Aberrant: Stepping from Eden - Game proposal

[Shade Sentinel]

Sorry I've been out of the discussion for a bit. I would like to play but I have very little knowledge of this setting that you are proposing. I don't have the trinity setting.

THe concept I was interested in playing is a mirage character with the area add. His name is Facade.

The original design he has mirage + area. and mega manip. I will have to add more with all these extra np's heh.

[Rorx]

Concept is fine as far as it goes Shade.

Sky has now given me his stats, with a more detailed background to follow his return fromm Birthday party land...::biggrin

Anyone else out there geting closer?

[SkyLion]

Welcome back Shade! What ever happened to Adventures of the Mystical and Mundane? ::glare ::huh ::wink ::tongue ::happy

Good power choice there...one of the more potent you can take.

[BertJammin]

...And I'm back.

Seeing all the (fantastic) character ideas floating about is making me more and more keen to run a psion liason just to mix it up a bit

I'm thinking that they would need to be connected with AEon and or the UN in order to be involved in this little escapade. Any other character generation guidelines?

[SkyLion]

Actually I think the game is based around the Upeo, so you very well might have been one of the ones living on Eden for awhile. Just saying. Rorx has the final word but I still think the idea is that the Psion characters are the Upeo...

[BertJammin]

Actually I think the game is based around the Upeo, so you very well might have been one of the ones living on Eden for awhile. Just saying. Rorx has the final word but I still think the idea is that the Psion characters are the Upeo...

Upeo is also cool. I do have an image in mind of a somewhat reluctant and stressed out liason though...he's really not sure what exactly to make of "good" Aberrants - he's convinced that they are well intentioned but they are just a handful to deal with - and they are *his* handful.

"Why does this woman cry?"

"She has just lost her husband in a skimmer crash."

"Ah."

<Quantum *zing*>

"There. He is returned to her."

"But...wha....you can't jus...wha?!?!?!"

And he can't have eyes in the back of his head watching all of them, all the time (although some dots in Telesthesia will probably come in handy...). He's resigned to the fact that there will be problems, faux pas, misunderstandings and embarassments, he's just trying to mitigate the situations as they come up and hopefully avoid ulcers along the way. As world weary as he may be he truely believes in what they are doing and that only with Eden's help can humainty deal with the threats they face.

[Rorx]

As Sky said the original concept for the game was for the psions all to be members of the Upeo, regardless of their Aptitude,. But that was based back in 2113 and they were all going to go off in the Upeo Exile/Exodus in 2114. Now they are back and have been for a year or two, some havegone over to the Starcrossed and perhaps found out/become part of what will reveal itself to be a 'New'Order later on this year....

Psions and/or Neutrals from the UN are also perfectly fitting for the game as escorts/guides for the Eden Novas. It's just that both sides may be more comfortable with some of the Psions who have spent sometime living on Eden and beome more used to what behavious you can expect from the Novas, and what you may have to pull them up on back on Earth...

The original game concept before the recent change is over in the Trinity IC/Stepping From the Light forums if you are interested.

[BertJammin]

The original game concept before the recent change is over in the Trinity IC/Stepping From the Light forums if you are interested.

Cool - thanks for that - I'll have a read through and come up with a more definite concept.

[Jackson Creed]

Yeah, I have been feverishly creating and discarding concepts, but I'm narrowing it down... honest! ::brick ::brick

Details to follow soon

JC

[Rorx]

Yeah, I have been feverishly creating and discarding concepts, but I'm narrowing it down... honest! ::brick ::brick

JC

No rush JC, it will come, when it comes... ::ultracool

[Alex Green]

Re-reading Stellar Frontier... the various people who told me that Ares' background wouldn't work are correct. I'll keep the power listing and re-build the background. Possibly the name as well.

[Rorx]

Re-reading Stellar Frontier... the various people who told me that Ares' background wouldn't work are correct. I'll keep the power listing and re-build the background. Possibly the name as well.

Sounds fine to me.

[Alex Green]

Which skill list are we using? Trinity's? Core-Book Abby? Core-Book with the APG?

If we just copy that excel sheet we get Core-Book Abby with everything (which is fine by me, but I figure I'd better put this out there).

