Power At a Price: Difference between revisions
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[[File:aladdin skeletal hand 7720.png|link=Aladdin (Disney film)|frame|You mean magic ''isn't'' for free?]] |
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{{quote|''"All power demands sacrifice"''|'''Sindri,''' ''[[Dawn of War]]''}} |
{{quote|''"All power demands sacrifice"''|'''Sindri,''' ''[[Dawn of War]]''}} |
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== Artifacts == |
== Artifacts == |
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* [[Necessary Drawback]] |
* [[Necessary Drawback]]—For items of great power. |
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** [[Artifact of Attraction]] |
** [[Artifact of Attraction]]—You'll be compelled to kill for it and be killed over it. |
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** [[Artifact of Doom]] |
** [[Artifact of Doom]]—Use it at risk of becoming evil. |
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** [[Artifact of Death]] |
** [[Artifact of Death]]—Use it at risk of death. |
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** [[Clingy MacGuffin]]/[[Loyal Phlebotinum]] |
** [[Clingy MacGuffin]]/[[Loyal Phlebotinum]]—Throw it away, and it will come back. |
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** [[Empathic Weapon]] |
** [[Empathic Weapon]]—Then again, maybe it won't ''let'' you use it. |
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** [[Insert Payment to Use]] |
** [[Insert Payment to Use]]—It'll let you use it, but you have to pay with [[Life Energy|lifeforce]], money, or some other form of currency. |
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** [[Situational Sword]] |
** [[Situational Sword]]—You can use it, just not all of the time. |
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** [[Unholy Holy Sword]] |
** [[Unholy Holy Sword]]—It's [[The Mole]] of artifacts. |
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== Magic == |
== Magic == |
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* [[Equivalent Exchange]] and/or [[Deal with the Devil]] |
* [[Equivalent Exchange]] and/or [[Deal with the Devil]]—Everything does not come free; it has a (sometimes terrible) cost. |
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** [[Black Magic]] |
** [[Black Magic]]—Very powerful magic, at a moral and material price. |
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** [[Eye of Newt]] |
** [[Eye of Newt]]—Magic requires magical components. |
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** [[Fantastic Fragility]] |
** [[Fantastic Fragility]]—Building in weaknesses to boost power. |
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** [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards]] |
** [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards]]—Wizards take longer to gain power, but gain more power in the end. |
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** [[Magic Knight]] |
** [[Magic Knight]]—Can fight well physically, but usually isn't as powerful at magic as a pure wizard. |
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*** [[The Paladin]] |
*** [[The Paladin]]—Good in a battle (especially against [[The Undead]]) and has plenty of [[White Magic]] power, but lacks offensive magic skills and is often [[Obstructive Code of Conduct|constrained by a code]]. |
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** [[The Red Mage]] |
** [[The Red Mage]]—Can use all kinds of magic, but [[Master of None|isn't the best at any of them]]. |
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** [[Squishy Wizard]] |
** [[Squishy Wizard]]—Can cast powerful spells, but can't take a punch. Basically, magical power at a physical price. |
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** [[Cast From Hit Points]] |
** [[Cast From Hit Points]]—Magic fueled by sacrificing your current health (i.e., causing your body damage), your life force or your lifespan, which brings us to... |
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** [[Cast From Lifespan]] |
** [[Cast From Lifespan]]—Magic which shortens the user's lifespan. |
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** [[White Magic]] |
** [[White Magic]]—Not as powerful as [[Black Magic]], but less noxious. |
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* [[Magic Is a Monster Magnet]] |
* [[Magic Is a Monster Magnet]]—Using magic draws the wrong sort of attention. |
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== Martial == |
== Martial == |
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* [[Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training]] -- [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]. |
* [[Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training]] -- [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]. |
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* [[Bare-Fisted Monk]] |
* [[Bare-Fisted Monk]]—Does not need weapons, but, therefore, does not benefit much from better gear. |
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* [[Magic Knight]] |
* [[Magic Knight]]—Again, a fighter who can cast, but usually isn't as good at melee as a pure warrior. |
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== Political == |
