Amateur game design hour: the Godslayer and the Fortuneteller

Hi all.

I can see that Dungeon World is an awesome game, despite the fact that I've never played it and am a newbie roleplayer who has only ever played in one saga edition and one 4e campaign.

I can also see that It is really easy to hack.

So here, have some amateur game design that I've banged together.

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Compendium Class: Godslayer

When you slay a mighty foe by exploiting their weaknesses, you can take this move the next time you level up.

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If it bleeds, kill it

When you discern realities, you may add the following questions to the list.

*How can I reach my foe?
*How can I slay my foe?
*How can I avoid being slain by my foe before I can slay them?
*How can I make sure that my foe stays slain?

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Once you've taken "If it bleeds, kill it" You may pick the following move in addition to your class moves when you level up.

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Make it bleed, then kill it

When you discern realities, you may add the following question to the list.

*How can I slay my foe, right here, right now? The GM is not allowed to answer that it is impossible, even if the foe would normally be beyond mortal concepts.

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Class: Fortuneteller

You've seen the signs and portents, they are all around you. You've read omens in the celestial lights and the babbling brooks, in the crackling flame and the glimmering crystal, in the dice and the cards, in the entrails of birds and the patterns of the bones scattered on the table. They all point towards one thing.

The world is going to hell in a handbasket and needs someone with perspective to guide it towards a better future.

And who would have a wider perspective than you, with your all seeing eyes.

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Names:

Elf: Aleister, Cassandra, Cornelius, Evangeline, Marsilio, Sybil

Human: Edgar, Grigori, Irene, Marie, Pamela, Robert, Ursula, William

Dwarf: Antero, Erik, Frieda, Gerina, Gustav, Leila, Linda, Wilhelm

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Look:

Wise Eyes, Piercing Eyes or Crystal Lensed Glasses

Tied-up Hair, Curly Hair or a Wide Brimmed Hat

Fancy Clothes, Plain Clothes or Ragged Clothes

Thin Body, Stocky Body or Bent Body

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Stats:

You start with 8+Constitution HP.

Your base damage is d6.

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Starting Moves:
Choose a race and gain the corresponding move:

Elf:

*You hear the song of the cosmos. When you divine something by methods involving dreams, hallucinations or the natural world, take +1.

Human:

*You are good at dealing with people and their secrets. When you divine something by methods involving people, their things or via tools crafted by them, take +1.

Dwarf:

*The earth speaks to you in all of it's forms. When you divine something by methods involving the earth, it's forms and behaviours, the stone and minerals and so on that it consists of, or things made of those things, take +1.

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Cast Fortune

When you spend a ten or so minutes to cast your or someone else's fortune, roll +Wis. They don't have to be present, but you need something that belongs to them.

*On a 10+ hold 3.

*On a 7-9 hold 1.

*On a 6- the results of your fortunetelling are contradictory or completely nonsensical, take -1 forward.

The kind of fortune the target has depends on whether you rolled an even or odd number.

*On an even result, the target has bad fortune, you may spend your hold 1-for-1 to warn them how to avoid, or to engineer them to suffer from some calamity or danger.

*On an odd result, the target has good fortune, You may spend your hold 1-for-1 to tell them how gain, or prevent them from benefitting from a lucky break.

When you spend hold tell the GM what you are doing or did beforehand to ensure that the moment of fate goes your way.

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Speed Divination

When you take a few heartbeats to hastily read omens in the environment, name a specific medium term goal you wish to accomplish in the current situation and roll +Wis.

*On a 10+ hold 3.

*On a 7-9 hold 1.

*On a 6- you are distracted by conflicting results. You take -1 forward and may end up in some kind of unfavourable situation due to your distraction.

You may spend your hold 1-for-1 to take +1 forward to any roll you make to further your goal. In addition whenever you spend your hold, you take -1 forward to any roll that doesn't further your goal.

You lose all of your hold when your goal is either completed or rendered irrelevant.

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True Divination

When you spend an hour or so performing a through divination about something, roll +Wis. The GM will tell you the results of your divination.

*On a 10+ you gain detailed vision of the subject, and may Spout Lore or Discern Realities about it.

*On a 7-9 you gain a vague or murky vision of the subject, and may Spout Lore or Discern Realities about it.

*On a 6- the results of your divination are contradictory or completely nonsensical.

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Alignment:
Choose an alignment:

Good: Prevent a calamity from befalling someone or something.

Lawful: Work to bring a prophecy to pass.

Neutral: Discover something that has been hidden or forgotten.

Chaotic: Work to avert what has been ordained by fate.

Evil: Engineer a calamity upon someone or something.