[Rorx]

At this stage I think that it would be simplest if each group used their own usual skills and I'll resolve any issues if/when they come up.

So the Novas use the spreadsheet and the psions go on a Word file in my records.

[Alex Green]

I now have skills and a new background.

Background:

"Ares" (David Carpenter) was a thirty year old Myriasoma researcher looking into the ongoing war between the stabiles. He erupted when a raiding party over ran him and his team, who were scent tagged with the "wrong" color.

David erupted with Invulnerability, strength, the ability to Heal his crew, and the ability to fly away with all of them. Same powers as before.

Dave picked the name "Ares" because he's a "war" researcher, his powers are mostly strength and toughness, and Athena is a chick. So far he has no aberrations.

Ares enjoys being in the public eye and is one of the more social novas (with baselines) but doesn't actually have any mega-socials. He was a natural pick for who to send. Before going to the Earth he made it a point to study their culture (Etiquette 3, Linguistics 2 (Chinese & Portuguese)).

[Rorx]

Nice re-write on the background Alex, I know its not easy with the scarcity of information about Eden.

Sounds like he would have already had experience dealing with Upeo and UN researchers into Eden's unique fauna.

A couple of unimportant colour questions...

How long ago did he erupt?

Does he live in the citadel in Harmony or has he (had) built his own villa/estate?

What is opinion of this recontact with Earth?

What does he think of the contact with alien races?

[Alex Green]

How long ago did he erupt?

He erupted roughly 5 years ago (note he wasn't the leader of his crew).

Does he live in the citadel in Harmony or has he (had) built his own villa/estate?

In the citadel, but he does more than a little 'living on the road' to.

What does he think of the contact with alien races?

In his view the "stabiles" are (more or less) "alien races". Dealing with aliens will be interesting and will bring mixed benefits, but it's also necessary. Finding out a raiding party is on it's way is *much* better than *not* finding out.

What is opinion of this recontact with Earth?

Like the aliens but more so. Earth has a lot to offer, they also have a screwed up history. Hopefully they'll have gotten their act together this time or the novas can help them get their act together this time.

[metaphysician]

What is opinion of this recontact with Earth?

Like the aliens but more so. Earth has a lot to offer, they also have a screwed up history. Hopefully they'll have gotten their act together this time or the novas can help them get their act together this time.

Hahahahahahahaha. . .

*ahem* For some reason, I find this slightly hilarious and ironic. ::biggrin

[SkyLion]

Alex, I did think the "bellicosity" of the initial concept was a bit much for Eden but looking further Ares could have participated in fighting the Chromatics if you wanted to.

[Alex Green]

Yah maybe. I think the current one is somewhat better for me having re-read Stellar.

[Jackson Creed]

Jack Jameson

Jack has no knowledge of his past prior to becoming a Nova. He was found unconscious, washed up on shore, by Diane Kadmon shortly before the final exodus to Eden in 2055. It is likely that an accident at sea resulted in his eruption, and his memory loss, but his past prior to that day has been lost forever. To all intents and purposes Jack (the name Diane gave him) was an innocent newborn, though fully adult in intellectual and emotional maturity. It rapidly became clear that he was a master of every field of human endeavour; there was almost no skill, occupation or training that he was not intimately familiar with. He agreed to leave Earth along with the others and his knowledge of engineering, administration and science was instrumental in helping set up the infrastructure of the new colony.

Even though his raw power is far lower than many of his Nova peers, Jack has been a close confidant, advisor, and occasional lover, of Diane Kadmon and a close friend to many of the other Novas. He is as greatly respected for his wisdom as he is for his incredible talent. Unlike many of the other Novas, Jack has spent a great deal of time among their baseline subjects, usually as a guest lecturer and teacher (he is the honorary Chancellor of every College and University on Eden) has served as an advisor to the baseline justice system.

Jack Jameson is a paragon of humanity; strong, rugged, handsome and charismatic. He looks completely human, but while he exhibits no Taint at all, his quiet aura of raw magnetism marks him as being more than human. Men want to be like him, women just want him. While a practical man, Jack is an idealist and eternal optimist. On top of this he is incredibly intelligent and sophisticated; a dedicated student of many disciplines and a master of most of them. He keeps a degree professional distance from Eden baselines, but more so as not to confuse them, than for any ideological Nova/Baseline seperation. Around non-Eden baselines, Jack is far more down to earth and informal, treating them as equals.

