Friday, December 14, 2012

ALL of the Playbooks

If you want to contact me to share a new playbook, inform me of a dead link, or anything about this page, put "AW page" in the subject heading and send it to nerdwerds AT gmail dot com

Keep checking back! Last updates...

December, 2021 = moved my own playbooks to itch
November 22, 2021 = I'm getting rid of all of the non-AW links on this page. I gave up following all of the individual PbtA hacks a long time ago, and it's not my place to support games that in most cases I know nothing about. This page has gotten entirely too long and bloated, and it's already quite large with all of the playbooks that have been made! (also, I haven't been playing AW for several years, but I am set to start a new game soon, and hopefully that will push me to finish converting more of the 1st edition playbooks into 2nd edition.)
September 29, 2021 = it's been awhile! Google Drive has updated their service twice over and it changed all of the sharing options on the pdfs, I want to find a new place to host the pdfs and until then trying to download a pdf requires me to "approve" the download, sorry about this, I'll try to get it fixed soon
October 1, 2017 = Added the Dog playbook, removed 1st edition version
August 31, 2017 = Added flipbook-style playbook links

If you download anything from this page, please donate a little money to Doctors Without Borders. Thanks!

2nd edition!
"old school" legal-size playbooks
Angel playbook link to download
Battlebabe playbook link to download
Brainer playbook link to download
Chopper playbook link to download
Driver playbook link to download
Gunlugger playbook link to download
Hardholder playbook link to download
Hocus playbook link to download
Maestro d' playbook link to download
Savvyhead playbook link to download
Skinner playbook link to download

Child-Thing playbook link to download
Faceless playbook link to download
News playbook link to download
Quarantine playbook link to download
Show playbook link to download
Waterbearer playbook link to download
Landfall Marine playbook link to download


Unnofficial Playbooks

The Beemaster, by Zach Staads
In olden days, folks told tales of fantastic places and bold adventurers. Some fought with steel, some with smarts, and some through furred, scaled, or feathered friends, animalistic companions bold and loyal.

Aint no one telling fantastic tales any more, but the real weird makes up for it; you might not have a direwolf or a chimera, but you've sure got a hell of a lot of bees.


Inspired by Drawfee and the Beeforged fan class from 5th edition D&D.

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The Damned, by Johnstone Metzger
The apocalypse came and went, now its leftover terrors lie across the land like a plague of fear. The weak cower in their hovels, content to eke out a meager life, praying that demons in the guise of men will pass them over. For those demons have no fears, they refuse to kneel, they want your crowns. And how will you threaten them from atop your thrones? How can you reason with a fiend when all it knows is hunger?


Johnstone Metzger once granted me permission to convert his Heralds of Hell playbooks into a legal-size format, and he granted me permission again to revise those same playbooks to the second edition rules for Apocalypse World.

LINKS
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The Dog, by Patrick Mallah
Man's best friend.

If they only knew.


A playbook for Apocalypse World that puts the player into the role of a psychic dog, heavily inspired by the novella A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison.

The dog is a telepath, and is supported by their own human companion and/or the other players. If you've ever wanted to play a psychic dog, this is the playbook for you. Warning: you are still just a dog, and all that implies.

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The Grotesque, by Avery Adler
They talk about the apocalypse like it’s a curse. They talk about the apocalypse like it took something from them - the golden age of once upon a time. They talk about the apocalypse like it’s an act of betrayal, perpetrated by some malign entity.

They talk about the apocalypse as if they don’t realize you’re standing right there.


Thanks to the generous permission granted by Avery Alder, I have revised the Grotesque playbook to fit with the second edition rules for Apocalypse World, with all new artwork provided by Marie Ann Mallah!

LINKS
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The Haunted, by Johnstone Metzger
Everything we have is robbed from graves, from corpses entombed in their own homes, from the dead cities buried under dirt and water, from the past and its memories. Do you think they see you, with their crowpicked eye-holes? Can you hear them speak, with their black and bloated mouths? Yeah, go ahead, son. Brush it off. But there’s more things under these shattered heavens than you think. The dead far outnumber the living now. And I have to wonder: is there still room enough in hell?

Once upon a time Johnstone Metzger granted me permission to convert his Heralds of Hell playbooks into a legal-size format, and I asked him again for permission to revise those same playbooks to the second edition rules for Apocalypse World, which he granted.

LINKS
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The Horseman, by Johnstone Metzger
Those seals are broken and the end has come.
Seems like we didn't all get the message, huh?
Well, somebody has to break the bad news to the fools gone deaf.
Better be one tough sonofabitch though.
These motherfuckers are likely to kill the messenger.


Johnstone Metzger once granted me permission to convert his Heralds of Hell playbooks into a legal-size format, and now he has granted me permission again to revise those same playbooks to the second edition rules for Apocalypse World.



The Red Shirt, by Patrick Mallah
They say some people were born to lead. They weren't talking about you.

The red shirt is a henchman to someone else's agenda, an expendable but not forgettable character. Play a red shirt if you want to be a support character. Warning: prepare to die, but give yourself permission to change allegiances if you need to.


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The Unstitched, by Patrick Mallah
You're on a crusade to save your home, you've stepped sideways through the maelstrom to fulfill your duty, only to find yourself dancing with death. You're here now, unstuck from your own time, and you know that all of this happened already, more or less.

An ingratiating infiltrator who knows too much, struggling to find their own peace. Play an unstitched if you want to have access to the most dangerous knowledge about anyone else, or anywhen. Warning: failing your mission from the future can seriously change your plans, unless that IS your plan.


