"Stability" as a power

[Queshire]

In my eternal quest for a good power for my main character, I want to know what you guys think about Stability as a power? Basically he wouldn't be able to get drunk, or get sick, or normally get injured. The exception would be specifically supernatural powers/injuries/diseases but even then he has a high resistance against them. He could also extend his stability powers to prevent magic or other reality warping from affecting his surroundings. I'm thinking about later on having his power extend to making things unstable, basically that would allow him to blow stuff up or even kill with a touch by making somebody's body unstable.

What do you guys think? Too overpowered? What other limitations should I include? The powers are secondary to the interactions between the characters so I'm hoping that would be a plus for it but...

I just don't know. This issue has been nagging at me constantly!

 

[Scott Rankins]

that does sound pretty interesting, but it would suck that (s)/he would "never" get drunk. It'd be like that time Claire (from Heroes) was out drinking everyone in Mexico because she could regenerate her liver. sure she did look drunk, but she wasn't *laughs*

I also liked to see that you're doing an expansion theory for their abilities as well. but the portion where they could basically cocoon themselves and a surrounding area from being affected by other things is boarder-line omnipotent - and as you asked me, do you want to have a character that is that powerful?

as far as limitations, I would make them susceptible to some kind of disease or toxin - otherwise people (like me) would assume that your MC had a small ability to control toxins/poisons.

 

[Ankari]

This sounds like a power of "Perceived Reality" and not stability. If he thinks it then it is so. I am assuming that he is mortal, which would mean that his power wouldn't be all-encompassing as he doesn't have the mental capacity to manipulate the known and unknown. Broaden the weakness a little more, have it so that mental manipulations can force the power of your hero to work against him. So mundane antagonists of high intelligence are even a threat to your hero.

 

[Queshire]

Mr~~~ I don't really get what you mean by precieved reality, but one important thing is that he can only affect what already exists. Also, using "unstability" he can't precisely control what the end effect will be. I mean, if he makes somebody's form unstable, they have as much a chance or turning into a rabbit as turning into a dragon. Though, most likely they'd prolly end up as a blob of flesh. Stability is much more reliable, but it has limited offensive abilities.

Also, his power is powered by magic, so other more powerful magic can defeat it. Though, due to his power's specialized and limited nature it takes quite a bit of power to overcome it.

The immunity to nonmagical diseases and toxins is due to his subconciouss use of increasing his "Stability of self/health"

 

[edd]

i think the power sounds a bit complicated but interesting as long as you write it well then it wouldn't be bad. The question is stability as a power ... sounds odd. i imagine stability as anti magic so i don't think it should be powered by magic. reality being what we see , hear , touch, smell and feel, the five senses. instability as forcing magic out/in to that person. my interpretation any ways.

 

[edd]

may be you are looking for the word (changeless - not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature).
dictionary definition .

 

[Ankari]

Mr~~~ I don't really get what you mean by precieved reality, but one important thing is that he can only affect what already exists. Also, using "unstability" he can't precisely control what the end effect will be. I mean, if he makes somebody's form unstable, they have as much a chance or turning into a rabbit as turning into a dragon. Though, most likely they'd prolly end up as a blob of flesh. Stability is much more reliable, but it has limited offensive abilities.

Also, his power is powered by magic, so other more powerful magic can defeat it. Though, due to his power's specialized and limited nature it takes quite a bit of power to overcome it.

The immunity to nonmagical diseases and toxins is due to his subconciouss use of increasing his "Stability of self/health"

Here is a run down of your proposed power:

• He doesn't suffer from physical injuries.
• He doesn't suffer from poison (and by extension alcohol)
• He can extend his powers to undo magics of others
• His power prevent magic or other reality warping from affecting his surroundings
• He can blow things up by thinking about it.
• He can kill with a touch

From what you're describing, he has the power to affect reality. Basically, whatever he thinks should be. That is what perceived reality is. The weakness I proposed is that his power can work against him because someone can make him think, by mental manipulation, something that would hurt him or hurt others.

This allows people lacking powers, or people with weaker powers, to be his antagonists because they simply need to be far more intelligent or cunning than your hero.

