An inspiring question.
Obligatory rant number one. It's Enhancements, not Enchancements.
That done, I tend to blandly ignore enhancements if they don't fit the character paradigm. For instance, my magic-based character would never call on extradimensional entities to boost her power.
Frankly: Tech enhancements == Upgrading your equipment. Everythign else is training and improvement. Thats how I see it anyway.
Inspirations, it depends on the character, their origin and the outlook. For instance, Tabitha Fabish's "Heal 'em Up" range of healing ointments might represent the same inspiration as "SavageTech N37 Nanite Regenerator Suspension Injector." Damres could be "Armtech Inc Ablative Armour Vest," and it goes on. Combat drugs, minor gizmos, minor functions of your major tech toys, cantrips, spells, items, anything, really. Just work out something that fits your character paradigm and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Whoops, sorry. And its not that i need to know for my own sake, i am just interested to know what other people think of them as.
inspirations for me?
Combat drugs.. pure and simple.
Breakfrees act like the little syonide caps you'd get fitted in your teeth, so that makes sence you can use one if you're held completely.. *crunch* *fvoom* "bwhwhwhahaa" *runs away*
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Obligatory rant number one. It's Enhancements, not Enchancements.
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But... you said it wasn't Enhancements!!!
Inspirations : extra effort, pushing your limits, motivation, things you didn't think you are able to do, luck, adrenaline
Enhancements : training (self training or provided), upgrades, new equipment, stronger spells etc... depends a lot of the origin and the theme.
aye but as for magic enchancements, I dont fancy carry candles around with me
Enhancements I tend to ignore, sometimes referring to them vaguely as what the game shows (Kat's Science, which more or less works for her).
Inspirations I generally just call combat stimulants (stims), this includes awakens and is real useful for keeping going in an IC group if someone plants. :P
This is how I view Enhancements:
Magic - charms, little warding spells and all that jazz. For instance when my controller summons a steamy mist to cover herself and her allies then she is casting a spell. The effectiveness of this spell is reflected in her magical enhancements or chanting.
Natural - simply put they reflect a character's training and experience. Military Speed, for example, (and iirc, that's the one that reduces recharge time) reflects Kata's knowledge of combat so, naturally, she can get things done more efficiently and quickly during combat
Technology - Reflects an upgrade to equipment
Science and Mutation - these origins are the ones I have the most problem in justifying IC so I tend to fudge them a little . I rarely roll a Science hero because I can't justify their origin enough compared to the others. However, with Winterstrike, (who was created out of a cold-fusion reactor incident) she is a scientist when not fighting crime so she knows how to use the various chemicals to enhance her powers. In effect they are catalysts for her abilities and can be either administered via experiments, injection or used to create materials that aid in combat (an example would be creating tough body armour and the like)
With mutant characters I tend to create them in the current comic trend of mutants - people born with powers that manifest in the early teens and who are usually subjected to some sort of prejudice at various stages in their life. Enhancements here are more difficult to explain away. I guess as the character grows in level, their Secondary Mutations develop and they become more powerful.
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My view on inspirations - Awakens are stimulants or even, in the most basic sense, smelling salts.
The rest are also stimulants and can be adapted for your situation as you see fit.
Right, well that was a much longer post than I originally intended! But you did ask...
Insps - It depends on my character. For Alfred, I primarily either treat them as OOC or sheer force of willpower - stronger telekinetic attacks because it is necessary or he is angered, ignoring injuries and pain for the greater good, and so on. For other characters, such as Jazen, the insps are chemical boosts given to him by his suit.
Enhancements - Apart from my technology heres, for whom these represent upgrades, I treat these as OOC and simply just an increase in the character's skill or power.
These are just my opinions.
Insps really depend.
Firstly are the universals: Assorted healing balms/easy use enchantments/tech items. The sort of common use items made easy to use for anyone. So a spray on healing agent is a good example.
For a tech I see them as a temporary power boost from some central reactor. As an example my blaster would benefit from extra accuracy and/or damage (or anything else) due to overpowering his reactor and siphoning extra power into the needed areas. Also, extra gadgets. You can never have too many throw away gadgets.
For natural it's extra training kicking in, adrenaline or other bodily chemicals, plain and simple. Just because you're natural doesn't mean adrenaline (or desperation) doesn't have more of an effect on you physically than normal people. There may also be gadgets here.
Magically it can be a variety. The temporary favour of an extra dimensional/godlike being, the crossing of ley lines, ancestors granting a temporary power, disposable charms, spells or enchantments. Anything like that.
Science wise? Chemicals, either injected or released from unnatural organs implanted in the character. Maybe something similar to the tech examples, but that improves the characters body or other scientific augmentations. Perhaps a temporary trigger releasing the full power of the augmentations (or one doozy of an amount of combat drugs) that has a cut off time as if it didnt it could kill the subject. Sometimes technological gadgets also turn up (see a theme? ).
Finally comes mutation. Probably the most varied. Dependent on how the primary mutation works any of the above could work for a mutant. Other than those I look at temporary secondary mutations or super adrenaline created from mutated organs. That sort of thing.
When it comes to enhancements I see it a lot more simply:
Tech: Upgrades to equipment or new equipment.
Natural: Combat training. Maybe gadgets or force of will.
Magical: Training or blessings/curses/gifts. (Bear in mind this can be a grey area. As an example a demon may curse you to live forever which also increases your physical strength. Its down to the individual.)
Science: Any combination of natural/tech/mutation. Or a halfway house of any two/all three, as an example a mutation augmented both chemically and technologically.
Mutation: Combat training or growth of mutations/development of secondary mutations.
Friends are just enemies that haven't betrayed you yet.
Enhancements I play as-is if they're fitting, ignore if they're unfitting. Inspirations are sheer willpower/adrenaline for me.
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Inspirations : extra effort, pushing your limits, motivation, things you didn't think you are able to do, luck, adrenaline
Enhancements : training (self training or provided), upgrades, new equipment, stronger spells etc... depends a lot of the origin and the theme.
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I concur with, Sword of Truth.
What do you see inspirations as in IC terms? Similarly, how do you veiw enhancers?