Adults & Authority - The Masks RPG Guide

The Adult Problem

In most superhero stories, adults are either perfect mentors or irrelevant background characters. Masks takes a different approach: adults are complex, flawed people who often care about the young heroes but rarely understand them. They represent the eternal teenage struggle of figuring out when to listen to authority and when to trust your own judgment.

The Helicopter Parent Analogy

Imagine your parents know you're a superhero. They love you and want to protect you, but they also want you home by 10 PM and think you should focus more on your grades than stopping bank robberies. That's the adult dilemma in Masks: they're not wrong, but they're not entirely right either. The game explores this tension without making either side the villain.

Why Adults Matter in Masks

Adults in Masks serve a specific narrative function: they represent the paths the teen heroes might take and the expectations they must navigate. Every adult was once young and idealistic, but time, experience, and compromise have shaped them into something different.

flowchart TD A[Young hero] --> B["Faces challenges"] B --> C[Makes choices] C --> D["Lives with the consequences"] D --> E["Becomes an adult"] E --> F["Tries to guide the next generation"] F --> G["But the world has changed"] H["Today's teen heroes"] --> I["See adults as examples"] I --> J["Or as cautionary tales"] J --> K["Must choose their own path"]

Types of Adults in Masks

Adults in Masks fall into several key categories, each representing a different side of the generational divide. Halcyon City has seen four generations of heroes before yours (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Modern), and the GM principle "Remind them of the generations that came before" keeps them in the story.

The Old Guard

Who They Are: Legends of the Gold and Silver generations who established the city's superhero traditions, some still active, many retired

Their Perspective: "We built this world, and there's a right way to do things"

The Conflict: They expect respect for their experience but may be out of touch with modern realities

Example Characters: Major Meridian, the founding members of the city's first superhero teams

The Heroes in Charge

Who They Are: Heroes of the Bronze and Modern generations, former sidekicks and teen heroes who now lead teams and run organizations

Their Perspective: "We were rebels too, but we learned when to follow the rules"

The Conflict: They remember being young and idealistic but have been worn down by compromise

Example Characters: Former teen heroes who now run superhero organizations

Civilians in Authority

Who They Are: Politicians, police chiefs, military leaders, and other non-powered authority figures

Their Perspective: "Superheroes should work within the system we've built"

The Conflict: They have legitimate concerns about accountability but don't understand the superhero world

Example Characters: The Mayor, Police Commissioner, Military Liaisons

Concerned Parents

Who They Are: The actual parents of teen heroes, whether they know about the powers or not

Their Perspective: "I just want you to be safe and have a normal life"

The Conflict: Parental love versus letting children find their own way

Comic Parallels: Think of Aunt May or Martha Kent, or any worried parent

The Mentor

Who They Are: Adults who take a special interest in guiding young heroes (the Protégé playbook builds one right into the character)

Their Perspective: "I can help you avoid the mistakes I made"

The Conflict: When does guidance become control? When should a protégé step out of their mentor's shadow?

Comic Parallels: Think of Professor Xavier or Nick Fury, or any experienced hero who takes on a protégé

The Fallen Hero

Who They Are: Former heroes who lost their way, became cynical, or made terrible choices

Their Perspective: "The world will break you like it broke me"

The Conflict: Are they right about the cost of heroism, or have they given up too easily?

Example Characters: Reformed villains, retired heroes, those who've seen too much

How Adults Work Mechanically

Adult NPCs don't get special moves of their own. The GM plays them with the same tools used for every NPC: the GM's agendas, principles and moves. What makes adults different is Influence, and one GM principle written just for them.

Every Adult Starts with Influence

Someone with Influence over your hero is someone whose opinion your hero cares about. Teammates earn it, but all adults have Influence over your hero when they are first introduced. Your hero is young, and grown-ups' opinions land whether your hero likes it or not. Influence is either held or not: there's no scale, just "this person's words matter to me."

GM Moves That Bring Adults to Life

Several of the GM's moves fit adults especially well:

Tell Them Who They Are or Who They Should Be

The signature adult move. A mentor, parent or veteran hero tells your hero what kind of person they are, and because adults have Influence, your hero has to accept it or reject it (see below).

Take Influence over Someone

A new adult figure earns your hero's respect, or a familiar one wins it back.

