Aberrant RPG - Low-Taint and elite novas in Teragen

[Wanderer]

A question that I've been reminded of, while reading ABA:

if a nova expresses interest and dedication in following Teras and helping the movement, but is unwilling (or essentially unable, such as a 1st Gen with the Taint Resistant Merit, or a True 2nd Gen) to push his personal evolution toward inhumanity (meaning he will work diligently to develop his powers, but won't or can't go the Taint/Chrysalis route), how would he be treated by fellow Teragens ??

The issue is, what is more important to belong among Teragen, willingness (and ability) visibly to forsake humanity, or dedication to the ideals of Teras ?

I guess that he would experience some social difficulties from the *unconscious* bad vibe Teragen have to Taint-less novas (such as True 2nd Gen), but consciously, Harvesters would likely give him the cold shoulders, while Casablancas and Pandaimonium would welcome him warmily, and Nova Vigilance and Primacy would base their reaction mainly on the character's role in the movement (i.e. if he's willing to fight for fellow Terats, they would be more welcoming). As for the Cult of Mal, I assume it could go both directions: Mal and Scripture would probably more accepting of such a character (mirroring the attitude of Mal vs. Orzaiz) than the Apostle.

For a related topic, now, let's instead (or also) assume that such a nova works like an elite, but still professes allegiance to Teragen and a code of honor roughly compatible to Teras: e.g. "I won't kill fellow novas unless in extreme self-defense, or if they going to be a severe threat to all novakind, but I have no qualms with letting baselines pay me handsomely to kill other baselines, and it's a good way to hone my abilities and train for the revolution". Such a character would likely not raise to the top tiers of elite popularity, due to his refusal to kill other elites, and his willingness to work for baselines would proabably sully his popularity somewhat with the most radical separatists (e.g. the Harvesters), but I think that NV and Primacy would not have many qualms with a combat-worthy trained nova willing to fight for nova defense and supremacy.

As a general note, Teragen disdains going elite, both for the nova loss of life for the sake of baslines, and for the implied exploitation, but if an elite acts to minimize the former, and makes it clear that he's doing it a voluntary lifestyle choice, but his ultimate sympathies go toward Teragen, how is going to be different ??

I'm asking this because of the strong affinities that exist between Teragen and some elite subcultures, (e.g. DeVries), so I think at least some novas should exist that both want to belong in Teragen, and work as elites.

Please discuss.

[Neil Preston]

Okay.

First off, you have one of the founding members of the Teragen, Count Orzaiz, being developed as a rather moderately powered, low-taint leader of an entire faction. I think he is the only founder to be first stage ... still.

Count O's faction, the Casablancas, tend to not use taint/aberrations as a measuring stick for one's devotion to the movement. Things more like personal risk and the value of the services you provide are considered more important.

The counter-point to this is the radical Harvesters like Leviathen and the Apostle's faction of the Cult of Mal. They believe that a lot of taint/chrysalis/aberrations shows true dedication to the cause/following the way of Mal. Obviously, if you aren't wracking up the hight taint, you aren't really serious about the Teragen movement, are you?

Between the two, you have less severe viewpoints. The Primacy is led by two somewhat tainted ex-Elites, The Confederate and Shrapnel. With no clear-cut stance on the whole taint/aberration thing, other novas are likely to follow by example.

NV will follow the leads of Geryon and Epoch.

The Companions ... who knows?

The Pandamonium is likely to take a dimmer view of racking up the taint, as it makes partying with the baseline pawns more difficult.

As for elites and the Teragen ... the books contradict themselves somewhat. On one hand, they say they hate the elites for prostituting themselves. On the other, the whole-heartedly give influence to Epoch, who is a practicing elite.

[astronomer]

I'd forgotten about Epoch. He seems to be the elite/Teragen you were thinking of. He's even 2nd stage Portent, so he's serious about Teras. He's Nova Vigilance, so that faction considers protecting novas more important than baseline interests. I suspect that Primacy would be less accepting. Note that their leaders, Confederate and Shrapnel, are ex-elites, so they gave up on the elite culture as baseline-pandering.

[Rorschach]

About Epoch, he is peculiar about his elite occupation : this is something he does in a darwenesque manner. Note also that he 's described as an elite of note, second only to totentanz. NV and other pragmatical terats probably warmly welcomed such a power.

