Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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Razorwing
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Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

One of the interesting alternate settings presented in the G.M.'s Guide was the suggestion of using powers in a Fantasy setting (not unlike the Palladium Fantasy World)... creating something much like Eternia from Masters of the Universe.

However, not all the powers presented will be of use in a medieval fantasy setting. I'm curious as to which powers people would find to be practically useless in such a setting. I am working on a list myself and came up with a few.

Minor Powers: Bookworm, Clock Manipulation, Color Manipulation, Conduct Electricity, Flight: Space, Frequency Absorption, Gun Limb, Line Transit, Linguistics, Mechanical Awareness, Space Native, Toy Control.

Major Powers: Alter Physical Structure: Void, Bulletproof, Catastrophic System Failure, Cloaking, Control Radiation, Control Static Electricity, Control the Void, Dismantle Machines, Gateways, Grant Powers, Inhabitation, Junkyard, Machine Merge, Matter Expulsion: Plastic, Mechano-Link, Sonic Flight, Sonic Speed, Superluminal Flight, Techno-Form

Most of these powers have to deal with higher levels of technology that probably wouldn't exist in most Fantasy settings... though a few also make one of the biggest hurdles of fantasy adventure... namely traveling... into a very minor inconvenience (traveling from the westernmost point in the Western Empire to the eastern most point of the Eastern Territories would take someone with Sonic Flight just over 4 hours to cross... give or take). Other powers, like those dealing with Outer Space, just don't apply to a fantasy setting (since most wouldn't be able to reach space).

Now, does anyone here have additional powers that probably should not be seen in a fantasy setting... and please explain why? And if anyone objects to some of the powers I have on the list, please let me know and I will do my best to explain why I included them (especially if they don't match up with any reasons I've already provided).
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by SpiritInterface »

Your choice of Eternia from Masters of the Universe means there is some high tech around but limited. I disagree with your choice to exclude APS Void, Control Void, Sonic speed and sonic flight, they have enough abilities that doesn't require tech. The Bionics, Hardware, and Robot OCCs would be out, along with most of the special training types.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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Space Native lets you hang out underwater without breathing, and survive murderously intense cold, which seems pretty useful. And you could use Grant Powers to bestow all sorts of medieval-friendly abilities.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Regularguy »

I also think you're giving short shrift to Control Static Electricity, which still does most of its job perfectly (the crackling-field Horror Factor that inflicts damage and knockdown, the area-effect charge that makes victims lose attacks/actions, the blinding-and-entanglement burst, the disarming shock touch) -- and while you lose the mess-with-electronics features of damage-dealing stuff like the blinding cloud and the ranged energy bolt, you can still deal damage while blinding someone or attacking from range.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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Razorwing wrote:Minor Powers: Bookworm, Clock Manipulation, Color Manipulation, Conduct Electricity, Flight: Space, Frequency Absorption, Gun Limb, Line Transit, Linguistics, Mechanical Awareness, Space Native, Toy Control.

Major Powers: Alter Physical Structure: Void, Bulletproof, Catastrophic System Failure, Cloaking, Control Radiation, Control Static Electricity, Control the Void, Dismantle Machines, Gateways, Grant Powers, Inhabitation, Junkyard, Machine Merge, Matter Expulsion: Plastic, Mechano-Link, Sonic Flight, Sonic Speed, Superluminal Flight, Techno-Form


Bookworm - Depending on the setting, books of some nature were present - at the very least - scrolls. This power could altered to allow Hieroglyphics to be read.
Gun Limb - Turn this to firing arrows, bolts, maybe ballista
Linguistics - Uhm... being able to speak a multitude of languages across the land would be beneficial.
Space Native - Has environmental advantages other than space.

Bulletproof - Arrow/projectile proof
Dismantle Machines - depending on where the setting is in the Industrial Age - clockwork/steampunk tech??
Grant Powers - depending on the powers granted..
Inhabitation - inhabit a castle/tower.
Sonic Flight / Speed - The ultimate courier.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

Well... Lets start with SpiritInterface...

