Klein bottle

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Klein bottles are multidimensionally twisted containers in which matter cannot enter. You can use them to capture escaped spells.

On April 10, 2011 the Klein bottles were completely changed to the current version.

Usage

Klein bottles are involuntarily made by George as shown below upon ordering a bottle. This creates a mystical link between the one who ordered and the Klein bottle.

When made, a Klein bottle is a magical talisman which needs to be bonded by a witch to the user so it can be held. You need to be the one who ordered the Klein bottle or you still won't be able to hold it.

You can then catch energies with the bonded (closed) Klein bottle and a blue funnel.

Once filled with enough energies they become stat items while held.

  • It gives +1 of intelligence when the energy in the bottle is described as one of:
    • small waves
    • eddying currents
    • turbulence
    • whirlpool
    • maelstrom
  • It gives +2 of intelligence when the energy in the bottle is described as one of:
    • tempest
    • vortex
    • impossible chaos

It is possible to hold 2 charged Klein bottles at once, but this reduces your stats as per combining stat items rules when you try to use any 2 stat items or more at once.

Spell containment

To catch escaped spells, you need to hold a (closed) klein bottle and you must hold a blue funnel, which is not a weapon.


The Library in the Unseen University has one of the highest concentrations of escaped spells.


It is possible to tell how much energy has been captured inside the bottle by looking at the line before the talisman line. For example:

Not quite inside, but within the glass itself, you can see a tempest of pure red energy.

For both substantial spheres of 50 or 60 headspace, the steps are:

  1. a tiny swirl of pure blue energy.
  2. small waves of pure blue energy.
  3. a turbulence of pure blue energy.
  4. a whirlpool of pure blue energy.
  5. a tempest of pure blue energy.
  6. an impossible chaos of pure blue energy.

By looking at the klein bottle you can see how filled up with energy it is. The classification is as follows:

Capacity used Description Intelligence modifier
5 - 25 barely noticeable wisp of <colour> energy
30 - 55 a tiny swirl of <colour> energy
60 - 85 ripple of <colour> energy
90 - 115 small waves of <colour> energy +1
120 - 145 eddying currents of <colour> energy +1
150 - 175 a turbulence of <colour> energy +1
180 - 205 a whirlpool of <colour> energy +1
210 - 235 a maelstrom of <colour> energy +1
240 - 265 a tempest of <colour> energy +2
270 - 295 a vortex of <colour> energy +2
300 - ? an impossible chaos of <colour> energy +2
 ? - 310 + The Klein bottle explodes!

The unit used for capacity is headspace units, 5 times the thaums released when the spell is cast.

The gp usage of capturing a spell energy is four times the spell size of the escaped spell, so you can keep track of the capacity on point as well!

You gain in experience up to 15 times the gp you spend on capturing.

You can capture at least 5 substantial spheres in the same Klein bottle.

Mixing different spell types results in Klein Bottles of mixed colours, and has not visibly affected the rest of their appearance or their stat boosts so far.  research If this has been marked on a page, it's because there was something that probably isn't known, that the person who edited the page thinks could be found out. Perhaps you could figure this thing out, and be famous evermore. 

Aside from Pure Red, Green, and Blue, spell mixes have produced Deep Pink, Light Pink, Vibrant Pink, Magenta, Light Violet, Lime Green, Turquoise, Royal Blue, Neon Blue, Medium Blue, Amethyst, Indigo, Crimson, Coral, Steel Blue, Pale Green, Cream, Gold, Powder Blue, and Aquamarine. Due to marginal successes on Capture Skillchecks, the exact spell size ratios of some of these colors is unknown, but known ratios of spell colours for bottle colours are listed in the table below.

Red Green Blue Colour
4 0 3 Deep Pink
4 3 3 Light Pink
4 11 8 Turquoise
4 11 3 Lime Green
1 2 Deep Violet
1 3 Indigo

It has been hinted a long time ago that Klein bottles filled with energy forms might be used as energy source or component in future spells, but that was when the first implementation of the Klein bottles came in game. It is unclear if this is still planned.

