So, this is a post about a very generic, not-strictly-DW topic. However, I refound my love for this game (like I ever lost it) thanks to the realization that I love what, as lack of a better term, I will call from now metaphysical dungeons.

The thing went like this: two sessions ago, we went for the usual round of "What I liked/What I disliked about the game" we always do at the end of the session. A player said "I like your weird, strange monsters". And since I like making this kind of monsters, I persisted in this even last night, trying to reimagine (and totally failing at it, but that doesn't matter) the idea of a vampire in that of a hideous psychic monster from hell bound to elemental earth and dark depths.

So at some point they ventured in the forest, the ranger's companion following the scent of a vampire's slave escaped a few hours before to hunt the undeads down.

I was like: "... you are walking among trees of the most ancient seeds, while all of the sudden..."
The wizard interrupted me: "...A dungeon crawls up from the earth and envelop us?"
I distinctly heard a *click* in my head. I obviously replied with a loud "HELL YEAH" and then they descended in this crawled-from-the-ground dungeon where the very first thing they encountered was the classic giant mirror wall¹ from whence mirror clones of the pcs came out and challenged them. It was an epic fight, the pcs being nothing less than 7, and a couple of them sort of high-powered, without mentioning the druid that missed her roll and falled in a primal rage, starting to tear apart her companions in polar bear form. And now I'm planning a whole underground "demiplane" composed just by an earthly, damp ground covered in total darkness where everyone will meet shadows of friends and foes from the past, and then at some point the Hall of the Vampire, which as for now I imagine being a seemingly endless stony maze resembling the interior of a gothic castle on which the vampire has full (mind) power and tempts everyone by placing illusions of what they most desire inside, behind of or actually weared by the other pcs.²

All that said, what do you think about "metaphysical" dungeons? Does anyone has anything similar online from which I can drew inspiration? Can anyone post a related actual play from one of his games?

1) yeah, I know, a player mentioned to me that also in the Van Helsing movie I never saw, the entrance of the vampire's lair has a giant mirror.

2) yeah, I know this too, but I love A Christmas Carol.

I mean, last night the wizard complained that in 4 sessions, we never found a place of power for him to use; we argued a bit, some other players joined us, then we concluded that, since they were in a forgotten underground metropolis, it would have made sense that, searching well enough, they could find a suitable place of power. However, I felt like that in this way, the players just had an easy way to prevent a couple impending dooms doing that ritual. Also they didn't seem too much worried when I said that they risked to permanently taint their own souls doing a ritual in such a fiendish place of power. I'm too much of a long time planner when comes about antagonising the heroes :P

So, to recap my question: how often do you find places of power in your games? Of what kind are your average places of power? Like, can you rent one in every major town, or are they incredibly rare places found only in the most forgotten corners of the world?

I like systems that allow the player to change the result of a bad roll by spending resources.

So here's what I'm gonna play this friday:

When you roll a miss, choose one:
- you mark XP
- you spend an XP and turn the miss into a 12

Obviously, when you level up, you also spend XPs, so you can't use them to improve the roll.

I heard that monster of the week has some sort of similar luck mechanic, but I don't know how it works.

The game finished 20 minutes ago! Just wanted to share a couple tweaks: we felt that dividing the roles when undertaking a perilous journey was a bit flat because they are all tied to wis. So we rearranged the stats: int for the quartermaster, con for the trailblazer and wis for the scout. It made so much more sense now that the wizard preferred to act as quartermaster while the ranger scouted ahead!

Also, they needed to find a ship that would take them accross the sea in exchange for their services as traveled adventurers. Initially I thought to build a custom move, but then I realized it was just Recruit: the "you are paying well" option was changed in to "you would do a very dangerous job for free", and it worked wonderfully!

So, last night we started a new game. The new sheets are awesome! I liked the landscape format, but this ones are way more cool and functional!

For the first time I used a dungeon starter, the Sky Chain which I loved since the first time I landed my eyes on it; the players also were fascinated with the whole concept and they started to create informations and legends about the chain even before I asked the key questions. The result is a complex but very cool cosmogony that maybe someday I will post just to annoy you even more.

The main difficulty to me was that the characters' bonds and goals were actually centering around the ground below (there was a lot about politics and religions, the empire annihilated the only one honest religious order that standed its ground against the horde and so on), since they did the bonds before knowing what was the adventure about, but in the end I managed to wrap things up and I think I have enough interesting things to write a front that will make them happy to ascend the chain.

Maybe I'm a little bit late about this, but in the pre-release pdf there are no two-handed swords and axes?! We noticed this when the fighter wanted a two-handed sword, and I said that actually the signature weapon doesn't care about how many hands you must have; however I went on to the updated equipment list and saw this. I believe you made it on purpose, but what purpose does it follow? (is it something about Burning Wheel and its historical accuracy?)

