DCU/MU Character builds for Aberrant?

[Mateus Luz]

Perhaps we could make MCU and DC villains and monsters using the Aeon Trinity Era Aberrant rules. They could be picked from less known or lower tier antagonists, or mostly forgotten main-line villains. That would serve as good inspiration for Aberrants, Mutants and such.

I am still to test it, but the rules for Aberrants in Aeon probably build better adversaries for Novas than the rules for antagonist Novas in Aberrant. AND it’s far less work to build to be honest.

[cKnight]

On a defensive note about strange, in his movie it is explained that they use artifacts to enhance or support their powers. Now how or who created these artifacts is left up to writers of script, comic, or campaign.

[Mateus Luz]

On a defensive note about strange, in his movie it is explained that they use artifacts to enhance or support their powers. Now how or who created these artifacts is left up to writers of script, comic, or campaign.

It is kind of explained in the movie that they were created as some magic Is too powerful to be cast all the time, and it’s better to use from the artifacts. It implies that any one of the masters of mystical arts could create magical items if dedicated time for that, what probably just a few do. But the portal ring is pretty common among them, so probably many of them produce or one guy produces lots of them.

Not Cannon, but the entire idea of this post is a bit anti-cannon, so... check the 2nd and 3rd lines in my signature. You could build them and give the feeling that differentiates Iron-Man armor from Doctor Strange artifacts. Fists of Flux was on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, maybe still is, Tomes of Inspiration is PWYW.

[cKnight]

I've got them . Tomes of inspiration actually is the reason I feel strange was a strong talent. Granted he had access to powerful artifacts.

[Seeker1728]

Pardon my ramble on this but, I'm currently frustrated and very annoyed with the books. I'll spare y'all a rant on the subject, other than to say it's damn annoying when what you're looking for is in a text box that seems like it was slapped in semi-randomly as an afterthought with no references in the index.

Anyway.

My question is there's a term that's getting bandied about within the TC threads that I haven't been able to track down. So if one of y'all could set me straight on this and where I can find it, I'd be grateful. WTF do I find info about "Superiors"??? There's no mention of them in the TC core book, which if they're a thing and since the TC Core is like...core, figured they'd at least be mentioned in the lexicon to give me an idea of where I might find out more about them to at least know what they are thematically. Unfortunately, that's not the case, so...yeah...if someone could kindly fill me in?

On a related note specific to this thread:
I finally had some free time this week to go through an exercise of creating a few Novas and I reached a (disappointing) conclusion that I've seen mentioned on the board by others but didn't quite get till I ran into a bunch of ceilings and walls designing Novas. To be fair, I walked into the Aberrant book with expectations of Storypath doing basically, Superheroes. However, much to my disappointment that's a mistaken assumption. It's not a "Supers" game system, it's a specific take on the Supers genre. Aberrant is part of a franchise and meta-story, thus Novas follow conceptual limitations and adhere to a limited thematic track to keep them in line with the meta-story of the product line where one day, they're the inhuman antagonists.

Basically since having started this thread I've come to see that one can at best use MU/DCU characters for inspiration and recreating them (even conservatively) involves compromises that leave one saying the character is a <name>-ish build (i.e. Batman-ish, Green Lantern-ish, Wolverine-ish). Even certain arch types typical of a Supers game aren't the same in Aberrant game as presented in other rule sets, beyond broad brush strokes.

That said, I'm still a fan of Storypath's system and believe it can do a Supers game, but Aberrant as is does not serve up the same offerings as say Mutants & Masterminds, it will take a good bit of work on my part to create a set of custom rules on my end to recreate a "classic Supers" setting via Storypath's systems. Given my time limitations, I'm likely going to have to hope some creative, like-minded soul will beat me to it and publish it on the Vault.

Finally: If some of you would like to post representations of characters from the MU/DCU here still, know that you'll have at least one avid reader appreciative of your attempt.

[Mateus Luz]

Superiors are “controlled eruption Novas” that Nihon created sometime late 2040s. They are referenced in Aeon and fully stated in Aexpansion.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...ath=8329_22321

Now, on building any character faithfully to their nature, it’s a bit out of the scope of Aberrant. The powers presented allow you to build most of the characters with some effort, it it will be really hard to make them feel the same because the setting is different from the begging, Quantum Power is not mutation, quantum power is not magic, it’s not the powers that you gain from being inter the yellow sun, or whatever. Same for Transcendence, the concept was created to fit the setting and the setting only, where the supers will evolve (what is very unusual in comics) and become unstable (what is not that unusual in comics, to be fair).

