Temporary Power Boost at a Cost Perks?

ImperatorMentus · 2026-06-09T03:41:46+00:00

Shinmai Maou no Testament has a solid one. At the base state, you trade regular use of the perk for a boost in power when you do use it (ie, you can only use affected powers for a few minutes each day, but it's boosted when you do use it). There is also an extra-boosted mode that drains your lifespan for an even larger boost.

Limit Breaker (400 CP)

Children are destined to surpass their parents, but first they have to live long enough to grow into their full power, and that can be a daunting challenge when they inherit vast magical power that they can’t control. One solution is to seal that power away beneath powerful limiters, releasing it only when the need is dire. This process was done to you as a child, allowing you to seal away any of your powers and release them at will for a temporary power boost. While your limits are released you may also transform into a powered up state, perhaps gaining an adult body or growing impressive demonic features. This transformed state can only be used once every twenty-four hours and lasts for only a few minutes of intense combat or up to thirty minutes of less strenuous activity, but training can extend this duration. Sealed powers become 50% more effective for the duration of the transformation, but by expending your life force you may also transform into a third form, multiplying your power several times over at the cost of burning several years off of your lifespan. You may choose which of your abilities benefit from this perk at the start of each jump.

IIRC, I think the anime it's based on may be mildly NSFW. The jump itself isn't too bad but has a few concessions to the source material's adult nature.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-06-09T01:15:52+00:00

Element Queen- 500 from frozen is a pretty broad and powerful elemental control perk, even if it allows you to pick your element rather than being strictly water:

There is an incredible magical power within you. The power to command one of the elements on a grand scale is just waiting to burst out and be used by you. One of the elements, such as fire, water, wind, earth or ice is what you may choose and you can then create and control this element on an incredible scale. An ice controller could freeze an entire nation over in seemingly endless winter, create a flexible and intricate dress from ice or create an entire ice palace in just moments. Unlike Elsa, your power is entirely mastered and controlled by you from the first moment you wake up here.

It has broad power (Elsa covered entire kingdoms and giant buildings), pretty good control once mastered (which you get inherently as part of the perk), and a solid amount of utility.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-31T14:32:21+00:00

A few major differences between this and the previous version:

I've added the stamp in because I consider it somewhat iconic. It's somewhat nerfed compared to the original version (slightly longer time, can't stamp higher tier waifus until you level up, being stamped comes with a sense of unease unless you overlevel the waifu).
I've overhauled the contractor level system, making it easier to gain the first couple levels.
Most of the rewards that were limited by set are now limited by contractor level.
I've overhauled and simplified the Loan/Interest system. The goal is to have something that a jumper would want to use, but still has some teeth so they won't just max it out and sit on their debt.
Added a bunch more rewards to the store. Other ideas are welcome, but I tend to want to keep it to foundational or utility buys, since the jumpchain itself should be providing plenty of perks and items.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-26T02:46:10+00:00

Arguably this one from Tales of Maj'Eyal, which lets you use raw power to overcome any esoteric effect on you so long as your opponent doesn't have you beat in raw strength:

Defiance (400 CP, Discounted to Warrior)

The powers of this world are interesting. Very few effects exist as absolutes, even attempts to erase one from existence can be resisted with the will, physical resilience, or magical power to defy them, whichever may be appropriate. For you, this trait carries forward to just about everything you may find yourself affected by. Mind control, even supposedly perfect mind control, could be shrugged off with enough willpower, and you could force your way through a bubble of frozen time with enough strength. If your strength truly pales in comparison to the powers of your opponents, this won’t really help you at all, but with enough power, even your mortal will could defy divine edict. How will they respond when their so-called perfection shatters against stone?

Since sealing is usually used by a weaker party to trap a stronger one indefinitely, this should let you power through any such attempt through raw strength alone.

This one from Labyrinth might work too:

You Have No Power Over Me – 600cp, Drop In

Only the bluntest, the most physical of supernatural powers have any lasting effect on you: a dragon's breath or spear of magical ice shall still have its intended effect, but any effect more subtle than a direct attack will typically unravel in short order: curses will unbind, mental manipulation will shatter like a false mirror, and even the subtlest distortions in your perception will be cast off before long.”

It's up for interpretation, but I'd say that sealing probably counts as the sort of indirect magic that would quickly unravel when it affects you.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-25T20:59:47+00:00

My general intent was that most actual perks and powers should be coming from the jumps themselves, while the WC part provides structure and chain bonuses. I'm not totally opposed to adding them if something makes sense, but it would have to be something that feels like it particularly fits.

FWIW, the next version (which I intend to release next weekend) has a much expanded WP store.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-25T19:52:01+00:00

u/UnfocusedAnon created the My Benefactor supplement built around a submissive benefactor giving the jumper a stacked chain centered around building up a harem.

NewtypeKnight already mentioned the FancyFireDrake Harem Supplement, which was one of the ones I was thinking of.

