Jump to content

Aberrant: Infinite Earth - Cosmos Nova OOC


Mr Fox

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 1.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

So, okay, let me get this straight, I can just take Claws with Kinetic Discharge as a power or as the wristband and say the increased damaged only applies to the Moonblade (not unarmed strikes, not firearms, not baseball bats, nothing else), and because even with adding an extra, I'm significantly reducing the number of circumstances I can use it in, it should still be a higher level power? And I can't do this, because my item happens to be a sword? Target Restrictions aren't just what the power works on, it's also when I can use it. I need a weapon, and not any weapon, as specific one.

Dependency isn't quite the same either. According to the A:PG, that is for powers, not items. A power can't be taken away (barring Disrupt, I suppose), can't be disarmed, or tricked into be given away or stolen. It's a lot easier to not have access to an item than it is to a power. A 2pt weakness as you correctly pointed out, limits powers to half the circumstances. Limiting Claws so the power only functions on the Moonblade, is far more than half. Like you,

As you don't find anything abusive about adding the time limit for 4WL, I don't see anything wrong with substituting what Claws effects as a base effect (in effect, for the 5pt weakness which was used purely to get Kinetic Discharge, I'm switching Claws from effecting any and all unarmed strikes, to any and all strikes with a specific weapon, not even strikes with any type of sword or any type of weapon). I don't find this unbalanced or unfair. I don't even care about the Quantum Pool in the Device - can I get rid of that for Weakness Levels too, so I have to use my own Quantum to activate the power?

I could debate the Activation and Dependency weaknesses too, since the book is pretty clear about the powers being 'activated' simultaneously, not about the powers later (and really, with that, it means it's pretty hard to link powers where they don't both have the same duration, like a maintained one and an instant one), but really, it doesn't matter that much to me. I agree with you, in some cases, Activation-Linked powers doesn't seem restricted enough, so I'm fine with this ruling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The RAW (Rules as Written) sometimes does something this illogical. To be honest the S&W system feels like taking a more comprehensive Extras and Flaws system, really weakening it, then puking it on the storyteller system.

Some of it even requires... no... demands a ST oversight.

Sometimes it works, sometimes a lot of it doesn't make sense.

I guess my naturally avoiding it or being very, very, clear on intent with them stems from not wanting to have a rules conversation when I want to have RP going on.

I am mostly lost on this debate as a whole, I just hope once we've gotten things clear we can get back to what we do best, telling stories.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talked it out with Centi - since it's a gadget/device, and/or applying to a gadget/device, I'm more or less convinced it will count as a sort of Dependency weakness, though 1 point higher for a total of 3pts of weakness, since an item, even a gadget or device is easier to lose access to than a power.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seeing that Nights has accelerated, seemingly even did a slight time jump, and I have not heard hide nor hair from Fox, I am just going to post in the thread he changed his mind.

Sorry Fox. Perhaps another time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to be honest our little trip would fare better in our own thread. If you want after we complete Nights or get to where we could pull it off without maybe disrupting the thread, we could start off at the end of Nights, then have our own thread for the flight. And freefall. ^_^

Hell... this would give Kei time to convince "the anchor" May to relent on the gear thing...

Oh and we could be holding each-other during the flight. She still likes Nate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hehe, he is a 23 year old guy who has literally not seen a female in person for 5 years, and now he's faced with a bunch of nova women in bikinis... the idea of flying and it's interest for Nate had little to do with the actual flying. :) So with Kei pushing the gear at him he was thinking she wasn't interested.

Heh, I've got an image in my head of the two of them up at the top of the atmosphere cuddling together before the balloon pops, things start getting heated and Nate starts undressing and in the process he falls off just before things get really interesting. lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say that a equivalent for our world would, with the proper research and time, take about a year in-game. And that is constant devotion to the project. Probably would need some sort of extra ability like Nova Technology and/or Advanced Technology (Both Intelligence Abilities).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okies, I need some feedback on some inventing that Rob is up to in his spare time. It's not a Gadget or Device, at least I don't think it is. It's more like advancing the boundaries of science.

Simply put, it's holographic data storage: using mineral / crystalline structures to store and access information, a favorite staple of sci-fi through the years that our current scientists are working on perfecting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_data_storage

Given both his mental abilities and his mineral-manipulation powers, this should be a relative snap for Rob to perfect. I'm consulting the consensus here for both rules on what it'd take and for voting on the game-world effects.

Proposed effects:

Data-storage would become cheaper and more plentiful. Not just that, but data-transfer rates would jump through the roof. In essence, this breakthrough could be used to jump-start CN's own version of the OpNet, using spun-crystal fiberoptics rather than eufiber-derivatives. Rob would, naturally, be working on interfaces that would make the best use of this medium - leading to crystal computers. :D From there, a jump to true quantum computing is only a matter of time.

