Category: The Dungeon World Tavern: Base Classes

Any thoughts on how to do magical characters that don’t use a spell list (and don’t necessarily resort to some version of Ritual)? Or is spell list still considered the most mechanically preferable?

I have a concept – a sort of thief-wizard mash-up – that I think could go with a thematic approach (trickster, social, something along those lines) to using magic but I’m not sure whether a traditional wizard method would work best.

Two of the methods I’ve seen that seem to appeal are:

(1) using tags to create freeform effects (mostly seen with elementalist-type playbooks and obviously combative magical types)

(2) selecting effects from a list of predefined options (mostly seen in racial playbooks that have natural magic)

I’m wondering if anyone has done non-weapon tags before with (1) and how that worked out. I haven’t got an idea whether utility, control, and other stuff would be underpowered or overpowered in such a method. I don’t think I’ve seen a playbook use that kind of approach yet.

I’m also curious whether anyone with experience in (2) has decided that (2) is too strong or weak. I’ve seen alternate versions of the Elf that all have this approach and some look weaker to me than others in terms of what they can do, but then some might be too strong in the first place.

As an example, let’s say I want to create an invisibility effect. With (1), I would have to be able to assign some kind of tag that would include not being seen as part of it, but that would also open up other types of concealment, potentially, which might be okay. While with (2) I am basically just saying: one of the magic things you can do is go invisible.

I’m not sure I’m explaining well enough, so let me know.