Saturday super powered game

[thormagni]

OK folks, this is going to be a super-powered game, set in the world of White Wolf's Aberrant game, but using the Silver Age Sentinels D20 rules.

In this universe, super-powers were moreorless unheard of until 1998. Sure, prior to '98 there had been the occasional athlete, adventurer or vigilante who seemed to possess powers and skills far beyond those of normal men, but those were surely exaggerations -- concocted by publishers eager to sell their pulp novels, tabloids and comic books to a gullible public.

But om March 23, 1998, when the American space station exploded, spraying the atmosphere with a still unexplained burst of energy, things changed for good. Later that same day, a young firefighter named Randel Portman helplessly watched a terrible school bus accident unfold before his eyes. But rather than watch the children die, that firefighter unexpectedly found that he could control the fire. The flames leapt from the burning truck to him in a fiery column -- and the Nova age erupted.

Now, six years later, there are nearly 3,000 known "Novas" in the world. Their powers range from the trivial to the earth-shaking. And it isn't just people with big muscles or shiny capes changing the world. No, Nova doctors are devising cures for previously incurable diseases, Nova engineers are constructing bridges and buildings that boggle the mind and Nova environmentalists are scouring clean the world's oceans and landfills.

Strange, beautiful Novas are on the covers of all the magazines, on television shows and on every billboard. Cities are hiring Nova defenders and the best and brightest are turning their talents to Project Utopia, a world-spanning, Nova-centric philanthropic organization that seeks to funnel Nova achievements in ways that benefit all mankind. Utopia's super-group, Team Tomorrow, has branches all around the world and only the sharpest, cleanest and most upright Novas need apply.

Yup, Novas are the heroes and no corner of the world is untouched by their passage. But is it all sweetness and light?

Some would say no. Some would say that Project Utopia and Team Tomorrow are a little to cozy with the United Nations and too near to becoming a world superpower in and of themself. Some would say they are troubled by dark rumors of experimentation trickling out of Project Utopia. Some would say that there are signs that the use of these powers is leading people down a slippery slope to madness. Maybe the human brain is not meant to channel the strange Nova energies that scientists are calling quantum energy. Some would say that the world's governments should be paying more attention to what these hedonistic, self-righteous, living nuclear arsenals are actually up to because when they crack up, they are going to take a lot of people with them.

That is where you come in. Trained for two years in the darkest of the black ops arts, you are ready to hit the streets as your governments' best chance to get a handle on the Nova situation. You work for a multi-national government agency whose budget doesn't appear on any countries' books, whose name is not spoken of in any capitol hallway and whose members no longer exist.

Welcome to the Directive.

 

[thormagni]

The nature of super powers:

The newest scientific attempt to explain the nature of our universe is string theory. Humans are able to perceive four dimensions, but to fully integrate the mysteries of quantum mechanics and relativity, scientists have concluded that there are actually many more dimensions than those of height, width, depth and time. There may be as many as 10 dimensions, all operating simultaneously to our own, but as far out of our range of perception as color is to a blind man.

However, something in the space station explosion triggered a hereto unknown part of the human brain. A tiny node, later known as the M-R node in honor of its discoverers Mazarin and Rashoud, somehow allows human beings to actually perceive some of the higher dimensions and manipulate some of their properties. In effect, those with an active M-R node are able to warp and bend reality to their will, although usually within a very narrow range of effects. For example, a Nova with an affinity for fire is able to use his control over quantum forces to bend the laws of reality to allow him to perform his fire tricks. Similarly, a super-strong Nova is subconsciously bending reality in such a way as to allow him to lift great weights.

So, even though a particular Nova may delude himself into believing he is a Greek god or a magic-wielding sorcerer, really they are simply manipulating quantum energy through their M-R node to achieve the desired effect and deluding themselves into thinking their powers come from other sources. Rumor has it that there are humans who manipulate an entirely different type of energy, allowing them to read minds, manipulate others’ thoughts and actions and peer into the past of future, but it is more likely that this is propaganda or a similar deluded view of an easily explained phenomena.

 

[thormagni]

Character generation

OK folks, I am falling asleep here, but here is the skinny:

Obviously you will be beginning agents for the Directive, a new, multi-national group that is looking hard at the activities of Earth's newest "heroes." Missions will require you to be discreet on occasion but you should also be able to defend yourself and the innocent civilians who stumble into the paths of these flashy, spandex-clad train wrecks you are watching.