This thread was more to focus on powers than power categories... and the mention of Eternia was as one extreme of the fantasy setting while Palladium Fantasy is used as the other extreme (where there is no modern or advanced technology). You did read the possible alterations in the G.M. Guide for these "tech" Categories, yes? Magical Golems could be the setting's equivalent of Robots and a Bionic character could have rune-like objects grafted to their bodies magically... in other words... magic allows many of these "tech" based characters to exist. Even Hardware characters can be used... a version of Techno-Wizardry would be my likely choice. As for a lot of the gadgets used by the likes of Secret Operative, minor magical items could be suitable replacements for modern technology in this sort of setting (though the souped-up car would likely need to be dropped, but a flying carpet could replace the jet pack). Even so, most of the Special and Physical Training characters focus more on skills than gadgets.

APS: Void and Void Control have more to do with Outer Space and loose a lot of their potency on a planet (and most fantasy settings don't involve space travel).

I may be giving Control Static Electricity short shrift... the powers would still be effective, but just doesn't seem as useful in a medieval setting as it does in a modern one (though a Loki-like prankster could be an entertaining posibility).

As for Space Native... yes, it does provide those abilities... which are also available as their own powers (Immune to Cold, Underwater Abilities), so why have a power designed for an environment unlikely to be encountered just for abilities that can be gained with other powers?

In most fantasy settings, Books, Scrolls and other forms of written records are not as common as in a modern setting... and often only in the hands of the rich (nobility, clergy and such)... making Bookworm a fairly unremarkable ability unless one has access to these things.

Linguistics I will admit is a possible exception... though in most fantasy settings (unlike historic Earth) there are only a few different languages (Palladium Fantasy has only 10 known languages... where Earth has had hundreds over the history of human civilization)... it really depends on how many languages are in the setting as to how useful it would be (wouldn't be very useful on Eternia where everyone speaks the same language... only one species has even been mentioned to have an alternate language).

For Gun Limb and Bulletproof while it is possible to convert these to arrows and crossbow bolts (Ballista bolts would be a little too large), it is a little impractical given the nature of the powers. For Bulletproof, the size of a lot of these munitions would prevent them from being absorbed by the character (at least not without destroying the ammunition one would desire to reuse). Look at how long most arrows are... how can one plausibly absorb such a projectile into their body and then shoot it back without breaking the arrow's shaft? Bullets are very small in comparison... measuring only a centimeter or two (higher powered rifle rounds can measure an inch or two)... compared to an arrow as long as a person's arm. In this regard only the smaller Crossbow bolts would be feasible as a potential projectile that could be reabsorbed and fired. As for the AR of the power, that can be achieved with other abilities. As for Gun Limb... again, we are talking about creating small projectiles only a few centimeters to a couple of inches in size in the normal power, and changing that into projectiles many times bigger (and doing comparatively less damage as they aren't fired at the same speed or range). You wouldn't get as much bang for your buck with such a conversion. Besides, the same could be done with the Matter Expulsion powers (wood in particular) with much better effect.

Inhabitation is very limited in a Medieval setting... all you would really get is a mental map of the structure (including hidden and secret passages), but there usually very few "built in" features to most of these structures to make use of (booby traps are really the only possibility). As such, at best this could be considered a Minor Power.

Dismantle Machines is very limited in scope to begin with (the machine can't weigh more than 25 pounds in total), though it can target specific components of larger machines/devices/vehicles. Again, in most fantasy settings, the technology isn't even close to what would be required for this power to be useful (even as a Minor Power) as they are commonly Medieval levels of technology (Palladium Fantasy equivalent). Once we get to Steampunk/clockwork levels of technology, then it starts to become more useful... but that is beyond the scope of this thread (focusing mostly on Medieval levels of technology).

Grant Powers was included mostly because it isn't that common a power to begin with (not many Heroes/Villains grant powers to others in modern comics). Yes, this is a little arbitrary as it really doesn't make one that powerful (or those that are granted powers), so it is in that grey area where it could be allowed if one wants to deal with it.

