Aberrant: Theomachy - Backgrounds

[Blue Thunder]

Backgrounds

Backgrounds have gone under heavy changes in this game. Every one except Resources and Sanctum have been removed and more have been added to replace them. Allies, Contacts, and Mentors are entirely roleplayed. There are also Background Enhancements that can be taken for each Background similar to Mega-Attribute enhancements for 3 NP. You can take multiple enhancements for each Background as long as you meet the requirements for them.

The new Backgrounds:

Armor

Beast

Champions

Legend

Pantheon

Resources

Sanctum

Servants

Weapon

Worshipers

All Backgrounds go to 10 dots except for Armor and Weapon. Only novas may take Armor, Beast, Champions, Pantheon, and Weapon. The Backgrounds are explained below. New enhancements may be added over time and old ones may be changed. If you have any issues please bring them up.

[Blue Thunder]

Armor

(5 dot Background)

(only novas can take this Background)

(this Background can be taken multiple times)

This Background represents special armor that you possess. This armor is not the work of a typical craftsman; it is infused with the power of the Gods and is either unique or one of a limited set. It's protective powers are exceptional and cannot be matched by any other type of defensive gear. It must cover at least half of your body to be considered Armor. Armor does not have to completely cover all of your body for its soak bonus to apply, but targeted attacks against the exposed areas (most commonly the face) are still affected by half of your Armor's soak bonus rounded up. Armor from this Background will not be destroyed by taking too much damage from an attack. It is also not negatively affected by your own powers (such as Immolate) being attuned to the wearer's quantum signature as long as it is worn.

You must decide if the Armor is light, medium, or heavy. Light adds +1 to soak per dot; Medium adds +2 soak per dot but gives a -1 penalty to all Dexterity dice-pools; Heavy adds +3 soak per dot but gives a -2 penalty to all Dexterity dice-pools and reduces all movement speeds by half. Any baseline wearing the Armor receives only half the soak bonus and does not gain access to any enhancements.

The Armor can take whatever physical form you wish whether it be full plate mail or a flowing robe. Strange substances such as wood and rock are fine, and the Armor can look as exotic or bland as you want. You may add "special effects" to your Armor with Storyteller permission in order to make it unique and outstanding. Things such as animated pictures on it's surface, a soft glow, steam or smoke rising from it, illusory leaves spinning in the air around the wearer, causing the wearer's eyes to glow red and skin to become chalky white, etc. To simulate these effects you may apply one or more low-level Aberrations to your Armor that affect anyone wearing it, with Storyteller permission.

Armor Enhancements

Bolstered Armor (requirements: none)

Your Armor excels at reducing the deadliness of attacks. Your Armor adds +1 to Aggravated soak.

Quantum Armor (requirements: none)

Your Armor comes with a quantum power of its own which you can use. This enhancement allows your Armor to have five dots in a level 1 power, three dots in a level 2 power, or one dot in a level 3 power. This power must be defined and it cannot be changed afterwards. Dots cannot be separated among different powers; they must all be in one power. You can only use this power once per Scene but do not have to spend quantum and do not have to meet the power's Quantum minimum. You must be wearing the armor and must concentrate for a round to activate it . Powers with a Permanent duration such as Psychic Shield or Invulnerability cannot be chosen. Any other nova can use this power as long as they are wearing your Armor and know what it is capable of. This enhancement may be taken multiple times for one Armor; each new rank let's you choose an additional power, but does not let you double-up on one power. The Storyteller is free to restrict powers from this enhancement if he feels they are unbalanced (such as Forcefield).

Elemental Armor (requirements: none)

Your Armor provides protection to a specific damage type. You must choose the damage type when taking this enhancement and it cannot be changed thereafter. This element must be something that can be defended by Invulnerability such as fire, ice, sonic, electric, mental, or light. Your Armor gives a +4 soak against all forms of damage coming from that element. This bonus can be doubled once per scene as a free action for Quantum turns by spending one quantum point; this can also be done as a free defensive action.

