Aberrant RPG - House Rules

[Warren Verona]

House Rules

Chapter 1: Systems

Time-

Scene-
Unless otherwise stated a scene lasts for 20 minutes. Even if the players remain in the same location, the timer for a scene resets ever 20 minutes. Power with maintenance costs must be paid every 20 minutes. Example: A nova with flight must pay the quantum cost for flight every 20 minutes of game time.

Complications-

Botches-
Any roll augmented by quantum (i.e. you spent a quantum to augment it in some way) that botches gives the character a point of temporary taint. Obviously certain powers that require no activation (like Armor), or enhancements that are permanent (like Hardbody) are not subject to this rule.

Chapter 2: Character

Experience-

Experience Costs-
All experience costs are ‘Desired Rating x X’ not ‘Current Rating x X’. This prevents characters from paying less for their second dot in a skill then they did for their first. Learning gets harder as you go, the better you the harder it is to top your own skills.

Application-
Experience cannot be used to raise any skill or attribute that has not been used recently.

Research-
Characters may research any knowledge skills up to level two with out the need for application.

Training-
Training Times are as follows:

Trait Increase-
Attribute = (Rating) months
Ability = (Rating) weeks
Background = (Rating) weeks
Mega-Attribute = (Rating) months
Quantum Power (Level 1) = (Rating) days
Quantum Power (Level 2) = (Rating) weeks
Quantum Power (Level 3) = (Rating) months
Willpower = Immediate
Quantum (to 3) = Immediate
Quantum (above 3) = (Rating) months
Initiative = (Current Score) weeks

New Trait-
Ability = 3 weeks
Specialty = 3 weeks
Background = 2 weeks
Enhancement = 5 weeks
Mega-Attribute = 6 weeks
Quantum Power (Level 1) = 3 weeks
Quantum Power (Level 2) = 5 weeks
Quantum Power (Level 3) = 9 weeks
Note: Buying tainted powers does not reduce training time, only experience costs.

Increasing/Developing New Powers-
All newly acquired powers are used at +2 difficulty until they have been used by the character, in play, a set number of times determined by the Storyteller. Usually 10, 15, or 20 for level 1, 2, or 3 powers respectively.

Losing Traits-
Any aggravated attack that incapacitates (but not kills) a character results in the loss of a randomly determined trait. (And by random we mean something the character would really hate to lose, or is really expensive to buy back.)

Increasing Quantum Pool-
Providing the character has used a power that requires an activation roll and/or cost they may increase their quantum pool.

Chapter 3: Traits

Quantum Pool-
Recharging Quantum pool- A character may opt to recover a quantum point instead of recovering a Willpower point. Very handy if the character is already at full Willpower but still achieves some great success.

Dying for Power-
The health levels may not be healed through any means save rest. Neither healing, nor Regeneration has any effect on these lost health levels.

Losing Temporary Taint-
If a character makes it through an entire series (not episode) with out the acquisition of any new temporary taint he may buy off Temporary Taint and the cost of 3 experience points. Only one box may be removed at the end of each series.

Chapter 4: Mega-Attributes and Enhancements

Buying Mega Attributes-
A character must posses a standard attribute rating at 3 or higher in order to qualify for the purchase of a Mega Attribute. This rule is non-negotiable.

Physical Mega Attributes-
Mega-Strength-
Crush- The nova may spend 3 quantum points to make his attack on the same turn as the activation the enhancement. The novas attack suffers a –2 penalty to their initiative.

Shockwave- The damage may not be soaked. The difficulty to keep your footing is the nova’s Mega-Strength +3. So if a character with a Mega-Strength of 3 who uses Shockwave on a group of baselines, each if them must achieve 7 successes to keep their footing.

Quantum Leap- A nova may use this enhancement to break a fall. Since the enhancement assures no injury during a landing, it may be used to secure a safe fall from a high place.

Thunderclap- The damage may not be soaked.

Mega-Dexterity-
Accuracy- The nova may spend 3 quantum points to make his attack on the same turn as the activation the enhancement. The novas attack suffers a –2 penalty to their initiative.

Quickenss- This enhancement may be purchased as a Mega-Dexterity Enhancement.

Rapid Strike- The nova may spend 3 quantum points to make his attack on the same turn as the activation the enhancement. The novas attack suffers a –2 penalty to their initiative.

Mega-Stamina-
Regenerate- Novas may not spend more quantum point on this enhancement than they have dots in mega stamina. He healing rates for Regenerate are: 2B/1QP, 1L/1QP, 1A/3QP/. Only one box of aggravated damage may be healed per day by regenerate.