How long ago did he erupt?

2055 (68 years ago)

Does he live in the citadel in Harmony or has he (had) built his own villa/estate?

In the Citadel for the most part, but his inquisitive and adventurous nature has meant that he has travelled to every part of Eden.

What does he think of the contact with alien races?

Absolutely fascinating. He is highly enamoured of biotechnology and would love to learn more about how the Qin have become so skilled at it. Chromatic history and culture would make a fascinating study, and the advanced technology of the Coalition gives him goosebumps with excitement. However, he is more than aware of the potential danger that each of these races could pose to Eden and his caution would restrain his enthusiasm to a degree.

What is opinion of this recontact with Earth?

When the Upeo made first contact and began telling the story of how Earth had changed in the last eighty years, Jack immediately saw the benefits, and risks, of an alliance but felt that the danger posed by the Aberrants was worth it. Jack was a natural choice to be part of the delegation to Earth.

Powers

Jack Jameson is quite possibly the most talented Nova ever; there are a few with greater raw Mega-Intelligence that surpass him in certain areas, but there are none who have such breadth of raw skill. This phenomenal expertise is largely intuitive in nature; even though he had no knowledge of noetics prior to first contact with the Upeo, after studying with some of the noetic specialists among them, Jack can now probably be counted in the top ten experts in the field of noetic science. It is the same with any other information, knowledge or skill he encounters. He is tough enough to handle most threats; it takes a lot to knock him down but he can regenerate injuries easily. He also has the ability to teleport himself; a skill that has allowed him to indulge his adventurous explorer nature.

Mechanics Fluff

1 Quantum dot (7 BP), 4 Willpower dots (8BP)

21 Attribute dots (7NP), 15 Background dots (3NP), 120 Ability dots (20NP)

6 dots of Mega Attributes (Dex, Stam, Int, Wits, Cha, App) + 1 Enhancement (21NP)

Invulnerability: Mental 1 (+6 vs Mental (3NP))

Body Modification (6 Maimed Health Levels (3NP))

Teleport 1 (3NP)

[SkyLion]

Got back today at 4am and am at work now. Excited by all the activity and will try and get a background writeup posted tonight. ::cool

[SkyLion]

Update: It's a quarter after 4 AM and I am finally caught up over at NPrime and the Ctech forums. Im gone for only 2 days and the ItB forum alone has over 100 posts to read. 1 game, 3 STs and at current count 22 players each with their own solo threads, shared plot threads and various interactive fictions all happening all at once. And that's just the one game.

Starting tomorrow and through Sunday I will be getting to all my posting responsibilities, including my background which has been percolating in my head. Also Rorx, i will have some minor alterations to my character sheet that I will be resending you along with the information that I didn't include like soak, intitiative and movement rates. For now it's nap time. :tombstone:

[Darklighter]

Okies,

I now have a solid concept, and am working on her background. (Names and details are sketchy)

She is the product of a small monastery frequented by Eden Novas. Her mentor is the funder of this hidden gem, and their small group - the Master and his three other students - are dedicated to the exploration of high-Q phenomenon and abilities. Though there are plenty of scientific controls that ensure useful information is presented for use by the academia of Eden, their methodology focuses on the use of internal technique. In the style of true monks the Master uses his talents to help the student explore mind, body, and what he sees as spirit in an ancient Han (Chinese) style Daoist monastic style. (Think Wu-dang mountain moved to a remote part of Eden)

Her Mentor is a true power, but has little time for her at the moment. She had been at the Monastery for thirty seven of her seventy one years. Before that, she worked with the Eden space programs teleporting massive cargo pods and industrial equipment with her area effect teleportation. Prior to that she was a young baseline woman living an undistinguished life on Eden, where she erupted. Now, her Master has cast her out into the world so that she might gain wisdom and give back to Eden - this is part of his training technique, and she may only return to the monastery as an instructor and in order to stay in residence there she must take a student of her own. She is not ready for taking on a student, so she volunteered for the expedition. She does feel the need for exploration, and much of her mentalist ability (psychic Nova style) is developed to a low level, curtailed by the Masters training in order to focus on raw Quantum power instead of specialization. Thus she looks forward to peaceful interactions with Psions ... in mindset at least they may be kindred spirits.

