Die, monster! You don't belong in this [Dungeon World]! [IC/OOC PbP]

Glazius

Die, monster! You don't belong in this

When you ask the OP to explain Dungeon World,

Dungeon World is a fantasy RPG built on the Apocalypse Engine. It was Kickstarted a while back to roaring success and is at the printers for proofing; you could go buy the PDF on DriveThruRPG or possibly other places I haven't checked right now.

But if you want to have yourself a game, you can also look at the entire rules text completely free. It's here. This is basically a conversion of the rules text on GitHub into HTML - no art or extra text like examples of play. There's also a fan-made guide to using the rules, also free, available here. The example of play starts on page 50.

When you join a game of Dungeon World,

To sign up, !signup. Limiting this to five for right now, or as many people as I get within 24 hours, whichever.

Have a look over the Character Creation chapter in the rules and get up to stage 11, then post what you've got so far and we can hash us out some bonds.

We're starting at level 1, and for now I'd like to stick to just the races and classes spelled out in the rules.

When you play a game of Dungeon World on a discussion forum,

I'd like to see at least a post a day, upcoming holidays aside of course.

As far as posting your dice rolls go, "Die, Monster!" is currently a free campaign title over on orokos.com, so please use that.

Oh, and one more thing!

When you ask what the campaign is about,

Count Pallas has ruled the poor province of Ardenne for as long as anyone can remember. It's an open secret that he's a vampire, but his formidable personal power and general willingness to stay in his own territory have left him largely ignored by the outside world.

Until you. Until now.

One grey morning, in the rain and fog, you gather outside one of the mountain passes leading into Ardenne, and you find yourself remembering what brought you here.

(When you've made a character, pick one of these questions to answer.)
* An innocent blithely entered the province of Ardenne one day and never came out. Who are they, and how do you know them? (answered by Blennid Heath, halfling druid)
* Your search for an item of great power has led you to Ardenne. What is it, and why do you want it so badly? (answered by Astrafel, elven bard)
* Word on the street is that the Count keeps a great treasure in his castle. What is it, and what can you cash it in for? (answered by Lojainne, human paladin and Vladire, human ranger)
* The count's minions roam the countryside with impunity and a light regard for borders. You bear a scar from an encounter with them - what is it, and how did you get it? (answered by Severik, elven fighter)
* Your employer sent word on that they were going to the Count's castle. Who are they, and what hold do they have on you that waiting for them to leave isn't an option? (answered by Quarol, human thief)

Der Waffle Mous

!signup I wanna see how this works out pbp style.

Egos

I'll sign up, kickstarted it and am curious to try it out.

wildwood

I'll !signup too, I like what I've seen of this from the rulebooks and podcast play.

I'm leaning toward a druid, unless someone else had their heart set on that.

jdarksun

Incoming Fighter!

Der Waffle Mous

You see a Human Thief in dark clothes by the name of Quarol. He has a lithe body and a head of messy hair partially obscuring his shifty eyes.


Vitals

Neutral Human Thief

STR 8  -1
DEX 16 +2
CON 12 +0
INT 15 +1
WIS 9  +0
CHA 13 +1

Armor 1
HP: 6/18
d8 damage
2xp

MOVES

Spoiler:

-Trap Expert
-Tricks of the Trade
-Backstab
-Flexible Morals
-Poisoner- Serpent's Tears

GEAR

Spoiler:

5/8 load
-Dungeon Rations (1wt 4/5 uses, )
-Leather Armor (1wt, 1 armor)
-Dagger (1wt, hand)
-Short Sword (1wt, close)
-3x throwing daggers (0wt, thrown, near)
-Adventuring Gear (1wt)

The ring is a hand-range weapon, and balanced for throwing. It always deals full damage to undead, regardless of armor or special qualities that might make them immune, and it starts with 3-concordance.

When you draw on Piotor's combat skill, spend 1-concordance. The ring gains Close and Reach ranges and the precise tag until it deals damage to something.

