forum Help!!! I'm writing superheroes
Started by @M.W.Poel
tune

people_alt 3 followers

@prollydelphia

ayy lmao i'm doing a story where 50% of the population has powers too high five
As for original superpowers, my story has a fair amount of normal powers, like summoning a sword or being able to understand any language. Then there's the really weird stuff, like how one of the antagonists is an octopus man who can attack and disable people's senses by spitting ink at them, transform into an octopus, or even regenerate limbs over time like an octopus, though he is incredibly fragile during regeneration, to the point where even a few scratches could fatally wound him or kill him.
My usual strategy for a truly unique superpower is to look at something you know, then take inspiration from that- for example, my favorite animal is the octopus, so I based the antagonist's powers on certain octopus traits. This can work with anything, even objects; a person could be able to manipulate a certain material such as brass, and if an object has any brass in them, the character could use that as a tool, weapon, or anything in between.
As for common-but-interesting powers, like the first two mentioned, it's a similar process. I look at an archetype of a power, like ice manipulation, and use it just as that for an easy character to understand. However, if you wanted to get a little more interesting than that, you could narrow down this power with a specific drawback or weakness. My protagonist, for example, has ice manipulation, but can't make anything bigger than her hand out of ice, so instead of creating whatever will get the job done, she has to use small tools or weapons to defend herself or fix something. Another character of mine can manipulate technology, but can only use modern electronics, and even then, he can easily overexert himself with technopathy if he uses it too long.
Really, the main rule I follow when creating new powers is to add a drawback, or do something completely out of left field. Water manipulators could rely on their own hydration to use their power, and if used too much, they dehydrate themselves. Someone with super speed lacks super reactions, so they can only use their speed when they can easily tell when to turn, like on a circular racetrack. The list goes on and on.
As for your protagonist, it looks pretty good already! If you're really intent on avoiding the "overpowered hero" trope, you could say that her weakness is that her internal systems are weaker than average, as if to make up for her invincibility and go along with the poison thing you mentioned. Perhaps even make the antagonist a poison-based villain, if you really wanted to give her a hard time. Nonetheless, I'm glad she's not totally indestructible, it seems like a nice break from the average of the invincibility archetype, where you don't have to worry about the hero dying because they physically can't.

@M.W.Poel

So she is kind of like Luke Cage

quickly looks up Luke cage…..
Oh yeah, he's pretty close to who she is with her indestructibility.

As for your protagonist, it looks pretty good already! If you're really intent on avoiding the "overpowered hero" trope, you could say that her weakness is that her internal systems are weaker than average, as if to make up for her invincibility and go along with the poison thing you mentioned. Perhaps even make the antagonist a poison-based villain, if you really wanted to give her a hard time. Nonetheless, I'm glad she's not totally indestructible, it seems like a nice break from the average of the invincibility archetype, where you don't have to worry about the hero dying because they physically can't.

I already have a power for the antagonist: thought manipulation and teleportation. It basically comes down to the main character trying to fight him and being al like I hate you! and him being like Nah you're just jealous of my beautiful hair. Distracting her long enough to teleport the hell out of there
It features the problem of: this hero is awesome! But the villain is smart enough not to face them in battle. Force vs wits

Antagonist: Harold Termorsand- mind manipulation

@M.W.Poel

By the way, I've already had some wonderful tips on shenanigans and possible superpowers (Though I can always use more), but what about daily complications people might have in certain cases?
Up to now there have either been mayor drawbacks to a power or powers that negate the function of a power. I would like some suggestions on small inconveniences that might come with a power.

for example, one of the characters I've written into existence since I started this thread has the power of fire breath up to the point were it instantly melts soft metals. A drawback this character has is that whenever they sneeze or have the hiccups they exhale flames. Though the heat is easily controlled this means that everything in their workspace and house needs to be fireproof.

Any ideas on more like this?

@M.W.Poel

I'm thinking about using the time manipulation you suggested for an older hero overseeing others
But I also want a few people with smaller things like levitating objects with a maximum weight of 5 pounds or the person I definitely want to write in who can throw their voice like a weapon (think Banshee and Black Canary but more sporadic).
There's also going to be someone who can make plants grow and maybe a dude who has super strength or something similar.

The maincharacter is going to meet a lot of superheroes and villains but not every occasion is going to be tense.
By the way, can you see the linked characters?

