Question about a ‘magic move’ for my new game.
I’ve been toying around with a new cross-genre PbtA game tentatively titled “F*ck Your Genre” or “FYG” for short.
In my brain it’s currently sort of a combo of the RIFTS RPG meets Rick & Morty. As the working title implies, it’s designed to evoke and fuck with different genres at the same time. The working draft playbooks 16(!) include characters like The Dread Pirate, The Fastest Gun in the West, The Luchador Supreme, The Mighty Kongorilla, The Mekka Prime, and (which brings me to my question) The Holy One.
I don’t want ‘MAGIC!’ to be a big part of the game, so The Holy One’s moves are minor miracles like “Give Me A Sign” (crowd faith healing), “Suspiciously Specific Sermon” (influencing), and such. Those are pretty straightforward, but I could use some feedback on whether the following makes sense or if I’m missing something really obvious….
Religion is Magic: Appeal to whatever sentient cosmic force you believe in, strike a dramatic pose or gesture, and roll +MOVE. On 10, choose the spell form and one effect; unless otherwise specified, the effect is instantaneous. On 7-9, choose the form and effect, but the GM also creates or chooses a mishap. On any hit, target one creature, object, or area within line of sight that is also no larger than an imaginary cube of approximately [6 x STAT] feet on each side; you may target yourself instead. On a miss, your magic goes significantly awry; the GM will decide exactly how.
Special: On 11, double the effect or add a second effect as appropriate. On 12, double one of the current effects or add a third effect as appropriate.
Form: bolt, burst, cloud, flame, globe, ray, shadow, wind
Effect: animate a statue (up to STAT minutes; you do not control it), clothes to ashes, detect magic, find money (up to STAT coins), multiply food (one piece becomes up to STAT), purify water, walk on water/air (up to STAT minutes), water to wine/beer (up to STAT gallons)
Mishap (examples): wrong form, unexpectedly intense form, similar but different effect, max variable = 1 (1 min, 1 coin, 1 gallon, etc.)
I mean, that’s basically ‘MAGIC!’ no matter how much lipstick you wanna put on it. What’s the problem with including magic? Rick is basically a wizard.
I’d say it’s magic but not MAGIC!, but the terminology isn’t really important at this stage.
Without any resource depletion, this move can be used over and over again as written. Perhaps on a miss you need something like, “Your deity of choice has grown bored, peeved, or tired of your whining and begging. No more miracles until you prove you’re worthy.”
In place of “take an advance from another playbook”, it needs “take an advance from a playbook in another game”. Start iconic/simple, den watch dat drift.
Mark Redacted The Hipster playbook can only take advances from games nobody else has heard of.
Todd Zircher The re-use was one reason the miracles are so minor, but I like your idea as an added punch!
Mark Redacted #shudder. No way I’m going down that rabbit hole!
Mark Redacted what an incredible idea!
I feel like I’ve heard of someone doing what Mark Redacted said, creating something where you take moves from other games, but I’m not sure who or what. I’m going for more of a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen thing so all the playbooks are self-contained within the game.