A way with worlds: 06 - Pyramids of Power

"As Brett Strongchin watched the Dark General fall, he knew now the world was safe, the Evil Army would be destroyed, he'd get the girl, and all would be well."

Wait a second here . . .

"Kono pointed his finger, and released a blast of Psi-Ki energy equal to 20,000 nova-ing stars, and decimated his opponent. This was easily accomplished, without fears of gravitic distortion, radiation poisoning, control, or a source of energy."

These are hideously egregious examples of parts of stories where things seem to happen too easily, where cause and effect done line up, and where simple actions have unbelievably massive repercussions. They can ruin stories; we laugh at them when we see them or grit our teeth, and we fear we may write them ourselves.

How do you avoid turning your hero into a world-toppling plot device, or creating weapons that make standard videogame fare look logical? I'm sure you'll be utterly shocked to discover I have a theory on this, and a helpful concept on designing how power and influence, from armies to psychic powers. Control your utter surprise, and read on about the Power Pyramids.

And I'm sorry I couldn't think of a better name.

THE POWER PROCESS:

Nothing happens without a reason. That seems obvious in writing, but the problem is having the correct reasons - and enough of them. The more of an effect something has, the more powerful a being is or the more deadly an army, the more you have to explain and explain in an effective manner. When figuring out how your characters, organizations, devices, etc. influence each other, get ready to put in some thought.

A character may be able to fight well because of a good trainer, or prefer to keep their hair short because they're used to it. Those are simple explanations for simple effects, and you really don't need much more than that. However, when you're explaining how a gigantic rampaging army remains gigantic or rampaging or how your advanced weapons gizmo decimates cities, then you've got more to do.

Visualize it as a pyramid. The higher you want to go, the more solid concepts you have to put into place. The more powerful the rampaging army, the more you'll have to explain and understand logistics, resources, and political impact. A deadly weapon will require resources and intelligence to develop and either a useful automated system or a trained staff to use. All your explanations combine to a "point" - a goal to be achieved, the top of the pyramid.

In addition, when building your "power pyramid" remember one issue that many people forget - how things do not get out of hand. A huge army can get out of control, suffer mutinies, and more. A deadly device can misfire/malfunction. A biological weapon can cause unexpected devastation, a visiting alien race may be benevolent but they may make errors that cause social unrest. When you have an effect, you may have unexpected effects, and need to explain why those don't happen.