Mega-Perception-
Electromagnetic Vision- Each of the abilities on the list is purchased separately. Ultra Violet Vision, Infrared Vision, and Visible Light Attuner are each separate enhancements. Once purchased any of the enhancements may be activated reflexively.

Hyperenhanced Hearing- Each of the abilities on the list is purchased separately. Infra/Ultrasonic Hearing, Sonar, and Radar Scan are each separate enhancements. Once purchased any of the enhancements may be activated reflexively.

Mega-Wits-
Enhanced Initiative- 1QP activates all instances of this enhancement. Once purchased it’s effects stack. Additional purchases of this enhancement increase in cost at the same rate as a mega attribute (‘Desired Rating x X’). So if a nova has Enhanced Initiative x2 and wants to purchase Enhanced Initiative x3, the cost would be 15xp (Desired rating (3) x 5 = 15). The nova may not have a rating in this enhancement greater than their Mega-Wits score.

Quickness- Additional purchases of this enhancement increase in cost at the same rate as a mega attribute (‘Desired Rating x X’). So if a nova has Quickness x2 and wants to purchase Quickness x3, the cost would be 15xp (Desired rating (3) x 5 = 15). The nova may not have a rating in this enhancement greater than their Mega-Wits (or Mega-Dexterity, depending how the enhancement was purchased) score.

Mega-Manipulation-
The Voice- This enhancement may duplicate any voice patter the character has heard at least once.

Chapter 5: Quantum Powers

Absorbtion- No change.

Animal/Plant Mastery- The attribute rolled is Charisma instead of Perception.

Body Modification- ‘Extra Health Levels’ – The nova may purchase this power a number of times equal to their Mega-Stamina score for each corresponding type of Health Level. So, a character with Mega Stamina 2 may purchase Extra Health Levels: Bruised twice, and Extra Health Levels: Maimed twice. Granting a total of 2 extra Bruised, and 4 extra Maimed.

Clone- If the character chooses, he may pay the cost of the power at the end of a scene and keep his clones from disappearing. Quantum Points will not be recovered during this time, so eventually the character will run out of steam.

Density Control- With the ‘Full Control’ extra the character’s weight increases may or may not have an effect on the terrain around her, at the novas option. So a nova could walk across a flimsy tree while her density is increased with out it breaking.

Disorient- The target may spend a willpower point to act normally for a single turn, it does not negate the power completely.

Disrupt- The increased difficulty for this power only applies if the power has failed to affect the target on previous turns.

Elemental Anima/Mastery- Only raw elements may be selected. Forces (heat, light, electricity, darkness, etc) or Matter (rock, water, wood, etc) may be used or created. Selected elements must not be man made (spaghetti, paper, golf balls, etc). Like Matter Creation, elements created are not permanent and do fade away in time (1 hour per dot in Elemental Master). Changes made to elements with the ‘Shaping’ ability are permanent.

Invisibility- A nova using this power may still be ‘pinged’.

Invulnerability- To qualify for this power the character must meet the following criteria:
Physical- The nova must possess three dots in the “Armor” power and possess the “Resiliency” enhancement.
Mental- The nova must possess three dots in “Psychic Shield” and posses an 8 or higher in willpower.

Mental Blast- Buying the ‘Aggravated’ extra for this power increases the damage to ‘Lethal’. Buying the extra a second time increases the damage to ‘Aggravated’. This is an exception to the rule of not being allowed to buy the same twice on one power. The fist purchase increases the power to Level 3, the second purchase does not increase the level of the power, but the experience cost to acquire the extra is still calculated as if the power were Level 4.

Quantum Bolt- The rules seem unclear in the book as to whether the nova has the option of using this power as Bashing or Lethal damage. The nova may choose which damage type at the time of activation.

Although the rules state ‘energy’ the type of the attack is usually based on what effect the character wishes it to have. Example: Fire (energy), jagged metal shards (physical), a bolt of freezing cold (energy), jagged ice chunks (physical), acid (physical), electricity (energy).

If for some reason there confusion, the player will be asked “Do you want it to do physical, or energy damage?” Once decided, it cannot be changed.

Quantum Construct- All constructs must be ‘summoned’ from raw quantum energies as defined in the aberrant core book.

Quantum Energies: The four fundamental forces of the universe, gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces.

No Final Fantasy summons, this requires the creation of flesh and blood, far beyond what you pathetic powers are, or will, ever be capable of. So quit asking.