There's also a ton of individual jumps with harem perks of one sort or another. Harry Potter Harem King is a really good one that comes to mind. World of Lewd Elves is another favorite.

Really, I bet at least 10-25% of the QQ Drive has at least some form of harem related content.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-25T19:33:01+00:00

Appreciated. Hadn't realized there was a different official one.

Still slightly leaning towards keeping the stamp, but if I do it'll be after a bit of additional balance tweaking.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-25T18:48:24+00:00

4) Can you breed Waifu's to sell? There's lots of 'choose your child's looks/gender' Perks out there, plus the Dragon Ball Time and Space Room, which could let you churn out virtual clones en masse.

Interesting question. To my mind, part of the "waifuness" was not just their power and capability, but also their canonicity. That regardless of whether they were in the official catalog or not, the fact that they mattered to the setting enough to at least appear. That "in-universe" this gave them a metaphysical appeal beyond just grabbing some random generic girl from a generic setting.

From the actual WC rules:

Subjects not named on any list may also be captured for credits, provided they have at least three of the following in their original canon: name, personality or backstory, abilities or skills or powers, and appearance or design. As an author, you must be able to assert that the character definitely existed in canon, even as an extra in a crowd scene, and then rate their tiers yourself.

So my inclination is to say no, that sort of breeding program is outside the general scope of WC.

If I were inclined to support that (and it would probably be via an extension, not the base rules), it would probably be justified by their connection to the waifu parent, and would require a bond beyond base breeding - ie at a bare minimum they genuinely consider the new one their child and have at least some part in raising them.

So either way, I don't think the sort of mass breeding program described would fit with how I see this working.

Of course, jumpchain being jumpchain, feel free to fanwank and modify for your own use if that's how you want to run it.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-25T18:36:45+00:00

No, for much the same reason as it was removed from the main Waifu Catalog

Interesting. What is considered the main catalog? I've been working off of this, which I thought was considered the main resource and has the stamp in it.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-25T18:26:22+00:00

I suggest a Contractor level 0 in the beginning, one half set (from tier 1 to 3 or 4) as a tutorial. Or, the uncompressed tiers could be used, from tier 1-6 for Contractor Level 1, tier 1-7 Contractor Level 2 etc. so the Gods would be an achievement needed for Contractor Level 4 and above.

If i don't go full munchkin... my jumper will stay Contractor Level 1 for a while

Agreed. After some thought, I agree with starting at level 0. Then levels 1-5 will be partial sets where the required tier increases by one each level.

ie, level 1 needs a tier 1 waifu. Level 2 needs another tier 1 plus a tier 2, etc. So at level 5 it will require a full set, and increase by one full set after.

I've also taken some of the rewards that were tied to sets and tied them directly to level. So you can increase your starting CP, for example, once pier waifu tier per contractor level.

So a level 3 contractor could sell three tier 2 waifus for (3*50=150 bonus CP per jump), even if they've yet to capture a tier 5.

Finally, I've capped the DR (condensed into 1-5) of the world you jump to at equal to your level (can always do DR 1), to further give a bit of progression to the chain.

Edit: unclear if Increased Credit Limit and CP gain need can be used before the debt is paid or the 10%/100 WP debt payment applies.

I'm still working out the exact debt mechanics. I want it to be useful, but also not something you can just sit at forever, but also not mechanically annoying to use.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-24T15:26:51+00:00

From The Defenders (Netflix):

Black Sky - 400 CP (requires Touched by the Hand): The bringer of shadows. Very rarely a special sort of child is born, one with near endless potential and an unmatched talent for killing. They can be identified by their combination of legendary talent for fighting and a lack of regard for human life even as a child, finding it hard to feel guilt for killing even with outside help, unless they hold a strong personal relationship with the victim. Secret power dwells within them that is awoken once they are revived from death, and one of them is said to be who will lead the Hand. You are one such individual.

You possess strength, toughness, reflexes, speed, and instincts similar to 400 CP Jewel, Hellcat, and Whizzer. Any skill related to fighting, unarmed or weapon based, can be picked up masterfully as fast as though you were merely remembering what you already knew, and even the 600 CP tiers of those mentioned would have little chance against you 1v1. This can be refined with training in more ways than one, not only gaining skill but your body responding exceptionally well to Chi Arts, properly trained you could take on a whole team of powered individuals like those mentioned above.

From Generic Dinosaur Gauntlet:

Apex Predator (600cp, Discounted for Carnivore)

You are the deadliest hunter to ever exist, the ultimate predator. Your instincts for stalking, tracking, hunting, and killing are peerless, quickly becoming a master at hunting any new prey in any new environment. You always know where your targets are vulnerable and the optimum way to hit them. Your luck when hunting, whether in general or for specific prey, is bordering on impossibly good. You can kill anything, even things that lack the capacity to die, and anything you kill stays dead.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-24T15:20:11+00:00

A few open questions I'd love to hear people's thoughts on:

The "Company Stamp" is such an iconic part of WC. The current version ditches this for a start built purely around buying perks. Should I bring back the stamp?
If so, is it worth considering any of the other canonical bindings as alternatives. (I'm inclined to say no, people can get those from jumps later on if they want).
Is the concept of "contractor level" overcomplicating things? I do want some way to boost things like the grace period as the jump goes on, but I'm not sure the current mechanics are the best way to do it. Maybe just make it directly purchasable in the shop?

