Aberrant RPG - Mega-Attribute Books

[Psilord]

Just an idea for a possible mega-manipulation abberation.

This is an aberation that directly affects others, and will end up causing definite problems for the nova.

Fool's Gold (or Poison Glib):

Virtually anything the nova says will be completely believed by anyone hearing it (roll manipulation/mega-manipulation with +3 automatic sucess). However this abberation does not lend itself to any situation where the nova has a real need to be successfully manipulative (any direct use of manipulation or manipulation enhancements). The nova will subconciously act in a manner to decieve for personal gain in petty ways, always with the effect of this abberation. The victims of the nova's manipulative abberation will *ALWAYS* realize that they have been duped by the nova's abilities after leaving his presence; this having the effect of engendering a great deal of resentment against the nova, and possibly revenge or criminal charges in certain circumstances.

EXAMPLE: Joe Nova goes into a moderately priced restaurant and orders $85 worth of food (nova appetite). After enjoying his meal he goes to pay the bill, this is where Joe's abberation rears its ugly face. Joe hands the cashier eight $1 bills and a $5 for a total of $13, this is subconciously done by Joe who thinks he is handing over eight $10 bills. The abberation also affect the cashier who accepts the $1's as $10's and wishes Joe a pleasant day. After Joe leaves the cashier realizes that he just got stiffed $72 and that Joe used some kind of nova power on him to cheat him. The cashier is furious and calls the cops to report Joe and also decides to ban Joe from eating there ever again.

Thats just a very minor example of the problems that could be caused by this abberation; it could affect interpersonal relationships, financial, legal, shady, and a great many other forms of personal communication. A little help on the mechanics and the name would be appreciated, consider it donated.

[Psilord]

No Dormancy simply removes a Background option from a character &, as it is, doesn't seem harsh enough to qualify as an aberration to me. Take it a stage further & make it more of a penalty - the character can't internalise or conceal his Quantum energies at all &, in fact, radiates as a beacon to anyone trying to sense those energies. Node sensing attempts automatically work against the character (no roll required), & all Quantum-sensing abilities detect the character at double the usual range. You could change the name to 'Quantum Beacon' (the lack of Dormancy being just one element of the aberration).

You could even add a mental component that causes the nova to subconciously reveal to everyone he converses with that he is a nova. The nova would never even realize it when he makes those psychological slips and says something revealing, atleast until someone brings it to his attention after the fact. ::nervous

[Bahamut810]

I like that one. I think that would fit into a high space quite nicely...especially if the player/GM actually use that in social situations.

Now we need at least 1 for mega-app. 2, and another for mega-manip if we can get them.

I think i remember you (sproket) saying you were going to take that Painful Visage one I suggested and run with it? You think we can make that fit a high level?

Right now im going to revise my cult...give it a better name at least. Ill update that and the lineup tonight, so if anyone has any suggestiosn as to what should go in the book...please say so.

[Psilord]

Bestial Metamorphosis: A nova with this aberration is ever-so-slowly changing into a humanoid animal. When this aberration first manifests, a small portion of the nova's anatomy (such as the lower face) will change to resemble that of a chosen animal. As the nova accumulates permanent Taint, ever-larger parts of the nova's body will be altered in this fashion. Depending on what kind of animal morphology the nova is developing, the nova may face certain physical difficulties as well as the inevitable social difficulties. For example: A nova who's turning into a snake-man might find his legs turning into a single serpentine trunk and tail, while an amphibious female nova might turn into a classical mermaid. And let's not forget the tailoring problems faced by a nova who's changing into a 173-cm tall humanoid flying squirrel! (Those darn patagia make wearing a tuxedo almost impossible, and most tailors don't do tail-flaps.)

I like this one, and here's my personal take on it. ::ninja

The abberation is a theme abberation and is acquired as a LOW level aberration. However, all future abberations are forced into that theme. Upon acquiring this abberation the nova receives one low level abberation (physical or mental) that fits the theme to begin the transformation process. Each additional abberation earned through taint or chrysalis of any level will follow the theme. Chrysalis will have a tendency to aggrivate and enhance this particular abberation.

Example: Joe Nova acquires the Bestial Metamorphosis: Camel abberation and developes shaggy dun fur over his back and the backs of his legs and arms (low). Later on Joe gains another low level abberation and developes overactive saliva glands, causing him to spit and drool copiously at all times. Further along Joe has received more abberations; developing a back hump, camel-like foot pads, an extended neck, additional fur over the rest of his body, a distinctly camel-like face and and strong preference for arid or desert climates.

[Psilord]

Here's an idea for a mega-manipulation enhancement....

Perfect Image

This mega manipulation enhancement requires that the nova also posses mega-appearance and the Appearance Alteration enhancement.

The Perfect Image enhancement for mega-manipulation allows the nova to subtley alter his appearance and mannerisms automatically to provide an image greatly suited to his current use of mega-manipulation or another mega-manipulation enhancement. This alteration provides +3 successes to the attempt at manipulation. The enhancement plays on the victim's preconceptions of the what the looks and mannerisms would be for the type of person the nova is trying to represent.

Examples would include looking and seeming more like a mafia thug when trying to intimidate or extort money, more like mild mannered librarian when trying to be unobtrusive or innocent seeming, more skilled and nerdish when playing a scientist or inventor, etc.

Just a thought. ::unsure

[Bahamut810]

Working title: FORCEFUL PERSONALITIES

Introduction: Welcome to my parlour...(said the spider to the fly)

[intro, lexicon, etc.]

-Pretty much written for the most part...need idea's for lexicon

*Charmer- A mega-charismatic nova, or an extremely likeable one

*Cult- A group of people centered around a specific goal or ideal that try to separate its members from their respective beliefs and families. (More details here)

* Grifter- A mega-manipulative nova, or a con artist

*Idol- A mega-attractive nova, or a media icon.

*Likieme (Like-ee-me)- A nova that heavily relies on mega-social attributes without realizing it.

*Mustlikieme (must-like-ee-me)- A nova that entionally uses his mega-social powers often.

*Ugly- What a mega-attractive nova calls baselines,.

Chapter 1: Faces of the world.

[Mega-Social "who's who"- nova cults/religions, factions, and alternative societies.]

-Charmers (Mega-Chr)

-Grifters (Mega-Manip)

-Idols (Mega-App)

-Cult of Beautiful Pain (Novacentric, nova leader)

-Beutech Modeling Agency

Chapter 2: Social Engineering

[social maneuvering/conflicts/etc.]

-Mega-Wits and its effects in a social environment (adapt A! high wits rule here?)

-Dealing with 2 mega-social nova's with different agenda's...and one lackey

Chapter 3: Storytelling.

[storytelling plots/ideas/ramifications/etc.]

- Grunts, or the wonderful world of getting people to do stuff for you

- Mega-Socials and the Law (this is where we would have all the more *ahem* adult material...which for this project I think should be toned down. No *extreme* stuff, but adult language about what happens.)

- Mega-socials and your players (or "lets avoid ordering people to like someone")

*Subtle Hints to tell your player they like a person

Chapter 4: Frightening, Wonderful Behavior

[Mega-Attributes "in depth", worlds' view of given Mega-Attribute, new enhancements and aberrations. Also the problems that are specific to each Social Mega-Attribute]

-Background Enhancements:

*Allies - Close Family

*Backing - Behind the Scenes Man/Investor (?)

*Contacts - Center of Favor (?)

*Followers - Masses

*Influence - Household name

*resources - More money then god

- Mega-Chr/App and addictive people (i.e. Stalkers)

- additional Backgrounds:

*Suitors

*Nemesis - Voldemort Syndrome

-Mega-Social Enhancements, Aberrations

Major Discussion at this point:

Backgrounds...should we include:

-Device- Pieces of Novatech

*This will work similarly to what is in A! And Trinity.

-Sanctum- A secure place to stay

-Mentor- A teacher

-Citizenship-Countries that call you one of their own...makes it easier to go into those countries

-Identity- How many persona’s you have.

*Will probably rename this to “Persona’s”. This trait will determine how many unbreakable identities a person has.

*This will be done as 1 dot for 1 persona basis.

*Example, Clark Kent is a mild Mannered reporter, he erupts to be super strong, fast and tough like his namesake. He decised to do charity work one day, so dons a superman costume. He also wants to be a XWF Wrestler so dons a purple costume under the name of “The Purple Iguana”. Thats good for two dots right there. Man...those glasses do wonders. Someone who possesses this trait is Core.

-Requisition- Possible replacement for a streetwise roll for rare or restricted equipment from an organization.

Cults

-General discussion

More Enhancements and aberrations

-Remember we need enhancements too people. ;D

-More High lvl appearance and Chr based aberrations.

[Bahamut810]

Church of (get french name for pain and/or suffering)

Setting: France, Darker feel

Location: St. Michaels Catholic Church, Abandoned

"We are the ultimate beings of expression. Each of us...we have in ourselves the power to make art so beautiful, music for powerful, and pain so wonderful. Each of us in turn are to give our gifts to the outside world, to let them share in our arts." -Morbed, Shaper of Men

General:

-The group is a small cult that is forming in the outskirts of the city of Laon of france. -The group is centered around a nova who calls himself Morbed, shaper of man.

-Predatory practices among artist community

-Prizes art and beauty among all others

-most members are Sadists and/or Masochists

-Each member is a soul brother/sister of the whole...they all are highly encouraged to live in group house

The Good:

-They are pretty well off. Their collective talents gets them much work in the arts field. They have a famous (in france) piano player and a few somewhat well known artists that provide money for the rest.

The Bad:

-Morbeds powers (see below)...he has been in court before for using them to create his art.

Major Personalities:

Morbed, Shaper of Man

Background: Morbed would have you think that he has been a Nova for his entire life. He would also have you think that he was an artist even longer. In actuality he was originally Pierre De Lafou, an unknown in the artist community, who mysteriously disappeared one night after an argument with his then girlfriend. He ran to his studio and quietly erupted when he caught a rat and made entirely new art form. A few weeks later...his Ex was found in a new form. Her face was horribly disfigured in a style remarkably similar to a Picasso painting. Since then she has gone through extensive plasmic surgery...but there are some scars which just wont heal...

Image: His visage is truly horrifying. When most people first see him, they can barley stop themselves from vomiting. His skin is yellowing, and tight on him and you can see his bones through it. His face is particularly gruesome...looking almost like a decaying corpse. The skin around his mouth has tightened so that his teeth are always showing. He always wears a black cloth trench coat buttoned up, and the belt tightened around his waste, showing just how thin he is. His hands are bony claws almost like there is no muscle under them.

RP hints: You are the ultimate artist. You use visual, mental and even painful means to show your art. You and your children are the ultimates in that department...and your children had better be so. You are a teacher, and you gently guide your children to their potential...you do *not* handle disappointment with them very well though...and some of them have left your herd never to be seen again after particularly bad failures.

Str- 2 Dex-2 Stm- 4

Perc-4 Int-4 Wits-4

App-0 Chr-2 Manip-3

Brawl-2 Stealth-3 Awareness-3

Arts-5 (sculpture) Biz-3 Rapport-2

Style-4 Etiquette-2

Allies-2* Followers-5 Resources-4 Contacts-3 (art dealers) Node-2

Taint-6 Quantum-5

Q-powers:

Form Manipulation**-3

Claws-1

Armor-2

Dominate-2

Mega-Atts-

Str-1 (quantum leap) Stm-1 (regeneration) Dex-1 (fast tasks)

Perc-1 (bloodhound) Wits-1 (artistic genous)

Manip-2 (the voice) App-1 (face of terror)

*-This is only the power from Biomanipulation. It is used in the same way except for using Form manip+Manip instead of Biomanip+manip.

**- These are his most trusted friends that he has picked up in his travels. He works his "art" on them extensively and they are his body guards. They have the equivalent of: M-Str-1, M-Stm-1, App-0, Manip-0, Chr-0, Int-1, Perc-4, Wits-3. They aren’t the brightest bulbs in the bunch...but they follow Morbed without fail, and to the "T".

Pierre LaFeyette

Background: Pierre was the poster child of the bohemian world. He lived, worked, ate, slept and breathed art and never saw but just enough to get by with a small apartment with a roommate because of it. One day he met a strange fellow, calling himself Morbed at a market when he was trying to seel some paintings so he could get some food. Morbed entranced him, even though he couldn’t see his face, he could feel a bond forming between the two. Like the strange man knew *exactly* what he was going through. Soon after he began to frequent Morbeds home and they became fast friends. He was the first of the cult. He is Morbeds second in command now. And he makes sure that everyone there knows the grandeur that is Morbed.

Image: Pierre is a skinny, white french-man who wears a black berret, and a red and white striped shirt.

RP Hints: You are the first among Morbeds people. You know how much a genius he is. Everyone else in his thrall doesn’t know. You see fit to tell them and to flaunt your seniority over them. You also act much like a preacher, spreading his word of a pure society where art and music is appreciated and everything that isent art is ignored. You make sure that you give lee way to people who deserve it, but everyone else is fair game.

Notable Traits: Wits- 3, Arts (painting)- 3

Claudette

Background: As a child Claudette had a natural talent for music. All music was putty in her beautiful little hands. Her parents, once seeing her talents took out loans and made arrangements for her to be tutored by the best and only the best. Soon, at the tender age of 8 she was ready and was presented to a large audience for her first official production. She was an immediate hit. With her second production, she payed off those loans her parents took out for her and with her third she had bought a house for her parents. Her life wasn’t all candy though. She was lonely for someone who could understand her and her art. She had met a few adults who were great musicians in their own right, but they were adults and couldn’t understand what went on her *her* mind. At the age of 14 she met Morbed. He looked at her with an understanding that she had never seen before. He *knew* everything that went on in her head, how she felt. After a few chance meetings with him you knew you were destined to be with him forever. With your money and your contacts, you and he set up to buy a large, old catholic church in the french countryside and went to tell your parents that you were leaving. It is when they resisted that you saw the most beautiful, terrible thing in your life...Morbeds art. That night you were so happy that you and Morbed consummated your relationship. And you have never turned back.

Image- Your beauty is nearly unmatchable in baseline society. You like it that way because people pay to see a baseline performer of nova ability. Morbed has worked his art on you and you absolutely adore him for it. Your wheat colored hair, green eyes and your freckled nose are just made to break mens hearts, but your heart belongs to only one man.

RP Hints- You are the best musician in France...literally. You don’t flaunt it at all though, but you know it. Most of your time is spent creating another masterpiece or with your love. You do your best to make him proud, and you have never let him down yet. You are perhaps the most loved person in the cult (to Pierre’s chagrin) and you don’t do anything to counter that because you are a generally nice person...who hasn’t though about what Morbed has done yet.

Notable Traits- Wits-4, Chr-3, App-5, Art (music)-5, style-4, etiquette-4, rapport- 3, Resources -4, Influence- 4, Backing-4

[phoenix]

Another thing, you might want to change the name to Mega-Devious, it's a good aberration but it sounds like an alternative megaattribute, like Megaugly.

[Bahamut810]

I just changed our writeup slightly.

-Added Lexicon entries

-Took mention of the count out...we dont have to add him in

-Changed one of the cult listings to the Beutech Modeling Agency

-Put in descripts for the proposed backgrounds so we all know what they are.

[Gideon]

Sounds great. I have been doing a little reading (sociology and psychology) and I am working on a write-up for Social Engineering, not too heavy on the socio or psycho jargon, I just read enough to do a little term dropping, if necessary. When I get a rough draft put together for the section, I will post it here this weekend. I will also put a fine toothed comb back over the introduction and submit it (v.1.1) for approval again.

I looked at the BrainWaves PDF N! put out, it was Awsome! I have drawn a few art pieces for this book in anticipation of getting this off the ground. (black and white ink drawings that is, I am not a very steller colorist) Even if we don't get this completed ::blink , I have my muse ::biggrin

COMPLETE SIDE NOTE:

Would it be better to post this stuff in a private forum? ::dozingoff Or do we not care about surprises??? (I'm not trying to be too elitist here, but,"too many cooks ruin the soup," and all that...)

[Sprocket]

Hey there, folks- ::smiley5

I'm back from my little hiatus, and I've added some new aberrations to the outline for your perusal. I've also revised a few of the existing aberrations that had drawn some flak. As things stand now, I'm still short by 1 medium-level and 1 high-level aberration for Mega-Appearance, 1 high-level for Mega-Manipulation, and 1 low-level for Mega-Charisma. Any good ideas would be appreciated, folks...

But first, a round of answers to proposed changes to the outline and the aberrations.

Re: Aberration format (brought up by Gideon)- The format I've been using in this outline is the exact same one used in Aberrant: Brainwaves, Gideon. If we're trying to come up with a comparable product, we ought to keep some structural similarities here, don't you think? ::wink

Re: Mega-Devious (brought up by Phoenix)- Considering that there's a Mega-Wits aberration by the name of Mega-[CENSORED] in Aberrant: Brainwaves, I felt that Mega-Devious wasn't too much of a semantic leap. Besides, what else would you call an aberration inspired by Katsuhiko Jinnai (from the El-Hazard anime series)? ::devil

Re: Aberrant Hair and Quantum Beacon (brought up by ProfPotts)- Although I don't think that Chromatic Hair should be subsumed as per your suggestion, your other ideas sounded great to me, ProfPotts. In particular, your "Aberrant Hair" idea turned out really well, especially once I looked over my collection of "Age of Apocalypse" X-Men titles. I should've pegged Wolverine as having that aberration from the start! Your suggestion for No Dormancy (now listed as "Quantum Beacon") also turned out just fine, once I took a hard look at it. I hope you like how I reintepreted it.

Hats off to you, Prof! ::thumbsup

Re: Bestial Metamorphosis (brought up by Alex Green)- I've gone ahead and revised that problem child, Mr. Green- it's now listed as "Piecemeal Metamorphosis", as it covers the problems of characters such as Cable and Chamber (from Marvel Comics' X-Men titles). I've also defined the effect a bit more clearly- it only affects a portion of the nova's body, but the effect is more extreme (or concentrated) than what you've suggested in the past. The illustrations of novas with mechanical-looking arms (in the Aberrant Core Book) was also a factor in the revision of this aberration.

Anyhow, here's the latest version of the outline. Enjoy!

