So, I've had to tell multiple people that the Mortal is "The Bella, not the Xander". You know what I mean? So it got me thinking. A skin for Mortals who aren't in love. A skin for somebody wrapped up in all this weird shit over their head, who succeeds despite being human, who succeeds BECAUSE of being human. It's not finished yet but here's a few thoughts:

Backstory: You tend to find yourself at the center of things. Get a string on everybody, everybody gets a string on you.

Somebody finds you kind of annoying, if they don't actively detest you. Get a string on them, that attitude is so easy to exploit.

Somebody's revealed their secret nature to you, or maybe you found it out by accident. Get an extra string on them, they get an extra string on you.

(Maybe allow you to pick more than one player for that last one?)

Stats: Add up everybody else's scores in each stat. The stats with the lowest two sums, you have +1 in. The highest two, -1. In the event of a tie, you decide. (And then add a +1 to any stat like normal.)

MOVES

Only Human: You can turn a 10+ result into a 7-9, or a 7-9 into a failure, after rolling. Mark experience if you do so.

Need A Hand?: If somebody's supernatural weakness would (or is) causing problems for them, and you help out with your lack of absurd vulnerabilities to things like cold iron bars or crosses or pineapples or whatever, they mark experience and you get a string on them.

Comic relief: If something you say IC causes another character (or player) to laugh out loud, mark experience.

Underdog: You reveal your true spirit by pushing the hardest against impossible odds. When making any basic move except gazing into the abyss, give your target a string against you to get +1 to the roll.

Down The Rabbit Hole: From the original mortal playbook, totally appropriate still.

Some more moves of some sort, maybe?

Sex Move: When you have sex with someone, they escape their darkest self. (Maybe? I was just amused at the inversion of the 'default' mortal sex move.)

Darkest Self: I dunno, something about feeling kind of useless or bland or ordinary? Or maybe having to escape all this craziness?

Is there a blank template out there somewhere for making one's own skins? Ideally one that doesn't take paid software to use?

So when are we gonna see these things again?

So DannyK's running a PbP over at rpg.net, and before the official start asked us a whole bunch of juicy provocative questions, especially about relationships with NPCs and such. Here and there a few people accidentally used the same name and decided they were the same person, or deliberately reincorporated other people's NPCs, and somebody said "Man, we should make a relationship map to keep all this stuff straight."

And one of our players, named Megavzer, actually did!

It was a little too awesome not to share.

Rereading some of the old development blog posts, and noticed somebody mentioning a World of Darkness hack, which got me to thinking. Here's a few ideas, I don't know if I'll run with them at all, so feel free to contribute your own, or take these ideas and run with them yourself.

VAMPIRES

When you rise at sunset, roll +blood. On a 10+, you're fine for the night. On a 7-9, you feel the pangs: take -1 ongoing until you feed on blood. On a miss, anything you do until you feed is acting under fire, where the fire is losing control.

When you feed on someone, gain +blood equal to how much harm you deal to them, to a maximum of +3.

Playbooks:

The Predator
The Shadow
The Rose
The Prince
The Elder
The Wretch

CHANGELINGS

When you feed upon a mortal's dreams... (stuff)

When you swear a binding oath... (stuff)

With loving thanks to Tony Dowler's Apocalypse D&D hack, and Vincent Baker for the whole game in general. I had a long day at work in a post where I just get to sit down and not do much, and these thoughts were what resulted.

Character Creation:

Distribute points between the stats (cool, hard, hot, sharp, weird) such that they total to +3. The first +2 just costs you +2 points, each other +2 costs +3. Keep stats between +2 to -2 at character creation, and don't have more than one stat at -2.

Next, pick a race and a class. You've got 3 special moves to choose: unless you're a human, pick at least one from your race. Unless you're a hero, pick at least one from your class. ("Hero" is sort of intended to replicate the option in old books of your entire character concept just being 'elf' or 'dwarf' or such.)

Basic moves are what they are in Apocalypse World. There's no psychic maelstrom though: weird is pretty much only used in special or custom moves, but almost all moves that resist magical effects will invoke it, so put it at -2 at your own risk.

