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Power Systems: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
The setting of some works has superpowers that all derive from a shared trait or discipline. There are many ways for a person to gain superpowers: inheritance, a [[Mass Super-Empowering Event]], a divine gift, or [[Superpower Lottery|sometimes even pure]] [[Randomly-Gifted|random chance]]. Whatever the source, these '''Power Systems''' govern how these superpowers are distributed and, to a much looser extent, how superpowered individuals interact with each other - some "supers" ([[Differently-Powered Individual|or whatever term the setting employs]]) may develop a kinship via a common weakness, power source, or genetic bloodline. Conversely, if multiple such types exist and conflict, [[Un-Equal Rites]] may ensue.
▲[[File:Quirks Infobox.png|thumb|350px|link=My Hero Academia|Just your average Quirks.]]
While most works of fiction with a sufficiently developed world have a set of formal rules governing how powers and abilities within them work, these Power Systems are typically acknowledged as such in-universe and given a name, and tend to adhere to at least some of the following criteria:
*
* Each power type may have its own set of [[Required Secondary Powers]] and [[Necessary Drawback]]s in order to function - these secondary powers and limits, or a lack thereof, can also play a part in a [[Superpower Meltdown|superpower ''mal''function]].
▲* A setting can have characters with [[One Person, One Power|one superpower]] or a [[Combo-Platter Powers|combo platter of powers]].
* There are more common power sets alongside much rarer ones that tend to be unique and restricted to certain individuals, enough that it's pretty significant when such a character encounters another with powers that only they had to the point.
* The quality of the powers received can vary widely from person to person - a character may be [[Blessed With Suck]] or come away losing the [[Superpower Russian Roulette]].
Organizations may arise for different purposes in settings with mainly developed Power Systems. For example, they could try to keep the [[Status Quo Is God|Status Quo]] by keeping them a secret through a [[Masquerade]]. Another where Power Systems are public could focus on finding aspiring super-powered youth to teach them self-control and teamwork through lessons tailored to students' abilities and needs, as well as providing a home in the event society ostracizes them - the protagonist(s) of stories in this setting usually attends such a school, or more rarely teaches there. This may come in the form of a [[Wizarding School]] for magic-focused systems.
Certain powers may be [[Bequeathed Power|gifted to a person]] and may even be transferable between people; others may be [[Superpowerful Genetics|naturally restricted to specific bloodlines]], though this does not exclude the possibility of different genetic expressions, including occasional [[Muggle Born of Mages|"duds"]]. There are also [[Personality Powers]] that are derived directly from or in some way indicative of the user's mental state.
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* As seen in the picture above, 80% of the population is born with a
* From ''[[Hunter X Hunter]]'', [[Supernatural Martial Arts|Nen]]
▲* 80% of the population is born with a [[Superpowerful Genetics|Quirk]] in ''[[My Hero Academia]]'', a superhuman power based on genetics. Quirks fall into three types: Emitter, Transformation, and Mutant, plus [[One Person, One Power|one person has one Quirk]]. The inclusion of Quirks brought many changes to society, such as the laws, societal expectations, and being a Hero as a form of employment.
* On the vast seas of ''[[One Piece]]'', Devil Fruits gives specific powers to whatever eats it and falls into three types: [[Stock Super Powers|Paramecia]], [[Animorphism|Zoans]], and [[Elemental Powers|Logia]]. They are seen as great treasures that can either be sold or consumed because of their potential power. Water is a weakness; when a Devil Fruit user's body is submerged, they become weaker to the point that their bodies won't move. There is also how a person can only consume one Devil Fruit, or they disintegrate.
** There is also Haki, which is a mysterious power within every living being. Haki falls into three types: [[Supernatural Sensitivity
* ''[[Darwin's Game]]'' gives its players Sigils, supernatural powers granted by the titular app. The app provides a [[Superpower Lottery|unique yet randomized ability to]] a player. Each player can [[One Person, One Power|only have one Sigil.]] Each player can only have one Sigil that falls into one of five types. While
* ''[[Jojo's Bizarre Adventure]]'':
* From ''[[Jojo's Bizarre Adventure]]'', [[Guardian Entity|Stands]] are usually humanoid beings with [[Combo-Platter Powers|unique powers]] [[Personality Powers|related to the user's personality]]. They usually appear in a humanoid form, but others vary. Stands share a link to their user, which means that whatever damage it suffers, the user does as well. [[Invisible to Normals|They can not be seen by ordinary people but by those with their own Stands]].▼
** Hamon/Ripple is a special type of breathing that lets a trained user manifest energy. It can grant superhuman ability, healing, longevity, and its identical nature to that of the sun's rays lets it hurt creatures that are normally only vulnerable to the sun. However, it needs proper blood flow and breathing to be used.
