The Stormguard

I've got about a dozen hack ideas; I decided to post about this one first.

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The World Between The Storms is called such because of the endless, raw storms of elemental might that exists outside the Edge of the World.

The World is divided into a hundred kingdoms, all squabling and petty, but that's not, primarly, our concern. Our concern is the border of this world, the ring of magical and mundane defenses that keeps the Storm and it's children out.

And our chief concern are those men and women - orphans, outcasts, madmen and patriots - who exile themselves to the temple-strongholds on the edge of the world  and learn the ways of the Stormguard - warrior-sages who embrace the Storm in order to fight it.

The stats change names;

Cool becomes Calm
Hard becomes Wild
Hot becomes Cunning
Sharp becomes Aware
Weird becomes Changed

All of the basic moves remain, but opening your brain becomes consulting the Storm and probably changes some.

The Playbooks are as follows. I'll say more about each later, when I don't have to go to work.

Cloud-Seer (Aware)
Lightning-Dancer (Calm)
Raging-Storm (Changed)
Rain-Kissed (Changed)
Ray-of-Sun (Cunning)
Stalwart-Mountain (Calm)
Steel-Rain (Wild)
Storm's-Eye (Aware)
Thundering-Hammer (Wild)
Wind-Speaker (Cunning)

Here's an interesting mechanical thing: Many Moves can be sold out and tainted, based on Rob Bohl's Misspent Youth.

Here's an example, for a Thundering-Hammer:

Booming Voice (Sells out to Living Cacophony): Your voice channels the might of thunder. You can use +wild in place of +cunning when rolling to seduce or manipulate someone, but if you fail that roll, you must immediately go aggro on them.

Living Cacophony: Your voice embodies the raw force of the Storm. Whenever you speak, everyone who hears you suffers X-harm (ap). X is 1 or your Changed stat, whichever is higher, and they must act under fire or suffer corruption by the Storm.

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Living Cacophony itself is inspired by Marvel's Blackbolt. I'm not fully sure how Moves get tainted/sold out yet.

The implications of applying selling out here intrigues me. How is selling out gonna be handled here, purely fictionally, mechanically, or what? And on the fictional level, what does the Storm offer the guards to 'sell out'? I ask because it sounds like it might be really compelling, but right now I'm not sure other than 'the lure of the outside' and what not.

Neat stuff!

Here's some insights or facts about the fictional world of this game, all subject to change. May grant some insight into the fictional aspect of "selling out".

((
- Selling one's self grants power now and pain later
- Unity is strong for all; selfishness is strong for one
- The world will only tolerate tyrany for so long
- Tyrany is Human evil, wildness is the evil of the Storm.
- Chaos, at it's rawest form, is evil
- Fear is easy; trust is strong
- All things have a Storm nature and a Human nature; it's easy to embrace the Storm nature and be mighty, or the Human nature and be safe - Stormguards try to do both.
- The Storm is both wild and malicious. The Storm is a living, thinking thing.
))

Mechanically, I'm thinking that any time you make a move, you add a 12+ option to it (as per the advanced improvements in AW) and add +Changed in addition to the normal stat used. But then you need to either sell out a move, corrupt a stat, or advance your corruption clock.

Cool! Since I didn't know if the storm was more than random dangerousness, I didn't know how alluring or what not it would be, so those points definitely help. And I like your mechanic for 'potential now, but more chance of goin bad'.

Have you looked at the 'Fingers on the Firmament' hack by J. Walton? I think his ideas on the Darkness might be relevant for what you're going for with the Storm.

I've skimmed Fingers on the Firmament, and there's definitely some coolness going on there. I'll need to digest it further.

On another note, I have one playbook rough-drafted, and I'll post it momentarily. But first, two or three notes.

Note on magic and artifacts: There's magic of the Storm, and magic not of the Storm. Magic not of the Storm is a finite natural resource, and it's nearly run out. Most common magical items are infused with the Storm, and, by extension, tainted.

Note on private conversations: In the culture of the Stormguard (and the world more generally), everything is communal and open - especially discussion. Speaking with another person alone shows great trust, closeness, or intimacy with that person. Or *dis*trust of everyone else present. Or both.

Note on duels: Duels are common both within and without the Stormguard. All duels are to the death, unless the victor chooses to grant mercy (and the loser accepts it). They are usually public, open events. Other than duels specifically challenged as such, everyone tends to travel and fight in groups.

So that should maybe clarify some of the stuff in the playbooks, especially the special moves.

Lightning-Dancer

Lighning-Dancers are all grace and power and potential. Their inner calmness allows them to focus themselves in the most difficult situations and maneuver themselves with might and accuracy. Their outer peace hides a storm of raw lightning waiting to explode.

