Defend Move

Summary

Defend is a Dungeon World basic move that allows a character to take a defensive position to protect others. The move is rolled as 2d6 plus the character's Constitution modifier. When successfully triggered, it generates hold that can be spent to protect allies if the situation escalates. In Session 3 of the campaign, Vasso attempted this move when backing up with his arms spread to push his friends toward the portcullis while facing the approaching Sniff Lord.

Details

The Defend move is mechanically resolved by rolling 2d6 and adding the character's Constitution modifier. As explained by Shawn during Session 3, a successful roll generates hold that can be used to protect friends if circumstances become dangerous.

The move is triggered when a character takes deliberate action to protect others through positioning or defensive stance. Vasso's attempt provides a clear example: backing up with arms spread to push allies toward safety while facing a threat.

When the move fails (a result of 6 or lower), the GM makes a move in response. The fiction determines what that failure looks like—in Vasso's case, his failed defense meant the Sniff Lord successfully detected the party's presence and blocked their escape route, preventing them from reaching the portcullis.

History

Session 3

Vasso attempted to use the Defend move when the Sniff Lord approached the party. He described his action: "Just like I've got sword in my hand. Can I just like start like just backing up but like with my arms spread so in case anybody else is like behind me sort of my arms will push them towards the porticolis more."

Shawn confirmed this qualified as a Defend: "Yeah, you could. That sounds like a defend to me." Shawn explained the mechanics: "defend is 2d6 plus constitution. And this will give you a number of hold that you can use to protect your friends if it comes to that."

Vasso rolled a 5 on the dice, plus his Constitution modifier of 1, for a total of 6—a miss. He responded: "Okay, so that's not good. That's bad."

The consequence of the failed roll was immediate: "The failure to your roll is that it is here and it is blocking your way." The Sniff Lord had detected the party and cut off their escape route to the portcullis, escalating the encounter.