Aberrant RPG - possible Merits & Flaws

[Anon]

These are modified from an online Mage: The Ascension webpage. I've tried to get them to fit in the Aberrant system, but might seem a bit broken, so an advice on how to fix them would be appreciated.

Physical Merits and Flaws:

Fast Healer: (5pt Merit)

You recover from non-aggravated wounds very quickly – one health level per day. You heal aggravated wounds at the normal rate for normal rate for lethal damage.

You are also harder to kill by normal means; you must suffer three Health Levels of non-aggravated damage while Incapacitated in order to be killed. However, one aggravated wound would be sufficient, even if you were taken to Incapacitated by normal damage.

Mental Merits and Flaws:

Free Will: (1-5pt Merit)

You believe, strongly, that your destiny is not pre-determined. You feel that you are the master of your fate and can reasonably hope to accomplish anything. When things are going badly, your belief helps you to struggle onward rather than bemoaning your 'fate.' Once per session you may roll your Free Will rating (difficulty 8) to regain any spent Willpower.

Natural Channel: (3pt Flaw)

Whether through a defect in your neurological makeup or simply being weak willed, you are easier to manipulate or harm through mental effects. The difficulty of all mental (not emotional) manipulations and attacks against you are reduced by one.

Social Merits & Flaws:

Alien: (3pt Flaw)

You have lost touch with the rest of humanity. Perhaps you have to much taint or spent too much time contemplating the nature of what you truly are. In any case, though you are still sane, you find it difficult to relate to and communicate with baselines - and many Novas for that matter. Your speech is littered with enigmas, Zen-like koans, and non-sequiturs. You loose half your pool in social skills and cannot pass on information to other players except in roundabout ways or riddles. You may spend a point of

willpower to moderate your behavior and communicate 'lucidly' for a short time.

Quantum Merits & Flaws

Duelist: (3pt Merit)

You have never lost a one-on-one contest of any kind. You may be lucky or subconsciously exert your quantum powers in some way to assure your victory, or your sense of honor may compel you to try harder in such situations. Whatever the reason, whenever you face a single opponent, whether in pitched battle or formal contests of any kind, you ignore one botch on each roll you make. Furthermore, whenever you participate in a formalized contest (any contest where there are rules of conduct

or victory conditions) your difficulties are reduced by 1 due to your keen strategic insights and competitive spirit. A Nova with this merit can garner quite a reputation in the XWF.

Fountainhead: (5pt Merit)

Though quantum forces flow through all things, you are home to a virtual torrent of it, making you a living source of quantum. This Merit is of most use if you have the

Background: Node. Otherwise, you will be unable fully to harness the natural force you posses. Whenever your quantum pool falls below your Quantum rating you may make a Stamina roll (difficulty = 8, this is not an action, but a natural process for you) to recharge your quantum pool by Quantum + Node.

Temporary taint also accumulates in your Node at - 1 Taint for each point of Node each month. After a month, your Node assimilates that Taint, making it useable, stored quantum in your pool (assuming you have 'room' for it). Also the abundant free quantum swirling through your Node makes you a valued commodity for those with Quantum Leech, for each point of quantum they steal from you will give them two points of quantum in their pool.

If you have this Merit you cannot have the Merit: Taint Slough or the Flaw: Quantum Leak.

Quantum Battery: (1-6pt Merit)

Your Node is particularly well suited for storing quantum. You may gain five extra points of quantum in your pool for each point you put into this Merit. You cannot take this Merit along with the Flaw: Quantum Leak.

Quantum Flexibility: (5/7pt Merit)

You have an easy time developing new powers and abilities. For 5pts, whenever you purchase a new trait it only cost half the normal cost, rounded up. For 7pts the cost to increase a trait is also half the normal cost, rounded up.

Taint Slough: (3,5,7pt Merit)

Some Novas jokingly call this Merit the 'Teflon Node.' Though you still generate taint and may suffer from an aberration or flaw, your body does not accumulate taint over the long term. Each week (3pts) or each day (5pts) your node sloughs (harmlessly disperses) one point of accumulated temporary taint. At the 7pts taint simply will not 'adhere' in your node. Novas with this Merit often have the Flaw: Quantum Leak as well and the Storyteller can consider requiring this flaw if he thinks the merit is being abused.

