Character Creation

TheTerrapin
Concept: bitter survivor
Nature: Rebel (once was Analyst)

Str 2 Dex 3 Sta 3

Per 3 Int 3 (2) Wits 4

App 2 Manip 2 Cha 2
*(X) indicates Mega Attr.
::6 np for Mega Attributes; 24 pt std Attribute spread

Abilities:
Brawl 4, Stealth 3, Endurance 2(+3), Resist 2(+3), Awareness 2, Investigation 2, Academics 2, Engineering 2, Intrusion 2, Intimidation 3, Interrogation 3, Streetwise 2, Command 2,
::24 pts in Abilities; +6 Ability pts (1np)

Backgrounds:
Contacts 1, Node 4, Resources 2
::7 pts

Freebies:
Quantum +2 (7 pts. ea, 14 ttl), Contacts +1
::15 pts

Nova Pts:

Mega Attributes (Int 2) : (6np)
Enhancements: Analyze Weakness (Int)
Extra Enhancements- Mental Prodigy(Tactics) (3np)
TTL: 9 Np

Willpower +1 (1np)

Nova Powers:
ESP 1 (3pts)

Flight 1 (3 pts)

Force Field 1 (3 pts)

Psychic Shield 1 (1 pt)

Telekinesis 3 (9 pts, Tainted)
Extra: Armor Piercing

Merits/Flaws:
f: Enemy (the Powers) -5
junior members want him DEAD; approx as powerful as he is.

f: Eufiber Rejection -2
Psychic resonance/taint is hostile to Eufiber colonies

f: Vengeful -2
He's a bitter, bitter man.
-----------
m: Natural Leader +1

m: Iron Will +6

m: 2 remaining bp go towards Willpower +1

Terrapin and his three teammates used to work for/with the Powers That Be...at least until their turn to villainy. Of all the superhumans that worked for the Powers, most would assume Terrapin would be the one to turn villain due to his ruthless tactics, brutal approach to crime fighting and general disregard for the rights of the accused. Reality thought that ironic given the Powers' turn to selfishness and evil.

Knowing him to be a credible threat, the Powers ambushed Terrapin and his team, killing two of them (Dynamo and NinJack) and exiling the other (Diehard) to the bottom of the Mariana Trench; only Terrapin managed to escape their attack but not entirely unscathed... He nearly burned out his prodigious mental powers in the escape, retaining a fraction of his former abilities.
Broken and defeated, he retreated to the one place he called home, an abandoned amusement park in East Tennessee. Nicknamed "Murder Mountain", the amusement park held a hidden, labyrinthian, trap-filled complex dug into the mountainside that formed the center of the park. The park, originally called Mystery Mountain, had closed after Terrapin and a crew of plucky local teens exposed the park's owners as international assassins who tortured and interrogated their targets by kidnapping them and running them through the macabre maze of mind-bending, mutilating and lethal traps. The park never sold after it closed due to it's reputation so Terrapin bought it some decades back.

The Powers know where he holed up but never went after him because they assume the termination of his team broke him and he rarely leves the Mountain lair. That hasn't stopped desperate, stupid bounty hunters or prospective members of the Powers from coming to collect the bounty on his head. Every one of those trespassers left Murder Mountain feet first in a bag or a bucket. His days of finding refuge may be coming to a close, however. The last reckless individuals to breach Murder Mountain were the twin, alien shape shifting proteges of the Powers. Perhaps priority mailing their heads back to the Powers' HQ was an act of hubris, defiance or just a final push towards a death wish that's been building over the years...

The nova's voice takes on an unusual quality. It might sound tinny or metallic, especially deep and resonant, or hollow and whispery. It might even have a perfect tone, like the voice of an angel. This aberration is common for novas with Mega-Charisma or certain body modifications (especially those affecting the mouth and throat).

The nova’s arms and/or legs are bent, twisted and warped. They may be unnaturally long, oddly slender (yet lacking nothing in strength), have joints which bend at disturbing angles or even an extra joint or two.

The nova is too horrifying for description. He is somehow warped, twisted, deformed or otherwise looks like he was broken and then put back together by someone who didn’t know what a person should look like. He resembles something you’d see in your worst nightmare. His Appearance Attribute drops to zero, and he gains a permanent version of the Face of Terror Mega-Appearance enhancement (p. 172).

