Wow, 22 posts overnight, what a reception! That's exciting.
Well, I hate excluding people who show interest, and right now I have 6 who have shown interest. Therefore I will be closing recruitment now to avoid any hurt feelings!
Party lineup (thanks to PWO)
Aifric - Human Wereape Skirmisher
Mozatl - Human Weredeer Channeler
SamuraiRuy - Human(?) Wereshark Bard
James Langley - Human(?) Wereweasel Monk
Poor Wandering One - Human(?) Werewolf Wizard
Feustus - Human Werevulture Necromancer
Answering questions in my next post.
What are your thoughts on swapping Mazatl to Half-elf? I didn't see anything suggesting it existed, but I think it fits the character better.
:P I had a friend who was looking into making a thief, but... :P
PWO - Yes, that is the accurate spell list for wizards.
Mozatl - not all classes can multiclass, and even the ones who can have specific restrictions. Take, for example, the ranger's advanced move God Amidst the Wastes. That would allow the ranger to be considered a cleric at his level minus 1 for spellcasting purposes, allowing him to cast spells like Cure Light Wounds.
If you want to be a healer with a growth theme, might I suggest the Druid? They have more options for healing than channelers do, and if you want to create thickets or some dramatic natural effect due to plant growth, there's this advanced move you can take:
When you call on the primal spirits of fire, water, earth or air to perform a task for you roll+Wis.
✴ On a 10+ choose two.
✴ On a 7–9 choose one.
✴ On a miss, some catastrophe occurs as a result of your calling.
The effect you desire comes to pass
You avoid paying nature’s price
You retain control
Feustus - I'm open to discussing what race you'd like to play as. Like I said earlier, Rule of Cool applies. As for a racial move, I'm way ahead of you on that - all lycanthropes in my universe have the option to shift into full animal form for their animal curse. As a werevulture you could shift into vulture form. I'll be explaining exactly how shapeshifting works in my next post.
I like channeler :)
Well, the humans from Grim World, where the Channeler is from, can select a starting move from another play book.
Hotaru: Half-elven characters are handled a special way in Dungeon World. Because being Human or being an Elf gives you a "racial move" to use, choosing the Half-Elven advanced move upon character advancement will give you the racial move of whatever race you didn't pick already.
That introduces a complication for third-party class hacks like the Channeler. It's a perfectly legal class, but it doesn't use Racial Moves, sacrificing that slot for an extra class mechanic that applies to all Channelers. Therefore, I'm interpreting that to mean that while you can be a half-elf, it won't mean anything to you mechanically as a Channeler like it might for a ranger or a druid. It will only affect your appearance and behavior.
Tell your thief friend to join too, what the hell.
Well, the humans from Grim World, where the Channeler is from, can select a starting move from another play book.
Oh do they? I hadn't seen that. That's cool.
Woah. Closed and accepted. That's cool.
Here's my character: Kazuya
Will finish working backstory later. Must get to work for now though lol
I just liked the idea of being 'between two worlds' for the character, in a dozen ways. Deer, Channeler, Half-elf... the list goes on. :)
What sort of backstory are you hoping for? How indepth?
And is what Noh says true? Do Grim World characters just pick another toy for some reason? What are the limits on that?
And... I believe Mazatl is mostly done, aside from that 'playbook' thing Noh called out.
When creating a character, you may choose to take a Starting Move from any playbook not already in use. However, one of your existing Starting Moves becomes an Advanced Move (you lose it, but you can choose it later when you level up). The GM will ask you how you came to learn the ability.
Copied word for word from the book.
Kazuya: Evil characters get a pass, but they must have some sort of deeper motivation than simply screwing with everyone else for kicks. That kind of character isn't fun to play with.
Ruthlessness? Sure.
Sadism? Eehhh, if it's tasteful.
Pointless carnage? I want it to have at least SOME point.
Hm. That's kind of rough. The only thing I can really give up is 'Trickle' and that seems really minmaxy. And as far as flavor goes, I love it.