== Political == |
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* [[Ambition Is Evil]] |
* [[Ambition Is Evil]]—Trying to climb the social ladder tends to knock everyone else down a rung; therefore, it is evil and shouldn't be done. |
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* [[Lonely At the Top]] |
* [[Lonely At the Top]]—The more powerful you are, the more isolated and lonelier you'll be. |
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* [[Pride]] |
* [[Pride]] |
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== [[Psychic Powers]] == |
== [[Psychic Powers]] == |
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* [[Psychic Nosebleed]] |
* [[Psychic Nosebleed]]—Overuse or misuse of psychic powers results in physical injury. |
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== Super Powers == |
== Super Powers == |
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* [[The Dark Arts]] |
* [[The Dark Arts]]—The skill is deemed forbidden for any of a number of reasons. |
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** [[Powered by a Forsaken Child]] |
** [[Powered by a Forsaken Child]]—It requires an ethically repulsive component to function. |
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** [[Soul-Powered Engine]]. |
** [[Soul-Powered Engine]]. |
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* [[Comes Great Responsibility|With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility]] |
* [[Comes Great Responsibility|With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility]]—No inherent price except using it responsibly. |
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** [[Samaritan Syndrome]] |
** [[Samaritan Syndrome]]—Then again, responsibility and guilt are costs, which leads to... |
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*** [[Heroic Fatigue]] |
*** [[Heroic Fatigue]] |
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** [[Can't Stay Normal]] |
** [[Can't Stay Normal]] |
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** [[God Job]] |
** [[God Job]]—Get the power of a god, but you've got a job to do. |
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* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]] |
* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]—Power causes madness. |
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** [[A God Am I]] |
** [[A God Am I]]—Power will make you think that you're invincible. Regardless of whether or not it's true, you're gonna have a lot of enemies. |
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** [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]] |
** [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]]—Upgrading your hardware [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?|downgrades your humanity]]. |
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** [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]] |
** [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]]—A powerful ability, with a powerful cost. |
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** [[The Dark Side]] |
** [[The Dark Side]]—applies mostly to [[Comes Great Responsibility]], but branches into physical/madness. |
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** [[Mad Oracle]] |
** [[Mad Oracle]] |
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** [[Power Born of Madness]] |
** [[Power Born of Madness]]—Madness causes power. |
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*** [[Super-Powered Evil Side]] |
*** [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]—Your power comes with an alternate, nasty, side. |
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*** [[Crazy Awesome]] |
*** [[Crazy Awesome]]—You're insane, but in a cool way. |
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** [[Psycho Serum]] |
** [[Psycho Serum]]—Potion causes Madness. |
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** [[Unhappy Medium]] |
** [[Unhappy Medium]]—You're powerful, but really unhappy. |
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*** [[A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read]] |
*** [[A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read]]—You can read minds, but it's very disturbing. |
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*** [[Dirty Mind Reading]] |
*** [[Dirty Mind Reading]]—You can read minds, but it's very disturbing in ''that'' way. |
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* [[Disability Superpower]] |
* [[Disability Superpower]]—Power at the price of one or more faculties. |
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** [[Power Incontinence]] |
** [[Power Incontinence]]—Limited control over destructive or inconvenient powers. |
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** [[Blessed with Suck]] |
** [[Blessed with Suck]]—You'll think it's worth it, but it isn't. |
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** [[Cursed with Awesome]] |
** [[Cursed with Awesome]]—You'll think it isn't worth it, but it is. |
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** [[Blind Seer]] |
** [[Blind Seer]] |
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** [[Mad Oracle]] |