MEGA-SOCIAL ABERRATIONS

Outline- [Aberrations marked with an * are from the Aberrant Compendium.]

1: Mega-Appearance

a: Low-level: Aberrant Hair, Chromatic Hair, Distinctive Looks, Mega-Vanity, Quantum Beacon, Sex Object*, Strange Scent, Surreality*, Twisted Perspective.

b: Medium-level: Heartthrob*, Object of Desire*, Piecemeal Metamorphosis, Shifting Features*.

c: High-level: Addictive Visage.

2: Mega-Manipulation

a: Low-level: Altered Tongue, Compulsive Blackmailer, Cowardice, Dictator, Ennui, Greedy, Mega-Devious, Mischievous, Prankster.

b: Medium-level: Cannot Lie, Intrigue Junkie, Negotiator, Pathological Liar, Trickster.

c: High-level: Misinterpreted.

3: Mega-Charisma

a: Low-level: Convivial, Fanatic, Flippant, Four-Color Caricature, Screwball Magnet, Soft Touch, Tactless, Twisted Sense of Humor.

b: Medium-level: Glory Hound, Heartthrob*, Hubris, Party Animal, Romance Junkie, Romantic Irresistibility*, Sinister.

c: High-level: Prima Donna, Sponge.

>Mega Appearance

Low Level-

Aberrant Hair: Something about the nova's hair is weird. While it's color is more-or-less normal (providing that the nova doesn't also have the Chromatic Hair aberration), something about it simply isn't possible for baseline hair without extensive styling. The nova's hair might be stiff enough stand up naturally without the aid of hairspray or styling mousse; novas with hair that sticks up vertically for heights of 40 centimeters or more are not unheard of. The nova's hair might naturally grow in an odd style, such as a 1970s-style punk-rock mohawk or a lion's mane. Other possibilities include the nova's hair developing a metallic, rubbery, or plastic texture; or being uncomfortably warm or cold to the touch. Some novas' hair might even glow like fiberoptics! As the permanent Taint of a nova with this aberration accumulates, the nova's hair may actually change into something unsettling and problematic such as flames, stiff metal wires, or living snakes.

Chromatic Hair: The nova's hair -all of it- is of a (usually) attractive color that isn't naturally found in baseline humans. Just about any hue is possible- bright blue, leaf green, cherry red, and pastel pink are just a few of the possibilities. Some novas even develop hair the color of polished metal- for example, Teardrop from Teen2M has bright silver hair. Since baseline teenagers and nonconformists have been dyeing their hair unnatural colors for over a decade (as of 2008), this doesn't draw quite as much attention as other minor physical aberrations do... unless someone gets close enough to the nova to realize that the supposed dye-job is in fact natural color! Oddly enough, several Japanese novas (and foreign novas who have been influenced by Japanese anime) have developed this aberration without the Taint that normally accompanies it. These novas also have been known to develop oddly-colored irises without Taint accumulation as well. (In game terms, these novas have taken both the Chromatic Hair and Aberrant Eyes aberrations as 1-point Flaws- see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 92.)

Distinctive Looks: Something about the looks of a nova with this aberration really stands out in the minds of those who see her (or visual records of her). Whether it's something as blatant as smoldering sex appeal or as subtle as how the light hits her, this makes the nova's appearance quite unique. Unless she takes extreme measures to alter her appearance (via shapeshifting or cutting-edge cinematic special effects makeup), she is likely to be spotted and recognized on sight by anyone who's seen her before. In game terms, other people (novas, baselines, and psiads alike) will gain a difficulty bonus on all Perception rolls made to identify the nova equal to her Taint-derived difficulty penalty on social interactions with baselines. On the flipside, all rolls made for attempts to impersonate the nova with this aberration likewise suffer a difficulty penalty equal to her Taint-derived difficulty penalty on social interactions with baselines.

Mega-Vanity: Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas who develop this aberration become obsessed with their personal appearance. These are the novas who simply cannot pass by a mirror without looking at themselves, and cleaning up their appearance if need be- even during combat! They dread the problems of aging (baldness, grey hair, wrinkled skin, sagging figures, etc), and will seek to become very good friends with any nova capable of using the Age Alteration technique of Temporal Manipulation. Flattery works very well on these novas, making them more vulnerable to certain Manipulation-based skills (+1 difficulty penalty to resist such attempts). Insulting or marring the looks of novas with this aberration is guaranteed to anger them- they suffer a difficulty penalty of +1 on all their rolls until the insult is avenged and the damage (even if it's nothing more than having mud thrown in the face) is corrected. Mega-Vain novas tend to resent other novas who have greater Mega-Appearance than their own, especially if they are romantic rivals of the Mega-Vain nova in question. (They can appreciate the Mega-Appearance of potential romantic partners just like anyone else!) In all of these cases, a Mega-Vain nova can make a Willpower roll (penalized by his or her permanent Taint, of course) to resist the urge to give in to his or her vanity whenever it is felt, even when it isn't the best time to indulge. The Storyteller may adjust the difficulty if the circumstances are especially tempting. The nova may spend a Willpower point to resist the effects of this aberration for one scene, but will feel distinctly uncomfortable doing so.

Quantum Beacon: The nova's self-image has changed drastically from what it was prior to his eruption- he sees existence as a nova as being clearly distinct from baseline existence, overemphasizing the differences.

As a result, the nova cannot have the Dormancy background and will have to deal with the special problems of living as a nova 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As an added burden, anyone who attempts to detect the Quantum and/or Taint of a nova with this aberration (via Node, psionic Attunement, or certain powers and devices) receives a difficulty bonus equal to the nova's permanent Taint. This aberration is especially common in those novas who were markedly deficient in some way as baselines; such as having physical deformities or birth defects, being an invalid or disfigured by a disease, or simply being born ugly. As these problems are usually corrected as a byproduct of the eruption process, the nova will understandably have no desire whatsoever to return to his previous baseline existence, even temporarily. Note: This aberration can only develop in those novas who have learned to employ the Dormancy background- if a nova never bothers to develop this innate ability in the first place, he won't manifest this aberration. Storytellers are encouraged to apply this aberration only to novas that would be inconvenienced by it.

Sex Object: The nova is simply too attractive for his/her own good. Upon first meeting the nova, people attracted to members of the nova's gender must roll Willpower to avoid becoming lust-stricken by the nova and treating him/her as a sex object. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. (If the victim is alone with the nova in a private setting, the roll is made with an additional +1 difficulties.) Those who succeed on the Willpower roll may act as they please. The actions of those who fail the roll will vary with their individual personalities- unabashed staring, deciding to stalk the nova, or simply acting like a blabbering idiot are all good possibilities. Those who botch the roll will seek to become intimate with the nova ASAP, although their tactics will vary with individual personalities, as noted above. Novas who develop this aberration often encounter jealousy from potential romantic rivals, for obvious reasons. When added to the difficulties of social interaction with someone who's determined to either become your significant other or get into your pants, it's not hard to understand why many such novas become recluses.

Strange Scent: A nova with this aberration has a natural body odor that smells like nothing a normal human body is capable of producing. The scent can be literally anything, although Mega-Attractive novas will produce pleasant scents (such as roses, fresh sea spray, or cedar wood). Mega-Ugly novas produce unpleasant scents (such as sulfur, decaying flesh, or fresh sewage). Mega-Ugly novas will suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on Social rolls for interacting with baselines and less-tainted novas. Mega-Attractive novas will only suffer that penalty if the baseline or nova in question is allergic to or simply dislikes what would ordinarily be considered a pleasant scent. All attempts to track a nova with this aberration by scent are made with a -1 difficulty bonus.

Surreality: Other people (including other novas!) will tend find a nova who develops this aberration to be irresistibly fascinating. (Victims must make a resisted Willpower roll vs. the nova's Mega-Appearance to resist, with a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines.) If a victim succeeds on the Willpower roll, he or she may act as he or she pleases. If they fail, people will stare at the nova and attempt to strike up conversations at inappropriate times in hope of getting to know the nova better. Worse still, criminals and other people of a less savory nature will always choose the nova over other potential targets for their illicit acts.

Twisted Perspective: Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas who develop this aberration undergo a slight change in their ideas of human beauty. Having come to accept their superhuman attractiveness as the norm, such novas will find the unenhanced features of even the most gorgeous baselines to be homely, if not downright repulsive! Novas with this aberration have a -2 difficulty bonus to resist any seduction attempts made by baselines that are based on sexual attraction. The flipside of this is that these novas also have a difficulty penalty of +2 on all vision-based Perception rolls made to identify baselines by sight- after all, these novas likely won't even want to look at baselines if they can help it... As the nova's permanent Taint increases, so will the effects of this aberration- raise the value of the bonus (and penalty) by 1 point for every 2 points of permanent Taint accumulated after gaining this aberration.

Medium Level-

Heartthrob: The nova is absolute dynamite when it comes to infatuating those people attracted to members of the nova's gender. The problem is that the nova is like this all the time, and can't turn off his or her sex appeal... (This should be restricted to novas with the Seductive Looks enhancement.) In game terms, any and all extra successes the nova may gain via the Seductive and/or Seductive Looks enhancements are effectively doubled for seduction rolls (not persuasion- the nova's victims will tend to hear only what they want to from the nova). The downside of this is that the bonus is applied to ANY action of the nova's that could be seen as seductive by his/her victims (Storyteller's decision). Also, the Storyteller will kindly make all Seduction rolls for the nova's player, and doesn't have to inform the player about it beforehand. Novas with this aberration will often have no idea that they've won a victim's affections- until the victim makes some moves of her/his own...

Object of Desire: Something about the nova makes people want to possess him or her. Upon first meeting the nova, people attracted to him or her must make a resisted Willpower roll vs. the nova's Mega-Appearance. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. Failing the roll means that the victim will see the nova as a commodity or treasure to be owned instead of as a person with his or her own desires and needs. (Just think of how certain rich folk manage to acquire their "trophy spouses", and how those spouses are treated after they've been landed.) The form that the ownership takes will vary with individual victims- some might settle for signing the nova to a contract or hauling off the nova to a wedding chapel, while others may take the idea of owning the nova all too literally... The nova's victims will be very possessive of him or her, and they will go to great lengths in order to either establish or retain their control over the nova.

Piecemeal Metamorphosis: A nova with this aberration is ever-so-slowly changing into something other than human, one portion of his body at a time. When this aberration first manifests, a small portion of the nova's anatomy (such as the lower face or hands) will change into whatever the Storyteller decides would be appropriate. As the nova accumulates permanent Taint, exponentially-larger parts of the nova's body will be altered in this fashion. A common theme for this aberration is gradual transformation into a humanoid animal- for instance, the lower face of the elite known as Dog (from Aberrant:Worldwide 2) has changed into that of a humanoid schnauzer. Other themes include changing into a humanoid plant or some form of living machine, inorganic matter or energy. (The latter three themes are very appropriate for novas with the Bodymorph power- once the gradual transformation of the nova's body is complete, this aberration effectively becomes identical to Permanent Power-Bodymorph.) Note that only a defined portion of the nova's body is affected by this- aside from his lower face, Dog's body is fairly normal for a male nova at this point in his accumulation of Taint (6 points, F.Y.I.). If Dog reaches 7 Taint, his head will certainly become entirely that of a humanoid schnauzer, and he may develop a full-body coat of fur as well. Depending on what kind of nonhuman morphology the nova is developing, the nova may face certain physical difficulties as well as the inevitable social difficulties. For example: A nova who's turning into a snake-man might find his legs turning into a single serpentine trunk and tail, while an amphibious female nova might turn into a classical mermaid. A male nova whose head has permanently turned into living thermonuclear plasma won't be alble to wear a hat, nor will he be likely to get any kisses from baseline ladies. A nova whose limbs have turned into living bionics is likely to have trouble with metal detectors and security officers. And let's not forget the tailoring problems faced by a nova who's changing into a 173-cm tall humanoid flying squirrel! (Those darn patagia make wearing a tuxedo impossible, and most tailors don't do tail-flaps.)

Shifting Features: A nova with this aberration has partially lost control over the appearance of his body. The nova suffers from a shifting in his body weight, mass, and tissue colorations that is virtually unnoticeable from minute to minute, but can radically alter his features over the course of a few hours. While the changes are gradual, they are constant- the nova will look different enough within 24 hours to make him unrecognizeable as the same person on the basis of visual recognition. This unsettles baselines (and many novas), resulting in the nova suffering an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls beyond making a first impression.

High Level-

Addictive Visage: While all Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas are capable of inspiring adoration and lust in other people, some of those novas take the idea of being attractive to others a bit too far. The undisguised physical appearance of a nova with this aberration is psychologically addictive to baselines that are sexually oriented towards members of the nova's gender. In game terms, treat the nova's visage as a drug with an Addiction Rating equal to the nova's permanent Taint score when the nova is viewed by baselines of the correct sexual orientation. When watching a nova with this aberration, affected baselines will feel intense euphoria and feelings of romantic love along with a loss of inhibitions- consider their effective Wits and Intelligence scores to be lowered by [the nova's permanent Taint -5] dots, down to a minimum of 1. Additionally, all Willpower rolls to resist sexual overtures from the nova (real or imagined) suffer a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. If the nova is being viewed via recordings, the Addiction Rating of his or her visage is lowered by 4 points, unless the nova has the Almost Live enhancement. Addicted baselines will gain the 2-point version of the Addiction Flaw (on pg. 71 of the Aberrant Players Guide). The effects of this aberration will last for [the nova's permanent Taint -5] hours. "Detoxing" from the effects of this aberration takes the same length of time, and will leave affected baselines with both a +1 difficulty penalty on all perception rolls to detect pleasurable sensations and a +2 difficulty penalty on all Willpower rolls until their neurochemistry returns to normal. Addicted baselines with Willpower scores of 4 or less may also develop delusions of having a romantic relationship with the nova- these unfortunates often become stalkers. The only way for the nova to control this for any length of time is to use the Mr. Nobody enhancment, provided that his or her Mega-Appearance is high enough to "cover up" this aberration. It should also be noted that a nova with this aberration is likely to be regarded with jealousy from baselines of the same sexual orientation- these folks will see the nova as a sexual rival, resulting in the nova suffering an additional +1 difficulty penalty for social interactions with those people.

>Mega-Manipulation

Low Level-

Altered Tongue: The tongue of a nova with this aberration has been changed in some way, usually one that reflects a common myth, superstition, or saying about manipulative folk. One nova's tongue might become forked like a snake's, while another's might turn the color of polished metallic silver. Unless the nova is in the habit of showing off his or her tongue in the manner of certain 1970s-era rock stars, this aberration is likely to remain unnoticed, barring attempts by others to become physically intimate with the nova.

Compulsive Blackmailer: The nova who develops this aberration becomes driven to learn how to get leverage against anyone and everyone she can- including her supposed friends and colleagues. What's more, she knows that the best way to do so is to learn all the secrets of those she hopes to influence, and the nova won't hesitate to betray someone's confidence if it means she'll take in a profit. Secrets that could get her vanished and/or killed are left alone- novas with this aberration are devious, not stupid. Nobody with any sense will trust the nova (if they know about her little hobby), but as the nova is likely to have assembled an impressive network of contacts and people who owe her favors, she probably won't care. There is one exception to this, though; if the nova still has family and/or a spouse that she truly, honestly cares about she will neither try to dig up dirt on them nor knowingly place them in danger with her machinations. Whenever the nova has an opportunity to uncover someone's secrets, she must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid digging up that dirty laundry. Furthermore, if the nova is prevented from investigating anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of her rolls until she can indulge her compulsion. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first.

Cowardice: A nova with this aberration has grown very comfortable with the idea of letting others do his dirty work while he stays safe somewhere else. In fact, he's so comfortable with that idea that he's become neurotically careful about keeping his own hide intact! If the nova is ever required to place himself in physical danger, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to avoid refusing to endanger himself. This roll is made at an additional +2 difficulty penalty if there's a risk of death. Storyteller note: Just about the only reliable way to motivate a cowardly nova in this situation is to have him threatened with greater danger than what he's refused to face... A cowardly nova will suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with people who are required to be professionaly brave (soldiers, police officers, Directive agents, etc.), provided that they know of the nova's cowardice.

Dictator: Mega-Manipulative novas can usually do a good job of being a leader- they know when (and when not) to apply control over their minions, and how much control to use without being heavy-handed. For a nova with this aberration, however, there's simply no such thing as "too much control". If the nova has any authority over other people (even if it's something as trivial as being the head of a household or a gang leader), she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid trying to control every aspect of her minions' activities when they're under her authority. For example, a nova who's the director of a dance company would lord it over the dancers during their performances and practice sessions; but she wouldn't care much about their personal lives unless they interfered with the dancer's obligations to the dance company. This changes as the nova accumulates permanent Taint: at 6-7 dots of Taint, the scope of the nova's power-trip will widen to include all aspects of her underlings' lives. At 8-10 dots of Taint, the nova will become obsessive (as per the Addiction/Compulsion Flaw on pg. 71 of the Aberrant Player's Guide) about maintaining total control over her underlings- even if it means disposing of those who try to escape from her domination. Novas who develop this aberration often end up forming cults around themselves in order to satisfy their totalitarian urges.

Ennui: A nova with this aberration becomes easily bored and jaded. While he still has emotions, they have become somewhat numbed. He also tends to be listless and dissatisfied with things in general. Rousing the nova from this state takes effort both on the part of the nova and his comrades. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) in order to react to anything with something other than passing interest or apathy. Some ennui-stricken novas seek to distract themselves with games of intrigue and influence- regardless of the effects on innocent bystanders.

Greedy: A nova with this aberration has one main focus in his life: money. Lots of it. Family and friends are almost as inconsequential as "the good of human civilization" or "standing up for your fellow novas" as far as this nova is concerned. If the nova is offered a bribe, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to refuse. If taking the bribe wouldn't result in people the nova cares about getting injured, the Willpower roll is made with an additional penalty of +1. These novas are the ones who drool over the prospect of overthrowing small nations for seven-figure contracts from DeVries...

