Aberrant RPG - Mega-Attribute Books

[Sprocket]

Appendix #3, dealing with Mega-Mental & Mega-Social feats, has been finished. No additional appendices are planned.

The introduction for Chapter 1 has been finished & passed peer review. Work has begun on the "biotech producers, consumers & enemies" section.

[Heru]

This is very interesting and it should be awesome to read once its finished.

I must say that it is really cool that there are fans out their who have spent their time and personal energy to create public projects that continue the Aberrant line despite it being officially closed. So thumbs up to you and everybody else in the project.

[PowerStar]

This is very interesting and it should be awesome to read once its finished.

I must say that it is really cool that there are fans out their who have spent their time and personal energy to create public projects that continue the Aberrant line despite it being officially closed. So thumbs up to you and everybody else in the project.

I fully agree with Heru; Thumbs up (or tenacles ECT...) to you and the others for such good, hard work! ::happy ::biggrin ::smile

[Sprocket]

The "biotech producers, consumers & enemies" section for Chapter 1 has been finished & passed peer review. Work has begun on the section where we'll be detailing the biotech operations of the C-Z Megasyndicate. After that we'll be putting together the biotech item listings, arranged by general category.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 development status-

95% of the section on the C-Z Megasyndicate biotech operation has been finished - Alex Green makes better Storyteller characters than I do, but we've both been dealing w/ serious RL interference.

I've begun on the introduction to and the first section (Agriculture & Terraforming) of the "biotech catalog", and am currently hammering out the last 5 entries in it into printworthy form. (More can be added by the Development team contributors if they ever decide to get back in contact, though.) About 7-8 of the other sections of the biotech catalog will follow.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The agriculture/terraforming section has been finished, and we're almost done with the Medicine section as well. The Megasyndicate section will be completed soon.

UPDATE: Confirmed that the sections for the Megasyndicate's biotech operation & the Agriculture/Terraforming biotech item category have both been finished. Also, the Medicine section is 85-95% finished as of 12/01/2008.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The Medicine section has finally passed review & is finished. The Drugs section is currently 50% finished.

[metaphysician]

So. . . what does that mean is left?

[Sprocket]

So. . . what does that mean is left?

Aside from the incomplete Drug section, the remaining sections of Chapter 1 still on the drawing board are as follows: Biotech Materials, Bioweapons, Cyberware & Novel Sapients.

If Reighnhell should ever show up, we can get some work on Chapter 2 finished as well.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The Drugs section is 90% finished, & will have updated stats for the drugs from the canon Aberrant books as well as some new ones. Expanded rules for drugs (courtesy of Reighnhell) are also included.

EDIT (01/01/2009): Barring the introduction any more ideas for new drugs, all new listings have been finished & are awaiting peer review.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

Work has begun on the Biotech Materials section, with one item from Nyxx already having been edited & reposted for peer review. We're still plugging away on this, folks... ::brick ::laugh

UPDATE (01/28): All current items in the Biotech Materials section have either passed or are undergoing peer review. If no new item ideas come up, the section could be finished within a few days. The Cyberware section will be next.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

RL interference on Alex's end has kept the last few Biotech Materials items waiting for peer review, so I've gone ahead & developed several of the Cyberware items. As of this posting all but one of our 5 original Cyberware ideas has been hammered out into a postworthy listing. We're shooting for 10 listings total.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The Biotech Materials section is finished. All 5 of the original cyberware items have passed peer review, and 5 more have been placed on the drawing board for development. The first two of those have just been posted for peer review, and development of the last 3 is proceeding. ::happy

Once the Cyberware section is finished, next up are the sections on Bioweapons and Novel Sapients. After that, Chapter 1 will be finished and work can resume on Chapter 2.

UPDATE: Almost finished with the Cyberware section, all of the final 5 items have been posted for peer review. Also, work on the Bioweapons section has begun.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

All Cyberware items have been finished and are undergoing peer review. Six Bioweapons items have been finished and are undergoing peer review.

[Psilord]

Thank you for taking the time to post updates Sprocket. ::smile

[Sprocket]

Eh, got to come up out of the salt mine for a breather sometime. ::laugh

[Sprocket]

Chapter 1 update-

All items in the Cyberware section have passed peer review, and that section is 100% finished.

The Bioweapons section is 85% finished, with only two items still being developed and awaiting peer review.

UPDATE (2009-03-10): The final 2 Bioweapons items have been developed and are undergoing peer review.

[Sprocket]

Chapter 1 update-

Only 1 item in the Bioweapons section is still undergoing peer review, it's expected to pass soon. All other Bioweapon items have passed.

Due to new contributions from Nyxx & Alex Green that just haven't fit anywhere else, we're adding a new section to the end of Chapter 1, tentatively named "Biotech Nightmares". (Think David Cronenberg-style things and you won't be far off. ::devil )

Nyxx will be working on that section while I continue work on the preceding "Novel Sapients" section.

Update #2: The Bioweapons section is finished, Nyxx has started work on the "Biotech Nightmares" section.

