[Serenity RPG] River Tam's Power Levels

[Committed Hero]

She's pretty much a perfect Macguffin.

 

[Zibik]

I dont remember where I stumbled upon it, but I was under the impression from some resource that River was the Firefly Universe's Slayer (just without the monologs). I do actually like the idea of her being more of a plot point, though.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I dont remember where I stumbled upon it, but I was under the impression from some resource that River was the Firefly Universe's Slayer (just without the monologs). I do actually like the idea of her being more of a plot point, though.

It's only a "Slayer" in the sense of being a extraordinary powerful female character, which is a concept Whedon enjoys using. But Her mental illness (nor her psychic abilities) does not fit the Slayer archetype as we know her from the Buffyverse (though there was a mad slayer in Angel, it's not the archetype). Buffy (and any other slayer) had her power all the time, and why she might sometimes be a bit "crippled" with teen angst and personal problems, she could always kick ass. River lacks this amount of control about her actions, making her definitely more a living and breathing McGuffin or plot point.