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What are the most versatile or useful powers in fiction?

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Lightning_Roller

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So in fiction, powers are varied with many abilities. Some good, some bad and some waaaay over the top. But what powers are the most useful or could be useful to the user. Yeah yeah, it's not the power but how you use it, but there are some powers which are just plain lame, but that's a thread for another day. Anyways, back to the topic, what powers are the most versatile in fiction?

Rubber/elasticity
The ability to stretch your body to ridiculous lengths is pretty neat. Also useful too in the right hands. Blow up your body to become a landing pad, or just bulk up for some extra strength. Grab someone falling through the air and catch them. Morph hands into weapons. It's a very useful ability for any situation.
 
It is either toonforce or speedforce

You can basically do anything with both and the basic description is "you are a toon" or "you run very fast"
 
MacGyvering.

Which I suppose may not strictly be regarded as a power, although I should add that there's a series of text adventures - the Frenetic Five series - where your power is to devise unusual solutions to problems - both making you a superhero in-universe and an adventure game protagonist out-of-universe!
 
psychokinesis, depending on the story it seems to range from just moving around medium sized objects to causing earthquakes and altering molecular biology.
 
Probably some form of time-manipulation or speed power. Second to that would be some form of mind reading/telekinesis.

Both of those let you do a whole ton of things.
 
The Hand from Jojo Part 4. It's stuck on an idiot though.

That Stand in part 7 that tells the user the optimal course of action.
 
Ice or water powers. Avatar the last Airbender kind of touched on this but if you can control water you should be able to manipulate most living things on earth. Not to mention the ability to control all forms of water like gas, liquid and solid.
 
Probability manipulation can be anywhere from so passive you don't notice to world-shattering. And a personal favourite superpower of mine.

"Why didn't the missiles hit?"
"They lowered the probability of the missiles hitting."
"They can do that?!"
 
yanipheonu said:
Probability manipulation can be anywhere from so passive you don't notice to world-shattering. And a personal favourite superpower of mine.

"Why didn't the missiles hit?"
"They lowered the probability of the missiles hitting."
"They can do that?!"
Click to expand...

tumblr_inline_mlhbxmyNqx1qz4rgp.png
 
Spiral Energy. It would let you end the universe if taken to its furthest extent and basically allows you to pile drive god and laugh in the face of the Big Bang.
 
I've been reading/listening to The Stormlight Archive, the Windrunner surgebinding seems rather useful. Basically control the direction of gravity for yourself or whatever items you put energy into, with the ability to also do it at fractions or multipliers. Basically allows you to fly or walk on walls, propel objects or people in any direction, something like applying 10x gravity outwards to a chunk of stone wall to tear it apart, etc. Should be a lot of creative uses for that.

That and the users are also basically superhuman speed/strength as well
 
Well omnipotence is basically "do anything", so that would by default be the most versatile/useful.

Same with reality warping, probability manipulation, causality manipulation, and other similar types of powers.
 
Reality bending powers have basically infinite potential, so that would be boring.

Electrokinesis at its peak is probably the most powerful physics-based ability.
 
umop_3pisdn said:
psychokinesis, depending on the story it seems to range from just moving around medium sized objects to causing earthquakes and altering molecular biology.
Click to expand...
This is definitely up there. It's my favorite supernatural power for a reason, heh.

I'd abuse the hell out of it, especially if I had the power to shapeshift using it. Just so many levels of convenience. Hell, if I could alter my own biology this way, I could turn any matter into anything I'd want...

It's some really OP shit.
 
Mr. Fantastic's superpower.

Don't let people fool you, Mr. Fantastic's super power is not to stretch, his real superpower is using bullshit super science to solve any problem.
 
umop_3pisdn said:
psychokinesis, depending on the story it seems to range from just moving around medium sized objects to causing earthquakes and altering molecular biology.
Click to expand...

Seconded. Telekinesis with fine enough control at the microscopic to subatomic level you could do anything from phase yourself through solid matter to creating nuclear detonations.
 
Eh the power of whatever the bad guy from Jessica Jones had looks like it could come very handy. Basically being able to make people do your will or strongly suggest impulses.
 
