Hi everybody. With some friend we recently start to play Apocalypse World, and really like it. We try to “expand” our options and create some new playbooks. I ask [
http://nerdwerds.blogspot.com.ar/ ]Doc how to do it and he gives me a great Answer
http://nerdwerds.blogspot.com.ar/2013/04/writing-playbooks.html . Based on what he said, I create The Freak. Had some significant flaws (Is still the first), and after some reconsiderations following the advice given in the comments [
http://www.story-games.com/forums/discussion/comment/413238#Comment_413238 ], I change the playbook to this (I took as a base The Faceless, who weakness is the mask, in The Freak case, would be the weapon. Keep that in mind). Tell me what you think.
THE FREAK
Sense the moment you pop up your head from between your mother’s leg, the psychic maelstrom gets into you and both become one. This has serious repercussions to your sanity, but… Who isn’t fuck up on the “top” in this world? You are just more honest about it than the rest. People usually refer to you as nutcase, madman, weirdo, and other not pleasant nicknames; doesn’t matter to you, you know best. Is a matter of semantic. There is “someone” with you all the time that understand, you are Not alone. You are part of Apocalypse World and have a role to play in it, a destiny to fulfill. You are a Herald from Fate and must show it to everybody else. How, is up to you.
Creating The Freak
Name
Absinth, Box, Calamity, Chosen, El Caballero, Ether, Fucktard, Eddie, Fool, Jester, La Dama, Lobo-Tommy, Machinehead, Napoléon, Period, Perrot, Pogo, Railtrain, Rampage, Rooster, Screwier, Sonofabitch, Waldo, Wave, Whispers.
Stats
Cool+1 Hard-1 Hot-1 Sharp+1 Weird+2
Cool-1 Hard-1 Hot+1 Sharp+1 Weird+2
Cool-1 Hard+1 Hot+1 Sharp-1 Weird+2
Cool+1 Hard+1 Hot-1 Sharp-1 Weird+2
Moves
You get all basic moves, and 3 more The Freak moves.
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:
• Pick one person whom you like (for whatever reason) and tell it a TRUE story about yourself. Tell them Hx+2.
• If you show to their your connection whit your Freaky Weapon, tell them to add Hx +1
• Tell everyone else Hx-1. You don’t form connections with most people and are hard to read. On the others’ turns:
• You have trouble understanding people. Whatever number they tell you, give it -1 and write it next to their character’s name, their do the same with you. You are just to fucking wacko. At the end, find the character with the highest Hx on your sheet. Ask that player which of your stats is most interesting, and highlight it. The MC will have you highlight a second stat too.
Look
Man, woman, ambiguous, transgressing.
Hospital-patient wear, casual wear, fetish wear, circus wear, vintage wear, savage wear.
Maniac face, emotionless face, pale face, sweet face, bony face, Haggard face, kind face, angular face, fluffy face, hard face.
Maniac eyes, nervous eyes, staring cold eyes, lost eyes, hard eyes, merciless eyes, pumping eyes, pale eyes, burning eyes, weird eyes, shady eyes.
Slim body, build body, tall body, solid body, twisted body, lollypop body, grey (like alien) body, unnatural body.
Gear
You start with:
• 2 Tokens
• 1 Freaky weapon
• 2 Custom to your Freaky weapon
• oddments worth 1-barter
• fashion suitable to your look, including at your option a piece worth 1-armor (you detail)
Tokens (choose 2):
• Weird helmet* (your detail) (valuable,+1-armor When you are hit in the head or +1-Hot when is worm).
• Reinforced straitjacket (+1-armor When you are hit in the upper body).
•Spyglass* (valuable, +1 Sharp When you take a look far, and/or “read a stich” trough it).
•Top hat (+1-Hot Just look good on you when is wear).
•Make-up kit* (+1/-1-Hot your choice, disguise, 2 uses).
•Hand Puppet (valuable) You wouldn’t sell your best friend, don’t you?
•Old pocket watch (valuable, hi-tech) •Remote control (hi-tech, valuable for those who knows to give it an use).
•A pet (you detail) (valuable alive). •Violin (valuable, 1-harm when hits with it and then its break).
•Bag with human bones (give +1 when you use it to “open your brain”).
•Other at your discretion and MC approval.
*counts as 2
Freaky Weapon (choose 1):
•Chainsaw (3-harm hand autofire messy).
•Machete or axe (3 harm hand messy).
• Scythe (3-harm area hand messy)
• Magnum (3-harm close reload loud)
Custom to your Freaky weapon (choose 2):
•Huge* (+1-harm, area)
•Ornate (valuable)
•Strange (valuable)
•AP (+Ap.)