150 point SAS D20 characters. No big, flashy powers or obvious mutations, please. And no psionic-style mind-reading powers or pre- or post-cognition. The M-R node may be impressive, but it hasn't allowed humans to tap into each other's minds yet.

There is a wide variety of Novas out there, from physical powerhouses to mental giants, from charismatic manipulators to agile speedsters. Sure, some wear tights and set themselves up as comic book superhero vigilantes, but those are the ones with real mental problems. Many more use their talents to make themselves rich or to champion their pet causes. And yes, the occasional moron will erupt and immediately set out to rob the nearest bank.

Generally, a Nova has a moment when they "erupt," when their M-R node becomes active and they pass from normal human to Nova. This can be triggered in a variety of ways, from being the victim of violence, to surviving a traumatic accident or even to reaching a Zen epiphany during a moment of silent meditation. Your character should have an eruption story explaining how and why they became a Nova. Giving the GM a good eruption story will net you up to three extra power points for character creation.

Members of the Directive are drawn from a few member nations who signed onto the secret pact forming the shadow group -- American, Russian, Japanese and UK. Your character should choose a nationality in one of these countries, or at least come up with a good reason they are from another nation.

That's all I can think of for now. See you guys Saturday.

 

[thormagni]

And Taint, Taint is important

The world of Aberrant revolves around the idea of Taint, a gradual, slippery slope to madness and inhumanity that some Novas slide down. Essentially, the human mind is ill-equipped to understand the powerful quantum energies it is manipulating. In one possible future (that of White Wolf's Trinity game) Novas have almost all gone from superstar celebrities in the 1990s to alien monsters forced to flee Earth by 100 years later. In short, using Nova powers in careless ways leads to a gradual dehumanizing effect -- a life filled with mental aberrations and physical abnormalities. Here are my modified Taint rules:

Taint points run from 1 to 100. A character with one Taint point is virtually untouched by the effects of their power, while one with 100 becomes an NPC, an inhuman, alien creature unable to interact with normal humanity any more.

Taint level 1 to 39 - no major effects on the character.
Taint level 40 to 59 - Low-level aberrations. 1 to 2 low-level effects.
Taint level 60 to 79 - Medium-level aberrations. 1 to 2 medum-level effects.
Taint level 80 to 99 - High-level aberrations. 1 to 2 high-level effects.

This is cumulative, so a character who just reached 80 Taint would have 2 low-level aberrations, 2 medium-level aberrations and one brand-new high-level aberration. Aberrations are chosen by the GM, however the player can have some input into what they might be.

Gaining Taint
Taint as a Defect
At the base level, Taint is taken as a defect. Characters can take from 1 to 100 points of Taint giving them 1 to 100 more Power Points to spend (above the starting 150 and any other Defects.) In this Directive game, characters cannot have noticable Taint, so the starting cap would be 39 points of Taint.

Taint from Strain.
Characters can elect to push a power, straining to give themselves boosts such as added reach, more damage or even completely new uses for a power. To push a power, make a Will check with a DC of 10 plus the number of Power Points needed to get the new effect. If you fail the Will check you add those points to your Taint score.

For example, if you wanted to add two more levels of damage to your main Special Attack (at four points each) you would have to roll a DC 18 Will save. Making the save means you can use that power without having any Taint accumulate, failing the save means you can use that power level but you would add eight points of Taint to your Taint score. The benefit to the second is that the power level is permanently increased.

Obviously, pushing some of the more powerful powers would lead to rapid and catastrophic Taint accumulations. For example, a character with say, cosmic Dynamic Powers, who wanted to add four levels to his power would have to make a save against a DC of 90! And then would add 80 points of Taint to his total.

A character who gains Taint through Pushing his powers has a chance to bleed off some of that Taint (and thg added power levels) through several ineffective methods such as not using any powers for a month. Or they can choose to accept their new power level and keep the Taint. This would involve a conversation with the GM and the acceptance of new, permanent Aberrations.

 

[thormagni]

And a group question

Silver Age Sentinels offers the option of contested attack roll or a static AC roll. Last time I was kind of using a combination of both. I'd like to see which method you guys prefer.

Method 1: The D&D (sort of) method.

Step 1) Attacker rolls to hit. If the attack roll is higher than the defender's static AC (10+AC Bonus+other mods) the attack hits.

Step 2) Any attack on a defender after the first per round gets a -2 to the defender's AC, unless he has bought Extra Defenses.

Method 2: The contested roll method
Step 1) Attacker rolls to hit. If he rolls higher than the defender's AC Bonus the attack is on target. Attacker notes his total attack roll.

