Wyrm Ouroboros Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 So, okay. He wants to build Fu Manchu, or the First Emperor of China, or some damn thing. All one with the balance of Yin and Yang and whatnot, chi flow and shite. But it's in a world that has nuked the superheroes, and is sort of a wobbling disaster area. So he needs to heal the world. His first idea was to heal/influence people and the like; I'd compare that to healing the fleas on the surface of the ill patient. But how would you build a power that is effectively 'acupuncture of the planet's chi flow'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation Depending on what the eventual end effect actually is... Either Change Environment or Transform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadodel Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation Perhaps a megascale sort of Aid? Or perhaps a Dispel of some kind, perhaps one that Dispel the Curse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Waters Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation You guys You are thinking on too large a scale. Have you not seen Heroes? What matters is not 'saving the world' - something that is comparatively easy in Hero if you can throw enough points at it BUT knowing that you need to save the cheerleader. Far more interesting story. Build this with some sort of global danger sense (only you can sense who you need to save/heal to engineer the future), or clairvoyance with a 'through time' element, or something like that. That would be my favourite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadodel Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation You guys You are thinking on too large a scale. Have you not seen Heroes? . I have yet to watch an episode of Heroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Waters Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation I have yet to watch an episode of Heroes. Not a problem, the idea is not a new one, or unique to the series. In fact I think I read that the quote is a homage to a passage in an Indian Holy Book, and the ideea may not have been new even then. Rather than fixing everything in one go, you trust that things will work out if you can arrange the pieces properly, and that small changes can have big consequences. If one person lives or dies, or turn left rather than right, it might have far reaching consequences that could 'save the world'. So, how about this: 14 real points: Danger Sense (any area, any danger, Function as a Sense) (42 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2) 11- So, the GM can basically give you clues as to where you should be and what you should be doing, but does not have to. It is a great little power for driving a whole campaign, if you are not too big on investigation. In essence it identifies the stress points in the continuum of reality that might allow the path of our present to follow a more or less favourable direction that then allows the PC to intervene or, if you are a believer in predestiny, requires the PC to intervene. There's a lot of mileage in those 14 little points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed-F Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation I'd have to agree that having a statted 'save the world' power is not so good from a storytelling perspective. 'I turn it on and wait for it to work. Ok, now what?' Sean's suggestion is one approach. Another approach would be that the character knows of a particular macguffin or other plot device which will do the job, he just has to do these 18 other steps in order to make proper use of it... maybe with some help or hindrance along the way. Similarly plot-based, without quite so much of a feel of being a cosmic errand-boy, in that you know the goal you're working towards and can measure progress against it. Besides, isn't saving the world sort of a job for all the PCs, not just one of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyrm Ouroboros Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation If one person lives or dies, or turn left rather than right, it might have far reaching consequences that could 'save the world'. So, how about this: 14 real points: Danger Sense (any area, any danger, Function as a Sense) (42 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2) 11- There's a lot of mileage in those 14 little points. Rather. I'd think that in this case, a Precognition would be far more appropriate. 'Know Stress Point and potential results'. I'd have to agree that having a statted 'save the world' power is not so good from a storytelling perspective. 'I turn it on and wait for it to work. Ok, now what?' Sean's suggestion is one approach. Another approach would be that the character knows of a particular macguffin or other plot device which will do the job, he just has to do these 18 other steps in order to make proper use of it... maybe with some help or hindrance along the way. Similarly plot-based, without quite so much of a feel of being a cosmic errand-boy, in that you know the goal you're working towards and can measure progress against it. Besides, isn't saving the world sort of a job for all the PCs, not just one of them? Yes and no. This character wants to re-balance the planet's chi, which would 'save the world' over the long term; other characters are going to act directly, moving to save individuals, etc. He's looking at a Change Environment which would, of course, modify things locally, but as such things work, build up to a global effect; he'd also need a fair skill level in Geomancy. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation First, you'd really have to ask yourself "Within the idea of my campaign, what does Rebalancing The Worlds Ch'i actually mean? Does it mean fixing society to make it a better place? or simply helping survival along? A more physical effect? Does the planet actually have Ch'i or is the global Ch'i based on the relative health of humanity and nature?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyrm Ouroboros Posted October 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation ... okay, um, you actually mean those as questions. 'Taken as a given that I, the GM, am PERMITTING this to be built...' Wouldn't've thought that needed to be said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Re: Power Build: Chi Manipulation ... okay, um, you actually mean those as questions. 'Taken as a given that I, the GM, am PERMITTING this to be built...' Wouldn't've thought that needed to be said. No - I mean you ask yourself, as a GM, those questions to understand what the Effect is. Once you get the Effect you know what Power to use for the Build. Reason from Effect. Not "should I let it happen" but "What does letting this happen mean" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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