• Long blade* (+2harm)
• Heavy blade* (+2harm)
•Hi-tech (+1 harm)
•Big (+1 harm)
*counts as 2 options
Freaky Weapon Attachment: Your weapon have a Name. Sometimes you talk to it and even treat it as Family. Maybe is your “Mother”, “Father”, “Uncle”, “friend”, “girlfriend”,” boyfriend”, had “needs” or anything you believe that suit your character in game. The thing is you have a “Relationship” with it, how this relationship is, is up to you (good, bad, conflicted, depending, etc.). If you loose your Freaky Weapon (It breaks, is stolen, etc.), automatically suffer ?-HARM. When the effect past away start to feel Lost without it, and you are despaired to recover it.
If it is lost for good (its break beyond any possibility of being repair, is stolen with no possibility of being recovered, etc.) you also suffer ?-HARM, To get a new one you must be successful in an “open your brain” roll. The MC will “guide” you to find a new one; in the mean time you will be Exposed. A new one will be a “reincarnation” of the original, but won’t be the same (-1-harm from the original, it had some kind of flaw).
Exposed, you are (choose 2):
Vulnerable: Whenever you suffer harm, you suffer +1harm.
Rumbling Incoherent: -1 To all your seduce and manipulate move.
Afraid: You take -1 ongoing until you recovered.
Irresolute: When you inflict harm, inflict -1harm.
Cut-off: You have Weird=0 until you recovered.
Powerless: You lose access to all of your character moves. You can still make basic moves.
Haunted: A treat (MC designed) chase you around. Only will stop when you destroy it with your new Freaky Weapon.
Mixed signals: Every time you read a person, you also open your brain (roll + weird as normal).
Oppression: Every time you act under fire, you also open your brain (roll + weird as normal)
Coward: Every time someone go Aggro against you, is like if their hit a 10+
The Freak Special
If you and another character have sex, roll + Weird On a 10+ you gain Hx +3, on a 7-9 you gain Hx +2 with that particular character. Then you can choose to give their between +1 to +3 with you. Brainers who have sex with you cannot use their deep brain scan as it is overpowered; however, they gain Hx+3 instead of Hx+2. You cannot gain any Hx from any PC specials as you can't find connection with other humans unless their have some connection with the psychic maelstrom as you do (had at least one The Freak move as one of their improvement if their choose it from “get a move from another playbook”).
On a miss, the consequences could be terrible. The character which you are having sex suffers ?-HARM. If is another PC also mark Hx -3 with you on his/her sheet.
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 options. Check it off; you can’t choose it again.
__ get +1cool (max cool+2)
__ get +1hard (max hard+2)
__ get +1hot (max hot+2)
__ get +1sharp (max sharp+2)
__ get a new Freak move
__ get a new Freak move
__ get a new Freak move
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a move from another playbook
__ get a gang (detail*) Leadership
*Only some really fuck up people will follow The Freak. Make a gang according to the character.
FREAK MOVES
Choo-Choo. Tracka-Tracka-Tracka. Choo-Choo. Crash. ¡BOOM!: Your train of thought is out of control constantly and rumbling. This affects you to a molecular level and extends to all your body. When you are incapacitated by mystic visions, you gain insight.
¡Oh! Hi: Roll + Weird instead of Hx when you are helping or interfering. On a 7-9 you:
-give +2 (helping)
-give -3 (Interfering)
On a 10+ you: -give +2 (helping) You and the other character gain Hx +1.
-give -3 (Interfering) You gain Hx +1 and the other character gain Hx -1 with you (Their can´t finish of understand what just happened, you “think” you do).
Harbinger Of The Cracked Reality: You gain +1 Weird.
Feed from the psych: Your connection with the psychic maelstrom allows you to gain sustain from it. Roll + Weird. On a 10+ chose both, on a 7-9 choose 1:
*Feed for a day.
*Hydrated for a day.
On a miss, suffer 1-harm until can feed and/or drink.
Raider on the storm: When you “Open Your Brain” to the psychic maelstrom and miss the roll, you suffer no harm. You also become immune to suffer any ?-HARM.
Coo-Coo Countdown: The psychic maelstrom wants you, NEEDs you alive (or so you think). After 11 to 12 on your clock you ignore 1-additional damage and counts as if you still are into 11 to 12 (So you still can be resurrected). (One time for roleplaying session).
Brutalized: You have it hard all your life (and maybe that’s why you are so fuck up and mentally cripple, besides of the psychic maelstrom in you of course) Take -2 on all “when you suffer harm” rolls.
We know best: When you read a person, roll + Weird instead of roll + Sharp. On a 10+, ask +3 questions. On a 7-9, ask +1 question:
• What or who do they love best?
• Who do they know, like and/or trust?
• How could I get to them, physically or emotionally?
The Freak Moves Rule
When another character use “get a move from another playbook” as improvement and choose one move from The Freak, automatically also suffer ?-HARM. The same will be apply when a character choose change your character to a new type as an improvement. Everybody had some connection with the psychic maelstrom, but The Freak kind of born from it and not everyone can handle the experience.