I'm kinda inspired to write a novel so need help with world building . i have changed it a little ,this is the first iteration need some help like is the powers okay and need ideas for more keeper powers they need not be a combination of bearer .and also some constructive criticism . the post is long so thank you for your patience. Thanks in advance The setting is steampunk-England , guns and cannons exist but not very powerful and are rare . And some people have powers but they come with a catch. 1) SHIELD Bearer - creates an impenetrable shield but it will only activate if he is protecting someone it won't help him but if he is protecting someone then it will activate. Also one of the very few skills/power up that can acquired through certain rituals and relics. 2) KEY Bearer- can create doors that can let people/objects pass through any obstacle (intangibility) but he cannot use the door he created. Like if he is trapped in cell he let other pass through walls and escape but he himself can't. (cannot pass through a shield bearer’s shield). 3) FATE Bearer- can see the fates of others not himself (he can sense whether something good or bad is going to happen but it's kinda vague like if he sees red then the person has danger incoming,black then the person has a chance of dying) also fate of others can't affect him like his companions might have good luck but he would suffer hard ship .Also cannot see the fate of other fate bearers and book bearers. 4) PLIGHT Bearer- can take the plight of others he can make a person/group invulnerable by taking their injuries to himself (like if he uses his power on a guy, then the guy's injuries/wounds will be transferred to the plight bearer while the guy will won’t feel pain) there is limit like if the guy gets his head chopped then the plight bearer dies while the guy survives .There is also selection like he can choose to bear only the pain and not injuries. (thanks to griix ) 5)TRUTH Bearer- can force someone to tell a truth but cannot reveal it to anyone even another truth bearer. Can also trade like the guy who he gets the truth from can ask him anything and he will answer truthfully and now he can reveal the guys secret. (Thanks to kuchi66 and negritis) 6) HOARD Bearer / Power Borrow: Can HOARD a single usage of an ally's power for a particular period of time. (Maximum is based on the power hoarded if the space is 10 then some powers can take a space of 5 while some only one). Can only use IN ORDER of the hoard (can discard a borrowed power, but it doesn't refund the daily usage). The power and restrictions are exactly the same, so you can't borrow powers with restrictions that prevent you from using them(ex. Power can only be gifted)(stacking doesn't apply ,like using two fate bearer power won’t give a more accurate prediction or any advantage over using one). (Thanks to Drunk2nLink ) 7) BLADE Bearer- Depending on the blade the person uses the skill/power up varies, it requires a blade and blood to be activated. Also one of the very few skills/power up that can acquired through certain rituals and relics *note gifted weapons and named blades have different powers when used by a blade bearer Katana/ Nodachi (or any long Japanese style blade) - edge manipulation, he can lengthen the sword edge and it can cut through everything except the shield of shield bearer .The lengthening and sharpness of edge depends on the amount of blood the bearer sacrifices. It requires the blood of the bearer. Long sword (any long western style swords) – mass manipulation, can increase the mass of the sword. Mass increase or decrease directly proportional to amount of bearer’s blood consumed Sabre/ cutlass (curved blades that are not of the above two types) - wind slash, can create a powerful concentrated gust of wind that can cut through steel .power directly proportional to amount of bearers’ blood consumed Any other edged weapon that may classify as a blade – Physical Enhancing, can enhance physical attributes of the bearer’s choice like stamina, pain tolerance, dexterity etc. Power of enhancement directly proportional to amount of bearer’s blood consumed. 8) SOUL Bearer: can bear the soul of others. If the bearer’s will power is weak he is susceptible to getting possessed. Number of souls depends on soul compatibility of other souls and will power of the uses .can make a trade .The bearer fulfills a wish and can inherit knowledge or skill the soul has to offer. 9) NIHIL Bearer: bears nothing .by annihilating their body the bearer can exist in an incorporeal form. In this form the bearer feels no hunger, pain, joy or any emotion. Gets freed from mortality and exist forever because only nothing is forever. Slowly will lose their sanity in the passage of time. Can bind themselves to objects (like Al in FMAB). 10) BOOK Bearer: bears records of events. Basically a diary/journal, it can also record emotions, memories, dreams etc. it can keep account of almost anything except a person’s fate .There is limited space and if bearer wants increase the space the bearer has to sacrifice memories. Can be passed on to others .some of the contents will be lost if the person to whom the book is passed on is not book bearer. If passed to a non-bearer the person then becomes a book bearer. Deletion is possible. 