Naked Anomaly: (3pt Flaw)

It is impossible for you to completely hide the fact that you’re a Nova. Something about you constantly screams ‘I’m a Nova’ that everyone will subconsciously pick up on. This gives you a +2 difficultly to all social rolls involving baselines. The only time you can interact normally is when dormed down at four or five dots. This flaw is cumulative with the social penalties induced by taint.

Quantum Leak: (2,3,4pt Flaw)

Your Node leaks stored quantum. Any quantum in your quantum pool beyond your Quantum + Node rating is lost at one point per day (2pts) or one point per hour (3pts). At the highest level this Flaw prevents you from storing any quantum in your pool beyond your Quantum + Node rating. Novas with this flaw may also have the Merit: Taint Slough.

[Anon]

And another thing I found on the web along time ago was someones rules for Mastery 4 extra, which was horrendiously broken. I've tried to make it a more workable extra, but still seems to be rather broken. I don't think I'd ever allow it into any of my games, but was wondering what all of you might think of it, and see if maybe you might have some suggestions for it.

Mastery 4 (Quantum 10, five powers with Mastery 3)

When a Nova elevates five powers to Mastery 3, they can purchase Mastery 4 and all powers and Mega-Attributes that are already at or are raised to 6 dots are affected by Mastery 4

Quantum Cost: Level 1 – 4 powers and Mega-attribute Enhancements cost no quantum to use, Level 5 power costs are halved.

Scope: The powers range and area are change to 10,000,000 kilometers. For instance, if the powers range was (Quantum + power rating) x meters, its now (Quantum + power rating) x 10,000,000 kilometers.

Effect: the powers effect increases 100-fold

Duration: Concentration powers change to maintenance powers, lasting (Quantum + power rating) months per charge of quantum energy. Maintenance powers’ duration changes to years.

[metaphysician]

These are modified from an online Mage: The Ascension webpage. I've tried to get them to fit in the Aberrant system, but might seem a bit broken, so an advice on how to fix them would be appreciated.

Physical Merits and Flaws:

Fast Healer: (5pt Merit)

You recover from non-aggravated wounds very quickly – one health level per day. You heal aggravated wounds at the normal rate for normal rate for lethal damage.

You are also harder to kill by normal means; you must suffer three Health Levels of non-aggravated damage while Incapacitated in order to be killed. However, one aggravated wound would be sufficient, even if you were taken to Incapacitated by normal damage.

I think this one is more than a tad unbalanced. For 5 points, just the 'one level a day' recovery would be perfectly good, or perhaps a 1-2 step shift in healing rate.

Healing agg should always be rather blatantly superhuman, given its basically regrowing limbs.

As for the extra health levels to die, frankly, I think the boundary between Incapaciated and Dead needs to be reworked anyway. People don't drop from 'comatose' to 'unrecoverably lost' in one instance. Perhaps have a number of "Dying" health levels equal to your normal total, and when your Dying, you lose one per turn until you either die or get help of some kind.

Mental Merits and Flaws:

Free Will: (1-5pt Merit)

You believe, strongly, that your destiny is not pre-determined. You feel that you are the master of your fate and can reasonably hope to accomplish anything. When things are going badly, your belief helps you to struggle onward rather than bemoaning your 'fate.' Once per session you may roll your Free Will rating (difficulty 8) to regain any spent Willpower.

Mechanically, looks fine to me. Its justification seems a bit odd, though. Probably should be renamed Indomitable or some such.

Natural Channel: (3pt Flaw)

Whether through a defect in your neurological makeup or simply being weak willed, you are easier to manipulate or harm through mental effects. The difficulty of all mental (not emotional) manipulations and attacks against you are reduced by one.

Looks fine to me.

Social Merits & Flaws:

Alien: (3pt Flaw)

You have lost touch with the rest of humanity. Perhaps you have to much taint or spent too much time contemplating the nature of what you truly are. In any case, though you are still sane, you find it difficult to relate to and communicate with baselines - and many Novas for that matter. Your speech is littered with enigmas, Zen-like koans, and non-sequiturs. You loose half your pool in social skills and cannot pass on information to other players except in roundabout ways or riddles. You may spend a point of

willpower to moderate your behavior and communicate 'lucidly' for a short time.

Weird, and probably incompatible with the taint rules. Needs some rewriting, and would probably work best if you were running a game without taint and aberrations.l quantum aberration.

