Moves

Basic Moves

Hack & Slash

When you attack an enemy in melee roll +STR.

On a 10+, you deal your damage to the enemy and avoid their attack. At your option, you may choose to do +1d6 damage but expose yourself to the enemy’s attack.
On a 7–9, you deal your damage to the enemy and the enemy makes an attack against you.

Volley

When you take aim and shoot at an enemy at range, roll +DEX.

On a 10+, you have a clear shot—deal your damage.
On a 7–9, choose one (whichever you choose you deal your damage):

You have to move to get the shot placing you in danger as described by the GM
You have to take what you can get: -1d6 damage
You have to take several shots, reducing your ammo by one

Defy Danger

When you act despite an imminent threat or suffer a calamity, say how you deal with it and roll. If you do it:

by powering through, +Str
by getting out of the way or acting fast, +Dex
by enduring, +Con
with quick thinking, +Int
through mental fortitude, +Wis
using charm and social grace, +Cha

Then after rolling:

On a 10+, you do what you set out to, the threat doesn’t come to bear.
On a 7–9, you stumble, hesitate, or flinch: the GM will offer you a worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice.

Defend

When you stand in defense of a person, item, or location under attack, roll +CON.

On a 10+, hold 3.
On a 7–9, hold 1.

As long as you stand in defense, when you or the thing you defend is attacked you may spend hold, 1 for 1, to choose an option:

Redirect an attack from the thing you defend to yourself
Halve the attack’s effect or damage
Open up the attacker to an ally giving that ally +1 forward against the attacker
Deal damage to the attacker equal to your level

Spout Lore

When you consult your accumulated knowledge about something, roll +INT.

On a 10+, the GM will tell you something interesting and useful about the subject relevant to your situation.
On a 7–9, the GM will only tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful. The GM might ask you “How do you know this?” Tell them the truth, now.

You spout lore any time you want to search your memory for knowledge or facts about something. The knowledge you get is like consulting a bestiary, travel guide, or library. You get facts about the subject matter. On a 10+ the GM will show you how those facts can be immediately useful, on a 7–9 they’re just facts.

Discern Realities

When you closely study a situation or person, roll +WIS.

On a 10+, ask the GM 3 questions from the list below.
On a 7–9, ask 1.

Either way, take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

What happened here recently?
What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
Who’s really in control here?
What here is not what it appears to be?

To discern realities you must closely observe your target. That usually means interacting with it or watching someone else do the same. You can’t just stick your head in the doorway and discern realities about a room. You’re not merely scanning for clues—you have to look under and around things, tap the walls, and check for weird dust patterns on the bookshelves. That sort of thing.

Discerning realities isn’t just about noticing a detail, it’s about figuring out the bigger picture. The GM always describes what the player characters experience honestly, so during a fight the GM will say that the kobold mage stays at the other end of the hall. Discerning realities could reveal the reason behind that: the kobold’s motions reveal that he’s actually pulling energy from the room behind him, he can’t come any closer.

Unless a move says otherwise players can only ask questions from the list. If a player asks a question not on the list the GM can tell them to try again or answer a question from the list that seems equivalent.

Parley

When you have leverage on a GM Character and manipulate them, roll +CHA. Leverage is something they need or want.

On a 10+, they do what you ask if you first promise what they ask of you.
On a 7–9, they will do what you ask, but need some concrete assurance of your promise, right now.

Parley covers a lot of ground including old standbys like intimidation and diplomacy. You know you’re using parley when you’re trying to get someone to do something for you by holding a promise or threat over them. Your leverage can be nasty or nice, the tone doesn’t matter.

Aid or Interfere

When you help or hinder someone you have a bond with, roll+Bond with them.

On a 10+ they take +1 or -2, your choice.
On a 7–9 you also expose yourself to danger, retribution, or cost.

Any time you feel like two players should be rolling against each other, the defender should be interfering with the attacker. This doesn’t always mean sabotaging them. It can mean anything from arguing against a parley to just being a shifty person who’s hard to discern. It’s about getting in the way of another players’ success.

Always ask the person aiding or interfering how they are doing it. As long as they can answer that, they trigger the move. Sometimes, as the GM, you’ll have to ask if interference is happening. Your players might not always notice they’re interfering with each other.

Special Moves

Last Breath

When you’re dying you catch a glimpse of what lies beyond the Black Gates of Death’s Kingdom (the GM will describe it). Then roll (just roll, +nothing—yeah, Death doesn’t care how tough or cool you are).

On a 10+, you’ve cheated Death—you’re in a bad spot but you’re still alive.
On a 7–9, Death himself will offer you a bargain. Take it and stabilize or refuse and pass beyond the Black Gates into whatever fate awaits you.
On 6-, your fate is sealed. You’re marked as Death’s own and you’ll cross the threshold soon. The GM will tell you when.

The Last Breath is that moment standing between life and death. Time stands still as Death appears to claim the living for his own. Even those who do not pass beyond the Black Gates catch a glimpse of the other side and what might await them—friends and enemies past, rewards or punishment for acts in life or other, stranger vistas. All are changed in some way by this moment—even those who escape.