The coming of novas has ushered in many technological advances, but few so universal as the bizarre substance known as eufiber. This organic polymer-esque substance was originally secreted from the epidermis of Costa Rican nova Anibel Buendia; a synthetic version was later created from living colonies of the fiber. Eufiber and its derivatives have proved to have many industrial uses; OpNet cables and a considerable percentage of the world’s clothing are made from a synthetic alloy derived from Buendia’s creation. True, living eufiber, though, is even more prized by novas.

The Eufiber Background represents a colony of Buendia-secreted, living eufiber. The colony is most commonly "woven" into a garment of some sort. Eufiber shaped in this fashion can be worn by baselines, but it is most useful to novas, as its genetic and quantum pattern conforms to the nova’s own. This property allows the colony to store a certain number of extra quantum points in its cell structure, giving the nova a quantum-point reserve; the nova can transfer a number of quantum points to the colony up to the Eufiber rating. The nova recovers the quantum points normally, while the eufiber colony stores them until the nova decides to use them.

While the eufiber is charged with quantum, the colony can use the stored quantum as an automatic defense for itself and its owner; this innate defense provides the nova with an amount of extra soak (versus bashing and lethal damage) equal to the number of quantum points currently stored in the colony.

As well, the colony adapts to the nova’s own quantum powers, allowing it to remain intact and unharmed even while the nova uses body-altering powers like Bodymorph, Growth and Immolate. Perfect for the Fashionable nova who doesn’t want to run around naked every time he turns on the juice (though such an outfit provides absolutely no defense against other novas’ quantum powers).

A eufiber outfit can adapt its shape, color and other parameters to the nova’s whim, shifting at his mental command. Eufiber fashion shows are often wondrous and freakish affairs, as nova "supermodels" parade down runways attired in gravity defying, shimmering, translucent, bioluminescent, scintillating or otherwise eyecatching constructs.

If a nova’s eufiber colony is taken from him by another nova, that nova can attune the eufiber to herself by spending a quantum point. The colony is now attuned to the new nova’s quantum signature. However, only one eufiber colony can be worn at a time.

It isn’t much to look at. It’s just a lump of grayish flesh about the size of a marble. It can grow bigger - some have been recorded which were the size of an apple or baseball - but it’s still just a mass of tissue with a few blood vessels, nerve endings and tendrils extending from it. Yet it holds the key to the powers of the universe.

The Mazarin-Rashoud node is what gives novas their power. It provides them with the ability to channel quantum energies. But at the same time it can affect their psyches and their bodies in strange, often deadly, ways.

A character with this Background has a well-developed Mazarin-Rashoud node. Note the words "well developed." All novas, even those without this Trait, have a Mazarin-Rashoud node. Most novas don’t take the Node Background; they get by with the basic M-R node that all novas have. Node as a Background signifies that the nova’s M-R is better developed, or channels quantum energies better, than the typical node. Thus, a nova with Node tends to be more powerful than others of his kind. He can use more quantum points per turn, can recover them quicker and possesses certain other powers. In general terms, he is more efficient at processing quantum energies than other novas. However, he is also more likely to suffer from Taint.

For example, a character with a fifth instar Node (Node 4) gains two points of Taint. Aberrations associated with the Node Background are typically mental or psychological ones. As the node grows, it presses upon other parts of the brain. In some cases it even causes the nova’s Forehead to bulge slightly. This pressure on the brain can result in mental problems for the nova. The larger the M-R node, the more likely that problems will occur, and the more extensive those problems are likely to be. By the time the node reaches the fourth instar, a problem of some sort is guaranteed. The human body and brain, even when augmented by quantum powers, are simply too Fragile to handle the awesome energies coursing through them without being changed in some way.

Other effects of having a highly developed Node include:

Quantum Recovery
As mentioned under Quantum, a nova with Node recovers spent quantum points more quickly than one without, adding her Node rating to her normal rate of quantum-point recovery. Many novas think of the Node as a recharger that juices up their quantum batteries quickly.

Quantum Detection
As a receptacle for quantum energies, a MazarinRashoud node also enables a nova to detect sources or conduits of quantum energies. Typically, these sources are other novas, though nuclear reactors, cyclotrons, generators or other large power sources might also be detected.

