Powers

Starting Characters

• Each character can have up to 3 powers and 3 immunities.
• The Versatile and Protection traits can expand the number of powers and immunities respectively to 4. See the shop thread for more information.
• If you decide to start with less than 3 powers or immunities, they can be bought later without buying a trait. Everyone can have up to 3, even if they choose not to right away. Those traits just allow for a 4th.
• All your power and immunity levels added up must be no greater than 15.
• No one power can be at a level higher than 4. Immunities can be any level.
• You cannot take the same power or immunity twice (though you can have a power and an immunity in the same category). Taking it once is assumed to cover all possible uses of that power or immunity.
• If you buy any traits to start with, then the costs of those traits are subtracted from your max total levels.
• Any leftover levels after character creation may be spent later, for free.
• The only exception to the above is if you purchase the "Make an Ultrapower" perk from the shop.

Power Categories

Based on a character's power theme, there will be multiple ways for her to use her powers.  The ways that powers can be used are divided into four roles (Aggression, Maneuver, Accumulation, and Interference), and each of those four roles is divided further into three types, resulting in twelve power types in total.

Aggression

Destruction:  Causing structural damage to things.
Confinement:  Restricting or compelling movement.
Subdual:  Influencing mental state.

Maneuver

Speed:  Quicker movements and actions.
Alteration:  Manipulating inanimate matter and machines.
Field:  Changing ambient conditions.

Accumulation

Information:  Enhanced senses or deduction.
Enhancement:  Abilities (either physical or superpowered) are gained over the course of a battle.
Summoning:  Control over a large number of independently capable servants.

Interference

Obfuscation:  Misdirection and concealment.
Reversion:  Undoing what other powers have done.
Depowering:  Suppressing or stealing other superpowers.

In order to make use of a power or immunity, it must have at least 1 level put into it (there is no point in noting a "level 0" power).  Starting characters with less than 3 power or immunity types can pick them later.

Examples

This section gives some guidelines on how strong a power of a given level can be. It's not necessary to use this on your character profile, but we'll be using this to resolve any disputes regarding whether it's possible for a character to do something with her power.  This can also be used to get an idea of what an immunity of a given level represents, because it shows what a character is capable of withstanding.

Aggression (Destruction)

Breakage means that the material is shattered, but still protects anything within. Annihilation means that the material is destroyed and provides no protection. Being able to break or annihilate a given volume of a given material implies being able to annihilate the same volume of a weaker material. Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of breakage/annihilation of materials in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of how big the affected volume is, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• How does the user target the power?  Line of sight?  Physical contact?  Launched projectiles?
• Does the power destroy everything more fragile than the target material, or are some materials (living matter, unworked earth) unaffected?
• How much control does the user have over the shape of the area affected?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 2:  Shouts that shatter walls and windows within hearing range.  (size 4, material 0)
• Level 4:  Bending steel girders with one's bare hands.  (size 0, material 8)
• Level 8:  Beams that hit with the force of a nuclear bomb.  (size 7, material 9)

Immunity to destruction might mean:

• You regenerate quickly enough that damaging your body is practically pointless.
• You have a danger sense that activates to guide you away from physical harm.
• You're just that tough.

Aggression (Confinement)

By default, the force can be used to push, immobilize, or levitate.  The force and area may be scaled down to lower levels at will.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of force in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of area, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• Does the power resist movement entirely or compel it in a particular direction?
• What types of movement are affected?  People walking?  Vehicles driving?  Bugs flying?  Airborne particles flowing?
• How much control does the user have over the shape of the area affected?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 2:  Lock down all pedestrian and small vehicle movement in the area.  (force 1, area 3)
• Level 6:  Lift a floating island high above the clouds.  (force 6, area 6)
• Level 10:  Fire a net gun whose fibers are absolutely indestructible by the standards of conventional physics.  (force 20, area 0)

Immunity to confinement might mean:

• You're capable of teleporting out of any restraints.
• You can destroy just about anything that might restrain you.
• Being confined doesn't hamper your ability to fight.

Aggression (Subdual)

The control granted by this type of power is imprecise and uncertain.  Which people are affected and which aren't is impossible to ascertain, and more strong-willed individuals (especially other supers) tend to be among those who resist.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of the size of the group affected in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of the proportion of that group affected, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• What is the mechanism of the control?  Pheromones?  Venom?  Psychic powers?
• Does the power specialize in a certain emotion or type of action?
• What happens to those controlled after the power expires?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 3:  Focus one's psychic energies on a person to slowly take him over.  (reliability 6, group 0)
• Level 5:  Release a poison gas that drives a significant chunk of the population insane.  (reliability 2, group 8)
• Level 10:  Everyone that understands your words is compelled to obey them, even if heard through televisions or radios.  (reliability 8, group 12)

Immunity to subdual might mean:

• You're inhuman enough that you don't share the usual conception of pain or emotion.
• You aren't personally present on the battlefield.
• Your power continues to fight even if you're in pain or distracted.