Morphic Armor (requirements: none)

Your Armor can switch into a different form. Choose one extra form that your Armor may take in addition to it's default form. This change be done once per round as a free action and the effect lasts until you cancel it which requires being within Quantum x 10 meters of the Armor. The form your Armor takes can be a different armor type, a mundane item, or Body Mod being added to the Armor. Changing between Armor types lets you go between light, medium, and/or heavy armor. Having your Armor turn into a mundane item lets you disguise it as something others won't notice, but it won't give you any kind of soak bonus when transformed. If your Armor can turn into something like a set of clothes or a ring then when it transforms back into Armor it will be equipped to you. As for Body Mods let your imagination go wild. Does your Armor suddenly sprout Wings? Does it grow Gills at your sides? This enhancement may be taken multiple times for the same Armor.

Intelligent Armor (requirements: none)

Your Armor is intelligent. It has a Willpower of 8, all Mental and Social Attributes at 2 dots, and 8 extra Attribute dots to add wherever you want. It then has one dot in a Mega-Attribute (with free enhancement). It can speak and has its own Natures and personality, ranging anywhere from verbally abusive and egotistical to helpful and kind. The Armor's mind could be there as the result of someone being cursed into it, but the mind could have been created when the Armor was forged. Whether or not you get along with your Armor is another issue. Its mind can be affected by things such as Telepathy, Empathic Manipulation, and Social Abilities and enhancements. It cannot move on its own (thus the reason it keeps you around), but it may have a lot of useful advice to give out at just the right moment.

Epic Armor (requirements: Armor 5)

Your Armor is one of the most advanced around. This enhancement acts as a sixth dot in this Background, giving you bonus soak accordingly. All of your body, including exposed places such as your face, receive the full soak score.

Attuned Armor (requirements: Quantum 5+)

Your Armor is especially attuned to you. Anyone else wearing the Armor does not benefit from it's enhancements and gains a maximum of 1 soak from it. You may instantly don the Armor as a free action once per round by spending a quantum, point so long as the Armor is within Quantum kilometers. This can take any cosmetic form, such as teleportation or telekinesis, but the effect is the same.

Special Ability (requirements: ???)

Not all special characteristics that are possible for Armor are covered by quantum powers and enhancements. Sometimes an ability is just so strange or unique that it needs it's own classification. This enhancement is a catch-all for anything that doesn't seem to fit into another enhancement. This enhancement may not be taken at gamestart...it can only develop during play and is completely at the Storyteller's whim.

[Blue Thunder]

Beast

(This background may not be taken above 5 dots at character creation)

(only novas can take this Background)

(this Background can be taken multiple times)

This Background represents a creature companion of yours. This Beast is not an animal of the mundane world but is instead of heavenly origins like yourself. It can be either a unique creature or one of a family of similar Beasts, but it is loyal to you above all others. You share a bond with your Beast that others do not have, something that is hard to describe to others but which is very real.

Your Beast may take virtually any physical form that is approved by the Storyteller. It can resemble a normal creature such as a wolf or be something traditionally mythical like a pegasus or chimera. It could even be something stranger such as a golem, elemental, clockwork creation, flying carpet, stitched-together corpse, or ball of pure quantum energy. Whatever it is, it is clearly of non-Gaian origin and will not be mistaken for earthly. A single dot in this Background is the equivalent of having a familiar.

Your Beast is intelligent enough to understand what you and others say as long as the messages are simple enough but it is not able to speak. If your Beast is capable of feeling emotions then you can understand them as well as you would understand the emotions of a person. Since it is infused with godly energies it can use quantum abilities, though not to the degree that a nova can.

A Beast is ageless just like a nova and goes to the Underworld upon death. Resurrecting a Beast from the Underworld is easier than resurrecting a nova since the Beast will sense when its owner(s) is in the Underworld and will seek them out. A nova does not need to bargain with the Keepers of the Underworld to revive a Beast...he just needs to find the Beast and head for the nearest exit. Only those people that the Beast considers it's owners may escort it out.

The amount of dots in this Background determines the Beast's level of power. The Beast does not advance in power like a player character does and can only be trained by advancing this Background.

