Mental results of being young and extremely powerful?


Advice

Silver Crusade

I'm playing in strange Aeons, and my character is a 16-year-old kitsune telekinetic.
She is the most dangerous and powerful member of the party, and they would have died many times over (as in TPK) if she hadn't been there. Recently she pulled a trick that had a bunch of people assuming she was a desert spirit and pretty much worship her.

She developed her powers at the tender age of 10 and was taken as a slave by the time she was 11.

She's never been taken out by a foe, and only fallen unconscious once due to using burn (and this saved the whole party).

What overall impact would this have on her ego? I mean combine this with the fact that teenagers often do think they're immortal and underestimate their own mortality.


I would say something along the lines of a superiority/god complex, as well as underestimating the potential risk posed by enemies/hazards.


According to age rules a telekinetic is a trained class so for a kitsune that is minimum age 17. And so by raw she wouldn't have powers at 10 or 11. You would start at 17. Even using "intuitive" minimum is 16. Which is already into adulthood for a kitsune. So she's not just a kid she's a full adult just like the rest of the party. Being more powerful will always affect someone's ego regardless of age but not in any special way for your kitsune due to age.


1) She could totally underestimate the importance of subtlety and strategy. She could tend to "bullrush" at enemies simply because she's powerful. (I'm way stronger than those goons, there's no need to complicate things.)

2) She could be very stubborn refusing even his allies advices if he believe it's ideas are better. (ehi, it always worked for me!)

3) She could be slow to cope with reality when things finally go south, falling in confusion. (What....? This can't be true...)

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Rashness would definitely be a problem. Maybe annoyance when others outperform her, even to the point of holding grudges any time someone else gains praise. I reckon she'd be likely to rush head first into problems without tact or strategy, and natural talents aside, this could lead to trouble. She'll do anything for praise and attention, even self-destructive stuff- like running into the path of a dragon's fireball for the chance to hit more enemies with an attack or something. You get what I'm saying!


Of course, I wouldn't neglect the influence of being taken as a slave at 11.

Enslaved at 11 and a near deity at 16. That's gonna screw you up.

Mind you, I'd also be worried about how the rest of the group reacts. Check in with them on however you take this.


Being a slave is a soul crushing experiment - which could allow you to go in many directions. Did she free herself. Is she motivated to free others.

What enslaved her - does she realize that mindflayers (etc) are more powerful than her.

Etc.


*Thelith wrote:
According to age rules a telekinetic is a trained class so for a kitsune that is minimum age 17. And so by raw she wouldn't have powers at 10 or 11. You would start at 17. Even using "intuitive" minimum is 16. Which is already into adulthood for a kitsune. So she's not just a kid she's a full adult just like the rest of the party. Being more powerful will always affect someone's ego regardless of age but not in any special way for your kitsune due to age.

The character is 16. I read "developed her powers at the tender age of 10" as "started to show signs" and was then trained to use them properly. Backstory.


What are the mental stats? Not necessary for personality traits, but can be helpful for inspiration.


*Thelith wrote:
According to age rules a telekinetic is a trained class so for a kitsune that is minimum age 17. And so by raw she wouldn't have powers at 10 or 11. You would start at 17. Even using "intuitive" minimum is 16. Which is already into adulthood for a kitsune. So she's not just a kid she's a full adult just like the rest of the party. Being more powerful will always affect someone's ego regardless of age but not in any special way for your kitsune due to age.

the training rules are s bunch of bs which only serves to stifle character creativity and should always be discarded for the sake of telling a good story


Lady-J wrote:
*Thelith wrote:
According to age rules a telekinetic is a trained class so for a kitsune that is minimum age 17. And so by raw she wouldn't have powers at 10 or 11. You would start at 17. Even using "intuitive" minimum is 16. Which is already into adulthood for a kitsune. So she's not just a kid she's a full adult just like the rest of the party. Being more powerful will always affect someone's ego regardless of age but not in any special way for your kitsune due to age.
the training rules are s bunch of bs which only serves to stifle character creativity and should always be discarded for the sake of telling a good story

Training rules are just that, rules.

