Okay, now Ill start putting some explanation behind those characters of mine(at least the ones that are humans and use spirit energy which is all three of them so far). Ill start with...
Ian Kelly(Katana/Super Reflex):
Essentially born a mutant although his power isnt visible. His mind is faster than almost any human, capable of thinking through dozens of scenarios and thousands of battle tactics in the blink of an eye. This gives him a slight edge in battle(although his body isnt always capable of moving at the speed of his mind) and a boost in school(where he can almost always do homework and take notes at the same time).
--Reflexes: Ian doesnt have the natural speed to evade fast moving objects like bullets but he can enhance his speed for a short time with chakra(Sprint+Swift+Quickness+Elude). Ians natural ability to evade attacks with ease comes from understanding and speaking the metaphorical language of battle. He can read an enemys fighting style and tactics to the point he knows when to evade and how to evade.
--Sword Techniques: Using the katana powerset in CoH, Ian has six techniques using his bokken. He can combine those six techniques to perform twelve more combination techniques, all doing various things. What those various things are and how they translate to spirit energy I will not go into in the open(PMs only). His sword is made of wood from a mystical tree that is able to absorb spirit energy; a spirit tree one might say. After using it for practice and fighting, Ian projects his spirit into the wood to perform the techniques. As time moves forward, the wooden sword grows just as a tree grows from a sapling and becomes stronger. Eventually, after he finally masters the spirit blade(just projecting spirit energy into the weapon), he will be capable of cutting things that would be far more difficult with a traditional blade.
--Elemental Affinity: Elements are naturally occurring anomalies of energy that, as long as they naturally manifest themselves(i.e. not being a part of something unnatural), pertain their own identities and their own will. With the use of spirit energy, Ian is able to influence the will of elements. With enough training, one is capable of changing the will of elements(i.e. controlling) with the spirit but such abilities take many years to master which is most likely never for Ian although he can still perform nine elemental techniques in conjunction with the spirit blade.
Seung Hyun-ki(Kinetic Aura/Kinetic Melee or basically Invulnerability/Super Strength):
Ah, my favorite and probably the most confusing powerwise. Essentially, he is a mutant but his whole family would be as well. Supposedly the last in the Hyeon bloodline, all those that were descended from the bloodline have the potential to bend physical law. Although born with the ability to manipulate potential and kinetic force, one must train to learn how(no accidental whoops, I flung that jumbo jet with my uncontrollable force manipulation"). Also, a simplified version of this ability is teachable(one of Ians techniques uses this) but it is basic in its possible applications. And that's why I categorize him as natural.
--Martial Arts: As a form of meditation, Hyun-ki has mastered the five forms of Shaolin Kung-Fu. Even with the potential to maul enemies with little effort, Hyun-ki has taken a vow of peace and tranquility so will not kill an opponent. His fighting style is to make his enemy less of a threat through disabling with various strikes.
--Invulnerability: Through training, Hyun-ki has gained control of his mind, body and spirit. He can drown out all emotion, pain and passion(Dull Pain pretty much). His muscles and bones are naturally sturdier than normal but not by much. A technique to alter his own potential force in his body allows him to withstand much more intense attacks for a short time.
--Super Strength: Using spirit energy, Hyun-ki can seek out kinetic forces and alter them in several ways but only what he touches with his body. Lets say someone tossed a 10 metric ton boulder at Hyun-ki at a speed of 50m/s. That boulder would have 500,000 N of force behind it(Im no physics major so I may have gotten a formula wrong). Hyun-ki could focus a little chakra so his innate powers activate and: a.) the instant the boulder connects with his hands, he can absorb that 500,000 N of force into his body(the boulder loses all movement) and use that force in a later attack but this can cause him much pain and if he takes in too much he could literally explode; b.) manipulating the force in a special way, cutting the force into two parts of 250k N of force and reversing that force back on the object itself(negating the boulders movements); c.) absorb the 500k N of force through his hand, into his body and out into another object in another hand. The boulder would act as if it had never been moving while the other object takes all the force; d.) some random combination of the above. There are a few other things hes capable of, and many more very destructive things that his mother does(shes no pacifist) but Ill spare you.