Beast Creation

All Beasts have starting Attributes of 1 and you can assign 6 dots in Attributes after that; however Intelligence and Social Attributes cannot be raised above 1. You can then assign 12 Ability dots as you wish but no single Ability can go above 3 dots. They have a starting Willpower of 3, Quantum 2, and Taint 1. Quantum Pool is equal to Stamina, Wits, and Charisma combined. They get one free Mega-Attribute dot with free enhancement. The companion can take virtually any physical form allowed by the Storyteller but it starts out no larger than an average person. You can assign up to four Aberrations (any level) to your Beast, and can choose to apply them at character creation or anytime after this Background is raised a dot. Your Beast has the Devotion (to you) Merit.

For every dot in this Background choose an upgrade:

+5 Attribute dots*

+12 Ability dots (nothing above 3)

+2 Mega-Attribute dots* (no Mega-Attribute above 3 total)

+2 Mega-Attribute enhancements

+4 dots in level 1 powers/Body Mods** (can be split up)

+2 dots in level 2 powers (can be split up)

+3 Willpower

+1 Quantum (maximum 3)

*Cannot raise Intelligence or Social Attributes

**You are required to take the Wings Body Mod if your Beast has wings, even if it would normally have them otherwise (i.e. a bird).

Beast Enhancements

Intelligent Beast (requirements: none)

Your Beast is intelligent, allowing it to verbally communicate with you and others. It's Intelligence is brought up to 3 and it may have all of its Mental/Social Attributes raised like normal and it may have Mental/Social Mega-Attributes raised to 3. Your Beast may start to gain Backgrounds through play.

Linked Beast (requirements: none)

You share a strong mental connection with your Beast. You may send it messages telepathically as long as it is within the same world/realm as you; you must concentrate to do this. You may also observe through your Beast's senses (see through it's eyes, hear through it's ears, etc.) at the same time by spending a quantum point. When your Beast dies or gets injured you become aware of it.

Ferocious Beast (requirements: none)

Your Beast excels at physical combat. It gains a natural soak bonus of +8 to both Bashing and Lethal, +2 against Aggravated, +6 to Initiative, and deals +1 die of damage with all physical attacks. It can raise Physical Mega-Attributes to 5 dots.

Determined Beast (requirements: Willpower 6)

Your Beast never gives up and never gives in. Your Beast gains both the Iron Will and High Pain Tolerance merits. When it "dies" it may spend 3 quantum as a free action to bring itself to Incapacitated. It will still be unconscious and appear dead. If the death of the Beast is extreme (decapitation, cut in half, disintegrated, etc.) then this effect will not work.

Quantum Beast (requirements: Beast's Quantum 3)

Your Beast's connection with quantum energy is so great that it can manifest more powerful abilities. It gains Quantum 4 and two dots in a level 3 power that requires no greater than Quantum 4. It's quantum pool is doubled.

Morphic Beast (requirements: Quantum 5+, Beast 4+)

Your Beast changes form and even quantum powers, either by it's own will or by your hand. Set aside three dots worth of bonuses from this Background. In between Chapters or during downtime you may "reconstruct" what those three dots give in bonuses to your Beast. The Beast is still the same being and hasn't died or been replaced but instead drastically alters its form, perhaps because it is morphable in nature or some kind of mechanical construct. Despite changes to it's form your companion still retains certain physical or behavioral characteristics. It is not a new creature...that would require taking the Beast background again.

Legendary Beast (requirements: Beast 10)

Your Beast has reached the point where it transcends normal limits of existence and becomes a true legend. When it dies it goes to the Underworld as normal but it can freely resurrect itself whenever it wants. It's Background rating remains at 10 but it gains three extra bonus levels for purposes of upgrading itself.

Special Ability (requirements: ???)

Not all special characteristics that are possible for a Beast are covered by quantum powers and enhancements. Sometimes an ability is just so strange or unique that it needs it's own classification. This enhancement is a catch-all for anything that doesn't seem to fit into another enhancement. This enhancement may not be taken at gamestart...it can only develop during play and is completely at the Storyteller's whim.

[Blue Thunder]

Champions

(only novas can take this Background)

Champions are baselines that have been bound entirely to your character through ceremony that grants them some of your quantum abilities. They are not hired goons or mindless worshipers but true allies who accompany you wherever you go and fight alongside you to the very end, wielding limited quantum powers.