There is a reason a wizard is older than a rogue, it takes time to learn. If that is all handwaved in a homebrew, fine. But that doesn't change the fact that a 16 year old kitsune is a fully grown adult.
Rashness is related to wisdom not backstory. Ego is related to charisma. Knowing stuff is related to intelligence.

A character concept is fine but behaving rashly because of backstory doesn't mesh with having 20 wisdom. Nor would having the backstory of a big brute mesh with having 7 strength.

Your backstory shouldn't contradict your mechanical stats.


*Thelith wrote:
Lady-J wrote:
*Thelith wrote:
According to age rules a telekinetic is a trained class so for a kitsune that is minimum age 17. And so by raw she wouldn't have powers at 10 or 11. You would start at 17. Even using "intuitive" minimum is 16. Which is already into adulthood for a kitsune. So she's not just a kid she's a full adult just like the rest of the party. Being more powerful will always affect someone's ego regardless of age but not in any special way for your kitsune due to age.
the training rules are s bunch of bs which only serves to stifle character creativity and should always be discarded for the sake of telling a good story

Training rules are just that, rules.

There is a reason a wizard is older than a rogue, it takes time to learn. If that is all handwaved in a homebrew, fine. But that doesn't change the fact that a 16 year old kitsune is a fully grown adult.
Rashness is related to wisdom not backstory. Ego is related to charisma. Knowing stuff is related to intelligence.

A character concept is fine but behaving rashly because of backstory doesn't mesh with having 20 wisdom. Nor would having the backstory of a big brute mesh with having 7 strength.

Your backstory shouldn't contradict your mechanical stats.

stats have no baring on personality traits, which are developed by back story

Silver Crusade

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OI you two!
Take the bickering off my thread.
Nosey-mc-rules-lawyer is not my GM. He's just a troublemaker.

Also
*points at the Iconic Kenetisist*
She doesn't look 17 to me.

Lady-J. I was ignoring the person who blathered something that had nothing to do with my question for a reason. It had nothing to do what my question. I completely agree with you, but others don't and are therefore being annoying.

Charisma =/= ego? Really? Charisma is being able to deal with people and move with social grace. It's social knowledge.
Wisdom is common sense.
Int is book learning.

Now that I'm going back to ignoring hot air that has no bearing on this thread but is someone simply being a pedantic pita.

Her mental stats are all quite nice. She is smarter than average, much wiser than average and quite charismatic (same level as her wisdom). She's got a strong will save (I spent a lot of time shoring it up because HORROR game)

As for becoming free

Spoilers for Strange Aeons

Spoiler:

She woke up in an asylum after having her memories stolen. She's since regained them and has been carrying around a bust of the jackwollop who bought her so she can invert his face when she meets him. While she was on her power-ramp up she didn't remember being a slave. Now she does and wants to make sure those involved in her enslavement are well and truly dead.

As for the rest of the party? They're just glad I'm picking up the wizard's slack.


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Have you seen the Netflix show Stranger Things? That show takes a very similar concept and takes it up to Eleven. =D

Silver Crusade

FiddlersGreen wrote:
Have you seen the Netflix show Stranger Things? That show takes a very similar concept and takes it up to Eleven. =D

I watched 50% of one episode and couldn't handle it at all. I don't do well with horror on the screen. ESP the way they did horror. Couldn't sleep properly for a week.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16

Perhaps watch that one Twilight Zone episode with the kid that's a reality warper?


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So the basic question I would want to ask is - Do you want this character to be kind of a jerk? Since you're completely entitled to have the character be a better person than most people would be having had this set of experiences, having risen above it.

Since most realistic consequences of "granted too much power at an impressionable age" do not result in a particularly likable person.

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