LOOKING FOR: Fantasy or science fantasy novels with extremely OP magic..

[Giegue]

As the he title says. I got into fantasy through the MTG novels and then D&D 3.5e. Why? Well, I live for over the top, epic scale things...particularly powers than can destroy world, bend reality etc...However, such "anime" scale magic is almost unheard of in fantasy/science fantasy, but I know some is out there as I've read the MTG books.

So, what I am looking for is any story where the main character eventually becomes powerful enough to defeat the high tries of anime, such as Goku. I would prefer a progression/build up to that power-scale if possible, but characters that start out that strong are fine too. If anybody knows any books with that level of magic/powers I'd be grateful!

[Traab]

Ah, got one, read The Black Jewels Trilogy. Fair warning, sweet mother of murgatroid is it grim. However, its a high magic setting where pretty much everyone is a mage, their power is ranked by the jewel color they can use. The high lord of hell is one of the good guys in this fic. That might tell you something. :smalltongue:

[Razade]

Slayer, all of them.

[Kitten Champion]

The Wheel of Time series comes to mind. While not common, there's reality-warping, army eviscerating, continent-breaking sorts of magic that comes up as the series goes on.

It's not a series I got very far in, but I recall The Chronicles of Amber having multiversal sorts of destruction. I actually think it's relatively similar to MTG when you get into the details.

[endoperez]

Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny fits this really well, as was mentioned above. It shares many similarities to MTG lore - the heroes are able to walk across different worlds (think planes), and recruit the locals to serve them in their wars and conflicts, etc.

Roger Zelazny's book "Lord Demon" was post-humously completed by Jane M. Lindskold. Demon in this one isn't a demon from Christian mythology, but instead something like a supernaturally powered non-human. Analogous to the Fair Folk, really. The titular Lord Demon is a craftsman who creates miniature worlds.

Chinese fantasy literature and related fiction includes some extremely overpowered characters. The feeling and the tropes are different from Western fantasy stories, but if you want epic stuff... there's whole genres based on that. I don't know if there are actual book or ebook versions, but you can read stories on translation sites like www.wuxiaworld.com . Wuxiaworld is the only one I know of that is actually legal (they have deals with the original Chinese authors and online publishing site). Most stories are serial stories and incomplete, either mid-translation or not completed even in the original Chinese, but below are some complete ones:

Child of Light
This is a Chinese take on the Western fantasy novel of the "good and humble hero of virtuous destiny saves the world from the personification of evil itself". It's relatively short, and the similarities to Western fantasy novels make it easier to approach than some other ones, in my opinion.
http://www.wuxiaworld.com/col-index/

Stellar Transformations
A young prince doesn't have the talent for supernatural stuff. He tries any way, trains his body through various superhuman body training regimes, and eventually meets a fortuous encounter. The increase in power is unbelievable. Running up a mountain -> taking a jog on the surface of a neutron star -> ???
http://www.wuxiaworld.com/st-index/

Coiling Dragon
Same author as above. It's the same genre, and the rise in power is just as incredible. I prefer the translation in Stellar Transformations, but the names in this one might be easier. For example, the protagonist in this one is Linley Baruch, and members of his family are this Baruch and that Baruch. In ST, the protagonist is Qin Yu, and they are Qin this or Qin that. It can be quite confusing; so Coiling Dragon has that going for it.
http://www.wuxiaworld.com/cdindex-html/

[Fri]

If sufficiently advanced sci-fi is okay for you, it's not called Lensman Arms Race (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LensmanArmsRace) for nothing...

[endoperez]

Oooh, sufficiently advanced scifi. Yes.

Fine Structure (https://qntm.org/unbelievable)by Sam Hughes.

It's incredible.
It's rational science fiction with souls and afterlife. It's super hero fiction. It's a story about research into the working of certain waves that could theoretically be used as message carrier waves for instantaneous communication, and troubles with putting theory into practice. It starts with an "angel" falling from "grace". Again, it's rational science fiction, and while it's not inspired by Christianity, it's not religious per se.