[Sprocket]

Chapter 1 update-

Work has been going well on the Novel Sapients/Artificial Novas section, as three out of the total of five varieties have been finished & passed peer review. The fourth variety is undergoing the final bits of fine-tuning and is expected to pass peer review very soon. Work on the fifth & final variety will start shortly afterwards.

Work on the Biotech Nightmares section has progressed well, with three items having passed peer review & a fourth currently being worked on. Nyxx & Alex Green are the contributors for this section & are doing very good work AFAICT.

[metaphysician]

So, on a percentage basis, how far would you say TNF has progressed?

[Sprocket]

So, on a percentage basis, how far would you say TNF has progressed?

My guesstimation is that we're nearing the 80% mark. Work has been going faster than expected on the "Novel Sapients & Artificial Novas" section, and Nyxx & Alex are doing well on the "Biotech Nightmares" section. No promises, but Chapter 1 might - *might* - be finished by the end of April, if everything goes well.

I'm not even going to attempt a guess as to when we'll get Chapter 2 finished, Reighnhell was our resident combat rules specialist & he's been absent for a while now.

[BlueNinja]

"Artificial Novas" - does that mean people with borrowed powers (a la Quantum Authority), or animals/machines built as Gadgets who have nova powers (ie, Michal's AI in Trans-D which has Mega-Int 5 and a number of enhancements)?

[Sprocket]

"Artificial Novas" - does that mean people with borrowed powers (a la Quantum Authority), or animals/machines built as Gadgets who have nova powers (ie, Michal's AI in Trans-D which has Mega-Int 5 and a number of enhancements)?

I'm afraid not. What we've got are 2 kinds of almost-novas. Type 1 is the "Spark Soldiers" - baseline senior special/black ops troopers who are made into (short-lived) pseudo-novas through a highly dangerous medical procedure. Think "Disposable Heroes", except that the process is *so* dangerous that only the worst of the aforementioned special/black ops troopers (AFA morality & ethics) are willing to undergo it in order to gain a measure of nova capabilities.

Type 2 is Colony-style Sub-Aberrants, plus a writeup of the specialized Quantum Authority technique used to make them.

We *do* have a listing for "Quantum-Powered Animals" in Chapter 1, but it's found earlier in the chapter. It's also been marked as another optional element. Aberrant STs & player groups have varying tastes for such 4-color elements, after all.

AFA that AI from Trans-D, hardtech of that kind (assuming we're not talking about something with a bioengineered brain in a nutrient bath for a CPU) wasn't the focus of Chapter 1. Hardtech-based cyberware was only "in theme" since it enhanced baseline humans.

One last thing: All the novel sapients & artificial novas are being presented strictly as *potential* elements for Aberrant chronicles. Your Storytellers will decide whether any of these creatures can, will or do exist in their interpretation of the game setting.

Re: Chapter 1 status update-

The Novel Sapients/Artificial Novas section has finally been finished & has passed peer review. Work continues on the Biotech Nightmares section - when that's been completed, so will Chapter 1 as a whole.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status update-

As of this posting five items for the Biotech Nightmares section have passed peer review, with a sixth having just been submitted and a seventh still in development. As we're currently expecting to have only around 10 items in this last section of Chapter 1, work has been going well AFAICT.

[astronomer]

<whine> My fingernails are bloody nubs! Go, guys, go! ::biggrin I'm definitely looking forward to TNF, oh yes, indeedy.

[Sprocket]

<whine> My fingernails are bloody nubs!

Well, you could try drinking some Knox gelatin to help them grow back faster... ::tongue

Update: The sixth Biotech Nightmare item has passed review. The seventh remains in development. Myself and Alex are currently working on the eighth and ninth items, respectively.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

RL difficulties have slowed us down a bit, but we're still working. The eighth item has been posted for peer review, and I've just submitted an idea for the tenth.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The eighth & tenth items have both passed peer review. Barring the cessation of Nyxx's RL interference, I'm taking over development the seventh item.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The seventh item has been finished & has passed peer review. Barring the introduction of any last-minute ideas for the "Biotech Horrors" section - which might take a while to confirm, since RL interference is currently affecting both Alex & myself - Chapter One is effectively finished. Once that is confirmed, work on Chapter Two will recommence. ::happy

[Psilord]

Just think that with mega-dex 1 a nova could blow even this away....

http://www.break.com/index/damien-walters-...moving-car.html

[Alex Green]

::blink

[MooAberrant]

I have not watched a video like that in ages, wow, still impressive and he was particular awesome ::biggrin

Looking forward to next book ::smile

[Sprocket]

Just think that with mega-dex 1 a nova could blow even this away....

http://www.break.com/index/damien-walters-...moving-car.html

The link seems to have expired for that vid.

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The final two items for the "Biotech Nightmares" section have been finished & submitted for peer review.

[Psilord]

The link seems to have expired for that vid.

Re: Chapter 1 status-

The final two items for the "Biotech Nightmares" section have been finished & submitted for peer review.

