Expanding Horizons
Characters
Influence System
Influence is a broad term that isn't merely an indicator of power level but tries to encompass the ability of a character to direct the plot, perhaps via some combination of honed talents, accumulated wealth, access to equipment, magical acumen, or political pull. It attempts to be cognizant of the fact that a mere mortal in command of a powerful army can alter the destiny of whole worlds. Not everything will fit neatly into it, so don't worry about your character submission being perfect. It is meant to be an aid and a fuzzy indicator rather than a precise rule.
At the moment, we are
limiting player influence to
5 (
global). However, through roleplay, you'll be able to submit your character (with links to threads where you feel they have matured) for review and potentially have them amped up to the next sphere of influence. Note that this is entirely at the discretion of the staff handling the review and may take into account factors beyond your personal talent and ability.
Include this on your profile for:
- Your overall character
- Each item, ability, or other feature to which directly impacts the character's influence.
Low- 1 (self) – a person; not particularly special; no magic; mundane.
- 2 (local) – exceptionally talented in a particular area, such as gymnastics, sniping, persuasion, hacking, slight-of-hand, extra-sensory projection, sensing magic or minor cantrips, unusual luck. Power comes at a great cost, often draining large quantities of the practitioner's lifeforce.
Ex Sp: detect magic, stabilize, ghost noises, prestidigitation.
Ex Eq: assault rifle, flame thrower, sword and board.
- 3 (regional) – physically or cognitively augmented; able to cast weak spells, although not reliably; skills pushed beyond the limits of mere talent and practice; noteworthy in their field. Power is a dangerous thing to strive for, usually acquire by sacrificing personal autonomy or one's fate to the will of another. The weak who strive too far in their quest for might inevitably perish.
Ex Sp: phantom image, cure poison, cure light wounds, glitterdust, obscuring mist, levitation, telepathy.
Ex Eq: missile launcher, attack drone, exoskeleton, x-ray vision.
Medium- 4 (national) – prominent in their field as someone whose talents defy reason, this is where magic begins to manifest as something beyond mere illusion into something potentially dangerous, mental tasks are almost of a psychic nature, and the expense of technology elevates it beyond the reach of all but a few. Power is a dangerous and uncertain thing, and the more the wielder acquires the less reliable and more a burden it becomes.
Ex Sp: fireball, resuscitate, invisibility.
Ex Eq: light saber, interplanetary shuttle, brain upload/backup.
- 5 (global) – untouchable by the proletariat, yet still unworthy of worship; few challenge beings of this magnitude. They may have weapons or spells that can level towns and their intrigues shape governments to their will. Power is costly, but those who wield it choose the medium of exchange -- the clever ones to their benefit, those less so to their demise.
Ex Sp: telekinesis of large objects, energy blasts, temporary resurrection, supersonic speed.
Ex Eq: multiple city-destroying ICBMs; combat vessels such as spacecraft, borers, or mobile fortresses; cloning bays.
High- 6 (planetary) – this being may as well be a god to those lesser than it, such is its might and knowledge, but its influence is limited by time and space to a handful of worlds.
Ex Sp: true resurrection, meteor shower, tsunami, tornado, matter/energy absorption/manipulation.
Ex Eq: multiple planet-destroying IPBM (interplanetary ballistic missile), terraforming spaceship, colonization ship, fast-as-light travel.
- 7 (celestial)
Ex Eq: faster-than-light travel.
Ultimate- 9 (universal)
- 10 (multiversal)
