Interest check for a superpower Academy game

[AidenWhite]

Guess that I'll reveal my character's power.

Her power is fire based but she can't control fire itself.  She can start fires with super heat but if they get out of control, she can't stop the fires from spreading.  I would say that her weakness is extreme cold... or cold in general.  She would always bundle up in layers of clothes, even when it is 80 degrees outside.  To her, during a normal heat wave is too cold for her (Her preferred outside temperature is 115 degrees).  She would also be susceptible to common colds more frequently than the average human.

I am thinking of her being a transfer student from Phoenix or somewhere in the desert Southwestern US... where it is summer and she is loving the dry heat but as soon as she lands in Japan, she is freezing from the cooler temperatures.

If there are uniforms for her to wear, she would probably be against it as she would not be able to conform to those clothes since she would almost always feel too cold.

How does that sound to y'all?

That sounds fine with me, pretty interesting setback as well.

[FarFetched]

Guess that I'll reveal my character's power.

Her power is fire based but she can't control fire itself.  She can start fires with super heat but if they get out of control, she can't stop the fires from spreading.  I would say that her weakness is extreme cold... or cold in general.  She would always bundle up in layers of clothes, even when it is 80 degrees outside.  To her, during a normal heat wave is too cold for her (Her preferred outside temperature is 115 degrees).  She would also be susceptible to common colds more frequently than the average human.

I am thinking of her being a transfer student from Phoenix or somewhere in the desert Southwestern US... where it is summer and she is loving the dry heat but as soon as she lands in Japan, she is freezing from the cooler temperatures.

If there are uniforms for her to wear, she would probably be against it as she would not be able to conform to those clothes since she would almost always feel too cold.

How does that sound to y'all?

Ooo, I like the sound of her! Is she affected by her own fire?

[Saria]

This is definitely intriguing!

I could do a student whose power is to turn herself and objects she touches - up to, say, the size of two people max - invisible, intangible, and/or effectively weightless (ie, floating). Basically, she's Ghost Girl (name pending).

Downsides:

• Whatever she touches to turn invisible/intangible/floaty, she gets stuck to for a time.
• She doesn't have great control over her power, and it can be accidentally triggered fully or partially by emotions or even just surprise.
• The more stuff she tries to make invisible/intangible/floaty the harder it is to keep track. So if she tries to make herself plus someone else invisible or intangible, she might just fail to make some or all of her or their clothes invisible/intangible/floaty!

[Angel Fire]

@FF: Kinda of.  If she gets too close to the fire, than she is affected like any normal human is (she really hates the smell of smoke) but she loves the heat that the fire brings out to her.

@Aiden: Sweet!  Thanks!  The seed is starting to bloom more now *Smiles*

[FarFetched]

This is definitely intriguing!

I could do a student whose power is to turn herself and objects she touches - up to, say, the size of two people max - invisible, intangible, and/or effectively weightless (ie, floating). Basically, she's Ghost Girl (name pending).

Downsides:

• Whatever she touches to turn invisible/intangible/floaty, she gets stuck to for a time.
• She doesn't have great control over her power, and it can be accidentally triggered fully or partially by emotions or even just surprise.
• The more stuff she tries to make invisible/intangible/floaty the harder it is to keep track. So if she tries to make herself plus someone else invisible or intangible, she might just fail to make some or all of her or their clothes invisible/intangible/floaty!

Interesting! Does anything happen if she goes intangible, but returns to normal while phasing through something?

[Saria]

Interesting! Does anything happen if she goes intangible, but returns to normal while phasing through something?

You mean like turning solid in the middle of a thick wall? I'm thinking she (and whatever else she's made intangible) gets thrown violently out in some random direction, and the wall probably explodes or suffers serious damage (this last bit I'm still mulling over). Being thrown out doesn't hurt because the bodies won't be solid at the time... but the landing or impact after being thrown out will.

