Aberrant RPG - Aberrant RPG Quantum Power: Reincarnation

[Matt]

Reincarnation

Level: 3

Quantum Minimum: 5

Dice Pool: Charisma + Reincarnation

Range: Special

Area: N/A

Duration: Special

Effect: Character can reincarnate herself in a new body to avoid death; details depend on the technique used.

Multiple Actions: No

Description: For most novas, death is pretty much the same thing as it is for baselines - the end. A few novas have learned how to sidestep that insurmountable obstacle, although it's a risky process. Reincarnation allows a nova to avoid her own death by transferring her mind out of her current body and into another. The nova's power rating sets the rate at which nova's new body will become fully "operational" in terms of her nova capabilities. Whenever the Storyteller feels that the nova's circumstances are appropriate - the details will vary with the technique used - the nova can spend 3 quantum points to roll Charisma + Reincarnation. If the roll is successful, the nova can spend 1 permanent Willpower point to abandon her previous body and inhabit a new one. If the roll fails, the quantum points are wasted and the nova remains stuck in her dying body. If the roll botches, the nova dies permanently right then and there. A nova with Reincarnation will only have one of the following techniques in order to cheat death, with the technique chosen by the nova's player with the Storyteller's approval.

Central Nervous System Transplant

Range: Touch

The nova reincarnates herself by somehow physically transferring her central nervous system into the body of a living baseline human. The nova must be touching her intended new host body for the transference to work, although the Reincarnation roll will be made with a +2 difficulty penalty due to the victim's struggling and thrashing about. Steps such as sedating the host body and/or physically restraining him/her can eliminate this penalty. The benefits of this technique are that the nova will usually be able to pick and choose her new host bodies from her potential victims. In this way the nova can not only choose the gender and ethnicity of her new incarnation but can set up her new incarnation as her legal heir, allowing her to retain certain Backgrounds like Resources that would otherwise be lost. Also, the nova's new host body will gain full nova capabilities within (10 - power rating) days. The major drawback to this is the potential for tissue rejection, as inhabiting an incompatible host body will cause it to die within (12 - permanent Taint) months. Other drawbacks include the possibility of the nova being forced by circumstance to inhabit an undesirable victim in order to survive and the nova's assured death if there are no available host bodies within range at the time of the Reincarnation roll. Finally, if successful using this form of Reincarnation can and will be considered as murder of the baseline victim.

Clone Reserve

Range: (Quantum + power rating) x 1,000 kilometers

The nova has one or more "empty" clones of herself in hibernation (as per the Suspension enhancement) for her to inhabit as needed, and may keep a maximum of (power rating) cloned bodies on hand. As the cloned bodies are highly accurate duplicates of the nova's original body, there will be no real difficulty in retaining any Backgrounds that would otherwise have been lost. Also, the cloned body will have full nova capabilities upon awakening. The drawback is that the technology required for human cloning is expensive, although no life support devices will be required for the cloned bodies to remain viable. Novas using this form of Reincarnation must have the following minimum ratings: Mega-Intelligence 1, Science 5, Medicine 5 and Resources 5. Producing a cloned body is treated as creating a gadget, with 30 successes being required. It should be noted that in the early part of the Nova Age the process of cloning complete human bodies is still somewhat buggy and subtle genetic flaws in cloned neurology are not unknown. During the production process the Storyteller makes all the rolls in secret, and depending on the dice results can impose anywhere from 3 to 6 points of temporary mental Taint on the nova if she decides to inhabit the flawed clone. Finally, if none of the nova's cloned bodies are within range (or have been destroyed) when the nova makes her Reincarnation roll, she will die permanently.

