20th level power - Who do ya trust?

[Andor13]

So there are a couple of "What would you do as a 20th Level 'X'" threads floating around, and I thought it might be interesting to invert the question a bit.

Suppose instead of being offered 20th level powers in a class, you had the chance to grant one person 20 levels in a class. You get to pick the person, and the class. That's it. You make no build choices in any way. You have no control over what they do, most explicitly including no ability to undo the gift. If you give your best friend 20 levels in Wizard and they decide to say thank you by trapping your soul in a miniature glass unicorn you are SOL.

No historical figures, ideally it should be someone you know but if you really want to make the Pope a 20th level Cleric, or Kim Jong-Un a 20th level Dread Necromancer, I suppose you can. If you want to give your kid brother, who always wanted to be a rock star, 20 levels in Bard you can do that too.

Is there anyone you trust that much? And what class would you give them?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

The twin brother I see every day in the mirror, and I'd say spell point generalist wizard.

[Deophaun]

Risen Martyr. Don't much care who. They're not my problem after 10 levels.

[Ghen]

I would pick my father to be a 20th lvl favored soul. I know I don't get to decide what he does after that point build-wise, but I'm assuming that he would put his +5 ability point increase into Dexterity. Since his parkinsons disease has taken his score there to zero, this would effectively be restoring his ability to move.

I would also find it very interesting from a scientific standpoint to observe him and see if he is capable of casting spells, since the divine power of favored souls must come from a god of some kind. Note that if he couldn't cast, it might just be that his relevant score isn't high enough to allow for casting (wisdom or charisma, I can't remember which and I'm away from my books), but if he COULD cast something... that would definitely be interesting, to say the least.

It's also possible that he may simply choose not to attempt to cast anything, ever. Be it for fear of answering this question, or the belief that humanity should never really "know" and it should always be a faith-thing, or whatever other reason. Who knows.

[Elricaltovilla]

I'd trust my brother with it, and he'd trust my expertise to help him pick appropriate feats and spells and stuff.

My girlfriend I feel similarly about. She thinks much more highly of me than I do.

[GabesHorn]

I give myself 20 Wizard

[Quertus]

I really wouldn't trust anyone with this kind of power, myself included. If I had to, I might...

Give myself the power of a 20th level Wizard (yes to spell points).

Make Red Fel - or certain very evil politicians - into 20th level Paladin's.

Give 20 levels in... something that gives immortality... to the person I thought was the best example of humanity.

Make a bid for divinity, and make the girl who most recently flashed me a 20th level Cleric of me.

[Deophaun]

Make Red Fel - or certain very evil politicians - into 20th level Paladin's.
Even if they fall, they're still 20th level warriors. A single feat could get them immortality.

[Telonius]

My wife, 20 levels of Cleric, for much the same reason I'd pick Cleric for myself. They're hard to screw up with bad feat choices, and can choose different spells each day. After about a week, and all of our various ailments and physical issues have been taken care of, it'd still keep some everyday utility (Heroes' Feast, Endure Elements, most of the Divination line).

[Calthropstu]

I made this exact thread a few weeks ago.
It died with everyone saying "I wouldn't trust anyone."

I would go say my daughter and go Oracle, but ONLY after she was 25.

I pick Oracle because it has a real price for its power, and I like that.

[Jack_Simth]

I made this exact thread a few weeks ago.
It died with everyone saying "I wouldn't trust anyone."

I would go say my daughter and go Oracle, but ONLY after she was 25.

I pick Oracle because it has a real price for its power, and I like that.
Not everyone, but it's one of those questions where there's not much to say. With the "what would you do with X" threads, you can state personal planned methods, thoughts about what effects others' planned methods might have, and so on, which means there can be a fair amount of back & forth. This question basically amounts to "a name and a class, maybe a tiny amount of reasoning behind it" - but that's a one-and-done. Your choice is entirely subjective, and few can really comment on it (it's unlikely that you know my father, for instance, and even if you do happen to know him, it's unlikely you've connected me to my screen name to make the connection).

[Celestia]

Well, my mom would become a supervillain. My sister would also probably become a supervillain. My dad would probably do nothing. I have no other family of note, and I have no friends. I guess I have no one to give powers to.

