Navigate
Summary
Navigate is a travel move from The Perilous Wilds supplement used to determine whether the party successfully travels along their intended route. The move is rolled using duty (a stat or move type) plus intelligence, with results following the standard Powered by the Apocalypse framework where different roll totals trigger different outcomes.
In Session 4, this move becomes central to the party's journey toward New Smoke. Vasso attempts the Navigate roll and initially achieves a 7, which under normal circumstances would trigger a GM complication or partial success. However, Sucks provides assistance that improves the result to an 8, converting what would have been a problematic outcome into a clean success.
Details
The Navigate move operates as a duty plus intelligence check. In the Dungeon World/Perilous Wilds framework, this represents both the character's sense of obligation or methodical approach (duty) combined with their mental acuity and navigational reasoning (intelligence). The move follows the standard Powered by the Apocalypse resolution system:
- 10+: Full success with navigation
- 7-9: Partial success, typically with complications or GM moves
- 6-: Failure, with significant complications
The mechanic allows for assistance from other party members. When Sucks helps Vasso during the roll, the assistance bonus converts the initial 7 into an 8, demonstrating how cooperative play can elevate a borderline result into the success range. This collaboration prevents whatever complication the GM might have introduced on a 7-9 result.
The specific phrasing from the session—"Which thing am I doing?" followed by "Duty six plus intelligence"—indicates that the player was clarifying which stats to combine for the roll, suggesting the Navigate move may have multiple possible stat combinations or that the player was confirming the correct approach for their situation.
History
Session 4
The Navigate move appears as the party attempts to travel toward New Smoke. Vasso takes point on the navigation roll, asking for clarification about which statistics to use for the move. The response confirms the roll uses "duty six plus intelligence," establishing the mechanical framework.
Vasso's initial roll produces a 7, landing in the partial success range that would normally trigger a complication. Sucks intervenes by providing assistance, and this aid increases the total to 8, successfully moving the result into the clean success range. The party proceeds toward their destination without the complications that would have accompanied a 7-9 result, allowing them to continue their journey unimpeded.