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Mega-Strength is perhaps the best known of the Mega-Attributes. It's certainly the least subtle. Novas with Mega-Strength usually have enormous muscles and a love of showing off what they can do with them. In Nova circles it's commonplace to see them tossing cars around, smashing through buildings, picking up ships and crushing guns into paperweights.
In fact, many of the feats that Novas with Mega-Strength perform defy the laws of science. For example, Mega-Strong Novas have been observed picking up ships without having them break even though the object's sheer weight should cause it to fall apart (not to mention the difficulty of getting a good grip on something that big). Experts on quantum powers speculate that a Mega-Strong Nova unconsciously emits quantum energies to help keep the object together while he lifts it, but this hypothesis has not been proven conclusively.
Unlike other Mega-Attributes, Mega-Strength provides no extra dice or reductions to difficulties; instead each level of Mega-Strength provides a number of extra automatic successes that add to all rolls involving Strength: for example, to inflict damage with a punch, smash through a vault door deadlift an armored car.
Mega-Strong Novas almost always have Mega-Stamina as well.
Stupendous: Olympic weightlifters look at you in awe. You gain [3] automatic successes to Strength/Might rolls and Strength-based damage dice pools.
Amazing: When your moving truck breaks down, you just pick it up and carry it to your new home. You gain [6] automatic successes to Strength/Might rolls and Strength-based damage dice pools.
Incredible: You can toss automobiles for blocks. You gain [9] automatic successes to Strength/Might rolls and Strength-based damage dice pools.
Spectacular: You can juggle tanks. You gain [12] automatic successes to Strength/Might rolls and Strength-based damage dice pools.
Godlike: Even other Novas are impressed by your physical might. You gain [15] automatic successes to Strength/Might rolls and Strength-based damage dice pools.
(Mega-Strength 6-10: add [3] more automatic successes to Strength/Might rolls and Strength-based damage dice pools per dot above 5.)
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Strength may learn or purchase include:
Mega-Strength is, by itself, enough to cause deadly damage to many people most normal humans can't survive blows from someone strong enough to pick up and throw cars. However, Novas with this power have refined their ability to use Mega-Strength to kill. They are adept at grabbing and crushing people, delivering punches powerful and focused enough to go through a body, and so on.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Strength damage is normally bashing damage. A Nova with this ability always has the option of inflicting bare-handed damage (modified by his Mega-Strength, as usual) as lethal damage. Additionally, Quantum points may be spent to add two damage dice per point spent (to a maximum of the character's Mega-Strength rating) to any single damage pool (such as from a strike or a clinch).
Who needs the San Andreas Fault? A Mega-strong Nova with this ability can generate his own little earthquakes. All he does is stomp his foot or smash his fists against the ground, causing waves of force and pressure to radiate out away from him through the earth.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, she pays 1 Quantum and rolls dice equal to her Mega-Strength auto-successes as a bashing damage dice pool to most targets within a radius equal to (Mega-Strength x 10 meters). Any target on the ground is affected; targets above the ground are not. Anyone affected must make a difficulty 4 Knockdown check in addition to taking damage. Targets may take extra damage if other objects (such as falling crockery or collapsing tunnels) fall on them. Additionally, the surface the Nova is hitting also suffers damage as though the Nova had made a normal Mega-Strength strike so it isn't a very good idea for a character to use this maneuver when she is on things like aircraft, bridges or boats.
The Crush Enhancement may be used to add damage to a Shockwave, but does not convert that damage to Lethal.
A Mega-Strong Nova with this Enhancement is really strong he makes even other Mega-Strong Novas look puny. He's the guy to call when you need to move something like, say, a mountain.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> After making a Might roll to lift or carry something, the Nova can double the maximum weight dictated by his roll for each quantum point he spends (to a maximum of his Mega-Strength rating). For example, a Nova who spends four quantum points on Lifter effectively multiplies the amount of weight he can lift by 16 (!). However, the character does not inflict any extra damage with punches or similar attacks. The character's ability to throw heavy objects may be increased in a similar fashion, but only to throw them for distance, not damage (for example, to throw a tank into orbit, but not to throw another character into a wall and hurt him).
This Enhancement stays active for one scene or one "feat of strength," whichever comes first.
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.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A character with this Enhancement covers far more distance in a leap than the usual two yards per success on a Jumping roll. Instead, each success on a Jumping roll allows the Nova to leap up to two miles horizontally, or one mile 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 miles horizontally, or three miles 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 takes a defensive action.
This Enhancement stays active for one leap.
When the Nova claps his hands together, a tremendous burst of sound and air pressure cracks forth. The force of the effect is enough to hurt people, break windows and cause similar damage or harm in a nearby area.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, he pays 1 Quantum and rolls dice equal to his Mega-Strength auto-successes as a bashing damage dice pool to most targets within a radius equal to (Mega-Strength x 10 meters). However, "hard" targets such as most walls, vehicles or metal objects and extremely "soft" targets such as cloth are not affected. Only living creatures and relatively brittle or fragile things, such as glass, take the damage.
The Crush Enhancement may be used to add damage to a Thunderclap, but does not convert that damage to Lethal.
Things get out of your way, whether they want to or not. When you apply yourself, very little manages to stay where it is if you thing it should be somewhere else. This Enhancement doesn't make it easier for the Nova to attack - instead, it makes it harder for others to stay standing if she hits them.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A Nova with this Enhancement may spend Quantum to add to the difficulty of opponents' rolls to block or parry (but not dodge) her attacks or to resist Knockdown from that attack. Each point spent adds 1 to the difficulty of block and parry rolls and 2 to the difficulty of rolls to resist Knockback. The effects of this Enhancement last for one scene, and this Enhancement may not be activated more than once per scene.
Through experimentation and an innate sense of your own power, you can inflict just the amount of damage you want when you hit something.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When the Nova inflicts damage, you can choose exactly how much of that final damage pool (after soak and roll) the target actually suffers (holding back, for instance, any more than would be necessary to knock the target unconscious). You may always choose to inflict Bashing damage when making a Lethal hand-to-hand attack, without penalty.
The force and power of your strength is exceptional, even among the super-strong.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova gains an additional +2 automatic successes on all Might rolls and Strength-based damage rolls (effectively increasing the normal bonus from Mega-Strength by two). This counts towards any and all effects that depend upon the character's Mega-S Trength? bonus, including effects such as the Thunderclap and Shockwave Enhancements. Extra copies of this Enhancement may be purchased, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Strength rating. This Enhancement is always active.
Mega-Dexterity is one of the more common Mega-Attributes. A Mega-dexterous Nova is faster, more agile and stealthier than normal, and often has a better reaction time. Mega-Dexterity is especially useful for Novas whose powers are not quite so overt or "flashy" as most.
As an extention of the normal Dexterity score, the Mega-Dexterity rating is added to the character's Initiative, run and sprint scores.
Stupendous: You can juggle knives in zero-g with your feet. You may make Dodge rolls against bullets or other ranged attacks without seeking cover or hitting the ground.
Amazing: Your reactions are so fast that even a martial-arts master cannot match them.
Incredible: Whenever you run by someone, they can barely see you all they feel is the wind.
Spectacular: You can do your chores in just a few seconds. At this level or higher, you may pluck bullets out of the air by making a normal Block roll.
Godlike: You can perform acts of manual dexterity so precise that even machines cannot duplicate them.
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Dexterity may learn or purchase include:
Some Mega-Dexterous Novas have an uncanny ability to aim attacks and judge how to place their blows for best effect.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, she pays 1 Quantum to add 3 bonus dice to one attack roll. This Enhancement may be activated any number of times per scene or turn, but may not be activated more than once per attack. Extra copies of this Enhancement may be purchased, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Dexterity rating, each of which may be activated seperately, increasing the number of dice to be added to a single attack roll.
You're fast really fast. You can run faster than the proverbial speeding locomotive at times. Your reaction time isn't any quicker than the normal Mega-Dexterous Nova, but when you've got to cover the miles to get somewhere, you can cover them quicker than anyone else.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character's pace when walking, running, sprinting or swimming is multiplied by (1 + Mega-Dexterity) for one turn (if the player spends one quantum point) or one scene (if the character spends three quantum points). Thus, a character with Mega-Dexterity 2 could spend a quantum point to triple his movement (1 + Mega-Dexterity 2) for one turn.
The effects of Enhanced Movement are cumulative with those of Hypermovement. Apply the Enhanced Movement multiplier after determining the character's movement rate with Hypermovement.
When it's time to clean out the house, strip down and rebuild an engine or knit a sweater, your friends call you. You can do it much faster than they can sometimes literally in the blink of an eye. This ability allows a Nova to perform tasks at extremely rapid speeds without sacrificing any care or workmanship.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character may spend 1 Quantum to perform extended actions (for which she must still have the necessary skills, tools and materials) in a greatly reduced timeframe. For the duration of a scene, the character's every action (no more than 10 seconds in length) is equivalent to (Mega-Dexterity x 10 minutes) of labor at a normal pace. In many cases this may reduce jobs which would require an extended action to the duration of a simple one. However, the player must still make the standard rolls required to accomplish the work Fast Tasks doesn't make the job any easier, it just gets it over with more quickly.
Dexterity isn't all speed and reaction time and things like that. Sometimes it reflects a character's ability to contort his body or reach into places ordinary characters cannot. That's certainly the case, at least in part, for Novas who have this Enhancement. In effect they can make their bodies sufficiently flexible or rubbery to stretch their arms for short distances or squeeze through narrow openings. They are often master contortionists and escape artists.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character has the limited ability to contort and stretch his body. When he wants them to be, his flesh and bones become extremely flexible and malleable. This flexibility confers no protection From damage or harm, but it does allow the character to fit into places inaccessible to normal human bodies. The character may stretch his limbs up to two meters beyond their normal reach per dot of Mega-Dexterity. He can also contort and reshape his flexible form to fit through any opening big enough for his fist to pass through. The Storyteller is the final arbiter on which openings the character can squeeze through. A player may select this Enhancement multiple times, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Dexterity rating. Each additional selection doubles the distance the character may stretch his limbs and body. This Enhancement is always active.
A Nova with this ability possesses a certain "genius" for all physical activities, such as sports or running. Somehow he knows instinctively how to act, what to do and how to position himself for the best results in any given athletic endeavor. It's as if he had the greatest coaches in world history whispering in his ear and giving him tips.
Novas with this ability (and indeed, Novas in general) have been banned from athletic competition with baselines, since they have an obvious unfair advantage. However, they can (and often do) compete with other Novas on "supersports" pay-per-views.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, she pays 1 Quantum to add 3 bonus dice to one roll where speed, agility and physicality are integral - usually involving Athletics, Performance (Dance) or similar skills. This explicitly includes all rolls to dodge, block or parry an attack, and explicitly does not include attack rolls themselves. This Enhancement may be activated any number of times per scene or turn, but may not be activated more than once per roll. Extra copies of this Enhancement may be purchased, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Dexterity rating, each of which may be activated seperately, increasing the number of dice to be added to a single roll.
