Aberrant: Mutant High - Ultimate Aberrant: OOC Thread

[Dave ST]

Phase One: The Human

This covers the character creation process in short form; refer to the appropriate sections for details. Available points are listed where relevant.

• Step One: Concept

Choose Concept, Nature and Allegiance

• Step Two: Select Attributes

Prioritize the three areas: Physical, Mental and Social

Choose primary Attributes (7 points)

Choose secondary Attributes (5 points)

Choose tertiary Attributes (3 points)

Or, simply distribute 15 points among the nine attributes.

• Step Three: Select Abilities

Choose desired Abilities (23 points)

No Ability higher than 3 at this time.

Calculate Skill Totals

• Step Four: Select Advantages

Choose Backgrounds (7 points)

• Step Five: Finishing Touches

Record initial Willpower (3), Focus (1), Initiative (Dexterity + Wits),

Movement (walk 7m, run Dex +12m, sprint [Dex x 3] +20m)

Spend Bonus points (15 points)

Code:

Bonus Points
Trait						Cost Per Dot
Attributes						5
Abilities						2
Specialties (max. three per Ability)			1
Backgrounds						1
Willpower						2
Initiative						1
Merit						       -Cost
Flaw						       +Cost

Phase Two: The Mutant

• Step One: Origin

Choose the means by which your character discovered their powers, and what theme they follow.

• Step Two: Power Pips

Spend 30 power pips on Mega-Attributes, enhancements, mutant powers, Focus, Energy Pool, or extra Attributes or Abilities.

Focus cannot be raised higher than 5. Characters do not gain permanent Taint from high Focus scores.

• Step Three: Phase Two Finishing Touches

Record Taint and mutations (if any), change skill totals (if any), changes to initiative and movement (if any), bashing and lethal soak; decide on any physical changes brought about by your mutations.

Code:

Power Pips
Trait						        Cost
*Mega-Attribute	3
*Enhancement	3
*Focus		5
*Level 1 Power	1
*Level 2 Power	3
*Level 3 Power	5
*Level 4 Power	7
*Level 5 Power	9
*Energy Pool	1 for 2
Attribute 	1 for 3
Ability Dots	1 for 3
Willpower	1

* May be bought as a tainted power. Tainted Powers cost half the normal cost (round up), but the impose one point of permanent Taint per dot so purchased. A tainted Level 1 power costs 1 power pip per two dots purchased.

Notice - You can not spend BG points on Focus. Nor do Power Pips (Nova Points) grant you Background dots. Sorry, being mutant doesn't make money suddenly appear in your back account.

Submit! (Hehe) - Send all complete characters to this account for approval.

Taint - I'm leaving this part vague. Go ahead and Taint-up guys, I have something for you.

Attributes - May not be higher than 5 at creation. We're saving the 6-10 atts for after the game gets going.

Customize - Customize how you like, this is not a canon game (which is why we'll be playing it by ear). All customizations need approval. If you're not sure how to do this, I'll post an example if you like.

Golden Rules -

1. Have fun.

2. This is not about 'you'. We all play here.

3. If it needs to be changed, it will be. Even if we have to do it 50 times til we get it right.

[Mr Fox]

I could see that jumping power being a level 2, but I agree with Rev, it's too much for a lvl 1.

I'll see if I can find the PM on gadgetry and post it.

[Kazuo]

Inefficient Quantum - Awesome!

Leaping - It's level 1 because, for a few more NP, you can take Flight and do everything that power can do - and a whole lot more besides.

I get what you're saying, because that is a lot of benefit for a level 1 power. But if it's made into a level 2 power, then suddenly it's not providing as much benefit as one might expect.

Do note that the power would never allow a character to leap 'three blocks'. Horizontal leaping distances would never exceed 40 meters (5 dots of Leaping times 8), unless the character could exceed five dots of a power. At which point they have Q6, and why would it be a problem if a Q6 character could leap a few blocks? 40 meters is about 130 feet (that's a gross rounding out, btw), which is certainly far, but that's at 5 dots. 10 meters is the highest a character could leap (without Q6), and that is roughly three stories high, and that is at 5 dots.

The power does not allow characters to 'stick' to anything. They can run up walls, but if they stop, they fall. Unless they have something to hold on to. The only real change is that the "something to hold on to" does not have to be something especially sturdy. The character can pull the kinds of ridiculous stunts that Kung Fu warriors pull in Wuxia movies, where they have little more than a post to wrap a foot around, but can still hold themselves in place.