To detect a quantum source, the nova takes a Full turn to concentrate, then the player rolls her Node rating as a dice pool. Range of the attempt is 10 meters per dot in Node. Difficulty is typically standard, though the Storyteller can increase it in the case of trace amounts of quantum energies. Success indicates the nova detects a source of quantum energy in the area. Succeeding on this roll does not let a nova pinpoint an invisible or hidden character, but it does enable her to detect a shapeshifted or "dormed down" nova for what it is.

The player of a nova with the Dormancy Background may roll his Background rating in a resisted roll against any attempt at quantum detection; successes on this roll cancel out the scanning nova’s successes on a one-for-one basis.

You're extremely narrow-minded, and there are just some people you don't like based solely on their race, sex, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, or some other quality. You suffer a +2 Difficulty on all Social rolls involving this category of people and prefer not to associate with them unless absolutely necessary (and you're not likely to be too popular with them, either). You can spend a Willpower point to overcome your prejudice for one scene.

You have a penchant (some might say obsession) for wearing a certain type of clothing. It can be skintight eufiber, leather and spikes, liquid latex, a mask or full Renaissance Faire garb. The important point is that it's odd, and you tend to wear it even under the most inappropriate circumstances. This can impose a +1 or greater difficulty on your Social rolls and may be a serious faux pas in some situations. It also makes you stand out in a crowd and makes you a less than ideal candidate for subtle and covert activities. You can spend a Willpower point to dress "normally" for a scene, but you don;t like it (and you're likely to tell just about everyone).

A nova with this enhancement can resemble some- thing out of a horror movie. His appearance becomes so terrifying that few people can stand to spend any time with him. Instead, they run screaming in fear; if prevented from fleeing, they may gibber in terror, Faint or suffer a heart attack.

System: Face of Terror allows a nova to assume a terrifying appearance. This ability is most common among novas who are Mega-ugly, but it is not restricted to them. Sometimes it is even more horrifying to see a form of great beauty slowly warp itself into something terrifyingly hideous.

To use this power, the nova simply spends a quantum point. If he is ordinarily ugly, the terrifying changes to his appearance may be slight, or even nonexistent - but something about his appearance becomes not just bad-looking, but very frightening. It’s as if an aura of fear surrounds him. If the character is normally beautiful (or at least not ugly), the changes to his appearance will be much more extreme. They will take place over no more than a minute, and sometimes, it happens much more quickly than that.

In either case, the nova’s appearance remains terrifying for a scene; this time limit can be extended by spending more quantum points. While this enhancement is in effect, the player receives three automatic successes when making Intimidation rolls or other rolls based on fear or disgust. This bonus includes any power or ability that allows the character to inspire those emotions in others.

To a certain extent, this power depends upon the psyche of the person(s) looking at the nova. Ugliness and horror, like beauty, are often in the eye of the beholder, so the nova’s Face of Terror may look different when he confronts, say, a group of Asians instead of Americans.

For most people, simply having to look at a Mega-Ugly nova is a highly unpleasant experience. Some Mega-Ugly novas can use their horrible looks to evoke feelings of revulsion in others that are extreme enough that the vast majority of people simply cannot bear to look at them. Understandably, this gives Mega-Ugly novas a definite edge in many dangerous situations.

System: Activating this enhancement costs either 1 quantum point per turn, or 3 quantum points to use this for an entire scene. Anyone who tries to attack the Revolting nova must make a Willpower roll against his Appearance. If they fail the Willpower roll, the subjects will suffer reductions on their attack dice pools if attacking the Revolting nova requires looking directly at him. Hand-to-hand, melee and ranged attacks may still be made against the Revolting nova, but the subjects must subtract his Mega-Ugliness and Appearance dots from their attack dice pools (counting the Revolting nova's Mega-Ugliness dice first). Also, any applicable Mega-Attribute dice are subtracted from the attacker's dice pools first. Alternatively, the Revolting nova's attackers can choose to attack him while blind (using the Blind Fighting general maneuver on pg. 243 of the Aberrant core book), if they are willing to fight with their eyes closed.

