Power systems

[KaiserH]

For everyone who actually has em, what do your books,series, (whatever you want to call them) Power systems look like. As for what a power system is, think Chakra from Naruto or nen from HxH



Tides of protomis is the series btw
What is protomis
Protomis is best described as an energy source for the human body. It is made up of “Protomis Particles”. Groups Of Protomis Particles come, or, in many different forms. As such, there are many ways to encounter it. The amount of Protomis left on the earth is quite low with reserves being sapped by the many humans who have become Proto-humans through history.

In some events, a proto-human can release a light that resembles an aura, if they expel enough protomis. Though, as the threshold is high, this is restricted to higher tier proto-humans.

I would put some more info but i wouldn't wanna clog up the post.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

my power system is "how many drugs has the MC consumed?" and scale it from there.
Chinese stories often have the very same system.

 

[NotaNuffian]

...so basically it is a fancier name for mana/ chi/ ki/ life force/ life energy/ origin/ blood force/ the breath/ prana/ ether?

Neat. The mcguffin has a new name.

Tides Of Protomis | Royal Road

(Cover drawn by LyteWeightArt on IG!) Arc 1 The echoes of escalating tensions reverberate both on Earth's soil and within the far-flung colonies of the Solar system, the grand stage was set for a symphony of power plays and strategic maneuvering. The very air seemed to crackle with the...

www.royalroad.com

So... will your MC grow a golden tumor or fetus?

 

[KaiserH]

...so basically it is a fancier name for mana/ chi/ ki/ life force/ life energy/ origin/ blood force/ the breath/ prana/ ether?

Neat. The mcguffin has a new name.

Tides Of Protomis | Royal Road

(Cover drawn by LyteWeightArt on IG!) Arc 1 The echoes of escalating tensions reverberate both on Earth's soil and within the far-flung colonies of the Solar system, the grand stage was set for a symphony of power plays and strategic maneuvering. The very air seemed to crackle with the...

www.royalroad.com

So... will your MC grow a golden tumor or fetus?

I suppose one could say that, but inheriting is based on genetics and powers themselves are unlocked on impulse, if the body is threatened, the "Proto-human" Genes activate, and an ability pops up. But what one gets is random, so there's no guarantee it'll help you all that much. If a proto-human gets another ability, triggered by the same thing, still random and there may not be a triggered activation at all. One can get these genes through a parent or getting it in its purest form, really not that much of a difference either way tho.

and no.

 

[tridetect]

my power system is based on wavelengths. Its not very deep. The higher the frequency, the stronger a person's magic will be.

 

[JayDirex]

A lot of us write about Mana users. And characters would have a finite amount.

 

[Ununique]

So anyway as a litRPG author it is my sole duty to pick and choose arbitrary balances between the level up system, the skill system and the crafting system. Right? But then I realized: "What if the MC... (omg I can't but I must.) ignores those balances so he beats the hell out of any obstacle in his path. That'll totally enthrall you into understanding that all along the power system was just a way of making the MC look like a total badass."

/s

 

[Shard]

For what I am currently working on, the system is based around mana, generic magical power. Too little causes sickness and/or death, and too much causes sickness, mutation, and/or death. All life produces mana, and releases some of what they produce into the ambient, with the rest remaining in their body. All life absorbs mana from ambient. Maximum mana and natural usage/production depend on the traits of the being and their percentage of maximum mana. Slightly too much increases intelligence. Significantly too much begins mutating the body, which also regresses intelligence and locks out the ability to increase it for a significant length of time. Upon death, about half their mana is violently expelled, making the death of powerful mages a bit of a disaster, and the rest remains in the body, which transfers to anything that eats them.

Amusingly, I had not considered at first, but since mages gather more mana faster, and leak more of it, any small animals near them will naturally gain intelligence. Gotta love accidentally re-inventing familiars. Also, life producing mana and mutating from mana leads to the wilderness being a mutated hellscape full of insane flora and fauna. This means humans have to cull as much life as possible just to not be consumed by an endless tide of monsters, and cannot gather in huge numbers without major precautions. However, it also leads to another accidental feature -- an overwhelming powerful mutated creature will no longer be able to stay significantly above maximum safe mana, leading to very rare exceedingly powerful beings with high intelligence out in the middle of the wilderness with no way to leave and no contact with each other, due to requiring such high mana that moving far would sicken and/or kill them. As one might imagine, this leads to many of them either going insane from isolation or hibernating.

