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[Calamity Spoilers] Calamity's Consequences


TwiLyghtSansSparkles

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All right. So. If you're here, I'll assume you've finished Calamity and, as a Reckoners RPer, are ready to discuss what this means for the game. If you have not finished Calamity, read no further.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Objectively speaking, there are some things that have the potential to cause problems. Partial redemptions will still be canon, though it seems as though full redemptions won't be possible. Calamity didn't seem to rule out any existing power types—no more than Firefight did, anyway—but it looks like we can continue without too many major changes. 

 

Now I'll add my opinion. 

 

I didn't like what Sanderson did with the weaknesses, and I didn't like the way he tied them back to Calamity. Firefight made them into PTSD triggers, which was so deep and complex and added so many more layers to the Epics we knew….and then Calamity shifted the focus back onto Epics being smug and imperious because Calamity was smug and imperious. And the way Calamity could just take a normal fear and punch it up to insane levels felt shallow. So, if we're going to deviate from canon, I recommend we stay with the assumed definition of weaknesses as tying back to an Epic's past trauma, and being resolved by the Epic facing that trauma for the sake of someone else. I confess: I suggest this partly because the way I have Funtimes' redemption sequence planned, it wouldn't work nearly as well if the "to save someone else" caveat were observed. But I also think that the canon definition risks making Epics more shallow, and it plays into the way we've been writing our Epics better. 

 

Thoughts? Opinions? Angry rants for the Dark Lord Zorblag? 

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That's Dark Lord Zorblog to you!
The Dark Lord Zolblog is far too wise to ever need to...

Actually I think I'd rather the thoughts. :P

I agree with you on the Weaknesses, we know that for quite a lot of Epics at least their weakness is pretty PTSD (David, Mega, Sourcefield) and for others it was still a pretty strong and reasonable fear (Steelheart, Newton) so I think we're still within the bounds of canon for the most part, the only Epic we know of who had a fear that wasn't related to anything was Edmund.

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In most cases Calamity actually seems to ease up on the restrictions around Epics. I mean the only true limitation we know about is that we don't have real/strong mind control but even weird things like linguistic Epics exsist.

 

On weaknesses, I'd also prefer a more person Epic related approach.

 

As for the redemption, I'm pretty much fine with anything we decide on for these, given that I already have my fill on them anyway and that works with either system. Honestly though, I'd prefer something a bit more specific than just "confronting the fear" as that kind of forces Epics to always collaps limply if their weakness is involved but what exactly that element is I don't care much, so it could be a simple addition like "out of their own free will" and not because someone forced them in the situation.

Edited by Edgedancer
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In most cases Calamity actually seems to ease up on the restrictions around Epics. I mean the only true limitation we know about is that we don't have real/strong mind control but even weird things like linguistic Epics exsist.

 

On weaknesses, I'd also prefer a more person Epic related approach.

 

As for the redemption, I'm pretty much fine with anything we decide on for these, given that I already have my fill on them anyway and that works with either system. Honestly though, I'd prefer something a bit more specific than just "confronting the fear" as that kind of forces Epics to always collaps limply if their weakness is involved but what exactly that element is I don't care much, so it could be a simple addition like "out of their own free will" and not because someone forced them in the situation.

 

I agree. I think that out of their own free will and for the sake of someone else are good restrictions, though I'd be fine with just one of them. We don't want to make it too easy, after all. 

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I agree. I think that out of their own free will and for the sake of someone else are good restrictions, though I'd be fine with just one of them. We don't want to make it too easy, after all. 

There's also the question if we want to tie it more to the actual fear or for more abstract cases the trigger Calamity choose, given that the book didn't make the distinction entirely clear. Personally, I'd go for deeper fear.

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There's also the question if we want to tie it more to the actual fear or for more abstract cases the trigger Calamity choose, given that the book didn't make the distinction entirely clear. Personally, I'd go for deeper fear.

As would I. Facing a trigger for an abstract fear won't help you get over that trigger unless you address why it's a trigger in the first place.

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... the only Epic we know of who had a fear that wasn't related to anything was Edmund.

