Sozoshi Washa (Planning)

[Stickdom]

So, here we are, @Grey


I'm trying to come up with the abilities/limitations portion for a character with the ability to "convert and shape energy into matter, and vice-versa", specifically inner energy, read as chi, qi, chakra, what-have-you, and specifically matter directly into the body, with the effect of causing transformations/mutations.


So, a typical use for this would be in one of two ways, superficial and physical, with examples of the latter being to grow/reduce hair, change facial and body shapes and features like nose and eye shapes, gender(?). This is typically for disguises but also equates to strength, e.g. rapidly converting energy to muscle to become stronger, though obviously that swift of a conversion would leave the hero weak, so this is best prepared in advance with enough time to rest and rebuild that energy lost over a period of time. But, these can be reversed, such as losing that muscle gained in exchange for more energy, more vitality if you will, which could possibly amount to minor healing/regeneration at the cost of those physical gains.


The second category, the more superficial applications would be examples such as growing and strengthening the keratin in nails and hair to become weapons, shaping teeth into points, etc. These "minor" conversions use little energy but are rarely permanently kept, and they usually can't be reversed to be converted back into energy for the hero, they simply remain until they are removed externally.


So, whatd'ya think? A little rough around the edges, I know, but it's an interesting concept, no?

 

[Grey]

Hmm. I'd say you need a way to assign values to the traits he can modify, and a fixed pool of chi to exploit.


Obviously I'd advocate for some kind of stats and points here, but you can always lay down some clear foundations of the limits, such as 'can increased strength enough to lift a car, but it takes half/all energy and can go no higher'.


This is actually very like how Communers can operate in Crucible.

 

[Stickdom]

Yeah, unfortunately this is a free-form RP with no stat values involved at all, otherwise I would have put equivalency values like that in already. The Chi pool is a good idea, though it'd be self-enforced, since all the other characters also have abilities fueled by this Chi that is "at DM discretion", read as: they have as much as they want as long as it's 'within reason'.


Honestly, the strength enhancements are secondary, the transformations are the key aspect of this ability, versatility of usage over brute strength, so I may have it that the mass of matter being altered doesn't change, just the shape, meaning changing/adding one aspect means losing another; sacrificing a length of hair hair a set of long nails or regenerating some injuries at the cost of temporary loss of muscular strength that must be built up over time through exercise again. Thoughts on this direction?

 

[Grey]

Having to repurpose their own biomass to fuel the transformations? Makes perfect sense. Having to exercise and eat to recover from dramatic or lengthy uses works, too.