Each dot in the Champions Background lets you bind one baseline to you as a Champion. Through some kind of quantum bond with you they are also granted a small degree of your power as a nova. The ceremony for this bond can vary greatly between novas (use your imagination) but it involves several minutes of attuning to the Champion-to-be. After the ceremony is complete the baseline becomes one of your Champions and is bound to you from then until death or until you free them from the bond. Any willing baseline can become a Champion. Any Champions bound during character creation are created as starting baseline characters; any Champions bound after play starts can be of any experience level. Regardless, Champions grow in power just like PCs. A Champion can only be bound to one nova at a time. Only the master nova (or the master's death) can break the bind and free a Champion to become someone else's Champion. Champions may not personally free themselves from the bind, even if they fall out of favor with the master nova, which can lead to interesting situations...

Champions are usually warriors but this does not have to be the case. Any type of baseline can become a Champion. A bureaucratic nova can use politician Champions to carry out his social agenda while a spiritual nova can use priest Champions to spread his word. Champions can also be a mix of different types of people.

You should go to great lengths to equip and care for your Champions. The binding ceremony does not guarantee that they will agree with everything you say in the future and their faith may be tested at times. They are a great asset but also a disposable one; when a Champion dies they are not immediately replaced. Any empty Champion "slots" can be filled with new baselines or kept empty at your choice. However as a side effect of the binding ceremony any baseline that dies as a Champion can be resurrected from the Underworld as if they were a nova, so there is always a chance of bringing them back to life.

Champion Creation:

Upon completion of the binding ceremony a new Champion gains +1 to Willpower and the Devotion (to your character) Merit. If they were an Extra beforehand they are upgraded to standard character status.

But most importantly Champions gain the Gift. "The Gift" is used to refer to all of the quantum enhancements given to a Champion by their master nova. The Gift gives each Champion a Quantum of 1 and a quantum pool equal to their Stamina + Wits + Charisma. You can choose to make them immune to the damaging effects of your quantum powers (such as area attacks) as if they are Attuned to you. You also get 5 points to "purchase" powers for all of them, using the list below. You must possess any abilities you are Gifting to your Champions, and you cannot give them more dots in a trait than you possess.

One dot in a Mega-Attribute - 1 point (2 dots max in any Mega-Attribute)

Mega-Attribute Enhancement - 1 point

Two dots in a Level 1 power - 1 point

One dot in a Level 2 power - 1 point

Aberration, any level - no cost

Note: Quantum powers can be Gifted to Champions regardless of Quantum minimum.

Whatever combination you choose will be Gifted to all of your Champions equally; you cannot choose a different combination for each one. You may choose to temporarily negate (or re-activate) the Gifts of a Champion once per turn as a free action by spending a quantum point. You can fully remove a Champion's Gifts and binding by spending an entire round concentrating and spending three quantum points. This turns a Champion back into a normal baseline. You can also choose to alter the make-up of the Gift at will in between Chapters or during downtime.

Champion Enhancements

Mental Binding (requirements: none)

The bindings with your Champions are stronger than normal. By spending a quantum point you can telepathically communicate with any Champion as long as they are in the same realm/world as you. You may also make a Quantum + Navigation roll to sense in which direction from you a Champion is, as long as they are within Quantum x10 kilometers.

Selective Gift (requirements: none)

Your control over Gifts is so great that you can create different Gifts for each of your Champions. Negating and reactivating Gifts no longer costs quantum.

Boundless Gift (requirements: Quantum 5+)

You can spend 10 points on Gifts instead of 5, and all Champions now have a Quantum of 2. You can raise a Champion's Mega-Attributes to 5 dots.

The Summoning (requirements: Quantum 5+)

The attunement you share with your Champions is so great that you can summon them at will. You may teleport a bound Champion to your side by spending a quantum point and concentrating for a full round, but cannot teleport them back to where they came.

Legion of the Gods (requirements: Champions 10)

You gain two extra Champion "slots" to use. This enhancement may be taken multiple times.

Proven Champions (requirements: Pantheon at 7+)

Your Champions have proven their loyalty to your pantheon. They gain your Pantheon background at two dots but they cannot raise it higher. This allows them to act as if they are novas sitting on your pantheon and to enjoy any other benefits the Background provides.

