Superpower Generator (With Drawbacks)
A power and a catch. The drawback is drawn from a separate pool, so the two are never matched — which is usually where the interesting bit is.
What it does
The catch
What this tool does
Thirty-six powers across five categories, and twenty drawbacks in a separate pool. The power is what you asked for; the drawback is what makes it a character rather than a wish. A power with no cost is a boring answer to "what would you have", and every power in fiction that lasts more than one scene comes with a limitation that shapes how the person lives. The drawbacks are practical rather than cosmic — they are about inconvenience, social cost and side effects, not about curses.
The two pools are deliberately unpaired. The drawback is drawn from its own bag and is not selected to fit the power, so you regularly get a small power with a serious catch or a large power with something trivial attached. That combination is the point. If you want a matched pair you can filter, draw again, or simply take the parts you like.
How to use it
- Pick a category, or leave it on any category to draw from everything.
- Press Generate a power. The power appears with its description, and a drawback appears below it.
- Press again for a new pair. The power pool and the drawback pool each run through their own shuffled bag, so neither repeats until it is used up.
- Press Copy to take both away, or Clear to reset the bags and the category.
Common use cases
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Character building
A power plus a cost is a character sketch. The drawback is usually the more useful half.
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Tabletop games
Roll a power when a player gains something unexpected and needs a catch to go with it.
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Writing exercises
Take the power and the drawback and write the scene where somebody finds out they have both.
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Arguments about which power is best
The drawback pool makes the argument better by giving every answer a cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is the point of the drawback?
A power on its own is a list item. A power with a cost is a situation — it tells you something about how somebody would live, what they would avoid, and what they would give up. Every power in this pool has at least one drawback that fits it, and the separate pool means you usually get a more interesting mismatch.
Can I get a power without a drawback?
The drawback is always drawn. If you want the power on its own, ignore the second panel or copy only the first line. There is no setting to suppress it because the pairing is the tool.
Why do the power and the drawback not match?
They are drawn from separate pools and are not paired to each other. That is intentional: a modest power with a heavy cost, or a huge power with an inconvenience attached, is a better prompt than a tidy match.
Does this work offline?
Yes, once the page has loaded. Everything runs in your browser and no request is made when you press the button.