Aberrant RPG - Nobel "Elements"

[Chieftain]

Sitting down i've had a chance to think through some of the NPCs i've made in the past and i would just like to get some peoples ideas on what actualy would be valid as a element for Elemental Anima/Mastery.

Which of the below would people agree with or not and why.

• Glass
• Paper
• Thunder
• Smoke
• Flesh
• Blood
• Silver
• Gold
• Steel
• Plastic
• Lava
• Microwaves
• Eufiber
• Leather
• Liquid oxygen
• Cold

While the list above is not exaustive it does raise a few questions.

Elemental Enima/Mastery Ice is certainly allowed, but this is control over frozen water. Could this be applied further eg, could a charecter have Elemenal control over liquified oxigen or nitrogen? further would Elemental Anima/Mastery Microwaves be legal as Microwaves are a form of Electromagnetic Radiation so would the infact come under the auspice of Magnetic Mastery?

Just a few questions, anybody got any views on this?

The Chieftain

[ProfPotts]

I think the oniy 'problem' one listed could be eufiber - there's a potential for abuse there.

The others all seem fine. What you do is still limited by the power of the Techniques involved - so a liquid nitrogen 'blast' would still follow the damage for the 'Blast' or 'Lethal Blast' Techniques (or whatever), no matter what 'physics' would normally say - there isn't really any large differences between elements power- & game-balance- wise, just stylistically (for the most part).

Eufiber, on the other hand, could be used to tad-up something another character's paid good points for - that's not to say that's an entirely bad thing ::devil , but it'd bear more examination than the others before it was allowed in play, IMHO.

With the potential of using Techniques from other suite powers (with ST permission, when appropriate) any of those substances shouldn't be a huge problem. The only problem would occur if the player involved tried to abuse the system - e.g. using 'Elemental Anima - Flesh' to instantly kill opponents no matter their Soak score, rather than using a flesh-rending version of Lethal Blast, or using the Shaping Technique as a cheap Shapeshift or something... ::rolleyes

[knave]

Ph34R m3 4R I h4v3 h4X0r 4n1m4!

... or is that 3n1m4?... ::tongue

[Bahamut810]

I dunno...I would take some of thoes (and some others I can think of) into heavy GM approval needing.

Lava, Liquid Oxygen, and even Sulfuric Acid would defenatley have an equielent of discintegration, which is a great way to unbalance a game. even blood could (Im going to boil his blood!).

some of thoes I would question the sanity of the player though. Paper? Brave soul there...Same goes for Anima and Microwaves.

I like the idea of unconventional elements...but some are too far out I would think.

[Chieftain]

Lava, Liquid Oxygen, and even Sulfuric Acid would defenatley have an equielent of discintegration, which is a great way to unbalance a game. even blood could (Im going to boil his blood!).

Actualy the player who had the Elemental Anima Blood plaid it very well. He based the Nova's powers around the ability to affect the blood and immune system of people (thus allowing him to use healing). Some of the effects could be potentialy very nasty but mainly it was used to do things like Enhance/diminish to effectively avoid somebody needing to have a transfusion.

Also i would not knock paper as an "element". Quantum powers are expressions of a charecters underlaying self. Thus while paper may be weak, a lethal blast of paper (people look at me strangly when i say that, cant imagine why) would be exactly the same as any other lethal blast as it is the nova subconscously strengthening the paper with his node.

[Gideon]

Also in addendum, I would add that any elemental power that manipulated an element already attuned to another nova would have an increased difficulty. I say this since there exsists an extra called Personality Imprint <A:PG 111> where the nove can leave their quantum signature in the element they use to impeed another nova's use (+1 diff for [Quantum + Power Rating]).

This would apply (I think) to anything attuned by a nova.

If you accept this, then, that means that any element that includes the flesh or fluids of another nova will automatically have +1 difficulty. baselines may or may not have this +1, I would argue not, since it is clearly defined as "the presence of quantum energies in their body" is what protects them from their own powers.

Also, if someone picks "Liquid <insert gaseous element name hear>" it is effectively a weakness, sine that is only one aspect of a larger elemental concept. And while the Extra "Selective Anima" <A:PG 111> grants this same ability as a focused subset of the broader power... I figure I would treat it as a weakness/limiter, though the damage would be dictated (as PRoffPots said) by the Quantum and Power Rating of the power. Now technique selection would be interesting on some...

[ProfPotts]

For a great Elemental Anima: Paper example see the animé 'Read or Die' (it's excellent IMHO).

I wouldn't let a character use an Elemental Anima or Mastery as the Healing power, simply because Healing is a Level three power in it's own right. I'd consider allowing a more limited use - e.g. to help counter blood loss (in the Blood 'element' example) though.