[Blue Thunder]

Legend

Legend represents a general awareness of your character. Every famous nova has high Legend, and even the most low-key and inconspicuous of leaders has at least a few dots. When a high-Legend nova enters a room people recognize them. Their name is on the lips of everyone in their domain and when they speak people spread the word.

Legend can be due to various reasons; a high Mega-Appearance trait, a leadership position, a respected family, having saved lives, military duty, etc. And it has clear advantages. In any situation where your Legend could be used to your advantage you may choose to add a single die to a Social (or other relevant) roll. You may only apply one dot per roll and are limited to your Legend rating in bonus dice. So at Legend 6 you can add a single bonus die to six relevant rolls per Chapter.

When taking Legend you must be conscious that it is lowered when you are outside of your domain/pantheon. A Legend of 10 may be negated when in a domain where you are unrecognized. There are around a thousand novas in the world; you can't be famous everywhere.

A character with no Legend rating is unknown to the general population. He may get noticed as a nova but no one will care and he will never be able to use his nova status to full effect; guards won't let him pass, villagers won't tell him what he needs to know, other novas will consider him unimportant, etc. He is not a cipher and people will still be able to find information on him, but he just isn't the celebrity that others are.

Bonus dice from this Background do not apply to all Social rolls. For example, Style is not necessarily swayed by Legend.

Legend Enhancements

Grace (requirements: none)

Any bonus Legend dice that roll as failures will be refunded and available for use again on the next turn. Any roll that you use a bonus Legend die on will have a single botched die (a rolled 1) turned into a normal failure die.

Fame to Power (requirements: Legend 3+)

You may spend up to three of your bonus dice on a single roll. If any of your bonus dice come up as 10s, they count as two successes.

World Star (requirements: Fame 10)

Your Legend reaches well beyond your pantheon's domain. Everyone knows who you are. This enhancement counts as an eleventh dot in Legend, and your Legend does not suffer penalties when used outside of your home domain except when dealing with domains or people you are at war with.

Special Ability (requirements: ???)

Not all special characteristics that are possible for Legend are covered by enhancements. As a nova's life unfolds there will be specific events that will shape how people see him or her. Stories of their involvement in specific affairs will spread, producing reactions from the populace such as fear, awe, jubilation, etc. This enhancement is a catch-all for such events. This enhancement may not be taken at gamestart...it can only develop during play and is completely at the Storyteller's whim.

[Blue Thunder]

Pantheon

(this Background may be taken multiple times)

Dots in Pantheon denote ranking in a nova pantheon. The more dots you have the more powerful you become within the pantheon. This can mean the ability to command resources that are not your own such as armies, public funds, technology, and privileged information. There is no standard for what all Pantheons give in terms of actual power. Each nova pantheon is different and has varying levels of authority, so each will be unique. Refer to each pantheon individually for their benefits. The only commonalities between Pantheon ratings are: one dot is for "honored" novas, those who are recognized as contributing to the domain but who have no real power; two dots is for those novas with a minimum of power in the domain; and 10 dots is for the most powerful individual(s) of the domain.

It is possible to have rankings in two or more pantheons, but such is a very rare case. Most pantheons will put a level cap on your authority unless you serve them exclusively.

Due to the variations of the pantheons there are no enhancements for this Background.

[Blue Thunder]

Resources

This Background is virtually unchanged from the Aberrant system except that it has been increased to 10 dots. Most novas can easily get a moderate amount of wealth but only a few manage to reach the upper echelons of this Background. The average nova is pulling in anywhere from 3-5 dots in this Background. Any nova above 5 dots must be making an active and constant effort to pull in wealth.

Zero dots in Resources means being completely broke and with no savings. 1 dot means no income and with meager savings. 2 dots is standard baseline villager income. 5 dots is enough to own the equivalent of a mansion. 9+ dots in Resources is the kind of income that is usually reserved for a few extremely prosperous leaders across all of Gaia and is the kind of wealth that people will try to separate from the nova.

Not all novas require Resources. Nature-obsessed novas have little need for wealth and some spiritual novas eschew money altogether.

There are no enhancements for this Background.

[Blue Thunder]

Sanctum

(coming soon, sorry!)

