nerdwerds: December 2012

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...
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

Flipbook 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 H. Downs

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 Dog (and in letter-size), by Patrick Henry Downs

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 H. Downs

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 Henry Downs

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 Wildcard

The Big List of Apocalypse World Hacks

"Official" Hacks & Their Playbooks

Dungeon World, by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel, $10

Dungeon World Resources!, a mega-posting of links!

Dungeon World Playbooks compiled, a summary of the playbooks available

Monster of the Week, an action-horror hack by Michael Sands, $10 - the basic hunter playbooks can also be found at this link

the Action Scientist, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Michael Sands

the Big Game Hunter, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Reid San Filippo

the Constructed, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Reid San Filippo

the Divine, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Michael Sands

the Exile, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Michael Sands

the Hard Case, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Michael Sands

the Luchador, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Reid San Filippo

the Mad Scientist, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Reid San Filippo

the Snoop, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Michael Sands

the Summoned, a Monster of the Week playbook, by Steve Hickey

Monsterhearts, by Avery Mcdaldno, $10 - the basic Monsterhearts skins can also be found at this link

the Anansi, a Monsterhearts skin, by Renee Knipe

the Angel, a Monsterhearts skin, by Avery Mcdaldno

the Hollow, a Monsterhearts skin, by Avery Mcdaldno

the Incubus, a Monsterhearts skin, by Bryan Hitchcock

the Mummy, a Monsterhearts skin, by ???

the Oni, a Monsterhearts skin, (still a work in progress) by Christopher Stone-Bush & Christopher Fagala

the Rākṣasaḥ, a Monsterhearts skin, by James Mendez Hodes

the Rusalka, a Monsterhearts skin, by

the Selkie, a Monsterhearts skin, by Jackson Tegu, to get a copy email him: of.lightning AT gmail

the Serpentine, a Monsterhearts skin, by Avery Mcdaldno

the Succubus, a Monsterhearts skin, by Ernesto Pavan

Skins for the Skinless, Monsterhearts skins (includes the Beast, the Calaca, the Fury, the Proxy & the Unseen), by Topher Gerkey

Murderous Ghosts, a 2-player horror hack, by D. Vincent Baker

Nanoworld: a game of clones, by Marshall Miller

Tremulus, a Lovecraftian horror hack, by Sean Preston (coming soon)

Urban Shadows, a dark modern fantasy hack currently on Kickstarter!, by Andrew Medeiros

Other Hacks & Conversions

Aeon World, a Cthulhutech hack, by Gregory Pogorzelski

Apocalypse D&D, by Tony Dowler

Apocalypse: Emergence, by Paul Taliesin

Apocalypse Galactica, a Battlestar Galactica hack, by Sean Nittner

Apocalypse West, a Deadlands-flavored wild west hack, by Willow Palecek

Black Stars Rise, an modern horror hack, by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel

Blogs Against Humanity, a truly inspired hack about blogging, by Mendel Schmiedekamp

Dark Sol III, a hack of the Dark Sun setting (that doesn't use Dungeon World), by Grave Digga

No Rest For The Wicked, a Borderlands hack, by M. “The Siren” Speca

the Bureau, a supernatural secret agent hack, by Paul Taliesin

Bureaucalypse, a Paranoia hack, by Loris Gianadda

Companions, a Doctor Who hack, by Jeremy Tidwell

Cthulhu World, a Cthulhu hack, by P Cthulhu

Crystals, a Final Fantasy hack, by Bug Man

Dead World, a Deadwood hack, by Sean Nittner

Dragon World, a fantasy-comedy anime hack, by Ewen Cluney

End of the World, a pre-Apocalypse hack by Michael Wight

Ghost/Echo, a hack about thieves and ghosts and things you can scarcely imagine, by John Harper

Ghost Lines, steampunk horror, by John Harper

Gunsight, an old west hack, by Christopher Wargo

'Hood: Big Fish in a Small Pond, a modern day hack about small time crooks, by James Mullen

Heartbreaker World, a Fantasy hack using a unique dice mechanic, by Jeremy Strandberg

