Choosing a Power for your OCs

Powers! Whether it be a superhero story or a fantasy one, lots of characters have unique powers that help them drive the story forward! But what kind of powers should you give your OCs? Let’s talk about it!

What’s the setting?

One thing you can consider is where and when your story takes place. Some powers might be better suited for a futuristic city environment, while others might be better for a story in a tropical village! Laser vision might be cool…but might not be best for a story that takes place in an enchanted forest! Or, giving your OC an ability that doesn’t suit their environment could be a fun way to cause trouble for your OC! Maybe they were born with a certain power, while other characters in the story were born with a different kind of power! Or, maybe their ability does more harm than good in the environment your OC is in! 

The setting could be important too if powers aren’t normal for the world, or if the power has to be learned. Think of your favorite superhero story. Usually powers aren’t normal for people in a superhero universe, and that’s what makes the characters that do have powers unique! In a medieval fantasy story magic might be more common, but it might be something that has to be taught. Maybe your OC has to hide their power so they don’t scare people. Or, maybe the character is taught how to use their power by an ancient wizard!

The setting is also important for how your OC receives their power! Depending on where and when your story takes place, your character might get their power in a different way. In a fantasy story they might be born with their power, while in a Sci-Fi story they might receive it from a crazy experiment gone wrong! Here’s some things to think about when considering your story’s setting:

• What time period does the story take place?
• Where does the story take place?
• How would other OC’s react to the character’s power?
• Would the character have to hide their power?

Thinking about the setting of your story and the world that surrounds your character can be a great way to get started on thinking of a power for your OC! Does your story take place in the far future? Maybe your OC gets animal powers from being bitten by a creature that escaped from a lab! Does your OC live in an ancient village in an enchanted forest? They could have been taught nature magic from the elders of their village!

A good example of using setting for powers would be Lordie’s OC Lucian! His world is filled with vampires, and as a vampire himself he has powers like turning into a bat!

The power…of personality!

The next thing you can consider is the personality and role of your OC! Your OC’s personality plays a big part in the story, and you can also use their unique abilities to reflect that! You can choose a power based on their personality, or based on things they like. Maybe an animal lover gains the ability to talk to animals, or a more shy character gains the power to turn invisible! Your OC’s ability could tell the audience what kind of character they are as well! A deceptive OC could have the ability to shape-shift, while a more trustworthy OC could sense when someone’s lying. 

Personality can also affect how your OC uses their ability. A more reckless character may do more harm than good with super strength, while a more cautious character might be better at controlling the same ability! Continuing with the example of super strength, a more gentle character might use that ability to lift or move heavy objects, while a more aggressive character might use it for fighting villains. You’ll want to think about how your OC will use their power, and how that’ll affect the story you’re telling! 

You can give them something that suits their personality…but you could also do the opposite and give them a power that doesn’t work well with their personality! A character might need to grow and learn to master their unique ability. This could create interesting scenarios as well! Their power could be more of a hindrance until they learn how to properly use it.

Here are some ideas to get that creativity flowing:

• A plant loving OC who can grow plants at will
• A protective OC who has super strength
• A daydreamer OC who can create things from their imagination
• An energetic OC with super speed

Thinking about your OC’s personality can be a fun way to choose a power for them! Do you have a hot-headed OC? Maybe they could have some kind of fire or explosive power. What about a more level-headed one? Perhaps mind-reading or telepathy. An energetic OC could have a power like electricity or super speed! The possibilities are endless!

What’s your OC’s role?

Similar to personality, you can also take into consideration your character’s role in the story when deciding on a power for them! Some powers might have more negative connotations with them, while others might seem more heroic! Some are also more suited for support characters, while others might be better for the main characters! Think powers like shadow manipulation or mind control, those might be better for a more antagonist OC! Other powers like healing or enhancing others’ abilities might be better suited for a side character.

The character’s role could include their job as well! Maybe they gain a power that’ll help them in their field, or they chose their occupation because of their power! A firefighter could control water, while a chef could control fire! Or maybe a psychologist can read minds, and a zoologist could talk to animals! 

