Guide to Godmodding

This is the Animorphs Fanon guide to godmodding and how to avoid it!

Introduction
What is "godmodding"?

Godmodding is in essence when someone’s character has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries. Examples:
 * When they simply cannot be harmed by any and all means other RPers try.
 * It can be killing or injuring a character without the player's express permission.
 * It can be when they simply can’t be hit and dodge all attacks or anything for this matter aimed at them.
 * It can also be using other characters that other people RP with. In other words, if you do not RP as Jake, then you cannot have Jake say anything, or do anything, without the player's express permission. This aspect of godmodding is also known as bunnying.
 * When they make out another character to be what they’re not, just to make their own character seem superior. They make others seem weak, screaming for help, when they’ve made it quite clear about their advantages and strengths.

Characters
Even real people have strengths and weaknesses, whether it be physical, mental or other. To make a realistic and acceptable character, you must consider their strengths and weaknesses before creating them. While Animorphs is less susceptible to godmodding than, for example, a fantasy series due to it having a realistic setting, it is important to remember that it can still happen.

Human weaknesses
The Animorphs are only human, and it takes some effort and energy to morph and demorph. It is mentioned in the books that repeated morphing and demorphing, especially in a short frame of time is tiring and humans do not have limitless stamina. Also, humans are no match for Andalite tail-blades and Hork-Bajir strength, so they cannot possibly win at hand-to-hand combat with aliens. Also, it takes a few minutes to morph- unlike the portrayal in the TV series, morphing is not a fast process. Caught unawares or half-human, a morpher is vulnerable.

Morph weaknesses
This is quite self-explanatory- animals also have strengths and weaknesses. Offensive animals such as tigers may be physically powerful, but due to their size they are easier to hit. Also, the eyesight of some animals, such as bears, is weaker than humans' eyesight. Small animals such as cats may be fast and nimble, but they lack physical strength.

Dodging and hitting
It is impossible to dodge every attack, and it is impossible to score a hit every strike. However, as a good RPer, it is your duty to know when to take hits. A truly skilled roleplayer can fight well, not let their ego or pride compel them to cheat, and lose gracefully.

Outside knowledge
A character should not know exactly how to defeat the opponent due to having read their profile. Unless the opponent's weakness is within a character's abilities to figure out, he or she has to beat them the old-fashioned way. Also, it is impossible for someone to know if a person is a Controller or not based on their behaviour. It is well known that Yeerks are able to perfectly imitate their host's behaviour, so the only way a character would know is if he or she found out within the RP story itself.

Master of all trades syndrome
A character can't have a huge variety of abilities to make them ready for any situation. They need to have areas they aren't good at. A simple example is the Animorphs themselves. Each character has their speciality, but also an area they aren't good at- Cassie is good at morphing (she is even an estreen), but she is peaceful and may not fight as well as Rachel. Likewise, Rachel is a warrior, but she doesn't always think about strategy before fighting.

Fears and stress
A classic weakness that characters are bound to have. Jake is afraid of his brother getting killed by the Yeerks, and Marco is afraid that if he dies, it will drive his father over the edge. Also, stress causes Marco's morphs to go wrong, leading to him turning into bizarre combinations of animals that often cannot function properly.

The two-hour time limit
Another classic weakness. This limits the time a character can spend in morph, therefore limiting a rampage as a lion or rhinoceros. If a character is trapped in morph, it can be a serious problem. Even if they receive the ability to morph again, like the Ellimist helped Tobias, it can often be problomatic to have to morph from the body of an animal that isn't found in a certain environment. An example is Tobias morphing into an aquatic animal- he is a hawk, and cannot swim out to sea; he risks drowning in mid-morph.

Animal instincts
The instincts of an animal are very powerful, especially the first time one morphs. If a character becomes a cat, they may find themselves hissing at dogs and chasing mice. If, however, they morph a considerably more dangerous animal with hunting instincts, they may find themselves turning on their friends and attacking them.

Pain
Characters can't just ignore injuries. They feel pain like regular humans, unless their body is completely numb. And they suffer from blood-loss too. If they lose too much blood, they can and will faint. However, demorphing and remorphing can heal injuries and solve this problem.

This concludes the guide!