[Andor13]

The twin brother I see every day in the mirror, and I'd say spell point generalist wizard.


I give myself 20 Wizard

I see I wasn't explicit enough. It's give someone else class levels. If you could give them to yourself it's merely a 'pick your class' thread.


Well, my mom would become a supervillain. My sister would also probably become a supervillain. My dad would probably do nothing. I have no other family of note, and I have no friends. I guess I have no one to give powers to.

Well I did say you could use anyone living if none of your circle of aquaintances make the cut. You could always just give Jon Stewart 20 levels in Barbarian just for lols.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I see I wasn't explicit enough. It's give someone else class levels. If you could give them to yourself it's merely a 'pick your class' thread.What, you think I'd give something like that to someone else? No.

[Elricaltovilla]

Not everyone, but it's one of those questions where there's not much to say. With the "what would you do with X" threads, you can state personal planned methods, thoughts about what effects others' planned methods might have, and so on, which means there can be a fair amount of back & forth. This question basically amounts to "a name and a class, maybe a tiny amount of reasoning behind it" - but that's a one-and-done. Your choice is entirely subjective, and few can really comment on it (it's unlikely that you know my father, for instance, and even if you do happen to know him, it's unlikely you've connected me to my screen name to make the connection).

I very much agree with this. The problem with giving others class levels is that we can't know what they'll do with them. So discussion can't go much further than "I pick this person for this reason... Here's hoping I didn't **** this up."

[Telonius]

Thinking a bit more about my answer ... I don't think I'd ever have married someone I wouldn't trust with being a 20th-level character. :smallbiggrin: Maybe that ought to go in the relationship advice thread?

[Ruethgar]

My brother, 20th level sorcerer and hope to the nine divines he remembers what I said about Mirror Mephits to grant me some divine ranks and what 3.5 says about sorcerer spell selection so he can pick up the ones I keep mentioning in conversations along these lines.

[Andor13]

I very much agree with this. The problem with giving others class levels is that we can't know what they'll do with them. So discussion can't go much further than "I pick this person for this reason... Here's hoping I didn't **** this up."

I am finding the responses interesting, especially the 'yes, because' ones, but to be fair I was at least in part motivated by the sheer sociopathy displayed by a few posts in the 20th level Wizard thread. I was curious to see if that degree of self-interest was strong enough to prevent someone from handing out the power to save the world, for fear of not being the benefactor. And on that score, I have my answers. :smallsmile:

[zlefin]

I'd have to do some research to find a suitable candidate. In the past, Mr Rogers would've been a good choice by all accounts.
Not sure about who would be a good choice today. But I'm sure someone could be found with enough looking.

class-wise, I'd have to consider, some classes create more potential problems than others; many of the martial classes wouldn't really be that much of a threat to the world, just a boost, so it wouldn't be too problematic on average if they didn't turn out well.

I'd have to review the alternate casting classes to see which ones have options that could turn out poorly/be used for evil. Maybe the healer class? haven't read that one in awhile.
of course, I'd also look to cheese the questioni by picking a class with some strict requirements which would limit the person. (i.e. picking Paladin means I don't have to worry as much about them turning evil since it'd cause a power loss)

[Elricaltovilla]

I am finding the responses interesting, especially the 'yes, because' ones, but to be fair I was at least in part motivated by the sheer sociopathy displayed by a few posts in the 20th level Wizard thread. I was curious to see if that degree of self-interest was strong enough to prevent someone from handing out the power to save the world, for fear of not being the benefactor. And on that score, I have my answers. :smallsmile:

I think in practicality people would be a lot more time with their abilities than they describe on the internet. The (quasi)anonymity of the forum lends itself to extreme statements. Then you have people who are playing characters or personas on the forum with more extreme views or others that take it as an opportunity to joke around.

I'd posit that this gets you a pretty skewed image of how someone would act when given that much power.

[Peat]

I'm turning my cat into something with immortality.

[Calthropstu]

I'm turning my cat into something with immortality.

This sounds like a cat-astrophy of epic proportions. "All hail muffins."

