Both of you will probably get a mention next article, which will be even more in-depth in terms of examples
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by Alleniana » Sat Aug 08, 2015 7:49 am
Both of you will probably get a mention next article, which will be even more in-depth in terms of examples
by The Jonathanian States » Sat Aug 08, 2015 8:32 am
by The Starlight » Sat Aug 08, 2015 8:34 am
The Jonathanian States wrote:Alleniana wrote:
Woooooooo!
Nice article, by the way, totally unrelated to the fact that I'm featured.1
1 - That's actually not complete irony.
EDIT:
Starlight, is the poll expected to update soon? /EDIT
Call me StarBest High Fantasy RPer of '14 and '15
"Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination""Strength does not make one capable of rule. It makes one capable of service"
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world"Tri: NS's Tolkien incarnate
Lith: Twinky-toes, Lord of Elves, and the only man to enter Tolkien's Holy of Holies
Neros: A Star Among Men and a Tolkien force of nature in relation to Elves and Asgardians.P2TM: Infinite Justice | ✎ Member - ℘ædagog | ℳadhouse
by Alleniana » Sat Aug 08, 2015 8:35 am
The Starlight wrote:The Jonathanian States wrote:Woooooooo!
Nice article, by the way, totally unrelated to the fact that I'm featured.1
1 - That's actually not complete irony.
EDIT:
Starlight, is the poll expected to update soon? /EDIT
Sure, I'll add in Issue Five, though I'm not sure if that'll reset everything.
by Finland SSR » Sat Aug 08, 2015 9:15 am
by Alleniana » Sat Aug 08, 2015 9:25 am
Finland SSR wrote:19TH CENTURY IS BORING AND IT SHOULD DIE GOD DAMMIT DO MEDIEVAL MORE OFTEN FOR RELEVANT LITHUANIA!
not really but I still want an awesome Lithuania
My article is nearing completion, but I don't know how I feel like putting it here so early...
by Finland SSR » Sat Aug 08, 2015 9:32 am
Alleniana wrote:Finland SSR wrote:19TH CENTURY IS BORING AND IT SHOULD DIE GOD DAMMIT DO MEDIEVAL MORE OFTEN FOR RELEVANT LITHUANIA!
not really but I still want an awesome Lithuania
My article is nearing completion, but I don't know how I feel like putting it here so early...
ay, not my fault Lithuania has such a small ethnic base
gib to me for early access pls
by Alleniana » Sat Aug 08, 2015 9:47 am
by Finland SSR » Sat Aug 08, 2015 10:01 am
by Alleniana » Sat Aug 08, 2015 10:03 am
by Finland SSR » Sat Aug 08, 2015 10:05 am
by Alleniana » Sat Aug 08, 2015 10:10 am
by Finland SSR » Sat Aug 08, 2015 11:02 am
[table][tr][td][blocktext][hr][/hr][align=center][size=250][b][color=#0040BF]The P2TM Times[/color][/b][/size][/align]
[hr][/hr][b]Issue 6: Page 1337, Since 2015[/b] [floatright][b]Day of the Week, Month Day, 2015[/b][/floatright][hr][/hr]
[align=center][size=150][b][u][color=#800000]The Art of [strike]War[/strike] Combat, Vol. 1: What, You Want To Fight?[/color][/u][/b][/size][/align]
[size=90]By [i][nation]Finland SSR[/nation][/i][/size]
So, it is the time of the year when everyone jumps off the concentration camp work train and starts doing productive things to the community. I mean, unless they [i]do[/i] work in a concentration camp... or at all. Shut up, I gain a scholarship. Anyway, while I am writing this in Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation's voice, I came up with a tough, but decisive statement.
Jesse, we need to write!
...Kind of.
I consider myself a proud citizen of Infinite Justice. I might venture off as a tourist, and see the debates of whether or not a Native American ruled world is a realistic AH, but sooner or later I come back, being pulled by the all-sucking black hole that is the PSEUDO-AMERICAN FREEDOM of IJ. But obviously, I can't be sitting in a corner and jacking off to Celestial Android power wank forever, so I finally stumbled across this thing called "P2TM Times".
First thought of mine was "Oh, wow!". Someone finally made a thing that can tell me periodically that there is a world behind the universe-exploding shade of IJ!
Second thought: "Oh, crud." I'm going to get really stimulating messages over this, aren't I?
So I decided to jump past the plead train and took the initiative! Oh wow, unexpected of me. Four (or five) issues and a lot of walking in circles later I discovered that I should write about something I'm familiar with. Finland "Captain Obvious" SSR speaking. Well then. Infinite Justice may not be written by Asimov, but at least it really excels at fighting. Hah! And you thought that the "DBZ" in it's name was just for some sociopathic otaku freaks to masturbate all over it for a nice icing.
And that is the story of The Art of Combat. Named after a EU4 expansion. And a lot less well known Chinese book. Ayr did it first, I don't care much. I will be the one to apply IJ experience here.
[b][size=150]The Introduction: Why Fight?[/size][/b]
Hello, and welcome to the Fighting Dojo. I am your host, Fin the Fin. In this article series, we will be discussing PVP combat in Portal To The Multiverse, or PTTM for short. The 2 is there to make it more leet. What will we be discussing, exactly? Well, unlike our full-blooded Finnish comrade at the side, here we'll talk about how to win one-on-one. In none other than superpowered duels. Don't expect any weak normal humans or armed force skirmishes here - this is an IJ veteran writing this, god dammit!
But, to most of you, the obvious question arises - why try to fight other players when an NPC can do the job just as well? Well, my young disciple, the answer is simple - according to the James Redfield's book whose name I can't put because I read it in Lithuanian and can't translate it to English well, winning arguments and making the losing person feel sad and beaten gives you a lot of energy. Also, it's fun and helps unite people, if it stays friendly. I fought Atria in DoTM and now we are best buds! Sort of.
Also, fighting is kind of the bread and butter of Infinite Justice, so I'm biased. Shut up, you angry mini-Boos. Ayr knows why to fight better.
Anyway, PC fighting is a very specialized breed of fighting, far different from fighting yourself or an NPC. And it happens in basically every non-weird P2TM RP, so at least knowing the basics is important. We will get to actual roleplay in a few issues, but today, we will be addressing to those who are reminiscent of the IV breeders in Pokemon. The ones who create characters for the sole purpose of making them strong. And fighting.
On this installment of The Art of Combat, we will be talking about exactly that - the first steps of creating a character and planning out your moves from the start. PVP is serious business, mate. We'll be talking about the powers, power sets, OPness and early preparation.
[b][size=150]Entering the Character Creation Screen[/size][/b]
So you finally found the RP you wish to enter. It's a character RP with superpowers and superheroes, and the community does not completely despise PVP combat. That's great, my apprentice! Time to begin our quest on claiming that "Strongest P2TM PC Character of 2015" award!
But wait! Don't just jump in and start tagging and apping! First, we must know the enemy.
[b]Before Apping[/b]
Most RPs involving superpowers have some sort of weight limits. Or banned abilities. Or just not being too OP, which is to be decided by the OP (two completely unrelated things, by the way). It is generally a good idea to check the apps already posted, to see what's the medium power level. A good thing is to stay around that level while first applying.
[i]But Fin, how can we beat the enemy if we are not stronger than the enemy? Shouldn't we be stronger than the enemy? And by a lot, to be sure?[/i]
Well, young apprentice, you immediately brought us to the common mistake most people do.
[b]It's Way Too Over 9000! Overpowered Characters[/b]
Overpowered characters are the plague that killed IJ2: New Dawn, and created power creep in P2TM. It takes many forms, but a common one is this:
New guy arrives to an already established RP. Everyone already knows each other and are hesitant to get the newbie some spotlight. Newbie makes a really OP character to compensate. Everyone sees it and upps their power more. The game becomes a Cold War style arms race until the RP dies by dipping it's head into a pool of lava.
A true warrior does not take victory by outrunning his opponents and leaving them to bite the dust. A true warrior runs as fast as the others until the last moment, until he takes a victory after a harsh battle for the first place. The point is that OP characters lead to power creep, and that is not a good thing. Characters can be OP in many forms, be it excessively too much power or a broken ability. Some powers, like Reality Warping or Absolute Condition, are broken by default, so even if the OP does not say that they are banned, still don't use them.
An easy way to determine if your character is broken or not is by pitting it up against typical superpowered characters, like a character with flight and super strength. If your character can crush them no matter how powerful they are, you did something wrong.
[b]Power vs Technique[/b]
When creating your character, this scale arises. How specialized will your character be? What would you like? Which one do you handle and RP better (this one is important). There are two major sets of characters between the superpowered kind - the Power ones and Technique ones.
[b]Power.[/b] You don't necessarily have to imagine The Hulk here. A Power character is a straightforward one, and my personal favorite when it comes to battling - strong varied powers with the intent of destroying and fighting things. This is a really large cast, and in canon equivalents, includes everything from Wolverine and Spawn to Goku and Satan. Of course, just having Super Strength + Energy Blasts isn't varied enough. It's good practice to include some more specialized and less expected powers for countering various kinds of opponents.
[i]Standard powers.[/i] This is a long list, so I'll list the most basic ones.
Superhuman Condition - Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Durability - are still very common among most players, and more or less becoming a must-have. It's the straightforwardness and usefulness that attracts newbies and veterans alike. And it's been used by pretty much every superhero ever who isn't a ripoff of Batman. By itself, Superhuman Condition lags a bit - it's a great support or side ability to have, but you mostly need more 'arcane' powers to back it up.
Energy Projection, usually in the form of Energy Blasts and Energy Constructs, has always been one of my favorites, and it's probably because I am a DBZtard, but still. Blasts and Constructs best work hand-in-hand - the destructive long-range strength of the former added up with the versatile long and mid-range devastation of the latter. Also, fast speed energy shards - best thing since DBZ. They are great abilities, but they often end up predictable unless you do something original and interesting with them.
Elemental Manipulation is also something you can see almost every day, though usually only limited to a specific element, be it fire, water, plasma or whatever people make up these days. Elemental manipulators are quite a force, when their element is applied to maximum capabilities (i.e. controlling body heat as a fire one), but you have to take into account the limited usage of these powers, especially depending on the battlefield or where you're fighting. A water manipulator wouldn't fare well in a desert without some sort of back-up plan.
These are mainly the most basic ones. There's a hefty lot of superpowers that you can use to dish out lots of damage quickly. [url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Superpower_Wiki]The Superpower Wiki[/url] is your friend.
[i]Interesting tricks and side-powers.[/i] You have the main muscle set, but what can you do to get a hold of those sneaky opponents who can nullify energy or mess up with your strength? It's usually a good idea to put some other powers under your belt to deal with the tricksters.
Electricity Manipulation is a tricky mistress, but getting a hold on it can save you. There are quite a few ways how to be immune to it, but, unlike many other abilities, it usually does not take the foe's durability into account. Unless it's a superhero RP, where characters can take everything for the sake of plot. Also, since it moves at the speed of light (you'd assume), it is usually hard to dodge, giving you a reliable attack in the case of trouble.
Regeneration and Energy Regeneration are a different thing, though both important. In a battle, wounds and energy loss are expected, and a way to stay in the game is with a recovery ability. Healing magic can do it too, but we'll talk about magic in a few moments.
Weapon Proficiency is a nice ability if you like using weapons - swords or guns - in the game. Just remember - if it's a superpowered duel, your weapons better be somehow special or else they'll do as much as a bullet does to Superman's skin.
Super Form is kind of a Japanese thing, I guess, so not many characters in P2TM use this ability. Or it's probably because superheroes and anime don't match very well... Either way, it is certainly a cool thing to have when you are in a pinch. Not to mention, if it has to be triggered or unlocked, it's a good way of plot development. Hey, remember, you'll have to RP, not join in and immediately fight whatever you want!
Teleportation is a great way of giving yourself an advantage in battlefield mobility, and possibly dodging the worst of the attacks. Just don't spam it - nobody likes dodging except the dodger. And remember - it can also be used offensively for [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99cF4v0lWQI]sick combinations[/url].
Mild Psionics are acceptable, but remember - mixing Power and Technique can yield some really... broken results...
[b]Technique.[/b] This includes everyone whose powers are more slick and "tactical". Basically, their abilities usually do not cause direct offensive damage, or at least not as much, but instead have other effects that give them an advantage in combat. Also a very loosely made up group, and includes anyone from Doctor Strange and Franklin Richards to Gandalf. Obviously, being less direct in fighting style, Technique requires more creativity, a more open mind and being able to think outside the box. Not the play style I would recommend to an apprentice, but if you like it - give it a go!
[i]Standard powers.[/i] This is a very misleading list - every Technique person is unique in their power set. Instead, this should be called "Most common powers".
Psionics has always been a standard ability of this 'class' to me. While it can be used offensively in psionic attacks, most of it's potential is in the mind and obscure. Reading minds, moving objects almost to the point of matter manipulation, mind control, shifts, psychic constructs, mental attacks, healing, and hell, you can probably even use it for HM03 Surf too. Just telekinesis has, like, [url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Telekinesis#Applications]10 thousand possible applications[/url], to the point that the only limit to this power is the writer's imagination. This makes powerful psychics dangerously unpredictable and hard to fight, which is exactly what you want.
Shapeshifting might not be as versatile as something we've already mentioned, but it is certainly an underrated power. The ability to reshape and morph your own body might sound dull, but the possibilities are huge. If your character can morph into what he has seen, then chances are any opponent you face will have to face a nightmare - you can be a hundred different enemies at once! If you can just change parts of your body, then why not strengthen it to make it stronger and faster to make up for the power gap?
Gravity Manipulation is a tricky power, and one whose potential isn't commonly seen. I mean, black holes are strong, right? But don't go overboard. White holes aren't bad either - they can work like never-ending energy blasts. You can even do telekinesis-esque efects with it, and we already talked about the Kinesis.
