Next Saturday, I’m running a one-on-one game for my daughter. This will be her first time playing any RPG, and we are both stoked.
She wants to play what is basically a Dragonborn fighter. When I asked her what his racial special abilities are, she said that he can breathe fire and had wings and can fly.
The flight, I’ll just straight up allow. No custom moves or anything. But the fire breath, I think, should be something special.
What do you folks think of this?
When you try to harm an opponent by breathing fire, roll +DEX. On a 10+, deal 1d6 damage. On a 7-9, deal 1d4 damage and take a complication.
I think it might be cool if with a roll of 12+ the damage is ongoing. But I’m not sure how to work that.
Since this is just a one-on-one game, I’m not too worried about balance, but I also don’t want for her to just go around setting everything ablaze. Do you think the 9- option will be a good deterent (I imagine things like setting other things and people on fire, accidentally setting a resource on fire, and other GM moves unrelated to the fire), or should I somehow limit how often she can breathe fire?
Maybe the breath weapon is the signature weapon.
Yeah, Marshall Miller hits this right on the head! Who needs custom moves. Maybe let her also get moves from the Immolator!
Or, just go for it and let her be a dragon!
https://plus.google.com/114493035025354983838/posts/KC7JMGDc8Hx
When you’ve had a rest and had time to catch your breath, roll+endurance
On a 10+, hold 2
On a 7-9, hold 1
On a 6-, your stomach gases need help to build up – if you choose to consume a ration, hold 1
Roll it like Druid shape shifting when she actually uses it – basically let her describe a fire breath thing.
Also? Who cares about balance? It’s a one on one, let her literally spread her wings a bit. DW is good like that – balance against monsters comes from the ‘anything you can do…’ School of GM escalation 🙂
Also, maybe resist the urge to let her deal damage with it, but show her the benefits of setting fires – smoke screens, intimidation…
I’d set a bigger damage…what her class damage anyway? It sound like a technique, area, fire element. She deal damage anyway, but on 9- set something else on fire.
I have a player as a dragonborn and her special ability is that she can become a dragon as one of her animals. Basically make it like the shapeshifting of a druid and have breqthing fire and flying as the animals moves
Without other players there doesn’t need to be balance, or classes come to think of it! Just keep to the 10+ awesome, 7-9 complication, 6- bad times rule and just roll with it!
When you fly, roll with DEX.
When you breathe fire, roll with CON.
When you shatter with tooth and claw, roll with STR.
When you use dragon magic to…
…sense treasure
…be understood by lesser beings
…reveal magic or the hidden
…control an element
Roll with CHA/WIS/INT.
You should check out the Backer Classes that were made. The Dragonslayer has some great ideas that would apply well in building and leveling this character.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/237216454/Dungeon-World-Backer-Classes-CC-1up#scribd