Playbook - The Martyr

I bought the game about a month ago and am playing in an online campaign on RPOL.  Given the stress I had at work today when I got home and put the kids to bed I thought I would write a playbook. 

The Martyr

"...For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
-Psalm 37:3


It is a rare soul who cares for others more than they care for themselves.  After the shit hit the fan and immediate needs became more important there were fewer and fewer who would risk themselves to help another.  Those that clung to this concept gained strength and subconsciously fight against the Psychic Maelstrom that envelops society.


Creating a Martyr

Choose your name, look, stats, moves, gear and Hx.

Names
Mary, Joan, Margery, Agnes, Perpetua, Felicity

Stephen, James, Philip, Polycarp, Swithun, Sabbas


Look
Man, Woman, Transgender
Dirty wear, leather bunny costume, simple tunic with choker, Military wear
Worn face, old face, sad face, caring face.
Sad eyes, empty eyes, happy eyes, crazy eyes.
Soft body, weak body, bony body, scared body, twisted body.

Stats
Choose one set:
Cool-1, Hard-1, Hot+1, Sharp+2, Weird+2
Cool+0, Hard-1, Hot+1, Sharp+1, Weird+2
Cool+1, Hard+1, Hot-1, Sharp+0, Weird+2
Cool+2, Hard-1, Hot-1, Sharp+1, Weird+2


Basic moves
You get all the basic moves.

Martyr Moves
You get this one:

My Suffering Strengthens Me: Your strength of conviction increases with your suffering, allowing you to do amazing things.  When you take a condition or a segment of harm in a session, gain +1 to your conviction bank.  You may spend only one point of conviction to add a +1 modifier to any roll where you think you might make the world better for others.  At the end of the session, add 1 XP for every full 5 points left in your bank and reset it to zero.


Then pick two of the following:

-Tough mother: You automatically stabilize without medical help.  Healing?  That’s a different problem.

-Disability boost: Taking a disability adds 5 points to your Conviction bank

-But I Want to Help...: When you help or interfere with someone, roll+Hx or roll-Hx.  On a success, you may spend however many points from your conviction pool you wish to replace the normal help or interference modifier.

-Cassandra’s Tears: When you open your mind to the Psychic Maelstrom you may spend as many points from your Conviction Bank as you wish before you roll.  If you choose to use this ability what you learn is hidden from others finding it.  The Psychic Maelstrom will taint the subject matter and no NPC will ever believe the information connected to it so long as the knowledge comes from you.


Gear
You get clothes appropriate to your look (worth armour-1 if you want), whip (1-harm ap stun area, if you want), and sleeve pistol (2-harm close reload loud, if you want).  For each special item you give up above you gain +1 Barter.
 

Hx
Everyone introduces their characters by name, look and outlook. Take your turn. List the other characters’ names.

Go around again for Hx. On your turn, choose 1, 2 or all 3:
- Pick the person who takes care of the weak, tell them Hx +1.
- Pick someone who has degraded into savagery. Tell them Hx-2.
- Pick someone who you think is worthy of protection, tell them Hx+2.
- Everyone else, tell them Hx 0.

On the others’ turns,.

At the end, pick the character that you believe will harm you the most this campaign or for whom you will give up the most for.  Replace that person’s Hx value with Hx –2 or +2, your choice.

Special Move
When you have sex with another character, you may take upon yourself one condition that person is suffering or 1 segment of harm.


Improvement

Whenever you roll a highlighted stat, and whenever you reset your Hx with someone, mark an experience circle. When you mark the 5th, improve and erase.

Each time you improve, choose one of the following. Check it off; you can’t choose it again.
__ get +1cool (max hard+2)
__ get +1hard (max hard+2)
__ get +1hot (max hot+2)
__ get +1sharp (max sharp+2)
__ get a new Martyr move
__ get a new Martyr move
__ get 2 gigs (detail) and moonlighting
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook

 
(Yes, I know that there are three other playbook moves available)

Would this be too unbalancing in a campaign of AW?  Is there a way to make it better?

The conviction economy isn't very compelling and overall I don't find the tone of the playbook that interesting.

There are already many ways to get little +1s. Moves shouldn't be about +1s.

Try rewriting the playbook without the economy and without moves like "If, then +1forward" or "If, then hold +1."

First off, writing games and game things to deal with stress is something I know well, so I empathize with your there. The moves look ok, and everything seems to be in order. Play it and see what happens. I get the idea of conviction, but the bank mechanic is a bit more fiddly than I think you need. May be something like:

My Suffering Strengthens Me: Your strength of conviction increases with your suffering, allowing you to do amazing things.  When you take harm, you also take +1 going forward

You'd need to re-write the other moves to deal with the conviction bank too, obviously.

Cool stuff Kilaya!

I'd like to see it done without the conviction bank. Someone with strength gained through suffering is cool but I don't need too many more mechanics.

Here's some ideas:

But I want to help: When you help someone, you gain +1 if the one you're helping has ever injured you. When you interfere with someone you gain +2 if you've ever seen the one you're interfering with harm anyone else.

Disability Boost: When you suffer a disability, you gain xp and add your total number of disabilities to your attempts to manipulate those who hurt you, forever.

Cassandra's Tears: When you are required to answer questions, you may not tell the truth. This affects read a person, opening your brain the psychic maelstrom and any move which gives another character information about you.

My suffering strengthens me: When you suffer harm you gain 1-armor, forever against the individual(s) who harmed you. (Sorry, book keeping) This is not cumulative, just one per person.

Marty'rs Blood:When someone suffers harm in your presence you may take the harm upon yourself. You must take it all and it's AP.

Words of God:When you manipulate, roll+weird instead of roll+hot.

Cassandra's Tears: When you are required to answer questions, you may not tell the truth. This affects read a person, opening your brain the psychic maelstrom and any move which gives another character information about you.

This a strange, unique and powerful move. I really, really like it. However, I think it undoes some of the purpose of open your brain questions. Those are often meant to be moments of character development. 'False' character development seems a little strange to me.

I was looking at it kind of this way:  When someone reads you, it's often in order to find a way to resolve conflict, determine what you want and how to react in a way you'll accept.

Answering these questions false will cause you to suffer. People won't know how to make you happy and violence and misunderstanding will surround you.

When dealing with the MC directly, the answers are still true, the false answers only go towards other characters. (Generally PC's as NPC's won't have too much call to ask questions, except when the player's moves are turned back on them and a few other examples)