Hunt
Summary
Hunt is a Dungeon World tracking move used in the campaign. The move allows a character to follow a trail of clues left behind by passing creatures by rolling 2d6 and adding their wisdom modifier. Monster, Brad's cat companion, possesses this ability as one of his trained skills. The ability can also be used to analyze physical evidence and deduce behavioral information about creatures that were present at a scene. Cat, a ranger character, also possesses this ability as part of the ranger playbook.
Details
Hunt functions as a standard Dungeon World move with the following mechanics:
- Roll: 2d6 + wisdom modifier
- Purpose: To follow a trail of clues left behind by passing creatures
The move follows the standard Dungeon World resolution framework, where results of 10+ represent full success, 7-9 represent success with complications, and 6- represent failure. As with all Dungeon World moves, a failed roll awards the player one point of experience.
The ability works by allowing characters to pick up on physical traces—such as tracks, environmental disturbances, and mud—and use them to pursue or locate the source. Beyond simple tracking, the move can enable deduction of behavioral patterns and motivations from the available evidence at a scene, including what creatures were reacting to and their emotional states during the events being investigated.
History
Session 2
Hunt becomes relevant during the investigation of the break-in at Dunko's apartment. After discovering the mysterious boot print with its distinctive yellow mud, Katniss suggests using Monster's tracking capabilities. When Katniss asks whether Monster can use the mud as a clue for hunting whoever stepped in it, Brad confirms that Hunt is indeed one of Monster's abilities. Shawn validates this application, confirming that Hunt would be appropriate for tracking the intruder. When the move is attempted, Brad rolls the dice and reports a result of 4—a failure. Shawn responds by awarding a point of experience for the failed roll. Despite the mechanical failure, Monster still manages to track the scent to the Rex Tree through narrative description, demonstrating how the campaign balances mechanical outcomes with story progression.
Session 4
In Session 4, Monster uses Hunt to investigate the scene where The Ice Blob had been present, attempting to determine what the creature had been running from when it created The Frozen Nilik. Brad rolls a 7, achieving a partial success. Based on this result, Monster deduces behavioral information from the available evidence: the skittish nature of the blob creature, the remembered state of The Frozen Nilik, and the directional blast pattern of the freezing effect. Shawn explains: "You think if you had to guess purely based on the information that you had is this thing was startled by a bird in a bush and just reacted out of fear and then ran away." This use of Hunt reveals that The Ice Blob was not deliberately attacking The Frozen Nilik, but instead had released a defensive blast in response to being startled, accidentally freezing the nilik before fleeing the scene.
Session 11
During the level-up process in Session 11, Erin considers taking Hunt as a cross-class move for Safia, explaining: "So one of the moves I can do is like to take a ranger move. So I was thinking of doing that and taking hunt and track." However, the table identifies potential redundancy when another participant points out that Cat already possesses this ability as a ranger. The confirmation follows: "Cat can hunt and track." This leads Erin to reconsider: "Oh, maybe I don't need to shot." The discussion illustrates how party composition and existing character capabilities influence move selection during advancement, as duplicating abilities already present in the group may offer less tactical value than acquiring new capabilities.