Inspired by recent discussion on +1 bonus moves, I’ve decided to rewrite some class moves to remove the +1 effects and use more interesting stuff. First try is on the Fünhaver Initiate, my preferred monk playbook. Of course, all credit for the original stuff goes to them. The original moves are listed first, with my changes following them. Let me know what you think!
World of Rivers and Lakes
When you Spout Lore about martial arts or artists, take +1.
My revision
When you Spout Lore about or Discern Realities on martial arts or artists, on a 10+ the GM will reveal a little-known secret about the subject.
This is straight cribbed from the Mage playbook, changed to work on martial arts instead of arcane stuff. The Initiate still knows more about martial arts than anyone, but now it’s more about what the Initiate can tell you than just having a bonus.
Training in the Guyana Highlands (G Gundam reference for the win!)
When you face someone who has defeated you before, take +1 ongoing until you defeat them.
My change
When you face someone who has defeated you before, hold 3. You may spend hold when attacked by them to use any of the Defend options. You no longer get this hold after you have defeated them.
I tried to keep this one not using a roll, but getting a more interesting bonus than +1. You’ve faced them before, now you know what to expect and you’re determined to triumph.
Sweep the Leg
When you instruct someone in the proper way to fight a foe, they take +1 ongoing to during their next fight against that foe.
My try
When you instruct someone in the proper way to fight a foe, they may add one effect of your Sublime Understanding of the Body on a 10+ Hack and Slash result during their next fight against that foe.
Initiates focus on melee combat, and Sublime Understanding is a cool move. Now when your student uses your instructions, they can mimic your techniques that you showed them.
Man Who Can Catch Fly With Chopsticks Can Do Anything
When you train someone in martial arts, they roll+Wis. On a 10+, they hold 3. On a 7-9, they hold 2. On a miss, they hold 1 and take a debility due to over-exertion. They may spend their hold to use any move you know. If they do not follow your teachings, they lose 1 hold. As long as they have any hold, they may add one effect of your Sublime Understanding of the Body on a 10+ Hack and Slash result.
The most complicated change for sure, I wanted to reflect the permanent nature of the original, without just using +1/-1 modifiers. The student rolls because the Initiate is a master of teaching with this move, it’s dependant on the student’s ability to listen. Losing hold for ignoring you should reflect the penalty of the original move. Hopefully the choice between using the last hold for a move and keeping it for the Sublime Understanding effect is an interesting one.
I like the Guyana highlands change. Im a fan of holds 🙂
Since I was the one who started that discussion, I might as well sit down and listen.
Alex Klingonsmith what was the original version of “Man Who Can Catch Fly With Chopsticks Can Do Anything”?
I really like what you’ve done with the other moves! Where was the recent discussion on +1 bonus moves, was it online somewhere visible that you could link?
The original Man Who Can Catch Fly… was ‘When you train someone in martial arts, they take +1 ongoing while following your advice and -1 ongoing if they ignore you.
Mostly a post here about racial move options was what prompted this. Lester Ward had some good advice about moving past +1 bonuses and finding more unique stuff.
Oh yeah, I decided to change the Human racial move as well. Instead of ‘Take +1 to the first roll of combat’, I made it ‘Your hirelings will accept training in your style and philosophy as fulfilling their Cost’.
I really like these changes. They’re more interesting moves. That said I think there’s a place for very simple +1s for certain moves. I’d like to have at least a few of those if I was advancing a class.
I won’t disagree there. It can be nice to read a move and see “+1 to a class move you already have”, it’s obvious what you’re going to be good at. My biggest problem with +1 bonuses is stacking them. Once you have a +3 to your primary stat, a +1 bonus means you’ll only miss 1/36 times. Getting even a second bonus makes missing impossible. I prefer +1 bonuses that are limited, like the preperation from Bolster or the halfing pipe-leaf’s +1 to Parley. You get the bonus once, and then you’re done. Constant +1s are easier to stack to problematic levels.
However, using a class move to get a +1 to a basic move like Spout Lore or Volley is a poor choice in my opinion. Unlike getting a bonus to one of your class-specific moves, where you do something better that no one else can do, getting a bonus to a basic move is too easily duplicated and not distinct enough for my taste. The Initiate’s original ‘World of Rivers and Lakes’ could be matched by anyone using a bag of books, and a Wizard will probably have a better chance at spouting off on martial arts even without the bonus.