(Note: The science is rough and ready. IRL, there might be thousands of reasons why this won't work. IRL, there's also good reasons why humans can't lift supertankers. That is all.)

Potentially, a whole field of crystal-based technology could arise from this. It's an important, though subtle advancement that will have major long-term effects, which is why I'm wanting to open a discussion about it. :)

Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Karrie - I'd say three to six months assuming you had samples to work from. But acquiring samples would mean a story in itself, and with the eufiber ban in the game at start, I'd say the sample would only be allowed for use as a sample, not to wear.

Even after you've invented a prototype, it would take time to put something into any production, we can use that time as an excuse why people can't just jump in and have the eufiber substitute right away.

@Rob - I wouldn't say that would be too hard. Being that it is a major world change I appreciate that you are bringing it to the group for discussion. It is basically the same difference as between the combustion engine and hyper-combustion engine. It's something that people in the real world are trying to work on right now so I really don't think it's a terribly big leap in technology. For a mega brain maybe a three months to not only invent it but to also work out the initial problems that any new tech always comes with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think we do. I think it was mostly arrived at by discussion and via peoples threads.

The DSA as I understand it:

A US based (government run) organization that deals with Nova related issues.

They have an R&D department that mega smart novas work at, creating new inventions. (It's like Q's department from Bond.)

They have field agents that go out and deal with Novas that get out of hand.

They send out agents on an as needed basis for humanitarian aid and relief work. Many novas participated in recovery efforts after the big Tsunami in Japan last year.

Despite their US focus, they have strong international ties and are welcomed and their help is sought by other nations. Currently several DSA novas are assisting with a nova related murder investigation in Germany.

Anything I got wrong or missed?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well that and certain DSA Novas have a minder or "Operator" that act as a assistant for the Nova, depending on the needs the Nova has. For instance since Kei isn't 21, and is still sorta immature, May provides the necessary guidance she needs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, do we know about this? It's on p.253 of The New Flesh.

General Guideline: The Work Hour

The Aberrant core book gives us charts which illustrate how much more effective a Mega-Strong nova would be at moving objects than a baseline human (pp. 134 & 156 of the core book). As a rule of thumb, if it would take someone with Strength 3 five hours to move something then it can be done in a half hour by a nova with Mega-Strength 1. He’s ten times stronger and so gets ten times as much done in any unit of time.

Applying these figures to the other Mega-Attributes, if it takes 2 work years for the best baseline author to create a top-selling book, then a nova with Mega-Wits 3 and Art 5 should be able to do the same thing in one week. Of course, this assumes an equal or greater rating in the relevant Ability on the nova’s part.

For a nova with Mega-Intelligence 1, one week’s worth of work is equal to a month’s worth of work for the smartest baseline, and 5 months of work for the average baseline. Assuming Albert Einstein had 40 productive years of work

during his life, a nova with Mega-Intelligence 2 could have done the same thing in a year. A nova with Mega-Intelli-gence 5 would have taken two weeks.

This also applies to learning times. A nova with Mega-Dexterity learns Dexterity Abilities far more quickly than any baseline, etc. This doesn’t get rid of the experience costs, but it does mean that while a baseline might have to spend years to get an Ability up to five dots, a nova with the right Mega-Attributes can do the same in months or even over a weekend if he has a high enough Mega-Attribute rating.

Okay, so based on this, depending on the mega-attribute rating, that reduces the work time a Nova needs to do something? No matter the task?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Karrie - I'd say three to six months assuming you had samples to work from. But acquiring samples would mean a story in itself, and with the eufiber ban in the game at start, I'd say the sample would only be allowed for use as a sample, not to wear.

Even after you've invented a prototype, it would take time to put something into any production, we can use that time as an excuse why people can't just jump in and have the eufiber substitute right away.

Sorry, it was late when I did this. Honestly, I don't want to do pure eufiber. I'd rather break it into its three main parts: armor, q-storage and appearance. With armor, you can make armored clothing as a gadget. Q-storage (probably jewelry rather than clothing) and Appearance are left; so breaking these into two parts, how long do you think it would take to make both?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, do we know about this? It's on p.253 of The New Flesh.

General Guideline: The Work Hour

Okay, so based on this, depending on the mega-attribute rating, that reduces the work time a Nova needs to do something? No matter the task?

I'd rather do this by ear than set exact timelines for how long something takes. There are individual speeds to things as well; some best-selling authors can put out two books a year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, that's entirely different! Armored clothing wouldn't take anytime at all for Karrie. A week, maybe two?

