NEMA Reactor

A Nuclear-Enhanced Mana Area (NEMA) reactor is a nuclear fission reactor whose radiation output is partially shifted from hard radiation to magical energy. It generates one ordinary Power Point and an additional Power Point that can only run magic-powered systems.

A NEMA reactor creates a very high-mana area in its core. The core is too “hot” to safely work in (400 rads/hr), but the high-energy oz particles produced can be transmitted along Ectite-shielded palladium-core power transmission cables with some appreciable loss. Oz particles are subatomic carriers of magical energy.

NEMA reactors use fissile necronium as a fuel source. Necronium is a toxic radioactive metal that can be produced artificially using nuclear breeder reactors. Necronium is also a supernova remnant metal and may be found naturally in rare quantities.

The primary disadvantage of a NEMA reactor is that a critical reactor meltdown can blow a hole in reality or release marauding demons.

History

The blueprints for the experimental prototype NEMA reactor originate from a large database known as the Terran Archives. This database is stored on the planet Byte and is owned by Stavros Solomon. It is not accessible to the general public and is only open to qualified researchers. Requests for data from the archive can take up to a year to process and may cost over $100 per kilobyte of data retrieved.

Ten years ago, nuclear engineer Malachi Foyle purchased a large amount of data from the Terran Archive in the course of performing research on gravitational anomalies. Within this data were references to a mysterious Promethean Foundation, an organization funded by wealthy patrons and devoted to the scientific study of magic. Foyle spent thousands of dollars and most of the decade digging further into this mystery, eventually purchasing the blueprints for the NEMA reactor. He took a position at an isolated research station near Gith and constructed the reactor in his spare time.

Foyle assumes the reactor is working, but cannot be certain. He is not a magician, knows almost nothing about traditional magic, and therefore has no real way of knowing if the reactor works. The reactor is constructed such that it produces normal power as well as magical power. Foyle has measured the output of the normal power and found it to be as expected. His equipment however is incapable of measuring the output of magical energy.

Ancient history that can be discerned from the NEMA data: During the 1960s physicists identified the subatomic carrier of magical energy, dubbed the oz particle. The only known source of oz particles was a rare element of extraterrestrial origin. OSI initiated a project to develop a synthetic analogue to this element. In 1975 the first prototype NEMA reactor was developed, using fission-synthesized palladium as a fuel source.

Power Siphoning

Mages or psis can draw power (as FP) directly from any power plant that provides magical or psi Power Points, respectively. This does not require a spell or ability, but the user must remain in contact with a power outlet in a control station within either the power plant or the engine room. Mages can draw up to (HT × 0.7 × Magery squared) FP per second; those with Magery 0 draw HT/3 FP per second. Round up. Psis use the same formula, replacing Magery with their best psionic Talent. This FP only powers supernatural abilities; it cannot replenish the user’s personal points.

On a small ship, or if many users are siphoning power at once, this fully uses one or more Power Points. Divide the ship’s weight in tons by four; round up. This is the maximum FP per second that each Power Point can provide. Up to 1/20 of this amount can be siphoned away with negligible effects – some lights dim and flicker. If more is used, the engineer must treat the users as a high-energy “system,” allocating one or more Power Points to them specifically for the purpose of siphoning.

Note: Extensive exposure to magical energy may cause device damage in unhardened electronics.