(Note: "Training" means to take +1 to any going aggro or seizing by force rolls when you're wielding the weapon in question. You can be trained in unarmed combat, of course.)

DWARF
* Dwarven Weapons Training: You're trained in all axes and hammers.
* Pack Horse: Dwarves laugh at puny encumberance issues! Take +1 to all provisions-spent rolls. Also take +1 to all barter moves that involve a roll, you've always got a little something extra you can throw in to sweeten the deal.
* Hardiness: You've got +1 armor on top of whatever you're wearing, take -1 to rolls when you suffer harm, and +2 to any rolls reflecting resisting the effects of poison.

ELF
* Keen Senses: When you enter a place where there's something hidden, the DM will tell you to roll +sharp. If you get a 10+, you notice it, clear as day. If you get a 7-9, your suspicions are raised. You don't know what or where, but your gut's telling you there's something there. On a miss, if it's a monster or a trap, you're taken by surprise.
* Elven Weapon Training: You're specialized in long-swords and bows.
* Nature Magic: As Divine Magic, except you commune with nature, rather than a god (or gods).

HUMAN
* Perseverance: Whenever you fail a roll, take +1 ongoing until you roll a 7+. This stacks with itself, so if you fail three rolls in a row, for example, take a +3 to your next roll.
* Jack of All Trades: Pick a special move from a class other than your own.
* Specialist: Choose a special move from your class moves that requires a roll: take +1 ongoing to that roll. Alternatively, increase the bonus a special move gives you by +1.

(More races to come, probably?)

CLERIC:
* Divine Magic: Through the medium of extended prayer, you can commune with your god (or gods), and use both the 'read a person' and 'seduce or manipulate' basic moves. Breaking any promises you make your god isn't quite recommended.
* Healing Touch: As the angel move.
* Divine Blessings and Curses: You can roll +weird instead of +hx to help or interfere.

WIZARD:
* Ritual Magic: Say what you want to accomplish with magic, then roll +weird. On a 10+, choose two, on a 7-9, choose one.
  ~Quickly: If you don't choose this, the DM will tell you how long it will take to do.
  ~Cheaply: If you don't choose this, the DM will tell you what it will cost you.
  ~Masterfully: If you don't choose this, the DM will tell you what the side effects the spell has, in addition to achieving your basic intention.
* Recall Lore: Roll +sharp to see what you know about a place or thing. On a hit, the DM will tell you something useful, and on a 10+, you can ask up to three yes/no questions as followup.
* War Magics: Choose an energy type or two (fire, cold, lightning, acid, etc). You can wield these energies as a weapon in battle, (2-harm close loud reload magic).

FIGHTER
* No Stranger to Pain: Take -2 to all 'when you suffer harm' rolls.
* Weapons Master: Pick three types of weapons. You're trained in all of them.
* Battlefield Tactics: Take +2 instead of +1 whenever you act on a read situation.

THIEF
* Traps expert. Whenever there's a trap, the DM will tell you to roll +sharp. On a 10+, choose both, on a 7-9, choose one: What does it do? What sets it off? On a miss, you're unaware, but you won't necessarily set it off, unless you're going in front and that happens to be enough.
* Stealthy: When you try to do something sneakily, roll +cool. On a 10+, both, on a 7-9, one: You pull it off. Nobody notices the attempt.
* Sly: Take +1 to all attempts to manipulate people, and all attempts to interfere with anybody trying to read you.

HERO:
* Teamwork: Take +2 instead of +1 whenever somebody helps you. When you help somebody else, they take +2 instead of +1.
* Reputation: As the operator move.
* Exemplar: Choose a stat. Take +1 in that stat. (Max +3) ((If you're a human hero, you can take specialist in exemplar for a +2 to any stat, but the max is still +3.))

I have some ideas for extra moves, but I want to wait until I have a few more before I give, say, fighters and clerics bonus moves to choose from while the other classes still only have 3. Suggestions welcome!