I’m working on wands for my next issue of Session Zero.
I’m working on wands for my next issue of Session Zero. Wands are very prominent In Harry Potter, but I want them to be less common and more like a lightsaber for Dungeon World. I feel a Wizard should go on a journey to collect the materials he needs to make his/her own unique wand, and then perform a ritual to complete its construction (because I feel rituals are woefully under used).
Here’s what I have so far to give the GM some direction…
Two primary components: Shaft and Core.
Secondary components: Whatever you feel is required for the ritual.
Shafts offer a benefit of some kind, and cores offer a completely different type of benefit. It’s up to the player to tell the GM what he wants to create, and then it’s on the GM to tell them what they need.
Doing it this way prevents me from creating a “Signature Weapon” type list of options, allows players some customization and gives the GM some quest fodder. It also wraps it all up snugly in the Ritual move so that there aren’t any additional rules and moves to be concerned with.
Wizard: Since we’re going to be trekking deep into a burial tomb I want to build a wand that is so strong and sharp I can use it in melee and pierce through armor, and it allows me to turn undead – with an INT roll of course.
GM: Because of its long, slender nature, to avoid breaking the wand would need to be made of unobtainium that can only be found at the core of the underwater volcano Dreadblaze. To turn undead you’ll need to find an Angel Feather for the core.
Thief: Can we steal some unobtainium?
GM: Sure, who do you know that can put you on the right track to finding some?
Thief: I know a fence down by Logrun who should know where to look.
Bard: When I was a lad living in Gotheim I heard tales of angels aiding the sick. Might be a good place to start for the Angel Feather.
Wizard: Yeah we can do this… what about the ritual?
GM: You’ll need to find a smith who can work with unobtainium, and it’ll need to be quenched in sanctified forge oil. Then you’ll need to find a place of power on desecrated holy ground to infuse the Angel Feather into the shaft…
It’s now up to the GM to decide on the actual effects of the wand, but he has plenty of time to think about it while the players are off finding the components. The completed wand might be something like this…
Deadbane – 1 weight, hand, 2 Piercing
A Wizard may roll+2 when using Deadbane in melee
When you hold Deadbane aloft and call upon its core for protection, roll+INT.
On a 7+, so long as you hold it aloft, no undead may come within reach of you.
On a 10+, you also momentarily daze intelligent undead and cause mindless undead to flee. Aggression breaks the effects and they are able to act as normal.
…but they had to go through a lot to get it.
What are your thoughts please? All discussion and criticism is welcome!
