Powers

Power levels on a multitheme MUSH are tricky business. On one hand, characters from vastly different themes should at least have a fighting chance against each other, but on the other, making everything equal can lead to a host of problems. We've tried to take both into account while devising these rules.

In general, things that serve the same general purpose are roughly equal. A MechWarrior 'mech is a match for an ES unit from Xenosaga, which is a match for a Gundam unit from Gundam Wing. Most single-combat warriors are equal to each other; their equipment and training can give them advantages in certain areas, but all of them would have a fair chance to beat any other such character.

This means that characters can come up against things that are (at first glance) far more powerful than they are. A lone swordsman could go toe-to-toe with a Jedi warrior, but he just isn't going to be able to bring down an AT-AT walker in single combat, even if he's the greatest warrior in his home dimension. He won't have a prayer if he tries the same with a Star Destroyer. However, this doesn't mean he can't do anything against such threats; he just has to think cleverly, exploit weak spots, and collaborate with others. He could, for example, try and board the Star Destroyer in an attempt to trigger its self-destruct mechanisms.

In summary, match-ups against seemingly disparate character types should usually be workable; we merely expect players to frame the conflict plausibly. A magic swordsman could take down a giant robot, but it would require a vastly different strategy from combat against another swordsman, swinging and climbing the robot to destroy critical wiring. He won't get anywhere just repeatedly shooting energy blasts at its toe. On the flip side, we will expect players playing characters with access to large assets such as fleets of destroyers to use these responsibly with an eye for their fellow players' enjoyment, to give opponents a fair shake, and not to simply overwhelm by brute force.

In general, you should at least mention all aspects of a character's canon powerset in their application. If a character has spells, weapons, alternate modes, or similar upgrades that you plan on ICly acquiring in the future, mention them. This makes things easier on the admin, who have to give your character combat statistics, among other things. Forgetting powers in your application may very well lead to you not getting to use them ICly. Your character's starting stats and armormodes will reflect the powers you listed in your application.

Some characters acquire powersets that replace their prior ones. Examples of this phenomenon include the Transmetal modes from Beast Wars, and RPG characters who permanently change classes. You should still include detail on these in your character's application, but they won't initially be statted for them. If you want to acquire them ICly, you'll need to come up with a suitable TP, or other scene idea. If you have any questions, or need someone to look at such a scene, please discuss it with charstaff.