If a Janus takes energy absorption, would you allow them to blast it back out as well? My kid wants to know.
If a Janus takes energy absorption, would you allow them to blast it back out as well? My kid wants to know.
If a Janus takes energy absorption, would you allow them to blast it back out as well? My kid wants to know.
my rule of thumb is ‘if it’s cool, do it.’ i certainly wouldn’t disallow it, but i’d ask you know, how does this work, what does it look like, how much control do the they have, etc, etc. this could be as simple as ‘oh my suit does it’ — like BP’s suit in his movie. the interpretations of these powersets are always up for debate, and change person to person.
I don’t see why not. Then again I let the Janus in my game use impossible mobility to move faster than light so I might be on the more lenient side.
That does sound pretty impossible, so fair enough. 🙂
Player: “does it look real cool?”
GM: “It does if you roll a 7”
GM to player: “I dunno — does it?”
It’s has no mechanical effect, so it’s just about coolness factor and character reward. If your character still has enough growth opportunity to activate up more powers or a Moment of truth option, no harm to it.
Yes, but ask leading questions:
– Have you done this before?
– Do you ever have to release energy?
– What happens if too much builds up?
– Do you blast out whatever is put in? (i.e. lightning strike = lightning blast). Or does it become a nondescript energy?
– Is there any limit to what you can absorb? Such as a type of energy or a certain amount of it?
Use whatever information you get to fuel later moves like ‘activate downsides of their abilities’.
EDIT: Remember to always be a fan of your PCs, and ask these questions from a place of wanting to develop them further. NOT, in a way that diminishes them or places arbitrary restrictions on them. The Superhero Genre is not about balance or OPness, it’s about coolness, uniqueness, and being able to do amazing things.
Makes me think of Holden Carver from Sleeper, though he is definitely not Masks appropriate.
Sounds like a great candidate for an Unleash your Powers roll, as the PC stretches his or her abilities in a way that might fail, causing further story complications!
I think good powers come with a BUT. BUTs make things interesting. So is what you describe a good power in that sense? – Yeah. You can shoot energy blasts, BUT you have to absorb the energy from somewhere first.
Also the abilities on the playbooks are just suggestions.
1of3 I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re just suggestions. There’s an entire section of the core rulebook (“But what about that one power?”) that cautions against allowing abilities other than what’s listed. This line, from that section, is fairly telling: “using the abilities listed in the playbooks is your best bet to make MASKS work for you.” In other words, don’t experiment unless you’re very confident in running the game and are playing with experienced players.
As for ‘buts’, if the player wants them in there powers, that’s up to them. It can certainly make for an interesting character; such as Static from Static Shock needing an occasional recharge. But as the GM, imposing a BUT (whether by GM fiat or asking a leading question that forces one) is not being a fan of the character.
I kindly disagree with your second remark. My job as a GM is not just taking whatever the players give me, but helping them to improve on it. That doesn’t have to be adversarial and surely I don’t have to force anything.
I agree with 1of3 here. A well-crafted “but” can go a long way to being a fan of the character! It basically represents a challenge, complication, or compromise, and that’s often where things get most dramatically interesting. “You can give in to your monstrous side and wreck house against these mooks…BUT the civilians looking on regard you with fear and disgust.” “You spin a convincing tale that makes your aunt stop pushing for details about your sudden disappearances…BUT lying to her fills you with guilt.” Classic fodder for Masks character development, and easy to support with Masks mechanics.
There’s GM moves called ‘activate their downsides,’ and ‘tell them the consequences’ — PbtA games are like 75% about telling your players “Okay, but”
Sure, you can blast the powers back out … BUT … if not released within 30 seconds it causes severe gastrointestinal consequences … Taco Bell x 50? 🤣
Check out the character “Strong Guy” from the New Mutants(?) I believe he had a somewhat similar power. Not releasing it caused him severe physical complications
marvel.com – Strong Guy – Marvel Universe Wiki: The definitive online source for Marvel super hero bios.
He was more of a unique Bull, though, but had a BUT to his power set which proved interesting.