Mega-Devious: Mega-Manipulative novas are some of the most devious people on the planet- they can find a thousand ways to cheat, deceive, coerce and swindle a mark and get off scot-free every time. One problem with that is that some Mega-Manipulative novas learn that lesson so well that they lose sight of less-underhanded alternatives. Novas who develop this aberration compulsively use only underhanded means to achieve their goals- cheating, coercion, weaseling, duping, swindles and betrayals are just a few of the tactics favored by the Mega-Devious. These novas will work at least twice as hard to do something (even if it's something nice for a loved one) using crooked methods that could be more easily achieved with aboveground methods, as they ignore the possibilities (and benefits) of employing more honest and fair methods. Such a nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his or her permanent Taint) in order to attempt using an honest, aboveground method of achieving a chosen goal.

Mischievous: A nova with this aberration develops a strong liking for activities such as embarrassing other people, confusing them, annoying them, and freaking them out on occasion. The nova is likely to play harmless practical jokes and perpetrate deceptions whenever opportunity permits, and even his friends and loved ones are fair game as far as he's concerned! In any case, a miscievous nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid pulling a potentially harmful prank on deception on a "good target". The Storyteller may raise or lower this penalty in certain circumstances- this is habitual behavior, not compulsive behavior. Novas with this aberration are more likely to indulge in mischief when they're either bored or haven't had much fun lately. Mischievous novas will also suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interacting with those people who have the Bad Temper, Bully, Cold, or No Sense of Humor aberrations/Flaws.

Prankster: Somewhat similar to novas with the Mischievous aberration, a nova with this aberration also likes to play practical jokes and elaborate deceptions on those people that she considers good targets- likely, they will be people whom the nova finds personally offensive in some way. The main difference is that the nova will see nothing wrong with inflicting serious harm on her intended target, especially if the chosen target is really offensive to her! The definition of "good target" will vary with the individual nova's personality- one nova might target people he deems immoral or unethical, while another would target people who are happy and enjoying their lives. In any case, a prankster nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid pulling a potentially harmful prank on deception on a "good target". The Storyteller may raise or lower this penalty in certain circumstances- this is habitual behavior, not compulsive behavior. Witnessing really offensive behavior on the part of a potential target is pretty much guaranteed to provoke a prankster nova, though!

Medium Level-

Cannot Lie: A nova with this aberration has lost the ability to tell (or otherwise communicate) something that he knows is blatantly untruthful. In layman's terms, the nova can't tell bald-faced lies. This isn't as much of a handicap (or a safety margin, depending on your point of view) as one might expect, however. The nova can still deceive others by alternate means- he can mislead by omission or equivocation, and can use illusions to the fullest if he has the appropriate quantum powers to generate them. A nova with this aberration is not compelled to talk (unless he's forced to), but if he does he'll still be able to omit details and twist definitions to suit his purposes.

Intrigue Junkie: While most Mega-Manipulative novas do well enough when they must uncover mysteries and deal with conspiracies, some of them become a little too comfortable in the shadow-world of intrigue. A Mega-Manipulative nova who develops this aberration has an overwhelming attraction for mysteries and conspiracies. Whenever the nova is presented with a mystery or evidence of a plot, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to resist the impulse to meddle in it or otherwise get himself involved. Given the number of existing mysteries and conspiracies to be found in Aberrant-Era Earth, this aberration can easily get a nova into some very dangerous situations...

Negotiator: For Mega-Manipulative novas, being able to bring other people around to their point of view is usually second nature for them. A nova with this aberration has come to believe in her abilities so much that she rarely even considers the possibility of failure. Whenever the nova is involved in any form of negotiation she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid dragging out a negotiating session for much longer than is necessary and/or sensible, unless the dispute can be settled quickly. This is due to the simple fact that the nova will not give up the attempt to help reach a compromise- unless she makes her Willpower roll, she will flat-out refuse to admit that calm, civil debate isn't feasible (or even possible) in even the most dire situations. The nova must also make a Willpower roll (with the Taint penalty) to avoid attempting to initiate negotiations in even the most absurd circumstances. A nova with this aberration is the one who would walk up to a psychotic, tainted nova on a quantum-powered killing spree and ask him to "settle down so that we can discuss this situation like reasonable novas".

Pathological Liar: A nova with this aberration has developed a specific form of compulsive behavior that drives him to tell lies and deceive other people whenever he can. Whenever the nova has an opportunity to communicate with someone, he must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid telling a lie. Furthermore, if the nova is prevented from communicating with (and lying to) anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of his rolls until he can lie to someone. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first.

Trickster: A nova with this aberration (a specific form of compulsive behavior) lusts after the thrill of outwitting dangerous foes. This isn't the simple harassment of harmless and/or innocent folks- only foes who can present a genuine threat to the nova will be considered worthy targets for her mischievous activities. Depending on the situation, a "worthy target" might be a single powerful nova, a group of novas, or even a baseline organization! There doesn't have to be any actual need for the nova to go out and pick a fight (and there usually won't be)- the nova's desire for the thrills of a battle of wits and skill is all the justification she thinks she needs. The nova must choose and actively attempt to trick a dangerous target at least once every 24 hours. The nova may roll Willpower in order to restrain herself for a day, but she will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty on the Willpower roll for each day that she fights her own tendency for mischief. If the Willpower roll is failed, the nova will go looking for some trouble ASAP, even to the point of temporarily deserting her comrades if that's what it takes to satisfy her urge.

High Level-

Misinterpreted: While most Mega-Manipulative novas are past masters at getting their point across, those who develop this aberration tend to experience problems with information distortion. Whenever the nova is attempting to communicate with more than one non-Inspired being at a time, all such beings among his audience must make a Willpower roll with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. (This aberration affects all means of communication.) Success on the roll means that the nova has gotten his message across to that baseline without any distortion. Failing the roll means that the baseline will accept a distorted account of the nova's message (thought up by the Storyteller beforehand) as being true. Depending on the details of the nova's message and how much it's been distorted, this could lead to some interesting complications... A botch on the Willpower roll indicates that the baseline accepts an account of the nova's message that's distorted enough to pose a disatrous threat to the plans and aims of the nova with this aberration. Note: This aberration has no effect whatsoever on the Inspired, nor does it affect baselines who don't understand the language used in the nova's message. For some reason, this aberration tends to be most frequently manifested by those novas who manage to set up large cults centered around themselves...

>Mega-Charisma

Low Level-

Convivial: For a nova who develops this aberration, the company of other people (preferably in large numbers) is absolutely vital to his psychological well-being. This outright addiction to frequent social contact will lead the nova to ignore up to 2 points of any difficulty penalties on Social rolls that would otherwise apply- say, like when a highly-tainted nova tries to associate with her less-tainted colleagues... The nova will be utterly miserable when alone, and will suffer a +2 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls when isolated in this manner. (Storyteller Note: This must be roleplayed!) If the nova is in a group of four or less, he'll be somewhat less than miserable, but he won't exactly be happy, either. In this case, the nova suffers only a +1 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls until he's around a larger group of people.

Fanatic: People have dedicated their lives to various causes throughout human history. Why should one expect novas to be any different? A nova with this aberration believes strongly enough in a given cause (his country, religion, faction, what-have-you) that he is willing to put it ahead of everything else in his life. If following his chosen cause means adhering to a defined code of behavior, he'll follow that rigidly, no matter what those people who don't work for the cause say about him. If the cause requires obedience to a leader, the nova will serve with total loyalty. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to disobey the dictates of his cause in even the slightest way.

Flippant: Novas with this aberration are nearly incapable of taking anything seriously. They will make jokes about about a man's many illicit love affairs while speaking at his funeral! For some reason, they never quite manage to figure out why some of their audiences tend to turn hostile towards them... As could only be expected, this lack of respect for social status, propriety, and the world in general tends to make these novas somewhat difficult to get along with. There's one exception to this, though: Flippant novas won't joke about things and events that they find horrifying. (This is the major difference between this aberration and Twisted Sense of Humor- see the listing below for details.) In all social situations where seriousness, politeness and courtesy are expected; these novas will suffer a difficulty penalty of +2 in addition to the normal Taint-derived penalty for social interaction with baselines. For ease of comparison, Morph (from Marvel Comics' "Age of Apocalypse" and "Exiles" titles) is a great example of a nova with this aberration.

Four-Color Caricature: Possibly as a result of reading too many third-rate comics as a kid, a nova with this aberration has bought heavily into the lore of the four-color superhero (or supervillain). This specific form of delusion will lead the nova to wear an outlandish costume (complete with utility belt), give unbearably corny speeches, and generally act as if he'd just stepped out of a Superfriends episode. This kind of behavior is extremely embarrassing to most other novas, who will ostracize and/or mock the nova if given the chance. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers a +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with other novas who don't share his four-color worldview. While many baselines will idolize the nova as a living incarnation of what they think all novas should be; those with common sense will tend to think that the nova is 1: a clownish fool, 2: certifiably insane, 3: an elite wannabe, or 4: all of the above. The nova is quite likely to be a regular subject of trashy tabloid newspapers. Note: For some reason, all novas who develop this aberration possess neither the Common Sense Merit nor the Prudence enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Screwball Magnet: A nova with this aberration is so likeable and charming that she can attract friendly people to her without even trying. Unfortunately for the nova, not one of these new friends will be quite right in the head. All kinds of confused, eccentric, and downright insane people (including novas gone mad due to mental aberration) will regard the nova as being both appealing and sympathetic. They will invariably have a good initial reaction to the nova; and will want to tell her their life stories, whacked-out conspiracy theories, personal delusions, and so on. After having to listen about why scuba gear is vital attire for formal parties, how Project Utopia and the Teragen are both unwitting pawns of a conspiracy to prevent Lyndon LaRouche from saving Western Civilization from domination by the British Royal Family, and that the U.N. is secretly run by a hidden colony of gentically engineered hyperintelligent ringtail lemurs; even the most tolerant nova might become something of a recluse- or a misanthrope.

Soft Touch: A nova with this aberration has simply lost most of his better judgement where his compassion for other people is concerned. If a panhandler asks him for some change, the nova will tend be too open-handed to refuse, and will likely give cash instead of coins. If the nova sees someone in distress, he'll more than likely rush over and give whatever aid he can, even if he has pressing business elsewhere. The nova will listen sincerely to requests for large-scale financial aid and charitable donations where others would brush them off- he tends to fall for good hard-luck stories. (If the nova's flat broke at the time, he'll make profuse apologies for not being able to help out.) And yes, the nova will do his best to rescue kittens that have climbed up trees and are too scared to get back down by themselves. Note that novas with this aberration aren't hopeless suckers- they simply tend to feel guilty over having won their novahood in what is essentially a genetic lottery, and being better off than so many ordinary humans as a result. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid giving some sort of aid to those in need, even if ignoring the situation would be for his own benefit or that of the greater good. While this presents obvious difficulties in successfully carrying out missions, the nova will likely gain a positive reputation among devout Buddhists, Muslims, and many varieties of Christians; as well as the people he has helped.

Tactless: Mega-Charismatic novas who develop this aberration become somewhat apathetic to the needs and feelings of other people. While having Mega-Charisma ensures that others will find them likeable (at first), they tend to have both the sensitivity of a cinder block and a near-incomprehesion of tact. As can be expected, this brutal honesty can make social interactions difficult, even with other novas. Novas with this aberration have to make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his or her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid saying exactly what they think about a situation, regardless of whether their words would cause other people pain and/or anger. Also, novas with this aberration cannot possess or develop the Natural Empath enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Twisted Sense of Humor: Due to a slight structural alteration in a certain area of her brain, the nova with this aberration gradually starts expanding her definition of what's amusing. The nova will tend to find humor in even the most horrifying situations- what's more, she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to keep from expressing her amusement in some way. Note that this isn't a defense mechanism against the horrors of gruesome sights- the nova genuinely sees that sort of thing as being funny! This differs from Flippant in that nothing is sacred to a nova with this aberration- if she found her mother had committed suicide with a shotgun, she would make jokes about her old lady "going out with a bang." Understandably, the nova will suffer an additional +3 difficulty penalty on her Social rolls for interacting with people who don't share her definition of humor. She may also suffer greater penalties on her Social rolls with anyone who was close to the victim(s) of a horrific event that the nova jokes about. For ease of comparison, the Joker (from DC Comics) is the hands-down classic example of a nova with this aberration. If you're looking for a comedian with a healthier sense of humor, see the Flippant aberration (listed above).

Medium Level-

Glory Hound : This aberration is an extreme version of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72). Whereas overconfident novas tend to overestimate their abilities, a nova with this aberration will do so to an absurd degree. She will invariably insist on doing whatever it takes to be in the spotlight- she'll take the greatest risks, lead the charge, and make complex plans that hinge on her abilities. In any situation where an assessment of the nova's abilities is a factor, the Storyteller will make glaringly obvious exaggerations. The nova must also make a Willpower roll at a difficulty penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interacting with baselines to back down from a direct challenge to her abilities. Side effects of this aberration include a willingness to talk to the media, pose for photographs or video cameras, and sign autographs at the slightest opportunity. The nova may make a Willpower roll to resist the effects of this aberration for one scene, but will feel distinctly uncomfortable doing so. Novas with this aberration tend to be adored by the media, children, and teenagers; but are likewise regarded as egotistical jerks by their colleagues and fellow novas.

Heartthrob: Mega-Charismatic novas with the Seductive enhancement may also develop this aberration- see the full-length listing under Mega-Appearance aberrations for details.

Hubris: Ever since the time of ancient Greece, scholars have known the dangers of hubris. This mixture of overweening pride, overconfidence and arrogance has been the downfall of many baselines throughout human history. How much more dangerous is it, then, when developed by a nova? A nova with this specific form of delusion will look down her nose at novas from factions other than her own, not to mention less-powerful novas from her own faction. (And that's not even touching on her extremely low opinion of baselines!) The nova will consider herself to be the perfect choice to lead whatever group she deigns to associate with, and also the nova best-suited for any task. Keeping the condescenscion and disdain out of her voice when dealing with other people is a difficult trial for her at best. Aside from suffering the effects of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72), a nova with this aberration must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid acting like an conceited, elitist jerk. This behavior will make the nova unpopular, netting her an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with those people she sees as her inferiors (read: just about everyone else). A hubris-stricken nova will also have trouble accepting responsibility for her own failures, and will instead place the blame on one of her "inferiors". Note: Hubris-stricken novas don't get along at all with novas who have the Glory Hound aberration- in this case, any social difficulty penalties that may apply are doubled!

Party Animal: A nova with this aberration has a hard time resisting the urge to party, and he will usually do so at the drop of a hat. The nova will try any kind of pharmaceutical party favor or beverage that is offered to him; and isn't picky about his romantic partners, provided that they're hot. He likes his music loud and trendy, and prefers to wake up at the crack of noon to a cold beer. If the nova isn't already a regular at places like the Phoenix Room (aka the Amp Room prior to 2015) or StarLord's Cafe yet, he soon will be. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid joining or starting a party whenever the opportunity presents itself, even if the party is one that the nova should avoid attending for some reason (not being invited to a private party, people the nova should avoid are attending, or the nova is currently attempting to lie low and avoid attracting attention). He'll avoid empty bars and nightclubs in favor of ones that are filled with people- and if they're being quiet, the nova must roll Willpower (also with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to keep from doing his best to liven things up and get the party going. Once the party's started, the nova will always stay for an hour, after which he may make another Willpower roll- if the roll fails, he'll stay at the party until he's thrown out or the party winds down on its own. Additionally, the nova will suffer a further +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interactions with sober-minded people- extremely dour folk such as fundamentalists will incur a penalty of +2 or worse! The flipside of this is that the nova gains a -1 difficulty bonus on all Social rolls with extroverted people and other folk who love a good party.

Romance Junkie: Sometime during the mid-Twentieth Century, the feeling of sexual attraction came to be referred to in slang as "chemistry". Ironically this term is quite accurate: the human brain produces a natural "love potion" known as phenylethylamine (PEA) that acts as the chemical basis for sexual attraction. And like many other mind-altering substances, it is possible for humans to become addicted to it- and novas are no exception. Whenever a nova with this aberration has any sort of encounter with an attractive member of the gender he or she is oriented towards, a Willpower roll must be made (with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint) to avoid falling in love with that person. As a result of this addiction/compulsion, the nova will fall all over him- or herself trying to please his or her current beloved. Additionally, the nova must also make a Willpower roll (again with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to resist a request from his or her beloved. If she deems it appropriate, the Storyteller might alter the penalty depending on how much fulfilling the request would cost the nova. If the nova's beloved accepts his or her affections, the nova will become the stereotypical overpossessive boy- or girlfriend- the nova will be despondent when his or her object of affection isn't around, extremely jealous if others show an interest in his or her beloved, and generally oblivious to the world unless outside circumstances threaten the nova's relationship. The nova will also engage in frequent PDA's- public displays of affection- regardless of whether or not such acts are a bad idea or simply inappropriate at the time. It should be noted that the nova's beloved doesn't have to be sincere in accepting the nova's affection in order to keep the nova living in this romantic daze. Unless the nova has some means of detecting the lack of real affection on part of his or her beloved or is presented with strong evidence that proves it, he or she will have to make a Willpower roll (with the Taint penalty) in order to realize the faithlessness of his or her beloved. Otherwise, the relationship could go on for years, decades, or centuries! If the nova's beloved rejects his or her affections or if the nova cannot meet anyone appealing, he or she will become depressed (and suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all rolls) until he or she encounters another attractive person of the correct gender...

Romantic Irresistibility: A nova with this aberration has a dangerous knack for making people attracted to members of the nova's gender fall in love with him or her without any warning. If such a person makes eye contact with the nova, she/he must make a resisted Willpower roll against the nova's total dice pool for Seduction. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. The number of net successes gained by the nova determines the degree of love-sickness the victim develops. One success indicates a mild crush, while 5 or more indicates a haunting obsession. The victim will have no reason (at first) to believe that his or her feelings for the nova aren't genuine- depending on how things develop with the nova, they may soon actually become genuine! This effect is impossible for the nova to predict or guard against, and occurs without any warning (read: the Storyteller has total control over when, where, and with whom this happens. This is best used for purposes of subplot or pure mischief on the Storyteller's part!). Novas who develop this aberration soon find that their social lives will rival the most convoluted soap-opera plots ever to grace the schedules of daytime television.

