Class Warfare

Class Warfare

Class Warfare

I’ve been flipping through CW. I don’t think I’ll use it for customized classes because it looks like it’ll just bog down the character creation process, but it is a huge list of compendium classes. The requirements for some of these things look like adventures! I really like the Golemist. Check him out, and his CC requirement.

Is anyone using Class Warfare to let their players build custom classes? If so, I’d love to see what combinations have been built, and the result.

Spell Hound

Spell Hound

Spell Hound

These beasties were bread during the Wizard War to hunt down and neutralize spell slingers. They’re fast and cunning, and some say their bark will freeze a man in his tracks.

Instinct: To hunt magic

*detect magic

*lock eyes with a target and bark Hold Person spell

*maul an immobile target

Concept stage… how can I make this better please?

Does a “Sand Dragon” exist anywhere in any game system that I can look to for inspiration?

Does a “Sand Dragon” exist anywhere in any game system that I can look to for inspiration?

Does a “Sand Dragon” exist anywhere in any game system that I can look to for inspiration?

My concept is winged-but-flightless dragons (think penguin or ostrich) that reside in the desert. They can use their wings to whip up a mini-sandstorm that blinds opponents, and have a super hot (but not flaming) breath. They may be more defensive than aggressive, using their blinding technique to get away, or using the breath to melt weapons and armor, making the fight impossible. They WILL attack aggressively when cornered though.

Instinct: To retreat to safety

*Blind with sand

*Destroy weapon and armor

Thoughts please? Thanks!

My first DW Campaign as a GM will be coming to a close in a few weeks, and I have joined another group as a player.

My first DW Campaign as a GM will be coming to a close in a few weeks, and I have joined another group as a player.

My first DW Campaign as a GM will be coming to a close in a few weeks, and I have joined another group as a player. I have had a tremendous amount of fun playing DW and have already started taking notes for the next time I GM.

I wanted to “play it straight” in my first campaign so we could all get a feel for DW, but my players have asked about adding a crafting system similar to something in Diablo or Skyrim.

I fear this will add too much crunch to a game designed to avoid crunch. I have some ideas about a simple crafting system which adds some bookkeeping, but I don’t know if it would be “crafty” enough.

I’m thinking about custom move template for finding crafting components that looks something like this:

When you spend some time to search [location] for [a crafting component that is commonly found here], you find 1d4 of that component and roll+WIS.

10+ Choose 2

7-9 Choose 1

* You avoid running into [denizens of this location].

* You don’t draw the attention of [an NPC or special guardian], who will [take an appropriate action].

* You gain an additional 1d4 of that component, or 1 of another component more rare to this area of the GM’s choice.

So filling in the blanks (in the order presented) for a graveyard may look like this:

The Westmarch Cemetary / Bone Shards/ a group of fresh Zombies / Captain Blazer’s Ghost / Haunt you until you leave Westmarch.

A forested location may look like this:

The Timberfall / Wood Spirit / a pack of starving wolves / A wood Elf / demand you give her what you’ve found

I would love all thoughts on the idea of crafting in general, as well as ideas about how to make this move template better.

All of this is very high level right now. I won’t be running a campaign again for about 6 months, so I have plenty of time to work on it. I want to make a system that my players asked for, but NOT add a lot of crunch and bookkeeping (which MAY not even be possible).

Thanks!

So I spent a good portion of last night reading A Sundered World, and I’m loving it.

So I spent a good portion of last night reading A Sundered World, and I’m loving it.

So I spent a good portion of last night reading A Sundered World, and I’m loving it. There are some really awesome things in it, and although I don’t know if I’ll play the setting yet, there are several things I would like to take over to Vanilla DW.

Most notably is the way races are used in SW. For anyone unfamiliar with it, SW uses a race – which has some starting moves and advanced moves associated with it – as well as the class (whereas in DW you pick a class and it has a couple race options).

I’ve been working on a “Morphling” class (with the help of several of you here… Thanks!), but I feel it should really be a Race, as it’s an amorphous being that “morphs” into other shapes.

So my question is, has anyone been using the SW idea of Race + Class in Vanilla DW?

I need some help with a new class I’m working on please.

I need some help with a new class I’m working on please.

I need some help with a new class I’m working on please. I want to create a morphling class that is totally unlike the druid, and closer to Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine than T-1000 from Terminator 2.

Odo could do all kinds of morphy stuff, but he had to recuperate at the end of each day, “sleeping” in his gooey form in a bucket. I don’t want the character to have to turn to goo every night, but I would like to make the player make choices as to when they’ll morph based on a value of hold. Morphing into a new form costs hold, but reverting to normal is free.

