Tag: Myles Corcoran

I’ve been thinking about an alternative experience mechanic for Dungeon World (and other D&D-like games with levelling up). Rather than track experience points I propose each player have a series of goals for their PC. Each level the player chooses goals, a number equal to the PC’s current level. These goals are in-world achievements for the most part. Some are generic to all character classes. Some are specific to a particular class or background. The player crosses off each goal as it is achieved in play. When all goals are crossed off you level up the PC and choose new goals for the next level.

It may prove useful to separate goals into tiers, say levels 1-3, 4-7, and 8+, to reserve certain goals for characters of specific levels. A goal that may be appropriate for a low level character may not be sufficiently challenging for a higher level character, and conversely some goals may be too risky or unlikely to take as realistic goals at low level. 

Campaign and PC specific goals would also be possible, incorporating events from actual play into the levelling up scheme as desired.

Experience Goals (General)

– survive an encounter with a monstrous foe

– loot a famous treasure

– map a lost ruin

– wake an evil best left sleeping

– traverse a monster infested wilderness

– map a region of unexplored terrain

– uncover an evil plot

– foil an evil plot

– destroy a monster 

– survive a mortal wound 

Fighter Goals

– defeat a worthy opponent (x1, x10, x50)

– defend an ally when outnumbered

– drive off opponents when outnumbered

– slay an opponent with your bare hands

– lead a unit of troops to victory

– be left for dead on a battlefield

– defeat a bitter rival

– succeed in a feat of amazing strength

Thief Goals

– steal something valuable

– outwit an enemy by stealth or guile

– escape from a prison 

– con an important person

– slay someone from hiding (x1, x10, x50)

– recover a treasure lost to the ages

– steal something believed untouchable

– beat a rival to the prize

Wizard Goals

– discover a lost magic spell

– locate a place of power

– enact a ritual not performed in living memory

– use sorcery to control a mortal’s mind

– parley with the Damned

– lose part of your humanity

– build a sanctum

Priest Goals

– lay a troubled spirit

– sanctify a desecrated holy place

– convert a heathen

– protect followers from the ungodly

– emulate your god or prophets

– raise the dead 

– cure a terminal disease

– destroy a nest of undead (x1, x10, x50)

– bless a monarch at their coronation

– meet your deity face to face

– sacrifice something of great personal value

Scout/Ranger Goals

– rescue lost travellers from the wilds

– save a wild animal from hunters

– perform a great feat of archery

– carry a message through the wilds against great odds

– defeat your favoured enemy (x1, x10, x50)

– overcome your favoured enemy when greatly outnumbered 

– lead a group safely through the wilderness

The goals that list multiples (x1, x10, x50) indicate that the first time the goal is chosen one example of the relevant type is sufficient, then 10 and so on as the goal is chosen a second or third time.

Does anyone have additional ideas for goals? Anyone spot any obvious (or not so obvious) problems with this approach?

In the last couple of week’s in our Dungeon World game I’ve managed to kill two PCs. Nearly 15 years playing with this group without a character death and then two in quick succession. It’s proper old school in Dungeon World.

I’m confused by the limit to the number of spells granted/prepared by the spell preparation moves (Commune and Prepare Spells). Both have the form

“when you spend uninterrupted time (an hour or so) doing x you:

Lose any spells you already have (granted/prepared)

Are granted/prepare new spells of your choice whose total levels don’t exceed your own level+1, and none of which is a higher level than your own level.

Prepare all of your rotes/cantrips, which never count against your limit.”

This limit, character level+1, seems pretty harsh. If you prepare any spell at the maximum level you can cast, you’re left with 2 levels left or essentially 2 1st level spells or 1 3rd level if you’ve got a move that lets you treat a spell as one level lower. That’s not a lot of spells.

Anyone have the reasoning behind this choice as compared to, say, spells by level as in B/X D&D or a spell point system?

In Wednesday night’s Dungeon World game I had the following exchange with one of my players.

GM: “So what do you do now?”

Player: “Well, I was going to start singing ‘Michael, Row the Boat to Shore’ and have have Alex come in on the second bar, but as you keep telling me there are no rounds in Dungeon World.”

GM: “Grr.”

Player: “And then I thought I should do something about the goblins’ ballista, but they’ve fired once and I can’t see how they’ll reload seeing as there are no rounds in Dungeon World.”

GM: “It’s not to late to switch to TOON, you bastard.”