[Aberrant] Some character design queries

[gribblethemunchkin]

Hi all

Long time fan of aberrant here. Trying some character gen and I have a few queries that hope you wise folks can help with, some rules related, some "best approach" type.

1) I can't find anything in the continuum book or the aberrant book about the number of languages a character can know. Should this be covered with an edge, or is it skill based (humanities I'd guess).

2) If I wanted a nova to start with a permanent power, how could I do this. Permanent power is a high level transformation, but you can only take low or mid level ones at character gen. I'm thinking of a character who has a permanent low level of density increase and a wildly overproportioned body (like a 6'6" hulk physically). But can't work out how to do it within the rules.

3) Power suites. Do all the powers have to have some kind of thematic link? I like the idea that they should but there doesn't appear to be any strict requirement that there is.

[Mateus Luz]

1. There is no description because it is hard to predict how it’s going to impact the game. My suggestion is: you can fluently speak one language and maybe one or 2 more if fits the concept (paths mainly). Any other language you will need a Humanities or Culture test to understand. Humanities would be for an old or classical language (Latin, Ancient Greek or Egyptian, or maybe French as it’s largely used in diplomacy). Culture I would use for other languages (or the languages above if you learned in a more daily uses of it and not from literature)

2. You can add a permanent power (like Cyclops eye cannon) as uncontrollable. Not the same feel, but works. Your example I would do by adding mega strength, toughness and Epidermic Shift and physiologic shift (easier to work it around).

3. The idea of the suite is to be the SAME power used in different ways. Is not that you can throw fire balls from your hands and create a sheet of fire around you, they are both uses of your body producing fire. That is why they must be related. If you want to make a suite with openly unrelated powers I would not let it, you could if you give a good explanation why they are the same power used in different ways.

[Florin]

1) Whatever is reasonable for the character. I usually use paths as a guide, but if someone wants to put in their background they were a military brat and lived in Germany, Okinawa, and the Ukraine, well, then I'd let them at least understand the basics of German, Japanese, and Ukrainian. Languages usually aren't worth even a single XP.

2) You could fake it with buying the Mega-Strength and Toughness separately with the mid-level Transformation of Physiological Shift. Or, you could buy Density with a lot of Duration tags added to it. 3 Duration tags would give you days of duration.

3) It says you're using the main power to simulate the other powers in the suite. So, you'll need to be able to describe how that works. If I take Elemental Mastery (Fire) as the main power of my suite, I'm going to have a hard time describing how I'm using that to add Density to my suite.

[pcontop]

2) Create a new tag for density increase called:

Always On (0): This power stays active and cannot be deactivated normally and commits the quantum points for using it. It does not turn off when the character is sleeping or unconscious, and in some cases, even when he dies. Dormancy, power dampening, and power stealing work, but the power activates reflexively and uncontrollably after the interrupting effect ends.

It's easy enough to get the disproportionate body with transformations.