In a dangerous world, sometimes it's the unobtrusive person who survives the longest and gets the most accomplished. A Nova with this Mega-Dexterity ability is the stealthiest of the stealthy, able to walk on dead leaves without making a sound or run through sand without leaving footprints.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b>
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, she pays 1 Quantum to add 3 bonus dice to any and all Stealth rolls for the duration of a scene. The character is considered to leave no physical tracks, trail, or similar marks, no matter how delicate the surface being traversed. This Enhancement may not be activated more than once per scene. Extra copies of this Enhancement may be purchased, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Dexterity rating, each of which may be activated seperately, increasing the number of dice to be added to the characters Stealth rolls for the scene.
A Nova with this Enhancement can deliver a blur of rapid-fire punches or kicks to a single target. While the individual blows are not any more powerful than an ordinary strike, they strike so fast and furious that the cumulative effect is much more powerful.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, he pays 1 Quantum to add his Mega-Dexterity to the damage pools of any and all hand-to-hand attacks he makes this turn. This Enhancement may also be used to modify attacks with thrown weapons and bows, thought the amunition expended is increased by two per dot of Mega-Dexterity, per attack. (Attacks with Firearms may not benefit from this Enhancement, as they will either be limited by their rate, or already have mechanics for automatic fire.) This Enhancement may be activated any number of times per scene, but may not be activated more than once per turn. Extra copies of this Enhancement may be purchased, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Dexterity rating, each of which may be activated seperately, increasing the amount of damage added to the character's attacks during a single turn.
You can move your body in very, very precise ways. If you can see what you're doing, you can shift a finger just a fraction of a millimeter and manipulate microscopic objects.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova must have the means to resolve microscopic distances, like an actual microscope or Electromagnetic Vision. Each dot of Mega-Dexterity increases the precision of the Nova's movement 10-fold: 1/100 of a centimeter at 1 dot, 1/1000 of a centimeter at 2 dots and so on. Double the Nova's Mega-dice for rolls involving fine-manipulation, such as watchmaking, lockpicking and certain elements of computer repair. This Enhancement is always active.
You dodge, block and otherwise evade attacks with great ease and little effort.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By spending 1 Quantum, the Nova gains the benefits of a free fully defensive action without losing or otherwise penalizing her other actions for the turn. This Enhancement may not be purchased more than once, but may be activated more than once per turn, allowing the Nova to "refresh" her declining defense pool as it is depleted by attacks (it may never, however, grant more than one defensive roll against a single attack).
You are exceptionally, sometimes inexplicably, harder to hit than normal targets.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The difficulty to hit the Nova with any and all attack rolls is permanently increased by +1. This applies in any circumstance where the Nova is able to move at all, even against attacks of which he is unaware and surprised by. It applies to all ranged and hand-to-hand attacks, but not to effects (such as Mental Blast) that do not occur on the physical plane. This Enhancement may be purchased multiple times, to the normal limit of the Nova's Mega-Dexterity rating. This Enhancement is always active.
You can anticipate the defenses of your enemies and compensate for them automatically.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, she pays 1 Quantum to increase the difficulty of blocking or dodging her attacks for the turn. Attempts to block, parry, dodge or otherwise resist these attacks have their successes halved (rounding down) before being subtracted from the attack roll. This Enhancement may be activated any number of times per scene, but no more than once per turn, and may not be purchased more than once.
A Nova with Mega-Stamina is hardier, more durable and more resistant to injury than your average Nova. Although not always as resilient as Novas who actually buy defensive powers such as Force Field, Novas with Mega-Stamina are still mighty tough. Furthermore, they tend to have a great deal of endurance; it's almost impossible to tire them out. Some of them display little need for sleep, staying up for days at a time.
Perhaps most importantly of all, a Nova with Mega-Stamina feels very little pain. Regardless of the source injury, disease, accident a Nova with Mega-Stamina can shrug off the pain and keep on going. Unconfirmed rumors speak of Novas who were so resistant to pain that they didn't feel the effects of injury until their wounds killed them. In game terms, Novas with Mega-Stamina suffer reduced dice pool penalties based on their health level, as indicated in the following table.
x Normal Nova metabolism: You're still pretty tough. As a Luminary, you heal much faster than a Baseline and gain Lethal soak equal to half your Stamina, rounded down (having Lethal soak also grants Aggravated soak equal to half of that, rounded down). Your base Resistance rating is 3 (before allocating any dots into Abilities). Lifespan 250-300 years.
Stupendous: You can go for weeks without sleep, and your healing rates are doubled. Lifespan 300-360 years. Dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain are reduced by one. The character receives one extra soak against bashing damage and one extra soak against lethal damage.
Amazing: Torturers despair of breaking you. Lifespan 400-480 years. Dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain reduce by two. The character receives two extra soak against bashing damage and one extra soak against lethal damage, as well as one extra "Bruised" health level.
Incredible: Participating in a few triathlons in a row doesn't even phase you. Your healing rates are three times those of other Zetas. Lifespan 550-660 years. Dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain reduce by three. The character receives three extra soak against bashing damage and two extra soak against lethal damage, as well as one extra "Bruised" health level.
Spectacular: Bullets practically bounce off your chest. Lifespan 750-900 years. Dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain reduce by four. The character receives four extra soak against bashing damage and two extra soak against lethal damage, as well as two extra "Bruised" health levels.
Godlike: Missiles practically bounce off your chest. Your healing rates are four times better than those of other Luminaries. Lifespan 1000-1200 years. Dice pool penalties due to injuries and pain reduce by five. The character receives five extra soak against bashing damage and three extra soak against lethal damage, as well as three extra "Bruised" health levels.
(Mega-Stamina 6-10: Raise the healing rate multiplier, Bashing and Lethal soak, reduction to dice pool penalties from injury and pain and the number of extra Bruised health levels all by one each per dot of Mega-Stamina above 5. Lifespan increases as follows: 6 = 1300-1560 years, 7 = 1650-1980 years, 8 = 2050-2460 years, 9 = 2500-3000 years and 10 = 3000-3600 years.)
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Stamina may learn or purchase include:
This Enhancement allows the Nova to survive nearly any adverse environmental condition. In effect, the Nova uses ambient quantum energies to evolve and bolster her body's natural defenses, thus allowing her to survive in environments normally hostile to human life, such as the vacuum of outer space or underwater. Adaptability also allows the character to do without food, sleep or other necessities of life. Often, a Nova with Adaptability spontaneously manifests gills, toughened skin or whatever feature is needed.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character is able to sustain herself indefinitely on residual quantum energies, so long as she has at least one quantum point in her body. She does not need to eat, sleep or breathe, and can survive indefinitely in conditions as hostile as Death Valley, Antarctica, or outer space. This Enhancement is always active.
Adaptability does not confer protection against weaponry or Nova attacks such as flame blasts or the like, only against natural environmental conditions.
The Nova is tough as nails. Although she's not necessarily capable of ignoring attacks outright, she instinctively channels deadly kinetic energy away from her body, rolls with otherwise lethal blows, or is otherwise capable of reducing an instant-kill attack to a "Gee, that stung" level of injury.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is hit with a kinetic (physical) attack inflicting lethal damage (bullet, knife, missile, etc.), she may spend 1 Quantum to convert the damage to bashing, which she may soak with her bashing soak score. Purchasing this Enhancement a second time extends the effect to energy damage. Purchasing it a third time allows physical or energy damage to be converted from Aggravated to Lethal, though the Enhancement cannot convert the same incidence of damage more than once, so Aggravated cannot be made into Lethal and then into Bashing. As usual, a character may not purchase this Enhancement more times than she has dots of Mega-Stamina.
This Enhancement offers protection of a different sort from Resiliency. Although it doesn't help defend a character against ordinary damage, it allows him to soak certain forms of damage against which he ordinarily would have very little protection.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A Nova with Hardbody has Aggravated soak equal to his Lethal soak from Stamina (as opposed to half his Lethal soak from Stamina, as is the norm). This Enhancement is always active.
All Novas heal more quickly than the human norm, but a Nova with this Enhancement heals even quicker than most Novas. Sometimes her wounds literally close right before your eyes!
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A Nova with this Enhancement may spend quantum points to instantly heal bashing and lethal damage, at the rate of 1 Quantum per health level healed. Aggravated damage may also be healed, at the cost of 3 Quantum per level. Activating Regeneration is a free action usable on the character's turn. A character may not spend more total Quantum on Regeneration in a single turn than she has dots in Mega-Stamina.
Toughened by the rigors of channeling quantum energies, the Nova's frame is even more resistant to damage than are most Mega-Stamina Novas' bodies.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The soak bonuses provided by the Nova's Mega-Stamina rating are doubled. Thus, a Nova with Mega-Stamina 3 and the Resiliency Enhancement receives +6 soak against bashing, +4 against lethal damage, rather than the +3/+2 bonuses available to other Novas with an equivalent level of Mega-Stamina. Extra copies of this Enhancement may be purchased, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Stamina rating, adding further to the character's soak values (so a Nova with Mega-Stamina 3 and two copies of Resiliency would gain +9/+6 soak rather than the normal +3/+2). This Enhancement is always active.
Your body resists diseases, toxins, Utopian sterility cocktails, chemical agents of all sorts and similar complications.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Characters with this Enhancement subract their Mega-Stamina from the Virulence rating, Toxicity rating or other such measurement of potency for all poisons, diseases or other biological or chemical intrusions to which they are subject, whether Teluric or mundane. Novas with Mega-Stamina 2 or greater may purchase this Enhancement a second time, gaining the ability to apply both this and their innate Luminary resistance selectively. Thus a character may, for instance, to choose to allow alcohol to intoxicate him in only Baseline doses, and then choose to detox at any time to become instantly sober. This Enhancement is always active.
When you plant yourself, you don't move unless you want to. It's hard to knock you down or knock you back.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character is immune to Knockdown (this effect is always active). In addition, the Nova may spend 1 Quantum to add her Quantum + Mega-Stamina to the difficulty of any attempts to move her against her will (rolls to throw, lift, etc).
You can keep going and going... You don't fight off disease of other complicaions better than anyone else, but you resist fatigue unusually well. A Nova with this Enhancement could Sprint two marathons back to back without even elevating her breathing rate.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Each purchase of this Enhancement adds three dice to the character's dice pool for purposes of resisting fatigue (such as rolls to maintain speed when using the Run or Sprint actions). Where a numerical rating applies without a roll, treat the character's Stamina as 3 higher. The character can march or run longer, perform a particular task longer, and so on. Extra copies of this Enhancement may be purchased, to the normal limit of the character's Mega-Stamina rating, adding further to the character's ability to resist fatigue.
You have the physical reserves necessary to resist staggering blows while taking little or no damage.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When a Nova uses this Enhancement, he pays 1 Quantum and rolls Stamina. Each success reduces the damage pool of an incoming attack by one (this is applied after the total gross damage pool is calculated, but before soak is subtracted). This Enhancement applies against a single attack, and may be activated any number of times per scene or turn, but no more than once per attack. This Enhancement may not be purchased more than once.
You are adept at shrugging off relatively minor blows, requiring more damaging attacks if your adversaries ever hope to harm you.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Hardness value of your all your soak (Bashing, Lethal and Aggravated) from Stamina is equal to (rather than half of) those soak totals. This Enhancement is always active and may not be purchased more than once.
