Aberrant RPG - Aberrant FAQ

Matt · January 15, 2004

Aberrant FAQVersion 0.44

1. Basic

1.1 What is Aberrant?

Aberrant is a role-playing game set in a world very much like our own, in which people with superhuman abilities (known as "novas") exist and are changing the world in radical ways. In it, you play one of these incarnate demigods, mutually blessed and burdened with the power to literally change the world at your whim. The game can run the gamut between four-color superheroics to gritty, urban tales of power and its prices. The world of Aberrant is filled with groups and individuals to ally with or oppose, from the most base and rapine villains to the most virtuous of heroes. But nothing is black and white, and the more you immerse yourself into the world of Aberrant, the more you may find that nobody is all good or evil, and that given the power to change the world, some very horrible things can be done. Sometimes in the name of the "greater good".

1.2 What system does Aberrant use?

Aberrant uses White Wolf's d10 "Storyteller" system, based entirely off 10-sided dice. Characters have a "dice pool" for each skill made up of the number of "dots" a character has combined in the skill being used and an attribute that it relates to. A "target number" -- usually 7 -- is set for the roll, and any dice that meet or exceed the target number count as an individual measure of success. The more successes gained on an individual roll, the more complete and easily the character achieved the task. As with all roleplaying games, these rolls are used to simulate circumstances that the player and storyteller cannot play out themselves, such as combat or use of nova powers.

1.3 Who created Aberrant?

Aberrant was originally designed as a compliment game to the futuristic game Trinity in which novas, now called "Aberrants", are the terror of space, mutated madmen, throttling gods of destruction. Aberrant was first Developed by Robert Hatch, though midway through the writing of the core rulebook, the task was handed over to the then writer of the Aberrant Storyteller's Screen, Kraig Blackwelder. Aberrant was recently made in Arthaus title, and it is speculated that Blackwelder has since taken a hiatus from the Developer position, leaving the current man-in-charge a bit of an enigma.

1.4 How many books are there for Aberrant?

Fifteen. In order of release: Aberrant Core Rules, Expose; Aberrants, Aberrant Storyteller's Screen, Aberrant; Year One, Aberrant; Project Utopia, Aberrant; Teragen, Aberrant; XWF, Aberrant; Fear and Loathing, Aberrant; The Directive, Aberrant; Elites, Aberrant; Worldwide Phase I, Aberrant; ReignofEvil.com, Aberrant; Church of Michael Archangel, Aberrant; Worldwide Phase II and Aberrant; Players Guide.

1.5 Where can I find Aberrant?

Your local game store should be able to order it for you without any problems as all Aberrant books are still available and in print. Should you not have a local game shop or they be unavailable to order the books for you, you can order them directly off the White Wolf homepage at www.white-wolf.com or at the Amazon Superstore at

1.6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.amazon.com.

1.6 Who plays Aberrant?

The numbers of those who play Aberrant are unfortunately few, compared to White Wolf's other titles. The idea of "superhero" gaming turns many potential players off before they've given the game a chance. Nonetheless, one can find small groups of players through the While Wolf Player Registry located on the White Wolf homepage, and of course, all of the posters on this board play.

2. Terms

3. Universe

3.1 Are there any other games in the Aberrant continuum?

Yes, two. Aberrant is the second in a series of three games that together comprise what is called the Aeoniverse. The other two games in the series are Trinity and Adventure!. Trinity is set in the far future, where psychic humans known as 'Psiads' defend the earth from the ravenous, all-consuming evil of hordes of Aberrants that continually attack and terrorize human colonies both on land and in space. In stark contrast to this seemingly hopeless crusade against darkness, Adventure! is a pulp-era game set in the 1920's. Remarkable humans known as the 'Inspired' make great strides in the fields of exploration and science. In an era when mankind still believed that one man could make a difference, the Inspired stand as beacons of proof of this belief.

3.2 How does Trinity relate to Aberrant?

By 2049, the golden age of the Nova ends, and humanity declares war on Novakind. Human and nova relations are strained to the breaking point as increasing numbers of novas are pushed over the brink of madness or monstrosity by taint. In a bold move, an ultimatum is delivered; if Novakind will not leave the planet, it will be destroyed by nuclear holocaust. Thus began the exodous of Novas off the Earth and to the stars. Years passed, and the Aberrants were mostly forgotten. That is, until the attacks began. Coming from distant stars and twisted beyond recognizance, the Aberrants returned to claim vengeance for their exile. In Trinity you play a member of the last, best hope of humanity, a Psiad, defending the Earth with your might of your mind against the Aberrant hordes.

