Saber Forum

In the many many hours I have spent designing gaming systems, statistics, and character design I have wrestled with many a beast...the baseline of creating a balanced foundation is the real struggle.

Most RPGs have a standard set of stats...change the names but these are the most common...

strength
dexterity
constitution
intelligence
wisdom
charisma

In this example, you will very often see players opting to shift points away from charisma, wisdom, and sometimes intelligence...funneling these points back into strength, dexterity, and constitution.

Because this format is bias and broken.  Far too top heavy in combat, the other stats only really matter to a couple career paths.

So the foundation I have sought has seen many an evolution.

Most often I create a series of steps to develop balance...allowing for some choices, some random, and some math to make a measure of a thing.

So here is my latest thought along these lines.

I was reviewing, second son the video game.  The latest version of the infamous game line.  Basically their are individuals who are conduits.  These conduits can generate and manipulate an aspect...conduits a new breed of human, born with a specific gene activated by radiation, has come to light. Because of their incredible abilities, which include controlling lighting or hurling fireballs from their hands, these mutants, or "conduits," are feared and shunned by society.

Humanity was nearly wiped out by a plague caused by the radiation that creates conduits, the government formed a new paramilitary organization called the Department of Unified Protection, or D.U.P. Its sole purpose is to protect the public by locking conduits, and those suspected of being conduits, away for life.  

That being said, the game is way overpowered and makes it hard for players of said game to want to step down away from godhood to playing a more realistic power level game...meh.

Anyway it was the idea of the conduits and the element aspect that got me thinking about my system designs.

I fall back on Mind, Body, and Spirit system to attempt to find that near perfect balance.  Avoiding the stats, focusing on choice and desired abilities rather than numbers spread out over stats.

Here is where I am at the moment...superhero powers...considering a primary power for each...


Mind...Telekinesis...traditional TK, not the do everything possible but rather the push, pull, lift, crush, etc. (controlled energy outwards)

Body...Shapechanging...morphing, shrinking, growth, mimicking, stretching, hardening, liquifying, etc. (change within)

Spirit...Elemental (Avatar and Conduits)...a singular element or focus (fire, water, sand, concrete, smoke, electricity, etc.), this allows for generating and expelling energy of said focus with a measure of internal and external aspects (raw energy and change)


So the first question is which appeals more?

The focus of Mind, Body, or Spirit?

(no...not a little of each or a bit of one and the other...for this exercise, just one or one of the others, no combining)

Pulling and pushing with the Mind?

Shifting and changing the whole of the Body?

Generating and expelling an element with the Spirit?


*****


As in most of these cases, I could go with any of the choices...happy to have something beyond the limitations of mundane humanity.  But that is not an answer so...

1st...Body...any aspect of the shapechanging...be it a little of each potential or a very specific change would be welcome, a controlled Clayface aspect would be good...bit of stretching, shaping limbs into clubs/claws/etc., a general malleable nature

2nd...Spirit...my one element/aspect, green life...a plant focus...creating living vines, causing plants to grow crazy fast/large, etc.

3rd...Mind...kinda tired of the whole TK thing truthfully, it has lost its appeal to me...that said I would welcome it lol...as a focus I would like it all to be about the TK crush


*****


And for you?

Point for the topic!

If you had asked me 4-5 years ago I would have chosen shape shifting. I was not happy with my body or my (lack of) social life and wanted nothing more than to turn into animals and just get away!

But now I would choose spirit. My top 3 elements

Electricity- in a world crawling with computers of all kinds, electricity has become a very powerful element, but even without all that it's still liquid energy (" where is Mjolnir?")

Fire- it's like electricity, only slower. It would have been perfect up until 100 years ago.

Wind- ever flowing, all around you yet hardly noticed until it's doing something.

Good choices!

First choice is Mind. Controlling the world around oneself is something that is uniquely human. Sure animals build nests and the mere presence of organisms alters their environment, but humans literally engineer their environments. One day people will live in space, and that won't be because humans can survive in a vacuum, but because the environment will be alters so much that it is possible for not only survival but living. Understanding the world around you, enough to exploit the physical laws of reality, telekinetics would make you omnipotent.