In some ways, this paradoxical power is the opposite of Mega-Appearance, since it allows a nova to make himself look completely normal. The otherwise beautiful, handsome or ugly nova is able to convert his features into the unobtrusive ones of Joe or Jane Average. The bright side to this anonymity is that it becomes easy to pass for a normal human.

System: By spending a quantum point, the nova is able to mask his Mega Appearance. For all intents and purposes he has an Appearance score of 2 - average. He looks just like the everyday man on the street. AIthough he cannot hide the fact that he radiates quantum energy (which other novas can often detect), to the average person he will seem like just another average person. Alternatively, the character can simply spend a quantum point to become completely unobtrusive ("I’m not the droid you’re looking for.").

However, a character with this enhancement still may have difficulties passing for normal if he has acquired any aberrations. Mr. Nobody masks two point of Taint, plus one extra point per dot of the character’s Mega-Appearance. Additional points of Taint still affect the nova’s ability to interact with baselines without disturbing them. Furthermore, Mr. Nobody will not hide grotesque physical aberrations such as Vestigial Limbs or Sloughed Flesh; it will, however, cover up Unearthly Beauty.

The effects of this power last for a scene.

The character’s leg muscles are prodigiously strong - so much so that she can leap enormous distances. Faster than the subway and twice as fun.

System: A character with this enhancement covers Far more distance in a leap than the usual two meters per success on a Jumping roll. Instead, each success on a lumping roll allows the nova to leap up to two kilometers horizontally, or half a kilometer vertically, times her number of dots in Mega-Strength (of course, she can choose to leap less far than this if she so desires). Thus, a nova with Mega-Strength 3 and Quantum Leap could cover six kilometers horizontally, or one and a half kilometer: vertically, for each success.

Don’t forget that such prodigious jumps are essentially an uncontrolled form of movement. Once she launches herself, a nova can’t deviate from her line of "flight," do much to dodge attacks or avoid obstacles. Unless she has a power that allows her to see for many kilometers, she won’t know where she’s going to land until it comes into sight - and it won’t necessarily be a pleasant landing spot.

The character may also use this enhancement to make a normal Dodge roll against area and explosive attacks, provided she spends the quantum point and take a defensive action.

This enhancement stays active for one leap.

Level: 2
Quantum Minimum: 1
Dice Pool: N/A
Range: Self
Area: N/A
Duration: Permanent
Effect: Character receives +3 soak against bashing and lethal damage per dot in Armor.
Multiple Actions: No
Description: This power represents a nova who is more resistant to damage than most. He may have thick, chitinous skin, a glowing Force Field of some kind (not to be confused with the power of the same name) or metal plates that cover his body. Usually the form of the protection is based on the nature of the character’s powers. A character who can manipulate ice and cold might be covered with a suit of "ice armor," for example, while a shapeshifter might warp his skeleton into stegosaur-like plates. However, special effects are not required; it’s possible for the character simply to be more durable than normal and still look the same as always. In any event, the power is permanent, costs no quantum points to maintain and can be turned on and off at will.

For each dot of Armor, the character may add three to soak bashing and lethal damage. At the Storyteller’s option, the player may vary the ratio of the soak, assigning more to bashing and less to lethal or vice versa.

ATTRIBUTES
Strength 5 [Might 1]
Dexterity 5 [Athletics 4, Fly 5, Martial Arts 4, Stealth 3]
Stamina 5 [Endurance 4, Resistance 5]

Perception 5 [Awareness 3]
Intelligence 2 [intrusion 3]
Wits 4 [Rapport 3,]

Appearance 3 [Intimidate 3]
Manipulation 2 []
Charisma 3 []

BACKGROUNDS:
Cypher 1: A couple of your secrets are well hidden.
Node 3: With a 4th instar node, a nova
may absorb one point of quantum a turn, two at the
5th instar, and three at the 6th.
Resources 1: This is the level of earning for the average college student. You have a small apartment
(or a larger one with roommates) and an older model used car. Typically, you live from paycheck to pay-check, barely staying ahead on bills. You pull in around $250 a week after taxes. At this level, your money probably comes from college scholarships/loans or a part-time service job. Examples of novas living at this level include Beltaine and Apocrypha.