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Now that I think about it, I would probably go with Ellen DeGeneres. Because she's awesome. And I would probably go with wizard 20. Because wizards are the best.

[Calthropstu]

Now that I think about it, I would probably go with Ellen DeGeneres. Because she's awesome. And I would probably go with wizard 20. Because wizards are the best.

This would be truly horrifying.

And explaining why would violate forum rules.

[Troacctid]

It seems rude to give someone phenomenal power without asking permission first. After all, it's a major life change that carries a lot of responsibility and is likely to result in lots of attention. If I had the power to grant this sort of thing, I'd want to talk it over with the person first.

Of course I might consider giving 20 levels of Mountebank to someone I'd like to see literally go to Hell, but ultimately that's too risky if they manage to get loose, so I don't think I'd go for it.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

This would be truly horrifying.

And explaining why would violate forum rules.Meh. She'd have my vote for Queen of Everything.

All hail our Not-So-Evil Overlady!

[ExLibrisMortis]

It's a hard choice between Commoner 20--the "nobody can be trusted with this much power" principle--and Artificer 20--the "greatest advancement in science and technology" ideal. For the former, I'd probably go with my father, who is very responsible and will pick Knowledge skills in any case, which shouldn't break the game world too much (as compared to Diplomacy). For the latter, uh... can I pick Einstein? I just like the idea of Einstein returning to Earth as an artificer 20.

[GrayDeath]

Puh.....I dont know anyone I would TRULY trust with the higher Power Stuff (if I am honest including myself, but being myself I would give myself the benefit of the doubt^^).

So I would probably make my Mom a Healer 20. And hope she doesnt realize chain gating. ^^

Now back to playing, 10 Minutes break over ^^

[Buufreak]

I would pick my father to be a 20th lvl favored soul. I know I don't get to decide what he does after that point build-wise, but I'm assuming that he would put his +5 ability point increase into Dexterity. Since his parkinsons disease has taken his score there to zero, this would effectively be restoring his ability to move.

I would also find it very interesting from a scientific standpoint to observe him and see if he is capable of casting spells, since the divine power of favored souls must come from a god of some kind. Note that if he couldn't cast, it might just be that his relevant score isn't high enough to allow for casting (wisdom or charisma, I can't remember which and I'm away from my books), but if he COULD cast something... that would definitely be interesting, to say the least.

It's also possible that he may simply choose not to attempt to cast anything, ever. Be it for fear of answering this question, or the belief that humanity should never really "know" and it should always be a faith-thing, or whatever other reason. Who knows.

You're good people. I like that.


It seems rude to give someone phenomenal power without asking permission first. After all, it's a major life change that carries a lot of responsibility and is likely to result in lots of attention. If I had the power to grant this sort of thing, I'd want to talk it over with the person first.

That's a solid point. That said, I'm certain my brother would gladly take 20 levels of X caster, and I know his morals and thoughts well enough to be fairly certain he wouldn't go supervillain with it.

... but I have been wrong before.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I guess I could always give a full complement of levels in violet fungus to Kim Jong-un.

[AvatarVecna]

Not everyone, but it's one of those questions where there's not much to say. With the "what would you do with X" threads, you can state personal planned methods, thoughts about what effects others' planned methods might have, and so on, which means there can be a fair amount of back & forth. This question basically amounts to "a name and a class, maybe a tiny amount of reasoning behind it" - but that's a one-and-done. Your choice is entirely subjective, and few can really comment on it (it's unlikely that you know my father, for instance, and even if you do happen to know him, it's unlikely you've connected me to my screen name to make the connection).

This, essentially. As pointed out in the very thread, the other "what if you were an X 20?" threads in general don't ask if you think you deserve the power being handed to you, or if you think you could be trusted with that power, because it doesn't matter how good a person you think you are, or how good a person everybody else thinks you are, the answer to both those questions is NO. "What if you were an X 20" only asks what you would do if you gained the power, not whether you think you should. When you ask "who would you trust to gain such power", not only is it entirely subjective and thus answering the question can't even possibly generate actual discussion of your answer, but the fact remains that nobody deserves power of this magnitude, and I would venture to say that I don't know anybody well enough, including my close family members I've known my whole life, to know what they would choose to do with such power.

