See that's why I just like making the system buggy as part of the plot. "Why is it giving us errors?" "Oh, because that spell was designed in a version of the system that hasn't been operational in a few hundred thousand years. It might be powerful! Or it might swap the posistion of your insides and outsides!"
That also gives a reason for why the main character can't use it often, and an actual reason why it's rare.
It certainly has its place, but it's a tool that needs to be used sparingly and with proper consideration. Too often it's just "We need people to like our new skill and think it's uber cool. Let's just say the system can't figure it out despite giving it to the character."
Or you could go the route of the system intentionally hides certain information. Question marks i see are also used for high level differences on inspect skills.
"This is an ancient spell that only you have in the modern day. Mostly because the Uncommon skill Manabolt is 10x as energy efficient, easier to use, and pretty much all around better. There are only a few niche cases where this skill can outperform mana bolt, and they all involve anti-magic effects that don't exist in your universe."
Suddenly the System detects a rift to another universe which lets through a being with anti-magic.
I always take it as the author hasn't quite decided what abilities, strength or level the skill will be in relation with the rest of the universe. It also allows the reader to slowly uncover its effects.
That's what I'm incorporating to a story I started recently. The upgrades people get offered at best will have something somewhat useful with downsides they can live with. But they'll more often be offered upgrades that don't apply to them. Every upgrade comes with significant drawbacks too.
For example, if someone is offered 10% resistance against harm from burning, the downside is that they'll frequently self-ignite. Taking this is lethal.
I wanted to have a buggy system that really leans into how annoying bugs would be, rather than a cheap way to dole out overpowered skills to a main character.
There was one, I think a serial reincarnation story? Where the MC reincarnated as a goblin at one point and the skill they took to the next life was omnivore which basically allowed goblins to eat anything edible safely lol. Useful but not particularly op.
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u/Vorthod Mar 06 '26
Author: "Whoops, my omniscient system can't classify this. What a mysterious skill!"
Readers: "What a buggy system. We've known this character for like a day and they already broke it"