* Players known as Masters are granted [[Personality Powers|Embryos]] when they create their character in the VRMMO of ''[[Infinite Dendrogram]]''. Embryos fall into one of five broad types based on personality and [[New Powers as the Plot Demands|evolve with their players, which may give other Skills and Types]]. They are the cornerstone of how a Master's playstyle while also making them valuable assets to their Countries.▼
▲*
▲* Players known as Masters are granted [[Personality Powers|Embryos]] when they create their character in the VRMMO of ''[[Infinite Dendrogram]]''. Embryos fall into one of five broad types based on personality and [[New Powers as the Plot Demands|evolve with their players, which may give other Skills and Types]]. They are the cornerstone of
** [[RPG Mechanics Verse|Skills]] are abilities that [[NPC|Tians]], Masters, and monsters gain in the VRMMO. Tians and Masters can gain Skills from equipment and jobs, but Masters can also gain Skills from their Embryos.
* Ninjas like ''[[Naruto]]'' utilize
**
* In ''[[Psyren]]'', [[Psychic Powers|PSI]] is the ability that Psychicers wield that falls into three basic types: [[Personality Powers|Burst]], [[Telepathy|Trance]], and [[Supernatural Martial Arts|Rise]]. [[Masquerade|PSI is a rare power that people can be naturally born with, so it is seen as a myth or legend.]] The atmosphere of Psyren can awaken this power and turn a person into a Psychicer.
* Abnormalities are superhuman abilities possessed by a few humans called Abnormals in the world of ''[[Medaka Box]]''. These superpowers are based on Abnormals' mental development and [[One Person, One Power|each Abnormal would only have one Abnormality]]. {{Spoiler|Hakoniwa Academy gathered Abnormals from around the world for the sake of the Flask Plan. The Flask Plan is a project where they research Abnormalities from the student to develop a formula to make anyone into an Abnormal.}}
** Minuses are Abnormalities corrupted by the mental negativity of the users. Unlike regular Abnormalities, these powers are based on the mental environment involved in the person's development.
** [[Words Can Break My Bones|Styles]] are the manipulation of language for different effects, created to fight on par with Abnormalities. The superpowers are not exclusive like Abnormalities where everyone can gain one or more, [[Combo-Platter Powers|even an Abnormal]]. {{Spoiler|These abilities were developed by Fukuro Tusrubami (head of Hakonwa General Hospital associated with the Flask Plan) to counter Iihiko Shishime's resistance to Abnormalities.}}
* [[The Power of Blood|Branches of Sin]] are powers that people called Deadmen wield in ''[[Deadman Wonderland]]''. [[One Person, One Power|Each Deadman has one Branch of Sin]] whose blood turns into a weapon or attack. They are created by a parasite in the body known as a Nameless Worm. The Deadmen are confined in the prison/amusement park in G-Sector and are forced to fight for their lives in the show Carnival Corpse.
* The Demon Slaying Corp uses forms of swordsmanship called [[Charles Atlas Superpower|Breath Styles]] to slay Demons during Taisho Era Japan in ''[[Demon Slayer Yaiba|Demon Slayer]]''. The swordsmanship uses specific and concentrated breath patterns that increase oxygen in the blood for a unique physical superhuman ability but with [[Necessary Drawback|drawbacks]].
**[[Power Tattoo|Demon Slayer Marks]] are markings that can appear on a strong Demon Slayer's body. These marks can give improved physical abilities and upgrades Breath Styles.
** Blood Demon Arts are unique spells that Demons can develop through different means. Most of these monsters have [[One Person, One Power|one Blood Demon Art]], but some can have more.
* [[Personality Powers|Powers]] are mysterious abilities based on their will, beliefs, and experience that people can awaken in the world of ''[[The Seven Deadly Sins (manga)|The Seven Deadly Sins]]''.[[One Person, One Power| Each person has one superpower]] but can develop [[Swiss Army Superpower|different techniques to use them]].
** [[Curse|Commandments]] are ten curses created by the Demon King with an absolute
** Graces are four blessings made by the Supreme Deity of the Goddess Clan. These powers give their user a unique ability while also [[Combo-Platter Powers|passively increasing their magical and physical strength]].
* In ''[[Edens Zero]]'', some people have Ether Gears, which are individual superpowers made by having [[Background Magic Field|Ether]] flowing through the body. There is a weakness where if the user's hands are restrained, Ether Gear becomes unusable. They are also disabled by an electromagnetic pulse similar to [[Ridiculously-Human Robots|Machines]].
* In ''[[Problem Children are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?|Mondaiji]]'', people in the world of Little Garden have Gifts that are special abilities to participate in Gift Games. A person can gain[[Combo-Platter Powers| an unlimited number of them]] through various games as rewards.
