Power Manifestations

A quirk of the human psyche also effects how all superhuman powers develop. Since the natural instinct of self-preservation is a human's strongest base unconscious instinct, the powers they develop will always gear themselves to match that instinct. Fundamentally - barring powers detrimental to survival, or the odd human who doesn't care for their own life - the powers of a superhuman always work defensively. These passive defenses are based on the superhumans' unique powers. ShapeShifters for example regenerates by automatically and unconsciously shapeshifting back to their healthy state whenever they is injured. Jake Huxley on the other hand unconsciously uses his powers to cause people to not notice him or failing that, subconsciously miss attacks against him. Regardless of their method of action, these passive protections draw from their users' finite energy supply, and so can wear down and become less effective with overuse or if the energy is diverted to other abilities.

Superhumans also gain a sixth sense for supernatural energy. This allows a superhuman to trace an energy source, as well as get a general sense of how powerful that source is. Energy is more easily perceived when a superhuman's or monster's abilities are in active use, or when they are in a state of heightened emotion. Conversely, it is possible for a superhuman to learn to suppress their own energy to become undetectable to supernatural senses.

Finally, perhaps the most significant trait possessed by superhumans is potential. Being intermixed with human biology allows monster abilities to mutate into new forms not held by the original monster or to grow well beyond the original monster's strength. A superhuman's ultimate power level is not determined by the power of the monster that infected them. Bernhardt Gunvald and Malik Drexel, two of the most powerful superhumans in the world, were both infected by common and weak monsters. Additionally, superhumans can develop expressions of their power that their monster parent did not have.