Aberrant RPG - Q6+ Novas in Campaign Play

[metaphysician]

In the campaign I am playing in, there are ( relatively speaking ) alot of Q6+ nova about. Our PCs are likewise verging on breaking into that territory, so there's less "plot device" to them than might otherwise be the case.

So, my question for the population here: what kind of experiences do you guys have either playing PCs, or GMing NPCs, in that power range? In particular, experiences wherein the high powered nova is not simply treated as a plot device?

[Blue Thunder]

It's important to remember that, as Q6+ characters, people will pay attention to them. Anyone that can see their power (or sense it through Node or Qunatum Attunement or whatever) will know. Every organization will either want to recruit them or kill them, and will at least keep a watch on them. The Directive will want them neutralized, Utopia will want them for T2M, Proteus will want them in Bahrain, and the Teragen will want them helping the One Race.

Personality is important, possibly more than normal. If someone has enough power to do almost anything, their temperment and attitude comes into play constantly. If someone can control weather and climate on a country-wide scale, are they the kind of person that would set blizzards and tornadoes upon populatyed areas when he gets angry? If he can guide the evolution of plants and animals, will he do so in a productive or destructive manner?

Also, another important thing to note: Q6+ NPCs. Your players have now entered the point where they have power to quash most Pantheon Terats and T2M novas, so throwing a Q6 enemy at them will help balance things out.

But I should also point out that Q6 isn't as all-powerful as the books make it sound at first. Just because you have Q6 doesn't mean you have higher soak (unless you upgrade Force Field or Armor or Invulnerability). It just increases your capacity and options. A Q6 character may not have any Mega-Stamina or soak-boosting powers. If so, he's more likely to die from a q-bolt as a Q1 nova with dots in Armor and Mega-Stamina.

[Finbar]

That not-so-bulletproof issue is a major consideration, as too many players forget that few novas have much in the way of physical defense, much less being able to take on a tank shell.

As far as the power level itself, keep in mind the Superman Syndrome: It's easier to effect a mega-powerful being via his associates, than through the person himself. Groups are out to get him, but others want to recruit him, and are willing to do anything in that regard. T2M could try to recruit him, and then the Teragen make that fumble using subtle mind control or shapeshifters. Then when the person is about to go either way, bring in the Abberants...

In short, he's got power; now, it needs to be directed. Help them [bwahahahaha!]...

FR

[Alex Green]

Much of the insanity of Q6 can be reduced by sharply limiting "Mastery", i.e. simply not allowing it to be fixed to one dot powers.

[SkyLion]

Its funny how mega stamina 5 claims that missles practically bounce of ones chest, but it doesn't provide that much soak...especially without resiliency....then again its hard for hypermove to go much past the sound barrier without help too....damn flavor text...

[BlueNinja]

My tabletop game currently has a Q6 nova and a Q7 nova. And once I get just 6 more XP, I'll be joining the Q6 novas. As a group, we looked over the powers and have sharply limited the range and duration of all the Level 4 powers, and while we also limited the range/area scope of Mastery, the only other limit we imposed is that you must have a power at 5 dots to purchase it. I mean, a one-dot power, with Mastery? That's twinking.

[Centimane]

To be honest, I disagree that a one or two dot power with Mastery applied in necessarily twinking. It some situations it definitely is, in others I just don't think so. To me, if you're going to play in or run a game where the players are going to have access to Q 6+ and level 4+ powers, then you need to prepare yourself for some pretty over the top stuff. Now, if it fits your particular campaign or your particular group to modify the rules and how the powers work, then I say great! Go for it!

By way of a for instance concerning my disagreement with a one dot power + Mastery not being twinkish I'll use the current NoLK game that myself and BN are currently playing in. After James' (my character) has been in the game for a bit, I'd like him to not only reach Q6, but also learn an L4 power and/or develop Mastery for an L2 or L3 power. Now I'm not saying that I'm actually going to do this, but as far as I'm concerned it would make perfect sense if James came out of a Chrysalis with something like Node Spark at one or two dots and Mastery added, or possibly Hyper-Movement (flight) at one dot with Mastery added. Let me reiterate that there's almost no chance that I'll actually do that, but I personally fail to see anything twinkish about it. Especially if I devote alot of time ICly to developing James' understanding of his own quantum powers and how they work and what it would take to develop them further, or if I spent lots of time developing his flight skill and having him experiment with maxing it so he could go much faster than normal. I mean if I've put in the effort and I've got the xp for it, then why the hell can't I spend it? Basically my point is twofold, 1) if the character earns their way to the power, then where's the problem? 2) when you get past Q6 everything is twinkish.

Now, at this point I'll cover my own ass and point out (since I'm playing with BN in one game, and he ST's the other I'm playing in ::tongue ) that if my ST and the other players don't like the Q6+ rules as they stand, then I say change 'em, and you won't hear any complaints outta me.

But for my part, when I ST a game, the only thing I really care about is the character concepts my players give me and how well they roleplay their characters. If I don't like a concept (because it's twinkish or because it shows a lack of effort or whatever) then I don't really care how closely they stuck to the rules or how far they strayed from them I'm going to get nitpicky and likely tell them to go back to the drawing board, and conversely, if I do like the character concept (meaning if I think that the player has really thought his or her character through, and it's the character, not the powers or abilities, that the player truly cares about) then I'm very lenient about what I'll allow.

Of course I'm also not a big believer in "game balance" either, and I realize that makes me something of a black sheep in the world of gaming, but that's just me. I've never seen any reason to slow down, hold back, or equalize the players in any game I've played. If one player is just better at building and playing characters than all the others, well then that's just life. And if another player just isn't that good at building or playing characters, I'll certainly do my best to work with them and to ensure that the other players do as well, but once again that's life - deal with it. I consider it the ST's responsibility to make the game "work", not the players. If a player starts acting childishly and ruining the fun, it's my responsibility to fix that problem. But I'm not going to do it by putting an across the board ban on something just because one player one time abused it and ruined an otherwise good gaming session. I'm going to discuss things with the player, warn them if necessary, and then "discipline" them if that fails (and my "disciplinary actions" tend to be quite harsh; once is usually enough to teach the entire troupe to behave ::devil (yes, I have killed PCs before. I always provided a way out, they were just too busy being munchkins to notice it ::rolleyes )).

If I as the ST am going to have a problem with the craziness that may well ensue after letting my players have access to Quantum Bolt + Mastery, then I'm just not going to allow it. Period. This isn't because I think there's a problem with the rules as stated, it's because I think there's a problem with my skills as an ST. Letting characters have access to high level power and then getting upset when they actually want to become powerful is, to me, like giving them a tactical nuke, telling them to have fun with it, and then complaining when they turn around and blow up downtown Manhattan.

[metaphysician]

Just to step back in, but the main place I'd see Mastery + 1 dot power being potentially unbalancing is if the power has a big bump at the first dot. For ex, Quantum Bolt has all those Quantum based dice of damage, and alot of powers may have a big dice pool if you have a high applicable mega-attribute. OTOH, taking mastery on Armor 1 gives you. . . the equivalent of Armor 2.