Saber Forum

Having been around comic book and fans of such I know the gut check answer is to go with iconic characters...gods, demi-gods, etc. but for this exercise let us consider the potential of a super power.

If you are thinking a pool power, meaning one that can be used to do anything...well that's lame lol...seriously though the magic/spells, telekinesis, or other use it to do whatever you want type of thing, well define it.

Not anything but rather say up to 5 things it can be used for in measure...keeping in mind that it requires endurance and skill to use different power applications.


So here is the idea, you just got or discovered your power/ability/talent due to puberty, stress, or other.

It is the first week and you are working out the kinks.


There are a couple hundred supers world wide, no demi-gods or ultra icons, but to be sure the money and opportunity will flow like a river...movies, TV, ultra sports, search/rescue, emergency response, etc.

This person getting this power is you, as you are.

What do you choose?

I would choose a power that allow for the control of energy fields; be they sonic, magnetic or electrical/light.

Applications;

Levitation of objects (magnetic and sonic manipulation)
meditation "bubble" (sonic manipulation to nullify ALL extraneous sound)
energy projection (electrical manipulation)
"Sonic tidal-wave" (Sonic projection)
Personal Levitation/Flight (Magnetic manipulation)

n.b. These are just off-the-cuff possibilities. I'm sure this could be a never-ending pool of possibilities.

Wish Granting (http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Wish_Granting)

The power to grant wishes in the spirit of the wish to whomever asks (myself included), without any negative feedback, provided that the purpose of the wish is a good one. If the purpose of the wish is evil, the wish will still be granted, but it will be in the literal sense of the wish and the negative feedback will be horrific to the one who does the wishing (such as "I wish that so-and-so would die" will result in that person dying... by your hand and in a public place with surveillance video and cops watching you do it). If the initial purpose of the wish is good, and the person uses the results to do evil, it will backfire on them immediately. Also, I would have the ability to tell if a person's intents are good or evil, I can choose to grant the wish if I want, and my own wishes will always be in the spirit of the wish and will never backfire on me.

I can do literally anything.


If that's too much, then I want to have Luck (http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Luck).

Shapechanging without limits would be absolutely sufficient for me.  ;D

In a game context which I tend to consider quite a bit as is my nature...Wishing...whew...that is a good one actually.

Most times there is a connotation of a curse due to the unlimited nature of granting anything...careful for what you wish for...without any bad to go along with the good it would be a tough call...I do like the evil aspect of the twisted result...for the Wishing to work with such unlimited potential there would have to be some risk of some kind.

Perhaps a time limit, a strength limit (meaning the desire of the wisher, if it is a casual thought then it fades away fairly quickly...but if a driving desire then the permanency is set), maybe one wish per sunrise or sunset, something like that?

Almost always the Wishers can not wish for themselves...this might be a tough one...perhaps the above considerations x10...once per 10 days and if casual it fades almost instantly?

Now another thought would be that all the wishes are temporary...only lasting as long as another wish is not granted?

Interesting.



Luck...luck is always a good one to have...the potential has been played out in many ways...a favored one is to collect bad luck all around you where ever you go and then pool it up for yourself or others (that you touch for example)...you pass a person falling out a window and they land on some cardboard boxes and paper, uninjured, you drew the bad luck in and store the energy...tap an orphan later that day and they get adopted...etc.


Both are fun to consider  :)

Energy field manipulation is fun...is there any consideration to favoring one type or another?  Or were you thinking all types of energy equally?

Usually the process would grant more potential the more you focus the foundation...meaning more options to play with if just sound or heat or solar or "insert".  Where the any energy source is most often a single output...as in any type of expressed energy is turned into regeneration or strength or flight or "insert" and not a power pool of potential?

Is there a energy type preferred or a single output preferred?

:D

A great one.

Most often this power falls into a theme...

Any theme type...like animals or people...the more selective the better the change...if animals then gaining some of the abilities, if people then gaining a measure of perfection, if things like chairs or walls then gaining some qualities like texture and density, etc.

If can change into anything then you would most likely fall into a Plastic Man theme, he can turn into whatever he can imagine but it still always looks like him
(http://legendscrazy.net/otherstuff/dcuc/exclusives/0058_plastic_man_02.jpg)
(http://i50.tinypic.com/hst2kn.jpg)

Beastboy could become any animal even extinct, but always green
(http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/6/69005/2542461-beast_boy.jpg)

What direction would you want to take the idea?

:D

PS
Shapechange is a favorite of mine!

You'd think I would say Spider-Man but in fact I'd rather have the abilities of The Flash.

Super speed (Speed Force)
Self-molecular control
Time travel Cyclone/tornado/highwind generation,
Steal Speed
Mass Punch
Universe Travel
Frictionless aura
Veloctity sharpened perceptions
Probability prediction (Post-Flashpoint)

I have played this "what power" game so many times...

The one that popped up today is...

Absolute Regeneration

Not the Wolverine type which is a near instant healing factor but rather a molecular level thing.

If cut in half then the two parts and separated, let us say one side falls off a building, then the two parts would regenerate into two complete people...the catch...the two parts must seek each other out immediately.