It wouldn't even matter if we stipulated "no caster classes", because even having 20 levels of freaking commoner would still be trouble. 11 cross-class ranks in one skill is probably the bare minimum and still means you're probably the best in the world at that skill by a wide margin, especially if you invest further with feats. 20 commoner HD is still 50 HP with Con 10, is still base +6 to each saving throw. Heck, speaking of feats, Wedded To History and Troll-Blooded combo pretty well, particularly if you can pick up fire/acid resistance/immunity via feats/items.

[Nifft]

Richard Dawkins is now a Cleric 20.

[Calthropstu]

Meh. She'd have my vote for Queen of Everything.

All hail our Not-So-Evil Overlady!

Anyone politically active is never going to be a good choice. The death toll in the first week would be immense as she divined every person she considered misgynstic and slaughtered them. Then, she would hunt down everyone who disliked gays.

I seriously think half of mankind would be wiped out, between those she felt "deserves it" and the billions who would oppose her.

Those who survived would be subjected to HER version of a perfect world... Which would probably suck.

You might try to say "that wouldn't happen", but I can guarantee it. Anyone who wants the power to change the world are typically the worst ones to have it. You might scoff at the saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," but it is entirely correct.

And someone who bears a torch for as many causes as her? Means she has a lot of people she sees as bad for society.

She's about as far from a good choice as it gets. You're much better off finding a recluse whose primary goal is to be left alone.

[Jack_Simth]

You might scoff at the saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," but it is entirely correct.... it's not, but it'll sure look like it. Power doesn't corrupt, exactly; it amplifies. But it doesn't just amplify the stuff you want it to, it amplifies pretty much everything. Mix in that basically everyone has at least some flaws, and that scandal sells papers, and you get that little bit of common wisdom.

When coming into lots of wealth, the person who volunteered at a soup kitchen will probably fund several. The person that sponsored a child in Africa will probably fund some relief missions. And so on.
At the same time, though, the guy who doesn't bring the cashier's attention to the extra nickel in the change is likely to end up embezzling some serious money, and the bloke who enjoys looking at videos from less reputable sites may end up cheating on his spouse. And so on.

Once in the public eye hits these folks... yes, they may mention the funding of soup kitchens. But the news will focus on the embezzling. Yes, they may mention the relief missions... but the news will focus on the adultery. And so on; "a little foolishness outweighs a lot of wisdom" was penned a very long time ago.

[Andor13]

Richard Dawkins is now a Cleric 20.

That is hilarious. But it would work, since you can cleric a principle, so all hail the high priest of rational atheism! :D

[ExLibrisMortis]

Power doesn't corrupt, exactly; it amplifies. [...] Mix in that basically everyone has at least some flaws
What exactly do you think "corrupt" means? You just described it.

Our self-control keeps some impulses ("flaws") from resulting in behaviour. We try to curb an impulse when it is not aligned with another (greater) purpose. Small impulses are easily suppressed, big ones are hard to control without training (e.g. parenting, coaching, therapy). We all receive training to control certain impulses that are considered particularly bad. In a very general sense, that is the set of impulses in conflict with "I don't want to be seen as an *******". With power comes the ability to satisfy more impulses with fewer negative social consequences. Over time, that breeds a sense of "I can do whatever I want and suffer no consequences" (which may well be true, especially for a wizard 20 in a world of commoner 1s). That sense of invulnerability erodes the need not to be seen as an *******, and impulses will start overriding that need more and more, until you have someone who is entirely "corrupt", e.g. does whatever they want without caring for other people's feelings and purposes, consequences, or morality.

[Skevvix]

It's a hard choice between Commoner 20--the "nobody can be trusted with this much power" principle--and Artificer 20--the "greatest advancement in science and technology" ideal. For the former, I'd probably go with my father, who is very responsible and will pick Knowledge skills in any case, which shouldn't break the game world too much (as compared to Diplomacy). For the latter, uh... can I pick Einstein? I just like the idea of Einstein returning to Earth as an artificer 20.