On that note, though... 'By Nature Sustained' Seems incredibly fitting for Mazatl. 'You no longer need to eat or drink'
Though, she could probably just use a few hours to relearn a technique to make a bountiful tree grow... assuming she didn't screw up and kill the party in the process. Would 'Food Source' be an environmental effect I could call on?
Mazatl: You can be as indepth as you'd like. Dungeon World is a great system in that it actively encourages players to participate in world-building.
Geographically I'm basing Tarn loosely on Europe, with Magna Gracia located right about where Genoa is in Italy. The world is still heavily feeling the effects of the Great Howl's Curse, however - travel is difficult, especially at night, and most former world governments have fallen, leaving behind pale shadows of their former influence and power.
Technologically we're looking at the world being similar to the early 18th century, about 60 years before the Industrial Revolution. Guns exist, but are rare, hard to produce and repair, and only about as effective as comparable crossbow tech.
Feustus: I don't have the book in front of me, does it say replace a starting move with ANY starting move, or with a RACIAL move? I don't think replacing Trickle for By Nature Sustained would be in the spirit of what it was trying to do. Could be wrong though.
As for Techniques and food - I think that'd be stretching it a bit far. Being able to grow your own food isn't really what the class is for.
I double checked and it says a Starting Move from any CLASS playbook not in use.
Now, the fun houserules: Shapeshifting! I'm borrowing heavily from the Number Appearing rules for monstrous Dungeon World PCs written by Justin Wightbred, with some minor changes.
Shapeshifters quickly learn in this world that part of the curse of lycanthropy can be a blessing. You can transform freely between your three natural forms, humanoid, were, and animal, for example. When in were or animal form, your natural weapons deal class damage, and you can do anything those animals would normally be able to do, with the same drawbacks (e.g. a bird can fly but have difficulty opening a door). However, there is a drawback to this blessing in the form of your banes.
If you are affected by a bane you instantly change to animal form and must stay in that form until the bane no longer effects you. The longer you are in animal form under your Bane, the harder it will be to retain your sanity. If you consume food in were or animal form, you will be trapped and you will fully lose your mind.
The Twelve Banes
1. The full moon
2. No moon
3. Less than half hit points
4. Inebriation
5. Anger
6. Fear
7. Passion
8. Touch of silver
9. Touch of cold iron
10. Proximity to fire
11. Proximity of wolfsbane
12. Proximity of holly
Roll 2d12 and choose the two banes corresponding to those numbers on the above list. You also have a physical "tell" altering your appearance based on your lycanthropic animal.
Simple enough! Due to her backstory she simply doesn't use it that way any longer. :)
Passion and Holly. Define 'Passion' :P
Tell: Small horns grow from either side of Mazatl's forehead, equidistant between them is the location that her conduit emanates from.
You'd think with my... errrmmm... gifts, we'll call them gifts, I'd be welcome practically anywhere. I've never met another wildshaper, after all. I've never seen someone from which pure natural vigor sprang. Certainly there are druids out there, who become beasts, and tame the wilds in their own ways... we have a dozen of those in the village I grew up in. But no one have I met that can give life to barren earth, or aid the growth of crops with such efficiency. But... that's if we call it a gift. Which, don't get me wrong! It is.
But it's also a curse. You see, it's not really -my- magic. I'm just a way point. I... I can't always control it. I have a general idea of how to do things, of how to make things work for me, but it's dangerous. Sure, I can make crops grow a bit faster just by being nearby, but no one cares about that. Certainly, I can make a single flower bloom on a plant with my presence alone... but that doesn't feed a starving village. And that's why they started pushing me.
At first it was simple. I was a blessing, because the crops grew better when I worked in them. But at the same time, the forests grew more strongly around us. The grass grew faster, the trees grew thicker, even as they were choked with ivy. Harvests were more bountiful, but the woods were ever-encroaching. And because of me, we had an abundance of food. We had an abundance of wood. We... we really just had an abundance of everything for a while.
