Hey, so, since you guys were so good with helping me get a template for making a class that one time, I’d figure I’d ask you for help with making the class itself!
Here’s what I’m looking at:
– The class is called “The Wrestler”. It’s a class based on professional wrestling and all of the crazy things that come with it. The class is based around engaging one foe in a battle of strength and showing off as much as possible.
– Race options are Human, Dwarf and Robot. Robot race choice inspired by things like Real Steel, Pacific Rim and Gurren Lagann. The Human racial move makes it so you take +1 if you Parley with the promise to display a wrestling move as leverage. More on the Dwarf and Robot later.
– Alignments (AKA Drives) are “Fame” (make a fan out of a person you helped), “Glory” (hinder yourself or your party in some way in order to look cool) and “Destruction” (pick a fight or cause general chaos for no reason).
– Primary stats are STR and CON, with CHA as a secondary. You don’t needs brains as a Wrestler, only brawns! And a charming personality.
– Starting move list looks as follows:
– move where you create an elaborate and difficult-to-pull-off signature technique. It currently adds +3 damage to your damage roll if you pull it off; looking for feedback on that.
– move where when you wrestle with someone, you roll +STR and then get hold. The hold options are; create an opportunity to use your signature move or grapple (more on that later), deal damage equal to half of your level, rounded up, deal damage as if you rolled 7-9 on Hack and Slash, and expose the enemy to your “tag-team partner”, giving them +1 against that enemy. You hold 3 on 10+, 1 on 7-9. Dwarf’s thing is that they get 1 hold even on a 6. This is the one I’m most “eh” on.
– move where you grapple with your opponent. It’s +CON, and on a 10+, you get a successful grapple off. On a 7-9, it doesn’t last very long and you may be put into a compromising position. A little iffy about this one, but I don’t think it needs to be entirely reworked, just adjusted a little.
– move where if you encounter someone who’s a fan of yours, they’ll be much more willing to listen to you than your party members and they’ll do most of what you say. What they’ll do without asking for compensation or not doing it outright depends on A) how much they like you and B) how powerful they are. That’s to be discussed with the GM.
– The Robot’s racial move is something I’m really iffy on. Right now, it just allows you reroll any wrestling-related roll once per fight, but I’d like something less generic than that, y’know?
– Haven’t got much down in terms of advanced moves besides “Face” and “Heel”. You can pick one but then you can’t pick the other. Faces can give +1 to their allies twice per battle while Heels take 1 less damage from everything that doesn’t completely ignore armor.
That’s about everything. Looking for suggestions and advice.
Instead of Robot as a race, why not go with Construct? “Robot”, at least to me, suggests modern of future setting, while “Construct” works in fantasy as well.
Just on general principle, I would try to stay away from purely mechanical moves. Bonuses to stats, bonuses to damage, and moves that let you substitute stats are kind of boring. Moves that specifically give narrative permission to do things that other classes can’t are way more interesting.
Christopher Stone-Bush
Yeah, I was struggling with a better name for “Robot”. That works more.
And generally, I tried to stay away from the mechanical stuff, but it’s kinda hard. What can you really do with a signature move except for some pure, raw damage? Most of the stuff you would think of comes naturally with huge wrestling moves, I’d think. But in general, I think the moves themselves have a decent enough narrative thing. It’s the racial abilities I’m struggling with.
… That reminds me, actually, I forgot to list alignments. My bad.
I hear you Fell Offalot. It’s really easy to say “stay away from mechanical moves” but a lot harder to actually do.
To be honest, I’m not a wrestling fan, and so probably won’t be much help here. But it seems to me that a signature move isn’t really about doing damage. Otherwise every wrestler would just do the same move, right? A signature move is more of a calling card, something that says “this is me and not someone else”.
Christopher Stone-Bush
I know, but damage is kind of the pay off to doing something elaborate and grand. It’s an encouragement to set yourself up to do something awesome. I just want there to be some reward to it, as there’s not much point to doing a signature technique if it takes work to pull off but it just functions like a regular move, y’know?
I’m going to politely disagree. If you just want to do damage, you’d use Hack & Slash. There should definitely be a reward to setting up a big, elaborate signature move, I just feel that “more damage” is the least interesting pay off.
Christopher Stone-Bush
I agree entirely, but… well, it’s difficult to come up with much else. Back to the drawing board, I guess.
I didn’t mean to crap all over your idea Fell Offalot. There’s interesting space to explore here with the signature move.
Christopher Stone-Bush
Yeah, don’t worry, I’m not interpreting it like that. I’m thinking I can revamp it a little so that instead of inflicting mechanical damage, it instead inflicts a ton of damage on your opponent’s body. Breaking bones, tearing off skin, the like.
That’s way more interesting than just HP damage.
I know the game “Monster of the Week” has a luchador class. That may be a good place to start mining for ideas.
I think there is so much potential in a Wrestler class! Check out Gigantomakhia, by the same guy who created Berserk. Post-apocalyptic wandering wrestler fighting for justice and for cultural understanding.
Using it as inspiration you could devise a Move:
When you take the time to withstand your enemies blows, roll +Con.
On a 10+ choose 2, gain 2 Hold
On a 7-9 choose 1, gain 1 Hold
-Study your opponent’s moves to empathize with or gain understanding of their motives
-Gain new perspective on a culture or way of fighting
-Impress your enemy with your tenacity
When you gain 3 Hold, you can use your newfound advantage to perform a Devastating Reversal!
I made Pitfighter based on WWF wrestling. Its on RPGnow.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product/119947/The-Pit-Fighter-Dungeon-World-Playbook?filters=0_0_44819_0_0
Its basic elements are: you can be face or heel as alignment. You work the crowd for bonuses to fighting. You can trigger either signature moves or combos that chain moves together. You use only your body or improvised weapons. You can get a sponsorship that earns you gold whenever you win in battle.
There is also a PbtA game that is only about WWF fighting and the storylines that run around it. Unfortunately I forgot the name.