Once you know whether or not you have an OP character, you need to figure out what you want to do if you have one. There are multiple approaches, and, if you do them right, they are all workable options.
Dial Back the Power
Possibly the simplest approch is to merely dial back the power. This means that your super fast speedster will be slower, or your expert in hand-to-hand combat won't know as much as they thought that they did.
Give Them a Physical Handicap
An OP character who heavily relies on their hands could be born without an arm, or lose one in an accident or a fight. Maybe they have arthritis, or are just very shaky. Even being out of shape can be used if properly applied.
Give Them a Mental Handicap
If they're very powerful physically, and taking that away is an option that you know you don't want to pursue, then a mental handicap is a great way to hold them back a little more. In One Punch Man, Saitama is the strongest person in the world, but his apathy and ennui is pretty much all-encompassing. The majority of conflict can even be person vs self instead of person vs person.
Change What They Can Do
Sometimes all it really takes is a little alteration of their power, or abilities, or whatever it is that makes them so powerful. Even a slight change can fix your problem. It's a good idea to figure out the specific details on how the abilities work initially, and then go from there. You may make certain aspects more or less technical to accomodate your requirements.
In the end, the more common special powers, or magic, or abilities are in your world, the more likely you're going to end up with an OP character or two.
That's awesome advice. One of my first characters (Oak) was unfortunately an overpowered character. So I may use these tips to make her less so.
ReplyDelete-Quinley