skywalker 2008-2-28 10:11
翻译征集：异域生物之莫依格诺
Moigno，我暂且称之为莫依格诺，这种数学生物是一种完美的圆形的二维生物。说到这里，也许各位Bloods and greybeards禁不住大叫道：“Bar That,ya Barmmiest Barmies,生物怎么可能是二维的？！？”
而多元宇宙无奇不有，总是给我们带来惊奇，虽然有些人在看到魔冢后就昏倒了，但真正的强人总是勇于发现多元宇宙的真理吧，加入秩序兄弟会罢。现向各位强人征集翻译此生物。
好吧，先介绍一下，这种生物其实分为两种虚数的与实数的，而实数又分为有理数与无理数．而很多贤者认为虚数莫依格诺是祖宗，也是最强的，这种即存在又不存在的生物对大多数人来说是一个谜．而无理数莫依格诺所追求的是最精确的圆周率与永不重复的无理数，一般我们所称的莫依格诺即指他们．而其弟弟有理数莫依格诺，则着迷于离散数学计算，也是最弱的一种，其唯一的攻击方式是数字目盲术，但习惯于打打杀杀的各路强鸟一般都算不出其喷出的一长串议程式，而按其智力高低瘫痪数轮．强吧．先说到这里吧，具体由数学较好的灰胡子们来为我们介绍罢．
译文要求：
１. 题目下，请注明出处，原作者，译者（数学要好点，因为数学不好的根本无法与其交流）．
２. 行文要求流畅，尽量符合原文意思．
３. 请不要再开贴，译好后直接贴在下面，或ＰＭ给我．有问题也在下面跟贴提出来，以便大家共同研究解决．
４. 最好的译文得２０金龙,２威望,所有译者得１０金龙．因为龙堡的威望控制得比较严格，大家是有目共睹的，人家翻译一个短中篇也才３威望．
５. 截止日期３月１０日，最好的译文单独开一贴．而这将是多个译文的综合之精华，我希望．谢谢大家的支持．
６. 只找到虚数与有理数莫依格诺的资料，如有哪位达人有无理数的请发给我，先谢过．
[color=darkorange][size=4]Moigno, Rational [/size][/color]
(text by Jon Winter, art by Jeremiah Golden,MMC)
(c.f. Irrational Moigno in the PoL PSMC, p.24)
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Mechanus
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANISATION: Solitary or matrix
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Numbers
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional (15-16)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral
________________________________________
NO. APPEARING: 1, 4 or 9
ARMOUR CLASS: 4
MOVEMENT: Fly 24 (A)
HIT DICE: 9, 4, or 1
THAC0: N/A
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Special
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENCES: +1 or better weapons to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%
SIZE: Small (1' diameter)
MORALE: Elite (13-14)
XP VALUE: 450
[attach]2364[/attach]
Rational moignos are two-dimensional beings, and a basher who doesn't know much about maths will never be able to spot the difference between rational and irrational variants. A graybeard who knows his integrals from his differentials will easily be able to recognise the different mathematical terms from which the rational moigno is comprised; all of the equations that rotate around the body of a rational have real, discrete solutions (unlike those or an irrational, which give recurring or ambiguous answers).
COMBAT: The rational moigno's only attack is that of number-blindness. If threatened, the rational moigno can spray out a massive string of equations which dazzle and confound an attacker. Creatures with intelligence, should they fail a saving throw versus spells, are paralysed for a number of rounds equal to their intelligence. If a victim passes his save, this number is halved. Rational moignos do not generally try to kill adversaries, preferring to flee, but if the moigno is accompanied by more violent creatures, the victim may be in rather more danger. Creatures of animal intelligence (1) or lower are not affected by the number blindness attack, but since moignos are impossible for most predators to eat, this doesn't normally cause them too many problems.
The number of rational moignos encountered has implications on their statistics. If only one of them is met, it has maximum hit dice (9). If a matrix of 4 (2x2) are encountered, each has 4 hit dice, and if the maximum number, 9 (a 3x3 matrix) are present, they have only one hit dice each.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: The irrational moigno is the species most commonly referred to as a "moigno". These two-dimensional creatures are obsessed with finding the most accurate values of pi and other irrational (never-ending, never-repeating) numbers like e and the square root of 2. They've been discussed before, and far be for me to repeat that here.
These sibling equations, the rationals, are less concerned with the infinite task of probing irrational numbers, and revel more in the day-to-day challenges of discrete mathematical calculation. They're not often seen by planewalkers because they're kept busy zipping around the cogs and crankshafts checking they're rotating correctly according to the accepted physical laws. When modrons decide to built or reposition a cog, a small army of rational moignos are called upon.