Lava, Liquid Oxygen, and even Sulfuric Acid would defenatley have an equielent of discintegration, which is a great way to unbalance a game. even blood could (Im going to boil his blood!).

Again, I wouldn't allow a suite power to simulate the Level three Disintigrate power. Those examples could all be used as Lethal Blasts (as per the Technique), even the 'boil his blood' example. Even sulphuric acid doesn't really 'disintigrate' what it disolves (although an acid attack would be fine as a special effect for the Disintigrate power itself). None of the 'environmental' examples of damaging effects in the book actually produce Aggravated damage - although some have similar effects. But again, the special effects are only relevant as far as cosmetic value goes - the attack would do the damage dictated by the Technique that's being used to produce it. Techniques simulate weakened versions of Level two (or less) powers - I'd be hard pressed indeed as a ST to allow any Techniques that simulated Level three powers. If the character wants Healing or Disintigrate with the same theme / special effect as his Elemental Anima / Mastery, then by all means, let him get it as a seperate power with the same special effect. Not everything a character can do needs to come under one suite power.

Also, if someone picks "Liquid <insert gaseous element name hear>" it is effectively a weakness, sine that is only one aspect of a larger elemental concept. And while the Extra "Selective Anima" <A:PG 111> grants this same ability as a focused subset of the broader power...

That'd seem reasonable for Elemental Anima (just how many times is there gonna' be liquid oxygen just lying around for your character to use anyway?), but less so for Elemental Mastery (with which you just create what you need).

I'd also agree that effecting an 'element' that's part of someone else would always face some kind of resistance. Damaging Techniques are already covered (that's what your Soak is for, right?), but others (like, maybe, Shaping), if even allowed to be used against a living target, would be resisted by some sort of roll (either Willpower or Resistence seem the standard choices in the books).

[Gideon]

Good points ::biggrin , I would like to your thoughts to the introductory paragraph of Molecular Manipulation (Ab pg. 212-3), which is a level 3 power, and it grants "a nova with this power <the ability to> wield(s) ultimate control over inorganic and nonliving organic molecules. While he cannot change or affect living things in any way, his power is still quite impressive."

So my point? If it takes a level 3 power to manipulate a dead corpse's flesh and blood, a level 2 power would have little chance at such.

If you are trying to emulate some power from vampire, you can ignore all of this and do what you will, but if you are looking for a Aeon specific flesh crafter...

An aspect of the Aeon continuem is this idea of a meta-template, built by a person's subconscious and reinforced by noetic or quantum energies. When a Nova attempts to manipulate another person's true form, it is ussually limited to a non-permamnent manner, look at the power of Aberration Transfer (A:Tg, pg 125-6), which allows a nova to "give" one or more of their Aberrations to another, this is the most personal aspect of quantum power and it CAN be transferred temporarily.

The Elemental Suites permit a nova to exemplify control over arche-types of matter, but even at level 2 these effects never change the True-Form or Nature of living entities. Level 3 is when you first start to see this, but even then it is very restricted, as in Healing and Disintegration. (This is the editing of a living entity in only the grossest terms).

Now, I would argue that nova powers are too clumsey for the active manipulation of living templates (at this low a level), in fact it is not until the Trinity era that we see the first true flesh crafters of the Aeonverse. If you Really want a flesh crafter use the Player's Guide and make a Biokinetic using the Aberrant: Players Guide's psiad rules.

Of course if the need for a flesh crafting power is great I would make it a level 3+ power minimum, and I would allow it to be resisted by Willpower, and ala Cyberkinesis, you could require a one time Willpower expenditure by the nova to use this aspect of the power on an unwilling baseline target and everytime on a nova target. <just a thought>

Gideon

[Nullifier]

Not to be picky or anything, but there is a power that does what you guys are talking about. It's called Biomanipulation or somesuch and the only nova known in the books at least to posses it is Gabriel Melchior. Does all those wonderful and awful flesh-crafty things. Lots of fun.

[Gideon]

True, though it is a level 3 power and I believe it has a VERY high Quantum min. like 6 or some such. I felt that (WARNING! unadulterated opinion here) this was really a Level 4 power, before the Players Guide came out.

Biomanipulation is a power that no nova could start with, and while it can change the flesh (its form function and mass), it cannot animate it, nor can it cause the blood to boil. It can cause the body to emulate behavior from certain drugs and toxins, but not use it as a ranged weapon. Also (if I recall correctly) I think that the flesh sculpting powers were touch only. The other powers (limited forms of Healing and Growth?) were at limited ranges. All in all it did not quite allow for Elemental Anima Flesh, or Blood, (which is good) since it is a level 3 power it makes sense to permit restricted level 3 powers under its techniques.

All in all I would use this power as a cap in what a flesh and blood power could do at level 2.