If you're familiar with Three Body Problem and the problems the scientists face in that book, there's something similar going on in here.

[Giegue]

Sufficiently advance sci-fi doesn't count unless the main characters actually have powers such as psionics. The story does not count if the OP comes from superweapons alla the star wars death star or gadgets/weapons a character weilds. I want the powers to either be outright magic, or if not something otherwise inherent to the characters...not a device they build or something their civilization has. Simply put, I want to read about characters with OP powers. Not a society with OP tech, characters with OP powers.. Which is why OP sci-fi doesn't work normally and why I specified fantasy or science fantasy.

Other than that, I thank you all for the fantasy recommendations!

[GloatingSwine]

One Punch Man?

That'll probably cure you of the desire to read whatever it is you seem to want, because "hero is invincible god now" is p. boring and tensionless.

[Tvtyrant]

WoT and the Sword of Truth series both involve completely overpowered wizards in a low powered setting, but the latter of those is terrible. Prince of Nothing series is a little better and the wizards are army killers, with specific in universe counters.

[hamishspence]

"Army killing" and "city-killing" magic does appear in Modesit's Spellsong cycle - possibly in his Magic of Recluse series as well.

[gooddragon1]

One Punch Man?

That'll probably cure you of the desire to read whatever it is you seem to want, because "hero is invincible god now" is p. boring and tensionless.

Seconded. Even the protagonist thinks so.

[Knaight]

It's marginally more grounded, but the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson could work. The mentor figure in the first book nonchalantly fights about a dozen elite anti-mage troops and wins, and said mentor figure gets overshadowed by their pupil during the first book, with said pupil being a whole new level of capable by the second.

[Traab]

"Army killing" and "city-killing" magic does appear in Modesit's Spellsong cycle - possibly in his Magic of Recluse series as well.

Oooh, good one. Its an interesting series done pretty well. And it even shows that being an army killing level spell caster isnt enough sometimes. *EDIT* Also, i forgot to mention, the black jewels trilogy is written by Anne Bishop.

[Razade]

One Punch Man?

That'll probably cure you of the desire to read whatever it is you seem to want, because "hero is invincible god now" is p. boring and tensionless.

Someone clearly doesn't get One Punch Man.

[Khedrac]

Sufficiently advance sci-fi doesn't count unless the main characters actually have powers such as psionics. The story does not count if the OP comes from superweapons alla the star wars death star or gadgets/weapons a character weilds. I want the powers to either be outright magic, or if not something otherwise inherent to the characters...not a device they build or something their civilization has. Simply put, I want to read about characters with OP powers. Not a society with OP tech, characters with OP powers.. Which is why OP sci-fi doesn't work normally and why I specified fantasy or science fantasy.

Other than that, I thank you all for the fantasy recommendations!

Well in the lensman books the lead character sdo have Psi powers that meet that criterion.

On the fantasy front: Magician by Raymond E Feist.
To a lesser extent, both the Belgarian/Mallorean and the Elenium/Tamuli cycles by Davd Eddings.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Knaight
It's marginally more grounded, but the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson could work.

Mistborn came right to mind when I first saw this thread. As Knaight says, the student is constantly improving the strength and utility of the magic, and by the third book there’s definitely some world-altering power going on.

Including…

...the world literally being reshaped by one of the characters, both destroying and saving it at once.

Plus the discovery that this has happened before, as well as some ascensions to godhood here and there.

[Themrys]

In "Starborn: The Worldmaker Trilogy", a main character grows powerful enough to, well, basically what it says in the title. I only read the first book, but it hints at there being even more overpowered power in the next one.

[Morty]

The Malazan Book of the Fallen feels a lot like a high-level game of D&D, with powerful magic fired off left and right and gods, demons and dragons joining the fray.

The Black Company books also feature magicians so powerful as to be nearly demigods, but they're not POV characters.

[mikelala]

Slayer, all of them.