On this tack, I would give Art20 to Nicola Tesla so that we could have limitless power and flying cars within the week.

[Nifft]

That is hilarious. But it would work, since you can cleric a principle, so all hail the high priest of rational atheism! :D

I am so curious about what answers he'd get when he uses commune to interrogate the Divine principle of rational atheism.


On this tack, I would give Art20 to Nicola Tesla so that we could have limitless power and flying cars within the week.

Give him Dread Necromancer 20 -- mere Artificers can't disregard the "dead" condition.

[Skevvix]

Give him Dread Necromancer 20 -- mere Artificers can't disregard the "dead" condition.

Nah, just take martial study and stance to IHS that condition away. . .

[Quertus]

You're much better off finding a recluse whose primary goal is to be left alone.

Ooh, ooh, pick me! Pick me!

If you've read the other threads, you'll know that I qualify - and, even if i create a dystopia, it'll be purely opt in.


(which may well be true, especially for a wizard 20 in a world of commoner 1s).

Based on how Speak Languages works, and the number of languages I've programmed in, I'd like to think I'm at least an epic level expert...

[zlefin]

can we choose their prestige class as well? or base classes only?
I'm just wondering what the best "cheaty" options are that enforce a degree of morality on the target person.

[Jack_Simth]

What exactly do you think "corrupt" means? You just described it.

I do not consider it corruption when a thing is merely showing a problem that already existed, which is what I described.


Our self-control keeps some impulses ("flaws") from resulting in behaviour. We try to curb an impulse when it is not aligned with another (greater) purpose. Small impulses are easily suppressed, big ones are hard to control without training (e.g. parenting, coaching, therapy). We all receive training to control certain impulses that are considered particularly bad. In a very general sense, that is the set of impulses in conflict with "I don't want to be seen as an *******". With power comes the ability to satisfy more impulses with fewer negative social consequences. Over time, that breeds a sense of "I can do whatever I want and suffer no consequences" (which may well be true, especially for a wizard 20 in a world of commoner 1s). That sense of invulnerability erodes the need not to be seen as an *******, and impulses will start overriding that need more and more, until you have someone who is entirely "corrupt", e.g. does whatever they want without caring for other people's feelings and purposes, consequences, or morality.

It can do so, but won't necessarily do so. That would be one form of corruption.

However: There's very little you can say about humans in an absolute sense; folks are extremely variable. For instance, if a person had a form of self-control not based on how other folks perceptions - perhaps they're unusually empathetic, and don't like seeing people in pain: then it doesn't matter how invulnerable they otherwise are; such a person will always see other folks' suffering as a consequence, and thus will never "go wild" in such a sense.

Then, of course, there's the "confirmation bias" reason for why most people view "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" "rule": You'll basically never hear about the congressman who is content with the normal congressional wages, stays faithful to a spouse, and always votes for conscience's sake - at least, not in that context... and even if you do... well, "such a person can't exist, so clearly they're just hiding it better than most," is going to be a go-to thought. Meanwhile, of course, you're going to get inundated by news reports about folks who take bribes, cheat, embezzle, and so on... which will reinforce the "all power corrupts" perception.

With the number of folks on the planet, there's almost certainly some folks for whom the "power corrupts" thing doesn't really apply. Identifying them is going to be rather difficult, especially as many of them aren't going to be the sort to look for the spotlight or seek power, but you probably already know someone.

[ezekielraiden]

There is literally only one person I trust enough with this kind of power, and that only because I know he'd rarely USE it.

Unless there is something like how Clerics in 3e can have all their special powers revoked if they violate their deity's code. That provides, at least in theory, a sufficient shield that I could trust a larger chunk of my friends and/or relatives, because if they screw up, they'll know AND won't be able to do major damage until they genuinely repent and improve.

But yeah. Even most of the genuinely good people I know--people I'd trust my life with, in general--could not be trusted with this. "Don't tempt me...! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand...I would use this...from a desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine." The temptation to solve everything, so quick, so easy, so simple. It is too much. We talk too much of the dangers of obvious corruption. Few anticipate how "I'm just helping my friends!" is the first step on the road to Hell, and every step feels justified the whole way down.


