Power Systems: Difference between revisions

The setting of some works havehas 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" (or whatever term the setting employs) may develop a kinship via a common weakness, power source, or genetic bloodline.

* Characters may either have [[One Person, One Power|one superpower]] or a, [[Combo-Platter Powers|combo platter of powers]], or sometimes both.

In settings with particularly developsdeveloped Power Systems, organizations may arise for the purpose of finding aspiring super-powered youth in order 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. For magic-focused systems, this may come in the form of a [[Wizarding School]].

* 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 -riding or Lambeth's oracle). Some powers are even harmful, such as Cadance's power as a mesmerist. The strongest power is being a [[Magic by Any Other Name|Wundersmith]], which comes with the ability to perform great acts of wonder, but subjects one to intense scrutiny and controversy due to the past actions of a previous Wundersmith.

* ''[[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, telepath, inflicting emotions, [[Compelling Voice|mesmerisingmesmerizing]], and the forbidden pyrokinetic. Skills include levitation, appetite supressionsuppression, and darkvisiondark vision.

* ''[[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. TheAt 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|forshadowedforeshadowed]] by the Heavy protagonist [[Heavyworlder|training himself]] to gain powers akin to a Brute.}}