The "dots" thing basically works like this. Pick the powers you want, add a description of about what they do for your character, and then you're going to allocate 1-5 dots in each power you picked. Each dot represents basically just a level of mechanical commitment to that power, and every successive dot makes that power one order of magnitude stronger. It's meant to be an at-a-glance way of measuring the strength of your character's abilities.
1) Just wanna say I'm still here, sorry for the bout of radio silence there.
2) I'd like a CS too, I'm raring to go and I think I can crank out my tread-head (great word-play by the way) with some powers.
3) So if we don't take any Quantum powers will our characters not generate flux? Ex: a guy just takes some Nova-attributes and no Quantum powers?
4) Are we allowed to start with some Transcendence drawbacks from the beginning? I'd like my rubber-man to be stuck in tire-mode 24/7 but I'm cool if it needs to stay a turn on/off power.
3: This actually will cut down your potential for gaining Flux considerably, but will also gimp your character somewhat. Quantum Powers are the most powertful expressions of your characters' abilities. Additionally, if you never "max out" your powers by overclocking them with Quantum, they will never get stronger. Your powers are like muscles, for them to become stronger you have to strain them.
4: You can start with some low and mid-level mutations, but power lock is a high-level transformation. Once you reach that point, the train has kind of gone off the rails for retaining anything resembling a human appearance or mindset.
I am interested in join in. I have a idea for a Elite merc with electric powers.
I don't think we'll be playing as Elites in this campaign.
@Dead Cruiser I'm still playing around with a character who has awareness abilities. I like the idea of a detective character whose capable of understanding things beyond themselves, but I'm not sure how to add an offensive edge.
In seriousness, your character does not need to have a power to cover every eventuality; we're working as a team after all.
Also, for allocating powers 12-13 "dots" is about normal for an average, perhaps inexperienced Nova. Power also increases exponentially with dots, not linearly, so keep that in mind.
So basically the more direct influence a nova's power has on their body, the quicker they'll be pushed to transcendance?
What about an ability involving astral projection?
Flux is accumulated by using Quantum Powers (which among your abilities have the most dramatic effect on reality, and are typically the most extrinsic in nature) excessively, and by pushing your character beyond their limits. Juicing your own powers with Quantum energy (this is a mechanical mana pool in the game) can make them function as more powerful or complex versions, or you can spontaneously generate new powers for momentary bursts. However, this excess of Quantum power is more than can typically tolerate, leaving you with Flux. The more Flux you gain, the more you will Transcend. If you never meet the conditions to gain Flux (difficult, but possible), you will never Transcend. It's also possible to shed Flux before Transcendence makes it permanent; you can be "purified" of Flux through a process called "grounding," where you limit your usage of all of your Nova abilities for a period of days or weeks. Not using your powers at all for a sufficient amount of time will cause your Flux to deteriorate on its own, with no effort needed to "ground" yourself.
Ok here's the power list, I tried to include a short blurb for powers that weren't self-explanatory. Most of the social-themed powers went unremarked, since they're pretty straightforward. Keep in mind that this isn't the end-all, I just want you to use this as a basis to understand what kinds of powers Novas usually have. Also keep in mind that many Mega-Edges have logical prerequisites in Mega-Attributes.
Mega-Attributes Mega-Intellect: Improves the raw computing power of a Nova's mind. Mega-Cunning: Improves a Nova's senses, reflexes, and reaction time. Mega-Resolve: Improves a Nova's focus, determination, and pain tolerance. Mega-Might: Improves a Nova's raw muscular power. Mega-Dexterity: Improves a Nova's grace, flexibility, balance, and coordination. Mega-Stamina: Improves a Nova's physical constitution and resistance to harm, disease, and age. Mega-Presence: Gives a Nova a head-turning, "godlike" presence, and improves their ability to influence others. Mega-Manipulation: Improves a Nova's ability to read and manipulate other people. Mega-Composure: Improves a Nova's emotional control and resistance to manipulation.
