two types of powers - play on Determinator

OK, I'm working on a story where the protagonist has a Superpowered Evil Side, and I'm planning to play with and deconstruct various shonen tropes. One of them is the Determinator thing, specifically how the superpowered protagonist usually finds some hidden reserve of power just when all seems lost.

So in my story, many characters have powers, and there are two distinct kinds. With a few exceptions (including the being that was fused with the protagonist), each person only has one kind.

The first type, emotion-fuelled magic (also called wolf magic), is a justification for the Determinater. It's usually body-related magic, such as super strength and speed, and Healing Factor, but I was thinking of throwing in some other stuff (I don't want my world to look like it was carefully planned out, because Real Life isn't like that). People with this kind of power tend to only be able to consciously use a fraction of their power, but the stronger their emotions, the more power they can access. Training from Hell is the best way to develop their full potential, because it gives them the motivation to draw out their power. And they can suffer from Power Incontinence when upset.

The second type, mind-controlled magic (or raven magic), is the exact opposite. It's basically the standard psychic powers, for the most part. These individuals, at any moment, can either use their full power or none of it. They never accidentally use their powers, but if they get too upset or distracted, their powers fail. They're usually less powerful, in full potential, than the emotion-controlled ones, but seem more powerful because their abilities are more reliable. Their training is usually focused around meditation and staying calm, as well as learning how to use their powers most effectively.

The problem occurs when an educator makes a mistake about what kind of power their charge has (partly because the types of powers controlled each way aren't hard and fast rules, so some have a power much more typical of the other type). Training from Hell on a raven mage is likely to just kill them, or else give them emotional scars and make it hard for them to consciously use their powers. A wolf mage trained by a raven mage, in contrast, tends to be very weak, because they assume their basic power is the best they can do, and because trying to stay calm impairs their ability to access their magic.

Does this sound like a good system? Can you think of some good characters to show this off?

Hmm...so I'm guessing, based on this, that the main character has wolf magic but was accidentally sorted into raven magic?

I like that the divisions between the styles aren't set in stone; I think it'd be interesting to explore what lies in the murky area between them (which I think would be easy to do if your main character has already been misclassified)... You could go a long way just developing the different kinds of cultures the two magics would breed. One definitely seems more like a warrior culture, the other more ascetic. You could get some nice mileage out of depicting culture clashes, I think, both serious and humorous. Right now, I think the way you have them, they contrast very well with one another, kind of like Yin-Yang.

This is probably just my personal preference speaking, but I'm hoping that you don't depict the protag's experience of raven magic too negatively. Yeah, it's making him weaker and so on, but I think that he might stand to gain something, some kind of special skill or perspective or whatnot (argh I'm making so much sense) from being immersed in the opposite style.

One last thing: is this magic an inborn thing (you're automatically born either raven or wolf, your destiny is set in stone) or something that develops along with the user's personality? People do seem to naturally tend towards either of the two extremes, but between them there's something of a spectrum as well. What if you end up perfectly in the middle? Would you then have a choice which magic you want to follow? IDK, I'm just thinking aloud right now.

Yay, have fun playing with shonen tropes. It really is quite fun. ^^

edited 30th Sep '10 7:08:32 PM by bickazer

"Hmm...so I'm guessing, based on this, that the main character has wolf magic but was accidentally sorted into raven magic?"

No, the main character is actually one of the few with both kinds of magic. He was fused with a spirit being because both of them were mortally wounded and it was the only way to save either. Said spirit being, like all of his kind, has both types. Basically, the living have only one type, the undead have both.

Incidentally, on several occasions, this spirit being will take over when he's beaten and save his skin - but not by brute force. Instead, he'll outthink the opponents, and use trickery against them.

I'm working on other characters he'll meet along the way.

Argh, I had a long post typed up, but the internet ate it. D<

Well, anyway, a brief summary of the points I made:

1. Two-minds-in-one-body is cool. Exploit all the coolness and tension you can from it! (Another place where you can fit in the duality motif too.

2. But if the spirit takes over when the MC's desperate, take care not to turn it into a Deus Ex Machina.

3. I need to know more about the characters/setting before giving you the help you need, honestly. You said you want suggestions on characters that will best show off the system, but I don't really know what you have in mind, so I'm drawing a blank. More details, plz? Maybe an example of other characters...(or hell, even more on the main character. I don't even know his name).

"1. Two-minds-in-one-body is cool. Exploit all the coolness and tension you can from it! (Another place where you can fit in the duality motif too.)"

What I'm planning to do is have them very gradually merge into one. The main character (who is called Jan, as in the Dutch version of John) is a standard shonen Hot-Blooded hero with no sense of planning, while the spirit inside him (who is, by the way, a vampire named Tanar) is a Blue Oni type Combat Pragmatist.

"2. But if the spirit takes over when the MC's desperate, take care not to turn it into a Deus Ex Machina."

Well, a major plot theme is going to be how Jan's hopeless at planning and keeps overestimating himself. Tanar, meanwhile, is excellent at Xanatos Speed Chess. So he won't just come out and curb-stomp everyone (he's not actually stronger than Jan, though he is more experienced), instead he'll come out and do some clever tricks. So he'll be a bit of a Deus Ex Machina, I guess, but the important plot isn't beating the various foes they fight.

"3. I need to know more about the characters/setting before giving you the help you need, honestly. You said you want suggestions on characters that will best show off the system, but I don't really know what you have in mind, so I'm drawing a blank. More details, plz? Maybe an example of other characters...(or hell, even more on the main character. I don't even know his name)."

The setting is a pseudo-medieval fantasy. Since vampire powers only work at night, Jan has gotten a job as a night watchman, but soon a plot will wander over that will require him to travel. (Haven't decided exactly what, yet.) I'm thinking that his first fight will be with the monster who's killing night watchmen (which is why there was a job opening).

The only two teammates I've currently decided on having are Jan's best friend, who'll gradually evolve into a Badass Normal who is really good at exploiting supernatural weaknesses; and Tanar's younger sister, an enigmatic were-raven (vampires pre-death are either werewolves or wereravens depending on personality) Sweet Polly Oliver night guard. Her relationship to Tanar, and her gender, will both be unexpected revelations. But I need more teammates.