Barf Forth Apocalyptica
barf forth apocalyptica => Apocalypse World => Topic started by: Simon C on January 05, 2011, 06:30:24 PM
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Here's the skeleton of a thing that my be getting introduced in our game:
When you take harm past 12:00 and your brain is open to the world's psychic maelstrom, you can, at your leisure, change your character type to Maelstrom Ghost.
Maelstrom Ghost
Choose a look
Wisps of smoke, shadows in darkness, flickers in dreams, glimpses in mirrors
Choose a voice
Whispers in ears, crackles over the radio, writing in the dust, signs and portents
Basic Moves
Of the basic moves, you get Read a Sitch, Seduce and Manipulate, Act Under Fire, and you can Help or Interfere
You can't physically interact with anything, except by virtue of one of your moves.
Maelstrom Ghost Moves:
You get 2:
Open a Brain:
When you open someone's brain to the world's psychic maelstrom, roll +weird. On a hit, they get glimpses into your world.
10+ you can show them something you've seen in the maelstrom, and you can ask them questions
7-9 The MC will show them something, and might ask questions
On a miss, they take ?-harm.
Move through the Maelstrom: (this is pretty particular to our own maelstrom)
When you attempt to manipulate the world's psychic maelstrom, whether you're physically moving, or just taking a look, roll +weird.
10+ choose 3
7-9 choose 2
- right time
- right place
- right reality
On a miss, the MC will take you somewhere interesting.
Familiar Spirit:
When you use any other move, if it makes sense, you can roll +Hx instead of what you'd normally roll.
Possession:
When you force yourself into someone's brain, roll +weird.
10+ you control their body, like a fleshy puppet, for as long as you want it. When you make them do something, PCs can act under fire to force you out, in which case you take s-harm. If the body you're controlling takes harm past 12:00, you take s-harm and are forced out.
7-9: You are acting under fire to make them do something. On a miss, you'll take s-harm and are forced out of their brain.
On a miss, you take s-harm.
Spirit Fingers:
When you have time and intimacy with someone, at your option, they take ?-harm.
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Are there rules against taking this playbook other than via the custom move at the beginning? (For example, can you switch to it, or start as it?).
What is ?-harm.
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Cool! This happened to my character in one of our first AW games (she became a psychic ghost), but we didn't think to make a new playbook. Nicely done.
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DShock, it's definitely emerged out of us evolving our understanding of what the psychic maelstrom is while playing the game. That first move very specifically reflects our Brainer's disastrous attempt to in-brain puppet strings the local hardholder and then escape via the maelstrom.
In terms of switching playbooks, I think I could make a good case to Simon to for my former Hocus to switch to being a Maelstrom Ghost (if it made sense with the fiction).
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Yeah, a lot of this is about what the Maelstrom is in our particular game. That said, I think a lot of the moves would work in any game.
DShock, ?-harm is from the Quarantine playbook.
I'm thinking I'm gonna do something kinda special with advancement for the Ghost too.
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I feel like it needs one or two more moves, maybe taking it into different places?
Quick example:
Split position: When you want to be in two places at once, roll +Cool. On 10+, you are there. On a 7-9 you are not quite tuned to either place - the maelstrom may interfere with you while you maintain this state.
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Mike, I think that's covered by the same (unspoken) move that governs other characters' presence in scenes:
You are a human being
When you are physically present in a place, you are able to interact with the people and things that are in the vicinity, like a person should. To be present in a place, you have to physically go there.
The maelstrom ghost gets a similar (also unspoken) move:
You are a ghost
When you are psychically present in a place, you are able to interact with the people and things that are in the vicinity, like a ghost should. To be present in a place, you have to psychically go there.
In other words, the ghost can be wherever they want to be, just like a person can be, except that the ghost is not inhibited by travel times, locks and bars, or having a single physical body.
That said, it's possible that's too powerful/not as interesting as it could be.
Here's an alternative:
When you want to manifest your presence in a location, roll +cool (yes you can roll +Hx with "familiar spirit").
10+ You can use all your moves, and your look and your voice.
7-9 You can use your moves (but not your look or your voice).
On a miss, some other part of the maelstrom manifests
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Yes, I was subconsciously thinking of those unspoken moves too, except that being a ghost didn't necessarily allow you to instantly be anywhere :)
I'm not sure that a move should be required every time that manifestation is wanted - that will just lead to a lot of tiresome rolling, in order to say something or make a move. I figured the being in two places at once thing was different enough to normal to qualify as a move on its own, although I guess Move Through The Maelstrom could allow it, interpreted liberally.
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Neat idea! This slightly reminds me of what characters become once they're dead in Poison'd. Very elegant.
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Well, it went pretty damn well in play, and our creepy brainer went to new levels of creepy. Definite win!