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The Wolf, by Patrick Mallah
The world is a dangerous place filled with smoke and mirrors, it's a steaming pile of crap where others bicker and fight over meaningless twaddle. They circle each other like dogs, waiting to bite the closest friend with a leg up. You're in this world too, but you see through the smoke, you're above the crap, and you have the leash. You just have to teach them who's really in charge.

The wolf is a villain. It gives a player the opportunity to be an additional threat impulse, but still has to contend with threats the MC throws at them. Play a wolf if you want to stir up shit and start trouble. Warning: you will be considered a threat and a nuisance by everybody else.


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LINKS
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The Last Child, by Johnstone Metzger
We knew we’d never live enough to grow old, but our children never even grow up. Between cannibals, plague and the black wind howling in our minds, the souls of our young are snatched from our homes nearly every day.

Except for that one, the youngest. The last one born, who looks at you like they say the sun used to, before all of this. Don’t speak of kill or be killed, this one has other means, so strange to see. Is this child really the last of us, or the first of something else?


Johnstone Metzger once granted me permission to convert his Heralds of Hell playbooks into a legal-size format, and now he has granted me permission again to revise those same playbooks to the second edition rules for Apocalypse World.

LINKS
letter size
legal size
full book size


1st edition!
Apocalypse World - tri-fold pdfs of player-made Playbooks

the Agent, by Madu - the 3rd version, but if the pdf doesn't work for you HERE is a link to the 1st version

this playbook was originally posted to the AW forum HERE

the Beast Master, by Tim Franzke & Patrick Mallah



the Behemoth (original)
, by J. Walton (alpha, possibly subject to change)

the Behemoth (trifold), by J. Walton (alpha, possibly subject to change)

the Boy and his Dog, by Dragonraven (seems incomplete)

the Boy & His Dog, by Willow Palecek

the Coot, by Dan Hull

the Damned, one of the Heralds of Hell playbooks, by Johnstone Metzger

Basically a vampire but they feed on sin, they get close to people find the worst ones then feed their hunger. If you want to be sneaky and have moral ambiguity, play a Damned. Warning: your hunger dominates everything you do, and it is also your greatest sin

the Feral Kid, by Mike Sands

the Giant & the Kid, by Davide

the Grotesque, by Avery Mcdaldno - follow instructions at the link, IT'S WORTH IT!

Basically a mutant. Unpredictable and alien, the Grotesque is sometimes defined by their mutations but they also have something good to offer the community that accepts them. If you want to be a capital-W weird outsider, then play a Grotesque. Warning: being grotesque doesn't make you a threat, but it does make threats zero in on you

the Haunted, one of the Heralds of Hell playbooks, by Johnstone Metzger

the Horseman, one of the Heralds of Hell playbooks, by Johnstone Metzger

the Juggernaut, by Mike Sands

the Kid, author unknown, based on Mike Sands' the Feral Kid

the Last Child, one of the Heralds of Hell playbooks, by Johnstone Metzger

the Man in the Box, a not very serious playbook by Yragaël Malbos

the Orphan, by Jamie Fristrom & Matt Strickling

the Radio, by Monte Lin

the Rat-Pack, by Gerald C.

the Ruin Runner, by Jeff Russell

the Scholar, by dheeney


the Shieldbearer
, by Markus Öhman

Basically a sheriff. They exude authority and people listen to them. If you want to push people around just by being canny and smart, play a Shieldbearer. Warning: by setting yourself up as the authority who can muscle into anybody's shit, and everybody will be coming to you looking for help with their shit

the Shieldbearer - Officer Dangle artwork, by Markus Öhman

the Sorceror, one of the Heralds of Hell playbooks, by Johnstone Metzger

the Spectacle, by Sean Musgrave

Basically a gladiator. They're decent fighters all on their own, but mostly for show and adulation. If you want people to love you and still be a badass, play a Spectacle. Warning: being in the limelight is not always the best place to be, and fans can also be fickle if they feel mistreated

the Synthetic, by Nathan Roberts (noofy)

the Tribal, original artwork, by Dragonraven

the Tribal, by Dragonraven

the Turncoat, by Nick Doyle

the Witch, by Christopher Weeks

the Wolf, by Patrick Mallah

Warning: you will be considered a threat and a nuisance by everybody else

the Wrangler, by Tim Franzke

Basically an animal handler. They own a pack of animals and have a strange connection to them, which means security, happiness, and peace, as long as your pack is fed and alive. If you want to do awesome and weird things and still keep others at a distance, play a Wrangler. Warning: your pack is awesome, but you’ll be at a pretty significant disadvantage when they aren’t around, plus people will think you smell funny


Apocalypse World - Expansion Playbooks
  • the Broodmother - a Brainer expansion, by Jonathan Walton
  • the Catalyst - a Battlebabe expansion, by Jonathan Walton
  • the Devoted - a Brainer expansion, by Dylan Boates
  • the Fallen - a Quarantine expansion, by Jonathan Walton
  • the Living God - a Hocus expansion, by Johnstone Metzger
  • the Loner - a Gunlugger expansion, by Jonathan Walton
  • the Maelstrom Incarnate - a universal expansion, by Joshua Bailey
  • The Mendicant - a Touchstone expansion, by Jonathan Walton
  • the Valkyrie - a Battlebabe expansion, by Jonathan Walton
  • the Witch King - a Hocus expansion, by Ben Wray
  • the Wurm - a Hoarder expansion, by Jonathan Walton