Scientists theorize that normal humans use only a fraction of their ability to observe things. Ask a normal person to describe what he just walked past, and he probably won't be able to tell you too many details about it, if any. That's not true of Novas with Mega-Perception. They take it all in every detail, every nuance, every little fact. They may not remember them very long (that's a function of Intelligence), but they don't overlook things. They make excellent sentinels, guards, detectives and trackers.
Novas with Mega-Perception almost always have a high Awareness skill. They often have high ratings in other "observational" skills, such as Investigation, but such is not always the case.
Stupendous: You remember the license-plate numbers of all the cars you just walked past in the parking lot.
Amazing: Even the tiniest details are like information beacons to you.
Incredible: You can tell what a person is thinking by the way the nerves in her face twitch.
Spectacular: You can locate a single person in an auditorium by her body odor or perfume.
Godlike: You can hear wool growing on the backs of sheep.
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Perception may learn or purchase include:
There are plenty of gourmets out there who can figure out what spices were used in a particular dish by tasting it. A Nova with this power can go them one better: He can detect everything in the food. Give him a casserole, and he'll tell you every ingredient in it, as well as how much of each was used. Give him a pretzel, and he can tell you how many grains of salt there are on it. Give him poisoned food, and he will detect the poison as soon as he touches it with his tongue, then spit the food out immediately before the poison can affect him.
The character's sense of touch is also enhanced. Everyone knows what a dollar bill feels like it's got a unique feeling like no other type of paper. Mix a dollar up with a bunch of pieces of newspaper and other papers, and someone can still find it by touch but only a Nova with Analytic Touch can tell you without looking whether it's a twenty or a c-note.
A character with this Enhancement may use both functions.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> With Analytic Taste, the character's sense of taste is so heightened that he can determine the composition and nature of food he eats, as described previously. This Enhancement is most useful for detecting poison or other tampering, but it has other uses as well. If the Storyteller decides that a particular substance is present in only trace quantities, he may require a Perception or Awareness roll to allow the character to detect it. But even in such situations, the character receives a minimum of three extra dice when making any Perception roll based on taste. Furthermore, by flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth in the manner of a snake, the character can halve any penalties relating to darkness, as the character literally "tastes" vibrations in the air.
With Analytic Touch, the character's sense of touch is so heightened that he can differentiate many objects by touch alone. This ability can be extremely useful if the character cannot see. It also provides bonuses in situations where an acute sense of feel would be helpful such as lockpicking or trying to figure out the combination to a safe by feeling the tumblers fall into place. The character receives a minimum of three extra dice when making any Perception roll based on touch. Furthermore, the character's skin is so sensitive that he can sense faint air currents, which adds two dice to Awareness skill totals when attempting to detect stealthy opponents like invisible Novas.
This Enhancement is always active.
Most people are helpless when blind particularly in combat but not this character. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he can perceive where his foes are even when he cannot see them. Some Asian (or Asian-influenced) Novas snidely refer to this Enhancement as "Zen fighting."
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character is not subject to the difficulty penalty for fighting blind. In some situations, such as those with bad or glaring lighting, he might even be better off to shut his eyes and fight without using his sight. Similarly, if an opponent is using the power Invisibility to escape detection, a Nova with Blindfighting can determine exactly where his invisible enemy is by making an Awareness roll (opponent resists with her Invisibility + Stealth dice pool). This Enhancement is always active.
Like the animal for which it is named, this Enhancement allows a Nova to track a person by scent.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character may make an Awareness roll to follow someone by scent alone. If the scent is particularly strong (for example, the person hasn't bathed in a week), reduce the difficulty by one. If the person being tracked passes through an area with a lot of other scents (like a crowded city street), walks through a stream or does anything else that might confuse or mask his scent, the Nova must make another roll at an increased difficulty (+2 or more, usually).
If the Nova is exposed to a particularly strong odor such as having pepper thrown in her face her Bloodhound ability is temporarily "blinded." Until she can get that scent out of her nose, which could take anywhere from a turn to an hour depending on the circumstances, she won't be able to follow any scents.
This Enhancement is always on and costs no quantum points to use.
By processing and amplifying waves in the middle end of the electromagnetic spectrum (infrared, visible light, ultraviolet), the character provides herself with a number of sensory abilities.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character spends 1 Quantum to activate the power for (Perception + Mega-Perception) turns. While doing so, the character gains an additional three dice on any Awareness roll related to vision. Additionally, this Enhancement provides a number of benefits:
The character can transmit and receive waves from the gamma- and x-ray end of the electromagnetic spectrum. This allows him to "see" through solid objects, at a range equal to (Perception + Mega-Perception) x 20 meters.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By spending 1 Quantum, taking an action and making a Perception roll, the character may see through solid objects. The Storyteller may increase the difficulty to scan through particularly dense objects. This effect lasts for one turn, although the character may choose to spend 3 (rather than 1) Quantum in order to activate the Enhancement for a full scene.
A Nova with this Enhancement can hear and transmit sounds that are too high-pitched or low-pitched to be audible to the normal human ear, such as dog whistles, radio waves, or security devices that utilize ultrasonic sound.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character spends 1 Quantum to activate the power for a scene. While the Enhancement is active, the character gains an additional three dice on any Awareness, Investigation, Larceny or other appropriate roll related to hearing. Additionally, this Enhancement provides a number of benefits:
The character may voluntarily "shut off" the sense (to keep from being inundated with signals). He can also edit out specific frequencies so that he hears only a specific radio broadcast rather than all radio broadcasts, television, and other broadcasts.
The character can sense the ebbs and flows of quantum energies in her vicinity. This gives her a hyperenhanced perception, allowing her to sense her surroundings on the molecular level, even if her other senses have been incapacitated. The character must still face in the general direction of what she wishes to perceive.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By spending 1 Quantum per turn, the character can attune herself to quantum energies in the area. Among other things, this allows the character to make an Awareness roll to sense her surroundings even if completely deprived of one or more senses. The character can also scan other Zetas by making a Perception + Awareness roll; this allows the character to sense the rough level of Quantum/Inspiration/Essence/Psi (permanent and temporary) and Taint/Paradox/Limit/Disfunction (temporary) Traits possessed by the other Zeta. With three or more successes, the character might be able to guess at the other Zeta's capabilities, though the Storyteller should describe this in narrative terms, as eddies and shifts in the local Z-wave flow (e.g., "Your foe clenches his fists, and quantum forces begin seething around his outstretched hands" as opposed to "He's going to throw a Quantum Bolt"; "When she stretches, nuclear forces scream and hiss around her frame," as opposed to "She's got Mega-Strength 4").
Sometimes you'll hear someone described as "having eyes in the back of his head." A Nova with this Enhancement just about meets that description. He can sense all around himself more or less as readily as he can look straight ahead.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A character with Ultraperipheral Perception can perceive things in a 360-degree circle around himself without turning his head. This Enhancement prevents a character from being surprised by people sneaking up on him from behind. Attackers gain no bonus from flanking or attacking him from the rear. It also allows him to keep track of everything surrounding him. This Enhancment is always active.
Despite their inhumanity (or, as some would say, transcendence of humanity), some Novas are very skilled at figuring out what people are feeling. They have an instinctive ability to gauge emotions and emotional states. More honorable Novas use this power as a way to relate to (and offer comfort to) normal people; selfish Novas use it as a tool to manipulate, harass or degrade humans.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The player of a Nova with this Enhancement may spend 1 Quantum to activate it for one scene. Thereafter, whenever his character is within 10 yards of a Baseline, the player may make a Perception roll. If he succeeds, the Nova has a general idea of the current emotional state of the person happy, depressed, angry, lustful and so on. The more successes he achieves, the more accurate his assessment of the person's emotions. In the right circumstances, the Nova might even be able to determine what is causing the person to feel that way, and what to do to change his emotional state (if necessary).
At distances greater than 10 yards, the Nova can still try to determine what emotions a person is feeling, but it is harder. Out to 20 yards the difficulty increases by one; 30 meters, by two; 50 meters, by three. The power cannot work beyond 50 yards.
Regardless of the distance to the "target," the Nova must be able to see him clearly. In some cases it may be necessary to observe him for several minutes in order to analyze his emotional state correctly.
Characters with the Natural Empath Enhancement gain a bonus of +3 dice when making Awareness and Investigation rolls related to understanding or decoding the motives and feelings of others. This element of the Enhancement is always active.
Biology limits how quickly most people can percieve something. Your senses work faster than that, with direct quantum awareness enhancing the normal physical process of sensation. Your eyes can work like a strobe camera, able to resolve a scene as it was for a tiny fraction of a second, while your ears can work like a super-fast sound-activated microphone that picks up a millisecond's sound.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Spend 1 Quantum as a reflexive action to freeze your character's sense of a particular moment. She remains completely aware of the ongoing flow of events in real time. The captured moment simply lingers as a perfectly preserved memory, allowing her to describe a scene, a face, a block of text, a scent or a particular tune with perfect accuracy, even months after the fact.
You can sense the world through any part of your body: see with your hair, smell with your fingers, hear through the soles of your feet, whatever seems like a good idea at the time.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Spend 1 Quantum as a refexive action to move one snese er dot of Mega-Perception to some other part of your character's body. it works just as it normally does: normal range, normal acuity, normal in all regards except that its not attached to the usual organ. Damage to the new sensory point can be equally as harmful as damage to the original organ.
The Nova knows when he's being watched, overheard or monitored in any way.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> If the Nova is being monitored directly - watched from the shadows, peered at through binoculars, eavesdropped on from around the corner, etc. - he will know it automatically without needing to spend Quantum. Furthermore, if the spy is in a group of people, the Nova will know which one is doing the snooping. If the monitoring is mediated by listening devices, video surveillance systems or the like, the expenditure of 1 Quantum allows the Nova to sense that he's being watched (or whatever) and reveals the location and nature of the device and a glimpse of the distant spy.
You can sense the subconscious impulses of the members of a group. You know when they're about to turn into a mob or disperse, for instance and how close they are to panic or rage. This Enhancement gives you advanced warning and the ability to shift the group'sdirection.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> This Enhancement lets the Nova read the mood of the people around her. Spend 1 Quantum and make a Perception roll. If its successful, the Nova can tell what the group will do in the next few turns - one turn per dot of regular Perception plus two turns per dot of Mega-Perception. Successes on the roll provide a pool of bonus dice to use in efforts to affect the group's behavior. Each bonus die may be used in one roll made during the period the Nova forsees. The player cannot carry over dice from one use of Group Awareness to the next. Each use creates a new dice pool; any remaining from the last use are forfeit (no harm done, but no gain from them either).
Have you ever heard colors or seen tastes? Some Novas can, and without the use of recreational drugs. Synesthesia is the ability to "reroute" sensory input the Nova feels, swapping his senses in any way that he desires. In addition to the aesthetics of being able to know what the color blue tastes like or see the shape and hues of a Brahms symphony, it also allows the Nova to better understand what he senses by filtering it through different perceptions. The Nova can also use one sense to make up for a lack in another, when necessary.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Synesthesia costs 1 Quantum to activate for an entire scene (with as many sensory shifts as the Nova desires, reverting back to the "normal" sensory configuration at any time). The Nova can re-allocate her sensory input at will. This has two primary game effects. First, the Nova can compare and contrast sensory impressions about a particular subject. This allows the Nova to make a Perception + Awareness roll and apply the successes as bonus dice for an Investigation roll involving the subject or any other Ability roll where detailed information about the subject is useful (in the Storyteller's judgment).