Actually this is a matter of factions, and who is the terat you're talking about. Elite sourcebook and Teragen sourcebook are not necessarily contradictory : elite culture tends to admire Teragen, like them they feel somehow different from humanity. Teragen, on the over hand, tends to see them as willing or unwilling tools for baselines, and as a big waste, but surely not as much as Utopia members (moreover they tend to fight each over much less frequently). Overall I think Teragen as a movement won't deny an Elite the right to be a part of it.

Same thing about low-taint novas. Many terats tend to see monstruosity as a sign of high evolution (Apostle, Leviathan), and the perception of even Chrysalis differs among members.

For many, Chrysalis is probably just a mean to increase their control over quantum without incurring madness or monstrousity, and NOT a sign of devotion (some like Mathematician probably even don't understand any "devotion" point).

I would add that low-taint nova and 2nd gen novas should probably NOT be amalgamated, at least among terats. Even "pro-monstruosity" Terats see them in a whole different way I guess. They tend to suspect low taint novas as Orzaiz to love humanity too much, to refrain themselves in their own evolution. 2nd are low taint because they are born this way: they don't need Chrysalis and they are able to unlock their potential more easily.

In my opinion, 2nd gen are the whole purpose of the Teragen movement and are seen as the Second Coming of Mal (remember , even The Apostle wants to sire a child with Narcosis).

[astronomer]

Actually, do they really see 2nd Gen as that marvelous? There are hints in the NOLK scenarios that Bounty and the Nursery would be targets for many Teragen factions/individuals. In abstract, they may be a sign of the future. In practice, they're just more pawns. Envy may be an issue as well. If the kids don't need Teras/Chrysalis to advance, why would they be all that concerned about it? By adolescence, it might be only a point to rebel against (sigh, kids these days .....)

[Wanderer]

Originally Posted By: astronomer

Actually, do they really see 2nd Gen as that marvelous? There are hints in the NOLK scenarios that Bounty and the Nursery would be targets for many Teragen factions/individuals. In abstract, they may be a sign of the future. In practice, they're just more pawns. Envy may be an issue as well. If the kids don't need Teras/Chrysalis to advance, why would they be all that concerned about it? By adolescence, it might be only a point to rebel against (sigh, kids these days .....)

Those hints also indicate that the Nursery may become a target in NOLK scenarios by being a prize the various Teragen subfactions eagerly fight over, just because 2nd gen brats are seen as so much precious to have on your side. They may be pawns, but are very important and worthy pawns. However, if Bounty herself is not much of a big gun and owes her influence in the movement mainly to being the only purveyor of a very important service so far, the power level of Terat 2nd Gen themselves is nothing to scoff at, even at pre-apotheosis levels (at least 50-75 np with no cap on powers) so they should be more then able to defend themselves and Bounty from collateral damage. Not to mention the likelihood that Mal or Scripture would step in to prevent damage to the Nursery.

[Rorschach]

ABA describes 2nd gen as something close to pawns or even liability to Terats, and this is just another point of desagreement to me.

Preservation of the future generations is a constant among species, why Terats should consider discarding their whole future just for powerplay? This is preposterous, and I think personally this is related in ABA to the bad opinion the authors seem to carry about Teragen movement (ABA more than once tends to use negative words about Teragen belief).

I think that more than a few Pantheon members would see 2nd gen as dangerous (The Mathematician because they arez unpredictable, Leviathan because it's dangerous for his dogma ,the Apostle because he's crazy), BUT we must consider that many Terats came to the Nursery to have children. Why would they reject them now? And I don't think it was just a mean to get more power to them, 'cause it's way too impredictable.

ANYWAY, I would add that ABA is very good work, fun to read, ready to play. I don't know if I ever use it, and of course I'll be free to change it as any other GM would. I don't mean to criticize their hard work, this is just a comment around what could be qualified as "cannon topic"

[Courier]

Originally Posted By: Wanderer

…they should be more then able to defend themselves and Bounty from collateral damage.

Maybe. They are kids, that level of power is probably for when they become PCs, and nothing about the NOLK scenarios suggests that any of the children are combat machines.

Originally Posted By: Wanderer

Not to mention the likelihood that Mal or Scripture would step in to prevent damage to the Nursery.

And why would they do that? Mal is all about letting people make their own choices, and making his followers work it out for themselves. If young 2nd gen novas are in play, then it’s really hard to see Mal stepping in and saying “they have to join THIS faction”. Or, “whatever HE does, you can’t do THIS”. Mal has been pretty open minded about letting his followers kill each other and other novas up to now, I don’t see why adding an internal civil war to the mess is going to change his mind. If they kill the children then that will be a learning experience for the Teragen as a whole.

