Tell me how broken these are

  • 14 Replies
  • 6913 Views
Tell me how broken these are
« on: February 14, 2012, 07:21:32 PM »
These three Compendium Classes are going into the second Gears book. Each of these classes come from examples in the adventures themselves in a "see it then be it" way. Two things I'm really not sure about are the Artificer's Builder of Strange Things move and the Necromancer's Roll +Damage taken. With the Artificer it seems like it might be possible to build out of control (the GM price is meant to keep that from happening but is that enough?). The Necromancer's self damaging might be too far over the edge of what people expect from DW. Please, pull them apart and try to make me cry and then I'll do what I want anyway :)

Artificer:
When you have spent time tinkering and examining some piece of artifice you may take this move at your next level. (If you choose not to, you must fulfill the conditions again before having this option.)

Quick Fix: When you are faced with a broken piece of Artifice and determine to fix it name an item you posses. Destroying that item will allow you to repair the Artifice. 

Once you’ve taken “Quick Fix”, the following moves count as class moves for you. In addition to your normal list of moves, you may choose from this list when you gain a level.

Builder of Strange Things: When you want to craft a new piece of Artifice explain what it can do and what it looks like and the GM will tell you a price (maybe with some strings attached) and an amount of time. If accept that price and spend the time you get the piece of Artifice that you desired. If the Artifact you wish to build is an Artifact Creature you control it and choose it's stats from the list below:
• Damage 4, Intelligence 1, Armor 1, HP 10, Load 4
• Damage 8, Intelligence 2, Armor 0, HP 20, Load 0
• Damage 4, Intelligence 2, Armor 1, HP 10, Load 2
• Damage 8, Intelligence 1, Armor 2, HP 20, Load 0
For each point of Intelligence it can do these things independently:
Hunt, search, scout, guard, fight monsters, fight humanoids, perform, labor, travel 

Always Tinkering: When you work on a piece of Artifice you have already built in an attempt to make it better the GM will tell you a price (maybe with some strings attached) if you pay it Roll +INT. On a 10+ hold 3, on a 7-9 hold 1, on a miss you have damaged your creation and it must be repaired before it is useful again. You may spend your hold, one-for-one, to do the following:
• Increase it's Damage +2
• Increase it's Armor +1
• Increase it's HP +5
• Increase it's Intelligence +1
• Increase it's Load +2

A Man of Machines: When you attempt to control a piece of Artifice that is under another's control Roll +INT. On a 10+ you are in complete control of the Artifice, on a 7-9 the Artifice does either it's damage or it's creators damage to you, on a miss is does either it's damage or it's creator's damage to you and is damaged beyond repair. 

Templar:
When you have dedicated yourself to the cause of a deity and joined a holy order you may take this move when you level and have done something during the last level to forward the cause of your deity. 

One of the Brotherhood: When you spend time consulting your god in prayer you will always know where the nearest encampment of followers of your deity reside. 

Once you’ve taken “One of the Brotherhood”, the following moves count as class moves for you. In addition to your normal list of moves, you may choose from this list when you gain a level.

The Armor of God: While wearing armor or a shield emblazoned with your Deities holy symbol add +1 to your armor. 

Dedicated to the Cause: When you kill a creature that is in service to one of your deities enemies, mark experience. 

The Sword of God: When you strike a creature that is in service to one of your deities enemies, deal +2 damage. 

Necromancer:
When you spend time amongst the dead and undead coming to understand them you may take this move the next time you level. (If you choose not to, you must fulfill the conditions again before having this option.)

Call of the Dead: When you calm yourself and attempt to sense the dead Roll +WIS. On a hit you get a good sense of where the nearest dead or undead is. On a 10+ choose 1:
• You can tell if it is dead or undead
• You can tell how it died
• You get a sense of the bodies surroundings
On a miss you feel so strongly drawn  to the body that you take -1 forward until you reach the body. 

Once you’ve taken “Call of the Dead”, the following moves count as class moves for you. In addition to your normal list of moves, you may choose from this list when you gain a level.

Masochist: When you intentionally injure yourself you can choose how much damage you inflict and a number of party members equal to that damage take +1 forward. 

