The nine aspects are divided along two axes, Sentient - Non-sentient and Creation - Destruction. Their meanings are somewhat self-explanatory, describing both the aspect's relation to the creation/destruction of matter and concepts, and whether, in its natural state, the aspect requires a sentient actor or not.

Aspects

Mending - (Creation / Sentient) - All beings Mend because they must.
There is a time to reap, but also a time to sow. Mending is the aspect of the sowers, the healers, the do-gooders, and all those who are ruled by a desire to transform the world through justice, knowledge, and kindness.

The destiny of Mending players is often defined by self sacrifice and compassion for those less fortunate. Mending players are helpers and meddlers, by and large.

At their worst, Mending players may be overly pious, stuck up, or know-it-alls.

Mending players hold dominion over the concepts of Healing, Instruction, Positivity, and Water.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Mending players may be expected to be powerful healers, utilizing soothing water to cleanse wounds. At extremes, Mending players may be able to wake the dead.

Mending players may also heal lost knowledge or soothe hurt feelings as well as wielding water as a weapon.

Their abilities are equally Mental and Elemental, capable of healing body and mind alike.

Peace - (Balance / Sentient) - All beings seek Peace because they must.

Conflict brings about change, but in NOVAD more than anything else, some stability, even just an eye in the storm, is necessary to facilitate the success of the party. This is where Peace players come into the picture.

The destiny of a Peace player may be shaped by conflict, internal and external. Peace players have complicated feelings about many things and tend to lead complicated social lives. They will find themselves at the center of many a friend group drama, but provided that they challenge themselves, they can prove some of the greatest friends of all.

Peace players will, however, tend not to be receptive to change or the unexpected. When things do not go according to their plans, they may become very upset.

Peace players hold dominion over the concepts of Balance, Stability, Compromise, and Cold.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Peace players may be expected to inspire a sense of tranquility and open-mindedness. They can soothe tempers, but just as easily can convince those set in their ways to take action. They can still strong winds and powerful waves.

They say cooler heads prevail, and so Peace players may often manifest their abilities directly as a cold chill, ice, or snow.

Their abilities are equally Mental and Elemental, including both their abilities as mediators as well as their ice.

Hate - (Destruction / Sentient) - All beings Hate because they must.

Whether it's a pet peeve or a righteous anger, every sentient creature has the capacity to Hate, for good or for ill. While potentially a powerful motivator toward positive ends, Hate is the most destructive of all aspects.

The destiny of Hate players will be dominated by a struggle to turn their passions toward the right cause. Hate players are opinionated people with a lot to say.

Unhealthy players may become dominated by their own scorn and lose themselves in its throes.

Hate players hold dominion over the concepts of Fury, Negativity, Righteousness, and Fire.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Hate players may be expected to harness their own powerful emotions to augment themselves in battle. A powerful Hate player may be so driven towards eliminating the target of their disdain that they will become literally unstoppable. Some can inspire this same emotion in others.

Hate players also tend to have an affinity for or ability to directly manipulate fire, often in tandem with the forcefulness of their mood.

Their abilities are equally Mental and Elemental, focusing on both the player's mental state while manifesting directly as fire.

Design - (Creation / Neutral) - All things are Designed because they must be.

Design does not imply a designer. The laws of the universe themselves operate autonomously, building up the cosmos in observable, predictable ways. Whether through the hand of an intelligent being or simply through the whims of creation, new stars, new rocks, and new art are always being formed, now and forever.

The destiny of Design players is driven by a need for order and stability in their lives. They may be creative souls, or they might have a complicated relationship with the act of creation.

At their worst, Design players may be inflexible and autocratic.

Design players hold dominion over the concepts of Art, Order, Creativity, and Law.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Design players may be expected to have supernatural skill with construction, manifesting perhaps as telekinesis. At their extremes, Design players can create ex nihilo or call on the cosmos in sometimes mysterious ways.

Their abilities are more Elemental than Mental, and focus chiefly on literally creating or manifesting cosmic order.

Pulse - (Balance / Neutral) - All things have a Pulse because they must.

Pulse may be either the literal pulsing of blood in the veins, the heartbeat, or the driving force that keeps things in motion. The heart is the Pulse of a sentient being or an animal, and the laws of inertia and momentum themselves are the Pulse of the universe.

The destiny of Pulse players will be dominated by a restlessness, a constant urge to try or experience new things. They will never be satisfied with stasis; for them, things must always be in motion.

This may translate to a sort of wanderlust, though it can also turn Pulse players flaky or unreliable, whether in relationships or in other facets of their lives.