When you ask Piotor to bind an undead enemy, spend 1-concordance. The ring will latch on to the enemy, generally until it's destroyed. I'll tell you what it does, but as a general rule it'll completely neutralize smaller targets and make larger ones more vulnerable.

When you observe the rites of Virrus at sunrise, roll +wis to see how well you follow Piotor's instructions to do so and gain concordance depending on the roll.

When you expose yourself to unnecessary danger in a combat situation, well, you're fighting like Piotor fought. Gain 1-concordance, but get ready to defy dat danger.

When you ask Piotor about undead lore, he will generally propose a well-grounded but risky course of action. If you follow his advice, mark XP and gain 1-concordance.

The ring may have more powers to unlock during the course of this adventure, generally by finding relics of the ancient celestial order.

4 concordance

BONDS

Spoiler:

Astrafel and I have a con running.

Severik knows incriminating details about me.

I stole something from Vladire

Blennid has my back when things go wrong.

edit: you have no idea how long I looked at the fighter sheet wanting to just do the obvious thing and make a chain-whip fighter.

Q: Your employer sent word on that they were going to the Count's castle. Who are they, and what hold do they have on you that waiting for them to leave isn't an option?
A: My employer is a powerful figure in the city's underworld. He has a brutal reputation, and I work for him only out because he is the only person who knows where my sister is.

Egos

jdarksun wrote: »

Incoming Fighter!

blah I got beat'd

guess I'll go Ranger.


edit: unless I can think of a cool wizard, cleric or paladin concept

jdarksun

You see an Elven Fighter whose flesh seems covered by more scars than skin. He introduces himself as Severik as his eager eyes consider the strength in your arms, the mettle of your will. His hair is cut in a wild, seemingly random manner, though upon closer inspection you see that it is deliberately hacked away from his eyes but left long on the side to cover a missing ear. The rest of his body is no less ravaged, missing fingers from his left hand and a limp interrupting a normal gait. //TODO: Was maimed again, can't remember how though.

Neutral Elven Fighter

Str 17 (+2)
Dex  9 (+0)
Con 15 (+1)
Int  8 (-1)
Wis 12 (+0)
Cha 13 (+1)

Armor: 3
HP: 25
d10 damage
Load: 8 of 14

Moves

Spoiler:

* Strangely Human Elf: Once per battle you may reroll a single damage roll (yours or someone else’s).
* Bend Bars, Lift Gates (roll+Str to destroy inanimate obstacles)
* Armored (ignore the clumsy tag on armor)
* Signature Weapon: A Huge, Blood-stained Axe with Serrated edges (Close range, messy, forceful, +1 damage, 2 weight).
* Merciless: When you deal damage, deal +1d4 damage.

Equipment

Spoiler:

Bloodletter (Close, Forceful, Messy, +1 Damage, 2 weight) and dungeon rations (1 use, 1 weight)
Scale armor (2 armor, 3 weight)
2 Healing potions (0 weight)
Shield (+1 armor, 2 weight)

Bonds

Spoiler:

Lojainne owes me her life, whether she admits it or not.
I have sworn to protect Astrafel.
I worry about the ability of Quarol to survive in the dungeon.
Astrafel is soft, but I will make him hard like me.

I think the bond with Lojainne has resolved. @Grog, do you want to morph it into something like "friendly rivalry"?


Original:

Spoiler:

You see an Elven Fighter whose flesh seems covered by more scars than skin. He introduces himself as Severik as his eager eyes consider the strength in your arms, the mettle of your will. His hair is cut in a wild, seemingly random manner, though upon closer inspection you see that it is deliberately hacked away from his eyes but left long on the side to cover a missing ear. The rest of his body is no less ravaged, missing fingers from his left hand and a limp interrupting a normal gait.