    Apocalypse World - Party Favors
  • Advanced Moves - basic moves playbooks with the advanced versions of the moves added into their descriptions
  • The Afterborn - an MC and player resource for role-playing young adults in Apocalypse World, by Jonathan Walton
  • Blank Cards - for Customs Moves, +1s, and Mysteries, by Patrick Mallah
  • Blood & Guts - an alternative to and more detailed version of the Harm move, by Simon C.
  • generic playbook - a Scribus file for creating your own trifold playbooks
  • Harm Moves - alternate or extra harm moves, by Paul Taliesin
  • the 11 Core Playbooks + Moves - the core playbooks and pamphlets as single-page sheets, by John Harper
  • MC Toolkit - random settlements, NPCs, hazards, etc., by Michael Bay
  • NPC Generator
  • Playbook Template
  • Supplemental - a trifold containing information from the Mysteries and Walkingsuit supplementals
  • What is Apocalypse World? - an informational brochure for introducing new players to the game

    Apocalypse World - downloads or forum posts where a new playbook is described but no tri-fold pdf exists (yet)
  • the Abacus
  • the Firebug
  • the Hound
  • the Revenant
  • the Swashbuckler
  • the Transmitter
  • the Traveller
  • the Wildcard


    ORIGINAL POST
    Many of the player-created playbooks for Apocalypse World are hard to track down, and that's kind of annoying. I'm actually surprised at how many comments I've seen online from people saying "I don't have that one" or "I only have these."
    It looks like about a year ago there was this trading community happening with a handful of people on a few forums, probably because there was no single place to upload files to, but as somebody who is relatively new to Apocalypse World it feels like there are players hoarding playbooks and not sharing them with the rest of us who are late to the party, and that attitude seems really childish.
    When I do searches for playbooks the first page almost always links back to multiple forums where one person is spam-asking for the same playbooks over and over again, yet he refuses to share what he's acquired unless somebody else trades him something new. Today he offered to sell me all of the playbooks he's accumulated for $15. So, you know, if you wrote a playbook that you intended to share with other players there's one guy out there trying to profit from your work without sharing the profit with you. In contrast, the stuff that I spent the last few weeks working on I make publicly available on my blog for anybody to use.
    I feel that this whole trading and keeping it hard to find attitude also runs counter to the spirit of encouragement D. Vincent Baker wrote into the game by asking people to hack the game and make it their own. I think there needs to be a unified place for those who've contributed to AW, even in a small way, to share their work and get recognition for it. The Barf Forth Apocalyptica forums are difficult to navigate at times, there isn't a list of links to others' work, and there isn't a single sticky-ed thread that lists all of the great work that's come out of the community.
    I'm making this post in the hopes that other people with player-made custom playbooks will upload their work to the internet and share their work with the rest of us. Here are links or instructions for getting all of the playbooks I've managed to find online. (If I know who wrote it, I also credit them.)

    UPDATED, November 2013
    When I first started this page I thought there were only about a dozen playbooks that had been made by other players. I'm truly surprised at the abundance of work that has been done, the shared enthusiasm so many people hold for the Apocalypse World rules, and the generosity so many of the creators of these links have shared. There are also TONS of hacks!

    edit edit edit

  • Thursday, December 13, 2012

    Adventure World: of elves and regents

    Okay, I'm just going to put this out there: I don't like elves. The fact that they're wedged into every setting as these mysterious, nearly-immortal beings with access to ancient and otherworldly magics and then a player is allowed to just take one as a character seems dumb. If the elves are awesome then the player's character should be equally awesome, which signifies one of two things:
    1) that elf character is not awesome and therefore elves are dumb
    2) that player just wants to play an awesome character and wants to fast track it with an elf, which is dumb
    I'll eventually sit down and write up an elf playbook for my Adventure World hack, but right now I have no interest in it. It feels like a chore.

    Chalk it up to personal experience but I've only seen two players choose an elf in any game I've run before.
    One was a player with no imagination, and every character he played was an elven fighter-mage. As a fellow player, it was kind of annoying because he was always just playing the same guy no matter what happened.
    The other player used his status as an elf to halt the adventure. I was GMing the classic GDQ1-7 series of modules and when we got to the first drow section he said "Nope, these guys are elves, I'm leaving."
    Soured, doubly so.

    And as for the Regent? I'm not going to post the stats here, because 95% of the playbook is just taken from the Hardholder playbook. Leadership and Wealth play off of Valor (as opposed to Power), so that starting stats are:

    STATS
    • Valor+2 Power=0 Alert=0 Moxie+1 Magic=0
    • Valor+2 Power+1 Alert+1 Moxie-1 Magic=0
    • Valor+2 Power+1 Alert-1 Moxie+1 Magic=0
    • Valor+2 Power=0 Alert+1 Moxie+1 Magic-1

    And the
    REGENT SPECIAL
    If another character swears fealty to you, they immediately change their sheet to say Hx+3 with you. At your option, you mark +1Hx with them at the start of every session. If they ever break their fealty, you mark experience and they can never be trusted by you ever again, change their sheet to say Hx-3 with you and it will never change from this point forward.
    When another character does what you say and they haven’t sworn fealty to you, you get +1Hx with them.

    I thought about giving the Regent playbook a Bloodline from Birthright, but that might dramatically alter the playbook. That's a little too much work for me right now, I want to focus on getting the basics of the game down now and tweak the playbooks as needed.

    That's about it.

    ADDED: A friend of mine thought that Regent special was too powerful, saying "Why not just order all non-vassals to do what they were going to anyway?"
    I think intention is important for this kind of move, plus if the fiction doesn't support it than common sense dictates that that wouldn't work. Right? Here are a few examples:

    #1:
    Klepto (a thief):
    I failed to pick Pluto's pocket.
    Pluto (a warrior): I punch Klepto in the face
    Bitch-trog (a regent): I command Pluto to attack Klepto
    MC: Um... Pluto was already going to punch Klepto.
    Bitch-trog: Yeah, but now I'll get History.
    MC: No you won't! He was going to punch him before you told him to, stop being such a bitch Bitch-trog!
    Bitch-trog: Awwww!