Second, the Nova can use one sense to make up for the loss or deficiency of another. For example, she can "feel" colors, allowing her to read printed material by touch, or "see" sounds, allowing her to differentiate between a jumble of different noises. The Storyteller is the final judge of any particular use of the Enhancement, but it should allow the Nova to overcome many sensory limitations.
Intelligence, according to some, is the ultimate weapon. If that's the case, a Nova with this Mega-Attribute is ready to fight in any war.
A character with Mega-Intelligence is intelligent beyond the dreams of even most geniuses. His ability to make deductive "leaps" from unrelated facts to a conclusion, to solve difficult problems and to analyze situations is nearly unparalleled. In some cases, Novas with high Mega-Intelligence ratings have put powerful computers to shame. In fact, even one dot of Mega-Intelligence effectively indicates that the human IQ scale can no longer be applied to the Mega-intelligent Nova.
Like Intelligence itself, Mega-Intelligence mainly represents the quality of a character's thinking processes how clearly and precisely he can put facts together and draw conclusions from them. However, unlike Intelligence, to a certain extent it also measures the speed at which a character can analyze facts and perform calculations. Characters with high Intelligence solve problems quickly, but a Nova with even Mega-Intelligence 1 makes them look like mental tortoises. When it comes to reacting fast under pressure, though, Wits and Mega-Wits still rule the day.
Stupendous: You do advanced calculus problems in your sleep.
Amazing: Supergeniuses look on you with envy.
Incredible: An auditorium full of professors doesn't have as much brainpower as you.
Spectacular: Your memory for even the most trivial details never fails you.
Godlike: You make supercomputers look slow and stupid.
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Intelligence may learn or purchase include:
Virtually everything every object, every system, every procedure has flaws, weaknesses and vulnerable points. In many instances these problems are so minor as to be unnoticeable to the average person. A Nova with this ability, however, is not the "average person." By dint of her vast intellect and analytical prowess, she is able to detect where these weaknesses are, and she knows how to exploit them to her advantage.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A Nova with this Enhancement is able to detect weaknesses in objects, systems and procedures. Sometimes this flaw is physical (a place where a crack is likely to develop) and sometimes a less tangible weakness (a part of a security net where protection is lightest), but in either case, the Nova can locate the problem.
To find and analyze a weakness, the Nova must spend 1 Quantum point and make a reflexive Intelligence roll. The Storyteller can increase the difficulty of the roll if the Nova is examining a particularly well-made or relatively flawless object or if the system or procedure being analyzed is so efficient that it generally lacks any vulnerabilities. If the roll fails, the object or procedure is without weaknesses or working at peak efficiency as far as the Nova can tell. A Nova can try to analyze the weaknesses in a particular object or system only once per scene; if she fails it will be a while before she can try again.
If the roll succeeds, there are several possible effects. If the Nova is analyzing a physical object or being, such as a wall or an enemy, the soak values posessed by the target (Bashing, Lethal and Aggravated) are reduced by one per success against all attacks made by the Nova for the rest of the scene. This effect can be applied to anything with a soak rating, such as another Nova's Force Field or even an individual's soak rating, even though it is not literally a "physical object". Alternately, if a being targeted by this Enhancement has some particular weakness, the Storyteller may choose to reveal that information to the Nova's player rather than depending on the limited soak reduction.
If a Nova succeeds in analyzing the weaknesses in larger objects, such as buildings, vehicles or bridges, she knows where the cracks, weaknesses and/ or stresses in the object are. This analysis allows her to place explosives where they will be the most effective, or to effect repairs as quickly and efficiently as possible. For each success the character achieves on his Intelligence roll, she receives an extra die (or sometimes more) for related Ability rolls to affect the object in some way. For example, if the Nova's player achieves three successes on her Analyze Weakness roll when examining a spacecraft, she receives three extra dice for Engineering rolls to fix or modify the craft or three extra dice for rolls to destroy the ship with a bomb, since she knows just where to put the bomb for maximum effect.
If the Nova succeeds in analyzing a system or procedure such as a security system or program, a plan of attack, a tactical situation or a bureaucratic system she knows what aspects of it are not as good as they could be; what parts of it are flawed, weak or inefficient; and how the system or procedure could be improved. For each success the player achieves on her Intelligence roll, she receives one die (or sometimes more) for related Ability rolls to affect the subject in some way. For example, if the Nova's player achieves two successes when analyzing the guard patrols and other security measures protecting a mercenary base in Africa, she gains two extra dice for Stealth and Larceny rolls to break into that base. If she were trying to get information out of the federal court system, she would receive two extra dice for her Bureaucracy roll.
Any Nova with Mega-Intelligence has a well-developed memory. A Nova with this Enhancement, though, has a memory that's virtually foolproof. He can remember in precise detail just about anything that has happened to him. Anything he takes the time to study remains lodged in his mind. However, just because he can store a particular fact in his memory does not mean he can recall it instantly. Sometimes a character with Eidetic Memory has to stop and think for several seconds or minutes, slowly reading down a mental page or through a mental file until he retrieves the fact he wants.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A character with Eidetic Memory is assumed to have perfect, and nearly instantaneous, recollection of anything that has happened to him. For example, suppose that the characters have spent an hour working their way through the labyrinthine halls of some Teragen base. After the climactic encounter, the characters realize, to their dismay, that they cannot remember how to get out again. Fortunately, one of them has Eidetic Memory, and he can lead them back the way they came in without any problem.
Remembering studied information works a little differently. Theoretically, the character has perfect recall of anything he has studied, from the phone book to advanced quantum physics textbooks. However, the problem with this in game terms is that it can provide the character with many Abilities for free a situation that isn't fair to the other characters. Therefore, the Storyteller needs to restrict this aspect of Eidetic Memory in a couple of ways. First, Eidetic Memory provides only academic knowledge. It doesn't teach a character how to do anything. The character might have memorized an entire book on plumbing, but since he's never actually put wrench to pipe in his life, he can't fix plumbing systems. He'd be qualified to advise a character who does have such skills, though.
Second, a character may not be able to recall a memorized fact quickly, as stated previously. Whenever the character wants to use his Eidetic Memory, the Storyteller should require an Intelligence roll. The Storyteller may increase the difficulty for particularly obscure facts. The Storyteller should also set a base time required for the Nova to recall the fact; this base time can range from instantly, to one turn, to a minute or more. Each additional success achieved on the Intelligence roll cuts the recall time in half.
Characters with Eidetic Memory should be encouraged to spend experience points to buy Abilities related to facts they have memorized. Thus, this Enhancement is an excellent justification for characters to buy all sorts of unusual and fun Abilities. This Enhancement is always active.
A Nova with this Enhancement lacks the long-term brainpower that a Nova with Eidetic Memory has, but what he lacks in long-term memory he makes up for in short-term recall. He can study a subject and, for a brief period, remember everything he studied almost exactly. Although this information fades quickly after that period expires, it's there long enough for a character to make use of it say, on a mission. Enhanced Memory is perfect for memorizing things like floor plans, guard patrol schedules and personal information about a target just the sort of facts that come in handy on many missions.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character chooses a particular subject or collection of data to memorize. The subject must not be too extensive he can't choose the entire works of Shakespeare, for example. However, a complete mission briefing, or one or two textbooks, or the ability to speak a language enough to carry on a basic conversation, are all possible.
The player must spend 1 Quantum and make an Intelligence roll at +1 difficulty to memorize the chosen information successfully. Once memorized, the information remains in the character's short-term memory for a period equal to one day per dot of Mega-Intelligence. After that period has passed, the information begins to fade at the rate of about 25% per day until the character's recollection of it is virtually gone.
Characters may, if they wish, use their Enhanced Memory as a justification for buying a particular Ability, which reflects permanent recollection of a memorized subject.
Calculator? Computer? Who needs them? A Nova with this ability can run numbers in his head so fast that reaching for an electronic calculator is usually a waste of time.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A Nova with the Mathematical Savant Enhancement can perform complex mathematical equations in his head almost instantly. Multiplication and division, even involving four- to eight-digit numbers, takes only a second or two. More complex algebra, trigonometry or calculus problems may take up to a minute. Extremely complex mathematical operations, such as all the calculations necessary to launch a rocket to Jupiter, may take up to an hour.
Whenever the character is using a skill or Ability involving math, such as trying to decode an encrypted message, the Storyteller should allow the player to make an Intelligence roll. Each success bestows an additional die for any related Ability rolls. This Enhancement is always active.
Quelle heure et il?
Habla espanol, senor?
Bom dia!
Sprechen sie deutsch?
These phrases are all as good as his native language to a Nova with this Enhancement. A character with Linguistic Genius is, literally, a genius at linguistics and language interpretation. He can usually speak a lot of languages fluently, but more than that, he has an intuitive understanding of the structure and nature of language. Even if he has never heard a particular language before, if he listens to someone speaking it for a little while, he will be able to determine what the person is saying. He won't necessarily be able to speak the language himself, so he might not be able to respond or participate in a conversation, but he will know what's being said to him, and sometimes that's enough to solve any problems.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A character with this Enhancement receives five automatic successes when the player makes Linguistics rolls. Furthermore, the number of languages with which he is familiar is quadrupled. Thus, a Nova with Linguistics 5 and Linguistic Genius would be familiar with 20 languages.
Even better, the character has a limited ability to comprehend speech in languages with which he is not familiar. When he hears a language he does not know, the player may make an Intelligence roll. The Storyteller should add a difficulty modifier for especially complex languages, situations where the character has difficulty hearing the language being spoken or when the character is not able to listen to the language for very long. This Enhancement is always active.
This broad Enhancement is actually several different Enhancements grouped under a common heading. Each of them represents a Nova who has an innate talent for, "feel for" or skill at a particular type of Intelligence-based (or -related) ability. The character must select a specific category of this Enhancement.
When a character spends 1 Quantum to activate this Enhancement, the effects and bonuses received last for a minimum of one scene/hour, and possibly longer at the Storyteller's discretion. Catergories include:
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character works with electronic or mechanical devices, the player may make an Intelligence roll. For each success he achieves, he may roll one extra die when making Engineering rolls or related rolls (it is the Storyteller's discretion as to what constitutes a "related" roll, based on the situation).
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is involved with situations or problems concerning economics and finance, the player may make an Intelligence roll. For each success achieved, the player gains an additional die when making rolls related to such subjects.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is investigating a crime, interrogating someone, or trying to solve a mystery or puzzle, the player may make an Intelligence roll.
For each success achieved, he may roll an additional die when making Investigation rolls, Presence rolls for the Specialty Interrogation, Science rolls for Specialties such as Criminology, Medicine rolls for the Specialty Forensic Pathology or related rolls (it is the Storyteller's discretion as to what constitutes a "related" roll, based on the situation).
