Unlockable hidden powers within yourself?

I've noticed some series have a scene in which someone is in mortal danger or is critically injured and they gain like a new power, or become more powerful. What if the same applied in Felarya? Lets say a creature that uses an element like a crimson fairy uses fire or whatever else. They are critically injured or about to be killed in battle, and suddenly they gain a new surge of power and do something much more powerful than what they had previously been able to do. But it can only be used in times of certain crisis in order to make them not too powerful. I can't list very good examples, but I hope you see what I mean.

So.... you want to try to introduce and document a terrible senseless cliché?

Okay first off, that was kind of mean. No I take that back, that was incredibly rude. But I knew someone at least one person was going to post a comment like that. Second, no... I wanted to see the communities thoughts on this.

Okay then, let me explain.

This is a cliché. That is a fact. The character who gets beaten up and then suddenly gains immense power appears in tons of bad anime and cartoons.

To be more specific, it's ridiculous to think that once you get the crap beaten out of you, incredible powers are suddenly unlocked.

However, the real problem here is mainly that this is not an idea. This is something that could be implemented for a character (though I would not recommend it.) But you can't say "when X species gets beaten up X power is unlocked). Idea threads are for documentation of new ideas to develop the world.

There is adrenaline and adrenaline-fueled states, but that's something different and not an idea.

Derp

While I do disagree with how Jætte_Troll said what he said; I do agree with what he meant.

When talking about something like this, you need to provide some sort of application for it (ie; what it could be applied too) and an explanation, which may include how it effects the world. Since you provided none, JT provided no reasoning for his outright rejection of this. But he is right; without the things I've mentioned, it's not really an idea.

It can be implemented with a character when done correctly; the cliche's original use was more for a learning experience.

For example, my character Liari gains her wings and tail after having her horns broken off and being raped by someone she honestly cared for. The intensity of what she experienced allowed her to manifest a part of her that she wasn't aware of before, but definitely existed at all times. She was subconsciously suppressing a side of her that contradicted with her 'primary' personality (Liari tends to act more like a fairy than a succubus).

The point at which it becomes a cliche is when you over use it, or when it leads to stupid power. Liari didn't gain any power; indeed, the only surprising part was that she was able to manifest something when her magical 'stores' were pulled from her (like a fairy her magic is 'stored' in a part of her - her horns). She gained some additional abilities and more succubi traits, but if she were to go through the exact same experience today it isn't like she would get any new abilities/assets. She can use those abilities or traits she gained from the initial experience at any time now that she is aware of their existence.

The issue is when you apply this to an entire race, or when you attempt to make it like Warhammer 40K - you know, upgrade your hero to that final level and viola, whenever they die they come back to life riding a large explosion and have increased damage and morale for some time period after. Even worse when you go to that right extreme and apply the anime mentality to it - y'know, character gets into a fight way over their head, realizes some new power hidden inside them, proceeds to beat up/kill the person that was beating them, then have some silly moral diatribe over the entire affair. Rinse later repeat and call it a season of Dragon Ball.

It is supremely overdone, boring, and most of all, cliche. Particularly the idea that it would only manifest when they're in 'extreme duress'. What is this, a Final Fantasy 2 Hour/Overdrive?

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it since it just creates an easy way out of most fights.

That's fair, I didn't go in depth with my example or explanation. I could start now, Like JT said this does apply to characters. But only in a few. Like how sharingan only shows up in a few member of the Uchiha. This power also can only be awakened during an absolute crisis and can only be used then too. But it doesn't mean it's going to get an instant KO. Some creatures are heavily resistant to magic, and some maybe able to counteract it depending on what the power was. E.g. Like if you are a fire elementalist against a water elementalist, if you used it and used a powerful fire attack that you have never used before, they could more than likely defend themselves against it because of how fire and water are opposites. And the power can sometimes, but not always physically drain you depending on how powerful your move was. So if you use it you have to make what you did count. I see it as something as something that can only be used as a last resort. I thought it would make battles quite more interesting. I don't want this to seem like an overkill type thing, nor something that makes the being "all powerful", or even a cliche. I wasn't suggesting it so a character would end fights quickly in an powerful manner, I was suggesting it to spice things up a little if they should be in mortal danger.

Quote :

Like how sharingan only shows up in a few member of the Uchiha.

this sentence explains a lot of things...

I can already see this isn't working out which I expected. This isn't really anything felarya needs, it's just something I wanted to see your guys thoughts on. I can accept that this downright sucks. I have no problem with that. But I could do without mean comments. Not all of you did but JT did. I see his point, and I totally agree with that, but he could have worded that nicer.

It can work if a character has a power that they just hadn't been able to figure out before, but leads to the story having a predictable feel. It's not a sucky idea. Just be smart with how you use it. Most things work in moderation.

I can see how it can get predictable. But again like you said it's all about how you use it. I am trying not to make this sound as dull as it is. I honestly don't want this to overpower an opponent. Just give them a challenge.