@mckapo

the banshee/black canary sounds awesome. she could be saying something, and then all of a sudden she does her scream and the windows shatter and everyone gets tinnitus and that's just a regular life of a banshee haha
With the plant person, maybe they have to bundle themselves up, because if they touch anything living with skin, it starts to grow extremely fast, so they're always covered in layers, and gloves and face mask hahaha
I feellike super strength us very overused. but maybe the person that has it doesn't really have control. like theyre not able to control the intensity/power. so say its at a 10 (1 out og 10) c, and it will always be a 10, no way to limit it. 'oh high five dude! ah, sorry I broke your hand… '

@mckapo

regarding a poison based power character, maybe they release it through sweat glands, so they can never exert themselves, or else the poison starts to seep out.

can you give me a lost of a characters you have so far, and their abilities and then we can brainstorm some drawbacks in their daily lives

@M.W.Poel

I haven't really written out anything specific yet regarding most characters because for some I can't decide whether they would be a hero, villain or civilian. but here's a list of what I plan to use anyway

  1. siren (bomb): Hypno- sirensong (their mother might also make an appearance)
  2. Firebreath: T'illa Narut- fire breath
  3. Telepathy: Mononok (super) - Telepathy
  4. Time manipulation (probably going to be in a damage control team)
  5. Levitation of small objects
  6. Temperature control (just a mash-up of heat and ice but the temperature in an entire room up to 40 m3)
  7. This idiot who has teleportation and thought manipulation: Harold Termorsand- mind manipulation
  8. Sense soul, this person is basically going to be able to pinpoint the location of anyone within 50 meters. Probably going to be a sniper. I'm trying to come up with something more original and smaller than not being able to turn it off and going crazy in crowded areas.
  9. Plant growth, the limit is going to be that there already have to be plants. I like the bundle-up thing but maybe there could be something less extreme?
  10. Immortality 1: when their body gets destroyed their essence is released and over time they can build a new one
  11. Immortality 2: the incredibly fast regeneration thing. Maybe more like Deadpool has than Wolverine
  12. Divination/ future vision. there's going to be a person who can see the future. however, I'm going to make this a child so their powers are still increasing in power and they're going to have trouble figuring out what is a vision and what isn't.
  13. super strength because of cliches and it's probably something more common. With this, I was thinking to give them the strength but an average endurance. So they could punch through that wall but their arm would probably break. the opposite of the main character who can be punched through a wall and not care at all but doesn't have any more strength in her body than anyone else. Also, since I'm going to make this a common trait but with slightly different manifestations in each person, everyone could have different drawbacks.

I might not use both versions of immortality and I'm currently trying to figure out different versions of it because it is something I could see manifest in different ways with multiple people. I'll update the list when I come up with more.
By the way, not everyone who's going to have superpowers is going to be a hero or villain but the main character is going to meet them at some point. It's mainly for those out of combat moments that I need ways for their power to manifest.

@mckapo

I haven't really written out anything specific yet regarding most characters because for some I can't decide whether they would be a hero, villain or civilian. but here's a list of what I plan to use anyway

  1. siren (bomb): Hypno- sirensong (their mother might also make an appearance)

Siren. This could have many things. Maybe this OC can only speak in whispers, because if they use their normal voice range then their voice(song) could entrance people. Maybe they have to wear a high frequency collar or earpiece or something on their necks that can counteract their voice.

  1. Firebreath: T'illa Narut- fire breath

This is awesome ha. I love the Dragon Queen name.

  1. Telepathy: Mononok (super) - Telepathy

As I mentioned before, maybe they have gone a little crazy because they can't distinguish their thoughts from other people's thoughts, so they have no idea what's going on in their head. so a special telepathic noise cancelling head phones they could use to block out, and then they could get severe migraines or something.

  1. Time manipulation (probably going to be in a damage control team)
  2. Levitation of small objects

I like this one, could be helpful sometimes, but I like that it's not overly powerful, just simple.

  1. Temperature control (just a mash-up of heat and ice but the temperature in an entire room up to 40 m3)

What is m3?

  1. This idiot who has teleportation and thought manipulation: Harold Termorsand- mind manipulation

This is dope. Maybe his teleportation to different dimensions takes a huge toll on him, zaps his energy, or he can only transport himself. Maybe when he was younger, he would accidentally teleport himself to strange areas, but I assume as the big baddie, he would have more control. Thought manipulation reminds me on Inception (:D). Eye contact? Skin-to-skin contact? Havet o also have extreme control over this ability lest he ends up in the middle of the ocean a few miles away from the beach he is trying to get to.

  1. Sense soul, this person is basically going to be able to pinpoint the location of anyone within 50 meters. Probably going to be a sniper. I'm trying to come up with something more original and smaller than not being able to turn it off and going crazy in crowded areas.