* From ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'', [[Personality Powers|Territories]] are supernatural powers that some humans have due to being in the Demon's Door's vicinity and are used within a specific range.
* Aliens have [[Potent Pheromones|Space Pheromones or SPH]], natural chemicals secreted by
* [[Personality Powers|Minimums]] or Minor Miracles, from ''[[Hamatora]]'', are unique abilities that a small percentage of the population has called Minimum Holders. The Minimum Holder's ego determines their superpower and can only hold [[One Person, One Power|one Minimum]]. People with this ability are trained at Facultas Academy through advanced classes and training. [[Masquerade|The existence of Minimums is a secret to the general population.]]
* The world of ''[[Black God]]'' has Exceeds, abilities granted to Tera Guardians through a human contract. Each Exceed is unique to a Tera Guardian and [[One Person, One Power|each has only one]]. Tera Guardians use the spiritual force called Tera from humans and need to achieve [[Synchronization|Synchro]] with them to enable the use of Exceeds. There is a danger with using Exceeds because the human partner has a limited amount and [[Fate Worse Than Death|is required for humans to exist]].
*
** Second Generations can control already existing fire.
** Adolla Burst is another ability that certain Third Generations can awaken by creating a connection with a being from [[Alternate Dimension|Adolla]]. Adolla Bursts upgrades Ignition Abilities to an extra-dimensional level.▼
** Third Generations can generate and manipulate fire while also having high physical abilities.
▲** Adolla Burst is another ability that certain Third Generations can awaken by creating a connection with a being from [[Alternate Dimension|Adolla]] (becoming Fourth Generations). Adolla Bursts upgrades Ignition Abilities to an extra-dimensional level.
* In ''[[Gate Keepers]]'', Gates are doors that give extra-dimensional energy to a person and manifest as a unique superpower. They are the most effective way of fighting against Invaders, an alien race bent on conquering Earth.
* Authorities are divine powers of Gods, Heretic Gods, and ''[[Campione!]]'' Gods can hold [[Combo-Platter Powers|multiple Authorities]] but Campiones would need to slay different Heretic Gods to have more than one. This is due to how Authorities combine into one when the Campione kills a God.
* ''[[Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan]]'': Yokai has the supernatural ability known as Osore: supernatural skills based on fear related to their species. This power comes from how Osore is based on the fear Yokai are known to cause, based on their species.
* Each King in ''[[K]]'' grants an Aura to their Clan for incredible powers. Depending on the King, Aura can manifest [[Combo-Platter Powers|different abilities]]. As long as they are a part of their Clan, they will keep their Aura, but if exorcised, it will disappear.
* Norito are extraordinary powers that a race of extraterrestrial humanoids that look like human women known as ''[[Sekirei]]'' activate through a
* People on the scattered islands of'' [[Esprit]]'' have [[Personality Powers|Jinxes]]; special abilities brought out by a person's faith. [[One Person, One Power|One person can have only one Jinx]].
*''[[NEEDLESS
* From ''[[Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World]]'', Divine Protections are blessings that people are born with and given by the Od Laguna. A person is usually born with one Divine Protection, but some have more than one but are rare.
** Authorities are supernatural abilities wielded by a compatible host, and the [[Combo-Platter Powers|powers]] are shaped by their desires. {{Spoiler|These abilities are also called Witch Factors and originally belonged to the Witches of Sin. In the present, Sin Archbishops, the Witch Cult leaders, are selected based on their compatibility with Authorities. They are also considered the antithesis of the Od Laguna, meaning a person born with a Divine Protection can't gain an Authority.}}
* In ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'', Magical Girls are formed once they sign a contract with a being called Kyubey. This grants them one wish of their choosing, which determines the magic that they can use to fight monstrous beings called Witches. {{spoiler|Things are more complex than they seem, though. If a magical girl uses too much energy in their Soul Gem, their Soul Gem will turn into a Grief Seed, and they will become Witches. The souls of Magical Girls are transferred into their Soul Gems, meaning that anything that happens to them will have detrimental effects on them if anything happens to them.}}
** {{spoiler|Later on, we learn that this whole system of magical girls was, in fact, a scheme to harvest energy to prevent the heat death of the universe}}.
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Miracles, from the manfra
* The Dom, from ''[[Monster Allergy]]'', are special powers used by Tamers and are inherited from parent to child, which falls into five abilities, giving them [[Combo-Platter Powers|various powers]].
== [[Film]] ==
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* ''[[I Am Number Four|Lorien Legacies]]'': [[Superpowerful Genetics|Legacies]] are superhuman powers that Loric Gardes inherit and develop when they have matured. All Gardes have the shared Legacy of [[Telekinesis]] and gain [[Combo-Platter Powers|other unique Legacies]] later on.