Second choice would be Body. Not to change my body as it is, but rather to adapt my physical self to whatever task needs to be done, be it lifting something heavy, running really fast, getting through tight spaces, etc.; I'd always come back to the form that is me. Adaptability is the ultimate survival tool.

Lastly: Spirit. Elemental powers of Water, but if I had to be more specific I would choose ice; water is incredibly versatile, found in all organisms and most environments. Other options would include electromagnetism; for all the reasons Deceptae mentioned, the prevalence of electromagnetic activity, as well as the the capacity perform... other feats, if you know about this incredible force of nature.



I had to change this around; I managed to convince myself that I would be more potent with Mind than Body. In all honestly, the difference between these preferences is infinitesimal.

Both of y'all, good thoughts.

Points.

Telekinesis remains potentially the most powerful of any 'gift', depending on the practitioner's level of skill.

Defence? Maintain an active TK shield starting an inch or so from your body, permissive enough to allow a handshake, reactive enough to stop a bullet. With enough practise, it would become an unconscious skill, as much a part of a person's daily life as a soldier's threat analysis.

Attack? Stop the flow of oxygen to a person's brain - or crush them all together. Throw a lorry at them, shoot them without a gun, conjure TK swords, batons or any other weapons, or just whip up a TK whirlwind.

Need to get somewhere quickly? Fly, or accelerate your pushbike to superbike speeds.

Trapped in a locked room? Flip the lock - or blow it out of the door!

You could maanipulate light rays to turn yourself invisible (allowing enough light through so you can see... or navigate using your TK radar sense!)

You could filter out gas, chemical or biological attacks before they reach you, protect yourself from fire, maintain a 1 atmosphere airtight bubble around you to let you dive below the ocean...

But yeah. Even without that kind of omnipotence, even if I was just able to chuck rocks around and make a drink without having to leave my seat, I'd still take telekinesis. The potential to augment physical feats with even a just-beyond-human range of motion/reach/strength etc would be it for me.

This...this is exactly why I mentioned this...




lol


I hear ya.  I actually am starting to really dislike the whole "I can do anything with this TK" thing.  I much prefer the thought of applying human potential to the TK aspect.

Meaning we are all humans but can we all do what each person can do?  No.

World class weight lifters, top shelf geniuses, astronauts, air Jordon style dunks, etc.  There are extremes to human potential am I relish and appreciate each tip top consideration. 

If I said, "human, because then I could do anything...jump 29.4', free dive 895 ft, run a mile in 3:43.13, dead lift 1180 pounds, vertical leap 64", swim underwater 492' on one breath, IQ of 300, be 8' 11.1", fluent in 68 languages and familiar with 120, earn 17 PHD's, etc...if I said that then everyone would go boo, foul play mister.

Lol

But I do agree.  If unlimited TK then the sky is the limit, you would be a god.

I also agree with your last thought...



That basic TK would be glorious.

PS
The rant was not towards you at all, the whole TK does everything aspect just gives me hives.  I mean I suggested the TK after all lol.

Sigh...point for you suffering through my unlimited TK rant  :)

"Wow about the power to kill a yak from 200 yards, with MIND BULLETS?!?!?!!!
That's Telekenesis, Kyle!"

I love Tenacious D. Point to Casey-san!

(http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/194ccfzi90fl6gif.gif)

You and your gifs, Rel Sensei.

Oh and point to Xaeon-sama for the excellent paragraph on TK.

Heh, no worries. I've always thought of TK as being essentially at the core of any number of powersets - Magneto has TK power over metal, Avalanche has TK control over the earth, Iceman has TK control over water and ice...

I mean, I know that there's significant differences between true elemental powersets and basic TK, but so many writers essentially ignore it, either out of fear of altering the status quo (Iceman, who's had power boosts teased for at least the twenty years I've been reading comics... and then went full on Ragnarok about six months after finally getting his act together *sigh*) or just because they want to write a certain character they don't have access to ("Why aren't I allowed to bring Jean Grey back from the dead? Fine - Gambit can now blow stuff up within his line of sight because I say so!") Heck, Neo in the Matrix films was somewhere between a Jedi and a refined telekinetic, although he never did the "Summon cup of tea" that any true telekinetic would end up doing...