    #2:
    Bitch-trog:
    I command Pluto to attack Klepto
    Pluto: I'm not going to do that!
    Klepto: Well, I *did* steal your gold.
    Pluto: You what?! I punch Klepto in the face!
    Bitch-trog: Yay! I get History!
    MC: Um... no you don't. He's punching Klepto because he stole, not because you told him too.
    Bitch-trog: Awww!

    #3:
    Bitch-trog:
    I command Pluto to attack Klepto
    Pluto: Yeah, why not? I stab Klepto in the face with my knife.
    Klepto: What?
    Bitch-trog: Yay, I get History!
    MC: Yes. Yes you do Bitch-trog.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2012

    Adventure World: the Dwarf

    Introducing THE DWARF

    NAME
    Azag, Bain, Dalin, Durin, Gimin, Khaz, Nogre, Telchar, Thorli
    Akrip, Azduk, Kilild, Nalre, Nodred, Nurre, Ovbryn, Vulthra, Yurun

    STATS
    Choose one set:
    • Valor+1 Power+2 Moxie-1 Alert+2 Magic-2
    • Valor=0 Power+2 Moxie+1 Alert=0 Magic=0
    • Valor+1 Power+2 Moxie=0 Alert+1 Magic-1
    • Valor+1 Power+2 Moxie=0 Alert+1 Magic-1

    DWARF MOVES
    You get this 1:

    Stoneheart: when you come within melee range of a stone structure or any kind of stonework, it’s as if you examined the environment and rolled a 10. You notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. As long as it’s made of stone or rock, you can ask questions as if you rolled a 10. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone is instantly recognizable as NOT-stone, but that is all you know until you examine the environment as normal. You can also intuit depth, and always know exactly how far underground you are and which way is up.

    Then choose 2:

    Commander: when you help or interfere with someone, roll+power instead of roll+Hx.

    Know the Land: you never get lost in the wilderness, and you avoid all natural hazards, such as quicksand, rockslides or foul weather.

    Master Your Craft: any project you finish in your workshop is worth +1gold.

    Never Run Away: if you go straight into danger without knowing what you’re up against, you get +1armor. If you happen to be leading a warband or followers, they get +1armor too.

    Never Trust Magic: you get +1ongoing when you defy magical danger. All uses of magic on you suffer -1ongoing or +1armor, depending on what was used the MC will declare where the penalty falls (magical healing would suffer -1 to the roll or the effect, +1armor would apply to a spell but not a magical weapon, etc.)

    Stout Hands and a Solid Swing: when wielding a 2-handed melee weapon you get +1armor, when wielding an axe of some kind you deal +1damage, and yes you get both if you’re wielding a 2-handed axe.

    Venom in Your Blood: you cannot be poisoned. You don’t get drunk either.

    Workshop: you have tools and the space to make some kind of craft. Choose 1:
    • carpentry (projects: furniture, shelter; cost: 3gold; wants: wood)
    • leatherworks (projects: clothing, armor; cost: 1gold; wants: skins)
    • smithy (projects: armor, weapons; cost: 2gold; wants: metal, coal)
    • jeweler (projects: rings, necklace; cost: 3gold; wants: metal, gems)
    During downtime, you may attempt a project provided you have the materials needed by paying the cost. Roll+alert. On a 10+, you make the project in the time allotted and have items worth twice the cost. On a 7-9, you’re lacking in materials and need to fulfill your want before you can finish. Your final project will be worth as much as the cost to build it. On a miss, the project is a disaster and you lose all the materials associated with the project. You can take this move multiple times, specifying a new craft each time you take it.

    GEAR
    You get:
    • 1 weapon
    • oddments worth 1-gold
    • custom armor

    Choose weapon:
    • bastard sword (4-damage 2-hand melee messy)
    • battleaxe (3-damage 2-hand melee area messy)
    • handaxe (2-damage melee messy) + shield (+1armor)
    • morningstar (3-damage melee) + shield (+1armor)
    • spear (3-damage 2-hand reach)
    • trident (3-damage 2-hand reach)
    • warhammer (3-damage 2-hand melee)

    Custom armor (2-armor and choose 1):
    • ancient (+rare)
    • masterwork (+valuable)
    • military (+military)

    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 whether you are by nature generous with your trust and resources, or reserved. If the former, then tell everyone Hx+1. If the latter, then tell everyone Hx=0.
    On the others’ turns, choose 1 or both:
    • One of them has been with you since before. Whatever number that player tells you, give it +1 and write it next to the character’s name.
    Everyone else, whatever number they tell you, write it next to their character’s name.
    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.

    DWARF SPECIAL
    If you escort another player out of danger and to safety, make something for them, or give them or receive from them a gift worth 1-gold or more, you both mark +1Hx with each other.
    When you die, everybody else marks experience.

    Monday, December 10, 2012

    Adventure World: an explanation

    I keep hearing criticisms from gamer friends that my Adventure World playbooks are unnecessary because somebody already made an Apocalypse World hack and it's called Dungeon World. Yeah, I know. I have a copy of the Dungeon World pdf and it's an impressive piece of work. But if I wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons using an Apocalypse World design philosophy, I would probably just play Dungeons & Dragons and use the MC moves out of Apocalypse World.

    I am not a fan of level-based role-playing game systems. D&D is usually the game everybody starts with and so they just get used to this idea that power ascends gradually, but it's always felt disconnected in some way. I remember trying to learn the magic system for the first time and it took me a while to grasp that a 2nd-level wizard doesn't really have access 2nd-level spells. (I was 7 years old, and you'd think it didn't make sense too if you were that old.) When I first got exposed to GURPS and a purely skill-based system it was to play a Star Trek game where I suddenly had a lot of freedom to do whatever I wanted and so I focused on playing a fighter-type. It's what made me comfortable, and I've found that I gravitate toward the same play style every time I'm exposed to a new system.

