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Aberrant RPG - Mega-Attribute Books


Sprocket

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Oh, no offense taken.. If you see something that looks vague, point it out. ::smokin

He is the muscle to her Pimphood. She is the boss and wouldent have it any other way. He is ok with that as it just lets him do his thing and get on with his life.

Such as it is ::sarcasm

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I'm glad to hear that, I always try to be circumspect in any critques I make on Boards, if I don't know the company well. I find its harder to reasure folks that its meant to be constructive, rather than a personal attack...so thanks, I appreciate the reasurance.

On that note...

Paragraph One:

What did it matter that every once in a while he lost his temper? Nothing major when everything else was good.
This is a little wordy, you could probably tighten this up by combining the two sentences. (I'll only give this one litteral suggestion, so my meaning is conveyed, I am not the writter, just an editor on this).
What did it matter that every once in a while he lost his temper, when everything else was so good?

I know this is a narrative, but it gets pretty thick and personal in the next couple of paragraphs and the \"Nothing major\" forces the reader to look back or internalize the dialogue...

Second paragraph looks good.

Okay third paragraph deals with some word use that is a little distracting when I read it. The use of \"got\" is generally bad, unless you are quoting another's speech, or writting casually. Also, the \"after that because now\" string is either not punctuated quite right or needs to be redone. I would try to either stretch this sentence out a bit, or break it into two pieces. The rest looks fine. Though the preposition at the end of the last sentence is unnecessary, \"from his touch\", unless you are going to detail his power and how it requires touch to effect others. The strength of \"she was dead in seconds\", is quite adequite.

Fourth paragraph. Phoenix already fixed the spelling errors here, I would like you to try using fewer prepositions and try working the sentences without, \"got\". And while I like the colorful cheerleader description, it is unfortuantely unclear. Can this be said differently? That last one is minor and may work just fine with the \"got\"s removed... ::smile

Fifth paragraph, okay already talked about the lack of clarity of his relation to Natalia. what does the Modeling show have to do with the prostitution angle. I mean if its going to be included we need to establish why it is important to how they met. (remember this stuff will springboard other reader's ideas of how to have their PCs meet this evil-duo!) Does Natalia have her girls hang at the show, was the modeling show a front for Russian Coeds?? Like I said earlier a minor thing.

Sixth Paragraph, you change perspective in the second sentence, from 1st to 3rd person perspective. Need to pick one.

Also how does he look \"pretty good\" and have \"freakishly large hands\"? I like the general discription, but I felt that only his negative traits were mentioned, yet Melinda thought he looked pretty good before he errupted. Maybe he has a nice smile or a charming voice (this could give Storyteller's ideas for actual Mega-Attributes).

Seventh paragraph,

You get laid quite a bit, and a willing partner is unavailable you have your own little doll at home.

is a "when" missing? i.e. ", and when a willing partner is unavailable"?

The last sentence talks about a "wife beater/ trailer trash" instead I would suggest not angering the trailer living portion of our fine community, and perhaps label him a "wife beater/ misogynist", so not only does he beat his wife, he hates all women (i.e. this infers not just hatred, but a erronious belief that women are inferior or a lesser being then men).

As I said I was impressed with how well you painted this image of a "broken" soul. If you had more indepth coverage of him I could see developing his childhood and the environment that spawned such a beast, but we don't really want to simpathize with him do we? If anything Grey is a rather black and white caraciture of hate and self-loathing, this makes him easy for Storyteller's to adapt and apply him to any setting. Keep up the great work, and if my critique is too much let me know, I am willing to reign myself in. Also, these comments are just oppinion, if my vision differs PLEASE let me know, I must admit that I am a PG-13 writter, and this character is creepy enough for me without the "nothing like a tight first!" comments...grrr. ::angry ::biggrin

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Ok guys...I dont wanna sound like im keeping tabs on everyone...

But...

Whats everyone doing right now? If anything that is. Im just wanting to know (make a checklist) what all still needs to be done.

Right now im:

Straitening out the grammer and writing style on The Church of Beautiful Pain

Making the initial version of hte full write up of Beutech

Writing the "opener" story for the book

making the background enhancements pretty

As soon as we get a forum to call our own ill start a thread just for including which new backgrounds or not

P.S. Great job Gideon!

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::blush Sorry for the delay in response, I was in Quebec for a family gathering last Fri-Mon. so I was out of circulation so to speak.

What am I doing....?

I am completing another edit of the intro. section. ::dozingoff

I am working on the Social Engineering write-up, it has slowed down a bit, but as soon as I identify all gaps I will post it and request for critiques and filler data. I think there will be a couple of holes, in the area of mechanics for small scale social finessing.

As I mentioned in the first page or so of this thread, I was originally working on Brute Force, not Forceful Personalities so it has been some work Parking my thoughts from physical enhancements and aberrations to getting up to speed with Social mechanics.

Gideon

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey there, folks! ::smiley5

Sorry about my absence from the forum- I've been having some software problems and have only just now been able to get back online to visit with the lot of you here at EON. I'll still have to get some professional work done to get my PC back in top form, but I can at least inform you on my progress with the Mega-Social aberrations. Basically, they're taken care of- unless we want to add a separate listing for aberrations derived solely from the "Mega-Ugliness" version of Mega-Appearance, the aberrations section can be considered pretty much finished.

The two Mega-Appearance aberrations I've added to the listings are Laughable (medium-level) and Doppelganger Syndrome (high-level). I'll post the revised listings once my PC is back in shape, but I can give you the basic ideas for the new aberrations. ::devilangel

Laughable basically works as an inversion of the Awe-Inspiring enhancement- novas with this aberration give rise to feelings of scorn, derision, and disrespect among baselines who look upon them. Aside from being seen as a buffoon that shouldn't be taken seriously (WP roll on the baseline's part to do so), the Laughable nova will also automatically lose 1 success per dot of permanent Taint possessed on rolls for Command, Interrogation, Intimidation, persuading/inspiring people, etc. Laughable novas can't have the Awe-Inspiring, Commanding Presence, or Dreadful Mien enhancements. A Laughable nova can be sexy, albeit in a ditzy, bimbo-ish manner.

Doppelgager Syndrome: A mix of focused amnesia (the nova forgets his/her original appearance) and a compulsion to impersonate other people. The nova has to impersonate other people in order to maintain her sense of self, and so will seek to "replace" a person, given the opportunity. If the nova has the Yin-Yang enhancement, she may have even forgotten her original gender!

Will get back to you folks once my PCs' problems have been fixed- BTW, the updated site looks pretty good! ::cool

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I like both Laughable and Doppleganger! Laughable seems on target, I can see making a Plastic Man character easily (no one takes the perrenial clown seriously, "No, really I think I would make a great Presidential canidate!") ::laugh

Bahamut810/Sprocket: No worries, everyone gets a little life now and again. Its not like this is our full time job.... well actually, I guess for some people this could be their full time job... ::blink , huhn. Well Chapter two is commencing and I plan on having an update next week..:)

Peace

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I must fall in the trapped by the real world section too.

I have been thinking about the project though. One thing that keeps poping into me brain is that it should include something on how Mega-Social attributes compliment other Mega-Stats, Nova powers, etc. Not so much as new rules but more discusion like that is in the PG.

Also, is there an enhancement that makes the nova seem above reproach (ie holy, innocent etc.) or seem like the ultimate expert in what the nova is talking about (ie someone who seems so qualified &/or knowledgable that it is hard to question them). I can write them up, but I just wanted to see if someone had done them already.

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Well what are we going to do??? ::smiley4 With the site going bye bye on Sept 21st and all.

I mean I don't have the storage or budget to get a sufficient site up to handle a full Forum site. Now we could create a Yahoo discussion group. Its pretty simple, and the group would allow us to still discuss the books and things Aberrant. Just a thought. We could still archive specific threads, and backup certain downloads

Anyway at least I understand why things developed so slowly of late on the Downloads section... ::rolleyes

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Well, doesn't this little bit of news just bite? Looks like this little project has just died on the operating table as well... At least we've come up with some good ideas for other folks to use in their Aberrant games! EON... It was fun while it lasted. ::wink

BTW, I won't be reposting the full Mega-Social aberrations listings on this thread, but I will post the polished versions of both Doppelganger Syndrome and Laughable for you perusal, along with the corrected version of Mischievous. Wouldn't want you guys to miss out on 'em.. Will have 'em up in an hour or so.

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OK, folks- here are those three last aberrations that I've promised to post on this thread. As our little "Social Mega-Attributes" book is pretty much D.O.A. barring a wholesale resurrection of the EON website under someone else's captaincy, this'll probably be your only shot at getting these goodies for yourselves. Enjoy!

Laughable (medium-level aberration, derived from Mega-Appearance)

There's simply something about a nova with this aberration- namely, something that makes him seem utterly ridiculous to baseline humans (and most other novas as well). Perhaps it's the fact that the nova resembles a humanoid French poodle, complete with puffy pink fur. Perhaps the nova looks like something Monty Python would've created for a superhero skit. Perhaps the nova simply looks like he should have "ludicrous dingbat" tattooed on his forehead. In any case, the nova's appearance gives rise to feelings of scorn, derision, and disrespect among baselines. As a result, most baselines will feel inclined to mock the nova or dismiss him out of hand. Even more insightful baselines will have serious trouble taking a Laughable nova seriously without hard evidence to the contrary- they must win a contested Willpower roll against the Laughable nova's Mega-Appearance in order to see the nova as anything other than a quantum-powered buffoon. A Laughable nova will be considered both harmless and unworthy of respect by most baselines and novas alike- he's won't be seen as being worth the time to deal with. It should be noted that novas with the Mental Mega-Attributes are not likely to suffer from that misperception, however. As an added burden, a Laughable nova automatically loses 1 success per dot of permanent Taint possessed on all rolls for Intimidation, Command, Interrogation, and otherwise persuading or inspiring other people. Laughable novas also cannot possess the Awe-Inspiring, Commanding Presence, or Dreadful Mien enhancements. Laughable novas can still be seen as being sexy, albeit in a ditzy, bimbo-ish manner.

Doppelganger Syndrome (high-level aberration, derived from Mega-Appearance)

Shapeshifting novas who develop this aberration actually suffer from both a highly specific form of dissociative amnesia (namely, forgetting one's original appearance) and a compulsive disorder (focused on impersonating other people). Having lost all idea of what she is supposed to look like, the nova will seek to shore up her sense of self by assuming the identity of another person, usually a baseline or nova whose powers the Doppelganger nova can simulate. If the Doppelganger nova has the Yin-Yang Mega-Appearance enhancement, she may even forget her original gender! Whenever the nova has an opportunity to assume someone else's identity, she must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid impersonating that person. Furthermore, if the nova is somehow prevented from impersonating anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of her rolls until she can indulge her compulsion. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first. A Doppelganger nova will seek to maintain her assumed role for as long as possible, although whether she will resort to violence in order to do so is up to her personal sense of ethics. It should be noted that since many shapeshifting novas already work as infiltration agents, they can be quite casual about making someone "disappear" and taking her place... If her impersonation is exposed, the Doppelganger nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid fleeing the scene in a panic- if hindered, she will lash out violently against any who try to restrain her.

Mischievous (low-level aberration, derived from Mega-Manipulation)

A nova with this aberration develops a strong liking for activities such as embarrassing other people, confusing them, annoying them, and freaking them out on occasion. The nova is likely to play harmless practical jokes and perpetrate deceptions whenever opportunity permits, and even his friends and loved ones are fair game as far as he's concerned! In any case, a mischievous nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid pulling a fairly harmless prank or deception on a "good target". The Storyteller may raise or lower this penalty in certain circumstances- this is habitual behavior, not compulsive behavior. Novas with this aberration are more likely to indulge in mischief when they're either bored or haven't had much fun lately. Mischievous novas will also suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interacting with those people who have the Bad Temper, Bully, Cold, or No Sense of Humor aberrations/Flaws.

If any of you guys have more ideas on our topic here, don't keep 'em to yourselves- we've got a deadline now, sadly... ::smiley4

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I dont htink it has quite died yet. I know that we have slowed down quite a bit...but if we can get the momentum back...

Thx for thoes last ones too, sproket. Hopefully we can get everything together somewhere else and get it published somewhere. Mabey N! Prime would host us...or at least link to us.

Who knows...

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Alex: How large is the site?

Check this link:

http://www.chill.uk.net/eon/forums/index.p...?showtopic=1539

But here are minimums from Chill

To keep EON going with all the current features et al:

- barebones mininum of 250 MB webspace (I have 1GB reserved for EON on the chill.uk.net server, plus more elsewhere) Ideally, 500MB

- min of a bandwidth allowance of 2GB per month, we have 10GB monthly allowance top be saef, it shifts an average of 2GB a month. Usually 3GB though.

- CGI-BIN (for the dbases, but they could be reprogrammed using mysql for ex)

- mySQL, which is currently used to handle the forum

- PHP (as thats what the site is coded in)

Thassit.

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Seeing as Archer21 has voulunteered to shouder the burden of playing Webmonkey to the delightful gaggle of lunatics that we folks of EON are, talk of ending our little Social Mega-Attributes E-book project has suddenly become premature. [Lets out sigh of relief ::smile ]

As EON has apparently dodged the bullet for the time being, I'll post the current full aberrations listing on this thread shortly. Barring some hideous accident in the site transfer process, we should be able to try and assemble this jumble of disorganized parts into a smooth, functioning whole.

Which leads me to this question- Are we going to do a separate section focused on the "Mega-Ugliness" version of Mega-Appearance? And if so, should I begin compiling a listing of alternate Mega-Appearance aberrations derived from Mega-Ugliness? Prof. Potts seemed to think the idea was worthwhile, and after some serious thought, I have to agree. What do you guys think? ::wink

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OK, folks- as promised, here's the current (and probably final) version of Social Mega-Attribute-derived aberrations. I'm still open for ideas for aberrations derived from the "Mega-Ugliness" version of Mega-Appearance, though! [if we start that, I'll keep those in a separate document to avoid confusion.] ::wink

MEGA-SOCIAL ABERRATIONS

Outline- [Aberrations marked with an * are from the Aberrant Compendium.]

1: Mega-Appearance

a: Low-level: Aberrant Hair, Chromatic Hair, Distinctive Looks, Mega-Vanity, Quantum Beacon, Sex Object*, Strange Scent, Surreality*, Twisted Perspective.

b: Medium-level: Fashion Disaster, Heartthrob*, Laughable, Object of Desire*, Piecemeal Metamorphosis, Shifting Features*.

c: High-level: Addictive Visage, Doppelganger Syndrome.

