Aberrant RPG - Mega-Mental & Mega-Social Feats

[Sprocket]

The idea is possible, but some rewording is required. As it is, it sounds like a fluff/color descriptor for high dot-rating Mega-Charisma.

How's about "Make baselines treat you like a superstar by the sheer force of personality alone"?

If nothing else, it'd be a shoo-in for the M-Cha 10 feat slot.

Re: the M-Per mini-chart-

We're only lacking ideas for dot ratings 7, 8 & 9 on this one, folks. Suggestions?

[Alex Green]

How's about "Make baselines treat you like a superstar by the sheer force of personality alone"?

Take out the word "superstar" and put in "god" and we're there.

[Sprocket]

WTH, I'll go with it. Any easy way to fill out a 10 dot rating caliber feat is worth it. ::laugh

Mega-Charisma

• 1 dot: x.

• 2 dots: Usurp a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant from a baseline with the Influence Background.

• 3 dots: x.

• 4 dots: Baseline humans intent on killing you will stop to let you talk with them first.

• 5 dots: x.

• 6 dots: You can shake people out of manias and depressions by force of personality alone.

• 7 dots: Render a baseline human willing to sacrifice his or her life for you after a single conversation.

• 8 dots: x.

• 9 dots: x.

• 10 dots: Make baselines treat you like a living god or goddess by sheer force of personality alone.

[metaphysician]

I really don't think you'd need Mega Charisma 10 to make humans treat you as a deity.

[Alex Green]

Make baselines treat you like a superstar by the sheer force of personality alone.

I think this works for a Mega-1 thing.

RE: Mega-10

Maybe we could put some more description in there? Everyone you meet treats you as a god before you open your mouth?

[Psilord]

M-CHA: World superpowers will wage war to gain your favor.

Now thats mega 10. Think of the way R.Regan brought congress to its knees by the force of his charismatic appeal to the nation's voters, and he was just a baseline.

Others:

You will be found innocent of even the most heinous crimes because you're so likeable, despite overwheliming evidence of your guilt.

Experts in their field will defer to your opinion, no matter your lack of knowledge, just to be liked by you.

Baselines will spend a significant portion of their annual wage just to do the things you like to do, or have the things you like to have. Yes, you ARE that important to them!

Professional poker players will fold winning hands just to keep from upsetting you.

[Sprocket]

Re: The current batch of M-Cha suggestions-

Points taken, I'll see about re-pegging the "superstar" feat & pegging the others appropriately.

[metaphysician]

Mega Charisma: "Baselines will kill themselves, or allow you to kill them, if you ask it of them."

[Sprocket]

Re: The Mega-Charisma mini-chart-

Well, if these feats are all plausibly pegged then this mini-chart is finished. Two down, eight more to go...

Mega-Charisma

• 1 dot: Make non-hostile baselines treat you like a superstar by force of personality alone.

• 2 dots: Usurp a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant from a baseline with the Influence Background.

• 3 dots: Make baselines spend a significant portion of their annual wage just to do the things you like to do or have the things you like to have. Yes, you ARE that important to them!

• 4 dots: Make baseline humans intent on killing you stop to let you talk with them first.

• 5 dots: Make professional poker players fold winning hands just to keep from upsetting you.

• 6 dots: Shake people out of manic and/or depressive states by force of personality alone.

• 7 dots: Render a baseline human willing to sacrifice his or her life for you after a single conversation.

• 8 dots: Make yourself be found innocent of even the most heinous crimes because you're so likable, despite overwhelming evidence of your guilt.

• 9 dots: Make baselines kill themselves or allow you to kill them if you ask it of them.

• 10 dots: Make world superpowers wage war in hope of gaining your favor.

Re: The Mega-Perception mini-chart-

It wouldn't take much to finish this one off as well. Suggestions?

Mega-Perception

• 1 dot: Listen to 10 different musical compositions simultaneously while being able to distinguish each clearly.

• 2 dots: Perceive colors as well as the most visually acute Chromatics.

• 3 dots: Smell what baselines consider "scentless" substances with ease.

• 4 dots: Move about while fully blindfolded with no difficulty by feeling variations in the light reflected off surrounding objects on your skin.

• 5 dots: See a television image as a beam scanning over the screen if the watcher concentrates.

• 6 dots: Locate a given type of restaurant by the scent of its cuisine from across a medium-sized city.

• 7 dots: x.