11) PENANCE Bearer: bears penance .Gets power equivalent to the penance taken. Some are fixed some can be changed for the bearer’s needs. Penance of sight: - loses sight gets super hearing (Daredevil anyone? ) .This can be changed like he loses sight for a year and gets super hearing worth six months’ time or instead can get durability for a month (like Luke cage) or any equivalent power up Penance of joy: - cannot feel joy for the duration of penance and can choose an equivalent power up for a time. The list goes on. There are some penances that are for a certain power up like Penance of truth: - the bearer cannot lie .gets power of truth bearer. This has to be taken for a lifetime. He can only lie three times the fourth time he loses the power of penance. Penance of giving/endowment: - the bearer must give everything he can give if asked. If a person asks for food and he has food then he must give it to the person. Anything that doesn’t affect his sustenance and dignity should be given away if asked. He doesn’t need to give away food if he himself is starving. He must also not hide that he is doing a penance of endowment if asked. He gets the power of hoard bearer, plight bearer and the gift bearer. They can be stacked to give an exponential power up (two penances at once give four times the benefit).They are prepaid. You take the penance and afterwards get the power not vice versa. There are two types one voluntary like penance of truth where the bearer can break out of a penance doing so will also cost the bearer the ability to bear penance .The other is voluntary the bearer cannot break out of it .if the bearer takes a penance of sight for a year then he cannot feel sight for that year and he can’t gain sight for that year no matter what. 12) GIFT Bearer: bears gift to others. It’s like one for all combined with watered down version of penance bearing. Like penance bearing a person can choose to sacrifice something and gift others an equivalent power up or he can just gift his skills. Like the gift bearer can lose sight and gift a blind person with vision or super hearing .A expert swordsman can gift his insights to his disciple and be turned into a normal swords man. Like one for all the gifts can be accumulated but it also can be used up. Like the gift has accumulated the strength of ten men.it can be used up if the gift bearer uses it to lift a huge boulder .now the gift will only have a fraction of what it used to have. He can gift it to objects (crafting) he can gift eternal sharpness to a sword but in return all blade he uses will become blunt. It’s post-paid he can gift something and then pay for it. Due to this it’s weaker than penance. Stacking has no benefits. Gifts can be passed down but cannot be returned. You can’t give the gift back to the one who created it. If he created a sword of eternal sharpness then he can’t use it because when he uses it then the sword becomes blunt. 13) HOPE Bearer: bears hope. Grows stronger proportional to the hope given to him. If enough people believe that his hand can tear apart the jaws of a lion then he will gain the strength to do so .If people come to know he is a hope bearer then their hope won’t matter anymore. Can induce/nudge positive emotions the bearer .For some reason they develop a slight aversion to the color yellow and start preferring blue. Note powers gained by hope are confined to laws of physics no matter how much people believe you can’t fly but you can do a double jump and glide down. 14) DOUBT Bearer (Also lovingly known by many as FACE SLAPPER): bears doubt .Grows stronger proportional to the amount under estimated. Can reduce negative emotions a bit. Knowing he is doubt bearer will actually strengthen as people will still doubt whether he is a doubt bearer or he is really strong .This only applies if the bearer does not reveal it himself. In some cases the bearer develops a creepy fetish for face slapping and in some males they exhibit a desire to cross dress. Same restrictions faced by hope bearer 15) LOCK Bearer: can lock a person/ moving object but while doing so the person would be locked as well. More bearer power may exist these are the documented one In the case of a person having more than on bearer powers i) If powers are synergistic they form a variation of the power, these variations are not fixed. eg BOOK bearer +TRUTH bearer = codex of Truth can ask any question and shall receive the truth each question takes a page, no of pages are fixed (or) lines of deceit (tsundere spotter)it writes down what people actually meant to say. People rate this extremely useful in spotting tsunderes. They give it 9 out 11 stars ii) Powers not synergistic ,don’t form a variation co-exist peacefully eg shield bearer and sword bearer powers don’t hinder each other and work simultaneously without a hitch iii) Powers are incompatible user is presented with a choice to choose one Eg penance bearer cannot be a gift bearer at the same time and has to choose one, nihil bearer and hoard bearer powers cannot coexist, gift bearer and hoard bearer powers can’t coexist and nihil bearer and gift bearer can’t coexist Certain powers advance, a level up of sorts if the conditions are met and certain keeper powers aren’t derived from bearer powers at least not directly 1) Ward keeper: - can be advanced from either sword or shield bearer. Creates a ward which can protect a city, the ward reflects all attacks can strengthen the reflected attack by using blood. Activation requires a place/home to protect and a sword*. 