Pulse players hold dominion over the concepts of Passion, Exploration, Blood, and Rhythm.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Pulse players may be expected to have abilities driven by rhythm or even music. They're impossible to pin down, and in some instances can interact with or manipulate literal blood.

Their abilities are equally Mental and Elemental, primarily focused on self augmentation, though also capable of inspiring their qualities in others or in manipulating blood.

Hunger - (Destruction / Neutral) - All things Hunger because they must.

The instinct to consume is inborn in all beings, for without it they would not survive. Plants stretch for the sky and smother each other in their search for sunlight. Ants swarm anything in sight to feed their hive. Humans wage wars for more land, more water, and more resources.

The destiny of Hunger players is always to want for more. More status, more attention, more affection.

No matter whether the thing they long for is negative or positive in the long run, their passions will forever be ruled by its lack (or the perception thereof).

Hunger players hold dominion over the concepts of Motivation, Need, Greed, and Absence.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Hunger players may be expected to inspire Need or Motivation in others or themselves. Certain powerful Hunger players may be able to summon items that don't exist into being based on a strong need.

Their abilities are more Mental than Elemental and they will not have many flashy spells or powers. However, where holding sway over the minds of masses of beings is concerned, Hunger players are nearly unparalleled. Not by dominating minds, but rather by overpowering beings with desire for that which they do not have.

Growth - (Creation / Non-sentient) - Nature Grows because it must.

Like green creepers crawling irrepressibly over an abandoned building, shoots growing through cracks in concrete, or a forest renewing itself after a wildfire, Growth is that irrepressible quality shared by all life. It is the natural process of continuation, procreation, and reaching new heights.

The destiny of Growth players may see their own Growth being stunted by others, or the Growth player willingly sacrificing their own for the sake of another.

The Growth player must learn not to overshadow and choke out the other plants of the forest, while growing themselves in a constructive way.

Growth players hold dominion over the concepts of Birth, Renewal, Opportunity, and Vitality.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Growth players may be expected to have a mastery over plant life as well as regenerative capabilities. Growth players are very hard to kill. They may also have the power to restore damaged or weathered objects.

Their abilities are more Elemental than Mental, focusing on literal Growth and regeneration.

Change - (Balance / Non-sentient) - Nature Changes because it must.

The passing of time brings new species into being. Mountains erode, new mountains form. You can never cross the same river twice, and you can never really go home.

The destiny of Change players will be dominated by the internal conflict between what Is and what Was. They will struggle with feelings of impermanence and uncertainty in their future. Doubts about identity may be central to some Change players' journeys.

The Change player who embraces their aspect for what it is will learn to find appreciation in the infinite variety and ever-changing nature of the universe.

Change players hold dominion over the concepts of Evolution, Transformation, Impermanence, and Questioning.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Change players may be expected to have an uncanny ability to transform one object into another of equivalent kind or size, reflected by the similar but more limited abilities some Decay players have.

Change players also have a preternatural sense for the right questions to ask to get to the root of any problem. Often they will also have the ability to turn totally intangible. In some rare instances, sand might manifest as an elemental power for these players like fire does for Hate players.

Their abilities are more Elemental than Mental, but are ultimately passive in nature, relating more to perception than visible displays of power.

Decay - (Destruction / Non-sentient) - Nature Decays because it must.

All things rot, all things rust, all things fade away. Nothing ever remains, and in the end, even the universe itself must succumb. However, Decay also opens the way for new life, a concept that only the most accomplished Decay players will come to terms with.

The destiny of Decay players will be defined by their relationship to loss. They must come to understand that nothing lasts forever, or else consign themselves to helplessness in the face of oblivion.

More often and not, Decay players are pessimists, but some may find meaning and even joy in their aspect.

Decay players hold dominion over the concepts of Rot, Loss, Inevitability, and Reuse.

Although aspect powers are strongly affected by class, Decay players may be expected to be able to rot, wither, rust, or otherwise wear away at objects. Their weapons may leave Decay everywhere they swing, or otherwise poison or doom whatever they strike with the passing of time. In some instances, Decay players may be able to literally recycle or repurpose matter into new items or new purposes.

Their abilities are more Elemental than Mental, and focus on the literal applications of Decay.

The nine classes are divided along two axes, Inward - Outward focus and Affected - Affected by aspect. As the names imply, this describes whether the bearer of the class uses their aspect mostly for their own benefit or for others, and whether they are the active or passive agent with respect to their aspect.

Classes

Scion - (Affected by aspect / Inward focus) - The SCION inherits power from their aspect.

