A couple of questions about Advanced Moves.
Druid – World Talker: Does this move allow me to turn into something like a Volcano and a Squirrel made of Fire? I’m pretty sure about the squirrel but for the Volcano, Thing-talker states “to inanimate natural objects (plants and rocks) or creatures made thereof, as well as animals.” So it sounds like it to me.
Wizard – Prodigy: The wording of this spell is simply confusing. What exactly is this saying I can do? It doesn’t specify whether it includes Cleric spells too and it its reference to “one level lower” makes no sense to me. Also it mentions nothing of limitations. Could I choose a Lv 9 wizard spell? How exactly does this work?
About Wizard prodigy.
My take is that when you are preparing spells, as described in the wizard moves, you can select a spell and make it cheaper. If it was a level 3 spell, it now counts as a level 2 spell. This allows you to prepare more spells than a non prodigy wizard.
Yup. Erik Gomez is exactly right. As the Wizard can prepare a total number of spell levels equal to their level plus one, reducing the level of a spell allows you to prepare more spells.
Example: A Level 2 Wizard without Prodigy can prepare one Level three spell, or three Level one spells. A Level 2 Wizard with Prodigy can choose one Level 3 spell to count as if it were Level 2. Meaning they could prepare that specific Level 3 spell and a Level 1 spell.
My take on World-Talker is that the Druid can become a raw element (Fire, Aire, Water, Earth or Fire, Metal, Wood, Water, Earth if you use the Five Chinese elements). So I don’t think the Druid could become a volcano. But they could totally become fire. In the shape of a dragon.
BTW, I know you’ll be running your first game soon. My advice is to leave the Advanced Moves alone for now. Just focus on the basics.
The wife is having a tough time picking one class. She wants to be all but the bard and is really agonizing over the decision. So we didnt game any tonight, just talked a lot about her options =[. I had one more question about hirelings. Do you really only get to choose from the hireling skills as far as what kind of people you can employ? No chance of her hiring a warrior with the Blacksmith move or a Druid to change the weather? If so, hirelings seem pretty weak and hollow, both in capability and game fiction wise.
A) The Bard is awesome.
B) I’ve never played with Hirelings, so I can’t speak to this from experience. But Hirelings are not heroes. It very clearly states that in the book. They are not the equal of PC in either mechanical or fictional weight. So my feeling is no. No hiring a Fighter with the Blacksmith move or a Druid with the ability to change the weather. If you want to do that stuff, go find someone special who is capable of doing that sort of thing.
Bards ARE awesome!
Thing talker volcano: possibly not but up tot he fiction/players
For the squirrel made of fire, that’s actually what Chimera is for, as long as you pick up World Talker as well. Also, just picture a tyrannosaurus with bat wings made of diamond. That’s what Chimera can do.
Why chimera for fire squirrel? Should work with just thing talker I think.
Well, as I understand it (rereading world talker now, it lets you be a rock or the Human Torch, in addition to animals. That distinction is important, I think.
EDIT: I read Thing-Talker instead of World-Talker. If you want to be a squirrel-shaped fire elemental with World-Talker, you’re fine.
“Thing-talker forms can be exact copies or can be mobile vaguely humanoid-shaped entities.”
You are right I guess. But
“You may now apply your spirit tongue, shapeshifting and studied essence to inanimate natural objects (plants and rocks) or creatures made thereof“
So you can be an exact copy of a creature made out of the element. So if there are squirrels made out of fire in your world you can become that because it is the exact copy.
So I guess both are correct I think.
Our game has always assumed that the creature the druid turns into must be one that exists in the fiction and that the druid was able to use Studied Essence on. Unfortunately there are no flaming squirrels in our setting… yet!
Portray a fantastic world!
I’m more of the mind that if the player is excited about it and it doesn’t do something to harm (based on your specific gaming situation) game fiction, then go for it. I think a Volcano is perfectly viable for something like Elemental Mastery. It also makes sense with World Talker because you can study the essence of a volcano (inanimate natural object + application of pure elements)..
When I read Thing-talker it sounded to me as if you could not only make a man and a tiger, but a man-tiger (“Thing-talker forms can be exact copies or can be mobile vaguely humanoid-shaped entities.”). If you have studied the essence of both, it makes sense as a combination of vaguely humanoid-shaped entities. I would likely treat it with degrees of success. 10+ you become exactly what you were going for, 7-9 you get the gist of what you were going for but something is clearly off, 6- the form is an abomination of your original vision and it will be a while before you can change back.
Christopher Stone-Bush I agree, Bards are awesome! I think she is scared of the extra spotlight it will bring for her to perform acts of linguistic cunning =P. That really sucks about hirelings. Nobody else has responded to the question (and I wanted to expand upon it a bit) so I’ve created a new discussion topic. Thank you for your reply =)