Quantum Conversion With the ‘Reduced Quantum Cost’ extra added to this power the nova may turn their strikes into energy based damage, like the “Claws” power (each dot in Quantum Conversion adds one to the power of the attack), with no additional cost.

If the player has 3 or more dots in “Quantum Bolt (same energy type)” then the player may purchase “Ranged (Quantum Conversion)” as one of their power stunts, allowing them to hurl the energy at targets at no cost. This simulates mastery of a given energy type and permits a ranged energy attack that’s weaker than quantum bolt.

As long as this power remains Level 1 with Reduced Quantum Cost, it remains free to activate and use.

Quantum Imprint- Almost everything living thing possesses a quantum signature thanks to bioelectrical currents that our body generates. For this reason, Quantum Imprint may be used to steal the abilities of baselines and well as novas.

Extras-
When an extra is purchased for a power the character in possession of that power has the option to activate that power with or without the extra, adjusting the cost of the power accordingly. This rule does not apply to powers that have no activation costs, or are permanent, unless specified somewhere in the extras text (“Superheavy on Armor, for example lasts for one scene).

Example: Zappa Da’Rappa the hip hop electrical crime fighter has Quantum Bolt (electricity) with the extra “Extra Energy Type: Electromagnetism”. When tossing out lightning bolts he may use the power as a Level 2 power, costing only 2QP per activation. When he uses his extra, electromagnetism, he must spend 3QPs since it boosts the power to Level 3.

This is meant to simulate that while a character learns a power he may sometimes learn other ways to manipulate that same energy, but it costs a bit more since it’s not the type of energy he originally specialized in. Also, logically, if you learn a power, and then suddenly learn a new technique (extra) why does the nova suddenly forget how to use the power in the original manner he’s been practicing with for days, months or years?

If a nova has used Force Field to protect themselves for years and then suddenly learns how to project it into wall shapes, why do they suddenly forget how to shroud themselves with Force Fields all of a sudden? It didn’t make sense, so it was changed.

Aggravated- This extra is reserved for the most vile, and evil of novas. The only reason a nova would want this extra is to hurt people in a manner that produces constant suffering. This extra is carefully monitored and may only be taken with ST approval.

Armor Piercing- If the target’s soak is reduced to zero, any extra successes are calculated as automatic damage.

Burning- The power does not need to inflict damage in order to take this extra. Like a ‘Burning’ Holo that stays active for a few extra turns as half effectiveness while the nova makes an escape, it saves the nova from having to ‘concentrate’ on keeping it active while they flee.

Impervious- This extra cancels out the effects of ‘Armor Piercing’ but provides no protection against aggravated damage. If you want protection from aggravated damage, buy the ‘Hardbody’ enhancement.

Reduced Quantum Cost- This extra does not increase the level of a power. You’re welcome.

Chapter 6: Drama

Combat Turns-
Stage Three: Resolution-
The cap of five successes is removed from play, even on area and explosion attacks. If you score eleven successes on an attack roll, you may carry all eleven dice over to your damage effect.

Pulling Your Punches-
If by accident you character rolls decent damage on an attack that was meant not to kill your opponent, damage is halted and the target is considered unconscious. This is not applicable if you are using aggravated damage while pulling your punch, you sick bastards.

Health-
The Health Chart-
Incapacitated- Each nova has a number of ‘Incapacitated’ health boxes equal to their Stamina + Mega-Stamina scores. This applies to attacks that could normally kill a nova. These ‘phantom’ health levels reflect extra staying power in a game with increased lethality, allowing attacks that would normally kill most novas to just place them in comas or knock them out.

Example: Zappa Da Rappa has a Stamina of 3 and Mega Stamina of 3 for a total of 6. He has found himself at 'Crippled' on the health chart. Normally if he took 1 HL of damage he would go into Incapacitated, and if he took 2HLs he would be dead. With this rule, lets say he took 4HLs of damage. That drops him (not counting the 'Dead' HL) technically to -3HLs. He is incapacitated. With a Stamina/Mega-Stamina score of 6 he would have 3 more turns before he bleeds to death and reaches 'Dead'. His death would happen on his initiative the turn he reached -6, so if someone got to him before then and helped him out, he could make it.

Can a character Stabilize?
Yes. A player may roll their Stamina + Mega-Stamina at a difficulty equal to the negative HLs to prevent further health levels from being lost. The “regeneration” enhancement will automatically stop any bleeding but will not heal HLs until the character is awake and able to activate the enhancement. The “Healing” power is self explanatory, but 'phantom HLs still count as HLs healed reducing the effectiveness on a really messed up character. Others may attempt to succeed at an Inteligence + Medicine roll to help stabilize them, but the difficulty is (Negative HLs + 1)

How do the Phantom HLs Heal?
Well, all characters get 1 Incapacitated HL. That one Incapacitated level is the one that must be healed normally. The phantom HLs heal at the rate 1 per day, keeping some really hardy character in a coma for a while. If a nova has the "regeneration" enhancement it helps a little, healing 2 phantom HLs per day.

