I need to figure out how to balance out my Kitsune race's power scaling.

[Naruzeldamaster]

I have a rough 'blueprint' but there's a bit of a problem.
Basically, the difference between a 1 and a 2 tailed Kitsune is like comparing a lake to an ocean, this scale is multiplicative with increased number of tails.

To put it in perspective, the mere presence of a 5 tail is enough to 'break' reality a little, especially if they get angry. With the exception of the Kitsune Empress who's lived long enough to compress/contain her power. There aren't that many five tails left alive.

The problem with my system is, a 1 tail can do all the things a 5 Tail can, but they're much more limited in terms of scale and duration of whatever thing they're doing.
To put it another way, the only limits a 1 tail has is how stupid they are with their training, but if they were to fight a 5 tail directly at best they'd end up with a draw.

There ARE things that only kitsune of a particular number of tails can do though. Like, skills and abilities locked behind x number of tails.

a 1 Tail could stop time with a lot of effort for roughly a city block, but only for a few minutes. A 5 Tail doing the same thing could cover an entire continent, and for multiple days worth of time, with significantly less effort.

While the conflict isn't some grand battle, I'm trying to figure out a way to balance out these characters for when they do fight.

 

[pmmg]

Would it be fair to say the issue is that these two may fight, and you dont know how to arrange it such that the 1 tail does not lose?

Maybe arrange the conflict such that the one tail is not trying to prevail, but instead trying to get the 5 tail to see the light. The five tail can then return to its senses and stop itself before things get too bad.

 

[skip.knox]

I see the problem. You define one character as being immensely more powerful than a second character, then you say you need them to be balanced.

I see the problem; I don't see a solution without changing the formula.

Also, a question. If there are things a 5-tail can do that a 1-tail cannot, then how could there ever be a draw? The 5-tail would simply attack with powers the other doesn't have. Game over.

 

[Prince of Spires]

This is basically Harry Potter. In Harry Potter, a schoolboy, with pretty much no magical knowledge, beats the biggest, baddest, most powerful wizard the world has ever seen. Not just once, but 7 times over.

The options usually are: trick the more powerful character, somehow manage to limit the more powerful character, put them in a situation where their powers don't matter, or have the wearker one win through determination and grit while the stronger one underestimates the situation

 

[Queshire]

A large part of successful power scaling is presentation.

Imagine the 5 tail using her power like a hurricane or an earthquake. It's certainly powerful, but it's a lot easier to imagine the 1 tail hunkering down or pushing through to the center in comparison.

You've got scaling with the 1 tail & the 5 tail with the time stop ability. Now you need to do that with 2, 3 and 4 tails. *cough* Though I recommend picking an ability all Kitsune regularly use as a basis for scale.

I generally find that power scaling is easier to handle if you narrow down what each character can do. Basically give different characters different levels of mastery over different spells or give them their own specializations or signature techniques.

For example, you could have a 5 tail that's the witch queen of a cursed country frozen in time for centuries, a 2 tail that's a thief who uses her claws to cut through space, a 3 tail that's a wandering general known for turning the battlefield into hell on earth with her pyromancy, a scholarly 4 tail that maintains a hidden library in the realm of dreams and so one.

One advantage of this is that you only have to get things roughly in the right ballpark. Maybe one 3 tail is known for mind controlling an entire city into being her devoted servants and another 3 tail is the wandering general I mention. They're both roughly in the same ballpark as a 3 tail, but since they specialize in different things you don't really need to worry about whose fox fire burns hotter.