Line #31 Main/SchrodingersSuggestionBox


1	The player's version of the GM's SchrodingersGun. This is when a player can customize a spell, weapon or [[MinMaxing advantage]] to use in the game, usually with your GM's permission.
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3	Freeform magic and Gadgeteering are the most common tabletop RPG versions of this.
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5	A variation on this is the concept of "reflavoring" or "reskinning", rewriting a spell, weapon, or ability into something completely different while retaining the same mechanics (or making minor changes, such as turning a fireball into an iceball).
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7	Compare AscendedFanon.
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9	Named after [[UsefulNotes/SchrodingersCat Schrödinger's Cat]].
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11	!!Examples:
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13	[[foldercontrol]]
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15	[[folder:Collectible Card Game]]
16	* The short-lived ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' trading card game had a proxying mechanic allowing players owning the right base card to print a tournament-legal card representing one of their MMO characters, with a website app provided to design said card. The actual allowed variation in game-mechanic terms was character archetype (which determined hit points), travel power (form of mobility), and available primary and secondary power sets. To balance not having the custom innate powers made for the official hero cards, proxied heroes started with three powers in play instead of two.
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19	[[folder:New Media]]
20	* [[Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedtoDoinanRPG Mr. Welch]] is a repeat customer. And the answer is almost always "No!"
21	-->[[LongList 1916]]. Even if the rules allow it, sniper scopes don't give bonuses to shotguns.
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24	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
25	* ''TabletopGame/{{Space 1889}}'' there are rules for inventions, players can come up with their own.
26	* ''TabletopGame/UnknownArmies'' has this with players creating adept schools, avatar archetypes and tilt ritual types. It has this within adept schools as well, called "random magick" as opposed to formalised spells, with rules for creating spells of one's own. For instance [[spoiler: Dipsomancy, alcohol-based magic, features spells that enable characters to glimpse the future, throw objects around and make people drunk among other things, but it's mentioned that it can also be used to do things like reduce falling damage and bend natural law "in a short sighted sort of way" (one player interpretation being the ability to heal himself until he sobered up)]].
27	* ''Houses of the Blooded'' has mechanics that allowed players to do this to the ''game setting''.
28	* ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'' is all about doing anything you can logically infer from control over a word/concept and everything it represents.
29	* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' has a few possible examples, most notably, probably, the Gizmos advantage, but also Modular Abilities, and, heck, Syntactic Magic. Pretty much any advantage can have a series of enhancements or limitations applied to it to make it just the way you want it.
30	** The ''Powers'' supplement describes in detail how to do this with ''any'' advantage or disadvantage, allowing the creation of almost ''any'' power imaginable in any genre (I say "almost" because it's remotely possible there's one that can't be described).
31	* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' and ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'' allow making up magic spells on the spot--the main limit being the number of different "types" of magic the character is skilled with.
32	* The ''TabletopGame/HEROSystem'' has the "Variable Power Pool", which is a set of points that can be used to temporarily buy ''any'' power that has that cost or less. It's often bought with assorted limitations to make it less of a ComboPlatterPowers GameBreaker.
33	* ''{{TabletopGame/Exalted}}'' characters can build their own charms and spells. Of course, the "Storyteller" has to make sure they stay within their archetype i.e. no Gigeresque special effects for Solars (at least at low Essence; there are ways to go {{transhuman}} later on), just Ancient Greece-style badass superhumans.
34	* TabletopGame/{{Spirit of the Century}} seems to like this sort of thing.
35	** First you have the "universal gadgets" and "rare artifacts", which can be more-or-less made up on the spot, to whatever specs you need to solve the problem at hand. On the other hand, they're weaker than the alternatives
36	** "Personal gadgets" and "personal artifacts", which are made up ahead of time, though one of the three improvements might be kept secret to be decided later.
37	** Finally, if you choose to go in for character creation on the fly, your background and skills can be kept secret and decided later.
38	** Basically, there are lots of ways you can keep your character's awesomeness under your hat, typically in the interest of drama, or just getting to the fun quickly.