[FarFetched]

Hm, if the wall exploded, it would make her power really scary! Just in a what-if situation, she'd be able to do crazy stuff like go invisible and materialize with her hand inside someone, killing them in an instant!

[Inari]

You mean like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBILrtcM5C8

[Saria]

Hm, if the wall exploded, it would make her power really scary! Just in a what-if situation, she'd be able to do crazy stuff like go invisible and materialize with her hand inside someone, killing them in an instant!

Sure, but anyone with super strength could do the same with less effort with a single punch. Not to mention what one could do with flame power, for example.

The main reason I'm not sure about doing any damage to things she materializes inside is because I think being able to go intangible is such an awesome defensive ability, I don't really want to give her any major offensive ability. But on the other hand, having at least some offensive ability would be more interesting than just standing around if any action pops up. The "power" to cause damage to something at the expense of being violently tossed away if you try it seemed like a reasonable compromise to me. It would be a fairly last-ditch move to try on purpose.

[Inari]

I am thinking my character will have Electrokinesis and discharges static electric when their emotions become heightened. (If they become really angry/tearful/super happy/excited/hyper about something.) Weakness would be that they are quite weak physically and if they become wet they will be unable to use their powers.

[pdragon]

Since we're throwing ideas out there

pic

The basic premise of my guy's power is the ability to "switch" or "swap" parts of things. For example, if there are two cars he can switch their tires so that one set is now on the other, and vise versa, or if he touched two people he could swap their hair between one another. With this power he'd be able to swap various things around for a variety of effects and uses, giving the power a wide range of utility, but in a way that requires a high level of strategy and abstract thinking.

Power specs/limitations:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

-Parts being switched must be equivalent to each other. For example, you could make two people's arms switch places, but you couldn't swap an arm with a leg.

-The user must be physically touching both things/people they're intending to switch parts of when making the switch, meaning the power can't be used remotely.

-There isn't a set time limit for how long swaps last, but once the two targets move outside of a certain distance of each other, the effect breaks and their respective parts switch back to their original owners. The effective distance of the power depends on the mass of the part switched. For example, the user could attempt to switch two people's "bodies", making their minds inhabit one another's bodies, or they can instead swap their "brains" between each other, achieving the same effect, and since a brain is significantly smaller than an entire body, the range the two can move away from each other before switching back is longer. If the user's body isn't involved with the swap in question, then the user doesn't need to remain within range of the targets, only the distance of the targets themselves matter.

-While the array of things that can be swapped is wide, and can sometimes dip into abstract approaches, only physical parts of things can be switched. For example, you couldn't switch two people's "strength" or "power" between each other, but you could swap their "muscles" effectively allowing the same result. For this reason another student's powers can't be switched out unless the user knows exactly what body parts (organs, glands, sections of the brain, etc.) are responsible for manifesting their abilities, and if someone's powers work on a more metaphysical level, then powers cannot be switched at all.

-Parts swapped onto a new "main body" will continue to function as they had before being switched, and will partially morph to properly fit into the new vessel they're being slotted into without causing damage or loss of function as result of the switch, however any damage or faults in the part will now afflict it's new carrier. For example, if two people were to have their knees swapped, and one person started with a bum/broken knee, the body part will remain injured within it's new host and will now adversely affect them. At the same time any new negative/positive statuses applied to the part will carry over once swapped back, so if two people had their knees swapped, and one person got their knee broken while they were switched, the original owner of the part will continue to suffer the injury after being switched back.

-The user cannot willingly cancel a swap on their own, they must either A. wait for the two objects to move outside of their range B. Fall unconscious (canceling all currently active swaps) or C. physically swap the same two parts again with their powers, requiring them to again touch both targets at the same time.

-While swapped parts cannot be swapped again until they return to their original owner (meaning you could not swap parts with someone then swap that same part out with a third person while the initial swap is activated). However there is no limit on how many different parts of the same body can be swapped out at the same time.