Step 2) Defender rolls a defense roll (1d20+AC Bonus+any other mods) compares it to the attack roll and if the defense roll is higher, the attack misses. If the attack roll is higher, the attack hits.

Step 3) Any attack on a defender after the first per round gets a -2 to the defenders defense roll, unless he has bought Extra Defenses.

 

[Odovacar's Ghost]

Silver Age Sentinels offers the option of contested attack roll or a static AC roll. Last time I was kind of using a combination of both. I'd like to see which method you guys prefer.

Method 1: The D&D (sort of) method.

Step 1) Attacker rolls to hit. If the attack roll is higher than the defender's static AC (10+AC Bonus+other mods) the attack hits.

Step 2) Any attack on a defender after the first per round gets a -2 to the defender's AC, unless he has bought Extra Defenses.

Method 2: The contested roll method
Step 1) Attacker rolls to hit. If he rolls higher than the defender's AC Bonus the attack is on target. Attacker notes his total attack roll.

Step 2) Defender rolls a defense roll (1d20+AC Bonus+any other mods) compares it to the attack roll and if the defense roll is higher, the attack misses. If the attack roll is higher, the attack hits.

Step 3) Any attack on a defender after the first per round gets a -2 to the defenders defense roll, unless he has bought Extra Defenses.

I prefer Method 2.

Oh, and White wolf rules too. I've only played in the Trinity world once.

 

[Odovacar's Ghost]

I prefer Method 2.

Oh, and White wolf rules too. I've only played in the Trinity world once.

Oh, and is Telekinesis (sp?) banned?

 

[Fyrestryke]

Method 2: The contested roll method
Step 1) Attacker rolls to hit. If he rolls higher than the defender's AC Bonus the attack is on target. Attacker notes his total attack roll.

Step 2) Defender rolls a defense roll (1d20+AC Bonus+any other mods) compares it to the attack roll and if the defense roll is higher, the attack misses. If the attack roll is higher, the attack hits.

Step 3) Any attack on a defender after the first per round gets a -2 to the defenders defense roll, unless he has bought Extra Defenses.

Yeah, let's rock with Method 2.

 

[thormagni]

Oh, and White wolf rules too. I've only played in the Trinity world once.

Are you saying White Wolf RULES as in, White Wolf is really cool? In which case, I agree with you. Aberrant is a really original take on a "superhero" world. It's funny, but the Abby developers used to really go out of their way to say "Aberrant is NOT a superhero game." But superheroes are mentioned frequently in the Abby D20 book I picked up at Gen Con.

Or did you mean, White Wolf rules as in, we should play using the White Wolf rules? I've played a good bit of Aberrant over the years in the Storyteller version, and had a good time, but was underwhelmed by the new D20 book. I think SAS is a big improvement over AbbyD20, but the original Abby was a good system.

Unfortunately, I only have one copy of the original Aberrant rules and I can't spread it around like I can with the SAS D20 Stingy books. We could surely play that in the future though, if anyone is ever interested. Heck, we could play that tomorrow, if everyone wanted to put off character creation until we get to the table. It is a pretty simple system. Up to you guys really.

I am MOST prepared to play a version of SAS D20, but I have all the Storyteller Aberrant books, and the plot (such as it is) wouldn't be affected by the system.

 

[Fyrestryke]

Are you saying White Wolf RULES as in, White Wolf is really cool? In which case, I agree with you. Aberrant is a really original take on a "superhero" world. It's funny, but the Abby developers used to really go out of their way to say "Aberrant is NOT a superhero game." But superheroes are mentioned frequently in the Abby D20 book I picked up at Gen Con.

Or did you mean, White Wolf rules as in, we should play using the White Wolf rules? I've played a good bit of Aberrant over the years in the Storyteller version, and had a good time, but was underwhelmed by the new D20 book. I think SAS is a big improvement over AbbyD20, but the original Abby was a good system.

Unfortunately, I only have one copy of the original Aberrant rules and I can't spread it around like I can with the SAS D20 Stingy books. We could surely play that in the future though, if anyone is ever interested. Heck, we could play that tomorrow, if everyone wanted to put off character creation until we get to the table. It is a pretty simple system. Up to you guys really.

I am MOST prepared to play a version of SAS D20, but I have all the Storyteller Aberrant books, and the plot (such as it is) wouldn't be affected by the system.

I think we'll get more play time if we roll tomorrow with d20 and then we can plan on doing the other system in future games...