In the game Monsterhearts, one of the available advancements for your character is taking moves off other skins. My players have sometimes been frustrated because there’s no easy way to find a thematically appropriate move for your character other than by reading through every single skin. So I reorganized the moves by broad theme, with a summary of each move. I present the list here in case it is helpful to other players.

My list includes every skin in the core book, Second Skins, and the free skins available on Buried Without Ceremony. Some moves are cross-listed in multiple categories. (Feel free to suggest cross-listing.)

For the sake of simplicity, both the Disciple’s Wicked Master and the Infernal’s Dark Power are referred to as a Dark Power.

It is an MC judgment call how certain moves should be interpreted when taken by characters of other skins. This list is canonical for my game; however. Some MCs may wish to disallow certain characters taking particular moves (for example, they may wish to disallow anyone but the Infernal taking Soul Debt). When in doubt, talk to your MC.

This list can also serve to familiarize prospective players with the broad themes of Monsterhearts to help them decide whether this is a game they want to play.

Abuser/Bully

Moves for abusers, stalkers, bullies, and the generally cruel and controlling. 

Arbiter (Cerberus): When you give someone a Condition, mark experience.

Bark Then Bite (Cerberus): When you take advantage of a Condition you gave someone, it’s a +2.

Covetous (Wyrm): When someone you care about shows affection for someone else, +1 against the object of their affection. 

Creep (Ghost): When you witness someone in a private moment, gain a String on them.

Cold As Ice (Vampire): When Shutting Someone Down, choose an extra option.

Dig Deeper (Cerberus): When you snoop for dirt on someone, on a 10+ you learn a secret and you can give them a Condition.

Firstborn (Heir): Gain a String when you get someone to attend to your needs.  

Inescapable (Vampire): You can demand others stay in your presence.

Opportunist (Wyrm): When you gain a String on someone with 2+ conditions, gain an additional String. 

Patience Is A Virtue (Serpentine): When you hold your tongue, gain a String on your adversary or take 1 forward to shutting them down in a future scene.

Secret Mission (Disciple): Gain a String on someone when you lie to them about your true motives and they believe you.

Where I Want You (Wyrm): Spend 4 strings on someone; they have to be with you in the place of your choosing until you use a move. 

Altruism

Moves for idealistic characters that strive to do good and help others. 

Growing Pains (Chosen): When you fail to protect your friends, mark XP.

Helpful Spirit (Ghost): Mark XP when you help someone resolve a Condition.

Hot Take (Cerberus): +1 to rolls when you are righting an injustice. 

Just What You Do (Unicorn): Gain a string on someone you dislike when you help them.

Mercy (Chosen): When you spare someone you have reason to kill, take a string on them.

People Should Never (Unicorn): Your moves are powered by your high moral standards. 

Transference (Ghost): When you listen to someone’s struggles, they heal 1 harm and transfer their remaining harm to you.

The Long Fuse (Sasquatch): When you or someone you hold would take harm, you can negate it at a price of something you hold dear.

Watchful Golem (Ghoul): Mark XP when you protect someone without them knowing it.

Helping Others

Moves related to inspiration and leadership. 

I Believe In You (Unicorn): Improve your friend’s rolls with your inspiring example.

Light The Way (Chosen): +1 to your friends’ rolls when they follow your command.

To The Books (Chosen): You and your friends work together on research.

Mental Illness

Moves for traumatized, mentally ill, or neurodivergent characters. 

Better Than Nothing (Hollow): Mark an XP when you get a Condition. 

Blank Canvas (Hollow): +1 to a roll when you embody a Condition. 

Doomed Outsider (Cerberus): When trying to drive others away from you or escape their care, you can take advantage of your own Conditions.

Projected Blame (Ghost): When you have the condition Traumatized you may act as though others had the condition At Fault For My Trauma. 

Try Harder Next Time (Hollow): When you screw up, gain a Condition and take 1 forward.

Self-Deprecating (Neighbor): When you insult yourself, people either need to argue with you (and Shut You Down) or give you a String. 

Unresolved Trauma (Ghost): When someone reminds you of your trauma, you gain the tradition Traumatized; you and they mark XP when someone helps you resolve it.

Unstable (Werewolf): When you become your Darkest Self, mark XP.

Mortal

Moves for human characters.

Can’t Save Myself (Infernal): When someone saves you from forces too powerful for you to reckon with, mark XP and they gain a String on you. 

Down The Rabbit Hole (Mortal): When poking your nose into things not meant for your kind, someone involved gains a String on you and you mark XP.

Home Life (Neighbor): Monsters have feelings about your very normal home life. 

Lucky I Guess (Neighbor): Take 1 forward when you are oblivious to troubling/supernatural occurrences. 

Mess With Me, Mess With Him (Mortal): +2 to Keep Your Cool or Shut Someone Down when using someone else’s name as a threat.

Spooked (Neighbor): When you run into someone’s arms, either you mark XP or they go Darkest Self.

Normal Life

Moves that model ordinary teenage experiences. 

Dig Deeper (Cerberus): When you snoop for dirt on someone, on a 10+ you learn a secret and you can give them a Condition.

Fake (Hollow): +1 to lying. 

Failing Dynasty (Serpentine): You have a meddlesome family.

Nap Fan (Neighbor): When you fall asleep on screen, weird things happen when you wake up.