3.3 How does Adventure! relate to Aberrant?

Before there were Novas, there were the Inspired, intrepid heroes and dastardly villains with the potential to change the world. When an experiment by the brilliant scientist Dr. Hammersmith goes horribly awrye, potent levels of Z-rays or 'Noetic Energy' is released, triggering a bizarre change in select individuals from around the world. The ramifications of this accident set the groundwork for a young Maxwell Anderson Mercer to form the philanthropic organization the Aeon Society, an edifice which perseveres and plays a key role through the entire Aeoniverse timeline.

3.4 What happens between Adventure! and Aberrant and Aberrant and Trinity?

This is a hotly debated question, especially so with the former. It is often wondered exactly how all of the philanthropic efforts of Novas and more importantly, their ties to the Aeon Society, could be forgotten in as little as two-hundred years between Aberrant and Trinity. After the OpNet crash in 2061, a significant portion of the worlds' records, having been digitized long ago, is lost. Working quickly, the Aeon Society institutes 'Project Rewrite', a program instated to collect the remaining vestiges of knowledge and history to recompile for the mutual good. Unfortunately, this affords them a golden opportunity -- as the winners -- to rewrite history, and in doing so, write out any past dealings with novakind. By the time Trinity has begun, any legitimate dealings the benevolent Aeon Society had with novas has been purged from world record, insuring that no recourse it taken when the Aberrant hordes return for blood.

4. Logistics

4.1 What seperates a nova from a baseline?

Physically, the only difference between a nova and a baseline is an extra piece of tissue in the forebrain that sits above the Pineal Gland, referred to as the Mazarin-Rashoud Node, named for its discoverers. This fleshy node only exists as a genetic aberrancy that occurs in only one in roughly every five-hundred thousand to one million births. Many people have been born with a nod throughout history, it is theorized, but until the explosion of the Galatea, it is likely that nodes were disregarded as benign tumors or cancerous Pineal Glands.

The M-R Node is only activated through an event known as "eruption", in which the node forces itself through the inner tissue of the brain and situates itself to the fore. Various triggers have been known to cause eruption, from anger to fear, from exposure to quantum forces to grief, from profound misery to pro9found enlightenment. In that time, the neuropeptide responsible for quantum manipulation (known as "farahcytes") become active and begins to flow throughout the node. In the split-second that eruption occurs, the nova is granted the ability to manipulate and reconfigure the four quantum forces, allowing him or her the ability to literally change reality to his whim. What powers a nova receives is largely up to the subconscious desires of the erupting nova and the stimuli that triggers the eruption.

4.2 How does a novas powers work?

Farahcytes allow the nova the ability to manipulate the four quantum forces. These forces, when properly configured, can allow the nova using them to do anything at all, though the scope of an individual nova's ability is limited by the way in which they manipulate these forces. In theory, a nova can do anything. In practice, a nova is limited in what they can do by the abilities they have. Though it is assured that if there is anything that can be done, there is a nova somewhere in the world who can do it.

Farahcytes allow the nova the ability to manipulate these forces through a thus undiscerned neurochemical reaction, in much the same way a baseline brain relays the message to the rest of the body to breathe or pump blood. If any scientist has figured out what makes farahcytes so unique, they haven't said.

4.3 What are the four quantum forces?

The four quantum forces are gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force and the strong nuclear force. They are described in detail on page 17 of the Aberrant Core Setting.

4.4 So how does this allow a nova to do what they do?

Virtually anything can be achieved through manipulation of one of the four quantum forces. To create a force field, one could increase or decrease gravity around yourself. You could create a magnetic barrier around yourself. You could expand or contract molecules in your immediate vicinity, or even create a substance to protect yourself. Likewise, with flight, you could manipulate gravity to allow yourself to fly, change the magnetic poles around yourself, and so on. Though certain specific effects can only be replicated through manipulation of very specific forces (for example, Gravity Manipulation can only be achieved through manipulation of gravity), many of the more basic powers can be brought about several ways.

4.5 Are there any abilties inherent to all novas?

All novas have farahcytes, control over the four quantum forces in one way or another and an enhanced metabolic and recuperative systems. Novas are generally healthier, live longer and recover from sickness and injury quicker. Because of their enhanced metabolism, novas also eat a lot more than baselines. The similarities end there. While you may find two similar novas, you will never find two exactly alike. Even novas with the same powers will have different levels of control over their abilities and different ways of producing the same effects.