This allows a Super Man-Lex Luthar relationship.

 

[Queshire]

yeah, in my story all magic is basically reality warping, however his ability is limited to shaping something like itself or once he gets the upgrade shaping it like not itself, though he doesn't have as much control over what it becomes then. It's very much a semantic superpower (despite being magic and not superpowers) as per Semantic Superpower - Television Tropes & Idioms

In the begining he's limited to mostly shaping himself as himself. The rest comes later. I get what you mean about the superman - lex luther realtionship though. Even if he's borderline immortal/invinicible others can make it very, very uncomfortable for him. Overt mental manipulation such as hypnosis, particular magical hypnosis, would have to overcome his magical resistance due to his subconcious "Stability of Self," but he still thinks like a human so he can be manipulated through that.

By the way, I would be lying if I said this wasn't greatly inspired by the Touhou series, which even though I haven't played I enjoy as a world. In it a lot of characters have an ability that allows them to manipulate something like borders or destruction. Which... they use to shoot bullets at each other. Though my story would be avoiding the Danmaku (the bullets) central to Touhou and focus more on character interaction.

His growth of power would be something like;
-Shape himself like himself. (He can't be hurt, resistance to magic)
-Shape other things like themselves (Objects can't be hurt, increase their resitence to magic or undo magic done to it)
-Shape things like MORE itself. (Increase some attribute of an object or person, ice becomes colder, fire becomes hotter, etc)
-Shape things like NOT itself. (Change the attribute of something though he can't control what comes up, fire might become cold or wet, or slimy, etc.)
-Increase his control.
-Eventually after several hundred years, become a god in all but name!

Hmm... maybe stability is the wrong word? He can manipulate a thing's "Is-ness." What should I call that? Manipulation of facts? No that sounds too overpowered... I mean, it is overpowered but that's due to his interpretation of it... Manipulation of States? Hmm... Maybe... but that would have a different starting power....

 

[Queshire]

THREAD NECROMANCY BUWAHAHAHA!!!!

Anyways, after more thinking, instead of Stability I think I'll go with Stasis, functionally it's the same thing but the negative aspect gives it a dark is not evil type thing. In the latest version of my WiP the main character saves a girl from getting run over but dies in the proccess, however the girl he saved was an Echidna, no not the animal, the legendary greek figure known as the mother of monsters, and as an Echidna she can turn people/objects/animals into monsters. She does just that, saving the main character's life and turning him into an undead... thing stuck between life and death. Not a zombie, not a vampire, not magical enough to be a lich, the closest is a Revenant, but he doesn't have the buring goal needed to keep a Revenant ticking. He's pretty chipper about his fate though!

What do you guys think? I know an imortal, unkillable protagonist isn't easy to do, but I also know that it HAS been done.

EDIT: Ya know what, screw it, I'm calling him a Revenant.

 

[shangrila]

To be honest, it does seem overpowered. He can destroy things with his touch, isn't affected by magic or poisons (or anything, really), can change or enhance whatever he wants, etc. So, he's effectively unkillable with ultimate power at his fingertips. If I was reading a story like that, I'd imagine I wouldn't have much concern for that character's safety.

That's not to say you shouldn't do it, or that it couldn't work. Emotional events would still affect him, I'm assuming, and having him unkillable while everyone around him is threatened or killed would be one way of creating conflict and drama. The writers of Superman do that a lot (when they're not using the cop out kryptonite), although they get their fair share of criticism for that as well.

It's definitely an interesting idea though.

 

[edd]

Like the idea but have you thought about the ending and how it would carry on?
What would be the characters goal in the book? (sounds like he enjoys being powerful)
Do all Revenant have the same powers or are you the special one; if so how did that come to be?

 

[Caliburn]

I think it's wicked. I guess if you are worried about it being overpowered you could always just make it more taxing on the user?
It seems kind of like a "law" sort of power. Maybe he doesn't so much as alter reality (at least at first), but more-so prevents it from changing? Just a suggestion there--not sure if I fully understand the concept.

Assuming it is "reality-warping", it might be cool to include side-effects from overusing it. For instance, what if imposed stability could bring about unexpected instability elsewhere in the natural order?