2: Mega-Manipulation

a: Low-level: Altered Tongue, Compulsive Blackmailer, Cowardice, Dictator, Ennui, Greedy, Mega-Devious, Mischievous, Prankster.

b: Medium-level: Cannot Lie, Intrigue Junkie, Judas Syndrome, Negotiator, Pathological Liar, Trickster.

c: High-level: Incredible, Misinterpreted.

3: Mega-Charisma

a: Low-level: Convivial, Fanatic, Flippant, Four-Color Caricature, Gravitas, Screwball Magnet, Soft Touch, Tactless, Twisted Sense of Humor.

b: Medium-level: Glory Hound, Heartthrob*, Hubris, Party Animal, Romance Junkie, Romantic Irresistibility*, Sinister.

c: High-level: Prima Donna, Sponge.

>Mega Appearance

Low Level-

Aberrant Hair: Something about the nova's hair is weird. While it's color is more-or-less normal (providing that the nova doesn't also have the Chromatic Hair aberration), something about it simply isn't possible for baseline hair without extensive styling. The nova's hair might be stiff enough stand up naturally without the aid of hairspray or styling mousse; novas with hair that sticks up vertically for heights of 40 centimeters or more are not unheard of. The nova's hair might naturally grow in an odd style, such as a 1970s-style punk-rock mohawk or a lion's mane. Other possibilities include the nova's hair developing a metallic, rubbery, or plastic texture; or being uncomfortably warm or cold to the touch. Some novas' hair might actually move of its own accord! As the permanent Taint of a nova with this aberration accumulates, the nova's hair may actually change into something unsettling and problematic such as flames, stiff metal wires, or living snakes. (In these extreme cases, this aberration might only affect the hair on the nova's head- the Storyteller has the final say on this matter, as always.)

Chromatic Hair: The nova's hair -all of it- is of a (usually) attractive color that isn't naturally found in baseline humans. Just about any hue is possible- bright blue, leaf green, cherry red, and pastel pink are just a few of the possibilities. Some novas even develop hair the color of polished metal- for example, Teardrop from Teen2M has bright silver hair. Other people get a -2 difficulty bonus to recognize a nova with this aberration- and unless the nova is around people as colorful (pun intended) as herself, other people will get a -2 difficulty bonus on all Perception rolls to pick her out of a crowd. Since baseline teenagers and nonconformists have been dyeing their hair unnatural colors for over a decade (as of 2008), this doesn't draw quite as much attention as other minor physical aberrations do... unless someone gets close enough to the nova to realize that the supposed dye-job is in fact natural color! As the permanent Taint of a nova with this aberration accumulates, the color of the nova's hair will become ever-more striking and noticeable- some novas' hair might even glow like fiberoptics! This results in an additional -1 difficulty bonus on rolls for other people to recognize or spot the nova per 2 points of permanent Taint the nova accumulates after manifesting this aberration. Oddly enough, several Japanese novas (and foreign novas who have been influenced by Japanese anime) have developed this aberration without the Taint that normally accompanies it. These novas also have been known to develop oddly-colored irises without Taint accumulation as well. (In game terms, these novas have taken both the Chromatic Hair and Aberrant Eyes aberrations as 1-point Flaws- see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 92.)

Distinctive Looks: Something about the looks of a nova with this aberration really stands out in the minds of those who see her (or visual records of her). Whether it's something as blatant as smoldering sex appeal or as subtle as how the light hits her, this makes the nova's appearance quite unique. Unless she takes extreme measures to alter her appearance (via shapeshifting or cutting-edge cinematic special effects makeup), she is likely to be spotted and recognized on sight by anyone who's seen her before. In game terms, other people (novas, baselines, and psiads alike) will gain a difficulty bonus on all Perception rolls made to identify the nova equal to her Taint-derived difficulty penalty on social interactions with baselines. On the flipside, all rolls made for attempts to impersonate the nova with this aberration likewise suffer a difficulty penalty equal to her Taint-derived difficulty penalty on social interactions with baselines.

Mega-Vanity: Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas who develop this aberration become obsessed with their personal appearance. These are the novas who simply cannot pass by a mirror without looking at themselves, and cleaning up their appearance if need be- even during combat! They dread the problems of aging (baldness, grey hair, wrinkled skin, sagging figures, etc), and will seek to become very good friends with any nova capable of using the Age Alteration technique of Temporal Manipulation. Flattery works very well on these novas, making them more vulnerable to certain Manipulation-based skills (+1 difficulty penalty to resist such attempts). Insulting or marring the looks of novas with this aberration is guaranteed to anger them- they suffer a difficulty penalty of +1 on all their rolls until the insult is avenged and the damage (even if it's nothing more than having mud thrown in the face) is corrected. Mega-Vain novas tend to resent other novas who have greater Mega-Appearance than their own, especially if they are romantic rivals of the Mega-Vain nova in question. (They can appreciate the Mega-Appearance of potential romantic partners just like anyone else!) In all of these cases, a Mega-Vain nova can make a Willpower roll (penalized by his or her permanent Taint, of course) to resist the urge to give in to his or her vanity whenever it is felt, even when it isn't the best time to indulge. The Storyteller may adjust the difficulty if the circumstances are especially tempting. The nova may spend a Willpower point to resist the effects of this aberration for one scene, but will feel distinctly uncomfortable doing so.

Quantum Beacon: The nova's self-image has changed drastically from what it was prior to his eruption- he sees existence as a nova as being clearly distinct from baseline existence, overemphasizing the differences. As a result, the nova cannot have the Dormancy background and will have to deal with the special problems of living as a nova 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As an added burden, anyone who attempts to detect the Quantum and/or Taint of a nova with this aberration (via Node, psionic Attunement, or certain powers and devices) receives a difficulty bonus equal to the nova's permanent Taint. This aberration is especially common in those novas who were markedly deficient in some way as baselines; such as having physical deformities or birth defects, being an invalid or disfigured by a disease, or simply being born ugly. As these problems are usually corrected as a byproduct of the eruption process, the nova will understandably have no desire whatsoever to return to his previous baseline existence, even temporarily. Note: This aberration can only develop in those novas who have learned to employ the Dormancy background- if a nova never bothers to develop this innate ability in the first place, he won't manifest this aberration. Storytellers are encouraged to apply this aberration only to novas that would be inconvenienced by it.

Sex Object: The nova is simply too attractive for his/her own good. Upon first meeting the nova, people attracted to members of the nova's gender must roll Willpower to avoid becoming lust-stricken by the nova and treating him/her as a sex object. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. (If the victim is alone with the nova in a private setting, the roll is made with an additional +1 difficulties.) Those who succeed on the Willpower roll may act as they please. The actions of those who fail the roll will vary with their individual personalities- unabashed staring, deciding to stalk the nova, or simply acting like a blabbering idiot are all good possibilities. Those who botch the roll will seek to become intimate with the nova ASAP, although their tactics will vary with individual personalities, as noted above. Novas who develop this aberration often encounter jealousy from potential romantic rivals, for obvious reasons. When added to the difficulties of social interaction with someone who's determined to either become your significant other or get into your pants, it's not hard to understand why many such novas become recluses.

Strange Scent: A nova with this aberration has a natural body odor that smells like nothing a normal human body is capable of producing. The scent can be literally anything, although Mega-Attractive novas will produce pleasant scents (such as roses, fresh sea spray, or cedar wood). Mega-Ugly novas produce unpleasant scents (such as sulfur, decaying flesh, or fresh sewage). Mega-Ugly novas will suffer an additional +2 difficulty penalty on Social rolls for interacting with baselines and less-tainted novas. Mega-Attractive novas will only suffer that penalty if the baseline or nova in question is allergic to or simply dislikes what would ordinarily be considered a pleasant scent. All attempts to track a nova with this aberration by scent are made with a -2 difficulty bonus.

Surreality: Other people (including other novas!) will tend find a nova who develops this aberration to be irresistibly fascinating. (Victims must make a resisted Willpower roll vs. the nova's Mega-Appearance to resist, with a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines.) If a victim succeeds on the Willpower roll, he or she may act as he or she pleases. If they fail, people will stare at the nova and attempt to strike up conversations at inappropriate times in hope of getting to know the nova better. Worse still, criminals and other people of a less savory nature will always choose the nova over other potential targets for their illicit acts.

Twisted Perspective: Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas who develop this aberration undergo a slight change in their ideas of human beauty. Having come to accept their superhuman attractiveness as the norm, such novas will find the unenhanced features of even the most gorgeous baselines to be homely, if not downright repulsive! Novas with this aberration have a -2 difficulty bonus to resist any seduction attempts made by baselines that are based on sexual attraction. The flipside of this is that these novas also have a difficulty penalty of +2 on all vision-based Perception rolls made to identify baselines by sight- after all, these novas likely won't even want to look at baselines if they can help it... As the nova's permanent Taint increases, so will the effects of this aberration- raise the value of the bonus (and penalty) by 1 point for every 2 points of permanent Taint accumulated after gaining this aberration.

Medium Level-

Fashion Disaster: A nova with this aberration has lost all appreciation of the importance of being dressed well (or of being dressed at all). While the nova can still understand why baselines place such emphasis on fashionable clothing in an intellectual, abstract manner, he will feel that engaging in such displays himself is pointless and/or ridiculous. From the nova's viewpoint, for him to indulge in such behavior would be the equivalent of an adult dressing and acting like a small child- and since when do adults take the opinions of little children on how (or if) they should dress, anyway? Novas with this aberration will dress in either utilitarian clothes or whatever attire the nova deems comfortable- if the nova also has the Adaptation enhancement and the Armor power, this may mean going around in little clothing or none at all! Given the importance that baseline society places on wearing whatever clothing is considered fashionable at the time, this aberration can cause the nova serious social difficulties- after all, most baselines tend to take silly things like dress codes, fashion trends, and laws regarding indecent public exposure quite seriously. In game terms, the nova's taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines is doubled for all rolls where wearing appropriate clothing is a factor. If someone (not necessarily another nova) whose opinion the nova respects attempts to convince him that he should wear appropriate clothing to an event, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) in order to follow that person's advice for the duration of the event. (The nova will get himself out of that "ridiculous get-up" ASAP once the event is over, however!) Note: Depending on the circumstances, the increased difficulty penalty imposed by this aberration may not apply in some situations- a nova who insists on wearing 1970's-style leisure suits wouldn't be looked down on by people with similar tastes, while a Mega-Attractive nova who hates wearing any clothes at all would be well-received at a clothing-optional beach or a nudist colony.

Heartthrob: The nova is absolute dynamite when it comes to infatuating those people attracted to members of the nova's gender. The problem is that the nova is like this all the time, and can't turn off his or her sex appeal... (This should be restricted to novas with the Seductive Looks enhancement.) In game terms, any and all extra successes the nova may gain via the Seductive and/or Seductive Looks enhancements are effectively doubled for seduction rolls (not persuasion- the nova's victims will tend to hear only what they want to from the nova). The downside of this is that the bonus is applied to ANY action of the nova's that could be seen as seductive by his/her victims (Storyteller's decision). Also, the Storyteller will kindly make all Seduction rolls for the nova's player, and doesn't have to inform the player about it beforehand. Novas with this aberration will often have no idea that they've won a victim's affections- until the victim makes some moves of her/his own...

Laughable: There's simply something about a nova with this aberration- namely, something that makes him seem utterly ridiculous to baseline humans (and most other novas as well). Perhaps it's the fact that the nova resembles a humanoid French poodle, complete with puffy pink fur. Perhaps the nova looks like something Monty Python would've created for a superhero skit. Perhaps the nova simply looks like he should have "ludicrous dingbat" tattooed on his forehead. In any case, the nova's appearance gives rise to feelings of scorn, derision, and disrespect among baselines. As a result, most baselines will feel inclined to mock the nova or dismiss him out of hand. Even more insightful baselines will have serious trouble taking a Laughable nova seriously without hard evidence to the contrary- they must win a contested Willpower roll against the Laughable nova's Mega-Appearance in order to see the nova as anything other than a quantum-powered buffoon. A Laughable nova will be considered both harmless and unworthy of respect by most baselines and novas alike- he's won't be seen as being worth the time to deal with. It should be noted that novas with the Mental Mega-Attributes are not likely to suffer from that misperception, however. As an added burden, a Laughable nova automatically loses 1 success per dot of permanent Taint possessed on all rolls for Intimidation, Command, Interrogation, and otherwise persuading or inspiring other people. Laughable novas also cannot possess the Awe-Inspiring, Commanding Presence, or Dreadful Mien enhancements. Laughable novas can still be seen as being sexy, albeit in a ditzy, bimbo-ish manner.

Object of Desire: Something about the nova makes people want to possess him or her. Upon first meeting the nova, people attracted to him or her must make a resisted Willpower roll vs. the nova's Mega-Appearance. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. Failing the roll means that the victim will see the nova as a commodity or treasure to be owned instead of as a person with his or her own desires and needs. (Just think of how certain rich folk manage to acquire their "trophy spouses", and how those spouses are treated after they've been landed.) The form that the ownership takes will vary with individual victims- some might settle for signing the nova to a contract or hauling off the nova to a wedding chapel, while others may take the idea of owning the nova all too literally... The nova's victims will be very possessive of him or her, and they will go to great lengths in order to either establish or retain their control over the nova.

Piecemeal Metamorphosis: A nova with this aberration is ever-so-slowly changing into something other than human, one portion of his body at a time. When this aberration first manifests, a small portion of the nova's anatomy (such as the lower face or hands) will change into whatever the Storyteller decides would be appropriate. As the nova accumulates permanent Taint, exponentially-larger parts of the nova's body will be altered in this fashion. A common theme for this aberration is gradual transformation into a humanoid animal- for instance, the lower face of the elite known as Dog (from Aberrant:Worldwide 2) has changed into that of a humanoid schnauzer. Other themes include changing into a humanoid plant or some form of living machine, inorganic matter or energy. (The latter three themes are very appropriate for novas with the Bodymorph power- once the gradual transformation of the nova's body is complete, this aberration effectively becomes identical to Permanent Power-Bodymorph.) Note that only a defined portion of the nova's body is affected by this- aside from his lower face, Dog's body is fairly normal for a male nova at this point in his accumulation of Taint (6 points, F.Y.I.). If Dog reaches 7 Taint, his head will certainly become entirely that of a humanoid schnauzer, and he may develop a full-body coat of fur as well. Depending on what kind of nonhuman morphology the nova is developing, the nova may face certain physical difficulties as well as the inevitable social difficulties. For example: A nova who's turning into a snake-man might find his legs turning into a single serpentine trunk and tail, while an amphibious female nova might turn into a classical mermaid. A male nova whose head has permanently turned into living thermonuclear plasma won't be able to wear a hat, nor will he be likely to get any kisses from baseline ladies. A nova whose limbs have turned into living bionics is likely to have trouble with metal detectors and security officers. And let's not forget the tailoring problems faced by a nova who's changing into a 173-cm tall humanoid flying squirrel! (Those darn patagia make wearing a tuxedo impossible, and most tailors don't do tail-flaps.)

