You can always use a move from another game, too. Since moves always start and end with the fiction, a mechanical idea is the least important bit of the move. Be wary of any idea that’s entirely mechanical. Sometimes you’ll think of something cool, like a tamed demon whose happiness is a constantly varying stat, and go from there. Rarely, you can even start with the mechanics. You know that casting a spell is something that the wizard does, so what triggers that effect? This is particularly useful for class moves.

You’ll see some action coming up and feel like it’s different enough from existing moves that it needs its own rules. This is the most common starting point for moves. Some actions will just feel like they should be a move. Where do moves come from? You can start a move with the trigger. As you get more experienced you might create moves to expand a class or create your own class entirely. You might create moves to cover something that’s particularly important to your setting (“When you swim in the dark waters…”). You might want to create moves to reflect the effects of some particular threat (“When you go alone into the Unhallowed Halls…”). Many of the fronts, dangers and other elements of your game will already contain custom moves, so it’s a natural, easy place to start. The best place to start your journey into hacking Dungeon World is with the moves. This chapter will explain how you can turn this Dungeon World into your Dungeon World. All that is possible (and, in fact, encouraged) with a little effort.

Or maybe you want to play a game where humans are the only race available, but they belong to clans or families as different from each other as a gnome is from a dwarf. Maybe you’ve got an idea for something different-maybe your Dungeon World is set on a blasted desert planet, peopled by savage cannibals and ruled by haughty psychics. Dungeon World portrays a specific kind of fantasy adventure-one with elves and dwarves, heroes and villains, and characters struggling for riches and glory in a dangerous world.

Dungeon world compendium class example