soulcastJam Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 I've always wondered if all epics are gifters but just choose not to gift. I mean, what about being psychotic makes you want to give your powers to someone else? It just seems like we've got a lot of unwilling test subjects and so we can't prove a negative (like some of them can't gift). Do we even have any evidence other than David's word that there are epics that can't gift? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted August 11, 2014 Report Share Posted August 11, 2014 I don't think there's any textual evidence; just that most don't do it. To be fair, we haven't seen any textual evidence that more Epics can gift, or even ways they might do it. Then again, Prof's powers don't necessarily seem like they could be gifted, but they can be and are. So it seems plausible that more Epics can but don't because they've never tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer Posted August 12, 2014 Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 I won't go into personality and all that, it's kind of hard to determine if it has anything to do with primal inability to surrender any amount of power. Keep in mind, however, that from what David and Prof hint at throughout the book is that most high-ish level epics like to have mooks. The more the merrier. It seems highly unlikely that they wouldn't at least attempt to create super-mooks, in the name of having the best of the best as their servants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimmingly Posted August 12, 2014 Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 Unless it simply never occurred to them that powers could be gifted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 It does make one wonder how Prof and Conflux DISCOVERED that they could gift at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 It does make one wonder how Prof and Conflux DISCOVERED that they could gift at all? I always asumed that Epics insinctively knew the extend of their new powers, especially what their weaknesses are, otherwise some Epics would just randomly stumble into theirs in the worst possible moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 I always asumed that Epics insinctively knew the extend of their new powers, especially what their weaknesses are, otherwise some Epics would just randomly stumble into theirs in the worst possible moment. If so, that makes Fortuity... kind of a moron. I mean, his prime invincibility fails if he's in the presence of a woman he's attracted to. He then surrounds himself with women he's attracted to. I realize part of this is human nature, but on the other hand... that's a really poor decision on his part. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 (edited) If so, that makes Fortuity... kind of a moron. I mean, his prime invincibility fails if he's in the presence of a woman he's attracted to. He then surrounds himself with women he's attracted to. I realize part of this is human nature, but on the other hand... that's a really poor decision on his part. Yes it would. But on the other hand how could you not notice that your constant sixth sense is weakening? Maybe that´s where his beliefe comes from that using the entrails of woman (or something like that) helps him predict things. Until now, given that I like many assume that weaknesses are connected to the Epics past, I kind of guessed that picking up woman was so "integral" that he couldn´t stop it, even if he knew that it was his weakness. Edited August 16, 2014 by Edgedancer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 Interesting... I hadn't made the link between the extospicy and his powers getting sharper. I don't think it's made clear that it's specifically the entrails of women that he used, but one could argue that human entrails are enough of a turn-off to dull his powers anyway. I've wondered if Fortuity was one of those nervous men who desperately wanted a relationship with a particular woman, but was too wary about how she'd react if he asked her out. So he got the power to always know what's going to happen, but at the cost that attractive women became his weakness. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 Interesting... I hadn't made the link between the extospicy and his powers getting sharper. I don't think it's made clear that it's specifically the entrails of women that he used, but one could argue that human entrails are enough of a turn-off to dull his powers anyway. I've wondered if Fortuity was one of those nervous men who desperately wanted a relationship with a particular woman, but was too wary about how she'd react if he asked her out. So he got the power to always know what's going to happen, but at the cost that attractive women became his weakness. I for one would not date someone who did that. I'm sorry, but that is where I draw the line. I always assumed it had more of a placebo effect—he thinks it works, so he keeps doing it. I wouldn't think it would actually do anything. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 I for one would not date someone who did that. I'm sorry, but that is where I draw the line. I always assumed it had more of a placebo effect—he thinks it works, so he keeps doing it. I wouldn't think it would actually do anything. What's the matter? High standards? A placebo effect is certainly not out of the question. Or it could simply be that he's a sadistic slontze who enjoys eviscerating people, but likes telling people it has a mystical component to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 What's the matter? High standards? A placebo effect is certainly not out of the question. Or it could simply be that he's a sadistic slontze who enjoys eviscerating people, but likes telling people it has a mystical component to it. Impossibly high, according to some. That was a part of it, too, I thought. That he does it because he likes it, and the power boost (real or perceived) is just a bonus. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terisen Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 I had a similar thought about the Epics all being gifters. Calamity seems to be sort of a "prime gifter", as people with powers only appeared after it showed up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haradion Drogon Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Ooooh... I like the thought of this... If Calamity - whatever it is - is a sentient creature, "Gifting" powers to people all over the world... Hmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Well with Fortuity as an example, I think he IS one of the few where discovering his own weakness makes sense. I think most people assume that if you suddenly discover you have precognitive abilities, you would probably go gambling. Stereotypically when someone is having a great run at gambling, cue gorgeous woman to appear and flirt. At that point, his precognitive abilities would fail. Lady would then leave. Abilities kick in again. Even the stupidest of epics I think would eventually put two and two together. Then again I am basing this on just about every movie ever made. I have never gone gambling myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 I don't know. Fortuity strikes me as an easily distracted guy. Like, he'd drive his motorbike into a wall because a pretty girl walked by. And then blame Wall-E for putting that wall there. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgedancer Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) Leaving aside Fortuiy´s attention and combination capability, I found another clue towards them knowing it. Steelheart was hurt exactly once and as the Reckoner´s investigation showed us, it leaves ambiguity towards the nature of his weakness, yet his behavior only makes sense, if he definetly knew what it was. Sure he could have tested some things but how do you check let´s say the properties of a gun you burried under the ground and that´s not even talking about how getting himself hurt on purpose isn´t something he would do. Edited August 19, 2014 by Edgedancer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Leaving aside Fortuiy´s attention and combination capability, I found another clue towards them knowing it. Steelheart was hurt exactly once and as the Reckoner´s investigation showed us, it leaves ambiguity towards the nature of his weakness, yet his behavior only makes sense, if he definetly knew what it was. Sure he could have tested some things but how do you check let´s say the properties of a gun you burried under the ground and that´s not even talking about how getting himself hurt on purpose isn´t something he would do. Good point, but we can't rule out the possibility of Steelheart being harmed prior to the bank robbery. Perhaps his family or someone else who knew him before Calamity set off his weakness soon after he discovered his powers, but didn't leave permanent scarring behind them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Well we do know that Steelheart is massively paranoid, I think that even if it required hurting himself he'd definitely hunt for any weakness he might have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupis Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Sorry for the thread necro, but I thought it would be better than starting a new thread with Calamity but a few weeks away. Anyway, I also believed, right from Steelheart, that all epics are gifters. It's just that they are pretty much all to selfish/paranoid to give up any of their powers. I also thought that Calamity is probably a gifter, but what if it is gifting to stop itself from going evil and destroying, well, everything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightshade the Cunning Posted February 15, 2016 Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 I'm late to this thread but I seriously doubt that all Epics are gifters because of Regalia. She was so interested in making David a water Epic and she made a bomb from Obliteration. For David she had to use Calamity, and it still failed. As for the bomb, she required advanced technology not having Obliteration gift his powers. It seems to me that based on these two points gifters are rare and it's not just that most epics don't use their gifting capabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poisonedbite Posted February 15, 2016 Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 From Steelheart: "I can’t gift to other Epics,” Edmund said, shrugging. “It’s just the way the powers work.” “Is it that way for other gifters?” Prof asked. “I’ve never met any,” Edmund said. “Gifters are rare. If there are others in the city, Steelheart never let me meet them. He wasn’t bothered by not being able to get my powers for himself; he was plenty happy using me as a battery.” 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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