Shifting Features: A nova with this aberration has partially lost control over the appearance of his body. The nova suffers from a shifting in his body weight, mass, and tissue colorations that is virtually unnoticeable from minute to minute, but can radically alter his features over the course of a few hours. While the changes are gradual, they are constant- the nova will look different enough within 24 hours to make him unrecognizable as the same person on the basis of visual recognition. This unsettles baselines (and many novas), resulting in the nova suffering an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls beyond making a first impression.

High Level-

Addictive Visage: While all Mega-Beautiful and Mega-Handsome novas are capable of inspiring adoration and lust in other people, some of those novas take the idea of being attractive to others a bit too far. The undisguised physical appearance of a nova with this aberration is psychologically addictive to baselines that are sexually oriented towards members of the nova's gender. In game terms, treat the nova's visage as a drug with an Addiction Rating equal to the nova's permanent Taint score when the nova is viewed by baselines of the correct sexual orientation. When watching a nova with this aberration, affected baselines will feel intense euphoria and feelings of romantic love along with a loss of inhibitions- consider their effective Wits and Intelligence scores to be lowered by [the nova's permanent Taint -5] dots, down to a minimum of 1. Additionally, all Willpower rolls to resist sexual overtures from the nova (real or imagined) suffer a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. If the nova is being viewed via recordings, the Addiction Rating of his or her visage is lowered by 4 points, unless the nova has the Almost Live enhancement. Addicted baselines will gain the 2-point version of the Addiction Flaw (on pg. 71 of the Aberrant Players Guide). The effects of this aberration will last for [the nova's permanent Taint -5] hours. "Detoxing" from the effects of this aberration takes the same length of time, and will leave affected baselines with both a +1 difficulty penalty on all perception rolls to detect pleasurable sensations and a +2 difficulty penalty on all Willpower rolls until their neurochemistry returns to normal. Addicted baselines with Willpower scores of 4 or less may also develop delusions of having a romantic relationship with the nova- these unfortunates often become stalkers. The only way for the nova to control this for any length of time is to use the Mr. Nobody enhancement, provided that his or her Mega-Appearance is high enough to "cover up" this aberration. It should also be noted that a nova with this aberration is likely to be regarded with jealousy from baselines of the same sexual orientation- these folks will see the nova as a sexual rival, resulting in the nova suffering an additional +1 difficulty penalty for social interactions with those people.

Doppelganger Syndrome: Shapeshifting novas who develop this aberration actually suffer from both a highly specific form of dissociative amnesia (namely, forgetting one's original appearance) and a compulsive disorder (focused on impersonating other people). Having lost all idea of what she is supposed to look like, the nova will seek to shore up her sense of self by assuming the identity of another person, usually a baseline or nova whose powers the Doppelganger nova can simulate. If the Doppelganger nova has the Yin-Yang Mega-Appearance enhancement, she may even forget her original gender! Whenever the nova has an opportunity to assume someone else's identity, she must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid impersonating that person. Furthermore, if the nova is somehow prevented from impersonating anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of her rolls until she can indulge her compulsion. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first. A Doppelganger nova will seek to maintain her assumed role for as long as possible, although whether she will resort to violence in order to do so is up to her personal sense of ethics. It should be noted that since many shapeshifting novas already work as infiltration agents, they can be quite casual about making someone "disappear" and taking her place... If her impersonation is exposed, the Doppelganger nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid fleeing the scene in a panic- if hindered, she will lash out violently against any who try to restrain her.

>Mega-Manipulation

Low Level-

Altered Tongue: The tongue of a nova with this aberration has been changed in some way, usually one that reflects a common myth, superstition, or saying about manipulative folk. One nova's tongue might become forked like a snake's, while another's might turn the color of polished metallic silver. Unless the nova is in the habit of showing off his or her tongue in the manner of certain 1970s-era rock stars, this aberration is likely to remain unnoticed, barring attempts by others to become physically intimate with the nova.

Compulsive Blackmailer: The nova who develops this aberration becomes driven to learn how to get leverage against anyone and everyone she can- including her supposed friends and colleagues. What's more, she knows that the best way to do so is to learn all the secrets of those she hopes to influence, and the nova won't hesitate to betray someone's confidence if it means she'll take in a profit. Secrets that could get her vanished and/or killed are left alone- novas with this aberration are devious, not stupid. Nobody with any sense will trust the nova (if they know about her little hobby), but as the nova is likely to have assembled an impressive network of contacts and people who owe her favors, she probably won't care. There is one exception to this, though; if the nova still has family and/or a spouse that she truly, honestly cares about she will neither try to dig up dirt on them nor knowingly place them in danger with her machinations. Whenever the nova has an opportunity to uncover someone's secrets, she must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid digging up that dirty laundry. Furthermore, if the nova is prevented from investigating anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of her rolls until she can indulge her compulsion. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first.

Cowardice: A nova with this aberration has grown very comfortable with the idea of letting others do his dirty work while he stays safe somewhere else. In fact, he's so comfortable with that idea that he's become neurotically careful about keeping his own hide intact! If the nova is ever required to place himself in physical danger, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to avoid refusing to endanger himself. This roll is made at an additional +2 difficulty penalty if there's a risk of death. Storyteller note: Just about the only reliable way to motivate a cowardly nova in this situation is to have him threatened with greater danger than what he's refused to face... A cowardly nova will suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with people who are required to be professionally brave (soldiers, police officers, Directive agents, etc.), provided that they know of the nova's cowardice.

Dictator: Mega-Manipulative novas can usually do a good job of being a leader- they know when (and when not) to apply control over their minions, and how much control to use without being heavy-handed. For a nova with this aberration, however, there's simply no such thing as "too much control". If the nova has any authority over other people (even if it's something as trivial as being the head of a household or a gang leader), she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid trying to control every aspect of her minions' activities when they're under her authority. For example, a nova who's the director of a dance company would lord it over the dancers during their performances and practice sessions; but she wouldn't care much about their personal lives unless they interfered with the dancer's obligations to the dance company. This changes as the nova accumulates permanent Taint: at 6-7 dots of Taint, the scope of the nova's power-trip will widen to include all aspects of her underlings' lives. At 8-10 dots of Taint, the nova will become obsessive (as per the Addiction/Compulsion Flaw on pg. 71 of the Aberrant Player's Guide) about maintaining total control over her underlings- even if it means disposing of those who try to escape from her domination. Novas who develop this aberration often end up forming cults around themselves in order to satisfy their totalitarian urges.

Ennui: A nova with this aberration becomes easily bored and jaded. While he still has emotions, they have become somewhat numbed. He also tends to be listless and dissatisfied with things in general. Rousing the nova from this state takes effort both on the part of the nova and his comrades. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) in order to react to anything with something other than passing interest or apathy. Some ennui-stricken novas seek to distract themselves with games of intrigue and influence- regardless of the effects on innocent bystanders.

Greedy: A nova with this aberration has one main focus in his life: money. Lots of it. Family and friends are almost as inconsequential as "the good of human civilization" or "standing up for your fellow novas" as far as this nova is concerned. If the nova is offered a bribe, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to refuse. If taking the bribe wouldn't result in people the nova cares about getting injured, the Willpower roll is made with an additional penalty of +1. These novas are the ones who drool over the prospect of overthrowing small nations for seven-figure contracts from DeVries...

Mega-Devious: Mega-Manipulative novas are some of the most devious people on the planet- they can find a thousand ways to cheat, deceive, coerce and swindle a mark and get off scot-free every time. One problem with that is that some Mega-Manipulative novas learn that lesson so well that they lose sight of less-underhanded alternatives. Novas who develop this aberration compulsively use only underhanded means to achieve their goals- cheating, coercion, weaseling, duping, swindles and betrayals are just a few of the tactics favored by the Mega-Devious. These novas will work at least twice as hard to do something (even if it's something nice for a loved one) using crooked methods that could be more easily achieved with aboveground methods, as they ignore the possibilities (and benefits) of employing more honest and fair methods. Such a nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his or her permanent Taint) in order to attempt using an honest, aboveground method of achieving a chosen goal.

Mischievous: A nova with this aberration develops a strong liking for activities such as embarrassing other people, confusing them, annoying them, and freaking them out on occasion. The nova is likely to play harmless practical jokes and perpetrate deceptions whenever opportunity permits, and even his friends and loved ones are fair game as far as he's concerned! In any case, a mischievous nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid pulling a fairly harmless prank or deception on a "good target". The Storyteller may raise or lower this penalty in certain circumstances- this is habitual behavior, not compulsive behavior. Novas with this aberration are more likely to indulge in mischief when they're either bored or haven't had much fun lately. Mischievous novas will also suffer an additional +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interacting with those people who have the Bad Temper, Bully, Cold, or No Sense of Humor aberrations/Flaws.

Prankster: Somewhat similar to novas with the Mischievous aberration, a nova with this aberration also likes to play practical jokes and elaborate deceptions on those people that she considers good targets- likely, they will be people whom the nova finds personally offensive in some way. The main difference is that the nova will see nothing wrong with inflicting serious harm on her intended target, especially if the chosen target is really offensive to her! The definition of "good target" will vary with the individual nova's personality- one nova might target people he deems immoral or unethical, while another would target people who are happy and enjoying their lives. In any case, a prankster nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid pulling a potentially harmful prank on deception on a "good target". The Storyteller may raise or lower this penalty in certain circumstances- this is habitual behavior, not compulsive behavior. Witnessing really offensive behavior on the part of a potential target is pretty much guaranteed to provoke a prankster nova, though!

Medium Level-

Cannot Lie: A nova with this aberration has lost the ability to tell (or otherwise communicate) something that he knows is blatantly untruthful. In layman's terms, the nova can't tell bald-faced lies. This isn't as much of a handicap (or a safety margin, depending on your point of view) as one might expect, however. The nova can still deceive others by alternate means- he can mislead by omission or equivocation, and can use illusions to the fullest if he has the appropriate quantum powers to generate them. A nova with this aberration is not compelled to talk (unless he's forced to), but if he does he'll still be able to omit details and twist definitions to suit his purposes.

Intrigue Junkie: While most Mega-Manipulative novas do well enough when they must uncover mysteries and deal with conspiracies, some of them become a little too comfortable in the shadow-world of intrigue. A Mega-Manipulative nova who develops this aberration has an overwhelming attraction for mysteries and conspiracies. Whenever the nova is presented with a mystery or evidence of a plot, he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to resist the impulse to meddle in it or otherwise get himself involved. Given the number of existing mysteries and conspiracies to be found in Aberrant-Era Earth, this aberration can easily get a nova into some very dangerous situations...

Judas Syndrome: A nova with this aberration has developed a very specific- albeit devastating- form of compulsive behavior. If the nova has a relationship with someone that involves the other party having to trust the nova (most socially-oriented backgrounds and a few Merits), the nova will feel driven to betray that other party in some way, usually at the worst possible moment. The Storyteller has full control over which of the nova's relationships will be affected when this aberration comes into play, as a "worst possible moment to betray someone" could come at any time. The nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) in order to resist the compulsion to betray someone. For each 24 hours after the first 24 where the nova fails to betray someone, she will suffer a +1 penalty to all of her difficulties. It should be noted that once an ally, contact, organization, or significant other has been betrayed, the nova will have pretty much destroyed any positive regard that person or organization might have had for her. In game terms, this is usually reflected as a loss of either one dot in the appropriate Background or the appropriate Merit. If the nova survives the aftermath of her betrayal, she has a choice of either letting the Background dot or Merit be lost, or she can spend experience points in order to "buy back" the Background dot or Merit that would've otherwise have been lost. In the latter case the nova has either found someone new to replace the person she betrayed, or has done sufficient politicking and given enough favors to her superiors that they will allow her to retain her position in her organization. Note: Novas with this aberration simply cannot have the True Love Merit. Ever.

Negotiator: For Mega-Manipulative novas, being able to bring other people around to their point of view is usually second nature for them. A nova with this aberration has come to believe in her abilities so much that she rarely even considers the possibility of failure. Whenever the nova is involved in any form of negotiation she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid dragging out a negotiating session for much longer than is necessary and/or sensible, unless the dispute can be settled quickly. This is due to the simple fact that the nova will not give up the attempt to help reach a compromise- unless she makes her Willpower roll, she will flat-out refuse to admit that calm, civil debate isn't feasible (or even possible) in even the most dire situations. The nova must also make a Willpower roll (with the Taint penalty) to avoid attempting to initiate negotiations in even the most absurd circumstances. A nova with this aberration is the one who would walk up to a psychotic, tainted nova on a quantum-powered killing spree and ask him to "settle down so that we can discuss this situation like reasonable novas".

Pathological Liar: A nova with this aberration has developed a specific form of compulsive behavior that drives him to tell lies and deceive other people whenever he can. Whenever the nova has an opportunity to communicate with someone, he must roll Willpower (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid telling a lie. Furthermore, if the nova is prevented from communicating with (and lying to) anyone for 24 hours, the nova will suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all of his rolls until he can lie to someone. The nova will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty for each 24 hour-period of deprivation past the first.

Trickster: A nova with this aberration (a specific form of compulsive behavior) lusts after the thrill of outwitting dangerous foes. This isn't the simple harassment of harmless and/or innocent folks- only foes who can present a genuine threat to the nova will be considered worthy targets for her mischievous activities. Depending on the situation, a "worthy target" might be a single powerful nova, a group of novas, or even a baseline organization! There doesn't have to be any actual need for the nova to go out and pick a fight (and there usually won't be)- the nova's desire for the thrills of a battle of wits and skill is all the justification she thinks she needs. The nova must choose and actively attempt to trick a dangerous target at least once every 24 hours. The nova may roll Willpower in order to restrain herself for a day, but she will suffer a cumulative +1 penalty on the Willpower roll for each day that she fights her own tendency for mischief. If the Willpower roll is failed, the nova will go looking for some trouble ASAP, even to the point of temporarily deserting her comrades if that's what it takes to satisfy her urge.