4.6 Is there anything a nova can't do?

There are many abilities that novas in the canon of Aberrant have yet to exhibit. No nova is known to travel time. No nova could force the Earth into the sun. No nova has yet been able to bring the dead back to life. According to the rules, however, no, there has yet to be revealed anything a nova could not theoretically do. Given enough time and practice, there is literally nothing that a nova could not do.

4.7 Are there any drawbacks to being a nova?

The short answer here is "maybe". Because of the nature of a novas abilities, those who tend to use their powers too often or strain their ability develop increasing levels of what is referred to as "taint". In short, taint is the negative effect that quantum channeling has on the body, and the more often and strenuously a nova uses his powers, the more taint he is bound accumulate. Taint has no inherently negative facet to it, though 'aberrations', the result of accumulating too much taint, often warps the nova, making them progressively less human and more something else, either mentally or physically.

Because of their enhanced metabolism, novas are forced to eat prodigeous quantities of food in order to maintain themselves. Studies have shown that on average, a nova without Mega-Stamina should consume between 18,000 and 30,000 calories a day, with a direct corrolation between the power level of the nova and how much he eats. Novas with Mega-Stamina, however, prove the exception to this rule. Some Mega-Stamina novas can survive indefinetely without food, while others can last weeks or even months. Strangely, all novas suffer less from the effects of starvation, despite their need to eat more. A nova who does not eat tends to be sluggish and lethargic, but even a newly-erupted nova could go two to three times as long without food as a baseline.

For reasons not yet discovered by nova medicine, all novas are sterile. Men have sperm counts so low that it would be nigh-inconceivable that they could father children, and all of a femal nova's eggs become infertile. It is theorized by Triton researchers that Farahcytes may cause this reaction because of their close proximity to the Pineal Gland, though thus far studies have been inconclusive.

Other problems novas face are a matter of society. Novas rarely have any privacy to speak of unless they dig themselves underground. Baselines around the world worship even the most mundane nova and there is no shortage of nova-exclusive groups and baseline corporations trying to court and curry the favor of novas worldwide.

4.8 What is taint and how does it work?

Taint is, in short, the negative effect that quantum takes on the body. The human vessel was not specifically built to channel and manipulate quantum energies. A nova weaving quantum into a bolt of energy to strike down his opponent is akin to running 5,000 watts through a 75-watt bulb. Though a nova's enhanced physiology allows him to better cope with these negative effects, the fact remains that constant and strenuous quantum channeling leaves it scars, and it does so in the form of aberrations.

'Aberrations' are the common name given to any negative physical, mental or emotion change brought on specifically by quantum channeling. At times, aberrations can take relatively benign forms, such as giving a bluish tint to the skin, giving the nova a newly-discovered phobia of rats or a slight chemical inbalance that predelicts him towards finding ghoulish things humorous. On the other side of this, however, an aberration can be as dangerous as turning the novas' body into a primordial soup, skewing his brain into that of a sociopath or cursing him with the inability to control his anger in any way.

This notion of power and it's price has been coined "Aberrant Syndrome" by the news media, in which a nova trades away his humanity (and consequently, his ability to relate with other humans) for the increased power that practice and exercise bring.

Aberrations typically mirror the powers of the nova or how the nova accumulated the taint that caused the aberrations. A nova with super-strength may find himself with freakishly huge and disproporionate muscles or even unable to control his awesome might. A nova who blends into shadows may be damaged by the sun. A nova who controls the forces of chaos and entroy may find machines spontaneously breaking at his touch. Some aberrations twist the power that was used in their acquisition so that they cannot be turned off, such as a stealty nova finding himself having to expent his energy to turn his Invisibility off rather than on.

In game terms, players have a temporary taint and permanent taint scores. The number of aberrations a nova has is based off his permanent taint score, while temporary taint has no effect until ten points has been accumulated, at which point it becomes a point of permanent taint. A nova first manifests aberrations once four points of permanent taint have been accumulated.

While temporary taint can be bled off over time, permanent taint is just that; permanent, and that is why many novas fear it so. Temporary taint is commonly acquired when a nova is desperate for more quantum energy and burns out his node or while attempting to max out a power and botching. The notion of taint and how it is acquired is explained in greater detail on pages 148-153 of the Aberrant Core Setting.