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Gear:
Your load is 4+Strength.

You start with:

*A travelers outfit of thick cloth and heavy leather (1 Armor, worn, 1 weight)
*A tablecloth of purple velvet (0 weight)
*A box of dark wood, describe what kind of fortunetelling tools it contains (3 weight)
*Dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 weight)

Choose your weapon:

*A hooked sacrificial dagger etched with measuring lines (Hand, Messy, 1 weight)
*An ornate rapier inscribed with the words "The Knight of Swords" (Close, Precise 1 weight)
*An ironshod staff with "The King of Staves" carved into it (Close, Two-handed, Forceful, 1 weight)

Choose two:
*Adventuring Gear (5 uses, 1 weight) and Dungeon Rations (5 uses, 1 weight)
*Bandages (3 uses, 0 weight), Poultices and Herbs (2 uses, 1 weight) and a dose of antitoxin (0 weight)
*A Bag of Books (5 uses, 2 weight) and some Halfling Pipeleaf (5 uses 1 weight)
*2 Healing Potions (0 weight)

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Bonds:
Fill in the name of one of your companions in at least one:

My divinations have shown that _____ has a great destiny ahead of them.
_____ thinks me a charlatan, I'll show them.
_____ has entrusted me with their troubles, I shall try to advice them as I can.
My divinations have uncovered something about _____ that they'd rather keep secret.

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Advanced Moves
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When you gain a level from 2-5, choose from these moves.
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Fortune favours the bold

When you do something completely reckless, hold 1d4. You may spend your hold 1-for-1 to take +1 forward to a roll you or your allies make to get you out of whatever mess you got yourself into. Once the situation has been resolved, you lose all hold.

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A fool and his money...

When you use divination to cheat at games of chance, roll +Wis.

*On a 10+ you win big and nobody is any wiser.

*On a 7-9 you still win, but your opponents will refuse to play against you and your unnatural "luck" in the future.

*On a 6- your opponents accuse you of cheating, with or without proof.

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Dangersense

You're never caught by surprise. When something dangerous happens, you are the first to act. Your GM might ask you what kind of omen clued you in.

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Feng Shui Practitioner

When you intentionally make a significant alteration to your immediate environment to improve your fortune, hold 1d4. You may spend your hold 1-for-1 to take +1 forward to a roll you or your allies make. When you leave the affected area, you lose all hold.

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Multiclass Dabbler

Get one move from another class. For the purposes of Multiclass Dabbler the Wizard's Spellbook, Prepare Spells, and Cast a Spell moves count as one move. The Cleric's Commune and Cast a Spell moves also count as one move. If you gain the ability to cast spells you cast them as if you were one level lower.

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Legend Lore

When you Spout Lore about obscure legends, take +1.

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Doomsayer

When you Parley, you can always use prophecies of impending doom, real or imagined, as leverage.

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Insightful Parry

When you spend hold from Speed Divination, you take +1 armor forward.

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Insightful Attack

When you spend hold from Speed Divination, you deal +1d4 damage forward.

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Insightful Disruption

When someone is casting a spell and you are in a position to stop them, you may spend your hold from Speed Divination, 1-for-1, to interfere with their casting and negate the spell. Tell the GM what kind of maneuver you perform to accomplish this.

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Insightful Defender

When you perform the Defend move, you may use your hold from Speed Divination as a substitute for the hold from the Defend move.

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Clear-Sighted

When you carefully study your conversation partner, you may spend your hold from Speed Divinaton, 1-for-1, to detect whether you are being misled or lied to.

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Councelor

When you listen to another player's character telling you about their personal problems and offer them advice, you both mark experience.

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Timely Advice

When you provide timely advice to an ally, you may spend your hold from Speed Divinaton, 1-for-1, in the following additional ways.

*The ally may take +1 forward to any roll they make to further your stated goal.
*The ally may benefit from any Insightful Parry/Block/Attack/Assault moves you may have as if they had spent hold.

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Domino Effect

When you attempt to cause something to happen in the immediate area around you by causing a chain reaction, roll +Wis.

*On a 10+ the chain of events goes off without a hitch.

*On a 7-9 the chain of events goes spectacularily awry, but ends up benefitting you anyways. The GM will tell you how.

*On a 6- the chain of events goes spectacularily awry and you end up in some kind of danger.

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Apothecary

When you strenghten a healing item with other ingredients, roll +Int.

*On a 10+ choose one benefit, OR two benefits and one drawback.
*On a 7-9 You choose one benefit and the GM chooses one drawback.
*On a 6- You cause a small explosion and gain a GM assigned debility.

