Aberrant RPG - The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long...

[Arek]

One thing that has bothered me since I first read the rules to Aberrant was the fairly limited amount of power that comes from the Quantum pool. A quantum 5 character with Quantum Bolt with the reduced cost extra still will be running on fumes after a short time. The endurance of the Nova is further decreased by other active powers, such as Flight or Force field. My group made some house rules, which made some 'Instant' powers into 'Maintenence' where they had to be activated and renewed over time. Enhancements still cost the same amount of quantum points. The only difference is that instant offensive powers and techniques don't drain the quantum pool so easily.

What's your strategy for giving Novas longer lasting power with respect to certain abilities?

[Sandy Davis]

you could give nova more q... you could do what you are saying.. maybe reduse the cost of powers by how much you put into it, say half as much for a q-bolt that is doing half damage?

[Meridian]

I agree with you Arek. The powers are nifty but Nova's run out of gas quick. The flavor text about an hour long combat in Kashmer simply couldn't happen by the rules as is.

Your house rule looks good IMO. I had always considered simply increasing the quantum pool.

[Kane Knight]

I use one of the APG options they listed. Quantum costs 1/5 Nova pts instead of 1/2. I start off my players with (Quantum * 5) + 20 pts.

It gives them more punch, but not necessarily turning everyone into a marathon juicer...

[Kirby1024]

The thing is, In real life, combat doesn't tend to last that long either, and I think this is what they're trying to emphasise. I mean, yeah, Juice will die off after 5 or 6 rounds, but if you're up to the 5th or 6th round, and you need more time to take this person out, then maybe you should attempt a retreat.

Considering the massive power levels that Novas are up to, even excluding Quantum expenditure, epic combats aren't a common thing. In any nova combat, either side wants to win, and will tend to expend their power until they do win. I mean, for most novas, being hit by a Q5's Quantum Bolt is lights out!

Also, there are still ways of attacking without spending QPs. Mega-Strength requires no Quantum Points, if you've brought tech along, that doesn't usually need QP etc.

[David 'Dr. Troll' Smith]

The short answer is that Dr. Troll can stay in combat form for 120 rounds.

The long answer is that the PCs have to spend experience & q intelligently. Q-Bolt is cheap and effective, but it costs a lot of q. Ditto force field. Armor is expensive, but doesn't cost q.

There is an engineering saying; "Good, Cheap, Quick: Pick any two."

There are various types of characters, some are sprinters, some are marathon runners. When you make a charcter, understand his strengths and weaknesses and play him accordingly. Too often I have seen outstanding characters brutally run over because the player played to the character's weaknesses, not their strengths.

[Boy Scout]

There are some ways to quickly regenerate quantum, too. You can suck it out of another nova with Quantum Leech, burn away health levels, or use Quantum Regeneration. A nova with Node also gets back quantum quicker.

[Kane Knight]

Of course, in he real world, people can't lift battleships with their pinkies. In the real world, people don't control Zero-Point Energy. In the real world...you get the idea...

Roleplaying games, with very few exceptions, are not real life. The ST system is supposed to be about storytelling, and knocking out every baddy with one punch makes for crap storytelling. I'd have to say the same thing about Nova combats always lasting briefly, especially with the hype right from Aberrant's own Canon.

don't get too hung up on reality in roleplaying games. Dice don't decide real world options.