Voting:Level 5's and Up/Mnemosyne Powers Rebalance

Mnemosyne doesn't need much of an introduction. She's been a popular cabin goddess for ages, so I'm sure you all know that she's the goddess of language, writing, and memory. Kinda burned out right now, so let's leave it at that and skip down to the rebalance!

Mnemosyne's set is the first set that actually called for much more of a nerf than a buff. Now now, don't worry, it's not anything that will totally cripple your Mnemosyne characters. The idea of powers based on writing and memory is awesome and I've got no intention of nerfing them into oblivion. In fact, for most of you this will barely matter whatsoever. Mnemosyne kids already have a fairly standard and viable number of powers, so I'm not adding or removing anything. There's just a few issues here that really need to be addressed.

In its current incarnation, the Mnemosyne powerset makes its users nigh-omniscient, and that is definitely a problem. It also far outclasses many sets at being a walking lie detector, that it has no business outclassing, because of its power to know someone's entire life to the smallest detail. No way should a set about memories be better at discerning information from people than the gods of truth and lies.

A detailed explanation of the changes, and why they were made, is below. Collapsed because it's kinda long - just click "Expand".

The bulk of the problems with the old set are, strangely, actually in its passives.


 * First up is something fairly innocuous - the power to instantly know the full contents of any written text just by recalling its title. At first glance, this seems perfectly fine. When you think about it deeper though, it makes it completely and totally trivial for any child of Mnemosyne to gain almost the entire sum of human knowledge nigh-instantly. That may sound insane, but let me demonstrate. Let's say a Mnemosyne kid walks into a nice public library, and finds its log of all of the library's contents. By knowing the title of that log, they become instantly aware of every written word inside it - that is to say, the titles of every book in the library. Maybe you see where this is going now. By learning the titles of all the books in the library, they learn the exact contents of all of those books. This is massive, and it doesn't stop here. If this library has a nonfiction section with essays, or scientific papers, or biographies, then they will also know the titles of all of the other written works that those things cite, and outward from there until they get large swaths of historic and academic knowledge on thousands of subjects. If the library has anything that talks about religious matters, then they'll get countless ancient texts - including ones mentioned by title alone, that have actually been lost knowledge for millennia. If the library contains any writings about Greek mythology and history, then they will get unparalleled knowledge about the mythic world immediately. And let's hope they don't chain-react their way to hearing about the Tablets of Ophion, which are Greek mythological tablets said to contain everything to ever happen across the past, present and future.
 * So clearly this is a problem. They got all of that from the starting point of the average public library. Just imagine how much more thorough it would be using a university, or the Library of Congress. Or consider that the power doesn't ever say just things written on paper, and worry about what happens the moment they hear the word "Google".
 * Fortunately though, there's a fairly easy fix! We'll just cut off that infinite feedback loop. The power has been changed slightly, so that instead of knowing a text's contents by knowing its title, it instead applies to the contents of any text they have seen. This way, the power instead becomes more of a hugely-effective speed-reading mechanism. They will still know everything in a textbook as soon as they lay eyes on it, and can still become walking libraries by, well, walking into a library. But they won't get the whole sum of written human knowledge in a screwy chain reaction.
 * As an additional safeguard, it's been reworded slightly so that they have the memory of the texts' contents, but not necessarily the automatic knowledge of the info within. Basically, it means that they don't become instant masters of theoretical physics the moment they see a high-level college textbook. The book is there in their mind for whenever they want to consult the thing, but that doesn't mean they understand it all instantly. It's the difference between taking word-for-word notes in a lecture as it's being said, and making sense of it when you look back at the notes later.


 * Next is the power to know people's lives, in full detail. I don't think it takes much explaining to establish the problem with this. It's just too dang good at what it does. It's impossible to lie through, impossible to mentally resist, and isn't limited by verbal descriptions from the target, so it lets the Mnemosyne kid find out anything they could possibly want to know about anyone. They're far, far, far better lie detectors than the people who should be good at it, like Apate (god of lies) and Themis (goddess of truth, among other things). They're far better at getting information out of people than, well... anyone. And that's just not fitting for a goddess who is primarily the goddess of writing. Add in the slight ambiguity that the power has, which allows people to interpret it as if the Mnemosyne kid can speed-read their way through people's lives quickly, and get decent swaths of people's life stories with ease.
 * To make this more reasonable, I've changed it in two pretty straightforward ways. It's now non-trivial - it takes actual time and effort to perform, and isn't easy to guide - and it's possible to mentally resist. In a way, vaguely resembles leglimency from Harry potter - you know, that thing that Snape does to dig around in Harry's mind? It doesn't apply to the mind as a whole, just memories, and it doesn't simultaneously force the target to witness the stuff first-hand as well. It also isn't physically painful or anything. But on the other hand, it does let the Mnemosyne kid witness a target's memories play out in real time, and it's hard to control to specific points in their lives, and can be fought off mentally. The similarities are kinda there. Leave me alone.
 * All of that said, since it's now clearly an active ability and not something done automatically, it's been moved to the Supplementary category.