Possession

Range: (Quantum + power rating) meters

The nova can reincarnate herself by "possessing" the mind of a hapless baseline, whose mind (and soul, if one believes in such) will be destroyed if the nova's possession is successful. The benefit of this is that the nova may pick and choose from her potential victims, although she may be forced to possess an undesirable victim due to circumstance in order to survive. The major drawback to this technique is that reincarnation through possession is a very slow process, and one that can be interfered with through esoteric means. Upon being possessed by the nova, the victim will suffer from the equivalent of Multiple Personality Disorder (properly known as Dissociative Identity Disorder). The possessing nova will only have access to her own non-physical Traits and nova capabilities (as per the Parasitic Possession form of the Dominate power). Once a week, the possessing nova can pit her Willpower in a resisted action against that of her victim, with the loser's effective permanent Willpower reduced by 1 point. If the victim is reduced to zero permanent Willpower in this way, his mind (and soul) are destroyed and the nova takes over his body, which will gain full nova capabilities in (10 - power rating) hours. With the Storyteller's permission, the possessing nova may manifest some of her physical Traits and nova capabilities once her victim has been reduced to 50% (rounded up) of his normal permanent Willpower. Ironically, there are ways for other people to aid the victim against the possessing nova. Telepathic combat, Inspired technology, and even appropriate religious rites (such as voudoun ceremonies or exorcism) can be used to engage the possessing nova in a resisted Willpower roll at any time. If her foes are successful, each point of effective permanent Willpower they cause her to lose will be transferred to her victim. If the possessing nova is reduced to zero permanent Willpower in this way, she will die permanently and her victim will be restored to his full permanent Willpower rating. Other drawbacks include the expected loss of most Backgrounds tied to her previous incarnation (such as Resources and Backing), unless the nova takes steps to somehow retain them. If there are no suitable victims in range for the nova to possess, she will die permanently instead of reincarnating. Finally, if successful using this form of Reincarnation can and will be considered as murder of the baseline victim.

Rebirth

Range: (Quantum + power rating) x 1,000 kilometers

The nova can reincarnate herself as the unborn child of a random pregnant baseline woman who is within range of her old body, and will be reborn as an infant within (power rating - 6) weeks, down to a minimum of 1 week. The number of successes the nova gains on her Reincarnation roll will indicate how desirable her new incarnation's parents and living situation will be in her opinion. If the nova gains five or more successes, she can even choose the gender of her new incarnation. Otherwise the Storyteller has full control over the details (such as ethnicity) of the nova's new incarnation, and can either choose them or determine them randomly. While the nova must go through physical childhood and adolescence all over again, fortunately the process will be somewhat abbreviated. For every 2 dots of Reincarnation possessed by the nova (rounded down), she will effectively gain 1 level of the Accelerated Maturation enhancement (Aberrant: A Breed Apart, pp. 49-50). Until maturity is reached, the nova will also have a variant form of the Adolescent/Child Flaw (Aberrant: A Breed Apart, p. 51) that will not limit her Intelligence-based Abilities and provided no freebie points. The nova's full quantum capabilities will be regained (10 - power rating) hours after her rebirth, although her base Strength and Stamina will be limited as per the Adolescent/Child Flaw. The other drawbacks are those usually associated with reincarnation; namely the loss of Backgrounds tied to her previous incarnation unless steps are taken in advance to retain them, and the nova's assured death if there are no suitable women within range for her to be reborn to when she makes her Reincarnation roll.

Renovation

Range: (Quantum + power rating) x 1,000 kilometers

The nova can reincarnate herself by "taking over" the body of a newly-deceased or brain-dead baseline. The choice of the new host body cannot be influenced by the nova in any way, and is under the Storyteller's control. The number of successes the nova gains on her Reincarnation roll will indicate how desirable her new incarnation's situation will be in her opinion. For example, waking up in the body of someone who is being given quality medical care is preferable to waking up on the autopsy table or in a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere. Worst-case scenarios of this kind would include waking up in the body of someone who had died from being tortured or experimented on. Once the nova wakes up in her new body, she will regain her full nova capabilities in (10 - power rating) hours. This is good, for the nova's new body could easily be in a condition of ill health and/or physical atrophy, leaving her physically helpless until full nova capabilities are regained. The drawbacks are those usually associated with reincarnation; namely the loss of Backgrounds tied to her previous incarnation unless steps are taken in advance to retain them, and the nova's assured death if there are no suitable host bodies within range for her to inhabit when she makes her Reincarnation roll.

Extras: Affects Novas (Requires Quantum 6 - If applicable, the nova's Reincarnation technique may be used on novas as well as baseline humans).

This is a part of Aberrant RPG: The New Flesh. Aberrant is a role playing game from White Wolf that shares a common universe with the Adventure! RPG and Trinity RPG game lines. Download the sourcebook for Aberrant: The New Flesh.