-The more swaps maintained at the same time (and the larger the parts being swapped) the more physical strain is exerted on the user. The maximum safe limit of swaps the user can perform at once is five, less if all the parts being swapped are considerably large or complex, any further than that risks sending the user into cardiovascular shock from stress on the body. Since the user cannot remotely cancel swaps at will, they must carefully keep track of how many times the power has been used and how many swaps are currently active, or else they can trap themselves in a fatal situation where their body cannot handle the strain of their powers but they can't undo it in time to save themselves.

[FarFetched]

I like the picture; that cross-dressing dynamic (assuming I'm not misreading things) is really fitting for the power!

[Inari]

I have been thinking it over and I have decided to change my mind play someone normal for once!

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

[pdragon]

I like the picture; that cross-dressing dynamic (assuming I'm not misreading things) is really fitting for the power!

Exactly. Since the premise for the story is supposed to be focusing on how everyone interacts with each other with their powers, I kinda saw him as a bit of a scandalous delinquent: using his powers to change his hair style every day, swapping out body types to better please his lovers, and all around finding ways to make a quick buck with his ability whenever he can. "Oh, are your horribly overwhelming all seeing eyes bothering you ma'am? Well for just twenty bucks an hour I'll go ahead and swap eyes with you so you can relax a bit" lol, all sorts of money to be made.

[FarFetched]

Oh hoh? The Swapper might get the bum end of that deal; but that's all IC knowledge stuff. I think this is going to be really fun. XD

[pdragon]

Eh, it's a good excuse to walk around in a cool blindfold and do his best "blind samurai" gig.

[AidenWhite]

That wouldn't work because you're essentially assuming someone else's powers. Everyone's powers lies within their DNA, something that you can't readily change so even if you swapped eyes with her, she'd still have that difficulty of always processing everything she sees.

Just because you swap body parts with someone doesn't mean you'll have their capabilities. For example, if you swap your arms with a bodybuilder's, you won't be able to lift as much as the bodybuilder for many reasons. If you want to use a bodybuilder's arms, you'd need their entire body, their heart and their lungs.

Also, I'm not sure if I like the fact that you can swap out abstract properties like "muscles" or I would guess another would be intelligence. And the fact that you can swap body parts limitlessly. I know you made sure to add the fact that there is a physical risk and potential death if your character does more than five switches but I don't want to set the dangerous precedence that using a power limitlessly is alright as long as there is a physical drawback because there is not going to be death in this game, so essentially there are no heavy consequences regarding your character's physical well-being.

The drawback that the user can't switch back willingly is fine and the fact that the damage carries over even if they switch is fine too.

Also swapping arms and legs is fine, but swapping organs is a no-go. That is just inviting trouble.

Hopefully, I didn't put a damper on your fun and you recognize that I have to be strict with what people choose as their powers otherwise it just becomes a huge mess when the game starts and even if it doesn't occur right away, it will definitely occur in the future. I've witnessed this myself multiple times and I want to make sure there isn't going to be any messiness going forward. I don't want to utilize the almighty GM hammer too often so it's best if I put my foot down at the beginning rather than in the middle of the game.

As always, thanks for the interest and even going so far as to putting down your thoughts right here.

Now, I must go and begin writing the Recruitment Thread since I set a deadline for tomorrow >_>

*runs off*

[Wolfy]

I'm interested in being a part of this!

Are there any limits to what powers can be?

[FarFetched]

I'm interested in being a part of this!

Are there any limits to what powers can be?

Most are okay, so long as they aren't overpowered. Things like stopping time or instantly destroying something are straight out.

[Cassandra LeMay]

I'm interested in being a part of this!

Are there any limits to what powers can be?

The way I read Aiden, the powers themselves aren't all that important, as they aren't the focus of the game. The way I read it, this is essentially a school/academy setting with a twist. I suppose a character who can set their own hair on fire without taking damage, or turning their skin neon green at will can be just as valid here as someone who can lift a car or shoot laser beams from their eyes.



