HOW TO JOIN! (Read me first!)

[Omni]

Omni's note: Some of the move examples here are a bit out of date on the level of detail we require, I suggest following the updated Moves Writing Checklist and the examples on that page when writing moves. With that in mind, the rest of this guide is still pretty relevant!

So, you've read the rules and you 'get' the concept of the RPG. But it can still be a little overwhelming. Where to start? What type of character to build? How to build that perfect character you have in mind! This guide is here to help you out a bit with those questions.

The following is an optional guide for those seeking to build more advanced characters. Please read How To Join first, and make sure you're familiar with the Rules.

For those with more unusual character concepts, figuring out how to build them can be a daunting task. The stronger your character is in their own universe, the more likely that you'll have to start with a limited selection of their powers and build up to the full pool. Unfortunately for Superman, Omni insists everyone starts at the same level. Here's one example of a pretty weird character, Majin Buu from Dragon Ball Z. For those who don't know, Majin Buu is a fat pink dude who can completely morph his body, melt into a puddle and reform from nothing. Not to mention he can turn people into candy. To be honest, he's pretty overpowered in Dragon Ball Z. So how would you go about building Majin Buu? Let's start with joining.

Buu's pretty strong, and especially resilient, but he's not especially skilled. So let's make defense his biggest stat, followed by attack, then speed, then technique as his lowest.

ATK: 4
DEF: 5
SPD: 1
TEC: 0

Now for powers and proficiencies. A staple of all DBZ characters is being able to punch like a truck and throw energy beams, so let's grab both the Physical Strength and Ranged proficiencies. That's 2000 OM down from our starting 5000 OM, leaving us with 3000 more for Powers and Moves. It's not going to be anywhere near enough to grab all of Buu's powers from the show, so let's start with the most character-defining: his stretchiness. Elasticity is another 400 down. That leaves 2600 left for moves. Let's grab three:

Ki Blast 300 OM (requires Ranged Proficiency)
An instanteous blast of energy fired from the palm of the hand. Upon impact it explodes, but this is not large enough to impact anyone other than the target. As the explosion is quite weak, this is an attack best used continually. However, repeated use can quickly tire out the user. This can be easily used while moving.

Twisty Punch 300 OM (requires Physical Strength)
To prepare this attack, Buu plants his feet, pulls his arm backwards and twists it, coiling up potential energy. He then throws his arm forward like a normal punch, rapidly unravelling his arm as he does so. This creates a kind of 'drill' effect that can bore through an opponent's defenses.

While making his moves, Buu comes up with a great idea for a new one - a clone that can be send after an opponent! However, since true Assists require being Level 2 and cost 1000 OM, he comes up with a simpler version that utilises the Homing Proficiency.

Kamikazi Buu Clone 600 OM (requires Physical Strength, Ranged Proficiency, Homing Proficiency)
Buu takes several seconds of stationary focus to create a Buu clone out of excess material (he has a lot to spare). This clone is mindless and will only go after the first target Buu points it to. It will then proceed to close in on the target and hit them with punches and kicks. By putting more time and energy in, Buu can create up to six clones of himself - this can be rather exhausting. These clones are very weak and are mostly used to distract or overwhelm an opponent - they can be caved in with a few direct hits. However, Buu can re-absorb dead or disabled clones in order to recover a portion of the energy that was put into them.

With these moves and the additional Homing Proficiency, we're left with 600 OM to save for our next purchase. We'll aim for Basic Regeneration first, then Malleability and Disassemble. Later down the line we can look at things like Burst Movement, advanced forms of Regeneration and even Healing. You'll also want to pick up more proficiencies as you go on. Bear in mind that even with all these powers, Buu won't be able to do things like regenerate from a speck of himself like in the show - that would be simply too strong. But you will be able to regrow lost limbs and heal massive wounds by expending SP.

What about Buu's trademark Candy Beam, which allows him to turn opponents into cookies, candy and other treats? For this, you'll first need to buy the Debuff proficiency. Let's give it a whirl:

Candy Beam (requires Ranged Proficiency, Debuff Proficiency) 300 OM
By taking a moment to stand still and wind up the attack, Buu can fire a beam from the tentacle on his head that turns people into gumdrops, gingerbread men, or whatever food he happens to be thinking about at the moment. Unfortunately, this doesn't really weaken people. They can still hop around and use powers like flight, telekinesis and telepathy in their transformed form, it's just that using guns or weapons or even throwing a punch is rather difficult when you're a ball of candy. But if you're strong, you can still propel yourself into Buu just fine. Lasts twenty seconds, but after use requires several minutes to recharge.

As for transformations, here are some ideas:

Buu Mad! - Tier 1 Power-Up
Buu gets so angry that steam starts shooting from the vents on his head. Sometimes, he even opens his eyes!
ATK: +1
DEF: +1
SPD: +2
TEC: +1

Big Buu! - Tier 2 Powered-Up Form - Giant Body
In this form, Buu becomes fifty feet tall, able to crush anything he steps on. Unfortunately, despite his slight speed increase over his base form, he seems even slower due to the size increase.
ATK: 8
DEF: 10
SPD: 2
TEC: 0

That should give you some ideas! Now for something different.

