Anyone that reads this might wonder why I have chosen to include magic in a blog about super powers. Well the reason is simple, there are "super heroes" that use magic. Dr. Strange is a prime example of this. But I also include it because magic can be used to emulate super powers. One could even argue that super powers and magic powers are interchangeable if you argue it right. All you really need be concerned with is that I am including it. Magic, in my opinion can be broken into three very broad types; internal, external, and artificial.
Internal Magic - can also be referred to as innate or natural magic. This comprises all the types of magic that a living being can produce on command. Generally these kinds of abilities manifest themselves as super power like abilities such as; Aura vision, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Empathic abilities, Appearance altering, Speak languages etc... These spell-like abilities are basically free or lesser castings of regular spells. These can have varying limitations or consequenses, such as limited range, only useable on others, limited number of uses etc...
External Magic - more commonly referred to as spells, enchantments, incantations, or invocations. Much like internal magic, it mimics super powers, but generally has a broader range and can be offensive and defensive, affecting people, objects, and terrain. It also allows denizens of other planes to be called upon and bound into service. While external magic tends to be more versatile, it also carries the down side of requiring some physical component(s). Generally there are words and/or gestures and some sort of physical "focus". Each spell and such that is cast will differ in the amount of each part that is needed. Summoning denizens of another plan would generally require more words and to be safe, some sort of physical circle to bind the summoned thing to your service. A spell that affects the terrain would most likely require some sort of powder or dust as the "focus" since it would spread out and touch a wider area.
Artificial Magic - this magic is activated through a third party of sorts. The general method is to use some sort of jewelery ,a wand or rod, or a potion. Unlike the name suggests this is real magic, the artificial part just refers to the mode in which the magic is activated. These items have been imbued with one or more types of external magic, which then allows anyone to use magic abilities. The plus side is that these are prepared ahead of time, thus activating them is simple and almost any object can be imbued with a spell, but certain objects will retain spells better than others. The downside is that they usually have limited number of uses before they become inert, and since they are portable, they can be stolen and used by others.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Quick Observation
You ever notice that there are some powers that good guys don't usually have? Think about it for a second...here is a list of a few I can think of off the top of my head:
I would like to see a new breed where this line becomes blurred. Good guys struggling to use stereotypical "bad guy powers" in the cause for good. Imagine a good guy choosing to save an innocents life by draining the life of a bad guy, and the moral dilemma that would follow.
Just something I thought....
- Life Drain
- Various Forms of Possession
- Raising the Dead
- Fearful Presence
- Cause Pain
I would like to see a new breed where this line becomes blurred. Good guys struggling to use stereotypical "bad guy powers" in the cause for good. Imagine a good guy choosing to save an innocents life by draining the life of a bad guy, and the moral dilemma that would follow.
Just something I thought....
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Look at me, I'm someone else!
Shape Shifting, Shape Changing, Morphing... It goes by many names but it boils down to the same thing; the alteration of one's self into the appearance of someone (or something) else. This power, like so many others has seen so many different incarnations. Some, such as the Animorphs series, require direct touch but are limited to animals, while others, such as Mystique from X-Men, can only imitate people that they have personally seen and can recall, and still others, such as Mr Nobody from Wild Cards, can turn into anyone or anything they can imagine. Other varying factors have been size and duration.
This power also exists in some very specific forms in literature and mythology. Werewolves are one the most obvious examples. Their change is solely to the form of a wolf (although the interpretation as to what exactly this entails varies widely) and is usually dictated by the cycle of the moon. Sometimes werewolves will gradually take on aspects of the wolf as the moon approaches full and gradually lose them as it approaches new. Other interpretations suggest a radical transformation only under the direct full moon. Aside from the werewolf, there is also the vampire. The myth is that a vampire can turn into a bat, and in some instances a cloud of mist. Like the werewolf, the interpretations vary widely, not all vampires can turn into one or the other or sometimes either. And there is the glossed over transformation into the vampire itself. All of these things are the shape change ability, albeit in very limited forms.
To speak of self reconstruction, we must look at two main questions. First, what can be changed into? Can only human forms be taken, only animals, only one form? A specialization, such as only humans or only animals is often made in my observations, but I think this power would be best if there isn't a limit to what can be changed into. Which then brings up the next question, are there size limitations? If you are simply changing your form into that of something else, the conservation of mass/matter comes into effect either limiting your selection or forms to those whose body mass reflect your own or shifting into any form and scaling the form down to fit your mass, such as Kid Dinosaur in Wild Cards. The flip side of the coin, is that you can actually change shape and size, such as turning into a 20ft King Kong or a 3in high mouse. In these cases would conservation of mass/matter apply? If it did then when becoming something huge you would need to absorb energy or matter from somewhere first, and be able to bleed it off when you want to change back.