Of course, there are hundreds of others you can base your character on. These are just one of the most common.
[i]Tricks and side-powers.[/i] You might have the technique down, but what's it worth when any passersby can punch you and knock you out? And what if your psychic or shapeshifting powers don't work? Well, then you wish you put something else there as backup. Like a superhuman Batman...
It's generally a good idea to give yourself at least Peak Human Condition for the more physical side. Remember, most superpowers use up energy or something else, or have some kind of weakness, so having just a bit of bulk for those moments when your wave of fire can no longer be kept up can save your character's life. Unless it's a superhero RP, of course.
Transmutation can help with bullets or swords, but don't use it on people. Nobody likes their characters getting transformed into cotton candy or pigeons.
Force-Field Generation is mainly used as a defensive skill, but it's also a proficient (and way too broken - don't use it) way of offense.
Effect Field Projection is an often forgotten power. Most likely because it's one of those overpowered anime powers that don't seem to stick around much in the West. You make a field that gives a specific effect to everyone inside it. Be it healing, gravity, luck or even DEATH! Mwahahaha! too op plz ignore
Chi Manipulation is close to my heart. You know why... Anyway, it's one of those few powers that fit quite well with the Technique theme, but are really freaking good at destroying things. Certainly the offensive power that this side of the spectrum needs to fill in the balance gap. And if we use Dragon Ball's portrayal of chi, it can give you a plethora of powers from energy sensing to teleportation and mind reading. Aura Manipulation is similar, but there are some differences which I'm not going to get into right now.
[b]Dangerous Abilities[/b]
There is no equality in the superpower world. There are the weak ones, like Garbage Manipulation or Ice Regeneration, which nobody picks. There are the okay ones like Supernatural Condition, the strong ones like Effect Fields and Gravity Manipulation. And there are some powers which are as dangerous in usage as a barrel of explosive radioactive piss. If you intend to use the powers below, please be careful. They can easily descend into broken character territory.
[i]Matter Manipulation.[/i] There are arguments whether or not Matter Manipulation should be banned like Reality Warping commonly is. At high levels, MM is nearly indistinguishable from the latter, at least lower levels of it. All in all, I can say that you should be careful with it. Don't ever try to delete a PC character because you can. Also, low levels only. No creating entire planets out of the whim and playing God with the soil beneath your feet.
[i]Energy Manipulation.[/i] The problem here lies with the overly vague wording. What is "Energy" and how much of it you can control? Actually, everything is energy. Matter is just a more compact form of it. Dun dun duuun - you all are walking blobs of nuclear and electromagnetic energy. And while I myself imagine energy manipulation as shooting energy blasts and stuff, all in all, what's stopping you from ripping your foes apart by removing their nuclear energy? Or making them speed off to the nearest building faster than light - that's kinetic energy for you! If you want to play as an energy manipulator, specify what types of energy you can control, or better yet, use more specific wordings, like "Electromagnetism Manipulation" or "Energy Blasts".
[i]Magic.[/i] Magic is a weird specimen among superpowers, in that it can be both a Power and a Technique ability at the same time. The problem, again, lies with the wording. There have been so many works with magic in them with so many interpretations and uses of it, if you claimed you can control every single form of it, you'd be God. Shoot lightning bolts, summon ships, fly, teleport, revive the dead, slay dragons, shoot energy blasts, erase matter, create matter, create the Universe - it's basically Complete Arsenal. No wonder Doctor Strange is considered so overpowered. If you plan to be a magician, specify what you can do with our abilities.
[i]Superpower Manipulation.[/i] Just don't. Please.
[i]Super Form.[/i] In itself, Super Form is a pretty okay ability, but if you plan to have one for your character, please don't go the Archie Comics route. If you haven't read Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, let me explain - Super Sonic, in that series, is [i]always[/i] capable of fighting equally with anything he faces, be it Eggman's robots or a universe-tier reality warper. Looking at you, Enerjak. Be consistent with your power, keep track of it, and know when to lose.
[b]Power Building[/b]
So you have the planned powers. You have the knowledge of which ones are the most common and which ones are the most effective. Time to see what you can do with resources. Creating a power set for a character, in my opinion, should be considered art - or at least an artful work. The secret to this stage is simple - think outside if the box! Go wild! Super Condition + Energy Proj or Fire Man + Flight are old game - do something unexpected! Remember, with enough thought put in, almost any ability can be turned into a powerhouse - even Garbage Manipulation. But there still are some tricks to consider.
[i]Ability spectrum.[/i] Most abilities cover all kinds of potential uses, both long and short ranged. For example, you would imagine Fire Manipulation as a long-range ability - shooting fire in waves or blasts. Well, how about solidifying fire into a sword? Or enhacing your physical strikes with heat behind them? How about fire-based teleportation? Remember that.
[i]Secondary powers.[/i] It is best to pick a power you know very well and can use it in many ways and build secondary powers around it. The secondaries should supplement the primary one and cover the holes left by it. For example, I pick Sound Manipulation as my primary. Great. Good mid-range abilities and overall a decent support character. Well, how about adding things like Superhuman Condition (low) and Force-Field Generation for defense and close combat? How about something like Teleportation for better dexterity and getting close to enemies? Of course, you should not have that many powers, but you get what I'm saying, right?
[i]Equipment.[/i] The need for equipment, gadgets or suits really depends on your character and how powerful it is. Most stronger characters don't have that much of a need for notable things in their backpack, be it swords, guns or a grappling hook. Gadgets should be left to Batman, and battle suits and exoskeletons to everyone else without powers. Of course, if you want, even a planet buster can carry and wield a weapon. Having and using a sword is immediately 10 points for Fin's Badassery Rating.
[i]Single-power characters.[/i] I've been seeing a lot of characters with only one power lately. To be fair, it's really a common occurence. Most likely, that one power will be jacked up to the max and with almost all possible usages. It's certainly a viable option - a powerful Psionic could take down a hefty amount of characters on any weather - but it depends on circumstance. Sometimes these characters can be quite predictable and taken down with a specific strategy or weakpoint.
[i]Physiology.[/i] If the RP allows custom species and your character will be a part of one, giving the planned abilities to the race's Physiology is a good idea. It'd explain how you got those powers more easily.
Well, here you have it. With these hints and tips, you'll be sure to make your custom all-powerful character anyday!
Now, on the next issue... we will NOT talk about roleplaying the created abomination in battle. Instead, we'll tip our hat to the other part of the P2TM RPing spectrum and give them some tips on combat as well...
[i]Alors![/i]
[size=90][i][nation]Finland SSR[/nation][/i] is one of the many members of the P2TM community, a long-time participant of the Infinite Justice series and writer of many P2TM related works and dispatches.[/size][hr][/hr][/blocktext][/td][/tr][/table]The P2TM Times Issue 6: Page 1337, Since 2015 Day of the Week, Month Day, 2015 The Art of By Finland SSR So, it is the time of the year when everyone jumps off the concentration camp work train and starts doing productive things to the community. I mean, unless they do work in a concentration camp... or at all. Shut up, I gain a scholarship. Anyway, while I am writing this in Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation's voice, I came up with a tough, but decisive statement. Jesse, we need to write! ...Kind of. I consider myself a proud citizen of Infinite Justice. I might venture off as a tourist, and see the debates of whether or not a Native American ruled world is a realistic AH, but sooner or later I come back, being pulled by the all-sucking black hole that is the PSEUDO-AMERICAN FREEDOM of IJ. But obviously, I can't be sitting in a corner and jacking off to Celestial Android power wank forever, so I finally stumbled across this thing called "P2TM Times". First thought of mine was "Oh, wow!". Someone finally made a thing that can tell me periodically that there is a world behind the universe-exploding shade of IJ! Second thought: "Oh, crud." I'm going to get really stimulating messages over this, aren't I? So I decided to jump past the plead train and took the initiative! Oh wow, unexpected of me. Four (or five) issues and a lot of walking in circles later I discovered that I should write about something I'm familiar with. Finland "Captain Obvious" SSR speaking. Well then. Infinite Justice may not be written by Asimov, but at least it really excels at fighting. Hah! And you thought that the "DBZ" in it's name was just for some sociopathic otaku freaks to masturbate all over it for a nice icing. And that is the story of The Art of Combat. Named after a EU4 expansion. And a lot less well known Chinese book. Ayr did it first, I don't care much. I will be the one to apply IJ experience here. The Introduction: Why Fight? Hello, and welcome to the Fighting Dojo. I am your host, Fin the Fin. In this article series, we will be discussing PVP combat in Portal To The Multiverse, or PTTM for short. The 2 is there to make it more leet. What will we be discussing, exactly? Well, unlike our full-blooded Finnish comrade at the side, here we'll talk about how to win one-on-one. In none other than superpowered duels. Don't expect any weak normal humans or armed force skirmishes here - this is an IJ veteran writing this, god dammit! But, to most of you, the obvious question arises - why try to fight other players when an NPC can do the job just as well? Well, my young disciple, the answer is simple - according to the James Redfield's book whose name I can't put because I read it in Lithuanian and can't translate it to English well, winning arguments and making the losing person feel sad and beaten gives you a lot of energy. Also, it's fun and helps unite people, if it stays friendly. I fought Atria in DoTM and now we are best buds! Sort of. Also, fighting is kind of the bread and butter of Infinite Justice, so I'm biased. Shut up, you angry mini-Boos. Ayr knows why to fight better. Anyway, PC fighting is a very specialized breed of fighting, far different from fighting yourself or an NPC. And it happens in basically every non-weird P2TM RP, so at least knowing the basics is important. We will get to actual roleplay in a few issues, but today, we will be addressing to those who are reminiscent of the IV breeders in Pokemon. The ones who create characters for the sole purpose of making them strong. And fighting. On this installment of The Art of Combat, we will be talking about exactly that - the first steps of creating a character and planning out your moves from the start. PVP is serious business, mate. We'll be talking about the powers, power sets, OPness and early preparation. Entering the Character Creation Screen So you finally found the RP you wish to enter. It's a character RP with superpowers and superheroes, and the community does not completely despise PVP combat. That's great, my apprentice! Time to begin our quest on claiming that "Strongest P2TM PC Character of 2015" award! But wait! Don't just jump in and start tagging and apping! First, we must know the enemy. Before Apping Most RPs involving superpowers have some sort of weight limits. Or banned abilities. Or just not being too OP, which is to be decided by the OP (two completely unrelated things, by the way). It is generally a good idea to check the apps already posted, to see what's the medium power level. A good thing is to stay around that level while first applying. But Fin, how can we beat the enemy if we are not stronger than the enemy? Shouldn't we be stronger than the enemy? And by a lot, to be sure? Well, young apprentice, you immediately brought us to the common mistake most people do. It's Way Too Over 9000! Overpowered Characters Overpowered characters are the plague that killed IJ2: New Dawn, and created power creep in P2TM. It takes many forms, but a common one is this: New guy arrives to an already established RP. Everyone already knows each other and are hesitant to get the newbie some spotlight. Newbie makes a really OP character to compensate. Everyone sees it and upps their power more. The game becomes a Cold War style arms race until the RP dies by dipping it's head into a pool of lava. A true warrior does not take victory by outrunning his opponents and leaving them to bite the dust. A true warrior runs as fast as the others until the last moment, until he takes a victory after a harsh battle for the first place. The point is that OP characters lead to power creep, and that is not a good thing. Characters can be OP in many forms, be it excessively too much power or a broken ability. Some powers, like Reality Warping or Absolute Condition, are broken by default, so even if the OP does not say that they are banned, still don't use them. An easy way to determine if your character is broken or not is by pitting it up against typical superpowered characters, like a character with flight and super strength. If your character can crush them no matter how powerful they are, you did something wrong. Power vs Technique When creating your character, this scale arises. How specialized will your character be? What would you like? Which one do you handle and RP better (this one is important). There are two major sets of characters between the superpowered kind - the Power ones and Technique ones. Power. You don't necessarily have to imagine The Hulk here. A Power character is a straightforward one, and my personal favorite when it comes to battling - strong varied powers with the intent of destroying and fighting things. This is a really large cast, and in canon equivalents, includes everything from Wolverine and Spawn to Goku and Satan. Of course, just having Super Strength + Energy Blasts isn't varied enough. It's good practice to include some more specialized and less expected powers for countering various kinds of opponents. Standard powers. This is a long list, so I'll list the most basic ones. Superhuman Condition - Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Durability - are still very common among most players, and more or less becoming a must-have. It's the straightforwardness and usefulness that attracts newbies and veterans alike. And it's been used by pretty much every superhero ever who isn't a ripoff of Batman. By itself, Superhuman Condition lags a bit - it's a great support or side ability to have, but you mostly need more 'arcane' powers to back it up. Energy Projection, usually in the form of Energy Blasts and Energy Constructs, has always been one of my favorites, and it's probably because I am a DBZtard, but still. Blasts and Constructs best work hand-in-hand - the destructive long-range strength of the former added up with the versatile long and mid-range devastation of the latter. Also, fast speed energy shards - best thing since DBZ. They are great abilities, but they often end up predictable unless you do something original and interesting with them. Elemental Manipulation is also something you can see almost every day, though usually only limited to a specific element, be it fire, water, plasma or whatever people make up these days. Elemental manipulators are quite a force, when their element is applied to maximum capabilities (i.e. controlling body heat as a fire one), but you have to take into account the limited usage of these powers, especially depending on the battlefield or where you're fighting. A water manipulator wouldn't fare well in a desert without some sort of back-up plan. These are mainly the most basic ones. There's a hefty lot of superpowers that you can use to dish out lots of damage quickly. The Superpower Wiki is your friend. Interesting tricks and