Of course, we must reflect that this concept of challenge increasing with capability is not limited to D&D, gaming, or even Western society for that manner. It is universally true in human cultures that the more powerful a hero is, the more danger he must put himself in to be considered ‘heroic’. Let’s take a look at Hercules of Greek and Roman mythos. He performed 12 (not 2, not 5, not 10, but 12) labors with little help from any gods as a punishment for slaughtering his wife and children after being driven mad by Hera. The tasks are as follows:
1. Slay the Nemean Lion.
2. Slay the 9-headed Lernaean Hydra.
3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis.
4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
5. Clean the Augean stables in a single day.
6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
9. Obtain the Girdle of the Amazon Queen.
10. Obtain the Cattle of the Monster Geryon.
11. Steal the Apples of the Hesperides.
12. Capture Cerberus.
The only reason Hercules was put through all those tasks is because he was son of Zeus, the greatest of all gods, and immensely strong even for a demi-god. Another son of Zeus, Perseus, got help from multiple gods with his task of beheading the gorgon Medusa. After that, all he really did was save a hot babe named Andromeda from a sea monster and marry her. Perseus didn’t have any real powers. That’s why he got it easy. You can pluck examples from anywhere in the world, but you will always find:
Impressiveness of Feat = Risks Taken+Difficulty/Power+Skill of the Norm
while
Impressiveness of Feat For a Given Individual = Risks Taken+Difficulty/Power+Skill of the Individual
The Power+Skill of the Norm is the power and skill possessed by a normal person of that culture, age group, social class, and so on. It is effectively 1. Impressiveness of a Feat is generally what a normal onlooker would think of someone performing that feat. Impressiveness of a Feat For a Given Individual is how impressive the feat is to the one performing it (provided that their ego is of normal size), a long time companion, or an individual with similar or greater power/abilities. Let’s get back to my example of Inuyasha and co. Did you ever notice that whenever they get ready to slay some minor demon infesting a household, all the villagers gather around and are all like “Holy crap, these guys must be out of their minds?” Then Inuyasha cuts the demon in half and they’re all like “Holy crap, he totally pwned that demon!” They’re all very impressed. But Inuyasha doesn’t feel it’s even worth bragging about. That demon was so weak compared to him it meant absolutely nothing to him. Kagome’s not going to fall into his arms, because she has seen him do this many times before and she knows a demon like this never even seemed a challenge to him. It is for this same reason that the other team members are not shitting bricks. And if Sesshomaru was watching? That demon meant less to him then it did Inuyasha!
This is where people with Mary Sues always screw up. Fan characters (and sometimes original ones too) are always performing impressive feats. However, whenever the character is powerful even compared to the main protagonists, the feat is not impressive for them because they are so powerful. That right there is what ruins the suspension of disbelief. And they don’t ACT like it was nothing to them. They celebrate as if they were one of the lame ass villagers who usually stood by and gawked as the demon was slain. Sometimes, the canonical characters join in too. That’s just adding salt to the wound. The other common case is that the feat is extremely impressive for the character, so impressive in fact that the ability of the characters to perform these feats is immediately questioned, and the suspension of disbelief is again ruined. Creators of Mary Sues cannot find the ‘butter zone’ of power and skills that allows the suspension of disbelief to go unbroken.
Allow me to find another specific example where I can apply this equation.
Issun-bōshi (or the One Inch Boy) is the Japanese equivalent of Tom Thumb (however, Tom Thumb really didn’t do anything heroic or impressive, so that’s why I’m going with Issun) Born to a couple that wanted a child and didn’t care how large he would be, he deemed himself a tiny samurai. Using a small needle as a sword, he eventually found himself the companion of a pretty princess. One day, they are attacked by an oni, and he is swallowed. Understandably pissed, Issun goes crazy with his needle sword, using it to climb out of the demon’s belly. The oni, not feeling too good, runs away, dropping the wish-granting hammer Uchide-no-Kozuchi. The hammer is then used to turn Issun into a normal sized man (and possibly give him a sweet beard in doing so) and Issun goes on to wed the princess.
Now, as it is no doubt clear to you that this would be less impressive of him if he was a normal sized samurai (whom might have sliced the oni open from the inside, but still would have considered this impressive) So we can see that equations applies to any situation where the hero takes on any monster greater than himself. David and Goliath, Jack and the Beanstalk, and so forth. However, what of Beowulf? He had the strength of 30 men, and Grendel really did not stand a chance against him. Indeed, what of Beowulf? Well, first, I will need you to realize that my equation only shows how impressive a feat is, not how heroic it is.
If I go out into the woods, find a grizzly bear and knock out with a single uppercut to the jaw, that’s going to be impressive, but it won’t be that heroic unless the bear in question is a problem bear. However if the grizzly bear attacks me as opposed to me attacking it, the feat of knocking it out with a single uppercut to the jaw will be equally impressive and heroic because I am defending myself. If the same situation occurs but instead of me being attacked by the grizzly bear, it’s 5 schools worth of kindergarteners, that will be even more heroic. In order to get the Heroicness of a Feat from Impressiveness of a Feat, you must add whatever is gained or saved by the Feat. So:
Heroicness of a Feat = Impressiveness of Feat + Gains or Saves of Feat
= Risks Taken+Difficulty/Power+Skill of the Norm + Gains or Saves of Feat
and
Heroicness of a Feat For a Given Individual = Impressiveness of Feat For a Given Individual + Gains or Saves of Feat
= Risks Taken+Difficulty/Power+Skill of the Individual + Gains or Saves of Feat
Beowulf was heroic in killing Grendel not because it was very difficult for him (Beowulf may have broken a sweat or two when tearing of Grendels arm, but he was always stronger than Grendel) but because Grendel ate like 20 dudes every night. And not just any dudes, but really good, strong, morally acceptable warrior dudes.
Mind you, that last equation is not the end all of figuring out heroics. There are countless intangible things you could fit in that I would never think of.
Now, what does this have to do with my original theory?
Power+Skills of the Individual only includes Power and Skills that would be considered useful in the situation. In the case of Souzuke Sagara’s school life, he uses his social skills, which are actually lower than the norm. It must be a bloody miracle he fits in at all!
Well, that conclusion was brief. But then again, it would have been a bad idea to drag it out. Well anyways, I’ve got a related fanword contest up for those of you who don’t know: Character Creation By The Numbers. There’s Plenty of time until it expires, so feel free to participate!