Control Undead: When you wound yourself in the presence of the undead Roll +Damage taken. On a hit, all of the unintelligent undead that are present immediately fall under your control and intelligent undead flea your presence until you heal the GM will tell you their stats. On a miss all of the undead present focus their attacks on you until dealt with. 

Raise Undead: When you wound yourself and drop the blood over a dead body or bodies Roll + Damage taken, On a 10+ the undead rise and follow your commands. On a 7-9 the undead rise but are unresponsive until you wound yourself again in an attempt to Control Undead. On a miss the undead rise and want you dead to the exclusion of all others, they resist any attempt to control them. All undead have these stats:
Damage 4, Armor 1, HP 10, Load 2

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2012, 11:34:58 AM »
The 'builder of strange things' lists 10 or 20 HP for an artifice.  That seems really high relative to other creatures and humanoids.  

Instead of 'You get a sense of the bodies surroundings', what about 'you can tell when it died'?  Also consider, on a hit, you get all 3.
What is the connection between necromancy and evil, could taking the moves transition you toward evil?

Templar might step on the toes of the Paladin a bit.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2012, 11:47:40 AM by mease19 »

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2012, 11:46:37 AM »
Really? Most of the creatures my first level group are taking on are in that range, 40+ with some of the more exotic creatures. A 10 HP construct would only take two hits from a guard and a 20 HP construct would only survive three hits. Add in to that, that the only way to repair them is to start trashing other items and they kind of start to become expensive to have around :) Am I off on that assessment?

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2012, 11:55:01 AM »
Sorry, you posted while I was modifying my post above, see other comments.   

As for the automaton, I'd equate them to a henchman with the trade off being that they are more costly to create but don't require compensation and [as far as you know] don't have motivations/schemes of their own. 

Consider taking out the two 'fight' options and for them and they become really useful adventuring tools (like a trained animal companion might be) and you don't have to worry about what they do in combat. 

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2012, 12:19:11 PM »
Mease,

I like your suggestions for the Call of the Dead changes I'm thinking it might look like this:

Call of the Dead: When you calm yourself and attempt to sense the dead Roll +WIS. On a hit you get a good sense of where the nearest dead or undead is. On a 10+ hold 3, on a 7-9 hold 1. You may spend your hold 1-for1 to do the following:
• You can tell if it is dead or undead
• You can tell how it died
• You can tell when it died
On a miss you feel so strongly drawn  to the body that you take -1 forward until you reach the body. 

The Templar is meant to give you a flavor of the Paladin while being a bit more narrow minded. A Paladin is actually a good candidate to take on being a Templar as it allows them to be a bit more broad with some of their powers and even allows them to take on creatures that are good but follow one of their god's enemies giving them a Blackguard edge.

I might change one of the fighting options to "fight an Artifact" and the other to "repair an Artifact". That makes it clear that they would loose a direct conflict with a flesh and blood creature but still gives them some of the fighting utility I was designing them for in later adventures (Artifacts play a pretty heavy roll later on as weapons of Kryos) and giving them the ability to repair other Artifacts makes them damned useful.

I did base them heavily on the Ranger's companion but I wanted them to be more utility than a boost to the Artificer's skill.

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2012, 12:35:12 PM »
I dig.  

Regarding the Templar, paladins would make good Templars but if other classes take on being Templars then they might have too much overlap with the paladin's niche.

As an alternative:

Faithful  

When you spend time around the followers of a faith and come to share their beliefs you may take this move when you level.
One of the Flock
You can always spot a member of your chosen faith
Writing on the Wall
When you spend time consulting your god in prayer, you will always know where the nearest encampment of followers of your deity reside.
Dedicated to the Cause
When you do as the clergy of your faith command, mark XP
Holy Indignation
When you confront that which your faith abhors, take +1 forward.

This would avoid stepping on the toes of clerics or paladins and give you something to transition into when either the paladin or cleric converts you to their faith.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2012, 12:46:36 PM by mease19 »

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2012, 12:53:43 PM »
I like that a lot! It really captures belonging to the cause. I think I might change "One of the Flock" to: When you come to a civilized place and look for the Faithful Roll +WIS. On a hit you find a member of your Faith, on a 10+ they are a member of the Clergy and have some task they need of you (the GM will tell you what this is), on a miss someone who has been hurt by your church recognizes you and demands vengence/repayment.