5. Luminaries

5.1 What groups inhabit the world of Aberrant?

There are a nearly uncountable number of agencies, corporations, leagues, organizations, individuals and groups in the Aberrant universe who would like to have a nova on their side, and in many cases, groups comprising of only two novas exist. With so many groups serving so many specific interests in the world, it would be nigh unto impossible to keep track of them all. However, some of the more notable groups, their goals and their size are listed here.

5.1A The Aeon Society

5.1A1 The Triton Foundation

5.1A2 Project Utopia

5.1A3 Project Proteus

5.1B The Teragen

5.1C The Aberrants

5.1D The Directive

5.1E Devries

5.1F Novelty Consulting

5.1G The Church of Michael Archangel

5.1H The Church of Astaroth

5.2 What is a "Public Defender"?

A Public Defender is a nova who chooses to or is paid to defend a city on a permanent basis. Occassionally, a hired gun is contracted for defense for an event or gathering, but a Public Defender remains in their city and acts as long-term security and law enfrocement for their area. Commonly, the Public Defender's duties included the enforcement of local, state and federal laws, the arrest of criminals and security for public events.

There are two kinds of Public Defenders: sanctioned and unsanctioned. Sanctioned Public Defender's work within law enforcement guidelines and oftentimes with the police in order to keep the peace in the city. Sanctioned Public Defender's are bound by the same laws as police officers and are almost always contracted and paid for their services. Unsanctioned Public Defender's are vigilantes who, for whatever reason, choose to keep a certain city safe and free of crime. Sometimes this means working within the bounds of the legal infrastructure. Sometimes it means being judge, jury and executioner. Feelings on Unsanctioned Public Defender's are mixed from city to city and depending on the actions of the nova. In some cities, Unsanctioned novas are welcomed with open arms and loved by the public such as with Mexico City's 'El Muerte'. Other times, the nova is reviled by the citizenry for the heavy-handed tactics. Unsanctioned Public Defender's are almost universally reviled by law enforcement officials and unpaid for their efforts.

5.3 What is an "Elite"?

The term "Elite" was first coined during the Equitorial Wars in northern Africa by Anna DeVries, head of the DeVries corporation, a popular mercenary firm that subcontracts novas out to the highest bidder for their particular agendas. Since that time, the word 'Elite' has come to mean any nova who works contract jobs ("hits", in the vulgar argot) for money, whether it is at the behest of a larger organization or not. Many modern Elites work as Public Defenders or Nationaist Defenders (like Public Defenders for small countries), and many have little or no combat ability whatsoever. An Elite today can just as easily be a bookish computer hacker as he can be a stealthy juggernaut.

Elite culture is based on a strict hierarchy that is constructed around pupularity ratings as dictated by their fans. N! Prime keeps a list of the top 500 Elites in the world at any given time, based entirely on how they are viewed by the public. This number is largely determined by number of completed missions and number of kills (both nova and baseline), but there is truly no way to accurately gauge what an Elite can do to make their number rise or fall at any given time. A display of bravado could do wonders for a novas' popularity rating, but not if it gets the crap kicked out of him. Showing up on N! Primes' '2 Minute Hate' can garner a few more points if a nova knows what to say and how to say it. And of course, an Elites' popularity can rise precipitously thanks to a successful media blitz and some good merchandising. It could be argued that the only thing more important to an Elite than money is his rating.

6. MetaPlot

7. Mechanics

7.1 Whoa! My character is practically a god!?

Right you are, and that's the idea. Aberrant is a game about normal people given incredible power. The reason that the power levels in Aberrant are so high compared to any other White Wolf game is because the characters start out and essentially stay normal people. Novas are not Vampires cursed to live forever by feeding on others. They are not Garou forced to fight a losing war against an out-of-control force of nature. They have no great enemy, no crusade, no cause, other than the ones they create for themselves. With no war to fight, what would one do with great power? This is the question that Aberrant poses. What would you -- or any regular person -- do if they were simply handed godlike powers? No agenda, no reason, nothing other than chance and luck. Characters in Aberrant are powerful because with no power, there is no moral dilemma.