High Level-

Incredible: The Mega-Manipulative nova who develops this aberration has what could be politely termed a "credibility problem". Whenever he attempts to convince other people of something that he knows to be true, most (if not all) of those who listen to him will dismiss his statement out of hand. Understandably, this can make the nova rather bitter where those people are concerned- after all, they refused to believe him when he attempted to tell them the truth about something important. In game terms, whenever the nova with this aberration tries to make a statement about something that he knows to be true, anyone that's listening to him must make a Willpower roll with a difficulty penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. If the affected being scores even one success on the roll, he or she will believe the nova's statement. Failing the roll means that the affected being will not believe the nova's statement, regardless of the nova's previous record for accuracy and/or honesty, unless developing circumstances prove the nova to have been correct. (It's typically far too late for anything to be done about the situation by then, though...) A botch on the roll means that the affected being will not only disbelieve the nova's statement, but that he or she will condemn it as utter nonsense, even after developing circumstances prove the nova to have been correct! Inspired beings with either the Common Sense Merit or the Prudence (Mega-Wits) enhancement are automatically immune to the effects of this aberration. Baselines and other non-Inspired beings with the Common Sense Merit gain a -4 difficulty bonus on the Willpower roll to resist the effects of this aberration.

Misinterpreted: While most Mega-Manipulative novas are past masters at getting their point across, those who develop this aberration tend to experience problems with information distortion. Whenever the nova is attempting to communicate with more than one non-Inspired being at a time, all such beings among his audience must make a Willpower roll with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint. (This aberration affects all means of communication.) Success on the roll means that the nova has gotten his message across to that baseline without any distortion. Failing the roll means that the baseline will accept a distorted account of the nova's message (thought up by the Storyteller beforehand) as being true. Depending on the details of the nova's message and how much it's been distorted, this could lead to some interesting complications... A botch on the Willpower roll indicates that the baseline accepts an account of the nova's message that's distorted enough to pose a disastrous threat to the plans and aims of the nova with this aberration. Note: This aberration has no effect whatsoever on the Inspired, nor does it affect baselines who don't understand the language used in the nova's message. For some reason, this aberration tends to be most frequently manifested by those novas who manage to set up large cults centered around themselves...

>Mega-Charisma

Low Level-

Convivial: For a nova who develops this aberration, the company of other people (preferably in large numbers) is absolutely vital to his psychological well-being. This outright addiction to frequent social contact will lead the nova to ignore up to 2 points of any difficulty penalties on Social rolls that would otherwise apply- say, like when a highly-tainted nova tries to associate with her less-tainted colleagues... The nova will be utterly miserable when alone, and will suffer a +2 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls when isolated in this manner. (Storyteller Note: This must be roleplayed!) If the nova is in a group of four or less, he'll be somewhat less than miserable, but he won't exactly be happy, either. In this case, the nova suffers only a +1 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls until he's around a larger group of people.

Fanatic: People have dedicated their lives to various causes throughout human history. Why should one expect novas to be any different? A nova with this aberration believes strongly enough in a given cause (his country, religion, faction, what-have-you) that he is willing to put it ahead of everything else in his life. If following his chosen cause means adhering to a defined code of behavior, he'll follow that rigidly, no matter what those people who don't work for the cause say about him. If the cause requires obedience to a leader, the nova will serve with total loyalty. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to disobey the dictates of his cause in even the slightest way.

Flippant: Novas with this aberration are nearly incapable of taking anything seriously. They will make jokes about about a man's many illicit love affairs while speaking at his funeral! For some reason, they never quite manage to figure out why some of their audiences tend to turn hostile towards them... As could only be expected, this lack of respect for social status, propriety, and the world in general tends to make these novas somewhat difficult to get along with. There's one exception to this, though: Flippant novas won't joke about things and events that they find horrifying. (This is the major difference between this aberration and Twisted Sense of Humor- see the listing below for details.) In all social situations where seriousness, politeness and courtesy are expected; these novas will suffer a difficulty penalty of +2 in addition to the normal Taint-derived penalty for social interaction with baselines. For ease of comparison, Morph (from Marvel Comics' "Age of Apocalypse" and "Exiles" titles) is a great example of a nova with this aberration.

Four-Color Caricature: Possibly as a result of reading too many third-rate comics as a kid, a nova with this aberration has bought heavily into the lore of the four-color superhero (or supervillain). This specific form of delusion will lead the nova to wear an outlandish costume (complete with utility belt), give unbearably corny speeches, and generally act as if he'd just stepped out of a Superfriends episode. This kind of behavior is extremely embarrassing to most other novas, who will ostracize and/or mock the nova if given the chance. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers a +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with other novas who don't share his four-color worldview. While many baselines will idolize the nova as a living incarnation of what they think all novas should be; those with common sense will tend to think that the nova is 1: a clownish fool, 2: certifiably insane, 3: an elite wannabe, or 4: all of the above. The nova is quite likely to be a regular subject of trashy tabloid newspapers. Note: For some reason, all novas who develop this aberration possess neither the Common Sense Merit nor the Prudence enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Gravitas: For ancient Romans during the non-decadent phases of the Empire, being serious wasn't just a personality trait- it was a virtue to be upheld and practiced for the entirety of one's adult life. A nova with this aberration has taken this idea to an extreme; as he will comport himself in a serious, stern, and grave manner at all times. Even little things like cracking a smile or chuckling at a good joke are useless frivolities where a nova with this aberration is concerned. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to express any "frivolous" feelings of enthusiasm, happiness, joy, or amusement that he might feel. This pathological dourness will result in an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls on interactions with other people (including other novas) where expressing levity and happiness is either expected or would be of benefit to the nova. Understandably, these novas don't get invited to many parties. This difficulty penalty is doubled in the case of novas with the Flippant, Twisted Sense of Humor, or Mischievous aberrations. Unless those novas have some means of detecting the emotions of the nova with this aberration, they will see him as either an excellent butt for their jests or as a stick-in-the-mud that's in serious need of lightening up. As one could expect, their attempts to amuse the nova with this aberration rarely work out very well. Oddly enough, the nova will receive a -2 difficulty bonus on Social rolls for interactions with novas who have the No Sense of Humor aberration, as they will appreciate the serious demeanor of a nova with this aberration.

Screwball Magnet: A nova with this aberration is so likable and charming that she can attract friendly people to her without even trying. Unfortunately for the nova, not one of these new friends will be quite right in the head. All kinds of confused, eccentric, and downright insane people (including novas gone mad due to mental aberration) will regard the nova as being both appealing and sympathetic. They will invariably have a good initial reaction to the nova; and will want to tell her their life stories, whacked-out conspiracy theories, personal delusions, and so on. After having to listen about why scuba gear is vital attire for formal parties, how Project Utopia and the Teragen are both unwitting pawns of a conspiracy to prevent Lyndon LaRouche from saving Western Civilization from domination by the British Royal Family, and that the U.N. is secretly run by a hidden colony of genetically engineered hyperintelligent ringtail lemurs; even the most tolerant nova might become something of a recluse- or a misanthrope.

Soft Touch: A nova with this aberration has simply lost most of his better judgment where his compassion for other people is concerned. If a panhandler asks him for some change, the nova will tend be too open-handed to refuse, and will likely give cash instead of coins. If the nova sees someone in distress, he'll more than likely rush over and give whatever aid he can, even if he has pressing business elsewhere. The nova will listen sincerely to requests for large-scale financial aid and charitable donations where others would brush them off- he tends to fall for good hard-luck stories. (If the nova's flat broke at the time, he'll make profuse apologies for not being able to help out.) And yes, the nova will do his best to rescue kittens that have climbed up trees and are too scared to get back down by themselves. Note that novas with this aberration aren't hopeless suckers- they simply tend to feel guilty over having won their novahood in what is essentially a genetic lottery, and being better off than so many ordinary humans as a result. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid giving some sort of aid to those in need, even if ignoring the situation would be for his own benefit or that of the greater good. While this presents obvious difficulties in successfully carrying out missions, the nova will likely gain a positive reputation among devout Buddhists, Muslims, and many varieties of Christians; as well as the people he has helped.

Tactless: Mega-Charismatic novas who develop this aberration become somewhat apathetic to the needs and feelings of other people. While having Mega-Charisma ensures that others will find them likable (at first), they tend to have both the sensitivity of a cinder block and a near-incomprehesion of tact. As can be expected, this brutal honesty can make social interactions difficult, even with other novas. Novas with this aberration have to make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his or her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid saying exactly what they think about a situation, regardless of whether their words would cause other people pain and/or anger. Also, novas with this aberration cannot possess or develop the Natural Empath enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Twisted Sense of Humor: Due to a slight structural alteration in a certain area of her brain, the nova with this aberration gradually starts expanding her definition of what's amusing. The nova will tend to find humor in even the most horrifying situations- what's more, she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to keep from expressing her amusement in some way. Note that this isn't a defense mechanism against the horrors of gruesome sights- the nova genuinely sees that sort of thing as being funny! This differs from Flippant in that nothing is sacred to a nova with this aberration- if she found her mother had committed suicide with a shotgun, she would make jokes about her old lady "going out with a bang." Understandably, the nova will suffer an additional +3 difficulty penalty on her Social rolls for interacting with people who don't share her definition of humor. She may also suffer greater penalties on her Social rolls with anyone who was close to the victim(s) of a horrific event that the nova jokes about. For ease of comparison, the Joker (from DC Comics) is the hands-down classic example of a nova with this aberration. If you're looking for a comedian with a healthier sense of humor, see the Flippant aberration (listed above).

Medium Level-

Glory Hound : This aberration is an extreme version of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72). Whereas overconfident novas tend to overestimate their abilities, a nova with this aberration will do so to an absurd degree. She will invariably insist on doing whatever it takes to be in the spotlight- she'll take the greatest risks, lead the charge, and make complex plans that hinge on her abilities. In any situation where an assessment of the nova's abilities is a factor, the Storyteller will make glaringly obvious exaggerations. The nova must also make a Willpower roll at a difficulty penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interacting with baselines to back down from a direct challenge to her abilities. Side effects of this aberration include a willingness to talk to the media, pose for photographs or video cameras, and sign autographs at the slightest opportunity. The nova may make a Willpower roll to resist the effects of this aberration for one scene, but will feel distinctly uncomfortable doing so. Novas with this aberration tend to be adored by the media, children, and teenagers; but are likewise regarded as egotistical jerks by their colleagues and fellow novas.

Heartthrob: Mega-Charismatic novas with the Seductive enhancement may also develop this aberration- see the full-length listing under Mega-Appearance aberrations for details.

Hubris: Ever since the time of ancient Greece, scholars have known the dangers of hubris. This mixture of overweening pride, overconfidence and arrogance has been the downfall of many baselines throughout human history. How much more dangerous is it, then, when developed by a nova? A nova with this specific form of delusion will look down her nose at novas from factions other than her own, not to mention less-powerful novas from her own faction. (And that's not even touching on her extremely low opinion of baselines!) The nova will consider herself to be the perfect choice to lead whatever group she deigns to associate with, and also the nova best-suited for any task. Keeping the condescension and disdain out of her voice when dealing with other people is a difficult trial for her at best. Aside from suffering the effects of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72), a nova with this aberration must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid acting like an conceited, elitist jerk. This behavior will make the nova unpopular, netting her an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with those people she sees as her inferiors (read: just about everyone else). A hubris-stricken nova will also have trouble accepting responsibility for her own failures, and will instead place the blame on one of her "inferiors". Note: Hubris-stricken novas don't get along at all with novas who have the Glory Hound aberration- in this case, any social difficulty penalties that may apply are doubled!

Party Animal: A nova with this aberration has a hard time resisting the urge to party, and he will usually do so at the drop of a hat. The nova will try any kind of pharmaceutical party favor or beverage that is offered to him; and isn't picky about his romantic partners, provided that they're hot. He likes his music loud and trendy, and prefers to wake up at the crack of noon to a cold beer. If the nova isn't already a regular at places like the Phoenix Room (aka the Amp Room prior to 2015) or StarLord's Cafe yet, he soon will be. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid joining or starting a party whenever the opportunity presents itself, even if the party is one that the nova should avoid attending for some reason (not being invited to a private party, people the nova should avoid are attending, or the nova is currently attempting to lie low and avoid attracting attention). He'll avoid empty bars and nightclubs in favor of ones that are filled with people- and if they're being quiet, the nova must roll Willpower (also with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to keep from doing his best to liven things up and get the party going. Once the party's started, the nova will always stay for an hour, after which he may make another Willpower roll- if the roll fails, he'll stay at the party until he's thrown out or the party winds down on its own. Additionally, the nova will suffer a further +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interactions with sober-minded people- extremely dour folk such as fundamentalists will incur a penalty of +2 or worse! The flipside of this is that the nova gains a -1 difficulty bonus on all Social rolls with extroverted people and other folk who love a good party.

Romance Junkie: Sometime during the mid-Twentieth Century, the feeling of sexual attraction came to be referred to in slang as "chemistry". Ironically this term is quite accurate: the human brain produces a natural "love potion" known as phenylethylamine (PEA) that acts as the chemical basis for sexual attraction. And like many other mind-altering substances, it is possible for humans to become addicted to it- and novas are no exception. Whenever a nova with this aberration has any sort of encounter with an attractive member of the gender he or she is oriented towards, a Willpower roll must be made (with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint) to avoid falling in love with that person. As a result of this addiction/compulsion, the nova will fall all over him- or herself trying to please his or her current beloved. Additionally, the nova must also make a Willpower roll (again with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to resist a request from his or her beloved. If she deems it appropriate, the Storyteller might alter the penalty depending on how much fulfilling the request would cost the nova. If the nova's beloved accepts his or her affections, the nova will become the stereotypical overpossessive boy- or girlfriend- the nova will be despondent when his or her object of affection isn't around, extremely jealous if others show an interest in his or her beloved, and generally oblivious to the world unless outside circumstances threaten the nova's relationship. The nova will also engage in frequent PDA's- public displays of affection- regardless of whether or not such acts are a bad idea or simply inappropriate at the time. It should be noted that the nova's beloved doesn't have to be sincere in accepting the nova's affection in order to keep the nova living in this romantic daze. Unless the nova has some means of detecting the lack of real affection on part of his or her beloved or is presented with strong evidence that proves it, he or she will have to make a Willpower roll (with the Taint penalty) in order to realize the faithlessness of his or her beloved. Otherwise, the relationship could go on for years, decades, or centuries! If the nova's beloved rejects his or her affections or if the nova cannot meet anyone appealing, he or she will become depressed (and suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all rolls) until he or she encounters another attractive person of the correct gender...

