colin roald – Dungeon World Tavern G+ Archives

Worse outcomes, hard choices…

I keep a printout of this in front of me while DMing Dungeon World. Did I miss any good ones?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqpqKC_xlNLSE5uNWw5LUJDU3M/view?usp=sharing

Deep under ancient crypts, the Fighter found a Manual of Tactics in a Place of Power. What does it do?

I have heard that Adam Koebel and Sage LaTorra somehow kept all the text for DW in github and then dynamically…

I have heard that Adam Koebel and Sage LaTorra somehow kept all the text for DW in github and then dynamically generated the book and class sheets from it. Does anybody know how that was done? Am curious.

I’m trying to figure out the usefulness of Trap Soul/Soul Gem.

I’m trying to figure out the usefulness of Trap Soul/Soul Gem. What have players used these spells for in your games? They seem like they should be cool, but I’m not quite getting it.

I’m curious – how often does the Defend move get used in your games?

I’m curious – how often does the Defend move get used in your games? My players (myself included) are pretty offensive-minded to the point that I can’t really remember a Defend even being rolled. Probably this is partly a DM-ing problem, where I simply don’t think to call for Defend rolls even when they might be appropriate. And part of it may be that we’re underestimating Defend (for one, the counterattack option seemed pretty lame when I was first level, but now that I’m 7th level, that’s actually more damage than I can do with an unmodified Hack and Slash. Blink blink. I’m going to have to look more closely at that.)

But I still think some of it also is that players are never prompted to go looking for a chance to Defend. There are quite a few advanced moves that modify Hack and Slash, but the only class move that even mention Defend are the Paladin Staunch Defender and Impervious Defender moves. Staunch Defender just gives +1 hold (kind of boring). Impervious Defender is a little better, adding a new effect: on 12+ “instead of getting hold the nearest attacking creature is stymied giving you a clear advantage.”

But surely we can do better. Anyone have any ideas to extend Defend in interesting ways? Things that could be used as magic item effects or additional class moves or whatever.

e.g.

* When you defend, you may also spend hold to ask one of the questions from the Discern Realities list.

* When you defend, also heal 1 HP.

* When you defend, you may also spend hold to throw back your enemy or knock them off their feet.

* You are so fast on your feet you may Defend as if your weapon had range reach.

* When you defend, take +2 armour forward. (Class Warfare Defender)

* When you defend, you cannot be moved if your feet are planted firmly upon the ground. (Class Warfare Impervious Dwarf racial)

* As long as you have chi left, you may Defend with DEX instead of CON. (Class Warfare Martial Hero).

* When you use the natural formations of a cave to your advantage, take +1 to Defend and Defy Danger. (Class Warfare Caver)

More interesting ideas?

Behold, the Merchant-Adventurer!

Behold, the Merchant-Adventurer! A new class I worked up, basically untested. It should have the option of playing in a few different ways: as a medieval-ish take on the Apocalypse World Operator, or as a pirate captain, or as a fast-talking rogue with lots of options on Parley.

A couple non-standard notes: the “Races” are cultures from my game world, since I find the standard Dwarf/Elf/Halfling kind of boring. But you could easily relabel them if you like. Also, I have “Ambition” instead of Bonds, because Bonds never really did much for us. We just declared that Aid/Interfere is always rolled at +1 (because pretty much it was), and required everyone to declare a specific Ambition for their character. Any session in which you do something (pretty much anything) that in some way advances you toward your Ambition, +1 xp in the End of Session move.

Otherwise, my goal is for this to be reasonably balanced against the standard classes. Comment welcome (and definitely let me know if you play it, how it goes).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzqpqKC_xlNLVkp6aXFBUEtqTTg/view?usp=sharing

Does anyone have a good blank class playbook template?

So once upon a time, Adam Koebel posted a suggested move for making castable #Wizard #scrolls that triggered…

So once upon a time, Adam Koebel posted a suggested move for making castable #Wizard #scrolls that triggered like this:

When you imbue a special scroll with one of your prepared spells spend 1 XP and roll +INT. On a 10+ choose one, on a 7–9 choose two:

* Only you can release the magic from the scroll.

…

This seems like awesome thing that I want my Wizard to do, but instinctively I want it to be something that takes hours to do, concentrating intensely in solitude at a worktable in my Tower. *That* means that it is most likely to be played during the downtime between adventures, or at least between scenes. Given that, two of the proposed consequences from the original move don’t feel right: forgetting the memorized spell is no penalty, because there’s lots of time to Prepare Spells again, and taking –1 forward doesn’t make that much sense when you’re not in the middle of things.

It feels a lot to me like the consequences of partial success here should affect the quality of the scroll, not the current state of the Wizard. So, this is what I’ve got:

When you imbue a special scroll with one of your prepared spells spend 1 XP, 20 coins of ink and vellum per spell level, and roll +INT. On a 10+ choose one, on a 7–9 choose two:

* Only you can release the magic from the scroll.

* Poor penmanship: take –1 whenever casting from it.

* Spilled the ink: spend an extra 50 coins on ink and vellum.

* Misspelled a word: there’ll be an unexpected side effect when cast (DM says what).

So I can see this working out, but the options seem a little dry. Anyone have better ideas?

I’d love to have a table of random memorable characteristics for on-the-fly NPCs.

I’d love to have a table of random memorable characteristics for on-the-fly NPCs.

1. Waxed moustache, twirls compulsively

2. Carries pet hamster (named Boo)

3. Not nearly as talented as they think they are

4. Hawks and spits before speaking

5. Fanatically superstitious

6. Very concerned about appearance

7. Won’t talk louder than a whisper

8. Is drunk at every opportunity

9. Won’t stand for the slightest disrespect

10. Wrings hands constantly

11. Crudely prejudiced against [orcs]

12. Staggeringly lazy

13. Terrifyingly enthusiastic

14. Too honest for their own good

15. One hand always on half-cocked hip

16. Big believer in the value of naps

17. Haunted by recent tragedy

18. Tilts head and nods when listening

19. Sucks his/her teeth when thinking

20. Starts nearly every sentence, “Well, the way I figger it…”

21. Sweet but half-senile

22. Enthusiast for foul and violent language

23. Flirtatious

24. Manipulative

25. Left eye is permanently squinty

26. Stammers

27. Hands in pockets, hunched shoulders

28. Smiles excessively

29. Raspy breath

30. Perpetual sniffle

31. ….?

I’m trying to stick to behaviours and things that can be acted out. Something like “unusually big nose” might be memorable in person, but it’s not interesting to keep saying, “oh yeah Jack has a big nose in case you forgot.”

What else you got? I’d be glad to get to 100.

So, Take Watch.

So, Take Watch. How do you guys play it? It says “When you’re on watch and something approaches”, so I guess the DM is first supposed to decide if something is in fact approaching, otherwise the move won’t trigger. I usually make the players tell me who’s on which watch, then roll a d8 to see which hour of the night the encounter happens, assuming I have something in mind. Like if I know the necromancer makes a habit of sending his demonic familiar out to scout around every night, maybe.

It would work even better if I had an old-school random encounter table and rolled for it once an hour or so, but I’m also almost never that prepared. Do you have any tricks for improvving it?