side-powers. You have the main muscle set, but what can you do to get a hold of those sneaky opponents who can nullify energy or mess up with your strength? It's usually a good idea to put some other powers under your belt to deal with the tricksters. Electricity Manipulation is a tricky mistress, but getting a hold on it can save you. There are quite a few ways how to be immune to it, but, unlike many other abilities, it usually does not take the foe's durability into account. Unless it's a superhero RP, where characters can take everything for the sake of plot. Also, since it moves at the speed of light (you'd assume), it is usually hard to dodge, giving you a reliable attack in the case of trouble. Regeneration and Energy Regeneration are a different thing, though both important. In a battle, wounds and energy loss are expected, and a way to stay in the game is with a recovery ability. Healing magic can do it too, but we'll talk about magic in a few moments. Weapon Proficiency is a nice ability if you like using weapons - swords or guns - in the game. Just remember - if it's a superpowered duel, your weapons better be somehow special or else they'll do as much as a bullet does to Superman's skin. Super Form is kind of a Japanese thing, I guess, so not many characters in P2TM use this ability. Or it's probably because superheroes and anime don't match very well... Either way, it is certainly a cool thing to have when you are in a pinch. Not to mention, if it has to be triggered or unlocked, it's a good way of plot development. Hey, remember, you'll have to RP, not join in and immediately fight whatever you want! Teleportation is a great way of giving yourself an advantage in battlefield mobility, and possibly dodging the worst of the attacks. Just don't spam it - nobody likes dodging except the dodger. And remember - it can also be used offensively for sick combinations. Mild Psionics are acceptable, but remember - mixing Power and Technique can yield some really... broken results... Technique. This includes everyone whose powers are more slick and "tactical". Basically, their abilities usually do not cause direct offensive damage, or at least not as much, but instead have other effects that give them an advantage in combat. Also a very loosely made up group, and includes anyone from Doctor Strange and Franklin Richards to Gandalf. Obviously, being less direct in fighting style, Technique requires more creativity, a more open mind and being able to think outside the box. Not the play style I would recommend to an apprentice, but if you like it - give it a go! Standard powers. This is a very misleading list - every Technique person is unique in their power set. Instead, this should be called "Most common powers". Psionics has always been a standard ability of this 'class' to me. While it can be used offensively in psionic attacks, most of it's potential is in the mind and obscure. Reading minds, moving objects almost to the point of matter manipulation, mind control, shifts, psychic constructs, mental attacks, healing, and hell, you can probably even use it for HM03 Surf too. Just telekinesis has, like, 10 thousand possible applications, to the point that the only limit to this power is the writer's imagination. This makes powerful psychics dangerously unpredictable and hard to fight, which is exactly what you want. Shapeshifting might not be as versatile as something we've already mentioned, but it is certainly an underrated power. The ability to reshape and morph your own body might sound dull, but the possibilities are huge. If your character can morph into what he has seen, then chances are any opponent you face will have to face a nightmare - you can be a hundred different enemies at once! If you can just change parts of your body, then why not strengthen it to make it stronger and faster to make up for the power gap? Gravity Manipulation is a tricky power, and one whose potential isn't commonly seen. I mean, black holes are strong, right? But don't go overboard. White holes aren't bad either - they can work like never-ending energy blasts. You can even do telekinesis-esque efects with it, and we already talked about the Kinesis. Of course, there are hundreds of others you can base your character on. These are just one of the most common. Tricks and side-powers. You might have the technique down, but what's it worth when any passersby can punch you and knock you out? And what if your psychic or shapeshifting powers don't work? Well, then you wish you put something else there as backup. Like a superhuman Batman... It's generally a good idea to give yourself at least Peak Human Condition for the more physical side. Remember, most superpowers use up energy or something else, or have some kind of weakness, so having just a bit of bulk for those moments when your wave of fire can no longer be kept up can save your character's life. Unless it's a superhero RP, of course. Transmutation can help with bullets or swords, but don't use it on people. Nobody likes their characters getting transformed into cotton candy or pigeons. Force-Field Generation is mainly used as a defensive skill, but it's also a proficient (and way too broken - don't use it) way of offense. Effect Field Projection is an often forgotten power. Most likely because it's one of those overpowered anime powers that don't seem to stick around much in the West. You make a field that gives a specific effect to everyone inside it. Be it healing, gravity, luck or even DEATH! Mwahahaha! too op plz ignore Chi Manipulation is close to my heart. You know why... Anyway, it's one of those few powers that fit quite well with the Technique theme, but are really freaking good at destroying things. Certainly the offensive power that this side of the spectrum needs to fill in the balance gap. And if we use Dragon Ball's portrayal of chi, it can give you a plethora of powers from energy sensing to teleportation and mind reading. Aura Manipulation is similar, but there are some differences which I'm not going to get into right now. Dangerous Abilities There is no equality in the superpower world. There are the weak ones, like Garbage Manipulation or Ice Regeneration, which nobody picks. There are the okay ones like Supernatural Condition, the strong ones like Effect Fields and Gravity Manipulation. And there are some powers which are as dangerous in usage as a barrel of explosive radioactive piss. If you intend to use the powers below, please be careful. They can easily descend into broken character territory. Matter Manipulation. There are arguments whether or not Matter Manipulation should be banned like Reality Warping commonly is. At high levels, MM is nearly indistinguishable from the latter, at least lower levels of it. All in all, I can say that you should be careful with it. Don't ever try to delete a PC character because you can. Also, low levels only. No creating entire planets out of the whim and playing God with the soil beneath your feet. Energy Manipulation. The problem here lies with the overly vague wording. What is "Energy" and how much of it you can control? Actually, everything is energy. Matter is just a more compact form of it. Dun dun duuun - you all are walking blobs of nuclear and electromagnetic energy. And while I myself imagine energy manipulation as shooting energy blasts and stuff, all in all, what's stopping you from ripping your foes apart by removing their nuclear energy? Or making them speed off to the nearest building faster than light - that's kinetic energy for you! If you want to play as an energy manipulator, specify what types of energy you can control, or better yet, use more specific wordings, like "Electromagnetism Manipulation" or "Energy Blasts". Magic. Magic is a weird specimen among superpowers, in that it can be both a Power and a Technique ability at the same time. The problem, again, lies with the wording. There have been so many works with magic in them with so many interpretations and uses of it, if you claimed you can control every single form of it, you'd be God. Shoot lightning bolts, summon ships, fly, teleport, revive the dead, slay dragons, shoot energy blasts, erase matter, create matter, create the Universe - it's basically Complete Arsenal. No wonder Doctor Strange is considered so overpowered. If you plan to be a magician, specify what you can do with our abilities. Superpower Manipulation. Just don't. Please. Super Form. In itself, Super Form is a pretty okay ability, but if you plan to have one for your character, please don't go the Archie Comics route. If you haven't read Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, let me explain - Super Sonic, in that series, is always capable of fighting equally with anything he faces, be it Eggman's robots or a universe-tier reality warper. Looking at you, Enerjak. Be consistent with your power, keep track of it, and know when to lose. Power Building So you have the planned powers. You have the knowledge of which ones are the most common and which ones are the most effective. Time to see what you can do with resources. Creating a power set for a character, in my opinion, should be considered art - or at least an artful work. The secret to this stage is simple - think outside if the box! Go wild! Super Condition + Energy Proj or Fire Man + Flight are old game - do something unexpected! Remember, with enough thought put in, almost any ability can be turned into a powerhouse - even Garbage Manipulation. But there still are some tricks to consider. Ability spectrum. Most abilities cover all kinds of potential uses, both long and short ranged. For example, you would imagine Fire Manipulation as a long-range ability - shooting fire in waves or blasts. Well, how about solidifying fire into a sword? Or enhacing your physical strikes with heat behind them? How about fire-based teleportation? Remember that. Secondary powers. It is best to pick a power you know very well and can use it in many ways and build secondary powers around it. The secondaries should supplement the primary one and cover the holes left by it. For example, I pick Sound Manipulation as my primary. Great. Good mid-range abilities and overall a decent support character. Well, how about adding things like Superhuman Condition (low) and Force-Field Generation for defense and close combat? How about something like Teleportation for better dexterity and getting close to enemies? Of course, you should not have that many powers, but you get what I'm saying, right? Equipment. The need for equipment, gadgets or suits really depends on your character and how powerful it is. Most stronger characters don't have that much of a need for notable things in their backpack, be it swords, guns or a grappling hook. Gadgets should be left to Batman, and battle suits and exoskeletons to everyone else without powers. Of course, if you want, even a planet buster can carry and wield a weapon. Having and using a sword is immediately 10 points for Fin's Badassery Rating. Single-power characters. I've been seeing a lot of characters with only one power lately. To be fair, it's really a common occurence. Most likely, that one power will be jacked up to the max and with almost all possible usages. It's certainly a viable option - a powerful Psionic could take down a hefty amount of characters on any weather - but it depends on circumstance. Sometimes these characters can be quite predictable and taken down with a specific strategy or weakpoint. Physiology. If the RP allows custom species and your character will be a part of one, giving the planned abilities to the race's Physiology is a good idea. It'd explain how you got those powers more easily. Well, here you have it. With these hints and tips, you'll be sure to make your custom all-powerful character anyday! Now, on the next issue... we will NOT talk about roleplaying the created abomination in battle. Instead, we'll tip our hat to the other part of the P2TM RPing spectrum and give them some tips on combat as well... Alors! Finland SSR is one of the many members of the P2TM community, a long-time participant of the Infinite Justice series and writer of many P2TM related works and dispatches. |
by Alleniana » Sat Aug 08, 2015 6:50 pm
by The Starlight » Sun Aug 09, 2015 4:11 pm
Finland SSR wrote:Darn... I was too slow to get into Issue Five...
- Code: Select all
[table][tr][td][blocktext][hr][/hr][align=center][size=250][b][color=#0040BF]The P2TM Times[/color][/b][/size][/align]
[hr][/hr][b]Issue 6: Page 1337, Since 2015[/b] [floatright][b]Day of the Week, Month Day, 2015[/b][/floatright][hr][/hr]
[align=center][size=150][b][u][color=#800000]The Art of [strike]War[/strike] Combat: Ayr Please Don't Sue Us[/color][/u][/b][/size][/align]
[size=90]By [i][nation]Finland SSR[/nation][/i][/size]
So, it is the time of the year when everyone jumps off the concentration camp work train and starts doing productive things to the community. I mean, unless they [i]do[/i] work in a concentration camp... or at all. Shut up, I gain a scholarship. Anyway, while I am writing this in Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation's voice, I came up with a tough, but decisive statement.
Jesse, we need to write!
...Kind of.
I consider myself a proud citizen of Infinite Justice. I might venture off as a tourist, and see the debates of whether or not a Native American ruled world is a realistic AH, but sooner or later I come back, being pulled by the all-sucking black hole that is the PSEUDO-AMERICAN FREEDOM of IJ. But obviously, I can't be sitting in a corner and jacking off to Celestial Android power wank forever, so I finally stumbled across this thing called "P2TM Times".
First thought of mine was "Oh, wow!". Someone finally made a thing that can tell me periodically that there is a world behind the universe-exploding shade of IJ!
Second thought: "Oh, crud." I'm going to get really stimulating messages over this, aren't I?
So I decided to jump past the plead train and took the initiative! Oh wow, unexpected of me. Four (or five) issues and a lot of walking in circles later I discovered that I should write about something I'm familiar with. Finland "Captain Obvious" SSR speaking. Well then. Infinite Justice may not be written by Asimov, but at least it really excels at fighting. Hah! And you thought that the "DBZ" in it's name was just for some sociopathic otaku freaks to masturbate all over it for a nice icing.
And that is the story of The Art of Combat. Named after a EU4 expansion. And a lot less well known Chinese book. Ayr did it first, I don't care much. I will be the one to apply IJ experience here.
[b][size=150]The Introduction: Why Fight?[/size][/b]
Hello, and welcome to the Fighting Dojo. I am your host, Fin the Fin. In this article series, we will be discussing PVP combat in Portal To The Multiverse, or PTTM for short. The 2 is there to make it more leet. What will we be discussing, exactly? Well, unlike our full-blooded Finnish comrade at the side, here we'll talk about how to win one-on-one. In none other than superpowered duels. Don't expect any weak normal humans or armed force skirmishes here - this is an IJ veteran writing this, god dammit!
But, to most of you, the obvious question arises - why try to fight other players when an NPC can do the job just as well? Well, my young disciple, the answer is simple - according to the James Redfield's book whose name I can't put because I read it in Lithuanian and can't translate it to English well, winning arguments and making the losing person feel sad and beaten gives you a lot of energy. Also, it's fun and helps unite people, if it stays friendly. I fought Atria in DoTM and now we are best buds! Sort of.
Also, fighting is kind of the bread and butter of Infinite Justice, so I'm biased. Shut up, you angry mini-Boos. Ayr knows why to fight better.
Anyway, PC fighting is a very specialized breed of fighting, far different from fighting yourself or an NPC. And it happens in basically every non-weird P2TM RP, so at least knowing the basics is important. We will get to actual roleplay in a few issues, but today, we will be addressing to those who are reminiscent of the IV breeders in Pokemon. The ones who create characters for the sole purpose of making them strong. And fighting.
On this installment of The Art of Combat, we will be talking about exactly that - the first steps of creating a character and planning out your moves from the start. PVP is serious business, mate. We'll be talking about the powers, power sets, OPness and early preparation.
[b][size=150]Entering the Character Creation Screen[/size][/b]
So you finally found the RP you wish to enter. It's a character RP with superpowers and superheroes, and the community does not completely despise PVP combat. That's great, my apprentice! Time to begin our quest on claiming that "Strongest P2TM PC Character of 2015" award!
But wait! Don't just jump in and start tagging and apping! First, we must know the enemy.
