Multiform Balance: Difference between revisions

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You've created a cool [[Henshin Hero]] -- your mentor character has [[Recruit Teenagers with 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 -- maybe even stick in a [[Mid-Season Upgrade]] -- but you want a little extra kick from the start.
You've created a cool [[Henshin Hero]] -- your mentor character has [[Recruit Teenagers with 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 -- maybe even stick in a [[Mid-Season Upgrade]] -- 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.
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.
No worries. Apply a little Multiform Balance.
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** The Hishu (human) form is most likely to pass among mortals and best suited for social dealings.
** The Hishu (human) form is most likely to pass among mortals and best suited for social dealings.
** The Dalu (wolf-man) form allows added strength while retaining human form, but still pings Lunacy a little.
** The Dalu (wolf-man) form allows added strength while retaining human form, but still pings Lunacy a little.
** 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 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 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.
** The Urhan (wolf) form will blend in most easily in nature and could ''maybe'' pass for a wolfdog in urban environments.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' does this via Multiple Weapon Balance.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' does this via Multiple Weapon Balance.
* ''[[Wonder Boy III the Dragons 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.
* ''[[Wonder Boy III the Dragons 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.
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** A lesser example is Generation V's Darmanitan, whose normal form is a [[Lightning Bruiser]], but when certain Darmanitans' [[Hit Points]] go below half they automatically switch to Zen Mode, which is a [[Mighty Glacier]].
** A lesser example is Generation V's Darmanitan, whose normal form is a [[Lightning Bruiser]], but when certain Darmanitans' [[Hit Points]] go below half they automatically switch to Zen Mode, which is a [[Mighty Glacier]].
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED]]'' has it in spades thanks to the abundance of [[Mecha Expansion Pack|Mecha Expansion Packs]]. The most common setup is Flight, Melee, and Ranged packs, as seen with the Strike, [[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny|Impulse]], and [[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray|Raigo]] Gundams, as well as the [[Mecha-Mooks|Dagger Series]]. ZAFT's ZAKU series has Gunner (long-range beam cannon), Blaze (missiles), and Slash (melee with short-range Gatlings) packs. This doesn't take into account the truly staggering number of unique and custom Strikers that show up in MSV and the manga, including the Gunbarrel, IWSP, Lightning, Divine, G-Flight, Jet, Doppelhorn, Nuclear Missile Multistriker...
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED]]'' has it in spades thanks to the abundance of [[Mecha Expansion Pack|Mecha Expansion Packs]]. The most common setup is Flight, Melee, and Ranged packs, as seen with the Strike, [[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny|Impulse]], and [[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray|Raigo]] Gundams, as well as the [[Mecha-Mooks|Dagger Series]]. ZAFT's ZAKU series has Gunner (long-range beam cannon), Blaze (missiles), and Slash (melee with short-range Gatlings) packs. This doesn't take into account the truly staggering number of unique and custom Strikers that show up in MSV and the manga, including the Gunbarrel, IWSP, Lightning, Divine, G-Flight, Jet, Doppelhorn, Nuclear Missile Multistriker...
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Age]]'' does this for the first generation of the eponymous mecha, with [[Jack of All Stats|Normal]], [[Mighty Glacier|Titus]], and [[Fragile Speedster|Spallow]] modes. Averted in the second generation though, where AGE-2 Double Bullet is nothing but an improvement over the original AGE.
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam AGE]]'' does this for the first generation of the eponymous mecha, with [[Jack of All Stats|Normal]], [[Mighty Glacier|Titus]], and [[Fragile Speedster|Spallow]] modes. Averted in the second generation though, where AGE-2 Double Bullet is nothing but an improvement over the original AGE.
** However, leaked images for the AGE-3 seems to return to form: the [[Jack of All Stats|Normal]], [[Mighty Glacier|Fortress]] and [[Lightning Bruiser|Orbital]].
** However, leaked images for the AGE-3 seems to return to form: the [[Jack of All Stats|Normal]], [[Mighty Glacier|Fortress]] and [[Lightning Bruiser|Orbital]].
* While [[Multiform Balance]] with [[Super Sentai]] (and [[Power Rangers]]) mecha is usually achieved through [[Mecha Expansion Pack|Mecha Expansion Packs]], a couple of Sentai mecha have multiple configurations that serve different purposes. [[Choujin Sentai Jetman]] and [[Mirai Sentai Timeranger]] have five jet mecha that can either combine into a larger jet or a humanoid robot. Additionally, Timeranger's TimeRobo had two modes: The close combat oriented TimeRobo Alpha and the agile ranged TimeRobo Beta.