Mega-Edges Animal Mastery: Allows a Nova to command and commune with non-sapient animals. Body Modification: Grants a Nova a useful transformation, such as an adhesive grip, bioluminesence, color-changing skin, claws, extra limbs/a tail, gills, spines, webbed hands or feet, or wings. Calming Composure Compelling Presence Dense Flesh Detection: Allows a Nova to sense a quality or substance beyond their five senses, such as living beings, certain substances, or particular types of energy. Digital Manipulation: Allows a Nova to remotely manipulate and interface with computers by manipulating light and electricity. Digital Scan: Allows a Nova to "read" data direction from a digital device. Dreadful Presence Fast Worker Foresight Homunculus: A Nova can split off part of their body mass that can operate as an independent organism and follow simple instructions, before returning to the Nova who gains all of the offshoot's experience and knowledge. Hypnotic Presence Immediate Connection Immunity: Protects a Nova from environmental hazards. Instant Expert Instant Influence Inventor Mass Influence Mastermind Mega-Crush Mega-Hearing Mega-Lifting Mega-Scent Mega-Speed Mega-Vision Micro-Manipulation: Allows a Nova to manipulate extremely small objects with precision. Mind Over Matter: Gives a Nova conscious control over their body processes. Movement Mode: Gives a Nova additional modes of movement, such as burrowing, clinging, gliding, skimming, slithering, swimming, or swinging. Overwhelming Denial: Something about the Nova forces others to forget them and details about them. Pretercognition Prodigy Q-Tech: The Nova has access to Nova-developed technology, including Q-Tech, which is technology powered by Quantum that is only usable by Novas. Quantum Conversion: A nova can convert Quantum energy directly into a discharge of electromagnetic energy, such as light, heat, or radiation. Quantum Leap: Allows a Nova to jump long distances. Quantum Sense: Allows a Nova to sense Quantum energy, giving them insight into other Nova's strength and powers. Quickness Rapid Strike Regeneration: A Nova can heal from injuries in seconds. Revealing Composure Revealing Read Scanning Sense: A Nova can sense their surroundings using radar waves. Sensory Shield Shockwave: A nova can create a shockwave by slamming or stomping the ground. Spectrum Vision: Allows a Nova to see invisible electromagnetic frequencies. Subtle Presence Telecommunication: Allows a Nova to transmit their thoughts to others and to communication devices like radio waves. Technologist Telepresence: A Nova's enhanced social abilities carry over telecommunication devices. Thunderclap: A nova can create a shockwave by clapping their hands together. Toughness Ultraperipheral Perception Universal Translator Quantum Powers Absorbtion: A Nova can capture and absorb energy to fuel their own abilities. Boost: A Nova channels Quantum energy to boost their Attributes. Cloak: By manipulating energy waves, the Nova can cloak themselves from detection. Density: A Nova can increase their density to make them more massive, stronger, and tougher. Elemental Mastery: A Nova has power over a particular element or force, such as cold/ice, darkness, electricity, fire/heat, gravity, light, magnetism, radiation, air, earth/rock/soil, plants, water, or weather. Environmental Anima: A Nova can manipulate the environment around them in ways such as changing the weather, light, or gravity. Flight Growth Healing Illusion: A Nova can manipulate electromagnetic forces to create realistic audio-visual projections. Molecular Chameleon: A Nova can duplicate the quantum signature of a substance or energy, and can assume its properties. Molecular Manipulation: A Nova can manipulate the molecular bonds of nonliving matter, capable of reshaping it and changing its phase state. Morph: A Nova can manipulate their own body to give them complete control over their own appearance. Phase: A Nova can put their body into a state of quantum uncertainty that changes the state of matter they exist in. Plasticity: A Nova's body can become malleable and stretchy like soft rubber. Quantum Agent: A Nova can conjure a semi-independent being out of nothing to do as the Nova wishes. Quantum Anima: A Nova can manipulate and move inanimate matter without physical contact or imparting kinetic energy. Quantum Attack: A Nova can wield fundamental forces as a weapon. Quantum Aura: A Nova can surround their body in a damaging aura of some kind. Quantum Construct: A Nova can create fields of force that function as simple, geometric physical constructs. Quantum Deflection: A Nova can use force and energy to turn aside attacks. Quantum Disruption: A Nova can disrupt the flow of Quantum energy, interfering with the powers of other Novas. Quantum Field: A Nova can create a skintight, protective field of energy around themselves. Quantum Leech: A Nova can drain Quantum energy from other Novas. Remote Perception: A Nova can use quantum entanglement to sense a point outside their body as if they were there. Shrinking Shroud: A Nova can screen or jam energy wavelengths, including light and sound. Teleport Transformation: A Nova can manipulate and reconfigure their own body. Transmutation: A Nova can transmute nonliving matter, or seemingly create nonliving matter from nothing. Warp: The Nova creates a wormhole in spacetime, connecting two distant points.