[gomipile]

Sufficiently advance sci-fi doesn't count unless the main characters actually have powers such as psionics. The story does not count if the OP comes from superweapons alla the star wars death star or gadgets/weapons a character weilds. I want the powers to either be outright magic, or if not something otherwise inherent to the characters...not a device they build or something their civilization has. Simply put, I want to read about characters with OP powers. Not a society with OP tech, characters with OP powers.. Which is why OP sci-fi doesn't work normally and why I specified fantasy or science fantasy.

Other than that, I thank you all for the fantasy recommendations!

In the Void trilogy set within the Commonwealth universe by Peter F. Hamilton, there are two storylines which satisfy this in different ways, despite it being science fiction.

In the storyline in our universe about two thousand years from now, many humans have implanted technology of great power and sophistication. Those whose bodies are configured for combat have very powerful force fields and energy weapons.

In a storyline set within the titular Void, the setting is a Vance-esque high fantasy where every human has psychic powers to some degree. The story there is a coming-of-age story and beyond of Edeard, who becomes more powerful than anyone in his world knows how to deal with.

The storylines are related in a slightly complicated way, but it's explained well within the flow of the story.

[Sermil]

Book of Swords by Fred Saberhagen. The titular twelve swords each have a specific power, and they are COMPLETELY unstoppable in that area. For example, if you hold Shieldbreaker, if anyone attempts to hit you with any weapon or spell, Shieldbreaker will parry it and destroy the other weapon, no matter what weapon. Nothing can hurt you -- except getting grappled, which Shieldbreaker won't react to, because it's not a weapon.

I shatter Swords and splinter spears;
None stands to Shieldbreaker.
My point's the fount of orphans' tears
My edge the widowmaker.


On the other hand, Woundhealer will heal any wound, instantly. Stab someone through the heart with it, they won't die because Woundhealer will heal them faster than it cuts them. It regenerates lost limbs, cures illness, even fixes mental problems.

Whose flesh the Sword of Mercy hurts has drawn no breath,
Whose soul it heals has wandered in the night,
Has paid the summing of all debts in death
Has turned to see returning light.


And so on. A good series.

[Rysto]

The Malazan Book of the Fallen feels a lot like a high-level game of D&D, with powerful magic fired off left and right and gods, demons and dragons joining the fray.

That's because the author based the series off of a long-running GURPS campaign he'd participated in.

[Flickerdart]

The high ends of power for both Marvel and DC qualify - reality warpers are only about mid-tier in these canons.

All the shenanigans that Darth Sidious gets up to in the old Star Wars EU. Can you say Sith Alchemy? In fact, all the Sith routinely eat worlds for breakfast.

[Shamash]

Slayers, if you can take so comedy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1U9ESUBpmA

[Morty]

That's because the author based the series off of a long-running GURPS campaign he'd participated in.

That would certainly explain a lot.

[Moak]

I don't know if Belgarion could pummel Goku, but I think both Polgara and Belgarath could.

So...

Eddings - The Belgariad and its sequel The Malloreon

[Traab]

I don't know if Belgarion could pummel Goku, but I think both Polgara and Belgarath could.

So...

Eddings - The Belgariad and its sequel The Malloreon

I really dont think so. I mean, its hard to tell for sure but we really only see one true magical duel, and the description is left rather vague, but seeing as how the entire fight takes place in a single room of a building, it cant have been THAT epic. Plus... goku is kind of quicker than a human being. Now, the orb of aldur, THAT is an epic level thing of magic, capable of cracking worlds, putting them back together, or writing your name in the stars. But aside from the first thing, that takes place in the backstory, none of that gets done.

[Cikomyr]

Lucifer

The magic is so powerful there, combats anf conflcitd arent decided by one's power limit, but by one's limit of conceptualization

[Giggling Ghast]

Sounds like you want something akin to DAFFY DUCK THE WIZARD!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_hcwB8i64

[Prime32]

As the he title says. I got into fantasy through the MTG novels and then D&D 3.5e. Why? Well, I live for over the top, epic scale things...particularly powers than can destroy world, bend reality etc...However, such "anime" scale magic is almost unheard of in fantasy/science fantasy, but I know some is out there as I've read the MTG books.