And should prob stop making walls of text, whoops.

 

[KaiserH]

For what I am currently working on, the system is based around mana, generic magical power. Too little causes sickness and/or death, and too much causes sickness, mutation, and/or death. All life produces mana, and releases some of what they produce into the ambient, with the rest remaining in their body. All life absorbs mana from ambient. Maximum mana and natural usage/production depend on the traits of the being and their percentage of maximum mana. Slightly too much increases intelligence. Significantly too much begins mutating the body, which also regresses intelligence and locks out the ability to increase it for a significant length of time. Upon death, about half their mana is violently expelled, making the death of powerful mages a bit of a disaster, and the rest remains in the body, which transfers to anything that eats them.

Amusingly, I had not considered at first, but since mages gather more mana faster, and leak more of it, any small animals near them will naturally gain intelligence. Gotta love accidentally re-inventing familiars. Also, life producing mana and mutating from mana leads to the wilderness being a mutated hellscape full of insane flora and fauna. This means humans have to cull as much life as possible just to not be consumed by an endless tide of monsters, and cannot gather in huge numbers without major precautions. However, it also leads to another accidental feature -- an overwhelming powerful mutated creature will no longer be able to stay significantly above maximum safe mana, leading to very rare exceedingly powerful beings with high intelligence out in the middle of the wilderness with no way to leave and no contact with each other, due to requiring such high mana that moving far would sicken and/or kill them. As one might imagine, this leads to many of them either going insane from isolation or hibernating.

And should prob stop making walls of text, whoops.

Ngl, intresting system. Imo there looks like you could create a lot of different plots related to yours.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I suppose one could say that, but inheriting is based on genetics and powers themselves are unlocked on impulse, if the body is threatened, the "Proto-human" Genes activate, and an ability pops up. But what one gets is random, so there's no guarantee it'll help you all that much. If a proto-human gets another ability, triggered by the same thing, still random and there may not be a triggered activation at all. One can get these genes through a parent or getting it in its purest form, really not that much of a difference either way tho.

and no.

Aww.

So snowflakes of power... any game breaking ones like Time Stop and Mind Control?

I have a similar concept, but mainly focused on training to get the powers, at low level everyone is the same, then slowly you need to find your own path/ style, before evolving into something that is exclusively yours.

 

[Zavha0mnic]

For everyone who actually has em, what do your books,series, (whatever you want to call them) Power systems look like. As for what a power system is, think Chakra from Naruto or nen from HxH



Tides of protomis is the series btw
What is protomis
Protomis is best described as an energy source for the human body. It is made up of “Protomis Particles”. Groups Of Protomis Particles come, or, in many different forms. As such, there are many ways to encounter it. The amount of Protomis left on the earth is quite low with reserves being sapped by the many humans who have become Proto-humans through history.

In some events, a proto-human can release a light that resembles an aura, if they expel enough protomis. Though, as the threshold is high, this is restricted to higher tier proto-humans.

I would put some more info but i wouldn't wanna clog up the post.

Hehehe ok so spoilers for my story I still update. Doesn’t know how to do a spoiler like an idiot.


I have a extremely powerful being right? This being is terrible at controlling their reality bending powers. This will cause people to be born as immortals only so many, as the leaking power can only ‘sustain’ so many immortals this being goes and kills immortals permanently only to have another born.

Eventually, after living long enough. An immortal will gain strength or speed and sometimes intelligence. OR an ability. The ability to alter something small about reality instead of the speed or strength. It works based on a large amount of things. Magic is dynamic after all. If the immortal lives even longer! They get stronger and faster or smarter all over again. Very fun in my mind.