Hopefully that is enough to inspire you, let me know if there are specific powers you want to know more about.
Also, here's a short list of Transcendence transformations, if you want your character to start with any.
I'm interested in this, as well. I share the same sentiments of not knowing the source material lore (Though I'm slightly familiar with the Storyteller system) but I think your write-up set the themes pretty well.
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For sure. If this is a story of street-level stuff at the beginning I'm thinking of maybe a conman (maybe even former conman); I don't suppose there's a sort of "speak with the dead" style of power?
A conman could work fine, though I would ask that you flesh out the concept just a bit more.
Speak with the Dead, no, but there are hypnotic/compelling powers that your character could have.
@Dead Cruiser Street-level neighborhood watch sounds like a good place to start.
I would appreciate the list of powers and maybe a better explanation of the stats, because when I tried looking up flux and transcendence it got kind of confusing for me.
I'll work on a list of powers, but I can explain what Flux and Transcendence are for the sake of our RP.
Every Nova is basically a living conduit of Quantum Energy, a lens through which reality is distorted. Sometimes that energy lingers with the conduit, sort of a residue or leftover distortion. This is known as Quantum Flux, or just Flux. Under 99% of circumstances Flux itself is harmless to humans and Novas alike, but when a Nova builds up an excessive amount of Flux by frequently pushing their powers beyond their limits, the Flux essentially accumulates and then crystalizes into Transcendence.
As I said before, a Nova's eruption is just the first stage of their metamorphosis; what they're metamorphosing into is another question entirely. Transcendence is the continuation of this process, brought on as more Quantum energy is channeled through a Nova, and they accumulate more Quantum Flux. When Novas accumulate enough Flux to Transcend, basically the Flux becomes a permanent part of them, generally in the form of some kind of physical or mental abnormality, or by altering their powers in some way. Think of all the various ways that having the X-Gene can affect your physical appearance or mental state, and you have an idea of what Transcendence is like for the average Nova. Transcendence can also introduce weaknesses that your character did not previously have, such as a Kyrptonite-like reaction to certain substances or energies, locking their powers permanently on, or causing them to develop a split personality that only one side of which can use their powers. All that said, low levels of Transcendence are basically harmless save for the fact that they clearly mark your character as a Nova.
I'm working on the plot for our little foray. I'm, again, thinking of basically street-level Novas that have yet to achieve much notoriety or the attention of Project Utopia. Honestly my favorite way to play superheroes is as a Section 8 style gaggle of freaks, which I think we can have in spades with our failing magician (I'm imagining him like, getting booed and attacked by kids at a child's birthday party a la Ghostbusters 2), our tread-head rubberman, and Super Drowning Man.
Anyway, I figure they've started like, a small neighborhood watch in [FICTIONAL CITY], meet up on weekends to work out a shift schedule, have to call each other at work to alert them to a rogue Nova attack, etc. Goofy mundane stuff vs Nova superheroics.
Thoughts? Contributions?
Edit: Also, would my posting maybe a list of the powers in the core book be helpful to people building characters? I really want you to try and be creative, the stuff in the book is mostly a framework to build your character around. For instance, if Storm hit someone with a lightning bolt, or Superman used his heat vision, both would fall under "Quantum Attack" with different dot ratings and tags in the core book. Just trying to show that the powers themselves are very basic and mostly reliant on you the players to flavor them into superpowers.
Izurich
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