Firestorm's molecular manipulation shit is crazy:
120384-191103-firestorm.jpg

Molecular Manipulation: Firestorm has the ability to rearrange the atomic and subatomic structure of inorganic matter, rearranging subatomic particles to create objects of different atomic characteristics of equal mass. He can not only change and transmute the atomic composition of an object (e.g., transmuting lead into gold of equal mass) but he can also change its shape. He cannot, however, affect organic matter without painful, even lethal, feedback. This organic limitation does not extend to his person as he can change himself at will, allowing him to regenerate lost and damaged tissue, boost his immune system, shapeshift, and survive indefinitely without food, water and air. Much like a Green Lantern's limitations, Firestorm can only create items the "driver" of the Firestorm matrix is able to understand the workings of. Unlike a Green Lantern's creations, Firestorm's alterations are permanent unless he reverses them.
Click to expand...
green lantern, the atom, iceman, the flash... There's lots of characters who's powers are pretty basic until the writing calls for them to pull some absurd shit out of their ass.
 
i'd want a combo

teleportation with telekinesis (i'd be ok with limits of LoS for Teleportation and ~100 or 200 lbs for telekinesis
 
I really like the one from "Reader"

ytj6YWc.jpg


Reader has the ability to make anything he reads manifest into reality. If he reads the word "fire", a fire will start in his vicinity. Although his people put out his eyes to stop him from using his abilities, Reader is still able to trigger his powers by "reading" brail with his fingers.[5]
Reader needs to sleep between uses of his powers. After one "read", the second "read" will be at only half strength. A third "read" between sleep cycles will be very weak.
Click to expand...
 
Out of the commonly used powers, telekinesis is by far the most versatile, especially since it can be used to approximate a lot of other common powers.
 
The Flash is virtually undefeatable.
  • Not only can he break reality by moving faster than light, but he apparently seems to be able to think that fast too (which just doesn't physically make sense, but he can do it.)
  • Information has a speed limit (the speed of light). No force carrier can move faster than that, so the fact that Flash can think at lightspeed means he essentially has complete control over his reference of time.
  • Again, lightspeed is the universal speed limit. The flash can literally outrun gravity.
  • He is able to think so fast that any threat approaching him that isn't going at least 98% the speed of light might as well not be moving to him.
  • The faster an object is moving, the more energy it has, and thus the more mass it has. So for a massive object to actually reach the speed of light, it would require an infinite amount of energy.
  • So, The Flash literally has access to whatever "Infinite" energy looks like, which means he could quite literally punch a black hole into existence big enough to swallow the universe.

He is the strongest thing ever, I don't see how he even has an equal in DC unless he is somehow fighting a god.

literally literally literally
 
LordKasual said:
The Flash is virtually undefeatable.
  • Not only can he break reality by moving faster than light, but he apparently seems to be able to think that fast too (which just doesn't physically make sense, but he can do it.)
  • Information has a speed limit (the speed of light). No force carrier can move faster than that, so the fact that Flash can think at lightspeed means he essentially has complete control over his reference of time.
  • Again, lightspeed is the universal speed limit. The flash can literally outrun gravity.
  • He is able to think so fast that any threat approaching him that isn't going at least 98% the speed of light might as well not be moving to him.
  • The faster an object is moving, the more energy it has, and thus the more mass it has. So for a massive object to actually reach the speed of light, it would require an infinite amount of energy.
  • So, The Flash literally has access to whatever "Infinite" energy looks like, which means he could quite literally punch a black hole into existence big enough to swallow the universe.

He is the strongest thing ever, I don't see how he even has an equal in DC unless he is somehow fighting a god.

literally literally literally
Click to expand...

because dcs upper echelon is pretty crazy, like thought robot or the various characters that literally break the 4th wall
 
Luck. A couple of things touch on it but luck is bullshit. You can't lose. Ever. You'll be facing down Cthulhu and he'll slip on a banana peel and crack his fourth dimensional neck.
 
Obviously reality warping.

Failing that, it's probably telekinesis. Once you can mess with particles, you can pretty much warp reality.
 
Friendship.

Hard work.

Suffering.
 
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