Der Psychology of der Super Human

[Hermit]

Just how would having certain powers (or if you prefer a more mechanics oriented question) how would having the powers of a certain archetype affect a guy (or gal)? What psychological limitations might be common based on those powers?

 

I know some of this is already covered in the Champions book, but I figured it was a worthy topic of discussion.

["V"]

Can you imagine being a typical speedster, with the accelerated movement, reactions and perceptions that entails, and being stuck in a world of SPD 2 or 3 normals?

 

I imagine the frustration would be intolerable, waiting for them to ploddingly make up their minds, to *always* be in the way when you need to get past them, to be so clumsy...

 

I really hate shopping in crowded supermarkets, aisles blocked with people trudging along at 0mph and seemingly in a shopping trance. Being a speedster could engender the same reaction *all the time!*

 

((shudders))

 

I need to go lie down for a while or else I may turn all my npc speedsters evil just out of reaction!

[Wormhole]

Imagine being a Brick in a world of comparably fragile people and objects. Unless you're a total creep, you'd be constantly worrying about accidently breaking things or hurting someone with your level of strength.

[Supreme Serpent]

Having high defenses could very easily make you Overconfident and/or Reckless. When the Thing runs out into traffic he's more concerned with damage to the cars than to himself...

[Hermit]

Flight would be very liberating, and yet frustrating... like the speedster, imagine being stuck behind line. You normally can fly over any obstacle, and here you are... waiting.

[Vondy]

the classic brick may, unless they are properly reared, grow up to be a complete social delinquent. We're talking about someone who can't be taught a lesson when they try to bully those weaker themselves (which is how most bullies learn some respect), and therefore learn they can get and do what they want without significant interference - even from authority figures like the police. Their peer group, and those equiped to handle them, are few and far between. Even a law abiding brick might prove somewhat overbearing and outspoken... after all, if I tell this guy to Eff-Off, what's he going to do, break his hand on me? Waste ammunition? It would take a truly noble spirit, or a very good set of parents, to raise a humble, law abiding person with super-powers, especially powers that make them essentially invulnerable to the harm most people have to consider.

 

Overconfidence

Recklesness

Arrogance

Outspoken/Confrontational

Immense Physical Courage

 

Sense of Duty (with great powers...)

Fear of hurting normals/fragile people

Gentle Giant Complex (could be cool to play)

Etc.

[lemming]

Originally posted by "V"

Can you imagine being a typical speedster, with the accelerated movement, reactions and perceptions that entails, and being stuck in a world of SPD 2 or 3 normals?

Doesn't that Superfriends spoof site talk about the Flash having this problem?

[Mayday]

The only thing that would reign in a young invulnerable is social pressure. You come from a poor family and go to school, the other kids have better clothes, the prettier accessories, a car... Some will be smarter, many will be better looking or more funny and so the only crowd that he'd have to look up to him would be the delinquents and future jail bait.

 

Later on when girls become an issue, some will gravitate towards him if he is willing to use his powers to get them things. Some will gravitate away because he hurts them accidentally, and they don't like it.

[Hermit]

Actually, that's an interesting take on a brick, the shy guy (or gal). When social pain is the only pain you can feel normally, you might be reluctant to go out in society. While I think D-Man is right that it might have the reverse effect and make you arrogant, it would be interesting to see a 'non ugly' brick who avoids most social interaction and large groups in particular.

[BNakagawa]

Mentallists - eww. Depending on the style and scope of the powers, this is an ugly can of worms. Superiority complex? There isn't anything complex about it. I AM superior to the rest of you monkeys.

 

Martial Artists - Depending on the context, martial artists can range from the noble protectors of the weak and innocent to the worst kinds of thugs.

[Ghost who Walks]

I would think speedsters might have a tendency to...run away from their problems?

 

Depending on the campaign, many with powers may wonder if they are even human. After all, few of them even have powers in common.

 

I do a lot with the mentalist/psionic crowd, as they have a lot of powers in common (mental), they are an easy target for discrimination. I can envision a device which detects mental activity a lot easier than one which detects "Muties".

 

In any case this is a good thread to work on...I am already picturing the villain who became a villain because he struck that senior citizen in the supermarket checkout line!

 

Future villain: "Must...Escape...Supermarket..."

Senior citizen: "Just let me find my coupons..."

Future villain: "ARGH!!" (Picks up can of soup hits elderly citiizen on the head)

Clerk: (Speaking into microphone) "Methauman incident at register #4, will the manager please alert PRIMUS"

Future Villain: "Must...Flee...Justice!" (Pushes aside guy putting his food in plastic bags, picks up groceries, runs from store)

Clerk: (Speaking into microphone) "Cleanup at register #4..."