    Apocalypse World is probably the first RPG I've ever not played a warrior-type my first time playing. Without knowing anything about it, it just seemed like a very alien kind of game at first and I dove in with a somewhat random choice of playbook. I've come to really appreciate the game, and when I was recently asked if I wouldn't mind taking over as a GM sometime soon I thought "Well, I'd like to keep playing Apocalypse World, but in a fantasy setting."

    That's where my Adventure World playbooks ave been coming from. I read through Dungeon World and didn't like that they retained the level system of traditional D&D, so I decided to make my own fantasy-themed playbooks that would owe more to the core game of Apocalypse World. I take inspiration from multiple sources: the Apocalypse World playbooks and bonus playbooks, the Dungeon World rules, and the Barf Forth Apocalyptica forums. I'm trying to make something unique for my game and my group of players, that still recognizably looks like the core game I started with.

    And I've only just started. These playbooks I've been writing are first drafts.

    Adventure World: the Bard

    Introducing THE BARD

    NAME
    Cormac, Gilles, Gorse, Iolo, Jacques, Johan, Mikhail, Odo, William
    Brenna, Dori, Helena, Hildy, Isadore, Onioth, Tara, Venus, Zara

    STATS
    Choose one set:
    • Valor=0 Power=0 Moxie+2 Alert+1 Magic=0
    • Valor+1 Power-1 Moxie+2 Alert=0 Magic+1
    • Valor=0 Power+1 Moxie+2 Alert+1 Magic-1
    • Valor-1 Power+1 Moxie+2 Alert+1 Magic=0

    BARD MOVES
    You get this 1:

    Music Moves the World: when you perform your instrument before an audience, roll+moxie. On a 10+, spend 3. On a 7–9, spend 1. Spend 1 to name an NPC member of your audience and choose one:
    • this person must meet me
    • this person must hire me
    • this person must do something for me
    • this person must fight for me
    • this person loves me
    • this person must give me a gift
    • this person admires my patron
    On a miss, you gain no benefit, but suffer no harm or lost opportunity. You simply perform very well.

    Then, choose 2:

    Around the World: choose a move from another playbook. (During initial character creation, choose it from a playbook that isn’t otherwise in play.)

    Let the Music Do the Talking: you get +1moxie (Moxie+3).

    Jack/Jill of All Trades: at the beginning of the session, roll+moxie. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. You can spend a hold at any time to use +1forward for yourself. You may spend more than 1 on the same roll. On a miss, you’re feeling out of it and suffer -1ongoing for the session.

    Jamming Good: while you perform your instrument during combat, but don’t fight, roll+moxie. On a 10+, everybody you choose gets +1ongoing. On a 7–9, one person you choose gets +1ongoing. On a miss, you become the primary target of your enemies.

    Legend Lore: when first confronted with local notable peoples, interesting animals, unusual items, or noteworthy places, you may ask the MC to answer one question about the thing. The MC will then ask you what tale, song, or legend you heard that information from.

    Motley Crew: you have two fellow musicians that follow you around and play support instruments. At the beginning of the session, roll+alert. On a 10+, your band have surplus. On a 7–9, they have surplus, but choose 1 want. On a miss, they are in want. If their surplus lists gold, like 1-gold or 2-gold, that’s your personal share. These two are loyal to you but not fanatical, and they have their own lives apart from you (surplus: 1-gold want: desertion). Name them. Characterize them.
    Choose 2:
    • Your bandmates are dedicated to you. Surplus: +1gold, and replace want: desertion with want: idle.
    • Your bandmates are educated and worldly. Surplus: +insight.
    • Your bandmates are joyous and celebratory. Surplus: +party.
    • Your bandmates are shrewd and frugal. Surplus: +1gold.
    • Your bandmates are hard-working, no-nonsense. Surplus: +1gold.
    • You travel with a full compliment. Add four more musicians. Surplus: +1gold, and replace want: desertion with want: hunger.
    Choose 2:
    • Your bandmates aren’t really yours, more like you’re theirs. Want: +judgment.
    • Your bandmates rely entirely on you for their lives and needs. Want: +desperation.
    • Your bandmates disdain fashion, luxury and convention. Want: +disease.
    • Your bandmates disdain law, peace, reason and society. Surplus: +violence.
    • Your bandmates are decadent and perverse. Want: +savagery.

    Under Pressure: when you read a person, roll+moxie instead of roll+alert.

    Universal Language: you can mark 1 segment in a language wheel for free when you first interact with somebody who speaks a language you don’t know.

    GEAR
    You get:
    • 1 hidden weapon
    • 1 fancy instrument
    • 1 unusual item (you detail with MC)
    • oddments worth 2-gold
    • fashion suitable to your look (you detail)

    Hidden weapon:
    • dagger (1-damage ap melee/thrown)
    • dart (1-damage thrown infinite)
    • net (s-damage thrown grapple)
    • sap (2-damage ko melee)
    • short Sword (2-damage melee)
    • throwing knives (2-damage thrown infinite)

    Fancy instrument:
    • mandolin
    • lute
    • pipes
    • horn
    • fiddle

    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, 3 or none:
    • One of them is your friend. Tell that player Hx+2.
    • One of them is your lover. Tell that player Hx+1.
    • One of them is in love with you. Tell that player Hx-1.
    • Tell everyone else Hx=0.
    On the others’ turns:
    • For everyone, whatever number they tell you, give it +1 and write it next to the character’s name. You read people pretty easily.
    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.

    BARD SPECIAL
    If your advice is asked for, it acts as insight for the other player’s character (p.212).
    When you take something from another character, under any circumstances, you get +1Hx with them.