[Blue Thunder]

Servants

Servants are baseline individuals that exist to serve you. They serve because they are expected to and will stick by your side through any kind of embarrassment or punishment you give them because that is what's expected of them; they do not need to be respected or have their emotions coddled. They are not as powerful as Champions but they are more numerous and can be replaced easily. They are not as numerous as Worshipers but they are more powerful and are a constant presence. They are as reliable as they can be and follow orders faithfully. They likely carry out the daily tasks that you don't have time to do or that you consider beneath you.

Servants can take the form of literal servants, following your character from place to place in order to attend to his every desire. Bodyguards are also a common form of Servant but virtually all kinds of individuals can be Servants: messengers, artists, scribes, foot soldiers, musicians, caretakers, thugs, merchants, courtesans, etc. Not all of your Servants have to be identical; a portion can be bodyguards, a few doctors, etc. Payment is usually involved though it does not necessarily need to be coming out of your character's pocket; the cost of keeping Servants is included with this Background and does not affect Resources. More charismatic or respected novas may end up having Servants for free but remember that the more Servants you have the more room you need for them. Thirty attendants won't serve you very well if you don't have housing for them. They can also be spread throughout your domain.

In terms of stats Servants are treated as starting baseline characters. They have armor, weapons, and/or gear related to their tasks. Allocation of their stats is left up to the Storyteller and is only done when a Servant needs to make a roll for whatever reason. Servants are statless until they are needed.

Between Chapters you can alter the makeup of your Servants. Roll Servants +1 die. For each success you may replace one Servant with another of a different profession. Deceased Servants can also be replaced. Roll the Servants Background between Chapters; each success equals a new Servant that will replace a dead one. If you ever suffer so many Servant casualties in one Chapter that your number of Servants is reduced to less than one third of it's max, then this Background is permanently reduced by one dot.

Servants per dot:

1 - 3 servants

2 - 6 servants

3 - 9 servants

4 - 12 servants

5 - 15 servants

6 - 18 servants

7 - 21 servants

8 - 24 servants

9 - 27 servants

10 - 30 servants

Servants Enhancements

Tough Servants (requirements: none)

Your Servants are more hardened for battle than normal Servants. They have 2 extra Bruised Health Levels and +6 to Initiative.

Quality Over Quantity (requirements: Resources 4+)

Your Servants are the best that money can buy. They have an additional 3 Attribute dots and 10 Ability dots. Whatever gear they have related to their tasks (including weapons) give them a +1 circumstantial bonus to appropriate rolls.

Multitude of Servitude (requirements: Pantheon, Resources, or Worshipers 5+)

You can easily replace your minions. You never have to roll to replace any dead Servants between Chapters; all deceased Servants are automatically replaced and this Background never permanently decreases due to massive Servant death. You are free to replace as many Servants with new ones as you want between Chapters without rolling.

Endless Servants (requirements: Servants 10)

You have 5 extra Servants. This enhancement may be taken multiple times.

[Blue Thunder]

Weapon

(5 dot maximum)

(only novas can take this Background)

(this Background can be taken multiple times)

This Background represents a special weapon that you possess. It was crafted by the most masterful of craftsmen and might have as impressive a history as you do. Every Weapon is unique or part of a set of similar items. It cannot be destroyed through normal means. It is also immune to the negative effects of your powers when you are wielding it.

Choose a melee or ranged weapon. For every dot in this Background attack accuracy is increased by +1. This bonus only applies when a nova is wielding the weapon; a baseline uses it as if it were a mundane weapon. If a ranged weapon is chosen then any ammunition fired or thrown from the weapon is affected by attack modifiers. It is possible for the Weapon to have special ammunition (arrows, bolts, etc.) that are considered linked to the Weapon; this ammunition shares the weapon's invulnerability to damage but must be retrieved from targets. If you throw/hurl a melee weapon the strike bonus still applies.

Not all mundane weapons are created equally. A dagger does less damage than a katana and this Background does not equalize the damage between the two of them. But a dagger can be thrown and hidden easily while a katana cannot; small Weapons have their advantages.

Weapon Enhancements

Keen Weapon (requirements: none)

Your Weapon is deadlier than normal when you hit your mark. All criticals with your Weapon's strikes cause two levels of damage instead of one.

Deadly Weapon (requirements: none)

Your weapon adds 1 level of automatic damage per dot in this background to all strikes.