Before I continue, I should make note of Hyun-kis kinetic manipulation. It doesnt matter if an object has 300N of force or 287, 900,000,000,000N of force, he can manipulate it through use of fractioning the force. What really matters is the size and shape of an object. Example: If the real Superman(TM) comes at Hyun-ki and starts throwing super strength punches at him, Hyun-ki could easily deflect/negate the punches with just a pair of fingers but if Supes picked up a mountain or a building or something very big and threw it at Hyun-ki, theres no way Hyun-ki would be able to alter the force of the entire object in time before the object crushes him to death.
Jason(Jase) Morgan (Throwing Weapon/Shadow Mastery or essentially Spines/Dark armor)
Although not spines, I tailored his style of attacks like a spines Stalker. It makes sense too, no quills for stalkers which would be difficult to explain with throwing daggers. Anyway, Jase is a mutant and is not natural in any way. When I get a chance to write the full story, youll discover how he obtained each of his abilities, tools and skills. His power is telethapy and he gained his awesome fighting skills by defeating skilled fighters and draining their minds of all emotions, memories, skills and experiences leaving the person brain dead. His shadow manipulating abilities are a stolen skill from a demon ninja(a story to tell some other time).
--Throwing Weapons: A drained ability from the same demon ninja he got his shadow powers from. He seemingly never runs out because he can go to his Shadow Place to retrieve more that he stores there. Hes very accurate and the poison on the tips of each blade is capable of paralyzing a moose in seconds for nearly an hour. Jase has grown immune to his specially tailored poison after years of mistakes with it.
--Unji and Unsho: Large kunai knives(swords is more like it) that he has strapped to his back. Each blade has a curse on it, Unji draining the life(HP) from its wielder and Unsho draining the energy(END) from its wielder. Jase found a way to break the curse on Unji(another story to tell) but is still looking for a way to release Unsho. Unji is very fast and almost never misses but its strength is only above average. Unsho on the other hand has average speed and accuracy but is horrendously powerful in its strikes; its Jases most powerful weapon. One reason Unsho isnt constantly making him suck air is because he puts the blade to sleep so it doesnt draw on its user but this also puts the blades powers to sleep. Jase must call their names upon drawing them to awake them and invoke the weapons special traits.
--Shadow Manipulation: This is easy to explain. This is magic, plain and simple. Jase uses his chakra to manage the magic more easily(not being very skilled in magic) but the skills are an odd combination of natural spirit energy and magical energies. Hes got many tricks, including his Shadow Thread, Shadow Bind and Shadow Hold which are not really explainable in-game but the rest of his powers relate to Dark Armor...well, his Double Team technique could be explained by Villain PPP but instead of taking the minion of an Arch Villain he just makes one with his own shadow.
--Shadow Place: A gateway dimension; not really a dimension itself but a doorway to others. When people travel from one realm to another, they may pass through his Shadow Place but they move so fast they probably dont even realize it. There, Jase slowly heals any wounds he may suffer but staying too long the place will drain at his energy and then his life force/spirit. Another note: the reason why he can travel there is because he is the key to the dimension and if anyone follows him there they cant escape unless he releases them. If they do manage to escape on their own, their shadows stay behind so when they return to their own dimension they are changed into a Shadow Ripper, a being incapable of surviving in the light for vary long and feeds on the shadows of those that have them to continue the cursed existance.
Now if youve actually read all that, something must be wrong with you. If you're using it as a cheat sheet to find ways to beat me in RPs then something more serious must be wrong....Anyway, youve probably still got questions if youve gotten this far and Ill try and think what others think when they read these three characters powers.
