Transmutation vs Reality Warping
For instance, I have no doubt Silver Surfer can transmute a rock into gold; however Mad Jim Jaspers can also turn a rock into gold. Does that mean, at this low level, transmutation and reality warping are basically the same power? How about if Dr Strange was to turn a box of crayons into an apple, is that reality warping or transmutation or something else? Or how about the way Medusa (film) turns people into stone, is that transmutation?
Exactly.
Or to put it another way, all Reality Warpers can transmute matter; but most that can transmute (eg FireStorm and Silver Surfer) are not necessarily reality warpers.
- TM can turn snow into adamantium;
- RW can turn snow into an endless chorus of Christmas carols mixed in with the laughter of children and the smell of cotton candy while rabbits with rhinoceros horn hats wave the national flag of Papua New Guinea.
Yeah transmutation is something that happens in the real world. Stars transmute matter all the time. In fact a supernova happens when a star ends up turning some of the matter into iron. We're able to transmute matter into other elements by bombarding it with particles. We certainly can't do anything like decent matter transmutation/manipulation feats, but it's not something that only exists in comics.
I once saw someone say transmutation is part of reality manipulation. I don't agree at all. Transmutation is manipulating the molecules and lower level(depending on the character). It would be akin to rearranging tinker toys to what shape you want, just on a really small level.
Others have given good descriptions for reality manipulation. I'd add by elaborating a bit on why I disagree with the argument that transmutation is part of reality manipulation. Think transmutation/matter manipulation, time manipulation, space manipulation, gravity manipulation, ect. These individual powers are people able to manipulate those individual things.
Lke I described transmutation and matter manipulation as like rearranging tinker toys(or Legos) but on a far smaller scale. Similar would apply to the others, except instead of molecules and atoms and particles, whatever it is they manipulate.
But someone with reality manipulation can also accomplish those things because they're manipulating reality itself. All those things taking place within whatever they control.
Similar to say someone with super strength and someone with telekinesis that they can use to simulate super strength (lifting heavy stuff, hitting with extra force, helping in grappling, ect). Both someone with actual super strength and someone with telekinesis simulating strength can do the same physical stuff(let's assume comparable levels) but the way it's done works different despite similar/same results. But they don't have the same power.
Originally posted by Glorificus
The Doctor in Wildstorm's Authority could turn bullets and attacks into musical symphonies...That's more akin to reality warping than transmutation.
His powers were described as "remixing reality" in one of the early issues of THE AUTHORITY, maybe the first.
Originally posted by gauntlet o doomDepends on the situation.
For instance, I have no doubt Silver Surfer can transmute a rock into gold; however Mad Jim Jaspers can also turn a rock into gold. Does that mean, at this low level, transmutation and reality warping are basically the same power? How about if Dr Strange was to turn a box of crayons into an apple, is that reality warping or transmutation or something else? Or how about the way Medusa (film) turns people into stone, is that transmutation?
For example, if they are both transforming an orange into an apple, then yeah, it's transmutation. However, if one of them *poofs* an apple into existence ex nihilo that is of the same variety grown in the Garden of Eden, then it's reality warping.
Transmutation is to reality warping what an apple is to fruits.
One is the ability to change atomic configurations, the other is the ability to erase atoms out of existence and make everything made out of miniaturized bunnies. Or color. Or physics.
I don't know what you mean by 'low scale' - is that scope? Because the same thing applies -- only to an area of 1 km or whatnot. If you mean anything else besides scope, then it's not really what you'd call reality warping.
i think the 2 things accomplish things very differently, though the end result can appear identical. transmuting lead to gold involves rearranging atoms. using reality manip, the person doesn't need to rearrange atoms--they just make it so the lead is no gold. or a cartoon. or whatever. transmutation is far more limiting than reality manipulation.