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JNAProductions
2017-08-07, 09:12 PM
So I'm planning on running an RP with the characters having recently developed powers. These powers should, of course, come with nuances, details, limitations, and restrictions that the characters will have to learn in time.

Any ideas from the Playground?

Arbane
2017-08-08, 12:49 AM
So I'm planning on running an RP with the characters having recently developed powers. These powers should, of course, come with nuances, details, limitations, and restrictions that the characters will have to learn in time.

Any ideas from the Playground?

Just how serious/silly/weird/powerful do you want them to be? Because 'powers' can range from 'can hear ultrasonic noise' to 'can negate gravity withing a light-second sphere' (that's nowhere NEAR the potential top, either) to 'can kill you by knocking the letters out of your name until you cease to exist'.

daniel_ream
2017-08-08, 01:27 AM
This seems an odd question, given that we're currently swimming in superhero media and your local comic book store will likely have a nickel bin just full of potential inspiration (http://dorkshelf.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads//2013/04/Codpiece-1.jpg).

The old Marvel Super Heroes RPG Ultimate Powers Book has a pretty good random generator for superpower sets that even adds weaknesses and limits. You can find it at Classic Marvel Forever (http://classicmarvelforever.com/cms/advanced-game-and-modules.html).

JBPuffin
2017-08-08, 02:47 AM
A little more structure would be handy - see above for part of it. Like, a template or an example you already have?

Lvl 2 Expert
2017-08-08, 06:43 AM
Some extra background for the world would be nice. Is the power level Ninja Turtles, Iron Man or Hulk, destroyer of planets? And is the tone more "Batman's girlfriend falls out of highrise window and is fine" or "Spider-Man kills his girlfriend by catching her?" In the mean time: have some (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?522804-My-World-Needs-Superhumans) inspiration (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?512833-101-plots-for-superhero-rpgs).

DeTess
2017-08-08, 07:43 AM
If you're looking for powers with interesting limits on the lower end of the power scale, maybe look up allomancy and feruchemy. You could quite literally pick a couple of powers from each set and have a functioning hero.

LibraryOgre
2017-08-08, 12:48 PM
We used to do this with Villains and Vigilantes... some accident would give you superpowers, and you didn't get your character sheet until you figured out what your powers were.

That said, I would start with "Do you want them to be themed"? Do you want everyone to have animal powers? Do you want a weird grab-bag of powers? The suggestion to use Classic Marvel Forever for random generation of powersets it a fun one... roll up a powerset, and then tweak it a bit so it makes sense.

Vogie
2017-08-08, 02:33 PM
HERE (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?522804-My-World-Needs-Superhumans) is a thread from the worldbuilding tab that will certainly help, and THIS (http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Superpower_Wiki) is a wikia of known superpowers across various genres, and hitting the Explore > Random Page button gives great inspiration.

In general, any single ability on a D&D (or equivalent) spell list can become a core superpower when a PC can perform it repeatedly. For example, Thorn Javelin (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advancedClassGuide/spells/thornJavelin.html) becomes Spike (http://xmenmovies.wikia.com/wiki/Spike), even though it's "just" a 1st level spell. If there's a player who isn't as on-board with a really obvious superpower, there's always things like Comprehend Languages/Memorize Page, Invisibility Alarm/Detect Secret Doors, or Anticipate Peril/Heightened Awareness style abilities that can be given to anyone, even if they're martial and don't want a "caster"ish ability.

The best superpowers, I've found, are those that have a single ability. That gives the users very defined pair of paths - accept or reject - with corresponding weaknesses - overreliance on the accepted power, or accidental use of the ignored power, respectively. For example, an "accept" path would be many of the Cyclops and Wolverine from X-Men storylines, while Elsa from Frozen movie is a well-known example of trying to ignore the ability.

You can do a Fantastic-Four-style of abilities, where the ability reflects a core aspect of the personality, but that gets very tropey and your players may not enjoy it, depending on the chosen ability.

I definitely like the "Misfits" style of superpower discovery, where the characters don't know what their abilities are - in the show, there's one individual, Nathan who spends most of it thinking that he didn't get an ability...
until he dies, then comes back to life, discovering that his ability is actually immortality

Dragonexx
2017-08-09, 01:01 AM
HERE (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?522804-My-World-Needs-Superhumans) is a thread from the worldbuilding tab that will certainly help, and THIS (http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Superpower_Wiki) is a wikia of known superpowers across various genres, and hitting the Explore > Random Page button gives great inspiration.

In general, any single ability on a D&D (or equivalent) spell list can become a core superpower when a PC can perform it repeatedly. For example, Thorn Javelin (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advancedClassGuide/spells/thornJavelin.html) becomes Spike (http://xmenmovies.wikia.com/wiki/Spike), even though it's "just" a 1st level spell. If there's a player who isn't as on-board with a really obvious superpower, there's always things like Comprehend Languages/Memorize Page, Invisibility Alarm/Detect Secret Doors, or Anticipate Peril/Heightened Awareness style abilities that can be given to anyone, even if they're martial and don't want a "caster"ish ability.

The best superpowers, I've found, are those that have a single ability. That gives the users very defined pair of paths - accept or reject - with corresponding weaknesses - overreliance on the accepted power, or accidental use of the ignored power, respectively. For example, an "accept" path would be many of the Cyclops and Wolverine from X-Men storylines, while Elsa from Frozen movie is a well-known example of trying to ignore the ability.

You can do a Fantastic-Four-style of abilities, where the ability reflects a core aspect of the personality, but that gets very tropey and your players may not enjoy it, depending on the chosen ability.

I definitely like the "Misfits" style of superpower discovery, where the characters don't know what their abilities are - in the show, there's one individual, Nathan who spends most of it thinking that he didn't get an ability...
until he dies, then comes back to life, discovering that his ability is actually immortality

How does that work out in gameplay though? Seems like it would be hard to do in this medium.

Vogie
2017-08-09, 09:25 AM
How does that work out in gameplay though? Seems like it would be hard to do in this medium.

How does what work out? You quoted my entire post.

If you're talking about the last suggestion, where the DM gives the players superpowers, that was already explained above:


you didn't get your character sheet until you figured out what your powers were.

I see this in Godsfall (http://www.godsfall.com), where most of the party are "godlings" who have "divinities" that they don't know at the beginning, and slowly discover through the game, becoming more and more powerful as they 'level up'.

Since the game is already based on skill checks, a DM can "show" parts of the abilities before they are aware - A Flame Blade (https://open5e.com/Spellcasting/spells_a-z/f/flame-blade.html) appearing in their hand, then disappearing when they let go of it in shock, a high reflex roll makes their skin turn to bark before getting hit. Lets say you give a PC some sort of telekinetic ability... A tanky character might have it manifest as turning their shield into an Arrow Magnet (http://archivesofnethys.com/MagicWondrousDisplay.aspx?FinalName=Arrow Magnet), while a ranger might have it manifest as Bow Spirit (http://archivesofnethys.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Bow Spirit), a thief as Pilfering Hand (http://archivesofnethys.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Pilfering Hand), and a sailor as Unseen Crew (http://archivesofnethys.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Unseen Crew).

A PC with the Bane (https://open5e.com/Spellcasting/spells_a-z/b/bane.html) ability, for example, may not ever know they have an ability other than "their opponents sometimes roll poorly"; similarly, a PC with a Invisibility Alarm/Detect Secret Doors ability won't realize they have any ability if they don't run across any secret doors or invisible creatures.