Opened bottle

Attempting to capture an escaped spell with an open Klein bottle will cause the spell to immediately be released into the room again. The spell will not attack you and can be recaptured once the bottle is closed.

If you open a Klein bottle containing escaped spells up to three of the spells will escape into the room peacefully. If there are more than three spells in the Klein bottle, three will be chosen at random to be released and the others will be lost. The resulting message varies depending on how many spells were contained within the bottle. Once released the spells may be recaptured.

The released energy shifts and combines to form an echo of its original spell.
A substantial sphere of energy is released from the confines of your Klein bottle.
You open the Klein bottle.

The released energies shift and combine to form echos of their original spells.
Three large orbs of energy are released from the confines of your Klein bottle.
You open the Klein bottle.

While some are lost, most of the released energies shift and combine to form echoes of their original spells.
Three large orbs of energy are released from the confines of your Klein bottle.
You open the Klein bottle.

While most are lost, some of the released energies shift and combine to form echoes of their original spells.
A moderately-sized ball of energy and two substantial spheres of energy are released from the confines of your Klein bottle.
You open the Klein bottle.

Trying to drink, sip or taste the bottle is the same as opening the bottle, nothing more.

Decay

There seems to be some decay of the energies even while they are caught in the bottle. Something like a level over a week.  research If this has been marked on a page, it's because there was something that probably isn't known, that the person who edited the page thinks could be found out. Perhaps you could figure this thing out, and be famous evermore. 

Explosion

Trying to add energy that would put the Klein bottle over its capacity causes it to explode, dealing around 340 hp of damage, or possibly 15% of your total or remaining hit points research If this has been marked on a page, it's because there was something that probably isn't known, that the person who edited the page thinks could be found out. Perhaps you could figure this thing out, and be famous evermore. 

The maximum safe capacity seems to be around 300 of head space.

A maximum of 3 energy forms are released at the time of the explosion that seem to be a third of what the bottle contained.

l bottle

This is a mind-bendingly paradoxical Klein bottle which has the revolutionary property of not being able
to hold anything at all on account of having no volume.  A student discovered the ingeniously intricate shape at
the back of a lecture theatre, as he was trying to make a paper giraffe out of thaumic funnel paper.  This one,
however, has been skilfully blown from glass.
Not quite inside, but within the glass itself, you can see a vortex of pure red energy.
It has the hazy octarine sparkle of a magical talisman.
It is in excellent condition.
It is closed.

l sphere

A writhing mass of pure energy; it darts around in sudden fast moving jumps.  You cannot make out any
substance from the hazy blur - it moves around far too much to be certain of anything.  Except that it looks
unhappy.
It is in good shape.
It is tracing a red pattern in the air.

capture energy in klein bottle with blue funnel

You confidently position the blue funnel between the Klein bottle and the substantial sphere of energy.  From your
deep understanding of magic, you recognise it as energy released from the spell "Mother Feelbright's Busy Bees". 
You aim the blue funnel squarely at the energy and begin capturing it.

Wispy tendrils extend from the substantial sphere of energy, attracted through the blue funnel and into one of your
Klein bottles.  As the last of the tendrils are captured, the substantial sphere of energy vanishes with a "Pop!".
You stand up.
Unable to withstand the pressure of so much energy, the Klein bottle explodes!
An arc of pure red energy surges through your body as the bottle's contents are released.
Hp: 1919 (2258) Gp: 222 (422) Xp: 2586645
While most are lost, some of the released energies shift and combine to form echoes of their original spells.
Three substantial spheres of energy swirl up from the broken shards of glass.