Thinking about your OC’s role in the story will help you determine what kind of powers they could have! You could also give them powers opposite of their role, like giving a hero character a power that would seem better for a villain. Maybe they have to convince others that they’re a hero, since they have a darker power, or maybe they’re feared because of their power! Here are some questions to get you thinking of your OC’s role:

• Are they a hero, villain, or side character?
• Do they have a specific job?
• Would their power be helpful, or harmful to their role?
• What would their power say about them?

The role your character has in your story could be a great way to figure out what kind of powers your OC has! Is your character the main hero? Maybe they have strength or speed! What about a villain? They could have poison or toxic powers! A side character could talk to animals, or have healing magic.

A good example for using roles to choose a power would be Mephistophyles’ OC Mikaela! Mikaela is a priest, and he has powers that reflect that such as soul reading!

Different types of powers!

There are lots of different kinds of powers to choose from, and the possibilities are endless! They can be as useful, or as pointless, as you want them to be! Powers can be anything from super speed to growing strawberry bushes at will. 

The type of power your OC has will determine what all they can do in the story! Some powers are better for things like fighting head on, while others might be better for forming certain strategies before a battle! So what kinds of powers are there? Here are a few you can think about!

• Physical powers! Some powers enhance a character’s physical abilities or alter their body in some way! These powers would be ones like super strength or invisibility. Things like shape-shifting or turning into an animal could fit into this category too!
• Manipulation powers! Other powers can manipulate the world around them! Abilities like growing plants at will, telekinesis, and water manipulation would all be a part of this category.
• Mind powers! Some abilities might only work within the realm of the brain! Powers like mind-reading, dream manipulation, mind-control, and telepathy could be a part of this category!

These aren’t all the powers that exist, but they can get you started on what you want your OC’s power to be! Powers can also be as broad, or as specific, as you want them to be. Maybe a character can control any kind of water, including the water inside a person! A different character could also control water…but only salt water. One character could teleport across different universes…but another could only teleport across the room! It all depends on what you want. An OC with a pretty broad power could make for a terrifying villain, while a different OC with an oddly specific power could be great comic relief!

If you need inspiration, you could try looking at your favorite characters in your favorite show or book. What kinds of powers do they have? You could also look up lists of powers from across fiction, and choose from there! Or, you could look at the real world! What’s a power that would make your own life easier? Could your OC have a power like that? There are plenty of ways to think of different powers!

Balancing it out!

One more important thing to think about is how to balance out your OC’s power! While it’s fun to have a strong character, you don’t want them to be too overpowered! So, you’ll want to think of ways to keep them from being too strong! 

One way you can balance things out is by giving your OC’s power weaknesses. Maybe it’s something opposite of their ability! For example, an OC with fire powers could be stopped by water, or an OC with water powers could be stopped by ice. A certain material could keep a mind-reader’s powers at bay, and a different material could weaken a character!

Another way to keep your OC from becoming too strong is to give their ability limits. This could be with time, or amount! A mind controlling OC could only control one person at a time, or a character with super speed can only use their speed for an hour before having to rest! Here are some ideas to add limitations to your OC’s powers:

• Headaches or sleepiness caused by using mind powers
• Manipulation powers that consume a character’s energy
• Physical powers that only work for a few hours at a time

Balancing out your OC’s powers is important for your story, and it’s also important when partaking in a collaborative story! If your OC is for a collaborative story, them being too overpowered could get frustrating or overwhelming for the other people you’re collaborating with. If it’s impossible to beat your OC, others might not want to even try. So try adding some kind of limit or weakness to your character to keep things fair! 

A good example of balancing out powers would be Vin’s OC Sonnie! Sonnie can manipulate time, but it comes with some side effects such as severe motion sickness!

Choosing a power, or multiple powers, for your OC can be a fun process! It all depends on what you want your story to be and what you want your OC to do. Try experimenting with different characters and powers, and see what works best for you! And as always, remember to have fun with it!