2) Gate keeper: - advancing requires presence of both key and lock bearer powers+ hidden condition. Creates a gate which can take people anywhere in the world .and the gate keeper can’t use his own gates as someone needs to watch the gate if not who knows what will come through . 3) Watch keeper: -advancing requires book + fate+ truth+ hidden condition. Has a choice to keep a watch on the past or the present or the future .can choose anyone of the three. Choosing the past can let the keeper know whatever happened known as the historian. Present allows the keeper to know whatever is happening known as the witness. Future has two further options. i) can make a prophecy and then lose the power known as prophet bear in mind the prophecy cannot be changed ii) will get visions of a possible future has little to no control when these visions happen and about what it happens known as the oracle. (*NOTE Truth is the one thing that never changes .Truth bearer power is integral for if not the truth who knows what you might see and what you might bring about. If advancing into watch keeper then truth bearer power must never be borrowed or be gifted) 4) Naught keeper: -NIHIL + SOUL or is it NIHIL + TRUTH+SOUL .Advancement condition is partially known, NIHIL MAKES the essence. Only one record of the naught keeper remain. “At the beginning of time there was but naught and at the end of time there is but naught” 5) Oath keeper: - TRUTH + SOUL +GIFT (GIFT can be replaced by PENANCE “For penance too is a gift” and SOUL with NIHIL * NOTE if gift is replaced with penance ONLY THEN SHOULD SOUL be replaced with NIHIL) +hidden condition. Gives/keeps/creates oaths .These oaths must be kept at all cost if broken then the oath breakers soul will be collected by the oath keeper. They also can create geass’s (basically powers for promise) .They are capable of Oath crafting .basically weapons with power up as long as you fulfil a certain condition/keep your oath. Faith keeper: - Advanced from either HOPE + HOARD or DOUBT+ PLIGHT or HOPE+GIFT. Presence of TRUTH (any TRUTH) will help in stabilizing The power. Keeps faith and can use it in give a pseudo blessing to his/her/their/it’s followers. can use faith to strengthen themselves still the strengthening is limited to superhuman levels only so no changing water into wine or parting the ocean .you can walk on water (when its frozen nah just kidding you can walk on water) by using an equivalent amount of faith needed you can bless your follower to walk on water too. If faith runs out the blessing stops. knowing you are a faith keeper will weaken the effect of the blessing given thanks to every one whom i couldn't mention, thanks a lot this is the first draft i will change it probably two more times to perfect it .(this is like pro-prologue like how some novels start with a historical note or something this starts from a page of a book-keeper i would probably make the notes more humane or funny if possible . ) ALSO should i create a separate poll for blessed weapons or named weapons(they oath crafted or gift crafted weapons) or can i continue it in this thread it self . thanks in advance
crossbow of life - create a crossbow with infinite ammo and otherworldly accuracy, but can only heal others mutual binding - can bind anybody without the ability for the other to resist, but he will be binded too silent truth - can force others to speak the truth, but he cant talk during the process
Loky's mask - a mask that is once worn, it will give you immeasurable powers but in proportion with the wearer's psychology as it will also reflect his inner most personality and thoughts, like this
Bear bearer- can summon bears, half of the time they follow the bearer command, half don't. Some time summon best black bear, sometime summon useless panda bear Edit: New idea Bear bearer bearer Summon a human that summons bear. Better growth rate
Truth Bearer - Can forcibly obtain 1 truth from anybody and cannot talk about it to others except for the one he took it from. (so if someone is sneaking behind the walls and he tries to to blackmail the person with their truth, then he won't be able to talk and will know someone is listening) Body Perception - Lose the feeling of 1 body part for 5 days to gain better perception&understanding of techniques. The more body parts you lose the better perception&understanding you have.