Quantum Weapon (requirements: none)

Your Weapon comes with a quantum power of its own which you can use. This enhancement allows your Weapon to have five dots in a level 1 power, three dots in a level 2 power, or one dot in a level 3 power. This power must be defined and it cannot be changed afterwards. Dots cannot be separated among different powers; they must all be in one power. You can only use this power once per Scene but do not have to spend quantum and do not have to meet the power's Quantum minimum. You must be wielding the Weapon and must concentrate for a round to activate it . Powers with a Permanent duration such as Psychic Shield or Invulnerability cannot be chosen. Any other nova can use this power as long as they are wielding your Weapon and know what it is capable of. This enhancement may be taken multiple times for one Weapon; each new rank let's you choose an additional power, but does not let you double-up on one power. The Storyteller is free to restrict powers from this enhancement if he feels they are unbalanced.

Elemental Weapon (requirements: none)

Your Weapon is infused with a specific element. You must choose the element when taking this enhancement and it cannot be changed thereafter. This element must be something that can be defended by Invulnerability such as fire, ice, sonic, electric, mental, or light. Your weapon deals two extra dice of damage but anything you strike that would reduce damage against the element reduces the damage of the entire attack. You may double this damage bonus to four dice by spending one quantum per strike.

Morphic Weapon (requirements: none)

Your Weapon can switch into a different form. Choose one extra form that your Weapon may take in addition to it's default form. This change be done once per round as a free action and the effect lasts until you cancel it which requires being within Quantum x 10 meters of the Weapon. The form your Weapon takes can be a different weapon type, a mundane item, or a Body Mod being added to the Weapon. Changing between Weapon types can let you switch your Weapon between ranged and melee. Having your Weapon turn into a mundane item lets you disguise it as something others won't notice, but it won't give you any kind of attack bonus when transformed. As for Body Mods let your imagination go wild. Does your Weapon extend a glowing Tendril to lash at enemies? Does it coat itself in Nematocysts? This enhancement may be taken multiple times for the same Weapon.

Intelligent Weapon (requirements: none)

Your Weapon is intelligent. It has a Willpower of 8, all Mental and Social Attributes at 2 dots, and 8 extra Attribute dots to add wherever you want. It then has one dot in a Mega-Attribute (with free enhancement). It can speak and has its own Natures and personality, ranging anywhere from verbally abusive and egotistical to helpful and kind. The weapon's mind could be there as the result of someone being cursed into it, but the mind could have been created when the Weapon was forged. Whether or not you get along with your Weapon is another issue. Its mind can be affected by things such as Telepathy, Empathic Manipulation, and Social Abilities and enhancements. It cannot move on its own (thus the reason it keeps you around), but it may have a lot of useful advice to give out at just the right moment.

Epic Weapon (requirements: Weapon 5)

Your Weapon is one of the most advanced around. This enhancement counts as a sixth dot in this Background, giving you an extra +1 to strike accuracy. You are normally limited to 5 extra damage dice to attacks due to accuracy, but with this enhancement your Weapon can add up to 6 damage dice to it's attacks due to accuracy.

Attuned Weapon (requirements: Quantum 5+)

Your Weapon is especially attuned to you. Anyone else wielding the Weapon does not benefit from it's enhancements or strike bonus. You can bring the Weapon into your hand(s) automatically as a free action once per turn by spending a quantum point, so long as your Weapon is within Quantum kilometers. This negates any penalties from unsheathing or readying a weapon and can even take the weapon out of someone's hands. If a ranged Weapon has any "linked" ammunition then it may be loaded in this way, but regular ammunition may not.

Conjured Ammunition (requirements: ranged Weapon, Quantum 5+)

Your ranged Weapon creates it's own ammunition. This ammunition is automatically loaded after each shot is fired; a bow that fires an arrow instantly has a new arrow replacing it. Ammunition only lasts as long as it takes to travel to a target and deal damage. It disappears immediately after causing damage.

Special Ability (requirements: ???)

Not all special characteristics that are possible for a Weapon are covered by quantum powers and enhancements. Sometimes an ability is just so strange or unique that it needs it's own classification. This enhancement is a catch-all for anything that doesn't seem to fit into another enhancement. This enhancement may not be taken at gamestart...it can only develop during play and is completely at the Storyteller's whim.