    Friday, December 7, 2012

    Adventure World: the Halfling

    Introducing THE HALFLING
    Standing about 3 feet tall, halflings prefer simple lives, comfortable homes, and practical clothes. They prefer actual comfort to displays of wealth. Halflings only adventure when they are pressed into it by others, or when some form of deep curiosity must be sated. Sometimes both.

    NAME
    Berilac, Fosco, Hob, Longo, Mertram, Nob, Popo, Samwise, Togo
    Bella, Blossom, Esmerelda, Honeysuckle, Marlyn, Pansy, Pepwin, Polly, Rose

    STATS
    Choose one set:
    • Valor+2 Power-1 Moxie=0 Alert+1 Magic+1
    • Valor+2 Power=0 Moxie+1 Alert+1 Magic-1
    • Valor+2 Power-2 Moxie-1 Alert+2 Magic+1
    • Valor+2 Power-1 Moxie+1 Alert+1 Magic=0

    HALFLING MOVES
    You get 1:

    Small: halfings are small and almost unnoticeable. A number of things are different about you because of this:
    • armor needs to be specially crafted for you and thus paid for.
    • your smaller size means you are less useful in combat. Opponents effectively have +1armor.
    • you can fit into places where most others can’t, attempting to hide or escape is +1ongiong for you.
    • when you take payment or split treasure, you don’t need as much and take less but somehow it ends up being worth just as much. (If an NPC pays you 1-gold, you receive 2-gold. If your share of the treasure is 2-gold it’s actually worth 3-gold.)

    Then, choose 2:

    Entourage: you travel with 3 to 5 other halflings. By default, they are rowdy and naïve with makeshift or scavenged weapons and no discipline (2-damage gang Halfling loud 1-armor). Then, choose 2:
    • there are actually a lot of them following you, 12 to 18 of them. +1armor.
    • they’ve lived outside of a Halfling village for some time now. +1damage.
    • they know how dangerous the world is. Drop loud.
    • they are self-sufficient and able to provide for themselves. +rich.
    • they are strong individuals with their own ideas. +insight.
    And choose 1:
    • they don’t take care of themselves and they need constant attention. Vulnerable: reckless.
    • they are picky and always hungry. Vulnerable: slow.
    • they aren’t that loyal, coming and going as they choose. Vulnerable: desertion.
    • they, and you, are in significant debt to someone powerful. Vulnerable: obligation.
    • they are filthy and unwell. Vulnerable: disease.

    Extraordinary Resilience: you always suffer -1damage. This is not armor, this is applied to damage after armor has reduced it.

    Full of Surprises: when you take damage, make this move instead of making the normal damage move. Roll+damage taken. On a 10+, choose 2. On a 7–9, choose 1:
    • It’s not so bad. Take -1damage.
    • Someone present drops 1-gold (doesn’t increase to 2-gold with small).
    • Take +1forward against your attacker.
    Treat a miss on this move as a 7–9 hit on the normal harm move.

    Incredibly Capable: when you lay siege, roll+alert instead of roll+power.

    Never Abandoned: when another character rolls+Hx to help you, they mark experience.

    Stout Heart: when fighting unarmed, you inflict your +valor in damage.

    “What have I got in my pocket?”: when you search your pockets and saddlebags for something, roll+valor. It has to be something small enough to fit. On a 10+, you happen to have just the thing, or close enough. On a 7–9, you happen to have something pretty close, unless what you’re looking for is valuable or rare, in which case no dice. On a miss, you used to have just the thing, but it turns out that somebody stole it from you.

    GEAR
    You get:
    • 1 sentimental weapon
    • oddments worth 2-gold
    • fashion suitable to your look, including at your option a piece worth 1-armor (you detail)

    Sentimental weapon (choose 1):
    • dagger (1-damage ap melee/thrown)
    • gauntlet (1-damage melee)
    • hammer (2-damage melee)
    • handaxe (2-damage melee messy)
    • pick (1-damage ap melee)
    • sap (2-damage ko melee)
    • short sword (2-damage melee)
    • shortbow (2-damage ranged)
    • sling (1-damage ranged)
    • throwing Knives (2-damage thrown infinite)

    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:
    • Who was the first non-halfling you met outside of your home? Tell that person Hx+2.
    • Tell everyone else Hx+1.
    On the others’ turns:
    • Whatever number everyone tells you, give it -1 and write it next to their character’s name. You don’t really understand these tall folk sometimes.
    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.

    HALFLING SPECIAL
    If you cook for another character and they eat the whole meal, you take +1Hx with them and they take +1forward.
    Whenever you have a chance to rest, eat well, smoke a pipe, and get drunk, mark an experience circle.

    Adventure World: the Priest

    Introducing THE PRIEST
    You reach for the stars, shake the pillars of heaven and pull them down around you. Someday your guidance will instruct kings on how to behave and where to give money. Anybody who doesn’t appreciate your vision needs to get slapped, and you have planned to do a lot of slapping! You know you’re right, because you work for god.