Sinister: Something about a nova with this aberration really sets baseline humans on edge. The nova may be pleasant company, a stimulating conversationalist and a charming dinner guest, but still that undefinable quality about him raises their hackles- they won't be immediately hostile, but they will be somewhat uneasy. They can't really put a finger on the reason for it, but most baselines the nova encounters won't trust him any farther than one of them could throw a Main Battle Tank. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers twice his normal Taint-derived difficulty penalty on Social rolls where gaining the trust of baselines is concerned. There is one exception to this, however: baselines with Willpower scores equal to or greater than the nova's permanent Taint score can ignore the effects of this aberration. Baselines with the Common Sense Merit have an effective +2 to their Willpower scores for purposes of this aberration. This aberration also has no effect whatsoever on any variety of Inspired beings.

High Level-

Prima Donna: The nova with this aberration is extremely self-centered and conceited, and insists that she be recognized by people the world over as literally being the best in her field (not wholly unreasonable for a nova). If the nova hears that someone is better at her chosen pursuit than she is, she will seek to challenge the "upstart" to a public competition ASAP to determine who is the proverbial "Number 1". The nova will use the reactions of the competition's audience as the indicator or victory or loss. If the nova wins the competition, she will limit herself to verbal gloating over her victory. It's when the nova loses that things will get hairy- the nova will then and there vow to make her rival's life a living hell, and then proceed to do so. The nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid following these courses of action. Novas with this aberration will rack up impressive lists of enemies, to say the least. (Note: This aberration is not limited to female novas- male novas can be every bit as conceited and egotistical!)

Sponge: Mega-Charismatic novas often seem to have the world for their oyster- everywhere they go, people are practically (sometimes literally) falling over themselves to serve their slightest whims. Receiving this sort of treatment on a constant basis can lead to a sense of entitlement on the part of a Mega-Charismatic nova, and Taint accumulation only makes this problem worse. A nova with this aberration will expect to receive the proverbial "red-carpet treatment" at all times, no matter where he goes or who he deals with. If he gets it, everything's fine as far as the nova's concerned- he's gotten his just due. The problem occurs when the nova isn't treated in this ostentatious manner- he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid demanding that he be given what he thinks is his due. If that demand isn't met, the nova will become very angry, and will likely resort to physical force in expressing his displeasure.

Hope to hear from you folks soon! ::cool

[P.S.- Well, it looks like I got my wish sooner than I thought I would! I'll take a day to go over your suggestions, folks. If any of them work out well, I'll see about taking a shot at cleaning them up, dressing them nicely and adding them to the outline. ::biggrin Seeya!]

[Bahamut810]

We will have our own forum soon enough gideon. The Devs have their own lives too you know ;D. I have talked a bit with harle and she is doing the best she can for us in the time she has.

Back to business though...

Gideon:

Great stuff there. Just remember you have to dumb the jargon down a lot for people who havent gone through thoes materials. I cant imagine where I would be if I read them... Great stuff though.

Sproket:

Looks awesome!! Ill get thinking on some aberrations again...I cant guarentee anything but I think I can squeeze another one or two out.

My own progress report:

Im going to force myself to clean up the church probably tonight. Ill go by the layout provided by the APG. And...yes...I said force...im already getting all sorts of idea's for the Beutech place.

After my initial writeup of beutech, though im going to start on the backgrounds and mega-backgrounds.

Some things to discuss about them:

Cost? Should it cost the standard 1np/3xp for it?

Should we include any/all of the ones I listed?

Is there any you dont see that you would like to see?

[phoenix]

Considering that there's a Mega-Wits aberration by the name of Mega-[CENSORED] in Aberrant: Brainwaves, I felt that Mega-Devious wasn't too much of a semantic leap.

Nobody's going to mistake that for an alternative megaattribute..

But I guess it won't be a problem (it'll be under the \"Aberrations\" heading, after all).

Re: Mega-Vanity

I'm thinking about how a nova with this aberration would feel about another nova with the Unearthly Beauty aberration. Perhaps they would find them to be undescribably hideous (and be vocal about it, too)? Maybe even to the extent of having the effect of the Sheer Hideousness aberration from the Megavain nova's point of view. Just a thought.

The nova's hair -all of it- is of a (usually) attractive color that isn't naturally found in baseline humans.

All of it.. that would really suck at high levels, such as having snakes for hair.. tiny snakes hissing out of one's armpits, for example..

As for Chromatic Hair and Aberrant Hair, I actually agree with ProfPotts that they should be a single aberration.. color is just another aspect of the hair that can be \"weird\".

In particular, your \"Aberrant Hair\" idea turned out really well, especially once I looked over my collection of \"Age of Apocalypse\" X-Men titles. I should've pegged Wolverine as having that aberration from the start!

::laugh I'd like to see a high-taint Wolverine..

[Sprocket]

Re: Chromatic Hair and Aberrant Hair- I'm going to have to disagree with you and the good Professor on that, phoenix. ::smile Chromatic Hair is nothing more than the equivalent of the "Colored Skin" aberration from the Aberrant Core Book. I'll rewrite Aberrant Hair if I have to- problably to reflect that it might only affect the nova's head hair at low Taint levels- but I've yet to hear a convincing argument for merging the two aberrations. So they'll stay as they are for the time being. ::tongue

BTW, snakes in the armpit?! ::blink I don't think that even Medusa (the she-monster from Greek mythology, not the Marvel character) had gone THAT far! ::hehe

Re: Mega-Vanity vs. Unearthly Beauty- The Mega-Vain nova would be jealous as all heck, of course! (That's assuming that there was no possibility of romantic attachment- then it's a case of the Mega-Vain nova having the Unearthly Beautiful nova as a fashion accessory! ::devil) Unless the Mega-Vain nova's Mega-Appearance was higher than that of the nova with Unearthly Beauty, it's fair to say that the mega-Vain nova would be catty, snotty, and generally unpleasant. ::rolleyes

[phoenix]

I'm going to have to disagree with you and the good Professor on that, phoenix.  Chromatic Hair is nothing more than the equivalent of the \"Colored Skin\" aberration from the Aberrant Core Book. I'll rewrite Aberrant Hair if I have to- problably to reflect that it might only affect the nova's head hair at low Taint levels- but I've yet to hear a convincing argument for merging the two aberrations. So they'll stay as they are for the time being.

It just seems off to me to have two aberrations affecting the same aspect of the nova's appearance, and a minor aspect at that.. compare a 5-taint nova who takes Chroma and Abbie hair (bright red stiff metal wires) to a nova of the same taint who takes, for example, Colored Skin and Scales or Fur (again, bright red). The latter nova is much, much weirder and more off-putting, and neither set of aberrations really hinder the nova from functioning normally in any way (unless they wear silk underwear or something like that) but they have the same taint.

I'm not saying the aberrations are too weak, but players shouldn't have the option of taking both. Not as two aberrations, anyway.

[Bahamut810]

It just seems off to me to have two aberrations affecting the same aspect of the nova's appearance, and a minor aspect at that.. compare a 5-taint nova who takes Chroma and Abbie hair (bright red stiff metal wires) to a nova of the same taint who takes, for example, Colored Skin and Scales or Fur (again, bright red). The latter nova is much, much weirder and more off-putting, and neither set of aberrations really hinder the nova from functioning normally in any way (unless they wear silk underwear or something like that) but they have the same taint.

I'm not saying the aberrations are too weak, but players shouldn't have the option of taking both. Not as two aberrations, anyway.

WHile I do agree that thoes two would probably work as a single aberration...I dont think your examples are that accurate, phoenix.

Thoes are a STs call there and could be done in a few ways. For your first example...chromatic and Aberrant hair could be used together. Each side of the head is one or the other. Or His beard is one and his other hair is the other. Heck...he could have straw for hair and hairy palms...

Even colored skin and fur could work together. What could be wierder then Mr. Poodle man with blue skin and selective places with bright red fur?

Like I said...I would consider that STs discretion.

[Bahamut810]

The Church of the Beautiful Pain

-Mission Statement:

"We are the ultimate beings of expression. Each of us...we have in ourselves the power to make art so beautiful, music for powerful, and pain so wonderful. Each of us in turn are to give our gifts to the outside world, to let them share in our arts." -Morbed, Shaper of Men

-History:

For the past 7 years, the church has been slowly moving into the spotlight in the French culture scene. Ever since their leader, Morbed, arrived he has been the driving force and the inspiration behind the entire movement.

In 2005 the group gain access, and legally purchased an old cathedral on the outskirts of Leon, France. This place is home to some 20 people, all of whom are fiercely loyal to Morbed. All of these people are bohemian artists and musicians. In reality only a few of them have the potential to become famous or even good. But they practice their art none the less.

Since its founding the church has been a center for poor artists and musicians to mass and mingle among their own. It is bolstered by the fact that Morbed is such a fanatical speaker in favor of a new culture, of another renaissance that will see the light of day soon. Many of the artists who hear about this church and arrive at it tend to stay to live. This is much to the dismay of many families, but as the people want to be there there is nothing that the police can do.

The pure artist movement (as they call it) has not been without its kinks. There has been much speculation about Morbeds powers and there are rumors floating around that he makes an entirely new kind of art...one of pain and human flesh. This has yet to be proven in French court system and even the directive doesn’t have any real evidence to support that theory...but the rash of disappearances in the area has raised some suspicion. The thing is that no bodies are ever found and they can never get a search warrant for the church for some reason.

As of late the church has been doing extremely well financially. The regular donations of the patrons, as well as their starlet Claudia’s music career they have secured a nice lifestyle for themselves...this has pleased Morbed to no end. Soon they plan to expand even further south into France to spread the good word even more.

-Membership:

Any artists are welcome, but only the ones with some talent are allowed to stay. There is a lot of talent in France according to Morbed.

-Activities:

There are regular concerts held by Claudia in the main part of the church. Every month people will pay a moderate sum and listen to the wonder that is her music. There is a perpetual art show going on inside and around the church.

-Allies and Enemies

The church has relatively few friends. Most notable among them is the Harvesters. They view this cult as a movement of taint to purify baselines and to mold them to one’s desires. Their only other allies are the local artists who respect their work.

Out of all of their enemies, Utopia is least dangerous. They have unconfirmed reports so stay weary of them but have seen no solid evidence as of yet to confirm that the disappearances are connected to the church. This is the same for the local authorities. Perhapse their most dangerous foe is the parents of the people that are part of the church. They feel like their children have been stolen from them and want to stop Morbed before he can take another as one of this “children.”

-Getting Involved

To become involved with the church is easy. Be an artist. After that it becomes harder, not only do you have to prove yourself to your peers...but to Morbed himself. Once you do that, you are encouraged to stay and to help Morbed to attain the new Renaissance.

-Personalities

*Look above

-Story Hooks

*One of the PCs has a brother who loves art go missing! He was last seen on a bus going from Paris, France to Leon, France.

*The PCs get a call from their elite agency. The parents of a bunch of artists have banned together and raised the money to hire them to investigate Morbed.

*Utopia (or the Teregen) wise up to what Morbed is doing and send the PC’s to stop it.

[Gideon]

Bahamut,

looks good ::biggrin , I like how you covered social and politcal angles, and the player hooks are good. I noticed a couple spelling and grammer errors, ::blush but nothing huge. If you want, I can revise it and send it back your way. (Specificly I would note areas that might need correction/tightening. This can be done with plain text and bold-facing, or if you have a preferred document editor, with colored text)

I can also PM you if you want clarification.

my off-site e-mail is summanej_remove_these_words@oclc.org

Gideon

[ProfPotts]

Hats off to you, Prof! 

Cheers! ::biggrin

Just to clarify why I don't consider Chromatic Hair much of an aberration in & of itself - Coloured Skin already allows for coloured hair & eyes, as well as skin - all in one aberration. Aberrant eyes are different because they're so much more than just a strange colour, & can get worse with increasing Taint. Chromatic Hair takes a single aspect of an already low-level aberration, & one that is easily simulated by / explained away as hair dye, & grants it the same 'value' as Coloured Skin that does all that, & a whole lot more. It's a bit like inventing a new aberration called 'Earthly Beauty' & defining it as the character being reasonably beautiful - they stand out in a crowd, but no-one ever thinks 'inhuman'. That 'inhuman' aspect is the real point of aberrations after all.

By all means allow characters to have strangely coloured hair, but don't make it a Taint-worthy thing, just a descriptive element to the character's appearance.

[phoenix]

Hee hee.. Earthly Beauty.. that's a good one.. thank you, that's exactly what I was trying to say.

[Sprocket]

Re: Aberrant Hair vs. Chromatic Hair- All right, you've made your point- but all I saw was that the standing version of Chromatic Hair needed to be revised instead of being merged with Aberrant Hair. The revised versions of both aberrations are in the latest outline- see below. As Chromatic Hair is basically a "special effect" aberration (derived from an unconscious desire to be more noticeable), I've made it a bit more of a pain in the rear in just that manner. Read it over before trashing it, okay? ::smile

(BTW, phoenix- Unless a nova is taking an aberration as a Flaw or is a Terat and altering her aberrations via the Chrysalis, no player can choose what aberrations her nova character develops- it's entirely under the purview of the Storyteller! ::devilangel )

Re: "Painful Visage"- It sounds nice on paper, Bahamut, but it sounds like more of an enhancement than an aberration. Addictive Visage worked out better, as it's been written up and added to the outline. Good work on the "Beautiful Pain" cult- although you might want to alter some of the names to be more french-sounding (francophonic? ::unsure ). I also second the call for grammar & spelling checks.

Anyhow, on to the aberration outline...

As it stands, I'm assuming we have a goal of coming up with 9 low-level aberrations, 6 medium-levels, and 2 high-levels per Social Mega-Attribute (not counting duplications). Going by that guideline, all we're lacking is 1 medium-level and 1 high-level, both in Mega-Appearance. Read what I've come up with and give me some feedback, folks...

MEGA-SOCIAL ABERRATIONS

Outline- [Aberrations marked with an * are from the Aberrant Compendium.]

1: Mega-Appearance

a: Low-level: Aberrant Hair, Chromatic Hair, Distinctive Looks, Mega-Vanity, Quantum Beacon, Sex Object*, Strange Scent, Surreality*, Twisted Perspective.

b: Medium-level: Fashion Disaster, Heartthrob*, Object of Desire*, Piecemeal Metamorphosis, Shifting Features*.

c: High-level: Addictive Visage.

2: Mega-Manipulation

a: Low-level: Altered Tongue, Compulsive Blackmailer, Cowardice, Dictator, Ennui, Greedy, Mega-Devious, Mischievous, Prankster.

b: Medium-level: Cannot Lie, Intrigue Junkie, Judas Syndrome, Negotiator, Pathological Liar, Trickster.

c: High-level: Incredible, Misinterpreted.

3: Mega-Charisma

a: Low-level: Convivial, Fanatic, Flippant, Four-Color Caricature, Gravitas, Screwball Magnet, Soft Touch, Tactless, Twisted Sense of Humor.

b: Medium-level: Glory Hound, Heartthrob*, Hubris, Party Animal, Romance Junkie, Romantic Irresistibility*, Sinister.

c: High-level: Prima Donna, Sponge.

>Mega Appearance

Low Level-

Aberrant Hair: Something about the nova's hair is weird. While it's color is more-or-less normal (providing that the nova doesn't also have the Chromatic Hair aberration), something about it simply isn't possible for baseline hair without extensive styling. The nova's hair might be stiff enough stand up naturally without the aid of hairspray or styling mousse; novas with hair that sticks up vertically for heights of 40 centimeters or more are not unheard of. The nova's hair might naturally grow in an odd style, such as a 1970s-style punk-rock mohawk or a lion's mane. Other possibilities include the nova's hair developing a metallic, rubbery, or plastic texture; or being uncomfortably warm or cold to the touch. Some novas' hair might actually move of its own accord! As the permanent Taint of a nova with this aberration accumulates, the nova's hair may actually change into something unsettling and problematic such as flames, stiff metal wires, or living snakes. (In the case of these extreme cases, this aberration might only affect the hair on the nova's head- the Storyteller has the final say on this matter, as always.)

Chromatic Hair: The nova's hair -all of it- is of a (usually) attractive color that isn't naturally found in baseline humans. Just about any hue is possible- bright blue, leaf green, cherry red, and pastel pink are just a few of the possibilities. Some novas even develop hair the color of polished metal- for example, Teardrop from Teen2M has bright silver hair. Other people get a -2 difficulty bonus to recognize a nova with this aberration- and unless the nova is around people as colorful (pun intended) as herself, other people will get a -2 difficulty bonus on all Perception rolls to pick her out of a crowd. Since baseline teenagers and nonconformists have been dyeing their hair unnatural colors for over a decade (as of 2008), this doesn't draw quite as much attention as other minor physical aberrations do... unless someone gets close enough to the nova to realize that the supposed dye-job is in fact natural color! As the permanent Taint of a nova with this aberration accumulates, the color of the nova's hair will become ever-more striking and noticeable- some novas' hair might even glow like fiberoptics! This results in an additional -1 difficulty bonus on rolls for other people to recognize or spot the nova per 2 points of permanent Taint the nova accumulates after manifesting this aberration. Oddly enough, several Japanese novas (and foreign novas who have been influenced by Japanese anime) have developed this aberration without the Taint that normally accompanies it. These novas also have been known to develop oddly-colored irises without Taint accumulation as well. (In game terms, these novas have taken both the Chromatic Hair and Aberrant Eyes aberrations as 1-point Flaws- see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 92.)

Distinctive Looks: Something about the looks of a nova with this aberration really stands out in the minds of those who see her (or visual records of her). Whether it's something as blatant as smoldering sex appeal or as subtle as how the light hits her, this makes the nova's appearance quite unique. Unless she takes extreme measures to alter her appearance (via shapeshifting or cutting-edge cinematic special effects makeup), she is likely to be spotted and recognized on sight by anyone who's seen her before. In game terms, other people (novas, baselines, and psiads alike) will gain a difficulty bonus on all Perception rolls made to identify the nova equal to her Taint-derived difficulty penalty on social interactions with baselines. On the flipside, all rolls made for attempts to impersonate the nova with this aberration likewise suffer a difficulty penalty equal to her Taint-derived difficulty penalty on social interactions with baselines.

