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Ritual Observations #WizardWeek

Ritual is not only one of the strongest tools the wizard has, it’s also the GMs best friend!

What can be easy or hardly done with a ritual colors your world in a grand way. If lot’s of effects can be done just by spending money and time then this is saying something about your world and about magic. It will feel more like (for example) the forgotten Realms.

If your rituals involve a lot of pact making and blood-sacrifice then your magic suddenly is much darker, more like in Conan.

So is this only your decision as a GM? I hope not.

When the Wizard sits down for his or her first ritual then ask a lot of questions about it. Where does he know this ritual from? Was it taught to him/her or is it improvised? Does it involve a lot of candles and crystals or is it about aligning triangles and ley lines?

Use these factors to determine how hard a ritual should be and what kind of requirements are matching.

How hard should a ritual be? This depends on your world. The number of requirements alone will impact how often ritual is used and also how common rituals are in your Dungeon World.

Anyway; if you really don’t like a particular ritual because of its long-term-consequences then always consider that it can be erratic or not long lasting. Allow your wizards to do amazing things with magic. That is how you are a fan of them.

Tip for you Wizard Players: if you want to do a particular ritual in the dungeon; ask before what kind of requirements this will have. You are THE Wizard – you should have a pretty good idea. When you want to do a really big effect it will be it’s own quest to get the ingredients etc. If you know before you need them then you actually have the option of going to get them. It also gives the GM some time to think about what this will mean for the world.

Also, don’t be a jerk about it. Consider the other players at your table and don’t take away all their fun by only ever doing big rituals that solve everything (as if the GM would let you…). If you do then involve everyone in the progress. Get their help, make a plan on what everyones task is etc.

#WizardWeek

Level 2-5 Wizard Move:

ANTIMAGIC FIELD

When you channel one of your spells into an antimagic zone

choose 1 of your spells and roll+INT.

On a hit you create a zone of antimagic, as big as a small room, in which no spell of

the channeled spells type (Evocation, Illusion, Fire etc.) can be cast.

On a 10+ choose 1, on a 7-9 choose 2.

– The zone lasts only for a short moment

– You lose the channeled spell

– The antimagic messes up your own spellcasting abilities, take -1 forward to your next spell

#WizardWeek Compendium Class – The Academic Researcher

This, and the research move, will actually work for all classes but fit the Wizard the best.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13GwAGhWEQw3e5hGuH8vV_DXwCZ7uJ015tpIw2l41_VQ/edit?usp=sharing

(see more of my compendium classes at www.tinyurl.com/tfdungeonworld )

#WizardWeek

Community Design Challenge

Last week I had a conversation with Adrian Thoen Kasper Brohus and Joshua Bailey about a custom Wizard move. We all had different opinions on how it should read.

So lets about this up for everyone! How would you choose to create the following ability as a move?

Ability: allow the wizard to change out one (or multiple) of their spells “on the fly” without having to fully prepare a new suit of spells?

I think this is a good opportunity for everyone to flex their design muscles.

Lets see how you think it should look.

#WizardWeek

New Level 2-5 Move

SPELL TRINKETS

When you sit down to prepare your spells you can infuse some of your spells into talismans,

trinkets, wands or other spell containers to give to one of your allies.

When they activate such a trinket they roll+your Int

On a 10+ the spell is successfully cast

On a 7-9 in addition the spell is successfully cast but the trinket is exhausted

You may prepare half your level worth of spells into a trinket instead of your mind

Spell List Analysis

Spell List Analysis

I went through the Wizard spells and noted down what they did in broad categories. See the result here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xBK98Os2qUjoCc-XJDiB8OFIRzIT7af750nOLd91meg/edit?usp=sharingaring

Interestingly gather information is what the Wizard is all about. There are so many ways to get additional intel that no one else can access.

Also “manipulate battlefield” is nowhere on this list. This is probarbly a more recent thing for wizards but for me, something that is integral to their spell list. One could argue that Cage does that though. I still would like Wall spells, and web/grease and stuff like that. Would be a lot of fun.

#WizardWeek

A really cool discussion about the Spellbook. How important is the spellbook in your game. Do you keep in mind that a Wizard needs it to prepare spells and that it has 1 weight? I think it’s something that is easily overlooked.

http://story-games.com/forums/discussion/18728/need-ideas-spell-books/p1

#WizardWeek Advice by Alex Norris about adding new spells

#WizardWeek *Advice by Alex Norris about adding new spells*

There’s generally no reason to add new spells to the game, since the Cleric and Wizard lists are already big enough and neither needs more versatility – if you add more spells, you’re essentially handing them even more moves they can pick from when everyone else only has 20.

That said, if you want to do it anyway:

1) don’t give the Wizard/Cleric any spells that replace or replicate stuff that other classes can do. No Knock or Find Traps for example.

2) don’t give the Wizard/Cleric anything that make them good at stuff they’re not good at, i.e. Tenser’s Transformation or Divine Power.

3) remember that every new Cleric spell you add to the game is a spell the Cleric can take straight off the bat, since unlike the Wizard he doesn’t need to put them in his spellbook.

4) remember that every new spell you add to your game is potentially eating into the niche of a class you haven’t added to your game yet (if you get new players or someone dies and wants to come back as something else).

5) I’d generally avoid giving either any more damage spells, since dealing damage is supposed to be the Fighter’s niche, not the casters’.

#WizardWeek

RESEARCH

When you dedicate yourself to a research project (be it a new spell, the gathering of knowledge, the improvement of another spell or the creation of an artifact) write it down on your character sheet. The GM will tell you to create a research countdown matching the complexity of your project. They will also give you 1-3 other requirements you must fulfil from the following list

– You need to gather specific resources

– You need to gather information at this and that place

– You need the help of an expert on this subject

– You need to gather samples at a specific place

– You will need a week at the end to go over your notes again and puzzle it together

– It will cost you quite a fortune for components and books etc.

The GM will also tell you 3 actions you can take to advance your Research Countdown.

For example to improve one of your spells these could be options:

– Fail at casting the spell

– Use the spell on something you never used it on

– Prepare nothing but that spell for the day (advances 2)

When the countdown is filled up your research is complete and you may reap it’s fruit.

Repost for #WizardWeek

Repost for #WizardWeek

since it is 100% appropriate for a Wizard to take this class.

THE GEOMANCER! Master of leylines and domain granted magic.

Play this if you want extra spells and have a special relationship to the land you are traveling. Incredibly cool for campaigns with a wide variety of landscapes and locales.