Dodging in the air: Flight lets you do this as it is written, and I didn't think it was a problem to allow Leaping to grant this ability as well. However, this is - to me - a purely incidental element of the power, and if it's causing balance problems in your mind, then I say scrap it or change it to an extra as you suggest.

Immunity to Falling: I'm not sure where you're getting that, unless you're just exagerrating to make a point. The power allows a character to safely fall a number of meters equal to their vertical leaping distance. At 1 dot, that is 2 meters, which is less than the 3 meters anyone can fall safely - meaning that 1 dot provides no benefits regarding falling at all. At 2 dots they can safely fall 4 meters, which is only 1 meter further than anyone else would be able to fall safely. At 3 dots and higher, the heights from which characters can safely fall becomes increasingly impressive, but that's at 3 dots and higher. For the same number of NP I could buy a dot of Flight and forget about the dangers of falling entirely. Perhaps I didn't write that aspect of the power out very clearly? If that's the case I apologize and will try to fix it.

Probability Forging - I'm not sure I understand the point you're trying to make, but if you're saying 'No', then that's what you're saying. I can live with that.

And there's no reason why it couldn't be part of the Entropy Control suite. I just didn't write it up that way.

[Mr Fox]

Quote:

I get what you're saying, because that is a lot of benefit for a level 1 power. But if it's made into a level 2 power, then suddenly it's not providing as much benefit as one might expect.

Yep. That's why if I were doing it I'd just take Flight and rp it as Wuxia. My opinion, Wuxia is really too much for a lvl 1 power and you are right lvl 2 flight gets you much more value.

The same can be said of Transmit, which like Teleport is a lvl 2 power, but with limitations based on Theme, so why not just buy Teleport and RP it as stepping into Shadow or Fire or whatever your theme element is? That's the way the book handled Transmit so I'd definitely say the precedent would be to make Wuxia a lvl 2 power.

[Kazuo]

Fox, you're using logic that only makes sense at first glance. No offense intended, but it's the truth.

Transmit is a crappy-ass power that should not be used as a precedent for anything, much less how to go about creating other powers. On the other end of that spectrum is Spatial Manipulation, which is an awesome power - in fact, it's too awesome, and like Transmit it should not be used as a precedent for creating other powers.

Having said that, I see no problem with making Leaping an L2 power.

But I also see no problem with making it an L1 power. It allows characters to jump high and far, and a few other stunts that are mostly just for flavor.

That's it.

Trying to make out like that's some kind of humoungous benefit that's potentially game-breaking is silly. Now if it simply doesn't fit the tone of the game in peoples' opinions, or if people just flat-out don't like it, then fine - it doesn't fit the tone or people don't like it. You can't please everybody all the time, and I understand that. But trying to make the power out to be something it isn't is counter-productive and unhelpful.

Does the power provide a substantial benefit? Sure it does. So does Claws. Are there L1 powers that provide very little benefit of any kind? You bet! But it's not my fault that Bioluminescence can be summed up with, "makes you a human flashlight".

Even the speed increase thing is not that great (especially in combat), and really, it could be trashed as well, or further modified, if it's causing people unease. I only included it because the power was meant to emulate Kung Fu movie movement, and in many cases kung fu masters can move at much faster than normal speeds.

So to sum up: if Rev gives a final answer stating that this power isn't allowed, that's fine with me; if he says that it will only be allowed as an L2 power, that's fine with me. This is just a game, and it is just a silly power under discussion, so I'm hardly going to pitch a fit if Rev comes to a decision on this that I don't personally agree with.

But none of that changes the fact that the power does nothing more than let a character jump higher than normal, climb walls with increased ease, and move a bit faster than they would otherwise be able to. Game-breaking, it is not.

[Mr Fox]

Just trying to help out. Rev has already nixed it as a L1 power, so I figured he might go for it as an L2 since you could just buy Flight and rp that as being the Wuxia power.

[Kazuo]

Ah, well then I must have missed something in Rev's post. I didn't see where he'd nixed it. Only where he'd given some critiques and suggestions, along with opinions on why he didn't currently like it as an L1 power. If I did misunderstand, then I apologize (sincerely) to you, and to everyone else, for bogging down the thread. I was under the impression that it was still under discussion, otherwise I wouldn't have posted further on the subject.