[b]Before Apping[/b]
Most RPs involving superpowers have some sort of weight limits. Or banned abilities. Or just not being too OP, which is to be decided by the OP (two completely unrelated things, by the way). It is generally a good idea to check the apps already posted, to see what's the medium power level. A good thing is to stay around that level while first applying.
[i]But Fin, how can we beat the enemy if we are not stronger than the enemy? Shouldn't we be stronger than the enemy? And by a lot, to be sure?[/i]
Well, young apprentice, you immediately brought us to the common mistake most people do.
[b]It's Way Too Over 9000! Overpowered Characters[/b]
Overpowered characters are the plague that killed IJ2: New Dawn, and created power creep in P2TM. It takes many forms, but a common one is this:
New guy arrives to an already established RP. Everyone already knows each other and are hesitant to get the newbie some spotlight. Newbie makes a really OP character to compensate. Everyone sees it and upps their power more. The game becomes a Cold War style arms race until the RP dies by dipping it's head into a pool of lava.
A true warrior does not take victory by outrunning his opponents and leaving them to bite the dust. A true warrior runs as fast as the others until the last moment, until he takes a victory after a harsh battle for the first place. The point is that OP characters lead to power creep, and that is not a good thing. Characters can be OP in many forms, be it excessively too much power or a broken ability. Some powers, like Reality Warping or Absolute Condition, are broken by default, so even if the OP does not say that they are banned, still don't use them.
An easy way to determine if your character is broken or not is by pitting it up against typical superpowered characters, like a character with flight and super strength. If your character can crush them no matter how powerful they are, you did something wrong.
[b]Power vs Technique[/b]
When creating your character, this scale arises. How specialized will your character be? What would you like? Which one do you handle and RP better (this one is important). There are two major sets of characters between the superpowered kind - the Power ones and Technique ones.
[b]Power.[/b] You don't necessarily have to imagine The Hulk here. A Power character is a straightforward one, and my personal favorite when it comes to battling - strong varied powers with the intent of destroying and fighting things. This is a really large cast, and in canon equivalents, includes everything from Wolverine and Spawn to Goku and Satan. Of course, just having Super Strength + Energy Blasts isn't varied enough. It's good practice to include some more specialized and less expected powers for countering various kinds of opponents.
[i]Standard powers.[/i] This is a long list, so I'll list the most basic ones.
Superhuman Condition - Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Durability - are still very common among most players, and more or less becoming a must-have. It's the straightforwardness and usefulness that attracts newbies and veterans alike. And it's been used by pretty much every superhero ever who isn't a ripoff of Batman. By itself, Superhuman Condition lags a bit - it's a great support or side ability to have, but you mostly need more 'arcane' powers to back it up.
Energy Projection, usually in the form of Energy Blasts and Energy Constructs, has always been one of my favorites, and it's probably because I am a DBZtard, but still. Blasts and Constructs best work hand-in-hand - the destructive long-range strength of the former added up with the versatile long and mid-range devastation of the latter. Also, fast speed energy shards - best thing since DBZ. They are great abilities, but they often end up predictable unless you do something original and interesting with them.
Elemental Manipulation is also something you can see almost every day, though usually only limited to a specific element, be it fire, water, plasma or whatever people make up these days. Elemental manipulators are quite a force, when their element is applied to maximum capabilities (i.e. controlling body heat as a fire one), but you have to take into account the limited usage of these powers, especially depending on the battlefield or where you're fighting. A water manipulator wouldn't fare well in a desert without some sort of back-up plan.
These are mainly the most basic ones. There's a hefty lot of superpowers that you can use to dish out lots of damage quickly. [url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Superpower_Wiki]The Superpower Wiki[/url] is your friend.
[i]Interesting tricks and side-powers.[/i] You have the main muscle set, but what can you do to get a hold of those sneaky opponents who can nullify energy or mess up with your strength? It's usually a good idea to put some other powers under your belt to deal with the tricksters.
Electricity Manipulation is a tricky mistress, but getting a hold on it can save you. There are quite a few ways how to be immune to it, but, unlike many other abilities, it usually does not take the foe's durability into account. Unless it's a superhero RP, where characters can take everything for the sake of plot. Also, since it moves at the speed of light (you'd assume), it is usually hard to dodge, giving you a reliable attack in the case of trouble.
Regeneration and Energy Regeneration are a different thing, though both important. In a battle, wounds and energy loss are expected, and a way to stay in the game is with a recovery ability. Healing magic can do it too, but we'll talk about magic in a few moments.
Weapon Proficiency is a nice ability if you like using weapons - swords or guns - in the game. Just remember - if it's a superpowered duel, your weapons better be somehow special or else they'll do as much as a bullet does to Superman's skin.
Super Form is kind of a Japanese thing, I guess, so not many characters in P2TM use this ability. Or it's probably because superheroes and anime don't match very well... Either way, it is certainly a cool thing to have when you are in a pinch. Not to mention, if it has to be triggered or unlocked, it's a good way of plot development. Hey, remember, you'll have to RP, not join in and immediately fight whatever you want!
Teleportation is a great way of giving yourself an advantage in battlefield mobility, and possibly dodging the worst of the attacks. Just don't spam it - nobody likes dodging except the dodger. And remember - it can also be used offensively for [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99cF4v0lWQI]sick combinations[/url].
Mild Psionics are acceptable, but remember - mixing Power and Technique can yield some really... broken results...
[b]Technique.[/b] This includes everyone whose powers are more slick and "tactical". Basically, their abilities usually do not cause direct offensive damage, or at least not as much, but instead have other effects that give them an advantage in combat. Also a very loosely made up group, and includes anyone from Doctor Strange and Franklin Richards to Gandalf. Obviously, being less direct in fighting style, Technique requires more creativity, a more open mind and being able to think outside the box. Not the play style I would recommend to an apprentice, but if you like it - give it a go!
[i]Standard powers.[/i] This is a very misleading list - every Technique person is unique in their power set. Instead, this should be called "Most common powers".
Psionics has always been a standard ability of this 'class' to me. While it can be used offensively in psionic attacks, most of it's potential is in the mind and obscure. Reading minds, moving objects almost to the point of matter manipulation, mind control, shifts, psychic constructs, mental attacks, healing, and hell, you can probably even use it for HM03 Surf too. Just telekinesis has, like, [url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Telekinesis#Applications]10 thousand possible applications[/url], to the point that the only limit to this power is the writer's imagination. This makes powerful psychics dangerously unpredictable and hard to fight, which is exactly what you want.
Shapeshifting might not be as versatile as something we've already mentioned, but it is certainly an underrated power. The ability to reshape and morph your own body might sound dull, but the possibilities are huge. If your character can morph into what he has seen, then chances are any opponent you face will have to face a nightmare - you can be a hundred different enemies at once! If you can just change parts of your body, then why not strengthen it to make it stronger and faster to make up for the power gap?
Gravity Manipulation is a tricky power, and one whose potential isn't commonly seen. I mean, black holes are strong, right? But don't go overboard. White holes aren't bad either - they can work like never-ending energy blasts. You can even do telekinesis-esque efects with it, and we already talked about the Kinesis.
Of course, there are hundreds of others you can base your character on. These are just one of the most common.
[i]Tricks and side-powers.[/i] You might have the technique down, but what's it worth when any passersby can punch you and knock you out? And what if your psychic or shapeshifting powers don't work? Well, then you wish you put something else there as backup. Like a superhuman Batman...
It's generally a good idea to give yourself at least Peak Human Condition for the more physical side. Remember, most superpowers use up energy or something else, or have some kind of weakness, so having just a bit of bulk for those moments when your wave of fire can no longer be kept up can save your character's life. Unless it's a superhero RP, of course.
Transmutation can help with bullets or swords, but don't use it on people. Nobody likes their characters getting transformed into cotton candy or pigeons.
Force-Field Generation is mainly used as a defensive skill, but it's also a proficient (and way too broken - don't use it) way of offense.
Effect Field Projection is an often forgotten power. Most likely because it's one of those overpowered anime powers that don't seem to stick around much in the West. You make a field that gives a specific effect to everyone inside it. Be it healing, gravity, luck or even DEATH! Mwahahaha! too op plz ignore
Chi Manipulation is close to my heart. You know why... Anyway, it's one of those few powers that fit quite well with the Technique theme, but are really freaking good at destroying things. Certainly the offensive power that this side of the spectrum needs to fill in the balance gap. And if we use Dragon Ball's portrayal of chi, it can give you a plethora of powers from energy sensing to teleportation and mind reading. Aura Manipulation is similar, but there are some differences which I'm not going to get into right now.
[b]Dangerous Abilities[/b]
There is no equality in the superpower world. There are the weak ones, like Garbage Manipulation or Ice Regeneration, which nobody picks. There are the okay ones like Supernatural Condition, the strong ones like Effect Fields and Gravity Manipulation. And there are some powers which are as dangerous in usage as a barrel of explosive radioactive piss. If you intend to use the powers below, please be careful. They can easily descend into broken character territory.
[i]Matter Manipulation.[/i] There are arguments whether or not Matter Manipulation should be banned like Reality Warping commonly is. At high levels, MM is nearly indistinguishable from the latter, at least lower levels of it. All in all, I can say that you should be careful with it. Don't ever try to delete a PC character because you can. Also, low levels only. No creating entire planets out of the whim and playing God with the soil beneath your feet.
[i]Energy Manipulation.[/i] The problem here lies with the overly vague wording. What is "Energy" and how much of it you can control? Actually, everything is energy. Matter is just a more compact form of it. Dun dun duuun - you all are walking blobs of nuclear and electromagnetic energy. And while I myself imagine energy manipulation as shooting energy blasts and stuff, all in all, what's stopping you from ripping your foes apart by removing their nuclear energy? Or making them speed off to the nearest building faster than light - that's kinetic energy for you! If you want to play as an energy manipulator, specify what types of energy you can control, or better yet, use more specific wordings, like "Electromagnetism Manipulation" or "Energy Blasts".
[i]Magic.[/i] Magic is a weird specimen among superpowers, in that it can be both a Power and a Technique ability at the same time. The problem, again, lies with the wording. There have been so many works with magic in them with so many interpretations and uses of it, if you claimed you can control every single form of it, you'd be God. Shoot lightning bolts, summon ships, fly, teleport, revive the dead, slay dragons, shoot energy blasts, erase matter, create matter, create the Universe - it's basically Complete Arsenal. No wonder Doctor Strange is considered so overpowered. If you plan to be a magician, specify what you can do with our abilities.
[i]Superpower Manipulation.[/i] Just don't. Please.
[i]Super Form.[/i] In itself, Super Form is a pretty okay ability, but if you plan to have one for your character, please don't go the Archie Comics route. If you haven't read Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, let me explain - Super Sonic, in that series, is [i]always[/i] capable of fighting equally with anything he faces, be it Eggman's robots or a universe-tier reality warper. Looking at you, Enerjak. Be consistent with your power, keep track of it, and know when to lose.
[b]Power Building[/b]
So you have the planned powers. You have the knowledge of which ones are the most common and which ones are the most effective. Time to see what you can do with resources. Creating a power set for a character, in my opinion, should be considered art - or at least an artful work. The secret to this stage is simple - think outside if the box! Go wild! Super Condition + Energy Proj or Fire Man + Flight are old game - do something unexpected! Remember, with enough thought put in, almost any ability can be turned into a powerhouse - even Garbage Manipulation. But there still are some tricks to consider.
[i]Ability spectrum.[/i] Most abilities cover all kinds of potential uses, both long and short ranged. For example, you would imagine Fire Manipulation as a long-range ability - shooting fire in waves or blasts. Well, how about solidifying fire into a sword? Or enhacing your physical strikes with heat behind them? How about fire-based teleportation? Remember that.
[i]Secondary powers.[/i] It is best to pick a power you know very well and can use it in many ways and build secondary powers around it. The secondaries should supplement the primary one and cover the holes left by it. For example, I pick Sound Manipulation as my primary. Great. Good mid-range abilities and overall a decent support character. Well, how about adding things like Superhuman Condition (low) and Force-Field Generation for defense and close combat? How about something like Teleportation for better dexterity and getting close to enemies? Of course, you should not have that many powers, but you get what I'm saying, right?
[i]Equipment.[/i] The need for equipment, gadgets or suits really depends on your character and how powerful it is. Most stronger characters don't have that much of a need for notable things in their backpack, be it swords, guns or a grappling hook. Gadgets should be left to Batman, and battle suits and exoskeletons to everyone else without powers. Of course, if you want, even a planet buster can carry and wield a weapon. Having and using a sword is immediately 10 points for Fin's Badassery Rating.
[i]Single-power characters.[/i] I've been seeing a lot of characters with only one power lately. To be fair, it's really a common occurence. Most likely, that one power will be jacked up to the max and with almost all possible usages. It's certainly a viable option - a powerful Psionic could take down a hefty amount of characters on any weather - but it depends on circumstance. Sometimes these characters can be quite predictable and taken down with a specific strategy or weakpoint.
[i]Physiology.[/i] If the RP allows custom species and your character will be a part of one, giving the planned abilities to the race's Physiology is a good idea. It'd explain how you got those powers more easily.
Well, here you have it. With these hints and tips, you'll be sure to make your custom all-powerful character anyday!
Now, on the next issue... we will NOT talk about roleplaying the created abomination in battle. Instead, we'll tip our hat to the other part of the P2TM RPing spectrum and give them some tips on combat as well...