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is involved with situations or problems concerning medicine, healing injuries, fighting off illnesses and diagnosing diseases, the player may make an Intelligence roll. For each success achieved, she may roll an additional die when making Medicine rolls and any other rolls related to those tasks.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is involved with situations or problems concerning science or scientific subjects (but excluding subjects covered by Engineering Prodigy or Medical Prodigy, unless the Storyteller rules otherwise), the player may make an Intelligence roll. For each success achieved, he may roll an additional die when making Science rolls.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is involved with situations or problems concerning tactics, strategy or warfare (including such things as corporate economic warfare or political campaigns), the player may make an Intelligence roll. For each success achieved, she may roll an additional die when making rolls related to such subjects. The character also gains a permanent +3 bonus to Initiative.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When the character makes rolls related to the working of his organization, make an Intelligence roll. Each success on that roll adds a die to the ensuing Bureaucracy or related roll.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is engaged in activity involving operating or programming computers (including hacking them), the player may make an Intelligence roll. For each success, she may roll an additional die when making Computer rolls or any other Ability related to those tasks (including the uses of Cyberkinesis).
A Nova with this Enhancement is able to process written and textual information far faster than the average reader. When he's studying something, sit back and watch the pages fly past.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The character is able to read text (whether in a book, on a computer screen or in any other medium) four times as fast as the average highly educated person without any loss of comprehension. Additionally, whenever he is using his Speed Reading ability, the player may make an Intelligence roll; each success adds one to the speed multiplier for his reading (one success means he is reading five times as fast, two successes mean six times as fast and so on). This Enhancement is always active.
You've driven yourself a little bit crazy, setting aside part of your mind to review the rest. When you engage in Self-Analysis, it's almost like having someone else look for all the dumb mistakes and wrong conclusions you've drawn, except that nobody else need to know how thoroughly you've messed it up.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova must spend one scene of waking time or one night's sleep using Self-Analysis. During this time her effective Mega-Intelligence is one lower than usual as part of her mind is otherwise occupied. When finished with the analysis, make an Intelligence roll (with full dice pool restored). Each success lets the Nova identify one conclusion drawn erroneously (potentially caused by a botched mental roll). The player may choose to spend three successes for an intuitive insight, realizing one key point or conclusion that had previously eluded her. This Enhancement is most entertainingly played out between the player and the Storyteller, with the player speaking aloud what the character is thinking and with the Storyteller giving hints and suggestions until the player arrives at the right conclusions.
Some people are just full of ideas. Novas with this Enhancement are brimming over with them. They have a gift for seeing things in new ways and finding new applications of existing technology and techniques. Their inventions change the world, provided they're not confiscated by Project Utopia's Science & Technology division, that is.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When the Nova is working to come up with a new application or invention related to any of the Intelligence Abilities, the player may make an Intelligence roll. For each success, she may roll an additional die on any Ability roll related to developing the new idea. This includes creating super-science Devices. Inventive Genius may substitute for any type of Mental Prodigy required for the creation of a gadget or new invention, and its effects are cumulative with Mental Prodigy when coming up with new inventions.
At the Storyteller's discretion, the player of an Inventive Genius may spend a Willpower point to come up with a particularly brilliant idea or inspiration in play (with input from the Storyteller).
This Enhancement is always active.
It's easy to get distracted, especially in the modern world of media saturation, with a hundred different things vying for attention all at once. Novas with this Enhancement don't get distracted. Their minds are focused like lasers, allowing them to block out anything other than what they're dealing with.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When performing any action based on Mental Attributes, the Nova can ignore die pool or difficulty penalties for distractions, including injury modifiers and environmental conditions, equal to her dots in Mega-Intelligence. So a Nova with Mega-Intelligence 3 can ignore up to 3 points of penalty (to dice pools or difficulty). When a Resistance roll is required to maintain concentration, the Nova's player can roll Intelligence. Successes on the roll apply as extra dice on the Resistance roll. This Enhancement is always active.
Mega-Wits is the flip side of Mega-Dexterity. Meg a-Dexterity reflects how quickly some Novas can move and react physically. Mega-Wits is how fast some Novas can act and react mentally. As with Mega-Dexterity, each dot of Mega-Wits adds one to Initiative ratings.
Mega-Wits is one of the most disturbing Mega-Attributes for normal humans to deal with. Watching a Nova pick up a truck or outrace bullets just seems sort of surreal after a while. But to see someone standing there calmly in the middle of a firefight or working a social situation like a grandmaster who can see 20 moves ahead is disconcerting. It's strange to see such level-headed ness in the face of terrifying (to a normal human) danger or the application of superpowers in such "ordinary" situations.
Stupendous: Even when bullets are whizzing past your head, you remain calm and collected.
Amazing: Everyone around you hangs on your witty words.
Incredible: Nothing surprises you and even if something did, you'd never show it.
Spectacular: Fooling you is about as easy as fitting an elephant through a doorway.
Godlike: Nothing on Earth can disturb your savoir-faire.
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Wits may learn or purchase include:
A Nova with this ability possesses an intuitive artistic sense and skill. He knows what "works" artistically, what doesn't, which colors complement each other and how to knock a chip off a sculpture here and there to turn a pedestrian piece into a masterwork. He may also be a skilled writer, able to express with a single sentence or paragraph what it takes others pages and pages to say. Novas who are Artistic Geniuses are often the darlings of the highbrow art scene.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the character is attempting to create or analyze art, literature, cinema or similar works or subjects, the player may make a Wits roll. For each success achieved, he receives one automatic success when making Arts rolls and related rolls. This Enhancement is always active.
Reacting in combat isn't just a matter of physical reflexes it's a matter of quick thinking and mental reaction time as well. Someone who is able to comprehend and analyze a combat situation quickly such as a Nova with this Enhancement has a definite advantage over combatants who react more slowly.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The player of a Nova with Enhanced Initiative may add five points to her Initiative rating whenever she pays the standard 1 Quantum cost. This bonus lasts for one scene. A Nova may purchase this Enhancement more than once, thus gaining the opportunity to pay 2 Quantum for +10 Initiative, 3 for +15 Initiative and so on.
No polygraph is needed when a Nova with this Enhancement is around. When she listens to a person talking and concentrates on what he is saying, she can instantly detect whether he is lying or not.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A Nova with this Mega-Wits Enhancement needs only pay 1 Quantum to activate this Enhancement for an entire scene. For the duration, she may concentrate on what someone is saying to determine (without a roll) if he is telling the truth or not. However, this ability does not reveal the truth per se, only that someone is telling a falsehood. Furthermore, it does not indicate that a character is lying if that character believes that what he is saying is the truth, even if it turns out to be wrong. If a "target" is particularly skilled at hiding the truth (for example, he has high Manipulation or Subterfuge Traits, or is a pathological liar), the Storyteller may require the Nova to make a Wits roll to determine whether a lie is being told.
Novas who wish for two heads and four hands so that they can get everything done appreciate this Enhancement. It allows a Nova to perform multiple actions with much more ease than the typical person. Indeed, some Novas make taking multiple actions seem almost effortless.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The player of a Nova with this Enhancement may spend 1 Quantum whenever she decides to perform multiple actions. While this Enhancement is active, the multiple action penalty (the number of dice subtracted from her dice pool, in other words) is halved, rounding down, in favor of the character. Thus, a Multitasking Nova who decides to perform three actions in a turn subtracts one die from the first task's dice pool, two dice from the second task's dice pool and two dice from the third task's dice pool (as opposed to the standard dice penalties).
Similar to both Enhanced Initiative and Multitasking, this Enhancement allows a Nova to take extra actions in combat. A Nova with multiple levels of this ability becomes a whirlwind of carnage and destruction in combat, incapacitating her enemies before they can even react.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By spending 1 Quantum, the Nova gains an extra action during the current combat turn. This action incurs no dice pool penalty the Nova may use her full dice pools with both of her actions, and either or both may be split as normal or spent on a "fully defensive" action.
A Nova may purchase this Enhancement more than once, thus gaining the opportunity to pay 2 Quantum for 2 extra actions, 3 for three extra actions, etc.
A Nova with this Enhancement works and plays well with others. He has an instinctive ability to figure out what other people he is working with are going to do and what he can do to assist them or complement their efforts. He becomes the oil that keeps the machine working at peak efficiency.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the Nova performs a task with other players' characters in such a way that they combine successes to achieve a common goal, typically as an extended action, the Nova's player may make a Wits roll. If the task is such that they can pool their efforts without redundancy, everyone in the group receives an additional die for each success the Nova's player achieves on his roll. This die applies to whatever rolls any given member of the group is making to advance the group's goal or complete their task. If the task is more confining, allowing one member of the group to make a primary attempt, supported and assisted by the rest, the die bonus from this Enhancement is applied to that single roll or set of rolls. The die bonus applies to all rolls made for about a scene, an hour or until the job is finished, whichever comes sooner. The player may not make multiple Wits rolls to get multiple bonuses; only one Synergy bonus can apply to a given group during a given time period (unless more than one participant in the project has the Synergy Enhancement). This Enhancement is triggered by cooperative effort, but costs nothing to activate.
Some Novas with Mega-Wits are so fast in apprehending a situation that they seem almost precognitive, able to know what's going to happen before it happens. Such Novas always seem prepared for every eventuality.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> A Nova with this Enhancement may activate it at any time by spending 1 Quantum. For the next scene, the Nova gains the ability to interrupt one action or event after the fact. At any time during the resolution of another character's action or some other event (up to the declaration of the next action), a Nova using Foresight may "wind back the clock". The course of play is moved back to just before (one Initiative tick prior to) the event in question, and the Nova is given one free action to use to undermine, support or otherwise make use of the coming event. This effect can allow a character to attempt to disarm an opponent just before they strike a lethal blow, warn an ally of the trap they are about to trigger, or get the drop on opponents lying in ambush. Once it is put to use, this Enhancement's duration expires, though it may be immediately reactivated for the length of another scene.
Novas with Mega-Wits are always thinking several steps ahead of everyone else. Those with Hypercognition are several steps ahead of them. They have the ability to make tremendous deductive leaps, synthesizing all of the information at their disposal and coming to conclusions more rapidly than any process of simple logic.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By spending 1 Quantum, the player can turn any extended action for the character into a simple action, provided that the action primarily involves thought and information that is potentially available to the character (even if she is not consciously aware of it). For example, a Nova with Hypercognition can solve a difficult puzzle of mystery simply by looking at the clues, navigate quickly through a maze, immediately overcome a trap, and so forth. The effects of Hypercognition are cumulative with other Enhancements that speed up the Nova's thought processes. For example, a Nova with both Hypercognition and Mathematical Savant can perform calculations at truly blinding speed, coming up with answers to even complex problems instantly. The effects of this Enhancement last for the (shortened) length of the single task.
Some Novas prove that it's the mind that matters more than the flesh. Some of them have the ability to exert mental control over every aspect of their physiology, from heart rate and breathing to healing and immune response.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova has the ability to control normally involuntary bodily functions. Among other things, this allows the Nova to slip into a trance state virtually indistinguishable from death without a comprehensive medical examination (roll Medicine at +2 difficulty to determine that the Nova's not really dead). While in this trance state, the Nova's biological functions are extremely slow: she requires only a tenth as much food, water, and air and poisons and diseases affect her at a tenth their normal speed. The Nova can roll Wits + Subterfuge to resist the effects of the Lie Detector and Natural Empath Enhancements, as well as polygraph machines and similar devices. The Nova can ignore dice pool penalties for injury up to her Mega-Wits rating. Finally, the Nova adds +1 multiple to her healing rates so long as she's conscious (cumulative with the multiple for Mega-Stamina).