Picture him getting cut in two, darth maul style, by Slicer Guy and one half falls on the building and the other falls off the 10 story building...the two pieces start regenerating immediately...the body half falling takes more damage on the way down and with the sudden stop...the top half finishes first and leaps off the building...the bottom half is almost done as the other hits the concrete...both crawl to each other and combine, regenerating faster and then fully formed shakes his fist at Slicer Guy.

Not sure how useful this would be lol, but it could be a lot of fun in potential.

:D

I'd want the parasites fry had in Futurama lol.

Kham is in with the rule breaker lol.

Flash...iconic demi-god with near unlimited power pool of powers...:)

But that said a speedster is a great choice.

The relatable...very fast, multiple actions, and some of the super speed tricks like contact friction (running up/sliding down buildings) and running across water.  That sort of thing would be a blast.

But all of Flash's powers would be beyond compare or measure to our little consideration.

Is there a specific special ability of Flash that appeals more than the others?  

For me, it would have to be teleportation. So, to prevent absolute teleportation, I would say "Jumper" style...look at a real location, concentrate enough, then away you go. Drawbacks could include arriving nude, passing out from exertion upon arrival, limit of one trip per day, or all of the above.

not really, though if i were pressed I'd say sound. I believe that sound can affect many things.

Lol a great one...but in our little consideration, perhaps Mr Right?

Near the limits of physical, aesthetic, intellectual, and creative limits for a human being?

Lots of fun there!

:D

Electricity Absorption. It would be used to augment my strength, agility, stamina, speed, and durability. My body already has these traits slightly augmented because of the natural bio-electricity in my nervous system, but absorbing electricity from other sources augments them further. I can also project the absorbed electricity into small, projectile blasts to temporarily stun others, or shock them into unconsciousness through physical contact.

But again, I would have to already have absorbed some electricity to do this. I could project my natural bio-electricity, but it will weaken me depending on how much I project. I can recover the bio-electricity (the human body is very resourceful!), but it would take some time depending on how much I use.

Eventually, I could learn to do just as much as any electrokinetic (or magnetokinetic), but I would still be dependent on other sources of electricity rather than being able to create my own.

I love this power.  ;D

Jumper, as per the movie is a perfect example as is. Limited to where you can see or relate to (picture).

I really liked that movie...powers at the levels seen in that movie are perfect examples.

:D

Super Speed, for pretty much the same reasons you stated above.  ;D

Also, The ability to "Phase" in the vain of Shadowcat or Martian Manhunter would be most excellent and have multiple applications on a team or alone, without being terribly OP.

This is a fun one...I suspect there is a nice vulnerability to being grounded and drained...he has been watching you...

(http://www.writeups.org/img/inset/Mr_Glass_Unbreakable_h.jpg)

:D

I'm glad you approved :) I liked the movie too, and thought it would be ab interesting ability to have.

Oh, gosh, I need to watch that movie again! SO good!

Seriously though, I love powers that are more limited. It allows more room for the character to show their talents.  :)

Agreed!  Sounds like a great deal of fun there.

:D

Another one which would be fun is flight...of course, to keep it from bein OP'd, it would have to be limited by distance, time, speed, or giant wings...

Good stuff everyone.

When the dust settles I may have to draw a page or two with panels to show off the characters  :)


Unbreakable...a great great example of powers working in our world...at a time when Amalashamdamalamadingdong could do no wrong...real shame...I would personally so roshambo him for what he did to Avatar the Last Airbender...such a good TV series and such a weak movie, in so many ways.


Jumper, just great...especially regarding powers...also consider Darkman and Push...Push shows some interesting powers, there is TK in this one which is powerful, boarderline OP but still good  :)

Basic flight as per Heroes, completely on target  :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPzE4_8xQ8I# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPzE4_8xQ8I#)


Me, I would wear a helmet at least lol.

Of course there is risk. The greater the reward from the wish, the greater the risk of using it for evil. If someone wishes for immortality, I can grant that wish. If, however, they use the results to deliberately harm someone (in this case, by doing anything deliberately harmful as an immortal), then it backfires. The result of this particular backfire would probably be that the person loses their immortality and reverts to a physical state that is consistent with their chronological age. As you can imagine, this will most likely be fatal. The greater the wish, the greater the backfire.

If I cannot grant my own wishes, I can always go into business for myself as a wish-granter (and doing the occasional charity wish granting). Charge the rich to grant their wishes. Additionally, the occasional rich person could be used as a way to circumvent the 'no-wishing-for-myself' bit. I simply tell them "I will grant your wish free of charge, but you must do something for me: Ask for two more wishes that I will specify for you to read aloud. You may look at them before hand to ensure that you aren't screwing yourself or anyone else over." If they decline, they pay full price. If they agree, the first wish will be whatever it is I wish for myself (worded in such a way as to be completely immutable and in such a way that they are wishing for me to have whatever it is I wish for), the second will be a wish to forget what the first wish was (also worded to be completely immutable) as well as to forget the second wish after it takes effect, and the third wish will be their own wish.



No, because it destroys my business model.



Luck is probably the most powerful superpower to have.