Character Stunts-
This idea was taken from the Exalted game. Players who perform incredibly awesome stunts, and describe them with role playing may receive bonus dice or other benefits. Basically, depending on the stunt a character may receive one, two, or three, bonus dice on any given action. Some examples include:

1 Dice: “I leap away backwards and blast him with my ‘Magnetic Blast’ power.”
Not to flashy, but still in involves a little acrobatics and launching a power in mid air is kind of cool. Not bad.
2 Dice: “Diving back and into the air I pelt the Mitoid with several small orbs of purple magnetic energy, throwing him off balance. Once I land I summon up the full force of my power and launch a full scale blast of pure magnetic energy, holding nothing back.” Wow. Not bad. Same power use, and even used a few little magnetic orbs for power flair. This is how a game is meant to be played.
3 Dice: “I’ve had enough of this guy. Summoning up the might of the Earth’s magnetic fields I slowly raise from the ground, eyes aglow with quantum rage. With Magnetokinesis I pull the cars from each side of the street and launch them together, sandwiching the Mitoid between them. Clenching my fist I ball the metal from the two vehicles together crushing him tighter and tighter. The metal ball begins to spin until they reach a speed that hurls broken glass and jagged shards in all directions. The ball rises up fifty feet into the air and with a great shout I hurl back to the pavement below leaving a crater in the asphalt.” Normally splitting your dice pool can be a pain, but this player pulled it off nicely. The more embellishing that occurs and the more into the roles of the characters the player become the more fun the game can be.

As an option, instead of accepting the bonus dice and character may gain back 1, 2, or 3 points of quantum added back to their pool. In the case of three dice stunts the character may opt to regain a point of spent Willpower. Only one of these options if available, so choose wisely.

[Jesse Custer]

Originally Posted By: Revenant

Scene-
Unless otherwise stated a scene lasts for 20 minutes. Even if the players remain in the same location, the timer for a scene resets ever 20 minutes. Power with maintenance costs must be paid every 20 minutes. Example: A nova with flight must pay the quantum cost for flight every 20 minutes of game time.

Experience Costs-
All experience costs are �Desired Rating x X� not �Current Rating x X�. This prevents characters from paying less for their second dot in a skill then they did for their first. Learning gets harder as you go, the better you the harder it is to top your own skills.

So, if a character would like to fly to another state or a nearby country (say 3 hours away), they'd have to spend 18 quantum. Which would be just over half their quantum pool... Not a bad rule if you're looking for Godlike (the RPG) -level power where the heroes are more down to earth.

Learning gets harder but that first step is a doozy. Learning to drive takes a lot of concentration but once you have the basics down, to get to the next level, just takes a bit of practice. Beyond that, you need to really work at it (maybe aggressive driving courses that policemen take, e.g.). Not arguing that your rule isn't any good just putting out my take on why the book's version is the way it is.

The rest of your "Chapter 2" is a bit too GURPS for me. I'd rather wing it, than have something written down and rigid.

Also, the "dying for power" houserule is not a houserule - it's in the Player's Guide.

As for the rest - I love the stuff that gives players more choices/power/flexibility (re: the Crush, Accuracy, and Rapid Strike mods) and, generally, don't like the stuff that does the opposite (re: your Invulnerability prerequisites).

Good job all around - I'm sure there are many folks that would enjoy all those options (I'm cribbing some myself).

[Wargear]

Actually, assuming you're interested in discussing it at all, I think the CRxwhatever scale of experience is one of White Wolf's better ideas; learning the basics of a skill is always a great deal harder than becoming average at it, and should cost appropriately. Thing about how long you spend learning very basic math (years of elementary school) compared to how long it took you to understand geometry and basic trig (probably not more than a year or two in middle school or high school). The extra cost for the first dot represents the initial investment of effort to acquire the skill in the first place, the cost to become average is slightly lower, and then the costs build steadily from there. Overall, a very logical system.

Most of the rest I can take or leave, though I approve very highly of your Phantom Incapacitated health levels. I've always found Aberrant combat insanely leathal, with very little margin for bringing down opponents without killing them, and anything that makes that element more possible is definitely worth considering.