Neutral Elven Fighter

Str 16 (+2)
Dex  9 (+0)
Con 15 (+1)
Int  8 (-1)
Wis 12 (+0)
Cha 13 (+1)

Armor: 3
HP: 25
d10 damage
Load: 8 of 14

Moves

Spoiler:

* Strangely Human Elf: Once per battle you may reroll a single damage roll (yours or someone else’s).
* Bend Bars, Lift Gates (roll+Str to destroy inanimate obstacles)
* Armored (ignore the clumsy tag on armor)
* Signature Weapon: A Huge, Blood-stained Axe with Serrated edges (Close range, messy, forceful, +1 damage, 2 weight).

Equipment

Spoiler:

Bloodletter (Close, Forceful, Messy, +1 Damage, 2 weight) and dungeon rations (1 weight)
Scale armor (2 armor, 3 weight)
2 Healing potions (0 weight)
Shield (+1 armor, 2 weight)

Bonds

Spoiler:

Lojainne owes me her life, whether she admits it or not.
I have sworn to protect Astrafel.
I worry about the ability of Quarol to survive in the dungeon.
Astrafel is soft, but I will make him hard like me.

Introduction
Severik was a guardian of the land until he inherited the cursed axe, Bloodletter. Its constant thirst for violence drove him to flee his home and seek out ever worthier opponents. Severik's body is a tapestry devoted to the pain he has encountered on this quest. The axe prefers to drink from the dead, but Severik has so far staved off the urges to slaughter enemies that yield. Yet as the axe's grip on his mind increases, one wonders just how long he can hold out...

Question
Q: The count's minions roam the countryside with impunity and a light regard for borders. You bear a scar from an encounter with them - what is it, and how did you get it?
A: Severik had ten fingers before his battlelust led him to Ardenne. A pack of wight-wolves liberated a few upon his ingress as a toll. He retrieved them from the belly of their alpha, but the damned things don't seem to stay on anymore.[/sopiler]

Glazius

They've messed around with load a lot in the runup to release, but as it is now it's back to being based off your Strength modifier, not your Strength score. You shouldn't be overloaded with your starting gear, still, but there's a bit less room under the cap than you might think.

Don't forget to pick one of those five questions at the end of the original post to answer.

Quarol, what's your poison of choice (you do start with three doses of it), and optionally why? Or are you waiting to decide that?

Der Waffle Mous

Serpent's Tears. I forgot and edited it into the post.

Its the one where anyone who deals damage to the victim picks the better of two damage dice.

jdarksun

Glazius wrote: »

They've messed around with load a lot in the runup to release, but as it is now it's back to being based off your Strength modifier, not your Strength score. You shouldn't be overloaded with your starting gear, still, but there's a bit less room under the cap than you might think.

Don't forget to pick one of those five questions at the end of the original post to answer.

Fixed!

Also thanks, knew I forgot something.

wildwood

Blennid Heath stands before you, his haunting eyes staring directly back at you from under his furry hood. He wears weathered hides and has a pronounced forehead and square beard, reminding you of a mountain goat - there may even be horns under that hood...

Around his neck he wears a twig pendant, shaped like a bird's claw, clutching several gleaming feathers.

Vitals

Neutral Halfling Druid

STR 13 (+1)
DEX 12 (+0)
CON 16 (+2)
INT 9 (+0)
WIS 16 (+2)
CHA 8 (-1)

Armor 2
HP: 22/22
d6 damage

Level 2
5 xp

Has breathed in Gein's mist

MOVES

Spoiler:

-Healing Songs of camp - heal +1d6 when we make camp
-Born of the Soil - Towering Mountains
-By Nature Sustained
-Spirit Tongue
-Shapeshifter
-Studied Essence
-Balance

GEAR

Spoiler:

6/7 load
-Twig Pendant (0wt)
-Hide Armor (1wt, 1 armor)
-Wooden Shield (1wt, +1 armor)
-Spear (1wt, close, thrown, near)
-Adventuring Gear (1wt), 4 uses remaining
-Jeweled Knuckle-Duster, worn
-2 Money Bags (200 coins, 2 wt total)
-Bandages (5 uses, 0 wt)
-Pipeleaf (6 uses, 0 wt)
-Tiny Vial of ashy, incensy ash/incense (0wt)
-Thieves' hand dagger, attuned

BONDS

Spoiler:

I worry that Severik's axe will be the death of him. But I also worry that he can't live without it.