And, is the blood & guts chapter gone?

Last but not least: will you make public a blank .indd file of the new character sheet so I can translate and print them?

When you are revealed to be the one and only Dragonborn of this age, a mortal with the soul of a dragon, you can take this move instead of one of your class moves the next time you level up.

Dragon Shout
When you shout a Thu'um you know at least a syllabe of, roll+the number of its syllabes you shouted. On a hit you unleash the shout and apply its effects based on the syllabes you shouted. On a 7-9, choose a number of options equal to the syllabes you shouted:
• you can't use Dragon Shout again until you catch your breath for a few minutes;
• you draw unwelcomed attention, even from very afar;
• the shout has a side effect chosen by the GM.
Usually, to learn any one syllabe you must do these two things, in any order:
• read it from a place of power;
• channel into it and consume the soul you absorbed from a recently-dead dragon.
For each shout, you have to learn the weaker syllabes before the stronger ones.

If you have the Dragon Shout move, you can select those moves instead of your class ones when you level up.

High Trained
You learn 3 extra syllabes.

Dragon Trained
You learn 3 extra syllabes.

Dragon Ally
When you defeat a dragon and have mercy on its life, take +1 to rolls to learn its true name and gain his loyalty.

Dragon Meditation
Choose a shout you know and create an extra effect that takes place when you roll a 12+ on that shout.

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THU'UMS AND SYLLABES
Effects  are either stacking or an improved version of the previous ones.

Animal Allegiance
RAAN: nearby animals fight for you in the next minutes. Treat them like a hireling with a total of 5 points between the Warrior, Protector, Tracker, Expert and Loyalty skills;
MIR: 10 points;
TAH: 20 points.

Aura Whisper
LAAS: you detect the location of animated beings in this place.
YAH: you know their alignment.
NIR: the shout is instead a whisper; you can't draw unwelcomed attention and on a 7-9 you just suffer both other options.

Become Ethereal
FEIM: you and your possessions enter phasing for a bunch of seconds or until you dismiss the effect. During phasing, you assume a spectral appearace, can't touch nor can be touched by the physical world and can pass through solid objects;
ZII: you can phase for up to a bunch of minutes;
GRON: as long a you wish.

Call Dragon
Every dragon has a three-syllabes true name that, only if shouted all together, can be heard by that dragon no matter where it is. It also instantly knows who shouted them. It usually is not happy at all of this and will fly as fast as it can to punish the dragonborn.

Disarm
ZUN: every creature within your shout drops any mundane weapon it's weilding.
HAAL: weapons are instead utterly tossed away.
VIIK: the shout works even on non-mundane weapons, and disarmed creatures are staggered for a bunch of seconds.

Dismay
FAAS: cowardly creatures within your shout flee from you until you are out of sight;
RU: everyone that's not totally reckless flees;
MAAR: only the bravest and most powerful resist.

Dragonrend
JOOR: you counterattack anything a dragon within your shout might have throwed at you;
ZAH: the dragon is also staggered for a bunch of seconds and, if flying, loses altitude;
FRUUL: the dragon is totally paralyzed for a bunch of seconds and if flying it crash-lands and suffers 1d10 damage that ignores armor and any other protection it might have.

Elemental Fury
SU: take +1d6 damage forward when you Hack & Slash;
GRAH: roll twice and take the better result next time you deal damage through Hack & Slash;
DUN: take +1 forward to Hack & Slash.

Fire Breath
YOL: flames burst from your mouth, dealing 1d4 damage that ignores armor to each creature within your shout, staggering and setting them afire;
TOOR: 2d4 damage;
SHUL: 2d6 damage.

Frost Breath
FO: frozen winds burst from your mouth, dealing 1d4 damage that ignores armor to each creature within your shout, slowing them down for a bunch of seconds;
KRAH: 2d4 damage;
DIIN: 2d6 damage.

Ice Form
IISS: creatures within your shout are frozen solid for a bunch of seconds or until someone attacks them;
SLEN: for a bunch of minutes;
NUS: for as long as you wish.
Large creatures suffer the effects of a one-less syllabe shout. Huge creatures suffer the effects of a two-less syllabes shout. Small creatures suffer the effects of a one-more syllabe shout, up to three. Tiny creatures are always frozen solid for as long as you wish.

Marked for Death
KRII: creatures within your shout suffer -1 armor;
LUN: -2 armor;
AUS: -4 armor.

Slow Time
TIID: time stands still around you for a bunch of seconds;
KLO: half a minute;
UL: there's always enough time.

Throw Voice
ZUL: creative insults coming out of nowhere distract creatures within your shout;
MEY: you may choose just one single option on a roll of 7-9.
GUT: you don't have to choose any option on a roll of 7-9.