This power may come directly in a sort of rush, suddenly giving somebody a second wind or new strength to expend. It may also manifest as a sort of deus ex machina, an artifact or gift relating to the Scion's aspect that will alter their path.

The Scion's path will involve learning to use their gifts wisely, as well as how to find their own way without relying on their aspect to always help them out.

They may confront a stage in the middle point of their journey where they reject the gift in the face of hopelessness. Their ability to accept it again, not with the eyes of innocence with which they first took it, but with experience and wisdom, will determine whether they can succeed as a Scion.

Hermit - (Neutral / Inward focus) - The HERMIT seeks to purge themself of their aspect for the sake of self improvement.

A Hermit may start off with too much of their aspect, an excess of wealth, of vitality, of anger, or of anything else. Once they have honed themself to a fine point and whittled away the worst part of their aspect, the Hermit can become a formidable opponent, wielding their aspect as a weapon.

Hermits are often private people, but might just wear a mask in public to conceal the conflict within. Hermits are predisposed to fighting barehanded.

Warlock - (Affecting aspect / Inward focus) - The WARLOCK uses their knowledge of their aspect both to transform their aspect and for their own gain.

Warlocks have an insatiable urge for knowledge as well as an outsized confidence in their own abilities. They are cocksure and rebellious, and provided that they are able to learn to wield their aspect wisely, they can be among the most powerful players.

That said, learning how to use their knowledge wisely is the greatest stumbling block for Warlocks, who may become consumed in their quest for understanding of their aspect. The healthiest Warlocks will come to understand that knowledge can be dangerous, and that power has its price.

Adept - (Affected by aspect / Neutral) - The ADEPT confronts the world with their aspect as their guide.

The Adept will follow whispers, signs, or intuition, and their aspect will be their constant companion. They may seek to improve themselves or the world at large, but must go along with the whims of their aspect in order to achieve their goals. Through coming to exemplify the best parts of their aspect, accomplished Adepts will inspire others to seek the same improvement in themselves. The student becomes the teacher.

Adepts may either be very stubborn or very suggestible, depending on the shape of their path. They have strong opinions and will need to learn either to trust in their aspect, or not to let their path be utterly dominated by it, in order to achieve a healthy equilibrium.

Paragon - (Neutral / Neutral) - The PARAGON embodies their aspect in all of its facets.

The Paragon both affects and is affected by their aspect; they feel its will and must sometimes bend to it, but at others they must choose to wield their aspect directly as a weapon.

With great power comes great responsibility, and that couldn't be truer for the Paragon. They are the most powerful of the classes by default, and may often turn out to be the "leader" of the facet.

Mummer - (Affecting aspect / Neutral) - The MUMMER rejects the call of their aspect, and in so doing, redefines it.

If we were talking about the Hero's Journey, then we'd say that the Mummer gets stuck on the "Rejection" step. The Mummer will at first think NOVAD is a load of bullshit, and treat it all like a big game (which it is, but you get my point). Their aspect is a funny toy, but they don't believe that it actually shapes their destiny.

The Mummer must accept that they have a part to play, since all NOVAD is their stage. However, belief is a powerful thing, and the Mummer's disregard for the limitations of their aspect may actually expand its applications and change the way it behaves in their facet, to the benefit (or detriment) of the Mummer's party.

Sage (Affected by aspect / Outward focus) - The SAGE aids others with the knowledge granted by their aspect.

Sages will learn a great deal about their aspect in the course of their journey, coming to understand its intricacies in a way rivaled only by the Paragon. This knowledge of their aspect's behavior will shape their path through their facet.

The Sage must come to understand that information does not equate to wisdom, and that other paths, and other aspects, are still valuable.

Priest (Neutral / Outward focus) - The PRIEST seeks to foster the growth of their aspect in others.

Priests understand the best qualities of their aspect and will attempt to foster those in their team mates and their facet at large. The Priest grows more powerful the more that they are able to grow their own aspect across the facet.

Unlike a Sage or Adept, this does not necessarily entail instructing the Priest's team mates. Rather, a Priest would bring their aspect to others in the form of a blessing, a buff, or a gift. The Priest must, however, understand that it is possible to go too far, and that their aspect will not help everybody.

Smith - (Affecting aspect / Outward focus) - The SMITH shapes their aspect into new constructs and creations for the benefit of others.

Understanding their aspect is not enough for the Smith. They must also shape it to their own designs, seeking new ways to apply it, new tools, new weapons, new everything. They see what could be rather than what is, and are eager to improve their party's chances with their creations.