You're never at a loss for a quick comeback or clever comment. Your cutting remarks have a razor edge to them that can slash someone's confidence to the bone. Your Wits are an effective weapon, whether in battle or in the social arena.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When the player gets in a cutting remark and clever jab (in character), she may spend 1 Quantum and roll Wits + Perform, resisted by the subject's Willpower. Net successes are added to the difficulty of the target's actions with relation to the subject of the remark for the rest of the scene or until the target succeeds in an action related to the remark, restoring his confidence. For example, if the Nova derides a subject's combat skills, they suffer the difficulty increase until the subject successfully hits something. Likewise, a jibe directed at a subject's intellect affects Intelligence abilities. The Storyteller is the final arbitrator on what rolls are affected by a use of Razor Wit.
Additionally, you can give the Storyteller up to up to one "straight line" per dot you character has in Mega-Wits each story. These are things you want Storyteller characters to say or do that help set you up for a brilliant comeback (which you've had the opportunity to prepare in advance, of course). The Storyteller should make every effort to work these straight lines into the story, although he has the right to ask you to come up with others if they prove unsuitable. Straight lines also don't work on characters with Mega-Wits scores equal to or higher than your own, they're a little harder to set up than that. This secondary component of the Enhancement has no cost.
While a sharp mind is no guarantee of being able to resist the a pretty face or a charming personality, some Novas with Mega-Wits are able to see through attempts to influence them, and their quick, insightful minds allow them to escape from such traps where others might not.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> In any situation where someone tries to exert influence over the Nova, either through Social Abilities or powers like Dominate or Empathic Manipulation, the Nova may roll Wits. Successes are applied as additional dice on rolls to resist the outside influence, as the Nova's insight warns him of the potential danger and allows him opportunities to slip the net. In situations where a resistance roll isn't allowed, Discerning Mind doesn't help. This Enhancement is triggered by attempts to influence the Nova, but costs nothing to activate.
Mega-Attributes represent the extremes of Nova nature (and thus, some would say, of human nature as well). Nowhere is this more apparent than Mega-Appearance. It shows, in the most obvious and up-front way possible, just how much better and how much worse Novas can be than humans.
Typically, Mega-Appearance represents a Nova who is extraordinarily handsome or beautiful. Unlike the "Unearthly Beauty" aberration, the good looks deriving from Mega-Appearance generally are not especially unnerving to normal humans. They may inspire many emotions love, lust, envy, worship, you name it but they usually do not give rise to the feelings of unease, disquiet and even disgust that Unearthly Beauty does. Indeed, Mega-beautiful and -handsome Novas are among the most popularr of the "new humans," and they are frequently featured on television, in advertising campaigns and other media outlets.
The character's beauty or handsomeness is such that he is able to make even the worst clothes look good (not fashionable, maybe, but good). Similarly, the character usually makes a good first impression on looks alone.
In some rare instances Mega-Appearance can represent the opposite extreme, signifying a Nova whose looks are Mega-ugly, even Mega-horrifying. Mega-ugly characters typically have multiple physical Aberrations, and they often become as mentally twisted as their bodies are physically twisted antisocial and cruel, and all too ready to destroy any beauty which confronts them. The divergence between Mega-beautiful and Mega-ugly characters is an extension of the rule that Appearance determines the power and meaning of a charater's looks and outward presentation, rather than mearly rating how "hot" they are. Even more telling, it is often quite easy for a Nova with Mega-Appearance to switch back and forth between these two modes (through the use of the Appearance Alteration or Copycat Enhancements, or simply by using Dormancy to hide key Aberrations).
Mega-ugly characters posess the same knack for intimidation that Mega-beautiful characters posess for style.
Stupendous: Miss or Mister America looks plain next to you.
Amazing: A face that can launch at least a hundred ships, if not more.
Incredible: Okay, at least 500 ships.
Spectacular: Helen of Troy, Adonis.
Godlike: Aphrodite, Freya.
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Appearance may purchase include:
Don't like your looks? If you're a Nova with this Enhancement, you can do something about them.
Appearance Alteration allows a Nova to make minor changes to his or her appearance. This can be done simply on a whim, or for fun. However, one of its main uses for Novas who rely heavily on their good looks is to make sure they live up to a particular person's or culture's idea of what is "beautiful." Someone who is beautiful in, say, America may not meet the local standards for beauty in any of a number of other countries; great beauty in China may be ugliness in Argentina. Even more importantly, individuals' ideas of what is beautiful differ wildly. People frequently have particular tastes and preferences in height, hair color, body type or any of a constellation of other possible variables.
A Nova with Appearance Alteration can satisfy all of these people. He can make minor changes or subtly remold his body to conform to the desires of those around him. "Minor changes" include: changing hair, eye or skin color; gaining or losing up to about 50 pounds; gaining or losing up to about four inches of height and increasing or decreasing any particular aspect of figure or appearance by no more than 20% or so.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova can make changes in his appearance within the aforementioned guidelines, either consciously or unconsciously. Any changes other than those listed require the Storyteller's permission. In no event can the character reshape his body to grow claws, wings or eyestalks, for example. Only outward physical appearance can change. Since this Enhancement depends upon the perceptions and tastes of those observing the character, it cannot function as a disguise or to conceal the character's identity.
To change his appearance consciously, the Nova need only pay 1 Quantum and will the changes into effect. To change appearance to match what a particular person or group of people find desirable, the Nova must pay 1 Quantum and be in that person or persons' presence for a minute or two. During that time the changes will slowly but surely take place. The Nova can draw the changes out over a period of up to a day if he prefers, which is sometimes done to keep from frightening people who are not used to Nova powers. Any and all changes wrought by this Enhancement last for a scene, though they may be dismissed earlier by the character.
A Nova cannot use Appearance Alteration to make himself resemble a specific other individual; that requires the Copycat Enhancement. Nor can he use it to hide particularly grotesque aberrations unless the Storyteller specifically permits it. For example, some forms of Aberrant Eyes might be affected by Appearance Alteration; Vestigial Limbs could never be hidden this way.
Many myths tell of gods and demons whose visages are too "awful" (awe-inspiring) for mortals to gaze upon directly. A Nova with this Enhancement has taken a page from that book, for his appearance, too, inspires awe.
A Nova with the Awe-Inspiring Enhancement has looks that, for whatever reason, give rise to awe, admiration and even worship. Normal humans often have trouble dealing with him in a straightforward manner. Weak-willed people feel more inclined to edge away nervously or be worshipful; even stronger-willed people feel intimidated, inadequate and cowed. It's not uncommon for an Awe-inspiring Nova to be surrounded by an entourage of fawning, adoring lackeys wherever she goes.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> This effect works only when the people are in the Nova's presence and looking at her; when they are away from her or not looking at her Awe-Inspiring cannot affect them. Of course, they may come to worship and revere her anyway, even if they are not near her, but that depends upon the individuals in question. Awe-Inspiring is not Domination; it's far weaker than that, and it shouldn't be played that way.
Activating this Enhancement costs 1 Quantum, and its effects last for one scene. Even when it isn't actively "on," the Nova is still phenomenally captivating, and the Storyteller should keep this in mind (servers are deferential, groupies throw themselves at the Nova, etc.). When Awe-inspiring is active, the Nova recieves automatic successes for each dot she has of Mega-Appearance when making Social rolls to intimidate, command, persuade, inspire or interrogate others (this is in addition to the standard Mega-Attribute bonuses for Mega-Appearance or other Mega-Social Attributes). This Enhancement is one of many reasons why government officials and other members of the Baseline establishment are terrified of the idea of Novas becoming heavily involved in politics or religion.
Being yourself gets kind of boring sometimes. Why not be a famous model or actor? Or the President? Copycat will let a Nova do just that, at least as far as outward appearance goes. After studying the subject to be imitated (either in person or from a good photograph), the Nova can make himself look like that person even a person of a different gender. However, these changes are purely cosmetic; no changes to internal organs occur.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Copycat allows a Nova to shape himself into an exact duplicate of another person. Making the change costs 1 Quantum and does not require a roll. However, the Nova must be in the presence of the person to be duplicated, or have a high-quality visual representation of the subject to work from. The change takes about a minute to complete (spending a dice action to roll Appearance shortens this time to a single turn, provided the roll is successful. The change lasts for one scene, though it may be maintained by spending an additional 1 Quantum at the start of each subsequent scene.
Copycat does not allow the character to add to or remove anything from his physical form. He can't grow a tail, lose his Vestigial Limbs, create a sixth finger on his left hand, change his fingerprints or retina prints, or do anything similar.
A Nova with this Enhancement can instill fear in others by dint of his visage alone. His appearance can become 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.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the Nova rolls to intimidate, interogate or otherwise generate and capitalize on fear in others, he recieves three bonus successes. This Enhancement makes the Nova particularly terrifying whenever he wants to be, but it does not necessarilly make him any more frightening the rest of the time - he may appear gentle and kind one moment, and blood-curdlingly horrible the next.
To a certain extent, this power depends upon the psyche of the person(s) looking at the Nova. Fear 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 groups with different social constructs. This Enhancement is always active, and may be purchased multiple times, to the limit of the character's Mega-Appearance.
First impressions are just as important as everyone says. A character with a high Appearance rating is typically quite good at making them; one with Mega-Appearance even more so. However, a Nova with this Enhancement beats them both. Unless she deliberately tries to offend or annoy someone whom he is meeting, she always makes just the right impression. Depending upon what the person she meets is seeking, she may seem to be an enjoyable, likable person; someone who can get the job done; a potential mate; you name it. Whatever the other person is seeking, she will find it in the Nova.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When meeting someone for the first time (or perhaps after a long time apart), the Nova may spend 1 Quantum to activate this Enhancement. If she does so, the other person automatically gains a good first impression of him. She may deliberately say or do something to negate this effect, but even an accidental faux pas or unthinkingly tactless remark will not be enough to shake the good impression she makes. That good impression will remain with the other person until the Nova does something to ruin it (whether in the person's presence or not; bad reports about the Nova in the media, for example, may ruin many uses of First Impression) or other people convince the target of First Impression that he has the Nova all wrong. Of course, even a good first impression may not get the Nova what she wants making a good impression on the guards at the White House doesn't mean they'll let you in.
Furthermore, this effect also makes the Nova seem like just what the other person is looking for. If the Nova is on a job interview, First Impression will make her seem to be perfectly suited for the job. In a singles bar or nightclub, it will make her seem like the perfect date, potential spouse or one-night stand (depending upon what the other person is there for).
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.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By spending 1 Quantum, the Nova is able to mask his Mega-Appearance and all other distinguishing characteristics for a scene. For all intents and purposes he has an Appearance score of 2 average. He looks just like the everyday man on the street. Although 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 1 Quantum 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 levels of easily percieved Aberrations, plus one extra level per dot of the character's Mega-Appearance. Additional Aberrations still affect the Nova's ability to interact with Baselines without disturbing them. Furthermore, Mr. Nobody will not hide particularly grotesque physical Aberrations (ie, those of the third level); it will, however, cover up Unearthly Beauty.