Speaking of character and powers ... I suppose I am in. Still not sure about a lot of details for my character, but my current idea runs towards a male character who might be the son of one, maybe two, superpowered parent(s) but has no obvious powers of his own. He feels he has somehow let his parents down by not having any powers and strives extra hard to make up for his "human weakness" through academic achievements and sports. He'll certainly be in the kendo club and martial arts club if the school has them (and if not he'll likely start them). I am not sure yet, but he might actually have a superpower himself without being aware of it. I have to think about that a bit more.

[AidenWhite]

@Cass: Exactly. The powers themselves aren't the focus of the game, but I still have to monitor them. And the character idea sounds good, it's just that if your character does indeed have a power, it must be extremely subtle to not have shown up this entire time.

@Wolfy: thanks for the interest!

@Everyone: here is the recruitment thread CLICK ON THIS

[Cassandra LeMay]

... And the character idea sounds good, it's just that if your character does indeed have a power, it must be extremely subtle to not have shown up this entire time.

I was thinking he might have something like a "perfect muscle memory", that he has to learn a physical task just once, then can repeat that over and over again, something like "instant training". But as he always trains hard and long, everyone (including himself) would think it is all the result of training. It might also be that this power only manifested after puberty, kicked in only when his body had mostly finished growing and his musculature had essentially "stabilized". Might not make much sense for a power like this to kick in while the muscles were still forming and growing all the time.
Edit: I am still on the fence if his power would allow him to copy moves from people he observes or not.

Speaking of puberty, here's another question for you:

What is the age range for our characters? Obviously we can't make them too young because of the site rules, but what is the expected range? I assume senior high, i.e. years 10 to 12, so about 16-18 years old?

Also: School uniforms. Will there be uniforms? If so we might not need detailed descriptions, but maybe a color scheme would be nice to know.

Another Edit, another question: Do you imagine school clubs and such will become important? If so, would it make sense to have membership of clubs included in the character sheet?

[Sally Aces]

I love the clubs idea, Cassandra. It makes for a quick way to link characters.

[Angel Fire]

Especially for someone who is brand new to everything like my girl is.

[AidenWhite]

I was thinking he might have something like a "perfect muscle memory", that he has to learn a physical task just once, then can repeat that over and over again, something like "instant training". But as he always trains hard and long, everyone (including himself) would think it is all the result of training. It might also be that this power only manifested after puberty, kicked in only when his body had mostly finished growing and his musculature had essentially "stabilized". Might not make much sense for a power like this to kick in while the muscles were still forming and growing all the time.
Edit: I am still on the fence if his power would allow him to copy moves from people he observes or not.

Speaking of puberty, here's another question for you:

What is the age range for our characters? Obviously we can't make them too young because of the site rules, but what is the expected range? I assume senior high, i.e. years 10 to 12, so about 16-18 years old?

Also: School uniforms. Will there be uniforms? If so we might not need detailed descriptions, but maybe a color scheme would be nice to know.

Another Edit, another question: Do you imagine school clubs and such will become important? If so, would it make sense to have membership of clubs included in the character sheet?

His powers: I'm fine with him being able to do a physical task just once and then being able to do it just as well as anyone (within limits), however I'm not comfortable having him have Sharingan-esc abilities, if you know what I mean. It's fine if he studies someone over and over and gets the gist of how the move works, but that won't happen on the first time.

Age range of the characters is how you said, 16-18.

There are school uniforms: I was thinking Guilty Crown style, red scheme for the girls, black scheme for the boys, something like this.

I want there to be clubs for sure, but I don't want to make a huge list of clubs no one will use, buuut... that gives me an idea. If you'd like your character in a club, add a field in the CS somewhere about what kinda of clubs your character would like to join, then I'll group up the most common ones and relay that information back to you guys. You can also PM each other and pre-plan all of this of course.