Ask a Dev

[Deadmanwalking]

As came up in another thread, there's some dispute about whether Soft Armor numbers stack. Some explicitly say they do, some explicitly say they don't, but what about those that say neither? If I'm wearing Eufiber with Soft Armor 2 and using Quantum Field that provides Soft Armor 3, is my Soft Armor now 5?

[Timecrafter]

If I have Attunement 4, I can start the Game with one Rank 4 Q-Tech item.

If I have zero Attunement, but I do have Quantum 2 and the Q-Tech Mega-Edge 3, I can start the Game with one Rank 5 Q-Tech item.

So... what if I have Quantum 2, Q-Tech Mega Edge 3, AND ALSO have Attunement 4? Does it mean I can Attune and start the game with 2+3+4 = one Rank 9 item? If not, what can I do with these?

[Deadmanwalking]

Mega-Composure says that it removes Complications that result from 'emotional or social distractions' and then reduces the difficulty of Composure rolls. Is the Difficulty reduction somehow conditional? I mean, does it necessitate that there have been a Complication to start with, or only work if the Difficulty is due to 'emotional or social distractions' or would it just reduce Difficulty of Composure rolls no matter what?

I had assumed the latter reading it (especially since Difficulty isn't usually given a 'type' like Complications are), but a lot of people assumed the former. So which is it?

[Archasimos]

Okay, so the Mega-Lifting Mega-Edge seems obscenely powerful at a glance. Yes, you can't directly do damage with it, but since novas bend the laws of physics, ignoring the need for leverage and such, it would appear that a nova that boosts their Might scale for lifting to even just a 6 could lift a small city. I can't help but think there's something I'm missing, perhaps in the difficulty of the roll itself. It feels like a beginning character, if built right, could heft up a city, then drop it, which honestly would be cataclysmic for the city.

From beginning to end, including difficulties, and spending successes on stunts, what would it take for a character with Might scale 6 to lift a scale 6 small city?

What would it take for a character that used Mega-Lifting to boost their Might scale to 9 to lift a scale 6 small city?

[Bunyip]

Okay, so the Mega-Lifting Mega-Edge seems obscenely powerful at a glance. Yes, you can't directly do damage with it, but since novas bend the laws of physics, ignoring the need for leverage and such, it would appear that a nova that boosts their Mega-Might for lifting to even just a 6 could lift a small city. I can't help but think there's something I'm missing, perhaps in the difficulty of the roll itself. It feels like a beginning character, if built right, could heft up a city, then drop it, which honestly would be cataclysmic for the city.

From beginning to end, including difficulties, and spending successes on stunts, what would it take for a character with Mega-Might 6 to lift a scale 6 small city?

What would it take for a character that used Mega-Lifting to boost their Mega-Might to 9 to lift a scale 6 small city?

This seems more like a general community question than ‘Ask a Dev’.

[Archasimos]

This seems more like a general community question than ‘Ask a Dev’.

I can do that if it's preferred. The original post about Ask a Dev wasn't terribly clear on what may or may not want to be discussed here. My ST is about to run two separate simultaneous games of Aberrant that exist side by side and I noticed that Mega-Lifting could technically be used to allow a starting character with Mega-Might 4 to achieve for instance a Might scale 9 for just lifting, and it seemed like this is either broken to the point where it could derail games (assuming the ST didn't just disallow such things for the sake of the game), or are we were missing something critical that would make it a lot harder than it appears.

[Bunyip]

I can do that if it's preferred. The original post about Ask a Dev wasn't terribly clear on what may or may not want to be discussed here.

As a Dev is generally for clarification on how the system works, what the intent is behind certain rules or how they’re meant to be interpreted, or clarification on elements of the setting. If you post here you’ll often be waiting longer for an answer because the devs are busy working on projects and may not get to the forum or the thread for a while. In this thread it’s also not allowed for the general community to pop in with their answers, suggestions, and opinions. If you want discussion or examples on how things work in gameplay, asking a question or making a thread outside Ask a Dev is usually the better choice because members of the community who have played countless hours of the game will chime in, and have probably encountered the same thing you’re asking, or something similar.

Hopefully that helps clarify it.

[Timecrafter]

1) Do Q-Tech items gained during character creation (through Attunement or Q-Tech Mega Edge) start with Flaws?
2) If yes, how many? Can I "buy them off" to start Flawless? (or with less Flaws?)
3) If not, can I get Flaws to make this starting Q-Tech better (maybe working like Negative Tags)? How should I proceed?