It is also interesting to think about a few other questions in relation to this power. My favorite being, does the creature (be it human, animal, or other) need to be real in order to be changed into? Unless your power requires you to actually have the subject present when you change into it, I see no reason why you should be limited to what is real. When you change you will be creating a picture in your mind of the form you will be taking, thus, you should be able to become something you imagine, because that is basically how the ability works to begin with. Second, would you take on mental as well as physical aspects of whatever you change into? What I mean is, if you change to look like President Bush, would you seem like a very awkward (ok moreso than he already is) Bush, almost like you were someone pretending to be Bush or would you have changed your mind a bit as well to filter your thinking through his mannerisms and method of speech? If this isn't the case, you may look like a dead ringer for the person, but you will never pass as them to anyone that knows them because everyone has little things they do and ways they talk that are unique. The other side of this then is, if you become an animal, do you have that same 'filter' I mentioned in regards to humans? Again, if you don't, not only will you look awkward trying to walk on two legs if you are a four legged animal, but you wouldn't be able to fly as a bird without practice, and you wouldn't be able to focus each seperate eye if you became a lizard. Each animal is wired a little different to accomodate their different strengths and weaknesses, and if there isn't some primal filter in place there is no way a shape changer could make any animal form work without years of practice for each form.
This power also exists in some very specific forms in literature and mythology. Werewolves are one the most obvious examples. Their change is solely to the form of a wolf (although the interpretation as to what exactly this entails varies widely) and is usually dictated by the cycle of the moon. Sometimes werewolves will gradually take on aspects of the wolf as the moon approaches full and gradually lose them as it approaches new. Other interpretations suggest a radical transformation only under the direct full moon. Aside from the werewolf, there is also the vampire. The myth is that a vampire can turn into a bat, and in some instances a cloud of mist. Like the werewolf, the interpretations vary widely, not all vampires can turn into one or the other or sometimes either. And there is the glossed over transformation into the vampire itself. All of these things are the shape change ability, albeit in very limited forms.
To speak of self reconstruction, we must look at two main questions. First, what can be changed into? Can only human forms be taken, only animals, only one form? A specialization, such as only humans or only animals is often made in my observations, but I think this power would be best if there isn't a limit to what can be changed into. Which then brings up the next question, are there size limitations? If you are simply changing your form into that of something else, the conservation of mass/matter comes into effect either limiting your selection or forms to those whose body mass reflect your own or shifting into any form and scaling the form down to fit your mass, such as Kid Dinosaur in Wild Cards. The flip side of the coin, is that you can actually change shape and size, such as turning into a 20ft King Kong or a 3in high mouse. In these cases would conservation of mass/matter apply? If it did then when becoming something huge you would need to absorb energy or matter from somewhere first, and be able to bleed it off when you want to change back.
It is also interesting to think about a few other questions in relation to this power. My favorite being, does the creature (be it human, animal, or other) need to be real in order to be changed into? Unless your power requires you to actually have the subject present when you change into it, I see no reason why you should be limited to what is real. When you change you will be creating a picture in your mind of the form you will be taking, thus, you should be able to become something you imagine, because that is basically how the ability works to begin with. Second, would you take on mental as well as physical aspects of whatever you change into? What I mean is, if you change to look like President Bush, would you seem like a very awkward (ok moreso than he already is) Bush, almost like you were someone pretending to be Bush or would you have changed your mind a bit as well to filter your thinking through his mannerisms and method of speech? If this isn't the case, you may look like a dead ringer for the person, but you will never pass as them to anyone that knows them because everyone has little things they do and ways they talk that are unique. The other side of this then is, if you become an animal, do you have that same 'filter' I mentioned in regards to humans? Again, if you don't, not only will you look awkward trying to walk on two legs if you are a four legged animal, but you wouldn't be able to fly as a bird without practice, and you wouldn't be able to focus each seperate eye if you became a lizard. Each animal is wired a little different to accomodate their different strengths and weaknesses, and if there isn't some primal filter in place there is no way a shape changer could make any animal form work without years of practice for each form.
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