 * Lastly, their 3-month power. Like the previous two, nothing is wrong with this power at a conceptual level. I'm definitely keeping it in. However, it does have some loopholes in its wording that let it be interpreted in some broken ways if a user chooses to do so. There are two main loopholes in play here. The first is that it's up to heavy interpretation what does and does not count as a "detail". For example, the property of existing can be considered a single detail, letting Mnemosyne kids cause an entire area and everything inside it to cease to exist on a whim. Likewise, "contains my opponent" and "is not a portal to the sun" can also be considered single details subject to change. The second loophole is that, if one assumes the effect occurs instantly, certain changes can immediately kill a target. For example, changing the floor to lava instantly would immediately cripple and most likely kill an opponent, and replacing the air in a room with toxic gas would as well.
 * To close these loopholes, I've added a few more restrictions to the power's use. The alterations are now directly stated to be gradual, and the more complex and abstract the written detail is, the more the user is drained. The first is pretty straightforward - it keeps Mnemosyne kids from instantly gibbing opponents with cheap surprise tactics. The second is - hopefully - more interesting. Instead of just saying the more extreme the change, the more they're drained, I tried to make it more unique and play off of the fact that they're physically writing out on a piece of paper what they want to happen. The more words it takes them to describe the change, and the less clear what they've written is, the more the power will take out of them. This'll reward creativity, while still hopefully preventing problematic things like "battlefield does not contain my opponent" - because it's vague in application, and is wordy. Things like "Floor is quicksand" or "No shadows", which make it clear exactly what will happen while still being simple to describe, will work best.

TL;DR: The knowing-books-by-their-titles passive has been reworked, the knowing-people's-histories passive has been reworked into a supplementary, and the upper bounds of the 3-month have been more clearly established by giving it a new scaling drain mechanic.

The Powers
New Powers=

Offensive

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to write/read weapons out of pure energy which can be used for combat; however, only one weapon can be conjured at a time and it cannot be bigger than the one who conjured it. They can also write/read other objects that are for non-combative purposes
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne can launch orbs of ink which burst upon striking the target, temporarily obscuring their vision. They can only launch three orbs of ink at a time.

Defensive

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to write/read a shield of pure energy, roughly two to three times the size of the user, which will blunt most attacks but slow the movement of the conjurer.
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to revert time around them for a short duration in order to dodge an attack that was unforeseen. After doing so, this ability cannot be used for a while.

Passive

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne gain memory of the contents of any written text - such as a book or a webpage - as soon as they lay eyes on it. They would still have to learn what it all means, however.
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne have an eidetic memory and can remember every detail of a previous fight with an opponent.
 * 3) Children of Mnemosyne can see a few seconds into the future; allowing them to possibly predict the actions of others, but also obscuring their sight at times.

Supplementary

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne are able to force everyone around them within a 10-meter radius to remember and dwell on an event from their past that emulates a certain emotion from the affected. The child of Mnemosyne can choose which emotion they would like their targets to feel, be it anger, sadness, happiness, ecstasy or anything in or ecstasy. The user cannot hold the targets under their control for more than a few minutes, and the effects of the power can cause those around them to become positive and motivated from their happy memory
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne can use descriptive insults used both against themselves and their opponents to gain a temporary boost in speed and strength. The longer they maintain this boost, the more energy is drained.
 * 3) Children of Mnemosyne can read/write wings into existence. This enables them to fly; the longer they maintain this state, the more energy it drains. They must rest between flights and cannot make long distance traveling without resting often. However the wings are vulnerable to injuries and magic; they can also be customized to the user’s preference.
 * 4) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to travel back and forth in time, but they are unable to interact with or change past events they are only able to see the events play out. When they go forward in time they only see “possible” futures, that does not mean those future events will come to pass.
 * 5) Children of Mnemosyne can view the memories of another person that they can see, in real time. They may struggle to zero in on specific memories, however, and the target can notice and resist them if they are too forceful.

3 Months After Character is Made

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne can temporarily rewrite details about the battlefield they are fighting on in order to alter it and gain an advantage over their opponent. This could include things like temporarily eliminating the shadows on a battlefield if they are fighting a child of Nyx or temporarily drying up the water if they are fighting a child of Poseidon. The change takes effect gradually and only lasts for a moderate time. The more complicated the wording of the change, and the less clear their description of it is, the more the user is drained.

6 Months After Character is Made

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne can manifest a person or creature from any book in order to temporarily fight alongside them. The manifestation cannot be larger than 2-3 the size of the user and will dissipate after a short time. The person cannot be overly powerful and the user will have a hard time moving while the manifestation is in place.