Astrafel has tasted my blood and I his. We are bound by it. (That was one wild party.)

I have shown Quarol a secret rite of the Land.

Q: An innocent blithely entered the province of Ardenne one day and never came out. Who are they, and how do you know them?
A: A magnificent but naive hawk spirit came to Ardenne on its wanderings. It never made itself felt in the neighboring provinces after, and those who seek it say that its energy is waning. Blennid, a servant of the mountains, has sworn an oath to rescue it, and stands to gain many allies from success.


Note: Vladire's sheet here.

Glazius

Blennid, what's your Tell? Goat horns? Also you're right that the token of your Land is weightless.

Quarol, pick your question, they're going fast.

Der Waffle Mous

Done!

wildwood

@Glazius - horns sound good for a Tell. I'm having problems picturing how that will show up when he's in animal shape, though.

jdarksun

wildwood wrote: »

Glazius - horns sound good for a Tell. I'm having problems picturing how that will show up when he's in animal shape, though.

More goat horns.

Grog

!Signup I'll put a paladin together when I get back from work.

Denada

!signup

Let me share a tale, my friends
Of an elf, more fair and free
Than the wind in the trees
Or the rivers and seas
With a tongue as sharp as can be

Who is this one?
This glorious son,
This elf with hair so wild?
There's fire in his eyes,
His body is lithe,
And his clothes are finely styled.

He is Astrafel, my friends!
A singer, a bard is he
With a sword at his hip
And a song on his lips
He's a hero, and he is me

Astrafel, the Elven Bard

Spoiler:

STR 8 (-1)
DEX 15 (+1)
CON 12 (+0)
INT 13 (+1)
WIS 9 (+0)
CHA 16 (+2)

Alignment Good
Armor 0
HP 18
Damage d6
Moves Elf, Arcane Art, Bardic Lore, Charming and Open, A Port in the Storm
Gear A Songbook in a Forgotten Tongue, Ostentatious Clothes, a Dueling Rapier, and Adventuring Gear
Load 3/8

The Question

Spoiler:

Q: Your search for an item of great power has led you to Ardenne. What is it, and why do you want it so badly?
A: I search for a song. It is the song of the birth of my people, and it is said that the one who sings it will restore the lost kingdom of the elves to its former glory.

Glazius

Hmm. We've got two people left to make characters and one question, which is fine - whoever chimes in second can just pick a question someone else has already answered.

Also, we've got enough people that you can start filling in one or two of your character's bonds. Offer a little explanation as to what the bond means, too, as it's a bit of history between you and whoever it's with.

Grog

The bulky paladin removes her helmet and introduces herself as Lojainne. Distracted by her eyepatch you immediately forget how to pronounce that, but her one kindly eye indicates she doesn't mind. Such a warm demeanour seems strange in one bearing the worn holy symbol of Lumnos, the moon god famed for his severity.

Lawful Human Paladin

STR 16 (+2)
DEX 9 (+0)
CON 15 (+1)
INT 8 (-1)
WIS 12 (+0)
CHA 13 (+1)

Armor 3
HP: 25
d10 damage

MOVES

Spoiler:

-Detect Evil
-Lay on Hands
-Armored
-I am the Law
-Quest: Slay Pallas, a great blight on the land
Boons: Invulnerability to enchantment; Senses that pierce lies.
Vows: Truth, Honor

GEAR

Spoiler:

Load: 7/28
-Scale Mail (2 armor, 3wt) and Shield (+1 armor, 2wt)
-Longsword (close, +1dmg, 1wt)
-Leatherbound Mark of Lumnos (0wt)
-Dungeon Rations (1wt) and Healing Potion (0wt)

BONDS

Spoiler:

Severik's misguided behaviour endangers his very soul! He may have saved me from that medusa, but his servitude to Bloodletter's whims will be his undoing.

