Anthro world with universally obtainable powers

So I'm currently thinking of a world populated by anthro animals with superpowers.

Basically, in this world, superpowers are NOT random - anyone can gain them through enough proper training and practice. Superpowers in this case are mainly general enhancements like increased strength, speed, endurance, as well as amplified natural abilities each respective species has - for example, a cat gains larger, sharper claws, rabbits get enhanced hearing and jumping range, while bears, tigers and larger creatures get Super-Strength, etc.

Beyond that, there are also possible Elemental Powers that can be learnt as a second layer of superpowers, which are obtained depending on habitat (your environment while practicing powers) and ancestry (what your parents' element is/are) and that's if the species doesn't have it innately, like electric eels.

Finally, there are also Power Levels, so those who train more will naturally also grow stronger and more powerful.

Superpowers are important in this world because without them (and before their 'discovery' in the world's history), each species has about the same physical levels as in real life, so larger stronger creatures always dominate smaller, weaker creatures even if they don't eat them anymore, leading to a caste system of sorts. So these powers are the only way to ensure societies with populations of roughly equal physical ability, though different civilizations handle it in their own ways, everything from wars and rebellions to elections and laws. Also, as technology improves and more powerful weapons like guns, bombs and tanks show up, these superpowers aren't going to be as dominant as they were during the days of bows and swords. And of course, those who know how to use both are the most elite of all.

How does this sound? Anything I could expand or improve on? Any feedback is appreciated.

edited 6th Mar '15 1:09:28 AM by Exploder

How exactly would Elemental Powers meet Charles Atlas Superpower?

Good question, I'm not exactly sure yet. I hope to figure it out soon.

For now, though, I'm currently thinking more of characters turning their own bodies into whatever element they've practiced the most, whether partially or fully, rather than being able to control the elements around them like the Avatar series. They might be able to blend into the environment if it consists of their element too. Still kind of tentative, but it should be roughly like this.

>> "How exactly would Elemental Powers meet Charles Atlas Superpower?"

I presume it would be something like esper powers; sort of being there naturally but requiring getting used to it and getting better willpower to use that with any effectiveness. If anyone can gain those powers but not everyone has them—as in, can use them right now—then it does appear to be that sort of standard fantasy power.

And as for the Charles Atlas Superpower part, well ... I've no idea how it will be tackled, but it could either have the characters use their abilities in alternate forms that are stronger if their abilities are stronger, or have the very fact that they'd trained their powers make them stronger the way certain monks are with their martial arts.

>> "How does this sound? Anything I could expand or improve on? Any feedback is appreciated."

The idea itself sounds fine, so mostly it's about executing it well and having it be consistent.

That being said, with technology there were things created out of convenience, and there were things created out of necessity. If you give people the ability to do something we can't do then some of our "necessity" things are going to be at most "convenience" ones for them, and there are going to be some "convenience" things for them that we never cared about enough. The effect might not be very pronounced, but that will shift the technology somewhat.

That's actually similar to how my faeries' magics work. They are born with a single element, which is powered by a certain emotion but controlled through concentration. They can focus their magics outward, producing standard effects like fireballs, or they can focus it inward, allowing them to embody their elements and giving them extraordinary physical abilities like intangibility. They can also control the minds of and/or possess the bodies of beasts of a particular taxonomic family. They developed wizardry in order to access elements and beasts they weren't born with.

Like you, I can't come up with a satisfying explanation for how their powers would increase, but they are able to increase the range and utility of their magics, allowing them to manifest more fire (or whatever) and do more unusual things with it, like burn time.

Maybe Sudoku puzzles, BrainGames, and such to train one's mind? As for the environment influencing one's element; doing Tai Chi in a showbank to gain frost powers or that excersise where you hold your hand over a lit candle to gain fire powers should do it. You'd just have to keep at it untill you can cook your dinner with a thought or keep everyone's beer cold through sheer bloody-mindedness.

edited 8th Mar '15 7:06:10 PM by dvorak

Here, Exploder, answer this: how is this world not Furry Dragon Ball? I get that it isn't, but figuring out the differences between your own work and that of a (really superficially) similar one is a good technique.

(nekomoon14: Meditation Powerup. Greater control over yourself leads to greater power, so this would reasonably work from what little I know of your setting.)

edited 7th Apr '15 11:26:30 AM by DeusDenuo