The Smith must understand that some things don't need to be improved, and that sometimes their messing around can have negative consequences.

Let's apply what we've learned...

Here follow a few examples of class-aspect combinations, or "classpects" if you're lazy.

Hermit of Design - The HERMIT OF DESIGN, as the Design player of the facet, would be expected to take a leading role in the birth of the Genesis Crab.

This may prove to be a difficult task for the Hermit of Design, who by default would be driven to distraction by all of the ideas swimming in their head and would not enjoy having to spend all their time chasing Land Artifacts.

At its worst, this situation could lead to major problems with the session's success at large, a distracted Hermit of Design growing increasingly unsure of their ability to perform their role.

The Hermit of Design would be a very creative person, bursting with new concepts. They may start a thousand new projects before finishing one. Their lack of dedication may lead them to become unsure of the quality of their work.

Once the Hermit of Design learns to direct their energy and dedicate themselves to only the best ideas, there will be nothing to stand between them and their goals.

The ascended Hermit of Design would be an advanced telekinetic. They would use this and their ability to manifest meteors and summon fire from the stars in lieu of a strife specibus. They could also fistfight with kinetic power behind their hits.

Sage of Pulse - The SAGE OF PULSE would have many, many, many, many opinions about party cohesion.

They'd be the moderator in the team's chatroom, the person who has to speak up every time a problem arises between two party members. They'd probably fancy themself the leader of the facet, as well.

The Sage of Pulse must come to understand that this is not the best role for them to play, and that they do not in fact always know what's best for everyone.

That said, the Sage of Pulse is still the one to go to for relationship advice. Provided that they respect the judgement and intelligence of their party mates, they will make a fantastic mediator.

The Sage of Pulse could have a great interest in and knowledge of music theory as well.

In terms of direct power, Sages are very limited, but we could expect a Sage of Pulse to be able to detect beings by their heartbeats and use artifacts relating to their aspect in combat.

Priest of Change - The PRIEST OF CHANGE would refuse to let their party stagnate. Not on their watch!

Everyone's progress through the game would constantly be getting checked in on by this player, who would seek to step in and help out players with game mechanics at any given opportunity.

In their own life, the Priest of Change would never be content with keeping the same hobby for long. They would go through fancies like clothes. One imagines that they would be the type of person to keep up on all the latest fashions for fear of getting left behind.

The Priest of Change must realize through the course of their journey that Change cannot be forced, but must come naturally. Fostering its growth in a gentle and considerate way is the ultimate goal. Once they achieve this, the Priest of Change could weaponize their facet's Change for the benefit of the whole party.

An ascended Priest could reorient the position of the soldiers fighting on the Twilines, moving trenches and fortresses and delaying the end of the war.

They could also perform feats such as turning party members intangible or invisible, turn Anima from one type to another, and would be masters at alchemy.

In short, then, the Priest of Change is the ultimate support class, and would have a very easy time not breaking, but bending the mechanics of the game itself to lead their team to victory.

Paragon of Growth - The PARAGON OF GROWTH is the queen of "No, please, you first!"

Generous to a fault, the Paragon of Growth early in their development would constantly be bending backwards for others. In their worst moments, they could become a doormat, unwilling to get in the way of other's opportunities for advancement.

The Paragon of Growth is a people pleaser, sure enough, but a healthy one should realize that all plants in the garden must be given an equal chance - and that includes themselves. They must learn to stand up for their own sake, but to still help foster Growth in others. Once they have accomplished this, they can begin to come into their power.

As with all Paragons, Paragons of Growth are possibly the strongest of all Growth players, and will come to embody Birth, Renewal, Opportunity, and Vitality in their session. They would generally provide a sizable buff to the Anima caps of everyone in the session.

An ascended Paragon of Growth is nigh unkillable. An irrepressible tank, they would be able to bring plants to life and use choking vines and thorns in combat. They would have significantly augmented strength and exude a healing aura.

The Paragon of Growth is the natural leader of the party.

Adept of Decay - The ADEPT OF DECAY learns to trust their aspect, and in so doing comes to emulate its best qualities.

The Adept of Decay will be a skeptic, somebody who always needs that little bit of extra convincing whenever something new comes into play. Accordingly, when they start to receive signs and suggestions that Decay will shape their destiny, they may reject it.

The negative connotations of their aspect would put off the Adept of Decay, who would nevertheless find themself being naturally surrounded by its effects. In their stubbornness, they may take up a hobby like growing plants, never being discouraged when they inevitably die.