[Zed-F]

Originally posted by Hermit

Flight would be very liberating, and yet frustrating... like the speedster, imagine being stuck behind line. You normally can fly over any obstacle, and here you are... waiting.

I can normally walk around any obstacle. Being in line doesn't make me any more or less frustrated than anyone else. I don't imagine being able to fly would be any different. It would still be a nuisance if I wasn't in a hurry, and an annoyance if I was.

[zornwil]

A blaster type might not be as confident as the brick, after all he's not as durable and tough and hands-on. They often can be sort of one-trick ponies as they depend on a particular energy source. They could become paranoid about it, defending it and ritualizing aspects of the power - "every time I rub my hand 3 times before blasting, I ALWAYS hit - nearly always, anyway". They also might learn to fight in more "under-handed" sniper-ish sorts of ways, getting a bad reputation while doing the perfectly logical thing given they're more like artillery support sometimes.

 

For an alternate take on the Batman-type (I mean in terms of the detective/skulker heroes, not his background which comes with plenty of built-in disads), this brainy detective-cum-action hero might be contemptuous of those with powers, more anti-mutant in many ways, as he had to do it all "the hard way", being resentful of those who "have it easy". He also might not be so interested in protecting the innocent versus "proving I am right" - in fact that may be more his motivation. In fact he may have disads like "won't help those who won't help themselves", putting these facets together.

[Dog Soldier]

How might a Brick discover his powers? It's not necessarily obvious. I'm thinking here of David Dunn in Unbreakable . There may be some event that points out his capabilities, that would be the defineing moment of his life.

[Mutant for Hire]

Here's the last thread we had on this, which I really recommend people take a gander at, because it includes some interesting posts about the psychological impacts of training on RL martial artists.

 

http://www.herogames.com/oldForum/Champions/002196.html

[Redmenace]

I'd think a Messiah complex, the sense of burden to use the power for societal benefit, or Meglomania, the urge to conquer and or use the ability to out compete your counterparts, would be extremaly common.

 

Certainly your society will shape this to some degree. A heavily religious state would impose it's theology upon the individual which could easily result in him or her manifesting both these traits. Just becouse you are personally gaining from your abilities and use them to coerce unbelievers to your way of doing things, doesn't neccesarily mean you aren't following God's will. You can ask any televangelist.

 

A Socialist or Communist society would likewise engender public service based on their ideology. However the Comic Super hero is an invention of socially progressive capitalists.

 

 

Check out Supreme Power by Marvel comics, written by Mike Stracynzki for a much more detaile set of examples. It'll give you some things to think about.

[lemming]

Originally posted by Dog Soldier

How might a Brick discover his powers? It's not necessarily obvious. I'm thinking here of David Dunn in Unbreakable . There may be some event that points out his capabilities, that would be the defineing moment of his life.

Could be like that kid that was showing how impervious he was to pain by hitting himself in the head with his skateboard. He had his friend hit, which knocked him out and he died a few days later.

 

Of course, the strong type bricks will at least find out that aspect.

 

In my case, being tougher than normal, I would of known by the time I learned to talk. But then I was the type of kid that seemed to try to disprove Darwin.

Now let's say I was nigh-invulnerable. I probably would of done more and more insane stunts as I got older and probably wrecked more bicycles than I actually did.

[TheEmerged]

The uber-High INT character can go a couple of different ways.

 

Take my "GM-PC", The Disruptor, who has a 40 INT for example. One of his social limitations is "Difficulty relating to normal people". He's x128 smarter than the average wo/man on the street.

 

That analogy about the speedster in the checkout lane? Try to imagine that every magazine you read went something like this. "Grond smart. U dum. Me tink Grond shud b roolr uv werld." Imagine trying to date someone that talks like a four year old. Imagine that every time you spoke aloud of multipliction, everyone said, "N nglsh?"

 

Imagine trying to go to an art museum, but all the pictures looked like something you did as a toddler with finger paint. Imagine going to a concert where you can hear every single missed note and notice every single missed timing.

 

Imagine trying to go to a fast food joint run by people who relative to you barely know how to tie their shoes.

 

Imagine listening to someone tell a life experience, and ten seconds into the tale you already know the end.

 

Quicksilver thinks his entire life is a Whopper, No Pickle? For the Disruptor, his life is Daddy Day Care 24/7/365.25.

[SDK]

Originally posted by "V"

Can you imagine being a typical speedster, with the accelerated movement, reactions and perceptions that entails, and being stuck in a world of SPD 2 or 3 normals?

 

I imagine the frustration would be intolerable, waiting for them to ploddingly make up their minds, to *always* be in the way when you need to get past them, to be so clumsy...

