Originally shared by Mike Espinoza (Azlath)
So one of the things that I want to bring forth about the Nahual powers is that they are hard to master. One idea I’m having right now (damn is 3 am again!) is to make some Nahual power moves harder to hit (i.e. 8– / 9-11 / 12+). Is this too crazy? (Character will have means to have +4 stats for this moves, even +5). What do you think? #NahualRPG #3amdesign
This might be overly complicated, but:
Certain moves have a Novice/Skilled/Master rating that gives you -1/0/+1 to those rolls. Perhaps you can upgrade moves when you reach a certain experience level?
To be honest, this would irk me if the rest of the system looks and plays pretty closely to other Apocalypse World adaptations. I’m totally comfortable with PbtA games that deviate from AW standards (like Undying and Murderous Ghosts), but I feel like this would just make the familiar 6-/7-9/10+ approach feel fiddly.
That said, there are other options besides tiny numerical tweaks to express “difficulty.” Harsher 7-9 costs, and/or 10+ results that still demand costs (like combat moves that mandate taking damage yourself), drive home “this is tough” in a way that tangibly affects the fiction.
Maybe you could turn it around and set fictional requirements to use your powers if you have a low stage of Nahuality. Like, for example, if you are Novato or Aprendiz you need to choose 2 from a list, 1 if you are Brujo or Nahual and none if you are Kibal. And that list could be things appropriate for the setting: perform certain ritual, mark stress, consume some drug, etc
Leckie S that’s an interesting approach. But in Nahual characters have 2 “supernatural” stats in the game, that I want them to increase to represent this sensation of increasing in power. That’s why I rather tweak the stat instead of the moves.
Jason Tocci my plan is to have this special moves grouped together in a set. They’ll be supernatural powers moves, only available to your character when transformed. My hope is that this helps counter that fiddliness you mention.
Hijos Del Rol that sounds pretty interesting! I’ll ponder about it. I should say though that in the fictions, Clement talks about control of the Nahual being hard, not because of rituals or drugs, but because of the raw power itself. So rituals and drugs are more like aids or boosts (+1 to the roll?) rather than requirements. For sure your suggestion open some doors I haven’t been considering. 😉