A Nova with this Enhancement has the ultimate in sex appeal. He looks just like the man (or woman) of the target's most lustful dreams. If the target is aroused by leggy women, for example, a female Nova with this power would seem to the target to be a bit taller and leggier than she might really be she'd be "just right" as far as the target is concerned.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By focusing her attentions on a subject, the Nova makes herself seem extremely sexy and seductive to the target. (Note that the target need not be of a different gender than the Nova.) The target perceives her as having those attributes that the target finds most desirous or arousing, and the Nova's appearance subtly changes to match that perception. The changes fade as soon as the target is no longer in the Nova's presence; restoring them requires that the Nova again engage with the subject.
This Enhancement grants the Nova three automatic successes on any roll to seduce or persuade the chosen target. If there is any question, it is the Storyteller's discretion as to whether the bonus applies. This Enhancement is triggered by the Nova's intention to seduce a subject, but costs nothing to activate. Seductive Looks may be purchased multiple times, to the limit of the character's Mega-Appearance.
Players and Storytellers should remember that this Enhancement is based entirely upon the Nova's appearance. It does nothing to change her habits, attitude, or personality as sexy as she looks, she may still turn the target off. However, Seductive Looks, and the bonuses it provides, can be used in conjunction with the Seductive Behavior Enhancement for Mega-Charisma. Used together, the two Enhancements make the Nova both look and act like the target's ultimate sexual fantasy.
All people subtly mimic the facial characteristics and mood cues of those around them; it's one of the reasons that long-term couples are often said to resemble one another. This Enhancement uses that tendency to the Nova's advantage. Those around the Nova take their emotional cues from her facial expresions and physical gestures. A bubbly, laughing Nova using this Enhancement can cause a whole room to lighten up and start laughing, while an angry, pacing Nova can incite those around her to riot.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova spends 1 Quantum and then takes on the demeanor she wants to instill in those around her. The length of time it takes to make the change depends on the ambient mood in the room. Taking a crowd from calm and happy to boisterous and jovial takes only one turn. Taking a neutral or bored crowd to jovial takes three turns. Going from one extreme to another, say from cheerful to morose, takes six turns of the character moping around and looking grim. This effect lasts for one scene.
While it hasn't become quite as pervasive as George Orwell feared, electronic surveillance is still widespread in the developed regions of Earth, circa 2015. Given that a person is likely to be monitored by at least one video camera in any public area (and in many private areas as well), the development of this Enhancement was inevitable. Novas with Fade are virtual ghosts as far as electronic surveillance is concerned.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova spends 1 Quantum to activate this Enhancement for a scene. A Nova using this Enhancement is extremely difficult to detect or record by technological devices and effectively casts no reflection. This cloaking effect includes the Novas shadow and his clothes, but no other objects or items unless they are Attuned. While active, any attempt to capture the Novas image on video monitors, cameras (old fashioned film or digital) or similar media (including motion detectors) has a +3 difficulty penalty. Alternatively, the Nova may gain +3 successes for any Stealth, Larceny, or similar rolls when dealing with electronic surveillance or detection. While the Nova may choose to end the effect at any time, he cannot be selective. I.e. he can not choose to both have a reflection and at the same time avoid being recorded on film. Lack of a reflectioncan lead to consternation among superstitious people, and even your average citizen of the industrialized West will likely find this somewhat disturbing. Where appropriate, Artificial Intelligences should treat this Enhancement as the electronic version of the Incognito Enhancement.
A Mega-Attractive Nova with this Enhancement will always look her best, regardless of his circumstances. The Nova could swim in molten lava, crash through a building, withstand the blasts of cluster bombs, or even work on a pig farm and still look like she'd just stepped out of a fashion salon. If the Nova is injured she'll still look as if there's not a scratch on her. Annoyances such as dirt, dust, and stains simply won't affect her or her wardrobe. If her clothes are damaged, it will only accentuate her good looks. Even if her hair is windblown or mussed, it always falls back perfectly into place.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova is immune to circumstantial Appearance penalties and can suffer damage without appearing to bruise, bleed, or show any other signs of visible damage. The Nova also gets an additional (Mega-Appearance +1) dice on all rolls where looking one's best could be a factor. The question of whether or not the effects of this Enhancement can be overcome by othre Telluric effects has been left to the Storyteller's discretion. This Enhancement is always active.
Novas with Mega-Appearance tend to be easily remembered. This Enhancement prevents other people's short term memories of the Nova from being turned into long-term memories. As short-term memory only lasts for a minute or two, a Nova with this Enhancement can go everywhere, be identified everywhere, but still remain anonymous. Unlike Mr. Nobody, Incognito doesn't make the Nova unobtrusive, reduce Mega-Appearance, or prevent on identification. It only prevents other people from remembering the Nova.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova spends 1 Quantum and rolls Appearance. Anyone who later tries to recall details of the Nova from the scene in which the Enhancement was active needs to beat the Nova's rolled successes (usually on an Intelligence roll) to do so. Characters with Eidetic Memory get three extra dice on their roll, and Psychic Shield (and similar effects) apply against it. Since long-term memories never formed to begin with, Telepathy and similar powers and effects can not be used to help a persons memory roll. This Enhancement does nothing to prevent the Nova from being recorded on any form of media (photos, movies, digital video files, etc.). This Enhancement only affects the people exposed to it.
Example: John Johnson has Incognito and activates it before he knocks over a building and kills two hundred Baselines. When T 2 M? shows up 10 minutes later, although all the witnesses agree that a Nova must have done this, they don't remember which Nova or what the Nova looked like. John stays on site and appears in front of everyone who saw this. He figures that they won't be able to connect him to his crime. Unfortunately for John, one of the witnesses dialed 911 and gave the police his description before he forgot it. T 2 M? easily matches him to his description and hauls him in on the spot.
Ever wanted to see how the other half lives? Those Novas possessing this Enhancement can do so as they can change their sex at will. The change is a complete one; internal organs are changed along with the more obvious features and even the Nova's scent changes. This Enhancement is also very handy when being pursued, as few people normally confuse male and female bodies. Note, however, that this ability to change gender does not cause any additional radical changes in appearance; both sexes have similar features, and look sufficiently alike to be siblings.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> It takes 1 Quantum and roughly one minute for the Nova to seriously change sexual characteristics and gender-presentation though no roll is required. However, an action may be spent rolling Appearance to reduce this transition time to a turn. Once activated, this Enhancement has an indefinate duration and it is as if the Nova had always been of that gender.
Note: If a Nova with Gender Fluidity is not sterile, that Nova can either become pregnant or impregnate while equiped with the necessary components if contraceptive measures are either not used, or neutralized, or if they simply fail. It is possible to mix and match characteristics with this Enhancement to carry a pregnancy while presenting as a man, and it is also possible to use this Enhancement to terminate a pregnancy.
Ever since language was invented, human tale-spinners have told stories about monsters whose mere presence was horrific enough to make even the fiercest warriors quake in fear. A Nova with this Enhancement is the living embodiment of that tradition, as the sheer malevolence of his visage is simply too much for ordinary people to deal with.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova spends 1 Quantum to inspire horror and dread in his enemies for one scene. The effects are automatic against Baselines, while Zetas may resist them by succeeding on a Willpower roll at a difficulty of the Nova's Mega-Appearance. Those who are subject to the instinctive terror that the Nova illicits suffer an Initiative penalty equal to the Nova's Appearance rating, and an internal (dice) penalty of -3 on all rolls made in his presence.
A Mega-Manipulative Nova has the world wrapped around his little finger. He is a master at influencing people in many different ways, from subtle methods (persuasion, personal charm, bribery) to more in-your-face tactics (intimidation, blackmail, devious trickery).
The fact that the Nova is able to see through attempts at deceit or influence is equally as important. Mega-Manipulative Novas are so good at perceiving ways to affect others' opinions that they can often tell when someone else is trying to do it to them.
Stupendous: Experienced con men regard your skills with reverence.
Amazing: Even lawyers can't twist facts and persuade others as well as you can.
Incredible: People will follow you to the ends of the Earth if you ask them to.
Spectacular: Odysseus would admire your cunning.
Godlike: Loki and Anansi regard you as an equal.
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Manipulation may learn or purchase include:
A Nova with this Enhancement possesses low-level hypnotic abilities. Although not as effective as the Hypnosis or Domination powers, it's still a useful ability when the character wants to persuade someone to do something.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova must be within three meters of the person to be hypnotized, and she must make eye contact with him. If they are separated or eye contact is blocked, the attempt to hypnotize the target automatically fails.
An attempt to hypnotize takes one turn. The target must be willing to undertake (or at least not completely adverse to) what the Nova is suggesting; Hypnotic Gaze cannot generally be used to make someone do something she is opposed to doing. However, the command is conveyed silently, through eye contact, so the attempt to hypnotize the subject does not have to be obvious; it can, for example, be worked into normal conversation if the Nova is clever.
Once the Nova meets all these conditions, the player needs only spend 1 Quantum and take an action to roll Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Willpower + their Z-rating in automatic successes. If the roll succeeds, the target is hypnotized and will do as instructed. A posthypnotic suggestion can also be implanted to make the target do something (such as go to sleep or scream) when he experiences a certain outside stimulus. Whether the instruction is immediate or posthypnotic, the instruction will only be executed once, and will then expire. In either case, the target may spend 1 Willpower to deny the instruction, provided that it is something the target would be opposed to doing. An unexecuted posthypnotic suggestion lasts for one day per dot of Manipulation and Mega-Manipulation the Nova has; thereafter it loses all effect.
A Nova with this Enhancement is an expert at bringing people around to his point of view. He has an innate talent for knowing what people are thinking and subtly manipulating their opinions until they are thinking what he want them to think. He's a spin doctor supreme.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the Nova rolls to persuade someone to change their opinion, perform a particular task, or the like, the player gains some number of bonus successes. The exact number of successes depends upon what he is trying to persuade the target to do. If the request is something normal, relatively innocuous or harmless, the Nova gets three automatic successes. Requests that involve changing strong opinions or exposing the character to minor danger, embarrassment or trouble get two automatic successes. Requests which are dangerous or could get the target in extreme trouble get one automatic success. This Enhancement is always active, and may be purchased multiple times, to the limit of the character's Mega-Manipulation.
Unlike P. T Barnum, you can fool all of the people all of the time. Trickery, treachery, deceit and sneakiness are your stock in trade.
A Nova with this Enhancement possesses an intuitive talent for tricking and fooling people. She could trick Arabs into buying sand or Eskimos into buying refrigerators. Somehow she can sense a person's vulnerabilities and "soft" spots and use them against him. No one is safe from a Trickster's wiles.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Whenever the Nova tries to trick, fool or deceive another character, the player receives three automatic successes on any roll necessary to the task. Usually, this roll involves Subterfuge, but other Abilities may be involved depending on the situation. This Enhancement is always active, and may be purchased multiple times, to the limit of the character's Mega-Manipulation.