[i]Alors![/i]
[size=90][i][nation]Finland SSR[/nation][/i] is one of the many members of the P2TM community, a long-time member of the Infinite Justice series, writer of many P2TM related works and dispatches, and now a new editor for P2TM Times.[/size][hr][/hr][/blocktext][/td][/tr][/table]
Issue 6: Page 1337, Since 2015Day of the Week, Month Day, 2015The Art ofWarCombat: Ayr Please Don't Sue Us
By Finland SSR
So, it is the time of the year when everyone jumps off the concentration camp work train and starts doing productive things to the community. I mean, unless they do work in a concentration camp... or at all. Shut up, I gain a scholarship. Anyway, while I am writing this in Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation's voice, I came up with a tough, but decisive statement.
Jesse, we need to write!
...Kind of.
I consider myself a proud citizen of Infinite Justice. I might venture off as a tourist, and see the debates of whether or not a Native American ruled world is a realistic AH, but sooner or later I come back, being pulled by the all-sucking black hole that is the PSEUDO-AMERICAN FREEDOM of IJ. But obviously, I can't be sitting in a corner and jacking off to Celestial Android power wank forever, so I finally stumbled across this thing called "P2TM Times".
First thought of mine was "Oh, wow!". Someone finally made a thing that can tell me periodically that there is a world behind the universe-exploding shade of IJ!
Second thought: "Oh, crud." I'm going to get really stimulating messages over this, aren't I?
So I decided to jump past the plead train and took the initiative! Oh wow, unexpected of me. Four (or five) issues and a lot of walking in circles later I discovered that I should write about something I'm familiar with. Finland "Captain Obvious" SSR speaking. Well then. Infinite Justice may not be written by Asimov, but at least it really excels at fighting. Hah! And you thought that the "DBZ" in it's name was just for some sociopathic otaku freaks to masturbate all over it for a nice icing.
And that is the story of The Art of Combat. Named after a EU4 expansion. And a lot less well known Chinese book. Ayr did it first, I don't care much. I will be the one to apply IJ experience here.
The Introduction: Why Fight?
Hello, and welcome to the Fighting Dojo. I am your host, Fin the Fin. In this article series, we will be discussing PVP combat in Portal To The Multiverse, or PTTM for short. The 2 is there to make it more leet. What will we be discussing, exactly? Well, unlike our full-blooded Finnish comrade at the side, here we'll talk about how to win one-on-one. In none other than superpowered duels. Don't expect any weak normal humans or armed force skirmishes here - this is an IJ veteran writing this, god dammit!
But, to most of you, the obvious question arises - why try to fight other players when an NPC can do the job just as well? Well, my young disciple, the answer is simple - according to the James Redfield's book whose name I can't put because I read it in Lithuanian and can't translate it to English well, winning arguments and making the losing person feel sad and beaten gives you a lot of energy. Also, it's fun and helps unite people, if it stays friendly. I fought Atria in DoTM and now we are best buds! Sort of.
Also, fighting is kind of the bread and butter of Infinite Justice, so I'm biased. Shut up, you angry mini-Boos. Ayr knows why to fight better.
Anyway, PC fighting is a very specialized breed of fighting, far different from fighting yourself or an NPC. And it happens in basically every non-weird P2TM RP, so at least knowing the basics is important. We will get to actual roleplay in a few issues, but today, we will be addressing to those who are reminiscent of the IV breeders in Pokemon. The ones who create characters for the sole purpose of making them strong. And fighting.
On this installment of The Art of Combat, we will be talking about exactly that - the first steps of creating a character and planning out your moves from the start. PVP is serious business, mate. We'll be talking about the powers, power sets, OPness and early preparation.
Entering the Character Creation Screen
So you finally found the RP you wish to enter. It's a character RP with superpowers and superheroes, and the community does not completely despise PVP combat. That's great, my apprentice! Time to begin our quest on claiming that "Strongest P2TM PC Character of 2015" award!
But wait! Don't just jump in and start tagging and apping! First, we must know the enemy.
Before Apping
Most RPs involving superpowers have some sort of weight limits. Or banned abilities. Or just not being too OP, which is to be decided by the OP (two completely unrelated things, by the way). It is generally a good idea to check the apps already posted, to see what's the medium power level. A good thing is to stay around that level while first applying.
But Fin, how can we beat the enemy if we are not stronger than the enemy? Shouldn't we be stronger than the enemy? And by a lot, to be sure?
Well, young apprentice, you immediately brought us to the common mistake most people do.
It's Way Too Over 9000! Overpowered Characters
Overpowered characters are the plague that killed IJ2: New Dawn, and created power creep in P2TM. It takes many forms, but a common one is this:
New guy arrives to an already established RP. Everyone already knows each other and are hesitant to get the newbie some spotlight. Newbie makes a really OP character to compensate. Everyone sees it and upps their power more. The game becomes a Cold War style arms race until the RP dies by dipping it's head into a pool of lava.
A true warrior does not take victory by outrunning his opponents and leaving them to bite the dust. A true warrior runs as fast as the others until the last moment, until he takes a victory after a harsh battle for the first place. The point is that OP characters lead to power creep, and that is not a good thing. Characters can be OP in many forms, be it excessively too much power or a broken ability. Some powers, like Reality Warping or Absolute Condition, are broken by default, so even if the OP does not say that they are banned, still don't use them.
An easy way to determine if your character is broken or not is by pitting it up against typical superpowered characters, like a character with flight and super strength. If your character can crush them no matter how powerful they are, you did something wrong.
Power vs Technique
When creating your character, this scale arises. How specialized will your character be? What would you like? Which one do you handle and RP better (this one is important). There are two major sets of characters between the superpowered kind - the Power ones and Technique ones.
Power. You don't necessarily have to imagine The Hulk here. A Power character is a straightforward one, and my personal favorite when it comes to battling - strong varied powers with the intent of destroying and fighting things. This is a really large cast, and in canon equivalents, includes everything from Wolverine and Spawn to Goku and Satan. Of course, just having Super Strength + Energy Blasts isn't varied enough. It's good practice to include some more specialized and less expected powers for countering various kinds of opponents.
Standard powers. This is a long list, so I'll list the most basic ones.
Superhuman Condition - Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Durability - are still very common among most players, and more or less becoming a must-have. It's the straightforwardness and usefulness that attracts newbies and veterans alike. And it's been used by pretty much every superhero ever who isn't a ripoff of Batman. By itself, Superhuman Condition lags a bit - it's a great support or side ability to have, but you mostly need more 'arcane' powers to back it up.
Energy Projection, usually in the form of Energy Blasts and Energy Constructs, has always been one of my favorites, and it's probably because I am a DBZtard, but still. Blasts and Constructs best work hand-in-hand - the destructive long-range strength of the former added up with the versatile long and mid-range devastation of the latter. Also, fast speed energy shards - best thing since DBZ. They are great abilities, but they often end up predictable unless you do something original and interesting with them.
Elemental Manipulation is also something you can see almost every day, though usually only limited to a specific element, be it fire, water, plasma or whatever people make up these days. Elemental manipulators are quite a force, when their element is applied to maximum capabilities (i.e. controlling body heat as a fire one), but you have to take into account the limited usage of these powers, especially depending on the battlefield or where you're fighting. A water manipulator wouldn't fare well in a desert without some sort of back-up plan.
These are mainly the most basic ones. There's a hefty lot of superpowers that you can use to dish out lots of damage quickly. The Superpower Wiki is your friend.
Interesting tricks and side-powers. You have the main muscle set, but what can you do to get a hold of those sneaky opponents who can nullify energy or mess up with your strength? It's usually a good idea to put some other powers under your belt to deal with the tricksters.
Electricity Manipulation is a tricky mistress, but getting a hold on it can save you. There are quite a few ways how to be immune to it, but, unlike many other abilities, it usually does not take the foe's durability into account. Unless it's a superhero RP, where characters can take everything for the sake of plot. Also, since it moves at the speed of light (you'd assume), it is usually hard to dodge, giving you a reliable attack in the case of trouble.
Regeneration and Energy Regeneration are a different thing, though both important. In a battle, wounds and energy loss are expected, and a way to stay in the game is with a recovery ability. Healing magic can do it too, but we'll talk about magic in a few moments.
Weapon Proficiency is a nice ability if you like using weapons - swords or guns - in the game. Just remember - if it's a superpowered duel, your weapons better be somehow special or else they'll do as much as a bullet does to Superman's skin.
Super Form is kind of a Japanese thing, I guess, so not many characters in P2TM use this ability. Or it's probably because superheroes and anime don't match very well... Either way, it is certainly a cool thing to have when you are in a pinch. Not to mention, if it has to be triggered or unlocked, it's a good way of plot development. Hey, remember, you'll have to RP, not join in and immediately fight whatever you want!
Teleportation is a great way of giving yourself an advantage in battlefield mobility, and possibly dodging the worst of the attacks. Just don't spam it - nobody likes dodging except the dodger. And remember - it can also be used offensively for sick combinations.
Mild Psionics are acceptable, but remember - mixing Power and Technique can yield some really... broken results...
Technique. This includes everyone whose powers are more slick and "tactical". Basically, their abilities usually do not cause direct offensive damage, or at least not as much, but instead have other effects that give them an advantage in combat. Also a very loosely made up group, and includes anyone from Doctor Strange and Franklin Richards to Gandalf. Obviously, being less direct in fighting style, Technique requires more creativity, a more open mind and being able to think outside the box. Not the play style I would recommend to an apprentice, but if you like it - give it a go!
Standard powers. This is a very misleading list - every Technique person is unique in their power set. Instead, this should be called "Most common powers".
Psionics has always been a standard ability of this 'class' to me. While it can be used offensively in psionic attacks, most of it's potential is in the mind and obscure. Reading minds, moving objects almost to the point of matter manipulation, mind control, shifts, psychic constructs, mental attacks, healing, and hell, you can probably even use it for HM03 Surf too. Just telekinesis has, like, 10 thousand possible applications, to the point that the only limit to this power is the writer's imagination. This makes powerful psychics dangerously unpredictable and hard to fight, which is exactly what you want.
Shapeshifting might not be as versatile as something we've already mentioned, but it is certainly an underrated power. The ability to reshape and morph your own body might sound dull, but the possibilities are huge. If your character can morph into what he has seen, then chances are any opponent you face will have to face a nightmare - you can be a hundred different enemies at once! If you can just change parts of your body, then why not strengthen it to make it stronger and faster to make up for the power gap?
Gravity Manipulation is a tricky power, and one whose potential isn't commonly seen. I mean, black holes are strong, right? But don't go overboard. White holes aren't bad either - they can work like never-ending energy blasts. You can even do telekinesis-esque efects with it, and we already talked about the Kinesis.
Of course, there are hundreds of others you can base your character on. These are just one of the most common.
Tricks and side-powers. You might have the technique down, but what's it worth when any passersby can punch you and knock you out? And what if your psychic or shapeshifting powers don't work? Well, then you wish you put something else there as backup. Like a superhuman Batman...
It's generally a good idea to give yourself at least Peak Human Condition for the more physical side. Remember, most superpowers use up energy or something else, or have some kind of weakness, so having just a bit of bulk for those moments when your wave of fire can no longer be kept up can save your character's life. Unless it's a superhero RP, of course.
Transmutation can help with bullets or swords, but don't use it on people. Nobody likes their characters getting transformed into cotton candy or pigeons.
Force-Field Generation is mainly used as a defensive skill, but it's also a proficient (and way too broken - don't use it) way of offense.
Effect Field Projection is an often forgotten power. Most likely because it's one of those overpowered anime powers that don't seem to stick around much in the West. You make a field that gives a specific effect to everyone inside it. Be it healing, gravity, luck or even DEATH! Mwahahaha! too op plz ignore
Chi Manipulation is close to my heart. You know why... Anyway, it's one of those few powers that fit quite well with the Technique theme, but are really freaking good at destroying things. Certainly the offensive power that this side of the spectrum needs to fill in the balance gap. And if we use Dragon Ball's portrayal of chi, it can give you a plethora of powers from energy sensing to teleportation and mind reading. Aura Manipulation is similar, but there are some differences which I'm not going to get into right now.
Dangerous Abilities
There is no equality in the superpower world. There are the weak ones, like Garbage Manipulation or Ice Regeneration, which nobody picks. There are the okay ones like Supernatural Condition, the strong ones like Effect Fields and Gravity Manipulation. And there are some powers which are as dangerous in usage as a barrel of explosive radioactive piss. If you intend to use the powers below, please be careful. They can easily descend into broken character territory.
Matter Manipulation. There are arguments whether or not Matter Manipulation should be banned like Reality Warping commonly is. At high levels, MM is nearly indistinguishable from the latter, at least lower levels of it. All in all, I can say that you should be careful with it. Don't ever try to delete a PC character because you can. Also, low levels only. No creating entire planets out of the whim and playing God with the soil beneath your feet.
Energy Manipulation. The problem here lies with the overly vague wording. What is "Energy" and how much of it you can control? Actually, everything is energy. Matter is just a more compact form of it. Dun dun duuun - you all are walking blobs of nuclear and electromagnetic energy. And while I myself imagine energy manipulation as shooting energy blasts and stuff, all in all, what's stopping you from ripping your foes apart by removing their nuclear energy? Or making them speed off to the nearest building faster than light - that's kinetic energy for you! If you want to play as an energy manipulator, specify what types of energy you can control, or better yet, use more specific wordings, like "Electromagnetism Manipulation" or "Energy Blasts".
Magic. Magic is a weird specimen among superpowers, in that it can be both a Power and a Technique ability at the same time. The problem, again, lies with the wording. There have been so many works with magic in them with so many interpretations and uses of it, if you claimed you can control every single form of it, you'd be God. Shoot lightning bolts, summon ships, fly, teleport, revive the dead, slay dragons, shoot energy blasts, erase matter, create matter, create the Universe - it's basically Complete Arsenal. No wonder Doctor Strange is considered so overpowered. If you plan to be a magician, specify what you can do with our abilities.
Superpower Manipulation. Just don't. Please.
