How to deal with god moddish powers?

[usuka]

Title says it all. If you're playing someone that can teleport anything they touch, how would you manage a such a character without coming across as OP? 
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Also, is it possible to play a god character without god modding? 
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TIA 
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[Bacon is fluffy]

Gods are usually seen as gods because of the mysticism and general higher regard we give them in fiction. You know, since players often can use magic and super powers in roleplays. So the term god, really refers to the background of the character and the regard they have lore wise or if it's based off real religious figures. Example; One might consider jesus more powerful than merlin simply by the nature of what jesus is and what he can do in Catholicism.


As for dealing with op characters? Generally you don't depending on the situation. Teleporting an object in a realistic setting is breaking the game. Teleporting in sci-fi is probably inhibited by technological limitations defined by the lore and game master. Teleporting objects in marvel/dc comics might be useless since characters like superman have survived the vacuum of space ezpzlemonsqueezy. Plus when you bing dice and all it's regulatory goodness, often op or gm'ing is really dependent on the context of the roleplay.


So how to deal with it? Assuming this is a setting where you can use powers, then it really depends on how much you trust this player. Whether or not you're willing to boot them from the rp and ignore them/report to moderators. Or last but certainly not least, say no to the power(or give conditions).

 

[RatFlail]

Godmodding is a symptom. The disease is competitiveness in RP. You are not your character. You get nothing from the RP besides the fun of the story.


Lose as awesomely as possible.

 

[call me rae]

Certainly you can play a character with awesome nearly cosmic powers in such a way as to allow other people to enjoy the game as well. It depends on three factors


A. why does you character have XXX power? 


B. does XXX power fit into the world the character inhabits?


C. do you have a sense of humor about your character?


Expanding on A


I often ask the people who do superhero roleplays ( or really any roleplay with special abilities ) why does your character have that specific power? Did you pick it at random? Does it fit into some aspect of their personality/backstory? Etc. If you can only tell me that character has that power because it's cool and you wanted them to be a powerful presence in the roleplay than chances are you off to a bad start already. A character should never be defined entirely by WHAT they can do but rather WHO they are as a person.


Expanding on B


If your character has a power that does not fit into the setting of the universe than it really doesn't matter how you play them people won't be happy because your breaking their suspension of disbelief.


Expanding on C


This is the most important thing to prevent OP characters in a roleplay. That is have a sense of humor about it. Realize that your character is not totally defined by their ability to beat other people or be the best at XXX aspect of roleplaying. Now while you can certainly make characters that are powerful or think they're Gods in human form - nothing wrong with a concieted character or an over-confident one.


But remember that to a certain extent everyone thinks their characters are the best ever at something. But in order for a roleplay to work and people have to be wiling to let their characters fail. To let other people have a spotlight sometimes. 

 

[Noivian]

I like to think I have an affinity for playing god characters in role play. They have OP and potentially game-breaking powers, sure, but I always find ways to humanize them in their personality. I give them flaws that real gods probably wouldn't have.. The more power they have, the more flaws they have. 


Unlimited ability to create? Make them super insecure about their creations, and thus less likely to use the power.


Time travel? Make them a history junkie and super paranoid about using their powers.


Mind control/reading or future vision? Make them an advocate for free will and choice.


The point here is that with each OP power, the character's personality provides some kind of barrier, keeping them from using the power all willy-nilly. When I use OP characters, I only use their powers when there's A) not a combat situation, B) absolutely no possibility of backlash both IC wise and OOC wise, or C) a matter of life and death, with no possible other way to fix the situation.


For instance, the character with the unlimited ability to create may be pressured into making dinner for the group, but can't cook, and thus creates a meal instead. 


The character with time travel abilities might drop his iPhone and have the screen shatter on him, so he goes back in time two minutes to prevent that. 


The mind controller might be stuck in a final battle with the antagonist, and in order to save themselves and their friends, the control the antagonist into killing himself. 


(The last one specifically I would have turn into a giant moral dilemma for the character post-battle. They would feel awful about what they do, and complements on how they did good would only make them feel worse.)


The point is, I usually set up some kind of check or balance for every OP power I use. It's usually in the form of a personality quirk or prior bad experience with the power, but this could also come in the form of physical items that keep your characters from doing things they shouldn't. I'm just not versed in those. 

 

[eclipsa]

Basically, OP powers are my love. If I run superpower rps, they're OP-centric. The best way to balance it is to make sure there are weaknesses. I have a character who could quite literally transcend death and become the queen of the Netherworld. To downplay her goddess like abilities, I make it where she can't control certain portions. Her emotions have a large control over her powers and it oftentimes makes it impossible to stop her powers or sometimes even use them.


Weaknesses make or break a character, regardless of being OP.

 

[Coward]

Godmodding is a symptom. The disease is competitiveness in RP. You are not your character. You get nothing from the RP besides the fun of the story.


Lose as awesomely as possible.

This is perfect.


To expand:


I have played opposite literal god characters that felt vulnerable, and 'normal guys' that felt OP. It's about how you, as the player, are treating it. Are you willing to let your character fail? Are you willing to let them make mistakes because of their flaws? Those are the things that will really prevent it feeling like god-moding.


I have also noticed people misunderstanding what a weakness is: It has to be something that is genuinely negatively effecting your character's ability to reach their goals.


For example, shyness is not a weakness if your character doesn't care about or need to interact with people. Perfectionism isn't a weakness unless it holds your character back from doing things they want. And physical or 'superpower' weaknesses aren't weaknesses until they have severely fucked your character over in an important way. Lets say your character passes out when they've used too much magic - passing out at home in bed doesn't count. They need to pass out in the big boss fight, or pass out when their help is really needed.


Basically, weaknesses have to interfere in order to be felt.

 

[Kylesar1]

This is perfect.


To expand:


I have played opposite literal god characters that felt vulnerable, and 'normal guys' that felt OP. It's about how you, as the player, are treating it. Are you willing to let your character fail? Are you willing to let them make mistakes because of their flaws? Those are the things that will really prevent it feeling like god-moding.


I have also noticed people misunderstanding what a weakness is: It has to be something that is genuinely negatively effecting your character's ability to reach their goals.


For example, shyness is not a weakness if your character doesn't care about or need to interact with people. Perfectionism isn't a weakness unless it holds your character back from doing things they want. And physical or 'superpower' weaknesses aren't weaknesses until they have severely fucked your character over in an important way. Lets say your character passes out when they've used too much magic - passing out at home in bed doesn't count. They need to pass out in the big boss fight, or pass out when their help is really needed.


Basically, weaknesses have to interfere in order to be felt.

This is why I stay away from Personality weaknesses and if I'm hosting a RP, I tend to ask for physical or elemental weaknesses


Most players don't stick to it. A lot of players just use this as a way to pad out their list of extreme abilities