Mega-Vanity: Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas who develop this aberration become obsessed with their personal appearance. These are the novas who simply cannot pass by a mirror without looking at themselves, and cleaning up their appearance if need be- even during combat! They dread the problems of aging (baldness, grey hair, wrinkled skin, sagging figures, etc), and will seek to become very good friends with any nova capable of using the Age Alteration technique of Temporal Manipulation. Flattery works very well on these novas, making them more vulnerable to certain Manipulation-based skills (+1 difficulty penalty to resist such attempts). Insulting or marring the looks of novas with this aberration is guaranteed to anger them- they suffer a difficulty penalty of +1 on all their rolls until the insult is avenged and the damage (even if it's nothing more than having mud thrown in the face) is corrected. Mega-Vain novas tend to resent other novas who have greater Mega-Appearance than their own, especially if they are romantic rivals of the Mega-Vain nova in question. (They can appreciate the Mega-Appearance of potential romantic partners just like anyone else!) In all of these cases, a Mega-Vain nova can make a Willpower roll (penalized by his or her permanent Taint, of course) to resist the urge to give in to his or her vanity whenever it is felt, even when it isn't the best time to indulge. The Storyteller may adjust the difficulty if the circumstances are especially tempting. The nova may spend a Willpower point to resist the effects of this aberration for one scene, but will feel distinctly uncomfortable doing so.

Quantum Beacon: The nova's self-image has changed drastically from what it was prior to his eruption- he sees existence as a nova as being clearly distinct from baseline existence, overemphasizing the differences. As a result, the nova cannot have the Dormancy background and will have to deal with the special problems of living as a nova 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As an added burden, anyone who attempts to detect the Quantum and/or Taint of a nova with this aberration (via Node, psionic Attunement, or certain powers and devices) receives a difficulty bonus equal to the nova's permanent Taint. This aberration is especially common in those novas who were markedly deficient in some way as baselines; such as having physical deformities or birth defects, being an invalid or disfigured by a disease, or simply being born ugly. As these problems are usually corrected as a byproduct of the eruption process, the nova will understandably have no desire whatsoever to return to his previous baseline existence, even temporarily. Note: This aberration can only develop in those novas who have learned to employ the Dormancy background- if a nova never bothers to develop this innate ability in the first place, he won't manifest this aberration. Storytellers are encouraged to apply this aberration only to novas that would be inconvenienced by it.

Sex Object: The nova is simply too attractive for his/her own good. Upon first meeting the nova, people attracted to members of the nova's gender must roll Willpower to avoid becoming lust-stricken by the nova and treating him/her as a sex object. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. (If the victim is alone with the nova in a private setting, the roll is made with an additional +1 difficulties.) Those who succeed on the Willpower roll may act as they please. The actions of those who fail the roll will vary with their individual personalities- unabashed staring, deciding to stalk the nova, or simply acting like a blabbering idiot are all good possibilities. Those who botch the roll will seek to become intimate with the nova ASAP, although their tactics will vary with individual personalities, as noted above. Novas who develop this aberration often encounter jealousy from potential romantic rivals, for obvious reasons. When added to the difficulties of social interaction with someone who's determined to either become your significant other or get into your pants, it's not hard to understand why many such novas become recluses.

Strange Scent: A nova with this aberration has a natural body odor that smells like nothing a normal human body is capable of producing. The scent can be literally anything, although Mega-Attractive novas will produce pleasant scents (such as roses, fresh sea spray, or cedar wood). Mega-Ugly novas produce unpleasant scents (such as sulfur, decaying flesh, or fresh sewage). Mega-Ugly novas will suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on Social rolls for interacting with baselines and less-tainted novas. Mega-Attractive novas will only suffer that penalty if the baseline or nova in question is allergic to or simply dislikes what would ordinarily be considered a pleasant scent. All attempts to track a nova with this aberration by scent are made with a -1 difficulty bonus.

Surreality: Other people (including other novas!) will tend find a nova who develops this aberration to be irresistibly fascinating. (Victims must make a resisted Willpower roll vs. the nova's Mega-Appearance to resist, with a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines.) If a victim succeeds on the Willpower roll, he or she may act as he or she pleases. If they fail, people will stare at the nova and attempt to strike up conversations at inappropriate times in hope of getting to know the nova better. Worse still, criminals and other people of a less savory nature will always choose the nova over other potential targets for their illicit acts.

Twisted Perspective: Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas who develop this aberration undergo a slight change in their ideas of human beauty. Having come to accept their superhuman attractiveness as the norm, such novas will find the unenhanced features of even the most gorgeous baselines to be homely, if not downright repulsive! Novas with this aberration have a -2 difficulty bonus to resist any seduction attempts made by baselines that are based on sexual attraction. The flipside of this is that these novas also have a difficulty penalty of +2 on all vision-based Perception rolls made to identify baselines by sight- after all, these novas likely won't even want to look at baselines if they can help it... As the nova's permanent Taint increases, so will the effects of this aberration- raise the value of the bonus (and penalty) by 1 point for every 2 points of permanent Taint accumulated after gaining this aberration.

Medium Level-

Fashion Disaster: A nova with this aberration has lost all appreciation of the importance of being dressed well (or of being dressed at all). While the nova can still understand why baselines place such emphasis on fashionable clothing in an intellectual, abstract manner, he will feel that engaging in such displays himself is pointless and/or ridiculous. From the nova's viewpoint, for him to indulge in such behavior would be the equivalent of an adult dressing and acting like a small child- and since when do adults take the opinions of little children on how (or if) they should dress, anyway? Novas with this aberration will dress in either utilitarian clothes or whatever attire the nova deems comfortable- if the nova also has the Adaptation enhancement and the Armor power, this may mean going around in little clothing or none at all! Given the importance that baseline society places on wearing whatever clothing is considered fashionable at the time, this aberration can cause the nova serious social difficulties- after all, most baselines tend to take silly things like dress codes, fashion trends, and laws regarding indecent public exposure quite seriously. In game terms, the nova's taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines is doubled for all rolls where wearing appropriate clothing is a factor. If someone (not necessarily another nova) whose opinion the nova respects attempts to convince him that he should wear appropriate clothing to an event, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) in order to follow that person's advice for the duration of the event. (The nova will get himself out of that "ridiculous get-up" ASAP once the event is over, however!) Note: Depending on the circumstances, the increased difficulty penalty imposed by this aberration may not apply in some situations- a nova who insists on wearing 1970's-style leisure suits wouldn't be looked down on by people with similar tastes, while a Mega-Attractive nova who hates wearing any clothes at all would be well-received at a clothing-optional beach or a nudist colony.

Heartthrob: The nova is absolute dynamite when it comes to infatuating those people attracted to members of the nova's gender. The problem is that the nova is like this all the time, and can't turn off his or her sex appeal... (This should be restricted to novas with the Seductive Looks enhancement.) In game terms, any and all extra successes the nova may gain via the Seductive and/or Seductive Looks enhancements are effectively doubled for seduction rolls (not persuasion- the nova's victims will tend to hear only what they want to from the nova). The downside of this is that the bonus is applied to ANY action of the nova's that could be seen as seductive by his/her victims (Storyteller's decision). Also, the Storyteller will kindly make all Seduction rolls for the nova's player, and doesn't have to inform the player about it beforehand. Novas with this aberration will often have no idea that they've won a victim's affections- until the victim makes some moves of her/his own...

Object of Desire: Something about the nova makes people want to possess him or her. Upon first meeting the nova, people attracted to him or her must make a resisted Willpower roll vs. the nova's Mega-Appearance. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. Failing the roll means that the victim will see the nova as a commodity or treasure to be owned instead of as a person with his or her own desires and needs. (Just think of how certain rich folk manage to acquire their "trophy spouses", and how those spouses are treated after they've been landed.) The form that the ownership takes will vary with individual victims- some might settle for signing the nova to a contract or hauling off the nova to a wedding chapel, while others may take the idea of owning the nova all too literally... The nova's victims will be very possessive of him or her, and they will go to great lengths in order to either establish or retain their control over the nova.

Piecemeal Metamorphosis: A nova with this aberration is ever-so-slowly changing into something other than human, one portion of his body at a time. When this aberration first manifests, a small portion of the nova's anatomy (such as the lower face or hands) will change into whatever the Storyteller decides would be appropriate. As the nova accumulates permanent Taint, exponentially-larger parts of the nova's body will be altered in this fashion. A common theme for this aberration is gradual transformation into a humanoid animal- for instance, the lower face of the elite known as Dog (from Aberrant:Worldwide 2) has changed into that of a humanoid schnauzer. Other themes include changing into a humanoid plant or some form of living machine, inorganic matter or energy. (The latter three themes are very appropriate for novas with the Bodymorph power- once the gradual transformation of the nova's body is complete, this aberration effectively becomes identical to Permanent Power-Bodymorph.) Note that only a defined portion of the nova's body is affected by this- aside from his lower face, Dog's body is fairly normal for a male nova at this point in his accumulation of Taint (6 points, F.Y.I.). If Dog reaches 7 Taint, his head will certainly become entirely that of a humanoid schnauzer, and he may develop a full-body coat of fur as well. Depending on what kind of nonhuman morphology the nova is developing, the nova may face certain physical difficulties as well as the inevitable social difficulties. For example: A nova who's turning into a snake-man might find his legs turning into a single serpentine trunk and tail, while an amphibious female nova might turn into a classical mermaid. A male nova whose head has permanently turned into living thermonuclear plasma won't be able to wear a hat, nor will he be likely to get any kisses from baseline ladies. A nova whose limbs have turned into living bionics is likely to have trouble with metal detectors and security officers. And let's not forget the tailoring problems faced by a nova who's changing into a 173-cm tall humanoid flying squirrel! (Those darn patagia make wearing a tuxedo impossible, and most tailors don't do tail-flaps.)

Shifting Features: A nova with this aberration has partially lost control over the appearance of his body. The nova suffers from a shifting in his body weight, mass, and tissue colorations that is virtually unnoticeable from minute to minute, but can radically alter his features over the course of a few hours. While the changes are gradual, they are constant- the nova will look different enough within 24 hours to make him unrecognizable as the same person on the basis of visual recognition. This unsettles baselines (and many novas), resulting in the nova suffering an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls beyond making a first impression.

High Level-

Addictive Visage: While all Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas are capable of inspiring adoration and lust in other people, some of those novas take the idea of being attractive to others a bit too far. The undisguised physical appearance of a nova with this aberration is psychologically addictive to baselines that are sexually oriented towards members of the nova's gender. In game terms, treat the nova's visage as a drug with an Addiction Rating equal to the nova's permanent Taint score when the nova is viewed by baselines of the correct sexual orientation. When watching a nova with this aberration, affected baselines will feel intense euphoria and feelings of romantic love along with a loss of inhibitions- consider their effective Wits and Intelligence scores to be lowered by [the nova's permanent Taint -5] dots, down to a minimum of 1. Additionally, all Willpower rolls to resist sexual overtures from the nova (real or imagined) suffer a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. If the nova is being viewed via recordings, the Addiction Rating of his or her visage is lowered by 4 points, unless the nova has the Almost Live enhancement. Addicted baselines will gain the 2-point version of the Addiction Flaw (on pg. 71 of the Aberrant Players Guide). The effects of this aberration will last for [the nova's permanent Taint -5] hours. "Detoxing" from the effects of this aberration takes the same length of time, and will leave affected baselines with both a +1 difficulty penalty on all perception rolls to detect pleasurable sensations and a +2 difficulty penalty on all Willpower rolls until their neurochemistry returns to normal. Addicted baselines with Willpower scores of 4 or less may also develop delusions of having a romantic relationship with the nova- these unfortunates often become stalkers. The only way for the nova to control this for any length of time is to use the Mr. Nobody enhancement, provided that his or her Mega-Appearance is high enough to "cover up" this aberration. It should also be noted that a nova with this aberration is likely to be regarded with jealousy from baselines of the same sexual orientation- these folks will see the nova as a sexual rival, resulting in the nova suffering an additional +1 difficulty penalty for social interactions with those people.

>Mega-Manipulation

Low Level-

Altered Tongue: The tongue of a nova with this aberration has been changed in some way, usually one that reflects a common myth, superstition, or saying about manipulative folk. One nova's tongue might become forked like a snake's, while another's might turn the color of polished metallic silver. Unless the nova is in the habit of showing off his or her tongue in the manner of certain 1970s-era rock stars, this aberration is likely to remain unnoticed, barring attempts by others to become physically intimate with the nova.

Compulsive Blackmailer: The nova who develops this aberration becomes driven to learn how to get leverage against anyone and everyone she can- including her supposed friends and colleagues. What's more, she knows that the best way to do so is to learn all the secrets of those she hopes to influence, and the nova won't hesitate to betray someone's confidence if it means she'll take in a profit. Secrets that could get her vanished and/or killed are left alone- novas with this aberration are devious, not stupid. Nobody with any sense will trust the nova (if they know about her little hobby), but as the nova is likely to have assembled an impressive network of contacts and people who owe her favors, she probably won't care. There is one exception to this, though; if the nova still has family and/or a spouse that she truly, honestly cares about she will neither try to dig up dirt on them nor knowingly place them in danger with her machinations. Whenever the nova has an opportunity to uncover someone's secrets, she must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid digging up that dirty laundry. Furthermore, if the nova is prevented from investigating anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of her rolls until she can indulge her compulsion. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first.

Cowardice: A nova with this aberration has grown very comfortable with the idea of letting others do his dirty work while he stays safe somewhere else. In fact, he's so comfortable with that idea that he's become neurotically careful about keeping his own hide intact! If the nova is ever required to place himself in physical danger, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to avoid refusing to endanger himself. This roll is made at an additional +2 difficulty penalty if there's a risk of death. Storyteller note: Just about the only reliable way to motivate a cowardly nova in this situation is to have him threatened with greater danger than what he's refused to face... A cowardly nova will suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with people who are required to be professionally brave (soldiers, police officers, Directive agents, etc.), provided that they know of the nova's cowardice.

Dictator: Mega-Manipulative novas can usually do a good job of being a leader- they know when (and when not) to apply control over their minions, and how much control to use without being heavy-handed. For a nova with this aberration, however, there's simply no such thing as "too much control". If the nova has any authority over other people (even if it's something as trivial as being the head of a household or a gang leader), she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid trying to control every aspect of her minions' activities when they're under her authority. For example, a nova who's the director of a dance company would lord it over the dancers during their performances and practice sessions; but she wouldn't care much about their personal lives unless they interfered with the dancer's obligations to the dance company. This changes as the nova accumulates permanent Taint: at 6-7 dots of Taint, the scope of the nova's power-trip will widen to include all aspects of her underlings' lives. At 8-10 dots of Taint, the nova will become obsessive (as per the Addiction/Compulsion Flaw on pg. 71 of the Aberrant Player's Guide) about maintaining total control over her underlings- even if it means disposing of those who try to escape from her domination. Novas who develop this aberration often end up forming cults around themselves in order to satisfy their totalitarian urges.

Ennui: A nova with this aberration becomes easily bored and jaded. While he still has emotions, they have become somewhat numbed. He also tends to be listless and dissatisfied with things in general. Rousing the nova from this state takes effort both on the part of the nova and his comrades. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) in order to react to anything with something other than passing interest or apathy. Some ennui-stricken novas seek to distract themselves with games of intrigue and influence- regardless of the effects on innocent bystanders.

Greedy: A nova with this aberration has one main focus in his life: money. Lots of it. Family and friends are almost as inconsequential as "the good of human civilization" or "standing up for your fellow novas" as far as this nova is concerned. If the nova is offered a bribe, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to refuse. If taking the bribe wouldn't result in people the nova cares about getting injured, the Willpower roll is made with an additional penalty of +1. These novas are the ones who drool over the prospect of overthrowing small nations for seven-figure contracts from DeVries...

Mega-Devious: Mega-Manipulative novas are some of the most devious people on the planet- they can find a thousand ways to cheat, deceive, coerce and swindle a mark and get off scot-free every time. One problem with that is that some Mega-Manipulative novas learn that lesson so well that they lose sight of less-underhanded alternatives. Novas who develop this aberration compulsively use only underhanded means to achieve their goals- cheating, coercion, weaseling, duping, swindles and betrayals are just a few of the tactics favored by the Mega-Devious. These novas will work at least twice as hard to do something (even if it's something nice for a loved one) using crooked methods that could be more easily achieved with aboveground methods, as they ignore the possibilities (and benefits) of employing more honest and fair methods. Such a nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his or her permanent Taint) in order to attempt using an honest, aboveground method of achieving a chosen goal.

Mischievous: A nova with this aberration develops a strong liking for activities such as embarrassing other people, confusing them, annoying them, and freaking them out on occasion. The nova is likely to play harmless practical jokes and perpetrate deceptions whenever opportunity permits, and even his friends and loved ones are fair game as far as he's concerned! In any case, a mischievous nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid pulling a potentially harmful prank on deception on a "good target". The Storyteller may raise or lower this penalty in certain circumstances- this is habitual behavior, not compulsive behavior. Novas with this aberration are more likely to indulge in mischief when they're either bored or haven't had much fun lately. Mischievous novas will also suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interacting with those people who have the Bad Temper, Bully, Cold, or No Sense of Humor aberrations/Flaws.

Prankster: Somewhat similar to novas with the Mischievous aberration, a nova with this aberration also likes to play practical jokes and elaborate deceptions on those people that she considers good targets- likely, they will be people whom the nova finds personally offensive in some way. The main difference is that the nova will see nothing wrong with inflicting serious harm on her intended target, especially if the chosen target is really offensive to her! The definition of "good target" will vary with the individual nova's personality- one nova might target people he deems immoral or unethical, while another would target people who are happy and enjoying their lives. In any case, a prankster nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid pulling a potentially harmful prank on deception on a "good target". The Storyteller may raise or lower this penalty in certain circumstances- this is habitual behavior, not compulsive behavior. Witnessing really offensive behavior on the part of a potential target is pretty much guaranteed to provoke a prankster nova, though!

Medium Level-

Cannot Lie: A nova with this aberration has lost the ability to tell (or otherwise communicate) something that he knows is blatantly untruthful. In layman's terms, the nova can't tell bald-faced lies. This isn't as much of a handicap (or a safety margin, depending on your point of view) as one might expect, however. The nova can still deceive others by alternate means- he can mislead by omission or equivocation, and can use illusions to the fullest if he has the appropriate quantum powers to generate them. A nova with this aberration is not compelled to talk (unless he's forced to), but if he does he'll still be able to omit details and twist definitions to suit his purposes.