The entire nature of magic not existing in TC, that Psi and Quantum are opposing forces, and other details are strongly connected to Aberrant system and setting. YET, nothing impedes you of building characters using Aberrant system and a few tweaks to make it closer to the original idea. I am certain that more than a few writers will bring some good stuff to the Nexus with some options to make Aberrant more “generic Suppers friendly”, I will for sure!

[Seeker1728]

Superiors are “controlled eruption Novas” that Nihon created sometime late 2040s. They are referenced in Aeon and fully stated in Aexpansion.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product...ath=8329_22321

Mateus Luz Ahhh, ok. Thanks for the guidance. That explains the gap, I haven't picked up Aexpansion yet and Aeon is still awaiting a deeper dive. I have come to the same conclusion regarding Quantum and other factors as you mentioned, and I agree, I have to roll up my sleeves for house rules to address stepping outside the box that Aberrant takes place in. Like I said, it's a bit disappointing, but understanding that now having worked my way through the creation rules I find myself less frustrated.

[Shepherdboi]

That said, I'm still a fan of Storypath's system and believe it can do a Supers game, but Aberrant as is does not serve up the same offerings as say Mutants & Masterminds, it will take a good bit of work on my part to create a set of custom rules on my end to recreate a "classic Supers" setting via Storypath's systems. Given my time limitations, I'm likely going to have to hope some creative, like-minded soul will beat me to it and publish it on the Vault.

Finally: If some of you would like to post representations of characters from the MU/DCU here still, know that you'll have at least one avid reader appreciative of your attempt.

If going for a classic comic book feel, I'd play up similarities between Transformations/Transcendence and the soap opera-ish nature of comics. Namorita's skin once turned blue, while the Wasp briefly had an insect-like appearance. Ant-Man and the Scarlet Witch have had recurring mental issues. Spider-Man had six arms for awhile, and Wolverine's appearance became more primitive after the adamantium was ripped from his body. All of these could be explained as persistent low-level and mid-level transformations, which were later bought off using some house rules.

If someone buys Nova traits with a Transformation/Transcendence discount, you could let the Aberrant traits go into remission by paying the xp difference later in the campaign. If they gain a Transformation via too much Transcendence, just make it temporary, lasting at least as many story arcs as the character's Transcendence level, then allow them to shed it after a suitably epic character development.

[thedonnie]

As someone who has played just about every major superhero game out there, I have to say that any game will drop the ball on some level (sometimes a lot of levels) when it comes to making comic book heroes in it. And when using a game like Aberrant who is not designed to be a generic superhero system? I would recommend just going for the feel of things and not an exact one-for-one replication. Comics are inconsistent and writers will expand on things or change things up.

Also, if you want to do Strange, make him a Psiad. His powers are not Psionic in nature but a Psiad has the same level of power that Strange shows in the movies.

[Astromancer]

Both Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate pull power in from beyond this reality. Frankly both of them along with Zatanna, the White Witch of Naltor, and Scarlett Witch, all are better modelled using Mage spheres. Just decide how much they cost in Aberrant.

Johnny Thunder has a Quantum Construct that has Mage Spheres and a personality.

[thedonnie]

Both Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate pull power in from beyond this reality. Frankly both of them along with Zatanna, the White Witch of Naltor, and Scarlett Witch, all are better modelled using Mage spheres. Just decide how much they cost in Aberrant.

Johnny Thunder has a Quantum Construct that has Mage Spheres and a personality.

Hmmmm...someone who uses the Order of Hermes suggest to use Mage Spheres. Go figure....

lol...j/k.

In all seriousness,I said to use Psiads to emulate Strange because the array of powers available are great (possibly greater array than a Mage if you use similar XP amounts) and also a Psiad can bond to "magic items" similar to biotech.

I am not saying that Strange's powers do not come from another dimension nor am I saying that a Psiad's does. I am saying to use a Psiad to be the way to model a mage like Strange from a mechanical point of view and not a thematic model.

[Dataweaver]

Indeed. The eventual Ægis era will be leaving heavily into that notion, too: it has been stated that one of the inspirations for it was a line in the original Adventure! book that compared daredevils, mesmerists, and stalwarts to fantasy heroes, magicians, and gods, respectively.

But that brings up another possibility: rather than using Psion Aptitudes or Mage Spheres to represent the likes of Doctor Fate or Doctor Strange, you might go with Scion Purviews.

[Mateus Luz]

But that brings up another possibility: rather than using Psion Aptitudes or Mage Spheres to represent the likes of Doctor Fate or Doctor Strange, you might go with Scion Purviews.

Scion Purviews are both rules lighter and already part of the Storypath system, so it’s much easier to adapt, and you get pretty much all the feeling of comics spellcasters.

[MoroseMorgan]

Aha! I knew there had been a thread like this after the KS doc dropped-
http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/m...ro-conversions