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Old 08-02-2020, 09:37 PM   #21
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

It depends. In the setting of Rifts, the Vampire Nations tend to be grossly overpopulated with bloodsuckers.
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Old 08-02-2020, 09:52 PM   #22
khorboth
 
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Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

A few ideas:

1) Politics. A mundane could play the dangerous game of trading favors between groups of the awakened folk. This could put them in a place where everybody is afraid to kill them because of the consequences. Then, said mundane could try to get the factions to kill each other as much as possible and only do things themselves when the odds were as much in their favor as possible.

2) Recording. Strap a go-pro to your head which automatically backs up on the cloud. Work in a team of six outfitted that way. Now everything is on-camera. Now your target is on his own because nobody is willing to come in as backup. And he may hamper himself in order to not get caught using powers on camera himself.

3) Aggressive mundanity. In WoD terms, the mundanes are adopted by a paradox spirit. They have mana dampener or static or what-not so powers either don't work or backfire in their presence. The mundanes don't need to know why or how they are so blessed for this to work.

4) Technology doesn't work for the awakened. In Harry Potter, advanced technology doesn't work around magic, or not for long. So, Wizards keep using quills and carriages. In WoD, Vampires are stuck in their ways so the more powerful ones still use swords and forget about guns. So, the mundanes can freely use technology while the awakened have to deal with much reduced resources.

5) Wizards be dumb. What does it take to be a wizard or awakened? Does it involve cognitive dissonance and denying reality? Or years of super-concentrated study? Or psychedelic drugs? A fundamental shift in your perceptions? Constant vigilance against internal or ethereal threats? Any of these things could lead to staggering ignorance about the mundane world. The supernatural world could be so far up its own keester that the idea of someone just... shooting someone. Like... with a gun.... is so foreign to their thoughts that it would work. Likewise, they may have wards and sigils to prevent the approach of every kind of supernatural threat but nothing for guys in camouflage just sneaking up on them in the woods.
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Old 08-02-2020, 10:05 PM   #23
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

Any gritty setting is likely going to cause problems for unacceptable supernatural creature that does not conceal their nature, especially at TL5+. Cannons cause massive damage and explosives can bring down lairs and destroy valued possessions. Even if the creature is Unkillable and comes back the next night, they will eventually learn discretion if rebuilding their castles and replacing their wardrobes every month would bankrupt them.

In many settings where supernatural creatures can act openly, they will often publically use mundanes as customers, guards, lovers, and/or servants. In a society where vampires feed on FP instead of HP (emotional energy instead of physical blood), they may even become part of the ruling elite, and they will likely contract with mundane agencies to find the best of each category. Imagine a dating app that matches mundane concubines with vampire patrons, with the vampires giving their mundane concubines allowances in exchange for allowing them to feed on their emotional energy (erotic emotional energy in this case).
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Old 08-02-2020, 10:10 PM   #24
RyanW
 
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Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

Quote:
Originally Posted by khorboth View Post
1) Politics. A mundane could play the dangerous game of trading favors between groups of the awakened folk. This could put them in a place where everybody is afraid to kill them because of the consequences. Then, said mundane could try to get the factions to kill each other as much as possible and only do things themselves when the odds were as much in their favor as possible.
Playing two powerful factions off each other. A Fistful of Mana?
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Old 08-03-2020, 12:32 AM   #25
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Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

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Originally Posted by Coinage View Post
Also, while muggles have access to modern technology, so do supers. Supers are also able to co-ordinate with each other, often better than muggles due to access to communication spells, as well as portals that allow near-instant transportation across the planet. In addition, many supers have the power to disrupt modern technology, nullifying any ability that muggles derive from their technology.
Okay, so that implies a far higher power level than "urban fantasy" usually does.

Still, I stand by what I said. I the Jumper novels by Stephen Gould, especially in the first two books, the MC can instantly and reliably teleport anywhere he has been before (an ability so ridiculously OP even I would never allow it anywhere near a character sheet) - and the muggles are a serious threat to him through sheer numbers, resources, and dedication.

Urban fantasy usually inserts a fantasy element into the world we are all familiar with. But if the magical/super faction is so powerful and/or numerous that they can negate/co-opt the muggles' advantages, that would change the social and political landscape so profoundly that it would barely be recognizable as our world.

Hence, the misunderstanding. If that is the case, muggles as such simply are not a threat. The only way to make them so is to nerf the wizards/supers. For that, I like khorboth's options 3 (Aggressive mundanity (stealing that term, btw)), 4 (magic as techbane), and 5 (overreliance on magic / aversion to technology due to natural inclination or insistence on tradition).
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Old 08-03-2020, 06:32 AM   #26
Coinage
 
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Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

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Originally Posted by CeeDub View Post
Hence, the misunderstanding. If that is the case, muggles as such simply are not a threat. The only way to make them so is to nerf the wizards/supers. For that, I like khorboth's options 3 (Aggressive mundanity (stealing that term, btw)), 4 (magic as techbane), and 5 (overreliance on magic / aversion to technology due to natural inclination or insistence on tradition).
I agree. Thanks for the input. I really like the Agressive Mundanity option. I always wondered if Hunters could weaponize paradox against Mages as a way to balance out the game.
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Old 08-03-2020, 06:36 AM   #27
Coinage
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

I do have a question though. Is anyone familiar with the Avatars from Unknown Armies. Those people who get powers by obsessively living in accordance to some kind of archetype, or social norm? I was wondering if that would count as advantages with the "Pact" limitation?

I was thinking about combining that with aggressive mundanity. Basically, normal people get powers by being, well, normal. By aggressively, almost obsessively, following social norms, by adhering to social archetypes, normies get their own power, specifically in the form of aggressive mundanity as previously mentioned, while also allowing some Batman-like luck and skill and physical prowess.

Any thoughts?
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Old 08-03-2020, 06:49 AM   #28
Gumby Bush
 
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Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

Yeah, Required Disadvantage (Mundane Background) -10% or Pact, Disciplines of "Faith" (Ritualism), -5%
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Old 08-03-2020, 07:15 AM   #29
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

If they have powers, they really are not mundane anymore though, they are just delusional supernatural creatures. In oWoD, the reason why 'mundanes' caused issues was because every human was a nascent mage, so their disbelief functioned as a low level antimagic that deranged the abilities of mages when they witnessed things outside of their belief systems. One of the reasons why werewolves, vampires, and revenants were so powerful was because they were capable of completely ignoring the basic antimagic of humans while changelings and mages were not quite so potent (wraiths were just somewhat useless).
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Old 08-03-2020, 07:27 AM   #30
Coinage
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Default Re: Muggle Power Ideas.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby Bush View Post
Yeah, Required Disadvantage (Mundane Background) -10% or Pact, Disciplines of "Faith" (Ritualism), -5%
Okay, so advantages would have the Pact limitation (B112), specifically Disciplines of Faith: Ritualism, [-5%] (B132). Got it thanks.
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