What do you think?

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2012, 01:00:08 PM »
When you seek the Faithful in a civilized place, roll+WIS.  On a 10+, you find a member of your faith that can help you.   On a 7-9, you find a member of your faith that is in need, ask the GM how you can help.

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2012, 01:24:47 PM »
Do you think that the Articacts or undead need some sort of limit? Any thoughts on the Necromancer's self-damaging moves?

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #9 on: February 17, 2012, 04:24:25 PM »
I'm down with the self damage.  Consider having different moves that use the idea of damaging yourself in different ways, such as "+HP spent" vs "When you do your big scary ritual, roll damage against yourself" vs "When you use your body as an amplifier, roll stun damage against yourself to do an equal amount of normal damage to those around you".

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2012, 05:29:57 PM »
You just made me consider somethin. What if I did expansions on classes including th compendium classes in later books? That would allow me to bring some of the theme that I'm building elsewhere into the core classes for those who don't want to spend the time in the fiction to qualify for the compendium classes.

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2012, 03:15:35 PM »
Here are two Compendium Classes I'm considering putting in the first Gears book based on the two great powers that the players come up against during the adventures. Let me know what you think about them!

The Hand of Kryos 
   If a player dies after being infected with mechanical worms, death does not greet them. Rather it is Kryos himself, three faces superimposed upon each other, a china mask, a handsome male face, and a gruesome face of writhing, mechanical worms, tempts them to return as it's servant.  If they agree Kryos will return them to life, they now have this move:

Hand of Kryos:
When the voice of Kryos speaks to you and tell's you what to do; if you do what he asks, mark experience; if disobey Kryos' will, mark experience and take -1 forward until you complete a task for Kryos. 

If you have "Hand of Kryos" these moves count as class moves. 

Voice of Kryos: When you Spout Lore about anything to do with Kryos take +1 to the roll. 

Feet of Kryos: When you calm yourself and attempt to sense the servants of Kryos Roll +WIS. On a hit you get a good sense of where the nearest servant of Kryos is. On a 10+ you take +1 forward when dealing with that creature. 
On a miss you feel so strongly drawn  to the servant of Kryos that you take -1 forward until you see the a servant of Kryos.

Will of Kryos: When you announce yourself as a Hand of Kryos in the presence of the servants of Kryos Roll +CHA. On a hit, a number of Kryos' servants equal to your level that are present immediately fall under your control and the rest flea your presence. On a miss all of Kryos' servants present attack you. 

Tivati Vessel
If a player dies while wearing Aaleric's phylactery, death does not greet them. Rather once the danger that fell them has passed they gain this move:

Aaleric's Protection: when you die while wearing Aaleric's phylactery do not roll last breath. As soon as your body is no longer in danger Aaleric will revive you. 

If you have "Aaleric's Protection" these moves count as class moves. 

Speak to the Wind: when you call upon the wind to answer you you may Discern Realities about any place the wind blows. 

Call Down the Wind: when you roll a 10+ in Hack and Slash you may push your opponent as far as you want in any one direction rather than doing damage. 

The Four Winds: When you spend time communing with the spirits of the Tivati Roll+WIS. On a 10+ take 4 hold forward, on a 7-9 take 2 hold forward. You may spend your hold any time you are threatened 1-for-1 to call forth one of the Four Winds to protect you. On a miss you have angered the Tivati and loose access to all of the Tivati Vessel moves except Aaleric's Protection until you can commune again. 

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2012, 04:05:21 PM »
You just made me consider somethin. What if I did expansions on classes including th compendium classes in later books?
I'm not sure I'm entirely clear about what you're saying here but it would be interesting to introduce compendium style classes across books.  The first one might have just a single move that is a bit quirky or even slightly underpowered.  The second one might require the first but be significantly better.  In the third book, players with that class might be able to unlock some additional content based on their skills or rank in an organization.  ...just an idea.

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2012, 04:40:51 PM »
That sounds sweet, Marshall!

Re: Tell me how broken these are
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2012, 04:45:38 PM »
I was thinking along the lines of presenting the initial four moves in one book and then adding one or two in future books. I want to make sure that the players have enough of an idea of what the classes' schticks are.