7.2 What is Eufiber good for?

A few things. For starters, every dot a character has in the Eufiber background represents the capacity of quantum that an individual Eufiber colony can hold. Four points in Eufiber can store up to four points of quantum, acting as a sort of energy bank that the nova who wears it can call upon in time of need. Furthermore, each quantum point so stored in a colony serves to protect the nova wearing it, granting a soak bonus of +1 against bashing and lethal damage per point. This protection only applies to the number of quantum points currently stored in the colony. Eufiber clothes are also utilitarian and stylish, as a nova who has attuned a Eufiber colony to his personal quantum signature can change the form, shape, color and texture of his or her Eufiber colony as a whim. With only a thought and a nominal amount of focus, a black, silk evening gown could become anything from a hemp bikini to a tie-dyed three-piece suit. The colony can contract it's cells to become smaller pieces of clothing, like a headband or sock, or expand to simulate a raincoat or poncho. Regardless of it's shape, color or texture, the colony always weighs the same amount. With the rare ability 'Weave', a nova has mastery of his or her colony to such an extent that the nova may control individual parts of the colony, shaping it into hands, grappling claws, knives, or other simple items. For example, a nova with Weave may be able to weave a shiv that could function as a knife, but not a gun.

7.3 Are there any abilities or powers other than those in the core book?

Yes. There are new powers and abilities listed in the following books:

Aberrant; Teragen, pages 125-131.

Aberrant; Project Utopia, pages 140-142

Aberrant; Directive, pages 53-54

Aberrant; Worldwide Phase I, pages 113-115

Aberrant; Players Guide, pages 64, 87-91, 101-141

7.4 Are there any merits and flaws?

Yes. Merits and Flaws are found on pages 69-76 of the Aberrant Player's Guide and on the N! Prime homepage.

7.5 Is there any Errata for the rules yet?

Yes. The errata is found on pages 62-64 of the Aberrant Player's Guide and on the N! Prime homepage.

7.6 How can I get Quantum higher than 5 and powers higher than level 3?

This requires saving up 40 experiences points to go from Quantum 5 to Quantum 6. This allows access to Level 4 powers. Once the Quantum 6 barrier is breached, this opens up the capability of purchasing higher Quantum scores and in turn, higher-level powers. Level 5 powers require a minimum Quantum score of 8, and Level 6 powers -- peerless, godlike power -- require a Quantum minimum of 10.

7.7 How can I make the ultimate character?

Bad question. If you want to figure out how to make a powermongering juggernaut, there are plenty of ways to do it. Crunch some numbers and you'll figure something out. It is rare that you'll play in a campaign in which all characters should be mindless bricks.

The potentially ugly truth is that the "ultimate character" is one that you enjoy playing and one that fits well into the campaign.

8. Theme

9. Spoiler Data

9.1 Is this information for me?

Are you a Storyteller? Are you running an Aberrant chronicle?

If the answer to both of those questions was "yes", then read on. Otherwise, you should really scroll back and not read the following section. Sure, you could. I can't stop you. Nobody can. But by reading this, you'll ruin a lot of the mystery in the game for yourself and possibly for your group. If having all the answers before the questions are asked is what you want to get out of your game, then by all means, read on. But not knowing all the details and dirty secrets is part of what makes Aberrant a joy to play, and reading this section will grind your characters' run in your chronicle down to a tiresome series of battles with puzzles to which you already know the solutions thrown in between.

And of course, it goes without saying that most every Storyteller likes to change a detail here or there every now and again. The only thing more dangerous than not having the answer is having the wrong answer.

9.7 What happens up until the Exodous to make baselines hate novas so much?

Though a few incidents prove to be the sword blows that stress the cord of baseline-nova relations, what will prove to be the greatest strain upon peaceful coexistence will be the constant threat of violence from rogue nova's driven mad by power overload. As time goes on, the downward spiral of taint in exchange for power becomes increasingly more rapid, and novas all over the world find themselves gladly trading in the last vestiges of their humanity -- sometimes unwittingly -- for another bit of power. Occurrences of novas flying off the handle and causing mass destruction is reported almost monthly, though a notable examples of this includes the Wycoff Detonation, in which a heavily-tainted nova explodes over the American heartland, turning the midwest into a scorched wasteland for centuries to come. Another instance involves the aforementioned OpNet crash, in which the death scream of a prominent Cyberkinetic crashes the OpNet, rendering it useless and laying waste to centuries of recorded history which now exists almost exclusively in digital format. These notable examples are only a few. In the end, the damage wrought it too great to bear, and China threatens a nuclear assault on the plaent unless all Aberrants leave and never return.

9.8 Do any novas have Quantum higher than 5?

Yes, though as of 2012, the number is few. Less than ten, actually. Confirmed members of the "6+ Club" are: Cestus Pax, Divis Mal, Antaeus, Sophia Rousseau, Gabriel Melchior and Bounty.

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