And I do appreciate the suggestion to simply RP flight. In fact, there's a good chance that's what I'll do if, in fact, Rev has nixed Wuxia Leaping. I might even take regular old Flight. I've never played a flying Kazuo Kanai before.

[Mr Fox]

I could equally be wrong... It's no big deal. Having fun is the main thing.

[GDP_ST]

Young Procyon is submitted.

[Jaime Lowery]

And I submitted Curtis Shane.

[Kazuo]

You know the funny thing is (funny as in ironic), after I sat down and really started working on a build for Kazuo, I realized that I probably won't want either of the powers I submitted. I thought I would want to use one or both of them, but now that I'm looking at his build, I'm thinking he might not have any powers at all, just mega-atts.

Go figure...

In any case, as of right now, I think Kazuo is going to turn out to be a very down-to-earth mutant who basically just has enhanced physical characteristics and enhanced mental reflexes. Hopefully I'll have a sheet to submit soon.

Rev, if you're still interested in tweaking the build for Wuxia Leaping until it is suitable for anyone's use, I'd be glad to help get that done. If you'd rather just drop it, then I understand perfectly (I only mention it in case there were others who might've been interested in a 'leaping' power).

[Sam 'The Crusader' Hill]

So. This week is turning out to be unreasonably busy for me. I'm stuck in various duties and engagements every evening, and buried in day-job work during the day. Submitting Sam may have to wait a bit.

That said, I'm really, really tempted to ask if Sam can be a janitor at the school.

[Bombshell]

Feh, Sam should be a student who thinks his secret identity is being the janitor.

[z020]

I had Oneca done up, and the site ate my PM. I'll try for it again later, but I'm too ill (literally, not just from the PM getting eaten) to do it up again tonight.

[Dave ST]

Awesome submissions so far guys, I'm impressed with what I'm seeing.

[Mr Fox]

I've got an engraving project that I need to finish by tomorrow. I'll get a submission in either later today or tomorrow depending on my progress.

[SalmonMax]

I could use some help with Backgrounds.

As a teen, a lot of backgrounds...most really...don't seem to fit. Really, how many high school age kids have Contacts, Backing, Influence, Followers...etc? Or even more than a dot or two of Resources unless they're rich? I gathered from the thread that things like Node and Eufiber are also different, if not necessarily outlawed, but I haven't seen solid rules for them yet.

What kind of backgrounds are appropriate to this setting...and which are completely inappropriate?

[Dawn OOC]

A super-powered kid is more likely to have Contacts, Backing and so on, just because they're more than an ordinary teen. They would have people trying to pander to them, give them things, etc. If I may offer my opinion, just stick it to 3 or lower - don't go crazy with them.

[Dave ST]

Max -

Node is okay to take. Proc took it.

Eufiber is okay to take too. Curtis has a suit of it. Because eufiber doesn't technically exist I'm not sure what to call it (and I'm open for ideas). All it is really is your Magic Tights.

But lets go down the list of Backgrounds.

Allies - Model students can easily have 'friends in high places' at the school. If they were influencial (thanks to mommy and daddy) they may have a powerful uncle or something. Or dad might be chief of police somewhere.

Attunement - Good for not frying your clothing...

Backing - this one's a toughy and most students at the school probably won't have a need for this on at the start.

Cipher - "Odd... I looked up Warren Covelli's, Revenant's, birth certificate. Um, he doesn't have one, sir. Who would erase a child?"

Contacts - Like allies. "Trust me. My mom designed the new water filtration system they're using in the sewers. If anyone knows those tunnels, or has maps, she will. C'mon."

Dormancy - You're just a guy. Until Hulk wanna smash... then you're just a guy... invulnerable and smashing.

Eufiber - "Look ma! I got tights! Wooo!"

Followers - Oh come on, this on is so easy! Every school has cliques, this one is no different except we all have eye lasers and light stuff on fire!

Influence - Another toughy that requires a good background story. Just because your parents are influential, doesn't mean you aren't. Maybe you're the kid of some big crime boss and those in the underworld kiss your butt because they know daddy might be listening.

Mentor - Someone you know at the school, a special teacher that understands you and helps you gain control and understanding of your abilities and helps you cope with being a sick freak of nature.

Node - Not a node per se. We here at home called it 'Genome' and it represented the amount of power that courses through you character's X-genes (named 'X' since mutations seem more prevalent in Generation-X children, and a bit of a rip from Marvel). You can not 'ping'.