Encumbrance

When you make a move while carrying weight you may be encumbered. If your weight carried is:

Equal to or less than your load, you suffer no penalty
Less than or equal to your load+2, you take -1 ongoing until you lighten your burden
Greater than your load+2, you have a choice: drop at least 1 weight and roll at -1, or automatically fail

Make Camp

When you settle in to rest consume a ration. If you’re somewhere dangerous decide the watch order as well. If you have enough XP you may level up. When you wake from at least a few uninterrupted hours of sleep heal damage equal to half your max HP.

You usually make camp so that you can do other things, like prepare spells or commune with your god. Or, you know, sleep soundly at night. Whenever you stop to catch your breath for more than an hour or so, you’ve probably made camp.

Staying a night in an inn or house is making camp, too. Regain your hit points as usual, but only mark off a ration if you’re eating from the food you carry, not paying for a meal or receiving hospitality.

Take Watch

When you’re on watch and something approaches the camp roll +WIS.

On a 10+, you’re able to wake the camp and prepare a response, everyone in the camp takes +1 forward.
On a 7–9, you react just a moment too late; your companions in camp are awake but haven’t had time to prepare. They have weapons and armor but little else.
On a miss, whatever lurks outside the campfire’s light has the drop on you.

Undertake a Perilous Journey

When you travel through hostile territory, choose one member of the party to act as trailblazer, one to scout ahead, and one to be quartermaster. Each character with a job to do rolls +Wis.

On a 10+:
- the quartermaster reduces the number of rations required by one
- the trailblazer reduces the amount of time it takes to reach your destination (the GM will say by how much)
- the scout will spot any trouble quick enough to let you get the drop on it
On a 7–9, each role performs their job as expected: the normal number of rations are consumed, the journey takes about as long as expected, no one gets the drop on you but you don’t get the drop on them either.

You can’t assign more than one job to a character. If you don’t have enough party members, or choose not to assign a job, treat that job as if it had been assigned and the responsible player had rolled a 6.

End of Session

When you reach the end of a session, choose one of your bonds that you feel is resolved (completely explored, no longer relevant, or otherwise). Ask the player of the character you have the bond with if they agree. If they do, mark XP and write a new bond with whomever you wish.

Once bonds have been updated look at your alignment. If you fulfilled that alignment at least once this session, mark XP. Then answer these three questions as a group:

Did we learn something new and important about the world?
Did we overcome a notable monster or enemy?
Did we loot a memorable treasure?

For each "yes" answer everyone marks XP.

Level Up

When you have downtime (hours or days) and XP equal to (or greater than) your current level+7, you can reflect on your experiences and hone your skills.

Subtract your current level+7 from your XP.
Increase your level by 1.
Choose a new advanced move from your class.
If you are the wizard, you also get to add a new spell to your spellbook.
Choose one of your stats and increase it by 1 (this may change your modifier). Changing your Constitution increases your maximum and current HP. Ability scores can’t go higher than 18.

Carouse

When you <breturn triumphant and throw a big party, spend 100 coins and roll +1 for every extra 100 coins spent.

On a 10+, choose 3 from the list below.
On a miss, you still choose one, but things get really out of hand (the GM will say how).

Available options:

You befriend a useful NPC.
You hear rumors of an opportunity.
You gain useful information.
You are not entangled, ensorcelled, or tricked.

You can only carouse when you return triumphant. That’s what draws the crowd of revelers to surround adventurers as they celebrate their latest haul. If you don’t proclaim your success or your failure, then who would want to party with you anyway?

Supply

When you go to buy something with gold on hand, if it’s something readily available in the settlement you’re in, you can buy it at market price. If it’s something special, beyond what’s usually available here, or non-mundane, roll+Cha.

On a 10+, you find what you’re looking for at a fair price.
On a 7–9, you’ll have to pay more or settle for something that’s not exactly what you wanted, but close. The GM will tell you what your options are.

Recover

When you do nothing but rest in comfort and safety after a day of rest you recover all your HP. After three days of rest you remove one debility of your choice. If you’re under the care of a healer (magical or otherwise) you heal a debility for every two days of rest instead.

Recruit

When you put out word that you’re looking to hire help, roll:

+1 if you make it known that your pay is generous
+1 if you make it known what you’re setting out to do
+1 if you make it known that they’ll get a share of whatever you find
+1 if you have a useful reputation around these parts

After rolling, then:

On a 10+, you’ve got your pick of a number of skilled applicants, your choice who you hire, no penalty for not taking them along.
On a 7–9, you’ll have to settle for someone close to what you want or turn them away.
On a miss someone influential and ill-suited declares they’d like to come along (a foolhardy youth, a loose-cannon, or a veiled enemy, for example), bring them and take the consequences or turn them away. If you turn away applicants you take -1 forward to recruit.

Outstanding Warrants

When you return to a civilized place in which you’ve caused trouble before, roll +CHA.

On a 10+, word has spread of your deeds and everyone recognizes you.
On a 7–9, as above, and the GM chooses a complication:
- The local constabulary has a warrant out for your arrest.
- Someone has put a price on your head.
- Someone important to you has been put in a bad spot as a result of your actions.

This move is only for places where you’ve caused trouble, not every patch of civilization you enter. Being publicly caught up in someone else’s trouble still triggers this move.

Bolster

When you spend your leisure time in study, meditation, or hard practice, you gain preparation. If you prepare for a week or more, take 1 preparation. If you prepare for a month or longer, take 3 instead. When your preparation pays off spend 1 preparation for +1 to any roll. You can only spend one preparation per roll.