ONE power: what do you do with it?

[Zeropoint]

Inspired by the thread in Hero System Discussion "Build Your Super Self" and my reaction to it:

If you were a normal person in the normal world (your actual self, even!), but discovered one day that you had a SINGLE superpower, what would/could you do with it?

I'm thinking for the purposes of this discussion that I'm talking about a single entry from the Powers section, with no frameworks. This means that "weather control powers" ala Storm would be out, although a Change Environment: Weather would be acceptable. Let's also keep things within 80 active points.

Variable power pools are right out.

For starters, I was thinking about Flight.

You could be a photographer/cameraman, getting aerial footage for the news, or doing aerial photography for other purposes with a lot more flexibility and less overhead than someone who needed an aircraft. You might also be valuable to search and rescue teams.

Advertising is a possibility.

Hmm. It's a bit late and that's all that comes to mind at the moment.

[Teflon Billy]

Total Life Support.

Compounded Interest and an Immortal Life Span are awesome things.

TB

[Amber Nytstar]

Running.

The ultimate messenger/delivery boy. Forget 30 minutes or it's free, as this guy would probably only need about 30 seconds to deliver it in town. That's assuming he's not running in a track & field event somewhere.

[Derek Hiemforth]

I gotta agree with Teflon Billy. Total Life Support, definitely. :)

With no predestined time clock on your life, and no need to sleep, you'd have the time to learn anything and everything your brain could hold. With no need to eat and immunity to exposure (and again, no need to sleep), you don't really need much of anything in the way of money. Pocket money could easily be obtained through bar bets via your immunity to alcohol, and greater sums could doubtless be made with ingenious application of your other abilities.

Heck, if nothing else, your immunity to disease would allow you to work without risk in certain less-than-reputable areas of entertainment, if you get my drift... :eg:

[Hermit]

It depends on if we get floating locations as part of the power... Teleportation with a variable Advantage would rock.

Barring that, Clairsentence Precog combo guarentees a fortune

[Steve]

One power, eh? Here's some thoughts. Not necessarily in order:

1) Extra-dimensional travel, to anywhere and anywhen. With infninite worlds available, I find the right one, and then I can acquire other abilities, like Immortality. Then the possibilities for exploration and adventure are limitelss. Of course, I'd need to have the ability to take others with me, or it will get mighty lonely.

2) Total Life Support. Who wouldn't want to be ageless and immune to poisons and diseases?

3) Regeneration, including Resurrection. Okay, I can be hurt, but I'll get better.

4) Shape Shift. This would be fun. I could go to the best parties. Or I could acquire money. Or learn secrets. Seduce beautiful women maybe?

5) Summon. Have friends anytime I want them.

6) Armor. With 80 Active Points of this Power, I'd be damned hard to hurt with any conventional weapons. I could be a hostage negotiator or something.

7) Telepathy. Yeah, Menton-class Telepathy might be interesting.

[OzMike]

How about INT or PRE? I reckon 80 active points of either would be pretty handy.

[Matt Frisbee]

Admittedly, when this idea came up in another thread, I immediately said "Flight -- because it's so damn cool." However, after watching a few episodes of Heroes you can sign me up for Hiro's power. Worldwide teleportation is pretty cool, too. :)

Matt "Passport?-I-don't-need-no-stinkin'-passport!" Frisbee

[Derek Hiemforth]

How about INT or PRE? I reckon 80 active points of either would be pretty handy.Yeah, I gotta admit... with 80 Active Points of INT, you could pretty much invent things to give you Total Life Support, Flight, Invulnerability, etc.... :)

[OzMike]

Yeah, I gotta admit... with 80 Active Points of INT, you could pretty much invent things to give you Total Life Support, Flight, Invulnerability, etc.... :)

And have a 25- Perception... as well as being light years ahead in anything you put your mind to and study - Knowledge skills, Area Knowledges, Sciences...

Although having 25- PRE based skills would be like having a variety of mental powers as well.

[wrestlinggeek]

Hmm... with 80 AP in Comliness, that would give me a Com of 160. I could pretty much get anything I wanted with that. Think I'm wrong? Think about today's society.

[Grimble]

And have a 25- Perception... as well as being light years ahead in anything you put your mind to and study - Knowledge skills, Area Knowledges, Sciences...