Romantic Irresistibility: A nova with this aberration has a dangerous knack for making people attracted to members of the nova's gender fall in love with him or her without any warning. If such a person makes eye contact with the nova, she/he must make a resisted Willpower roll against the nova's total dice pool for Seduction. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. The number of net successes gained by the nova determines the degree of love-sickness the victim develops. One success indicates a mild crush, while 5 or more indicates a haunting obsession. The victim will have no reason (at first) to believe that his or her feelings for the nova aren't genuine- depending on how things develop with the nova, they may soon actually become genuine! This effect is impossible for the nova to predict or guard against, and occurs without any warning (read: the Storyteller has total control over when, where, and with whom this happens. This is best used for purposes of subplot or pure mischief on the Storyteller's part!). Novas who develop this aberration soon find that their social lives will rival the most convoluted soap-opera plots ever to grace the schedules of daytime television.

Sinister: Something about a nova with this aberration really sets baseline humans on edge. The nova may be pleasant company, a stimulating conversationalist and a charming dinner guest, but still that undefinable quality about him raises their hackles- they won't be immediately hostile, but they will be somewhat uneasy. They can't really put a finger on the reason for it, but most baselines the nova encounters won't trust him any farther than one of them could throw a Main Battle Tank. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers twice his normal Taint-derived difficulty penalty on Social rolls where gaining the trust of baselines is concerned. There is one exception to this, however: baselines with Willpower scores equal to or greater than the nova's permanent Taint score can ignore the effects of this aberration. Baselines with the Common Sense Merit have an effective +2 to their Willpower scores for purposes of this aberration. This aberration also has no effect whatsoever on any variety of Inspired beings.

High Level-

Prima Donna: The nova with this aberration is extremely self-centered and conceited, and insists that she be recognized by people the world over as literally being the best in her field (not wholly unreasonable for a nova). If the nova hears that someone is better at her chosen pursuit than she is, she will seek to challenge the "upstart" to a public competition ASAP to determine who is the proverbial "Number 1". The nova will use the reactions of the competition's audience as the indicator or victory or loss. If the nova wins the competition, she will limit herself to verbal gloating over her victory. It's when the nova loses that things will get hairy- the nova will then and there vow to make her rival's life a living hell, and then proceed to do so. The nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid following these courses of action. Novas with this aberration will rack up impressive lists of enemies, to say the least. (Note: This aberrati

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Whoops! Looks like the Mega-Social aberrations listing has finally gotten too big for its' britches! I'll go ahead and carve up the original document into 3 sections for ease of use and posting- in the meantime, here's the complete listing of the Mega-Charisma aberrations for our e-book project.

>3: MEGA-CHARISMA

a: Low-level: Convivial, Fanatic, Flippant, Four-Color Caricature, Gravitas, Screwball Magnet, Soft Touch, Tactless, Twisted Sense of Humor.

b: Medium-level: Glory Hound, Heartthrob*, Hubris, Party Animal, Romance Junkie, Romantic Irresistibility*, Sinister.

c: High-level: Prima Donna, Sponge.

Low Level-

Convivial: For a nova who develops this aberration, the company of other people (preferably in large numbers) is absolutely vital to his psychological well-being. This outright addiction to frequent social contact will lead the nova to ignore up to 2 points of any difficulty penalties on Social rolls that would otherwise apply- say, like when a highly-tainted nova tries to associate with her less-tainted colleagues... The nova will be utterly miserable when alone, and will suffer a +2 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls when isolated in this manner. (Storyteller Note: This must be roleplayed!) If the nova is in a group of four or less, he'll be somewhat less than miserable, but he won't exactly be happy, either. In this case, the nova suffers only a +1 difficulty penalty on all Mental rolls until he's around a larger group of people.

Fanatic: People have dedicated their lives to various causes throughout human history. Why should one expect novas to be any different? A nova with this aberration believes strongly enough in a given cause (his country, religion, faction, what-have-you) that he is willing to put it ahead of everything else in his life. If following his chosen cause means adhering to a defined code of behavior, he'll follow that rigidly, no matter what those people who don't work for the cause say about him. If the cause requires obedience to a leader, the nova will serve with total loyalty. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to disobey the dictates of his cause in even the slightest way.

Flippant: Novas with this aberration are nearly incapable of taking anything seriously. They will make jokes about about a man's many illicit love affairs while speaking at his funeral! For some reason, they never quite manage to figure out why some of their audiences tend to turn hostile towards them... As could only be expected, this lack of respect for social status, propriety, and the world in general tends to make these novas somewhat difficult to get along with. There's one exception to this, though: Flippant novas won't joke about things and events that they find horrifying. (This is the major difference between this aberration and Twisted Sense of Humor- see the listing below for details.) In all social situations where seriousness, politeness and courtesy are expected; these novas will suffer a difficulty penalty of +2 in addition to the normal Taint-derived penalty for social interaction with baselines. For ease of comparison, Morph (from Marvel Comics' "Age of Apocalypse" and "Exiles" titles) is a great example of a nova with this aberration.

Four-Color Caricature: Possibly as a result of reading too many third-rate comics as a kid, a nova with this aberration has bought heavily into the lore of the four-color superhero (or supervillain). This specific form of delusion will lead the nova to wear an outlandish costume (complete with utility belt), give unbearably corny speeches, and generally act as if he'd just stepped out of a Superfriends episode. This kind of behavior is extremely embarrassing to most other novas, who will ostracize and/or mock the nova if given the chance. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers a +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with other novas who don't share his four-color worldview. While many baselines will idolize the nova as a living incarnation of what they think all novas should be; those with common sense will tend to think that the nova is 1: a clownish fool, 2: certifiably insane, 3: an elite wannabe, or 4: all of the above. The nova is quite likely to be a regular subject of trashy tabloid newspapers. Note: For some reason, all novas who develop this aberration possess neither the Common Sense Merit nor the Prudence enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Gravitas: For ancient Romans during the non-decadent phases of the Empire, being serious wasn't just a personality trait- it was a virtue to be upheld and practiced for the entirety of one's adult life. A nova with this aberration has taken this idea to an extreme; as he will comport himself in a serious, stern, and grave manner at all times. Even little things like cracking a smile or chuckling at a good joke are useless frivolities where a nova with this aberration is concerned. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) in order to express any "frivolous" feelings of enthusiasm, happiness, joy, or amusement that he might feel. This pathological dourness will result in an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls on interactions with other people (including other novas) where expressing levity and happiness is either expected or would be of benefit to the nova. Understandably, these novas don't get invited to many parties. This difficulty penalty is doubled in the case of novas with the Flippant, Twisted Sense of Humor, or Mischievous aberrations. Unless those novas have some means of detecting the emotions of the nova with this aberration, they will see him as either an excellent butt for their jests or as a stick-in-the-mud that's in serious need of lightening up. As one could expect, their attempts to amuse the nova with this aberration rarely work out very well. Oddly enough, the nova will receive a -2 difficulty bonus on Social rolls for interactions with novas who have the No Sense of Humor aberration, as they will appreciate the serious demeanor of a nova with this aberration.

Screwball Magnet: A nova with this aberration is so likable and charming that she can attract friendly people to her without even trying. Unfortunately for the nova, not one of these new friends will be quite right in the head. All kinds of confused, eccentric, and downright insane people (including novas gone mad due to mental aberration) will regard the nova as being both appealing and sympathetic. They will invariably have a good initial reaction to the nova; and will want to tell her their life stories, whacked-out conspiracy theories, personal delusions, and so on. After having to listen about why scuba gear is vital attire for formal parties, how Project Utopia and the Teragen are both unwitting pawns of a conspiracy to prevent Lyndon LaRouche from saving Western Civilization from domination by the British Royal Family, and that the U.N. is secretly run by a hidden colony of genetically engineered hyperintelligent ringtail lemurs; even the most tolerant nova might become something of a recluse- or a misanthrope.

Soft Touch: A nova with this aberration has simply lost most of his better judgment where his compassion for other people is concerned. If a panhandler asks him for some change, the nova will tend be too open-handed to refuse, and will likely give cash instead of coins. If the nova sees someone in distress, he'll more than likely rush over and give whatever aid he can, even if he has pressing business elsewhere. The nova will listen sincerely to requests for large-scale financial aid and charitable donations where others would brush them off- he tends to fall for good hard-luck stories. (If the nova's flat broke at the time, he'll make profuse apologies for not being able to help out.) And yes, the nova will do his best to rescue kittens that have climbed up trees and are too scared to get back down by themselves. Note that novas with this aberration aren't hopeless suckers- they simply tend to feel guilty over having won their novahood in what is essentially a genetic lottery, and being better off than so many ordinary humans as a result. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid giving some sort of aid to those in need, even if ignoring the situation would be for his own benefit or that of the greater good. While this presents obvious difficulties in successfully carrying out missions, the nova will likely gain a positive reputation among devout Buddhists, Muslims, and many varieties of Christians; as well as the people he has helped.

Tactless: Mega-Charismatic novas who develop this aberration become somewhat apathetic to the needs and feelings of other people. While having Mega-Charisma ensures that others will find them likable (at first), they tend to have both the sensitivity of a cinder block and a near-incomprehesion of tact. As can be expected, this brutal honesty can make social interactions difficult, even with other novas. Novas with this aberration have to make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his or her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interactions with baselines) to avoid saying exactly what they think about a situation, regardless of whether their words would cause other people pain and/or anger. Also, novas with this aberration cannot possess or develop the Natural Empath enhancement of Mega-Wits.

Twisted Sense of Humor: Due to a slight structural alteration in a certain area of her brain, the nova with this aberration gradually starts expanding her definition of what's amusing. The nova will tend to find humor in even the most horrifying situations- what's more, she must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to keep from expressing her amusement in some way. Note that this isn't a defense mechanism against the horrors of gruesome sights- the nova genuinely sees that sort of thing as being funny! This differs from Flippant in that nothing is sacred to a nova with this aberration- if she found her mother had committed suicide with a shotgun, she would make jokes about her old lady "going out with a bang." Understandably, the nova will suffer an additional +3 difficulty penalty on her Social rolls for interacting with people who don't share her definition of humor. She may also suffer greater penalties on her Social rolls with anyone who was close to the victim(s) of a horrific event that the nova jokes about. For ease of comparison, the Joker (from DC Comics) is the hands-down classic example of a nova with this aberration. If you're looking for a comedian with a healthier sense of humor, see the Flippant aberration (listed above).

Medium Level-

Glory Hound : This aberration is an extreme version of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72). Whereas overconfident novas tend to overestimate their abilities, a nova with this aberration will do so to an absurd degree. She will invariably insist on doing whatever it takes to be in the spotlight- she'll take the greatest risks, lead the charge, and make complex plans that hinge on her abilities. In any situation where an assessment of the nova's abilities is a factor, the Storyteller will make glaringly obvious exaggerations. The nova must also make a Willpower roll at a difficulty penalty equal to her Taint-derived penalty on Social rolls for interacting with baselines to back down from a direct challenge to her abilities. Side effects of this aberration include a willingness to talk to the media, pose for photographs or video cameras, and sign autographs at the slightest opportunity. The nova may make a Willpower roll to resist the effects of this aberration for one scene, but will feel distinctly uncomfortable doing so. Novas with this aberration tend to be adored by the media, children, and teenagers; but are likewise regarded as egotistical jerks by their colleagues and fellow novas.

Heartthrob: Mega-Charismatic novas with the Seductive enhancement may also develop this aberration- see the full-length listing under Mega-Appearance aberrations for details.

Hubris: Ever since the time of ancient Greece, scholars have known the dangers of hubris. This mixture of overweening pride, overconfidence and arrogance has been the downfall of many baselines throughout human history. How much more dangerous is it, then, when developed by a nova? A nova with this specific form of delusion will look down her nose at novas from factions other than her own, not to mention less-powerful novas from her own faction. (And that's not even touching on her extremely low opinion of baselines!) The nova will consider herself to be the perfect choice to lead whatever group she deigns to associate with, and also the nova best-suited for any task. Keeping the condescension and disdain out of her voice when dealing with other people is a difficult trial for her at best. Aside from suffering the effects of the Overconfidence Flaw (see the Aberrant Player's Guide, page 72), a nova with this aberration must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid acting like an conceited, elitist jerk. This behavior will make the nova unpopular, netting her an additional +2 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls with those people she sees as her inferiors (read: just about everyone else). A hubris-stricken nova will also have trouble accepting responsibility for her own failures, and will instead place the blame on one of her "inferiors". Note: Hubris-stricken novas don't get along at all with novas who have the Glory Hound aberration- in this case, any social difficulty penalties that may apply are doubled!

Party Animal: A nova with this aberration has a hard time resisting the urge to party, and he will usually do so at the drop of a hat. The nova will try any kind of pharmaceutical party favor or beverage that is offered to him; and isn't picky about his romantic partners, provided that they're hot. He likes his music loud and trendy, and prefers to wake up at the crack of noon to a cold beer. If the nova isn't already a regular at places like the Phoenix Room (aka the Amp Room prior to 2015) or StarLord's Cafe yet, he soon will be. In game terms, the nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid joining or starting a party whenever the opportunity presents itself, even if the party is one that the nova should avoid attending for some reason (not being invited to a private party, people the nova should avoid are attending, or the nova is currently attempting to lie low and avoid attracting attention). He'll avoid empty bars and nightclubs in favor of ones that are filled with people- and if they're being quiet, the nova must roll Willpower (also with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to keep from doing his best to liven things up and get the party going. Once the party's started, the nova will always stay for an hour, after which he may make another Willpower roll- if the roll fails, he'll stay at the party until he's thrown out or the party winds down on its own. Additionally, the nova will suffer a further +1 difficulty penalty on all Social rolls for interactions with sober-minded people- extremely dour folk such as fundamentalists will incur a penalty of +2 or worse! The flipside of this is that the nova gains a -1 difficulty bonus on all Social rolls with extroverted people and other folk who love a good party.

Romance Junkie: Sometime during the mid-Twentieth Century, the feeling of sexual attraction came to be referred to in slang as "chemistry". Ironically this term is quite accurate: the human brain produces a natural "love potion" known as phenylethylamine (PEA) that acts as the chemical basis for sexual attraction. And like many other mind-altering substances, it is possible for humans to become addicted to it- and novas are no exception. Whenever a nova with this aberration has any sort of encounter with an attractive member of the gender he or she is oriented towards, a Willpower roll must be made (with a penalty equal to the nova's permanent Taint) to avoid falling in love with that person. As a result of this addiction/compulsion, the nova will fall all over him- or herself trying to please his or her current beloved. Additionally, the nova must also make a Willpower roll (again with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to resist a request from his or her beloved. If she deems it appropriate, the Storyteller might alter the penalty depending on how much fulfilling the request would cost the nova. If the nova's beloved accepts his or her affections, the nova will become the stereotypical overpossessive boy- or girlfriend- the nova will be despondent when his or her object of affection isn't around, extremely jealous if others show an interest in his or her beloved, and generally oblivious to the world unless outside circumstances threaten the nova's relationship. The nova will also engage in frequent PDA's- public displays of affection- regardless of whether or not such acts are a bad idea or simply inappropriate at the time. It should be noted that the nova's beloved doesn't have to be sincere in accepting the nova's affection in order to keep the nova living in this romantic daze. Unless the nova has some means of detecting the lack of real affection on part of his or her beloved or is presented with strong evidence that proves it, he or she will have to make a Willpower roll (with the Taint penalty) in order to realize the faithlessness of his or her beloved. Otherwise, the relationship could go on for years, decades, or centuries! If the nova's beloved rejects his or her affections or if the nova cannot meet anyone appealing, he or she will become depressed (and suffer a +1 difficulty penalty on all rolls) until he or she encounters another attractive person of the correct gender...

