Aberrant RPG - Chrysalis

[Tomasdark]

OKay so iv eheard mention of it in the forums but nothing substantial. In our game group we have most of the books but cant find the teragen book.

So please someone tell me what chrysalis is and does?

Tomas

[ProfPotts]

Chrysalis is detailed in chapter 3 of the Teragen book. In essence it's a way of describing how the Teragen's understanding of Taint can be, with the aid of meditational techniques & a life-choice to be inhuman, used to change bog-standard 'Taint' into something a bit more helpful.

In game-mechanics terms a Teragen character following one of the three Teragen inhuman life-paths (called 'Archetypes') - Marvel, Monster, or Portent - can spend a few quantum points when they gain temporary Taint to convert it into temporary Chrysalis instead. Chrysalis works just like Taint - with ten temporary dots per permanent dot - except that when it is high enough to cause the character to suffer from aberrations, the player gets to choose them (instead of the Storyteller who usually chooses new aberrations for characters after play has begun).

Apart from that a character with a permanent Chrysalis score of 5 or more can attempt to 'enter Chrysalis'. This involves entering a sort of sleep or coma where the character is surrounded by a 'quantum cocoon'. Over the course of weeks (or months) the character converts their stored Chrysalis energy (& any saved XP) into some pretty nice power boosts (a bit like getting a whole load of free XP to play with) - including the ability to change pre-existing aberrations into different ones.

Characters who have gone through the Chrysalis process once are refered to by the Teragen as 'elevated' or ''second stage' Novas - & are significantly more powerful than 'normal' Novas. Each time a character goes through the Chrysalis process they 'advance' another 'stage'. Divis Mal is meant to have gone through Chrysalis four times (as of 2008), & is therefore a 'fifth stage' Nova.

[BlueNinja]

The downside to Chrysalis (which Potts conveniently left out ::wink ) is twofold. First, even though you get to choose your own aberrations, they still start stacking up fairly quickly, and the difficulty for relating to baselines adds up too, the same way it does with Taint. After you've gone through Chrysalis once, especially if you have medium-high taint as well, it will be almost impossible for you to relate to baselines on any meaningful level.

Second, to go into Chrysalis, you have to roll your Chrysalis stat at a +1 difficulty. So, somewhere between 5-10 dice needing at least two successes. Botching your Chrysalis roll will lead to very bad things, such as a completely changed nature, your aberrations changing by storyteller, etc. One of the examples in the Teragen book is Shrapnel - she went in a fairly normal nova, and came out a complete sociopath bent on genociding baselines.

The time it takes in Chrysalis (weeks, months, years) can be a downside, or not. Divis' fourth Chrysalis took around two years. Basically, for every XP point you spend, you're in the Chrysalis for a week. (Which isn't too bad, since the XP costs for buying anything are halved.) One character in my game just came out of seven months of Chrysalis, and when my character is ready, he'll be spending around nine months in one. It gives you the opportunity to play a 'backup' character until your main one is out of the Chrysalis, and there can be storylines based around your being in Chrysalis (such as Utopia or the Directive hearing about it and trying to kidnap your comatose character).

[ProfPotts]

The downside to Chrysalis (which Potts conveniently left out  ) is twofold. First, even though you get to choose your own aberrations, they still start stacking up fairly quickly, and the difficulty for relating to baselines adds up too, the same way it does with Taint. After you've gone through Chrysalis once, especially if you have medium-high taint as well, it will be almost impossible for you to relate to baselines on any meaningful level.

True, you gain aberrations for Chrysalis the same as you do for Taint, but that isn't really a 'downside' since you'll end up with the same (or less, since Chrysalis & Taint both don't give aberrations for the first few permanent dots) number of aberrations than you would if you'd never even heard of Chrysalis. Whereas a character with 10 permanent Taint becomes an NPC (or explodes, or whatever), a character with 5 permament Taint & 5 permanent Chrysalis is fine, & has less (& less severe) aberrations - all for the same amount of 'botching' to create those scores.