    NAME
    Achard, Enbane, Hezak, Laderic, Nidale, Perol, Sithik, Tousba, Zigmal
    Chani, Errinaya, Gronalyn, Ilene, Lolinda, Peri'el, Teresse, Wellisa, Zynoa

    STATS
    Choose one set:
    • Valor+1 Power=0 Moxie+2 Alert-1 Magic+1
    • Valor+1 Power-1 Moxie+2 Alert=0 Magic+1
    • Valor+1 Power-1 Moxie+2 Alert+1 Magic=0
    • Valor+1 Power+1 Moxie+2 Alert=0 Magic-1

    PRIEST MOVES
    You get this 1:


    Dedicated: choose a deity to whom you have dedicated your life’s work and committed your soul to infinite spiritual service to. Each one grants you a unique move that requires some form of material component and uses roll+valor:
    • Abzu: Pathfinder (Find the Path spell literally)
    • Cthulhu: Turn Animal (like Turn Undead, but works against mundane animals)
    • Horus: Divination (see into the future)
    • Sucellus: Bacchanal (gets others instantly drunk)
    • Vishvakar: Antimagic Field (the literal spell from the PHB)
    • Yinglong: Control Weather (make it rain! Or something)

    Then choose 2:

    Aid: when outside of battle, you can choose 1:
    • take -1forward to give somebody else +1forward
    • take -1ongoing to give somebody else +1ongoing.
    • take 1-damage to give somebody else +1armor. Once you heal, the armor is reduced.
    Each choice can only be made once per session.

    Blessing/Curse: when another player’s character moves and you are not present, you can help or interfere but you reset your Hx with them to +0 afterward. This cannot be used with NPCs.

    Charismatic: you get +1moxie. (max Moxie+3)

    Communion: when you tap the arcane nexus, roll+moxie instead of roll+magic.

    Divine Counsel: when a character comes to you for advice, tell them what you honestly think the best course is. If they do it, they take +1 to any rolls they make in the doing, and you mark an experience circle.

    Lay on Hands: when you put your hands skin-to-skin on a wounded person and pray to your deity, roll+moxie. On a 10+, heal 2 segments and take +2Hx with them. On a 7–9, heal 1 segment, take +1Hx with them, and you have potentially incurred your deity’s disapproval. On a miss, you don’t heal them and your deity definitely disapproves.

    Turn Undead: when confronting an undead being with your holy symbol, roll+moxie. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 1:
    • deal +moxie damage ap
    • flees out of reach from you for a short time
    • momentarily dazed and take -1forward
    • all undead that you can see are affected
    • the effects of the turning last for the rest of the day
    On a miss, the MC will declare how the undead react.

    GEAR
    You get:

    • 1 practical weapon
    • oddments worth 1-gold
    • fashion suitable to your look, including at your option a piece worth 1-armor (you detail)

    Practical weapons (choose 1):
    • Hammer (2-harm melee)
    • Handaxe (2-harm melee messy)
    • Mace (3-harm melee)
    • Quarterstaff (2-harm melee)
    • Sap (2-harm ko melee)

    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:
    • Any of them who follow your deity, tell their players Hx+2.
    • Any of them who don’t follow your deity, tell them Hx-1.
    On the others’ turns:
    • Choose the character whose soul you want to convert to your deity. Whatever number that player tells you, ignore it; write Hx+3 next to the character’s name instead.
    • Everyone else, whatever number they tell you, give it +1 and write it next to their character’s name. You’ve insinuated yourself into their lives.
    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.

    PRIEST SPECIAL
    If another character takes communion with you, you each hold 1. Either of you can spend your hold any time to help or interfere with the other, at a distance or despite any barriers that would normally prevent it.
    When another character heals you, you get +1Hx with them.

    Thursday, December 6, 2012

    Adventure World: the Ranger

    Introducing THE RANGER

    NAME
    Avalin, Duren, Ellrin, Feddeth, Mezur, Nyfan, Seth, Teeves, Tyrad
    Avile, Charon, Coren, Iska, Kelkale, Releri, Senes, Shadren, Vala

    STATS
    Choose one set:
    • Valor=0 Power+2 Moxie-2 Alert+2 Magic-1
    • Valor-2 Power+2 Moxie-1 Alert+2 Magic=0
    • Valor+1 Power+1 Moxie=0 Alert+2 Magic-1
    • Valor-1 Power+1 Moxie+1 Alert+2 Magic=0

    RANGER MOVES
    You get this 1:


    Animal Companion: you get a loyal animal companion that accompanies you and serves as a mount, sentry, scout, or hunting animal, as appropriate and rather than as a protector.
    Choose one of these animals:
    • Boar: Power+2 Moxie+1 1-armor 1-damage weakness+1
    • Cheetah: Power+2 Moxie+2 1-armor 2-damage weakness+2
    • Hawk: Power+1 Moxie+2 0-armor 1-damage weakness+1
    • Wolf: Power+2 Moxie+2 0-armor 1-damage weakness+1
    • Horse: Power+2 Moxie+1 1-armor 1-damage weakness+1
    • Crocodile: Power+2 Moxie+1 2-armor 2-damage weakness+2
    • Bison: Power+3 Moxie+1 0-armor 2-damage weakness+2
    Choose strengths equal to its power:
    Fast, aggressive, huge, uncomplaining, alert, attentive, quiet.
    Choose looks equal to its moxie:
    Sleek, powerful, muscular, pretty, scary.
    Choose its weakness or weaknesses:
    Slow, loud, sloppy, lazy, picky, messy, unreliable, skittish.
    …if you defy danger, add your companion’s power to your roll.
    …if you try to seize something by force, add your companion’s power to your roll.
    …if you go aggro, add your companion’s power to your roll.
    …if you try to seduce or manipulate someone, add your companion’s moxie to your roll.
    …if you help or interfere with someone, add your companion’s moxie to your roll.
    …if someone interferes with you, add your companion’s weakness to their roll.
    Whenever you issue commands to, care for, or otherwise have to interact with your animal companion, roll+alert instead of the normal roll.
    If your animal companion dies or leaves your service for any reason, it requires days/weeks of searching and weeks/months of training to acquire a replacement.

    Then, choose 1:

    Iron Horse: your animal companion (or one of them) is a giant or demonic version, your call. You can ride it like a horse, it has some kind of special attack (3-damage melee area messy) and a chitinous or extra thick skin (+1armor).