So, what I am looking for is any story where the main character eventually becomes powerful enough to defeat the high tries of anime, such as Goku. I would prefer a progression/build up to that power-scale if possible, but characters that start out that strong are fine too. If anybody knows any books with that level of magic/powers I'd be grateful!
OVERLORD (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overlord_(novel_series)) is about an ultra-powerful, ultra-paranoid lich and his minions, who get transported to a low-magic fantasy world and start disrupting it by their mere presence.

Actually the lich is a normal guy who got trapped inside his heavily optimized D&D 3.5 character* and is desperately trying to stay in-character to avoid suspicion, while also keeping his epic-level minions from "helping" him by conquering the world for him. Except he also cares a lot for his minions due to them being created by his friends from his old D&D group (meaning they're now the last thing he has left from his old life), and being in a lich body is slowly affecting his mind...

Aside from the original books, there's anime and manga adaptations. The anime is okay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMoVmSV4yA8), but the manga strips out or changes a lot of stuff.

*Officially an MMO character, but the MMO blatantly ran on D&D 3.x rules and strategies (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ShoutOut/Overlord2012)

[Kitten Champion]

If were including Light Novels, I would point to Ore to Kawazu-san no Isekai Hourouki where the protagonist having OP magic is played for laughs. It's the rather typical story of a Japanese (in this case college) student being dragged to a fantasy world and having some overblown Mary Sue-esque ability, except there's no real conflict for him to face beyond the fact that he didn't really want to go there in the first place and lacks just enough power to enact a return home despite his near-omnipotence.

He mostly tools around as a fantasy-world tourist. Innovating pointlessly overpowered, complicated, and quirky magic because he can while meeting the fantasy-type creatures to hang out with and stuff.

He's accepted that he's an eldritch horror and is making the best of it.

[Knaight]

If you don't care about quality, there's the Eragon series. It starts out as fairly solid and just keeps ramping out.

[Philistine]

"Army killing" and "city-killing" magic does appear in Modesit's Spellsong cycle - possibly in his Magic of Recluse series as well.
IIRC, the high end in Recluce involves permanently changing the natural laws of the setting. It's been quite a while since I read any of them, though.

And yes, generally Modesitt's fantasy series work up to really, big, spectacular displays of whatever kind of magic he's created for that setting - at least army- and city-killing levels of "spectacular." The powers generally aren't as cheap and easy to use as D&D 3E magic, but then D&D 3E makes kind of a terrible basis for fiction.


The Malazan Book of the Fallen feels a lot like a high-level game of D&D, with powerful magic fired off left and right and gods, demons and dragons joining the fray.

The Black Company books also feature magicians so powerful as to be nearly demigods, but they're not POV characters.

Ahem. Portions of The Silver Spike and all of She Is the Darkness beg to differ - though admittedly both of those cases involve the POVs of ex-demigod-level sorcerers. And as much as I usually jump at any chance to recommend Cook, the other reason the Black Company series probably doesn't fit the OP's criteria is because magic in that setting is inherently evil.

So instead I'll recommend the Dread Empire series, by the same author - it's mostly from the POVs of non-mages, but the wizards who do show up for POV chapters include some real heavyweight curb-stompers in the setting.

[Bohandas]

The usually low-to-medium magic setting of Discworld is occasionally punctuated with magic artifacts and supernatural beings doing things like causing continent-wide thunderstorms (The Last Continent), trapping the gods in a bubble (Sourcery), completely reordering the timeline (The Thief of Time), conjuring a horde of 50 foot tall movie monsters (Moving Pictures), and mind-controlling everyone on the planet (Hogfather)

[Traab]

IIRC, the high end in Recluce involves permanently changing the natural laws of the setting. It's been quite a while since I read any of them, though.

