Aberrant RPG Characters in M&M 3e (Caestus Pax, Randel 'Fireman' Portman)

[Davies]

The version of her in the revised setting was able to teleport every passenger of a 747 or comparably-sized jetliner along with her during her eruption, but that might have been an extra effort usage.

[Harnos]

The version of her in the revised setting was able to teleport every passenger of a 747 or comparably-sized jetliner along with her during her eruption, but that might have been an extra effort usage.

I didn't know that, seems like a hard feat. I think it can be represented as a power stunt using area and selective extras instead of accurate, extended and easy modifiers.

[Davies]

Update -- Slider's official stats are presented in the forthcoming Proteus Novas Compendium.

[Harnos]

Update -- Slider's official stats are presented in the forthcoming Proteus Novas Compendium.

Thanks for the info. I just gave a quick look into the 2018 Aberrant book and I didn't like it much. System didn't seem fine for my taste, scale change between the numbers-dots were too big and they lacked definitive numbers. Also what they did with Totentanz's background was quite tasteless, so i didn't read the book at all.

[Harnos]

Divis Mal PL 18 (529)
Strength 15 Stamina 15 Fighting 12
Agility 9 Dexterity 9
Intellect 10 Awareness 12 Presence 16

Powers:
Godly Charisma: Alternate Effects of Presence [16 points array] (2pp)

• Commanding Voice; Affliction 16, Perception Ranged, Limited to Two Degrees, Sense-Dependent (Hearing), (Resisted and Overcome by Will, Entranced\Compelled)

• Inspiration; Enhanced Advantages 7 (Fascinate: Persuasion, Inspire 5, Leadership)

Mega-Perception:
Senses 23: [Infravision 1, Ultravision 1, Extended Vision 3 Vision Penetrating Concealment 4, Microscopic Vision 4], [Detect 2 (Quantum Energy), Extended Range 3, Radius 1, Acute1, Analytic 1] (21pp)
Invulnerability:
Immunity 11 (Life Support, Aging)
Protection 5,Sustained, Impervious Toughness 10
Immunity 80 ( Toughness Effects, Limited to Half Effect)
Regeneration 2, Persistent, Feature 1:Regrowth, Enhanced Advantage: Diehard (82)
Mega-Dexterity: Enhanced Advantages (Improved Initiative 4), Quickness 4 (8)
Hyper-Movement: Flight 12, Subtle, Aquatic (26)

Quantum Supremacy: [100 points array] (110)

• Neutralize Quantum Powers: Nullify 24, Broad (All Quantum Powers), Concentration, Simultaneous, Extended Range 3(up to 4,800 ft with no penalty), Precise (100 pp)

• Quantum Leech: Weaken Powers 24, Ranged, Broad (All Quantum Powers), Simultaneous, Precise, Extended Range 3

• Shut Down M-R Node: Affliction 20, Close Ranged, Cumulative, Continuous Duration (Resisted and Overcome by Will, Impaired Powers, Disabled Powers, Transformed to Powerless State)

• Plasma Bolt; Ranged Damage 24, Extended Range 3 (Dynamic)

• Multiple Bolts: Ranged Damage 20, Multiattack, Selective, Extended Range 3, Accurate 1

• Immolation: Reaction Damage 10 (Being Touched) (Dynamic)

• Plasma Stream: Damage 16, Cone Area 4 (500 ft)

• Supernova: Damage 14, Burst Area 7 (1800 ft), Distracting, Feature 2 (Divis Mal can spend a move action to increase area rank by 2)

• Warp: Teleport 16, Accurate, Extended, Portal

Power Invention: Variable 4, Slow (24)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Power Attack
Attractive 2, Beginner's Luck, Benefit 5 (Teragen Leader), Connected, Contacts, Eidetic Memory, Inventor, Jack of All Trades, Languages 3, Well-Informed, Ultimate Effort(Toughness, Expertise: Quantum Powers)