Intrigue Junkie: While most Mega-Manipulative novas do well enough when they must uncover mysteries and deal with conspiracies, some of them become a little too comfortable in the shadow-world of intrigue. A Mega-Manipulative nova who develops this aberration has an overwhelming attraction for mysteries and conspiracies. Whenever the nova is presented with a mystery or evidence of a plot, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to resist the impulse to meddle in it or otherwise get himself involved. Given the number of existing mysteries and conspiracies to be found in Aberrant-Era Earth, this aberration can easily get a nova into some very dangerous situations...

Judas Syndrome: A nova with this aberration has developed a very specific- albeit devastating- form of compulsive behavior. If the nova has a relationship with someone that involves the other party having to trust the nova (most socially-oriented backgrounds and a few Merits), the nova will feel driven to betray that other party in some way, usually at the worst possible moment. The Storyteller has full control over which of the nova's relationships will be affected when this aberration comes into play, as a "worst possible moment to betray someone" could come at any time. The nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) in order to resist the compulsion to betray someone. For each 24 hours after the first 24 where the nova fails to betray someone, she will suffer a +1 penalty to all of her difficulties. It should be noted that once an ally, contact, organization, or significant other has been betrayed, the nova will have pretty much destroyed any positive regard that person or organization might have had for her. In game terms, this is usually reflected as a loss of either one dot in the appropriate Background or the appropriate Merit. If the nova survives the aftermath of her betrayal, she has a choice of either letting the Background dot or Merit be lost, or she can spend experience points in order to "buy back" the Background dot or Merit that would've otherwise have been lost. In the latter case the nova has either found someone new to replace the person she betrayed, or has done sufficient politicking and given enough favors to her superiors that they will allow her to retain her position in her organization. Note: Novas with this aberration simply cannot have the True Love Merit. Ever.

Negotiator: For Mega-Manipulative novas, being able to bring other people around to their point of view is usually second nature for them. A nova with this aberration has come to believe in her abilities so much that she rarely even considers the possibility of failure. Whenever the nova is involved in any form of negotiation she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid dragging out a negotiating session for much longer than is necessary and/or sensible, unless the dispute can be settled quickly. This is due to the simple fact that the nova will not give up the attempt to help reach a compromise- unless she makes her Willpower roll, she will flat-out refuse to admit that calm, civil debate isn't feasible (or even possible) in even the most dire situations. The nova must also make a Willpower roll (with the Taint penalty) to avoid attempting to initiate negotiations in even the most absurd circumstances. A nova with this aberration is the one who would walk up to a psychotic, tainted nova on a quantum-powered killing spree and ask him to "settle down so that we can discuss this situation like reasonable novas".

Pathological Liar: A nova with this aberration has developed a specific form of compulsive behavior that drives him to tell lies and deceive other people whenever he can. Whenever the nova has an opportunity to communicate with someone, he must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid telling a lie. Furthermore, if the nova is prevented from communicating with (and lying to) anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of his rolls until he can lie to someone. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first.

Trickster: A nova with this aberration (a specific form of compulsive behavior) lusts after the thrill of outwitting dangerous foes. This isn't the simple harassment of harmless and/or innocent folks- only foes who can present a genuine threat to the nova will be considered worthy targets for her mischievous activities. Depending on the situation, a "worthy target" might be a single powerful nova, a group of novas, or even a baseline organization! There doesn't have to be any actual need for the nova to go out and pick a fight (and there usually won't be)- the nova's desire for the thrills of a battle of wits and skill is all the justification she thinks she needs. The nova must choose and actively attempt to trick a dangerous target at least once every 24 hours. The nova may roll Willpower in order to restrain herself for a day, but she will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty on the Willpower roll for each day that she fights her own tendency for mischief. If the Willpower roll is failed, the nova will go looking for some trouble ASAP, even to the point of temporarily deserting her comrades if that's what it takes to satisfy her urge.

High Level-

Incredible: The Mega-Manipulative nova who develops this aberration has what could be politely termed a "credibility problem". Whenever he attempts to convince other people of something that he knows to be true, most (if not all) of those who listen to him will dismiss his statement out of hand. Understandably, this can make the nova rather bitter where those people are concerned- after all, they refused to believe him when he attempted to tell them the truth about something important. In game terms, whenever the nova with this aberration tries to make a statement about something that he knows to be true, anyone that's listening to him must make a Willpower roll with a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. If the affected being scores even one success on the roll, he or she will believe the nova's statement. Failing the roll means that the affected being will not believe the nova's statement, regardless of the nova's previous record for accuracy and/or honesty, unless developing circumstances prove the nova to have been correct. (It's typically far too late for anything to be done about the situation by then, though...) A botch on the roll means that the affected being will not only disbelieve the nova's statement, but that he or she will condemn it as utter nonsense, even after developing circumstances prove the nova to have been correct! Inspired beings with either the Common Sense Merit or the Prudence (Mega-Wits) enhancement are automatically immune to the effects of this aberration. Baselines and other non-Inspired beings with the Common Sense Merit gain a -4 difficulty bonus on the Willpower roll to resist the effects of this aberration.

Misinterpreted: While most Mega-Manipulative novas are past masters at getting their point across, those who develop this aberration tend to experience problems with information distortion. Whenever the nova is attempting to communicate with more than one non-Inspired being at a time, all such beings among his audience must make a Willpower roll with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. (This aberration affects all means of communication.) Success on the roll means that the nova has gotten his message across to that baseline without any distortion. Failing the roll means that the baseline will accept a distorted account of the nova's message (thought up by the Storyteller beforehand) as being true. Depending on the details of the nova's message and how much it's been distorted, this could lead to some interesting complications... A botch on the Willpower roll indicates that the baseline accepts an account of the nova's message that's distorted enough to pose a disastrous threat to the plans and aims of the nova with this aberration. Note: This aberration has no effect whatsoever on the Inspired, nor does it affect baselines who don't understand the language used in the nova's message. For some reason, this aberration tends to be most frequently manifested by those novas who manage to set up large cults centered around themselves...

>Mega-Charisma

Low Level-

Convivial: For a nova who develops this aberration, the company of other people (preferably in large numbers) is absolutely vital to his psychological well-being. This outright addiction to frequent social contact will lead the nova to ignore up to 2 points of any difficulty penalties on Social rolls that would otherwise apply- say, like when a highly-tainted nova tries to associate with her less-tainted colleagues... The nova will be utterly miserable when alone, and will suffer a +2 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls when isolated in this manner. (Storyteller Note: This must be roleplayed!) If the nova is in a group of four or less, he'll be somewhat less than miserable, but he won't exactly be happy, either. In this case, the nova suffers only a +1 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls until he's around a larger group of people.

Fanatic: People have dedicated their lives to various causes throughout human history. Why should one expect novas to be any different? A nova with this aberration believes strongly enough in a given cause (his country, religion, faction, what-have-you) that he is willing to put it ahead of everything else in his life. If following his chosen cause means adhering to a defined code of behavior, he'll follow that rigidly, no matter what those people who don't work for the cause say about him. If the cause requires obedience to a leader, the nova will serve with total loyalty. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to disobey the dictates of his cause in even the slightest way.

Flippant: Novas with this aberration are nearly incapable of taking anything seriously. They will make jokes about about a man's many illicit love affairs while speaking at his funeral! For some reason, they never quite manage to figure out why some of their audiences tend to turn hostile towards them... As could only be expected, this lack of respect for social status, propriety, and the world in general tends to make these novas somewhat difficult to get along with. There's one exception to this, though: Flippant novas won't joke about things and events that they find horrifying. (This is the major difference between this aberration and Twisted Sense of Humor- see the listing below for details.) In all social situations where seriousness, politeness and courtesy are expected; these novas will suffer a difficulty penalty of +2 in addition to the normal Taint-derived penalty for social interaction with baselines. For ease of comparison, Morph (from Marvel Comics' "Age of Apocalypse" and "Exiles" titles) is a great example of a nova with this aberration.

Four-Color Caricature: Possibly as a result of reading too many third-rate comics as a kid, a nova with this aberration has bought heavily into the lore of the four-color superhero (or supervillain). This specific form of delusion will lead the nova to wear an outlandish costume (complete with utility belt), give unbearably corny speeches, and generally act as if he'd just stepped out of a Superfriends episode. This kind of behavior is extremely embarrassing to most other novas, who will ostracize and/or mock the nova if given the chance. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers a +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with other novas who don't share his four-color worldview. While many baselines will idolize the nova as a living incarnation of what they think all novas should be; those with common sense will tend to think that the nova is 1: a clownish fool, 2: certifiably insane, 3: an elite wannabe, or 4: all of the above. The nova is quite likely to be a regular subject of trashy tabloid newspapers. Note: For some reason, all novas who develop this aberration possess neither the Common Sense Merit nor the Prudence enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Gravitas: For ancient Romans during the non-decadent phases of the Empire, being serious wasn't just a personality trait- it was a virtue to be upheld and practiced for the entirety of one's adult life. A nova with this aberration has taken this idea to an extreme; as he will comport himself in a serious, stern, and grave manner at all times. Even little things like cracking a smile or chuckling at a good joke are useless frivolities where a nova with this aberration is concerned. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to express any "frivolous" feelings of enthusiasm, happiness, joy, or amusement that he might feel. This pathological dourness will result in an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls on interactions with other people (including other novas) where expressing levity and happiness is either expected or would be of benefit to the nova. Understandably, these novas don't get invited to many parties. This difficulty penalty is doubled in the case of novas with the Flippant, Twisted Sense of Humor, or Mischievous aberrations. Unless those novas have some means of detecting the emotions of the nova with this aberration, they will see him as either an excellent butt for their jests or as a stick-in-the-mud that's in serious need of lightening up. As one could expect, their attempts to make the nova with this aberration rarely work out very well. Oddly enough, the nova will receive a -2 difficulty bonus on Social rolls for interactions with novas who have the No Sense of Humor aberration, as they will appreciate the serious demeanor of a nova with this aberration.

Screwball Magnet: A nova with this aberration is so likable and charming that she can attract friendly people to her without even trying. Unfortunately for the nova, not one of these new friends will be quite right in the head. All kinds of confused, eccentric, and downright insane people (including novas gone mad due to mental aberration) will regard the nova as being both appealing and sympathetic. They will invariably have a good initial reaction to the nova; and will want to tell her their life stories, whacked-out conspiracy theories, personal delusions, and so on. After having to listen about why scuba gear is vital attire for formal parties, how Project Utopia and the Teragen are both unwitting pawns of a conspiracy to prevent Lyndon LaRouche from saving Western Civilization from domination by the British Royal Family, and that the U.N. is secretly run by a hidden colony of genetically engineered hyperintelligent ringtail lemurs; even the most tolerant nova might become something of a recluse- or a misanthrope.

Soft Touch: A nova with this aberration has simply lost most of his better judgment where his compassion for other people is concerned. If a panhandler asks him for some change, the nova will tend be too open-handed to refuse, and will likely give cash instead of coins. If the nova sees someone in distress, he'll more than likely rush over and give whatever aid he can, even if he has pressing business elsewhere. The nova will listen sincerely to requests for large-scale financial aid and charitable donations where others would brush them off- he tends to fall for good hard-luck stories. (If the nova's flat broke at the time, he'll make profuse apologies for not being able to help out.) And yes, the nova will do his best to rescue kittens that have climbed up trees and are too scared to get back down by themselves. Note that novas with this aberration aren't hopeless suckers- they simply tend to feel guilty over having won their novahood in what is essentially a genetic lottery, and being better off than so many ordinary humans as a result. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid giving some sort of aid to those in need, even if ignoring the situation would be for his own benefit or that of the greater good. While this presents obvious difficulties in successfully carrying out missions, the nova will likely gain a positive reputation among devout Buddhists, Muslims, and many varieties of Christians; as well as the people he has helped.

Tactless: Mega-Charismatic novas who develop this aberration become somewhat apathetic to the needs and feelings of other people. While having Mega-Charisma ensures that others will find them likable (at first), they tend to have both the sensitivity of a cinder block and a near-incomprehesion of tact. As can be expected, this brutal honesty can make social interactions difficult, even with other novas. Novas with this aberration have to make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his or her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid saying exactly what they think about a situation, regardless of whether their words would cause other people pain and/or anger. Also, novas with this aberration cannot possess or develop the Natural Empath enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Twisted Sense of Humor: Due to a slight structural alteration in a certain area of her brain, the nova with this aberration gradually starts expanding her definition of what's amusing. The nova will tend to find humor in even the most horrifying situations- what's more, she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to keep from expressing her amusement in some way. Note that this isn't a defense mechanism against the horrors of gruesome sights- the nova genuinely sees that sort of thing as being funny! This differs from Flippant in that nothing is sacred to a nova with this aberration- if she found her mother had committed suicide with a shotgun, she would make jokes about her old lady "going out with a bang." Understandably, the nova will suffer an additional +3 difficulty penalty on her Social rolls for interacting with people who don't share her definition of humor. She may also suffer greater penalties on her Social rolls with anyone who was close to the victim(s) of a horrific event that the nova jokes about. For ease of comparison, the Joker (from DC Comics) is the hands-down classic example of a nova with this aberration. If you're looking for a comedian with a healthier sense of humor, see the Flippant aberration (listed above).

Medium Level-

Glory Hound : This aberration is an extreme version of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72). Whereas overconfident novas tend to overestimate their abilities, a nova with this aberration will do so to an absurd degree. She will invariably insist on doing whatever it takes to be in the spotlight- she'll take the greatest risks, lead the charge, and make complex plans that hinge on her abilities. In any situation where an assessment of the nova's abilities is a factor, the Storyteller will make glaringly obvious exaggerations. The nova must also make a Willpower roll at a difficulty penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interacting with baselines to back down from a direct challenge to her abilities. Side effects of this aberration include a willingness to talk to the media, pose for photographs or video cameras, and sign autographs at the slightest opportunity. The nova may make a Willpower roll to resist the effects of this aberration for one scene, but will feel distinctly uncomfortable doing so. Novas with this aberration tend to be adored by the media, children, and teenagers; but are likewise regarded as egotistical jerks by their colleagues and fellow novas.

Heartthrob: Mega-Charismatic novas with the Seductive enhancement may also develop this aberration- see the full-length listing under Mega-Appearance aberrations for details.

Hubris: Ever since the time of ancient Greece, scholars have known the dangers of hubris. This mixture of overweening pride, overconfidence and arrogance has been the downfall of many baselines throughout human history. How much more dangerous is it, then, when developed by a nova? A nova with this specific form of delusion will look down her nose at novas from factions other than her own, not to mention less-powerful novas from her own faction. (And that's not even touching on her extremely low opinion of baselines!) The nova will consider herself to be the perfect choice to lead whatever group she deigns to associate with, and also the nova best-suited for any task. Keeping the condescension and disdain out of her voice when dealing with other people is a difficult trial for her at best. Aside from suffering the effects of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72), a nova with this aberration must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid acting like an conceited, elitist jerk. This behavior will make the nova unpopular, netting her an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with those people she sees as her inferiors (read: just about everyone else). A hubris-stricken nova will also have trouble accepting responsibility for her own failures, and will instead place the blame on one of her "inferiors". Note: Hubris-stricken novas don't get along at all with novas who have the Glory Hound aberration- in this case, any social difficulty penalties that may apply are doubled!

Party Animal: A nova with this aberration has a hard time resisting the urge to party, and he will usually do so at the drop of a hat. The nova will try any kind of pharmaceutical party favor or beverage that is offered to him; and isn't picky about his romantic partners, provided that they're hot. He likes his music loud and trendy, and prefers to wake up at the crack of noon to a cold beer. If the nova isn't already a regular at places like the Phoenix Room (aka the Amp Room prior to 2015) or StarLord's Cafe yet, he soon will be. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid joining or starting a party whenever the opportunity presents itself, even if the party is one that the nova should avoid attending for some reason (not being invited to a private party, people the nova should avoid are attending, or the nova is currently attempting to lie low and avoid attracting attention). He'll avoid empty bars and nightclubs in favor of ones that are filled with people- and if they're being quiet, the nova must roll Willpower (also with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to keep from doing his best to liven things up and get the party going. Once the party's started, the nova will always stay for an hour, after which he may make another Willpower roll- if the roll fails, he'll stay at the party until he's thrown out or the party winds down on its own. Additionally, the nova will suffer a further +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interactions with sober-minded people- extremely dour folk such as fundamentalists will incur a penalty of +2 or worse! The flipside of this is that the nova gains a -1 difficulty bonus on all Social rolls with extroverted people and other folk who love a good party.

Romance Junkie: Sometime during the mid-Twentieth Century, the feeling of sexual attraction came to be referred to in slang as "chemistry". Ironically this term is quite accurate: the human brain produces a natural "love potion" known as phenylethylamine (PEA) that acts as the chemical basis for sexual attraction. And like many other mind-altering substances, it is possible for humans to become addicted to it- and novas are no exception. Whenever a nova with this aberration has any sort of encounter with an attractive member of the gender he or she is oriented towards, a Willpower roll must be made (with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint) to avoid falling in love with that person. As a result of this addiction/compulsion, the nova will fall all over him- or herself trying to please his or her current beloved. Additionally, the nova must also make a Willpower roll (again with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to resist a request from his or her beloved. If she deems it appropriate, the Storyteller might alter the penalty depending on how much fulfilling the request would cost the nova. If the nova's beloved accepts his or her affections, the nova will become the stereotypical overpossessive boy- or girlfriend- the nova will be despondent when his or her object of affection isn't around, extremely jealous if others show an interest in his or her beloved, and generally oblivious to the world unless outside circumstances threaten the nova's relationship. The nova will also engage in frequent PDA's- public displays of affection- regardless of whether or not such acts are a bad idea or simply inappropriate at the time. It should be noted that the nova's beloved doesn't have to be sincere in accepting the nova's affection in order to keep the nova living in this romantic daze. Unless the nova has some means of detecting the lack of real affection on part of his or her beloved or is presented with strong evidence that proves it, he or she will have to make a Willpower roll (with the Taint penalty) in order to realize the faithlessness of his or her beloved. Otherwise, the relationship could go on for years, decades, or centuries! If the nova's beloved rejects his or her affections or if the nova cannot meet anyone appealing, he or she will become depressed (and suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all rolls) until he or she encounters another attractive person of the correct gender...