• 8 dots: x.

• 9 dots: x.

• 10 dots: You are automatically aware of anything of interest to you within the operating range of your senses that is qualitatively detectable by your available senses. Excess sensory input is no obstacle, even on the scale of sensing everything in the entire world at once.

[Forge]

Mega-Perc

Listen to conversations from the recent past by discerning the faint echoes still bouncing around.

Able to distinguish differences between exact copies of anything, be it a song, photocopy, or reproduction.

[Sprocket]

Listen to conversations from the recent past by discerning the faint echoes still bouncing around.

::huh Sonic physics isn't my strong point, but wouldn't interference from other sounds & the relatively quick loss of sound volume make this unworkable? It's a cool idea, but it sounds more like a form of psychometry than superhuman hearing. What do you folks think of it?

Able to distinguish differences between exact copies of anything, be it a song, photocopy, or reproduction.

I can see this being workable at M-Per 6. So at M-Per 7, this could be accomplished without any notable effort. I think we'll be using this one.

[Rorx]

::huh Sonic physics isn't my strong point, but wouldn't interference from other sounds & the relatively quick loss of sound volume make this unworkable? It's a cool idea, but it sounds more like a form of psychometry than superhuman hearing. What do you folks think of it?

Yep, not physically possible. The sounds would dissipate too quickly as well as the interfereence from all the other sounds in the area.

[Alex Green]

Maybe an enhancement considering how loose physics is with these sorts of things...

[Rorx]

Maybe an enhancement considering how loose physics is with these sorts of things...

Maybe, but I doubt it. If you did I'd limit it to only a matter of turns in the past, and with big penalties for ambient noise and movement in the area.

[Forge]

::huh Sonic physics isn't my strong point, but wouldn't interference from other sounds & the relatively quick loss of sound volume make this unworkable? It's a cool idea, but it sounds more like a form of psychometry than superhuman hearing.

I don't see how it couldn't be Mega Perc 9, seeing how 10 allows you to be aware of EVERYTHING on the planet all at once without getting it all confused.

Yep, not physically possible.

But all the other things in aberrant are? ::confused

Maybe, but I doubt it. If you did I'd limit it to only a matter of turns in the past, and with big penalties for ambient noise and movement in the area.

As to the extra noise interferring...isn't it sort of understood that people with mega-P are able to filter out the background noise and concentrate on whatever they are focused on? Otherwise I can see Mega-P fast becoming more of a hindrance than a bonus, imagine the first time you sat on a public toilet.... ::blink or walked through a crowd for that matter.

Plus I said recent past, not last year. That decision could be up to the storyteller, not that it matters really, once you are getting up to having stats at Mega 9 or 10 is there anything you couldn't really do if you wanted it?::tongue

[Rorx]

I don't see how it couldn't be Mega Perc 9, seeing how 10 allows you to be aware of EVERYTHING on the planet all at once without getting it all confused.

I haven't checked the post, too lazy at this time of my local night/morning, but I remember it saying/implying that at 10 they were aware of everything within their senses range/capability. After all if you don't have Bloodhound Enhancement even at 10 you should have a lower ability, without EM scan you shouldn't be looking through walls etc.

As to the extra noise interferring...isn't it sort of understood that people with mega-P are able to filter out the background noise and concentrate on whatever they are focused on? Otherwise I can see Mega-P fast becoming more of a hindrance than a bonus, imagine the first time you sat on a public toilet.... ::blink or walked through a crowd for that matter.

I wasn't concerned with them being able to differentiate between different sounds, that's assumed, as you rightly say. I was referring to the fact that sound is carried by the motion of molecules in the air (generally, but could be any fluid that your ears or audio sensors can respond to), successive sounds in the same area will force those same molecules to have a different motion and so destroy the information that you hope to obtain.

[Forge]

• 10 dots: You are automatically aware of anything of interest to you within the operating range of your senses that is qualitatively detectable by your available senses. Excess sensory input is no obstacle, even on the scale of sensing everything in the entire world at once.

I haven't checked th e post, too lazy at this time of my local night/morning, but I remember it saying/implying that at 10 they were aware of everything within their senses range/capability. After all if you don't have Bloodhound Enhancement even at 10 you should have a lower ability, without EM scan you shouldn't be looking through walls etc.

The second half of the description is what I was referring to.