* "Gifts" are powers possessed by the rare few in ''[[The Black Saint]]''. Those gifted only possess one power. However; anyone (gifted or not) can [[Power Copying|utilize another's power]] for a time after [[Life Drinker|drinking their blood]].
* In the ''[[Nevermoor]]'' series, some citizens in the titular city of Nevermoor have special powers, referred to in the universe as knacks. Some people, such as Jupiter North and his nephew Jack, double up on knacks (in this case, the power is [[Aura Vision]]). These knacks range from being good at a mundane skill (such as Archan's pickpocketing and Mahir's linguistics), while other knacks are supernatural (such as Hawthrone's dragon
* ''[[Keeper of the Lost Cities]]'' by Shannon Messenger has two power systems: ''abilities'' and ''skills''. Everyone can learn skills, but which ability someone gets depends on their genetics. The Matchmaking system devised by the elves are specifically designed to produce children with abilities, and these are rigorously tested for at the prestigious Foxfire Academy. Once that power is manifested, pupils engage in one-on-one lessons to develop it further. People with abilities occupy more important roles and a higher place in the society, leading to one of the major focuses of the series being on the fact that the world is not as perfect as it seems. Skills, on the other hand, are neglected by the elves, who choose to focus on developing abilities instead. Some abilities include hydrokinetics,
* ''[[The Grimnoir Chronicles]]'' initially appears to operate on [[One Person, One Power]], and each Active falls into one of a few dozen Power types, with the two main characters being a [[Gravity Master|Heavy]] and [[Teleportation Spam|Traveler]]. These Powers have explicitly uneven distribution, with [[Super Strength|Brute]]s being fairly common and [[Healing Hands|Healers]] being rare enough for there to only be two in the entire state of Florida, while some Powers are rare enough to be mythical. The story later introduces symbol magic that uses the Active's own power to produce a particular effect. At the end of the first book comes the revelation {{spoiler|the source of Power is an alien "symbiotic parasite" from another dimension, who invests Power into human hosts and then reclaims it when they die (from any cause) after it has incubated and grown in them}} and that {{spoiler|the limitation on each person having one power is more akin to starting place on a map than a true rule, with smart and powerful Actives able to reach into adjacent powers, something earlier [[Foreshadowing|foreshadowed]] by the Heavy protagonist [[Heavyworlder|training himself]] to gain powers akin to a Brute.}}
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Tieflings (mutant humans who express traits of ancestor(s) who were fiend(s)) of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' and (via Open Gaming License) ''[[Pathfinder]]'' all belong to a single species, but "no two tieflings are the same" in how their ancestry impacts their appearance. The statistical benefits tend to be the same between them, however.
== [[Video Games]] ==
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== [[Visual Novel]]s ==
* From the ''[[Fate]]'' series, Noble Phantasms can come in the form of powers based on the legend related to the Servant along with their summoned class.
** Servants also have Skills that give them passive abilities.
== [[Web Animation]] ==
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* From ''[[Hardcore Leveling Warrior]],'' Personal Attributes are in-game skills randomly gained when a player creates a character in the VRMMO, Lucid Adventure. Each player has [[One Person, One Power|one of these skills]] that fall into five types.
* From ''[[Kubera]]'', Transcendental Skills are divine abilities only used by [[Our Gods Are Greater|Gods]], [[Shape Shifter|Sura]], and [[Half-Human Hybrid|Halfs]] (human-sura hybrids). There are two types of Transcendental Skills: General and Unique. The three races can use General Types, but Unique types are exclusive to Gods.
* In ''[[God of
* Passive Skills in the ''[[Zero Game]]'', are abilities that players gain once they participate in this game. Each player has [[One Person, One Power|one Passive Skill]] but also can have an Ability.
** Abilities are powers bought from the Ability Shop where each player can have one Ability at a time.
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* From ''[[Scoob and Shag]]'', Ballyhoos are powers made from channeled fandom for cartoon characters that create an alien race's unique abilities. [[One Person, One Power|Each alien has one Ballyhoo]] named after a broadcasting or animation term. They also come into two types, Physical (Ballyhoos that have physical effects) and Energy (metaphysical Ballyhoos with semantic effects).
== [[Web
* In the web novel ''[[Worm]]'', parahuman powers come from "Shards", organic supercomputers parked on unoccupied parallel earths, as part of the reproductive cycle of a species of immense dimension-hopping aliens. Each shard has a multifaceted but specific power which can manifest in different ways for different hosts, depending on their needs and priorities at the time they "trigger" and gain use of their shard's abilities. The shards are networked, and like human computers different shards have different privileges and access levels.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
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[[Category:Power]]
[[Category:Power Source]]
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