And yes, generally Modesitt's fantasy series work up to really, big, spectacular displays of whatever kind of magic he's created for that setting - at least army- and city-killing levels of "spectacular." The powers generally aren't as cheap and easy to use as D&D 3E magic, but then D&D 3E makes kind of a terrible basis for fiction.





I dont honestly recall changing natural laws, I DO however, remember her singing songs anna came up with to replicate nukes and other horrifying effects from earth science. But yeah, army killers easy, even city busting levels of power at times.

[endoperez]

Technically, Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell fits the bill.

It's about two English gentlemen's careers as practitioners of magic, and their life in England, with occasional forays into Napoleonic wars, faerie lands or worlds within mirrors. It's fantasy as a setting but not as a genre. The magic ranges from subtle influence to useful parlour tricks to teleporting geographical features and illusions that cover a whole ocean.

[Cespenar]

Classic D&D?

Raistlin from Dragonlance went from casting Sleep at pursuing guardsmen to overthrowing the setting's pantheon as the one god. Then stuff happened and that changed too, of course, but still.

Or a lot of Forgotten Realms characters who started out as adventurers and then rose up to god-level beings, like Bhaal, Bane, Myrkul, Kelemvor, Midnight, Cyric, and more.

Among them, Raistlin's ascension is a little more legitimate, as he usurped godhood while the others were bestowed it, but still.

Oh, also Harry Dresden of Dresden Files is on his way to OPness if he's not already. I mean, the guy just happens to chance upon (and get) every different vestige of magic the setting has to offer and still continues. Fey, demonic, angelic, otherworldly, he has them all.

[Flickerdart]

Technically, Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell fits the bill.

It's about two English gentlemen's careers as practitioners of magic, and their life in England, with occasional forays into Napoleonic wars, faerie lands or worlds within mirrors. It's fantasy as a setting but not as a genre. The magic ranges from subtle influence to useful parlour tricks to teleporting geographical features and illusions that cover a whole ocean.

The titular Strange and Norrel don't qualify for the premise, but the Raven King certainly does, and possibly the Nameless Slave.

[Traab]

Classic D&D?

Raistlin from Dragonlance went from casting Sleep at pursuing guardsmen to overthrowing the setting's pantheon as the one god. Then stuff happened and that changed too, of course, but still.

Or a lot of Forgotten Realms characters who started out as adventurers and then rose up to god-level beings, like Bhaal, Bane, Myrkul, Kelemvor, Midnight, Cyric, and more.

Among them, Raistlin's ascension is a little more legitimate, as he usurped godhood while the others were bestowed it, but still.

Oh, also Harry Dresden of Dresden Files is on his way to OPness if he's not already. I mean, the guy just happens to chance upon (and get) every different vestige of magic the setting has to offer and still continues. Fey, demonic, angelic, otherworldly, he has them all.

Seriously, at this point it feels like dr strange is just waiting for dresden to legit break free from mab to offer him a spot as the future sorcerer supreme. Yeah I know the guy doesnt exist in the dresden verse, but thats what it feels like.

[endoperez]

The titular Strange and Norrel don't qualify for the premise, but the Raven King certainly does, and possibly the Nameless Slave.

Again, the genre of the story is not fantasy, so it doesn't follow the tropes, and the magic isn't generally explosive and violent. But the range of effects Strange and Norrel can unleash is mind-boggling enough that it could seriously hamper many overpowered anime-esque characters. For example, the very first spell Norrel casts at the cathedral is arguably an Epic spell in Dungeons & Dragons, because it doesn't fit any of the traditional fantasy spells and so it must be "more powerful" than them.

If the OP is looking for awesome and OP magic used as a straightforward weapon, then the book isn't a good fit because even the Raven King doesn't really do that. But it's still one of the books whose magic has most awed me by pure power. It might still be an interesting variation on powerful magic users.

[gomipile]

Oooh, sufficiently advanced scifi. Yes.

Fine Structure (https://qntm.org/unbelievable)by Sam Hughes.

I checked it out. Then I read it all, pretty quickly.

