My Games

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Weird and Non-Violent Superpowers

I was really happy with my previous Superpowers 2.0 Weird & Wonderful Table (and from there I link some older tables), but I'm also really interested in Non-Violent Encounter Design which is a emphasized in my game Maximum Recursion Depth, so I wanted to try conceiving of superpowers that are dynamic and interesting, but not strictly violent in utility or nature. So, rather than generic "telepathy" or "mind control", it might be "knows when a lie is told". It's ok if the powers could theoretically be used violently, but they should be interesting in non-violent ways. Redlight from the Superpowers 2.0 table would also be good for this table but I'll do new ones. It wouldn't surprise me if I accidentally recreate some powers I've written before but will try to avoid doing that.

Was gonna do 50 but then lost my momentum, so here are 21.

  1. Babylon: Understand all languages, and also understand the nature of semantics, syntax, and pragmatics.
  2. Martian Tonic: Secretes a vapor that evokes a panic response in anyone who tries to lie in their presence.
  3. Pre-Tort: Immediate and flawless knowledge of all laws and legal precedents in a location; supernatural ability to identify, defend against, and exploit legal loopholes and fine-print.
  4. Psy-cartography: Real-Time high-resolution mental map (not "live-footage", still symbolic) of any city-sized area that reveals itself as an area is explored for the first time, and can be accessed at any time.
  5. Lockpick: Pick any mechanical, electronic, chemical, etc. lock and encrypt any code, without conscious knowledge of the key, lock mechanism, decryption key, algorithm, etc.
  6. Atomic Schedule: So long as an event was feasible at the time of adding it to the schedule, can never be late for any scheduled event, nor be required to leave early, nor be the cause of rescheduling. The universe itself will conform to make the schedule work.
  7. Raw Power: Fully power any object car-sized or smaller effortlessly (including themself), whether the object requires food and water, gasoline, electricity, etc. Can power larger objects to varying degrees with effort.
  8. Finders Keepers: Lost items softly glow in their presence, and if taken, gently compel them towards the original owner.
  9. Tag: Any person or object tagged can be tracked via a tag sense for up to 24 hours. Only one thing may be tagged at a time and tagging something new replaces the previous tag.
  10. Rhetoric: Supernaturally persuasive at argumentation, so long as the argument had any realistic chance of convincing in the first place. The power is in the argument, not a kind of mind manipulation per se.
  11. Vuvuzela: Produce the sound of a vuvuzela that cannot be dampened even in a vacuum, nor magnified. Exceedingly annoying.
  12. Matryoshka: Dismantling any object (without breaking it) yields a smaller but otherwise perfect replica of the original thing. Replicas can be further deconstructed, but a deconstructed object reconstructed cannot again be replicated.
  13. Blame: If anyone else could conceivably have committed an act for which they would otherwise be the most likely perpetrator, any of those others will be suspected before them, especially if they point towards one other person or group specifically.
  14. Forget-Me-***: Immediately forgotten when not in the presence of others, and immediately remembered when back in their presence.
  15. Super-Synesthesia: Sense-responses mapped to other sense responses (like colors having a smell, or concepts having a tune, etc.) as with regular synesthesia, except the stimulus evokes the response even when it can't be perceived; e.g. even if blindfolded, someone wearing a yellow shirt would still smell yellow.
  16. Hypno-Boar: Supernaturally boring. Not literally hypnotic nor sleep inducing, but one might be surprised with what they can get away with saying or doing in plain sight, or just behind the scene...
  17. Treefall: Silent, so long as nobody is listening.
  18. Hierarchy: Fill any power vacuum unquestioned. Maintaining the power structure is another matter...
  19. Sponsor: Any one person at a time besides themself cannot be impeded from trying to better themself, so long as it is not intentionally at anyone else's expense.
  20. Naptime: Any consenting individuals in the vicinity may immediately enter a restful, healthy, and otherwise natural sleep.
  21. Becko-neko: Summons a needy golden cat randomly at inopportune moments. Heeding the beckoning cat provides a magic gold coin redeemable for any experience which the spender would otherwise deem too luxurious.

4 comments:

  1. Lovely stuff! The Vuvuzela guy isn't violent, but he might invite violence!

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    Replies
    1. Lol ya admittedly that thought occurred to me as well. Thanks!

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  2. All very good, but as a psychocartographer Psy-cartography gets a symbolic +1

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