I believe I have the right to express my thoughts. The OP either intended to reiterate standards that were previously unsuccessful for DT in a previous discussion or completely eliminate the concept and make all aspects equal.
(Bob asked me multiple times to give my own input)
Based on my understanding and the current atmosphere, it seems that the entire community disagreed with the removal of the concept.
The next logical progression would be to establish new standards.
Our current valid smurf terminology
Smurf: A fan-term that originated in MMORPG communities where a player restarts their game and is matched against newbies after having years of experience and resources. In this community it refers to characters that have abilities (notably
Hax) that are of a higher dimensional and/or infinite scale than their physical bodies. For example, any characters that are physically between tiers 10-C to High 3-A with abilities that can affect tier 2 or tier 1 characters.
The notion simply referred to a fancy (or known) term for a situation where one character possesses advantageous skills while their opponent lacks such abilities, resulting in an imbalanced match.
In the past (or currently right now), I used to/believe that smurf characters were individuals whose abilities (not necessarily hax, but mostly hax) were portrayed as more impressive than what should be allowed within their own fictional verse.
For instance, Yhwach, the 3D being, possesses 2-A future manipulation, but his attack potency and durability were at a lower level, around 2-C. Nevertheless, he possessed an exceptionally unfair ability that allowed him to overpower everyone he encountered (until an arrow with plot armor arrived in the story, assuming an acausal nature) and ultimately brought the story to an end.
This particular type of smurf character falls within the category of
advantageous range (or smurf range).
There are also other types of smurf characters, namely smurf resistances.
For example, imagine a 3D character who is a typical, ordinary human with a power level of 9-A but has resistances to all godly abilities (or hax), including those from higher dimensional abilities. In a match against a character with a low 1-C tier, the match's result is self-evident. However, if low 1-C character were to employ their godly higher-dimensional abilities as their opening move, 9-A being would be able to resist them. Thus, regardless of the match's outcome, the 9-A character maintains advantageous (smurf) resistances over their opponent.
Other types of smurf: hax (which is the definition of "hacks, cheats"), this is also a type of being smurf. Long talk, short story, they are also "smurf" in the sense of those abilities are giving an enormous disadvantage to characters bypassing their durability or negates their abilities for simply being TD type 2 or HDE which have immunities to abilities.
Therefore, I think smurf and hax are both different concepts, related together but have a different meaning and its disciplines.
Returning to the points regarding the involvement of layers, I hold the opinion that if we consider an infinite layered framework where there exists a 6D ability and someone possesses a baseline 7D resistance to that specific ability, I believe the latter would effectively resist the former. This resistance stems from the fact that the baseline 7D resistance surpasses all the required qualities, including dimensionality, necessary to counter the 6D ability.
We are talking within the realms of having the same characteristics and mechanics of both (ability and the resistance to that ability). So, if the ability operates in 6 dimensions (and no matter you add layers into it except uncountable infinite) and the resistance is at a baseline of 7 dimensions, it would typically suggest that the resistance should exceed or encompass the ability. Obviously, if other feats have been shown, other mechanics have been shown, it is case-to-case scenario.
To @Agnaa's draft:
You said that characters who are high-tier and infinitely large are immune to abilities that manipulate the physical substance of a character, (like disease manipulation and matter manipulation) but also states that abilities that affect reality itself (like reality warping and fate manipulation), can affect these characters. This is contradictory because reality warping and fate manipulation can be considered as manipulating the physical substance of a character by altering the laws of reality or their fate. A bit of contradiction here.
You also stated that abilities that impact characters who are high-tier and infinitely large will not be interpreted as more powerful, but as having higher range but also states that these abilities can be concentrated for a more potent effect on smaller targets. This creates ambiguity because it is unclear how the interpretation of these abilities can simultaneously focus on range and potency.
You discussed how characters who are not high-tier but have most of their body outside of attacks that can cover an entire universe would be treated similarly to high-tier characters. However, it also mentions that certain abilities like durability negation and attack reflection would still affect the parts of their body within the universe. This is inconsistent because it implies that these characters are both immune and vulnerable to certain abilities at the same time.
Afterward you mentioned that a verse's own established context would generally take precedence over the assumptions made. While considering the context of a fictional verse is important, relying solely on it can lead to subjective interpretations and inconsistencies. It is necessary to establish clear and logical principles rather than relying solely on the context of a particular fictional verse.
(regarding ontology/dimensionality discussion)
Within the fictional narrative, ontology is a branch of philosophy that deals with the study of existence and the nature of reality. It involves the categorization and understanding of entities, their properties, and their relationships and encompassing
various levels of transcendence. Dimensionality, on the other hand, refers to the number of dimensions required to describe a system or object.
Technically, rather than most abilities affecting an infinitesimally small slice of the character, it doesn't reach them at all, which is a distinction without a difference in practicality.
While it may be true that in practical terms, both scenarios result in no direct impact on the character, conceptually, there is a distinction. Abilities that do not reach an infinitesimally small slice of a character imply that there is a boundary beyond which the manipulation does not occur. On the other hand, abilities that affect an infinitesimally small slice suggest a more precise and localized impact within the character's physical substance.