Skills: 62 ranks
Acrobatics 1/10
Athletics 1/16
Close Combat: Unarmed 1/13
Deception 1/17
Expertise: Quantum Powers 15/25
Expertise: Natural Sciences 8/20
Expertise: Adventurer 3/15
Insight 1/13
Intimidation 2/18
Investigation 2/12
Perception 3/15
Persuasion 6/22
Ranged Combat: Quantum Powers 3/12
Sleight of Hand
Stealth 1/10
Technology 8/20
Treatment 5/17
Vehicles 1/10

Defenses:
Dodge 12 Parry 12 Toughness 20
Fortitude 15 Will 17

Offense:
Initiative 25
Unarmed 13, Damage 15
Plasma Bolt 12, Damage 24
Multiple Bolts 14, Damage 20
Neutralize Quantum Powers 12, Nullify 24
Quantum Leech 12, Weaken 24
Shut Down M-R Node 12, Affliction 24
Immolation -, Reaction Damage 10
Plasma Stream -, Area Damage 16
Supernova -, Area Damage 13

Abilities 196 +Defenses 8 + Powers 273 + Advantages 21 + Skills 31 = 529 pp

Complications:
Motivation (Acceptance): Divis Mal lived a century of loneliness and now desires the company of his equals.
Motivation (Loyalty): Mal sees novas as children and feels responsible for them, even the ones who oppose him.
Unearthly Beauty: His features are too perfect and his otherworldy handsomeness may provoke envy or mistrust in others.
Fame: He is the poster boy as well as leader of Teragen.
Enemy: Project Utopia, Directive, nearly all governments and any person or group who would want the most famous metahuman supremacist down.

I think my previous pl 16 build was lacking in brute pwoer, considering him easily overpowering a pl 14-15 Caestus Pax. He is more like a cosmic being than a powerful superhuman.

[Davies]

Looks reasonable.

(Now isn't that a scary thing to say under the circumstances? )

[Harnos]

Looks reasonable.

(Now isn't that a scary thing to say under the circumstances? )

Indeed it is.

[catsi563]

yeah thats him all right and the terrifying thing is he gets stronger because he undergoes chrysalis again and comes out able to functionally warp physics and quantum energies on levels that affect entire galaxies

heck in my own game cannon after he takes all the novas off earth he warps them to a distant galaxy and literally uses a couple of novas with high level creation powers to functionally create a 9 planet system similar to earth which he sets into orbit around a sun he creates on the spot. He then vanishes with some saying that he became the sun or sleeps in the heart of it in permanent chrysalis

[Harnos]

yeah thats him all right and the terrifying thing is he gets stronger because he undergoes chrysalis again and comes out able to functionally warp physics and quantum energies on levels that affect entire galaxies

heck in my own game cannon after he takes all the novas off earth he warps them to a distant galaxy and literally uses a couple of novas with high level creation powers to functionally create a 9 planet system similar to earth which he sets into orbit around a sun he creates on the spot. He then vanishes with some saying that he became the sun or sleeps in the heart of it in permanent chrysalis

There was a power named Universe Creation in Player's Guide that only a nova with quantum 10 could take, so your head cannon can be explained with official material.

[TheStray7]

Yeah, I thought "Divas Mal goes off and creates a new universe" was actual canon, at least in the 1e stuff (and 2e mentions that 1e stuff happened, just in a different version of the Trinity Continuum).

[catsi563]

yeah thats pretty much what i based it off of. the T10 nova powers where Divis was pretty much the first nova to hit that level with three others right behind him

[Harnos]

yeah thats pretty much what i based it off of. the T10 nova powers where Divis was pretty much the first nova to hit that level with three others right behind him

I see. In the end of Aberrant War China gave an ultimatum to novas, right? "Leave the planet or we will destroy life on the planet with our nukes". I wonder how all those gods were not able to stop the missiles. There were at least 6 novas with quantum 6+ by 2009.