The problem with these creatures -- who're able to interact with mortals far more readily then their irrational brothers (while their "speech" invokes all sorts of mathematical terms, they understand more mundane language too) -- is that they're unbelievably dull. A rational moigno will count anything, from the number of words a basher utters, to the number of buttons on his boots, and the number of hairs on his head. And they'll share all of this "fascinating" information with anyone and everyone who'll listen.
ECOLOGY: Rational moignos multiply their numbers by long division (sorry, an old modron joke, there). When the time is right (something to do with a factor of their age being equal to some prime number) the living equation undergoes a process which produces three smaller moignos. The parent moigno technically no longer exists, being replaced by these equation children (called derivatives by those who know).
Rational moignos play an important part in the smooth running of the newly-built portions of Mechanus. Prior to the appearance of moignos on the planes, the modrons found it very difficult to expand their realm by building cogs, and instead they had to claim and conquer neighbouring platforms. Now they have the mathematical know-how to construct and integrate new cogs with the surrounding plane, their empire-expansion is that much less aggressive, and even a little faster. Other than in this role of voluntary subservience to the modrons, rational moignos play no real part in the ecology of Mechanus.
It's though that the rational moignos were first created by irrationals who were fed up with having to do mundane calculations for the modrons. Over the centuries, numbers of rationals has increased dramatically, leaving the irrationals the time they need to calculate pi, a far more worthwhile goal in their "eyes". In fact, they have so much time these days that numbers like e or root two have become targets too; they're not the "holy grail" that pi itself is, but they're still useful numbers, and excellent proving grounds for young moigno still honing their skills ready for the day they're ready to consider calculating pi.
[color=darkorange][size=4]Moigno, Imaginary [/size][/color]
(by Jon Winter, art by Jeremiah Golden,MMC)
________________________________________
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Mechanus
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANISATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Unknown
INTELLIGENCE: Unknown
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral
________________________________________
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS: 10
MOVEMENT: Fly 24 (A)
HIT DICE: 1 hp
THAC0: N/A
NO. OF ATTACKS: N/A
DAMAGE/ATTACK: N/A
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Limited wish
SPECIAL DEFENCES: +1 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: None
SIZE: Small (1' diameter)
MORALE: N/A
XP VALUE: 250
[img]http://mimir.net/monsters/moignoimaginary.gif[/img]
Many cutter find it a hard concept to grasp, but really the imaginary (or complex) moigno doesn't exist. "Oh, so they're just a legend then", scoff the less-than-bloods. Actually, no. A cutter is just as likely to encounter an imaginary moigno as a real (rational or irrational), but that doesn't mean they are actually there.
See, some mathematical problems have answers that can't be easily explained away. The square root of four is two, right? So what's the square root of minus four? A number that when it's multiplied by itself gives a negative number...now that just ain't possible using any numbers that are real, but there's still an answer. Imaginary two.
So we have a number that doesn't exist, which when you multiply it by itself does. Does your head hurt yet? Well, think of it like this: two negative numbers multiplied together give a positive one. Two imaginary moignos multiplied together give a real one, too.
In fact, some graybeards reckon that all moignos start out as imaginary -- just figments in some mathematician's mind, and only when two meet can they interact and manifest themselves in the physical world. Well, that's as maybe, but it still doesn't explain how you can see imaginary ones, does it? Well, whatever its origin, the complex moigno has an imaginary component. Perhaps it's easier to think of a complex moigno as a living phantasm, or a purely illusionary creature? Well, whatever the truth, the complex moigno certainly has great dominion over the imagination of creatures it comes into contact with, and the physical reality of the location where it comes into non-existence.
When a moigno (or any sufficiently advanced mathematician) gets into a tight spot, there's a chance an imaginary moigno is created. These impossible creatures spontaneously appear, altering the local physical laws in a bizarre way that is always convenient for their creator. This allows the mathematician to give his foes the slip, call forth a convenient ally, or solve a tricky equation. There are also complex magical incantations that set up the correct equations to allow the formation of an imaginary moigno.
COMBAT: The imaginary moigno plays little part in combat situations, other than allowing its creator to temporarily bend the laws of reality. In game terms, the calling forth of an imaginary moigno allows the mathematician responsible to make a limited wish. To do this, the cutter must make an intelligence check at -4; failure means the wish is twisted in some way to harm the berk. That's not due to malice on a part of the moigno, but more an imperfect understanding of imaginary mathematics. If the limited wish is made successfully, the moigno shimmers and collapses in a puff of imaginary logic. Clearly, it's not a task to be undertaken lightly.
