Have you ever had to play with someone who had incredible luck? Someone who managed to get a code of "A" in both Reason and Spirit, and perhaps more? Well, someone who abuses their new powers can tip the balance of the game, and leave everyone feeling frustrated.
However, this doesn't always have to be the case. Let's take Ferilleeagh Dawnsprinter from the Fifth Age Trilogy and the modules. She's got some pretty hefty socres, with an "A" in both Reason and Spirit, as well as a "B" in both Strength and Dexterity. Feril's also an elf, which gives her a Trump bonus to both swords and bows. Some megalomaniac player mights abuse these stats to create a sword swinging, magic using, archer elf who could kick anyone's butt. However, Jean Rabe does a lot to help round out Feril's character, and not make her dominate everything.
Of course, sometimes Feril's powers do seem to overshadow everyone elses (remember the Bastion of Darkness?). But that's only natural.
Anyways, Jean Rabe does do a lot to curb feril's power, to make her balance the rest of the group. For instance, you may notice that Feril uses her Animism and Alteration spheres often. You don't however, see her using her aeromancy or pyromancy schools at all. Feril also used her magical powers a lot, not her fighting skills. She also has a quirk, in that she wastes a lot of her mysticism points. Feril likes to talk to creatures a lot, and therefore, her daily allowance of mysticism points gets drained readily.
These are some good ideas for players who have it all. Let's re-cap:
1) You can have the hero have preferences. If the hero knows three schools of sorcery, and three spheres of mysticism, have him/her choose one or two of them that he/she is good at. Have the other three only be used in dire emrgencies. If the player still cannot role-play this correctly, then apply penalties every time that hero uses those schools or spheres. In Feril's case, she would never get a trump bonus when she used the schools of Pyromancy and Aeromancy.
2) If that isn't enough, also have the player choose what her/she wants his/her hero to be. Feril tended to lean more to her mysticism side, so that's what she used the most. So a hero must choose which abilities he/she wants their hero to depend on the most, and role-play that.
3)Give the hero a strange personality quirk. A hero with an "A" in everything, but who doesn't like to kill is ok. He'll/she'll have to be extra careful and everything. Or a hero who now shuns his/her magical ability would also work, although that may be a little too extreme. In Feril's case, her quirk worked out fine, and it made sense.
So, even if you are reducing the power of a super-hero, try to make everything make sense with the hero's personality and background. All of Feril's faults and strengths made sense with her presonality.