Quantum Merits & Flaws

Duelist: (3pt Merit)

You have never lost a one-on-one contest of any kind. You may be lucky or subconsciously exert your quantum powers in some way to assure your victory, or your sense of honor may compel you to try harder in such situations. Whatever the reason, whenever you face a single opponent, whether in pitched battle or formal contests of any kind, you ignore one botch on each roll you make. Furthermore, whenever you participate in a formalized contest (any contest where there are rules of conduct

or victory conditions) your difficulties are reduced by 1 due to your keen strategic insights and competitive spirit. A Nova with this merit can garner quite a reputation in the XWF.

Needs reworking, probably, as botches of any kind are rare, and multiple botches almost nonexistent. Definitely worth more than 3 points for the second effect, though.

Fountainhead: (5pt Merit)

Though quantum forces flow through all things, you are home to a virtual torrent of it, making you a living source of quantum. This Merit is of most use if you have the

Background: Node. Otherwise, you will be unable fully to harness the natural force you posses. Whenever your quantum pool falls below your Quantum rating you may make a Stamina roll (difficulty = 8, this is not an action, but a natural process for you) to recharge your quantum pool by Quantum + Node.

Temporary taint also accumulates in your Node at - 1 Taint for each point of Node each month. After a month, your Node assimilates that Taint, making it useable, stored quantum in your pool (assuming you have 'room' for it). Also the abundant free quantum swirling through your Node makes you a valued commodity for those with Quantum Leech, for each point of quantum they steal from you will give them two points of quantum in their pool.

If you have this Merit you cannot have the Merit: Taint Slough or the Flaw: Quantum Leak.

If this were allowed at all, it needs to be *waaay* more expensive than 5 points. Under almost any realistic circumstance, it makes you almost immune to temporary taint accumulation. Aside from that, the first part needs a rewrite, since difficulty doesn't work that way in Aberrant. If it works in the logical way, though, it'd mean you could build a nova with moderate high Quantum and lots of Mega Stamina who basically never runs out of quantum.

Quantum Battery: (1-6pt Merit)

Your Node is particularly well suited for storing quantum. You may gain five extra points of quantum in your pool for each point you put into this Merit. You cannot take this Merit along with the Flaw: Quantum Leak.

A little leery of this one: I think its way more efficient than purchasing more qp via nova points.

Quantum Flexibility: (5/7pt Merit)

You have an easy time developing new powers and abilities. For 5pts, whenever you purchase a new trait it only cost half the normal cost, rounded up. For 7pts the cost to increase a trait is also half the normal cost, rounded up.

Unbalanced, unbalanced, ten million times unbalanced. They actually allowed this one in a published product?! ::blink

Taint Slough: (3,5,7pt Merit)

Some Novas jokingly call this Merit the 'Teflon Node.' Though you still generate taint and may suffer from an aberration or flaw, your body does not accumulate taint over the long term. Each week (3pts) or each day (5pts) your node sloughs (harmlessly disperses) one point of accumulated temporary taint. At the 7pts taint simply will not 'adhere' in your node. Novas with this Merit often have the Flaw: Quantum Leak as well and the Storyteller can consider requiring this flaw if he thinks the merit is being abused.

See my comments on Fountainhead, though at least this one only prevents taint accumulation. Perhaps if you add a requirement that the character cannot start with any permanent taint, or ever take permanent taint voluntarily?

Naked Anomaly: (3pt Flaw)

It is impossible for you to completely hide the fact that you’re a Nova. Something about you constantly screams ‘I’m a Nova’ that everyone will subconsciously pick up on. This gives you a +2 difficultly to all social rolls involving baselines. The only time you can interact normally is when dormed down at four or five dots. This flaw is cumulative with the social penalties induced by taint.

I'd drop the social penalty, and make it a penalty ( perhaps bigger ) for avoiding attention or passing as baseline. Not being able to avoid notice is penalty enough.

Quantum Leak: (2,3,4pt Flaw)

Your Node leaks stored quantum. Any quantum in your quantum pool beyond your Quantum + Node rating is lost at one point per day (2pts) or one point per hour (3pts). At the highest level this Flaw prevents you from storing any quantum in your pool beyond your Quantum + Node rating. Novas with this flaw may also have the Merit: Taint Slough.

This is *waaay* undercosted. The 4 point version is at least equal to a high level taint aberration.

And another thing I found on the web along time ago was someones rules for Mastery 4 extra, which was horrendiously broken. I've tried to make it a more workable extra, but still seems to be rather broken. I don't think I'd ever allow it into any of my games, but was wondering what all of you might think of it, and see if maybe you might have some suggestions for it.

