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What would be the full capability of someone with the power to control molecular movement Question
So I've been designing a character with powers, and at first I imagined him with ice powers, but I wanted something more original. Overtime after doing research I decided to give him the power to manipulate molecular movement. This would not only allow him to freeze air molecules by halting their movement entirely to simulate ice powers, but in theory grant bonus abilities;
● By accelerating the move of air molecules so fast and instantaneously they can cause shock waves in various areas.
● By slowly changing the speed of molecules he can control the temperature of an area, either making it colder by slowing down the air molecules or making it warmer by speeding them up.
● By manipulating the oxygen or hydrogen molecules in the air individually he can cause opponents to undergo asphyxiation
● By changing the molecular speed of certain materials he can change their molecular state (turn vapor into water and water into vapor)
With all this in mind, between my knowledge of this field being limited and this power being completely hypothetical, the concepts and answers I can find towards the scope this power could have is limited. So now I come here hoping to figure what would be the full capability of someone with the power to manipulate molecular movement, particularly the affects he can induce by slowing down or speeding up the speed of molecules, as well as confirm if any of the abilities I listed are even accurate or if I may have to rethink them.
Please Note:
- The character's power is limited strictly to the movement speed of molecules meaning that he can't truly control molecules or their structure (as far as I know in terms of the affects of manipulation of molecular movement)
-The character can control how much speed he changes on a molecule, either having its speed up/slow down gradually or instantaneously in a micro second.
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He's not immune to the after affects of shifting the speed of molecules. This means that when he heats up or cools down the air he's fully affected by it, hence why he wears a specialized suit for thermal regulation and to provide breathable air when needed.
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The character has limited range of much his molecular speed he can affect, with this being limited to at least a small or medium sized city at maximum.
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The character can manipulate the individual molecular elements of certain materials such as air, however this level of precision requires immense concentration and focus depending on the number of molecular elements the material is made of and how many individual elements he attempts to control, with his limit being possibly three.
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The character has been taught extensively on molecular physics and biophysics since childhood in order to increase his effective use of his powers, meaning that he knows most of the full possibilities and capabilities of his powers.
1 answer
there is a lot of nuance with this. the skill to even determine what is available in a space and then manipulate specific material(s) is amazing by itself.
this ability is really good at containment or slowing down. for instance, imagine the character in a city during a rainy day. they could arrest the momentum of the rain, but the rain is still there. what approaches from outside the area accumulates on the edge until the ability is turned off, then the city gets all the rain all at once.
on the flip side, it gets incredibly nuanced with accelerating molecules. let's say the character wants to throw an air punch. focusing on a mass of air in motion and speeding it up to hit their target with noticeable force is "easy". however, at some point the energy could cause a phase change. the air punch, if accelerated enough, converts to plasma which, potentially, disintegrates everything nearby until it dissipates.
this could be a fun power with enough "handwavium", but not something you want babies to be born with.
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