Take normal mundane things. Find interesting uses for them. Here are some ideas: Power of shadows? Not just to step into the shadow or stitch the shadow, but to use the shadows themselves. It would be a freaky psychological tool in and combat. Power of diamonds (girl's best friend hardest substance on our planet, yep there needs to be a power for that other than a suit of armor for diamond-lady from x-men) Power of grass! Those rashes are annoying and think about the comedic relief not to mention you can hide all kinds of things in grass! Power of ash? This one has interesting possibilities. If you want to veer away from the traditional fire elemental. I mean, in the right setting, think camp fires, fireplaces, or if your village is located at the base of a volcano, ash can scorch or it have poison in it. It can kill if compacted but has amazing uses as a holistic remedy. Power of spider silk? Go a different route than Spidey. Did you know that if you had enough spider silk it could catch a jet and Spidey uses it to Tarzan through the city....
I remember talking to a friend who used to play Dungeons and Dragons. She played a very very minor character, and was given the freedom to design a 'power' for this character. She decided that her character could make anybody who attacked her suddenly decide they desperately needed the toilet ...and would break off the attack to go take a piss. Effective, at least in the short term. (It also got my friend thrown out of her D&D group for not taking the game seriously enough, but never mind....)
The power to make any object light enough to lift with your hand, but only while holding your breath!
Not exactly superpowers, but super-senses. Someone who can shift their optical spectrum down into the infra-red (snakes) and up into the ultraviolet (insects) Someone who can zoom in on distant objects (raptors have phenomenal long distance vision) Someone whose focal point is more a focal horizontal line (the big cats) Someone who can sense and selectively view using polarised light (insects and some birds) All the above are evolutionary adaptations that, if applied to a GM human, could form the basis of an interesting story.
I have this character who knows a great deal of people in town and uses wording, body language, dialect, and more that makes everybody like him.
You should look into the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. A lot of original powers came from that series. Everyone from Xanth has a "talent" even inanimate objects at times. The first book focuses on Bink who everyone considers a mundane (without a talent), but in actuality his talent hides through coincidence to not be discovered. His talent protects him from magic, but not non-magical means. Whenever he is about to be discovered something happens as a distraction. He teams up with someone who's talent is opposite mental/physical attributes. During the month, Chameleon, goes through three changes; incredibly beautiful and stupid, average looks and smarts, incredibly ugly and brilliant. Certain talents are designated strong enough to be Magician or Sorceress class. Examples (Magicians): Dor - the talent to make any inanimate object talk. Follows commands and answers any questions. Ida - the talent of ideas. Any idea she believes any comes true, however the idea has to come from someone who does not know of her talent (crazy powerful with some careful manipulation). Ivy - the talent to enhance whatever quality in whatever person or thing she perceives. She thinks you're attractive? You become beautiful. She thinks you're smart? Einstein. She thinks a dagger is sharp? Can cut steel. Great power, but can be a disadvantage. If she's afraid of something it'd just get scarier. Kadence - the talent to align anything to the cadence she sets. You're thinking music or speed, right? Think movement and time. She can slow or speed things up. Murphy - the talent to make everything that can go wrong go wrong. Hard to plan against that. Lot more, but you get the idea.
Excellent help everyone, and a big thank you to all. It seems that every thread I post attracts a big crowd. (Maybe I should be a public speaker? )
Comb through these for inspiration (tell me that they aren't the most original superpowers you've ever seen). You could also read Worm itself, which is definitely worth the time.
For me, super hero stories overlook the REAL super power the people have. 1) Finding petty crime (how do they find these crimes?) 2) No care for their own life (when you become more important fear of death increases not decreases) 3) Always financially stable (they gotta build x thing or know y political figure, and boom they know them and can get their attention) 4) Super persuasion (you literally can't persuade people with the statements heros make, but they do) 5) Never accountable for attacking, assaulting, tresspassing, and other crimes I really LOVED nightcrawler (the movie) because it was realistic regarding the above 1) He was scanning and could only get there AFTER the crime, initially, then by being unscrupulous he manipulates events to be there at the time 2) He uses other people to do dangerous things, police officers, his sidekick 3) He isn't financially stable, he is fighting to get more 4) He can't persuade people so he blackmails and holds things over them 5) Tresspasser, criminal... absolutely on the wrong side In real life, those are pretty much facts 1) If you know where crimes are (which are spontaneous) no way you can get there 2) Killing you is EASY if you jump into situations ill-prepared (increased times dealing with petty crimes its likely you make a mistake) 3) Work is gonna bring you down 4) You aren't going to persuade people, so what, you are gonna make them enemies? 5) You definately break laws pursuing people The closest you will get is 1) Police are slow to respond, hero is fast and lives close in the bad part of town 2) Utilises a network of small first responders and lookouts 3) Maybe he's got a gofundme, that illegally gets laundered somehow to avoid the cops 4) He has a street popular view and something that gives him credibility 5) He has an unkle who runs the corrupt department, or he bribes said guy And thats not hero, thats street law. Know what I mean? Thats faster than webslinging in, or doing a batman paraglide (you know how slow paragliders land, lol) I'd do something like nightcrawler, but grittier. Have the guys motive be DIRTY which is why he overlooks his crimes and some crimes he can't get to in time or has to watch in order to gain advantage over the criminal organisation. Like his sister was forced to marry x-crime boss but he doesn't know who. Maybe he is a little deranged, has mild delusions, or uses drugs to overcome certain fears (gets testosterne and adrenaline from sellers), which causes him to rush in and save some people. He generally stalks criminals and gets familiar with them, like a creeper. Maybe he thinks he is trash, and he's just trying to save people who aren't. Have him be investigated by and tried and convicted by cops, but have him be like a rat, underground, learns to clean up crime scenes. I mean super heroes aren't real, I mean, its pretty propoganda. I think you could make such a detestable figure heroic btw. Why? Cuz I think a lot of people are willing to overlook the means, so long as there is plausible deniability and enough of an emotional charge behind the percieved benefit.
How about Snotman? He's most powerful when he's got a cold, but having a cold also makes him tired, etc. just like anyone else. To enhance his powers on-demand, he searches out things he's allergic to and keeps them in a utility belt. When in a tight spot, he reaches for the pollen... snort! Boom! He's got extra snot power. When in his secret identity role, he pretends that when he was a small child, his father 'got' his nose, never gave it back, and since took it to his grave. He wears a fake metal nose-cover thingie to disguise the fact that he does, indeed, still have a nose. Hmmm... I'm beginning to like this. Maybe I'll just keep it for myself.