 

I really hate shopping in crowded supermarkets, aisles blocked with people trudging along at 0mph and seemingly in a shopping trance. Being a speedster could engender the same reaction *all the time!*

 

((shudders))

 

I need to go lie down for a while or else I may turn all my npc speedsters evil just out of reaction!

 

It's even worse than that. For a true speedster like the Flash, normals aren't just slow, they're stupid and ignorant.

I read a comic that had the golden age Flash being interviewed, and they discuss how he reads every periodical published. When he finds one in a language he doesn't know, he just takes a few minutes and learns it.

[Battlestaff]

Quicksilver

 

I remember reading an interview with the person writing a Quicksilver mini-series for Marvel (I don't remember who it was right now). He explained his take on the character, and why he is so angry, by analogy.

 

"Imagine you're standing in a long bank line, with only one teller window open, and you have to be somewhere in a hurry. Imagine how impatient you are. Now, imagine that feeling every minute of your life. You'd be angry all the time too."

 

As for other archetypes, I believe a lot would depend on when a power manifested, and who knows about the power. A character who has a power all his life is probably going to be more at ease with his power than someone who's powers manifest during high school, when there are all sorts of problems with "being different."

Also, does anyone know about the character's powers? If not, the character could either be very paranoid about anyone finding out, or secretly feel that he is superior to all the others around him because of his 'secret ability.' If others do know about the power, how they react to the character can be a huge influence on how the character views himself and his powers.

[phydaux]

Originally posted by BNakagawa

Mentallists - eww. Depending on the style and scope of the powers, this is an ugly can of worms. Superiority complex? There isn't anything complex about it. I AM superior to the rest of you monkeys.

 

I ran a female, teenage mentalist in a campaign based on Buffy The Vamipre Slayer.

 

I put a little thought into how having mental powers would affect a typicle teenage girl. I decided she wouldn't date much at all, since most of her dates would go like this:

 

Her (thinking to herself): "Oh, Billy asked me over to his house to watch Dawson's Creek. He knows how much I love Dawson's Creek. That must mean he really likes and respects me a LOT. It's so perfect just sitting togwether on the couch holding hands, enjoying the TV show and enjoying each other's company. And I just KNOW Billy feels the samy way. Why, I bet if I read his mind he's be thinking the same things. I think I will..."

 

Billy (in his head): "I've been watching this STUPID show for almost an hour know. My parents will be home soon. When is dumb chick going to take her shirt off and show me her boobies?"

 

I figured she ran home crying a lot, and as a result didn't date much.

[BlackSword]

Originally posted by Hermit

Flight would be very liberating, and yet frustrating... like the speedster, imagine being stuck behind line. You normally can fly over any obstacle, and here you are... waiting.

Flyers might also be more susceptible to clausterphobia. Imagine having the entire sky as your playground and then being stuck in a damp dark basement. Dependning on how it manifests, someone with wings might feel more cramped in crowds and avoid crowds altogether, someone who just flies (ala superman, GL, etc) might just be more impatient with crowds and obstacles.

[Highwayman]

Originally posted by TheEmerged

Imagine trying to go to a fast food joint run by people who relative to you barely know how to tie their shoes.

 

No need to imagine, I've been there.

 

As far as mentalists go, in an instant they can learn things about a person that it would take most people years to find out. Since their first impression is so much deeper, it must have a profound affect on how they deal with people.

 

They would also be getting 24-hour, instant, and completely honest feedback from everyone around them about everything they do and say. The privileged, charismatic, and good looking could end up with megalomania, while the ugly, unpopular, and victims of prejudice could end up with a desperate need to please or bitterly reject the entire human race. Or a mentalist could swing between the extremes, acting more and more arrogant when things are going well until the negative feedback from those around him sends him crashing back into “need to please†mode.

[FenrisUlf]

How about folks with animal-based powers/animallike appearances?

 

It seems to me that while a lot of these are done in the sense of 'ravaging brute', they could also be done as outsiders looking in on humanity. I.e., Doctor Silverback probably wonders sometimes why everyone gets hissy fits when he tries grooming them for bugs.

 

For that matter, while I like Fenris as a villain, his 'the wolf = sociopath' seems bogus to me. Might be he was always murderous on some deep level but now he know he can act on it, because after all, he's part predator now, and all predators are blood-crazed killers.

 

Anybody got anything they can add to this?

[Mayday]

Another take, you grow up being the strongest guy around. Football star material so everyone in your school likes you cause when you play they win. Then you get into the bigger world of superhumans and find out that your 20-25 STR is peanuts to the TRUE Powerhouses out there.

 

Might be an Ego testing moment the first time that happens to you. But then again, you'll always have football teams that want you, and fame, women and money....