Originally Posted By: Rorschach

Preservation of the future generations is a constant among species, why Terats should consider discarding their whole future just for powerplay?

Children die in wars, but we still have them. Children die by one lone nut case, but we still have them too. The Teragen has more than their share of power hungry nuts by the way. Expecting war to magically spare the most vulnerable isn’t reasonable. Expecting people to be reasonable and rational in war also isn’t reasonable.

There is no “their whole future” for the Teragen in the NOLK. There are multiple factions, and if the children have to die so that some else’s faction won’t win, then hard choices will have to be made. Do we let the Apostle brainwash all of the 2nd gen children into joining the Cult of Mal and being his personal lackeys, or do we send in heavies to do something about it? Do we really trust the Apostle to not do something like that?

Now multiply that reasoning by every faction, and toss in Terik, that White Supremacy type, and the Harvesters for good measure. It wasn’t the ABA authors who wrote multiple scenarios about the Nursery buying it. Given the number of ways they could die, and the number of people who have an interest in wanting them dead, it’s hard to see how they could survive.

Originally Posted By: Rorschach

…BUT we must consider that many Terats came to the Nursery to have children. Why would they reject them now?

Who says they will? What do you think the Teragen is going to do; hold a vote on whether to destroy the nursery? Is everyone going to reach a consensus?

The Teragen has spent a lot of time tossing out the rule of law. To be a Terat means you can ACT, and you don’t have to ask anyone’s permission. Well, I expect that someone will act, without asking everyone’s permission.

[astronomer]

And that said, the Nursery could have as many defenders as attackers. There are many factions and views in the Teragen. When making their choices, mileage may vary. When a Terat sires a kid, he may watch over it, ignore it or micromanage it. And who knows what a rival might think about that kid? Neither the Teragen nor the factions therein are monolithic in their attitudes. When it comes to crunch time, all the usual human nature responses will be seen, good and bad. Bounty may die. The kids may or may not be able to defend themselves. In your campaign, what happens will shape the future of novadom. Maybe that's why Mal wanders off into his own universe, he just can't stomach how it all works out.

[Rorschach]

What you're saying makes much sense to me, I have to agree in more than a few points. About Teragen members and 2nd, this is more or less what I meant : some will try to subdue them, others will stand up to protect their spaw (and I think parents would be among them, this is where I disagree with ABA).

Anyway , about Mal and his reaction, I think he would have one at least (and I don't know which ). The whole NOTLK-thing is about Mal getting more involved in the Teragen affairs.

[Courier]

Bounty has played her cards rather poorly for this kind of thing. She could and should have a set of nova body guards, whose interests and personalities are more or less compatable with her own. She doesn't, and it's too late in the game to do this.

Originally Posted By: astronomer

And that said, the Nursery could have as many defenders as attackers.

That's part of the problem. A heavy in one of the factions, ANY of the factions, is also a parent and goes to the nursery to "help safeguard the place".

So... is this what it seems, or is it a power play by that faction? Or is it both? So obviously your faction has to send someone to watch that person, and now we have the start of both an arms race and a war with the nursery as ground zero.

This would be a potential mess even without adding malice or insanity into the picture.

[Robert J. Lambert]

Maybe, are you all forgetting that in Cannon 2nd Gen's have obscene amounts of powers even as children? Adam had the ability to Teleport his way out of Brahaim through the Mox and the Quantum dampeners.

If I'm not mistaken Mal and the other Terats couldn't teleport into Brahaim direcltly to rescue Mrs.Fong, right?

The Nursery might be a playground that turns into a carnage, but not every kid will be a victim in that place if it does.

[Rorschach]

Okay, but Adam is a very specific 2nd, his whole potential seems unlocked already.

About teleportation in Bahrain facility, it sounds peculiar that Mal proved unable to teleport himself IN the facility, cause WW1 states only a +3 difficulty for tp. I think more than a few Terats could handle this... especially Divis Mal.

[Courier]

RE: Adam

Ignore for the moment that Adam might have been a freak of nature. Assume for the moment that Adam had Q6 (a big if, he might have just had a very high node). I see nothing in there that suggests he didn't have a one bullet life span.

"Obscene amounts of power" doesn't mean "kicks ass in combat".

RE: Teleporting into Bahrain

What makes anyone think Divis ever tried to do this? He let his people suffer there for a while, he's not big on solving other people's problems for them. Then when the cameras were rolling, he made his move in a big showy way.