QUANTUM 3
QUANTUM POOL 26
WILLPOWER 3
TAINT 1

INITIATIVE 11

MOVEMENT
Walk 7 m
Run 18 m
Sprint 36 m
Flight 48 m Out Of Combat 250 kilometers per hour.

SOAK
Bashing 7
Lethal 7

POWERS:
Attribute 4 / Ability 2
Armor 2(6pt)-Character receives +3 soak against bashing and lethal damage per dot in Armor.
Claws 3- When used in close combat, Claws convert the bashing damage caused by the character’s normal punches and strikes into lethal damage. Furthermore, the character may roll one extra damage die per dot he has in Claws.
Flight 2(3pt)(1 lv taint) - He can fly at a speed equal to (power rating x 4) + 40 meters per action in combat; out of combat his
speed is (Quantum + Flight) x 50 kilometers per hour.
Premonition 1(3pt)-To use it, the character pays the quantum-point cost, which allows her to detect
danger for one scene. Whenever she is confronted with any danger during that time - she is about to trip a
trap, someone points a gun at her, etc. - the player may make a Perception + Premonition roll to detect it. ;The difficulty should be set by the Storyteller, depending on the severity of the danger (the greater the potential harm, the easier it is to detect) and how likely it is
to affect the character (a direct threat is easier to detect than something that might adversely affect thecharacter but isn’t intended for her)
Quantum Bolt 3(9pt)- Dice Pool: Dexterity + Quantum Bolt
Range: (Quantum + power rating) x 15 meters | Area: NIA | Duration: lnstant | Effect: lnflicts [Quantum x 31 levels + (power rat-ing x 4) dice of bashing damage or [Quantum x 21 levels + (power rating x 4) dice of lethal damage (player’s choice).

MEGA-ENHANCEMENTS
Mega-Dexterity 1: The Mega-Dexterity rating is added to the character’s Initiative, run and sprint scores. Furthermore, when a nova with Mega-Dexterity is in combat and another character tries to use a delayed action to interrupt the nova’s action, the interruption is not automatic. Instead, both characters must make Dexterity rolls; the one with the most successes goes First. 1f a nova with Mega-Dexterity and a character without it act at the same time, the Mega-Dexterous character is automatically considered to have the higher Initiative, and thus, he gets to go first. If both characters have Mega-Dexterity and the Enhanced Initiative enhancement (see "Mega-Wits"), the standard rule applies.
Mega-Stamina 1: novas with Mega-Stamina suffer reduced dice pool penalties based on their health level, as indicated in the following table. |Stupendous: You can go for weeks without sleep, and your healing rates are tripled. Base Resistance and Endurance ratings of 3 each. Lifespan 150+ years. Dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain are reduced by one. The character receives one extra soak against bash ing damage and one extra soak against lethal damage.


MERITS/FLAWS:


PhysicaI Aberrations: low-level:(1 taint): Fur/Feathers: better able to handle cold conditions (+1 die to Stamina rolls) but not as good at handling heat (-1 die to Stamina rolls). The nova’s appearance is
also quite distinctive. Some people may Find the aberration attractive, but most will find it strange and may even consider the nova more of an animal than a person.
Flashbacks (6pt.)
You managed to make it through a traumatic experience, but not wholly intact. The most insignificant thing can throw you into a different mood or state of mind, and as such your behavior is extremely unpredictable. Because of your precarious emotional state, your Willpower fluctuates. At the beginning of each story, make a Willpower roll (you may not spend Willpower for an automatic success). If you succeed, you may participate in the story as normal. If you fail, however, your Willpower score is considered to be 1 for the duration of that session, and you only have one Willpower point to spend. You may roll again at the beginning of the next session to see if you regain your Willpower.
Enemy 3 (1-5pt.)
You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seek to harm you. The power of the enemy depends upon how many points the player wishes to spend (five points indicate the wrath of an Elder or other potent supernatural foe).
The Bard's Tongue (1pt.)
You speak the truth, uncannily so. Things you say tend to come true. This is not a facility for blessing and cursing, or an Effect that can be ruled by any conscious control. However, at least once per story, an uncomfortable truth regarding any current situation will appear in your head and through your lips. To avoid speaking prophesy, you must expend a Willpower point and take a Health Level from the strain of resisting (especially if you bite a hole in your tongue).