[catsi563]

yeah thats pretty much what i based it off of. the T10 nova powers where Divis was pretty much the first nova to hit that level with three others right behind him

I see. In the end of Aberrant War China gave an ultimatum to novas, right? "Leave the planet or we will destroy life on the planet with our nukes". I wonder how all those gods were not able to stop the missiles. There were at least 6 novas with quantum 6+ by 2009.

It was pretty much the mass of them China had engaged in a MASSIVE ship building program to the point where they effectively had the planet surrounded in high orbit with space ships each armed with nuclear torpedoes basically. so even with the powers of mal and several others its almost certain that enough torps would have impacted to basically render earth uninhabitable for centuries/

now granted Divis and a few others could easily have cleaned up the mess but the gist of what i got was Divis had basically come to the realization that the only way fot novas to achieve their true godhood as he saw it was to leave the cradle of mother earth behind and trully make their own way

the issue lay in a couple of the root problems with the terragin philosophy which was were not human we have become something more and as humans dont let chimpanzees tell them how to live neither can humans tell novas how to live

and a bunch of novas tended to take the terrigin philosophy as we can do whatever the heck we want and if you dont like it FU zip/zip lover

they as i think Divis saw t were still too close to the source which was humanity itself and they kept defaulting back to human behaviors and failings like greed and oetty disagreements etc etc

SO Divis after his chrysalis decided that the ultimatum which he most likely could have stopped simply by obliterating every ship uo there was the perfect excuse to get his nova brethren away from humanities toxic hold on nova kind and end the war between humans and novas in one fel swoop

it also meant they could finally build their own world and live it the way he felt they should

and so he made his statement took every nova save a very few who chose to remain and vanished into the stars also in my personal canon he DID vaporize 90+ percent of the chinese fleet in orbit in a manner similar to the invid queen leaving earth in robotech Divis had another message to send to the people of earth,

think an armada of ships can protect you or you think sending these ships after us in revenge will keep you safe? watch this and in a glorious phoenix of pure quantum energy vaporized 90+% of the chinese fleet turning them to energy and using that energy to create his new world elsewhere

[Harnos]

yeah thats pretty much what i based it off of. the T10 nova powers where Divis was pretty much the first nova to hit that level with three others right behind him

I see. In the end of Aberrant War China gave an ultimatum to novas, right? "Leave the planet or we will destroy life on the planet with our nukes". I wonder how all those gods were not able to stop the missiles. There were at least 6 novas with quantum 6+ by 2009.

It was pretty much the mass of them China had engaged in a MASSIVE ship building program to the point where they effectively had the planet surrounded in high orbit with space ships each armed with nuclear torpedoes basically. so even with the powers of mal and several others its almost certain that enough torps would have impacted to basically render earth uninhabitable for centuries/

now granted Divis and a few others could easily have cleaned up the mess but the gist of what i got was Divis had basically come to the realization that the only way fot novas to achieve their true godhood as he saw it was to leave the cradle of mother earth behind and trully make their own way

the issue lay in a couple of the root problems with the terragin philosophy which was were not human we have become something more and as humans dont let chimpanzees tell them how to live neither can humans tell novas how to live

and a bunch of novas tended to take the terrigin philosophy as we can do whatever the heck we want and if you dont like it FU zip/zip lover

they as i think Divis saw t were still too close to the source which was humanity itself and they kept defaulting back to human behaviors and failings like greed and oetty disagreements etc etc

SO Divis after his chrysalis decided that the ultimatum which he most likely could have stopped simply by obliterating every ship uo there was the perfect excuse to get his nova brethren away from humanities toxic hold on nova kind and end the war between humans and novas in one fel swoop

it also meant they could finally build their own world and live it the way he felt they should

and so he made his statement took every nova save a very few who chose to remain and vanished into the stars also in my personal canon he DID vaporize 90+ percent of the chinese fleet in orbit in a manner similar to the invid queen leaving earth in robotech Divis had another message to send to the people of earth,

think an armada of ships can protect you or you think sending these ships after us in revenge will keep you safe? watch this and in a glorious phoenix of pure quantum energy vaporized 90+% of the chinese fleet turning them to energy and using that energy to create his new world elsewhere

That makes sense, quite a reasonable theory. Thank you for the explanation.