Maybe to be able to get a lock on the soul, they need to know a little bit about the person first? or they get sensory overload, connecting to a soul (I assume if they are able to pinpoint their connection, then there is a possibility of connection between the located soul and the soul senser? If that's the case, maybe they have to put a guard areound their own soul, so others like them can't locate them, and to keep their soul safe from the other souls they come into contact with). idk

  1. Plant growth, the limit is going to be that there already have to be plants. I like the bundle-up thing but maybe there could be something less extreme?
  1. Immortality 1: when their body gets destroyed their essence is released and over time they can build a new one

I like this one best out of the two.

  1. Immortality 2: the incredibly fast regeneration thing. Maybe more like Deadpool has than Wolverine

They would need an incredibly high pain threshold. Can you imagine, getting shot 6,7,8 times, feeling that, and then waiting for your body to heal itself. Or your arm gets cut off. You have to deal with ALL the pain. and the scars, many many scars. I've also been reading a bit, and if you had an excelerated healing factor, your cells rapidly produce, which puts you at greater risk for cancer and illnesses.

  1. Divination/ future vision. there's going to be a person who can see the future. however, I'm going to make this a child so their powers are still increasing in power and they're going to have trouble figuring out what is a vision and what isn't.

With future, I would figure the OC would be constantly seeing different routes the future could take, so they are more confused and out of it than a normal person. Either the future is set in place, or the future changes constantly, and if it changes constantly, imagine the inner workings of the mind of the person that is constantly seeing millions and millions of outcomes of the future.

  1. super strength because of cliches and it's probably something more common. With this, I was thinking to give them the strength but an average endurance. So they could punch through that wall but their arm would probably break. the opposite of the main character who can be punched through a wall and not care at all but doesn't have any more strength in her body than anyone else. Also, since I'm going to make this a common trait but with slightly different manifestations in each person, everyone could have different drawbacks.

They would need complete control over this, or they could accidentally hurt one of their friends with a high five or a hug. Would the steps they take be superhuman strength steps, so the ground they walk on makes indents?

I might not use both versions of immortality and I'm currently trying to figure out different versions of it because it is something I could see manifest in different ways with multiple people. I'll update the list when I come up with more.
By the way, not everyone who's going to have superpowers is going to be a hero or villain but the main character is going to meet them at some point. It's mainly for those out of combat moments that I need ways for their power to manifest.

@M.W.Poel

What is m3?

kubik meters, I'm from Europe.

This is dope. Maybe his teleportation to different dimensions takes a huge toll on him, zaps his energy, or he can only transport himself. Maybe when he was younger, he would accidentally teleport himself to strange areas, but I assume as the big baddie, he would have more control. Thought manipulation reminds me on Inception (:D). Eye contact? Skin-to-skin contact? Havet o also have extreme control over this ability lest he ends up in the middle of the ocean a few miles away from the beach he is trying to get to.

I like the idea of him showing up to important events in his normal life completely soaked because he underestimated/ overestimated the distance and teleported right into a swimming pool.

Maybe to be able to get a lock on the soul, they need to know a little bit about the person first? or they get sensory overload, connecting to a soul (I assume if they are able to pinpoint their connection, then there is a possibility of the connection between the located soul and the soul senser? If that's the case, maybe they have to put a guard around their own soul, so others like them can't locate them, and to keep their soul safe from the other souls they come into contact with).

hmmm, yes I suppose it would be logical they have to know something about the person in order to find someone. otherwise, it will probably only have a similar effect to a heat sensor. "oh look, something living. No idea what it is though." Maybe they can sense when people their very close to having died like a dear family member? An unconscious permanent link.

Also, I discovered skunks don't just stink. the gas they produce messes with your blood's ability to transport oxygen. Very interesting, definitely going to use that.

@mckapo

What is m3?

kubik meters, I'm from Europe.

oh yeah, us Americans need to get with the program man

This is dope. Maybe his teleportation to different dimensions takes a huge toll on him, zaps his energy, or he can only transport himself. Maybe when he was younger, he would accidentally teleport himself to strange areas, but I assume as the big baddie, he would have more control. Thought manipulation reminds me on Inception (:D). Eye contact? Skin-to-skin contact? Havet o also have extreme control over this ability lest he ends up in the middle of the ocean a few miles away from the beach he is trying to get to.

I like the idea of him showing up to important events in his normal life completely soaked because he underestimated/ overestimated the distance and teleported right into a swimming pool.

Maybe to be able to get a lock on the soul, they need to know a little bit about the person first? or they get sensory overload, connecting to a soul (I assume if they are able to pinpoint their connection, then there is a possibility of the connection between the located soul and the soul senser? If that's the case, maybe they have to put a guard around their own soul, so others like them can't locate them, and to keep their soul safe from the other souls they come into contact with).

hmmm, yes I suppose it would be logical they have to know something about the person in order to find someone. otherwise, it will probably only have a similar effect to a heat sensor. "oh look, something living. No idea what it is though." Maybe they can sense when people their very close to having died like a dear family member? An unconscious permanent link.