Still fun. Luck is a crazy strong power...I like to play with this one by making the Luck player tempt luck to gain higher potential luck...you have to get off a roof...you could use the fire escape as normal or climb down the outside or even just step off and see what happens...the more the risk the higher the potential of what could be...but there would always be the ricks of all ones lol.

The wishing thing is still fun.  The measure of evil is interesting...how do you set the bar?  Wish for immortality and steal a candy bar?  Is this evil? Just playing the Devil's advocate...perhaps by granting the wish you set a particular guideline, and if this is broken or any true evil then the wish breaks and collapses?

"I wish for immortality"

"Ok...I will grant this if you never commit an evil act and also you must (insert some task that means something to you in some manner, much like the Shadow) (give 25% of your money to charity for as long as you live, adopt a child every 10yrs for as long as you live, etc.) (thus continuing your do good and no evil consideration)"

Another thought...only one wish per person, period...second wish they vanish lol?

Fun times...good one.

The screamers from Push (movie) were a blast (ah ah see what I did there? :))...a sonic blast

(http://postfiles8.naver.net/data43/2009/3/22/263/38493_normal_darkrimmer.jpg?type=w2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwaiD8ZVYOU# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwaiD8ZVYOU#)


:D

I would imagine that "the bar" would be a sliding scale based on the relative harm vs the good of the wish. For instance, if someone wishes for immortality and does something relatively harmless like steal a candy bar, the side effects would be minimal, like getting injured or gaining a few pounds that won't go away. The greater the misdeed, the greater the punishment, and the punishments would stack.

I do like the idea of extra guidelines for heavy duty wishes, though.

Another good power is always having just enough money to buy what you want.

Electro-Kinesis

Starts off pretty tactile, controlling electronics, killing electronics, access the Interwebz with my brain, play songs on speakers from my brain. eventually gets stronger, to the point of the dude from Infamous, but retaining the subtle control.

limitations:

powers weakened by lightning storms, super ADHD, needs to concentrate to control power (not kill people)

If anyone uses this power in a story of any kind, talk to me first.

Always, always telekinesis.

A powerful telekinetic would be able to fly, effectively have Spidey-sense (if not necessarily danger-attuned, but try surprising someone who can sense anything moving towards them) have super strength, super speed, erect an impenetrable shield, be able to blast away like Iron Man and his repulsors, or exert fine control to thread a thousand needles at once - and that's just off the top of my head.

There'd be drawbacks. Getting anything like that level of control would be incredibly hard. You'd have the risk of all that power going out of control. The level of sensitivity you'd develop to things going on around you would likely be extreme - a car passing close by might feel like a door slamming when you already have a headache, for example. Still, it really would seem to be the most practical power to me.

Failing that, I'd take flight. Even if you set a relatively low top speed, say 50 or 70 or 100 miles an hour, you'd still be able to get almost anywhere quicker than you can otherwise, and the time saved on traffic jams would be invaluable.

Ah TK.  Here is the thing TK has been used forever in comics, but until EU Star Wars the idea of strength, speed, and all those abilities other than push, pull, and maybe squeeze were unheard of.

So in this case, in this thread, TK is cool but just focus it a bit...the idea of the movie Chronicle being all TK is OP to the extent of having it all...each was better at an aspect than the other...fine detail TK, raw power, flight, tougher, etc. they were not equal at each power...so maybe look at the TK in numbers...100 points...30 push, 20 pull, 10 crush, and 40 flight...but this sort of flight and other use will need constant focus as you noted.

How about considering a unique or the very least interesting approach to a classic supper power?

Super Strength

Certainly this should include at least a small measure of toughness, endurance, etc. though these are just seasoning to the steak of super strength.

What sort of clever way of handling this power can you think of?

How about it not being superstrength, per se, but the super literally lessens the overall density and mass of the object, enabling them to lift it?

This would definitely explain why someone could lift an extraordinarily heavy object like a bus or a building and not have it push them into the ground due to sheer weight. After all, the hero is super, but the surrounding environment is ordinary.

IDK if anyone here has ever watched the short-lived SyFy series "Alphas", but if not you should try and check it out.

Your question made me immediately think of one of the characters from the show.

"Bill has the ability to enhance his strength and speed triggered by a "fight or flight" response. It is implied that he can activate this state at will. Bill cannot stay in this state for very long or else he will become cripplingly fatigued."

Super Strength

I have always been a fan of the leech consideration.  Touch transfer of vitality that becomes energy to in this case fuel the super strength.  Temporary effects...slowly fading away...with the touched gaining their strength back with rest, food, water, sleep, time.

The classic girl version is through the kiss, lol I will pass on that one as portraying females in games freaks me right out...how about a unique aspect of a plus and negative contact point?

Like right and left hand?

It will not transfer without both hands on ;)

How about you, got any ideas?

In response to the original post: Pyro-kinesis.

Not only could you set something ablaze by thinking about it, you could also project a stream of fire from your hands with a limited effective range. You could also project that same stream more powerfully to produce enough thrust to let you fly. Though, obviously, you would have to learn how to control your flight, and wear some fireproof pants.

Limitations: It would take great concentration to affect your target and only your target. Your target has to be in line-of-sight. Projected stream has a maximum effective range of 100 meters.