Bring an NPC to Rash Decisions and Hard Conclusions

The police chief decides the teens are a menace; the mentor decides it's time to bench them.

Tell Them the Possible Consequences and Ask

An adult spells out exactly what will happen if the team goes ahead, and waits to see what they do.

Adults and Influence: Accept or Reject

Influence isn't the same thing as authority. A police chief can give orders, but what matters in play is whether their words get under your hero's skin. Because every adult starts with Influence, an adult's judgment always matters at first. Whenever someone with Influence tells your hero who they are or how the world works, the player chooses:

Accept it: your hero takes the words to heart, and the GM adjusts your Labels to match.
Reject it: make the Reject Influence move. On a hit you hold to yourself; on a 10+ choose two, on a 7–9 choose one: clear a condition or mark potential by acting to prove them wrong; shift one Label up and one down; or cancel their Influence and take +1 forward against them. On a miss, you mark a condition and the GM adjusts your Labels. (The Insecure condition gives −2 to this move.)

Over time your hero can shake an adult's hold. Besides cancelling it with Reject Influence, a player can take Influence away from another character at the end of a session ("grow away from the team"), and a common playbook advance makes someone permanently lose Influence over you. Influence also cuts both ways: if your hero has Influence over an adult, you get +1 to moves that target them.

Common Generational Conflicts

Masks excels at exploring the specific tensions that arise between different generations of heroes. These conflicts drive story and character development:

Methods vs. Results

Adult View: "We have protocols for a reason. Following proper procedure saves lives."

Teen View: "Your procedures are too slow. People are getting hurt while we follow your rules."

Real Example: Emergency response during a crisis - formal channels vs. immediate action

Experience vs. Idealism

Adult View: "You don't understand how complex these situations really are."

Teen View: "You've become cynical and forgotten what we're really fighting for."

Real Example: Dealing with reformed villains - pragmatic caution vs. belief in redemption

Responsibility vs. Freedom

Adult View: "Power means responsibility - to society and its rules."

Teen View: "Responsibility means doing what's right, not what's expected."

Real Example: Accountability to government oversight vs. moral independence

Safety vs. Growth

Adult View: "I want to protect you from making the mistakes I made."

Teen View: "I need to learn from my own experiences, not yours."

Real Example: Mentors wanting to shelter protégés vs. allowing them to face challenges

When Your Hero Grows Up: Adult Moves

The phrase "adult moves" in Masks doesn't mean moves for NPC adults. It means five player moves your hero can take as advances once they've started to grow up. After your hero has taken five advances, the second list of advances opens up, and two of its options are "take an adult move." Each adult move is tied to a Label:

Adult move	Label
Wield Your Powers	Freak
Overwhelm a Vulnerable Foe	Danger
Persuade with Best Interests	Superior
Empathize	Mundane
Stand Up for Something	Savior

Watch out: Overwhelm is inverted

Overwhelm a Vulnerable Foe works backwards from most moves, like Take a Powerful Blow: on a 10+ you choose one cost, and on a 7–9 you choose two. A great roll means you pay less, not that you get more.

The full text of each adult move is on the player reference sheet. Thematically they mark a turning point: the hero who once had to accept or reject adults' Influence is starting to act like one of the grown-ups, which is exactly what the other options on that list (locking a Label, retiring from the life, or becoming a paragon of the city) are about too.

Creating Compelling Adult NPCs

The key to great adult characters in Masks is making them genuinely care about the young heroes while still creating meaningful conflict. They should never be pure obstacles or perfect wise mentors.

The Adult Creation Framework

Step 1: Define Their Past

What were they like as a young hero?
Which generation do they belong to?
What compromises did they make?
What do they regret?

Step 2: Establish Their Current Position

What role do they play in the superhero community?
What responsibilities do they have?
What pressures are they under?
Who do they answer to?

Step 3: Connect to the Teens

Why do they care about these specific young heroes?
What do they see in them?
What do they fear for them?
How do they try to help (even if misguided)?

Step 4: Create the Conflict

Where do their values clash with teen idealism?
What would they never allow the teens to do?
What line would they cross to protect them?
What will they tell the heroes about who they are?