I wasn't concerned with them being able to differentiate between different sounds, that's assumed, as you rightly say. I was referring to the fact that sound is carried by the motion of molecules in the air (generally, but could be any fluid that your ears or audio sensors can respond to), successive sounds in the same area will force those same molecules to have a different motion and so destroy the information that you hope to obtain.

I see your point, and even understand the mechanics of it, but we are talking about levels of power that are nigh-plausible anyway. Today's level of technology can take recorded sound from a crowded restaurant and filter it down to a single conversation despite all the interference and other sound causing it to become discordant. I find it well within the realm of belief of upper levels of Mega Perception that they could hear recent echoes and make out conversations. If you need to shorten the timespan from a vague 'recent past', then attach a 24 hour time limit. *shrug*

If it doesn't fit in the feat chart, that is fine, but to say that it is impossible for someone at a Quantum 8 (assuming this was pegged at Mega Perc 9) to duplicate an effect of Pretercognition (lvl 3 Q min 4) with their Mega-Perception is just down-right silly, at least IMO.

[Sprocket]

Re: "sonic psychometry"-

My, that's quite a bit of debate for this thread. ::biggrin I'll be happy to use whatever feat you guys hammer out from Forge's first idea. As to his second, I've placed a modified form of it in the M-Per 7 slot.

Mega-Perception

• 1 dot: Listen to 10 different musical compositions simultaneously while being able to distinguish each clearly.

• 2 dots: Perceive colors as well as the most visually acute Chromatics.

• 3 dots: Smell what baselines consider "scentless" substances with ease.

• 4 dots: Move about while fully blindfolded with no difficulty by feeling variations in the light reflected off surrounding objects on your skin.

• 5 dots: See a television image as a beam scanning over the screen if the watcher concentrates.

• 6 dots: Locate a given type of restaurant by the scent of its cuisine from across a medium-sized city.

• 7 dots: Without making any real effort distinguish differences between exact copies of anything, be it a song, photocopy or reproduction.

• 8 dots: x.

• 9 dots: x.

• 10 dots: You are automatically aware of anything of interest to you within the operating range of your senses that is qualitatively detectable by your available senses. Excess sensory input is no obstacle, even on the scale of sensing everything in the entire world at once.

[Rorx]

If it doesn't fit in the feat chart, that is fine, but to say that it is impossible for someone at a Quantum 8 (assuming this was pegged at Mega Perc 9) to duplicate an effect of Pretercognition (lvl 3 Q min 4) with their Mega-Perception is just down-right silly, at least IMO.

Maybe I'm missing the point of these feats then, I thought it was flavour text to give some idea of the general ability of that level of Mega-Stat, I see no reason that they should duplicate or exceed an Enhancement or Power that other people have to pay points for. Indeed they may have paid points for them themselves earlier in their development, then as they get greater stats they find they have wasted points because their Enhancements/Powers are superceeded by their increased stats, that they also had to pay for. I can't see many players being happy with that.

[Alex Green]

I don't have a problem with this at M-Per 9 (or even 8 for that matter). As for it duplicating powers and the like, while there's a little overlap, there's not much. Pretercognition does let you do much the same thing... *anywhere*. This would force you to actually be there, and it'd be limited to "recent" stuff. And considering the horrendous difference in their costs, i.e. Q9, 9 dots in M-Per, that's not a lot.

Speaking of M-Per, as I recall Scripture could "listen to Mother Nature" or something like that. It was implied it was a pure M-Per ability, but off hand I don't remember the details.

[Sprocket]

Speaking of M-Per, as I recall Scripture could "listen to Mother Nature" or something like that. It was implied it was a pure M-Per ability, but off hand I don't remember the details.

::huh I always thought that that referred to either his using Quantum Awareness (APG pp. 127-127) or possibly Animal/Plant Mastery with the Nature Mastery Extra.

Re: Sonic "psychometry"-

This would force you to actually be there, and it'd be limited to "recent" stuff. And considering the horrendous difference in their costs, i.e. Q9, 9 dots in M-Per, that's not a lot.

Since we've established that the level of sonic interference would be a huge factor in this, how do you see the effect AFA how recent the conversation would have to be? I could see a "range" of hours in a quiet place like an empty building, & a "range" of seconds in a noisy office.

[Alex Green]

Since we've established that the level of sonic interference would be a huge factor in this, how do you see the effect AFA how recent the conversation would have to be? I could see a "range" of hours in a quiet place like an empty building, & a "range" of seconds in a noisy office.