But... people are stupid, greedy and fractious. With the boon of good harvests and safety came growth of its own sort. The village expanded, filling with more and more eager mouths to feed. With more mouths, we needed to expand. With more expansion, I was less able to maintain the rapidity of the growth. So... they pushed. They told me to let out more of the power I withheld... and it was glorious. That very first time, tapping into my conduit for real... everything grew. Everything. The trees, the crops, the grass, everything leapt into bloom. The first time was everything I could ask for from my powers. We had a harvest festival in the middle of June.
But they weren't all like the first time. Like I said, I don't control it... it controls me. The second time, I could feel something going wrong, and I withheld the power. A pounding energy rippled through my body, threatening to consume me. The third time, I knew better than to withhold the wild energy... and weeds overcame our crops, forcing us to spend days digging them back out. We lost half of our crops in the process.
And so it went. Sometimes I was able to create amazing bounties, and others... something terrible happened. I was a walking calamity. A force of nature. Like the rain. A little was good, but a little for too long became too much. A lot... would destroy a village. And... that's ultimately what happened. I used my powers, and we grew too large. We drew the Feral.
You probably wonder how I escaped. Truth be told, so do I. I suspect it was luck, primarily. Or perhaps it was the Howl itself that saved me. My form isn't the form of a predator, but of one at home, both in nature and village, fleet of foot, strong, and stable. Wise beyond its years with the ability to bound over obstacles. I believe my lycanthropy, combined with my conduit is what saved me. The forest itself was my ally that night, and I... I was a leaf upon the wind.
Now I'm here. In another city. Trickling my energy into the place because sometimes I just can't hold it back. Sometimes I have to sleep. I move around a lot, so that I don't wreak the same havoc I did before... but sometimes I just wish I could let the magic out again, to see the wonder, and to make everything... better. But I know that's foolish. I know better than to use it outside of dire circumstances. And if I'm not mistaken... things will soon be dire.
Kazuya: Evil characters get a pass, but they must have some sort of deeper motivation than simply screwing with everyone else for kicks. That kind of character isn't fun to play with.
Ruthlessness? Sure.
-snip-
Ruthlessness is what I was thinking. If this were PF, he'd be LE. It's more a point of proving, to EVERYONE, that he is the strongest man alive. And he doesn't care whose feelings get hurt along the way.
He's not against working in teams or anything like that at all. I'm not going to be having him be a dick just because. He will, however, point out his allies weaknesses when they need reminding.
The full moon and no moon... So... wow... That's exciting.
I like it, Mazatl, great writeup.
Inebriation, Holly
I am tempted to replace Curse with Murmur from Shaman, but it applies to ghosts instead.
Haha, can't wait to get affected by a bane and turn into a shark in the middle of an inn or something
Inebriation
Fear
Alright. So... no giving the bird or bard alcohol. We can't let the shark get scared. No Holly for either the bird or me. No... moon... for Langley. And I have to stay calm. :P
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Bane-wise: I would define "passion" as feeling emotions really strongly. When you're feeling strongly about something you have to keep a rein in on your emotions or you risk losing control of yourself.
Passion's also meant to be a bane that essentially ruins your love life. It's the Jedi's life for you - or fall to the Dark Deer-k Side. :)
And yeah, James, I'd recommend investing in a pocket-sized lunar calendar...there are going to be two nights a week where you're going to probably want to keep yourself restrained.
Is the world the sort of place where ghosts are everywhere?
It should also be noted that one's Banes are a very tightly held secret in society. Nobody talks about their Banes, nobody shares what Banes they have, they just quietly lock their doors during the full and no moon periods of the month. It's considered highly private, and discovering the Banes of other lycanthropes has been the new highest area of interest in the backstabbing arenas of politics.
