Hey, I’m new to MotW, have only run one session, but I love the game. I have a question about harm and death. The book lays out what happens at 0-4 harm, 4-7, 8+ = death.
I just want to make sure that’s cumulative. Example:
Hunter takes 3 harm after armor, they are momentarily inhibited or drop something.
Same hunter takes 3 more harm after armor, are now at 6. They fall down, pass out, take -1 ongoing, etc.
Same hunter takes 3 more harm after armor, are now at 9. They’re dead.
Is that right? I just want to make sure I’m handling it right in case I kill someone’s hunter, because in our first mystery, a couple of them came pretty close, accruing 6 wounds before beating the monster.
Yes, that’s correct.
Having hunters take a lot of harm is expected. Death is more rare as Luck can be used to save them.
Thanks. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a thing where they had to take 4 harm in a single attack to get an unstable wound, or 8 harm in a single attack to die. I figured it was cumulative, but I just wanted to confirm.
Yeah, I like the potential deadliness of it. I’m not brand new to PbtA so I understand how to balance between soft and hard moves and not always go crazy on dealing damage to the hunters and what not, just wanted to make sure I understood.
2 of my 3 hunters used a luck point in that first session, though they were on rolls they failed and wanted to pass rather than to prevent harm. It’ll be fun to see how they use their luck going forward.
Hey one more question if you don’t mind: How would you handle hunters wanting to get armor after the game starts? We had an expert with 0 armor, a flake with 0 armor, and a chosen with 1 armor. That’s just by the playbook stuff.
But if the expert or flake wanted to get armor, would you allow it, and if so, how? I don’t want to make it too easy if possible because I don’t want to step on the playbooks that get to start with armor, or especially the ones who can take moves to get armor.
Hell, maybe “take a move from another playbook” should be the only way to let people get armor, by letting them take something like invincible from the chosen to get 2 armor.
For normal gear, if they do stuff in the game that would get the gear, then let them have it.
Yeah, that’s the rub for me. Like if they tell me they all want to go find an armory and get 2 armor kevlar vests or whatever, it’s not in the spirit of the game to say no. But it would mean circumventing the chosen’s move to get 2 armor(though they can’t lose that armor), gives playbooks who don’t start with armor some armor that’s even better than what the other playbooks who start with 1 armor have, etc.
Though then again, during the time you’re working out how to get your hands on that armor, you might get even more trouble brought down on yourself, advance the monster clock, etc.
Probably not something I have to worry about anyway as I don’t have players who will probably try to go find some better armor, but I figured I’d see other people’s thoughts.
Exactly. If they want to make the effort to get it, let them. On the other hand, if it gets dissolved, exploded, shredded, etc by a monster… too bad.
That said, I’d let people grab 1-armour without much effort. 2-armour would be a bit more, as that’s getting into police/military gear and probably really obvious to boot.
Note also: Monster hunting is dangerous. Guns and armour won’t save you.
Michael Sands Here is a really dumb question. Once the armor gets hit and is used, is it still there? Example, Monster hits hunter with +1 armor for 1 harm. On the next hit to that hunter, does he still have armor or is it used?
In general, armour is not used up like that.