Mastery 4 (Quantum 10, five powers with Mastery 3)

When a Nova elevates five powers to Mastery 3, they can purchase Mastery 4 and all powers and Mega-Attributes that are already at or are raised to 6 dots are affected by Mastery 4

Quantum Cost: Level 1 – 4 powers and Mega-attribute Enhancements cost no quantum to use, Level 5 power costs are halved.

Scope: The powers range and area are change to 10,000,000 kilometers. For instance, if the powers range was (Quantum + power rating) x meters, its now (Quantum + power rating) x 10,000,000 kilometers.

Effect: the powers effect increases 100-fold

Duration: Concentration powers change to maintenance powers, lasting (Quantum + power rating) months per charge of quantum energy. Maintenance powers’ duration changes to years.

At that level, really, balance is a nonissue. IMHO, any possible advancement beyond Q10 should be entirely a matter of plot device/GM's discretion, and should *definitely* require somehow leaving behind anything resembling the physical world, permanently.

[BlueNinja]

Fast Healer: (5pt Merit)

You recover from non-aggravated wounds very quickly – one health level per day. You heal aggravated wounds at the normal rate for normal rate for lethal damage.

You are also harder to kill by normal means; you must suffer three Health Levels of non-aggravated damage while Incapacitated in order to be killed. However, one aggravated wound would be sufficient, even if you were taken to Incapacitated by normal damage.

Horribly, horribly broken for healing Lethal damage. I suggest having it move wounds up one step, or add another multiplier to the healing rate the way each dot of Mega-Stamina does.

Free Will: (1-5pt Merit)

You believe, strongly, that your destiny is not pre-determined. You feel that you are the master of your fate and can reasonably hope to accomplish anything. When things are going badly, your belief helps you to struggle onward rather than bemoaning your 'fate.' Once per session you may roll your Free Will rating (difficulty 8) to regain any spent Willpower.

I think this needs to be clarified. Difficulty 8 in Aberrant means you need 9+ successes. Which is impossible on 5 dice.

Natural Channel: (3pt Flaw)

Whether through a defect in your neurological makeup or simply being weak willed, you are easier to manipulate or harm through mental effects. The difficulty of all mental (not emotional) manipulations and attacks against you are reduced by one.

This should be further clarified, perhaps to specifically the powers blocked by Psychic Shield.

Alien: (3pt Flaw)

This isn't needed with Taint penalties.

Duelist: (3pt Merit)

You have never lost a one-on-one contest of any kind. You may be lucky or subconsciously exert your quantum powers in some way to assure your victory, or your sense of honor may compel you to try harder in such situations. Whatever the reason, whenever you face a single opponent, whether in pitched battle or formal contests of any kind, you ignore one botch on each roll you make. Furthermore, whenever you participate in a formalized contest (any contest where there are rules of conduct

or victory conditions) your difficulties are reduced by 1 due to your keen strategic insights and competitive spirit. A Nova with this merit can garner quite a reputation in the XWF.

Way too strong for the cost. Either raise the cost of the Merit, or lower the bonus it gives you.

Fountainhead: (5pt Merit)

Though quantum forces flow through all things, you are home to a virtual torrent of it, making you a living source of quantum. This Merit is of most use if you have the

Background: Node. Otherwise, you will be unable fully to harness the natural force you posses. Whenever your quantum pool falls below your Quantum rating you may make a Stamina roll (difficulty = 8, this is not an action, but a natural process for you) to recharge your quantum pool by Quantum + Node.

The difficulty part should be rephrased, otherwise I like this part.

Temporary taint also accumulates in your Node at - 1 Taint for each point of Node each month. After a month, your Node assimilates that Taint, making it useable, stored quantum in your pool (assuming you have 'room' for it). Also the abundant free quantum swirling through your Node makes you a valued commodity for those with Quantum Leech, for each point of quantum they steal from you will give them two points of quantum in their pool.

This part I do not like. The only way to eliminate Taint is to dorm down and not use your powers, and that is something I think fits the setting very well.

Quantum Battery: (1-6pt Merit)

Your Node is particularly well suited for storing quantum. You may gain five extra points of quantum in your pool for each point you put into this Merit. You cannot take this Merit along with the Flaw: Quantum Leak.