The path of the Adept of Decay will urge them to accept their aspect for what it is and realize that death is a part of life. In the course of this, the Adept could take on facets of Decay into themself very literally, for example, by becoming some kind of undead.

The Adept of Decay must learn also, however, not to become overwhelmed by their aspect and go from denial to depression. Once they achieve a healthy equilibrium, they can become quite powerful in their aspect.

They would be a master of poisons, utilizing them either separately or applied to their weapons to improve their damage dealing capabilities. Vast hordes of enemies could fall over dead at the Adept's approach, and they would be likely to seek a more direct approach to resolving the conflict on the Moon, possibly by assassinating the monarchs.

Smith of Mending - The SMITH OF MENDING is one of the most powerful support classes in the game.

Rather than a direct healer, they would seek to provide healing and knowledge to their team through useful artifacts and creations. This is not to say that they have any less to offer than an Adept of this class would, of course, only that their means of delivering their aspect is different.

The Smith of Mending would be an imaginative person by nature, with a strong desire to change the world. They could be a bit of an airheaded daydreamer, but not without some practical instincts. It's easy to imagine that this player would be an active writer, or at least aspire to be one.

They must learn to be realistic in their goals and realize that some of their "gifts" to others will not necessarily always be needed or appreciated. Learning not to be offended when somebody turns down their offers will prove to be important in cementing the Smith's place in the party.

The Smith would, like the Priest of Change, be a master alchemist and would intuitively understand which items would give them the best chance of survival. They would eagerly share captcha codes with teammates as well as Anima.

Although they can wield water to a limited degree, the Smith of Mending would prefer to summon water to fashion into tools and items with strong healing properties. Think the blue phlegm gushers from canon, though for example it could be an RPG style healing staff or a potion.

Mummer of Peace - The MUMMER OF PEACE thinks that this is all FAKE and GAY.

They really don't understand why everyone can't just get along on their own. They sit at the center of numerous conflicts due to their own difficult and combative demeanor and never quite grasp that THEY are the problem.

Little do they know that this lack of receptiveness to unexpected change is a hallmark of their aspect. They were playing into it all along!

Basically, the Mummer of Peace is going to make the Pulse player's job harder because their bad attitude about the game is going to make things just a bit harder for everybody. Only when they mellow out a bit, and come to accept that they might as well have fun with all this, do they start to come into their own as a player.

The healthy Mummer of Peace will be good for party morale, whether due to jokes or other antics, but will also be able to help the moods of others by commiserating with them about all this Sburb nonsense.

An aura of cold and serenity might follow the ascended Mummer of Peace around. The Mummer will be a natural at neutralizing enemies, not through combat but by guile, and is a powerful force for keeping the rest of their party focused in combat.

In terms of more direct applications, they may be able to isolate big battles into confined "scenes" that almost act like pocket dimensions, enabling their party to focus on major enemies like the agents or monarchs without worrying about small fry interfering too much.

Scion of Hate - The SCION OF HATE will receive something early in their journey that will motivate them to their goals.

With other Scions, we might expect such a gift to be a welcome reprieve, a windfall in hard times. Not so for the Scion of Hate.

Whatever they receive, it will make the Scion so furious that they may become consumed in their quest for retribution.

The Hate player must always come to realize that there is a very thin line between justice and vengeance, and that crossing it can have dire consequences for their party.

The Scion of Hate will need to learn to use their gifts wisely fast, before their Hate burns their own party as collateral damage.

In their abilities, the Scion of Hate will wax and wane in energy as a battle goes on, receiving a sudden second wind of anger and motivation just when things are at their most dire. They would be strong and fast, with a strife specibus reflective of their blunt methods.

They would likely also be proficient with the use of fire in battle, albeit probably through the use of an item or artifact rather than casting fireballs from their hands.

Warlock of Hunger - The WARLOCK OF HUNGER would understand better than anyone that more is never enough.

The Warlock would be a cynic, constantly questioning the motivations of others. They may find altruism difficult to understand and assume that there is always a catch.

They would need to come to understand the motivations of others rather than simply assuming them. Only by coming to understand themselves and others can they really start to address the lack that they see in the world.

The Warlock of Hunger could, of course, also prove to be a master manipulator should they use this power for evil.

As the most straightforwardly "magical" class, the Warlock would have an easy time seizing the instincts of vast numbers of enemies and using those to turn them against each other.

They would also be able to directly affect Absence in a way that other classes of this aspect cannot, erasing items from existence, or concentrating on a powerful Need to manifest an item from seemingly nowhere.