I like it. The author says there might be a cleaned-up and streamlined version sometime, too. I like it as is, but if it turns out the way ve wants it to, that version might be easier for me to recommend to more people.

[2D8HP]

As the he title says. I got into fantasy through....


I've never played MTG or 3.5 D&D (only other RPG'S and editions of D&D), and I haven't read any of the works you cited, but my son has played MTG, and is a Bleach, and Naruto fan so I have that exposure.

In any case, regarding "powerful magic fantasy fiction", I recently finished The Burning Page, the third and last novel in a series after The Invisible Library, and
The Masked City, by Genevieve Cogman, and it was AWESOME!

Now I'm reading A Conjuring of Light, the third novel in a series after A Darker Shade of Magic, and
A Gathering of Shadows, by Victoria Schwab, which I'd been eagerly awaiting the publication of FOR TOO LONG!

The first sentence reads:

"Delilah Bard - always a thief, recently a magician, and one day, hopefully, a pirate - was running as fast as she could.

Highly recommended.

I give it an "around the world snap".


:smile:

[Doorhandle]

One Punch Man?

That'll probably cure you of the desire to read whatever it is you seem to want, because "hero is invincible god now" is p. boring and tensionless.


Eh, the anime hasn't gotten up to the good part, and the manga is ignoring/hasn't reached the best part.

Meanwhile, speaking of the topic (and italicising the things i've actually read):

Dragon Ball, Dragon ball Z, Dragon Ball Super...: Do you even need to ask?

Journey to the west: The legendary novel has a protagonist so powerful it took the heavenly buddha to stop him: by literally burying him under a mountain, and this is after the part where Sun Wukong briefly transformed into a temple. Like, the whole thing.

Toriko starts relatively sane (if you count food-based shonen as sane,), but when they reach the Four-Beasts/Four Beast arc the power levels start getting exponentially loopy and never stop: By the end, not one, not two, but most of the remaining relevant cast are s capable of reversing time, moving faster than light, devouring things as surely as a black hole, ect. ect.

Bleach; Well, the final BBEG is basically God. Kinda hard to one-up that.

Worm: The powers start reasonable and get less so with each new character. And even the most broken human charcter aren't a match for the least broken non-human characters. Even Countessa, whose power is literally defined as "I win," is far from the absolute most broken thing in the setting.

Medaka box: Evetually reaches this level when the plot moves beyond "slice of life, with a busty superman trying to improve people's lives." Like the one character with thirteen quadrillion different abilities.

JoJo's bizarre adventures series tends to shy away from ludicrously powerful abilities for the most part; but there seems to be one stand every part that throws that out the window and is completely ludicrous. Like, stopping time, reality-warping ludicrous.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Well, by the end you have a Mecha that's as big as a galaxy fighting a different mecha as big as a galaxy...

Demonbane: Well, by the end your mech is as big as the universe that warps spacetime, who's fighting the goddamn Outer Gods...

Fate/stay night and derivatives: Basically a pissing contest between history's legendary heros on "Who's broken-ass superpower will win in a Death Battle?"

Tsukihime: similar to fate-stay night in themes, just without the semi-historical element.

Angel Notes: I know little about this aside from it being even stupider in over-powered-ness than the above.

Hyperion Cantos: The main villain is so fast he can instagib people who are at least as fast as the flash.

...And this isn't even everything I scraped from the TVtropes barrel.

I apologize if these things aren't quite magical enough: To be honest, most of them approach the "Superman" brand of overpowered, rather than the "Elminster" sort of overpowered which I assume you are looking for.

[Knaight]

One Punch Man?

That'll probably cure you of the desire to read whatever it is you seem to want, because "hero is invincible god now" is p. boring and tensionless.
It's boring and tensionless when the character is repeatedly put in a position where their godlike skills solve a situation. The mere presence of godlike skills doesn't do that if the plot is made half competently.

[GloatingSwine]

It's boring and tensionless when the character is repeatedly put in a position where their godlike skills solve a situation. The mere presence of godlike skills doesn't do that if the plot is made half competently.