Although having 25- PRE based skills would be like having a variety of mental powers as well.

Actually a 27-. You start with 10 pts of INT for free.

[Grimble]

It's a toss up between...

Full Life Support
Or
17" Teleportation (Safe Blind Teleport,+1/4, Variable Advantage,+1) 76.5 active pts. I'd just keep 0 END Cost on when I didn't need another Advantage. Just being able to use teleport at both personal scale and megascale makes Var Adv worth it. Usable On Others is also handy.

Grimble

[OddHat]

Ectoplasmic Projection: Summon Any Creature, Loyal, though it might break the spirit of the one power only rule. Still, the power to call up spirits and supernatural creatures who can use powers for you is as good as having those powers yourself.

If there are no beings with powers I can summon, then Extradimensional Movement, any time, any place, any world, safe blind movement. I can make a fortune or three, find beings with powers willing to make a few deals, hang out in fairly amazing times and places, it would be a blast.

No other worlds? Then we're back to good old Full Life Support; I'll hang around until my own violent death, and have a pretty good time in the meantime.

Multiform with 16 or more forms, each with a different power, might also be fun, but again that probably violates the spirit of the One Power Only rule.

[transmetahuman]

It's a toss up between...

Full Life Support
Or
17" Teleportation (Safe Blind Teleport,+1/4, Variable Advantage,+1) 76.5 active pts. I'd just keep 0 END Cost on when I didn't need another Advantage. Just being able to use teleport at both personal scale and megascale makes Var Adv worth it. Usable On Others is also handy.

Grimble
Hmm, yeah, but how useful is megascale teleport without floating or fixed locations? Can we expect character points from experience? Will "the GM" allow a lock-on from a television image in realtime? I'd reduce the level a bit and throw in at least a couple floating locations - and a x2 mass. That way I could use it for legal stuff... if that's how I should decide to use it.

[Pariah]

If there are no beings with powers I can summon, then Extradimensional Movement, any time, any place, any world, safe blind movement. I can make a fortune or three, find beings with powers willing to make a few deals, hang out in fairly amazing times and places, it would be a blast.


Sounds like Corwin of Amber. Having the power to travel to infinite worlds and experience infinite possibilities would be pretty cool, though you'd have to be careful about making infinite enemies....

[BoloOfEarth]

Hmmm...

Desolidification, 0 END, Usable by self and one other. I could go anywhere and take anything I can carry or rescue anyone from almost any prison or danger.

Or maybe Clairsentience, Sight and Hearing (1,800"), Precognitive, 1/2 END. With the ability to reliably see the future, I'd soon have that 10-15 points of Wealth, could prevent crimes, avert or minimize the impact of many disasters... the possibilities are huge.

[CrosshairCollie]

Major Transform, anything to anything. :)

[palaskar]

The first thing that comes to mind is gobs of Duplication, with 5-point characters. You can do a lot of things at once.

The second thing that comes to mind is Drain vs. Int, megascale, personal immunity. With the rest of the world reduced to drooling morons, I would RULE THE WORLD! MUHAHAHAHA!

[Pyre-Archer]

I don't have my copy of the rules on hand, but I wouldn't mind Images, Sight and Hearing, megascale, only items I can see or hear, can send images only to televisions.

Someone call for a friendly neighborhood Cameraman?

[Arkham]

Major Transform, anything to anything. :)

I must second this...

[BoloOfEarth]

Major Transform, anything to anything. :)


I must second this...

You're only saying that because he just transformed you into his loyal minion.

[TheQuestionMan]

Telepathy

1. Hunt down every Bomb using Terrorist on the planet and Reeducat them.
2. Learn enough secrets to blackmail the powers that be into doing the Jobs they were hired for.
3. Reeducating Criminals into productive members of society.
4. Justice, Not Law for everyone.
5. Environmental Action/ Not Reaction.


Cheers

QM

[teh bunneh]

Gotta agree with Teflon Billy -- full Life Support is the way to go. Alternately, I might choose scads of Regeneration with Resurrection instead (especially as a way to justify buying LS later!). ;)

[Arkham]

You're only saying that because he just transformed you into his loyal minion.