** [[Mad Oracle]]—Again. |
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** [[Age Without Youth]] |
** [[Age Without Youth]] |
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** [[Invisible Streaker]] |
** [[Invisible Streaker]]—You can't be seen, but you have to be naked. |
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** [[Time Dissonance]] |
** [[Time Dissonance]]—You aren't in sync with the rest of causality. |
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** [[Disability Immunity]] |
** [[Disability Immunity]]—Rather than granting you powers to compensate, you are protected from something that would harm more able individuals. |
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** [[Power Strain Blackout]] |
** [[Power Strain Blackout]]—You faint after using your powers |
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* [[Everything but the Girl]] |
* [[Everything but the Girl]]—You can do anything you like, except win over your [[True Love]]. |
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* [[One-Winged Angel]] |
* [[One-Winged Angel]]—Physical power at the cost of your physical form. |
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** [[Clipped-Wing Angel]] |
** [[Clipped-Wing Angel]]—Eventually, the "new form" turns out to be a bust. |
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** [[Deadly Upgrade]] |
** [[Deadly Upgrade]]—Eventually, your new form will make you die. |
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*** [[Explosive Overclocking]] |
*** [[Explosive Overclocking]]—Or it will make your stuff explode. |
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** [[Lovecraftian Superpower]] |
** [[Lovecraftian Superpower]]—It looks really weird. |
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** [[Power Degeneration]] |
** [[Power Degeneration]]—Having superpowers will accelerate your aging and kill you. |
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** [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock]] |
** [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock]]—Inability to regain one's normal form. |
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** [[The Corruption]] |
** [[The Corruption]]—Uncanny powers are just a symptom of a malignant infection. |
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* [[Power Loss Makes You Strong]] |
* [[Power Loss Makes You Strong]]—The flip side. By ''losing'' a superpower, you ''gain'' something. Namely, [[Took a Level In Badass|extreme badassery]]. |
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* [[Power Source]] |
* [[Power Source]]—They may need to be refilled frequently. |
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** [[Fuel Meter of Power]] |
** [[Fuel Meter of Power]]—Limited usage of superpowers. Using them all up may cause death. |
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** [[I'm Having Soul Pains]] |
** [[I'm Having Soul Pains]]—Too painful to use this power for long. |
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* [[Reality Warping Is Not a Toy]] |
* [[Reality Warping Is Not a Toy]]—When [[Reality Warping]] proves hard to control. |
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* [[Superpowers for A Day]] |
* [[Superpowers for A Day]]—Powers for the price of time. Powers can never be gained again. |
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* [[Superpower Lottery]] |
* [[Superpower Lottery]]—Extreme superpowers at ''no cost'', or at least not proportional ones. |
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** [[Heart Is an Awesome Power]] |
** [[Heart Is an Awesome Power]]—Powers that require extreme out-of-the-box thinking in order to get any use out of it. |
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** [[Required Secondary Powers]] |
** [[Required Secondary Powers]]—For all those extra powers you have (or ''don't'' have) to deal with your "main" power. |
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*** [[Too Fast to Stop]] |
*** [[Too Fast to Stop]]—For when you have that [[Super Speed]] thing, but not that [[Required Secondary Powers|Super Stopping]] thing... |
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*** [[Does Not Know His Own Strength]] -- [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|When you can't judge how much power you're using.]] |
*** [[Does Not Know His Own Strength]] -- [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|When you can't judge how much power you're using.]] |
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* [[Weaksauce Weakness]] -- [[Competitive Balance]] taken to extremes to offset for winning the lottery, likewise leads to ... |
* [[Weaksauce Weakness]] -- [[Competitive Balance]] taken to extremes to offset for winning the lottery, likewise leads to ... |
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** [[Deus Exit Machina]] |
** [[Deus Exit Machina]] |
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* [[Logical Weakness]] |
* [[Logical Weakness]]—A weakness because of a power that actually makes logical sense. |
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* [[Multiform Balance]] |
* [[Multiform Balance]]—When each of your forms has a power set suited for particular tactics and situations. |
