[Dungeon World] I need some clarification.

[Weimann]

I recently started up a Dungeon World group with some of my friends. It's the first time RPing for two of them, and the first time DMing for me, so we're all kind of feeling things out. I think the first session a few days ago went as well as could be expected, but I did run into a few "hm, how does that work" moments. It didn't really affect the session, but I feel like it'll come up again later, so I figured I'd ask some people who knew.

That's where you come in. :smallbiggrin:

The PCs are an elven ranger pretty boy with an Assassin's Creed wrist blade and a wolf companion, an elven wizard occult academic of indeterminate gender and a human paladin 40-something who left his family to devote himself to the sun cult.

The ranger picked a short sword from the equipment list, but asked to have it be a hidden blade like in the Assassin's Creed games (http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/assassinscreed/images/a/a0/Modern_hidden_blade.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20111118174406). I let him have it, because why not, and decided that as long as he was wearing long, loose sleeves it'd be considered hidden. However, I also gave it the Dangerous tag, symbolizing that it might malfunction and cause trouble. Is the Dangerous tag the best way to indicate that, though?

Furthermore, the ranger picked a wolf for an animal companion and gave it Fast, Quick reflexes and Stealthy as strengths, Hunt as additional training and Savage and Stubborn as weaknesses. I'm a bit confused about how to interpret strengths and weaknesses when the wolf is controlled by the ranger anyway and doesn't roll its own actions? Can the wolf act independently from the ranger and take actions instead of him? If so, does it use the ranger's stats?

Also, and this applies more generally too, how do I handle stealth? Is it just them telling me they hide and then making a Defy Danger with DEX if they risk being seen?

The wizard picked Contact Spirit, Charm Person and Magic Missile as their spells. Contact Spirits says "Name the spirit you wish to contact (or leave it to the GM)...". Does this mean they can only contact spirits they know are present, or can they cast the spell and see if anything in the room gets hit? Charm Person says "The person (not beast or monster) you touch...". What counts as a "person"? Is it the same as a humanoid? Is an orc a person?

In the first session, the party cleared out a mine infested with goblins, and also encountered a few orcs. (I plan on making a front about a moon cult, opposed to the paladin's sun cult, that is utilizing orc tribes to mount an offensive against the elven lands. I'm not super sure what their end goal is yet, but the campaign will only last five sessions by agreement, so we might not have time to get too large scale anyway. Either way, I plan on introducing people from both the sun and moon cult that makes it clear that sun = good and moon = bad isn't a valid dichotomy.) I rolled on the random loot table after they were done, and got a "minor magical trinket", so I made it a pendant of the moon cult. They didn't catch on that it was magical before the session ended, and now I'm wondering what a "minor magical effect" might look like. I feel like a +1 modifier might be both too powerful and too boring.

Thankful for any help! :smallredface:

[Cluedrew]

OK, this is weird because I have flat out never played Dungeon World, however I think I can answer some questions from my general experience with Apocalypse World hacks I think I can answer some of these questions.

On Tags: Tags mean themselves really. When something or someone with a tag does anything in the story ask yourself "does being TAG" effect the outcome. If is does, narrate how it changes the outcome. Both player and GM can do this, although usually it is the GM.

On Companions: Companions (of any sort) are usually considered NPCs. That is the GM says what they do. However they are NPCs with loyalty to the PC, so most of the time the GM just nods (or similar) when the player with the companion says what they do. When you break from this is really up to you, the tags are actually guild about when to do this. Its a Savage wolf? Well then it probably doesn't have finer commands like 'sit' and 'stay' or might ignore commands entirely when it (s/he?) is having fun.

On Spirits: When they say something really open ended, they usually mean just make it up on the spot. Unless Dungeon World has a list of spirits I am unaware of.

The rest would just be me guessing. Actually I'll guess that person=sentient creature (so anything playable at the very least).

[Illogictree]

Dungeon World is one of my favorite systems (possibly favorite, period), so I can answer a few things too. A key thing to remember is that DW is descriptive, not proscriptive. It tells you the stuff you can do and is fairly open-ended about it. The fiction is the thing, rather than the rules.

I agree on the Dangerous tag being a good way to simulate a device that might be hazardous to its user. I might go a step farther and add a Hidden tag to it as well, since that's a major part of the device's abilities. The tag system is actually open-ended; the ones in the rulebook aren't the only ones you can have. Since DW is entirely about the narrative, take into account the various tags. There's a DM move that specifically says "Show them a drawback of their equipment" that you can use during a partial success or failure. Though... I would be careful you don't overuse that.

Cluedrew is right about companions as well. Animal companions and hirelings are NPCs controlled by the DM. NPCs don't get to make rolls, they just follow the fiction. The strengths and weaknesses are reminders of what the animal can and can't do, and how they might react in a situation. Again, see the advice on tags.

Stealth would indeed be a Defy Danger if there's a risk of being seen, possibly using Dex, but maybe Int or Wis depending on the situation or how you want to present the hazard.

"Contact Spirits"... now, bearing in mind I haven't had a player run a wizard, but there isn't a list of spirits included. By the description of the spell, the spirit isn't "present" before the spell is cast, so I would work it like this: When the spell is cast, have the player come up with a name and type of spirit that they're contacting. If they can't come up with something, or if they're "fishing" for an answer, you get to name it and say what it is, but play it like the wizard character knew the spirit's name.

"Charm Person"... The game leaves that up to your judgement. There's no specific definition of "person" in the rules. I suggest being lenient about it, especially for beginning players. Personally I'd consider an orc a person.

As to the pendant, yeah, numerical bonuses on items are not recommended at all in DW because the math is a lot tighter than in D&D and a +1 bonus is a huge deal. Plus it's boring. The pendant should have some interesting effect that could be helpful-but-situational or at least flavorful. Perhaps something like this:

Moon Cult Amulet - This small opal amulet is graven with the image of a crescent moon. When the command word ("moonlight" in Elven) is spoken, it sheds a soft light like the light of the last crescent moon of winter. This faint light might allow limited illumination in darkness, but it might also make visible moon-runes tuned to that specific moonlight.

[Weimann]

Thanks for your advice, particularly on Contact Spirit. I had that one completely wrong. :smallsmile:

[Beneath]

Yeah, Contact Spirit's a general-purpose information spell. It's one of my favorite spells when I play a wizard in DW (but I mean it can go wrong; something other than the spirit you're trying to contact might show up, or the spirit might do more than be bound to answer your question. Botched casting is one of the most fun rules in DW).

I would also consider an orc a person; Dungeon World is intended to emulate the feel of old-school D&D and orcs are affected by Charm Person there.

Another possible minor magical effect of the moon amulet it that it always shows you the phase of the moon and its position in the sky (even when it's below the horizon), making it a sort-of clock. I like the light-shedding though; it may also be that its light does something to shapeshifters, perhaps preventing their approach (or preventing doing harm), or revealing them.

[Illogictree]

Ah, yeah, forgot about the old shapeshifter/moon thing. With a little ingenuity even a minor magic item with a simple power like that might have a wide variety of uses. Possibly ones that even you as the GM didn't think of, which is part of the fun.