Is there a standard way of handling a power pool (for mana or psi or supernatural abilities) in DW? Would it be fitting ? Would it be OK to use a dice pool separated with a new mechanics?
Is there a standard way of handling a power pool (for mana or psi or supernatural abilities) in DW?
Is there a standard way of handling a power pool (for mana or psi or supernatural abilities) in DW?
Typically, I would think that Hold is considered a pool of something that you can use at will. You can always come up with your own method for a new playbook, of course. I’m assuming you know what Hold is, but if not, it is essentially something you gain by using a certain Move. You can spend Hold to perform an action or something.
One example: When you gather magic form your surroundings, roll+INT. On 10+, gain 2 Hold. On 7-9, gain 1 Hold but something happens. Now you can offer a list of things people can spend hold on. It doesn’t have to be a list, but that is one way to handle it. You can call Hold whatever you want. “Gain 2 Magic,” “gain 2 Mana,” etc.
Lots of fan made classes use a mana pool to limit effects. “When you do this, gain x mana. When you do that spend x mana”
The clockpunk has a timehacker. “When you wind your timehacker gain 3 Time.” “When you freeze time, spend 2 Time and roll + Int.”
There are many variations on this.
Hold is the default pool for DW. Playbooks will provide you with lots of inspiration, though I cannot recall another pool based mechanic off the top of my head. Many playbooks rename hold but the mechanic is exactly the same.
You could also use it like Ammo where the pool is only depreciated when the player fails a roll.
Another way of tackling this Paride Papadia is to tell us what you’ve got in mind and how you think the power for your magic would be managed. We might be able to help you nail something down or point you to specific playbooks.
See also: the Articifer and their charges (which is pretty similar to Ammo): http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/108623/Dungeon-World-Alternative-Playbooks
Use Intelligence or Wisdom. Like hp for magic.
I think that the hold mechanism is almost ok, but i find a little bit dry, as would be a spell point mechanism. That is: you spend points, you get an effect, then when you finish the points, you have to find a way to recharge ( you recharge over time, by sleeping, by eating eggs, by standing in a river, watever).
But this is very similar to the given spell – fixed effect anyway, with just a different depletion mechanism.
I was thinking along the lines of a dice pool, with dice that can be used added to the roll to to increase the chance of having more powerful spell results, but than is depleted on bad rolls.
While writing, I tought about the barbarian and appetites, and I came out with this solution.
The caster has a starting man pool equal to Level+INT (or WIS, or CHA).
To use mana:
Minum1 mana, the roll is made on d6+d8. Additional mana (up to three) can be used to add to the roll. Each d8 that has a result lesser than the d6 means that 1 mana is spent (around 31% for each d8).
The powers activation moves have 12+ as a maximum result. The more d8 you roll, the more the chance you lose mana.
So you’re looking for a “roll boost” mechanic with the mana pool? Or would spending it let you do something more than just roll higher (like go beyond the normal constraints of the magic)?
Either way, I’m not sure I see a huge difference between this and any other depletion-as-cost mechanic. You still have limited pool, it still gets used up as you use it (just less predictably), and I presume you’d still have some way to refresh it. Or are you thinking it’d be a non-renewable resource?
Jeremy Strandberg I see the mana pool as a way to substitute the fixed result- fixed power spells with something more flexible but less reliable. That’s why I am not sold on a hold-type mechanic. That’s just moving the accounting from discrete spells to spell levels or something similar.
One thing that’s I like in (but long to implement) in the DCC RPG (free beta here
http://www.goodman-games.com/downloads/DCCRPGBeta060811.pdf ), is that every spell has a failure, basic results, and improved results according to the spell casting roll.
The spell casting spell move I jotted gives the possibility to use more mana to get better results, with a risk of losing mana faster. It’s a “better risult at a greater cost” mechanic
The 12+ should give an extra effect to the spell.
Alternatively, to avoid handling the moves, another solution would be to have a move with a trigger like: When you cast a spell, decide how much mana do you spend, then roll that many dice to see the result of the spell.Effect of the spell is from a table. You spend as much mana as many 5 or 6 you rolled.
Is there an Artificier version that’s free?