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* [[Conditional Powers]] |
* [[Conditional Powers]]—When the power comes with something you must (or must not) do |
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** [[Virgin Power]] |
** [[Virgin Power]]—You must remain a virgin to use your powers |
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* [[Sensory Overload]] |
* [[Sensory Overload]]—the drawback to certain [[Super Senses]]. |
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* [[Beneficial Disease]] - when a disease provides you from superpowers/immunity |
* [[Beneficial Disease]] - when a disease provides you from superpowers/immunity |
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== Scientific == |
== Scientific == |
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* [[Science Is Bad]] |
* [[Science Is Bad]]—The [[Ludd Was Right|Luddites]]' view that not everything scientific is good. |
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** [[Aesoptinum]] |
** [[Aesoptinum]] |
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** [[For Science!]] |
** [[For Science!]] |
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** [[Psycho Serum]] |
** [[Psycho Serum]]—In the "[[Gone Horribly Wrong]]" sense. |
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** [[These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know]] |
** [[These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know]] |
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* [[Living Battery]] |
* [[Living Battery]]—the living power supply pays the cost. Can also power magical devices. |
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== [[Video Games]] and [[Tabletop Games]] == |
== [[Video Games]] and [[Tabletop Games]] == |
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* [[Bribing Your Way to Victory]]: How much in [[Real Life]] dollars are you willing to pay for a Tier 1 deck in a CCG, or for enhanced equipment in an MMO? |
* [[Bribing Your Way to Victory]]: How much in [[Real Life]] dollars are you willing to pay for a Tier 1 deck in a CCG, or for enhanced equipment in an MMO? |
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* [[Comeback Mechanic]] |
* [[Comeback Mechanic]]—Being ahead of the other players means you make the other players stronger. |
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* [[Competitive Balance]] |
* [[Competitive Balance]]—In [[Video Games]], characters have strengths and weaknesses. |
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** [[Crippling Overspecialization]] |
** [[Crippling Overspecialization]]—Inverse of [[Jack of All Stats]] - ''really'' good at one thing, no good at everything else. |
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** [[Fragile Speedster]] |
** [[Fragile Speedster]]—Speed without power. |
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** [[Glass Cannon]] |
** [[Glass Cannon]]—Offense without defense. |
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** [[Jack of All Stats]] |
** [[Jack of All Stats]]—No weaknesses, no strengths. |
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*** [[Master of None]] |
*** [[Master of None]]—Not bad at anything, not good at anything. |
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*** [[Lightning Bruiser]] |
*** [[Lightning Bruiser]]—Good at everything, usually balanced by being [[Awesome but Impractical|impractical]] somehow, [[Infinity+1 Sword|really hard to get]], or having an [[Achilles' Heel]]. |
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** [[Mighty Glacier]] |
** [[Mighty Glacier]]—Power without speed. |
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** [[Stone Wall]] |
** [[Stone Wall]]—Defense without offense. |
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* [[Level Scaling]] |
* [[Level Scaling]]—Power that comes at a price of increased difficulty. |
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** [[Empty Levels]] |
** [[Empty Levels]]—When the power actually makes your character weaker or increases the difficulty disproportionately. |
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* [[Magikarp Power]] |
* [[Magikarp Power]]—This character or ability can be ''very'' useful... if you bother to [[Level Grinding|grind for it]]. |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Sour Grapes Tropes]] |
[[Category:Sour Grapes Tropes]] |
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[[Category:Magic and Powers]] |
[[Category:Magic and Powers]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Index]] |
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[[Category:Power At a Price]] |
[[Category:Power At a Price]] |
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[[Category:Power]] |
[[Category:Power]] |
Revision as of 01:36, 26 February 2015
"All power demands sacrifice"
—Sindri, Dawn of War
|
Power. The ability to influence, create, change, and even destroy. Things, places, people. It is by nature highly contentious: Some want it and would kill for it, others do not want it, or would gladly give away such a burden. Therein lies the rub. For all its force, blessings, or ability to change, power is not free... of responsibility, consequence, or cost. Some people think the exchange has to be "fair."