Abilities that manipulate the physical substance of a character sometimes only need range to work, and not scale.
The requirement for range alone does not necessarily negate the need for scale in abilities that manipulate physical substances. Scale could still play a role in determining the magnitude or intensity of the manipulation.
Transcendence can manifest in different ways. One form of transcendence is through higher tiers based on size. Characters that are infinitely large in terms of 3-D volume possess a level of transcendence that grants them immunity to many abilities that require scale and range to function effectively. This includes abilities that manipulate or affect the physical substance of a character, such as disease manipulation, poison manipulation, matter manipulation, and space manipulation. It's important to note that the size-based transcendence is limited to the physical realm and does not automatically grant immunity to all forms of hax.
Another form of transcendence is
reality-fiction. Characters who have reality fiction transcendence have the ability to manipulate or alter the laws of reality within their narrative context. This includes abilities such as reality warping, plot manipulation, fate manipulation, and supernatural luck.
Ontological transcendence, on the other hand, grants characters a higher level of existence that extends beyond conventional meaning and exceeds all the qualities of below ones. These characters operate on a different ontological level and can manipulate reality, conceptualize entities, or possess qualities that surpass the limitations of lower-dimensional beings. Their abilities and resistance to hax should be evaluated based on the specific ontological context established within the narrative. Examples, author or absolute omnipotent beings.
All possible forms of transcendence I may think of which is related to the conversation:
- Size superiority (equated to higher dimensional and grants +1 n spatial dimension)
- R>F transcendence (equated to higher dimensional and grants +1 n dimension/tier, otherwise solely in the definition, it could extend to tier 0)
- Ontological transcendence (solely in the definition, it could extend to tier 0)
- Omnipotent transcendence (mostly discarded due to NLF)
- Higher-dimensional transcendence (grants +1 n spatial dimension ~ the main crux of +1 n dimension/tier principle)
- Metaphysical transcendence (it is AE type 1 but could possibly gain a higher tier if there is any qualitative supriority context)
In the context of transcendence, these aspects represent a qualitative difference that implies a corresponding quantitative gap (
qualitative superiority).
Now I would like to address Bob's draft (or the rephrased part):
The draft stated that the scale and potency of hax that ignore durability are unrelated to users' Tier and Attack Potency but also mentions that the effectiveness of these hax can be measured by their scale against the targets' durability. This is contradictory because if the scale and potency of hax are unrelated to users' statistics, it wouldn't make sense to measure their effectiveness based on those same statistics. (biggest mistake in the thread)
You stated that higher-dimensional characters and structures are automatically immune to 3-dimensional (or lower) hax that require directly affecting their entirety. However, it also mentions that higher-dimensional characters with 3D existence are vulnerable to 3D hax. This creates a contradiction because if they are truly higher-dimensional, they should be immune to any hax that operates on lower dimensions.
You mentioned that an ability's range does not necessarily correlate with its potency. However, it also states that destroying the cosmological structure housing a being eradicates or incapacitates it by default. This implies that an ability with a larger range (encompassing the cosmological structure) is inherently more potent. This is another contradiction.
Here is the draft that I am thinking of:
Hax is a term used to describe abilities that can bypass or ignore one or more of a target's statistics, rendering them irrelevant.
The most common form of hax is the ability to ignore durability. The scale and potency of these abilities are not directly tied to the user's Tier and Attack Potency. However, their effectiveness can be measured by their impact on the target's durability. It's important to note that certain hax, such as Reality Warping, Probability Manipulation, and Conceptual Manipulation, cannot be countered solely by high statistics.
Resisting certain hax can help characters withstand them, but the effectiveness of resistance depends on having sufficient "layers" that surpass the baseline resistance. A layer refers to a level of resistance beyond the initial baseline. It remains effective even if the countered hax has previously overwhelmed a baseline variant. It is worth mentioning that Resistance Negation takes priority over resistance layers, as it removes the given resistance rather than overwhelming it.
Higher-dimensional characters and structures are immune to 3-dimensional (or lower) hax that require direct interaction with their entire being. As higher-dimensional entities are uncountably infinitely larger, lower-dimensional characters cannot affect more than an infinitesimally insignificant portion of them. Similarly, higher-dimensional hax can only affect beings of equal or lower dimensionality. Any resistances attributed to higher-dimensional subjects should be based on hax of the same or higher dimensional range.
Characters that possess higher-tier statistics but are otherwise 3D beings are still vulnerable to 3D hax that specifically ignore the relevant statistic. For example, targeting a weak spot like an organ may not be effective, but erasing them from existence would bypass their defenses. The same principle applies to higher-dimensional characters with corresponding hax.
It is important to note that an ability's range does not inherently correlate with its potency. The destruction of a cosmological structure that houses a being can eradicate or incapacitate them, as it removes the context for their existence. However, the range alone does not determine the ability's overall potency, as the strength of an ability should be evaluated based on its specific effects and interactions with resistances.