    Menagerie: you get 2 additional animal companions.

    Pack Rat: when you search your many pockets and saddlebags for something, roll+magic. It has to be something small enough to fit. On a 10+, you happen to have just the thing, or close enough. On a 7–9, you happen to have something pretty close, unless what you’re looking for is valuable or rare, in which case no. On a miss, you used to have just the thing, but it turns out that some thief stole it from you.

    Two Hands Are Better: when you wield two weapons, you can use them both to inflict damage or use the smaller one as +1armor.

    Weather Eye: when you access the arcane nexus, roll+alert instead of roll+magic.

    GEAR
    You get:

    • 1 handy weapon
    • oddments worth 2-gold
    • fashion suitable to your look (you detail), worth 2-armor

    Handy weapons (choose 1):
    • handaxe (2-harm melee messy)
    • scimitar (2-harm melee fancy messy)
    • longsword (3-harm melee messy)
    • flail (3-harm reach area)
    • longbow (3-harm ranged)
    • spear (3-harm reach)

    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 or both:
    • One of them has been with you for days on the road. Tell that player Hx+2.
    • One of them once got you out of some serious shit. Tell that player Hx+2.
    Tell everyone else Hx+1. Everybody knows a bit about who you are and where you’ve been.
    On the others’ turns:
    • You aren’t naturally inclined to get too close to too many people. Whatever number they tell you, give it -1 and write it next to their character’s name.
    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.

    RANGER SPECIAL
    If you escort, guide, or protect another character, they get +1Hx with you on their sheet, but give yourself -1Hx with them on yours.
    Whenever any character (NPCs included) gives you anything, take -1forward. You’re no good at taking compliments or faking social graces.

    Tuesday, December 4, 2012

    Adventure World: the Criminal

    Introducing THE CRIMINAL
    In Adventure World, versatility, adaptability, and resourcefulness will carry you further than words or praying.

    NAME
    Bendrix, Buckley, Dixon, Dolarhyde, Leo, Nero, Prosser, Rook, Shade, Turpin
    Amalia, Clodia, Dagny, Fox, Grace, Juli, Marozia, Mona, Sierra, Titania

    STATS
    Choose one set:
    • Valor+1 Power+1 Moxie=0 Alert+2 Magic-1
    • Valor+1 Power-1 Moxie+1 Alert+2 Magic=0
    • Valor=0 Power+1 Moxie+1 Alert+2 Magic-1
    • Valor=0 Power=0 Moxie+1 Alert+2 Magic=0

    CRIMINAL MOVES
    You get 1:

    Night Moves: you are a member of a thieves’ guild and get 2-racket. Whenever there’s a stretch of downtime in play, or between sessions, choose a number of your jobs to work. Choose no more than your racket. Roll+alert. On a 10+, you get profit from all the jobs you chose. On a 7–9, you get profit from at least 1; if you chose more, you get catastrophe from 1 and profit from the rest. On a miss, catastrophe all around. The jobs you aren’t working give you neither profit nor catastrophe. Whenever you get a new job, you also get +1racket.

    pretty much identical to the Operator's Moonlighting move

    Then, choose 2:

    Bat Out of Hell: when you defy danger, roll+alert instead of roll+valor.

    Go Your Own Way: +1alert (Max Alert+3)

    Reputation: identical to the Operator's Reputation move, uses roll+moxie

    Sympathy for the Devil: when you are clearly unarmed, unarmored and surrendering, you cannot be harmed by any person present.

    Take the Money and Run: When you are in close proximity to a person or could conceivably pass by them, you can try to swipe one of their belongings. Roll+alert. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 2:
    • you can see what they have before you grab
    • you get what you want, if it’s there
    • you take it undetected
    • nobody else can see you
    On a miss, against an NPC they either catch you or you get nothing. Against another character, they get +2forward against you.

    The First Cut is the Deepest: whenever you do damage to an opponent before they’ve done damage to you or been damaged by you, ignore armor.

    Tools of the Trade: when you pick a lock or disable a trap, roll+alert. On a 10+, you do it. On a 7-9, choose 1:
    • your tools break
    • you set off the trap / jam the lock
    • are caught in danger
    On a miss, the MC chooses 2.

    THIEVES’ GUILD
    Your guild can consist entirely of the other players’ characters, or entirely of the MC’s characters, or any mix. If they include any of the MC’s characters, sketch them out — names (eg Gabble, Jaim, Pe, Wasted) and 1-line descriptions — with the MC. Make sure they’re competent and suited to the jobs you’ve chosen.

    GEAR
    You get:

    • 1 signature weapon
    • oddments worth 1-gold
    • thieves’ tools
    • fashion suitable to your look, including at your option a piece worth 1-armor (you detail)

    Signature weapon (choose 1):
    • folding hand crossbow (1-harm ap ranged reload concealed)
    • ornate dagger (2-damage melee valuable)
    • hidden knives (2-damage thrown infinite)
    • ornate sword (3-damage melee valuable)
    • antique sword (2-damage melee rare)

    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 or both:
    • One of them once faced down dedicated violence to get you out of a fix. Tell that player Hx+2.
    • One of them once let you down in a pinch and left you holding the bill. Tell that player Hx-1.
    Tell everyone else Hx+1.
    On the others’ turns:
    • For everyone, whatever number they tell you, give it -1 or +1 and write it next to the character’s name. Your choice for each.
    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.

    CRIMINAL SPECIAL
    If you give another character a gift worth 1-gold or more, choose one:
    • You take +1Hx and they take -1Hx.
    • You take -1Hx and they take +1Hx.
    Whenever another character takes something from you that you don’t want them to take (gold, a weapon, a lover, etc.), you take +1forward.