Im new at Dungeon World and need some help…
Its mostly clarification of the following:
1. …Say “take +1 forward.” That means to take +1 to your next move roll (not damage). The bonus can be greater than +1, or even a penalty, like -1. There also might be a condition, such as “take +1 forward to hack and slash,” in which case the bonus applies only to the next time you roll hack and slash, not any other move.
unless specified otherwise “take +1 forward” will apply to any next move?
2. …Say “take +1 ongoing.” That means to take +1 to all move rolls (not damage). The bonus can be larger than +1, or it can be a penalty, like -1. There also might be a condition, such as “take +1 ongoing to volley.” An ongoing bonus also says what causes it to end, like “until you dismiss the spell” or “until you atone to your deity.”
unless specified otherwise “take +1 forward” will apply to any next move?
if not otherwise specified when does ongoing end?
3. STR bonus does NOT affect Damage?
4. If multiple creatures attack at once roll the highest damage among them and add +1 damage for each monster beyond the first.
does this mean that when multiple monsters attack the one target they always hit and you use the above damage calculation?
Thats it for now!
monsters don’t really attack; they do damage as part of H&S. Other than that, sounds about right.
Unless otherwise specified, +1 forward would apply to any move. But practically, every instance I can think of has a condition.
STR doesn’t add to damage by default.
Thanks William Nichols so the Character doesnt get to do a defend move when she has multiple attackers targetting her?
Welcome to the Tavern!
1. Unless otherwise specified, yes.
2. Nearly all ongoing bonuses will say what situation it applies to or what causes it to end. If that isn’t stated, use your judgement.
3. Nope.
4. As William Nichols says, monsters don’t make attack rolls as in other games; they simply do damage as a result of other things happening (like a 7-9 on a Hack and Slash roll, or because og a GM move). But otherwise, yes. When a group of monsters deals damage, you roll the highest die and add +1 for each creature beyond the first.
thanks Sage LaTorra and damage is applied the same whether it be by Great Axe, Dagger or Arrow? But the narrative and how the weapons tag influences the outcome story-wise?
1. Yes. A blanket “take +1 forward” would apply to the next 2d6 roll you make for a move.
2. Technically, it doesn’t end. But I can’t think of a single example that doesn’t have some limitation on it. You could theoretically imagine an advanced move for a class that was something like: *Formidable: Take +1 ongoing to Hack & Slash.” But I’ve never actually seen such a move.
3. Correct. STR is not added to damage.
4. Don’t think of there being attack rolls that “hit” or “miss.” Think of it as: the GM makes a soft move (“the six goblins rush you as a group, squealing bloody murder, what do you do?”).
If the player does nothing, GM makes a hard move and it’s either deal damage or something else that involves dealing damage (“um, okay, they like plow into you, all stabby stabby. Take d6+5 damage. They’re all over you, you can’t even keep track of them all, stab stab, what do you do?”)
If the player tries to dodge, evade, get the hell out of there, etc., they’re probably Defying Danger. 10+ they’re probably free and clear. 6-, hard move (as above). 7-9, maybe you say “you can get clear but one of them gets a stab in, take 1d6 damage” (no damage bonus because I just established it was only one of them dealing it).
If the player digs in a Defends against that onrushing horde, they’re gonna take 1d6+5 damage no matter what they roll. But on a hit, they can spend hold to cut the damage in half.
If the player howls in glee and wades in swinging, that’s hack & slash. On a 7-9 (or a 10+ if they go for the extra +1d6 damage), I might have them roll their damage and maybe take a goblin out (maybe even 2 or 3 if they roll really high damage). But for the counterattack, yeah, the goblins are doing d6+X damage. Maybe X is all 5 extra goblins. Maybe it’s however many are left standing after the PC’s damage is dealt. Depends a lot on how they narrate their counter attack. On a miss, though? Yeah, the whole d6+5 and I put them in one helluva spot.
Chris Stone-Bush ohhhh… i think i have been using Defend incorrectly… my monsters havent been rolling hack and slash but my players have been rolling defend against monsters “attacks”. you are saying that the monsters do damage when the players roll low on their “hack and slash” – it just happens directly as a result of THAT move and its not another move?
Chris Stone-Bush that opens up some more questions/clarifications…!
If character is fighting against 3 orcs and rolls low on hack and slash then the damage is dealt to the player from all three orcs using highest damage roll +2. in the narrative have multiple monsters actually attacked the character or they gain extra damage just be weight of numbers?
If I have 3 characters fighting 3 orcs does this same damage method still get used? every player that rolls low on hack and slash gets the high damage roll + 2?
And so defend is definitely acting in defense of someone/thing else – not defending yourself…
thank you Jeremy Strandberg
And how/where do you track Forward/Ongoing/Hold’s on your character sheets? Do you let the players track this or does the GM track it for them?
Monsters automatically deal damage as part of the 7-9 results of a character’s Hack & Slash move. The other time they deal damage is as a result of a GM Move.