As such, I’d like one of the main moves to a modification of the healing that takes place during rest (when you rest…gain half your max HP). I’m thinking “when you rest…regain all your HP, lose all hold you have and gain X Hold”.

An advanced move can be “when you do this, gain an additional 1d4 hold” and a higher level version that replaces it could be “…additional 1d6 hold”.

Very high levels thoughts. Fictionally I’d want the character to be one of a kind; no others of their class exist (at least that’s what the character thinks 🙂 ).

I’d love any feedback on wording, amount of hold, etc.

Thanks!

I got to experience DW as a player for the first time last night.

I got to experience DW as a player for the first time last night.

I got to experience DW as a player for the first time last night. After running the game for about 5 months it was nice to just sit back and play for a change.

I played a Ranger named Semper and my GM allowed me to take a Dire Wolf as my loyal animal, whom I named Fidelis.

I had a lot of fun pumping giant spiders full of arrows, and can’t wait to reach level 6 so I can take “Special Trick”. I’ll take the Druids “Eyes of the Tiger”, which will allow me to see through Fidelis’ eyes.

My favorite moment of the night was when I used Fidelis to help with a Parley roll (using the threat of Fidelis ripping the guy’s throat out as leverage). I rolled and added it’s cunning (+2) and my CHA (0) and STILL got a 6. My GM said “Bjorn chuckles and says ‘You think I’m scared of your beast? That’s not a Dire Wolf. THIS is a Dire Wolf!’ and whistles. A Dire Wolf the size of a grizzly bear comes around the corner and growls at you and Fidelis, then sprints towards you. What do you do?”

FUN TIMES!

Adventuring Gear!

Adventuring Gear!

Adventuring Gear!

One of my absolute favorite things in DW is Adventuring Gear. It contains what you need and eliminates the tedium of purchasing and tracking mundane items like torch, bedroll, and tent, and also eliminates the frustration of NOT having that “rope that would be really helpful right now but I didn’t see it on the list”.

It is fun to see your players use it well, but last night was especially fun because my players roleplayed it really well. Here’s a paraphrase:

ME: There are no doors on this side of the building, but there is an open window on the second floor. What do you do?

THIEF: I open my Adventuring Gear and rummage through it. Dang, I don’t have a grappling hook, but I have some rope. Can anyone help me out?

RANGER: Let me look. I have these iron stakes that I’m probably not going to use, will they help?

FIGHTER: Let me see them. I bend them into rough hooks.

ME: Roll Bend Bars for me. (8) Choose 2.

FIGHTER: It doesn’t take very long and makes no noise.

ME: You make usable hooks and attach them to the rope. They are pretty much unusable for anything else though.

RANGER: That’s fine, we both lose a use from our Adventuring Gear, and he gains a grappling hook.

My Thief could have EASILY just pulled a grappling hook, but that was a lot more fun to play!

I have to mention that I’ve made one of my End of Session experience questions “Have we used fun yet appropriate examples of roleplaying to advance a situation?”

With the narrative focus of DW I feel that this question is appropriate to help add to the narrative experience.

Skyrim opening

Skyrim opening

Skyrim opening

With Skyrim Special Edition coming out last week I decided to make an opening adventure for DW that mirrors the opening of that game, which I spent SSOO much time playing (400+ hours on my PS3 and at about 25 since I picked up my PS4 copy on Friday).

The idea is that the party, along with a high profile NPC have been captured and are taken to the gallows. Something crashes in, killing several guards and others, and in the confusion the characters make their escape.

The players get to tell me where there are, why they’ve been captured, who the High Profile NPC is, and why he’s there, what it is that crashes in, plus some more goodies.

I plan to start a new campaign this weekend with this start, and can’t wait to see what kind of world my players and I build. My biggest challenge: Playing to see what happens instead of trying to recreate Skyrim.

Has anyone else ripped something straight out of a video game or other source to start their campaign? If so, has it been difficult to divorce the sources fiction from your own?

I like making items that have an upside and a downside.

I like making items that have an upside and a downside.

I like making items that have an upside and a downside. It requires the player to make a choice as to whether or not they’ll use it.

Can I get some feedback on my latest? I’d like my party to find it in the next session or two and want to work out any kinks…

Blood Oath Bow

An ancient bow stained black by what must be centuries of dried blood.

When you use Blood Oath Bow to Volley, roll as normal but treat the result as 10. Then take damage based on the actual roll.

10+ 1d6

7-9 1d8

6- 1d10. Do not Mark Experience.

The idea being that you always automatically hit with it, but at a price.

Any thoughts please? Thanks!