Oh for sure...agreed!

The next round of Mind, Body, Spirit considerations...one only, no mix and match...


Mind...Telepathy...traditional telepathy...read reading, communicating via mental link, illusions, and control of another nervous system

Body...Regeneration...instant/rapid healing, immunity to poisons, slow aging, does not tire

Spirit...Weather Manipulation...can control local weather to create or cease extreme weather condition change (clear to rain, dry to snow, hot to hail, etc.)


All strong powers, no godlike considerations, baseline...which sounds more interesting?

Regeneration, no doubt. Controlling weather for my own whims would upset the ballance of nature and cause serious issues. Besides, I am cool with any weather.  Telepathy would make life too boring and annoying, being able to tell what people were thinking takes all the fun out of interaction.

^ points given, because ditto

As with all of these exercises, I could go with any of three and be happy  :)

But back to the game...

A tough one but I would go with weather manipulation.

Even not in god-like ranges this would be glorious.  Walking through a drought zone, calling down rain.  Facing down a tornado before it strikes down a school or town.  And having that coolness factor of creating fog  where ever I went lol.

Calling down lightning would be sweet also, even if in a limited use or volume aspect.

:D

Hehe, fog is cool. Can I come up with the next 3 powers?

Hmmm...k.

As long as you follow the same pattern...focus on the Mind, Body, and Spirit aspects...and avoid the whole godmode stuff  :D

MIND- the ability to communicate with animals, persuade them against eating you, get them to help you, or just ask them about stuff

BODY- Muscle Mimicking, see a crazy Parkour move or watch a scribe use a beautiful font: you can do that exact action with impeccable dexterity, physical strength permitting

Spirit- Astral Projection, walk out of your body to see what's going on without being detected (mostly). Body is essentially asleep and totally vulnerable until you return

Actually I'm having trouble choosing, these are some of my personal favorites. You guys weigh in first!

1) MIND- the ability to communicate with animals, persuade them against eating you, get them to help you, or just ask them about stuff

2) Spirit- Astral Projection, walk out of your body to see what's going on without being detected (mostly). Body is essentially asleep and totally vulnerable until you return

3) BODY- Muscle Mimicking, see a crazy Parkour move or watch a scribe use a beautiful font: you can do that exact action with impeccable dexterity, physical strength permitting

Good array! Well chosen...



Okay:

1 - Muscle Mimicry would definitely come in handy given source material (YouTube) is so abundant

2 - Animal Communication, because wouldn't it be nice to have them do the housework link in Snow White

3 - Astral Projection (not sure when I'd use this)

That's abusive.

*look of disapproval*

One could also argue that reaching into the mind of another, human or not, is abuse.
Plus, it's not like I said I would subjugate them as slaves. I'm sure Snow asked nicely…

Which is why I decided against Telepathy, but hey if you have restraint then cool-beans. I think I'd go for cross-species communication for my original reasons.

Alright: here we go, three more


MIND - perfect mind: you can read books by flicking through their pages and recall any information at will with genius-level intellect

BODY - doppelgängars: up to ten copies can be made at one time from the original body, you live through each simultaneously and coordinate the effort as a whole

ELEMENTAL - guardian spirit: spirit that offers wisdom and advanced warning to danger, can provide physical aid as well (comes in the form of your choice)

Hmm... Doppelgängers are tempting, but i would never turn down the choice of a good friend. Spirit.

Agreed bonded Spirit guide :D

That way I could explain away a lifetime of having an invisible friend and get off these darn meds.

This made me chuckle.
*hands pills to Kawika, takes rubber banded roll of cash*

But seriously, I stopped taking head-meds a couple years ago.

The warnings came out, we know.


*****


So back OT.

The idea is fun to explore possible Mind, Body, Spirit powers and direction from the same...but more so which would you choose if presented with a power pool?  Not an unlimited, endless, godlike power pool...a more reasonable you can do lots of thing within this tight niche power pool.


Mind...mental powers, psionics, espers, etc. Using the mind to control the brain and thus tap into a power to provide a number of abilities...one at a time, some requiring skill or experience to manage with greater effect, etc.
telepathy
illusions
telekinesis (push, pull, lift...not anything in one...basically hands at a distance sort of thing)
precog
empathy
etc.