[Harnos]

Caeustus Pax
Strength 15 Stamina 14 Fighting 10
Agility 8 Dexterity 6
Intellect 2 Awareness 8 Presence 8

Powers:
Mega-Strength: Power-Lifting 5 (25 ktons) (5)
Mega-Stamina:
Impervious Toughness 10 (40)
Enhanced Advantages: Diehard, Great Endurance, Withstand Damage 1 (+2 Toughness, -2 Dodge\Parry), Ultimate Effort (Toughness)
Regeneration 5
Immunity 11 (Life Support, Aging)
Kinetic Energy Claws: Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical 1 (2)
Force-Field: Protection 2, Sustained (2)
Kinetic Energy Invulnerability: Immunity 10 (Kinetic Energy Effects) (10)
Hyper-Flight: Flight 14 (32.000 MPH) (28)

Kinetic Energy Control:
Perception Ranged Move Object 14, Damaging, Increased Mass 5 (12,5 ktons) [61 pp array]

• Kinetic Blast: Ranged Damage 17, Multiattack, Accurate 1, Extended Range 3

• Kinetic Burst: Ranged Damage 14, Burst Area 4 (250 ft), Check Required (Fortitude, DC 13), Distracting, Extended Range 3, Feature 2 (Can spend a move action to increase area rank by 2)

• Momentum Drain: Ranged Weaken 14 (Movement Effects), Affects Objects, Broad, Accurate 1, Extended Range 3

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Power Attack
Benefit 6 (Team Tomorrow World Leader, Wealth 3), Fast Grab, Improved Aim, Improved Hold, Improve Initiative 1, Move-by Action, Precise Attack (Ranged Cover), Takedown


Skills: 30 ranks
Acrobatics 1/9
Athletics 1/16
Close Combat: Unarmed 2/12
Deception 1/9
Expertise: Team Tomorrow Leader 8/10
Insight
Intimidation 7/15
Investigation 3/5
Perception 2/10
Persuasion 2/10
Ranged Combat: Kinetic Energy Control 3/11
Sleight of Hand
Stealth
Technology
Treatment
Vehicles

Defenses:
Dodge 12 Parry 12 Toughness 14/16
Fortitude 15 Will 9

Offense:
Initiative
Unarmed 12 , Damage 15
Kinetic Claws 12, Damage 16, Crit Range 19-20
Kinetic Blast 11, Damage 17, Multiattack
Momentum Drain 11, Weaken 14

Abilities 136 + Defenses 8 + Powers 151 + Advantages 16 + Skills 15 = 326 pp

Complications:
Motivation (Fame): Caestus Pax's biggest desire is getting respect and adoration from public. He is quite obsessive about his image.
Enemy (Divis Mal): After being the number one badass in the world, at least in the eyes of so many people, he was easily beaten by his ideological enemy and he wants revenge.

Every Iron Age\capepunk world needs it's own douchebag Superman and Caestus Pax fills this niche in Aberrant. He is a selfish guy obsessed with his image but sadly, we don't get more characterization for him beyond that. He takes his job seriously, makes the interviews with nova candidates and can be violent but that is more or less it. I am glad he didn't reach the cringe edginess that can be seen in Boys, he is just a guy who loves his fame. Also this trope was not as famous in 1998, though he is not the first of his species.

His stats are vaguely given in World Wide Phase I and his fight with Divis Mal is described. He is the setting's second most powerful nova, described to have city shattering power so he deserves PL 14. However, It is still the early years of the Nova Age and he has Quantum 6, so I leave room for him to grow. Besides, Mal defeated him without bleeding.

I didn't integrate Kinetic Claws into his strength because this power seems dangerous, converting bashing damage to lethal damage is a big deal in Whitewolf games. Also he doesn't need more strength than Divis Mal.