Players don’t normally get to make the Defend move against damage that comes from a 7-9 result of H&S. Then move covers a short exchange of blows, which is why the player might not take damage on a 10+ result. Players also don’t get to make a Defend move when you deal damage from making a GM Move. It’s too late at that point.
Players do get to make the Defend move when they have time to react to the danger. When the GM says “something bad will happen unless you act now”, that’s when Defend is possible. You can defend yourself though.
If multiple monsters are fighting against one character, then they get the damage bonus. If multiple monsters are fighting against multiple characters, they don’t get the bonus unless they start ganging up.
You can definitely Defend yourself. You’re a person, ain’t you?
It’s generally up to the players to track their hold. Some write it down, some use tokens. Often it gets spent quickly enough to not matter. If I (as GM) give out hold as part of a custom move, I usually hand them some tokens and have them hand them back to me as they get used.
The forwards don’t usually need to be tracked. I generally think it’s up to the player to track them, but I remember details like that pretty easily so I’ll often remind my players about them.
Ongoing mods… depends on how long they’re likely to go for and what the source/trigger is. Like, when a cleric casts bless, I’d just expect them to remind the beneficiaries to add the bonus. If I give out a -1 ongoing for some reason, I’ll keep remind the player about (and maybe write it on a notecard).
As for fights with multiple foes, you’ve got to really interrogate the fiction and flesh it out, be clear about what’s actually happening. That will usually answer your questions about when to apply the “gang up” damage bonus or not. 3 PCs vs. 3 orcs could be anything from three separate 1-on-1 fights to a single fighter tanking 3 orcs (and the orcs getting +2 damage against him) while the other PCs buff or volley or try desperately to finish the ritual before they’re all overrun.
As for how to describe the increased damage roll in the fiction… that’s pretty situational and I bet different GMs do it differently. Personally, I roll damage for NPCs/monsters and use the result to inform my narration. 1d8+2 damage could be a bunch of glancing blows from different directions or it could be that you’re so distracted by orcs A and B that you leave yourself wide open and C just whallups you.
thanks Jeremy Strandberg
ok… so the characters can defend themselves. would this then be their move instead of doing a hack and slash or other? I was allowing the move (hack and slash, volley etc) and then also allowing the defend when the monsters attacked…
Exactly. You can’t Hack & Slash when you’re Defending.
Follow the conversation and if they trigger a move, resolve that move. Then make a GM move (soft or hard, as appropriate) that flows from the situation and ask them what they do. Repeat.
So, if a half-dozen gobbos are charging and the paladin’s all “I heft my shield and plant my feet, bracing for impact” they just triggered Defend. Roll it. They get a 7-9, or 1 hold. They didn’t do anything to stop the charging goblins, so that’s a hard move: deal damage and describe them stabbing and swarming. They spend their 1 hold to halve the damage. They’ve got goblins all around. “What do you do?”
If they keep turtling and triggering Defend in that case, you’ve got every right to deal more damage or make even harder moves (capture them, for example). But probably, the paladin’s gonna start swinging. That trigger’s Hack and Slash. Now resolve that and describe the outcome and make a move and ask what happens.
Thank you to you all. That has helped me significantly. I quite likely will need to visit this fount of wisdom again in the coming weeks!
Wouldn’t the above descriptions of planting with a shield also fit defying danger by enduring? I read defend as actively protecting someone or thing.
Deal damage is a GM move all on its own. When there’s an appropriate threat nearby, and it makes sense to, you can either threaten damage as a soft move and offer the player an opportunity to avoid or mitigate the threat, or you can make a hard move, and hit them with the damage.
The rules for hack and slash says the enemy makes an attack this can and often does involve damage, but can also include other complications like tripping or grappling the character. If you deal damage as a result of hack and slash, resolve that first, and then ask the player “what do you do?”
While monsters don’t roll, they do act without waiting for players to fail a roll. Look to their moves, think about what they want, and have them behave proactively accordingly. Say what the monsters are doing and ask the players “what do you do?” If the players ignore the monster, their action comes to bear, with all the consequences that follow.
Joseph F. Russo if you hunker down behind your shield to prepare for what is coming it is Defend. If you raise your shield as a last second effort and endure the beating you are defying danger.
Yeah. Tim Franzke and I usually disagree on how Defy Danger is used, but I see his point here. It’s all about timing. The goblin horde charging from across the room giving the Paladin plenty of time to set her shield and brace for impact feels like Defend. Getting her shield up in time to block a swarm of goblins that popped out of nowhere sounds like Defy Danger.
Also, I wouldn’t mind if someone hacks and slashes a bit, while defending.
Chris Stone-Bush I feel that you should Defend first, then keep the hold from it that you can use over the course of your stand in defense, and then Defy Danger or Hack and Slash, depending on how the conversation and descriptions go. With the goblin example I’d do first Defend and then Defy Danger.
I think we’re saying the same thing Spencer Moore. I am describing two separates instances; one where the Paladin sees the approaching threat and has plenty of time to react (Defend), and one where she only has a split second to react (Defy Danger).