Shapeshifting Characters

Given the many types of shapeshifters there are, we give a lot of options to try and appease everyone. For those with a limited number of distinct shapeshifts, alternate forms may be your best option. If you only shapeshift limited parts of your body such as turning your hands into claws, you don't necessarily need anything except moves.

For those of you who are really into your Shapeshifting, here's an example of a dedicated shifter, Beast Boy. In the comics, Beast Boy has the power of transforming into any living animal. So how do we replicate this within the Omniverse rules? Well, first we'll need the power Shapeshifting. This will allow Beast Boy to transform into anything he can see of think of that's not taller or wider than twelve feet.

However, this doesn't mean you're done buying things! For every 'natural weapon' you want to use effectively against other players, you'll need to purchase a move. For example, you might have a move for 'Claws' (which is close enough to talons that it may count as both), one for 'Tusks', one for 'Teeth' and so on. Additionally, you might think Shapeshifting allows you to become an eldritch horror with tentacles. It sure does! But if you want to grab something at range or hit something at range, you're still going to need the Remote-Control and Ranged proficiencies. Additionally, if you wish to grow to gigantic creatures like T-Rexes and Elephants, you'll need the Growth power. Smaller creatures like Bees will need the Shrink power (see the power descriptions for more detail).

One other thing: shapeshifting doesn't actually change your character's stats. So if you have 3 ATK, 2 DEF, 3 SPD, 2 TEC, you're still going to have those stats whether you're a Dog or a Pterodactyl. If you want to change your stats, you'll need to purchase Alternate Forms. In the case of Beast Boy, you might want to create an Alternate Form for smaller, faster creatures with a focus on SPD and then one for larger, hulking creatures with a focus on DEF. How you choose to do this is entirely up to you. You could also choose to have the more powerful forms like T-Rex as Powered-Up Forms. There's a lot of different ways you could pull it off, but you'll have to decide!

Alchemist Character

Finally, let's try an alchemist character from Fullmetal Alchemist. Being an alchemist affords a lot of powers in FMA, but in its most basic form, alchemists can transmute materials. Creating walls from the floor, opening gaps, transforming a metal arm into a sword ... it seems like that kind of thing would need its own power, right? Wrong! In this case, you will probably get most of your transmutations from moves. This might require a number of proficiencies to pull off. For example:

Transmute Grappling Hook 300 OM (requires Ranged Proficiency)
Using this power, Edward can create a strong grappling hook out of nearby materials (including materials that may be on his person, such as his own metal arm). This requires him to first clap his hands, then touch them to the material in question. The transmutation takes about one second and requires Edward to stand still. The grappling hook can then be used to latch onto objects or opponents.

Transmute Wall 300 OM (requires Ranged Proficiency, Ranged Materialize Proficiency)
Edward raises a weak wall from the ground, be it cement or sand. This requires Edward to first clap his hands, then touch them to a connected surface. It takes about one second and requires Edward to stand still. It's only a hasty manoeuvre, so it's not going to stand up to much, but it's great at taking the bite out of an attack.

Transmute Passage 300 OM (requires Ranged Proficiency, Ranged Materialize Proficiency)
By planting his feet, clapping his hands and then touching them to a connected surface, Edward can creates holes in walls or tunnels through the ground. A versatile move with a lot of practical applications. This may take only a moment, or much longer as a continuous transmutation.

Transmute Grasping Hand 600 OM (requires Ranged Proficiency, Area Attack Proficiency, Area Defense Proficiency, Remote-Control Proficiency, Ranged Materialize Proficiency)
Edward transmutes a large hand roughly two metres in diameter from any wall or surface. It remains connected to the surface with a gigantic coil of the material used to create it. He can control this remotely and use it to grab opponents, block attacks using its bulk (this may destroy the hand) or even to make a bridge. Having his concentration interrupted will leave the transmuted material in the form it was in, or may cause the hand to shatter if he was actively transmuting. It takes roughly a second to create a grasping hand; however, this hand will be fairly weak. By spending up to ten seconds refining the material (or using a harder material) Edward can create a much more solid, durable hand. However, transmuting (and thus the speed of the hand) will be much slower with the more durable material. Edward must stand still to use this move.

For alchemy, a lot of it is simply going to be roleplaying other powers as effects from alchemy. For example, Shapeshifting could be roleplayed as transmuting your clothes to be entirely different, and transmuting a sweet hat and sunglasses. This is where you can have fun with your creativity.

Hopefully, these examples have helped show you a little bit of what you can do in the system. But if you're stuck with a concept and can't figure out how to pull it off, you're welcome to make a topic and ask.