Look

Man, woman, ambigious, or concealed
No clothing, flowing clothing, flashy clothing, simple clothing, or monastic clothing
Kind face, strange face, flushed face, serene face, strong face, pretty face, or puzzled face
Aloof eyes, quick eyes, bright eyes, peaceful eyes, or stormy eyes
Quick hands
Lean body, wiry body, nimble body, or lanky body


Stats
 0 Aware +2 Calm +2 Changed  0 Cunning  -2 Wild
+1 Aware +2 Calm  0 Changed +1 Cunning  -1 Wild
+1 Aware +2 Calm +1 Changed +1 Cunning  -2 Wild
 0 Aware +2 Calm  0 Changed  0 Cunning  +1 Wild


Moves
Battle Calm: You can use +calm instead of +wild when seizing by force. If you do, you cannot choose to inflict terrible harm or impress, dismay, or frighten your enemy.

Dance of Blades: When you seize by force, you may also seduce / manipulate one of your allies or a neutral viewer, using +calm in place of +cunning and without explicitly stating what you want - your target knows what you want, and you know what they want.

Lightning Tango: By dancing an arcane pattern, you can create a duplicate of yourself made entirely out of electricity. Your duplicate superficially resembles you, and you can see, hear, and speak through it, but cannot interact with physical objects (except in as much as lightning does). The duplicate can travel disances far quicker than a human. The duplicate's attacks are 2-Harm ap. If you cease dancing, the duplicate is instantly dispersed and you suffer s-harm. Dancing for extended periods of time is considered acting under fire, with the fire being passing out from exhaustion.

Storm-Charged (Sells out to Storm-Cursed): Your body is charged with the raw electrical energy of the Storm. You can use +changed in place of +wild when going aggro, and your unarmed attacks deal 1-harm ap or s-harm ap and gain "tag".

Supernatural Grace: Add the following when you act under fire: "On a 12+, you transcend the danger, the pressure, the possibility of harm. You do what you set out to do, and the MC will offer you a better outcome, true beauty, or a moment of grace."

Weapons of Lightning: You can conjure one or more weapons made entirely of electricity. Choose one of the following. You can take this move twice; if you do, get all of them.

   - Daggers: 1-harm or s-harm, ap, hand/close, remote, infinite, autofire
   - Broadsword: 2-harm or s-harm, ap, hand, infinite, loud
   - Hammers: 2-harm or s-harm, ap, hand/close, infinite, remote, messy
   - Spear: 2-harm or s-harm, ap, hand/far, area, infinite, reload


Gear
You get:
   - 1 gracious weapon or 1 mighty weapon
   - 1 artifact of the Storm, suitable to a Lightning-Dancer
   - 1 fashion suitable to your look and worth 1-armor at your choice (you detail)

Gracious weapons:
   - ornate dagger (2-harm hand valuable) or (2-harm close valuable reload)
   - hidden knives (2-harm hand infinite) or (2-harm close infinite)
   - ancestral foil (2-harm +1-melee-armor hand valuable)
   - ornate spear (2-harm hand valuable) or (2-harm far reload)
   - poisoned needles (4-harm intimate ap infinite) or (2-harm hand infinite) or (1-harm close infinite autofire)

Mighty weapons:
   - fine broadsword (3-harm hand valuable)
   - aincent warhammer (4-harm hand valuable reload)
   - dual hammers (2-harm hand) or (s-harm hand tag)
   - heavy spiked gauntlets (1-harm hand ap)
   - well-crafted mace (2-harm +1-melee-armor hand valuable)

Artifacts of the Storm, suitable to a Lightning-Dancer:
   - a cursed weapon (+changed to harm, deals 1-harm to you whenever it deals harm)
   - boots that allow one to move with the grace, speed, and force of the wind (+changed to calm or wild and 2-harm or 1-corruption when used)
   - gloves that cast electricity from the fingers (2-harm close ap infinite) or (1-harm close area ap infinite) or (s-harm close ap infinite)
   - a cloak that grants great agility (+1 act under fire or +1-armor as appropriate, 1-corruption when used)

Special Moves
Lightning Words: Whenever you speak with another person, you and they alone, you can fire them up for some immediate course of action. If they pursue it immediately after speaking with you, they hold 2. If they pursue it within a day, they hold 1. They can spend one point of their hold to reroll a single die related to following the course of action.

Stylish Duelist: Your calm and grace in battle is breathtaking and awes onlookers. When you fight another person, one-on-one, roll +calm. On a hit, hold 1. On a 10+, hold 3. Spend your hold to gain a + whenever you seduce or manipulate someone who sees you fight (including your opponent), one-for-one.

This is cool, I love the idea of the selling out "technology" used this way. What would be the fictional nature of the sellout? Why do these actions cause you to sell out?