To grow stronger, he has to betray a trust
Use a required behavior to turn training into a difficult scene: the next gain in power may cost someone their trust in the hero.
Use a required behavior to turn training into a difficult scene: the next gain in power may cost someone their trust in the hero.
Give the investigator accurate information that supports more than one explanation, then a way to test them.
The hero knows what ability they need next. The person who can teach it wants a favor the hero may regret.
A limited collection of recorded abilities makes preparation a choice about what to leave behind.
Control builds in stages, giving an apparently helpless target a shrinking window to act.
An escape power needs somewhere to arrive. Give the reader a clear map, then let an opponent remove a route.
Accumulated fortune turns a convenient escape into a decision about timing.
Imitation rewards understanding, so research becomes part of the action.