Need some help with a custom move for my “Kid” compendium class. The theme I’m trying to capture is that you’re a kid so people tend to ignore you—because you’re small, or quiet, or even sneaky. I ended up with this which feels like just a generic stealth move and I don’t think it’s right yet:
When you act quietly and inconspicuously say what you’re trying to do and roll+DEX. Take -1 for each thing you’re attempting beyond the first. On a 10+ you do it and you’re unnoticed. On a 7-9 you do it but you’re noticed. On a miss it’s obvious what you were trying to do.
• you get into something
• you get out of something
• you take something from someone
• you put something somewhere
• you get somewhere you’re not supposed to be
• you get out of somewhere you don’t want to be
Any suggestions for capturing the flavor without making it a swiss army knife?
I agree that it feels like a generic stealth move. Perhaps because the move you’ve written doesn’t have other people ignoring you. Also, that 7-9 result of doing it but being noticed seems like a “miss” result; not a mixed success or success at a cost.
What about something like:
When you stay quiet and act like you aren’t a threat, roll +CHA. On a hit+, you’ve fooled everyone; they’ll ignore you until you draw attention to yourself. On a 10+, people actually forget you’re there.
I agree that CHA is probably the best stat. You’re trying to fool others. Sneaky kids can pour on the charm and have adults either forgive them (the kid didn’t know any better) or assume someone else is responsible (Billy would never…Billy doesn’t understand how…).
I’d call the move “Stealing Cookies from the Cookie Jar” but really it’s about any move in which the child uses his presumed innocence/ignorance to accomplish something an adult couldn’t.
I’d also throw in a move like “Beginner’s Luck”, which explains why a kid can often win at any sort of competitive undertaking they try. 10+ = you win! 7-9: you win, but one of the following is true (GM choice):
-the “victim” suspects something fishy and starts asking tough questions
-the “victim” forces you into a rematch, double or nothing
-you’re asked to leave and aren’t welcome back to that area
Great idea on the Class – could make for some awesome roleplaying! I assume these Kids are savants, with special talents, like a Mozart, young Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, etc?
I used this in my Would-Be Hero playbook (http: goo.gl/UHcvD9). Possibly what you’re looking for?
Underestimated
As long as you avoid overt hostility, no enemy will consider you a threat. When you make your move against an enemy who has underestimated you, take +1 forward against them.
There appears to be another version of ___-World that is set in Iceland during the Viking times called “Saga of the Icelanders”. One of the classes is literally “The child” You might find some ideas there.
Chris Stone-Bush , Jeremy Strandberg, thanks those are helpful. I’ve kinda mashed them up with a move I had already and think it’s getting closer.
Josh Riggins , beginner’s luck has a social move aspect that I kinda like. I have something that works off a similar idea called “Quick Study” but it’s broader.
Colin Gillespie , ah thanks. I’d actually looked at that and liked “Small and Quiet” then completely forgotten where I’d read it.
Here’s a link to the work in progress, I’m pretty happy with it. Trying not to add too much because part of the idea of the class is that you abandon it as you grow up. If there are too many moves I think it takes away from that somewhat. https://docs.google.com/document/d/157uetka_7K7N2pngYgxQbU2cTv_p8M1ce7Dg6Wd1O3I/edit#
I wonder if you’re coming at this backwards.
Instead of the Kid being a compendium class tacked on to an existing full class, what if you made the Kid a core class that started with parts of a base class, but not all of it, and the 2 Kid moves.
Then, the levels 2-5 advanced moves could include taking the remaining starting moves for the class they’re growing into, plus a few Kid-specific moves. And the 6+ moves start replacing the Kid moves with the full class moves (probably at a 2-1 tradeout, since you’d both give up a 6+ move and replace an existing 1-5 level move).
I tried to do something similar in the Would-Be Hero, except without the multiclassing aspect.
Oh… alternately, if you’re picturing The Kid as a specialty to used alongside Class Warfare, maybe you just add a 3rd starting Kid Move that basically comes down to “each time you level up, you can choose to replace 1 Kid move with a move from one of your other specialties.”
Jeremy Strandberg , I think mechanically what you’re proposing would have a better narrative flow and fixes something I was worried about—there’s all these kid moves you can get when you level up, but you do so at expense of your base class moves. I think they’re also both deeper hacks than I was hoping to make. Good ideas for later!