Poll: WWYD if You had Your Fav Character’s Powers in the Real World?

[BedlamBlade]

As long as you don't end up with all the problems such characters have in the form of their relatives...

More power, more problems! XD

 

[Greg K]

Superheroes is my favorite genre. I have had two characters over the years and I would choose my character from my Marvel Super Hero RPG and Icons/Icons: Assembled (also used briefly in V&V, Champions 4e, and DC Heroes and written up in both Marvel Heroic and DC Universe to help me learn character generation for those systems). The character is a reality "magician" whose actions in a campaign predates Franklin Richards's actions in response to Onslaught that led to Heroes Reborn by more than a decade. He has a few minor related powers to his reality "magic" and two additional powers that can make him very powerful against a specific type of opponent. I'd keep my identity secret. However, I would use my power for good. Examples
1. Murderers, child abusers, violent offenders etc. would simultaneuosly find themselves with a warning to turn themselves in within a certain amount of time or face consequences
2. World leaders and politicians that had abused their power for their own benefit or that of family would receive warnings to either confess and step down to face consequence or face the consequences
3. World leaders and politicians would receive warnings to enact policies that ensure fair, equal and humane treatment regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion (except in the practice of discrimination, the sacrifice of living creatures, etc.) rather than favoring a specific group.
4. World leaders would be warned to work out fair peace plans and other treaties to address serious issues
5. Then, I would address climate change.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

That is a good point, but this is something that may or may not be that much of a problem depending on where you are, and how "paperless"* you can be. Though in same places it will be extremely difficult. For example here in Sweden we have a thing called Personnummer** (equivalent to the US social security number), and that is used for example whenever you have to deal with the authorities in one way or the other, and it will be used when you get a job, as the employer has to pay taxes and social fees for employing you, and you need a bank-account.

* Refering to documents that support your identity. May or may not be in physical form.

** supposed to be unique, but due to a bad design in only using 2 digits for birth-year, you do end up now and again with 106 year olds being called to school. These are also gendered, and can be changed after you have completed a sex-change. The format is YYMMDD-NNNN, where the 3rd N reflects wether male or female, and the 4rth is a checksum-digit. The Dash changes to a + when you are 100 years old. Older systems often omitt it (most people are not aware that it has a meaning), and newer ones skip the dash but use 4 digits for year instead.

Consider the scenario, Fred Johnson transforms into Gladys Firehair: Fred, Now Gladys is going to have to establish an identity for herself. Fred Johnson is no good to present to the world. If Fred as Gladys walks away with a small amount of cash then Gladys is likely free and clear but if Gladys tries to take significant cash withdrawals or convert other assets (like stock and shares) to cash, these (out of character) transactions will be notified to the tax authorities. Nothing will immediately will happen but at some point some one will realise that they have not seen Fred in some time and come check up on him.
At this point to the authorities are going to be called in and if they spot that Fred cashed in all his fungible assets and transferred them to someone they are going to be very interested and looking to have a conversation with new identity.

I am not saying it is utterly impossible but I think it is beyond the resources and knowledge of the average gamer, especially if you have 48 hours to pull it off before cousin Vinny comes to visit.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Consider the scenario, Fred Johnson transforms into Gladys Firehair: Fred, Now Gladys is going to have to establish an identity for herself. Fred Johnson is no good to present to the world. If Fred as Gladys walks away with a small amount of cash then Gladys is likely free and clear but if Gladys tries to take significant cash withdrawals or convert other assets (like stock and shares) to cash, these (out of character) transactions will be notified to the tax authorities. Nothing will immediately will happen but at some point some one will realise that they have not seen Fred in some time and come check up on him.
At this point to the authorities are going to be called in and if they spot that Fred cashed in all his fungible assets and transferred them to someone they are going to be very interested and looking to have a conversation with new identity.

I am not saying it is utterly impossible but I think it is beyond the resources and knowledge of the average gamer, especially if you have 48 hours to pull it off before cousin Vinny comes to visit.

True, but if you look human, and happen to be in a place where you don't need an id or a social security number to get a job, I think you would be able to get by for a while with many temporary low-skilled jobs, and then only use cash. But it depends. You would probaly have to be prepared to take a bus to another town, and stay in cheap motels etc for a while.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

First, I feel that the polling question is...too open.

Second, because of the First thing, I'd be any number of my MSHAS super hero/heroine characters. A couple come to mind: Megalomanic (think Iron Man...but about as tough as Thor), or Lead (a tall beefy, buxom blond woman with vast control over material density...including her own body, hence her name), or maybe I'd go with Dr. Speed (a speedster). Hmmm...I wish I had my binder of about 100 super heroes I made over the decades, but it got destroyed in a 'minor' water-pipe-breaking flood a few years ago.

Third, taking Super Heroes off the table... I'd choose either Prince Pholtius, Protector of the Faith, Chevalier/Pathfinder of Pholtus, Heir to the County of Sunndi. He's a 1e Psionically endowed half-elf Paladin/Ranger. ...OR... Illundria, a BECMI Magic-User woman who is tall, beautiful and with an 18 Strength and 17 Intelligence (yes, I have a thing for tall, strong, smart women...sue me...).