Hero World, a WIP superhero hack, by Narp Narperson
Hotline Miami, a hyper-surreal ultra-violent hack based on a parody of GTA video games, by Seth Harris

Hyborian Saga playbooks, by Chad Bowers

Just Heroes, a superhero hack, by James Mullen

Lapins & Lairs, a Rabbits hack, by Marshall Miller

LEGACY, a retooled expansion of the Apocalypse World rules, includes Family playbooks and Setting ideas for carrying a campaign through several generations of survivors, by James Iles

Legend of the Five Rings, by Brennan Taylor, with supplemental schools by Antinomian Tendencies

Love Over Gold, a modern treasure-hunting hack, by Jonathan Walton

Mass Effect - Apocalypse, a Mass Effect hack, by Matthew Skau

Mass Effect, another Mass Effect hack with Paragon/Renegade skills, by Alan Hodges

Midsummer, fairy tale characters in a modern world, by Robert Burson

Mimicry World, a hack about losing one's self and attempting to reclaim it, by Mendel Schmiedekamp

Moomin's World, a hack for a Swedish cartoon about Moomin, by Jonatan Kilhamn

Nobilis, a Nobilis hack, by Jonatan Kilhamn and Arvid Axbrink Cederholm

On the Fraying Edge, a zombie apocalypse survival horror hack, by Andrew 'Pheylorn' Medeiros

Power World, a supers hack, by David Rothfeder

the Regiment, a war story hack, by John Harper and Paul Riddle

the Regiment: Colonial Marines, a future war hack, by John Harper and Ryan Dunleavy

Rogue Trader: Apocalypse, a Rogue Trader hack, by John P.D. Ryan

Sagas of the Icelanders, a historical viking hack, by Gregor Vuga

Shadowfist, a Shadowfist hack, by Robert MacNinch

Simple World, a streamlined generic hack, by Avery Mcdaldno

The Sixth World, a Shadowrun hack, by Chris Clouser

Soth, a diceless hack about cultists in small-town America trying to summon the god Soth, by Steve Hickey

the Sprawl, a cyberpunk hack by Hamish Cameron

Squaring the Circle, a GM-less hack about mathematician thieves, by Mendel Schmiedekamp

Star Wars World, a Star Wars hack, by Andrew 'Pheylorn' Medeiros

the Jedi, a Star Wars trifold, by Gregory Pogorzelski

the Smuggler, a Star Wars trifold, by Gregory Pogorzelski

Streets of Mos Eisley, another Star Wars hack, by Zack Wolf

Star World, a sci-fi space exploration hack, by Rob Wieland and Mark Diaz Truman

Superhuman, a mature superhero hack, by Jamie Fristrom

Survival Pages, a barebones hack about survival, by David Schirduan

Thieves Can Too Motherfucker, a fantasy thief hack, by Johnstone Metzger

Traveller World, a Traveller hack, by Rob Brennan

Undying, a Vampire the Masquerade hack, by Paul Riddle

The Veil, a unique hack (based on Ghost Lines and the Matrix), by Josh Mannon

Weird worlD, a game of freaks and mutants, by Adrian Thoen

Whispering Willows, Apocalypse in a fairy tale world, by Michael Tangherlini

Wired World, a WIP Cyberpunk hack, by Tom McGrenery

Wizard World, a magical hack heavily influenced by Ars Magica, playbooks and extra sheets here, by Jared Hunt

World Gone Mad, a zombie apocalypse, by Eddie Gibbs

World of Algol, a weird-science-fantasy hack set on Planet Algol, by Johnstone Metzger

World of Conan, by Simon Carryer

World of Dusters, a wild west hack, by Alfred Rudzki

A World of Ice and Fire, a Game of Thrones hack, by Andrew 'Pheylorn' Medeiros

A World of Ice and Fire - moves, a Game of Thrones hack, by Amit Moshe

World of Secrets, a spies & espionage hack, by Nick Wedig

World of Secrets - Opposition Generator, by Chris Bennett

World of Shadows, a Dungeon World reskin for Shadowrun, by Zack Wolf

World of Warhammer: Streets of Marienburg, a Dungeon World reskin, by Michael Wight

World Wide Wrestling, a professional wrestling hack (rough draft), by Nathan D. Paoletta

Worlds in Peril, and [LINK]playbooks, a superhero hack, by Kyle Simons

Zombieworld, a zombie apocalypse hack, by the Gloom Crew

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!