Romantic Irresistibility: A nova with this aberration has a dangerous knack for making people attracted to members of the nova's gender fall in love with him or her without any warning. If such a person makes eye contact with the nova, she/he must make a resisted Willpower roll against the nova's total dice pool for Seduction. The victim also suffers a penalty on the Willpower roll equal to the nova's Taint-derived penalty on rolls for social interactions with baselines. The number of net successes gained by the nova determines the degree of love-sickness the victim develops. One success indicates a mild crush, while 5 or more indicates a haunting obsession. The victim will have no reason (at first) to believe that his or her feelings for the nova aren't genuine- depending on how things develop with the nova, they may soon actually become genuine! This effect is impossible for the nova to predict or guard against, and occurs without any warning (read: the Storyteller has total control over when, where, and with whom this happens. This is best used for purposes of subplot or pure mischief on the Storyteller's part!). Novas who develop this aberration soon find that their social lives will rival the most convoluted soap-opera plots ever to grace the schedules of daytime television.

Sinister: Something about a nova with this aberration really sets baseline humans on edge. The nova may be pleasant company, a stimulating conversationalist and a charming dinner guest, but still that undefinable quality about him raises their hackles- they won't be immediately hostile, but they will be somewhat uneasy. They can't really put a finger on the reason for it, but most baselines the nova encounters won't trust him any farther than one of them could throw a Main Battle Tank. In game terms, a nova with this aberration suffers twice his normal Taint-derived difficulty penalty on Social rolls where gaining the trust of baselines is concerned. There is one exception to this, however: baselines with Willpower scores equal to or greater than the nova's permanent Taint score can ignore the effects of this aberration. Baselines with the Common Sense Merit have an effective +2 to their Willpower scores for purposes of this aberration. This aberration also has no effect whatsoever on any variety of Inspired beings.

High Level-

Prima Donna: The nova with this aberration is extremely self-centered and conceited, and insists that she be recognized by people the world over as literally being the best in her field (not wholly unreasonable for a nova). If the nova hears that someone is better at her chosen pursuit than she is, she will seek to challenge the "upstart" to a public competition ASAP to determine who is the proverbial "Number 1". The nova will use the reactions of the competition's audience as the indicator or victory or loss. If the nova wins the competition, she will limit herself to verbal gloating over her victory. It's when the nova loses that things will get hairy- the nova will then and there vow to make her rival's life a living hell, and then proceed to do so. The nova must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to her permanent Taint) to avoid following these courses of action. Novas with this aberration will rack up impressive lists of enemies, to say the least. (Note: This aberration is not limited to female novas- male novas can be every bit as conceited and egotistical!)

Sponge: Mega-Charismatic novas often seem to have the world for their oyster- everywhere they go, people are practically (sometimes literally) falling over themselves to serve their slightest whims. Receiving this sort of treatment on a constant basis can lead to a sense of entitlement on the part of a Mega-Charismatic nova, and Taint accumulation only makes this problem worse. A nova with this aberration will expect to receive the proverbial "red-carpet treatment" at all times, no matter where he goes or who he deals with. If he gets it, everything's fine as far as the nova's concerned- he's gotten his just due. The problem occurs when the nova isn't treated in this ostentatious manner- he must make a Willpower roll (with a penalty equal to his permanent Taint) to avoid demanding that he be given what he thinks is his due. If that demand isn't met, the nova will become very angry, and will likely resort to physical force in expressing his displeasure.

Until Archer21 and CHILL release the details on EON's new address, I'll be loking over my reference material for potential aberrations based off of Mega-Ugliness. Again, if any of you havve got ideas on that subject, let me know!

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Which leads me to this question- Are we going to do a separate section focused on the "Mega-Ugliness" version of Mega-Appearance? And if so, should I begin compiling a listing of alternate Mega-Appearance aberrations derived from Mega-Ugliness? Prof. Potts seemed to think the idea was worthwhile, and after some serious thought, I have to agree. What do you guys think?

We will make a large note of it at the very least. A paragraph or two minimum.

Good stuff there...to emphasise the aberrations I could actually give them to Mr. Ugly-Nova from the cult. A few things ar egoing to be changed around on that btw. Most notably the names of the people. MY wife actually took french in college and knows of a few beter french names other then Pierre (which, I was pointed out to, is the real name of the nova and the peon).

One a different note...everyone go ahead and save a copy of this thread so that we make sure not to lose anything. When the new threads are put up ill make a new lineup with all links that we have and need involved.

Good stuff!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, looks like the site transfer worked out all right... whew! ::biggrin

Now that my own PC is back in working condition again, I'll be posting what I've managed to come up with for Mega-Ugliness-derived aberrations in a day or so. Luckily, I've managed to come up with quite a few of them, but not all of them are terribly original. But seeing as we're talking about horrifying deformities that the WoD's creative minds have been coming up with for their fomori and other horrid beasties for over 10 years now, I haven't exactly been wandering in unexplored territory here.

I will have the Mega-Ugliness aberrations listing posted, once I get them cleaned up and dressed nicely. Your suggestions are still welcome, of course!

P.S.- If we're going to seriously try to develop Mega-Ugliness as an alternative version of Mega-Appearance, we probably should come up with five or so new enhancements for it. I think I'll be taking a shot at coming up with at least a few of them once the aberrations are finished.

LONG LIVE EON! ::devilangel

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Re: t-dev's question about an "saintly facade" enhancement-

I think I've seen this posted on the Net somewhere- basically, someone took the Sanctity Merit (as seen in Guide To The Sabbat) and made it over into a Mega-Charisma enhancement. I'll look through my hardcopy records and will post it here for you lot to look over. If I can find the website of the guy who came up with it (assuming it still exists), I'll give the Web address as well. Will be back in a day or so.

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All right, folks. Here's the listings for the Mega-Ugliness-derived aberrations that I promised to post on this forum a while back. Take a look at them and feel free to tell me what you think. As it stands, I've got all of the low-level and medium-level aberrations taken care of, plus one high-level aberration. All I lack is another good high-level aberration. Barring any massive revisions that may be requested, this listing seems to be just about finished- but I could really use some help with that empty high-level slot! Any ideas?

MEGA-UGLINESS ABERRATIONS-

>Low-level: Cyclops, Deformed Cranium, Disease Stigmata, Gill Flaps, Infested, Lipless, Neurofibroma, Spurs, Throat Sac.

>Medium-level: Altered Mouth, Cephalothorax, Mega-Filthy, Myriad Feature, Psyche Mirror, Skinless.

>High-level: Alien Visage, aberration.

Low Level-

Cyclops: Instead of having two eyes, a nova with this aberration has only one eye, which is situated directly above his nose. Aside from the difficulties of having only one functional eye (+1 difficulty to all ranged attack and dodge rolls, +2 difficulty to Perception rolls); the nova will be unable to use many kinds of eye-protection and vision-enhancing devices.

Deformed Cranium: The shape of the nova's skull becomes altered by Taint. Possible deformities include a Mayan-style bound head, craniosyntosis, or a skull that comes to a point on the top (anyone remember Zippy the Pinhead?). As permanent Taint accumulates, this could lead to a head structure as inhuman and bizarre as that of the aberrant Anders Nash (see Darkness Revealed 1: Descent Into Darkness, for Trinity).

Disease Stigmata: The Taint of a nova with this aberration cosmetically mimics the disfiguring efects of a specific disease chosen by the Storyteller. Despite appearances (pun intended), the nova suffers no actual effects of the disease beyond the disfigurement. While this aberration can aid the nova in passing himself off as a diseased baseline, he likewise runs the risk of being mistaken for a contagious disease-carrier.

Gill Flaps: The nova has manifested nonfunctional gills on either his cheeks or the sides of his neck. While both versions are incredibly obvious, having large apetures in your cheeks can make dining in polite company a trial at best.

Infested: The nova is covered with some form of parasitic vermin or microlife (algae, fungi, bacterial colonies, etc.) that literally lives off of his body. Aside from making the nova bear a strong resemblance to day-old roadkill, the infesting organisms will cause 1 health level of bashing damage per day due to their constant feeding off of the nova's flesh. If the infesting organisms are flight-capable insects, they might also swarm around the nova, incurring a difficulty penalty on the nova's Stealth rolls equal to his permanent Taint. Infested novas with the Regeneration enhancement can choose to forfeit a quantum point instead of the health level, as they can heal the damage quickly for a price. Infested novas with the Adaptability enhancement will find that it will allow whatever's infesting them to survive right along with them; so the nova can't get rid of the infestation by taking a quick bath in molten lava, for example.

Lipless: The nova's lips have withered away, leaving his teeth and gums constantly exposed. Aside from looking fairly unpleasant, this aberration also results in constant drooling and an impediment of the nova's speech. Unless the nova wears a mask covering his lower face, he can expect people to reflexively shudder in disgust when they first catch sight of him.

Neurofibroma: Benign tumors sprout from the nova's flesh at a chosen location on the nova's skin surface. The tumors may either take the form of spheroid 'bubbles' or 'floppy folds of flesh'- both varieties look awful and can cause difficulties in using certain equipment. As the nova's permanent Taint accumulates, the tumors will eventually grow to cover most or all of his skin surface. Depending on the partculars of this aberration, this can lead to the nova manifesting other aberrations later on- Oozing Skin if the spheroid tumors begin leaking bodily fluids, Sensory Impairment if the fold tumors grow from the nova's face, and so forth.

Spurs: The nova has sprouted spiny projections of some sort at various body locations- they cannot be used to do any real damage (that requires Body Modification: Spines), but they look highly unpleasant. They can also make wearing non-eufiber clothing difficult at best. Various forms of spurs include bony projections, pseudo-claws, and mesa-like ossified skin tumors.

Throat Sac: A huge fleshy pouch grows on the throat of a nova with this aberration. It usually looks like a large goiter, but can inflate to grotesque proportions when the nova makes a loud vocalization or draws a deep breath. As the nova's Taint progresses, the throat sac will usually acquire a vivid coloration. This aberration is often manifested by novas with tongue-tendrils or voice-based sonic powers.

Medium Level-

Altered Mouth: The structure of the nova's mouth has been radically altered into something totally inhuman. Possible forms of this aberration include insectoid mandibles or a proboscis, a lamprey-style rasping sucker, a beak like those of birds or cephalopods, vertically-oriented jaws, or something grotesquely complex like the mouth structure of the aliens from the Predator movies. Novas with this aberration are not likely to get many kisses on the mouth, and may face dining difficulties.

Cephalothorax: The nova's head & thorax (aka the torso from the diaphragm on up) have fused into a single structure, with the nova having no discernable neck. While this usually results in the nova having an enlarged face and mouth (which is often a fanged maw), this aberration may also indicate a headless state, with the cranial organs located elsewhere in the nova's body.

Mega-Filthy: For one reason or another the nova is always filthy, no matter what attempts are made to clean him. Whether this manifests as horrendously poor personal hygiene or being continually coated in a layer of a quantum-generated layer of some particularly odious substance, this aberration will effectively make the Mega-Filthy nova a pariah in polite company.

Myriad Feature: A nova with this aberration will manifest multiple nonfunctional sensory organs or mouths situated on various places on the nova's body. The extra organs will all be of one type (such as eyes), totally useless, and of uniformly horrid appearance.

Psyche Mirror: A nova with this aberration straddles the chasm between the "Mega-Attractive" and "Mega-Ugliness" versions of Mega-Appearance, as quality of his looks has become dependent on his state of mind. The basic version of this aberration has the nova become Mega-Attractive when acting with benevolent intent, and Mega-Ugly when acting with malevolent intent; which will send a clear signal to other people about what the nova's intent is with a little observation. Alternatively, the nova could become Mega-Ugly when acting with benevolent intent and Mega-Attractive when acting with malevolent intent could apply as well. It's difficult to help people when your looks frighten them out of their wits, while doing nasty things while wearing your best face can cause all sorts of public relations problems for other novas in general and Mega-Attractive novas in particular. Neither version of this aberration can be controlled by the nova who manifests it in any way whatsoever.

Skinless: Mega-Ugly novas with this aberration have lost their skins entirely, turning them into living displays suitable for anatomy lessons. Aside from the horrifying appearance, a Skinless nova will also permanently lose one Bashing Health Level, as he or she lacks the protection provided by skin.

High Level-

Alien Visage: The body structure of a nova with this aberration loses any resemblance to that of baseline humanity, becoming a bizarre horror that could have come straight out of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. The premier example of a nova with this aberration is the Scaled Goddess (see Asia Ascendant), who has become a physical duplicate of one of Lovecraft's race of cone-shaped alien entities. Other examples include several Trinity-era aberrants who appear to be crawling masses of tentacles, or giant insectoid horrors.

Always ready to hear from you folks... ::cool

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Re: t-dev's question about the Sanctity (Mega-Charisma) enhancement-

Okay, I've finally tracked down my hardcopy of the Sanctity enhancement, it's posted below. Turns out the guy who came up with this goes by the name of Julian Mensch- I pulled this and a few other enhancements off of a document I found with the Google search engine. Sad to say, the original document no longer seems to be on the Web- my later searches for it using Google and various other search engines have all come up empty. I likewise have no current information regarding Julian Mensch himself- I'd at least hoped to find an e-mail address in case we decided to ask his permission to let us use his Sanctity enhancement in our Mega-Social Attribute book. For all I know, Mr. Mensch might be dead, in prison, or out barcrawling somewhere.

Sanctity (Mega-Charisma)- originally posted by Julian Mensch, reposted without permission.

There is something pure and innocent about you - at least as far as you appear to other people. Baselines and novas alike are inclined to trust you implicity and to offer you care and compassion if they have even a shred of humanity in their hearts. It's very hard for people to suspect you of wrongdoing without strong evidence. Sanctity is an edge that depends on context, not a shield against any blame or suspicion, and it's at the Storyteller's complete discretion how any affected character behaves.

