Weak but skilled

[Cortavar]

Hi everyone!

I've got this story idea macerating in my head about a group of superheroes who've all got the short stick in terms of raw power, but who compensate for it with training and creativity.

I've got some ideas for my characters, but I would need a few more of them. Could you help me fill up the ranks with ideas of powers that, while weak, can become awesome when used with a lot of skill, imagination or the right mundane equipment?

Exemple: a teleporter limited to a few dozen grams (let's say 125g) of inert matter in a short range (less than 10 meters), uses micro-drones for reconnaissance and high explosives for combat.

(Not sure if it's the right section, feel free to move that post someplace appropriate)

 

[RepresentingPride]

I've made a character whose power are related to sound, she can move her body through soundwave and with her affinity toward the element of wind and water she use them to carry those soundwave in larger area, making her able to travel distant instantlty and quickly.
Maybe you can make one like that and have some friend/teammate/tool related to wind/water to enhance the said power.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

I've made a character whose power are related to sound, she can move her body through soundwave and with her affinity toward the element of wind and water she use them to carry those soundwave in larger area, making her able to travel distant instantlty and quickly.
Maybe you can make one like that and have some friend/teammate/tool related to wind/water to enhance the said power.

That’s incredibly powerful.

 

[RepresentingPride]

That’s incredibly powerful.

Depend how it's used it may be

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Depend how it's used it may be

Yeah, but that applies to all powers.
More specifically to the power you just mentioned, it is incredibly powerful unless you are a genuine idiot or some other negative trait of yours is turned up to 11.
She is incredibly powerful regardless of her use of it. It’s not a weak power that requires terribly much or a stroke of genius to make it useful. It has immediate, obvious implications.

 

[RepresentingPride]

Yeah, but that applies to all powers.
More specifically to the power you just mentioned, it is incredibly powerful unless you are a genuine idiot or some other negative trait of yours is turned up to 11.
She is incredibly powerful regardless of her use of it. It’s not a weak power that requires terribly much or a stroke of genius to make it useful. It has immediate, obvious implications.

Yes unless you limit it by the soundwave she create then if you don't give her something to enhance it, she can just go as far as her voice reach, some enemies can remove air from an area and no sound will pass inside making her power useless.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

The power to manipulate and freeze a cup of water. To use it again it needs to be undone. It can be made to be precision incapacitation of other's limbs. Tear down buildings with some architectural knowledge.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Yes unless you limit it by the soundwave she create then if you don't give her something to enhance it, she can just go as far as her voice reach, some enemies can remove air from an area and no sound will pass inside making her power useless.

It’s still powerful though… just because it is checked by op enemies, does not mean that it is not powerful in its own. The possibility for ambushes, devastating fighting attacks, etc are still incredibly obvious. And the limitation still barely does anything. The sound-based devices that can boost her power levels are absolutely obscene in number and diversity.
As to the example you mentioned, if an enemy removed the air around her, most people, unless ridiculously op like this enemy, will promptly die. She’s screwed and that’s not her power’s fault. Vacuums are deadly to humanity, not just due to suffocation, but because they will freeze, burn, and expand to death.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a great power.

 

[Cortavar]

I've made a character whose power are related to sound, she can move her body through soundwave and with her affinity toward the element of wind and water she use them to carry those soundwave in larger area, making her able to travel distant instantlty and quickly.
Maybe you can make one like that and have some friend/teammate/tool related to wind/water to enhance the said power.

I'll keep your character in mind for an antagonist or an established super. Yes, they're very cool, but a bit too powerful for my group.

The power to manipulate and freeze a cup of water. To use it again it needs to be undone. It can be made to be precision incapacitation of other's limbs. Tear down buildings with some architectural knowledge.

Thanks! That's the kind of power I'm looking for!

 

[RepresentingPride]

It’s still powerful though… just because it is checked by op enemies, does not mean that it is not powerful in its own. The possibility for ambushes, devastating fighting attacks, etc are still incredibly obvious. And the limitation still barely does anything. The sound-based devices that can boost her power levels are absolutely obscene in number and diversity.
As to the example you mentioned, if an enemy removed the air around her, most people, unless ridiculously op like this enemy, will promptly die. She’s screwed and that’s not her power’s fault. Vacuums are deadly to humanity, not just due to suffocation, but because they will freeze, burn, and expand to death.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a great power.

I know that it's powerfull but in the case you make limit to it, it can become balanced, like the energy it cost, the concentration it take to be able to move through these soundwave like for exemple Nightingale power from release that witch, when she use her power she is in a "mist" where she have to move in but be cautious of some "lines" that can kill her when she move through it.

Also I remember a story (kinda what you want to write @Cortavar ) where abilities are classified and the "trash" one become powerfull due to there use of them. I, Who Possessed a Trash Skill 【Thermal Operator】, Became Unrivaled.

 

[Cortavar]

I know that it's powerfull but in the case you make limit to it, it can become balanced, like the energy it cost, the concentration it take to be able to move through these soundwave like for exemple Nightingale power from release that witch, when she use her power she is in a "mist" where she have to move in but be cautious of some "lines" that can kill her when she move through it.