Too strong. A two-for-one ratio would be better, since that's the same amount you get for each Nova Point spent on raising your pool.

Quantum Flexibility: (5/7pt Merit)

You have an easy time developing new powers and abilities. For 5pts, whenever you purchase a new trait it only cost half the normal cost, rounded up. For 7pts the cost to increase a trait is also half the normal cost, rounded up.

This is horribly, horribly, horribly broken.

Taint Slough: (3,5,7pt Merit)

Some Novas jokingly call this Merit the 'Teflon Node.' Though you still generate taint and may suffer from an aberration or flaw, your body does not accumulate taint over the long term. Each week (3pts) or each day (5pts) your node sloughs (harmlessly disperses) one point of accumulated temporary taint. At the 7pts taint simply will not 'adhere' in your node. Novas with this Merit often have the Flaw: Quantum Leak as well and the Storyteller can consider requiring this flaw if he thinks the merit is being abused.

I think this is broken as well. A merit to decrease the time needed to dorm to bleed off temporary taint would be good, but a nova should not be able to bleed off temporary taint without dorming. Since it normally requires one month per dot of temporary taint, a 3 pt merit for one point every two weeks, or 5 pt merit for one point every week, is good. Faster than that is just twinky.

Naked Anomaly: (3pt Flaw)

It is impossible for you to completely hide the fact that you’re a Nova. Something about you constantly screams ‘I’m a Nova’ that everyone will subconsciously pick up on. This gives you a +2 difficultly to all social rolls involving baselines. The only time you can interact normally is when dormed down at four or five dots. This flaw is cumulative with the social penalties induced by taint.

Unneccessary. Bad Vibe and Taint penalties already apply, even when dormed IIRC.

Quantum Leak: (2,3,4pt Flaw)

Your Node leaks stored quantum. Any quantum in your quantum pool beyond your Quantum + Node rating is lost at one point per day (2pts) or one point per hour (3pts). At the highest level this Flaw prevents you from storing any quantum in your pool beyond your Quantum + Node rating. Novas with this flaw may also have the Merit: Taint Slough.

I don't think I understand this one. A flaw that limits a nova to a maximum starting pool size of 10 points should cost more than 4 points, and the lower versions make little sense. Sitting and resting would refill your pool far faster than it could ever bleed away, so the only time this would really come into effect is an extended day or two where the nova is unable to rest for more than an hour or two at a time.

[Alex Green]

RE: Fast Healer

You recover from non-aggravated wounds very quickly – one health level per day or what the standard chart says, whichever is quicker. You heal aggravated wounds at the normal rate for lethal damage. This does not reduce the quantum cost for regenerating and/or Healing aggravated injuries. You are also harder to kill by normal means, you have two extra Incapacitated health levels and have to lose them all before dying.

RE: Free Will: (1-5pt Merit)

Once per session you may roll your Free Will rating at +1 difficulty and regain a point of spent Willpower for every succ over the difficulty.

RE: Natural Channel

You make all willpower rolls to resist mental (not emotional) manipulations at +1 difficulty.

RE: Alien: (3pt Flaw)

You loose half your pool in social skills and cannot pass on information to other players except in roundabout ways or riddles.

You suffer a +2 difficulty in all social situations and cannot pass on information…

RE: Duelist:

Drop entirely the “difficulties are reduced by 1”. This reduces it’s power by a lot but giving someone a free succ for all actions in one on one god vs. god is seriously broken in abby.

RE: Fountainhead:

Drop. All novas already have the ability to generate taint with normal rules with a Stamina roll, and this is already one of the few ways to get taint.

Further eliminating temp taint by -1 per dot of node per month is seriously broken (or at least worth a big league background) by itself.

RE: Quantum Battery: (1-6pt Merit)

Fine as is.

RE: Quantum Flexibility

It sounds like they’d get all quantum powers/megas-stats at half cost, which is seriously broken.

You could redefine the 7 point version of this to only effect one mega-stat or power…. Which might still be broken but less so.

RE: Taint Slough: (3,5,7pt Merit)

Seriously game balance changing.

RE: Naked Anomaly

This is an aberration, not a flaw. Further, screaming “I’m a nova” shouldn’t cause social penalties.

RE: Quantum Leak: (2,3,4pt Flaw)

Two point is absurd and meaningless… i.e. every day you lose a point of quantum. Ax it.

Three point is nasty.

4 point is extremely nasty, I suggest increasing it’s cost to 5.