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Voadam]

If I had my Vampire the Masquerade Malkavian's starting powers I think I would get lost in using the eyes of chaos dementation power to pull meaning out of random tiny details of interaction. So reading the newspaper about political events and talking to people I would quickly dive into seeing deeper issues beneath the surface.

It might make me as much of a conspiracy nut oracle as my character.

The obfuscate moving without being seen power would be great, but I don't see it coming up much. And with still showing up on video and cameras it is not a traceless invisibility.

It is a good combo for an investigative journalist type of role.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

It'd be as one of 3 supers characters.

In the old FASERIP Marvel game I played Minos, the Olympian Pinhead. Super strong and tough. Thick as a brick. He would never think of being under the radar; he likes attention and celebrity. All the better to meet more beautiful ladies and gentlemen.

The other 2 are Champions characters.

Darkstar, whose body is infused with darkforce. Makes him hard to hurt, can blend with shadows, fire blasts of force, fly, and create force constructs. In game he was a lawyer and continued to work as such. Not a lover of the limelight (and in fact takes damage from being in the sun) I'd have to make some significant changes to my work and lifestyle. Alas his powers are suited to superhero combat and wouldn't really achieve much outside of that, very specific, field of endeavour.

Lastly Knight Rider. No, no talking car. She's actually based on the Knight Sabres manga/anime. Has a suit of light power armour (ideal for scouting and infiltration) that can combine with her hi-tech flying motorcycle to make a heavy combat form. A bit more versatile than the other two but still the power she would get the most use out of in the real world is international travel - her bike can fly very fast.

 

[Tonguez]

I become Kinematic, a theoretical physicist attempting to harness the infinite power of zero-point energy.
But when his laboratory is destroyed by evil doers, his body absorbs the Kinematic explosion transforming him into a being of pure force, a standing wave of Kinematic Energy, gliding at hyperkinetic speed, generating displacement fields and concussive vibration.

The other one is Stonewall - an Urban Elemental (literally a spirit in a stonewall) who, provided he stays in contact with a solid silica base (concrete, glass, asphalt), can merge with entire buildings (including the pavement/road) and manifest body parts from any part of it.

I would be a bit more circumspect as Orbril the Gnome, since he's a bit to small to defend himself, but he is an alchemist and could maybe rise to fame as a sage and rhapsodist.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Scenario: You wake up one morning and you have the starting level abilities of your favourite TTRPG character. This includes relevant biological changes as well, so if your fav character is a Wood Elf Ranger, you wake up as a wood elf. It’s the real world, so most people will remain as they are, but there will be other gamers that also awake with powers. Assume you can find a reasonable substitute for esoteric character options like spellbooks.

Rules: Any system is permitted but it must be the character you enjoyed playing (or thinking about if you haven’t had a chance to play) the most. No choosing the system you think would be most advantageous! (i.e. Mutants & Masterminds because the starting power level is inherently higher than D&D) There are sort of two polls here, how open/secret you would be, and how selfish/helpful you would be. Vote in each one as seems appropriate!

What do you do? Do you proclaim yourself to the world? Make a play for YouTube stardom? Do you hide out? Conceal your powers? Try to grow stronger secretly? What impact does the system you’re a part of play in your choices?

Do you use your powers selfishly or do you try to aid your fellow beings?

Feel free to share what you would wake up as in the comments, and discuss your choice and reasoning below! This is as much or more a discussion than a poll.

Hard to choose one, honestly.

Dresden: not sure how to interpret starting level here, because we started at level 3, but he is a rogue/wizard. He’s very fast compared to other people, insanely good with a sword, able to throw up magical armor/shield, and has a arcane HUD that allows him to better see the tactical geometry of the field, combined with very high acrobatics and athletics, and the ability to talk to small beasts and cast minor illusion. He also has the leave 1 UA spellHealing Elixor, and Shield, Mage Armor, Absorb Elements, training in alchemy and tinker tools with specific knowledge of making a revolver crossbow that kicks ass, and how to make more concentrated acid and alchemists fire.

Id have a lot of fun.

Oh! And Find Familair Nd the knowledge to make a collar that lets him make a canine that wears it into his familiar. Fred gets to live as long as I do. And sometimes be a bird.

 

[Eltab]

4e Star'Lock who became a merchant scout when he was not out adventuring. Max CHR, so much better with people than IRL me. Powers based on astronomy / astrology not the Far Realm. Probably learn criminal investigation so I can be like the old The Equalizer TV show.

Gamma World character. Heightened CON (the max) and Unbreakable Bones to become almost physically indestructible. Mindflayer-like cone of Stun. Original version created under vol1 rules and updated through many more. Some home research persuaded me to change him from a Mutated Human into a Mutated Chipmunk (because Cheekpouches of Holding). With that change of course I have to lie very low or i would get to star in the updated revision of an old childrens' book They Should Put Me In The Zoo.