Romantic Irresistibility: A nova with this aberration has a dangerous knack for making people attracted to members of the nova's gender fall in love with him or her without any warning. If such a person makes eye contact with the nova, she/he must make a resisted Willpower roll against the nova's total dice pool for Seduction. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. The number of net successes gained by the nova determines the degree of love-sickness the victim develops. One success indicates a mild crush, while 5 or more indicates a haunting obsession. The victim will have no reason (at first) to believe that his or her feelings for the nova aren't genuine- depending on how things develop with the nova, they may soon actually become genuine! This effect is impossible for the nova to predict or guard against, and occurs without any warning (read: the Storyteller has total control over when, where, and with whom this happens. This is best used for purposes of subplot or pure mischief on the Storyteller's part!). Novas who develop this aberration soon find that their social lives will rival the most convoluted soap-opera plots ever to grace the schedules of daytime television.

Sinister: Something about a nova with this aberration really sets baseline humans on edge. The nova may be pleasant company, a stimulating conversationalist and a charming dinner guest, but still that undefinable quality about him raises their hackles- they won't be immediately hostile, but they will be somewhat uneasy. They can't really put a finger on the reason for it, but most baselines the nova encounters won't trust him any farther than one of them could throw a Main Battle Tank. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers twice his normal Taint-derived difficulty penalty on Social rolls where gaining the trust of baselines is concerned. There is one exception to this, however: baselines with Willpower scores equal to or greater than the nova's permanent Taint score can ignore the effects of this aberration. Baselines with the Common Sense Merit have an effective +2 to their Willpower scores for purposes of this aberration. This aberration also has no effect whatsoever on any variety of Inspired beings.

High Level-

Prima Donna: The nova with this aberration is extremely self-centered and conceited, and insists that she be recognized by people the world over as literally being the best in her field (not wholly unreasonable for a nova). If the nova hears that someone is better at her chosen pursuit than she is, she will seek to challenge the "upstart" to a public competition ASAP to determine who is the proverbial "Number 1". The nova will use the reactions of the competition's audience as the indicator or victory or loss. If the nova wins the competition, she will limit herself to verbal gloating over her victory. It's when the nova loses that things will get hairy- the nova will then and there vow to make her rival's life a living hell, and then proceed to do so. The nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid following these courses of action. Novas with this aberration will rack up impressive lists of enemies, to say the least. (Note: This aberration is not limited to female novas- male novas can be every bit as conceited and egotistical!)

Sponge: Mega-Charismatic novas often seem to have the world for their oyster- everywhere they go, people are practically (sometimes literally) falling over themselves to serve their slightest whims. Receiving this sort of treatment on a constant basis can lead to a sense of entitlement on the part of a Mega-Charismatic nova, and Taint accumulation only makes this problem worse. A nova with this aberration will expect to receive the proverbial "red-carpet treatment" at all times, no matter where he goes or who he deals with. If he gets it, everything's fine as far as the nova's concerned- he's gotten his just due. The problem occurs when the nova isn't treated in this ostentatious manner- he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid demanding that he be given what he thinks is his due. If that demand isn't met, the nova will become very angry, and will likely resort to physical force in expressing his displeasure.

That's all for the moment, folks... Seeya! ::smiley5

[Re: High-Taint Wolverine- Check out the issue of the Wolverine comic where he fist encounters that crazy Chimera gal- there's an image of a high-Taint Logan that you'll just have to see for yourself, phoenix! ::devil Why ruin the surprise?]

[ProfPotts]

I like the revised Chromatic Hair! ::thumbsup I would change all those references to -2 difficulty & the like to +2 dice, however, (meaning it's always a penalty, not just in certain extreme situations where a difficulty penalty would usually apply). That would mean the Nova is easier to spot whilst attempting to use Stealth, easier to target at night, & similar 'solid' disadvantages that go a long way to making the aberration an actual penalty to the character.

[Bahamut810]

Great job Srocket! Keep the good stuff going!

To Grammer and spelling:

Have at it...when your dont ill let my wife look at it too (she is a creative writing major in college right now so she might even have a suggestion or two for me)

Ok...here is my initial writeup for the beutech services:

**NOTE- This is my first delving into some more questionable material. This is questionable in more ways then one. I welcome any imput anyone can give about this. This is, of course, not something that just has to be in there. If the consensus is not to include it, or a certian part of it, then we will go with that...this is also less short winded then I would like it to be. I had a better one written up last night but I go a connection error and lost this and another half of this in writing...im not too keen on writing the long hand i did in this again**

Beutech Services Inc

-Mission Statement:

“To bring love and justice to the world!” (This is not really the mission statement...i just don’t have the real one yet)

-History

*Natalia Grahm founds organisation by figuring out that she can get big bucks for her stuff now

*She recruits more people...and a few nova;s to the casue. She hires Grey.

*She starts a side business in modeling

*she starts advertising

-Membership

*Mega-pretty novas

*Mega-pretty baselines

*Mega-business savvy novas

-Activities

*Modeling shows

*Mass sexual encounters

-Allies and Enemies

*Polititions, Utopia, Teregen (Pandemonium)

*Teregen (Harvesters, NV), Religious groups, Protius

-Getting Involved

*Be pretty and willing

-Major Personalities

*Natalie Grahm

*Copy Novix

*Beuchanon “The Tough” Grey

=================================================

**Note: This is the main part I am concerned about with this. I know that a prostitution organisation isent htat bad...but when I created this guy (Grey) I let him take a life of his own (as I try to let all the chars do). He did and this is what happened. I did take some liberties in creating him also. You will notice he has the flaw "Perm Power (random)". For this you count all his touch (5 in his case) and roll to see what power is active at a given encounter (roll a d10, and devide by 2...that is the number you will use for which power). You will also note I used the customisation rules for the APG. All his attacks are touch, and are comptensated to match. He does use Merits and flaws, which are droppable without losing much that has to do with the NPC...just remember that he has a debt owed to him by someone that can keep him out of jail!**

Beuchanon Grey

Nova name: the Touch

Nature: Hedonist

Allegiance: Beutech Services

Str- 2, Dex- 4, Stm- 4

Perc, Int & Wits- 2

App- 2, Manip- 3, Chr- 3

Athletics- 1

Legdgermain- 1

Brawl- 3

Awareness- 2

Rapport- 2

Biz- 2

Style- 2

Interrogation- 1

Streetwise- 2

Subterfuge- 2

Command- 1

Etiquette- 3

Perform- 1

Backgrounds:

Contacts- 2 (Security Firms, Lawyers)

Eufiber- 4

Node- 2

Resources- 3

Q- 2

WP-5

T- 6 (Large Hands, White Skin, Perm Power (random) )

Powers:

Armor- 2 (1t)

Claws (aggravated)- 2 (1t)

Disorient- 2 (1t) (Touch, Extra Duration)

Disrupt- 2 (1t) (Touch, Extra Duration)

Immobilize- 2 (1t) (Touch, Intangable)

Empathetic Manipulation- 2 (1t) (Touch, Extra Duration)

Merits:

Eufiber Attuned (3)

Sexy

Quantum Recovery (1)

Debt (3)

Flaws:

Lusty

Dependant (daughter)

Dark Secret (3, Sexually Abuses daughter)

Background:

-Marries Melinda (dead wife)

-Starts to mentally, physically and sexually abuse Wife

-Wife gets pregnant and gives birth to Sally, their daughter

-Years pass and Melinda protects sally from Grey untill she finally tries to leave. Grey finds out and becomes so enraged that he erupts, killing Melinda in the process. Sally is 7 at the time.

-A few years more pass...Grey is working for Beutech services now. He now abuses Sally physically, emotionally and sexually when he is home.

[Sprocket]

Nice to hear from you so quickly, Prof! ::bigsmile

Re: Revised Chromatic Hair- There was an argument in favor of making it grant additional dice instead of a simple difficulty bonus for folks trying to recognize/spot the nova with Chromatic Hair. (The new idea for this was actually based on an article from an online hunting magazine, which said that hunters wearing blaze orange for safety reasons were scaring off the game! Apparently many animals have good color vision- birds especially- and they sound a general alarm when they see a predator, especially one stupid enough to drape itself in bright colors... ::laugh ) But after taking a look at the Glow aberration (from the Aberrant Core Book), I decided to go with the difficulty bonus for reasons of game-mechanics balance. I think it works pretty well as is, don't you? ::wink After all it is just a low-level aberration.

Now for something completely different... I've got a (very) rough idea for a medium-level Mega-Appearance derived aberration, but it really could use some work. Are any of you lot willing to have a go at it?

Laughable: While certain novas have shown great skill in making other people laugh, a nova with this aberration does so simply from the way he looks! It might be something as blatant as looking like a humanoid French poodle (complete with a candy-cotton pink dye-job) or something as subtle as the nova's body language. Regardless, those who look at the nova for any length of time must roll WP (with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint) to avoid breaking out into near-hysterical laughter. Understandably, this can lead to attitude problems on the nova's part- while comedians actively want to make other people laugh, people will laugh at the nova no matter what he tries to do! Baselines must also make a WP roll in order to take the nova seriously.

So, who wants to tinker with this? Or is it workable already? ::confused

[Bahamut810]

Here is that beta v.00000001 version I promiced you. Now remember that I said that im not good at these writeups some times.

What I tried to do for each was to give an example to show how they came into play. Soem of them were damned hard to come up with...like Allies. I think I got the spelling alright on them.

So...give your feedback when you can...I am still hoping for feedback on Beutech services;D

Background Enhancements:

*Allies - Close Family: With close family you have a pool of about 30 people that are close allies of you. Not all of them have to be blood related...but they all know each other and work together without problems. Your char is the Matriarch/Patricharch of that family, meaning they call the shots. With this enhancement you don’t have as much out of your way responsibility...but like backing you have a certain administrative one. Skew of team tomorrow fame, has this enhancement.

*Backing - Behind the Scenes Man/Investor (?)- You are the head CEO of a large corporation or one of the top Dons in a mob somewhere. This is similar to the 5 dot version of backing, with the exception that your word carries as much weight as the person at the top of that totem pole...and you have *no* responsibility to drop anything if they need you...you just belt out an order every once in a while and watch people scurry...if someone has a question, or needs a signature..beh...that’s too bothersome to you...see a lower down guy (as everyone is under you)! Count Raoul Oraziz has this.

*Contacts - Center of Favor (?)- With this enhancement you literally have no bounds when it comes to contacts. You know everyone that needs to be known...literally. You can make contacts up on the spot, with ST approval of course. Andy “Ironskin” Vance, face man of the Amp (and later Phoenix) Room has this enhancement.

*Followers - Masses - With masses, your char has as many people available to him as he needs at any one time. They also take much more punishment before they leave your nova then normal followers do...and even then your nova gets an equivalent amount of new followers quickly. Does your mega-smart nova have a large robotic space fortress that needs a few hundred people to run? No problem! Does your Mega-pretty nova need a few hundred willing souls to rate his show? You only need a few hundred? There is potential to abuse this enhancement to no end...so Sts who are using the background enhancement system should keep a close eye on a person who does this so as not to abuse this too much. It is worth noting that, even with this enhancement, word about the nova does get around. If he kills his followers everyday, then kicks their children...it is up to the story teller to rule if he keeps this rating.

Narcosis, leader of the Pandemonium has this enhancement.

*Influence - Household name - Quite frankly...everyone knows you. And based on your reputation, respect you or fear you. People tend to stare when you walk down a street, hotels give you free rooms just so they say you stayed there, resturants give you free food for the same reason. Don’t be suprised when someone asks for your autograph...or if a mob arrives to ask for many of them. Cestius Pax, leader of T2M has this.

*resources - More money then god - For all due purposes you have a resources rating of 15 dots. You can literally afford anything. This is mostly available to nova’s who have multiple personas who each own a large corporation. Count Raoul Oraziz, who has recently started ventures into more nova oriented businesses, has this.

- additional Backgrounds:

*Famous Enemies - You and another person are well known to be enemies. Anyone who knows you or your enemy will know the other with no problem. This may not seem like much of an advantage, but considering that all of your enemies will be your best friend and ally...it helps. What you want to note is that your enemies allies...will be your enemies. Dots in this relate to how widely this relationship is known.

+Enhancement: Voldemort Syndrome (?)- Someone with Voldemort Syndrome has the good side of every aspect of Famous Enemies. Your enemy is someone that *everyone* knows, and hates. That means people will try to help your endeavor to kill them whenever you need it. Cestius Pax, who is the bitter enemy of Divis Mal and who has had a highly televised fight with him, has this.

-Device- Pieces of Novatech that a person owns. He though most nova black-tech is confiscated by utopia, your char has acquired a piece of it. The more dots you have in this power the better the item is. For one dot your char might just have a quantum channeling gun that uses a QP instead of bullets and does an extra dice or two of damage. For 5 your might have a stealth orbital sattelight that can fire a large laser beam to within inches of its target. Note...having this background does not guarantee that you will keep said device...or that utopia wont throw you in jail for using it.

+background enhancement: Black-market Warehouse- You have 20 dots worth of devices. Wither this is in having 20 one point devices, or 5 5 point devices is up to the char and the storyteller. Again...this does not guarantee that you will keep them. If you try to...say...up the China Decision (see Trinity), Utopia would take your satelights away and you will be left in jail. Synapse, who has multiple devices built into the machine that maintains his physical body, has this.

,,

* - A Device that has a small, but notable improvement on an existing piece of technology

**- This is either a minor totally original device, or a normal piece of technology with a good improvement on it.

***-This is a notable original device, or a souped up normal device.

****-This is an extremely good original device, or an extravagant normal one.

*****- This is an extremely good object of a mega-intelligent nova’s life’s work.

-Sanctum- A secure place to stay that most people cant get into. Each point of sanctum equates to a point of cipher for people trying to find it, or follow you to it (when you don’t want them to).

+background enhancement: Impenetrable Fortress- Your fortress is impenetrable. Only someone with 4 or more dots of mega intelligence will even be able to find it, and only a person with 4 dots in another physical mega-attribute will be able to enter (to be chosen by ST based on description of the fortress). It would make sense that someone with an underground lair filled with booby traps and a long winding maze with many sharp turns would only be able to be entered by someone able to withstand flamethrowers, poison gas, and any other nasty traps you have waiting. And even if they do get through your defenses...as soon as they enter your lair, no matter how they get in...the player will know through an alarm of their own making. Synapse, who’s physical body cant be found, has this.

*-A good place to stay where people wont bother you too much.

**-A secure place to stay that people have trouble finding with good directions.

***- A comfterable place to stay that has just about anything you could need.

****- An extremely secure place that has anything you could need

*****-An extremely secure, hard to find place that hardly anyone can find, let alone enter without permission.

-Mentor- A teacher - As per the Aberrant main rule book

+background enhancement: Nova school student- You have many teachers over many areas that will drop a lot to teach you. There is something about you that they want to encourage and help grow. The children in Bounty’s care have this.

-Citizenship- Multiple countries that call you one of their own...makes it easier to get into those countries and mingle with the people (as you will know the cultures of them all). This does *not* make you lingual in their languages unless you take respective dots in languages.

+background enhancement: Worldly-You have papers to all but the most inhospitable countries. It is up to your and your story teller to work out the details, but any country that is nova friendly will be one that you have papers for, and if you can hide your nova-hood you can get papers for ones that aren’t!

*- 1 extra country calls you their own.

**- 2 extra countries calls you their own.

***- 3 extra countries calls you their own.

****- 4 extra countries calls you their own.

*****- 5 extra countries calls you their own.

-Persona’s- Your char has some identities that are unbreakable unless your char does something to ruin that (such as de-masking in public). The PC is considered to have an effective cipher rating of 4 only when people are trying to find out what his personas are.

*Example, Clark Kent is a mild Mannered reporter, he erupts to be super strong, fast and tough like his namesake. He doesn’t want to lose his place at the paper, so when he decided to do charity work one day, so dons a superman costume. He also wants to be a XWF Wrestler so dons a purple costume under the name of “The Purple Iguana”. That’s good for two dots right there. Man...those glasses do wonders. Someone who possesses this trait is Core.

*- 1 extra persona

**- 2 extra personas

***- 3 extra personas

****- 4 extra personas

*****- 5 extra personas

-Requisition- While streetwise covers talking with people, negotiating with people and finding things, requisition is purely finding illegal items of note and getting a good price. This is used only for illegal items and could be used as a door to get dots in device. This represents knowing many of the right people

+background enhancement: none as I don’t think this would fit now that I read it.

*- You know a few people who can get you stuff

**- You have a nice pool of black-marketeers to call to find what you need

***- You even know some of the Dons of a crime syndicate to get you what you need for a good price.

****- You know More then a few dons who like you.

*****- There is not a Don who wont help if, even if they don’t like you they would fear the reprisal from other dons!

[phoenix]

Very nice looking overall.. a few minor points.

The Allies (Close Family) enhancement: I don't think the character shouldn't have to be the patriarch/matriarch, although a great deal of family responsibility should be implied. For example, Tony Soprano would have this, but so would Furio. I like this enhancement a lot (I have it myself).

Resources (More Money Than God): It said in the PG that Orzaiz has resources 5.. has that changed recently, or are you changing it? I don't care if you are, I'm just trying to keep track.

How much do these enhancements cost to buy with bonus/nova/experience points?

Also, I assume you have to have 5 dots in the background to buy the enhancement, right?

Famous Enemy & Voldemort Syndrome: It seems to me that this would be more of a way to define Influence, but a rose by any other name, I suppose..

For requisition, I really can't see a lot of difference between that and a few dots in Streetwise and Contacts.

I also am unsure whether it's fair to charge players background dots for things like extra personas, but it's not like they're expensive, so it's all the same to me.

Also, re: Beutech services. I'd like to see more on the organization's reputation and what they do, and some stuff on Mrs. Grahm and just who owes Mr. Grey.. did I miss all this in an earlier post, or is it still shrouded in mystery?

I hereby volunteer to proof stuff. What do you need me to check?

[Bahamut810]

Resources (More Money Than God): It said in the PG that Orzaiz has resources 5.. has that changed recently, or are you changing it? I don't care if you are, I'm just trying to keep track.

