking about the 25x137mm round instead of the 25x59mm round.   A semi-automatic rifle chambered for the 25x137mm would probably make Kria's eyes light up with joy.

By the way, both the .50 caliber and 25x59mm rounds come in explosive and incendiary versions.

'explosive' and 'incendiary' do not mean what Hollywood thinks they mean.

An explosion as we just witnessed would need a significant payload. Either there was explosives or combustibles under pressure already on board which was ignited, or the spell in question had the explosive payload equivalent of an RPG or mortar round.

Speaking of mortar rounds, the spell itself may well have been an indirect-fire effect, particularly if it was being sighted in through scrying/divination magic.

[Amber Williams]

An explosion as we just witnessed would need a significant payload. Either there was explosives or combustibles under pressure already on board which was ignited, or the spell in question had the explosive payload equivalent of an RPG or mortar round.

To be kind of fair regarding my incompetence...one should probably keep in mind I don't know a lot about how explosions work and there is a 90% chance I google referenced the word explosion to get a visual idea of how to try to make one.

[nguard]

Fyi- 25mm (approximately 1" dia projectiles) are usually explosive projectiles. .50 BMG (12.7mmx108) are usually nonexplosive kinetic projectiles.

And now that you mention it, what exactly is the yield strength for demon hide anyway? I recall there being comments that demons and angels can make their skins "diamond hard", which I should think is excessive.

for example: Good steel armor plate 1/8" that can stop .30 cal bullets typically has a Young's Modulus of 29000 ksi, (kilopounds per square inch) while diamond can have a Young's Modulus well north of 145000 ksi.

* in a scary GLaDoS like voice* "Lets catch a demon and do some testing!"

[Prroul]

An explosion as we just witnessed would need a significant payload. Either there was explosives or combustibles under pressure already on board which was ignited, or the spell in question had the explosive payload equivalent of an RPG or mortar round.

To be kind of fair regarding my incompetence...one should probably keep in mind I don't know a lot about how explosions work and there is a 90% chance I google referenced the word explosion to get a visual idea of how to try to make one.

Eh, the explanation is simple... 'It's Magic'. Heck, basic D&D fireball has a 20' radius burst upon impact with a potential range of several hundred meters. Magic might adhere to its own laws and rules, but they don't necessarily need to conform to the laws of physics and thermodynamics which we currently comprehend. It need not conform to payload requirements that conventional munitions require, if for no other reason than the arcane energy invested in the spell might offset the balance.

Remember, for all attempts to try and parse a magical effect, there is an equal and opposite 'A Wizard Did It!'.

[Keleth]

ALso keep in mind almost all explosions from movies tend to be Gasoline explosions, even if the thing causing said explosion was definately -not- gasoline based.

Throw a concussive grenade? The magic of hollywood makes it a gasoline explosion!

Egg exploding in miicrowave? Gasoline Explosion!

There is a reason for this, and it's that general public tends to reconize the fireballs with gasoline explosions to visually be more appealing/reconizeable as an actual explosion, and it's pretty. And who says no to setting things on fire? I sure don't!

[Prroul]

ALso keep in mind almost all explosions from movies tend to be Gasoline explosions, even if the thing causing said explosion was definately -not- gasoline based.

Throw a concussive grenade? The magic of hollywood makes it a gasoline explosion!

Egg exploding in miicrowave? Gasoline Explosion!

There is a reason for this, and it's that general public tends to reconize the fireballs with gasoline explosions to visually be more appealing/reconizeable as an actual explosion, and it's pretty. And who says no to setting things on fire? I sure don't!

Oddly enough, it's very difficult to make gasoline explode like that. Normally it simply burns. To get it to explode like that, you need to have largely the fumes in a pressurized container, then add spark.

[LionHeart]

It's an extension of the "Every Car Is A Pinto" trope. All Hollyweird explosions are required to be accompanied by a huge fireball.