The heck of this is that echoes *don't* generally cancel or interfere with each other. Mechanically they're still there, it's just that most people can't pick out one person talking to another across a football stadium where everyone else is doing the same thing (that'd be another interesting ability for this btw).

So I'd put the whole thing under ST's whim depending on his judgment.

[Rorx]

Re: Sonic "psychometry"-

Since we've established that the level of sonic interference would be a huge factor in this, how do you see the effect AFA how recent the conversation would have to be? I could see a "range" of hours in a quiet place like an empty building, & a "range" of seconds in a noisy office.

It's not just subsequent noise in the area. How well echoes are formed in an area is a function of the hardness and smoothness of the surroundings. The best duration would be in something like an empty steel-lined room, the worst would be in a noisy, thick carpeted plushly furnished room with lots of people inside.

[Sprocket]

Re: Sonic "psychometry"-

The heck of this is that echoes *don't* generally cancel or interfere with each other. Mechanically they're still there, it's just that most people can't pick out one person talking to another across a football stadium where everyone else is doing the same thing (that'd be another interesting ability for this btw).

So I'd put the whole thing under ST's whim depending on his judgment.

It's not just subsequent noise in the area. How well echoes are formed in an area is a function of the hardness and smoothness of the surroundings. The best duration would be in something like an empty steel-lined room, the worst would be in a noisy, thick carpeted plushly furnished room with lots of people inside.

AFAICT, it sounds like "the particulars are the ST's call, but here are a few rough guidelines" may be the best solution if we're going to use this feat. I could write up a polished version pretty quick, but would the resulting feat be pegged at M-Per 8 or 9?

If anyone has a different idea for either of those slots, it'd be no trouble to peg this as either dot rating.

[Forge]

You can see the wind... ::cool

[Alex Green]

If anyone has a different idea for either of those slots, it'd be no trouble to peg this as either dot rating.

Seperating conversations. I.e. not only can you listen to everyone in a football stadium, but you can pick out one conversation, or even make sense of them *all*.

[Rorx]

Seperating conversations. I.e. not only can you listen to everyone in a football stadium, but you can pick out one conversation, or even make sense of them *all*.

The former comes in at about 6 (I think something like that was previously mentioned/discussed) and the latter is already covered under the M-P 10 feat.

[Sprocket]

Re: See "invisible" air currents/distortions-

You can see the wind...

That reminds me of something from the recent Incredible Hulk movie novelization. In it, the enhanced Emil Blonsky was able to see the air distortions caused by a pair of sonic cannons, which couldn't be seen be the average human. Something along the lines of "See even the tiniest 'invisible' air currents/distortions with ease" could work for M-Per 8. Does that sound about right to you lot?

[Alex Green]

Not sure, sounds a lot like Blindfighting.

[Forge]

Not sure, sounds a lot like Blindfighting.

I agree that it sounds similar to the second part of the description of Blindfighting, but to me the enchancement seems geared specifically towards combat where the feat as Sprocket has written is much more broad.

Also, Blindfighting refers to being able to do things without penalty regardless of your ability to see things, whereas this feat would allow you to basically see the movement of tiny particles due to disturbances, be they the changes in temperature that cause wind, something more like a visual sonar or whatever happens to be causing a 'disturbance in the force.' ::wink

This feat would not necessarily allow the nova to interpret exactly what they are seeing unless they had the respective knowledge to do so, while Blindfighting does grant that ability.

[metaphysician]

Mega Wits: Ignore distraction penalties of up to your Mega Wits rating. This only applies to penalties, not to split action, so driving a car while talking on a cell phone would work ( the latter does not require a dice action ), while driving a car while shooting a gun wouldn't.

[Sprocket]

Re: See "invisible" air currents/distortions-

Not sure, sounds a lot like Blindfighting.

That's comparing apples & oranges AFAICT. Blindfighting is for fighting in total darkness, when blindfolded or when one's eyes are rendered nonfunctional. The feat I'm talking about depends on a fluid's capability to bend visible light - atmospheric gases are fluids, just less dense than liquids. No light, no feat.

Re: New M-Wits feat idea-

Mega Wits: Ignore distraction penalties of up to your Mega Wits rating. This only applies to penalties, not to split action, so driving a car while talking on a cell phone would work (the latter does not require a dice action), while driving a car while shooting a gun wouldn't.