Drawbacks: You can still be burnt to death by your fire. A lapse in concentration can set everything around your target on fire inadvertently.

Great just great!  That is prime idea there my friend!

Very nice consideration of strength to vulnerability ;)

I tend to find overpowered abilities and characters to be rather boring. I mean, If you can take out anybody and anything with any power, where's the challenge? Where's the character development? Also, having only a few enemies to fight and beat over and over gets boring. I'd rather face a hoard of enemies and surprise myself by defeating them than face one enemy knowing that I'm gonna win. More sense of accomplishment.

Having highly enhanced senses would be nice. I mean that under normal conditions, your senses would be very enhanced, but you can also focus on one particular sense and boost is to insane levels. However, this power would have a price. Since your senses are magnified normally, you get all the benefits and the detriments of it. Yes, you can pick someone out of a massive crowd from the rooftop of an ten story building or name all the ingredients in a complex dish from a single taste, but your senses can be overwhelmed by things such as camera flashes, cigarette smoke, a car horn, excessive garlic in a dish, or anything that is jolting from a sensory perspective. Additionally, focusing on a sense would block out your perception of the other senses, which can be very dangerous. Not sure if I want this one. I enjoy spicy foods too much. If I could have the ability to protect my senses from overload, I would consider it.

All good stuff there!


How about considering another classic power...applying a unique or interesting aspect to it...

Stretching or any related "rubber" body (you can define the stretch in anyway you choose, I said rubber only to describe the classic rubber or plastic man...run with it).

 ;D

Points all around  :)

Stretching

This is a fun one with potential for high levels of interest, at least for me.

I like a story of the latent mutant receiving extreme treatment for some terrible illness, say stage four cancer, and the treatment engages the mutation.

In this case cellular flexibility, organic plasticity.

I am not so much interested in shape changing like Plastic Man, more the act of stretching with an elongating or flattening result...I do like the bounce back resistance effect to incoming damage, more so to kinetic force than energy...near invulnerable to mundane physical damage (punches, falling debris, bullets) but completely vulnerable to radiant energy and related...super punches, hollow points, etc. would still bounce but would hurt like hell.

Being cellular I would think that in the long term he could reattach a severed arm for example, but it would take mundane healing time...weeks I would think.

Malleable Man

:)

The problem with stretching is that the concept tends to ignore one very important aspect: Human physiology. Yes, the body can stretch, but there's only so much cellular tissue in the body, and unless the super can somehow increase the number of cells in the body as needed (and decrease them), there's only so far you can stretch. Think of it like a rubber band. Yes, it's made to stretch, but even then, there's a breaking point, and if you look closely at a stretched rubber band, you can see the beginnings where the stretching is gradually weakening the band. I'd think that this same principle applies to the super, giving them the kind of stretch marks that makes you think they gave birth to a city of babies. Ideally, a stretchable person would have a limit to how far they can stretch, with the further out they go resulting in more strain just to get there, and a greater risk of cellular integrity failure, basically ripping them in half.

No thank you.

All true...I will look at this one as using the space between the atoms...when stretching I am thinking the flesh becomes "netted".  So if stretched out the flesh would have hundreds or thousands of tiny holes.

In this power consideration the flesh is out of the box...no bones or normal flesh, it is all one mass with the working parts incorporated.

This would be a tough one for a non-fantastical setting...then again in the same setting there would be no TK at all, the energy exchange involved with the process would melt the brain at least...most likely much worse...a hot bubbling puddle of goo most likely.

New power to consider!

Shapeshifting...into animals!

Let us assume the shift allows for the abilities of the animal in question...what 5 animals would you choose as your shift options?

(let us go with the comicbook standard...themes...current living animals, extinct animals, dinosaurs, etc.)

Your favored 5?

 ;D

For me...I look at these sort of things outside the superhero fighting box...what animals would I want to shift into in general, then work in strategies to use the same for superhero'ing  :)


bottlenose dolphin

harpy eagle

mountain gorilla

grizzly bear

spider monkey

 ;D

Are we going with mass equivalency or do we gain or lose mass as we change?

Also, do we maintain our human intellect or does our intellect change?

In this case anything goes :)

If I were to make a character for a specific superhero theme, it would be a city/urban shifter...


street dog (would be fun if each time it was a different mutt)

alley cat (again different each time would be fun)

pigeon (different each time :))

rat (ehh a rat is a rat lol)

cockroach (as with the rat)

I know not a tough guy per say, but super useful for the getting around, surveillance, detective work, etc. in the city.

 ;D

Does this apply to the second question as well?

EDIT: nevermind...

Paleolithic Man


mammoth

smilodon

entelodont

dire wolf

cave bear


This would be a fun one to continue the choices but that they are completely random, like with Ben 10's watch goes wonky, he shifts and ends up with one of a hundred or more possible prehistoric mammals...from a mouse to mammoth  :)

Yeah I caught your edit and made my edit before your last edit  :)

Keeps intelligence and memories etc.

:)

Couple of questions:

If we keep our intelligence and memory, and intelligence and memory are directly related to brain size and the amount of gyri and sulci (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulcus_(neuroanatomy)) in the brain (they give the brain its characteristic "lumpy" appearance, allowing for more brain tissue surface area), is it some unknown biological change involved if we were to become a creature that has a primitive brain that allows us to retain our intelligence and memories, or do we keep a brain that is proportionally human sized?

