Sell me on Nobilis

[Teln]

I've been hearing some people on rpg.net muttering about Nobilis from time to time, with favorable comparisons to Exalted (which I happen to love). Since it apparently has a new edition, I figured I'd ask what all the fuss is about. All I really know about Nobilis is that your character is the anthromorphic personification of an incredibly narrow facet of existence, and that the fanbase apparently embraces parodistic pretentiousness.


So, give me the sales pitch!
Also, would "parodistic pretentiousness" be a viable character concept?

[Doc Roc]

Its mechanics are less bad than exalted?

[JMobius]

I've been hearing some people on rpg.net muttering about Nobilis from time to time, with favorable comparisons to Exalted (which I happen to love). Since it apparently has a new edition, I figured I'd ask what all the fuss is about. All I really know about Nobilis is that your character is the anthromorphic personification of an incredibly narrow facet of existence, and that the fanbase apparently embraces parodistic pretentiousness.


So, give me the sales pitch!
Also, would "parodistic pretentiousness" be a viable character concept?

I'm very pretentious, but this was the general vibe of 2E, which I preferred. 3E is MUCH more relaxed and whimsical, which I think makes it more approachable. It actually looks like a game now, rather than art piece. ;)

"Personification" is not quite accurate. Nobles are chosen for their duty, similar to the Exalted. Some give themselves over fully to their Estates, others personalities remain largely unchanged (save for whatever impact their newfound power may bring). A few are embittered to have been torn away from their old lives to serve as custodians over things which they have little love.

It has some superficial similarities to Exalted, in terms of scope mostly. The actions and decisions of the Nobilis are similarly world changing, though in this case the world that they may change is ours. However, the responsibility that they carry is even greater. While some might argue to the contrary, within their purview the capabilities of Nobles outstrips even the more powerful Exalted by a wide margin, though it is often more esoteric. The Power of Emotion can create a new emotion, felt by all, with comparatively little effort. The Power of the Sun could decide to snuff our star out, forever. There is a great emphasis on responsibility and the consequences of one's actions, as there are generally few mechanical things that can stand in one's way. You may have had to put out the sun in order to save the world... but others may still not take kindly to this course of action.

To further emphasize this point, a note: characters are built on a 25 point system. Perfect immortality and invulnerability costs 6 points. "Can I survive this?" really isn't the point. :)

Last thing... pretty much any concept you can imagine is a fair basis for a character. The precise utility of your power may vary a bit depending on just how narrow you decide to go, as well as your creativity. ;)

Amendment: I would suggest really checking out RPG.net to ask about this. While I'm really pleased with the new forum split, it's inherent in the nature of this community that most people will be more familiar with D&D, particularly 3.5. I generally have to go elsewhere for more exotic fare.

[puppyavenger]

It's also extremely important to note that Nobilis is a diceless game.

[JMobius]

It's also extremely important to note that Nobilis is a diceless game.

Yes.

This perplexes people. How do you know when you fail at something? No dice, doesn't that just mean its basically just freeform?

Instead of dice, the game is about resource management. You have a set of resources, like motes or Willpower in Exalted, called "Miracle Points", which come in a variety of flavors. Everything you may wish to do, be it to take a jog or to discretely steal a mountain range, has a defined difficulty and flavor of MP that it costs. Your character's attributes define exactly how much MP, if any, you must sacrifice to perform a given task. Burned all your power earlier, or are you unwilling to give what it takes? Then too bad.

It gets a bit more complicated when two miraculous beings oppose one another, but what it (kind of) comes down to is who can or is willing to throw out more power in to the contest.

Simply put, the system is designed for beings so miraculous that things like conventional failure don't happen. So long as you have the divine will behind you, you will succeed.

[Teln]

--snip--
*nods*Okay, seems similar eno--


To further emphasize this point, a note: characters are built on a 25 point system. Perfect immortality and invulnerability costs 6 points. "Can I survive this?" really isn't the point. :)


:jawdrop:Is this some horrible abuse of RAW that an optimization thread spawned, or is this something the dev team actually expects people to do? If it's expected, how the hell does the combat system work? Is there a combat system?


Last thing... pretty much any concept you can imagine is a fair basis for a character. The precise utility of your power may vary a bit depending on just how narrow you decide to go, as well as your creativity. ;)

Wow. Now I've got to hear more.


Amendment: I would suggest really checking out RPG.net to ask about this. While I'm really pleased with the new forum split, it's inherent in the nature of this community that most people will be more familiar with D&D, particularly 3.5. I generally have to go elsewhere for more exotic fare.

I'm going to do that as soon as the confirmation email hits my inbox.

EDIT: Done.

[Knaight]

:jawdrop:Is this some horrible abuse of RAW that an optimization thread spawned, or is this something the dev team actually expects people to do? If it's expected, how the hell does the combat system work? Is there a combat system?

Nobilis has very simple rules that don't really have combinations built in all that much. There is a trait that costs six points that gives immortality and invulnerability, full stop. As for combat, direct combat is not the point of the game, in fact direct combat probably shouldn't show up at all in most campaigns. Nobilis is all about fulfilling ones purpose and doing so by manipulating the world -our world- that is at the center of the struggles.

[Doc Roc]

Nobilis has very simple rules that don't really have combinations built in all that much. There is a trait that costs six points that gives immortality and invulnerability, full stop. As for combat, direct combat is not the point of the game, in fact direct combat probably shouldn't show up at all in most campaigns. Nobilis is all about fulfilling ones purpose and doing so by manipulating the world -our world- that is at the center of the struggles.

Nobilis is charming because it splits the ideas of conflict and combat completely apart in a mechanistic sense. Really nice, that.

[JMobius]

:jawdrop:Is this some horrible abuse of RAW that an optimization thread spawned, or is this something the dev team actually expects people to do? If it's expected, how the hell does the combat system work? Is there a combat system?

It is one of the sample Gifts they have in the book. In my experience, it's a fairly popular option... both among players and antagonists alike.

Combat is still part of the game, as others have said, though it isn't emphasized nearly as much as in Exalted. While there are definetly people you can kill, obviously you need to be a bit more creative when you encounter people you truly can't.

Further, just because you can't kill someone doesn't mean you can't hurt them. A lot of Noble conflict entails debasing things that rivals love and care about, and using the mystic "Nettle Rite" to siphon power from the resulting grief. Nobles are *****.


Wow. Now I've got to hear more.

Your Estate is pretty much whatever you want it to be. Any concept, any type of thing; broad, narrow, it is fair game. It is your Estate, your character's essence, the thing which they are charged with protecting the fragile existence thereof... make it something you think will be cool. :)

[wayfare]

It should also be noted that just because combat isn't a huge part of the game doesn't mean that Conflict isn't a huge part of the game. Nobles are in constant struggle with one-another, as well as incredibly powerful beings from beyond mythic space/time. Some nobles fight each other out of petty grudges, or because their domains come into conflict (fire vs. water) or simply because fighting elevates both of them to legendary stats amongst their peers.

When combat is officiated, it is more of a gentleman's agreement than anything. If you say "I'm going to jump through that helicopter 500 feet above me to crash it and kill everyone inside" the Hollyhock God (the Nobilis equivalent of GM) is perfectly validated in saying "ok, but using your body as a human missile costs you 1 wound" (barring, of course, any abilities that reduce the damage you take).

If you want a close approximation to nobilis, but with dice, use the NWoD spirit rules. Its not the real thing, but it is easier for folks with a dice addiction to wrap their heads around.