I'll have to check, but wasn't there an enhancement in AB:Brainwaves that already does this?

[Alex Green]

That's comparing apples & oranges AFAICT.

Fair enough.

[Sprocket]

Re: The last 2 M-Per feats-

Since the debate over these two ideas seems to have ended, I've hammered them out & pegged them into the M-Per feat mini-chart. If they pass review, we'll only have 4 more mini-charts to deal with.

Mega-Perception

• 1 dot: Listen to 10 different musical compositions simultaneously while being able to distinguish each clearly.

• 2 dots: Perceive colors as well as the most visually acute Chromatics.

• 3 dots: Smell what baselines consider "scentless" substances with ease.

• 4 dots: Move about while fully blindfolded with no difficulty by feeling variations in the light reflected off surrounding objects on your skin.

• 5 dots: See a television image as a beam scanning over the screen if the watcher concentrates.

• 6 dots: Locate a given type of restaurant by the scent of its cuisine from across a medium-sized city.

• 7 dots: Without making any real effort distinguish differences between exact copies of anything, be it a song, photocopy or reproduction.

• 8 dots: See even the tiniest "invisible" air currents/distortions with ease.

• 9 dots: Listen to nearby conversations from the recent past by discerning the faint echoes still bouncing around. The particulars of how well this works are left to the Storyteller's discretion but influential factors include how well the nearby surfaces reflect echoes (hard & smooth works better than rough & soft) and the subsequent noise at the vicinity.

• 10 dots: You are automatically aware of anything of interest to you within the operating range of your senses that is qualitatively detectable by your available senses. Excess sensory input is no obstacle, even on the scale of sensing everything in the entire world at once.

Re: New M-Wits feat idea-

Turns out that the "ignore distraction penalties" idea has already been used in the "Total Concentration" enhancement for Mega-Intelligence (from Aberrant: Brainwaves). Nice try, though.

[Sprocket]

Re: M-Wits feats mini-chart-

Since there doesn't seem to have been any objections to the "finished" M-Per chart, let's move on to the one for M-Wits feats. Currently, the chart in question is as follows:

Mega-Wits

• 1 dot: Without having to pay attention, walk through a crowd of oncoming pedestrians without ever being jostled or touched.

• 2 dots: x.

• 3 dots: x.

• 4 dots: x.

• 5 dots: Retain your composure in the face of a credible, immediate opportunity to acquire your Heart's Desire.

• 6 dots: x.

• 7 dots: x.

• 8 dots: x.

• 9 dots: x.

• 10 dots: x.

Ideas, folks?

[metaphysician]

-It is impossible to ambush you without superhuman abilities

-You can read two ( or more ) books or viewscreens simultaneously

-Mundane social skills can no longer effect you against your own will

[Alex Green]

Can predict/finish other people's sentences by looking at their faces.

[Sprocket]

Re: New M-Wits feat ideas-

Now this is a nice start. Thanks, folks! ::happy

Mundane social skills can no longer effect you against your own will.

Sounds like M-Wits 2 AFAICT, or is it M-Wits 3 the point where multiple base Attributes (good ratings in base Appearance, Manipulation & Charisma used in tandem) cannot overcome it?

You can read two (or more) books or viewscreens simultaneously.

This one also sounds to be on the low end of the scale. I'm calling it as M-Wits 2 or 3, depending on how the previous feat is pegged.

It is impossible to ambush you without superhuman abilities.

This one's definitely of a higher caliber. Considering the capabilities & resources of the U.S. Navy SEALs (for example), I'd peg this at M-Wits 5. M-Wits 4 might be plausible, though.

Can predict/finish other people's sentences by looking at their faces.

At first glance, I'd peg this at M-Wits 4. I know people can be *very* predictable, but this could border on some telepaths' annoying habit of not letting others finish speaking before answering them. Lots of fun.

[Forge]

-You can write speeches that make even Ben Stein awe-inspiring.

-You can predict actions up to three turns in advance.

-You can separate truth and falsehoods from even the most grey communication.

-The stock market is your play thing.

[Rorx]

This one's definitely of a higher caliber. Considering the capabilities & resources of the U.S. Navy SEALs (for example), I'd peg this at M-Wits 5. M-Wits 4 might be plausible, though.

This sounds more like a Perception thing, unless you mean they mentally react so fast that they effectively cannot be surprised by a baseline? If so I have to wonder about sniping from say a klick out, would that still the benefits of surprise?