I wanted to have a thread to talk about Custom Hexes.
There don’t really seem to be readily available examples floating around, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who tried to find some when I first started looking at advancements for my witch.
There are two things I’m trying to keep in mind when coming up with custom hex ideas. They should be some sort of temporary ailment, so that the effects can be reversed, and they shouldn’t dictate how the target should be roleplayed.
I think both or these are broken within the base hexes, so they are of course malleable. What do you think? Any suggestions for making Custom hexes with teeth? Examples of hexes you’ve used?
Repulsive Glamour: The Hexed shows physical changes to their appearance. Maybe horns, or a tail. Maybe the witch has control, or maybe they simply reflect the target’s most monstrous side. Maybe they’re real, maybe they’re an illusion.
I like the idea and your thoughts. Would far prefer for the base hexes to follow them.
I concur – there seems to be an implication that hexes should be reversible, but there’s no apparent thought given as to how and they’re one of the things in the game that seems to have a high potential to make players feel powerless in an un-fun way.
Maybe something could be coded into the roll? On a 7-9 it’s easy to reverse, the target decides how. On a 10+ it’s difficult to reverse, the caster decides how. (Or possibly even swap who decides on each roll, with the caveat that both have to agree that the proposed solution is ‘easy’ or ‘difficult’)
I’m interested in any thoughts and examples as well. Since my witch is about to dive into creating a new Hex.
I think the theme in MH is that whatever happens should drive the drama.Have Hex impose a condition that is removed when something else (story-enhancing) happens: the target enters Darkest Self; successfully uses their Sex Move; volunteers to surrender 3 Strings to a single player…
These might also give only a temporary reversal to the Hex, or create a glamour that temporarily covers up until a second trigger reveals them again. Darcy Boyd
I’d also like to consider whether there should be a difference between a hex put on by a sympathetic token and one by chanting with line of sight. I think I found that most ‘hex-abuse’ happened with LOS hexes.
In my game, magic based on sympathetic tokens was always more advanced. Oh, and due to crappy rolls, more interesting to boot. Look through someone else’s eyes? Yeah, they ended up swapping bodies, and our witch suddenly had nude photos of herself sent from her phone to every guy in her class. And was no longer a virgin when she came back.
LoS hexes were more in the way of attacks and hypnotic commands (copied the vampire move).
I would love to see someone collect a book of custom hexes. I loved playing a witch, but found the hexes pretty limiting.
I like the ideas that have been mentioned about LOS hexes being more “quick and dirty,” and token hexes having more power.
I also like the suggestion of hexes being reversed for PCs when they do something about it driving the story. For NPCs I think it can be left to the MC to decide, with input from the witch.
Electromagnetic Presence: Electronics fail to work, or behave erratically around the hexed. Say good bye to your cell phone, and probably most of your credit cards. Good luck even microwaving that burrito you planned to have for lunch. Maybe some things don’t just stop working but spark and provide a real danger. Maybe some things turn on and off on their own, as if possessed, or do things they normally aren’t capable of.
(I should not be allowed to name things)
Darcy Boyd I love that hex! You should call it “Luddite’s Curse.”
Darcy Boyd, have you been casting your hexes on me? I walked straight into an automatic sliding door today. My poor nose!
I knew I shouldn’t have sent you that lock of hair.
Hey, was thinking about the limitation that it shouldn’t effect how the target should be roleplayed (by which I’m reading dictate how the target should be roleplayed). I was wondering about whether it’s legit to have a hex change how the target sees or hears others (which might encourage different roleplaying from others). I was thinking of a paranoia type hex, but here’s a simpler example:
e.g. Skincrawler For the duration of the hex, the target hears everything said to them as though it were in a creepy tone of voice. (And the players and MC must deliver any direct speech to the target in such a tone)
This is actually very close to the base hex, illusions. Not exactly the same, but the idea of affecting the character’s perceptions is already touched on their. What I find interesting about a hex that actually gave you a script to follow, is that even though I feel it shouldn’t be done, it’s not like that kind of power over a player doesn’t already exist in Monsterhearts, what with the darker selves.
Darcy Boyd, I guess there’s a degree of choice in whether the PC enters Darkest Self. So long as there’s a choice — no matter how bad that choice is — then this kind of hex seems okay to me.
uhhh, entirely different setting (and system) but I once played a witch, who could cursed people, too. My favorite curse where “Every Animal thinks you are Prey! Even the Squirrels will attack on sight!” and “Nothing can nourish you, because everything you put in your mouth will turn into ash!”
I like both of those. i was considering a Hex that turned you into monster bait (it probably also made you find childish jokes hilarious). The second one sounds awesome for messing with Ghoul of Vampire PC’s.