Unrelenting Force
FUS: creatures within your shout are staggered for a bunch of seconds;
RO: and they are knocked a few paces back;
DAH: they are utterly tossed away, also suffering 1d6 damage that ignores armor.
Large creatures suffer the effects of a one-less syllabe shout. Huge creatures suffer the effects of a two-less syllabes shout. Small creatures suffer the effects of a one-more syllabe shout, up to three. Tiny creatures are always tossed away and suffer 1d10 damage that ignores armor.

Whirlwind Sprint
WULD: you instantly rush forward within reach range.
NAH: within near range.
KEST: within far range.

---

W.I.P.: Shouts not included
Storm Call [STRUN-BAH-QO]
Kyne's Peace [KAAN-DREM-OV]
Clear Skies [LOK-VAH-KOOR]
Call of Valor [HUN-KAAL-ZOOR]

Not availble to player characters
Resurrect Dragon [SLEN-TIID-VO]
Summon Spectral Clone [FIIK-LO-SAH]
Summon Fog [VEN-MUL-RIIK]
Dragon Storm Call [???]
Return to Nirn [NAHL-DAAL-VUS]
Summon Spectral Clone [FIIK-LO-SAH]

Dawnguard Expansion
Drain Vitality [GAAN-LAH-HAAS]
Soul Tear [RII-VAAZ-ZOL]
Summon Durnehviir [DUR-NEH-VIIR]

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Sources: The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages and The Elder Scrolls Wiki.

You can create a dual class by combining elements of two classes since the beginning. Here's how you do it at first level:

1) choose two classes that no one else chose.
2) choose one package per chosen class from the ones below.
3) stat out your Dualclass merging the tags you find in both packages:
• Moves: you gain the moves listed in both packages. They work normally as they're written in the class' playbook.
• +HP: you gain HP equal to Constitution+the bonus listed in both of your class packages.
• ±Damage: your damage is equal to d6; if you have +damage from one package, it's d8 instead; if you have +damage from both packages, it's d10 instead; however the second wizard package decreases the damage size by one step.
• ±Bond: you gain 4 starting bonds mixed as you wish from the chosen classes. If one package has +bond, choose one more bond; if one package has -bond, choose one less bond.
4) choose an alignment move from one class or the other; you must choose an alignment shared by both classes.
5) choose a racial move from one class or the other; you must choose a race shared by both classes.

When you level up, you select one advanced move from one class or the other. However, by level 5 you must have at least 1 move per class; and by level 10, you must have at least 2 moves per class.

Bard
Package 1: arcane art, +2-HP
Package 2: bardic lore, charming and open, a port in the storm, +bond, +4-HP

Cleric
Package 1: Commune, Cast a Spell, +3-HP
Package 2: Deity, Divine Guidance, Turn Undead, +5-HP

Fighter
Package 1: Bend Bars Lift Gates, Armored, +5-HP, +damage
Package 2: Signature Weapon, +5-HP, +damage

Paladin
Package 1: Armored, I Am The Law, +5-HP, +damage
Package 2: Quest, Lay on Hands, +5-HP, +damage

Ranger
Package 1: Hunt and Track, Called Shot, +5-HP, +damage
Package 2: Animal Companion, Command, +3-HP

Thief
Package 1: Trap Expert, Tricks of the Trade, Flexible Morals, +4-HP
Package 2: Backstab, Poisoner, +2-HP, +damage

Wizard
Package 1: Ritual, +2-HP
Package 2: Spellbook, Prepare Spells, Cast a Spell, Spell Defense, -damage, -bond, +2-HP

Druid
Package 1: Born of the Soil, Shapeshifter, +2-HP
Package 2: Born of the Soil, Studied Essence, By Nature Sustained, Spirit Tongue, +4-HP

---

Work in Progress:

I don't know how to approach the starting gear selection:
• you just choose your starting gear from one class or the other;
• gear options are included in every pakage and you must choose among them;
• every package gives you N coins worth of gear you can use to buy equipment before the game starts.

If you get the armored move from both of your class packages, what happens? Maybe you just get +1 armor, or more HPs. Or maybe nothing happens.

For the wizard, maybe it would be needed to add a third, simpler package:
Package 3: spellbook, prepare spells, cast a spell, -bond, +2-HP
So that a fighter/wizard does not have its damage reduced.

I was thinking to add an universal advanced move that allows a dual classed character to obtain moves from the packages he didn't choose, but it's a bit tricky and I still have to find a good solution for this.

The logic behind this is just that for each class, its stats are divided in two roughly balanced blocks, which combined result in the original class. But maybe it won't work, and I should just create one package for every class that gives modified versions of its moves to make them work better in this way (exactly like in D&D4's hybrid classes). However, in the near future I will playtest this and if someone is interested I will post the AP.