[Blue Thunder]

Worshipers

The Worshipers Background roughly dictates the number of baselines who are part of your character's cult. These Worshipers value you above all other novas, drawing guidance and wisdom from your philosophy and history. Worshipers almost always count as Extras (Aberrant, page 252) for gameplay purposes and have no special skills that make them stand out as individuals, making them useless as Servants. A few Worshipers may stand out with better stats but their advantage to you is not as individuals but as a large collective.

Dots in this Background translate into a rough estimate of devoted worshipers , using the list below:

1 - 100 worshipers

2 - 250 worshipers

3 - 500 worshipers

4 - 1,000 worshipers

5 - 5,000 worshipers

6 - 10,000 worshipers

7 - 20,000 worshipers

8 - 40,000 worshipers

9 - 60,000 worshipers

10 - 80,000 worshipers

By default all of your Worshipers are located within your domain. You have a +2 bonus to any Social rolls you make with your Worshipers and they will rarely have reason to suspect you of bad intentions. You don't have to worry about pleasing every individual Worshiper either; if a handful leave your cult they are almost immediately replaced by new ones. But if you treat Worshipers negatively on many occasions (or even worse, act contrary to your belief system) then word will spread of your behavior and you may lose a dot or two of this Background. Worshipers can also be manipulated and tricked by outside forces and be targeted by your enemies for publicly worshiping you. Your Worshipers aren't necessarily your responsibility to keep safe -- you're their inspiration, not their ruler -- but any assistance is always appreciated.

New members of Pantheons quickly attract around 1 to 2 dots in this Background. Most novas will never reach above 3 or 4 dots unless they make a concerted effort to do so or unless they somehow reach a position of great respect, such as a high Pantheon rating. Only a few novas reach 10 dots in Worshipers at any given time in history.

Nearly all novas gain cults over time. Even novas that make no effort to attract a following will manage to secure followers. For most novas having Worshipers is not a problem, but something to be embraced and nurtured. Baselines look up to novas for guidance and few novas would turn their back on the flock they've gathered. Having a high number of Worshipers also carries with it political power, since a nova with many followers can rally people for his or her causes.

It is important to note that Worshipers in cults are not wild-eyed fanatics. Their devotion to you is varied and limited and many will jump ship to other cults when it suits them or they get bored; likewise, you will gain just as many converts from other cults. They will keep idols at their homes in your honor and display artwork of you in public to celebrate your life. They also generally respect all of the novas in your associated Pantheon as well and have no problems mixing with the Worshipers of other cults. In fact most cults within a domain are so interconnected that it can be difficult telling them apart. Any cult that cuts itself off from others and refuses to cooperate with other cults is looked down upon by the rest of society.

The type of Worshipers you have depends mostly on the type of nova that you are. A nova of war will attract warriors and a nova of knowledge will attract intellectuals, or at least those who wish to be warriors and intellectuals. This is important to note. If your Worshipers follow you because you represent peace and tranquility then you would have a very hard time convincing them to go to war. But if they follow you because you represent destruction then you will have a much easier time gathering that militia you want. Generally speaking, one-third of your Worshipers strongly adhere to what you represent and can be called upon for just that purpose. So if you are trying to gather an army from your Worshipers, you can count on one-third of them coming to your side. They can be ideal targets for Mega-Social enhancements like Inspiration and Natural Agitator. It does not take much to turn Worshipers into a singular mob but be warned that doing so has consequences. Angering the rest of the domain's population is not the kind of end result a nova usually wants.

Worshipers tend to construct temples, shrines, and monuments in your honor. Temples can range greatly in both quantity and quality; the more dots you have in Worshipers the more temples there are likely to be. The largest temples in a domain are devoted to multiple gods and entire Pantheons. If you wish to have a massive temple that serves as the center of your cult then you can create one with the Sanctum Background; otherwise your temples are smaller and spread out.

There are no enhancements for this Background at the moment.

[Blue Thunder]

Even though we don't use these anymore I'm really glad I made them. They're just such a cool idea! I wonder how they could be introduced into Aberrant or Trinity?

What ideas would you guys have for Trinity/Aberrant Background enhancements?