Immersion Traits

Immersing athletes with heroes is an art. Oddities, good and bad, can happen...

Leverage and Block: The athlete’s strength pairs well with a strength of the hero, such as an agile athlete with an agile hero. Block is when the pairing is poor.

Exploit and Logjam: An athlete has an unusual synergy with a certain trait of a hero, even a weakness. Logjam is an involuntary negative response to some aspect of the hero.

Delight and Attitude: Athletes are human. They have their preferences, quirks, and stubbornness. A Delight is an aspect of a hero that the athlete enjoys, while an Attitude is the opposite. These are considered voluntary traits—perhaps resolved with effort. But how much carrot and how much stick do you throw at the problem, or do you simply work with the personalities as they are?

Float: The athlete has a knack for improving a weakness in a hero. For example, they could “float” the low intelligence of a hero to a higher level.

Psykjak: Immersion is an intimate event. One famous athlete said it was “like having someone come in and hold your hand while you’re on the toilet.” A psykjak is an aversion to this intimacy. Psykjaks commonly occur when immersing with a different sex, species, or where a multiple-being immersion occurs (such as Martians).

Instinct: Natural focus toward or against certain roles. For example, an athlete may have a natural instinct for leading, but poor instincts for sneaking.

Flair: The athlete can truly live the hero, sell that hero to the Worldspanner audience. Some athletes are excellent at offering flair, but flair often comes with experience by immersing with the same hero repeatedly.