Deathpoints Secondary power

[Voidus]

So in the recent AMA Brandon confirmed that meta powers exist, things like cancelling other Epics powers or being immune to them.

This caused me to think, what if that was Deathpoints secondary power that he tried to use on Steelheart, what if he can either cancel out or heck even absorb other Epics powers through touch? David said he doubted it would have worked whatever it was but cancelling out Steelhearts abilities certainly would.

Thoughts?

[Blackhoof]

That's a pretty good point. Deathpoint was certainly confident it would have worked, and why try if it was something as mundane as causing physical damage? He'd already seen his insta-kill fail completely, why would he think something else would work?* Unlessss, it was a meta-power that cancels out at least one of Steelheart's powers. 

 

*although, given Faultline, we know some Epics are too delusional/stupid to think that they can beat Steelheart without any defensive abilities or with offensive abilities that will demonstrably fail. I mean, Faultline can sink things..... and Steelheart can fly. She has nothing that could hurt him, even if he wasn't invulnerable. Stupid, stupid Epic.

[Edgedancer]

Well, even if Deathpoint had a meta secondary the question would still be if that could trumph Steelheart's PI, which I somehow doubt. But I guess the AMA would actually be a pretty good place to actually ask Brandon what he was trying to do.

[Voidus]

I doubt he could overpower someone as strong as Steelheart but it at least makes more sense than just trying to kill him another way when your first option that should have annihilated the flesh from his bones failed.

[Blackhoof]

Indeed, it probably wouldn't have worked regardless. Meta powers must be rare though, as they are so powerful. I bet normal Epics hate Meta Epics

[king of nowhere]

deathpoint was doing something really dumb anyway. if he had managed to kill steelheart, then the soldiers would have killed him easily since he had no defensive abilities. so, i would not put too much deep thought into his actions.

[Voidus]

deathpoint was doing something really dumb anyway. if he had managed to kill steelheart, then the soldiers would have killed him easily since he had no defensive abilities. so, i would not put too much deep thought into his actions.

That's actually what made me think he might have had a power absorbing ability, he planned on stealing Steelhearts powers to become more powerful.

[Blaze1616]

deathpoint was doing something really dumb anyway. if he had managed to kill steelheart, then the soldiers would have killed him easily since he had no defensive abilities. so, i would not put too much deep thought into his actions.

 

Are you asking 17th Sharders to not theorize about the pointless, obscure, not-all-that-helpful information within Brandon's works? 

[apepi]

 

 

 

That's a pretty good point. Deathpoint was certainly confident it would have worked, and why try if it was something as mundane as causing physical damage? He'd already seen his insta-kill fail completely, why would he think something else would work?* Unlessss, it was a meta-power that cancels out at least one of Steelheart's powers. 

 

*although, given Faultline, we know some Epics are too delusional/stupid to think that they can beat Steelheart without any defensive abilities or with offensive abilities that will demonstrably fail. I mean, Faultline can sink things..... and Steelheart can fly. She has nothing that could hurt him, even if he wasn't invulnerable. Stupid, stupid Epic.

 

 

I doubt she knew the extent of his powers, most epics are very hidden about their powers.

[Edgedancer]

 

I doubt she knew the extent of his powers, most epics are very hidden about their powers

If there's one think Steelheart wasn't subtle about it's that he's a god amongst Epics and everyone should fear him, because they no one has so much as the chance to scratch him.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

If there's one think Steelheart wasn't subtle about it's that he's a god amongst Epics and everyone should fear him, because they no one has so much as the chance to scratch him.

 

He's right. Epics like Deathpoint and Fortuity have reason to be secretive about their powers. If you only have two powers and one is good enough to serve you in a fight, it's a smart move to keep the other secret in case you need to surprise your opponent. The only superpowered being with more powers than Steelheart is Silver Age Superman, and his powers like super-weaving and shooting tiny clones of himself out of his hands wouldn't be all that useful against someone like Obliteration. 

[Kobold King]

He's right. Epics like Deathpoint and Fortuity have reason to be secretive about their powers. If you only have two powers and one is good enough to serve you in a fight, it's a smart move to keep the other secret in case you need to surprise your opponent. The only superpowered being with more powers than Steelheart is Silver Age Superman, and his powers like super-weaving and shooting tiny clones of himself out of his hands wouldn't be all that useful against someone like Obliteration.

