Aberrant: Prometheans Unbound - Character Requests

[Blue Thunder]

Okay, we're nearing Prologue start time. I still need a few things from a few people (I don't think I got character stats from Fox and Archer, and I'm discussing SkyLion's character; there are other things besides those), but we're getting there!

But I also want everyone to e-mail or PM me their final character sheet. Almost everyone has made a few (or more than a few) changes since their first drafts, so a final version would be nice so I can save it as a textfile. If you want to make any changes, you can still do so at any time until play starts.

But it would be nice if you guys could also stat out your powers and such. I know this may be a lot of hard work, but since I'm rolling the actual dice pools I don't want to forget to roll any extra dice. Or forget about a soak bonus. Or forget to roll Mega-Attribute dice for a power. Or forget about a special damage bonus. Or forget something else. That would suck for you. It's a lot of work on your part, so take as much time as you need. If you can't (or don't want to) figure everything out, no harm is done.

What I'm looking for are:

- Dice pools for your powers. The number(s) of dice rolled, plus where those numbers come from. So if you have a Quantum Bolt, show me Dex + Mega-Dex + Q-Bolt in dice, plus any extra dice from enhancements or Extras or Merits or other powers that may apply to it and give you extra dice to roll. That way I can roll the grand total, and also know instantly how many dice to reduce from the total if your Mega-Dex was suddenly drained. If a power uses a different base Attribute than normal, make sure to point this out so I know.

- Damage totals. Make sure to show rolled damage dice and automatic damage levels seperately. Also specifiy damage source, if any (like fire, electricity, water, light, etc.), and any extras, enhancements other powers, etc. that enhance damage. Also total up damage for unarmed and melee rolls if they apply to your character, including Mega-Str damage levels. Also make sure to list any special affects aside from damage, like with Disorient and Immobilize, which don't necessarily cause damage but still have a dice total effect.

- Quantum costs. Normally powers cost their level in quantum, but some cost a variable amount like Healing and Absorption. Some powers cost more than Quantum, like Q-Regeneration which costs Willpower. Remember that Extras enhance power levels (unless you used 3 weakness levels to get an Extra for free) and if you have the Reduced Cost Extra, the power costs a level less. Also remember that linked powers usually cost as much as two or more powers at once (since they are two or more powers), so total the costs together as if they are one. Also make sure to list your maximum quantum points allowed to be spent per turn, via your Node rating.

- Power specifics. If needed, specify how an Extra applies to a power. List the elements of any powers (fire, ice, wind, etc.) if they have any. Also specify the special mechanics of a power if you need to, like if your Disorient is telepathic or visual in nature, or if your Bodymorph retains your original shape or changes your frame to look monstrous and spikey, or if your Flight comes from telekinesis or wind or gravity manipulation. If you have a suite power, specify which techniques are trained. List the total range and area of effect of a power if it applies, as well as duration. If a power produces some special affect or appearance (a blue Q-Bolt, a sound effect on your Bodymorph, etc.) specify them. If your Attunement applies to a power in a special way, like if you use Hypermovement plus Attunement 5 to carry a friend or your Force Field + Attunement 2 to extend beyond your clothing, specify it.

- Strengths and weaknesses. If you took any strengths or weaknesses on any powers, list them out. Remember to apply these to dice pool and damage totals if they apply.

- Quantum. List your Quantum pool total, as well as your quantum regeneration rate, especially from enhancements, Merits, and the Meditation Ability.

- Initiative total. Remember to add Mega-Wits and Mega-Dex into it, and if any enhancements boost your Initiative, put them seperately.

- Combat notes. Make sure to note if you have any special enhancements, Merits, Flaws, gear, etc. that affect combat or action rounds on a regular basis that aren't covered above. If you have a specific weapon or piece of equipment you carry on you at all times, specify it here, with damage total or special effects. If your character uses unarmed or melee attacks often, it might be a good idea to bring those up.

- Soak total. This may be a bit of legwork: make sure to express all parts of your soak seperately, then total them together. Soak from Stamina, soak from Mega-Sta, soak from Armor, soak from equipment, etc. I want it seperated so if someone nullifies your Armor, reduces your Mega-Str, or rips off your armor vest, I can instantly know how to total your soak. Don't forget the Eufiber Background adds to soak. Make sure to include any situational soak seperately, like Invulnerability, Psychic Shield, and also any special enhancements that only soak against specific sources, or Force Field, Bodymorph, and Density Increase that temporarily boost soak.

- Health levels. Good god, list your total health levels, please. Remember to include Mega-Sta and Body Modification: Extra Health Levels as well as any enhancement or Merits that apply. Remember to specify how many are Bruised and how many are Maimed, since those are your two basic choices when gaining extra health levels.