Also, I discovered skunks don't just stink. the gas they produce messes with your blood's ability to transport oxygen. Very interesting, definitely going to use that.

Ohh, wow, that would be a cool superpower, with the oxygen decreasing, could be very powerful.
maybe instead of an overwhelming odor (cause, oh im gonna get yah with my super smelly power hahaha [but at the same time, if it was an extremely disgusting odor, that could work as well, in conjuction with the oxygen decrease.) so the person with this ability… lets see. they're young, discovered their ability and when it happens (mayb since they're young they excrete the smell/power when they're scared or angry or their emotions are out of control or something) and they pass out. So, over the years, they've slowly gained up a tolerance to the gas, so it doesn't affect them at all, or only a little bit. but then theyd have to be able to control their emotions, so if they went up against a person with emotional manipulation, that could cause them to make their own allies pass out

@mckapo

power mimicry (Rogue for example) could also be fun to play around with, and we all know the drawbacks of that power

for some random, not as powerful powers:
-can't fly, but can leap/jump very high, and land with only minor bruising or scrapes, or mayb just takes small leaps and bounds so they don't end up with broken bones

  • psychic shielders. they have no ability that affects themselves, but they can shield the minds of others (one, two a fw, several) from psychic abilities.
    -ability to grow steel like bones from body, like one out of their shoulder they can break off and use as weapons, except you know, breaking bones so very painful
    -illusion powers. maybe converting light/energy waves into illusions
    -like a memory confusion ability. Where when someone looks at you, they will immediately forget who you are when they look away
    -clarvoyance

@M.W.Poel

Maybe delete some of the stuff you're quoting, it's taking up massif amounts of space.
I think that the stinkyness and the blood thing are caused by the same chemical. I'm not going to let them fart though. I think it will be more of a chemical that's in their sweat anyways but when they're in stressful situations they produce another chemical that causes a train reaction. in other words: the longer they are in danger the larger the area of effect. I imagine them bringing a gas mask everywhere and having the emergency number on speed dial.

@mckapo

so, with the emergence of powers, heroes, supervillians, what about government? I can;t remember if this was mentioned
are there certain branches of government that go along with different types of abilities? I think if so, then there should be an equal number of supers and normies, as there could be a huge protest against too many supers in governments.
maybe they have a special clean up unit that consists of supers that can idk reduce things to ash (damage control), limited reality warping (extremely limited), where they can put buildings back together, or use levitation to fix it, or something. idk just an idea?
so it the superhero/supervillian a normal occurrence?

Deleted user

For original powers, what I usually do is that I go up on the internet (I know, not that original, but I search up unusual or like rare powers. ) They're actually pretty interesting, so for one of my stories, I actually based my character's superpowers off of realms. Like one of my character's is from wonderland so her powers would reflect off that realm. Like for examples, she has the power of illusion and uses throwing cards as throwing knives. For another story, my character is a human bat. Hope this helps!

@M.W.Poel

They're actually pretty interesting, so for one of my stories, I actually based my character's superpowers off of realms. Like one of my character's is from wonderland so her powers would reflect off that realm.

interesting concept. Is that what all the characters on your timeline are linked to? I'm not sure if the method works with my world but it might be helpful to broaden my view.

Deleted user

They're actually pretty interesting, so for one of my stories, I actually based my character's superpowers off of realms. Like one of my character's is from wonderland so her powers would reflect off that realm.

interesting concept. Is that what all the characters on your timeline are linked to? I'm not sure if the method works with my world but it might be helpful to broaden my view.

Well for the main characters, yes.

@M.W.Poel

so, have I been helping at all??
is there anything else you need help with?

Certainly, there are several things I'm definitely going to use and take into consideration (not all of though).
For now, I'm just going to see how far I get with what I have, see how the characters and powers work within the story.

(also -> mortality3: eternal youth, injuries heal slightly faster but for the most part they just don't age. their just running from the authority)

@M.W.Poel

interesting concept. Is that what all the characters on your timeline are linked to? I'm not sure if the method works with my world but it might be helpful to broaden my view.

Well for the main characters, yes.

sounds good, I've taken a quick look at your characters and they seem very interesting.

@M.W.Poel

Yes. I like fairytales and original takes on the stories and characters. you definitely have a unique idea and the characters already seem to be developed pretty far. Of course, I don't know what kind of story you're writing but the interactions between the characters are bound to be fascinating.

Deleted user

Oh wow, thanks! I mean I still have a lot to do, but thanks!