[Timecrafter]

Devs, please... I've read the Superscience Core rules and the Q-Tech rules over and over, but I simply couldn't understand how do you go from "Rank 7, Maximum Enhancement 9, up to 30 dots (all types) but no more than 12 dots in Quantum Abilities, Maximum Tag Bonus 8" to the Cyber Suit stats listed in Aberrant's Q-Tech table at pp. 243. Could you please clarify the step-by-step of how it's done? How do you actually "spend" these points to generate the stats listed in the Q-Tech Devices Example tables? If possible, please do the same to the the "Teleportation Device" and to the "Intelligent Car" (same table), because I really need your help here. Thank you!

PS: I really hope you can explain Q-tech points allocation here (and Core game Super-Science also, in fact); my Aberrant game preparation hitted a standstill because of this. I'm a backer in all 4 kickstarters, I've read all the 3 hardcovers but I really still don't know what to say to my would-be-gadgeteer players. :/ We didn't use Super-Science crafting in our Core game, but its not a good choice to do in our Aberrant chronicle, because... gadgeteer player characters. 😭

[Warren Locke]

I'm unsure about how the Feature of the Camaraderie Bond is actually useful - it provides the members of a group the short term ability to grant successes in a limited set of skills to other team members as 1-point enhancements, but this seems redundant (and more limited overall) with regards to the core mechanic's generic Enhanced Stunt ability, which lets any character spend extra successes to give themselves or any other character enhancement equal to the extra successes spent. Am I missing a benefit of the Camaraderie feature?

Just reposting this, as I think it may have been overlooked previously.

I'd also like to add my voice to the previous poster's request for a general review of how the actual specific details of Q-Tech item point expenditure (and, really, Novatech too) work for an inventor Aberrant, as I also have a gadgeteer character and we've struggled pretty mightily with the systems as written. It just all seems very vague.

[Jonnes.Derik]

I also have a gadgeteer player, and I didn't understand the rules of the books. [Core and Q-tech]

[shuragil]

I don't understand how Transportal 1: Window works.

It costs 1 psi and an action, for which you can open two small portals which last for duration. How can this be used defensively/offensively? Can it be used relexively, costing 1 psi each use? Or Can you reflexively switch windows as you like while the port lasts (though this contradicts the sentence "can’t be moved once created")?

[Bunyip]

How can this be used defensively/offensively?

Mixed actions. Not reflexively.

[shuragil]

Mixed actions. Not reflexively.

I can follow this when using Window for attacks. But I still don't get it when using it for defense, which _is_ some kind of reflexive roll, if i understand combat rules correctly. I mean, when opening a window as part of an earlier action, the opponent can easily step aside the window. He needs to be surpised by the suddenly appearing window to be effective for defense, which is probably not the case if it popped up a second or so earlier.

Also Window, costing both 1 psi as well as the dice-loss of a mixed action _each time_ feels lackluster e.g. compared to Blink, which grants effects for several rounds after activation. At least I feel that way currently.

[Bunyip]

But I still don't get it when using it for defense, which _is_ some kind of reflexive roll, if i understand combat rules correctly.

On your action, you activate Window. This could be your action, or part of a mixed action. If you're activating it with defense in mind, it thereafter makes it harder for enemies to damage you. If you're attacked before this in a round, you roll your Defense as normal, Window won't help you yet.

I mean, when opening a window as part of an earlier action, the opponent can easily step aside the window. He needs to be surpised by the suddenly appearing window to be effective for defense, which is probably not the case if it popped up a second or so earlier.

If you were carrying a shield, would you give it to your opponent and then complain that the opponent doesn't just spend their time hitting the shield instead of holding it to one side and hitting you? Why would you make defensive windows appear near the opponent? You put them near yourself so the opponent has less chance of hitting you, and more chance of their attack going through a window.

feels lackluster e.g. compared to Blink

With respect, so what? Teleporters already have Blink as part of their toolkit. Aptitudes aren't designed to overlap 1:1, if at all. If a teleporter wants the good defensive power, take Translocation. If they want to cobble together a defensive use out of a more utilitarian ability, take Transportal. If the player decides to concentrate on Transportal and not take Translocation, that's their choice.