Gifters and problems with their powers.

[LadyContemno]

My book features a race of people called "Gifters" who have special talents such as being pyrokinetic or telepathic etc.

I have one thing that I can't figure out:

If one Gifter, James, is electrokinetic (electric) and another, Bryan, is hydrokinetic (water), what would the consequence of them fighting be? Would James hurt Bryan more or would Bryan hurt James more? Would one of them die instantly?

Also, another Gifter, Kevin, is pyrokinetic (fire). If he fought with Bryan, what would happen between them two?

Thanks in advance

 

[myrddin173]

Truth be told, it is entirely up to you. In my opinion neither would necessarily "hurt" the other more, but one would have an advantage. (James against Bryan, Bryan against Kevin). Water conducts electricity and quenches fire. No I do not think one would "die instantly.

 

[Amanita]

As myrddin has written, there are no set rules for this kind of thing. Would be boring if there were.
I'm doing something similar with people having powers related to chemical elements and my approach has been, to learn as much as I can about their interaction and create something out of it. I'm sure this would be helpful to you as well, even if you don't want anything too scientific sounding in the end. If you aren't already an expert for this of course, if this is the case, I apologise.
From my own experience I can tell you, that some of your finding will probably contradict each other, therefore you have to set up, what will be more powerful in your setting and if it's always the same or dependent on gifted people.

 

[Devor]

When electricity strikes water, it would depend on Bryan. If the water presents an unbroken stream, it will conduct electricity at a voltage which decreases rapidly by distance. Assuming the voltage starts at well above fatal levels, and the stream is unbroken, I would guess Bryan would react as if he were struck by a tazer. If the voltage is lower than that, he might hardly feel it. If the water stream is broken at all - which is most likely since an unbroken stream is hard to maintain - nothing will happen.

Between fire and water, it would depend on how hot the fire is and how much water is involved. The range of possible outcomes can fall somewhere between the following:

Water puts out fire, continues almost unfazed to target.
Water puts out fire, turns to steam in the process.
Water turns to steam, fire wins out (least likely, I would expect water to have the edge).

All of the above is assuming one element strikes the other directly and head on. I'd expect some versatility and some back-and-forth in a real fight scene.

I'm going to add one quick thing. Water would have a very hard time putting out a grease fire. A "grease fire" is a fire that's driven by oils and other flammable liquids. Water would simply spread the burning liquid around and make the whole thing worse. If it looks like Bryan has the edge in a fight, a flammable liquid is something your pyro might look for to reclaim the advantage.

 

[Ravana]

Uhm… their kinetic powers deal with what they control, not what they're made of. Right? Which makes the answer to your question: "The same thing happens as happens when they use their powers against any other human being."

At a guess, I'd say the more skillful one wins. Or the sneakier one, or the more creative one.

Also, there's just a whole lot riding on what exactly you mean when you say "pyrokinetic" or "hydrokinetic." The ability to control something is far different from the ability to generate it, for example… and the converse is also true. Can the pyro create fire, or only shape fire that already exists? Or can he only create fire, with little or no control over it beyond where he causes it to burst forth? Depending the answers to these, I can motivate at least one scenario where the electrokinetic wins any contest, hands down, no matter who he's facing, as long as he isn't taken by surprise. Give a slightly different answer, and it's whoever strikes first, regardless of power or situation (at least among the three mentioned). Give a significantly different answer and it goes back to the more talented or creative person having the edge.