Meanwhile, I respect the beliefs of Blennid but hope he will someday see the true way. The spirits are capricious shades- only the gods deserve trust.

Vladire is a brave soul, I have much to learn from him. Independence and mastery over the wilds are virtues in Lumnos' eyes.

* Word on the street is that the Count keeps a great treasure in his castle. What is it, and what can you cash it in for?
- Lojainne has been tasked by the Synod of Palewood to retrieve the lost relic of Saint Askain, thought to have been lost centuries ago. What form the relic takes has been lost to the mists of time, but the Arbiters of Lumnos are certain it is in Pallas' possession.

jdarksun

Oh man. Can't resist.

Lojainne owes me her life, whether she admits it or not.

wildwood

Hmmm...

Severik smells more like prey than hunter.

Grog

Oh it's on.

Severik owes me his life

Severik's misguided behaviour endangers his very soul! He may have saved me from that medusa, but his servitude to Bloodletter's whims will be his undoing.

Meanwhile, I respect the beliefs of Blennid but hope he will someday see the true way.

Denada

Sweet Lojainne, cold moon, warm heart
Mark of judgment, eye of kindness
Her blade is swift, her hand a gift
From Lumnos she comes, but where does she go?

(I sang stories of Lojainne long before I met her in person.)

Remember well the thirst of Bloodletter!
In dungeons deep it drank of goblin blood
Scars and stories, we both earned ours
Severik bears the burden of might

(This is not my first adventure with Severik. and I am writing a ballad about the adventures of Severik.)

I think those three are good to start with, assuming Grog and jdarksun are cool with it.

wildwood

Astrafel has tasted my blood and I his. We are bound by it. (That was one wild party.)

Edit:
I have shown Quarol a secret rite of the Land.

Glazius

@Egos, now that the questions have been spoken for, you can pick whatever you like to answer in your own way. Exactly the same answer might be interesting in its own right, but it's not like there's only one of everything in Ardenne.

Lojainne, you know Lumnos is not a subtle god. You are shielded from enchantment by your vow of honor and all lies sound hollow to your vow of truth. It is armor impenetrable from without. From within, however? Well, mortal souls will falter.

jdarksun

@Glazius I seriously derp'd with taking Elf/precise. I figured it gave a bonus to hit, I only just realized it made me use Dex instead or Str for Hack and Slash. Would it be OK if I swapped the Elf starting move with the Human one (once per battle you may reroll a single damage roll)?

I have sworn to protect Astrafel.

Glazius

jdarksun wrote: »

@Glazius I seriously derp'd with taking Elf/precise. I figured it gave a bonus to hit, I only just realized it made me use Dex instead or Str for Hack and Slash. Would it be OK if I swapped the Elf starting move with the Human one (once per battle you may reroll a single damage roll)?

I have sworn to protect Astrafel.

Yeah, Elf has always struck me as being kind of a substandard fighter move, unless you're planning to multiclass or do a lot of archery. Go 'head and take human.

Denada

I'm loving the story that's emerging just from character creation. Like how I heard stories about Lojainne while adventuring with Severik, which inspired me to write a song about her even before I met her.

Or how (Blennid Heath trusted me with a secret) and now we're bound by blood.

This is cool. I like this.

jdarksun

(( I struggled with these last two, but there's only one way I can make sense out of them. ))

I worry about the ability of Quarol to survive in the dungeon.

Astrafel is soft, but I will make them hard like me.