Resources - Again, a toughy. Most things will be provided for you by the school but those of you who can blend into society well enough might hae an after school job or are just freakin' rich (like Warren Worthington III, aka Angel).

[SalmonMax]

Carver, excellent point, thank you.

Rev, awesome...that helps me a great deal. Thanks!

[Rorx]

Rev you using Taint?

Thinking of either a FF/Quantum Construct based guy, or a revision of the Mol Manip/Matter chameleon guy I played over on Eon

[Curtis Shane]

Rorx, Taint is in use, one Mutation (Aberrant) per Taint dot it seems.

[Rorx]

k

When you get a chance Dave - how do you run/play Matter chameleon? I've encountered some ST's who do it like shapeshift

[z020]

Character submitted.

[Aradia McConnell]

Thinking about doing an Aradia reboot - did I hear someone in chat talking about doing a shape-shifter already? What about a super-dex teleporting fighter? (Thinking Mystique or Nightcrawler on this one, my two big inspirations for Ari.) Just want to know what we've got going so I'm not crossing wires too much with anyone.

[Kazuo]

Originally Posted By: Curtis Shane

Rorx, Taint is in use, one Mutation (Aberrant) per Taint dot it seems.

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere that we're using non-standard taint rules. Rev's creation post mentions that we need to "record taint and mutations (if any)", but I was taking that to mean that we should "record taint and mutations (if any)". I.E. record taint, and if it reaches 4 or higher, record the corresponding aberrations (mutations).

Have I missed something?

[Kazuo]

Originally Posted By: Aradia McConnell

Thinking about doing an Aradia reboot - did I hear someone in chat talking about doing a shape-shifter already? What about a super-dex teleporting fighter? (Thinking Mystique or Nightcrawler on this one, my two big inspirations for Ari.) Just want to know what we've got going so I'm not crossing wires too much with anyone.

SalmonMax is thinking about bringing in a Shape Shifter. Other than that, I haven't heard anything.

There are a few different folks that are taking mega-dex I think, but I haven't heard anything about a teleporting character yet (I don't think).

[Curtis Shane]

Originally Posted By: Kazuo

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere that we're using non-standard taint rules. Rev's creation post mentions that we need to "record taint and mutations (if any)", but I was taking that to mean that we should "record taint and mutations (if any)". I.E. record taint, and if it reaches 4 or higher, record the corresponding aberrations (mutations).

Have I missed something?

I learned secondhand from Long about that. I quote from Long: "I told him I was looking at 3 taint, and Rev said that meant 2 aberrations and a social penalty."

Aradia- There is most definitely no teleporter yet. I think that's a good idea for you to take.

[Dave ST]

To help you along the Taint road...

For every 2 dots of taint (round up) you will have a +1 social penalty when dealing with humans. On the plus side this doesn't work on other aberrants. You're all freaks, it's all old hat to you.

Some really whacked out aberrants may carry their penalty over to aberrants too, but it's unlikely that it will be any of the PCs.

As far as aberrations, most will be physical in nature. You are mutating and the less responsible you are with your powers the quicker you'll end up looking like Nighcrawler or Beast, or even Sabertooth.

This is why humanity is afraid of you and you have to be sent away to a special school. You're freaky mutants (well, some of you are just plain creepy, like Oneca) and frankly the world is not quite ready for you yet.

Not that they have a choice anymore...

[Dave ST]

I'm surprised no one picked up on playing a Hyper-Runner.

[GDP_ST]

I'm sure Oneca is just misunderstood.

[V. Vincent]

We're usually brimming over with people wanting teleport and such. Have we got any transport-types this go 'round?

[z-The Morrigan]

Originally Posted By: Dave ST

This is why humanity is afraid of you and you have to be sent away to a special school. You're freaky mutants (well, some of you are just plain creepy, like Oneca) and frankly the world is not quite ready for you yet.

I have no idea what you mean, Dave.

[Curtis Shane]

V- Aradia/Jas has expressed interest in such a slot.

[Sonja Bahaar]

Jason might end up buying Hyper-Running later, to continue with her Jock theme, but doesn't have it yet... don't even have enhancement yet.

[Kazuo]

If Kazuo is approved with his current power set, then he will be "very fast" (able to run above 180mph), but not hyper-movement fast.

[Curtis Shane]

We got our forum! What's our overall status Dave?

[z-The Morrigan]

Character submitted.

[Kazuo]

Character approved.

[z-The Morrigan]

Ditto.

Who's up for some fun?