Can anybody help me understand a bit better why The Beacon has “phasing” as one of their suggested abilities? Assuming this is referring to the ability to travel through solid objects, it seems really weird for this playbook. Isn’t The Beacon supposed to have no useful super powers?
Am I misunderstanding the playbook or the ability or both?
I assumed it was a Kitty Pryde reference, and it made perfect sense in that context: In her early years (cough, decades) with the X-Men, Pryde was totally a Beacon … enthusiastic, eager to be a hero, but short on the heavy-hitting abilities that distinguished her team-mates.
Remember that the Playbook is more about your social role and motivation than about the powers. While The Beacon is normally not powered, but they can have “minor powers”. Kitty Pryde, early in her appearance in X-Men, would have been a Beacon. Sometimes Ms. Marvel (Kamala Kahn) is also qualified this way, though her powers are outside of the regular set.
The last Beacon I played had phasing and stealth, which they had gotten by reverse engineering a Villain’s tech. Not much good in a fight, but awesome at saving hostages. The main thing he did, though, was put an enthusiastic and human face on the adventures.
No, you’re understanding both correctly. The one super-power a Beacon can get is Phasing, aka the power to “not be hit and also run away really well.”
Remember, the main theme of a playbook is more or less summarized by its Moment of Truth, Celebration, and Weakness moves on the back of the playbook. The Beacon is all about enthusiasm for being a superhero and the question of whether or not they belong among “real” heroes. So, the Beacon can have phasing, which is an incredible wish-fulfillment power: quite literally, you can go anywhere, and we’re neck deep in the literal freedom of the Beacon’s metaphorical escapism now.
But, it’s a power that on it’s own is less likely to be a crisis-ender in comparison to everyone else on their team. Like I said above, Phasing is a really good way to not get hurt and to run away from problems — or to go into danger all by yourself! All of these set the Beacon up to address the question of whether or not they belong. Do their friends see Phasing as useless? Cowardly? When they go into danger alone and find themselves out-matched, do they run away to get help, or will they stand on their own anyway? That’s the Beacon.
Jubilee is also one that comes to mind…..prior to get playbook change to Vampire Doomed
Thank you so much everyone! All your comments are incredibly helpful.
Is phasing all that useful?
Doyce Testerman do you know the name or have a link to this?
Doyce Testerman Thank you so much for typing out such a long, detailed and helpful post. I’ll be listening to that immediately.