If we were to shapeshift into a creature with higher numbers of gyri and sulci (dolphins, orca), would our mental processing ability increase correspondingly?

Would we be able to attain a halfway point in transformation, giving us a were-creature like appearance?

This could be a magical sort of shapechange and thus no issue with the brain...it could be the longer in the animal form the less human the intelligence and memories are, slowly becoming the animal brain.

But as it is superheroes I think we could let the brain issue slide by the logic sensors for now  :)

The half way mark...hmmm...sure why not?

But to be fair to the ones considering their five animals it should still be on theme...so your five shifts would be halfway manimals...not the choice of animal form or halfway.

Interesting thought.

I would still stick with full animals for mime though...I am a purist in this case I guess lol.

The city shifter sounds like fun...




Maybe...for a name...I know it has been used, honestly so many have been used, but Creeper sounds like fun...

Here is a fun exercise...provided a code/super name, describe the super power that you feel best represents the name.


Ok, so here we go...


Black Jack

 ;D

Probability Manipulation?

Fair enough.

If I had to choose my five animals:

Current Animals (full transformation):
1. a swarm of wasps
2. a pack of wolverines
3. a rhinoceros
4. a cackle of hyenas
5. a cast of falcons

Current animals (were-form)
1. timber wolf (gotta go with the classics)
2. black panther
3. polar bear
4. longhorn cow (for the minotaur look)
5. percheron horse (for the centaur look)

Extint animals (full transformation):                                                                                                                                                                 
1. Gorgonopsid
2. Smilodon
3. Utahraptor
4. Pachycrocuta
5. Haast's Eagle



Sorry, I read this and it reminded me of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLPZmPaHme0#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLPZmPaHme0#ws)

An African American man from a disenfranchised neighboorhood, Jack Wells discovered at seventeen the ability to shadow walk, or step into one shadow and emerge from another. He originally gave in to standard teen urgings and used his abilities to steal and to get back at people who hurt him or his family, but eventually was approached by an unnamed top secret government group that offerred to move him and his family to Colorado Springs (and provide them a nice stipend) in exchange for James' membership a superhuman task force (to locate and assess the potential harm a superhuman can do) as well as participation in a study to determine how his own powers work. Accepting the role, James dresses in all black and carries a truncheon, hence the name BlackJack.

Nice...any more thoughts on this one?



Lots of fun, there are so similarities to the Cloak & Dagger from Marvel...I do like your version though...good stuff  :)

I do like the shadow and the probability considerations, when I had came up with the name Black Jack it was just the first thing that came to mind. Black Jack for me was a number, 21.

Black Jack

Joe Su discovered his ability when he was 13 and was caught in the path of a large tornado (which in turn was a super villain, Twister, battling with his arch, Angel), the wreckage of the building laid on top of him and his life faded, he passed out.  When he came to there were 5 people helping him out of the rubble.  As he focused he realized those helping him looked just like him...he fainted.

From that moment on he pushed himself to discover new dangers to engage the ability and create clones of himself...after the danger is gone the clones join back with the original.

As he matures he finds he can create the clones on command, hold them past the moment of danger, and reaches a plateau with the amount of clones...22.

With an hour of creating the 22nd clone he passed out and was in a coma for over a week...so he never exceeds 21 if he can help it.

:)

Oh well Shapechanging which i mentioned earlyer is still my favorite but i would like to mention Q!

Does someone still know him? ^^

Q?

(http://www.crystalinks.com/qthrone.jpg)

Fun guy but infinitely over powered  :(


As I was typing I realized you were most likely talking about this Q...The Question

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Bd8aSBHl4rI/Srv4U8oIxMI/AAAAAAAAAIw/mdPYEVznrmQ/s320/vic-sage.jpg)

Great character  :)

Exactly!
I am glad that you made that "turn" in your head. :)

The Star Trek Q would be not so much fun since he is shakled by a high margin through the continuum as far as i can remember... ^^

I would like to be able to change the value of the strong nuclear force in matter. Increase it in and objects could gain in density and attraction thus the gravity increases and you can form singularities. Decrease the value in an object and you can cause it to evaporate. Tinker with it inside a star...nothing good would happen. In theory if you could maintain your own internal physics as you tweak the matter around you and you could cause local distortions that could also mimic flight as you decrease the density of the air/matter around you.

That is a thought provoking power for sure...though some how I suspect creating singularities would never be a good thing lol.

The foundation of the power is good stuff indeed  :)

How about a new code/super name to consider a power/background for?


Rook

:D

Fremington, Devon, England girl Hailey Abernathy discovered at aged 14 that she was a Corvoptilos (Raven Feather), part of an ancient mystical lineage of people chosen to protect the moors of southern England. A Corvoptilos has the innate ability to summon, communicate with, and command members of the Corvus genus of birds, which includes crows, ravens, jackdaws, and rooks. Additionally, a Corvoptilus can transform themselves into their own mass equivalent in corvids (as many normal size as is possible or even one large one, so long as the body mass requirement is met). Though she can choose any corvid, she sticks to rooks, which are native in England, hence the name Rook.

