Dungeon World

Special Moves

Special Moves

Special moves come up less often than the basic moves, but they’re still fundamental to the adventurer’s life — particularly what characters do between dungeon crawls and high-flying adventures. All player characters have all the 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). ✴On a 10+, you’ve cheated Death — you’re in a bad spot but 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 a 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.

A brush with death, succeed or fail, is a significant moment that should always lead to change. On a 7-9, the GM should offer a real choice with significant consequence, tailored to what’s been established about the character. On a miss, death is inevitable, though it may come slowly — the player can accept it or let the countdown play out.

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

A character’s load stat is determined by their class and Str. This only applies to things a person could walk around with and still act — carrying a boulder isn’t encumbrance, since you can’t really act with it at all.

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.

Staying a night in an inn or house counts as making camp too — regain HP as usual, but only mark off a ration if you’re eating your own carried food rather than 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 camp takes +1 forward. ✴On a 7-9, you react a moment too late; your companions wake with 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 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 says 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 as expected: normal rations consumed, the journey takes the expected time, 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. Unassigned jobs are treated as if the responsible player rolled a 6. Distances are measured in rations — the amount of supplies used in a day. This move covers the whole trip between two known destinations in a single roll; it doesn’t apply to open-ended exploration, which is instead just wandering and making camp as usual.

End of Session

When you reach the end of a session, choose one of your bonds that you feel is resolved. 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 Constitution increases your maximum and current HP. Ability scores can’t go higher than 18.

Carouse

When you return triumphant and throw a big party, spend 100 coins and roll +1 for every extra 100 coins spent. ✴On a 10+, choose 3. ✴On a 7-9, choose 1. ✴On a miss, you still choose one, but things get really out of hand (the GM will say how).

  • 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 revelers to celebrate your latest haul.

Supply

When you go to buy something with gold on hand, if it’s readily available in the settlement you’re in, buy it at market price. If it’s something special, beyond what’s usually available, 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 close, your choice, and 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

✴On a 10+, you’ve got your pick 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) — bring them and take the consequences, or turn them away (and 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 only applies to places you’ve specifically caused trouble in, not every settlement you enter; being publicly caught up in someone else’s trouble also counts.

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.