Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - Rules and Setting - Compiled Character Creation Rules

[Quantum Fire]

With the first appearance and rise of the Nova's, the secret hand of Project Proteus sought to sterilize the Nova's in order to make them more controllable, and to keep the Nova human subspecies from outbreeding humanity.. For a time it seemed as though they had succeeded, even as the number of Nova's among humanity began to increase; but in truth, their success was only a temporary one, and in many individual cases, they had failed. They thought they only failed by a little, that no more then 10 to 15 couples with children existed:

However, the actions an extremely powerful Nova, Sophia Rousseau, who was to become the leader the Abberants, had actually made it so that the supposed experts on the numbers, were wrong, there was close to 10 times that many nova families who where fully fertile and capable of having children, and the number is actually increasing. Sophia was a nova who erupted some time before the appearance of the first public novas, and she is a nova who possess the supreme ability to manipulate chaos, chance, entropy and probability, whose mind was too powerful even for the strongest telepaths to get through.

Mme Rousseau has turned the odds inside out, and you and your family are the result, now, in 2027, you are 17-18 years of age, having been born around 2010, and gaining vastly greater quantum power, though during your youth this was not as great as it has become now, you are about to come into your own, and make your mark on the world.

Of course, matters are not simple, for realizing around 2017 that some nova's had escaped their control, and that the god-like nova children they had sought to prevent were appearing in small numbers, Project Proteus began to hunt and down and eliminate them. Again, the actions of the Mistress of Probability has caused certain unexpected and unrealized results, those who she disapproved of were found and sometimes eliminated, while those she approved off (usually low levels of taint), escaped detection, or were rescued before being eliminated. Unknown even to Sophia, between this, and the actions of Teragen, it has cause a split in the nova subspecies, creating in essence, 3 different strains.. in essence, 3 different genetic drifts… The True; the Terat; the Trog.

In the midst of this mess, other Nova's also changed the odds one way or another, and in particular in your case, another Nova, known as the Traveler, a master spatial relations, a precognitive as well as a remarkable Watcher and Sphinx, rescued each of you in your childhood, when the hunters came for you and your families. In this mess, your parents were either killed, or captured, or possibly left you in his care, believing he could better protect you. A student of the nova known as the Sufu, and a true independent he gathered you all together in a hidden location on some volcanic island somewhere in the artic. When asked his reasons, he said you will be the ones to shape the future for both nova's and baselines.

The Nova golden age is drawing to a close, with strong possibilities of war between the two human sub-species looming in the distance.. but, you and your peers may make the difference, one way or another…

Born in the nova age, you, your siblings and your peers are vastly more powerful then anyone realizes, yet. You are about to step into the ranks of the worlds most powerful novas, your parents were reborn in Quantum Fires, but you are the Children of the Quantum Fire..

Timeline – Events are somewhat more stretched out, the destruction of the Amp room, for example occurred in 2019, making it more recent in history, and pushing the Abberant War a bit further into the future (if it happens at all, you may make the difference). Ibiza and the Amp Room were completely rebuilt, from the ground up, the Amp Room, with its re-opening, the Nova Idol, artist, singer and musician, known as Harmonic has appeared on the scene, and somehow managed to soothe tensions between baselines and novas on a global level, though matters remain tense.

NOTE: This is a White Wolf game, which can touch upon mature themes, and I intend to allow the players freedom to go in any direction they choose. Second, as a 2nd Gen Nova, you will be hunted, sometimes by other Novas, so I generally recommend you have some way of defending yourself, or getting away fast.

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Character Creation (True Clade)

Material from any of the following books is allowed: Any of the Main Books (Powers from anything other then Main, PG or Terragen need to be sent to me as a message)

Also: A Breed Apart, Forceful Personalities, Brainwaves, A New Flesh, Aberrant Compendium

Provisionally: Other Fan created stuff will be considered on a case by case level

Special Case: Self Designed Powers – You want a power similar to one in the book, but the general rules don't cover it, we can work on it together, see the House Rules Thread

Free Stuff: As part of the True Clade, with all of the advantages and disadvantages of being such, you start with Quantum 5 and a Quantum Pool of 50, Quantum can do no higher a character creation (NOTE: True's get Taint Resistant Merit free, and if they have Mega-Int, they also get Taint Resistant enhancement for free. Ages between 13 - 17 allowed now)

Characters are created as normal; however, there are some changes to costs and a few requirements.

First off, Theme is required for your character, like Fire Elemental, Physical Perfection, Weather Lord, Illusionist, Creator, Electromagnetics, Destroyer, etc. Your powers and Mega-Attributes should focus on that theme, and as such, costs are changed for stuff that is in theme.

Nova Points: 60

In Theme Costs, at least ½ (30) of your Nova Points must be spent in theme, though you may spend more or all of them that way.

The below costs for In theme.

Quantum Pool: 1 NP per 5 (Max 100 at start)

Mega-Attributes and Enhancements – 2 NP per dot/enhancement

(Note: I've adjusted the M.Attribute rule slightly.. you get a free enhancement at every odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) dot of Mega-Attribute)

Powers

1st Level - Cost: 1 NP per 2 dots

2nd Level - Cost: 1 NP per dot

3rd Level - Cost: 2 NP per dot

In Theme Body Modifications – 1/3 normal cost.

You must have 1 Power/Mega-Attribute at level 5, and another at 3... (Note: if your character begins the game under 16, the requirement is just two powers/mega-attributes at 3 dots, sense trues can't reach past that level until 16+ unless apotheosis happens first.. but I wave that with regards to level one powers that don't cost quantum - Intuition, Luck, Mind Shield, Emotion Shield, Blank, Quantum Shield)

For Out of Theme Costs: Standard prices in the Core Book, if your unsure if something is in theme, ask me.