He totally did not. Totally. Really. And He didn't tell me to say this either, Did you, my master?

[Grimble]

Hmm, yeah, but how useful is megascale teleport without floating or fixed locations? Can we expect character points from experience? Will "the GM" allow a lock-on from a television image in realtime? I'd reduce the level a bit and throw in at least a couple floating locations - and a x2 mass. That way I could use it for legal stuff... if that's how I should decide to use it.

Thats why I threw in the Safe Blind Teleport. I figure I pick a direction, Figure out how far I need to go (between 1 and 170km) and just teleport. If I would have landed in a solid object, I'm fine. Then, I just use personal level teleport, or even mundane means to get to my exact desired location.

Grimble

[Lord Mhoram]

I wouldn't go life support unless the wife could too so I'd go odd.

Area effect transform, with improved target group, and harder to heal back, variable effects perhaps. 0 end, partial transform. Continous.

The power would transform everything in the area (non living) to a state of clean/new/repaired.

So, never have to wash car/clothes/dishes. Never have to clean house. Never have to have anything repaired. That saves money. :)
I could buy junker cars (or houses) use the power, turn around a sell them for lots of money.

It would free up my time (I'm making money doing the flips, and saving money on other stuff), give me disposable cash and I could enjoy life. :) It may not be glamorous or flash like Flight, invis, or T-port, but it's cool.

[Chris Goodwin]

I'd really like to have full immortality. Given that it's just one Power, and I can't do LS: Does Not Age with Regeneration, Regrow Limbs, Resurrection, if I had to choose I'd take the latter. I'd be quite happy with 1 BODY (300 per hour!) but more is always better. :D

Though, a fun Power I'd like to have would be the "practice effect" from the David Brin novel of the same name. Essentially, any item I use gets better at what it does. Not unlike Lord Mhoram's Transform (which made me think of it), except that the items actually improve from baseline; if they're not used, they decay back to where they were.

[Benzini]

Let's see....Mind control.
Give yer money and forget about it. Don't fire that nuclear missle. Turn yourself in.....That kind of thing...subtle world manipulation...

[sinanju]

I second the TRANSFORM option. With the right limitations and advantages, I can transform myself at will, as well as anyone/thing else. Soon I'll have ALL the powers--or at least, all the powers I want.

[SatinKitty]

On Devil's Advocate Rant/

People, what the BLANK is so desirable about living FOREVER ???? I mean, the Sun, Scientists say, will go nova in about 50 billion years. That's a LONG time. The Earth itself is now only about 4&1/2 billion years old. Who could possibly stay remotely sane for 50 billion years, especially if the rest of humanity becomes extinct ? And when the Earth and Sun are gone, then what ? Float around in space for the rest of eternity ?
Pretty dull way to spend a life that would NEVER end.
No, give me something else. Even if being burnt by the Sun when it goes nova won't kill you, it would probably hurt a lot. /End rant.

[sinanju]

On Devil's Advocate Rant/

People, what the BLANK is so desirable about living FOREVER ???? I mean, the Sun, Scientists say, will go nova in about 50 billion years. That's a LONG time. The Earth itself is now only about 4&1/2 billion years old. Who could possibly stay remotely sane for 50 billion years, especially if the rest of humanity becomes extinct ? And when the Earth and Sun are gone, then what ? Float around in space for the rest of eternity ?
Pretty dull way to spend a life that would NEVER end.
No, give me something else. Even if being burnt by the Sun when it goes nova won't kill you, it would probably hurt a lot. /End rant.

So buy your Total Life Support with a power limitation (or advantage, in your point of view) that it only works until you really, really, really don't want it to anymore.

[CrosshairCollie]

On Devil's Advocate Rant/

People, what the BLANK is so desirable about living FOREVER ???? I mean, the Sun, Scientists say, will go nova in about 50 billion years. That's a LONG time. The Earth itself is now only about 4&1/2 billion years old. Who could possibly stay remotely sane for 50 billion years, especially if the rest of humanity becomes extinct ? And when the Earth and Sun are gone, then what ? Float around in space for the rest of eternity ?
Pretty dull way to spend a life that would NEVER end.
No, give me something else. Even if being burnt by the Sun when it goes nova won't kill you, it would probably hurt a lot. /End rant.