The difficulty to enter Chrysalis isn't really a 'downside' either. For a start it's entirely optional - you don't have to do it. In essence it's a gamble you can take if you want more power. No disadvantage compared with a character who doesn't have access to Chrysalis - just more options.

The only real 'downside' to Chrysalis is that you need to adopt one of the Teragen's inhuman life-philosophies to use it - which is more of a role-playing challenge than anything, & isn't suited for all players.

[Tomasdark]

thanks you 2. hopefully we will be able to find the teragen book because our characters are about 1 week gametime from divas mal's big speech saying that novas are their own nations. ANd my character has basically been heading in that direction without me even trying to force him teragen, so i think and hope that maybe my GM will let myself and whoever esle i drag with me will become early members of teragen.

Thanks!

tomas

[metaphysician]

One other notable thing Chrysalis allows you to do is exchange mental aberrations for other kinds. IOW, via Chrysalis, a nova can become increasingly inhuman *without* going insane.

[Alex Green]

That's the theory. I think in practice it's more like they are still functional. I.e. if you have a +5 social diff to relate to baselines, you may not be insane but you're definately *something*. Seriously Alien. Seriously Inhuman. Seriously Inhumane.

[metaphysician]

Oh, definitely alien. Its just, your an inhuman being who can't meaningfully interact with humans, who is still nonetheless in control of his own actions.

[Alex Green]

I'd buy "alien" if you were a member of an alien race. The only word for people that get that removed from society is "crazy". ::laugh

[metaphysician]

The thing is, 'insanity' has a definition, and high Chrysalis novas don't fit it ( necessarily ). They do perceive the world around them as it is, and their actions and responses do have a rational link to their perceptions. They aren't hallucinatory, and they aren't delusional.

The most that could be said is that they have a kind of limited autism, that applies only to baselines.

[Blue Thunder]

The Teragen wouldn't say alien, crazy, or inhuman. They would say nova.

[Alex Green]

The most that could be said is that they have a kind of limited autism, that applies only to baselines.

I'm not sure it is limited to baselines. Didn't the APG expand that to less tainted novas as well? Nor am I sure the greatly autistic are considered "sane".

[SkyLion]

The most that could be said is that they have a kind of limited autism, that applies only to baselines.

I'm not sure it is limited to baselines. Didn't the APG expand that to less tainted novas as well? Nor am I sure the greatly autistic are considered "sane".

My mom works with autistic kids. They arent insane. Its more of a handicap/learning dissability, though even that may not be fair. Much like Novas, they see the world differently than we do. Some, once they learn how to be functional can actually be pretty bright, even brilliant.

[Alex Green]

Some, once they learn how to be functional can actually be pretty bright, even brilliant.

True.

...they see the world differently than we do...

Exactly.

For what it is worth, Wikipedia says that the American Psychiatric Association says that Autism counts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_illness

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insane

[metaphysician]

The most that could be said is that they have a kind of limited autism, that applies only to baselines.

I'm not sure it is limited to baselines. Didn't the APG expand that to less tainted novas as well? Nor am I sure the greatly autistic are considered "sane".

Strictly from the game mechanics, no, its limited to baselines. However, going off the story material, I agree. Perhaps take the taint social modifier, and subtract from it the social modifer for the intended target, to get the actual modifier?

So, Captain Green Eyes, with +1 modifier, gets a +1 penalty when dealing with baselines or no-aberration novas, but is otherwise unpenalized. The Mutant Monster, with a +4 modifier, is at +4 on baselines, and still a +3 when trying to socialize with Captain Green Eyes. Quantum God, with a +8 modifier, still has a +4 modifier even when dealing with the Mutant Monster.

Of course, I tend to think the modifiers should really work both ways. If you're heavily tainted, you have a hard time socializing with baselines. . . but baselines should also have a hard time socializing with you.