When they're not destroyed by wishes, imaginary moigno are highly telepathic, and tend to use psionic powers like they're going out of fashion (200 PSPs, Score 17; when all PSPs are used the moigno ceases to "exist" again). The bad news for psionicists, however, is that since the complex moigno isn't actually real, it's nigh-on impossible to contact or fight -- when feeling threatened, the moigno simply turns its imaginary face towards the attacker and ceases to exist! The only way to harm a complex moigno is to surprise it in its "real" state and wound it before it has a chance to cease existing.
Fortunately, the imaginary creatures are unable to cause physical damage (except by psionic powers like psychic crush or through illusions like shadow monsters), but they can use an effect like the wild magic spell there/not there once per round. This isn't wild magic per se (that doesn't work on Mechanus), and has no danger of causing a wild surge, but the effects are virtually identical. The complex moigno can control exactly what appears or disappears and when. If pressed, a complex moigno can use this power to topple arches or trees onto enemies, drop them into pits and so on. Complex moigno are nothing is not imaginative!
Imaginary moigno can also cast illusion spells as if they were wizards of 14th level, even on Mechanus (this breaks the usual restriction).
If struck or harmed in any way by a magical weapon or spell before the wish can be made, a paradoxical situation occurs as real and imaginary interact. A small implosion of energy occurs, causing 3d6 points of damage to both the attacker and the moigno's creator, wherever they may be. Non-magical objects do not affect the moigno, since it does not really exist.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: Existing for only short periods of time (no complex moigno is known to have survived for more than a few hours before returning to non-existence), the imaginary moigno can only interact with reality in a very small way! Real moignos know of the existence of imaginaries and frequently make use of their short-lived brothers when confronted by a dangerous situation. Mortal spellcasters, mathematicians and heirarch modrons can all invoke imaginary moignos, as can Signers who have an intelligence of 14 or greater, up to once per week. Cutters are warned against overusing imaginary moignos, however, for there is a cumulative 5% chance per calling that the creator is struck by a paradox backlash, for 5d6 points of damage and if a save versus magic is failed, flung into a random neighbouring plane.
Complex moignos realise they're the only illusions on Mechanus, and this seems to both please and trouble them. The little equations surround themselves with layers of deceit and counterintuitive logic, but it's not known why. It's almost like they're guarding some great secret...speculation ranges from the location of portals to their imaginary dimension, to them being the minions of some exiled power of Mechanus.
ECOLOGY: Not even existing when called forth (and note this can only happen on Mechanus anyway), the imaginary moigno has little impact upon the plane as a whole except when its creation is used to alter reality.
Since they do not exist, imaginary moignos cannot reproduce (and nobody knows where they go when they are destroyed). However, if two imaginary moignos should interact with each other they can combine to create a new real moigno -- whether this creature is rational or irrational depends on the nature of the equations used to create the imaginaries. This additional method of reproduction is most often used by moignos who need to increase their numbers quickly to perform an especially challenging calculation in a hurry.
Imaginary moignos give less than a flying fig about the value of pi from what it seems. In fact, they're usually none too happy about being dragged into reality. As any Signer will tell you, it's a lot more fun to be imaginary than real!
Naturally-occurring imaginary moignos (as opposed to ones called forth by a mathematician's calculations) are rare creatures indeed. Chant goes that they pop in and out of reality, often in pairs, and just as quickly disappear again in a puff of logic. Perhaps, graybeards reckon, they're the spawn of some barmy Signer mathematician's addled imagination. Imaginary moigno are always curious, and want to learn everything they can about beings they meet. They do this by simple observation (usually from an unseen and virtually undetectable vantage point, as they're slightly out of phase with reality at the best of times), but also using ESP and psychic probing.
Some graybeards reckon that the imaginary moigno are the real reason illusion magic fails on Mechanus. Perhaps the illusionary moigno drained the magical flux of its potential for illusions long ago, or maybe the plane itself reacted to their presence by preventing any further wizards using illusions. In any case, the complex moigno are the only known creatures on the plane able to use illusion and phantasm magic.
The diet of complex moigno is unknown; perhaps they subsist on magical energy, or maybe since they're not real they don't need real nourishment. In any case, nobody's ever observed a complex moigno eating. As you'd imagine, a creature that doesn't exist doesn't really contribute much to the ecosystem either!