Aberrant: Forceful Personalities Has Delaying, Waiting for Myself to Join the Effort
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Idols. Squids. Grifters. Charmers. ABERRANT ABERRANT Forceful Personalities Shawn Henley and Jack Summanen http://eononline.net © 2005 EON Idols. Squids. Grifters. Charmers. ABERRANT DEDICATION Words from the Developers frustration when none of the other themed books were forthcoming. Eventually I realized that maybe I was the one It's finally happened. Aberrant: Forceful Personalities has delaying, waiting for myself to join the effort. now become a finished product, and is now available to be read Thank you for letting us share, and hopefully enjoyed. We've changed the format a bit from – Jack "Gideon" Summanen what you'll find in other Aberrant sourcebooks, namely excluding the fluff and interior artwork, for two reasons. First, Special Thanks: we wanted this fanbook to be produced as soon as was possible. x To Rob Hatch and the fine folks at White Wolf, for EON's fanbook projects tend to be slow-going, usually due to lighting the Aeon Continuum's flame in the first place. the interference of real life, and Forceful Personalities was no x To archer21 and Wish, for keeping EON afloat when it exception. Second, we hoped to avoid the argument over what was in danger of going down for the third time. Mega-Attractive novas should look like. Good art takes time, even without the endless debates we would've had over whether or not a finished work was accurate. Hopefully, all of the extra Passion y Inspiration y Dedication material we've piled into this fanbook will make up for the lack of ornamentation. We folks on the Development Team have I'd like to thank everyone involved in this project. done our best on this project, and you can't really ask for more Everyone gave so freely of their own time and effort to make than that. this e-book a wonderful reality. Their commitment and What you're either holding in your hands or viewing on teamwork is what makes EONOnline such a fantastic resource your computer monitor right now may have started with a few for players around the world. of my ideas, but it took the ideas and hard work of a whole slew of EON's posters to turn EON's Mega-Social fanbook from a So again, a huge thanks from me to all of you; You did good, dream into concrete reality. My heartfelt thanks to all of those guys. Real good. I can't wait to see what's next! wonderful folks at EON who made this book possible. I'd also like Your EON Admin, to thank all those other people on the Web who are helping to – Stephen “Archer” Quick keep Aberrant and the other Aeon Continuum games alive. – Shawn "Sprocket" Henley I share a passion for this game with Sprocket and the rest of the Development Team. I first experienced the Aeonverse through the eyes of Aberrant, and what a world it was. It was not until 2000 that I even looked at Adventure! or Trinity, so forgive me for being biased, Aberrant has been my friend much longer. Because of my relationship with the world of Aberrant I spend a great deal of my time in the Aeonverse immersed in the Aberrant era. The World of Aberrant has inspired me as well as so many other people, by taking stories of human conflict and human achievement and elevating them to superhuman levels, bringing dramas out of mythology to the tabletop. With Forceful Personalities I initially wanted to explore every aspect of the game (social, mental and physical), but I knew this would not be possible (nor fair to the subject matter); just as when White Wolf signaled the line's end l felt a panic set in, knowing that the story was incomplete. When I learned of end of the Aeonverse l rushed out and bought every book available in the line for all three core books, so hungry was I for more. So I see this book as a small treat for similarly desperate fans, carefully focused on the purely social gems of Aberrant game play. From my passion to play I discovered a need to share. When l read the Mega-Mental book Brainwaves online I fell in love with the "mega-nova" again, and I practically wept with DEDICATION 1 ABERRANT INTRODUCTION “Will you walk into my parlour?” said the spider to the fly Of all the Mega-Social novas, Squids may have had the “Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy, greatest impact on the baseline world. Their hideous The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, appearances - their ability to inspire fear and loathing - have And I've a many curious things to shew when you are there”… drawn the worlds' frightened eyes to their lives. Some such – “The Spider and the Fly,” by Mary Howitt novas have made the best of their ugly form by becoming cult monsters in movies, or terrifying enforcers for elite Forceful Personalities is the first fanbook of the Aberrant organizations. But others must simply learn how to cope with setting that examines the potential and the ramifications of their unenviable new identity: the neighborhood freak. Mega-Socials in the Nova Age. This sourcebook was guided by Grifters in Aberrant the work completed in the unofficial Mega-Mental sourcebook Grifters or Dealers are the master manipulators of Brainwaves, and inspired by the fine folks at White Wolf. backroom deals in Aberrant and are icons for baseline politicos Sexy, Savvy, and in-control, Mega-Socially gifted novas and main-line media stars with an almost perverse need for have dominated the media and backroom dealings of the world control. from the get-go. From drop dead gorgeous models, to spokes- In the Aberrant world these shadowy dealers are rarely persons and lawyers that always get their way, these socially recognized for the powerhouses they are, except for the few adept novas have broken all the rules of etiquette and blackmail. daredevils that chance discovery for the brief fame it brings. Virtually anyone can be bought, broken or converted if left in Most Grifters spend their days convincing others to do their the hands of a determined nova socialite. bidding, “for their own benefit.” There is also a growing public consciousness of the risk Grifters have had their greatest impact, not from what they such novas present in an ever-evolving world. What baseline can have done, but from what certain organizations fear they might compete with a nova that can literally possess anything or do. Organizations like the Directive, UN Security Council, and anyone they desire? the British MI-5 all have detailed plans of what to do if they Idols in Aberrant detect nova manipulation of their organizations or their Idols, Glamour-Boys and Glamour-Girls, describe the governments. These baselines stay awake nights fearing the stunning presence of these men and women of superhuman damage such a monster could inflict on the world. grace and fashion. It is said you can learn about an era by how it Charmers in Aberrant defines beauty, if so, this is indeed the Nova age. Charmers, Friendlies, the person you can’t stand to hate. In the Aberrant world these men and women of beauty are Charmers fill the needed role of confidant and continue to the social darlings of the world. Everyone wants to be seen with convince millions of people that there's still someone honest out them, their presence is demanded at the biggest social there. gatherings, and their images are found across the OpNet. With In the Aberrant world the Charmers are not necessarily the their beauty they attract fans and stalkers, jealousy and envy. most beautiful, or the most successful, but they always have Rarely does a nova with any degree of Mega-Appearance friends willing to help them out. They are known to be good escape such attention. listeners, vibrant speakers, inspirational leaders, or the best The greatest impact Idols have made in baseline society is friend one could hope for. These social novas are the most in the fashion world, where their super-human grace makes any beloved by those who know them, and their charm is the hardest old rag look decent. Even a hideous fashion will become popular to pin down by baseline fans. if a nova wears it and his fans see him in it. This new form of Charmers are known as the spokespersons and public faces fashion warfare has caused more than a few squabbles and legal of many organizations, they are negotiators first, dealmakers battles over images and likenesses. second (many Charmers have at least a dot in Mega- Squids in Aberrant Manipulation). A Charmer’s life revolves around their social Squids. Gargoyles. Terrors of the night. Terms like these calendar, as the more they interact with others the more power are only fitting to describe the fear-inducing, nauseating and they gain. Businesses and organizations like Utopia and DeVries blood-curdling effect these novas have on the human psyche. In have capitalized on this to make them powers in the baseline the shadows of the beautiful and bold lurk the pariahs, the world. misfits and the monsters of this age. Forceful Personalities looks at these charming novas and Denied the blessing of a positive self-image, the Squids are the implications their powers have for their wielders and the instead beings of degraded, often bestial, appearances. Much surrounding baselines, as well as, the impact of Idols, Squids and like the Idols, Squids are ever the targets of the media, which Grifters on bystanders and their possessors.