Introduction
So this was an idea I introduced to @A2B2C2 and we incorporated it into his pitch and story The Legend of Vakama, definitely worth a read if you have the time. This story was a combination of both our ideas and the basic ideas to the Renegade masks are there but I’ll be explaining them in detail here.
So why? Well, if the cast decides to do G3 brainstorms again, read this: The renegade masks are G3’s version of the Makuta’s and other Immoral masks and even if they don’t canonize The Legend of Vakama, this is still worth canonizing.
What is a Renegade Mask?
So basically, a renegade mask is a mask of power forged out of antidermis rather than purififed protodermis, in the Legend of Vakama, the masks of power are forged primarily by Vakama but then are confiscated by the Toa by the end of the story as they have caused too many issues and are restricted to Toa use only.
They were primarily forged by Vultraz, who located an antidermis spring in a cave discovered by Roodaka, the liquid metal called out to him and he received visions from it, demanding masks to be brought into assistance. The Renegade masks are the Immoral masks from G1 essentially, any power considered to be “evil” would be found in Renegades rather than their regular counterparts.
So how are they forged?
Masks of power are forged from purified protodermis in metallic form, other metals and elements are added to them, the are cooled in a certain way, they are heated at certain temperatures etc. Masks with special powers are forged with more exotic substances and at unbearably hot or freezing temperatures.
A Renegade mask is forged with the identical process but from purified antidermis, the molten antidermis that flowed from the spring was pure, however Vultraz also used it to create weapons, armour, Kanoka disc ammunition and charms.
Mask usage and effects
Each mask has it’s own taboo or immoral ability, ranging from something simple as slowness to corruption or weakness. However these masks come with side effects, the masks are made of antidermis but this doesn’t affect the wearers, the usage of the powers of the masks can. This is called “Corruption”. Now the lower level masks, such as slowness, do not produce high levels of corruption and are not enough to affect a matoran’s judgement completely. Higher level masks like the mask of corruption cause greater levels of corruption and will turn the matoran “evil”, essentially to obey Makuta similar to Ahkmou from G1. The higher level masks in terms of corruption may also have an addicting nature to them, meaning that the user falls into a loop, getting progressively more corrupt in the process. This notably Occurred to Nuhrii due to his full Antidermis armour, mask and weaponry.
Low level masks can corrupt but through a psychological effect, the idea of “hey, I could easily commit a crime and I have to or my family will starve”. They bring up issues of morality and so the wearer becomes more corrupt as they slowly justify the use of the mask more and more.
Generally each Renegade is the “opposite” of it’s counterpart such as speed and slowness but in some cases it can be attributes. Hypnotism and influence have this property, causing the same effect but one is permanent and the other is temporary. With some the differences are a little more simple or quite vague. Invisibility and Blindness both prevent people from seeing the wearer, but with different approaches, whereas Mutation and Adaptation are a matter of choice and consent, one forces change and one temporarily allows it.
Mask List:
Each regular mask and it’s Renegade counterpart:
Low Level corruption:
- Mask of Speed = Mask of Slowness
- Mask of Amplification = Mask of Silence
- Mask of Inspiration = Mask of Scavenging
- Mask of Translation = Mask of Soundproofing
- Mask of Acrobatics = Mask of Tiring
Mid Level corruption:
- Mask of Water breathing = Mask of Pressure
- Mask of Attraction = Mask of Repulsion
- Mask of Hypnosis = Mask of Influence
- Mask of Serenity = Mask of Disruption
- Mask of Clarity = Mask of Illusions
- Mask of Night Vision = Mask of shades
- Mask of Detection = Mask of Stealth
- Mask of Accuracy = Mask of Deflection
High Level corruption:
- Mask of Shielding = Mask of Corruption
- Mask of Strength = Mask of Weakness
- Mask of X-ray vision = Mask of Deception
- Mask of Invisibility = Mask of Blindness
- Mask of Levitation = Mask of Weight
- Mask of Healing = Mask of Hunger
- Mask of Adaptation = Mask of Mutation
Dangerously High Level corruption:
- Mask of Fission = Mask of Fusion
New powers appendix
Ok so a bunch of new masks here:
- Amplification: Amplifies the volume of the voice of the wearer, used primarily in police forces to call out criminals, acts as a broadcast system essentially. The volume level has an upper limit of being high enough to not cause permanent damage but temporary damage to a nearby Matoran’s ears.
- Inspiration: gives the user a new insight into the world and allows them to create magnificent works of art, little use overall but it’s wearers have created the best works of art known to Arthaka in their time.
- Pressure: The afflicted find it hard to breath, they suffer from altitude sickness as if they had suddenly moved to a great height essentially, this is not the same suffocation as that is a lethal power. The targets are still able to function but to great difficulty, this mask affects the targets psychologically, it causes no physical damage but still puts the targets under great strain.