39	* Variable Energy Pools in MektonZeta allow you to build multiple energy weapons and shields into a single component.
40	* The original Mayfair ''TabletopGame/DCHeroes'' RPG (later republished by a third party as ''Blood Of Heroes'') was downright RIDDLED with this trope, including:
41	** Force Manipulation, which could simulate any 'Physical' power, as well as create solid objects of force
42	** Omni-Power, which could simulate all but the most expensive powers for a small in-game fee
43	** Sorcery, which could simulate ANY power, but if used at too high a level could potentially wear out the caster (aka Spirit damage)
44	** Omni-Connection, where the character can pay a small fee during gameplay and say, "Say, I happen to know someone who works there!" or the like.
45	** Omni-Gadget, where a character simply pays a points cost before hand to have a certain number of Schroedinger's Gadgets that just happen to be what he brought with him, like the Bat Shark Repellent Spray on the day he happens to be attacked by an exploding Great White Shark.
46	* In the Hong Kong Action role playing game ''TabletopGame/FengShui'', even minor scene details can be made up on the spot by the player. That punch bowl you threw in the face of the guy you were fighting wasn't there until you said it was.
47	* The ''TabletopGame/DragonlanceFifthAgeDramaticAdventureGame'' has a freeform spellcasting system for the most part. The limitation is that the character can only know a certain number of schools or spheres of magic, such as Pyromancy or Animism. They can do anything within the confines of the schools or spheres they know and that they have enough spell points for (And succeed at the card draw!).
48	* ''TabletopGame/{{Risus}}''. The players get to, essentially, create their own character classes from scratch.
49	* ''TabletopGame/WorldTree'' gives players access to divine Nouns and Verbs, which can be combined to produce virtually any magical effects imaginable.
50	* ''TabletopGame/{{TOON}}'' offers Gizmos, "placeholder" items that can be anything the player wants (the example given is a mouse ''just happening'' to have an electric pencil sharpener handy to shove a cat's tail into). Once a Gizmo's nature is revealed, it's stuck that way for the rest of the cartoon.
51	* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' RPG by Last Unicorn Games uses this for minor items that are common enough on Starfleet ships that it would be impractical for a GM to track the location of every last one of them, like phasers, medical kits, and tricorders. Instead, unless a player specifically declared that they were equipping themselves with one before getting into their current situation, a player can make a search roll. If they score high enough, it turns out there was a phaser there the whole time. Of course if the PC leaves the ship, then there seem to be a lot fewer phasers and tricorders just lying around.
52	* This kind of behavior is heavily encouraged by ''TabletopGame/SentinelComicsTheRoleplayingGame'', with the core rule book urging players to rename and reskin abilities and Principles at their leisure. Additionally, (with exceptions) any power can be assigned to an ability meaning that an ability gained from a magical Archetype can just as easily be assigned a Technology power. On top of that there are the Signature Weapon and Signature Vehicle powers which can be pretty much anything so long as it's a Weapon/Item or Vehicle and players ''always'' have to make up a unique Quality for their character based on said character's backstory or personality.
53	* While demonstrated through the lens of supernatural mad science, TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression allows you to do this with the Wonders (gadgets that should be impossible by currently understood natural physical laws) you create, in that so long as you have sufficient mastery over the Axioms (Power Categories), sufficiently high Inspiration (Power Stat), and keep it properly in-line & consistent with your character's personal philosophy & theories (though this is more a role-playing concern than a mechanical one outside of being a Lemurian, going Unmada, or just becoming out-&-out Illuminated.
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56	[[folder:Web Comics]]
57	* This is used frequently used by Ben (who role-plays Obi-Wan) on ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'', usually in response to Jim (Qui-Gon,[[spoiler: Padmé]]) declaring some bizarre use of an object or something to that effect. Two major examples are when Jim tries to use his Laser Sword to deflect the Battle Droids' bullets and when he tries to make Anakin a Jedi with his blood. Ben is one clever guy.
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