This is not the first time someone has quoted me thinking that I'm criticising OPM.

I'm not, the fact that Saitama's life is boring and tensionless because of his godlike power is the whole joke. Once you realise what a joke that premise should degenerate into because you've watched the example of it doing so you won't want it any more, you'll watch/read One Punch Man and realise that wanting what you wanted was foolish.

If OPM wasn't a comedy, then it would be something to criticise. (Like someone reccommended Overlord, and that's a really bad show, with all the **** tropes of a trapped in a videogame anime, pointless fanservice, and the first time any tension happens it takes literally an entire episode of exposition to explain why it is suddenly tension)

[MikelaC1]

Raistlin from Dragonlance went from casting Sleep at pursuing guardsmen to overthrowing the setting's pantheon as the one god. Then stuff happened and that changed too, of course, but still.

Or a lot of Forgotten Realms characters who started out as adventurers and then rose up to god-level beings, like Bhaal, Bane, Myrkul, Kelemvor, Midnight, Cyric, and more.

Among them, Raistlin's ascension is a little more legitimate, as he usurped godhood while the others were bestowed it, but still.

I found Raistlin's progression relatively undocumented. He went through almost all of the first 3 books as a wannabe, then suddenly had "Now I can kill you all" power. Without much reference as to how he got there.

[Prime32]

If OPM wasn't a comedy, then it would be something to criticise. (Like someone reccommended Overlord, and that's a really bad show, with all the **** tropes of a trapped in a videogame anime, pointless fanservice, and the first time any tension happens it takes literally an entire episode of exposition to explain why it is suddenly tension)Overlord is a comedy. It's just black comedy. The running gag is that Ainz has no clue what he's doing, and ends up in bizarre situations by being overly paranoid and/or trying to bluff his way through everything. It also goes more in-depth on the normal humans who live in Ainz's shadow than OPM does, though the anime didn't cover much of it.

Like Saitama, Ainz's power just makes him feel empty. He's highly unlike most "trapped in a videogame" protagonists (though technically he's not in a videogame, he just brought part of a videogame with him) in that the force that drives him isn't heroism or even greed, but nostalgia.

[solidork]

How do you feel about actual plays in written form? There are a series of excellent ones for Mage: the Awakening, which has a well deserved reputation for being relatively high powered. Your character can start the game doing things that are difficult (or even impossible) in D&D, like teleportation, scrying, accurately viewing the future and the past, rewinding time and mind control. The never get to the point where they could destroy worlds in game(the primary antagonist does, but he is still using the same rules and is only moderately more powerful), but they quickly reach the point where it is impossible to hide information from them for any length of time and eventually reach the point where they can magically enhance mundane attacks enough to instantly kill most things.

If you decide it's not for you, but wouldn't mind hearing about the main antagonist's plan (which is so ambitious and impressive that the PCs weren't entirely sure that they should stop him) I will relate it to you so you can bask in it's glory.

http://www.pyrron.com/?p=33

[Knaight]

This is not the first time someone has quoted me thinking that I'm criticising OPM.

I'm not, the fact that Saitama's life is boring and tensionless because of his godlike power is the whole joke. Once you realise what a joke that premise should degenerate into because you've watched the example of it doing so you won't want it any more, you'll watch/read One Punch Man and realise that wanting what you wanted was foolish.

That premise has been used effectively before though - the capacity to win any fight (which is all OPM has going for him) only solves situations which can be solved by punching. There's all sorts of problems that don't fit in that category, and while OPM does mock the various garbage shows that have both the characters that can win every fight and a series of incredibly shallow conflicts that can be solved by punching I wouldn't argue that's anywhere near enough to make it good.

[Bohandas]

IIRC the superweapons in Star Wars are all powered by magic crystals, does that count

[Forbiddenwar]

Lev Grossman magicians trilogy.
The fact that magic is both super easy, and really overpowered is the main difficulty the main character has to overcoming.