Sonic Flight and Sonic Speed... as I've mentioned before makes it trivially easy to get from one end of a continent to the other in practically no time. yes, it would make the ultimate courier... but it also makes traveling fairly boring too. With Sonic Flight one could travel from the Isle of Cyclops to the Library of Bletherad on the Isle of Y-Oda in about 4 or 5 hours... and effectively bypass all the dangers of the lands between the two (parts of the Western Empire, the Sea of Dread, the Northern Wilderness, Phi and Lopan, even portions of the Eastern Territories). Sonic Speed is almost as fast (can't travel as the Bird Flies), so they would have to cross the Western Empire, the Old Kingdom and the Eastern Territories... and have to take into account natural hazards and barriers (like mountains and rivers and forests), but still, they could easily be there in less than a day... and the chances of anything being fast enough to slow them down (bandits and other common encounters fantasy Adventurers have while traveling) is unlikely. Some may see this as a perk of these powers, but I have found that many of the best experiences in a fantasy setting comes along the journey as well as the destination... and these powers make the journey of traveling the world as trivial as getting on a cross-town bus.

Now these are my general rationalizations as to why I find these powers to be unsuited for a Medieval fantasy setting. Now I ask if anyone has any additional powers they feel would not be a good fit for such a setting? Maybe some Major Powers loose potency in such a setting... reducing them to Minor status?
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

Clock Manipulation, Catastrophic System Failure, and Machine Merge are the only ones that I can see that would not be very useful in a PF like setting. But would be mildly useful in a MotU-like setting because there are complicated machines.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

Yes... depending on how much technology is present in the setting, many of these powers could be more useful. But I think we'll focus more on the Tolkien type fantasy setting where technology level is about the medieval level.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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Powers can be part of a Noble,s Bloodline,all family members inhireit the same major power,with different minor powers.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

While that is an interesting idea... but that is more of a "who" will have powers when this is more of a "which" powers should be available thread.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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gaby wrote:Powers can be part of a Noble,s Bloodline,all family members inhireit the same major power,with different minor powers.


I vote for Divine Aura.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

And why should Divine Aura not be allowed in a fantasy setting?

Yes... I am intentionally ignoring your quote as this thread was to discuss which powers should be excluded from most fantasy settings... not who gets what powers. Please try to stay on topic or create a new thread to discuss your ideas.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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Play nicely people.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

Am I in the wrong to keep the thread from derailing? I thought I was being a polite as possible and asking people to keep the conversation on topic. If I overstepped, then I am sorry NMI.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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Coming back on-topic,

Razorwing wrote:I find these powers to be unsuited for a Medieval fantasy setting. Now I ask if anyone has any additional powers they feel would not be a good fit for such a setting? Maybe some Major Powers loose potency in such a setting... reducing them to Minor status?


Out of curiosity, how about APS: Liquid? It presumably deserves Major status here and now, in a setting where conventional explosives can blow you apart, and modern-day flamethrowers exist alongside futuristic energy weapons, not to mention how you can get tasered up close if you're not getting lasered at range, and so on -- because you get plenty of goodies to compensate for that: pouring yourself through a keyhole, blasting people like a water cannon, surviving ocean-floor pressures while going without air, drawing on supernatural strength and a big horror factor when swollen to behemoth size, and et cetera.

But in a medieval setting, you're immune to kicks and punches, and knives and swords, and slings and arrows, and -- well, that's pretty much it, right? So you're basically invulnerable (and then some, since even supernatural-strength blows pass through you like bullets would), plus you still get all those other goodies. So if it's a Major power in today's world with tomorrow's tech, then what is it if the biggest threat is, like, getting trampled under the hooves of a crossbowman's horse?
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

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Regularguy wrote:Out of curiosity, how about APS: Liquid? It presumably deserves Major status here and now, in a setting where conventional explosives can blow you apart, and modern-day flamethrowers exist alongside futuristic energy weapons, not to mention how you can get tasered up close if you're not getting lasered at range, and so on -- because you get plenty of goodies to compensate for that: pouring yourself through a keyhole, blasting people like a water cannon, surviving ocean-floor pressures while going without air, drawing on supernatural strength and a big horror factor when swollen to behemoth size, and et cetera.

But in a medieval setting, you're immune to kicks and punches, and knives and swords, and slings and arrows, and -- well, that's pretty much it, right? So you're basically invulnerable (and then some, since even supernatural-strength blows pass through you like bullets would), plus you still get all those other goodies. So if it's a Major power in today's world with tomorrow's tech, then what is it if the biggest threat is, like, getting trampled under the hooves of a crossbowman's horse?