Why do they always do those hand signs? Its repetitive and corny. Well, they only use those hand signs when using techniques that require a lot of spirit power. The signs are used to focus the spirit more quickly and concentrated in the place/form needed. All three of these characters could go without using hand signs but without the signs it would require more time(usually more time than is available) to perform the same skill. Its a way to emphasize how difficult/powerful a skill or technique is because just expending lots of spirit energy doesnt exhaust the body, it only makes other skills that use spirit to be less effective/restrict their use.
How does spirit power translate to controlling wind/earth/water/fire/lightning? Ian and Ryjuta use chakra to change frequencies to that of the element they are wanting to affect. They dont really control the element but alter its will by changing to the elements frequency, essentially becoming the element on a spiritual level.
How does spirit energy translate to manipulating force? The spirit is only used to activate Hyun-kis innate power of force manipulation. The spirit isnt actually messing around with the force, the spirit is just used to switch on his powers. Hyun-kis ability comes from the blood flowing through him.
But if its the blood altering force, how does Ian know how to manipulate force? Spirit can do anything, all you need is the time to learn how and the knowledge needed to learn it. With Hyun-kis experience manipulating force, it is possible to teach others how to. Problem is, Hyun-ki isnt using spirit to manipulate force, just relaying experiences so the only force manipulation thats teachable by these means is a very simplified version that cant do even a fraction of what is possible.
So Jases powers are magic....and spiritual? Yes. His skills take on properties of natural spirit and magical energies.
Okay, what about Ian using Gamblers Cut and making a copy of himself? *Wipes sweat off forehead* Okay, here goes. Just as a soul/spirit core can project itself in many ways(into a floating ball of flame or orb of light or as a projection of the former body), Ian can project his spirit into an image of himself. His chakra takes the form of him but only to sight, sound, heat signatures and psychically by bending light, create its own body heat and copies the surface of the mind. Essentially, its a piece of his spirit and that chunk of spirit alters its form to that of Ians body but cannot affect others or be affected. Although he can push a large surge of spirit energy into the projected copy so that it can affect others and be affected this takes a lot of chakra. Normally, this would drain him of all his chakra energy, leaving him unable to perform other chakra related powers but the surge of spirit he sends only lasts for a very short instant to deal a single attack.
Understand, Ian cant actually do all that on a whim like normal super powers. He must perform a technique that allows this and only in the confines of the abilities itself.
So if these spirit copies would take up so much energy, whats with Jase? Magic? Yes, its magic. But Jases copies dont come from pure spirit energy like Ian. Jase can make a sort of puppet that he must control by gathering shadows from his surroundings and making the clump of shadows solid. Jases double(his shadow) acts on its own, freely fighting along side Jase. During this time, Jase has no shadow so sometimes it might be difficult for him to escape danger because he cant escape in his own shadow but has to find another shadow.
Ian has a spirit blade? That can cut through anything? Overpowered much? How do you explain that? Its late and I cant really think of another excu-....errr...explanation right now. Just watch Yu-Yu Hakusho....they do all the spirit energy/spirit guns/spirit blades there.
...and I'll go ahead and add a fourth to the list.
Jing Lei/Yuri (Ling Hun Shou(Soul Fist)/Martial Arts Defender)
Essentially, there is no counterpart for such a combination of powers in CoH. If this set were introduced, It would be full of powers that were buffs and debuffs at the same time. Each power in the set would debuff if used on an enemy and buff if used on an ally.
Yuri obtained these skills from her past life as a priest sage that used his skills to contain a powerful demon that threatened the safety of the entire realm/universe by sending it hurdeling into another realm/universe and would cause both to shatter and mend together to form a new one. She was reincarnated because that threat will soon return and she must meditate to reobtain those skills so she can accomplish the same goal from her past life.
--Martial Arts: She is the most skilled with unarmed combat compared to the other three but has nothing, directly, to augment them. Hyun-ki has kinetic manipulation to enhance the power of his fists, Ian has speed to pull off more attacks with less of a chance to fail, Jase has tricks and magic and a spark of shadow within his fist but she just has pure skill. She has chakra techniques to help her every now and then like Thunder Kick and Storm Strike but mainly relies on skills and mastery of various martial arts.