Super Form. In itself, Super Form is a pretty okay ability, but if you plan to have one for your character, please don't go the Archie Comics route. If you haven't read Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, let me explain - Super Sonic, in that series, is always capable of fighting equally with anything he faces, be it Eggman's robots or a universe-tier reality warper. Looking at you, Enerjak. Be consistent with your power, keep track of it, and know when to lose.
Power Building
So you have the planned powers. You have the knowledge of which ones are the most common and which ones are the most effective. Time to see what you can do with resources. Creating a power set for a character, in my opinion, should be considered art - or at least an artful work. The secret to this stage is simple - think outside if the box! Go wild! Super Condition + Energy Proj or Fire Man + Flight are old game - do something unexpected! Remember, with enough thought put in, almost any ability can be turned into a powerhouse - even Garbage Manipulation. But there still are some tricks to consider.
Ability spectrum. Most abilities cover all kinds of potential uses, both long and short ranged. For example, you would imagine Fire Manipulation as a long-range ability - shooting fire in waves or blasts. Well, how about solidifying fire into a sword? Or enhacing your physical strikes with heat behind them? How about fire-based teleportation? Remember that.
Secondary powers. It is best to pick a power you know very well and can use it in many ways and build secondary powers around it. The secondaries should supplement the primary one and cover the holes left by it. For example, I pick Sound Manipulation as my primary. Great. Good mid-range abilities and overall a decent support character. Well, how about adding things like Superhuman Condition (low) and Force-Field Generation for defense and close combat? How about something like Teleportation for better dexterity and getting close to enemies? Of course, you should not have that many powers, but you get what I'm saying, right?
Equipment. The need for equipment, gadgets or suits really depends on your character and how powerful it is. Most stronger characters don't have that much of a need for notable things in their backpack, be it swords, guns or a grappling hook. Gadgets should be left to Batman, and battle suits and exoskeletons to everyone else without powers. Of course, if you want, even a planet buster can carry and wield a weapon. Having and using a sword is immediately 10 points for Fin's Badassery Rating.
Single-power characters. I've been seeing a lot of characters with only one power lately. To be fair, it's really a common occurence. Most likely, that one power will be jacked up to the max and with almost all possible usages. It's certainly a viable option - a powerful Psionic could take down a hefty amount of characters on any weather - but it depends on circumstance. Sometimes these characters can be quite predictable and taken down with a specific strategy or weakpoint.
Physiology. If the RP allows custom species and your character will be a part of one, giving the planned abilities to the race's Physiology is a good idea. It'd explain how you got those powers more easily.
Well, here you have it. With these hints and tips, you'll be sure to make your custom all-powerful character anyday!
Now, on the next issue... we will NOT talk about roleplaying the created abomination in battle. Instead, we'll tip our hat to the other part of the P2TM RPing spectrum and give them some tips on combat as well...
Alors!
Finland SSR is one of the many members of the P2TM community, a long-time member of the Infinite Justice series, writer of many P2TM related works and dispatches, and now a new editor for P2TM Times.
Call me StarBest High Fantasy RPer of '14 and '15
"Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination""Strength does not make one capable of rule. It makes one capable of service"
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world"Tri: NS's Tolkien incarnate
Lith: Twinky-toes, Lord of Elves, and the only man to enter Tolkien's Holy of Holies
Neros: A Star Among Men and a Tolkien force of nature in relation to Elves and Asgardians.P2TM: Infinite Justice | ✎ Member - ℘ædagog | ℳadhouse
by Alleniana » Sun Aug 09, 2015 6:42 pm
by Mirakai » Sun Aug 09, 2015 6:42 pm
by Alleniana » Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:06 pm
Mirakai wrote:Just read issue 5. Like it. Now we just need Lith and I getting joint interviewed about ecchi~
by Mirakai » Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:08 pm
by The Starlight » Sun Aug 09, 2015 7:11 pm
Call me StarBest High Fantasy RPer of '14 and '15
"Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination""Strength does not make one capable of rule. It makes one capable of service"
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world"Tri: NS's Tolkien incarnate
Lith: Twinky-toes, Lord of Elves, and the only man to enter Tolkien's Holy of Holies
Neros: A Star Among Men and a Tolkien force of nature in relation to Elves and Asgardians.P2TM: Infinite Justice | ✎ Member - ℘ædagog | ℳadhouse
by Finland SSR » Sun Aug 09, 2015 8:59 pm
The Starlight wrote:Finland SSR wrote:Darn... I was too slow to get into Issue Five...
- Code: Select all
[table][tr][td][blocktext][hr][/hr][align=center][size=250][b][color=#0040BF]The P2TM Times[/color][/b][/size][/align]
[hr][/hr][b]Issue 6: Page 1337, Since 2015[/b] [floatright][b]Day of the Week, Month Day, 2015[/b][/floatright][hr][/hr]
[align=center][size=150][b][u][color=#800000]The Art of [strike]War[/strike] Combat: Ayr Please Don't Sue Us[/color][/u][/b][/size][/align]
[size=90]By [i][nation]Finland SSR[/nation][/i][/size]
So, it is the time of the year when everyone jumps off the concentration camp work train and starts doing productive things to the community. I mean, unless they [i]do[/i] work in a concentration camp... or at all. Shut up, I gain a scholarship. Anyway, while I am writing this in Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation's voice, I came up with a tough, but decisive statement.
Jesse, we need to write!
...Kind of.
I consider myself a proud citizen of Infinite Justice. I might venture off as a tourist, and see the debates of whether or not a Native American ruled world is a realistic AH, but sooner or later I come back, being pulled by the all-sucking black hole that is the PSEUDO-AMERICAN FREEDOM of IJ. But obviously, I can't be sitting in a corner and jacking off to Celestial Android power wank forever, so I finally stumbled across this thing called "P2TM Times".
First thought of mine was "Oh, wow!". Someone finally made a thing that can tell me periodically that there is a world behind the universe-exploding shade of IJ!
Second thought: "Oh, crud." I'm going to get really stimulating messages over this, aren't I?
So I decided to jump past the plead train and took the initiative! Oh wow, unexpected of me. Four (or five) issues and a lot of walking in circles later I discovered that I should write about something I'm familiar with. Finland "Captain Obvious" SSR speaking. Well then. Infinite Justice may not be written by Asimov, but at least it really excels at fighting. Hah! And you thought that the "DBZ" in it's name was just for some sociopathic otaku freaks to masturbate all over it for a nice icing.
And that is the story of The Art of Combat. Named after a EU4 expansion. And a lot less well known Chinese book. Ayr did it first, I don't care much. I will be the one to apply IJ experience here.
[b][size=150]The Introduction: Why Fight?[/size][/b]
Hello, and welcome to the Fighting Dojo. I am your host, Fin the Fin. In this article series, we will be discussing PVP combat in Portal To The Multiverse, or PTTM for short. The 2 is there to make it more leet. What will we be discussing, exactly? Well, unlike our full-blooded Finnish comrade at the side, here we'll talk about how to win one-on-one. In none other than superpowered duels. Don't expect any weak normal humans or armed force skirmishes here - this is an IJ veteran writing this, god dammit!
But, to most of you, the obvious question arises - why try to fight other players when an NPC can do the job just as well? Well, my young disciple, the answer is simple - according to the James Redfield's book whose name I can't put because I read it in Lithuanian and can't translate it to English well, winning arguments and making the losing person feel sad and beaten gives you a lot of energy. Also, it's fun and helps unite people, if it stays friendly. I fought Atria in DoTM and now we are best buds! Sort of.
Also, fighting is kind of the bread and butter of Infinite Justice, so I'm biased. Shut up, you angry mini-Boos. Ayr knows why to fight better.
Anyway, PC fighting is a very specialized breed of fighting, far different from fighting yourself or an NPC. And it happens in basically every non-weird P2TM RP, so at least knowing the basics is important. We will get to actual roleplay in a few issues, but today, we will be addressing to those who are reminiscent of the IV breeders in Pokemon. The ones who create characters for the sole purpose of making them strong. And fighting.
On this installment of The Art of Combat, we will be talking about exactly that - the first steps of creating a character and planning out your moves from the start. PVP is serious business, mate. We'll be talking about the powers, power sets, OPness and early preparation.
[b][size=150]Entering the Character Creation Screen[/size][/b]
So you finally found the RP you wish to enter. It's a character RP with superpowers and superheroes, and the community does not completely despise PVP combat. That's great, my apprentice! Time to begin our quest on claiming that "Strongest P2TM PC Character of 2015" award!
But wait! Don't just jump in and start tagging and apping! First, we must know the enemy.
[b]Before Apping[/b]
Most RPs involving superpowers have some sort of weight limits. Or banned abilities. Or just not being too OP, which is to be decided by the OP (two completely unrelated things, by the way). It is generally a good idea to check the apps already posted, to see what's the medium power level. A good thing is to stay around that level while first applying.
[i]But Fin, how can we beat the enemy if we are not stronger than the enemy? Shouldn't we be stronger than the enemy? And by a lot, to be sure?[/i]
Well, young apprentice, you immediately brought us to the common mistake most people do.
[b]It's Way Too Over 9000! Overpowered Characters[/b]
Overpowered characters are the plague that killed IJ2: New Dawn, and created power creep in P2TM. It takes many forms, but a common one is this:
New guy arrives to an already established RP. Everyone already knows each other and are hesitant to get the newbie some spotlight. Newbie makes a really OP character to compensate. Everyone sees it and upps their power more. The game becomes a Cold War style arms race until the RP dies by dipping it's head into a pool of lava.
A true warrior does not take victory by outrunning his opponents and leaving them to bite the dust. A true warrior runs as fast as the others until the last moment, until he takes a victory after a harsh battle for the first place. The point is that OP characters lead to power creep, and that is not a good thing. Characters can be OP in many forms, be it excessively too much power or a broken ability. Some powers, like Reality Warping or Absolute Condition, are broken by default, so even if the OP does not say that they are banned, still don't use them.
An easy way to determine if your character is broken or not is by pitting it up against typical superpowered characters, like a character with flight and super strength. If your character can crush them no matter how powerful they are, you did something wrong.
[b]Power vs Technique[/b]
When creating your character, this scale arises. How specialized will your character be? What would you like? Which one do you handle and RP better (this one is important). There are two major sets of characters between the superpowered kind - the Power ones and Technique ones.
[b]Power.[/b] You don't necessarily have to imagine The Hulk here. A Power character is a straightforward one, and my personal favorite when it comes to battling - strong varied powers with the intent of destroying and fighting things. This is a really large cast, and in canon equivalents, includes everything from Wolverine and Spawn to Goku and Satan. Of course, just having Super Strength + Energy Blasts isn't varied enough. It's good practice to include some more specialized and less expected powers for countering various kinds of opponents.
[i]Standard powers.[/i] This is a long list, so I'll list the most basic ones.
Superhuman Condition - Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Durability - are still very common among most players, and more or less becoming a must-have. It's the straightforwardness and usefulness that attracts newbies and veterans alike. And it's been used by pretty much every superhero ever who isn't a ripoff of Batman. By itself, Superhuman Condition lags a bit - it's a great support or side ability to have, but you mostly need more 'arcane' powers to back it up.
Energy Projection, usually in the form of Energy Blasts and Energy Constructs, has always been one of my favorites, and it's probably because I am a DBZtard, but still. Blasts and Constructs best work hand-in-hand - the destructive long-range strength of the former added up with the versatile long and mid-range devastation of the latter. Also, fast speed energy shards - best thing since DBZ. They are great abilities, but they often end up predictable unless you do something original and interesting with them.
Elemental Manipulation is also something you can see almost every day, though usually only limited to a specific element, be it fire, water, plasma or whatever people make up these days. Elemental manipulators are quite a force, when their element is applied to maximum capabilities (i.e. controlling body heat as a fire one), but you have to take into account the limited usage of these powers, especially depending on the battlefield or where you're fighting. A water manipulator wouldn't fare well in a desert without some sort of back-up plan.
These are mainly the most basic ones. There's a hefty lot of superpowers that you can use to dish out lots of damage quickly. [url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Superpower_Wiki]The Superpower Wiki[/url] is your friend.
[i]Interesting tricks and side-powers.[/i] You have the main muscle set, but what can you do to get a hold of those sneaky opponents who can nullify energy or mess up with your strength? It's usually a good idea to put some other powers under your belt to deal with the tricksters.
Electricity Manipulation is a tricky mistress, but getting a hold on it can save you. There are quite a few ways how to be immune to it, but, unlike many other abilities, it usually does not take the foe's durability into account. Unless it's a superhero RP, where characters can take everything for the sake of plot. Also, since it moves at the speed of light (you'd assume), it is usually hard to dodge, giving you a reliable attack in the case of trouble.
Regeneration and Energy Regeneration are a different thing, though both important. In a battle, wounds and energy loss are expected, and a way to stay in the game is with a recovery ability. Healing magic can do it too, but we'll talk about magic in a few moments.
Weapon Proficiency is a nice ability if you like using weapons - swords or guns - in the game. Just remember - if it's a superpowered duel, your weapons better be somehow special or else they'll do as much as a bullet does to Superman's skin.
Super Form is kind of a Japanese thing, I guess, so not many characters in P2TM use this ability. Or it's probably because superheroes and anime don't match very well... Either way, it is certainly a cool thing to have when you are in a pinch. Not to mention, if it has to be triggered or unlocked, it's a good way of plot development. Hey, remember, you'll have to RP, not join in and immediately fight whatever you want!
Teleportation is a great way of giving yourself an advantage in battlefield mobility, and possibly dodging the worst of the attacks. Just don't spam it - nobody likes dodging except the dodger. And remember - it can also be used offensively for [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99cF4v0lWQI]sick combinations[/url].
Mild Psionics are acceptable, but remember - mixing Power and Technique can yield some really... broken results...