EDIT: May have to use warp instead of TP ... same diff to the concept.

So the concept is very rough, and currently I am trying to find some information on Eden that will make writing this background a bit easier. Also trying to work out how to target her Mastery-Area-(Combat*)-Teleportation (*maybe safe-blind). My original plan was to use ESP but the rules for long distance ESP scans are just unworkable, and won't scale to the same distance as the TP. So my current idea is to use pretercognition to verify the safety of jumps calculated via more mundane means (astronomical, telepathic contacts).

[Rorx]

Warp with Mastery to get extra area for the gate or perhaps Teleport with target other, then convert to area? and finally Mastery to make Lvl 4?

Just some half-arsed guesses/suggestions.

[SkyLion]

He was found unconscious, washed up on shore, by Diane Kadmon shortly before the final exodus to Eden in 2055.

JC, I believe the final exodus happened around 2067...

[Alex Green]

...she worked with the Eden space programs teleporting massive cargo pods and industrial equipment with her area effect teleportation.

First of all Warp + Mastery is *much* easier for this kind of thing than Teleport. It's already safe-blind for one thing, and the weight limits are also much better.

Mastery for Warp probably *only* doubles the effect... but that's still pretty huge. I.e. 20x per succ and not 10x, etc. It's like having 13 succ for every 10 you get (even for the autos). The doubled gate size results in an area that's 4x, and the gate itself would stay open a lot longer too.

My original plan was to use ESP but the rules for long distance ESP scans are just unworkable, and won't scale to the same distance as the TP.

Take a look at Quantum Awareness from the APG. It still has a range shorter than you'd like, but it works well from say, orbit. You could also limit it to just *sight* and then take Extended range with it. Then you could use it in combo with telescopic vision.

So my current idea is to use pretercognition to verify the safety of jumps calculated via more mundane means (astronomical, telepathic contacts).

For gross safety you might be able to use Intuition. Take to ST I guess.

EDIT: "Talk to the ST I guess".

[Jackson Creed]

JC, I believe the final exodus happened around 2067...

Ties were cut with Earth following China's Ultimatum in 2067, but most of the exodus happened from 2055 onwards. In any event, semantics aside, Jack went to Eden after his eruption in 2055, as he was involved in the logistics of creating the Eden colony.

So my current idea is to use pretercognition to verify the safety of jumps calculated via more mundane means (astronomical, telepathic contacts).

That could work. It is how the Guild Navigators in the Dune series use their limited prescience to see the safe path that their jump will take them. Since Pretercognition has no range variable, you could use it as a qualitative rather than quantitative way to guide your teleports/warps. It would certainly save on min/maxing extras on powers to get it to function how you want it to. Of course, that is with ST approval!

At a mere Q2, so far I seem to be the only character this side of Q5!

[SkyLion]

I like it, the idea of a guild type navigator/space folder/precog. The Spice must Flow!!!

Hee.

And yeah theres room for all sorts JC and you will be the go to guy when it comes to any skillful activity and you are a great choice for PR frontman. Makes me glad I spent...oh all of 0 NPs on skills. ::smile

[SkyLion]

Background:

Early Life and Eruption

On Eden, the Nova called Ricochet is a reclusive mystery. Always wearing his archaic Eufiber costume and mask it is rumored among the human populace that underneath he must be hideous, a taint afflicted casualty of the Aberrant War. They are only half correct.

Born in the summer of '98, Ashley Hale grew up utterly steeped in the culture of the Nova Age. Unlike the prior generation, Novas were simply a fact of life, albeit no less marvelous. Nova comics, movies, toys, N! Prime, the XWF, all of it was absorbed into the impressionable young minds born during that time. Some kids grow up wanting to be an Astronaut, or the President. Ashley Hale wanted to be a Nova. Be careful what you wish for.