System: Characters with [Willpower + Empathic Shield] below your [Mega-Charisma + 2]. will implicity trust you in nearly all ways - that doesn't mean befriend you; a Teragen terrorist would look at a T2M member with this enhancment and see a naive and misled child, not an ally. Other characters will still be inclined to trust you, but retain their full ability to reason and think rationally about you and how they regard you.

[Note from Sprocket: The Empathic Shield power referred to in this posting was a variant of Psychic Shield oriented towards emotion-affecting powers and effects. I've no idea at this time whether or not Psychic Shield protects against this attack form or not- depending on what your Storyteller decides, you might be able to use Psychic Shield in place of Empathic Shield for purposes of this enhancement.]

As a bonus, here's another amusing Mega-Appearance enhancement in similar circumstances I came across on the Web- it was originally posted (I think) by the Reverend Kinesys on his website. I also haven't been able to find it on the Web since then- his site's still up, but his Aberrant material seems to have disappeared. I don't know if we want to use this (the mechanics look to be more than a little clunky), but at least we should be able to get a hold of Reverend Kinesys' e-mail address... Enjoy.

Damn Cute (Mega-Appearance)- originally posted by Reverend Kinesys, reposted without permission.

The nova with this enhancement is too damn cute for words. Her mere presence elicts a chorus of Ooh's and Aww's wherever she goes. People find it hard to remain mad at her even if they have no particular feelings for her otherwise. This nova finds that forgiveness comes much easier than permission. A nova who is damn cute can get away with murder. Sometimes quite literally as people who look at her automatically assume she's blameless even in the presence of overwhelming evidence. This enhancement won't save the nova from an angry mob bent on killing her but if the person is at all predisposed to give the nova the benefit of the doubt then this enhancment will ensure that she gets the lightest treatment possible. This enhancement also amkes it very dificult for people to suspect the nova of any ulterior motive or insincere intent.

System: The nova can spend 1 quantum point to activate this enhancement for a scene. Once activated the nova can roll her Appearance, resisted by the target's Manipulation or Willpower, whichever is higher. Each net success reduces the effective Strength with which the target can attack the nova using Damn Cute. In effect this enhancement causes the target to 'pull his punch'. If the attack is physical the Strength is taken from the Mega-Strength dots and then the Stength plus combat modifiers until the Strength of the attack is zero. Attacks from powers are reduced from the Mega-dice of the attack if applicable, then the power level and the Quantum level if that also provides damage for the attack. The damage converted from successes (up to a maximum of 5) is applied even if the Strength of the attack is reduced by more than necessary to reach zero after combat modifiers and Strength are calculated. A lethal or aggravated attack is reduced to a Strength of zero is considered bashing. While active this enhancement also adds a number of dice equal to the nova's Mega-Appearance to any Subterfuge and Perform rolls.

If any of you lot know where to contact Julian Mensch (if he's not dead or imprisoned), we should try to get his permission to use his Sanctity enhancement in our Mega-Social Attribute book- it looks like it'd be a wonderful addition to our collection of Mega-Social enhancements. ::wink

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I'd like to also suggest another mega-ugly aberration, based off of Sloppy Joe, mind you I might have missed this one... ::blush

High-Level:

Boneless: For whatever reason your nova's Taint has manifested in the removal of all your bones. Things once taken for granted, walking, sitting, holding things with your hands are now impossible, unless you can jury-rig an artificial endo/exo-skeleton. Character's inflicted with this Aberration lack any sort of infrastructure to support their organs (only their skin keeps everything together!), and all bashing damage is treated as lethal in addition to their permanent state of prone. Barring an in-game work-around, this nova will have difficulty using any of their limbs, and will have to relearn how to manipulate their muscles to even control their convulsions. Nova's that once shined in flexibility, bouncing about and maleable features can suffer this High taint aberration. Hope that all that taint was worth the powers it gave you.

Just a quick write-up, in case this was not used. I thought the bashing to Lethal conversion would make sense, since all of the human strength comes from the push and pull motion of our muscles against our bones. (would their be a strength penalty also??) I guess thsi could also be the "converted to goo" aberration then...

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I was reading The New Xmen and I found a great enhancements:

Body Language (Chr or Manip)

the player knows instinctly what a person *really* means through watching their body language. A hand turned at 90 degrees means this while the hips turned a few degrees to the left means that...

Poker Face (Manip)

You dont give anything away. When people look at you they cant decern what you might be thinking at all.

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Re: Gideon's proposed "Boneless" aberration- Nice try, Gideon, but Sloppy Joe's aberrations have already been pretty well laid out in the Teragen sourcebook. (Permanent Power-Bodymorph, Permanent Power-Force Field, and Sheer Hideousness.) As it stands, the problems you've outlined are all derived from his first Permanent Power aberration (Bodymorph: Acidic Viscera)- they're just a few of the troubles associated with living as a gloppy pile of acid-oozing, exposed organs and muscle tissue 24/7. I know that Sloppy Joe should have two low-level aberrations instead of his single high-level one (Sheer Hideousness), but i suppose the writers wanted him to act as an unsubtle reminder of the dangers of Taint accumulation. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy who came up with Sloppy Joe wasn't also one of the guys involved in writing Freak Legion... ::devil

Re: new enhancements- You might check out your copy of the Aberrant Compendium, Bahamut- those enhancements may already be in there.

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Thanks for the heads-up Sprocket. I have been away from the books for a while... ::blush

I am working on revising and adding some content to Chapter 2 over the weekend, and will drop an update here when it is done.

I thought I would also point out to everyone that the Mega-Social book is already looking to be much bigger than the Mega-Mental book. I was flipping through it and noticed that we already have MANY more aberrations and enhancements than it did. And if we get the cults and social clubs put together, we will be well on our way to a fairly large book.

As an adendum to the orgs: I was thinking about doing a write up on a Japanesse Club. What with all of the Novaphiles in that setting, I was thinkingit was only sensible to include a deeper look at how much more freedom Mega-Socials get in that environment. I mean novas without Mega-Socials are treated as if they have them! Just a thought, unless someone else has a burning desire to cover this? Or if this seems like I am just off-kilter and crazy, well just let me down gently. ::wacko

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Re: Sloppy Joe's aberrations- Glad to be of help there, Gideon. ::smiley5

Re: Japanese nova fan clubs- Outlining one or more Japanese nova fan clubs actualy sounds like a pretty good idea, Gideon. Given the unremitting social pressure that your real-world average city-dwelling Japanese has to deal with, it's not surprising that some of them develop some fairly eccentric ideas and behaviors. Just check out the "Cosplay Girls" book from Cocoro Books and DH Publishing- you'll find it in your better comics/gaming stores. Just one thing, though- the otaku depicted in the book are fixated on impersonating wholly fictional idols from anime. With the existence of actual novas in the Japan of the Aberrant setting, one can only guess to what extremes these kind of fans would go to in order to imitate their favorite quantum-powered pop stars!

The trick to this, of course, would be realistically portraying the people and culture of Japan (warts and all) in their attempt to deal with the surreal circumstances posed by the existence of novas. Bottom line: Good idea, but it would have to be done right- otherwise, we'd just be putting out our own version of "WoD: Gypsies".

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Ghah!! ::angry

Do not speak those tainted words...WoD:Gypsies was the bane of my pocket book.

::angry ::blush sorry gut reaction kicked in. I was sooo disapointed in it, I could have watched Brom Stokers Dracula and learned just as much I felt. ::rolleyes

In actuality, I agree, though to give it a fuller write-up I was thinking I may need to do an Aberrant: Year One style section, may have to be as a seperate document just detailing Japan and a couple major cities. I am not quite prepared to do a book on the setting. (I would feel wierd writting an authoritative piece about a place I have never visited, or hardly researched, yet) Hmmmm. Most of what I know about Japan comes from Manga (and other books), movies and the on-line newsites that offer english versions of their articles.

Synnapsis:

Nipontai Club (I know there is probably a T2M Club too, but that is so redundant) This write-up will start with a description of the Club's founding, and initial expansion. Then we can delve into the organization, regular activities, current membership of the Tokyo chapter, and include some internal motivation of the membership. I figure thhis will take about 4-5 pages. Should be insightful and give folks some direction to organize their Japanesse Clubs.

I have noticed that Clubs in Japan are quite popular and socially signifigant. I mean they even have clubs for getting together to do illegal stuff. I have read that membership in a club can be very much like belonging to a greek sorority or fraternity. With intitiations and pledges. If anyone has anymore information or experiences it would be appreicated. Perhaps I could check out some other forums...

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Well...In japan, clubs *are* extremely significant. Especially in school. Each kind can join one club, they are expected to stay the entire year (if is frowned uponif they leave). They are expected to dedicate any non-school time to the club as well.

For a good example on how extreme come of these clubs can be...Check out a copy of Uretsi Yatsura:Thoes obnocious aliens, Vol 1...or DL episode 2. There is a club dedicated toe Lum, the sexy female alien in a bikini.

THe real reason behind the clubs is connections. In japan you caant just walk up to someone and say "Hi, im Bahamut!", no, someone has to introduce you. This is the same for companies. This is one of the reasons that anyone from anyschool could be hired into a company. They look at your connections with other people based on that. "Well...Tanaka went to the same highschool with him..see if they know eachother. We can do buisness through them."

This is most prevelant in a common social setting now though with the motto of westernization taking away a lot of the shyness of the buisness world.

This is at least the way that I have heard it and read about it. *Took a few semeters of the Japanese language and knew more then a few japanese people at his college*

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Thanks for the feed-back Bahamut I think I can use that as a guide-line for a club write-up.

I think I will hit up the crowd at Anime-fu too, see what other characterizations I can use without being too one-dimensional. If I can't seem to get it together, I may post what I eventually have here and see what additional feed back I can get...:)

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I doubt the Japanese would have a T2M club, since PU & it's Nova team aren't at all popular in the Land of the Rising Sun - hence the Japanese government's creation of Nippontai!

You'll want to think about links with the Nova-based religious movement they're meant to have as well.

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Its rare that japanese have a club dedicated to anything foreign. Thats not to say there are no clubs like that, and things are still changing, but Japan is a *very* *very* ethnocentric place (yes, with 2 verys!). Im sure that there could be a club...but that is a slim chanse considering that there is Neppontai, as well as all the local nova celebrities (Nezumi and Geisha would be prime, even thought Gaisha is T2M...she is japanese).

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Re: Japan setting material- Check out the Aberrant Player's Guide as well as the Year One and Underworld sourcebooks, Gideon. You'll find bunches of useful, cruchy data on Nippontai, the Nakato Gumi yakuza, and the Kamisama Buddhism cult. None of these organizations can be overlooked if you're seriously planning to come up with new setting material on Japan.

And now for something completely different... I've finished with the aberrations listing for Mega-Ugliness. Please take a look at the finished listings and tell me if there's something that's just begging to be fixed. Details such as "what's wrong" and "how to fix" can be hashed out afterwards. Read and enjoy!

MEGA-UGLINESS ABERRATIONS-

>Low-level: Cyclops, Deformed Cranium, Disease Stigmata, Gill Flaps, Infested, Lipless, Neurofibroma, Spurs, Throat Sac.

>Medium-level: Altered Mouth, Cephalothorax, Mega-Filthy, Myriad Feature, Psyche Mirror, Skinless.

>High-level: Alien Visage, Unstable.

Low Level-

Cyclops: Instead of having two eyes, a nova with this aberration has only one eye, which is situated directly above his nose. Aside from the difficulties of having only one functional eye (+1 difficulty to all ranged attack and dodge rolls, +2 difficulty to Perception rolls); the nova will be unable to use many kinds of eye-protection and vision-enhancing devices.

Deformed Cranium: The shape of the nova's skull becomes altered by Taint. Possible deformities include a Mayan-style bound head, craniosyntosis, or a skull that comes to a point on the top (anyone remember Zippy the Pinhead?). As permanent Taint accumulates, this could lead to a head structure as inhuman and bizarre as that of the aberrant Anders Nash (see Darkness Revealed 1: Descent Into Darkness, for Trinity).

Disease Stigmata: The Taint of a nova with this aberration cosmetically mimics the disfiguring effects of a specific disease chosen by the Storyteller. Despite appearances (pun intended), the nova suffers no actual effects of the disease beyond the disfigurement. While this aberration can aid the nova in passing himself off as a diseased baseline, he likewise runs the risk of being mistaken for a contagious disease-carrier.

Gill Flaps: The nova has manifested nonfunctional gills on either his cheeks or the sides of his neck. While both versions are incredibly obvious, having large apertures in your cheeks can make dining in polite company a trial at best.

Infested: The nova is covered with some form of parasitic vermin or microlife (algae, fungi, bacterial colonies, etc.) that literally lives off of his body. Aside from making the nova bear a strong resemblance to day-old roadkill, the infesting organisms will cause 1 health level of bashing damage per day due to their constant feeding off of the nova's flesh. If the infesting organisms are flight-capable insects, they might also swarm around the nova, incurring a difficulty penalty on the nova's Stealth rolls equal to his permanent Taint. Infested novas with the Regeneration enhancement can choose to forfeit a quantum point instead of the health level, as they can heal the damage quickly for a price. Infested novas with the Adaptability enhancement will find that it will allow whatever is infesting them to survive right along with them; so the nova can't get rid of the infestation by taking a quick bath in molten lava, for example.

Lipless: The nova's lips have withered away, leaving his teeth and gums constantly exposed. Aside from looking fairly unpleasant, this aberration also results in constant drooling and an impediment of the nova's speech. Unless the nova wears a mask covering his lower face, he can expect people to reflexively shudder in disgust when they first catch sight of him.

Neurofibroma: Benign tumors sprout from the nova's flesh at a chosen location on the nova's skin surface. The tumors may either take the form of spheroid 'bubbles' or 'floppy folds of flesh'- both varieties look awful and can cause difficulties in using certain equipment. As the nova's permanent Taint accumulates, the tumors will eventually grow to cover most or all of his skin surface. Depending on the particulars of this aberration, this can lead to the nova manifesting other aberrations later on- Oozing Skin if the spheroid tumors begin leaking bodily fluids, Sensory Impairment if the fold tumors grow from the nova's face, and so forth.

Spurs: The nova has sprouted spiny projections of some sort at various body locations- they cannot be used to do any real damage (that requires Body Modification: Spines), but they look highly unpleasant. They can also make wearing non-eufiber clothing difficult at best. Various forms of spurs include bony projections, pseudo-claws, and mesa-like ossified skin tumors.

Throat Sac: A huge fleshy pouch grows on the throat of a nova with this aberration. It usually looks like a large goiter, but can inflate to grotesque proportions when the nova makes a loud vocalization or draws a deep breath. As the nova's Taint progresses, the throat sac will usually acquire a vivid coloration. This aberration is often manifested by novas with tongue-tendrils or voice-based sonic powers.