Really nice this one.

I appreciate the same mass consideration, I use this often in my games.



How about another...bit off center...a super team, a family team (3-5 members)...all the members have the same power, maybe not the same level but the same power name.

Thoughts?

Too easy.

The Woods Family

Father: Ashton (from a surname meaning "ash tree town")
Mother: Tamara (from Tamar, the Hebrew name meaning "palm tree")
Eldest Sister: Willow (after the willow tree)
Middle Child: Juniper (after the juniper)
Youngest Child: Lyndon (from a surname meaning "lime tree hill")

Their powers (in varying degrees) are Plant Manipulation (http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Plant_Manipulation)

Good one  ;D


How about the Steele Brothers?

Sam "Anvil" Steele...Invulnerability...Sam is the eldest of the brothers, 50yrs old, the years have been slowed down but he is finally showing some signs of aging...he is the heaviest and most durable of the brothers

John "Hammer" Steele...Invulnerability...John, 45yrs old, is the largest and strongest of the brothers

Kyle "Cannonball" Steele...Invulnerability...Kyle, 39yrs old, is the smallest and fastest of the brothers

:)

They combine their attacks, taking advantage of their abilities and years of working together.  Stronger together than apart.

When not fighting crime and super villainy they operate Hazard Inc...an international company specializing in dealing with out of control fires, collapsed buildings, etc.

Another shot at the name game?


Chimera

 ;)

Okay... the traditional interpretation of a Chimera is a mythological beast comprised of a lion, snake, and goat, but more recently it has come to mean more of a mixture of several things. So I say it's someone who can replicate the abilities of others, but not completely. Just like a Chimera is different parts of a few creatures, not the whole, then the person would replicate specific portions of a person's ability, but not the whole.

For example, when replicating telepathy, they would only gain the reading minds portion, not projecting their own thoughts into others. For telekinesis, just simply moving other objects; no kinetic blasts or shields, no self-levitation. Just moving objects. For my personal favorite power, electrical absorption, they would only be able to absorb electricity, but only be able to enhance their physical attributes, project the electricity back, or neither.

In short, someone (male or female, doesn't matter) who only replicates specific portions of other abilities. The aspect they absorb is completely random and permanent (they can't switch to a different aspect).

Now the real question is this: is the character a hermaphrodite? Chimeras themselves are usually hermaphrodites.  :D

I...uh...hmmm...well...I guess that would be your call...but I always check the engine before I drive, just in case...living in New Orleans, New York, Key West, and San Francisco I met my share of those dressing and acting in a manner they were not born to...the hermie just opens too many doors lol.



I do like the power thought though, constantly absorbing and changing...good times!


For me...Chimera...I thought of the creature of legend at first also...I thought of what these aspects represented...

lion...strength, hunting, predatory
goat...durability, resilience, dexterity
serpent...flexibility, speed, poison

Put that all together and I thought...ninja.

Anime/manga ninja...but ninja none the less.

One of the poison clan ninja.

He rejected his clan due the loss of his love, killed by his own clansmen...then a clan war broke out leaving him alone.

After this event he went to the mountains and just wandered, a hermit lost in thought and chaos.

He emerges from the mountains refocused and determined...he knows a new poison clan has emerged...this he will rectify.

His style has resulted in permanent transformation of his body...

He has rams horns, tight to his head

He has lions claws, fangs, a mane, and a tail

His left palm is black and his right palm is red...both are laden with contact poison...the black induces a blinding illness that causes extreme pain (migraines)...the red causes a free bleeding condition with any open wound becoming life threatening...the two combined on the same person causes death in mundanes and potential death in ultra types.

Now where is the hero aspect...he is driven by the darkness of his past, but he would not harm a mundane and seeks to protect society from evil ultras.

A monster for sure, but a good monster.

;)

You live in many places at once… o0

I see the good monster in Venom from Marvel. Appaerently he has a code of ethics which is only shown in some series and a very few comics.
I always liked him. ^^

Hmm I say Manticore!
It is with the typical dragon my fave for Mythical Creatures mainly because of the tragedy of his existence.

Many many tails here in Germany about all that kind of creatures.
I live near a place where they say that a mermaid is taking care of the waters (loreley)
for example. 

The power to be the happiest man on Earth. Oh, and the Force. so much for off topic.

WEll you and everyone else got the Power to be the happiest person on earth. Its all in your hand/mind. :)

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTqZwnhuekFb0r3NvJkpjoxCH7mwpA8sluoAf9Ti9VSdwR8SElh)
(http://canvasworksneedlepoint.com/wp-content/plugins/tobey-maguire-meme-face-i2.png)
(http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/if-you-know-what-i-mean.png)

Back to the original thought...a power...what one power draws your attention?

There have been a handful of interesting powers brought up, but after all this let us refocus on the idea of one power.

Just one.  Not a powe pool or variable function that lets you do whatever you want, just one power and if it has potential for other side functions then limit this to one.

Example super strength.

The hulk shows us thunderous claps, sonic stomps, double fist quakes, and many more...but in the end, it is just super strength...lift a car, pull up a telephone pole, punch a bus, etc.