--Ling Hun Shou: Ah, the thing that makes her powerful/unique/useful. She can attack her opponent internally, which they have no defense against seeing as no one can train their intestines to be more resilient, with spirit energy in her fists. She can do many things from disabling a limb, to causing bloodvessles to burst or to simply put an enemy to sleep. There are pros and cons to this power, of course.
>Pros: If these techniques make even the slightest bit of contact, they cannot be resisted. It matters not if someone is covered in flames, protected by stone, or just plain impervious to any physical harm her Ling Hun Shou will still work. They are universally powerful on all opponents. What she can do to a middle aged man with no knowledge of combat, she can do the the most masterful fighter or the most powerful of super beings. They can all be used in conjuntion with eachother to make the effects greater. So not only can she combine several techniques to achieve a certain effect on the opponent but she can also continue to reapply them debuffs for an even greater effect.
>Cons: Some of her techniques will have a weakened effect on certain foes. And those foes are primarily mechanical in nature or are undead, as they don't have nerves and internal organs or don't rely on them. Some of her techniques have no effect at all on certain opponents. And those foes are primarily creatures without a soul or spirit, do not use energy at all and/or have no actual innards. If I could make an examble, I'd say an animated statue which contains no innards(as it's made of stone or metal entirely) requires no power source and has no spirit.
--Fighting: Being a defener, she has no primary means of protecting herself like the other three so she's dipped into the Fighting pool. This is so when she gets into melee range to attack and debuff, she isn't entirely helpless. She's actually more resilient than Ian but less capible of dodging. She also uses street fighting(which is covered by Boxing and Kick) like scratching, dirt in the eye, groin kick, etc.
I almost forgot another obvious Con to Jin Lei's powers.
Cons: They are pretty much all close ranged attacks. She really has no ranged attacks and her debuffs must be applied in melee range which is dangerous for a fighter that has no potent means of protection. Her buffs must also be applied in close melee range. It would be difficult for her to buff all her allies at the same time and/or keep them buffed as she must focus to keep herself in the fight in melee and her allies too.
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...a fifth to the list. I wasn't planning to reveal his powers until he was introduced in another thread of mine but now I don't see a reason to keep it in the dark.
Linn (Illusion/Energy Dominator)
This combination may appear in the furture but currently it's impossible. When it's available though, I have his costumes all planned out and everything...
Linn was a mutant human who was born a few hundred years ago. His powers were potent spiritual presence and an ability to predict the future due to hosting an unborn spirit from the future who would later exist as William Kelly. In an attempt to separate himself and free the spirit, Linn was thrown into the realm of banished demons where his spirit grew in power and size to the point he could affect anything everywhere in the realm. Due to unstability, William found a way to escape the realm of banished demons to present day Paragon city. Although Linn is not as powerful as he was in the demon realm, his spirit is still large (expanding 80yards in every direction from his body) and he can use that 'Spirit Field' in various ways. The 'Spirit Field' is always invisible (chakra cannot be seen or detected without skills specifically tailored to see spirit. Even the ability to see or detect ghost and apparitions does not grant the ability to see or detect Linn's Spirit field. In the least, it may be sensed by someone who is spiritually powerful) unless Linn converts a portion of the field into energy.
--Illusion Control: Linn's 'Spirit Field' can be manipulated in various ways. From swirling about him to mask his and his allies' presence to transforming into any scene he sees fit to decieve his enemies. He can also cause his enemies to feel pain by attacking their spirit with his own spirit which gives the illusion that it harms the body. Linn's signature power is creating duplicates of any person he's met to do his bidding. These duplicates have every ability of the original *IF* Linn has witnessed the original using that power, otherwise the duplicates just use assault powers similar to Linn's. Of course, these duplicates don't actually cause the same damage as the original as the duplicates' attacks assault the spirit which only causing momentary damage to the body.