Here is the youtube link to the same vidoe Sprocket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MeiwLLZjDo

[Sprocket]

Here is the youtube link to the same video Sprocket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MeiwLLZjDo

Many thanks!

Re: Chapter One status-

The final two Biotech Nightmares items have both passed peer review, finishing both that section and Chapter One as a whole. Work on Chapter Two (Aberrant: Combat) will resume ASAP. ::happy

Re: A Sneak Peek!-

Just to give you an idea of the kind of things we were working on in Chapter One, here's a deleted listing from the Bioweapons section that won't be making it into the book due to caution over legalities. That doesn't mean we won't share it with you lot here, though, since its use in the Aberrant War was documented in the Trinity core book (p. 72). ::wink

I. ribopropylmethionine, a.k.a. "RPM"

Producer: Unknown

Category: Chemical weapon

Description: The topic of bioweapons has always been a fertile source of urban legends, and this hasn't changed one whit in the Nova Age. While most are brushed off as tall tales, one that has just now cropped up has made believers out of quite a few people. The rumor began with an incident of mass hallucination in a tiny Greek farming village near Sparta. One fine summer morning, all 250 residents of that village began running riot for no apparent reason, often causing harm to themselves, each other and the local buildings. Medical examination of the few survivors (and autopsies of the dead) revealed extensive damage to their nervous systems. The incident was officially explained away by Greek authorities as a particularly virulent strain of ergot contaminating the villagers' food supplies. That was contradicted when a small group of unidentified novas found some hard evidence that the village had instead been used as a testing ground for an insidious new chemical weapon that either crippled or killed baseline humans but was harmless to novas and nonhuman lifeforms. As of late 2015, speculation about this new chemical weapon and its creator(s) has run rampant in the nova and intelligence communities, but if anyone has the answers they're not telling.

Vector: Contact or Ingested

Toxin Rating: 8

System: RPM exists and is a human-specific hallucinogenic neurotoxin which has no effect on any other forms of Terran life. Novas are unaffected by it, thanks to their superhuman metabolism. It is also remarkably stable prior to interacting with living metabolisms, which will alter it into harmless substances. The toxin can affect victims either through ingestion of contaminated water or contact with the skin. RPM then attacks the nervous system one hour after exposure, causing victims to suffer increasingly terrifying hallucinations as per the Delusions aberration (Aberrant Players Guide, p. 93) for 1d10 minutes. A dose of RPM will also inflict one level of Lethal damage and permanently reduce the victim's Dexterity Attribute by one dot. The damage and Dexterity losses are cumulative should the victim suffer repeated exposure to RPM. The neurotoxin will quickly denature after interacting with the victim's metabolism, leaving no obvious chemical traces to be discovered by pathologists or coroners. RPM is an advancement, and can be used and duplicated by baselines.

Antidote: While there is no known antidote for RPM itself as of 2015, that's only due to the fact that no verified samples of RPM have ever undergone scientific analysis by reliable members of the global medical community. Once that is accomplished, crafting an antidote for RPM can be handled via the normal rules for creating inventions (see "Inventing Fun" in Aberrant: Brainwaves). The neurotoxin's long-term effect - Dexterity loss due to neural damage - can be corrected if a victim receives First World-caliber medical attention including neurological therapy.

<I. ribopropylmethionine, a.k.a. "RPM" is a concept created by George Alec Effinger for his book series - When Gravity Fails, A Fire in the Sun and The Exile Kiss - and is used here without his knowledge or permission. Any mistakes in our interpretation of Mr. Effinger's concept are ours.>

[Sprocket]

Sorry for the long wait, RL interference has been slowing things down a bit. (massive understatement!)

Re: Chapter Two status-

Section 1 - the Chapter introduction & the new maneuvers - has been finished & passed peer review.

Work on Section 2 (combat styles) is 75-80% complete, and work will resume on it when Reignhell forwards the Development Team his notes for the last 6 chosen combat styles. (He's been experiencing severe RL interference.)

Section 3 (new nova combat techniques) is currently finished, but more material may be added to it if we come across any good ideas for such that haven't already been covered.

Work on Section 4 (new weapons listings & expanded firearms listings) is underway.

Sections 5 & 6 - Combat Mega-Mental & Mega-Social enhancements & Combat Body Modifications, respectively - have both been finished & passed peer review.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter Two status-

75-80% of the material for Section 4 (new weapons listings & expanded firearms listings) has been hammered out & posted for peer review. If the posted material passes review, all that's left to do in this section of Chapter Two is the material dealing with firearms, & possibly some tidbits on archaic armor & shields. We're still waiting to hear back from archer21, who had contributed some material for firearms.

No other changes as yet.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter Two status-

All the material for armor & shields (both archaic & modern) has been posted for peer review. If/when it passes review, all that remains to be done is the material on firearms & the unfinished portion of the Combat Styles section.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter Two status-

The subsection on melee, thrown & non-firearm ranged weapons has passed peer review. RL interference has lulled for the moment, so we're taking full advantage.

[Sprocket]

Re: Chapter Two status-

The subsection on armor & shields has passed peer review.