With the number of folks on the planet, there's almost certainly some folks for whom the "power corrupts" thing doesn't really apply. Identifying them is going to be rather difficult, especially as many of them aren't going to be the sort to look for the spotlight or seek power, but you probably already know someone.

I disagree. Temptation isn't "oh, just kill this one person, and everything will be fine." Temptation is, "My friends are dirt poor, and struggling to find jobs. How about I just guarantee they get those jobs?" Doing something which seems so wholesome, so pure, that it couldn't possibly be corrupt. And, little by little, what problems you can solve if you just bend the rules a tiny bit, if you just favor one group over another, if you just end the argument now and skip all the hemming and hawing to get to the answer everyone knows is going to result anyway...it changes you.

Power always changes you, because it changes what you can do. Some are better with it than others. But absolute power--and let's be clear, Wish, especially if there is no one else in reality who can stop you, is effectively absolute power--is corrosive enough that it can turn even truly wholesome things into something twisted, with enough time.

[Jack_Simth]

I disagree. Temptation isn't "oh, just kill this one person, and everything will be fine." Temptation is, "My friends are dirt poor, and struggling to find jobs. How about I just guarantee they get those jobs?" Doing something which seems so wholesome, so pure, that it couldn't possibly be corrupt. And, little by little, what problems you can solve if you just bend the rules a tiny bit, if you just favor one group over another, if you just end the argument now and skip all the hemming and hawing to get to the answer everyone knows is going to result anyway...it changes you.

Using Enchantment to get someone a job is pointless. If they can't get it on their own merits, they probably can't keep it on their own merits, either. Which means you'll need to do it again. And again. And again.... You're much, much better off using Divination to find a job they'll love & be able to do well on their own merits, or starting a suitable business and hiring them yourself. And if neither of those are feasible... you should probably reconsider why your friend is not employed.



Power always changes you, because it changes what you can do. Some are better with it than others. But absolute power--and let's be clear, Wish, especially if there is no one else in reality who can stop you, is effectively absolute power--is corrosive enough that it can turn even truly wholesome things into something twisted, with enough time.
I disagree. I once met a man who was known to end arguments of factual matters by pointing out that he was carrying a firearm (few folks around him kept themselves armed). I also know plenty of folks who have the capability of using that tactic, but never do. It's not that different. A known issue is usually fairly straightforward to work around, and this sort of thing has been known in a philosophical sense for a long time.

Of course, actually testing this is outside of our power.

[Calthropstu]

Using Enchantment to get someone a job is pointless. If they can't get it on their own merits, they probably can't keep it on their own merits, either. Which means you'll need to do it again. And again. And again.... You're much, much better off using Divination to find a job they'll love & be able to do well on their own merits, or starting a suitable business and hiring them yourself. And if neither of those are feasible... you should probably reconsider why your friend is not employed.


I disagree. I once met a man who was known to end arguments of factual matters by pointing out that he was carrying a firearm (few folks around him kept themselves armed). I also know plenty of folks who have the capability of using that tactic, but never do. It's not that different. A known issue is usually fairly straightforward to work around, and this sort of thing has been known in a philosophical sense for a long time.

Of course, actually testing this is outside of our power.

Believe it or not, keeping a good job is easier than finding one. As long as you can keep up a certain level of competency you'll be fine. The biggest problem is competition. Good jobs get many many qualified applicants.

Enchantment to get the person the job they want will do fine in most cases.

As for your other argument, it's not the same. Carrying around a firearm and being essentially a god are completely different. A gun can be countered by anoher gun, a thrown knife, escaping its effective range...

If someone had the power to bend reality itself to their will and knew nothing could touch them and had immortality? Yeah, eventually they'd take over the world.

[AnimeTheCat]

I would give some random person 20 levels of commoner. That's about as far as I trust anyone, myself included.

[Jack_Simth]

Believe it or not, keeping a good job is easier than finding one. As long as you can keep up a certain level of competency you'll be fine. The biggest problem is competition. Good jobs get many many qualified applicants.

