A player at my table was really excited about trying out the Winter Mage, because they like ice magic, but they were…

A player at my table was really excited about trying out the Winter Mage, because they like ice magic, but they were…

A player at my table was really excited about trying out the Winter Mage, because they like ice magic, but they were a little underwhelmed. They opted to make a new class with a new spin, a sort of harbinger of the end times who stands opposite the Immolator: meet the Frostwalker.

However, they’re stuck for ideas. I think the base idea is amazing, but I’m not sure how to round it out. Ideas?

(note, I think this has the potential to be incredibly tanky and overpowered, basically impossible to kill, but discussing it with our group the players really like it — the playbook would bring a lot of really interesting roleplay options to the game)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwF75bfO6_4LbnZJYXJ0WU03REE

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwF75bfO6_4LbnZJYXJ0WU03REE

7 thoughts on “A player at my table was really excited about trying out the Winter Mage, because they like ice magic, but they were…”

  1. Maybe a move for raising an army of pseudo white walkers: spend 3 chill to raise a corpse, the GM will define what it can do. It’ll follow you and respond to simple commands, to the best of its abilities. Something like that.

    And perhaps a move for opening up a portal to the end times, or whatever plane?

  2. First off, the layout is intriguing. On what kind of sheet of paper is this supposed to be printed on.

    Now, I’m going to say something to set a common ground: DW is not a game about mechanical balance, and whatever I don’t comment on I find to either be appropriate, or somewhat irrelevant. Onto the class.

    White Frost: The fact that it has, as a repeatable starting move, the effect of a lvl6+ Fighter move, is ridiculous.

    Snap Freeze: Now you’re rolling with CON. Why? How does this relate to your physical constitution? Also, a is too generic, and too Jack-of-all trades. Restriction is good, vagueness isn’t. Suppose that your objective is to freeze an incoming artillery weapon’s fire. Now read the move. It doesn’t make much sense. I’d change this to int, and give the player options.

    Harbinger of the End: I’m sorry, but this is terribly shit. In Dungeon World characters die. They’re human. They’re humans in a shitty, shitty world. Now your character just doesn’t die? It doesn’t get to even have a chance to be broken, and changed by a one on one with Death Itself? There’s no risk at all to dying? Why would you play this? I have no idea. Scrap this, 100%. Also -1 ongoing permanently? Really? Check the Death moves in Grim World. Make the class have one. Those are great.

    Let it go: Eh, sure. Not a fan, just numerical plays. I don’t get the justification; and wouldn’t call deathly combat a ‘petty foible’, but then again /you don’t die/. You take -1 to Constitution rolls, not to +CON.

    ADV

    Chill Out: Before rolling, after rolling?

    Frostbite: This should be a regular option for Snap Freeze.

    Winter Wonderland:

    So, a lvl9 Cleric Spell at lvl2. Again. Not about balance. But you’ve got to admit that /opening up the sky at your command/ after a month of adventuring is a bit ridiculous.

    Stopthefrozenreferences: Same as winter wonderland. Restrict this, heavily, or move it to the 6+ moves.

    That’s Cold: Utterly silly. When you deny mercy upon someone, or make a heartless choice,

    Iceman: Why is this Con, if White frost is INT? 10+ is irrelevant, because they’re already frozen. Also, this is basically Snap Freeze with drawbacks.

    …: What roll? Aid/Interfere, or your target’s roll?

    Frozen Heart: So, essentially, with low damage mobs you can have infinite HP. Eh. Ok, a bit of a boring move, but it’s not that bad.

    MAS

    Snap Freeze again. If you think Snap Freeze is for a single target, my target would be

    Bitter Heart.

    Infinite HP. And also you don’t die.

    Permafrost.

    Cute move. Quite like it.

    Snowman2:

    This should actually be the 2-6 move. It should be able to do damage, and have some sort of brute sentience; or have the option for it.

    General Winter:

    This is actually a pretty good move. A bit of a shame that this gives you infinite hold, on a class with infinite HP, that cannot die.

    I’m not against the class itself, but I think you’re missing some really big keypoints about narrativity.

  4. Camilo Suñer Thanks for the feedback! I’ve passed along your thoughts, and we’ll talk about it some more in our group, see if we can expand and refine and tinker.

    The layout is designed for simple 8.5/11 paper, you print portrait style front and back, then fold in half — this creates an adorable little four-page booklet. I did this design after checking out the Minimalist Playbooks, and our table really liked them, so I’m redoing the core and our table’s most favorite classes in this style, with our house rules baked right into the crust. My player who made this simply borrowed the template.

  5. No problem. I don’t mean to lambast, but you and your players should consider if this should be a full-fledged class or a compendium class, an archaic Npc that’s discovered and tells the players of an ancient secret of the frosted mountains, or a character naturally evolves into such an archetype. Keep math play to a minimum, and if your character wants to be situationally immortal. So be it. But there should be a single reason for them to be that way.a single move goes all they way in dw. They’re versatile. They encompass a lot yet only have so much scope.

  6. Camilo Suñer Very excellent advice. I really liked the idea conceptually, but that was my gut reaction too — it felt more like a compendium class, something that happens to a player and changes them dramatically. We’ll spend some time spitballing though, see what sticks.

    Thank you!

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