Maneuver (Speed)

Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of the distance rendered meaningless in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of action speed, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• Is the power purely mental, purely physical, or both?
• Are there any types of action that the power can't effectively speed up?
• Does the speed have any drawbacks, like increased air consumption or difficulty with precision tasks?

Immunity to speed might mean:

• Your power can be cast out like a dragnet, catching anything that moves through.
• Your power locks onto lifesigns and can affect them regardless of distance or evasion.
• You can stop time in order to avoid being taken by surprise by fast movements.

Maneuver (Alteration)

Fabrication allows the super to create a functional equivalent of the listed technology, though it has the usual limitations, crew requirements, operator skill, and so on.  Manipulation allows the super to easily control and alter all technology up to the listed level, without those limitations, even against the wishes of the current operator, allowing the technology to emulate any other device at equal or lower power level.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of fabrication in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of manipulation, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• Does the power specialize in a particular class of device?
• Is an existing device destroyed by having the power used on it?
• What, if any, tools and materials does the user need in order to use the power?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 1:  Channeling poltergeists to possess machines.  (Fabrication 0, Manipulation 2)
• Level 5:  The ability to grow new organs that mimic inorganic devices, including access ports that can be plugged into computers in order to hack them.  (Fabrication 5, Manipulation 5)
• Level 7:  Control over the flow of electricity, which can be used to hijack anything with an electronic control system or to produce simpler effects by channeling electric circuits and antennae in midair.  (Fabrication 4, Manipulation 10)

Immunity to alteration might mean:

• Your power passes right through all matter.
• Your power infuses things with energy that resists other powers.
• Physical laws and devices don't work the same way around you.

Maneuver (Field)

A character who is capable of modifying one type of thing can also modify all the things from lower levels.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of what can be modified in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of the size of the affected area, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• Does the power specialize in changing one particular sort of thing?
• Does the user have any sort of immunity to the changes she brings about?
• How much control does the user have over the shape of the area affected?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 3:  Provides an aura of luckiness to nearby allies and unluckiness to nearby enemies.  (effect 1, size 5)
• Level 5:  Free pyrokinesis within line of sight.  (effect 7, size 3)
• Level 7:  Pulls enemies into an internal world where the user is unbeatable.  (effect 11, size 3)

Immunity to field might mean:

• You fight from a distance so that you don't usually end up inside field effects.
• You attack suddenly and unpredictably so that field effects don't have time to adapt against you.
• You use a more concentrated field that tends to overwrite others.

Accumulation (Information)

Being able to find one kind of information or optimize one size of organization implies being able to do the same to all lower-level categories.  The ability to optimize administration means that, if the character is put in charge of the entity, she can cause it to operate at peak efficiency, without mistakes, risks, or weaknesses.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of what kind of information can be found in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of how big an organization the character can optimize, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• How much control does the user have over what questions the power focuses on?
• How does the information present itself?  Is it presented in a way that other people can verify?
• What factors must be there for the information to be obtained?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 2:  Mentally access the internet and instantly comprehend any information there.  (knowledge 3, management 1)
• Level 4:  Reduce a scene to its elementary components of evidence and use that to deduce otherwise unknowable things.  (knowledge 8, management 0)
• Level 9:  Visions of the future limited to large-scale events and trends.  (knowledge 9, management 9)

Immunity to information might mean:

• Your power has a significant random component that defies even your own predictions.
• Your power's effects are invisible and leave nothing for information powers to detect.
• Your own information power allows you to specifically avoid doing things that would leave signs in the future.

Accumulation (Enhancement)

Enhancement allows the user to adapt against the large-scale uses of other powers in this section. For example, if the user is caught in the area of a Destruction effect, she'll be able to avoid the damage and maybe even shield her allies. This power won't be sufficient to completely protect against higher-level powers, but it will blunt their effect.

Questions to consider

• What causes the power to become more effective over time?  Is it circumstantial, or does the power itself increase in effectiveness?
• If it's circumstantial, what makes longer battles more advantageous for the power?
• If the power itself changes over time, are there any tradeoffs between its usual effectiveness and its effectiveness after it's been enhanced?

Immunity to enhancement might mean:

• Your power is stealthy enough that targets won't realize that they need to prepare against it.
• Your power is extremely reliable, regardless of how people try to counter it.
• Your power breaks the way that other powers work, rendering their preparations useless.

Accumulation (Summoning)

For the purpose of these powers, a single "servant" is a unit capable of independent action, which might be anything from a monstrous minion to a swarm of nanobots.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of how many servants are controlled in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of how powerful each servant is, or vice versa. This can't be changed once it's decided upon until the character buys another level of the power.