Enchantment to get the person the job they want will do fine in most cases.

We've apparently had VERY different experiences with the job market.

We put out entry-level full-time (40 hours a week - and if the boss sends you home early because it's slow, you still get paid for the full day - happens about four or five times a year) positions at $15/hour (US); health, dental, vision, and PTO after 6 months; the job ad sits for a month, and we get two folks who bother to apply as per the instructions. We schedule both of them for interviews. About half the time, one of the two shows up. We hire that person. We leave the job app up, because we're trying to fill three spots.

Within six months:
About 10% of the time, I'm changing all the passwords because the person took 15 days sick already.
About 10% of the time, I'm changing all the passwords because the person won't follow up on what they say they'll do.
About 10% of the time, I'm changing all the passwords because the person made the same mistake for the tenth time.
About 5% of the time, I'm changing all the passwords because the person took sufficiently foolish actions outside of work that they got arrested.

We need folks who can type (you don't have to be great at it, but you need to be able to do it without much trouble), follow instructions, learn, check reminders, and show up. Everything's custom-built for our company anyway, which means all training is on the job. We're chronically short on useful labor.

I started out in the exact same position we're advertising, and have been with the company for over ten years (although we weren't hiring at $15/hour at the time). On average, I get a raise of a little over $1/hour every year (sometimes I miss a year, sometimes it's $3 in one year; boss man isn't very organized in that regard, you may need to ask about it). We value employees.

What do you consider a "good job"?

As for your other argument, it's not the same. Carrying around a firearm and being essentially a god are completely different. A gun can be countered by anoher gun, a thrown knife, escaping its effective range...

For practical purposes, not when nobody else bothers to be armed and you're ten miles of backroads from the nearest police station (and with the specific guy I'm thinking of, this was before cell phones were a thing normal folks had). He occasionally got in trouble with the law, but nothing that changed his behavior or had him out of circulation for very long. It was a car accident crippling him that curbed his tendencies.

There's quite a few folks who don't do that sort of thing for reasons unrelated to "there will be consequences" - if nothing else, I've met quite a few folks who simply don't think that far ahead, and yet still behave well enough.


If someone had the power to bend reality itself to their will and knew nothing could touch them and had immortality? Yeah, eventually they'd take over the world.
This will be true of a lot of people. However, people are highly variable. This will not be true of all people.

But as noted: We have no way to test.

[Calthropstu]

@Jack Smith:

I consider a good job to pay $35+ an hour. $15 may sound good, but that's ****. That's why many think it should be min wage. So yeah. At higher levels competition is much more fierce.

As for your other points, sure we can't test it so it's pretty much conjecture. But given ni years with absolute power at your fingertips, I can't imagine even the most reclusive of people sitting idly by as ww3 breaks out. Sooner or later they will take the world stage, and just by having the power they will be forced to use it. They will be forced to pick sides and cast judgement, and eventually they will be considered The Tyrant. Most won't even realize it.

And, to my original point, giving that power to someone who champions causes like Ellen Degeneres, that slope would start very very quickly.

[Xar Zarath]

Well, I would like to be a simple vanilla 20th level Wizard spell point variant.

If I had to choose someone else, maybe my mum. Maybe she could teach me magic as well. just straight Wizard. She's a good person so I do wonder myself.

[Jack_Simth]

@Jack Smith:

I consider a good job to pay $35+ an hour. $15 may sound good, but that's ****. That's why many think it should be min wage. So yeah. At higher levels competition is much more fierce.

This is starting to delve into real-world politics, so I'm dropping it here.

[Calthropstu]

This is starting to delve into real-world politics, so I'm dropping it here.

Yeah, it's getting close to it. I'm trying to skirt around it and make it as generic as possible while still making my point, but I can tell it's close.

[Kyrell1978]

The nearest fluffy bunny rabbit, the I would show it The Holy Grail over and over again to let it know it's potential and to warn it about hand grenades (holy and otherwise).

[Calthropstu]

The nearest fluffy bunny rabbit, the I would show it The Holy Grail over and over again to let it know it's potential and to warn it about hand grenades (holy and otherwise).

All hail fluffy, our new overlord.