Also I remember a story (kinda what you want to write @Cortavar ) where abilities are classified and the "trash" one become powerfull due to there use of them. I, Who Possessed a Trash Skill 【Thermal Operator】, Became Unrivaled.

Thanks, I'm going to check it out!

 

[HungrySheep]

One of them has the ability to eat and digest cheese immediately. Another has the ability to turn anything they touch into cheese so long as they maintain physical contact for a lengthy period of time.

?

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

I know that it's powerfull but in the case you make limit to it, it can become balanced, like the energy it cost, the concentration it take to be able to move through these soundwave like for exemple Nightingale power from release that witch, when she use her power she is in a "mist" where she have to move in but be cautious of some "lines" that can kill her when she move through it.

Also I remember a story (kinda what you want to write @Cortavar ) where abilities are classified and the "trash" one become powerfull due to there use of them. I, Who Possessed a Trash Skill 【Thermal Operator】, Became Unrivaled.

Yes… but! You should put these limitations in when you give the power, otherwise you are just giving a strong power that becomes weaker by adding limitations, not an example of a low power that becomes strong.

 

[RepresentingPride]

Yes… but! You should put these limitations in when you give the power, otherwise you are just giving a strong power that becomes weaker by adding limitations, not an example of a low power that becomes strong.

But! I just explain how my character work, Cortavar can make the limitation right at the beginning, but it seem it will be taken to make an antagonist.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

But! I just explain how my character work, Cortavar can make the limitation right at the beginning, but it seem it will be taken to make an antagonist.

You just explained how your character works, but only after I interrogated and pointed all of the incredible capabilities. You fit the prompt only after I made a few pointed criticisms.

 

[RepresentingPride]

You just explained how your character works, but only after I interrogated and pointed all of the incredible capabilities. You fit the prompt only after I made a few pointed criticisms.

 

[Temple]

Exemple: a teleporter limited to a few dozen grams (let's say 125g) of inert matter in a short range (less than 10 meters), uses micro-drones for reconnaissance and high explosives for combat.

Just teleport a ping pong ball straight into an opponent's brain. Instant win.

The challenge with going for something like this is you're inviting the readers to think. So, you've got to be very smart and plug all the holes when plotting because your story will fall if readers spot something that the character should've done, but didn't. Compare this to OP MC. No one cares about plot holes for OP MC stories because that's not their point. Webnovels usually don't ask readers to think.

The selling point for your intended story is being smart, so you should be damn smart for this. I'm not smart enough to give suggestions for powers, lol. Yeah, I can give useless powers, but useless powers that become useful if skilled is very hard since it's more likely to come out as assuming the reader is "dumb" and you've figured out something they didn't, instead of what you were actually going for.

But I can give you a suggestion on how to work this out. Do it backward. Have a plot first, and then think of a useless power relevant to the plot that you setup beforehand. Let's say your climax is a fight at a luxury hotel or something where the rich bad guy has a party. So, a stupid power for that would be something like I can inflate any food I cook to triple in size. Let's go about this backward

- Start the fight after the buffet, inflating the stomachs of people and making them vomit or worse, and win (end)
- MC joins as a line cook in the hotel where bad guy is having a party.
- Shenanigans how he'll apply at the hotel
- Maybe he doesn't know how to cook, insert meeting a new teammate who could teach him
- formulate plan for revenge
- The bad guy kills the poor people MC feeds in a shootout with a rival gang.
- He uses his powers to help feed the poor. They value him more than the famous heroes.
- MC is laughed at for his sucky powers.

Read this from the bottom upwards, and you've got a basic setup. Anyway, I'm just illustrating the insane challenge you're taking on for yourself. And I'm procrastinating from my own writing, so I'm helping out on how to go about your plan. Otherwise, you'll just receive either truly useless suggestions. Or suggestions that are actually OP when the reader is invited to think.

 

[Gryphon]

I've made a character whose power are related to sound, she can move her body through soundwave and with her affinity toward the element of wind and water she use them to carry those soundwave in larger area, making her able to travel distant instantlty and quickly.
Maybe you can make one like that and have some friend/teammate/tool related to wind/water to enhance the said power.

Question: since sound travels faster through solids than it does gas and water, does that mean she can travel through walls, and not only that, but at speeds faster than if by air or water?

 

[Deleted member 84247]

The power to become one with a shadow for 20 seconds. You can't move, so you can only really use it to hide. Also doesn't work at night time.

 

[RepresentingPride]

Question: since sound travels faster through solids than it does gas and water, does that mean she can travel through walls, and not only that, but at speeds faster than if by air or water?

If there nothing "magic" that refrain it in the said wall, then yes. (I make her kinda broken with just some small limitation, it's just her ability cost a lot of energy and concentration to move through soundwave)

The power to become one with a shadow for 20 seconds. You can't move, so you can only really use it to hide. Also doesn't work at night time.

Remind me of the hiding skill from ragnarok online