The first draft of another move for a possible Witcher class:
Witcher Alchemy
When you mix strange herbs and monster parts with strong alcohol, choose one or more effects for your potion:
° It restores 1d8 hit points
° It gives +1ongoing to perform a specific task (ie. dodging blows, casting fire spells, sensing danger, etc.)
° It increases damage dealt with weapons or spells by +2
You can choose the same effect multiple times, for example crafting a potion that heals 2d8 hit points or gives a +4 bonus to damage.
After you made your choice, roll +effects chosen. On a miss, the potion has only 1 minor side effect; on a 7-9, 1 minor and 1 major side effect; on a 10+, 2 and 2.
Side effects:
° It’s toxic: the DM can deal 1d6 (if minor) or 1d10 (if major) damage to you once or twice during the duration
° It’s hallucinating, weakening or otherwise incapacitating: it gives you -1ongoing (minor) or forces to defy danger (major) whenever you do something it wasn’t made to boost
° It requires a lot of rare ingredients: take -1ongoing to craft more (minor) or you’re flat out of stuff (major) until you resupply
The DM can choose to apply the minor and major version of an effect at the same time: a really deadly potion may deal 1d6+1d10 damage, for example.
This is very cool (am a big Witcher fan). Did you note the duration somewhere already or do you intend that to be part of the larger Witcher class?
Also, for the sake of symmetry, did you consider: ‘roll – number of effects’?
Finally, when will the DM be allowed to put a side effect into play? Immediately? Whenever he/she can make a move?
I didn’t think about a duration, actually. Any suggestion about that?
I don’t think I understand the second question 🙁 You mean rolling -effects instead of +effects? I thought about that, but it’d be the same thing, and addiction are more elegant and intuitive.
The side effects pretty much enter game immediately, besides for the damage: that wan I left to the DM’s judgement. He can deal that whenever he wants. It sorta stands for those moments, in movies and such, in which the hero suddenly coughs blod 😀
You actually nailed my second question on the head. I was referring to the symmetry of using 10+, 7-9, and 6 or less as the measure of successes. Obviously the math works out the same, but I figured there was some value in keeping things the same, so a player or DM didn’t have to take the extra step of remembering to use the reverse scale for success. Total personal preference, so no worries on that one.
Thinking about a duration has always been a bit weird for me in DW – I play very fast and loose with time-scales (it hasn’t been particularly important in my campaign so far), so the answer might depend upon how closely you track time.
I might place the duration at about half an hour (or less) myself, because I think it captures the feeling of a Witcher having to imbibe a potion just before he/she needs it (and because the potion is very combat oriented). But I can see an argument for making the duration an hour or so.
That might well be.