I agree. That's why immortality never even entered my mind as an option.


So buy your Total Life Support with a power limitation (or advantage, in your point of view) that it only works until you really, really, really don't want it to anymore.

I think you can automatically turn it off if you want to, barring special effect.

[Chris Goodwin]

On Devil's Advocate Rant/

People, what the BLANK is so desirable about living FOREVER ???? I mean, the Sun, Scientists say, will go nova in about 50 billion years. That's a LONG time. The Earth itself is now only about 4&1/2 billion years old. Who could possibly stay remotely sane for 50 billion years, especially if the rest of humanity becomes extinct ? And when the Earth and Sun are gone, then what ? Float around in space for the rest of eternity ?
Pretty dull way to spend a life that would NEVER end.
No, give me something else. Even if being burnt by the Sun when it goes nova won't kill you, it would probably hurt a lot. /End rant.

Oooo, good point. My Resurrection has as the condition it doesn't work against, "Incineration by the Sun." :D

[Zeropoint]

Oooo, good point. My Resurrection has as the condition it doesn't work against, "Incineration by the Sun."

Which is great, until you run into a supervillain with a really big magnifying glass.

[moquif]

Mental Transform, Full Indirect, AE 1 hex megascale (cover Earth), reduced recover, 0END, anything (physical, mental, spiritual), total invisibility, affects one target, doesn't have to know target's exact location.

This way you can transform anyone from your least favorite politician to that moron on the current events discussion forum into someone who tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Or better yet, change them into whatever they fear or hate most.

I can do without immortality, just help me get rid of the [censored] in this world.

[incrdbil]

umm, use those 80 points on a multiform..and stay in it ? ;)

[Narratio]

How about Healing, usable on self as well as others, it's more flexable than regeneration. Forget Mother Teresa, with that power Sainthood would be an automatic given. Nobel peace prize? Got it for this year, and last year and the year before that etc, etc.

[Chris Goodwin]

Which is great, until you run into a supervillain with a really big magnifying glass.

Yeah, but see, he's got to know about it. And I tell everyone that it doesn't work against freezing to death.

Edit: And, technically, it's Incineration by the Sun, not by sunlight. Leetle difference....

[Grimble]

On Devil's Advocate Rant/

People, what the BLANK is so desirable about living FOREVER ???? I mean, the Sun, Scientists say, will go nova in about 50 billion years. That's a LONG time. The Earth itself is now only about 4&1/2 billion years old. Who could possibly stay remotely sane for 50 billion years, especially if the rest of humanity becomes extinct ? And when the Earth and Sun are gone, then what ? Float around in space for the rest of eternity ?
Pretty dull way to spend a life that would NEVER end.
No, give me something else. Even if being burnt by the Sun when it goes nova won't kill you, it would probably hurt a lot. /End rant.

First off, right now we have primative space travel. I'm sure within 50 billion years I could come up with a cool ride. As long as there are books I haven't read, I'd be able to keep whatever sort of pseudo-sanity I'm going to start with. Lastly, I'm pretty sure the human race isn't the only sentient being in the galaxy. Finding more (If they haven't found us yet) would give me a hobby after the human race becomes extinct (Not that I think that will happen. They may evolve far beyond me, but extinct seems defeatist to me)

Grimble

[Pschic Avenger]

All in Presence for everyone would hang on to your every word and when you yelled old and the very young may have Heart Attacks.....Plus being a salesman you would make money hand over fist selling things people don,t need......
Well this was a question me and my friends ask during 4th Ed.what powers would you want to place all your points in and the winner was presence.As a presence attack costs No endurance to use.and haveing a presence score of 260=52d6 and thats just talking.

[Mike W]

I would love Teleportation. Don't have to worry if I forget something, just pop back home and get it. Best of all though, I could see the entire world for pennies. "Yeah, I've got a couple hours off this afternoon, thought I'd teleport to Paris and have a coffee on the Champs Elysee. Maybe on the way back I'll swing through Rome and check out the Colesseum. Money? I got $10, so I'm good."

[Steve]

Actually, with Teleportation with planetary capability, that would make someone the perfect courier.

"We need to get this heart to San Francisco within the hour for a transplant!"