Benefits:

*The new item will heal the target +5 HP, in addition to it's normal effects.
*The new item will cure the target of one poison, debility or disease, in addition to it's normal effects.

Drawbacks:

*It will take a long time.
*It will require rare ingredients.
*It will require advanced equipment.
*You will need to obtain the recipe from somewhere.
*The effects of the new item are temporary.
*The new item will have side effects.
*The new item is short lived or volatile and requires careful preservation and handling.

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Placebo Effect

Requires: Apothecary

When you mix random ingredients into a fake medicine, you can perform the Apothecary move without using healing items. If you do, roll +Cha instead of +Int.

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When you gain a level from 6-10, choose from these moves or the level 2-5 moves.
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Witch's Brew

Requires: Apothecary

Replace the list of benefits in the Apothecary move with the following.

*The new item has some kind of magical effect, describe it. The GM has the option to choose an extra drawback.
*The new item will heal the target +10 HP, in addition to it's normal effects.
*The new item will cure the target of one poison, debility or disease, in addition to it's normal effects.

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Chaos Theory

Requires: Domino Effect

When you use Domino Effect, you are no longer restricted to the immediate area.

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Multiclass Initiate

Required: Multiclass Dabbler

Get one move from another class. Treat your level as one lower for choosing the move.

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Feng Shui Master

Requires: Feng Shui Practitioner

You no longer lose your hold when you leave an area where you've used Feng Shui Practitioner.

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Insightful Block

Replaces:Insightful Defense

When you spend hold from Speed Divination, you take +2 armor forward.

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Insightful Assault

Replaces: Insightful Attack

When you spend hold from Speed Divination, you deal +1d8 damage forward.

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True Seer

Requires: Clear-Sighted

When you open your mind's eye, you may spend your hold from Speed Divinaton, 1-for-1, to briefly see all things as they truly are.

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Master Diviner

You take +1 to Spout Lore or Discern Realities about your visions.

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I can read you like a book

While you focus on predicting the actions of a single opponent and ignore everything else around you, take +1 ongoing to all rolls and +1d4 damage ongoing when you act against that opponent, but take -1 ongoing to all rolls and -1d4 damage ongoing when doing anything else. This effect lasts until you dismiss it or until something causes you to lose your focus.

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Any comments?

Here is another two compendium classes for you.

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Compendium Class: Runecaster

When you decipher a text written in a language of power, you can take the following move the next time you level up.

If you do, your GM will provide you with a written version (or a summary) of the text you deciphered. If you decipher any further texts written in languages of power, your GM will provide you with the written versions (or summaries) of those as well.

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Runecasting

When you speak or write the words of power you have learned, compose a sentence describing what you wish to accomplish with a number of words up to your level, taken from the texts of power you have deciphered(stilted sentences are allowed and encouraged) and roll +Int.

On a 10+ you cast the spell succesfully, it does exactly what you wanted when you composed the sentence.

on a 7-9 you mess up a little, the spell does mostly what you wanted, but the GM may make small modifications to the interpretation.

On a 6- you mess up, the GM may interpret the spell as he wishes.

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Once you've taken "Rune Casting" You may pick from the following moves in addition to your class moves when you level up.

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Eloquency

When you are Runecasting, you may use an extra word to describe your spell.

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Enunciation

When you are Runecasting and roll a miss, you may make small modifications to the GM's interpretation.

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Runic Talisman

When you store a runic spell in a mundane object by inscribing words of power upon it, perform the Runecasting move and interpret the results as normal. That spell is now stored in the object and anyone possessing it can cast it at will. Once the spell has been cast, the magic leaves the object and the runes fade from it's surface.

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Compendium Class: Heart Eater

When you rip the heart (or equivalent) out of the chest of a creature you've slain and devour it fresh to gain it's power, you can take the following move the next time you level up.

If you do so keep a list of the creatures whose hearts you've eaten, the list can only be as long as your combined Con and Cha. If you devour more hearts than that, you must cross over your old ones until you're no longer over the limit.

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Stolen Power

When you meditate upon the power of the spirits of those whose hearts you've devoured, roll +Cha

*On a 10+ the spirits share their power freely. Hold 3.

*On a 7-9 the spirits will grant you power only if you indulge them. Hold 3, but only if you follow one of their instincts somehow or perform some other service for them, the GM will tell you what.

*On a 6- the spirits try to take over your mind. Hold 3 and the GM will assign you one of their instincts. If you don't follow that instinct when you spend your hold, take -1 forward. In addition, you can't use this move again until you've spent all of your hold.

You can spend your hold 1-for-1 to use the monster moves of those whose hearts you've eaten, if the move would require physiology you don't have, you temporarily sprout that physiology.