Just talking to a Nova with this Enhancement can be dangerous. She is able to pitch her voice so that she uses infrasound and subharmonics, mixed in with her normal talk, to give nearly irresistible suggestions and commands to whomever her speech is directed at. Additionally, her voice is, in general, pleasant to listen to; her singing can be absolutely divine.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova exerts a subtle mental control effect through her voice. Only one person can be affected by this ability at a time. The subject must be within 20 meters of the Nova, and must be able to hear the Nova deafness on the part of the subject, or other noises that drown out the Nova's speech, prevent The Voice from being used successfully (though The Voice will still function via telepathic communication). The other major limitation on this ability is that any order given must be one that can be performed in one turn "Drop the knife!" or "Untie me!", for example, but not "Play computer games until I tell you to stop" or "Torture your friend to death." Any orders or suggestions that would take longer than one turn to perform are automatically ignored by the target.
To use The Voice, the player spends 1 Quantum and takes an action to roll Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Willpower + their Z-rating in automatic successes. If he scores even one net success, the attempt succeeds but the target may stop himself from following the order or suggestion. The target may also spend Willpower to cancel successes at a 1:1 rate. If The Voice is still successful, the target must spend their next available action fulfilling the command, but are freed from all compulsion as soon as the deed is done.
The player of a Nova with The Voice also gains +3 bonus dice to any Perform (Singing) rolls she makes. This effect of the Enhancement is always active.
When addressing two or more people, you can slant your appeal so that each one hears just what you want them to hear, though if they compare notes, they'll find that they remember the event quite differently.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Spend 1 Quantum and make a reflexive Manipulation roll just before taking an action using Manipulation or a Mega-Manipulation Enhancement. Each success on the Conflicting Accounts roll lets the Nova create an additional account that some of the audience will remember; the Nova decides who hears which story. What the Nova really says must be relatively bland and open to interpretation. Though the audience will not hear it that way at the time, recordings of the Novas words will reveal this to be the case.
A Nova with the Creeping Paranoia Enhancement has the sort of social authority that causes doubt, fear and guilt. While the Nova doesn't necessarilly cause others to feel such emotions all the time, she does have the capacity to play upon this subconscious turmoil. With a properly-stressed phrase, a casual choice of certain words or a look to accentuate a bit of innuendo, the Nova causes some of her speech to burrow into the subject's subconscious mind, there to fester and roil until it bubbles forth in a morass of psychosis, trauma and self-inflicted paranoia.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Spend 1 Quantum; the Nova simply stresses a particular phrase or gesture while in personal conversation with someone. The Nova must be physically present with the victim. Roll Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Willpower + their Z-rating in automatic successes. Every net success implants the necrotic suggestion for one day.
At first, this has no immediate effect. Within 8 hours though, the Nova's phrase or action keeps cropping up in the subject's mind. Concentration suffers, and the victim takes a +1 difficulty penalty on all actions. Sleep becomes difficult and fitful, as the Nova's words keep creeping into the subject's head even during other actions, sometimes driving the victim to interrupt those actions and go back over the Nova's possible meaning again and again. Each day that the subject languishes under this power, the player of the victim must make a Willpower roll. If failed, the subject loses a point of Willpower. If the subject runs out of Willpower he becomes consumed by obsession and paranoia, and all effects are extended until he can regain Willpower. If a subject goes for a full week in this state, he suffers a psychotic break and may seek to kill himself or the Nova simply to escape the torment. Once the duration ends, the victim pushes the phrase back into the subconscious and is able to concentrate normally again. However, the Nova can reinforce the effect at any time by reactivating this Enhancement.
The Nova asks a question of one target, and for the duration of the Nova's concentration, the target can do nothing but answer to the best of her ability.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Asks the question, spends 1 Quantum and takes an action to roll Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Willpower + their Z-rating in automatic successes. If the Nova succeeds, the target can do for the duration of the Nova's concentration but answer the question, starting with the most salient points and gradually telling the Nova everything she knows that's even vaguely connected to the topic at hand. While answering, the target is oblivious to anything and everything in the outside world other than the Nova, who must focus all energies on appearing interested. The target may spend 3 Willpower at any time to escape this effect, and does so automatically if she comes under attack or is otherwise threatened.
Mega-Charisma represents the ultimate in personal charm and appeal. A Nova with this Mega-Attribute exudes such self-confidence, poise and charm that she can win over just about anybody. Other people want to like and to please her, and they do.
Characters with Mega-Charisma are naturally at home in social situations. They carry themselves so well that they are the life of any party. They are bon vivants par excellence; even if they don't really feel like being at a party, they're able to mask their feelings and seem extremely amicable to one and all.
Stupendous: Even your worst enemies find you likable.
Amazing: You could spill food and drink all over yourself and still seem elegant.
Incredible: Not even a tornado can ruffle your feathers; even in the most trying situations you are poised and charming.
Spectacular: Bitter, lifelong enemies will make peace just to be able to spend time with you.
Godlike: Even alien races find you fascinating and personable.
Enhancements that characters with Mega-Charisma may learn or purchase include:
A Nova with this Enhancement is a born leader. When he gives an order, people obey right away even if it exposes them to harm. Even when they are away from her, people remember his words and try their best to fulfill her orders and live up to her example.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova's player receives three automatic successes on any roll that involves commanding people or giving orders. This bonus does not apply to attempts to persuade someone through reason or logic, appeal to people on a personal level, or the like; it works only when the character gives commands. The target of this Enhancement may make whatever rolls she normally could to resist the order, or spend a Willpower point to refuse the order.
A Nova with Commanding Presence does not necessarily have to be formally authorized to give orders to someone for this Enhancement to work she does not have to be the person's boss, commanding officer or parent. She can simply give orders and wait for them to be obeyed that's what this power lets her do. However, if he is notably "beneath" the person an ordinary citizen trying to order a high-ranking governmental official around, a corporal giving instructions to a major, or the like the Storyteller may reduce the bonus for the power, at her discretion, or give the target a bonus on any rolls she makes to resist the order. This Enhancement is always active, and may be purchased multiple times, to the limit of the character's Mega-Charisma.
When you really like someone, their anger or disappointment can come as a crushing blow. Some Mega-Charismatic Novas use that phenomenon to their advantage. Their use their charm as a shield even in combat, enemies want to like them, and that, combined with the force of the Nova's displeasure, makes it difficult for the enemy to attack.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova spends 1 Quantum makes a reflexive Charisma + Perform roll. Each success achieved subtracts one success from all attacks made against him for the rest of the scene, with the following exceptions: Attackers who are not subject to Social influence (such as many automatic systems) are not effected, nor is anyone attacking from more than 50 yards away, unless the Nova has some means to extend her image, voice or other conduit of Social influence to that distance. Anyone the Nova attacks is instantly rendered immune to the effect for the rest of the scene. Finally, characters may spend 3 Willpower to escape the effect, or 2 Willpower if they have witnessed the Nova attack one of their friends or compatriots.
When people like you, sometimes they will do things for you, or things that you ask them to do. That's doubly true for a Nova with this power. Since everybody likes him so much, they hang on his every word. If he tells them to do something, they'll seriously consider it.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova spends 1 Quantum takes an action to roll Charisma + Perform. Anyone within earshot whos (1/2 Willpower + Z-rating) is less than the number of successes rolled is subject to the effects of this Enhancement. Members of the crowd innately follow the Nova's leadership and can be convinced to do anything the Nova says, provided that they would be inclined to perform the general action anyway. Characters whose resistance was exceeded by three successes or more prove willing to do things they wouldn't normally do. Note that in either case the crowd follows the Nova's suggestions, but it does not take and obey direct orders. Zetas who are subject to this Enhancement may spend 2 Willpower at any time to seperate from the crowd mentality and escape the effect. Once assembled, the crowd remains under the effects of Natural Agitator for one scene, and the Nova may maintain momentum by reactivating the Enhancement each time the duration runs out.
This Enhancement is the behavioral complement to Seductive Looks. A Nova who possesses it is able to determine instinctively what behaviors a given individual finds sexy, desirable and attractive then unconsciously adopt those behaviors.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> By focusing his attentions on a subject, the Nova may determine what sort of behavior the target finds sexy coquettishness, self-confidence, sluttiness or vivacity. He automatically adopts that behavior as his own, thus making himself even more attractive than normal to the target.
While this Enhancement is active, the player receives three automatic successes on any roll to seduce or persuade the target. If there is any question, it is the Storyteller's discretion as to whether the bonus applies. Seductive Behavior may be purchased multiple times, to the limit of the character's Mega-Charisma.
Players and Storytellers should remember that this Enhancement is based entirely upon behavior or body language; it does not alter looks at all. Altering looks in that fashion requires the Seductive Looks Mega-Appearance Enhancement. The two Enhancements may be combined to create an almost irresistibly attractive package for any victim.
The Nova is a natural at soothing others' jangled nerves. Just being around him has a calming effect. He even makes it easier for normal humans to cope with Novas.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> When the player spends 1 Quantum and takes an action to roll Charisma + Perform, the character and everyone within 10 yards of her becomes calm for one scene. Stress drains away, leaving people happier and calmer. No one affected by Soothe (including the Nova using it) can attack or take any other hostile action unless the person either rolls Willpower (adding their Z-rating in automatic successes) and scores more successes than the Nova achieved on her Soothe roll, or spends a 4 Willpower to overcome Soothe's effects. Soothed characters are automatically shaken out of the effect when directly threatened or attacked.
Alternately, Soothe can help to overcome the effects of Taint/Disfunction/Limit/Paradox. To use this mode of the Enhancement, the Nova still spends 1 Quantum and rolls Charisma + Perform, this time focusing on a single subject (the Nova can target herself with this effect). The difficulty of the roll is equal to the target's current level of Taint, et al. Each net success removes one point of Taint.
You may not be particularly good at giving orders (apart from your innate Mega-Charisma advantage), but everyone in the area notices you. People feel an urge to check with you before leaving; when you arrive, things stop for a moment as everyone looks to see what you want.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The Nova spends 1 Quantum and reflexively rolls Charisma + Perform. Everyone within line of sight of the Nova resists by rolling their Willpower + their Z-rating in automatic successes. Those who succeed escape the effects of this Enhancement, while those who fail are compelled to turn to look at the Nova, and find it exceedingly hard to turn away from her: for each success by which they failed the Willpower roll, they add a +1 difficulty to any and all rolls that would require them to turn away from the Nova. Characters may spend 3 Willpower to escape these effects at any time. Note that this limitation does not dictate how others react to the Nova, only that they react strongly - in combat, activating this Enhancement is a good way to ensure that enemies focus their attacks on you. The effects of this Enhancement last for one scene.
Your fervor carries. People rally to your side and carry with them a bit of your passion for whatever ideas you propound.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> The targets of the Nova's Charisma rolls and Mega-Charisma Enhancement activations gain +2 bonus dice when attempting to persuade others of whatever the Nova just persuaded them of. This effect lasts for one day after the initial initial persuasion. This Enhancement is triggered by the Nova's attempts to influence others, but costs nothing to activate and may be purchased multiple times, to the limit of the character's Mega-Charisma.
You're the paragon of whatever group it is you're a part of at the moment. You're the one who does all the right things and none of the wrong things. When others in the group say, "You should go get a clue about what we're doing," you're the one they point to as an example.
⚠ <b>System:⚠ </b> Subtract the Nova's Wits ratings from all Social difficulty penalties based on the risk of offending a group or making a faux-pas. The end result is to make the Nova seem like one of the group, particularly careful about the group's shared likes and dislikes. It doesn't prevent the nova from giving individual offense - it applies to the consensus of the group. This Enhancement is always active.
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