"But we're in Spain! It's impossible!"

"No, I know just the man to contact. Get me... the Transporter!" :D


Of course, governments would love to get their hands on someone with such a power. :eek:

[dbsousa]

Duplication. How many duplicates do I get for 80 points? I could get the dishes and the laundry done, go to work, post to this forum and catch up on my sleep...

[transmetahuman]

Thats why I threw in the Safe Blind Teleport. I figure I pick a direction, Figure out how far I need to go (between 1 and 170km) and just teleport. If I would have landed in a solid object, I'm fine. Then, I just use personal level teleport, or even mundane means to get to my exact desired location.

Grimble
My response was based on the "no frameworks" rule (so, no personal level teleport)... but yeah, with a good portable GPS, and no huge hurry while you zero in, I guess megascale would work out fine.


Sounds like Corwin of Amber. Having the power to travel to infinite worlds and experience infinite possibilities would be pretty cool, though you'd have to be careful about making infinite enemies....The way you put that reminds me even more of another Zelazny character - Thoth, from Creatures of Light and Darkness. He had the great fortune to have that EDM power in a multiverse where everything imaginable existed somewhere. Unlike the Amberites, all he had to do was imagine it, will it, and be there.


Of course, governments would love to get their hands on someone with such a power. :eek:
Another book reference: see Jumper by Steven Gould. It's exactly what this thread's about: a normal teen gains teleportation, he's apparently the only one in the world with a super-power of any kind, and the story is just him exploring its possibilities and hazards. Good read.

[BoloOfEarth]

Summon female supermodel (Limited Group), Slavishly Devoted, 0 END (I'll need as much of my own END as possible...)

[Haven Walkur]

Transform -- into Princess Louise of the Misfit Princes of Amber. To reverse -- prolonged concentration on becoming my mundane self again.

Thanks to Pariah's mention of Corwin of Amber, I remembered my old Misfit Princes character, and thought, "Why the hell not?" Since Princess Louise is everything I've ever thought I wanted to be, and has many of the powers and abilities of a Child of Amber and Chaos, it would be a case of achieving my heart's (or dream's) desire.

Using Transform to become an Amberite, I'd pretty much have all the other Champions game powers -- and more!

And if being a Misfit Prince of Amber weren't as wonderful as I'd anticipated, just spend an hour or so thinking about the way I used to be, and POOF! I'm back to my mundane self.

[steamteck]

Mind control. Head down over to Marvel comics and deal with some "issues " there

[Grimble]

My response was based on the "no frameworks" rule (so, no personal level teleport)... but yeah, with a good portable GPS, and no huge hurry while you zero in, I guess megascale would work out fine.


There's no framework. The power has Variable Advantage. It's always personal level, unless I use the +1/2 advantage to buy Megascale...

Grimble

[Kenn]

"Rassilon knew that immortality is a curse, not a blessing." -- The first Doctor, 'The Five Doctors.'

[Steve]

Heh. Here's a couple that occurred to me at lunch.

Ultimate Marketing: A Fully Invisible, Megascaled Mind Control (to Planetary Level) only to influence others to buy a certain product.

"Hero Games books are selling out every week! They're more popular than D&D and White Wolf products combined. What could be causing this?"

"They finally got better artists?" :p


The Terrorists Are There: A Megascaled Mind Scan, only to find terrorists, Usable By Others.

"How do the Americans keep finding us? Our hideouts are foolproof!"

[ThothAmon]

I think a Healing schtick would work for me. With selective marketing of abilities I could make money and then me, the missus and the kids (and their kids) could live a healthy life.

I acutually see a plotline in that - what if someone really wants healing and will do anything to get it?

[Pschic Avenger]

I think a Healing schtick would work for me. With selective marketing of abilities I could make money and then me, the missus and the kids (and their kids) could live a healthy life.