When you consider your power allow for the related comic book physics like being able balance a car when lifting and not breaking a hip or arms ripping out of socket.

If you can generate fire the your special effect could be fire resistance or jet boost flight or damage shield or burn without O2 or others but not all.

It is easy to picture a hero with a laundry list of powers and options, limiting the choices makes the creative juices flow, at least for me ;)

A super strong guy should have some toughness, a energy projector should have extra endurance, etc. reasonable related special ability to make more sense of the one power.

Thanks for playing along, there have been some great responses :)

Hmm with this new "rules" i would clarify my first answer.

Shapechanging: In traditional mythology and folklore, and in modern fantasy fiction, shapeshifting is the ability of a being to physically transform into another form or being, either as an inherent faculty of a mythological creature, or by means of magic. That would indicate that the bearer of this ability is able to use a nearly uncountable number of enhancements.
Or... We only allow the Shapeshifter one single ability to be changed to a less efficient margin than a "single" focused ability would.

Examples:
Endurance: Very high resistance against physical injuries of any kind like falling or bashing attacks.
Vitality: Very high resistance against diseases and poisons.
Flying: High speed travel through sheer will. High maneuverability.
Poisonous Fangs: Retractable Fangs 5 cm length dripping with a poison deadly to humans in mere minutes.

Shapeshifting: Ability to mimic one trait of an animal:
Krokodiles hide = Medium resistance against physical injuries of any kind like falling or bashing attacks.
Gift of the Rat: Medium resistance against diseases and poisons.
Ibis wings: Ability to fly at running speed. Low maneuverability.
Warans Saliva: Your saliva becomes poisonous leaving the victim of a bite attack unable to heal with the chance of a infection which may cause death in 1-2 weeks.

I could go on here but i am sure you got my idea.
The loss of effectivity is traded for an allround ability which is highly adaptable but lacks the punch of "true" abilitys.

Shapechangers most often gain the reasonable abilities of the creature in question...eagle:fly, bloodhound:tracking sense of smell, etc.

But in this case the theme should be set...inanimate or modern animals or alien creatures or plants or etc.  but not anything.

The OP issues are usually surrounding powers like telekinesis (TK) one could say that TK could be used to make them run faster, jump further, be stronger, push/pull/crush at distance, fly, and whatever else could be imagined...and still be human.

Turning into a bird to fly has the advantage of being able to fly...but you would be a bird.

Anyway, it is just a for fun creative exercise...so not trying to make it too serious, just focused  :)

First superhero I ever made for a RPG, Villains and Vigilantes, was based much like the idea above...one power.

The game allowed for you as you were, with a series of tests to gauge your stats, a few points to be the best you could be lol, and then a power.

My guy was me plus the power of super speed:running...it was a few years ago but the idea was that he could get up to 75-80mph in a few seconds in combat and 150-160mph in non-combat situations.

But a fairly regular guy...enough comic book energy to run crazy fast, a body that would be able to handle the running stresses, etc.  He wore light weight pieces of protective armor (knee/elbow pads, full helmet, skid pads, good boots/gloves...and carried a baseball bat.

:)

I was trying to remember the rest of the group...I know there was a guy who was a brain in a robot body, another who could breathe fire (melt steel kind of fire), flying guy (no wings), running guy (me), and I seem to remember an intangible guy (pass through solid objects).

My running guy, I want to say his name was (and please remember I was a kid, 14yrs old, in 1979-80...be kind lol) Speed Racer.

Anyway, this is where I am coming from...the sense of superheroes working together rather than being everything in one package.  Working together because they need each other to get the job done.

No charackter should be all powerful straying perks among all group members to ensure a working dynamic of social structure among them.
I had a session like that as well. We played ourselves in 10 years after a series of apocalyptic events pulling together all scientific and superstitious ideas of it.
We all had a different angle of powers which we build up over the session stretching one and a half years.

One was the typical light bringer able to shield himself and others bringing light and bestow courage upon the teammates demasking horrors unknown.
The Druid type able to heal and to make sacred spots for a better shelter animal speech and the forces of nature.
The Keltic barbaric rage high heal factor demoralising roar.
and the monk high reistance against physical as well as mental attacks elusive and fast cleansing illnesses of the mind.

So everyone had a proficiend role in combat as well as social while we all maintained our charackter to a high margin with some drama melted in to make things "complicated" enough to be enjoyable yet realistic enough to stay in the role which we hoped we will become in our future. ^^

Sounds like fun indeed :D

Superpowers that come from an item...say a magic item.

Without the item the person, you, would be a mundane regular Jane or Joe.

The item is not something inside you, permanently bonded to you, smaller than a grain of sand, or other cheats.

So what would your magic item be?

A wand, sword, helmet, boots, hammer, cape, ring, spear, mask, rock, etc.?

Oh my god I just gained enough sleep today that I got that I really rarely write that but I loled hard ^^

You made me laugh!
Point!

My first thought was a magic cape.

A big sweeping cape that allows for teleportation...poof...

I am picturing a gentleman super in a clean suit with the cape and cane.