Unfortunately for Ashley he was never anything other than average (2 in every stat) and in a world of Titans and Demigods striding the Earth and Utopia making the world a better place for overachievers, being average and ordinary was as good as being invisible. Oh sure, he had a few friends, coasted through school with a solid C average and created his own adventures when he could but to the outside world, he was just another face in the crowd. For all of his idolatry, Ashley harbored a secret envy locked away in the deepest parts of himself where even he would not have to face it. Ashley longed to be a Nova. Fortunately he harbored the special genetic code for latency.

Burning Man Festival, Black Rock Desert Nevada, Labor Day weekend of '17, it finally happened. Maybe it was the raw quantum energy flooding the playa by a cadre of pyrotechnic novas. Perhpas it was the exotic cocktail of hallucinogens he had consumed. Whatever the reason, as the Man burned, Ashley felt a strange sensation as his mind turned inward and he realized something about himself. All this time, worshipping these others, he had secretly harbored a resentment for his lot in life. Had denied himself his own self worth, and that all he needed to do was to love himself, and accept the love that the world had for him. He wasn't a nobody. He was somebody. At first it just felt like the giddy confidence of his high. When he realized the gorgeous throng of young women in lingerie and fur coats approaching him, he just enjoyed it. From there things quickly got out of hand. It wasn't just the hot women...it was men too. Soon, everyone was staring at him, reaching for him, crowding him, smothering him. Ashley panicked and in that instant the horde of people nearly trampling him to death were blasted back as he rose into the air, a shining new beacon of godhood as the hundreds of thousands of revelers looked up in awe. At that moment, Astaroth made his final play for power, leeching the power of his followers to become a hideous Q 6 monstrosity. Ashley, fueled by the nigh limitless expansion that seems only available at eruption, fought the beast and with the help of a few dozen other novas, the creature was defeated. Ashley was only 19 years old...

The Elite Years and the Aberrant War

Shortly thereafter, and with few other ambitions, Ashley was picked up by the DeVries group. Masking his identity took on an even more important function, for those who laid eyes on him were often smitten at the very least. Even Bruce Savauge himself took a shine to him, but his own Mega Socials proved enough to maintain professionalism. Christened Ricochet (Often called Rico Suave or the Bug Zapper behind his back by jealous ingnorants who didn't realize that his beauty was a curse), Ashley began a lucrative career as a contract Elite. Eschewing the more hard core bloody business of proxy wars, he often found employment as a specialist, "smash and grabs," extractions and bodyguarding became his areas of expertise. Life was good for awhile. By the time the War began in earnest, Ashley was for the most part, wealthy, happy and semi-retired, living off of royalties and stock dividends. Then everything went to hell.

During the War, Ashley did his best at first to mediate and when that failed he tried to fight on the side of "good." Things weren't that simple then however and more often than not the situation devolved into a free for all. Often, merely standing up for and protecting baselines or even other novas was enough to get one jumped by a whole gang of ever more mutated and insane aberrants. It was during this time, that he crossed the threshold barrier into godling territory (Q6). Despite winning many battles, after 8 years of non-stop escalation it became clear that there was no winning the war. Along with a handful of others, Rico left in 2051 to found the Eden Colony.

A New Eden

By the start of the game, Ricochet has lived on Eden longer than he was alive on Earth. He lives apart from the humans, and even most of the Novas, in the remote monastary mentioned by DarkLighter. There he enjoys a simple life of calm meditation, gardening, reading and writing. He has taken on the unofficial role of historian for the colony as well as having one of the largest libraries of actual paper books in the colony located in his study. He is known as a fair and just mediator, keeping himself out of disputes and for this reason he is often called upon to arbitrate and preside over cases that require the attention of the Nova's court system, as well as simple disagreements between his fellow Novas.

Rico had long thought himself finished with war and violence, his experiences on Earth having changed him. He is, by and large, a pacifist, who would rather work things out diplomatically. However, now that the bastard children of abomination have returned to wreak vengeance on Earth, Rico is realizing that peace may never be truly an option and eternal vigilance is the price that must be paid. He hates the Aberrants for this, for pulling him from his peaceful retirement once again to fight bloody battles against an intractable and monstrously insane enemy. He volunteered for the Earth mission. The thought of revisiting his old home brings pangs of nostalgia, but in many ways is just as alien as anything else they have found. Earth has changed so much as to be barely recognizable. Aliens walk amongst the humans, a new race of psions has sprung up to fill the void of power left by the novas and the sins of their fathers return to haunt them.