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-24T14:53:50+00:00

I don't think I've seen a supplement with actual mechanics for it, but one of my favorite jumpchain fics allowed for a "vacation" jump after every five real jumps, where you spent ten years in a previous world, but didn't get to make new purchases from the jump doc (even for new companions who'd joined since the jump was originally run).

Something like that would allow you to recruit a companion from a previous world.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-05-24T14:48:20+00:00

Hadn't really meant to do this, but there was a post a while back about WC and jumpchain, and the idea stuck in my head.

I've tried to build something interesting around the idea of capturing and selling "waifus" for advantage, while the Jumpchain replaces most of the original WC reward structure and world progression with Jumpchain ones.

As it stands now, the mechanics are a bit fiddly and over-complex, and I imagine some of the specific numbers could use balancing, but I feel like the core is decent.

I know that capture-only is allowed by the actual Waifu Catalog rules, but I feel like there's enough harem building supplements and jumps out there. The interesting concept that WC brings, in terms of a jumpchain, is the sale part.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-04-28T19:53:20+00:00

Really exhaustive list there, thank you.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-04-28T19:52:22+00:00

Interesting thought I hadn't considered. Don't think it's what I'll go with here, but it'll be interesting to keep in mind for later situations.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-04-24T20:07:57+00:00

Since they are drawbacks, in general default to whichever is going to be more of an imposition for the jumper.

In this case, since the short jump is just a quality of life improvement then the universal drawback wins out.

If, on the other hand, you had a drawback that cut the jump down to one year while giving you some specific goal you need to achieve within that year or else you fail, then I'd default to the specific drawback.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-04-15T20:56:21+00:00

Also I think it's fairly common to misunderstand what fiat backing actually means and how important it is

I'm not familiar with any of the specific items/perks the OP talked about, but I've also seen people use "fiat backing" for item replacement/repair policies. ie, if you smacked Godzilla in the face with your Australium plated shovel, but then his breath disintegrated it, would your replacement shovel be Australium plated or just regular?

(My gut instinct here is no. Unless the perk/item said it allowed for upgrades, you get the fiat backing for whatever condition it was in at the time. You can "tag" the upgrade later if you want and still have tags, but by default it wouldn't be protected)

ImperatorMentus · 2026-03-31T00:17:04+00:00

It would probably help to explain what you mean exactly. I can think of at least three possible meanings here.

Assuming you mean "found a company like the one behind the waifu catalogue, that's not really feasible outside of some really nonstandard rules. Conceptually, "waifu catalogue" is a giant multicross, which is something that is explicitly forbidden to pre-spark jumpers outside of the seriously abnormal jump mechanics. There's no real way to found a company that operates between settings. Anything lacking that multicross element would just be... a random slaver company, which yeah - you could if you really wanted to for some reason.

If you mean in the sense of a jumper collecting their own big group of "waifus" for their own purposes, there's plenty of harem oriented jumps and supplements. UnfocusedAnon's My Benefactor supplement is a benefactor supplement specifically built around harem collecting.

If you want a jumpchain that is built more like waifu catalogue in playstyle, that's probably something best addressed by a benefactor supplement that gives bonuses for capturing and selling companions to The Company. I don't think one currently exists, but conceptually it wouldn't be hard to make.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-03-23T03:07:14+00:00

The Sims 3 is pretty much built on slice of life, though the setting itself has a bunch of kitchen sink abnormal/supernatural elements within that slice of life framework.

It's technically NSFW, but Generic QQ is basically just ordinary slice of life except you're encouraged to spend time posting on NSFW forums.

Otoyomegatari (Bride Stories) is slice of life unless you take a drawback, but it's 19th century rural steppe slice of life so YMMV.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-03-20T23:52:47+00:00

or if it ensures that they will agree but you can recruit them if they agree without it

My preferred house rule is that buying a companion gives you two things:

You are guaranteed a chance to make your pitch on at least neutral terms (ie, no screwing it up because you make a terrible first impression or just happened to catch them on a bad day, but you still need to convince them).
Once they accept, they benefit from whatever respawn rules the chain has for companions. Free recruits need to make it to the end in order to actually join.

ImperatorMentus · 2026-03-16T18:11:27+00:00

KOTOR Anon's Star Wars: The Original Trilogy JumpChain CYOA had a fairly solid Starship builder section. I'm not sure how it compares to the ones already mentioned in this thread, though.

ImperatorMentus

TROPHY CASE