The image of Steelheart throwing tiny duplicates of himself at Prof during the climatic battle is not one I expected to visualize today.

[Edgedancer]

The image of Steelheart throwing tiny duplicates of himself at Prof during the climatic battle is not one I expected to visualize today.

Fell my tiny terror triplets, little Epic. They shall teach you true strenght!

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Fell my tiny terror triplets, little Epic. They shall teach you true strenght!

 

And then they shall fetch me coffee! Can't believe DC writers thought this power was useless!

[Kobold King]

Before Voidus gets here I'd like to call dibs on this Epic.

[Sarcasm]

Firefight spoiler:

In Firefight, we find out that Calamity is who gives the Epics all their powers, so why would he give Epics meta powers? Does this have a purpose? It wouldn't really make sense to make someone a powerful Epic before having another one coming along and stealing it.

[Kobold King]

Firefight spoiler:

In Firefight, we find out that Calamity is who gives the Epics all their powers, so why would he give Epics meta powers? Does this have a purpose? It wouldn't really make sense to make someone a powerful Epic before having another one coming along and stealing it.

 

 

Captioned pictures of Discord aside, we still don't know much about Calamity's motivations. Or... anything, really. It could be that he has no goals at all, and gives a bunch of random powers with absolutely no thought for how they'll all interact. Or he does have a goal, and having meta Epics to even the playing field benefits him in some way we can't comprehend.

 

Personally, I subscribe to the notion that Calamity's powers are merely windows into other universes with differing laws of physics. So I'd say meta Epics would simply have a connection to universes that exert physical influence on other universes, as has been hypothesized to explain some bizarre astronomical phenomena in our real 'verse.

[Voidus]

Firefight spoiler:

In Firefight, we find out that Calamity is who gives the Epics all their powers, so why would he give Epics meta powers? Does this have a purpose? It wouldn't really make sense to make someone a powerful Epic before having another one coming along and stealing it.

Well in the same AMA Brandon also confirmed the existence of unique and useless powers so I doubt Calamity's personally handpicking the powers of every Epic. I think David was the exception rather than the rule in that case.

[WayneSpren]

I think Deathpoint could have killed Steelheart.

[Blackhoof]

Given his power, I doubt it. If Deathpoint could have, someone else could have, and it is implied a number tried.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Given his power, I doubt it. If Deathpoint could have, someone else could have, and it is implied a number tried.

 

Not to mention that… (Firefight spoilers)

 

Epics are more fearful than the average person, given that fear is what drives them, so Deathpoint had about zero chance of setting off Steelheart's weakness.

Edited June 11, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Surgebound Rainspren]

This is kind of off topic but the part about epics being able to absorb other epics power brought to mind one of the most terrifying possible epics ever.

 

An epic that has a strong primary defensive power that makes it a high epic. 

And a secondary power like Delsin's from Infamous; second son (being able to absorb the powers of any other epic)

[Edgedancer]

This is kind of off topic but the part about epics being able to absorb other epics power brought to mind one of the most terrifying possible epics ever.

 

An epic that has a strong primary defensive power that makes it a high epic. 

And a secondary power like Delsin's from Infamous; second son (being able to absorb the powers of any other epic)

Well, there's a differemce between manipulating how an Epic's power takes effect and stealing the source of the power itself, just kind of seems that the same limitation as with gifting would hit in this case.

[Voidus]

Well, there's a differemce between manipulating how an Epic's power takes effect and stealing the source of the power itself, just kind of seems that the same limitation as with gifting would hit in this case.

Could be but it might also explain some things, like for instance why Prof has two seperate High Epic powers as well as such a diverse portfolio of abilities that doesn't fit into any Epic category David knows of.

[Edgedancer]

Could be but it might also explain some things, like for instance why Prof has two seperate High Epic powers as well as such a diverse portfolio of abilities that doesn't fit into any Epic category David knows of.

So you think it's more likely that Prof can steal Epic powers (which would probably be unique to him), took the powers of 1-2 High Epics and then just stopped, than him simply being one of the first (if not the first) Epics and Calamity simply throwing a lot of power around in his case?