:)

Hmm for an Item I would take the sword from She-Ra.
A magical sword which is telepathicly connected with the wielder and able to transform into many different things if needed like a shiels or a rope ect. was my first thought. But when Im really thinking of it I guess my final choice Is the hammer of Hephaistos able to create nearly anything out of anything transmuting forms and abilitys of things to fit the wielder.
He made the weapons of gods with that so I would fill me up with trinkets ^^

Enough power gaming.

Seriously since I wear glasses I take heighted vision based treats like the detection of lies through my glasses. Maybe glimpses of the future in fights seing everything a second or two in advance giving me a chance to react faster. Ability to perceive other "magic" items on others. Everything in that vicinity would be fine.

Is raiding Warehouse 13 allowed?

For one item, sure why not?  Nothing OP though  :)

For items, to be honest all I want is a Green Lantern power ring.  :D

But if you want something original, I did go to this museum once and there was this ring with a very cool stone on it. It looked very icy and cold, with a blue streak running through the middle. I always imagined it gave the user the power to control water, ice, and freezing temperatures.

In case you're wondering, yes I did buy it (it was only a few bucks). I wonder if I still have it somewhere.

Would you rather have the superpower...

...to grow x6 larger (36'+/-) gaining extra toughness, strength, etc.

or

...to shrink to 1/6th (6"+/-) retaining normal human strength...so could leap like crazy, strikes focused to a small spot, etc.

(comicbook physics apply to both)

:)

How small is that?

I don't do numbers...

If it's anything like Ant-Man, I'd choose that power.

I'd choose to have the ability to transform into anything I want for as long as I wished and back. The power of shape shifting would be awesome. Plus, it'd save on the costs of cosplay.

That and the Sith inside of me would probably turn into the fears of the people that caused me trouble in my childhood and pay some visits.

...to shrink to 1/6th (6"+/-) retaining normal human strength...so could leap like crazy, strikes focused to a small spot, etc.

Pretty sure 1/6th is the 6" reference and I agree that would be fun.

Except that a 6" height is 1/12 of human height (+/-)... You failed math, didn't you, Rel?

Yikes!

Typo I claim typo!

(Puts Jev back on short list)

Point.

Thanks for the laugh.

So I could be the size of a miniature?

That'll work, I've always wanted to punch someone's eardrum.  :D

A standard human weight/strength value punch focused into a .25"sq spot would be potentially devastating to a mundane or even hardened target ;)

Super power choice!

You have 13 steps and your options are...

Superstrength...you can dead lift over your head 200lbs...for each step this increases by a factor of 2...1 step = 400lbs...each step adds mass weight, +50lbs...so 4 steps = dead lift 1600lbs and gain 200lbs walk around weight.

Flight...you can fly 10mph...each step increases this by a factor of 2...4 steps = 80mph

Toughness...you can absorb damage equal to a mundane human potential before it actually hurts you...each step increases this by a factor of 1...4 steps = 5 human potentials before it starts hurting you (example a shotgun at point blank range would kill a human, at step 0 you can take two of these before death and at step 4 you could take 6 before death)

How would you divide your points?

Strength: 3 steps - 800lbs
Flight: 5 steps - 160mph
Toughness - 5 steps - 6 human potentials.

I originally had flight at 6 steps, but I realized that if I could go that fast I would need more durability in case I hit something haha. Cool idea!

Shadow Force? I don't know, I sorta just thought it up. I think Spectre has something like it in the DC comics.. Meh. Basically walking through shadows, using them as portals and conjuring up shadow weapons. I think it sounds awesome. Also, if you have ever played Fable, the Assassins Rush spell, where you cast it towards the enemy and appear behind them.

In our mundane world 1,000 people gain superpowers from a magical event, stars aligning or some such.

You are one if these people.

Your choices are below; one power from each group...


Group A
Strength of 10 men all the time
Strength of 100 men 1 hour total per day
Strength of 1000 men 1 minute total per day

Group B
Fly at 10mph as long as you like
Fly at 100mph 1 hour per day total
Fly at 1000mph 1 minute per day total

Group C
Regenerate (heal a bruise or small cut in seconds...heal a gunshot in an hour)
Invisibility (as long as you can hold your breath; 1-2 minutes per hour)
Intangible (as long as you can hold your breath; 1-2 minutes per hour)

Group D
Tough (resist 50% damage/pain all the time)
Shield (100% damage/pain from any source you face directly)
Bulletproof (100% damage from non-energy damage, feel all the pain)
(Non-energy...yes knives and bullets present kenetic energy, we speak of energy being fire, radiation, chemical, etc...hit by a car/cut with a sword/fall off a building all good but it will hurt)

Group E
TK any distance you can see directly, max weight/strength 10lbs
Change your flesh to inorganic living material by touch (1min per hour)
Shapechange into any 3 current living animals (only these 3)


What are your choices?

Group A
Strength of 10 men all the time

Group B
Fly at 10mph as long as you like

Group C
Regenerate (heal a bruise or small cut in seconds...heal a gunshot in an hour)

Group D
Tough (resist 50% damage/pain all the time)

Group E
Shapechange into any 3 current living animals
1. Eagle
2. Shark
3. Tiger

 ;D