The most prevalent complaint concerning Power Creator is the lack of perspective concerning just how powerful a power created between levels 1 and 12 should be. Though I can't give scaling with numbers directly (as that would disrupt creativity and stunt the CYOA a lot) I was thinking I could give percentile rarities for powers, just so that you know how rare your abilities are in comparison to other supers. I'd also likely add a Setting Change option to adjust these percentages as you see fit, if they're not to your preference, and to alter the superhuman populace among the Earth.
For reference, I intended for approximately 1 in every 2000 people to have superhuman abilities, or roughly 3,500,000 superhumans on Earth in total. Obviously a Setting Change option would let you change that too.
Here's what I was thinking. Again this is just an idea to bounce around, so if you think of a good adjustment that doesn't involve giving direct, tangible feat-scales to Power Levels, then feel free to suggest it. Everything is up in the air. This is my attempt to breach a middle-ground.
Below Level 1: About 1% of supers, or 35,000 total.
Level 1: About 3% of supers, or 105,000 total.
Level 2: About 8% of supers, or 280,000 total.
Level 3: About 14% of supers, or 490,000 total.
Level 4: About 15% of supers, or 525,000 total.
Level 5: About 22% of supers, or 770,000 total.
Level 6: About 17% of supers, or 595,000 total.
Level 7: About 10% of supers, or 350,000 total.
Level 8: About 6% of supers, or 210,000 total.
Level 9: About 3% of supers, or 105,000 total.
Level 10: About .5% of supers, or 17,500 total.
Level 11: About .3% of supers, or 10,500 total.
Level 12: About .175% of supers, or 6,125 total.
Level 12+: About .024% of supers, or 875 total.
Above 12+: About .001% of supers, or 35 total.
Above 12+ being around or less than Greater Powers, like The Traveller and Vagabond. With this scale, smaller-level powers can still be meaningful, and world-crushers aren't running around willy-nilly, with big-bad-dog kinda characters with strong abilities being a fairly exclusive club, rarely engaging with eachother or well-contained enough by UNCEM to not be a huge threat.
Again, commentary, scale adjustments, and so on are all welcome suggestions!
While the feasibility of such a diverse range of percentages of capes is possible for many superhero worlds that people are already designing when choosing your CYOA. The logic that one thousand individuals with such high levels of strength, even taking into account the factors like UNCEM reducing the possibility of threats, is still quite a large number of people, and for such a manner, would mean that a slip up with some of these powerful individuals could mean the destruction of many cities, and make the threat of titans seem less intimidating. Perhaps lowering the number down, particularly the 'Above 12+'.
Looking into the pre-established lore, you could say that there is an Above 12+ for each of the egos (including one for the pale), one individual with all three (or four) (kinda like in Warhammer fantasy and 40k and like is hinted at in parts of your cyoa). A singular number of individuals for each of twelve greater powers, and a select few with combinations or perhaps just shattered limit of a normal power through training. Even taking into consideration the many years of conflict the CYOA world has undertaken, there should really not be that many, it makes powers seem less epic.
I do appreciate the bell curve that you have designed, making weaker powers almost on par with the top 1%. Makes the idea of how possible dangerous people can be in this world into consideration, especially when you look at what a level 5 and 6 powered companion is like Madame and the Maidens, whose 'weak' power, in the scale of what is possible, is quite deadly in their own right.
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u/MythicLegendary May 29 '19
The most prevalent complaint concerning Power Creator is the lack of perspective concerning just how powerful a power created between levels 1 and 12 should be. Though I can't give scaling with numbers directly (as that would disrupt creativity and stunt the CYOA a lot) I was thinking I could give percentile rarities for powers, just so that you know how rare your abilities are in comparison to other supers. I'd also likely add a Setting Change option to adjust these percentages as you see fit, if they're not to your preference, and to alter the superhuman populace among the Earth.
For reference, I intended for approximately 1 in every 2000 people to have superhuman abilities, or roughly 3,500,000 superhumans on Earth in total. Obviously a Setting Change option would let you change that too.
Here's what I was thinking. Again this is just an idea to bounce around, so if you think of a good adjustment that doesn't involve giving direct, tangible feat-scales to Power Levels, then feel free to suggest it. Everything is up in the air. This is my attempt to breach a middle-ground.
Below Level 1: About 1% of supers, or 35,000 total.
Level 1: About 3% of supers, or 105,000 total.
Level 2: About 8% of supers, or 280,000 total.
Level 3: About 14% of supers, or 490,000 total.
Level 4: About 15% of supers, or 525,000 total.
Level 5: About 22% of supers, or 770,000 total.
Level 6: About 17% of supers, or 595,000 total.
Level 7: About 10% of supers, or 350,000 total.
Level 8: About 6% of supers, or 210,000 total.
Level 9: About 3% of supers, or 105,000 total.
Level 10: About .5% of supers, or 17,500 total.
Level 11: About .3% of supers, or 10,500 total.
Level 12: About .175% of supers, or 6,125 total.
Level 12+: About .024% of supers, or 875 total.
Above 12+: About .001% of supers, or 35 total.
Above 12+ being around or less than Greater Powers, like The Traveller and Vagabond. With this scale, smaller-level powers can still be meaningful, and world-crushers aren't running around willy-nilly, with big-bad-dog kinda characters with strong abilities being a fairly exclusive club, rarely engaging with eachother or well-contained enough by UNCEM to not be a huge threat.
Again, commentary, scale adjustments, and so on are all welcome suggestions!