UPDATED, August 2017
All of the 2nd edition playbooks have now been converted into a legal-size format.

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.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Adventure World: the Kruoserer

Introducing THE KRUOSERER

Kruoserers are strange experts on magic. They have electric fingertips, poor dress sense, creepy minds, dour expressions, and eyes like gilded knives. They stand at the back of the room and stare out at everybody else like they are ants on a windowpane. They know your secrets before you do.
They’re just the sort of tasteful retainer that no well-equipped lord can do without.

NAME
Akiro, Endlor, Gritch, Humfrey, Idelfyn, Montagar, Niven, Thulsa, Trent, Zarih
Atheri, Delia, Elinore, Iris, Jael, Judith, Kahina, Martine, Morrigan, Rezia

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

KRUOSERER MOVES
You get this 1:

The Basic Arts: you twist energies out of your body in order to assist you with simple tasks. To activate this spell you simply take -1ongoing and choose an effect which lasts as long as you want it to, or until you rest:
• a small light with the size and luminescence of a torch appears, either at arm's length above your head or from an object held in your hand.
• an independent telekinetic force will carry half your weight in items directly behind you.
• minor illusions capable of producing incoherent sounds or a slowly moving image.
• any nonmagical item that can be held in one hand can be mended or repaired.
You can choose to activate multiple effects, each one requires you spend -1ongoing. When you end the spell, or rest, the -1ongoing also ends.

Then choose 2:

Arcane Armor: you are always protected by an arcane energy field and are always considered to be wearing 2-armor. This doesn't add to worn armor, and if you're wearing armor with a better rating, use that instead.

Breath of Life: you can breathe underwater. Alternately, if you prepare for it, you can hold your breath indefinitely but suffer -1ongoing until you breathe air again.

Clairvoyance: when you examine an environment, roll+magic instead of roll+alert. You do not have to be present to examine a room, as long as you know the location exists or have been there before.

Evocation: in battle, cast this spell to summon arcane energies to damage opponents. Spend 1-crystal, and roll+magic. On a 10+ you inflict 3-damage ap to a perceived enemy. Choose the form:
• fireball which sets things on fire
• energy bolts which pierce objects and armor
• icy spears which shatter on impact and momentarily blinds the target
• black clouds which billow around your target, suffocating them
• bolts of lightning that travel through the air and along objects
• rats that burrow up out of the ground and bite at your opponent's feet
• player details
On a 7-9, choose 2:
• lose ap
• -1damage (may be chosen twice)
• the arcane nexus twists and you suffer -1magic ongoing until you rest
• it works this time but you lose the Evocation spell until you rest
On a miss, the MC can choose 3.

Familiar: many kruoserers employ animals in their service. When you first acquire a familiar, and any time you need to replace it in the future, you must first select what kind of animal it is: bat, cat, hawk, lizard, owl, rat, raven, snake, toad, or weasel.
Second, while the familiar is in your presence, choose 1 of these stats to receive a +1ongoing: valor, moxie, or alert.
Third, the animal is telepathically linked to you and can communicate easily and from any distance, you can expect a familiar to be as intelligent as a well-educated child.
Lastly, the familiar grants you a special move. At the beginning of the session, roll+magic. On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7-9, hold 1. You can spend a hold for the familiar to either have some special knowledge which helps you or allows the familiar to interfere with another character without fear of being harmed. On a miss, your familiar is absent (not dead) for the session.

Identify: whenever you handle or examine something interesting, roll+magic. On a hit, you can ask the MC questions. On a 10+, ask 3. On a 7–9, ask 1:
• who handled this last before me?
• who made this?
• what strong emotions have been most recently nearby this?
• what words have been said most recently nearby this?
• what has been done most recently with this, or to this?
• how was this made?
• what’s wrong with this, and how might I fix it?
Treat a miss as though you’ve tapped the arcane nexus and missed the roll.