Denada wrote: »

I'm loving the story that's emerging just from character creation. Like how I heard stories about Lojainne while adventuring with Severik, which inspired me to write a song about her even before I met her.
...
This is cool. I like this.

Yeah, this is a super cool way of lightweight shared world building.

wildwood

Denada wrote: »

I'm loving the story that's emerging just from character creation. Like how I heard stories about Lojainne while adventuring with Severik, which inspired me to write a song about her even before I met her.

I'm also feeling like this jump-starts my understanding of my own character and the relationships within the party, like we're getting the connections that you usually get after an intro campaign for free.

jdarksun

I wish I had a Bond for Blennid, but he's not weak, he's not soft, and I couldn't pass up the natural rivalry of Lojainne.

Something like "Unnerves the crap out of me (why does a halfling have horns?)".

Der Waffle Mous

Yessss

Astrafel and I have a con running.

Severik knows incriminating details about me.

I'll wait to see what Ego's doing before finishing.

Glazius

wildwood wrote: »

Denada wrote: »

I'm loving the story that's emerging just from character creation. Like how I heard stories about Lojainne while adventuring with Severik, which inspired me to write a song about her even before I met her.

I'm also feeling like this jump-starts my understanding of my own character and the relationships within the party, like we're getting the connections that you usually get after an intro campaign for free.

I don't know what exactly constitutes the end of a session in forum play. I figure I'll just wrap one after y'all pull off something big. BUT.

Keep in mind that you will be able to mark experience at the end of a session for resolving your bond. This works out like the 10 XP milestones in Marvel Heroic, if you're familiar - the bond doesn't have to no longer be an issue, it might turn into something entirely different. Just as an example, Severik, it might be that you don't worry about Quoral's ability to survive in the dungeon anymore and you write a different bond with someone else, or it might be that Quoral is now more of a liability than an asset.

Egos

will have something up shortly ,think I have it mostly complete except the short little appearance description which I can do quickly

Egos

A man with a sharp body enters the room. His hooded head covers short messy hair and most of his body is covered in camouflaged armor , he peers out from under his cloak with animalistic eyes and introduces himself as a hunter. By his side stands a large wolf companion that looks barely tame. The man calls himself Vladire.

Good Human Ranger

STR 13 (+1)
DEX 16 (+2)
CON 12 (+0)
INT 9 (+0)
WIS 15 (+1)
CHA 8 (-1)

Armor: 1
HP: 20
Load 6 of 12

MOVES

Spoiler:

• Hunt and Track
• Called Shot
• Animal Companion :Black Wolf
  • Ferocity +3, Cunning +1, 1 Armor, Instinct +2
    • strengths: ferocious, stealthy, quick reflexes
    • training: scout
    • weaknesses: savage, frightening
• Command
  
  

GEAR

Spoiler:

• dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 weight)
• leather armor (1 armor, 1 weight)
• Hunter's bow (near, far, 1 weight) and short sword (close, 1 weight)
• Adventuring gear (1 weight) and bundle of arrows (3 ammo, 2 weight)
  

BONDS

Spoiler:

TBA

• Word on the street is that the Count keeps a great treasure in his castle. What is it, and what can you cash it in for?

The still beating heart of the lieutenant of Pallas who slaughtered the daughter of a high lord has a handsome bounty on it.

(that an acceptable answer?)

Glazius

Yes, that's alright for an answer.

Alright everyone, signups are closed, work your bonds in.

Grog

Updated my sheet with 3 bonds, let me know if you want more.

Glazius

Three bonds is good enough to start with.

I don't know if it's how the designers intended it, but I like keeping your maximum number of bonds in line with what's in your playbook, mostly because it gives the bard more slots than anybody else and that seems right.

Any bonds over three don't have to be defined now - you can fill them in later on or write your own when the mood strikes you.

wildwood

Are we going with a party of six instead of five?

Glazius

Yeah. No reason why not. Once everybody gets their bonds in I'll toss y'all some setup.