[b]Technique.[/b] This includes everyone whose powers are more slick and "tactical". Basically, their abilities usually do not cause direct offensive damage, or at least not as much, but instead have other effects that give them an advantage in combat. Also a very loosely made up group, and includes anyone from Doctor Strange and Franklin Richards to Gandalf. Obviously, being less direct in fighting style, Technique requires more creativity, a more open mind and being able to think outside the box. Not the play style I would recommend to an apprentice, but if you like it - give it a go!
[i]Standard powers.[/i] This is a very misleading list - every Technique person is unique in their power set. Instead, this should be called "Most common powers".
Psionics has always been a standard ability of this 'class' to me. While it can be used offensively in psionic attacks, most of it's potential is in the mind and obscure. Reading minds, moving objects almost to the point of matter manipulation, mind control, shifts, psychic constructs, mental attacks, healing, and hell, you can probably even use it for HM03 Surf too. Just telekinesis has, like, [url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Telekinesis#Applications]10 thousand possible applications[/url], to the point that the only limit to this power is the writer's imagination. This makes powerful psychics dangerously unpredictable and hard to fight, which is exactly what you want.
Shapeshifting might not be as versatile as something we've already mentioned, but it is certainly an underrated power. The ability to reshape and morph your own body might sound dull, but the possibilities are huge. If your character can morph into what he has seen, then chances are any opponent you face will have to face a nightmare - you can be a hundred different enemies at once! If you can just change parts of your body, then why not strengthen it to make it stronger and faster to make up for the power gap?
Gravity Manipulation is a tricky power, and one whose potential isn't commonly seen. I mean, black holes are strong, right? But don't go overboard. White holes aren't bad either - they can work like never-ending energy blasts. You can even do telekinesis-esque efects with it, and we already talked about the Kinesis.
Of course, there are hundreds of others you can base your character on. These are just one of the most common.
[i]Tricks and side-powers.[/i] You might have the technique down, but what's it worth when any passersby can punch you and knock you out? And what if your psychic or shapeshifting powers don't work? Well, then you wish you put something else there as backup. Like a superhuman Batman...
It's generally a good idea to give yourself at least Peak Human Condition for the more physical side. Remember, most superpowers use up energy or something else, or have some kind of weakness, so having just a bit of bulk for those moments when your wave of fire can no longer be kept up can save your character's life. Unless it's a superhero RP, of course.
Transmutation can help with bullets or swords, but don't use it on people. Nobody likes their characters getting transformed into cotton candy or pigeons.
Force-Field Generation is mainly used as a defensive skill, but it's also a proficient (and way too broken - don't use it) way of offense.
Effect Field Projection is an often forgotten power. Most likely because it's one of those overpowered anime powers that don't seem to stick around much in the West. You make a field that gives a specific effect to everyone inside it. Be it healing, gravity, luck or even DEATH! Mwahahaha! too op plz ignore
Chi Manipulation is close to my heart. You know why... Anyway, it's one of those few powers that fit quite well with the Technique theme, but are really freaking good at destroying things. Certainly the offensive power that this side of the spectrum needs to fill in the balance gap. And if we use Dragon Ball's portrayal of chi, it can give you a plethora of powers from energy sensing to teleportation and mind reading. Aura Manipulation is similar, but there are some differences which I'm not going to get into right now.
[b]Dangerous Abilities[/b]
There is no equality in the superpower world. There are the weak ones, like Garbage Manipulation or Ice Regeneration, which nobody picks. There are the okay ones like Supernatural Condition, the strong ones like Effect Fields and Gravity Manipulation. And there are some powers which are as dangerous in usage as a barrel of explosive radioactive piss. If you intend to use the powers below, please be careful. They can easily descend into broken character territory.
[i]Matter Manipulation.[/i] There are arguments whether or not Matter Manipulation should be banned like Reality Warping commonly is. At high levels, MM is nearly indistinguishable from the latter, at least lower levels of it. All in all, I can say that you should be careful with it. Don't ever try to delete a PC character because you can. Also, low levels only. No creating entire planets out of the whim and playing God with the soil beneath your feet.
[i]Energy Manipulation.[/i] The problem here lies with the overly vague wording. What is "Energy" and how much of it you can control? Actually, everything is energy. Matter is just a more compact form of it. Dun dun duuun - you all are walking blobs of nuclear and electromagnetic energy. And while I myself imagine energy manipulation as shooting energy blasts and stuff, all in all, what's stopping you from ripping your foes apart by removing their nuclear energy? Or making them speed off to the nearest building faster than light - that's kinetic energy for you! If you want to play as an energy manipulator, specify what types of energy you can control, or better yet, use more specific wordings, like "Electromagnetism Manipulation" or "Energy Blasts".
[i]Magic.[/i] Magic is a weird specimen among superpowers, in that it can be both a Power and a Technique ability at the same time. The problem, again, lies with the wording. There have been so many works with magic in them with so many interpretations and uses of it, if you claimed you can control every single form of it, you'd be God. Shoot lightning bolts, summon ships, fly, teleport, revive the dead, slay dragons, shoot energy blasts, erase matter, create matter, create the Universe - it's basically Complete Arsenal. No wonder Doctor Strange is considered so overpowered. If you plan to be a magician, specify what you can do with our abilities.
[i]Superpower Manipulation.[/i] Just don't. Please.
[i]Super Form.[/i] In itself, Super Form is a pretty okay ability, but if you plan to have one for your character, please don't go the Archie Comics route. If you haven't read Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, let me explain - Super Sonic, in that series, is [i]always[/i] capable of fighting equally with anything he faces, be it Eggman's robots or a universe-tier reality warper. Looking at you, Enerjak. Be consistent with your power, keep track of it, and know when to lose.
[b]Power Building[/b]
So you have the planned powers. You have the knowledge of which ones are the most common and which ones are the most effective. Time to see what you can do with resources. Creating a power set for a character, in my opinion, should be considered art - or at least an artful work. The secret to this stage is simple - think outside if the box! Go wild! Super Condition + Energy Proj or Fire Man + Flight are old game - do something unexpected! Remember, with enough thought put in, almost any ability can be turned into a powerhouse - even Garbage Manipulation. But there still are some tricks to consider.
[i]Ability spectrum.[/i] Most abilities cover all kinds of potential uses, both long and short ranged. For example, you would imagine Fire Manipulation as a long-range ability - shooting fire in waves or blasts. Well, how about solidifying fire into a sword? Or enhacing your physical strikes with heat behind them? How about fire-based teleportation? Remember that.
[i]Secondary powers.[/i] It is best to pick a power you know very well and can use it in many ways and build secondary powers around it. The secondaries should supplement the primary one and cover the holes left by it. For example, I pick Sound Manipulation as my primary. Great. Good mid-range abilities and overall a decent support character. Well, how about adding things like Superhuman Condition (low) and Force-Field Generation for defense and close combat? How about something like Teleportation for better dexterity and getting close to enemies? Of course, you should not have that many powers, but you get what I'm saying, right?
[i]Equipment.[/i] The need for equipment, gadgets or suits really depends on your character and how powerful it is. Most stronger characters don't have that much of a need for notable things in their backpack, be it swords, guns or a grappling hook. Gadgets should be left to Batman, and battle suits and exoskeletons to everyone else without powers. Of course, if you want, even a planet buster can carry and wield a weapon. Having and using a sword is immediately 10 points for Fin's Badassery Rating.
[i]Single-power characters.[/i] I've been seeing a lot of characters with only one power lately. To be fair, it's really a common occurence. Most likely, that one power will be jacked up to the max and with almost all possible usages. It's certainly a viable option - a powerful Psionic could take down a hefty amount of characters on any weather - but it depends on circumstance. Sometimes these characters can be quite predictable and taken down with a specific strategy or weakpoint.
[i]Physiology.[/i] If the RP allows custom species and your character will be a part of one, giving the planned abilities to the race's Physiology is a good idea. It'd explain how you got those powers more easily.
Well, here you have it. With these hints and tips, you'll be sure to make your custom all-powerful character anyday!
Now, on the next issue... we will NOT talk about roleplaying the created abomination in battle. Instead, we'll tip our hat to the other part of the P2TM RPing spectrum and give them some tips on combat as well...
[i]Alors![/i]
[size=90][i][nation]Finland SSR[/nation][/i] is one of the many members of the P2TM community, a long-time member of the Infinite Justice series, writer of many P2TM related works and dispatches, and now a new editor for P2TM Times.[/size][hr][/hr][/blocktext][/td][/tr][/table]
Issue 6: Page 1337, Since 2015Day of the Week, Month Day, 2015The Art ofWarCombat: Ayr Please Don't Sue Us
By Finland SSR
So, it is the time of the year when everyone jumps off the concentration camp work train and starts doing productive things to the community. I mean, unless they do work in a concentration camp... or at all. Shut up, I gain a scholarship. Anyway, while I am writing this in Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation's voice, I came up with a tough, but decisive statement.
Jesse, we need to write!
...Kind of.
I consider myself a proud citizen of Infinite Justice. I might venture off as a tourist, and see the debates of whether or not a Native American ruled world is a realistic AH, but sooner or later I come back, being pulled by the all-sucking black hole that is the PSEUDO-AMERICAN FREEDOM of IJ. But obviously, I can't be sitting in a corner and jacking off to Celestial Android power wank forever, so I finally stumbled across this thing called "P2TM Times".
First thought of mine was "Oh, wow!". Someone finally made a thing that can tell me periodically that there is a world behind the universe-exploding shade of IJ!
Second thought: "Oh, crud." I'm going to get really stimulating messages over this, aren't I?
So I decided to jump past the plead train and took the initiative! Oh wow, unexpected of me. Four (or five) issues and a lot of walking in circles later I discovered that I should write about something I'm familiar with. Finland "Captain Obvious" SSR speaking. Well then. Infinite Justice may not be written by Asimov, but at least it really excels at fighting. Hah! And you thought that the "DBZ" in it's name was just for some sociopathic otaku freaks to masturbate all over it for a nice icing.
And that is the story of The Art of Combat. Named after a EU4 expansion. And a lot less well known Chinese book. Ayr did it first, I don't care much. I will be the one to apply IJ experience here.
The Introduction: Why Fight?
Hello, and welcome to the Fighting Dojo. I am your host, Fin the Fin. In this article series, we will be discussing PVP combat in Portal To The Multiverse, or PTTM for short. The 2 is there to make it more leet. What will we be discussing, exactly? Well, unlike our full-blooded Finnish comrade at the side, here we'll talk about how to win one-on-one. In none other than superpowered duels. Don't expect any weak normal humans or armed force skirmishes here - this is an IJ veteran writing this, god dammit!
But, to most of you, the obvious question arises - why try to fight other players when an NPC can do the job just as well? Well, my young disciple, the answer is simple - according to the James Redfield's book whose name I can't put because I read it in Lithuanian and can't translate it to English well, winning arguments and making the losing person feel sad and beaten gives you a lot of energy. Also, it's fun and helps unite people, if it stays friendly. I fought Atria in DoTM and now we are best buds! Sort of.
Also, fighting is kind of the bread and butter of Infinite Justice, so I'm biased. Shut up, you angry mini-Boos. Ayr knows why to fight better.
Anyway, PC fighting is a very specialized breed of fighting, far different from fighting yourself or an NPC. And it happens in basically every non-weird P2TM RP, so at least knowing the basics is important. We will get to actual roleplay in a few issues, but today, we will be addressing to those who are reminiscent of the IV breeders in Pokemon. The ones who create characters for the sole purpose of making them strong. And fighting.
On this installment of The Art of Combat, we will be talking about exactly that - the first steps of creating a character and planning out your moves from the start. PVP is serious business, mate. We'll be talking about the powers, power sets, OPness and early preparation.
Entering the Character Creation Screen
So you finally found the RP you wish to enter. It's a character RP with superpowers and superheroes, and the community does not completely despise PVP combat. That's great, my apprentice! Time to begin our quest on claiming that "Strongest P2TM PC Character of 2015" award!
But wait! Don't just jump in and start tagging and apping! First, we must know the enemy.
Before Apping
Most RPs involving superpowers have some sort of weight limits. Or banned abilities. Or just not being too OP, which is to be decided by the OP (two completely unrelated things, by the way). It is generally a good idea to check the apps already posted, to see what's the medium power level. A good thing is to stay around that level while first applying.
But Fin, how can we beat the enemy if we are not stronger than the enemy? Shouldn't we be stronger than the enemy? And by a lot, to be sure?
Well, young apprentice, you immediately brought us to the common mistake most people do.
It's Way Too Over 9000! Overpowered Characters
Overpowered characters are the plague that killed IJ2: New Dawn, and created power creep in P2TM. It takes many forms, but a common one is this:
New guy arrives to an already established RP. Everyone already knows each other and are hesitant to get the newbie some spotlight. Newbie makes a really OP character to compensate. Everyone sees it and upps their power more. The game becomes a Cold War style arms race until the RP dies by dipping it's head into a pool of lava.
A true warrior does not take victory by outrunning his opponents and leaving them to bite the dust. A true warrior runs as fast as the others until the last moment, until he takes a victory after a harsh battle for the first place. The point is that OP characters lead to power creep, and that is not a good thing. Characters can be OP in many forms, be it excessively too much power or a broken ability. Some powers, like Reality Warping or Absolute Condition, are broken by default, so even if the OP does not say that they are banned, still don't use them.
An easy way to determine if your character is broken or not is by pitting it up against typical superpowered characters, like a character with flight and super strength. If your character can crush them no matter how powerful they are, you did something wrong.
Power vs Technique
When creating your character, this scale arises. How specialized will your character be? What would you like? Which one do you handle and RP better (this one is important). There are two major sets of characters between the superpowered kind - the Power ones and Technique ones.
