: Re: Writing rule which states that two causes for the same superpower is bad writing I've read somewhere that there is this writing rule stating that, for some superpower, it would be less believable

@Cooney417

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I've never heard of that rule but I think it is actually more of mnemonic for not messing up than an actual rule.

The problem it would solve is that you might be tempted to forget that the source of the power is actually part of the definition of the super power as much as the abilities it grants. A super power that has a different source is by definition a different super power even if it grants the exact same abilities. And that should be reflected in the flavour you give to the abilities it grants.

I think your confusion stems from not making a clear distinction between the super power and the abilities it gives. The distinction is not really needed to read or write about super heroes but it is pretty important if you try to make your own supers with unique powers.

I'd suggest reading the rule book for some RPG that has rules for creating super powered characters with custom powers. For example GURPS has expansions for both Supers genre and Powers in general, and the rules explain much of the basic "genre logic".

EDIT:

I probably should give an example since this is not really obvious without one.

Lets have three characters with ability to cling to the walls using three different sources. One was bitten by a radioactive spider and got "spider abilities" because of that. One has telekinetic abilities that allow clinging to the wall. And one has super-science suction pads in his suit.

The first would be a "natural" ability. It would be highly reliable and the character could use it instinctively. He'd be able to move very rapidly and accurately on all kinds of surfaces. And the ability would work unless he is sick, poisoned, or the surface is coated with some exotic substance he cannot stick to.

The second would be a psionic ability. The character would have lots of control over it and be able to use it in flexible fashion. He would be able to move fast and with high precision but would lack the kind of fluency the first character would have. He just would not be quite as good at using it, especially under pressure since he would need some level of mental focus to use it. It also could be disabled by anything that stops him from concentrating or that blocks or disrupts psionic powers. On the positive side the ability would not really care about the specific surface and the character would be able to control the specifics of how it works. They might for example be able to repel surfaces to slide frictionlessly or even use it to throw objects.

The third just has some weird and unrealistic gizmos. It would probably break if handled carelessly or if maintenance is skipped. Fixing it might require expensive or otherwise hard to get parts. And the character would not be able to move with very high speed or precision since the gizmo would have strict limits on how it works. Moving too fast or trying to do a fancy move would probably see the gizmo simply not work and the character falling in an embarrassing fashion. It would also fail on all sorts of normal surfaces because it is just a machine. And an EMP or even dust in the air might make the gizmo stop working.

I hope this example makes my meaning (which I hope is related to the rule in the question) clear. The source of the power is an intrinsic part of the power itself and it should be clear to the reader that the "same" ability from different sources would be entirely different thing. The reader should never think that the above three characters with the "same" power actually have the same power.

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