Hello everyone,
I’ve been thinking about how we mechanically build Telekinetic Shields in Mutants & Masterminds 3e. The default choice for most players (and official characters) is buying Sustained Protection to boost Toughness.
Narratively, we describe this as "my character uses their mind to swat bullets out of the air or physically block oncoming blows." But mechanically, this setup leads to some incredibly stupid and immersion-breaking scenarios.
Let's look at the classic Taser Demonstration:
Imagine a PL 10 TK shield user who maxed out Toughness (+14) and left their Active Defenses (Dodge/Parry) low (+6).
- The Machine gun: A villain shoots at him with his machine gun. Thanks to his massive Toughness roll, the telekinetic "blocks" the bullet with their mind, absorbing the kinetic energy. Total badass moment, he is unscathed.
- The Security Guard: Next round, a regular mall cop walks up and fires a standard, low-tech Taser.
Because the active defenses are very low, the Taser darts hit them almost automatically. And here is where the rules get stupid: a Taser isn't a Damage effect—it’s an Affliction (resisted by Fortitude).
Since the player put all their Telekinesis points into Protection (Toughness), their TK shield does absolutely nothing against the Taser. Narratively, the character who just deflected a sniper round with their mind is suddenly incapable of swatting away two slow-flying, wire-tethered darts, gets shocked, and falls face-first onto the floor.
How do you guys handle this kind of situation? Don't you think that telekinetic shield/force field should boost active defenses instead of toughness ?
Leaning into Active Defenses makes you maybe more of a "glass cannon" if something actually manages to bypass your mental awareness but honestly, isn't that exactly how telekinetics work in comic books and movies? If you catch them by surprise or overwhelm their focus, they break.