Multiform Balance: Difference between revisions

You've created a cool [[Henshin Hero]] -- your—your mentor character has [[Recruit Teenagers Withwith Attitude|gotten a few young heroes with a proper demeanor]], and chosen the best one to bear the [[Transformation Trinket]]. But you want to spice it up a bit. You could start him/her out in one form and have him/her "graduate" to a [[Super Mode]] later -- maybelater—maybe even stick in a [[Mid -Season Upgrade]] -- but—but you want a little extra kick from the start.

Then it hits you. Give him/her multiple forms from day one! That's the ticket. But you'll need to make it so that one isn't an obvious [[Super Mode]] he should be using by default.

No worries. Apply a little '''Multiform Balance'''.

May overlapse with [[Evolution Power -Up]], especially if [[New Powers Asas the Plot Demands|new forms were gain/discover as the plot demand]], although [[Multiform Balance]] can switch back and forth. When [[Humongous Mecha]] use this trope, it's usually done with [[Mecha Expansion Pack]] or [[Transforming Mecha]].

** [[Kamen Rider Kuuga|Kuuga]]: [[Joke Character]] ({{color|gray|Growing}}), [[Jack of All Stats]] ({{color|red|Mighty}}), [[Fragile Speedster]] ({{color|blue|Dragon}}), [[Glass Cannon]] ({{color|green|Pegasus}}), [[Mighty Glacier]] ({{color|purple|Titan}}). All except Growing gain a [[Limit Break]] [[Mid -Season Upgrade]] ({{color|goldenrod|Rising}} [X]), plus he gets a [[Lightning Bruiser]] form (Amazing {{color|goldenrod|Mighty}}) and eventually a [[Super Mode]] (Ultimate). ''Decade'' adds a new one that goes [[Up to Eleven]] ({{color|goldenrod|Rising}} Ultimate).

** [[Kamen Rider Double|Double]]: A little more complicated due to having mix-and-match [[Combo -Platter Powers]], but generally [[Jack of All Stats]] (The Joker forms), [[Mighty Glacier]] (The {{color|gray|Metal}} forms), [[Glass Cannon]] (The {{color|blue|Trigger}} forms), [[Lightning Bruiser]] ({{color|silver|Fang}}Joker), [[Super Mode]] ({{color|green|Cyclone}}Joker{{color|silver|Xtreme}}). The movies take this last one [[Up to Eleven]] ({{color|green|Cyclone}}Joker {{color|goldenrod|Gold}} {{color|silver|Xtreme}}).

** [[Kamen Rider OOO|OOO]]: Takes Double's [[Combo -Platter Powers]] [[Up to Eleven]] and therefore '''WAY''' too varied to list all the possibilities. The notable ones are [[Master of None]] ({{color|red|Ta}}{{color|gold|To}}{{color|green|Ba}} Combo and Random Combos), [[Jack of All Stats]] ({{color|green|GataKiriBa}} Combo), [[Fragile Speedster]] ({{color|gold|LaToraTah}} Combo), [[Mighty Glacier]] ({{color|gray|SaGoZo}} Combo), [[Lightning Bruiser]] ({{color|red|TaJaDor}} Combo), [[Glass Cannon]] ({{color|blue|ShaUTa}} Combo), [[Super Mode]] ({{color|purple|PuToTyra}} Combo). The movies add one time only forms: [[Lethal Joke Character]] ({{color|red|Ta}}{{color|salmon|Ma}}{{color|goldenrod|Shii}} Combo), [[Stone Wall]] ({{color|orange|BuraKaWani}} Combo), [[Up to Eleven]] (Super {{color|red|Ta}}{{color|gold|To}}{{color|green|Ba}} Combo).

* Not prominent as its rival franchise, but the [[Ultra Series]] useuses this trope on a few series.

** [[Ultraman Tiga|Tiga]]: [[Jack of All Stats]] ({{color|red|Multi}} {{color|blue|Type}}), [[Mighty Glacier]] ({{color|red|Power Type}}), [[Fragile Speedster]] ({{color|blue|Sky Type}}), [[Super Mode]] ({{color|gold|Glitter Tiga}}), [[Joke Character]] ({{color|black|Tiga Dark}}), [[Stone Wall]] ({{color|black|Tiga}} {{color|red|Tornado}}) and [[Master of None]] ({{color|black|T}}{{color|blue|iga}} {{color|red|Blast}}) .<ref>The last three are really [[Evolution Power -Up]] representrepresenting how Tiga Dark is slowly purging away darkness from himself.</ref>.

** The Gauru (monster two-legged wolf) form is the strongest, most damaging form, but can only be used for a limited time and is locked in a state of rage that makes any action ''but'' attacking something a failure.

** The Urshul (dire wolf) form is fastest of all and quite strong, but will still ping Lunacy heavily.

** The Urhan (wolf) form will blend in most easily in nature and could ''maybe'' pass for a wolfdog in urban environments.

* ''[[Wonder Boy III: theThe Dragons Trap (Video Game)|Wonder Boy III the DragonsDragon's Trap]]'' featured this as its central hook, your hero spent virtually the entire game [[Baleful Polymorph|involuntarily transformed]] into various animal-like creatures, each featuring unique abilities.

* The [[Olympus Mons|Legendary]] ''[[Pokémon]]'' Deoxys has various forms with differing distributions of stats. Normal Forme is a [[Glass Cannon]], Attack Forme is [[The Same but More]], Defense Forme is a [[Stone Wall]], and Speed Forme is, despite the name, [[Jack of All Stats]].<ref>its stats are all decent and equal; it's called Speed Forme because the speed stat is still the highest</ref>.

* Mega Man''[[Mobiles Suitability Gundamto Agefuse (Anime)|Mobilewith Suit[[Robot Gundam AgeDog|Rush]] in '' does this for the first generation of the eponymous mecha, with [[JackMega ofMan All Stats|Normal6]]'', creating the [[Mighty Glacier|TitusPower]], and [[Fragile Speedster|SpallowJet]] modesAdapters. AvertedIn in''[[Mega theMan second generation though7]]'', wherethe AGE-2abilities Doubleof Bulletboth isadapters nothingare butcompressed aninto improvementa oversingle, the[[Lightning originalBruiser|Super]] AGEadapter.

* ''[[Mega Man Zero (Video Game)|Mega Man Zero]] 2'', Zero starts out as a [[Master of None]] ({{color|red|Normal}}), but fulfilling certain conditions in a mission unlocks specialized upgrades: [[Fragile Speedster]] ({{color|orange|Active}}), [[Mighty Glacier]] ({{color|yellow|Energy}} and {{color|purple|Power}}), [[Stone Wall]] ({{color|green|Defense}} and {{color|violet|Erase}}), [[Lightning Bruiser]] ({{color|gray|Rise}} and {{color|blue|X}}), [[Glass Cannon]] ('''Proto''') and finally, [[Super Mode]] ({{color|crimson|Ultimate}}).

* The various offensive powers in ''[[Prototype (Videovideo Gamegame)|Prototype]]'' are balanced like this. Claws are quite fast and have a slow ranged attack composed of spikes erupting from the ground and impaling the target from below, Hammerfist gives massively devastating splash damage attacks with really slow speed, the Whipfist has awesome range, anti-air attacks and crowd control capabilities [[Death of a Thousand Cuts|in exchange for power]] and the Blade is similar to the Claws but replaces the latter's impalement attack with a brutally powerful [[Goomba Stomp|aerial attack]] that can [[One -Hit Kill]] ''tanks''.