9 Months After Character is Made

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne can morph into a state of pure imagination. This grants them flight, receive enhancement in some of their abilities (Offensive 1, Defensive 1, 3 Month and 6 Month) and invulnerability to attacks. This effect only lasts for a short time, leaving the user extremely drained and temporarily unable to move afterward.

Traits

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne typically have excellent memories, unable to forget details from their past and are therefore immune to the effects of amnesia and other memory-related illnesses.
 * 2) Though most demigods struggle with dyslexia, children of Mnemosyne usually do so to a lesser extent because their mother is the goddess of the written word.
 * 3) Children of Mnemosyne can normally learn and decipher other languages incredibly easy. Ex: Hearing a woman speak Chinese would mean the user could somewhat understand even if they never heard the language before. If they then have a lengthy conversation with the woman in Chinese, they’d be considered fluent in the language afterward.
 * 4) Children of Mnemosyne often grow up to become great authors, English teachers, and historians.

Old Powers=

Offensive

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to write/read weapons out of pure energy which can be used for combat; however, only one weapon can be conjured at a time and it cannot be bigger than the one who conjured it. They can also write/read other objects that are for non-combative purposes
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne can launch orbs of ink which burst upon striking the target, temporarily obscuring their vision. They can only launch three orbs of ink at a time.

Defensive

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to write/read a shield of pure energy, roughly two to three times the size of the user, which will blunt most attacks but slow the movement of the conjurer.
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to revert time around them for a short duration in order to dodge an attack that was unforeseen. After doing so, this ability cannot be used for a while.

Passive

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to view the specific past of a person’s life.
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne have an innate knowledge of everything ever written and only have to hear its name to remember its details.
 * 3) Children of Mnemosyne have an eidetic memory and can remember every detail of a previous fight with an opponent.
 * 4) Children of Mnemosyne can see a few seconds into the future; allowing them to possibly predict the actions of others, but also obscuring their sight at times.

Supplementary

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne are able to force everyone around them within a 10-meter radius to remember and dwell on an event from their past that emulates a certain emotion from the affected. The child of Mnemosyne can choose which emotion they would like their targets to feel, be it anger, sadness, happiness, ecstasy or anything in or ecstasy. The user cannot hold the targets under their control for more than a few minutes, and the effects of the power can cause those around them to become positive and motivated from their happy memory
 * 2) Children of Mnemosyne can use descriptive insults used both against themselves and their opponents to gain a temporary boost in speed and strength. The longer they maintain this boost, the more energy is drained.
 * 3) Children of Mnemosyne can read/write wings into existence. This enables them to fly; the longer they maintain this state, the more energy it drains. They must rest between flights and cannot make long distance traveling without resting often. However the wings are vulnerable to injuries and magic; they can also be customized to the user’s preference.
 * 4) Children of Mnemosyne have the ability to travel back and forth in time, but they are unable to interact with or change past events they are only able to see the events play out. When they go forward in time they only see “possible” futures, that does not mean those future events will come to pass.

3 Months After Character is Made

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne can temporarily rewrite details about the battlefield they are fighting on in order to alter it and gain an advantage over their opponent. This could include things like temporarily eliminating the shadows on a battlefield if they are fighting a child of Nyx or temporarily drying up the water if they are fighting a child of Poseidon. Only one detail can be changed at a time and the change only lasts for a moderate time.

6 Months After Character is Made

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne can manifest a person or creature from any book in order to temporarily fight alongside them. The manifestation cannot be larger than 2-3 the size of the user and will dissipate after a short time. The person cannot be overly powerful and the user will have a hard time moving while the manifestation is in place.

9 Months After Character is Made

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne can morph into a state of pure imagination. This grants them flight, receive enhancement in some of their abilities (Offensive 1, Defensive 1, 3 Month and 6 Month) and invulnerability to attacks. This effect only lasts for a short time, leaving the user extremely drained and temporarily unable to move afterward.

Traits

 * 1) Children of Mnemosyne typically have excellent memories, unable to forget details from their past and are therefore immune to the effects of amnesia and other memory-related illnesses.
 * 2) Though most demigods struggle with dyslexia, children of Mnemosyne usually do so to a lesser extent because their mother is the goddess of the written word.
 * 3) Children of Mnemosyne can normally learn and decipher other languages incredibly easy. Ex: Hearing a woman speak Chinese would mean the user could somewhat understand even if they never heard the language before. If they then have a lengthy conversation with the woman in Chinese, they’d be considered fluent in the language afterward.
 * 4) Children of Mnemosyne often grow up to become great authors, English teachers, and historians.

Discussion
I know I went a bit overboard in the description for what amounted to three reworded powers. Just figured I should probably cover my reasons as well as possible when nerfing a popular set. TL;DR added to the top after the fact because wew, that is one long change summary.