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Once you've taken "Stolen Power" You may pick from the following moves in addition to your class moves when you level up.

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Stolen Wisdom

When you meditate upon the wisdom of the spirits of those whose hearts you've devoured, roll +Cha

*On a 10+ the spirits grant you detailed insight into the current situation.

*On a 7-9 the spirits will help you only if you indulge them. The spirits will grant you detailed insight into the current situation, but only if you follow one of their instincts somehow or perform some other service for them, the GM will tell you what.

*On a 6- the spirits are vengeful, take -1 ongoing from the distracting hateful whispers until you appease the spirits by following one of their instincts somehow or perform some other service for them, the GM will tell you what.

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Substitute the Soul

When you make the Last Breath move, you can permanently cross over one of the creatures whose hearts you have devoured. If you do so, the soul of that creature passes through the Black Gates in your stead and you automatically succeed on your last breath as if you'd rolled a 10+. You will no longer be able to access the powers or instincts of that creature with your other Heart Eater moves.

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If you have any comments on any of these, I'd like to hear them.

Dude... awesome.

I LOVE the Fortuneteller.

What's everybody think of the balance? If it's reasonably on par with the other classes, I'm almost certain to offer it in my next campaign.

Thanks.

By the way, the I noticed I made a small error in the fortuneteller's Insightful Block move. It's Supposed to replace Insightful Parry, not Insightful Defense, which was the old name.

Also I've revised "I can read you like a book" to read as follows instead, to make it clear that it's your opponents who take more or less damage, not you.

"While you focus on predicting the actions of a single opponent and ignore everything else around you, take +1 ongoing to all rolls and deal +1d4 damage ongoing when you act against that opponent, but take -1 ongoing to all rolls and deal -1d4 damage ongoing when doing anything else. This effect lasts until you dismiss it or until something causes you to lose your focus."

Also trivia: The fortuneteller's name lists come from wikipedia's lists of occultists and astrologers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_occultists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_astrologers

I just picked fancy names for elves, cool but normal sounding names for humans and nordic and germanic sounding names for dwarves.

Here's another compendium class for you.

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Compendium Class: Vampire

When you exchange blood with a vampire, or perform a dark ritual transform yourself into one, you can take the following move the next time you level up.

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Bloodsucker

You are a vampire and have all the associated weaknesses that apply in your Dungeon World, you don't need to breathe.

You are always armed with the following:

*Claws and Fangs (Hand, +forceful, +messy)

When you assault someone with your fangs, roll Hack and Slash (or deal your damage if they can't or won't resist) and hold half of the damage you deal in Blood (round down).

You can spend Blood 1-for-1 to:

*Take +1 forward to any roll.
*Move unnaturally fast, jump unnaturally high and climb any surface, but only for a few moments.
*Deal +1d4 damage forward.
*Heal yourself or someone else 1d4 HP.
*Take +1 forward to Last Breath.
*Allow someone else to take +1 forward to Last Breath.
*Resist a vampiric weakness for a short time.
*As a substitute for a ration.

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Once you've taken "Bloodsucker" You may pick from the following moves in addition to your class moves when you level up.

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Daywalker

When you are exposed to a vampiric weakness that would damage you, you instead lose the ability to spend Blood on anything else except resisting that weakness. If you do spend Blood to resist the weakness, you regain the ability to spend Blood until the resistance wears off.

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Vampiric Transformation

You can spend Blood in the following additional ways:

*Transform into mist or a swarm of bats. When transformed you are intangible, difficult to harm and can fly, but have limited means of affecting the world around you. The transformation lasts until you dismiss it.

*Transform into a wolf, bat, rat or another animal associated with vampires. When transformed you can spend further blood 1-for-1 to use the monster moves of that animal. The transformation lasts until you dismiss it.

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Charming Gaze

When you look into someone's eyes, you can spend Blood in the following additional ways:

*Make them treat you as a friend until you prove otherwise.
*Make them ignore your existence until you make yourself known.
*Make them speak a few words of your choice.
*Make them make a concerted attack on a target of your choice.
*Make them give you something they hold.
*Make them truthfully answer one question.
*Make them forget something.

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Bloodburn

When you cannibalize your own vitality to fuel your powers, you can exchange your own HP for Blood at the ratio of 3 HP for 1 point of Blood.

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What do you think?

Thats really cool, I especially like that you said they have whatever weakness the players decide for their world, thats really good for play and narrative reasons.

The Heart Eater compendium class would make great inspiration for a conversion of the Totemist from Magic of Incarnum to Dungeon World.