How much do these enhancements cost to buy with bonus/nova/experience points?

Also, I assume you have to have 5 dots in the background to buy the enhancement, right?

Im modifying it, not changing. This is going to be like A! where you do have to have 5 dots in the repsective BG. Im not too sure about cost at this point. I know it will be at least 1np/3xp. 1np is a good trade off (its the equivelent of 5 bg dots after all), but 3xp seems too cheap to me. how about 6xp then?

Famous Enemy & Voldemort Syndrome: It seems to me that this would be more of a way to define Influence, but a rose by any other name, I suppose..

Yea. That was on the list of \"might be included (look at my outline above...pretty much everything from that down is on that list to be put in/talked about).

For requisition, I really can't see a lot of difference between that and a few dots in Streetwise and Contacts.

Noted. Thats why the enhancement is not there ;D

I also am unsure whether it's fair to charge players background dots for things like extra personas, but it's not like they're expensive, so it's all the same to me.

Persona is more then just extra persona's...its nearly untrackable persona's. That background will help out someone who is just not good at keeping something like that secret as a player (like me...when i get tired I cant think strait)

Also, re: Beutech services. I'd like to see more on the organization's reputation and what they do, and some stuff on Mrs. Grahm and just who owes Mr. Grey.. did I miss all this in an earlier post, or is it still shrouded in mystery?

You know...I had his entire history written out. I had a good page of typing done on it. I had what he looked like. I had RP hints for him. I hit send...and my damned internet connection timed out and lost it all.

You will get it eventually...but I want to get the backgrounds a bit more done first as I enjoy char creation more then background creation. Consider it a present to myself.

I hereby volunteer to proof stuff. What do you need me to check?

Ok. Im sure Gideon has a lot on his plate getting the intro done. I dont think he would have too much a problem with you taking over for that grammer/spelling check. IF you would please go over THe Church of Beautiful Pain and see what you can do.

[phoenix]

Here you go.

The Church of the Beautiful Pain

-Mission Statement:

\"We are the ultimate beings of expression. Each of us... we have in ourselves the power to make art so beautiful, music so powerful, and pain so wonderful. Each of us in our turn are to give our gifts to the outside world, to let them share in our arts.” -Morbed, Shaper of Men

-History:

For the past 7 years, the church has been slowly moving into the spotlight of the French culture scene. Ever since their leader, Morbed, arrived he has been the driving force and inspiration behind the entire movement.

In 2005 the group gained access to, and legally purchased an old cathedral on the outskirts of Leon, France. This place is home to some 20 people, all of whom are fiercely loyal to Morbed. All of these people are bohemian artists and musicians. In reality only a few of them have the potential to become famous or even good, but they practice their art nonetheless.

Since its founding the church has been a haven for poor artists and musicians to congregate and mingle among their own. It is bolstered by the fact that Morbed is a fanatical speaker in favor of a new culture, another renaissance that will soon see the light of day. Many of the artists who hear about this church and arrive at it tend to stay to live. This is much to the dismay of many families, but as long as the people want to be there there is nothing that the police can do.

The pure artist movement (as they call it) has not been without its kinks. There has been much speculation about Morbed’s powers and there are rumors floating around that he makes an entirely new kind of art... one of pain and human flesh. This has yet to be proven in the French courts and even the Directive doesn’t have any real evidence to support that theory... but the rash of disappearances in the area has raised some suspicion. No bodies are ever found and for some reason, they can never get a search warrant for the church..

As of late, the church has been doing extremely well financially. The regular donations of the patrons, as well as their starlet Claudia’s music career, have secured a nice lifestyle for themselves. This has pleased Morbed to no end. Soon they plan to expand even further south into France to spread the good word.

-Membership:

Any artists are welcome, but only the ones with some talent are allowed to stay. There is a lot of talent in France, according to Morbed.

-Activities:

There are regular concerts held by Claudia in the main part of the church. Every month people will pay a moderate sum and listen to the wonder that is her music. There is a perpetual art show going on inside and around the church.

-Allies and Enemies

The church has relatively few friends. Most notable among them are the Harvesters. They view this cult as a movement of taint to purify baselines and to mold them to one’s desires. Their only other allies are local artists who respect their work.

Out of all of their enemies, Utopia is least dangerous. They have unconfirmed reports, so the church stays weary of them, but they have seen no solid evidence as of yet to confirm that the disappearances are connected to the church. The same applies to the local authorities. Perhaps their most dangerous foe is the parents of the people that are part of the church. They feel like their children have been stolen from them and want to stop Morbed before he can take another as one of these “children”.

-Getting Involved

To become involved with the church is easy. Be an artist. After that it becomes harder: you must prove yourself not only to your peers, but to Morbed himself. Once you do that, you are encouraged to stay and to help Morbed to attain the new Renaissance.

-Personalities

*Look above

-Story Hooks

*One of the PCs has a brother who loves art go missing! He was last seen on a bus going from Paris, France to Leon, France.

*The PCs get a call from their elite agency. A group of parents of several of the artists have banned together and raised money to hire them to investigate Morbed.

*Utopia (or the Teragen) wise up to what Morbed is doing and send the PCs to stop it.

[phoenix]

Re: background enhancement costs:

I agree with you that 3 xp sounds too low, and would even say that 6 is still way too low. After all, the 5th dot costs 8; the enhancement should at least be more than 10. I would rate it at 12. HOWEVER, if there's canon in Adventure! for these, I vote for using whatever costs are given there for the sake of continuity.

[Gideon]

Nice tightening of the Beautiful Pain, but I have question, (maybe I have been mis reading things... ::rolleyes ), How is it that under Membership: "only the ones with some talent are allowed to stay." and in History, "In reality only a few of them have the potential to become famous or even good, but they practice their art nonetheless.

" they seem to contradict...(I could be missing something), if not more should be said to flesh this out, either to clarify the reason they are permitted to remain or how those with talent are not "even good"... just my two cents.

Jack

[Bahamut810]

Nice tightening of the Beautiful Pain, but I have question, (maybe I have been mis reading things...  ), How is it that under Membership: \"only the ones with some talent are allowed to stay.\" and in History, \"In reality only a few of them have the potential to become famous or even good, but they practice their art nonetheless.

\" they seem to contradict...(I could be missing something), if not more should be said to flesh this out, either to clarify the reason they are permitted to remain or how those with talent are not \"even good\"... just my two cents.

Just because you are a fairly good artist dosent mean you will become famous. Its all in who you know after all. Hell, just becuase your good dosent mean you will be *great*. I know, because I have a friend who is a *damned* good artist (at least in my opinion) that makes art abstract enough to make you think, defined enough to appeal to people who like good still lifes, and gamer enough to be hung on your gameing room wall. And I hate to say it, but his work probably wont get Picasso famous until after he dies. The curse of the great artist.

To Beuchanon Grey background and other info...

Here you are! Mind you this is the "dirty" version...This time around I went ahead and used more of "his" words.

Background:

Melinda thought that she had found the perfect man to be her husband. Grey was nice enough, he provided well and wasn’t all that bad looking. What did it matter that every once in a while he lost his temper? Nothing major when everything else is good.

Grey thought that too. And that’s why he did his best to keep his temper in check until he got her under his thumb. They were married July 13, 2001. After that everything went downhill for Melinda. His abuse was near constant when he was at home. When he was in a bad mood, when something didn’t go his way, even when he thought she was getting smart with him, he would berate and oftentimes physically abuse her. At nights before sleep, no matter what she said or did he was to be gratified. After a year of this she became pregnant and soon after gave birth to their only child, Sally.

Things only got worse ater that because now Grey had a trump on her, and he made sure to use it often. The years of abuse flew by and Melinda finally decided enough was enough after the first time Grey layed a hand on her daughter. In the middle of August 2005 she decided enough was enough. The next day she took Sally and opened the door with a suitcase in hand. It would have been a perfect escape if Grey wasent standing there, keys in hand having come home for a quickie on his lunch break. He became so enraged that he reached out, grabbed her hand and erupted...she was dead in seconds from his touch.

After that he called Utopia and let them take care of it. They got all charged dropped on him (he was put under 1 years probation under the care of Utopia) and they helped him find some degree of control of his powers. They even gave him his signature gloves to wear. After he got from them everything that he wanted, he left them like a cheerleader after the prom.

After taking care of security at a Modeling show, he met Natalia Grahm and you two forged a deal. She struck out on her own and you are taking care of all the security and of making sure that everyone pays and is payed for services rendered.

Image: Grey looks pretty good by baseline standards. Nothing too special about his looks except for his pure white skin, and his freakishly large hands and shaved bald head. You always wear loose fitting clothing and your signature black, latex gloves.

RP Hints: Right now things aren’t too bad. You get laid quite a bit, and when you arent by someone willing you have your own little doll at home. Hell, she is even better then her mother in that aspect in that you know she isent going to leave and you even got to take her virginity (nothing like a tight first!). You like to act the big man and you like it even better when you can prove it. You are the classic wife beater/ trailer trash and you don’t care who knows it.

[Gideon]

Okay that makes sense. I might suggest removing the "or even good" part from the history though. As I said I like the write-up. I am just finishing my revision of the intro (just made some minor changes, cleaned a few sentences and removed one run-on)

Here is the link again:

http://home.wideopenwest.com/~jsummanen/Fo...rsonalities.htm

[phoenix]

How is it that under Membership: \"only the ones with some talent are allowed to stay.\" and in History, \"In reality only a few of them have the potential to become famous or even good, but they practice their art nonetheless.

\" they seem to contradict...(I could be missing something),

There is a lot of talent in France, according to Morbed.

I thought this was meant to imply that Morbed has fairly low standards, and that while everyone involved in the church considers themselves and their comrades \"good\", in reality they have \"little potential to become famous or even good\".

I might suggest removing the \"or even good\" part from the history though. As I said I like the write-up.

Yeah, probably a good idea. Or alternately, we could change Morbed's requirements to something vague like this:

"Only ones who 'have the gift' are allowed to stay."

Good write-up for Grey; even I want to beat him up. I'll get to work proofing that.

[phoenix]

Background:

Melinda thought that she had found the perfect man to be her husband. Grey was nice enough, he provided well and wasn’t all that bad looking. What did it matter that every once in a while he lost his temper? Nothing major when everything else was good.

Grey thought that too. And that’s why he did his best to keep his temper in check until he got her under his thumb. They were married July 13, 2001. After that everything went downhill for Melinda. His abuse was nearly constant when he was at home. When he was in a bad mood, when something didn’t go his way, even when he thought she was getting smart with him, he would berate and often physically abuse her. At nights before sleep, no matter what she said or did, he was to be gratified. After a year of this she became pregnant, and soon gave birth to their only child, Sally.

Things only got worse after that because now Grey had a trump on her, and he made sure to use it often. The years of abuse flew by, and Melinda finally decided that enough was enough after the first time Grey laid a hand on her daughter. In the middle of August 2005 she decided enough was enough. The next day she took Sally and opened the door with suitcase in hand. It would have been a perfect escape if Grey hadn’t been standing there, keys in hand having come home for a quickie on his lunch break. He became so enraged that he reached out, grabbed her hand and erupted...she was dead in seconds from his touch.

After that he called Utopia and let them take care of it. They got all charges dropped on him (he was put under 1 year’s probation under the care of Utopia) and they helped him find some degree of control of his powers. They even gave him his signature gloves to wear. After he got from them everything that he wanted, he left them like a cheerleader after the prom.

After taking care of security at a Modeling show, he met Natalia Grahm and the two forged a deal. She struck out on her own and he agreed to take care of all the security and to make sure that everyone pays and is paid for services rendered.

Image: Grey looks pretty good by baseline standards. Nothing too special about his looks except for his pure white skin and his freakishly large hands and shaved head. You always wear loose fitting clothing and your signature black, latex gloves.

RP Hints: Right now things aren’t too bad. You get laid quite a bit, and a willing partner is unavailable you have your own little doll at home. Hell, she is even better then her mother in that you know she isn’t going to leave and you even got to take her virginity (nothing like a tight first!). You like to act the big man and you like it even better when you can prove it. You are the classic wife beater/ trailer trash and you don’t care who knows it.

[Bahamut810]

To Wording in Church's membership:

Ok, I get what your saying. We can just drop that one phrase. I dont think morbed is about to lower his standards ;D

I started work on the guts of the book today. Mind you I have said before (a few times) im not too good at writeups...

I dont think this is very good in all honesty, so it probably wont get put in unless someone thinks there is some redeeming quality to it and can remedy its suckiness...

Here I bring you...

- Grunts, or the wonderful world of getting people to do stuff for you

In the real world when you need someone to do something for you, you have to ask. Sometimes beg, sometimes even bribe people for to do it. This just isn’t the case for mega-social novas. For them it seems like everyone wants to do what they want, oftentimes at great personal sacrifice.

Charmers don’t have as much pull over others as people would think. While its not all that difficult to ask relatively minor things of people who like you a lot, there is still room to overstep your bounds. Consider if your best friend asked you to kill someone that neither of you knew. Would you do it? Probably not. While charmers are the best of your best friends (even if you have only met once) and they hold an extreme sway over what a person does, there is still a chance that a charmer can be denied. Most charmers have found ways to ask things that don’t seem as bad as they actually are, or even that may cascade to a point where their will would occur. Charmers can be the cruelest of the socials in that way. For example they can convince someone to have a night alone with another person and make a tape. That other person is married to the person the charmer is mad at. The tape is given to said person, and the charmer arrives in time to advise them as to the best course of action. Because of their powers, and the probable depression of the person, suicide might not seem like all that bad a way out.

Grifters don’t have to worry as much about tricks and social maneuvering as anyone else. With their abilities it is simple to get anyone to do anything they could want. It’s not all that difficult to get someone to do something that they normally would never do. They could just order the person from the previous example to jump off a bridge, and a good percentage of the time, he would do it.

Idols have perhaps the most difficult time getting exactly what they want. Sure, they are pretty, handsome, or sexy. For minor requests, there aren’t that many problems if you can find someone who is enamored with your looks. People like that, thought always expect something in return, usually in the form of sexual favors. In the case of the example above, the Idol would be the one that would seduce the persons spouse to make the tape.

The way for a mega-social to get the best use of his or her powers would be to have low levels of all three attributes, as opposed to having one at a high level. If you had low levels of all three not only would people like you quite a bit, they would go out on a farther limb for you then normal and wouldn’t even expect anything in return...except possibly a quick peek as you walk away.

[Finbar]

Something I sorta realized when I was reading some of the WW forum and this one yesterday....

A lot of the conversation has been centered on novas affecting baselines; how about nova on nova? I mean, if we're willing to accept that a nova knowon to have mega-socials [and use them] is going to have [ironically] some social problems (such as anyone around him trying to figure out which reactions are natural and which are because of the nova's abilities), then how would a nova react?

If some of these guys are already mentally unstable, and fiercely independent, how would someone with a blast that can level a building react to finding out that he had been manipulated? Some of them might find it amusing (I can see Count Orsaiz reacting that way), but could you imagine what someone like The Pursuer would do?

FR

[Sprocket]

Re: Background enhancement costs- Taking a look at the Adventure! Core book, it says that purchasing a Background enhancement costs either 12 experience points or 2 "transformation points". (Sorry, but I've yet to work out a good transformation point/nova point ration for easy conversions. Something to look forwards to if they ever put out Aberrant:Nexus [aka the Big Book of Aeoniverse Crossovers]! ::laugh )

Hope that helps you guys out some!

[Bahamut810]

Ok...I just checked the A! book.

A transformation point is almost (but not quite) as efficient as a NP.

In the book:

1 TP = 4 background points

2 TP = 1 Background Enhancement

12 XP = 1 background enhancement

For ours I reccoment:

1 NP = 5 background points

2 NP = 1 Background enhancement

12 XP = 1 background enhancement

Mind you you still have to have 5 dots in the background also

[Gideon]

Bahamut810: First off I am not picking on you ::biggrin I just have been inspired to respond on two seperate postings. So if you will forgive my impudence on critiquing sooo much ::blush I will get to it...

- Grunts, or the wonderful world of getting people to do stuff for you

I have started work on chapter 2: Social Engineering, and the term I chose was \"Lackey\", would \"Grunts\" work better?. I have not revised it yet, nor have I edited it yet. But just to share the joy (and pain) of this rough cut first-draft.

http://www.wideopenwest.com/~jsummanen/Cha...ngineering.html

It is VERY rough, but just to share some of my thoughts. The section labels are just for my memory aid and will probably change and the text in \"<...>\" and \"[...]\", are writting notes, not actual text to be considered. I think some of your write-up has some good points, and I would love to integrate a couple into my working text, or vice versa you can have-at my work-up.

Also, (no toe-stepping intended Pheonix)

After taking care of security at a Modeling show, he met Natalia Grahm and you two forged a deal. She struck out on her own and you are taking care of all the security and of making sure that everyone pays and is payed for services rendered.

Bahamut, It is not clear to me what "Exactly" Grey is doing for Natalia. Is he her pimp ::smokin , her partner in business ::wink, her new manager in modeling ::devil ? I just feel that the closing paragraph on Grey's current situation should be clearer.

I mean if he was her manager, I would expect something like...

Recently, while managing security at a Modeling show, he met Natalia Grahm, a budding model and actress, and forged a mutually beneficial alliance. She struck out on her own and he agreed to take care of all her business and security needs, in return, she makes sure that Grey is paid for services rendered. ::confused

or something else, again just some thoughts. I know she is a tertiary character, but I wanted to have a clear idea of her relationship in this dark story you are setting up. Heck, is she the equally deprived manager for a group of young models? ::wacko

I will now allow pheonix to do the official editing... (I am such a busy-body)...

Gideon

[Bahamut810]

Gideon...I want critiques. Thats the only way to make this a good book.

To My Grunts sectoin:

I already said it sucked. I didnt know you were working on it already. Take what you want from mine and finish yours up how you think it looks good. Lackeys is good too. Add that to the Lexion, btw...

Bahamut, It is not clear to me what \"Exactly\" Grey is doing for Natalia. Is he her pimp  , her partner in business , her new manager in modeling  ? I just feel that the closing paragraph on Grey's current situation should be clearer.

He is the muscle to her Pimphood. She is the boss and wouldent have it any other way. He is ok with that as it just lets him do his thing and get on with his life.