In the last session of my Magipunk campaign, our Barbarian was fighting an elf with phasing powers. He had picked up ‘seeing red’ from the Fighter move list and tried to discern if he could find a gap in the elf’s intangibility He hit a 12 on his discern roll.
I couldn’t resist on the strength of the roll, so I had the player answer the ‘What should I be on the lookout for’ question – having him, in effect, describe how he discovered the gaps in his foe’s intangibility.
He responded by saying that the elf’s rapier had a button on it that, when pressed, caused the effect. Freaking cool.
Not too long after that, he punched the elf’s head off and claimed the blade. Now, I have to come up with the item. Here’s my draft:
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Draugr: [close, 1 piercing, precise, 2 weight, Fuel 3]
They say that down among the dead things, a sword is quenched in the cold heart of a shadow. They say the sword makes a ghost of you. They say it calls back to its home and that it will lead you there; and then you too will be a shadow, ready to have a sword quenched in your heart.
So they say.
When you use Draugr to shift into the spirit realm by pressing the button on its hilt, roll +CON. Regardless of the outcome, you become [intangible] for a brief time – you may not affect or be affected by anything on the prime plane. On a 7-9, also mark off 1 Fuel. On a miss you have brought something back with you that has been waiting to get out.
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The fuel requirement is really born out of the Magipunk component of the game, so I rolled it into the item.
I’m also kicking around a ‘x number of times per day’ or having the item modify the way the defend action works. The latter was actually my preferred course, but I was never sure on allowing one to defend themselves, even though that would seem to fit with the language of the move.
In essence, I am wondering whether my first draft is too fiddly – I have come to shy away from adding roll mechanics to my magic items. Any suggestions from the Tavern?
Awesome scene!
If you want an epic story to go with the blade, you could give the blade a loresong. That paragraph about “they say that among the dead things…” you could give the blade an entire poetic backstory that they only learn upon having it sung to by a bard, or perhaps a gypsy in a nearby town that notices the blade and secretly knows of its origin…. maybe it unlocks additional knowledge about the blade.
I would not give it limited uses per day. I would use fiction to affect how the player decides to use it. Maybe too much time in the spirit plane affects the player. Was the elf able to attack while phased? If so, then maybe he gains a more accurate vision or power while phased for a short time, but when he returns, he is blinded for a certain amount of time. Bonus for a detriment. Maybe he will learn to be able to fight while temporarily blinded like a Jedi…
I think it’s cool, and yeah, great setup! I wouldn’t say the item is too fiddly, no. It’s tempting to add “once-per-days” and other provisos, but they really aren’t necessary in DW. The only thing I’d add is how long the users goes intangible for, by default. (A 7-9 or miss might mean the user stays intangible for less – or more – time than intended.)