RandomBasis

Power to receive

Random Superpower Generator

Draw a random superpower with what it does - or two, and work out how they combine.

Runs locally in your browser. Nothing you generate is ever sent to a server.

Press "Generate Superpower" to see a result here.

Type of power

About this random superpower generator

Press Generate and a superpower comes up with a one-line description of what it actually does. The list keeps to generic abilities rather than powers borrowed from any particular comic, so they drop into whatever story or game you are running.

Filtering by type of power

The groups cover the classics everyone names first, powers of the mind, control over time, ways of moving, elemental control, changes to your own body, powers over nature, mental abilities, and a group of stranger ones like luck manipulation and reality warping. Narrowing before the draw keeps a character consistent instead of scattering across every genre at once.

Two powers are more interesting than one

Set the quantity to two or three. A single power tends to define a character in an obvious way; two unrelated powers force a question about how they interact, and that question is where the interesting writing usually starts. Perfect memory plus shapeshifting is a different person from perfect memory plus super strength.

Using it as a conversation game

The oldest use for a list like this is the question everyone has an answer to: which would you take, and what would you actually do with it on a normal Tuesday. Drawing at random removes the standard answers, because nobody gets to pick flight.

Common uses

How the randomness works

The list is filtered to the group you chose, then a power is drawn using your browser's cryptographic random source with rejection sampling, so no power is favoured. Batches without repeats use a Fisher-Yates shuffle driven by the same source.

How do I get a random superpower?

Press Generate and one power comes up with a one-line description of what it does.

Can I get a specific kind of power?

Yes. The filter groups powers into classic, mind, time, movement, elemental, body, nature, mental and strange.

Can I draw two powers at once?

Yes. Raise the quantity to two or three - the game is usually more interesting when you have to combine powers that do not obviously fit together.

Is this useful for writing or role-playing?

Yes. Drawing a power at random forces a character concept you would not have chosen, which is usually more interesting than picking flight again.

Are these from a particular comic universe?

No. They are generic abilities described in plain language, so they work in any setting without borrowing anyone's characters.

Is the pick actually random?

Yes. Each power is drawn with your browser's cryptographic random source, so every power in the chosen group has an equal chance.