Zulg said:
>
>While I agree that water shifters need some adjustments, one
>of the biggest reasons they aren't viable is there aren't lots
>of water areas.

This might seem off-topic, but it has relevancy to this argument. For years, people have debated about which Justice League member (in the comic books) has the best powers. Is it Superman with his near-invulnerability and strength? Wonder Woman with the powers of an Amazon goddess? Batman with his ability to solve any problem and fight his way with the specter of his parents' death hanging over him?

Or is it Aquaman, king of the seas?

Aquaman has always presented a problem for DC comics. He's only useful in an aquatic environment (JLA in the ocean! JLA at the aquarium! JLA vs. the sewer monsters!), so writers are constrained to work out stories involving Aquaman with an artificial limitation of making him useful. This in turn limits how interesting Aquaman's stories can be - you stick Batman underwater, and you've got an interesting story about a character coping in an unfamiliar environment, but his powers (his mind and physical fitness/gadgets) are still intact. You stick Aquaman in a cave, and he's pretty much useless.

Because of the Aquaman problem, writers have regularly written him out of JLA. Most Aquaman solo series have very short runs, because there's a strict limit on how you can make the character interesting. It'd be like having a necromancer (see, I'm tying this all together!) who could only cast spells in cursed (no-recall) rooms, or having a Warrior who could only fight (or fight back) between 2am and 6am game time. While there are certain spells and supplications which are restricted in these ways (see Druids and Rangers for examples), a shapeshifter is in the end only as interesting as his forms. A Druid or Ranger in a city is leagues more powerful than a major form Water shifter on land.

- BB