Other Requirements

You also must inherit at least 2 minor aberrations and 1 moderate one, but you can have more, even up to a single Major aberration, but you shouldn't inherit more then what you would get from a pair of nova parents, at least one of whom should be low to middle taint. Abberations outside of the ones in the books, self designed, will also be acceptable.. and you may get freebees for extra aberrations (1 - Minor, 3 Medium, 5 - Major).. inherited aberrations technically aren't aberrations, but things bound to your genetic code on a quantum level here.

Powers must be personalized.. instead of Quantum Bolt, I should see something like Flame Blast (Quantum Bolt), or Magma Strike, etc.

Plot Hooks – I want to see at least three potential hooks, that you would like your character to experience.

Experance: See the Experience Thread for Costs

Terat

A child of the philosophy of teras is similar to the above costs.. but a few changes are in order.

Theme and Archetype's (Marvel, Monster, Portent) are required, though if you can come up with a good alternate archtype, you could be one of the first of that archetype (Mega-Int 4 would be required to figure something like that out.. or Mentor 3 to have a teacher (with M. Int) who figured such a thing out)

Terat's are not taint resistant, though like trues they don't gain taint for excess quantum or node, instead of getting those merits, a Terat clade starts with a dot of permanent Chrysalis, and the ability to gain more.

Also, being under 16 doesn't limit the power of a Terat child, and they are more likely to have things like accelerated maturation as enhancements, meaning a terat could be fully mature, and be much younger then he or she looks.

A terat child should have more inherited aberrations then a true, so I'm requiring 3 minor and 2 medium inherited aberrations... and I encourage you to take at least 1 major, but don't require it.

The rest is the Same, a True above

1st Generation Elder

Welcome to fat crackling power of the gods, and then some, you get 180 NP's but no theme cost reduction, except as indicated below, but you can buy stuff tainted, unlike the other two character options, which lowers costs in a different way, but has a few restrictions.

Note: That's an extra 120 NP's, with a very limited lower costs indicated below, apotheosized later generation nova's just barely reach beyond you, but they are within reaching distance, your more powerful then most nova's out there, your in the top 1% of nova's at quantum 7.

Maximum Quantum is 7.. and here's where you start to get a little boost, starting quantum pool is 10 Quantum per dot of Quantum (30 at Q3, 40 at Q4, 70 at Q7).. each dot of quantum over 5 indicates almost decade as a nova (2 decades at Q7), and the character should reflect that. (Also unlike the 2nd generation characters, you may take Mastery one on a power at character creation, at the Cost of 3 Nova Points, but you must have at least 7 dots in the power to do so)

As a 1st generation elder, you should have reason to support the 2nd generation, perhaps you are relative (or even still living parent) of the present pc's, or a friend of the family, or something along those lines. Maybe you even have a young nova child to protect (Dependent flaw), and they are the one's you've come to for help/protection for your child or children. Maybe your one of the students of the Sifu and a friend of Shen/the Traveler, or a independent with a private agenda, an Abberant who worked with Sophia Rousseau, or even a agent of the Directive/Proteaus gone rogue when you discovered some of the abuses going on behind your back.

You should also be a lot more established and skilled then the 2nd Generation, if not as powerful as some post apothesis year old 2nd generations (not all end up with Quantum 8.. quantum 6 and 7 also occers with 2nd generation post apothesis), a good number of background and ability dots should be possessed and to facilitate that, you get an extra 30 points for Backgrounds and an extra 60 for abilities... beyond whatever you might chose to purchase with Freebies or Nova Points.

Unlike them, you don't get a broad theme, but you do get a minor theme

Chose: 2 mega-attributes and 3 powers (for this purpose all body modifications count as 1 power), you get to pay the in theme costs for those, as your focus, these are powers and mega's you've had and specialized in sense erruption (you might have other's at equal level, but they were harder to develop.

Each Elder also gets a free (no XP cost) signature move of their choice, totaling no more then (Quantum x Power (Max 21)) boost points(whatever taint gained in this process was slow bleed off, sense they developed only one low powered signature move slowly over time.. those novas who didn't are gone this point, dead or lost to taint)

Special: Lowering High taint - there are several ways in which 1st generation nova's can can lower taint.. Qi Meng, Chrysalis, Ancient Artifacts (see Forceful Personality's), Developing N-Stage Node or Taint Resistant Merits.. such things lower permanent taint caused by them, but do not remove aberrations gained by them, instead they become the equivalent of inherited aberrations, with all of the potentials of that issue.

1st Generation Elder Terat

Rules are somewhat different here, first off you gain 150 nova points rather then the 180, but this is balanced by getting theme with relation to your archetype or that match your aberrations, there are a few other rules related to chrysalis, but this should be discussed with me personally in chat or though PM's, each elder terat should be very individualized.

Experance

Gain a bit of a experience for each chapter that has passed sense the game start.

• 2 Standard XP for each Chapter
  
• 2 Baseline XP for Each Chapter
  
• 2 Nova XP for Each Chapter
  

Meaning that if you join after Chapter 5 you would get 10 Baseline, 10 Standard and 10 Nova XP

[Quantum Fire]

Sense folks have been asking, and I've been thinking about it, here's the rule regarding additional characters.

• Your primary character is the one who I will focus on getting into plots, it's up to you entirely to get additional characters involved
  
• Your characters must a distinct type from what you already have.. if you have an 1st Generation Elder, then your character should be a 2nd generation (terat or true), or 1st Generation Terat, who I am making distinct from the 1st Generation Elder.