* While [[Multiform Balance]] with [[Super Sentai]] (and [[Power Rangers]]) mecha is usually achieved through [[Mecha Expansion Pack|Mecha Expansion Packs]], a couple of Sentai mecha have multiple configurations that serve different purposes. [[Choujin Sentai Jetman]] and [[Mirai Sentai Timeranger]] have five jet mecha that can either combine into a larger jet or a humanoid robot. Additionally, Timeranger's TimeRobo had two modes: The close combat oriented TimeRobo Alpha and the agile ranged TimeRobo Beta.
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* The [http://www.missmab.com/Demo/were.php Were] race in [[DMFA]]. They have three forms, human, [[Funny Animal|normal]] and 'primal' (animal), which basically form a Sliding Scale of Magicalness. As humans, they're immune to magic; in their normal form, they're [[Muggles]] with some minor bonuses; and as animals, their magical power is increased.
* The [http://www.missmab.com/Demo/were.php Were] race in [[DMFA]]. They have three forms, human, [[Funny Animal|normal]] and 'primal' (animal), which basically form a Sliding Scale of Magicalness. As humans, they're immune to magic; in their normal form, they're [[Muggles]] with some minor bonuses; and as animals, their magical power is increased.
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' has its Valor and Wisdom Forms spiking your physical and magical stats (respectively) at the cost of the other. This is then averted once you pick up Master Form and Final Form which spike everything.
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' has its Valor and Wisdom Forms spiking your physical and magical stats (respectively) at the cost of the other. This is then averted once you pick up Master Form and Final Form which spike everything.
* Mega Man's ability to fuse with [[Robot Dog|Rush]] in ''[[Mega Man 6]]'', creating the [[Mighty Glacier|Power]] and [[Fragile Speedster|Jet]] Adapters. In ''[[Mega Man 7]]'', the abilities of both adapters are compressed into a single, [[Lightning Bruiser|Super]] adapter.
* Mega Man's ability to fuse with [[Robot Dog|Rush]] in ''[[Mega Man 6]]'', creating the [[Mighty Glacier|Power]] and [[Fragile Speedster|Jet]] Adapters. In ''[[Mega Man 7]]'', the abilities of both adapters are compressed into a single, [[Lightning Bruiser|Super]] adapter.
* ''[[Mega Man X]]'s'' ability to switch between different armors in some of his games. The armors vary between each game, but [[Super Mode|Ultimate Armor]] would be consistent.
* ''[[Mega Man X]]'s'' ability to switch between different armors in some of his games. The armors vary between each game, but [[Super Mode|Ultimate Armor]] would be consistent.
** ''X5'': [[Jack of All Stats]] (Force), [[Fragile Speedster]] (Falcon), [[Mighty Glacier]] (Gaea)
** ''X5'': [[Jack of All Stats]] (Force), [[Fragile Speedster]] (Falcon), [[Mighty Glacier]] (Gaea)
** ''X6'': [[Jack of All Stats]] (Falcon, a [[Nerf]] version of the above), [[Lightning Bruiser]] ([[Samurai|Blade]]), [[Glass Cannon]] ([[Ninja|Shadow]])
** ''X6'': [[Jack of All Stats]] (Falcon, a [[Nerf]] version of the above), [[Lightning Bruiser]] ([[Samurai|Blade]]), [[Glass Cannon]] ([[Ninja|Shadow]])

Revision as of 09:24, 5 October 2014

You've created a cool Henshin Hero -- your mentor character has 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 -- maybe even stick in a Mid-Season Upgrade -- 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.

Multiform Balance occurs when creators take care to make each multiple form of a Shape Shifter, such as a Henshin Hero, a Swiss Army Hero or a Morph Weapon-type Swiss Army Weapon, useful in its own way. The easiest way to do this is to make each one suited for a certain tactical situation or to use certain tactics. For example a werewolf doing a Partial Transformation to Wolf Man may not be able to talk, but can still use weapons and has greater strength than a man, but isn't as fast as a wolf.

In essence, it's applying Competitive Balance between each of the character (or weapon)'s forms. In fact, the character types laid out in Competitive Balance or other power balancing tropes can be quite useful in describing the character's forms.

May overlapse with Evolution Power-Up, especially if 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.

Examples of Multiform Balance include:


  1. ↑ Excels at underwater combat and has some heightened defense, but is generally not as combat-ready as other forms.
  2. ↑ The last three are really Evolution Power-Up represent how Tiga Dark slowly purging away darkness from himself.
  3. ↑ Focus on healing and purification
  4. ↑ its stats are all decent and equal; it's called Speed Forme because the speed stat is still the highest
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