opposite of a same coin - you can bless anyone with anything you want but you will get the negative version of the blessing (aka curse)
Dumb luck - your dumb act will make you lucky. The dumber the act the luckier you will get Absolute victor - you HAVE TO WIN. Every time you win you will get blessing. But, when you lose you will lose your blessing and turn it into a curse Edit New power cut like a butter, eat like a butter - you can cut anything you want as if its a butter, but you need to completely eat the thing you cut in 1 hour or you will be killed cut as if you are a butter
I recommend reading Lord of Mysteries for inspiration. At the surface, it looked like a steampunk story genre with balloon airship a la Zeppelin and military guys carrying steam pack to power their steam-powered rifles. But it was actually an RPG class linear power-up progression (Job 1 level up to Job 2 etc) crossed with SCP (cursed artifact; great power with equally great demerit in even holding it) and Lovecraft (High tier class user are very dangerous, even a glimpse of their true mythical form could lead to insanity and losing control). It's great, the world-building is meticulous, the plotline was intricate and tightly build (with minimal plothole at a basic cursory inspection), and the Author had progressed much in his skill compared to his previous novels. You would only lose a bit of time in reading it, but it would be time well spent in terms of enjoyment of reading a good story.
I find this funny because the dude's username is MR. Klein and joined just Wednesday. I'm pretty sure he already read it lol
Power Management: Can Swap your ally's powers, can only use with consent/ Cannot be forced, Can only use on others. Levels up. Can only be used 1 time per level per 24 hours. Has a maximum level of 10 Usage does not stack. Power Borrow: Can Borrow a single usage of an ally's power every 24 hours. (maximum 10). Can only use IN ORDER borrowed (can discard a borrowed power, but it doesn't refund the daily usage). The power and restrictions are exactly the same, so you can't borrow powers with restrictions that prevent you from using them(ex. Power can only be used by females, but you are Male)
Sword Bearer- summon a blade that can cut through oneself or other sword bearers Light Bearer- Summons a light that literally gives others hope, happiness, and courage by taking it from the user History Bearer- summons a book that has an object's past recorded but the object must not have been involved with the user Youth bearer- keeps one looks and fitness in exchange for shortening their life span Eye Bearer- use the senses of another but the more you use it you lose that sense Heart Bearer- can feel what others feel but includes pain and unhappiness and it can't be turned off Life Bearer- heal others but they won't remember being injured or healed and others watching won't remember either Death Bearer- Cause a random part of oneself and another to decay, the parts are not related and one person can have their limb or head rot while the other person just has a tooth rot Luck Bearer- gives luck to oneself and their enemies simultaneously, mainly useful for boosting odds of survival in emergencies Fire/Lightning Bearer- can wield ones own bodily temperature and/or bio-electricity, naturally energy used is lost but can also be used to keep vitals warm in extreme cold by taking heat from other parts Blood Bearer- sacrifices ones life to give the skills they learned to their child Mind Bearer- enables oneself to read minds but oneself loses their sense of self Corpse Bearer- Live after death but loses bodily functions and desires, the users emotions rapidly fade leaving only a slowly fading morality and eventually a hostile corpse Gate Bearer- can send only others through a recently used door or gate but only with permission of both the the target and owner of the house (the user, target, and owner must be different from eachother) Evil Bearer- Know if others hold significant malice that they are likely to act on but cannot be sensed if they hold malice towards themself or the user Story Bearer- Can tell details through spoken or written words of an event happening someplace else that the user is not involved with Nature Bearer- Can truthfully communicate ideas and intentions to wildlife but wildlife won't listen unless it is in their best interest
Void Demon cultivation: you can cultivate infinitely and increase your power and lifespan to the infinite but you bear the risk of every time you break a realm creating a perfect copy of you that just wants to kill you at any cost
I was just going to suggest sword bearer but I kept on going. Good luck and please post a link to your novel when write it.