Power. You don't necessarily have to imagine The Hulk here. A Power character is a straightforward one, and my personal favorite when it comes to battling - strong varied powers with the intent of destroying and fighting things. This is a really large cast, and in canon equivalents, includes everything from Wolverine and Spawn to Goku and Satan. Of course, just having Super Strength + Energy Blasts isn't varied enough. It's good practice to include some more specialized and less expected powers for countering various kinds of opponents.
Standard powers. This is a long list, so I'll list the most basic ones.
Superhuman Condition - Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Durability - are still very common among most players, and more or less becoming a must-have. It's the straightforwardness and usefulness that attracts newbies and veterans alike. And it's been used by pretty much every superhero ever who isn't a ripoff of Batman. By itself, Superhuman Condition lags a bit - it's a great support or side ability to have, but you mostly need more 'arcane' powers to back it up.
Energy Projection, usually in the form of Energy Blasts and Energy Constructs, has always been one of my favorites, and it's probably because I am a DBZtard, but still. Blasts and Constructs best work hand-in-hand - the destructive long-range strength of the former added up with the versatile long and mid-range devastation of the latter. Also, fast speed energy shards - best thing since DBZ. They are great abilities, but they often end up predictable unless you do something original and interesting with them.
Elemental Manipulation is also something you can see almost every day, though usually only limited to a specific element, be it fire, water, plasma or whatever people make up these days. Elemental manipulators are quite a force, when their element is applied to maximum capabilities (i.e. controlling body heat as a fire one), but you have to take into account the limited usage of these powers, especially depending on the battlefield or where you're fighting. A water manipulator wouldn't fare well in a desert without some sort of back-up plan.
These are mainly the most basic ones. There's a hefty lot of superpowers that you can use to dish out lots of damage quickly. The Superpower Wiki is your friend.
Interesting tricks and side-powers. You have the main muscle set, but what can you do to get a hold of those sneaky opponents who can nullify energy or mess up with your strength? It's usually a good idea to put some other powers under your belt to deal with the tricksters.
Electricity Manipulation is a tricky mistress, but getting a hold on it can save you. There are quite a few ways how to be immune to it, but, unlike many other abilities, it usually does not take the foe's durability into account. Unless it's a superhero RP, where characters can take everything for the sake of plot. Also, since it moves at the speed of light (you'd assume), it is usually hard to dodge, giving you a reliable attack in the case of trouble.
Regeneration and Energy Regeneration are a different thing, though both important. In a battle, wounds and energy loss are expected, and a way to stay in the game is with a recovery ability. Healing magic can do it too, but we'll talk about magic in a few moments.
Weapon Proficiency is a nice ability if you like using weapons - swords or guns - in the game. Just remember - if it's a superpowered duel, your weapons better be somehow special or else they'll do as much as a bullet does to Superman's skin.
Super Form is kind of a Japanese thing, I guess, so not many characters in P2TM use this ability. Or it's probably because superheroes and anime don't match very well... Either way, it is certainly a cool thing to have when you are in a pinch. Not to mention, if it has to be triggered or unlocked, it's a good way of plot development. Hey, remember, you'll have to RP, not join in and immediately fight whatever you want!
Teleportation is a great way of giving yourself an advantage in battlefield mobility, and possibly dodging the worst of the attacks. Just don't spam it - nobody likes dodging except the dodger. And remember - it can also be used offensively for sick combinations.
Mild Psionics are acceptable, but remember - mixing Power and Technique can yield some really... broken results...
Technique. This includes everyone whose powers are more slick and "tactical". Basically, their abilities usually do not cause direct offensive damage, or at least not as much, but instead have other effects that give them an advantage in combat. Also a very loosely made up group, and includes anyone from Doctor Strange and Franklin Richards to Gandalf. Obviously, being less direct in fighting style, Technique requires more creativity, a more open mind and being able to think outside the box. Not the play style I would recommend to an apprentice, but if you like it - give it a go!
Standard powers. This is a very misleading list - every Technique person is unique in their power set. Instead, this should be called "Most common powers".
Psionics has always been a standard ability of this 'class' to me. While it can be used offensively in psionic attacks, most of it's potential is in the mind and obscure. Reading minds, moving objects almost to the point of matter manipulation, mind control, shifts, psychic constructs, mental attacks, healing, and hell, you can probably even use it for HM03 Surf too. Just telekinesis has, like, 10 thousand possible applications, to the point that the only limit to this power is the writer's imagination. This makes powerful psychics dangerously unpredictable and hard to fight, which is exactly what you want.
Shapeshifting might not be as versatile as something we've already mentioned, but it is certainly an underrated power. The ability to reshape and morph your own body might sound dull, but the possibilities are huge. If your character can morph into what he has seen, then chances are any opponent you face will have to face a nightmare - you can be a hundred different enemies at once! If you can just change parts of your body, then why not strengthen it to make it stronger and faster to make up for the power gap?
Gravity Manipulation is a tricky power, and one whose potential isn't commonly seen. I mean, black holes are strong, right? But don't go overboard. White holes aren't bad either - they can work like never-ending energy blasts. You can even do telekinesis-esque efects with it, and we already talked about the Kinesis.
Of course, there are hundreds of others you can base your character on. These are just one of the most common.
Tricks and side-powers. You might have the technique down, but what's it worth when any passersby can punch you and knock you out? And what if your psychic or shapeshifting powers don't work? Well, then you wish you put something else there as backup. Like a superhuman Batman...
It's generally a good idea to give yourself at least Peak Human Condition for the more physical side. Remember, most superpowers use up energy or something else, or have some kind of weakness, so having just a bit of bulk for those moments when your wave of fire can no longer be kept up can save your character's life. Unless it's a superhero RP, of course.
Transmutation can help with bullets or swords, but don't use it on people. Nobody likes their characters getting transformed into cotton candy or pigeons.
Force-Field Generation is mainly used as a defensive skill, but it's also a proficient (and way too broken - don't use it) way of offense.
Effect Field Projection is an often forgotten power. Most likely because it's one of those overpowered anime powers that don't seem to stick around much in the West. You make a field that gives a specific effect to everyone inside it. Be it healing, gravity, luck or even DEATH! Mwahahaha! too op plz ignore
Chi Manipulation is close to my heart. You know why... Anyway, it's one of those few powers that fit quite well with the Technique theme, but are really freaking good at destroying things. Certainly the offensive power that this side of the spectrum needs to fill in the balance gap. And if we use Dragon Ball's portrayal of chi, it can give you a plethora of powers from energy sensing to teleportation and mind reading. Aura Manipulation is similar, but there are some differences which I'm not going to get into right now.
Dangerous Abilities
There is no equality in the superpower world. There are the weak ones, like Garbage Manipulation or Ice Regeneration, which nobody picks. There are the okay ones like Supernatural Condition, the strong ones like Effect Fields and Gravity Manipulation. And there are some powers which are as dangerous in usage as a barrel of explosive radioactive piss. If you intend to use the powers below, please be careful. They can easily descend into broken character territory.
Matter Manipulation. There are arguments whether or not Matter Manipulation should be banned like Reality Warping commonly is. At high levels, MM is nearly indistinguishable from the latter, at least lower levels of it. All in all, I can say that you should be careful with it. Don't ever try to delete a PC character because you can. Also, low levels only. No creating entire planets out of the whim and playing God with the soil beneath your feet.
Energy Manipulation. The problem here lies with the overly vague wording. What is "Energy" and how much of it you can control? Actually, everything is energy. Matter is just a more compact form of it. Dun dun duuun - you all are walking blobs of nuclear and electromagnetic energy. And while I myself imagine energy manipulation as shooting energy blasts and stuff, all in all, what's stopping you from ripping your foes apart by removing their nuclear energy? Or making them speed off to the nearest building faster than light - that's kinetic energy for you! If you want to play as an energy manipulator, specify what types of energy you can control, or better yet, use more specific wordings, like "Electromagnetism Manipulation" or "Energy Blasts".
Magic. Magic is a weird specimen among superpowers, in that it can be both a Power and a Technique ability at the same time. The problem, again, lies with the wording. There have been so many works with magic in them with so many interpretations and uses of it, if you claimed you can control every single form of it, you'd be God. Shoot lightning bolts, summon ships, fly, teleport, revive the dead, slay dragons, shoot energy blasts, erase matter, create matter, create the Universe - it's basically Complete Arsenal. No wonder Doctor Strange is considered so overpowered. If you plan to be a magician, specify what you can do with our abilities.
Superpower Manipulation. Just don't. Please.
Super Form. In itself, Super Form is a pretty okay ability, but if you plan to have one for your character, please don't go the Archie Comics route. If you haven't read Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, let me explain - Super Sonic, in that series, is always capable of fighting equally with anything he faces, be it Eggman's robots or a universe-tier reality warper. Looking at you, Enerjak. Be consistent with your power, keep track of it, and know when to lose.
Power Building
So you have the planned powers. You have the knowledge of which ones are the most common and which ones are the most effective. Time to see what you can do with resources. Creating a power set for a character, in my opinion, should be considered art - or at least an artful work. The secret to this stage is simple - think outside if the box! Go wild! Super Condition + Energy Proj or Fire Man + Flight are old game - do something unexpected! Remember, with enough thought put in, almost any ability can be turned into a powerhouse - even Garbage Manipulation. But there still are some tricks to consider.
Ability spectrum. Most abilities cover all kinds of potential uses, both long and short ranged. For example, you would imagine Fire Manipulation as a long-range ability - shooting fire in waves or blasts. Well, how about solidifying fire into a sword? Or enhacing your physical strikes with heat behind them? How about fire-based teleportation? Remember that.
Secondary powers. It is best to pick a power you know very well and can use it in many ways and build secondary powers around it. The secondaries should supplement the primary one and cover the holes left by it. For example, I pick Sound Manipulation as my primary. Great. Good mid-range abilities and overall a decent support character. Well, how about adding things like Superhuman Condition (low) and Force-Field Generation for defense and close combat? How about something like Teleportation for better dexterity and getting close to enemies? Of course, you should not have that many powers, but you get what I'm saying, right?
Equipment. The need for equipment, gadgets or suits really depends on your character and how powerful it is. Most stronger characters don't have that much of a need for notable things in their backpack, be it swords, guns or a grappling hook. Gadgets should be left to Batman, and battle suits and exoskeletons to everyone else without powers. Of course, if you want, even a planet buster can carry and wield a weapon. Having and using a sword is immediately 10 points for Fin's Badassery Rating.
Single-power characters. I've been seeing a lot of characters with only one power lately. To be fair, it's really a common occurence. Most likely, that one power will be jacked up to the max and with almost all possible usages. It's certainly a viable option - a powerful Psionic could take down a hefty amount of characters on any weather - but it depends on circumstance. Sometimes these characters can be quite predictable and taken down with a specific strategy or weakpoint.
Physiology. If the RP allows custom species and your character will be a part of one, giving the planned abilities to the race's Physiology is a good idea. It'd explain how you got those powers more easily.
Well, here you have it. With these hints and tips, you'll be sure to make your custom all-powerful character anyday!
Now, on the next issue... we will NOT talk about roleplaying the created abomination in battle. Instead, we'll tip our hat to the other part of the P2TM RPing spectrum and give them some tips on combat as well...
Alors!
Finland SSR is one of the many members of the P2TM community, a long-time member of the Infinite Justice series, writer of many P2TM related works and dispatches, and now a new editor for P2TM Times.
Overall, it looks good Fin, but a few things.
The paragraphs before the introduction are a bit jumbled and hard to follow. Also, the Art of Combat doesn't really seem like the best title, as you're not talking about fight posts. Perhaps, "Creating a Superpowered Character"
Oh, and I'm afraid that you're not a editor, like I said awhile ago via TG, as we have enough. Sorry about that.
by The Starlight » Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:03 pm
Finland SSR wrote:The Starlight wrote:
Overall, it looks good Fin, but a few things.
The paragraphs before the introduction are a bit jumbled and hard to follow. Also, the Art of Combat doesn't really seem like the best title, as you're not talking about fight posts. Perhaps, "Creating a Superpowered Character"
Oh, and I'm afraid that you're not a editor, like I said awhile ago via TG, as we have enough. Sorry about that.
1. Ehh.
2. This will be an article series, so just calling it "Creating a Superpowered Character" is too short-sighted. What if it's the name when I do talk about combat?
3. You have enough editors and yet you are constantly craving for any articles to fill up space?
Call me StarBest High Fantasy RPer of '14 and '15
"Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination""Strength does not make one capable of rule. It makes one capable of service"
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world"Tri: NS's Tolkien incarnate
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by Finland SSR » Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:07 pm
The Starlight wrote:Finland SSR wrote:1. Ehh.
2. This will be an article series, so just calling it "Creating a Superpowered Character" is too short-sighted. What if it's the name when I do talk about combat?
3. You have enough editors and yet you are constantly craving for any articles to fill up space?
The title was just a suggestion, as the article really isn't about fighting posts, so the current title doesn't really make sense.
? Editors aren't required to write articles and it's not really intended to be a badge of honor or something like that. I think I already have 6, and that is enough, I'm afraid. I would always like more articles despite how many editors we have.
by Alleniana » Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:21 pm
Perhaps it would be good to reorganise the hierarchy and stuff? Having 6 editors and nobody else can be confusing.
by Grenartia » Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:49 pm
The Starlight wrote:Someone was planning on interviewing me...
hint, hint, Temp...
Grenartia wrote:I noticed the link for the reference to the Gunnery Sergeant from ME 2 is broken, so here's one to replace it with, if you're willing/able, Star. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GqqDCe4Yrs
Grenartia wrote:
Also, I noticed there was no link for the part where I address mechs, specifically refering to the thread on NSG about USA challenging Japan to a fight. viewtopic.php?f=20&t=346425
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