 

[Discount_Blade]

I just call it mana. The amount of mana one carries and can wield affects power level and biological aging. Simple stuff. I find all those complicated power level/systems to be obnoxious at times because the authors tend to get lost in the details and end up breaking their own rules without even bothering to try and correct it. Example: Nearly any Xianxia ever written.

 

[KaiserH]

Aww.

So snowflakes of power... any game breaking ones like Time Stop and Mind Control?

I have a similar concept, but mainly focused on training to get the powers, at low level everyone is the same, then slowly you need to find your own path/ style, before evolving into something that is exclusively yours.

Huh, that is actually quite similar, not in regards to them being the same, but I do see the finding your own style part, part of the character's fighting styles are finding new ways to use their abilities. the MC as an example has water manipulation as one of his, but he isn't just throwing out waves or whatever, he's using water pressure jets. They're still a bit limited though my universe does have sci fi weapons and whatnot, so lower tier proto-humans can still be taken out by heavy weapons as an example.

And actually, yes. There are characters with time stop and mind control.

 

[BenJepheneT]

My power system is that I have no power system. There is no way of dictating who wins or loses in a fight. Literally every factor counts, from whether the characters cut their nails that day or whether the wooden floor beneath them is slippery. That's how most street fights are, anyway.

The way I see it is that power system is like a cheat for character progression/growth. Of course, it has way more benefits than that, but I don't like it. I want to be able to show my character growth with their behaviour and decisions, not based on some arbitrary mana-maniputation/power-increase.

If you have a suitable setting and know how to use it, you can use power systems to great advantage. I don't know how and neither do I want to learn. Yes, growing and progressing might rely on more abstract demonstrations but to me, it's better for your character to show that growth within the story rather than some number physically displaying that growth.

Sometimes you might end up with the same MC who never changes except that the fireball emitted from his palm gets bigger. That doesn't show character growth; that's just nerfing the villains so your MC could get a cheaper win than last time.

 

[KaiserH]

My power system is that I have no power system. There is no way of dictating who wins or loses in a fight. Literally every factor counts, from whether the characters cut their nails that day or whether the wooden floor beneath them is slippery. That's how most street fights are, anyway.

The way I see it is that power system is like a cheat for character progression/growth. Of course, it has way more benefits than that, but I don't like it. I want to be able to show my character growth with their behaviour and decisions, not based on some arbitrary mana-maniputation/power-increase.

If you have a suitable setting and know how to use it, you can use power systems to great advantage. I don't know how and neither do I want to learn. Yes, growing and progressing might rely on more abstract demonstrations but to me, it's better for your character to show that growth within the story rather than some number physically displaying that growth.

Sometimes you might end up with the same MC who never changes except that the fireball emitted from his palm gets bigger. That doesn't show character growth; that's just nerfing the villains so your MC could get a cheaper win than last time.

I wouldn't exactly say that applies to all power systems. They could simply be used to establish rules, or place limitations on charatchers, if done correct, both the villians and the portaganist. Yes, a situation could arise like the one you described, but that depends entirely upon the story itself. The same could happen even without a se power system in place.

Power system dosent exactly mean numbers either. It just means how abilities can be applied in many cases.

 

[someonesomeguy]

My system is just imagination. You can influence reality outside your brain anyway you want. It's not even energy based you can create energy from nothing. You can even change things at molecular structure.
I am writing some excuse for why can't someone just create anti matter and kill everyone.
Ok the excuse i am going with is cause planet prevents or other people's thought prevent it but if you were in empty space you could make anything you imagine real.

Getting stronger is just increasing potency of this power.


Nothing counts when two people fight it's just who has bigger power and how well can you play the minigame which is used in changing reality.

Not even punching just two people standing trying to erase each other from existence.


There is no MP or bullshit. It's pure how much your brain can move electrons in right patters in your flesh.
Though you still have to learn how to bring diffirent things into reality. The power is always on but slightly better when you are focusing consciously.
Very slightly more better when sleeping or with empty head (sustaining conciousness takes some processing power) (this advantage decreases as you get stronger. At highest level this doesn't matter at all).


