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What Would this Be?

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legendary.lost.ninja
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29 Jan 2025 13:32 #4044 by legendary.lost.ninja

What Would this Be? was created by legendary.lost.ninja

I have a character I am working on who has the ability to see connections between people, some of which she can cut/break with a variety of outcomes.
So she can see all of the personal connections you have formed, so that between you and your family, friends, etc. But also contracts (including just buying stuff) between you and whoever you have contracted by or too. She can touch (meta physically) the thread linking you with the other person and see/sense/feel who there are (she only knows more if she also knows them). She can also sense magic, psi, etc bonds, including things like curses.
Some of the threads she can cut/break and depending on where she breaks them will depend on what happens between the two people connected by the thread.
But she could for instance cut the thread binding a demon/familiar/spirit/etc to a mage allowing the whatever to go free, or be sucked back into wherever it came from.
I'm kind of thinking it's a Psionic skill, but the fact that she can break mage/magical bonds, is it a mage ability that can also affect psionics bonds?

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cprime
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29 Jan 2025 16:41 #4045 by cprime

Replied by cprime on topic What Would this Be?

I'm not a member of TIN(2)CC, so my observations should be taken with a grain of salt. When attempting to characterize the skill package, it might help to look at some established characters with similar skills, such as the following:

I realize the character profiles are a bit on the sparse side, but they might help inform your development of the ability. To me, the ability to sense mundane bonds would fit into the empathic or psychometrist umbrella (both ESP subsets). The sensing of Psi bonds (see It's Good to be the Don ) would likely fit into the Clairvoyant or Telepathic framework, while the sensing of magical (or mythos) bonds would fit into the wizard skillset.

That said, my quick take on the skill package as described is that it's overpowered, potentially to Aunghadhail levels. Ace is able to obtain skills by psychometry, but this is a touch-based ability. Assay's reading of powers seems to have a similar limitation. Essemmelle's empathic branding has a temporal component (provided the brand doesn't achieve critical mass). Mindbird was able to see what the Don was attempting to do to Chaka only because she locked the thread, preventing the Don from withdrawing it.

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legendary.lost.ninja
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29 Jan 2025 19:46 - 29 Jan 2025 19:48 #4046 by legendary.lost.ninja

Replied by legendary.lost.ninja on topic What Would this Be?

It'd be WhatIF whatever, so I'm not worried about OPness.

She can't see powers or abilities, nor can she have any effect on them. She'd only know what a person on the other end of a thread had if she already had knowledge of that person.

She can only break contracts that are formed outside of human laws, I'd have said more like a Mangler, but without the randomness. She could for instance as mentioned sever a demon from a summoner, sever mind controller (of any kind but brainwashing) from a victim, an avatar from a spirit (though if the bond is mutual nothing would happen), or restless dead from a necromancer and I'm sure there are other examples. But she's breaking the bond with her ability not taking control of their ability. I was originally thinking of her as a mangler with no direct control over what she breaks or how she breaks them, but I rather like the fact that she can be a bit selective but over a much lower range.

She has no other abilities, functionally baseline otherwise.

And yeah it's WhatIF so I could tell it anyway I want, but I was just

Last edit: 29 Jan 2025 19:48 by legendary.lost.ninja. Reason: the editor lost parts of my reply... :/

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Rosalie Redd
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30 Jan 2025 01:46 - 30 Jan 2025 07:44 #4048 by Rosalie Redd

Replied by Rosalie Redd on topic What Would this Be?

It depends on WHAT the strands are. Are they psychic power? What is it? Is it something that could be defined as a mystical energy? or is it something quantified by physics and science? One thing I see as an outcome is that Something that powerful would most definitely garner the attention of the Tao, and certainly the force of balance would be obliged to send the handmaiden out to correct the situation.

Last edit: 30 Jan 2025 07:44 by Rosalie Redd. Reason: Or they would be a popsicle buried deep within ARC.

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30 Jan 2025 07:52 #4050 by Dan Formerly Domoviye

Replied by Dan Formerly Domoviye on topic What Would this Be?

Wakanda can see connections between people and things. I've got it listed as an Esper ability.
And she will learn how to manipulate it a little (not easy). It's staying esper as it's purely psychic/empathic..

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legendary.lost.ninja
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04 Feb 2025 17:58 #4059 by legendary.lost.ninja

Replied by legendary.lost.ninja on topic What Would this Be?

The intention of the actual visible threads was that they are merely a representation of the underlying power, a GUI as it were. It's the underlying power I don't know how to define (as an actual mutant ability).

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Rosalie Redd
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05 Feb 2025 06:11 #4065 by Rosalie Redd

Replied by Rosalie Redd on topic What Would this Be?

Realizing that this is a what if, I'd still tone down the power level a bit. In canon, a power to sever bonds between people would likely get the Tao after you, or get you a nice freezer in ARC. Being such a dangerous power...

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legendary.lost.ninja
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05 Feb 2025 17:01 #4066 by legendary.lost.ninja

Replied by legendary.lost.ninja on topic What Would this Be?

Thanks all.

I've pretty much shelved this character idea, I want to do something similar eventually but it is a little too OP even for my tastes. It's one of those ideas that to get the function out I want it has to function along these lines, but with that it's too OP. I'd think it's probably a Class-X type power, if there were any good/neutral (at least to humans) GOO, then I'd imagine it'd be on that sort of level. :/

I might just reuse the character in one of my own setting if/when I get round to fleshing it (my setting) out a little more.

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Kristin Darken
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09 Feb 2025 09:19 #4075 by Kristin Darken

Replied by Kristin Darken on topic What Would this Be?

General note on this ... there is no one trait that would do this because the scope crosses some lines that we really do try to keep separate... that being the psi / magic / spirit aspects. Any one of these can work in one or both of the other types of energy... but not inherently or efficiently. That said, there's nothing stopping you from having multiple traits within a theme.

To add to the list of other characters that touch on similar things? The Gen2 timeframe Esoteric/Fubar pairing puts a powerful Psi in control of a realmwalker (Esoteric is more 'solid' and aware the further from the physical plane they travel).... while they use this primarily to build wards and defensive structures, it's possible for them to track magic psi and spirit attachments symbolically across the Astral and ethereal and manipulate, build or cut them. That's just not their nature/focus.

Kimmy, the Psi villainess from Baker's Dozen in the Fling arc, is a Telepath who is sensitive to secrets. They're access points into other minds for her and she can read (and manipulate) any part of the mind tied to a secret.

Neither one what you had in mind but sharing just to help inspire ways to go about it.

Fate guard you, and may the Light brighten your Way.

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