One of my players finally gained enough XP to level beyond 10, and he’s interested in switching classes from Fighter to Wizard. Reading the rules for advancement past 10th level, as written the character’s race, HP, and ability scores all carry over, in addition to a few core moves from the old class (in my player’s case, probably his Signature Weapon and the Interrogator move).
His question was, “does my damage die carry over, too?” Based on HP carrying over, I’m leaning towards saying yes – I assume that if he’s been fighting for his entire life up to this point, all that prowess probably isn’t just going to vanish overnight when he picks up a spellbook.
Is the wording left ambiguous on purpose, so that each group can do what works best for them? Are there reasons his damage would/should drop to the Wizard’s d4?
Personally I’d split the differemce:
Give the player their full HP
and average the damage dice (make it d6 instead of d4) to keep them at least partially inline with the damage curve.
How important was “dealing tons of damage” to the character?
Could do a progression of 10/8/6 etc. As I’m very much a fan of hybridization I see no problem with the die he earned before lingering for a session or two, but I’d still have it drop down from one who was a root class. As stated above, an eventual d6 or d8 seems appropriate to me depending on how he’s played, etc
If he uses melee magic like a club or a sword, I’d rule he can keep his original die. Otherwise, his damage die drops to a d4 for the regular wizard spells, since he is “unfamiliar with arcane power” or “meek” about abusing it for fear of MAGIC EXPLODING IN HIS FACE.
Give him a choice to use his old damage die if it makes sense in the fiction, but consider it a Golden Opportunity to make Hard Moves as the mentality of a fighter and the mentality of a wizard are completely different in battle.
Lots of good stuff here, thanks for the replies!
Tim Franzke, his character was notorious for both dealing AND taking the most damage out of everyone in the party – I’d wager that he dealt more damage over the course of the game than the other two party members combined. From a fiction standpoint, his character was “the damage dealer,” so his damage die was fairly important.
David Guyll, as the game has progressed, more and more of this character’s backstory has has revealed a history of magical ability in the family. The player has been building to this change for several sessions, with the express goal that his character would “discover” the magic within him somewhat intuitively, then begin to learn to control his newfound power as he adventures. The groundwork he’s been laying over the past few sessions is what makes me amenable to letting him keep his damage die – he’s put a lot of thought and effort into the development of the character.
Jay Vee, Jason, I had that thought as well! The more he leans on his magic (and subsequently the less he leans on his muscles), I think it makes sense for his die to decrease over time.
Clinton Pong, I probably wouldn’t want to tell him how his character feels about his magic, but I get what you’re saying. I wasn’t thinking he’d use his damage die for his spells, just in the event that he started trading blows with something.
Well, given the bit of backstory you posted, I got an idea for some modifed moves.
If he chooses to wear armor, give it back the clumsy tag (at least forc asting spells) or if they go without armor, give them Arcane Ward as a freebie as they have replaced their need for armor with magic. (but mechanics wise, they keep the same armor number maybe?)
I really like Jason Healey’s idea. I would allow it at first, with a progressive decrease down to the wizard’s die. One bump each level until you get there. That is definitely fair. Each class has a die for a reason, in my opinion. But then again, do your stats go back to level 1 style? That may be enough burden, especially if you’ve invested so much in your character by this point.
Whatever continues to make it fun for the player.
I’d let him keep the die, but make it clear up front the change puts it in the path of being changed by the fiction. If he starts to lean on magic for everything, or gets sedentary, or takes a bunch of time off to study, well, how’s he going to keep the edge? Or if he gets badly hurt and pulls through with magic, maybe that costs him a bit of that vigor.
That said, I wouldn’t be in a big hurry to step the die down. It should make sense with who the character is becoming and what he does, not levels and classes.
When the reduction does come, it might come as a GM Move.
Don’t forget the fiction, one does not become a Wizard only by spending XP.
Do you mean some with expert level skill in subject A who begins studying subject B to expert level; The time and effort it takes? Or the fact that games assume all characters have motivation and gain expertise equally so the situation above would probably yield:
A different party member perfectly happy being an expert in one thing
The expert above not losing any skill in either craft
Another motivated party member seeing the effort and doing the same thing.
Stepping on party roles aside, because that’s a valid reason for not allowing multiclass, games are limited in the expression of character action and growth. If youre a fan of the characters, and it doesn’t step on another’s role, just let it go.
Losing Your Edge
At the end of every session, roll 2d6 and add 1 for each time you rolled your damage die. On a hit, yeah, you’ve still got it. On a 7-9, though, tell us what felt a little off (you missed a shot you should have made, your sword felt heavier than it used to, your knee is clicking weirdly, etc.).
On a miss, looks like your skills are starting to fade. Tell us how that felt (as with 7-9) and decrease your damage die by one step. When it’s reduced to d4, stop making this move.
Jeremy Strandberg This is fantastic.