- Dice pool penalty reduction from injuries. This mostly applies to characters with Mega-Sta, but some enhancements and Merits affect this total. If you have a dice pool penalty reduction when it comes to injuries, show where the reduction to the penalty comes from.

- Special defenses. List defenses your character has that affect combat or action situations. Adaptability, Absorption, the Reflex Extra, etc. This is a catch-all for any defense or reactionary ability not covered by soak.

- Detection abilities. List any extra senses or detection abilities your character has beyond the norm. Make sure to check Mega-Perception enhancements, but also remember that Bodymorph, Telepathy, and other powers can apply here. Node and Quantum Attunement apply here as well.

- Movement abilities. Your normal Movement totals for walk, sprint, and run will rarely (if ever) come into play since I don't care for the D&D approach of grid movement and counting exact distance moved, but if you have special movement enhancements like Hypermovement and Enhanced Movement specify them here. Also list the speed of your Flight and any other movement powers.

- Total social penalty. Calculate total social penalty with baselines from Taint and Chrysalis. Remember that some enhancements and Flaws also affect this. Like with soak, show how each one adds into it. Remember that even if you go through Chrysalis, your penalties still remain intact from your original Chrysalis score.

- Equipment and gear - List the equipment and gear you usually keep on you. I should stress that I don't keep track of exact inventories. If you want your character to have a jacket on, he has a jacket on. If you want him to have a pack of gum, he has a pack of gum. If you want him to have a new cell-phone or computer or car, make sure it makes sense based on his Resources. So just list the stuff of importance to your character. I'll rarely bother with making people roll Resources to buy stuff (if it's expensive or significant perhaps), since I consider money to be a mechanic to assist roleplay, and I find that if myself and my players worry about money totals, we spend too much time counting numbers and hording items instead of roleplaying.

- Anything else. If you feel I should be aware of anything else, bring it up.

Like I said, that's a lot, and sorry if you have to struggle to get it all. If you can't do it all, just send me your base character stats and I'll fill in dice pools, costs, soak, etc. where I can. Don't rush yourself either; I won't be hurt if it takes you a while, or if you never do any of this. This is just so I have a somewhat easier time running things.

[Alex Green]

Do you have a specific format you'd like us to follow?

[Blue Thunder]

Uh...not really. Send it via private message (or if its too big, e-mail it to chuchuwrath@hotmail.com), but there isn't any special format.

I'd suggest listing and dissecting each quantum power you have first, since I'll likely look at those the most. Then just go from there listing off whatever else on that list you feel is important enough to show me.

Also, for Initiative, make sure to list what your Mega-Dex dice are, if any. If I remember correctly, characters with Mega-Dex go first automatically?

[Alex Green]

If I remember correctly, characters with Mega-Dex go first automatically?

Only on a tie.

there isn't any special format.

Do you want every power to have the special effects listed with that power, or do you want all special effects put together?

[Shade Sentinel]

Should we submit to you in the long text format that others have used? Or just in sheet form with filled out pools?

I have made some changes and some stuff is less than legal given the points provided. Enclosed is a a wallet, it has $500 in it...or maybe it doesnt. Know what I mean?

[Alex Green]

Emailed ST.

[Blue Thunder]

Use the long text format...it's easier for me to read.

[Shade Sentinel]

Use the long text format...it's easier for me to read.

I'll have you know this is rediculous painful...my girlf friend has no working copy of either word, nor excel. it burns it burns!!

[BlueNinja]

Sent my sheet, summon list, and all of those questions through e-mail due to text character limit.

[SkyLion]

If I remember correctly, characters with Mega-Dex go first automatically?

,,

Just saw this. Characters with Mega-Dex go first against those without Mega-Dex or the Enhanced Initiative Enhancement for Mega Wits.

,,

Against Characters with Mega-Dex, The Higher Dexed PC goes first (again unless the Enhanced Initiative Enhancement is present) Against Characters with the same levels of Mega-Dex, Use normal Initiative. If One of the combatants HAS Enhanced Initiative, then use normal initiative.

,,

Am I reading that all correctly? What If one person has a higher Mega-Dex but the other has Enhanced Initiative...do they roll off? And wouldnt this be a case of competing Mega Attributes (and require a willpower point if the lesser Mega Attribute wants to compete?)

[Alex Green]

Again, As far as I know, those sorts of things only happen when you have a tie.

Example: Baseline Bob is fighting Nova Nancy (who has Mega-Wits).

His base init is 4, her base init is 7.

They roll off... one of three things happens.

1) She wins and goes first.

2) He wins and goes first.

3) They tie and she goes first.

If he later erupts and gets Mega-Dex, in the event of a tie they have to roll off.

