Telescope Making I (sage ability)

Telescope Making is an amateur-status sage ability enabling the character to fashion a refracting telescope. This includes a mirror and frame that can be mounted. The best design possible is the "harbour telescope," which is 48 in. long, having a magnification of 25x. Telescopes of this kind are used for identifying ships arriving at port, as it will read the flag atop the sails as the ship crests the horizon.

Lesser telescopes can also be designed and made. A telescope equal to modern binoculars would have a magnification of 10x to 12x.

Construction Time

The time needed to construct a telescope is 1 week, +1 day per 1x of magnification desired. The resulting length of the telescope will be 10 in. per 8x magnification. For example, a 14x telescope would require three weeks to make and would be 17½ in. long. A harbour telescope would require more than 5 weeks.

These figures are a matter of gaming convenience; they're not meant to accurately describe the real time needed to make a telescope in the 17th century, as exact figures for different lengths and magnification aren't available.

Use

The type of telescope that's made is a refracting telescope. "Magnification" indicates the apparent diameter of the object being viewed. Thus, the moon appears to the naked eye to be the size of a coin held at arm's length. A harbour telescope expands this dimension 32 times, becoming as wide as 32 coins placed side-by-side. This enables the viewer to obtain considerable detail of the moon's surface.

A tiny flag at a great distance can therefore be recognized. Messages can be sent via flag if it's known someone with a telescope is watching. Additionally, size and type of siege weapons can be seen, watching as they're loaded; ships can be seen adjusting their sails; the number of enemy can be virtually counted. A distant light above the curvature of the earth can be recognized for what it is.

See Also,
Astrological Chart
Astronomy & Astrology
Natural Astronomy