I see where you're coming from, a character with APS Liquid is really powerful and I somewhat agree with you. However, even in a modern setting, the real threat to any superhuman character is another superhuman character. I think it should continue to be rated as a Major because the real threat always has been and continues to be the guy that can project concentrated beams of energy from his eyes or the woman that can drop a mountain on the character.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

Also, there is the great equalizing force in most fantasy settings... Magic, though psionics also will work quite well too.

Mostly, the powers I've selected are mostly to do with technology that is found exclusively in modern settings and powers I feel that could be used to avoid encounters. With the ability to fly very limited in most fantasy settings, Sonic Flight would allow a character to traverse an entire continent in mere hours with zero chance of being intercepted by those who may want to interfere in whatever he may be doing. This may seem like a good thing for players... but it can be a major headache if the players need to catch such a being without the ability to fly themselves. Sonic Speed can be a similar pain, though I will admit that it is a little more manageable since any characters will still be affected by terrain that could slow them down enough to be intercepted.
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

Since we seem to have covered the majority of powers that seem inappropriate to the setting (for various reasons), perhaps there are some powers that might need to be downgraded from Major to Minor status... given a lack of utility that is no longer present in a medieval fantasy setting. Any suggestions?
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by eliakon »

Razorwing wrote:Also, there is the great equalizing force in most fantasy settings... Magic, though psionics also will work quite well too.

Mostly, the powers I've selected are mostly to do with technology that is found exclusively in modern settings and powers I feel that could be used to avoid encounters. With the ability to fly very limited in most fantasy settings, Sonic Flight would allow a character to traverse an entire continent in mere hours with zero chance of being intercepted by those who may want to interfere in whatever he may be doing. This may seem like a good thing for players... but it can be a major headache if the players need to catch such a being without the ability to fly themselves. Sonic Speed can be a similar pain, though I will admit that it is a little more manageable since any characters will still be affected by terrain that could slow them down enough to be intercepted.

I am sort of skeptical of the argument that 'mobility' powers and such should be excluded. The PF setting is rife with mobility magic (and there is plenty of high mobility stuff in other categories like psi, chi, and racial abilities in plenty of books). The same argument for why sonic flight is bad equally apply to the spell teleport, or ley line phasing, or any number of other things. Now a GM might want to remove ALL movement boosts from a specific game....but that would not be an effect of it being set in fantasy times, but instead a desire to control escapes/interceptions. The same house rule would make the same changes in any game regardless of world, period, or genre.


I would agree that powers that are built around high-tech would be either non-existent or rather pointless (just like the psionic power of telemechanics or the spell engine flame out would be)
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Re: Powers in a Fantasy Setting

Unread post by Razorwing »

The Spell Teleport does require the person to know the location very well to get there safely... and even a Teleport Circle would require traveling to the destination site to lay the matching circle first. Even the Telportation power has a very limited range (a few miles per jump) with similar limitations as the spell.

Few means of flight exist in a fantasy setting that can match the speed of Sonic Flight. The Minor Flight powers go at comparatively slower speeds that could be intercepted by others with flying abilities (natural or magical), but someone who can fly at Mach speeds is going to leave anything else in the dust. Crossing from the Isle of the Cyclops to the Isle of Y-Oda in just over 4 hours (where as a trip by boat could take weeks/months... and crossing Palladium by foot can take months/years) makes the rest of the world a minor inconvenience at best.

This isn't a major problem in a modern hero setting for the main reason that such travel is usually the norm. Not necessarily with powers, but through modern air travel. Going from New York to Los Angeles for an adventure... most people are going to hop on a plane, get to their destination and have the adventure. The Avengers use their quinjet, the Fantastic Four use a hovercar... Wonder Woman has her invisible Jet (in addition to being able to fly on her own power)... even Batman has a jet.

This is done mostly because the world is a lot safer place... there really aren't many random encounters one can have when traveling between locations (cities) in a modern setting. There aren't roving bands of bandits... orc tribes causing trouble or such things that are standard encounter tropes in fantasy settings. In most fantasy setting, the space between cities is usually not that civilized... badnits, monsters and other hostile creatures are a real threat that plagues travelers... and other means of travel are rare and usually prohibitively expensive (to use or set up). The fastest and arguably the safest is often travel by ship (on rivers or seas), but even then, land travel is often a must when going further inland where neither rivers nor seas can reach... especially if one is in a hurry. Even boat travel isn't without its dangers.
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