Powers

Ricochet is a study in paradox and contradiction. His Quantum features are so painfully beautiful as to make people instantly fall in love with him. Not only that but the effect is andogynous, affecting men and women equally. This can be extremely awkward as men question their sexuality and long time partners question their devotion, merely at the sight of him. He is a Beacon of power that calls people unwaveringly to him, while his other powers are designed to escape or push people away. He generates a powerful Repulsor Field that makes him effectively invulnerable and makes it exceedingly dangerous to directly attack him. This field also allows him to fly at tremendous speeds and in ways that seem to defy physics, making sharp turns at angles less than 90 degrees and gaining full acceleration and deceleration instantaneously. He can boost his already formidable strength to titanic levels, cannot be held by any known force and can survive indefinitely in space, sustained by the unquenchable energies that flow through him.

(Yes that is really an image of a man! Ricochet is much more muscled though, a truly Nova Physique, Atlas and Adonis combined. Pefect Blond hair, and gorgeous eyes that are a kaliedoscope of blues and greens with dashes of hazel and violet. He almost always hides these features beneath his mask, a throwback to the Golden Age of Novas and Elites.)

[Rorx]

Slight update guys, I'll be using the TPG rules for Linguistics This gives you more languages, but then it will be consist for everyone. You pay your XP for each langauge, I'll get back to you on how much that will be for the Novas, need to compare the Trinity and Aberrant charts and they are not to hand right now.

Linguistics extra languages

1 1

2 2

3 4

4 8

5 12 or 16 I can't remember off the top of my head.

Formal/technical version of a language is an extra slot, Qin takes 2 slots and Chromatic takes 3 (assuming you have the sense to read/hear it).

Email address for files should be Roy.Williams590@ntlworld.com

[Rorx]

More Linguistics stuff.

In the TPG the cost is 9-dots in Linguistics. So the first language costs 9xp and also gives your first dot, next costs 8xp and gives 2nd dot etc.

Now Abilities in Aberrant are about half the cost of those in Trinity so rather than 9xp-dots the Nova will be paying 6xp-dots.

[Rorx]

Started an OOC Topic for Eden Novas over in the Stepping From the Light Sub-forum in Trinity IC Games as that forum was already set up for the previous incarnation of this game...

[Rorx]

Guys, all the background ideas seem fine so far as do the outlines I've seen of the actual characters. Could you put them together in to the spreadsheet that BN was using for his TransD game and email them across to me for final checking etc.

Roy.Williams590@ntlworld.com

[SkyLion]

Ack! Do we have to? I spent all that time formatting the one I PMed to you. Quite Franlkly i dont much like the PDF and it doesn't really work as good for Q6+ Mastery level. I will if I absolutely must though.

[Rorx]

Sorry Sky, did you include all your Abilities? I can't remember off hand and no time to look it up right now.

[Alex Green]

Sent

[SkyLion]

Sorry Sky, did you include all your Abilities? I can't remember off hand and no time to look it up right now.

Yep! It's all there! I like the freestyle better because it fits everything on to one page: just scroll down, rather than flipping between tabs for things like soak etc. and also because BNs sheet has no way to break down the different movement and soak values the way I did. Hope that it's okay. Let me know if it's not. If you like I could still send a copy to your email.

[Shade Sentinel]

after thinking more about it, I'd love to play, but have zero knowledge of the setting. I may have to bow out.

[SkyLion]

If that is the only reason J I can help! You can either purchase the relevant books on DriveThruRPG.com or I could share mine with ya, since ya are so close. Also consider since you are playing an Eden Nova you dont need to know much of the setting since it will all be new to you anyways. And yeah the only relevant info on Eden is a couple pages in a book I have (or that you can download for only 5 bucks). Its also easily xplainable here and I know Rorx is going to post up more setting info.

If its something else that is getting in the way we will understand but i didn't want you to have to bow out for an easily correctable reason... ::smile