Invisibility: this spell can conceal you from sight. Spend 1-crystal and roll+magic. On a 10+, the invisibility is complete and lasts for as long as the kruoserer wants. On a 7-9, choose 2:
• the invisibility is hard to maintain, you cannot do anything more than move while invisible
• the arcane nexus twists and you suffer -1magic ongoing until you rest
• the invisibility is not complete, others can detect you if you move
• it works this time but you lose the Invisibility move until you rest
On a miss, the MC chooses 2.

Paralyze: this spell lets you cripple an opponent by freezing them in place temporarily. Spend 1-crystal, roll+magic and choose options. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 1:
• you don't have to touch them
• they're paralyzed for a longer time and are effectively helpless
• they fall over
• they are completely unaware of what is happening around them while paralyzed
On a miss, the spell doesn't work at all and cannot be used against the same character for the rest of the session.

Summon Entity: with this spell you may call upon the arcane nexus to fashion or conjure a companion who will defend and fight for you until their dying breath, until you summon a new one, or until the current situation ends. Roll+magic. On a 10+, describe what your ally looks like and choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 1 and the MC will describe what your ally looks like.
• has natural weapons that deal 3-harm (e.g. claws, bite)
• has natural 2-armor (e.g. leathery skin, chitinous plating)
• it has some power or ability that is useful right now
• there is more than one (up to 3, MC decides)
• pure arcane connection, while the ally is present and alive you get +1magic ongoing
• telepathic connection, the ally grants some move to the kruoserer (MC chooses)
On a miss, the MC chooses 3 and whatever you summoned is not an ally, but might still help you.

GEAR
You get:
• 2 fancy weapons
• 2 kruoserer gear
• a Kruos crystal
• oddments worth 2-gold
• fashion suitable to your look

Fancy weapons (choose 2):
• dagger (1-harm ap melee/thrown)
• dart (1-harm thrown infinite)
• hand Crossbow (1-harm ap ranged)
• quarterstaff (2-harm melee)
• short sword (2-harm melee)
• shortbow (2-harm ranged)
• sling (1-harm ranged)
• throwing knives (2-harm thrown infinite)
• whip (1-harm reach grapple)

Kruoserer gear (choose 2):
• animal carrier (3-armor)
This is an ideal resting place for a your familiar.
• arcane powder (tag alchemy)
Tagging someone gives you +1forward if you then use a move on them.
• flashpowder (tag blind)
This can be used to temporarily blind an opponent instead of inflicting damage on them.
• healing salve
For purposes of healing, gives you +1forward.
• spellbook
With lots of time and study, allows you to switch out one kruoserer move for another.

The Kruos crystal: this is how you focus and shape the arcane nexus to your will. It is a unique item because it can't be stolen or taken from you by force (except through magic). It is always considered on your person even if you are bound and stripped of all your clothing and belongings. You must have it in one of your hands when you use a move above that has the word 'spell' in it's description, thus you must have one of your hands free to use those 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:
• Choose the character you find most intelligent. Tell that player Hx+1.
• Tell everyone else Hx-1. You keep yourself secret.
On the others’ turns:
• Choose the character you figure for the biggest potential problem. Whatever number that player tells you, give it +1 and write it next to the character’s name.
• One of them, you’ve been watching carefully for some time, in secret. 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 got other stuff to do and other stuff to learn.
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.

KRUOSERER SPECIAL
If you sleep in the same room as another character, you automatically Identify them, as though they were a thing and you’d rolled a 10+, whether you have the spell or not. The other player and the MC will answer your questions between them. Otherwise, that move never works on people, only things.

KRUOSERER DEATH
When you die, everybody else advances face danger.

IMPROVEMENT
+1 Valor (max. +2)
+1 Power (max. +2)
+1 Alert (max. +2)
+1 Magic (max. +3)
get a new Kruoserer move
get a new Kruoserer move
get a new Kruoserer move
get a laboratory (detail) and followers
get a move from another playbook
get a move from another playbook