Feustus: If one of my players was playing a necromancer, yes, it would be that kind of world. Obviously undeath will play a role in any game where one of the PCs is a necromancer. :)
That doesn't mean your profession is accepted. Meddling with the dead is almost universally regarded as evil, with the exception of seances conducted by shamans or other spiritual leaders. You'll need to be private about your special skills.
Alright, I will use my racial ability to swap out cure for murmur aka ghost whisperer.
Vote for me: Why? Because I can handle my alcohol, unlike some frog-men...
Also, Jedi mode works.
Darth Mazatl has a nice ring to it, though, doesn't it?
I doubt you could hold a red lightsaber in your hooves.
But what about a glowing green lightsaber jutting from my forehead? :3
Also, it's going to be epic the first time she uses her power and you make the 'botch' grow a Holly plant :P
I am ready.
Looks like my pet(s) will still be the main tank.
The main meatshields certainly but with a Skirmisher and a Monk in the party, not to mention the Bardic backup, we are quite the meatgrinder.
When a were dies, does the body stay in its current form, or does it revert to birth form?
Death is the only known cure for the lycanthrope's curse. It's cold comfort to the surviving family members that at least their dearly departed can be buried as they were known in life. (The body reverts to birth form.)
Poor Wandering One here.
Friendly neighborhood wizard in construction under alias.
Question for Frogfoot: Does the first level wizard spell 'Charm person' still function seeing that everyone is now monstrous?
Yeah, it works on lycanthropes, just not Ferals.
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Almost finished, gotta work on my background.
<--- you can picture my avatar as a shark singing opera.
And another
Please explicate "If you consume food in were or animal form....". Wolves bite, fur and feathers need grooming to remove bugs, many sharks cannot actually fully close their mouths when swimming etc. How strict are you being with this?
Is it considered weird if you spend most of your time in your hybrid form?
Don't worry, Chaney. I'm not in this to play any gotcha games with my players. The intent of the curse is to drive you to feed uncontrollably as you grow slowly more and more insane. I won't count circumstantial grooming bug-casualties as a lose condition.
Svog, I love it.
Feustus: It's been 100 years since the curse broke out, and lycanthropy is pretty normal, though it's still threatening and terrifying when it goes wrong. Whether it causes people to look down on you depends on the kind of people you associate with; but it's no more socially egregious than making a strange fashion choice. Nor is conducting business in animal form - the difference between a normal person in animal form and one forced into animal form from a Bane is very clear.
Gameplay and discussion threads are active. I will be posting the opening scene soon.
Wow, that was fast.
hey Frogfoot
The human move for wizards has issues. May I take the Elf or Halfling move instead?
for reference:
Elf
Magic is as natural as breath to you. Detect Magic is a cantrip for you.
Halfling
When you create an illusion via Prestidigitation, it looks convincingly real (but doesn't fool any of the other senses).
Not that I object too strongly, but what's the issue with the human racial move of adding a cleric spell to your spell list?
It offends my optimization weakness. The most optimal use of the move is to add a high level spell to the book even though you will not be able to use it for some time. But this is cheese, but it is legal, but it is cheese......
See? It's frustrating
Don't worry about it. The tradeoff for adding a very powerful cleric spell to your spell list is that you won't have access to it right away, you'll have to level up a bit first, and even then it will count against your total count of spells memorized for the day. If your only objection is that it's cheesy, I can assure you I do not mind.
If you'd rather, you can be a half-elven wizard and take that advanced move at first level up to get the Elven racial too. Or you can just be an elf, like our shark-kin bard over there.
Yeah I just don't like the way it feels.
But I can deal, no change needed.
Eh as the only really interesting cleric spells are 5th and up I just took Cure Light. Predictable but useful as we are no longer entirely dependent on the bard for healing.
Also with the societal disruption i am thinking potion shops may not be on every street corner.
...
If you'd rather, you can be a half-elven wizard and take that advanced move at first level up to get the Elven racial too....
This sounds like a good idea. Do I have to decide now or can I decide when/if we level?