[SkyLion]

...yeah but...it doesnt say that anywhere...under both the Mega Attribute section AND the Mega Dex section...unless you have either a normal attribute of 5 and pay a willpower point or an equal mega attribute...you dont even get to roll for initative. The Mega Dexer goes first every time. As per usual, unless a nova with a lower mega dex pays a wp point, the higher dexer goes first. In that case, according to competing mega att rules, you roll off just the mega dice (though for initiative perhaps a standard initiative roll would suffice)/

[archer]

My most humble apologies, but there is no friggin' way I can find time to play in this new game right now. So sorry, everyone!!!

Between school and work, and doctor's appointments and getting my truck fixed, and the coming holidays, it just ain't gonna happen. I simply don't have any brainpower left over to make my imagination do justice to another character. ::sad

Sorry guys.

[Alex Green]

The Mega Dexer goes first every time.

Again, it does NOT say that, that's not a quote, that's a conclusion. What it says is that if you have two characters going at the same time, the Mega-Dex guy goes first. And it says the same thing with Mega-Wits (Enhanced Init) but somewhat more clearly. What they are talking about is interrupted actions.

Example:

Nova "N" has more than +10 Init over Baselines "B1", "B2", "B3", & "B4". Everyone has guns out, no one, including "N" has enough soak to matter. "N" has "Enhanced Init", and enough Intimidation that he tries to overawe the thugs.

"N" shows them his gun, and tells them to drop theirs, and then reserves his action to see what they will do.

B1 & B2 & B4 decide to drop their weapons, but B3 decides to fire.

Obviously, N would like to now use his action to shoot B3 first.

N trying to do so is an interrupted action, so both of them are going at the exact same time (basically N lowered his Init to match B's).

As a nova with Enhanced Init, N gets to go first, and presumably shoots B3 before he gets a shot off. If B3 is actually a nova with Mega-Dex, then the two have to roll off to see who goes first.

[SkyLion]

It does speak of interrupted actions....then it proceeds with the following sentance.

,,

If a Nova with Mega Dexterity and a character without it act at the same time, The Mega-Dextrous character is automatically considered to have higher initiative, and thus, he gets to go first.

,,

So that does mean on a tied initiative.

,,

However, Initiative is also an opposed roll between two attributes. Page 155:

,,,,

If they have Mega Attributes at differing levels, or if one character has a Mega-Attribute while another has an unenhanced attribute, the charater with the higher Mega-Attribute always wins

,,

I suppose its up to the ST whether he considers Initiative to be a resisted roll between competing attributes but thats the way my group has always seen it...We always figured that anyone with Mega Dex or Mega Wits should never worry about initiative unless their opponent has equal or higher reflexes (or attributes).

[Alex Green]

...the higher Mega-Attribute always wins...

That's for direct Stat vs. Stat contests, Chess for Mega-Int, Wrestling for Mega-Strength, etc. It's very limited in combat because the Mega-Dex already can't automatically hit anyone who doesn't have Mega-Dex.

However, Initiative is also an opposed roll between two attributes.

Chess is my Int vs. someone elses directly. Initiative isn't a direct Stat vs. Stat contest against someone else. Both of you are completing with a clock, not with each other. Someone else having Mega-Dex doesn't make me any slower.

[SkyLion]

...the higher Mega-Attribute always wins...

That's for direct Stat vs. Stat contests, Chess for Mega-Int, Wrestling for Mega-Strength, etc. It's very limited in combat because the Mega-Dex already can't automatically hit anyone who doesn't have Mega-Dex.

However, Initiative is also an opposed roll between two attributes.

Chess is my Int vs. someone elses directly. Initiative isn't a direct Stat vs. Stat contest against someone else. Both of you are completing with a clock, not with each other. Someone else having Mega-Dex doesn't make me any slower.

,,

Right...I can see what you are saying. Though I still think that if someone else had Mega Dex...well it doesn't make you slower, but good luck! We here always interpreted Initiative as competeing Mega Atts when it came to it. For this game, whatever BT wants...

[Blue Thunder]

It makes sense that even Mega-Dex and Mega-Wits novas need to roll Initiative like everyone else. If they always won Initiative, then why would Mega-Dex and Mega-Wits automatically add +1 to Initiative in the first place? And why would Enhanced Initiative for Mega-Wits add +5 per rank? If the Mega-Dex nova always succeeded against anyone without Mega-Dex or Mega-Wits, he'd not need the +5 bonus, and any nova above him in Mega-Wits would go before him regardless of his bonus, thus making the enhancement pointless.

Initiative is still rolled as normal. Mega-Dex and -Wits novas would likely come out on the top of (or near the top of) the list anyway.

[Shade Sentinel]

My appologies to all for being missing for the last weeks. I'm in California visiting my woman...and will most likely be returning tomorrow. I've been without a suitable computer to do anything for Blue Thunder ((though he has my sheet and bio info, I hope that is enough for now)) I also have been unable to get stuff for Blue Ninja. Should all be resolved in the next few days, back to my boring life.

Excited to hear the game is nearing its beginning. Zang Zadaam!

-SS