Drama derives vigor from the quandary of how power, seemingly free of any strings, has inherent costs. Whether they are hideous mutations, social alienation, or even death varies by story, genre, and kind of power. But the underlying basis is the same: Power at a Price.
Examples of Power At a Price include:
Artifacts
- Necessary Drawback—For items of great power.
- Artifact of Attraction—You'll be compelled to kill for it and be killed over it.
- Artifact of Doom—Use it at risk of becoming evil.
- Artifact of Death—Use it at risk of death.
- Clingy MacGuffin/Loyal Phlebotinum—Throw it away, and it will come back.
- Empathic Weapon—Then again, maybe it won't let you use it.
- Insert Payment to Use—It'll let you use it, but you have to pay with lifeforce, money, or some other form of currency.
- Situational Sword—You can use it, just not all of the time.
- Unholy Holy Sword—It's The Mole of artifacts.
Magic
- Equivalent Exchange and/or Deal with the Devil—Everything does not come free; it has a (sometimes terrible) cost.
- Black Magic—Very powerful magic, at a moral and material price.
- Eye of Newt—Magic requires magical components.
- Fantastic Fragility—Building in weaknesses to boost power.
- Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards—Wizards take longer to gain power, but gain more power in the end.
- Magic Knight—Can fight well physically, but usually isn't as powerful at magic as a pure wizard.
- The Paladin—Good in a battle (especially against The Undead) and has plenty of White Magic power, but lacks offensive magic skills and is often constrained by a code.
- The Red Mage—Can use all kinds of magic, but isn't the best at any of them.
- Squishy Wizard—Can cast powerful spells, but can't take a punch. Basically, magical power at a physical price.
- Cast From Hit Points—Magic fueled by sacrificing your current health (i.e., causing your body damage), your life force or your lifespan, which brings us to...
- Cast From Lifespan—Magic which shortens the user's lifespan.
- White Magic—Not as powerful as Black Magic, but less noxious.
- Magic Is a Monster Magnet—Using magic draws the wrong sort of attention.
Martial
- Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training -- Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
- Bare-Fisted Monk—Does not need weapons, but, therefore, does not benefit much from better gear.
- Magic Knight—Again, a fighter who can cast, but usually isn't as good at melee as a pure warrior.
Political
- Ambition Is Evil—Trying to climb the social ladder tends to knock everyone else down a rung; therefore, it is evil and shouldn't be done.
- Lonely At the Top—The more powerful you are, the more isolated and lonelier you'll be.
- Pride
Psychic Powers
- Psychic Nosebleed—Overuse or misuse of psychic powers results in physical injury.
Super Powers
- The Dark Arts—The skill is deemed forbidden for any of a number of reasons.
- Powered by a Forsaken Child—It requires an ethically repulsive component to function.
- Soul-Powered Engine.
- With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility—No inherent price except using it responsibly.
- Samaritan Syndrome—Then again, responsibility and guilt are costs, which leads to...
- Can't Stay Normal
- God Job—Get the power of a god, but you've got a job to do.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity—Power causes madness.
- A God Am I—Power will make you think that you're invincible. Regardless of whether or not it's true, you're gonna have a lot of enemies.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul—Upgrading your hardware downgrades your humanity.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique—A powerful ability, with a powerful cost.
- The Dark Side—applies mostly to Comes Great Responsibility, but branches into physical/madness.
- Mad Oracle
- Power Born of Madness—Madness causes power.
- Super-Powered Evil Side—Your power comes with an alternate, nasty, side.
- Crazy Awesome—You're insane, but in a cool way.
- Psycho Serum—Potion causes Madness.
- Unhappy Medium—You're powerful, but really unhappy.
- A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read—You can read minds, but it's very disturbing.
