Power Creep

[Kureous]

I'm getting to a point in my story where I'll have to start worrying about power creep sneaking in and ruining everything. Any tips?

 

[JayMark]

1. Don't rely exclusively on power fantasy to drive your story.
2. Plan your power scaling as part of your outline so you have a rough idea of how much power characters should gain over time and it scales the way you want it to.
3. If it helps, keep a number system in your story files but don't bother the reader with it too much unless it's something they want. Litrpg.
4. Read Invisible Dragon for an example of proper power scaling.

 

[SirContro]

Not really. This is the kind of thing you're supposed to plan for at the start of your story. Setting a power ceiling so that the strength of early strong characters doesn't seem out of place once you get to later story, and from the sounds of it, you've already failed.

Your early characters are going to get power crept, no matter what you try to do to mitigate it, either by retroactively providing reasons as to why your early characters were so weak or by creating a new power system altogether.

The best you can do if you still want to progress your MC's strength is to be conscious of this going forward and set a growth ceiling for your MC, making sure important characters currently overwhelmingly stronger than the MC are around this level.

 

[Corty]

Introduce a hard cap. And/or maybe a mastery system.

You could make it so that to introduce stronger enemies later on, they are people who have already mastered their skill sets and started doing prestige runs. Then you could even add unique variables, like a random skill bonus for prestigeing certain skills based on even character abilities or personality.

You don't need to constantly raise the mountain, but make it into a mountain range. Start expanding horizontally. That is my best advice.

 

[JayMark]

Introduce a hard cap. And/or maybe a mastery system.

You could make it so that to introduce stronger enemies later on, they are people who have already mastered their skill sets and started doing prestige runs. Then you could even add unique variables, like a random skill bonus for prestigeing certain skills based on even character abilities or personality.

You don't need to constantly raise the mountain, but make it into a mountain range. Start expanding horizontally. That is my best advice.

It's a good wisdom.

 

[RepresentingDesire]

Don't make power look like a simple scale, power is defined as the ability to do something. Let's say until now your protagonist had only enemies that had the power to wield the sword to different extents, you could try adding an enemy that is a good manipulator and archives to create friction between the protagonist and friends. The remedy I present is having conflicts that can't be solved like most conflicts before, the less simple your power system is the more easy it becomes to due so, because power creep is created if there is only one solution to all conflicts so there is only one way to create a bigger conflict.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

I'm getting to a point in my story where I'll have to start worrying about power creep sneaking in and ruining everything. Any tips?

Time to expand the world and the power system.

Time to reflect on why exactly power creep happens in your story. What is the reason strong people suddenly comes here ?

 

[Bald-san]

I'm getting to a point in my story where I'll have to start worrying about power creep sneaking in and ruining everything. Any tips?

What I did here is that I made a vague ceiling in my story 'Normal strong people ' 'Hero Prospects' 'Heroes' 'Calamities' 'Prophets', this is so that I won't need that much time to plan out how to introduce individuals of each level, though there's the setback of being misunderstood as an on the spot idea, at least I don't need to eternally glaze someone until he/she became an enemy

 

[LilythGeist]

My solution to Power Creep is simple. Survivability doesn't increase nearly at the same pace as lethality. Translation: 12.77mm to the head is equally lethal no matter the level. So are other major wounds.

 

[A_veil_of_red_ink]

Maybe you should give a bigggg setback to your power like with Nen (from Hunter × Hunter). The power system is complex, but there is a concept in every power or type of Nen: that power isn't a gift; everything has a cost. If your character is using a technique or power that is overpowered, like time-stop or regeneration, make it like time-stop for 5 minutes, and then if someone exceeds that time, he will get his head exploded or something, and with regeneration, you can just make the experience like a limb cut, but when it regenerates, it will give excruciating pain. With that, your character will dodge attacks and not throw himself into battle like a madman.

 

[Jerynboe]

Counterplay is also a thing to keep in mind. Elemental weaknesses/resistances is a thing, but tends to be a little simplistic.

Figure out what exactly your characters do that make them most effective, and assume that other characters that know about them will come up with counters.

If they rely on super speed, maybe have people that create tripwires or something that makes the speed riskier to use.

If they shoot lightning, let smart enemies make lightning rods.

If they are invulnerable, focus on slowing them down and disabling them.

This can be taken too far, if your MC is getting hard countered in every conflict, but soft counters that can be overcome with some effort and adjustment can make a fight more interesting, reduces the need to boost overall power levels with every fight, and allows you to make weaker enemies, possibly even returning enemies, threats even if they are still at an earlier power level.

 

[CheertheSecond]

I'm getting to a point in my story where I'll have to start worrying about power creep sneaking in and ruining everything. Any tips?

Don't go dragon ball route. Do not try to make speed the justification for every win. Same for magic power. Everything must have a drawback.

 

[LilythGeist]

Don't go dragon ball route. Do not try to make speed the justification for every win. Same for magic power. Everything must have a drawback.

I like to make reality ensues-grade complications. A recent fight I wrote involves the MC casting a basic lightning spell through an Air Arcana-boosted combat knife in order to electrocute a giant monster. She ends up expending all of her mana, her hands melt due to how hot the knife becomes and the monster catches on fire, causing her third-degree burns all over her body.
*sips tea*

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Focus on story and characters and don't sweat the power creep. Charmed had four seasons of insane power creep (especially after Shannen Doherty left/was ousted) but people kept coming back for the characters (sure, being played by hot actresses and actors helped but that alone did not carry it).

 

[BearlyAlive]

Switch from force to finese or otherwise. Ifyour character won by having the bigger stick let them learn to wield the stick, if they were firced to outsmart their enemies all the time make them learn brute force. A nice addition to this method is that the characters skill set gets defined and refined that way as well.

 

[Zagaroth]

My solution was to A) soft-cap advancement. You will reach a point where you can't progress quickly, no matter how good you are. B) I knew the power the main antagonist was going to have as soon as I figured out who he was (I am primarily a Panster), and I knew all power progression had to be kept under that cap.

One of my methods of keeping the power down has been side-grade advancement. Basically, people can split their focus/path into two compatible paths. This allows more flexibility, such as a warrior-monk who is also now a priestess. The religious training was already there, she's following the same goddess, but instead of focusing on just herself and following the ideals of her goddess, she's now helping others pursue their passions. This has slowed down her martial/chi improvements, but she can now heal via prayer and give other blessings.

This is also part of her character development.

She'd be stronger, faster, tougher, and maybe able to do more things with her chi if she had remained focused on just her martial arts, but rounding her out was better for her story wise and makes it easier to keep her power within bounds.

 

[Ai-chan]

Don't worry, just create a new realm and advance forward. Have characters that can blow up a city? Push harder. Make characters that scoff at your character's ability to blow up a city. Why? Because they can blow up a continent. Tired of blowing up a continent? Give them the ability to blow up the moon. Already blown up the moon? Blow up gods. Gods already blown? Make your character able to travel a million li in one jump and let him blow up the whole planet. Being able to blow up a whole planet is getting boring? Make him able to blow up a planet and remake it into a pink lollipop, stick and all.

The possibilities are endless.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

What kind of character is a power creep?
Is it one of those stories where there is a creep who is powerful? Like she is a creepy yandere who stalks the main character or something?

 

[melchi]

The problem is not power creep itself I think. It is that it changes the story. Going from an underdog to demigod can be a good outline.

The problem is what happens after.

Generally I consider the story over when the MC can defeat the baddie easily.

Because after that it is an OP protagonist story. There is only one way to mess up that kind of story and that is to have it combat focused. Which too many people do

 

[Deleted member 166465]

Be creepier than the creep.