So I’m running my first campaign of Masks and it’s going pretty well. The first arc the team will be dealing with (BTW Spoilers if you are a member of the Losers Club) concerns itself with a substance called Mutagen being sold around the city. Mutagen is dangerous but can give people superpowers under the right circumstances.
One particular strand of this arc will involve an NPC trying to sell our Beacon some Mutagen to give them real powers. This is the first draft of the custom move for what happens when a PC uses Mutagen. Just wanted to get people’s opinions on it, and see if any more experienced GMs can give advice.
“When you Ingest Mutagen. If you are the Nova, your powers overwhelm the Mutagen and nothing happens, mark a condition. Otherwise…
Roll +Mundane.
On a 10+ choose 2
On a 7-9 choose 3
– You get new powers. Select 1 power from a playbook not currently in use. Add it to your list of powers.
– You are horribly disfigured. Swap your Mundane label with your Freak. Take the move “Be the monster” from the Transformed playbook.
– You are overwhelmed by the Mutagen. Mark all conditions and become unconscious.
– You become doomed. Take Doom from the Doomed playbook. You do not get Doomsigns. Once your Doom Track is full, your doom arrives.
On a miss, the Mutagen doesn’t take hold. How frustrating! Mark a condition.”
I’m making them roll Mundane for the check because it’s more dramatic for a character who is perceived to be normal to suddenly get a power boost, Rather than a freaky character to become more freaky. The intention is that if this move ever comes up it is a character changing moment.
I included the thing about the Nova because the Nova in our group is already basically God, they don’t really need more powers.
I’m unsure about the doomed option. Partially because we have a doomed in the group and I don’t want to rob them of their unique thing, and partially because it’s kind of a “rocks fall you die” option. If anyone can think of a better option please let me know.
So yeah, that’s it, let me know what you think. 🙂
Other options you might consider:
– You get a cosmetic mutation, such as blue skin, green hair, growing horns, a tail – while it doesn’t provide any real advantage, it marks you clearly as a mutant freak
– What new powers you get are unstable, unpredictable, and temporary – you will need to keep drinking mutagen if you want to keep using these powers, and when they wear off you will suffer withdrawal
– Your existing powers go out of control and cannot be turned off
– Your new power is tied to a particular condition and can only be used when you are suffering that condition
I wouldn’t go with on 6- nothing happens, I would instead make it so that bad things happen to their existing powers (if they have any) or terrible reactions make taking this stuff a very bad idea.
Since it is highly likely that anyone who takes this stuff is going to pick the one good option no matter what, just give that as a default on a hit.
Maybe on a 10+ they get to pick from the lists, on a 7-9 the GM gets to choose for them?
Is this intended as a temporary change? If not, why not just swap them to a new playbook?
“I’m making them roll Mundane for the check because it’s more dramatic for a character who is perceived to be normal to suddenly get a power boost, Rather than a freaky character to become more freaky. “
This reasoning doesn’t wash with me. I think it would be better to just go directly to swapping their Mundane and Freak, to get that effect.
I’m actually perfectly fine with the Mundane Roll. I think that suits what you’re trying to do.
I also agree that they should AUTO get the new powers no matter what they pick – there is no reason why they wouldn’t pick that option.
IF I was to change anything, it would be to remove the Doomed option. It doesn’t fly with the idea, and I always feel changing playbooks should be a Player choice over the fortune of a roll.
All of Grey Kitten’s ideas are solid too.
I would say add them, then When they roll 10+ they pick two, 7-9 they pick one you pick one – 6 and below you pick three.
I love your idea. And also the comments to refine it.
I’d also change the trigger to “The first time you ingest Mutagen” to avoid creating a loophole where PCs can get unlimited powers from taking the drug over and over. Also, someone who chooses that the powers are temporary knows what will happen next time they take it that way and no need to trigger a move again.
What is Mutagen?
– Is it a synthetic catalyst of the mutant gene that activates potential you already had?
– Is it the ground up pituitary glands of other mutants that cannibalizes their powers? (this would make sense if it gave you different powers each time you took it)
– Alien blood?
If the effects aren’t permanent, you don’t need to exclude the Nova; and if the potential downsides are bad enough it could be fun to try to tempt her into risking losing control, too.
I agree with tossing the Doomed option. Mutagen addiction is its own unique type of Doom that doesn’t necessarily require the Doom track. You can have fun with cutting off their ill-gotten powers with GM moves when dramatically appropriate, and even surprise them with cutting off their regular powers when the Mutagen wears off and the nasty inhibitor additives the dealers cut in to promote addiction kick in.
I’m with Benjamin Davis there… This could be a pivotal character moment, if you allow it and the character wants it. I’d probably do this:
Mutagen can only be used if not a Nova, and rolls +Mundane.
On usage of mutagen, select 1:
– Your character feels it working, but suppress its manifestation. Gain 1 power from a playbook not in use
– Your character feels it working, and embraces it. Select either The Bull, The Janus, The Nova, or The Transformed (playbook must not be currently in use) and change playbooks. (Other playbooks can be used on an as-justified basis – these four just have a background that can be justified with ingesting a chemical and the normal-to-hero transition).
Then on a 10+ choose 1, on a 6+ choose 2, and on a less-6 GM chooses 2 (with exact implementation decided between player and GM based on choice to suppress or embrace):
– You are overwhelmed by the Mutagen. Mark all conditions and become unconscious.
– You get a cosmetic mutation, such as blue skin, green hair, growing horns, a tail – while it doesn’t provide any real advantage, it marks you clearly as a mutant freak
– What new powers you get are unstable, unpredictable, and temporary – you will need to keep drinking mutagen if you want to keep using these powers, and when they wear off you will suffer withdrawal
– Your existing powers go out of control and cannot be turned off
– Your new power is tied to a particular condition and can only be used when you are suffering that condition
(Mostly copied straight from Grey Kitten),
That’s my plot arc! Stop hacking my notes 😁 here is what my version looks like
Drug: Winding road
Trigger: When the user take a high dose the they exhibit a unknown superpower OR get a bonus to unleashing your powers.
Low dose mild halogenic and euphoric. Add 24 hours to time needed for next dose
High dose(hashish, smoked or ingested)
roll + Mundane
10+: user get +2 on going to unleash their power or clear a condition.
7-9: above but gain a 1 addiction count
6- above and take a Powerful blow, 2d6+ addition count, and gain a total of 2 addiction counts
Once the user has at least one addiction count they must take another dose within 72 hours / addiction count or mark a condition. If the user has marked all their conditions the drug has reached toxic levels in the body and uncontrollable power and death will follow. Without intervention.
For every 7 days clean you can lower your addiction count by one. Requires help to manage side effects . (super power suppression, magic / tech)