--Energy Assault: Sometimes, Linn can focus his 'Spirit Field' so that his duplicates do cause physical harm rather than spiritual harm due to the ability for Linn to charge his spirit into energy. This spirit to kinetic energy conversion is very simple for Linn to perform and he can shoot beams of chakra converted energy at his enemies and charge his fist and feet with concentrated chakra energy. There is also a certain attack where he converts his entire spirit field into energy to use for one attack.
--Other: Umm...he can super jump....that's about the only pool I can figure out that fits his concept but his powers give him other advantages. >>Anyone that treads in range of his spirit field (within 80 yards of him) is sensed by him unless they have their presence masked, although any communicating with others will often reveal your presence. >>Any attacks launched from nearby he has a slight 'Spirit Sense' so he can attempt to protect himself, often times using the Spirit Field around him to deflect attacks.
[EDIT]>>Oh yeah, and under the right circumstances, Linn can merge his essence with another person to the point that he can use that person's powers to a weaker degree or simply control the body of that person to use the person's powers as he sees fit. The circumstances of such a merge is difficult and rare. He rarely uses this power as it is his most powerful and useful skill.
I must say, I really dig this. Ace likes the way your mind works, even if it is a bit loopy 
Your explanation of the spirit (and if I am reading you right, the soul) in use for super human powers is very good. It gives me a couple of thoughts on some of my characters who use the energy of their souls in unique and destructive/supportive ways.
I am not gonna copy you in anyway, shape, or form (I really hope I dont, anyway), but I want to let you know you helped clear a block I was having in writing out origins and stories for some of these characters. Thanks bunches! I am hoping to post the Origins of Ace some time within the next few days.
OMG! Someone somehow managed to find my old spirit energy explination hidden somewhere....oh wait, it's in my sig. Nevermind 
I'm glad I could help and am interested in how my little old thread inspired you. I can certainly say that bit of appreciation made my day 
. Certainly pulled me out of my slump and draw some things, maybe even cleared up a bit of my writer's block. Thanks alot!~
If you have time to read something, youve got time to read something good so go to another thread before its too late. If you *REALLY* have nothing more to do then youll at least get a bit of insight into my mind if you can even call it one. This is a general explanation of my characters powers and abilities with a brief summary of their origin. Its not a story or an RP but more to explain what my characters can and cant do. If this contradicts anyone elses views, please share them so I can try working that into my theory.
First of all, humans. Like many races of beings across the universe, humans also have special powers and abilities. This trait is the human spirit which has limitless potential. Even after death, a human can live on for eternity as a pure spirit in the form of a voice, a smell, a ghost/apparition or even as an embodiment of an element. A human can use their spirit energy to obtain almost any sort of ability you can think of, from fire manipulation to energy blasts to invulnerability but there are limits. Those limits are:
1.) One must gain knowledge of their spirit and the means to use that spirit to gain the ability(you cant expect to shoot spirit beams from your eyes just by clenching your butt muscles and groaning). One reason you dont see too many humans with the ability to cause mass destruction on a universal scale with only their spirit is because no one knows how.
2.) Although a humans spirit can grow stronger over time, it can be exhausted to the point of expending your life.
3.) One must train to not only gain control of their own spirit but to train to learn the ability which takes time. It might take someone 40 years to learn how to shoot lazer beams from their eyes using spirit and thats just 40 years of life spent. Eventually, that human will die so they will never learn all that there is to learn.
Spirit energy or ki or chi or chakra or soul powah is naturally invisible but can be seen if one has the ability but sometimes the spirit can become visible if strong enough. Spirit energys effects are too numerous to list and can take many shapes and intensities. Spirit energy is probably the only energy that can be so vast that it expands to the edges of the universe yet is too weak to affect anything or so small its impossible to sense but shines through any opposition.
Did you actually read all that? Yeah right, youre not fooling anyone....but if you did, bravo on doing a horrible job of ignoring me.