Well, and sneezes, now.

 

I mostly escaped unscathed, except for Buttercup's healing, which I've noted will keep her from getting sick, which is apparently completely untrue.

 

As for Voidus's twins, I think them secretly not being identical is an okay explanation. They might not even know it themselves. That said I don't know just how much it's been delved into (has their identical-ness been tested by an Epic or scientist?), but to retcon them into having felt pain whenever the other was using their powers seems...far fetched.

 

As for redemption, I'll refrain from partaking since I don't plan for any of my characters to get redeemed, and that's assuming they survive.

 

On possibility for explaining our variations from canon that occurred to me was that our game could be in an alternate reality from the trilogy, one in which Megan could tap into, but never did. It would allow us to explain the almost unbelievable odd accumulation of Epics in Oregon, some of the more troubling divergences from canon, and it will allow us to have a different reason for Oregon's destruction than Night's Sorrow, since we still know next to nothing about her. It also allows you all to use your own version of Obliteration. It might not be a perfect solution, but it could work.

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On the healing factor, apparently not needing sleep and better fingernail growth are Epic powers, so not growing sick is entirely possible.

On parallel universes, I like that. How about we retcon Calamity's personality?:ph34r:

Edited by Edgedancer
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Also, I'd like to voice my opposition to people playing meta-Epics, in particular Assumers and, for lack of a better word, Cancelers. They are too powerful, and greatly upset the balance of the game. To pose an example, imagine either an Assumer or a Canceler with a PI that isn't resurrection, entering Astoria. Said Epic could, quite easily, waltz through the entire city and slowly but surely plant a bullet into the skull of every single Epic there. The ability to be immune to powers is already so powerful that someone having more than one PI is unheard of. To then allow a character to actively remove powers from characters is, in my opinion, way too strong an ability. The only way I would be even mildly comfortable with it is if the character was required to not have a PI, and even then their ability to kill Epics who don't know them/their power is off the charts.

 

That said, Detectors and Copiers don't bother me, so long as the characters they are detecting/copying retain their powers.

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Shall I make a list of banned power types? There are only two I can think of at the moment (Assumers and teleporters) but if we add more it might be helpful for new players.

 

Timetravel and precognition (big scale) are not welcome too, right?

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Well I think David said that all assumers but Larcener were temporary thefts, and he turned out to be calamity.

It isn't like many Epics can theoretically kill or disable almost any other Epic in this RP, after all. You'd just need to be careful of them

 

My point is that temporary is all they need. Again, refer to my example. We use Astoria as the location to place all very powerful Epics, and an Assumer, even with only temporary power theft, can kill every single Epic in that city without much trouble. That is ridiculously powerful, and I feel it passes the threshold of being too much power to give a player, regardless of it being you, me, a newbie, Twi, Kobold, Edge, or Voidus. It's just too powerful. Add in the fact that most of our characters wouldn't even know that's their power until it's too late, and I'm, personally, just flat out not comfortable with it.

Edited by Blaze1616
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Shall I make a list of banned power types? There are only two I can think of at the moment (Assumers and teleporters) but if we add more it might be helpful for new players.

Plus the grand scale identical cloning of Mitosis. (unless we want to put that under parallel world differences.)
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Yes please. I vote for a broken, terrified and tormented Calamity, granting power to people who remind him of himself. :ph34r:

Ay.

 

No, I think limiting cloners will be better. Grand scale identical cloning can go under banned powers. 

Yet you didn't add it to the list. :ph34r:

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Yet you didn't add it to the list. :ph34r:

 

I blame Forgetacin, the wonder drug that helps you forget things. Don't forget—forget what? Where am I? WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE??? 

 

Also, if we're going to change Calamity's personality, should we give him a suitably tragic backstory to explain it? And should we work Calamity into our game somehow, or leave him out of it? 

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Also, if we're going to change Calamity's personality, should we give him a suitably tragic backstory to explain it? And should we work Calamity into our game somehow, or leave him out of it? 

 

 

It's probably best if we leave him out of it, if only because it would be hard to find a canon deviance that everybody in the RP is in full-hearted support of.

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