Hello everyone!
An Angel in my Apocalypse World campaign wanted a custom move for their level-up. They had in mind an experimental super-steroid that they could use to assist other characters. How should I go about making this move?
Here’s the first draft of something I had in mind. The options are mostly taken from The Faceless playbook.
Strength Spike
You use an experimental super-steroid. Roll +stock. On a 10+, choose 2. On a 7-9, choose 1.
– [ ] The recipient takes -2 on all “when you suffer harm” rolls
– [ ] The recipient gets +1 armor when they’re being scary as fuck
– [ ] Take +1 Hard for the duration of a battle
On a 6-, the recipient goes into a rage with no bonuses. If they act against their bloodlust (MC’s discretion), they act under fire.
For PC’s, the effects last about a day. Badasses have fast metabolism.
For NPC’s, the effects last a few weeks. Just enough for them to get cocky.
There’s a bit of a clash between ‘Take +1 Hard for the duration of the battle’ and ‘the effects last about a day’ – might need some tweaking? Also I assume the roll is +Stock Spent? Otherwise looks pretty great!
You use an experimental super-steroid. Roll +stock. On a hit it works and they function as a small gang until it wears off.
On a 7-9, also choose 1.
– [ ] The recipient is highly suggestible until it wears off. PCs Act Under Fire to avoid following any order or suggestion.
– [ ] The recipient flies into uncontrollable roid rage until it wears off. PCs Act Under Fire to do anything other than smash people and things.
On a miss both, and worse.
The whole “roid rage” thing is an unfair and untrue stereotype foisted on men and women who are muscular. It’d be more apt to have their kidneys fail 😉
blogs.discovermagazine.com – The Myth Of “Roid Rage”? – Neuroskeptic
tbf “steroid” also doesn’t make sense as a short-term strength boost, it’s a lot more likely to be meth.
…and I’m out, have fun and good luck!
Thanks for the suggestions! I think I’m going to stick with the effects being bonuses rather than “acts as a small gang” since if its used on a Gunlugger with NOT TO BE FUCKED WITH, the effect would get confusing.
“PCs Act Under Fire to do anything other than smash people and things” is such great wording though, I’ll definitely be using that.
James Iles Thanks for pointing out that discrepancy
You might also consider having the roll produce hold that the player can spend. When the hold is gone, the benefits are gone.
Do the ‘-2 on the suffer harm move’ and ‘+1 armor’ stack? Lots of overlap between them.