Body...physical powers...strength, toughness, endurance, dexterity, balance, etc.  Using the body to its fullest potential though some abilities and boosts would require training to best use them.
regeneration/hyper healing
hardening skin/muscles (bulletproof/resistant)
enhanced physical stats
super leap
increased run/swim speed
etc.


Spirit...connection to the energy that flows in all living and organic things...Using the energy within one's self to connect, communicate, and control that and other like energies...though some may require special training to manage to optimum function.
plane walker/astral projection
commune with dead
animate dead
dimensional teleport
elemental aspect (limited generation/control of fire, earth, air, water, etc.)
etc.


All things being equal in power potential, just not end results.

Let us say you choose your pool and then further define the same with 5 aspects.

So if beloved TK was chosen and the person wanted TK push, TK pull, TK flight that would be three.

Which pool and which five aspects?

I'd have to go with Spirit.
In no particular order:

Astral Projection

Necro-didactic

Summon Spirits (etherials, nature spirits, other non-human beings)

Elemental (lightning with fire as a close second choice)

Life-Drain (take or give life energy at my discretion)

Dead teacher/instructor?  To mean a spirit guide?

I was under the impression that Necrodidact would mean one who speaks to the dead. Was this wrong?

That is a super cool word, but unsure of any reference.

Necro is certainly "of the dead" but Didact or Didactic is "to teach or intent to teach".

That is why I asked if you meant spirit teacher or guide  :D

Cool word though!

You play a hard game, Rel... If I could, I'd take a bit of each :P

First Choice Set
summon psionic tools (hammer, spear, wrench, crowbar, etc.)
precog (few seconds at most, I don't want to be wandering around knowing what'll happen that night, just enough to stop myself being hit in the face or run over by a bus)
<end set>

Second Choice Set
Spirit Guide (http://th04.deviantart.net/fs71/200H/f/2011/336/c/d/cd0b5e62cb9ab8045442228fc1879595-d4hxy7x.jpg)
Elemental Control: Ice and Fire
Energy Drain
<end set>

Third Choice Set
enhanced stamina
enhanced reflexes
environmental toughness (resistance to arid, cold, wet, etc.)
euphagous (can eat anything)
<end set>

---

Nice set D
and points for linguistic gymnastics

Lol that last one is a favorite of mine in post apoc mutant games...Iron Gut.

Iron Gut comes with modified mouth to sith hole, whole system super charged to bite, chew, swallow, digest, and expell just about anything and if organic gain as much from it as possible.

:)

PS
I made a superhero in a mutant horror super game who had an Iron Gut and giant maw, mouth.  1/3rd his body was head/mouth.  Weirdly fast and agile, could shove a whole person in there if desired.

"Freakshow" was his name :D

I based the meaning from the word autodidact which I was informed meant one who speaks to himself, so swap auto (self) with necro(dead) and that's how I got there. Since you can't really teach the dead anything they don't already know I'll probably use this word again.

How about the same sort of power profile from different angles?


Mind...can completely control the actions of animals within line of sight

Body...can shapeshift into any living animal the character has had direct contact with, last one first, meaning the next touched replaces the one before...turned into a rat before, touches a dog, and can change into a dog but not a rat, until the character touches a rat again, etc.

Spirit...can share the mind/body/spirit of any animal within line of sight...seeing through its eyes, hearing through its ears, etc.


Which would you choose?

Body is tempting, but what if I'm in a swamp wrestling a gator so I can be the gator, only before I get the chance I get bitten by a skeeter? That'd be bad.

Final Verdict: Spirit (again :D)

The animal touch is a conscious choice on the part of the character.  So the shifter could touch a hundred animals and still swap with the last form chosen and not just the last one touched.

Shapeshifting as in morphing? Or do you take possession of the body of that animal?

Either way, I'm going Body :)

No taking over the animal; shapeshifting as in from human to animal and back to human again.

Cool cool. Just asking :)

I've read a book (or two) where shapeshifting literally means to shift into the shape of another animal, so I was just making sure.


I'm good morphin' :) Eagle Xaeyon: AWAY! to bed