- Attraction: Minor telekinesis, only allows objects to come towards the wearer like magnetism, slower if the object is heavier as with telekinesis.
- Influence: Similar to hypnosis but the effects can be permanent, if one was asked to attack the target, hypnosis would wear off but influence would not necessarily, if someone was instructed to kill a target, they would go to any length to achieve that goal at the risk of their mental health, the more permanent effects can be undone with therapy or something such as a mask of healing.
- Serenity: creates a calming effect in nearby beings and can eliminate rage and anger to some degree, it can also eliminate or at least lessen ripples or rugged surfaces, to create a “smoothing effect”. Exceptionally enraged beings, such as Rahi, may not be calmed down sufficiently unless the full power of the mask is focused on them, normally it has an area-of-effect use.
- Clarity: allows for advanced vision in that the wearer can see through mists, fog, water, fire and a little night vision, functioning essentially as a weaker mask of x-ray vision but can only see through minor obstacles.
- Illusions is different from Illusion: Illusions allows the wearer to create illusions akin to hallucinations that afflict the target rather than make the wearer appear in different forms.
- shades: creates temporary reduced vision in the target or nearby targets in a small range for an area-of-effect use. Weakens the range of vision and colour perception, not true blindness but more a dimming of sight.
- Blindness: The target becomes blind, difficult to blind multiple targets at once, blindness ranges from full blacked out vision to “dusty” vision, this does not affect the physical body of the target, the eyes are not harmed.
- Healing: initiates or accelerates the healing of another being. Requires intense concentration, drains the user of energy, they will often have to sleep after multiple uses and repeated uses can be unhealthy as the user becomes increasingly weakened. Not a one-to-one “life energy” transfer.
- Weight: Increases the gravity felt by the target, can be minor or can prohibit target from jumping, not a mask of Gravity as it cannot reduce the gravity felt by the target.
- Soundproofing: Eliminates sounds created by the wearer or eliminates sounds created by close range target. Objects used by the target can make noise if they leave contact, a flame held by the user will not make noise but a projectile leaving the user will.
- Deception: allows the user to be unnoticed, akin to a perception filter from Doctor Who, the wearer is unnoticed whilst the mask is active but any actions that would draw attention such as shouting or running would break the effect.
- Deflection: can deflect projectiles or impacts off the user at close range or projectiles will simply glance off the user, dependent on the user’s abilities and proficiency with the mask, there is a higher risk the closer the projectile is deflected. The user cannot guarantee where the projectile will be deflected and so projectiles can hit the surroundings.
- Adaptation: Allows the user to copy the abilities of another being in the nearby area for a short period of time, longer if closer to the being. These can be abilities or physical traits and will always be on a power level equal to or weaker than the target being, any physical changes can be reversed upon release of the power. The mask cannot adapt to other elemental powers but can allow for resistance to those elements, any mask powers copied are very weak when their powers are adapted.
- Mutation: Mutates the target to the wearer’s specifications, the wearer must concentrate whilst the mask is active as if they do not maintain complete control over the mutations, the effects may backfire to the wearer. The physical aspects of the mutation can be undone but only if the wearer can envision what the target appear like previously. They could also give them a new but similar form/body.
- Tiring: Slowly drains the target of energy that the user can access, the user cannot draw more energy than they can contain and they cannot completely drain the energy of a target to kill them, only knock them out.
- Fission: Allows the user to separate a substance or object into it’s basic components, whether they be materials of a sculpture or components of machinery, allows for minor telekinetic powers in this way. Very rare, Vakama did not release the knowledge of it’s forging to the smiths of Tametru. The effect can be undone if the user wishes but this is increasingly difficult the more combined the original components were, a chemical compound is harder to reassemble than a wood and nail signpost for example. This mask does not work on living beings - this is the only reason this mask is considered moral.
- Fusion: Allows the user to fuse 2 objects together and no more, the same goes for beings, the user may even fuse themselves with other beings but only one at a time. The being with the more powerful mind can take over the whole if the mask wielder intends this in their fusion, otherwise the 2 minds will fuse together. The fused beings or objects can be unfused but this task is unfathomably difficult, the mask user must locate exactly where one begins and one ends, this can often fail. This mask has not been forged but it was created in a spear for for Nuhrii, if this mask or anything possessing the properties of this mask is damaged, it will result in disastrous consequences.
As always, comments, criticisms and additions are welcome, that’s right! you too can suggest a mask and it’s renegade counterpart to the list! 
Edit: Added Translation/Soundproofing, Invisibility and deception.
A bit of cleaning and depth done.
- Added Accuracy/Deflection, Adaption and Mutation, Acrobatics and Tiring by suggestion of @A2B2C2
- Added Fusion/Separation by suggestion of @Bokarda with modified lore based on TLOV story details.
~ Kardax/Pixel