Questions to consider:

• How does the user control the servants?  Is it direct mental control, or can they act independently?
• Where do the servants come from?  Can they be swapped out, or are they permanent fixtures?
• What kinds of task do the servants as a whole specialize in?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 3:  Remote control over a small army of androids.  (number 4, ability 2)
• Level 5:  Make contracts with people that grant them superpowers in exchange for their souls.  (number 3, ability 7)
• Level 8:  Open a portal to a parallel world where an entire planet's worth of people worship you.  (number 15, ability 1)

Immunity to summoning might mean:

• Your power attacks a wide area, taking out lots of enemies at once.
• Your defenses hold up well against large numbers of weak attacks.
• You specialize in using enemies against each other.

Interference (Obfuscation)

When this power allows the user to gain access or escape from a place, then in either case it is subtle to the point that, depending on the nature of the power, guards might not realize that the user has slipped through until days or even months after the fact.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of what security systems the user can bypass in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of what forms of detection may be evaded, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• How does the power mislead?  Interfering with light/sound waves?  Directly affecting people's minds?  Creating distracting phenomena?
• What isn't affected by the power?
• Can the power be extended to allies?  To enemies?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 2:  Has several cyborg bodies with different appearances and transfers one's brain between them.  (bypass 2, evasion 2)
• Level 5:  Can discorporate oneself and float as a barely-noticeable cloud of dust through non-airtight areas.  (bypass 4, evasion 6)
• Level 8:  Can slip between parallel universes at will.  (bypass 11, evasion 5)

Interference (Reversion)

Being able to revert a given size by a given time period implies being able to revert a smaller area or by a smaller time period.  Any given power might be treated as X levels higher for the purpose of the size of the area affected in exchange for being treated X levels lower for the purpose of how far back it may be reverted, or vice versa.

Questions to consider:

• Does the power actually retrieve an object's state from the past, or does it just put things back together by other means?
• If it reverses the flow of time, what aspects of the target are reverted?  Damage?  Position?  Thoughts and memories?
• If it just reassembles things, what kinds of changes can it make from how they were in the first place?

Examples of this power type:

• Level 2:  Draws from the lingering memory of surrounding materials to repair limited damage to people and objects.  (size 1, duration 3)
• Level 7:  Reverse most aging and injury, now matter how old, but reversing neural degeneration requires that the memories be lost as well.  (size 2, duration 12)
• Level 10:  Experience events several months in advance and retroactively change one's actions if one doesn't like the outcome.  (size 12, duration 8)

Immunity to reversion might mean:

• Your power causes extreme, large-scale effects that aren't easy to entirely revert.
• Your power works slowly and insidiously, so by the time one realizes reversion is necessary, it's too late.
• Your power itself manipulates the flow of time and resists further reversion.

Interference (Depowering)

Powers of this type may be used to pre-emptively stop other powers from coming into effect. Depending on the nature of the power, the user might be able to mitigate another power somewhat even if caught by surprise. In any case, higher-level powers will overcome any depowering attempts.

Questions to consider:

• Does the power act on other users, on their targets, or on areas?
• Is it possible for the power to be overwhelmed?
• Can the power differentiate between helpful and harmful powers?

Resetting Powers

If you want to know how to level up powers, see the shop thread. This section is about switching your powers from one type to another. For the most part, power types are not allowed to be changed. There are only three reasons power types can be changed, and they are as follows:

1. Mulligan
   
   • Every character gets on free reset. This is called a mulligan. Mulligans do not require any reason for the change.
   • Mulligans must be used with in one month of the character being accepted. The staff post made when the character is accepted will serve as the timestamp.
   • To use a mulligan to change your powers, PM all staff by clicking here, tell them that you're using the mulligan and write out your new powers. Staff will respond to the PM with an okay, or will let you know if you need to make any changes (if your math is off for example). Don't forget to update your super profile with your new powers as well.
     
     
2. Plot Reasons
   
   • If significant changes happen to the character, sometimes they might be able to change their powers. For example, if an unpowered character develops superpowers of their own. Another example is if a person with powers already starts using their powers in a drastically different way, such as a character that used to be a pacifist deciding they want to use their powers to fight lethally.
   • If you want to change your powers for plot reasons, PM all staff members with the reasons you think your character should be allowed to change their powers. The staff will discuss it and get back to you.
   • If your request is approved, then PM all staff again with your new powers. The staff will respond with an okay or will let you know if you need to make changes (if your math is off for example). Don't forget to update your super profile with your new powers.
   • If your request is rejected then you cannot change your powers.
     
     
3. Unpredictable Trait
   
   • The Unpredictable Trait is a trait that lets the character change their powers between battles. See the shop thread for more details.
   • To change your powers, PM all staff with your new powers. The staff will respond with an okay or will let you know if you need to make changes (if your math is off for example). Don't forget to update your super profile with your new powers.

Once you change your powers, a post will be made in the Power Change Alert thread, unless you're changing powers due to the Unpredictable trait. The powers themselves will not be mentioned, only the fact that you changed them. If someone used the Espionage trait against you, they will get updated information if you use a mulligan, but they will not if powers were changed for story reasons or due to the unpredictable trait.