Q-storage would be a regular device I would think, with whatever times would be appropriate for such a totally basic device. After all, she already makes things that have their own q-rating, just making something that stores quantum would be even easier than that.

Appearance shifting clothing would be much more complicated, that is the aspect that would take the kind of time I was talking about above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Appearance shifting clothing would be much more complicated, that is the aspect that would take the kind of time I was talking about above.

Right, but without a sample, are we talking a year then? Because I don't want to devote a year of my PC's "life" to that. She's got other things that the DSA is going to want her to focus on, and she has hobbies outside of that (stalking is a very time-consuming hobby, particularly when you fanfic about your target).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And actually now that I think about it appearance shifting clothing would be a device itself, so whatever times would be correct for making a device that mimics a weak version of shapeshifting.

But it would be a device, not a technology advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you wanted to 'invent' eufiber or something mass produce-able that shifts according to the wearer's will, then that should take a full year because it's would be a world altering technology that for OOC reasons we said we didn't want in the game to start out. :)

I would be ok with it not taking a year if the making of it was done in a solid fic with that justified the world changing nature of the invention. But we'd have to have a consensus of the players that that was ok. As I recall the main reason we didn't allow Eufiber was that it would be extremely rare and the refuees would be the only source and they wouldn't be willing to give it up. You'd have to literally kill to get some or spend an outrageous fortune to acquire a single dot.

No reason you couldn't invent a locally made substitute if you wrote the fic to justify doing so.

But again, a one-off "device" would simply go by the regular rules, but it wouldn't be something that could be copied short of paying the xp over again for each new one-off "device" set of clothing/colony/whatever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One change note with Naomi... through some revelations and some conversation. I am making a move with Naomi. For the sake of transparency here is the changes to the sheet.

- 4 Mega Intelligence (+12 NP)

+ Mega Intelligence: MP: Investigative, Eidetic Memory (-6 NP)

+ Mega Perception: Bloodhound (-2 NP)

+ L1 Power: "Empress of Cats" Animal Mastery 4 ([-4] Cats Only, [-1] -1 Die Pool) [+5] Power Level reduced by 1) (-2np)

9 Ability dots and 6 specialties (-2 NP)

+ Navigation 5 (Land, Sea)

+ Science +3 (Forensics, Chemistry)

+ Athletics +1 (Acrobatics, Parkour)

These are the changes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coyote you said " I'd rather do this by ear than set exact timelines for how long something takes. There are individual speeds to things as well; some best-selling authors can put out two books a year. "

That is true but when compared to a nova they do it far less time so if a Best-selling Auther spends 8 plus hours a day and only makes 2 books a year a nova with same skill but mega wits of 1 will still do it 10 times faster. there is no way a base line can compare.

so if you figure how long it would take a baseline to develope this then applied your mega attribute as real time i think it would be accurrected for play.

but still nova or not how much time is your character devoting to this. that would be man hours of work your character could do so much more for then a baseline could with equal time.

Coyote spends a hour a day on shapeshifting fibers then it could take her nearly nearly a year but if she devoved all here energies then 2 weeks would make sense since it would be to as baseline 40 years of research.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look, here's the thing. If we set the exact times for these things, it removes the creative process. I don't want it to take a year for Coyote to develop this because that's a long time to work on nothing but eufiber. She's got other stuff to do. But it shouldn't take two weeks either. This is a big deal and if we get it that quickly, that easily, then it cheapens both the journey and the achievement.

Also, the above timeline ignores the fact that scientific research and development takes time. Though a nova can make leaps and bounds, they still have to allow time for tests to be conducted. Those tests take time. To say, the nova is 18 times faster than a baseline so can do everything faster is not accurate. Some things cannot be rushed.

Fox, I'm fine with it taking a year (or 11 months now :P), mostly because I'd forgotten that we'd said a year before eufiber development. If it's okay, I'll reference the project from time to time in fics and stories. I'll just also assume that she can't devote her full attention to it because of her other duties. Is that cool?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got a question. If I activate my EM Vision, that will (for me since I have 5per and 5MPer) run for 10 turns for 1 QP. Now, in a non-combat scene, what does this mean for me since we are not in turns? Do I end up burning 1 QP a minute even out of combat? (since 10 turns is a minute) I could be quite drained and fast depending on the duration.

Sorry, getting answer in Chat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds good to me. I don't recall if we actually said it would be a year before anyone could get eufiber, just that you couldn't have it starting out, and that acquiring it ought to be a major story. Developing over a year would be fine, and even six months would be fine by me since that would give a sense of it taking time. I'd say if you wanted to do it in less than a year that would be ok, just not instant... anything over six months would be perfectly reasonable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...