: Is a character with a hidden Power too strong? this is my first time here. At the moment I'm writing on a little Novel and now I am at the point: My character has a hidden power ( in

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It's not the number of powers that makes him overpowered. It's how they work.

I just recently read this article on rational magic systems on Mythcreants which explains why your magic system needs rules and boundaries. For example, it explains that your magic needs boundaries so you can craft strong, believable conflicts in your story. It also means that your characters have to come up with smart ideas how to use magic to their advantage because it isn't just a deus ex machina solution to everything.

Another article on the same site gives great advice on how to limit any kind of magic or superpower, though not all of it is applicable to your world. Examples would be to restrict a power to only be usable during a specific time (say full moon) or with specific resources (there needs to be water nearby) or to give your power a negative drawback.

In your specific case, I'm thinking that it would be great fun if your characters first power was relatively "weak". This automatically makes him an underdog, which is a great trait for a hero. Then, also restrict his secret, second power so it is really powerful under certain circumstances but absolutely useless in any other situation.

Remember, that just having two powers instead of one gives him and advantage over other people, because they are always going to expect he only has one. As long as he shows his first, weak power, he can use the second one in secret all he wants because nobody is going to suspect anything. This is a really strong power in itself, so take advantage of that and in turn make sure that his second ability is as weak as you can get away with.

Sorry for bad english, I'm not a native speaker.

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Depends on what the powers are, and what the weaknesses are.

Can your character fly but nobody else can? Or can he always parallel-park perfectly on the first shot? Does he have super strength or the ability to get a ball into a net? Does he need to eat so much after using his power that he's constantly stuffing food in his mouth? Does it make him collapse after 10 minutes of doing his thing?

"Too strong" means you've written your story without considering all the angles. Just because you have super speed doesn't make you bulletproof. A "power" could be something small, like always knowing exactly when to pick tomatoes so they're perfectly ripe.

Consider what your story needs and fine-tune your character's abilities so he's not too strong.

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