Thrown

Throwing; Thrown filled bottles used to sometimes explode in a fireball but this didn't seem to deal any damage. (Needs retest)   research If this has been marked on a page, it's because there was something that probably isn't known, that the person who edited the page thinks could be found out. Perhaps you could figure this thing out, and be famous evermore. 

Combat

There has been reports of people trying to fight while holding a Klein bottle that said the bottle often breaks even while fighting and parrying only with the hand holding a weapon.

Herding the Shades while holding a Klein bottle and no weapons (thus fighting unarmed) is probably not a good idea:

You punch at the lumbering troll but her skin absorbs most of the blow.
You lose your grip on the Klein bottle and it falls to the ground.
The Klein bottle breaks!

How to get one

At the glassblower George on Cunning Artificers in Ankh-Morpork a bit west of Short Street.

The bottles cost $2.50 and the colour chosen seems to be irrelevant to the final product.

You need to raise the background thaums to about 50-60 before requesting a bottle, which will drain some thaums from the room. You are aiming for the background thaums to be "There is the residual taste of magic in this place". This can be done by casting spells such as OTF and CIPS or smashing a thaum crystal in his room.

If you are a witch or wizard George should give it to you. This creates a mystical link between the one who ordered and the Klein bottle that prevents others from holding it.

If you're not a magic user then George will hide the Klein bottle and just give you whatever you ordered.

The Klein bottle weighs 4/9 lb.

request bottle made from violet glass
You hand some coins to George.
George retrieves a glass bulb from the box.

George gets to work blowing the glass bulb into a bottle.
George puts the bulb into a metal container.
George puts the container in the furnace.
George waits until the bulb is molten glass.
George dips a metal tube into the container.
George removes the container from the furnace and allows it to cool a little.
George says: I make and sell all kinds of bottles and other glassware.  Please read the sign for prices.
George pulls the tube and the glass bulb from the container, but something doesn't look quite right.
George holds the tube into the furnace and blows till his cheeks turn red.
George forms a big bulbous shape at the end of the tube which distorts the space around it like a fishbowl lens!
George works the tube into the shape of a bottle.  All the while it twists and pulls the fabric of the world into itself!
George waits for the bottle to cool.

George looks at the bottle thoughtfully.
George says: It's the magic that does it, messes around with stuff.
George says: But I guess you'd know more about that than me, being one of them witches.
George asks: It's not exactly what you ordered but maybe you could find a good use for it?
George exclaims: Nothing wrong with my bottles, despite what they say!
George says: Anyway, like the sign says, "No Refunds!", so you might as well.
George exclaims: I'd be very careful with it though, looks extremely fragile!

George hands you the transparent Klein bottle.

The beauty of the Klein bottle is captivating, and as you focus on the intricately twisted glass, a mental link is formed between you and it.  For just an brief instant you experience a tantalising glimpse into extra dimensions before the connection is suddenly broken by a thaumic backwash.

George says: There you go!  Good luck finding something that'll fit in that.
George grins mischievously.

l bottle

This is a mind-bendingly paradoxical Klein bottle which has the revolutionary property of not being able to hold anything at all on account of having no volume.  A student discovered the ingeniously intricate shape at the back of a lecture theatre, as he was trying to make a paper giraffe out of thaumic funnel paper.  This one, however, has been skilfully blown from glass.
It has the hazy octarine sparkle of a magical talisman.
It is in excellent condition.
It is open.

The thaumic backwash seems to drain all your GP.

Members of the non-magical guilds get this instead:

George mutters something about wizards ruining his work.
George says: I think there might be one I made earlier back here though, one moment please.
George hides the warped and twisted piece of glassware behind the counter and begins to rummage through some boxes.
George says: Ah good, I thought so.
George hands you the fern green bottle.
George exclaims: There you go!  Thanks!

See also

Obsolete data

Filing cabinet.gif Old content for this page has been archived, and can be found at the following locations.
Klein bottle/Archive 1Klein bottle/Archive 2

To see the information about the old Klein bottles see the Archive.