I’m creating some sort of artist class. I was hesitating between compendium class or base class, but I’m thinking about eventually doing both. For now though, I’ve jotted down a bunch of ideas. Any input or criticism?
I’m creating some sort of artist class.
I’m creating some sort of artist class.
I’m all for weird classes (I really am, I made a compendium class based on swing and jazz music) but so far it just doesn’t look useful for a game like Dungeon World.
A group of players aren’t going to want to wait around for an in-game month just so the Maestro can maybe make a good sculpture.
Now that I think about it, just as the Fighter is The Fighter, the Maestro should be the greatest artist in the world. Roll to make art? The Maestro should laugh at such an idea, everything they make is art. The roll then should be for added effects, or maybe you get hold that you can use to gain absolute clarity about lore or reality for a while.
Clarity, yeah! They should get a move called Life Imitates Art where something they make effects the world itself. Say they write a book about goblins, goblins change to suit them. Or perhaps they can paint weird tentacled gods into existence.
Fingergermanword is a cool move though, keep that one!
The Humanist move doesn’t actually add much. If a player wants to make art that way, they can.
I do like the idea though! Maybe look to such characters in fiction and some real life artists for inspiration.
Hmm, good point. Maybe Virtuoso can be retooled to be closer to a combination of the Wizard’s Ritual and Bardic Lore? Influence the world by making statements? Life imitates art is an interesting idea.
I would keep the “pick your field of expertise” part of Virtuoso.
I’d steal a lot of Ritual (done it myself twice, for a smith and a monster maker).
Then I’d stick something in about making a statement.
Something better than this:
Virtuoso
Pick one art to call your own:
[ ] Poetry and Prose
[ ] Drawing and Painting
[ ] Music and Composition
[ ] Sculpting and Architecture
[ ] Mathematics and Engineering
When you draw on a place of beauty (your call) to create a work of art, tell the GM what statement you’re trying to make and who will be most affected. Virtuoso effects are always possible, but the GM will give you one to four of the following conditions:
It’s going to take days/weeks/months
First you must __
You’ll need help from __
It will require a lot of money
The best you can do is a lesser version, unreliable and limited
You and your allies will risk danger from __
You’ll have to destroy __ to do it
The bigger your statement, the more complex your work of art and the greater number affected, the more difficult it will be to create.
That sounds close to what I was thinking of myself. I’ll already write that down and think some more. Thanks!
No problem at all!
Perhaps one of the higher level moves you can gain in this class is called something like Magnus Opus, where you make a companion using an art you’ve mastered. So stuff like a living painting, living statue, Leonardo Da Vinci styled clockwork golem etc.
It could add some combat power to the class, and perhaps hold the power of one of your works of art!
Combat power is what I’m struggling with the most. I like your idea for magnum opus.
Alexander Pirard You’ve got a good start here. I’m heading into the playtest phase with a playbook that is of a similar concept. Maybe it’ll help with some inspiration.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B99hPl0o50Y8WkhERlozSm9wWEU/edit?usp=sharing
In fact, I like how much this represents a more muscial aspect like the Bard. The Bard, in DW, lacks a certain artistic flare. The Maestro could definitely encapsulate that more artistic side of how music and magic come together to allow the class more flavor and fiction in their adventures than the party-buffing mechanics of the Bard.
I always imagined the bard to be closer to a traveling poet who sings others’ songs, whereas my idea for this class comes closer to Mozart who creates new pieces. A traveling, fighting Mozart.