Example Adult NPCs

Here are some detailed examples of how to bring adult characters to life in your Masks game:

Commander Sarah Benson - Military Liaison

Background: Former Army officer who gained powers during overseas deployment. Served as a solo hero for years before joining government oversight.

Current Role: Official liaison between teen heroes and the Department of Metahuman Affairs

Core Conflict: Believes structure and discipline keep heroes alive, but teens see her as controlling

What She Wants: To prevent the teens from experiencing the trauma and loss she's seen

Influence in Play: Starts with Influence like every adult; disciplined heroes may keep accepting it, while rebels will try to Reject it at every turn

Signature Line: "That's an order, not a suggestion"

Dr. Miriam Kessler - The Retired Mentor

Background: Former teen hero of the Bronze generation who retired after a teammate's death. Now works as a trauma counselor.

Current Role: Unofficial therapist and advisor to young heroes who seek her out

Core Conflict: Wants to help but is terrified of the teens getting hurt like her friends did

What She Wants: For the teens to understand the real cost of heroism before it's too late

Influence in Play: Starts with Influence like every adult, and is the one heroes dealing with trauma or doubt find hardest to reject

Signature Line: "I've been where you are, and I know where it leads"

Tristan "Highmark" Johnson - The Compromised Idealist

Background: Former teen hero who fought corruption and injustice. Now works within the system he once opposed.

Current Role: Director of the Young Heroes Initiative, balancing politics and protection

Core Conflict: Still believes in justice but has learned to work within corrupt systems

What He Wants: To give teens the support he never had while keeping them politically viable

Influence in Play: Starts with Influence like every adult; most teens respect his history but question his current choices, so expect plenty of Reject Influence rolls

Signature Line: "Sometimes you have to compromise to survive long enough to make real change"

Generational Conflicts Beyond the Table

The adult-teen dynamics in Masks mirror real generational conflicts that exist in every society:

flowchart LR R(("Generational conflicts")) --> A["Technology digital natives vs newcomers; speed vs deliberation"] R --> B["Values idealism vs pragmatism; change vs stability"] R --> C["Methods innovation vs tradition; risk vs security"] R --> D["Authority earned vs inherited; questioning vs respect"]

Try It at the Table

Adult Relationship Mapping

For a character you created earlier, design three adult NPCs who would have different relationships with them. Remember that every adult starts with Influence:

One with Influence but no authority (someone whose opinion matters but who can't give orders)
One with authority whose Influence your hero has already shed (someone who can give orders but whose opinion no longer matters; how did they lose it?)
One with both Influence and authority (someone who can both command and emotionally affect your character)

For each, decide what they would tell your hero about who they are, and whether your hero would accept it or reject it.

Generational Conflict Scenarios

Create scenarios where teen heroes and adults would disagree for valid reasons on both sides:

A hostage situation where quick action vs. negotiation is the debate
A reformed villain wants to join the team
The government wants to register all teen heroes
A mentor wants their protégé to step back from dangerous missions

For each scenario, write both perspectives without making either side wrong.

GM Guidance: Bringing Adults to Life

The Principle: Make Adults Seem Childish and Short-Sighted

One of the GM's principles in Masks is to make adults seem childish and short-sighted. Seen through a teenager's eyes, grown-ups bicker, hold grudges, protect their turf and can't see past their own experience. That doesn't make them villains, and it doesn't make them wrong about everything, but it does mean they rarely have the clean answers the heroes want. A related principle, support people, but only conditionally, keeps adult help from ever coming free.

Key Principles for Adult NPCs

Make them caring but flawed: Adults can genuinely want to help, even when they're wrong
Give them valid concerns: Their worries about the teens can be based on real experience, even when they express them badly
Show their history: Reveal how they became who they are through past events, and remind the heroes of the generations that came before
Let them be surprised: Adults should sometimes learn from the teens
Avoid pure wisdom or pure obstruction: They're complex people, not plot devices

Using Adults at the Table

Tell them who they are at tense moments: An adult's verdict forces the hero to accept it or Reject Influence right when it matters most
Let adults make rash decisions when stakes are high: Show that heroes are human and fallible
Show the costs of collateral damage after victories: Adults are often the ones who point out the bill
Offer understanding sparingly: Make moments of real connection between generations feel earned and special