Though very fast things can still kill you because by the time your brain will move electrons in right order to wish the shockwave away . the shockwave would already be there. Still you need to go really fast normal nukes won't do shit to average strength cultivators. (They can't do as much destruction as a nuke but they can survive it. )


It's like ESP somewhat.

It's not a system which can be gamed it just is how the world works.



The protagonist is a physicist . My power system is based on the fact that what even is reality and what if the things which aren't properly
falsifiable were true . Like synchronicity. My power system has no mana or particles. People don't even have souls. Everyone has a brain and moving electrons in a certain ways in head causes effects to manifest in reality. These effects follow no logic or don't have any cause.
Each of billions of effect is unique and isn't caused by anything else at all and all of these laws are as fundamental to universe as special realtivity or fundamental particles. These are not caused by fundamental laws these are fundamental laws and there are billions of them .
These follow no patters or make no sense. It's not like one type of movement of electron causes wood to grow similar type causes grass to sprout.

They are all completely and fully random and have no reason to be associated with things but they simply are.

I think making things come from single laws makes them bullshit.

I am making a cold dead world without all the benefits of order this world has. It's a world like this but without beautiful laws or converging functions everything is chaotic .
All the problems of cold dead world with only few of the upsides. Though atleast no god will snipe you cause no god exists here. Though beings which are omnipotent do exist but they behave like omnipotent beings and don't care. You can go kill them and they still won't care.


Any of the thousands of omnipotent being could kill of all the other omnipotent beings and be supreme. The most sensible thing would be that one of them kills all the others but they don't. They don't even do that things which make most logical sense towards there goals just because they don't want to. And why they don't want to. There is no reason they just want or not. These omnipotents beings also have philosphical discussions on what happens when human dies with other gods. There is no afterlife but most people can be resurrected* but it has a downside.

If i kill a person and from it's corpse i make another person. Both can't be alive at same time. Though you can use time shares. One lives for 100 years then he is killed and from it's corpse another person is born who lives for 100 years.


It's very absurd you people need to have some creativity.

The method of ascession is also very unconventional (the protag might do this unintentionally ) Can you geuss what it is ? Seriously try to think and reply to this with what you think it is.

 

[TotallyHuman]

Honestly, even I am not quite sure at this point. Something psychic but mixed with metaphysical origins of all I guess, but only one series has it enumerated, and most of the time it feels more like an approximation rather than anything

 

[TheTrinary]

That's a very Japanese take isn't it. "Power System" is really any hard magic system.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Huh, that is actually quite similar, not in regards to them being the same, but I do see the finding your own style part, part of the character's fighting styles are finding new ways to use their abilities. the MC as an example has water manipulation as one of his, but he isn't just throwing out waves or whatever, he's using water pressure jets. They're still a bit limited though my universe does have sci fi weapons and whatnot, so lower tier proto-humans can still be taken out by heavy weapons as an example.

And actually, yes. There are characters with time stop and mind control.

Manipulation of state of water like solid, liquid and gas?
Blood bending?
Create mirages?
Logia style of converting one's body into water?
Creating a field of dehydration/ desert by removing all moisture in a surrounding?

I mean, to manipulate water is to create quagmire, frying electronics MGS style, rupturing an important bloodvessel in the brain and stuff.

Also, an advice is to have your MC put a bit of sand into his water jet, this would increase the erosion rate aka cutting power.

 

[KaiserH]

Manipulation of state of water like solid, liquid and gas?
Blood bending?
Create mirages?
Logia style of converting one's body into water?
Creating a field of dehydration/ desert by removing all moisture in a surrounding?

I mean, to manipulate water is to create quagmire, frying electronics MGS style, rupturing an important bloodvessel in the brain and stuff.

Also, an advice is to have your MC put a bit of sand into his water jet, this would increase the erosion rate aka cutting power.

At this point, just liquid water. He does gain new abilities, so he gradually turns away from using his water manipulation unless he sees some kind of strategic advantage. His other does include electricity, so he cqn already do the frying of electronics. Didn't think about doing that with water though. He doesn't convert his body into water, but he can essentially deform himself into electric Arcs. And appear somewhere else.