Medium Level-

Altered Mouth: The structure of the nova's mouth has been radically altered into something totally inhuman. Possible forms of this aberration include insectoid mandibles or a proboscis, a lamprey-style rasping sucker, a beak like those of birds or cephalopods, vertically-oriented jaws, or something grotesquely complex like the mouth structure of the aliens from the Predator movies. Novas with this aberration are not likely to get many kisses on the mouth, and may face dining difficulties.

Cephalothorax: The nova's head & thorax (aka the torso from the diaphragm on up) have fused into a single structure, with the nova having no discernable neck. While this usually results in the nova having an enlarged face and mouth (which is often a fanged maw), this aberration may also indicate a headless state, with the cranial organs located elsewhere in the nova's body.

Mega-Filthy: For one reason or another the nova is always filthy, no matter what attempts are made to clean him. Whether this manifests as horrendously poor personal hygiene or being continually coated in a quantum-generated layer of some particularly odious substance, this aberration will effectively make the Mega-Filthy nova a pariah in polite company.

Myriad Feature: A nova with this aberration will manifest multiple nonfunctional sensory organs or mouths situated on various places on the nova's body. The extra organs will all be of one type (such as eyes), totally useless, and of uniformly horrid appearance.

Psyche Mirror: A nova with this aberration straddles the chasm between the "Mega-Attractive" and "Mega-Ugliness" versions of Mega-Appearance, as quality of his looks has become dependent on his state of mind. The basic version of this aberration has the nova become Mega-Attractive when acting with benevolent intent, and Mega-Ugly when acting with malevolent intent; which will send a clear signal to other people about what the nova's intent is with a little observation. Alternatively, the nova could become Mega-Ugly when acting with benevolent intent and Mega-Attractive when acting with malevolent intent. It's difficult to help people when your looks frighten them out of their wits, while doing nasty things while wearing your best face can cause all sorts of public relations problems for other novas in general and Mega-Attractive novas in particular. Neither version of this aberration can be controlled by the nova who manifests it in any way whatsoever.

Skinless: Mega-Ugly novas with this aberration have lost their skins entirely, turning them into living displays suitable for anatomy lessons. Aside from the horrifying appearance, a Skinless nova will also permanently lose one Bashing Health Level, as he or she lacks the protection provided by skin.

High Level-

Alien Visage: The body structure of a nova with this aberration loses any resemblance to that of baseline humanity, becoming a bizarre horror that could have come straight out of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. The premier example of a nova with this aberration is the Scaled Goddess (see Asia Ascendant), who has become a physical duplicate of one of Lovecraft's race of cone-shaped alien entities. Other examples include several Trinity-era aberrants who appear to be crawling masses of tentacles, or giant insectoid horrors.

Unstable: This aberration causes the nova's body to be constantly throbbing, pulsating, and changing shape in an utterly revolting manner. The nova's torso and limbs will also be constantly altered in their length and thickness. Baselines (and most novas) tend to become nauseated by the mere sight of seeing living flesh behaving like some kind of horrid animated gelatin- actually coming into physical contact with an Unstable nova can turn even the strongest of stomachs. As an added burden, an Unstable nova will automatically fail any Stealth roll that is dependent on his being either physically still or silent without the use of appropriate quantum powers- the constant motions and disgusting sounds produced by the Unstable nova's always-shifting flesh won't cease for anything short of his death or the removal of this aberration. The effects of this aberration cannot be controlled by the Unstable nova in any way whatsoever.

OK, I'm off to work on the reworked versions of Appearance (Ugliness) and Mega-Ugliness. I will post them on this forum once I've got the various ramifications of being superhumanly hideous worked out and written up. Back in a few! ::smiley5

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I am glad I ate dinner before reading through that...man it is good to be ugly! ::biggrin

Thanks for the heads-up Sprocket, I will take all of those into account. It was just a thought about adding a different take on some of the social orgs. I am still rehashing Chapter 2, I hope to have something to show tomorrow. Some of my rewrites just didn't work.

Later ::smiley5

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::blink It's good to be ugly? Some of those folks might disagree with you on that, Gideon, but I suppose it takes all kinds... ::wink

Anyway, here's what I've managed to cobble together so far for Mega-Ugliness, the base Ugliness attribute, new mega-Ugliness Enhancements, and a few other tidbits. Some feedback would be greatly helpful here, as would suggestions for at least another two enhancements for Mega-Ugliness. Enjoy. ::laugh

The Flipside of Mega-Appearance: Mega-Ugliness

With the release of the Adventure! core rulebook, a major change was introduced in the way that the Social attribute of Appearance functioned. Instead of acting as a measure of a character's physical beauty, Appearance now reflected how memorable the character's looks were to other people. Now, players and Storytellers had the option of creating characters who could be anything from somewhat homely to downright ugly, instead of being just another pretty face in the crowd.

As it was released prior to Adventure!, the Aberrant core rulebook still used the previous version of the Appearance attribute, but offered the possibility of creating a Mega-Ugly nova instead of your more common Mega-Attractive nova. The Attribute/Mega-Attribute system mechanics had to be tinkered with somewhat, but it worked well enough for the few who wanted to play a Mega-Ugly nova. Unfortunately, space constrictions prevented the writers of Aberrant from going into Mega-Ugliness in the level of detail it deserved. With all this in mind, we now offer revised versions of both Appearance and Mega-Appearance that are oriented towards describing physically unattractive characters in the Aberrant setting.

Appearance (Ugliness version)

The Ugliness version of the Appearance attribute is a combination of physical unattractiveness and innate offensiveness. Whether due to having been horribly disfigured in an accident or beaten with the ugly stick, this variant Attribute measures your character's ability to make a negative first impression or to generate an instinctive response in others.

Qualities: Charred, Nauseating, Nightmarish, Perversely Fascinating, Putrefied, Scabrous, Skanky.

1 dot - Poor: You're vaguely unappealing, but otherwise unremarkable. People forget your face easily.

2 dots - Average: You're quite homely, yet still within the lower range of what's considered "normal".

3 dots - Good: You turn stomachs when you enter a room.

4 dots - Exceptional: You could work in a carnival sideshow- or you might've escaped from one.

5 dots - Superb: You're simply unforgettable, much to the dismay of those who catch sight of you.

Mega-Ugliness-

Similar to the more socially acceptable version of Mega-Appearance, Mega-Ugliness represents a nova whose looks are more shockingly hideous than the most deformed and repellent baselines who have ever lived. Such a nova will never be able to pass for human (barring use of the Mr. Nobody enhancement), and those baselines not panicked by the Mega-Ugly nova's appearance will still be sickened and disgusted by his looks. And just as baseline society adores Mega-Attractive novas, they revile the much rarer Mega-Ugly novas. These novas are depicted in the media as antisocial and cruel monsters whose minds are as twisted by the effects of Taint as their bodies- and nine times out of ten, they are absolutely correct. The few exceptions to this typically don't get much favorable media exposure, so the preconception endures.

Mega-Ugliness is dependent on the Ugliness version of Appearance in exactly the same way that the other Mega-Attributes depend on their respective base Attributes.

Mega-Ugly characters receive bonus dice for their Intimidation rolls instead of Style- being superhumanly hideous is great when you want to frighten other people, but it can't help make a horrid outfit look good.

1 dot - Stupendous: Compared to you, Quasimodo looks like your average working Joe Sixpack. You receive one extra die for all Intimidation rolls (in addition to your Mega-Appearance dice).

2 dots - Amazing: Babies and small children scream when they see you, and their parents tend to cringe. You receive two extra dice for all Intimidation rolls.

3 dots - Incredible: You creep the hell out of just about everyone you encounter, nova and baseline alike. You receive three extra dice for all Intimidation rolls.

4 dots - Spectacular: Simply getting a good look at you is enough to give the average baseline shrieking nightmares for a week at least. You receive four extra dice for all Intimidation rolls.

5 dots - Godlike: "Get that thing AWAY from me!" You receive five extra dice for all Intimidation rolls.

Note: Mega-Ugliness at ratings of 6 dots and higher provides equivalent bonuses to those of standard Mega-Appearance at the same rating. Check with your Storyteller for details of how high-level Mega-Attributes other than Mega-Strength and Mega-Stamina work in your game. The effects of Mega-Strength and Mega-Stamina at ratings of 6+ are detailed in the _Aberrant Player's Guide_, pg.s 101 through 103.

X: Enhancements for Mega-Ugliness-

BĂȘte Noire (Mega-Ugliness)

Mega-Ugly novas with this enhancement excel at making first impressions of a highly unpleasant nature. Rather than appealing to the subject's desires, they evoke the subject's fears instead. Whatever the other person dreads, he will find it in a Mega-Ugly nova with this enhancement.

System: When meeting someone for the first time (or after a long time apart), the Mega-Ugly nova may spend 1 qp to activate this enhancement and automatically make the most threatening first impression possible on that person. The Mega-Ugly nova may deliberately say or do something to negate this effect, but an accidental faux pas won't be enough. The bad impression will remain with the other person until the Mega-Ugly nova does something to disprove it, either in person or via media reports- it's hard to pass oneself off as Evil Incarnate if the media catches you selflessly coming to the rescue of innocent baselines. Other people may also negate the effects of this enhancement by convincing the target that he or she was wrong about the Mega-Ugly nova. Use of this enhancement has been known to backfire, however- in some cases it can amount to putting a bullseye on one's chest and daring the subject to take a shot.

This enhancement also makes the Mega-Ugly nova seem to be whatever the subject deems to be most frightening and dangerous to him or her. Clever novas with the Telepathy power use this enhancement to discover that information, in order to use it and validate the subject's fears. If the target is involved in criminal activities, she'll think that the Mega-Ugly nova has both the goods on her and the willingness to use that information against her. In social situations, this will make the Mega-Ugly nova seem like the absolute last person in the world that the other person would want to either deal or interfere with.

Disquieting (Mega-Ugliness)

Some things are so appallingly grotesque that people tend to suffer a momentary psychological dysfunction as they attempt to comprehend the sheer repellence on display before them. Some Mega-Ugly novas have learned to take advantage of this, as it can grant them a few precious seconds when it counts.

System: The Mega-Ugly nova's horrendous looks are enough to give most anyone pause. Anyone looking upon the Mega-Ugly nova for the first time must make a Willpower roll or be frozen in shock for one turn. Disquieting novas can use that time to do whatever they please, although attacking a victim of this enhancement is more than enough to jar him out of this temporary dysfunctional state. This has no effect on other Mega-Ugly novas (who are familiar with superhuman ugliness) or most aliens (whose own ideas on beauty and ugliness will likely have no congruence with those of humanity). This enhancement has no quantum point cost and is always in effect, barring use of the Mr. Nobody enhancement.

Gruesome (Mega-Ugliness)

A Mega-Ugly nova with this enhancement is superhumanly nauseating enough that simply looking at him is enough to cause severe gastronomical distress to those unlucky enough to behold him. Even hardened people such as slaughterhouse workers, morticians and sewer inspectors are sickened by a Gruesome nova.

System: The nova can make people who can see him feel sufficient disgust to suffer acute nausea with the expenditure of a quantum point. The nova's targets must roll Mega-Stamina at + [the nova's Mega-Ugliness] difficulties to avoid vomiting and/or retching. Treat targets of this enhancement as having been Dazed- (see Aberrant core book, pg. 249), save that the Gruesome nova's targets don't suffer bashing damage.

This enhancement affects everyone who can see the nova (line-of-sight), costs 1 quantum point to use, and can only be used once per turn.

Mind-Shattering Horror (Mega-Ugliness)

Prerequisite: Mega-Ugliness at 6+ dots, and either Face of Terror or Sheer Hideousness.

Ever since the works of H.P. Lovecraft became popular, horror writers have propounded the idea that there are some sights that Man Was Never Meant To See. A Mega-Ugly nova with this enhancement is a perfect example of this Lovecraftian ideal, as the sight of him is enough to cause permanent psychological damage to the minds of lesser men and women. Fortunately, that description doesn't apply to the Inspired...

System: The Mega-Ugly nova spends 1 quantum point and rolls his Mega-Ugliness against the Willpower of any non-Inspired being unlucky enough to see him clearly. (Thick smoke or other visual impediments sufficient to cause a minimum of +2 difficulty penalties to Vision rolls will be enough to prevent this enhancement from functioning) If the nova scores more net successes on that roll, the victim gains a permanent mental disorder chosen by the Storyteller. This enhancement affects everyone who can clearly see the Mega-Ugly nova (line-of-sight), costs 1 quantum point to use, and lasts until the end of the scene.

<5>

Enhancement (Mega-Ugliness)

[X.]

<6>

Enhancement (Mega-Ugliness)

[X.]

X: Mega-Ugliness in play-

>Banned Enhancements: As Mega-Ugliness is a measurement of how repellent and frightening the nova's appearance is to other people, it's only reasonable for the Storyteller to forbid Mega-Ugly novas from having any Mega-Appearance enhancements that are dependent on personal beauty and sex appeal. This is balanced out by the existence of Mega-Appearance enhancements available only to Mega-Ugly novas. Several Mega-Appearance enhancements that should be banned to Mega-Ugly novas are listed below.

(Aberrant Core Book)- Awe-Inspiring, First Impression, Seductive Looks.

(Aberrant Compendium)- Friendly Face, Natural Style, Ouevre d'Art, Rapture, Splendor.

>Altered Enhancements: Three Mega-Appearance enhancements from the Aberrant Compendium can be used with Mega-Ugliness, albeit with skewed effects. They are listed below.

Ageless: While this enhancement still makes it extremely difficult to estimate the Mega-Ugly nova's physical age, it will inspire revulsion instead of attraction. The Mega-Ugly nova will always be seen as being "horribly wrong" instead of "just right", limiting the usefulness of this enhancement.

Timeless: This enhancement allows the Mega-Ugly nova to ignore all Appearance-based penalties derived from superficial, cultural, and temporal notions of what is considered frightening and repellent.

Universal Appeal: This enhancement lets the Mega-Ugly nova retain his horrifying looks no matter what form he assumes via the Shapeshift power, which can be helpful on missions to spread terror.

So, what do you folks think of all that? Is it good working material or the digital equivalent of fertilizer? Always happy to hear from you folks, of course... ::devilangel

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I stand by what I said,

Its good to be ugly in Aberrant. I like it a lot Sprocket. I would contemplate a literary reference section like: Peopl who excel at grotesque appearances would include, the Elephant man, Grendel, and any god of Lovecraft's Cthulu<sp?> stories.

or some such, anyway its just an idea, I really like what you've done with the idea.

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