- Dirty Mind Reading—You can read minds, but it's very disturbing in that way.
- Disability Superpower—Power at the price of one or more faculties.
- Power Incontinence—Limited control over destructive or inconvenient powers.
- Blessed with Suck—You'll think it's worth it, but it isn't.
- Cursed with Awesome—You'll think it isn't worth it, but it is.
- Blind Seer
- Mad Oracle—Again.
- Age Without Youth
- Invisible Streaker—You can't be seen, but you have to be naked.
- Time Dissonance—You aren't in sync with the rest of causality.
- Disability Immunity—Rather than granting you powers to compensate, you are protected from something that would harm more able individuals.
- Power Strain Blackout—You faint after using your powers
- Everything but the Girl—You can do anything you like, except win over your True Love.
- One-Winged Angel—Physical power at the cost of your physical form.
- Clipped-Wing Angel—Eventually, the "new form" turns out to be a bust.
- Deadly Upgrade—Eventually, your new form will make you die.
- Explosive Overclocking—Or it will make your stuff explode.
- Lovecraftian Superpower—It looks really weird.
- Power Degeneration—Having superpowers will accelerate your aging and kill you.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock—Inability to regain one's normal form.
- The Corruption—Uncanny powers are just a symptom of a malignant infection.
- Power Loss Makes You Strong—The flip side. By losing a superpower, you gain something. Namely, extreme badassery.
- Power Source—They may need to be refilled frequently.
- Fuel Meter of Power—Limited usage of superpowers. Using them all up may cause death.
- I'm Having Soul Pains—Too painful to use this power for long.
- Reality Warping Is Not a Toy—When Reality Warping proves hard to control.
- Superpowers for A Day—Powers for the price of time. Powers can never be gained again.
- Superpower Lottery—Extreme superpowers at no cost, or at least not proportional ones.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power—Powers that require extreme out-of-the-box thinking in order to get any use out of it.
- Required Secondary Powers—For all those extra powers you have (or don't have) to deal with your "main" power.
- Too Fast to Stop—For when you have that Super Speed thing, but not that Super Stopping thing...
- Does Not Know His Own Strength -- When you can't judge how much power you're using.
- Weaksauce Weakness -- Competitive Balance taken to extremes to offset for winning the lottery, likewise leads to ...
- Logical Weakness—A weakness because of a power that actually makes logical sense.
- Multiform Balance—When each of your forms has a power set suited for particular tactics and situations.
- Conditional Powers—When the power comes with something you must (or must not) do
- Virgin Power—You must remain a virgin to use your powers
- Sensory Overload—the drawback to certain Super Senses.
- Beneficial Disease - when a disease provides you from superpowers/immunity
Scientific
- Science Is Bad—The Luddites' view that not everything scientific is good.
- Living Battery—the living power supply pays the cost. Can also power magical devices.
Video Games and Tabletop Games
- Bribing Your Way to Victory: How much in Real Life dollars are you willing to pay for a Tier 1 deck in a CCG, or for enhanced equipment in an MMO?
- Comeback Mechanic—Being ahead of the other players means you make the other players stronger.
- Competitive Balance—In Video Games, characters have strengths and weaknesses.
- Crippling Overspecialization—Inverse of Jack of All Stats - really good at one thing, no good at everything else.
- Fragile Speedster—Speed without power.
- Glass Cannon—Offense without defense.
- Jack of All Stats—No weaknesses, no strengths.
- Master of None—Not bad at anything, not good at anything.
- Lightning Bruiser—Good at everything, usually balanced by being impractical somehow, really hard to get, or having an Achilles' Heel.
- Mighty Glacier—Power without speed.
- Stone Wall—Defense without offense.
- Level Scaling—Power that comes at a price of increased difficulty.
- Empty Levels—When the power actually makes your character weaker or increases the difficulty disproportionately.
- Magikarp Power—This character or ability can be very useful... if you bother to grind for it.