I acutually see a plotline in that - what if someone really wants healing and will do anything to get it?
I can see a plot line for the healing thing as well Black Market Organs and with all these Teleporters The getting around the world would be no problem...or Drugs when it needs to get to the states The DEA wouldnt no what to do With The Transporter

[Asperion]

I would like the ability to "copy" everything someone knows into my own brain just by looking at the person. They would not realize that it occurs but I would then know every thing that they know. I could then hire myself out as a super-spy. In my spare time I would make the best psyciatrist out there since the patient would not need to describe their problem in detail, I would already possess the knowledge from the "download". In addition money problems would be lessened since I would then go to any financial planner and discover the secrets on how to invest my money myself, and do so. Also by combining several different KS's I could become an even better inventor than Edison ever was and look at the fortune that he possessed at his death. :D

[Pariah]

Mind control. Head down over to Marvel comics and deal with some "issues " there
I second the motion. In fact, anything I could think of doing with 80 points, I can probably do with 70. So I'll donate 10 of my points to you. An extra 2d6 of Mind Control could make all the difference.

Anybody else care to donate? It costs so little to do so much.... :D

[Remjin]

Well, answered this once before...

43 Strike to the Groin: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6, No Normal Defense (defense: Force Fields and Force Walls) (+1), Does BODY (+1) (75 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4)

... and be the most feared martial artist in the world! Probably not good, but VERY feared! :eek:

[BNakagawa]

arguably, life support is not one power, but a collection of smaller powers.

Certainly some powers (limited sleep vs no need for sleep) are different levels of a single power, but that set of immunities (vs need for sleep) is entirely separate from the need to breathe or the enhanced lifespan stuff.

many powers bring a lot of baggage with them. If you had the ability to raise the dead, how long do you think you could use it before you became the focus of the attention of the catholic church, the government, organized crime, etc.

Ditto for the ability to change anything into anything else. You'd have to keep it really secret or you'd be a marked man/woman. Sure, you'd be an instant answer to what do we do with radioactive waste (assuming you could do it at range or through a barrier), but you'd also be an instant national security risk. (instant weapons grade plutonium on ebay?) Oh, damn.

as for myself, I often think that it would be nice to get more done in a given day, so some form of multiplication/duplication would have its benefits. OTOH, I also wish I could be something other than what I am, so some flavor of shapeshifting would also be very nice. (also, as an illustrator, I might be able to be my own model for a broader variety of characters)

But it's really hard to argue with: Summon catgirl(s), slavishly loyal, 0 end.

^_^

[saiyanslayer]

has anyone mentioned Telekinesis? the broad applications are.... broad.
Flight, force field, magic tricks (and thus fame), not to mention ranged strength :o If you want to get creative (on how far down the TK can affect) you could even start affecting molecular structures. XD

[Spidey88]

Sign me up for Super-Speed! Again, a power with a lot of potential ramifications/uses, and it's one that resonates a lot with me personally...

[Basil]

Well, with no VPP I can't do "VPP: Only One Power At A Time, Only For Multiform, etc." which is my usual response to this kind of thread. ;)

Since you didn't specify "powers from the rule book," I'm going to The Ultimate Metamorph, page 50, and taking Simplified Shape Shift.

However I Want To Look: Simplified Shape Shift (20 points), any form (+20 points), External-Only Cellular [TUM page 49] (+5 points), Imitation (+10 points), Makeover (+5 points), (60 base points); Costs Endurance Only To Change Shape (+1/4), 75 Active Points.

I'm not bothering with Limitations since you didn't mention any Real Cost limits.

If I can squeeze it up to 81 Active Points, I'd increase to Fully Cellular (+10 instead of +5).

[Midas]

I'd go with mind control, fully invis effects. I'm aware that I would probably use it the same way earlier posters have used summon (slavishly loyal cat girls etc). I like to think I have enough of a conscience not to abuse the power *too* much. :o

It would be mostly used for "don't bother me!" And "I'm invisible!" And yes, I would prolly do the usual sophomoric things that invisible people do, at least at first. :rolleyes:

The problem would be if 80 points would give me enough MC to use for the most desired ability: Ordering bureaucrats to get off their coffee break and serve the client. After all, we're talking about "strongly opposed" backed up by a couple of Total psych crocks (Do no more work than anybody else here, and Don't get the supervisor's attention). :D

Midas

[Hawknight]

I used to want to be a minor superman, then came telekinesis, then teleport.

Now in my fourth decade, I want the power to find lost kids/loved ones by touching something of theirs and knowing where their physical body is. I want families to have closure.

Sorry to get so serious.