Or Else (Heir): You can tell your siblings what to do.

Patience Is A Virtue (Serpentine): When you hold your tongue, gain a String on your adversary or take 1 forward to shutting them down in a future scene.

Sanctuary (Witch): +1 to rolls in your home base. 

The Bait (Wyrm): You have a cool collection and others are jealous. 

The Clique (Queen): You have a clique.

The Shield (Queen): -1 to rolls against you when surrounded by your gang.

Sexiness

Moves related to romance, flirting, and sex. 

All The Wrong Places (Neighbor): When you help someone you have a crush on find love somewhere else, they take 1 forward to realizing your affections or you gain strings on each other.

Ending (Ghoul): When you tell someone about your death, roll to Turn Them On with cold.

Horizons (Unicorn): When you have sex in a new way, mark XP and gain a String on your lover. 

Jumping Out Of Clocks (Cuckoo): When you take your clothes off in front of someone, 1 forward to Volatile, and they decide whether to tempt you or trigger your Darkest Self. 

Many Bodies (Queen): +2 to Turn Someone On when you promise your gang members to someone; your Sex Move occurs when the sex happens. 

The Wild Hunt (Fae): +1 to Turn Someone On if you act like an animal.

True Love (Mortal): You have a True Love; +1 to earning their affections, they have a string on you.

Two Eyes (Neighbor): When you take your glasses off, Hot 3, -2 to rolls where you need to see.

Unashamed (Fae): Give someone a String on you; +3 to your attempt to Turn Them On.

Understanding (Sasquatch): When you hold someone close, gain a String on them.

Wingman (Wyrm): +1 to others’ Turn Someone On rolls when you describe how pretty they are.

Social Awkwardness

Moves for characters who are awkward, inexperienced, autistic, or just bad at people. 

Catch of the Day (Selkie): Mark XP when you are confused about a social situation and that makes you make a bad choice.

Mixed Messages (Neighbor): Accidentally insult people you’re attracted to; accidentally flirt with people you’re not.

Icebreaker (Sasquatch): Blurt out a question and others have to answer it.

The New Order (Serpentine): Others mark XP for helping you fit into society; you mark XP for learning to fit into society.

The Supernatural (Generally Useful)

Moves that model various supernatural powers which many different characters could reasonably have.

A Natural (Cuckoo): When pretending to be someone, spend a String to ask a question about them. 

Beyond The Veil (Fae): Allows you to seek an audience with the Fairy King (or other beneficent Power, at the MC’s option). 

Downward Spiral (Mortal): Cause yourself 1 harm when Gazing Into The Abyss to get a +2 to your roll. 

Esprit de Corpse (Ghoul): When you Gaze into the Abyss, gain a ghoul Hunger temporarily. 

Feathers (Cuckoo): Shapeshifting into other humanoid creatures. 

Feathers Made Of Knives (Cuckoo): Protection against being detected while shapeshifting.

Guide (Fae): Travel from one dimension to another.

Heightened Senses (Werewolf): Very sharp senses.

Hex-Casting (Witch): Spellcasting.  

Hidden in the Shadows (Sasquatch): Invisibility (eavesdropping-specific). 

Hypnotic (Vampire): Mind control.

Inescapable (Vampire): You can demand others stay in your presence.

Limitless (Ghost): Walking through walls and flight.

Lesser Beasts (Unicorn): Talking to animals. 

Metamorphosis (Hollow): When you Gaze into the Abyss, swap two of your stats.

Mesmerizing (Serpentine): You can freeze people by staring at them. 

Ocean’s Breath (Selkie): The ocean (or other natural force) tries to comfort you, but is confused about how.

Prophecies (Unicorn): Precognition. 

Short Rest for The Wicked (Ghoul): When you die, you wake up a few hours later fully healed.

Siren Song (Selkie): Magically entrancing singing voice. 

Strange Impressions (Hollow): Temporarily pick up moves from other characters when they harm you or help you heal. 

Streaming (Queen): Telepathic connection to gang members.

The Big Reveal (Serpentine): You can reveal your true form to others.

The New Order (Serpentine): Others gain XP for helping you fit into society; you gain XP for learning to fit into society. (May be suitable for characters from alien species.)

Transgressive Magic (Witch): +1 to Dark rolls when transgressing your community’s moral standards.

Unnoticeable (Sasquatch): Invisibility. 

The Supernatural (Very Specific)

Moves which represent very specific powers only useful for certain character concepts. 

Bargaining Ceremony (Wyrm): I refuse to explain this one, it’s too weird.

Blood Offerings (Disciple): When you suffer harm, the Dark Power gains a string on you and you mark XP. 

Body of Water (Selkie): You must submerge yourself in water regularly; submerging yourself in water heals you. 

Dark/Soul Recruiter (Infernal/Disciple): Mark XP when you bring souls to the Dark Power. 

End Of The World (Disciple): You have sworn fealty to a Dark Power that wants to end the world.

Faery Contract (Fae): You may supernaturally punish people for breaking promises.

Howl at the Moon (Werewolf): You have Dark 3 when bathed in moonlight.

Idols (Disciple): You create idols to your Dark Power.

Incantations (Disciple): You can learn the next step of the Dark Power’s plan. 

Invited (Vampire): You can’t enter a home without being invited; gain a string on people who invite you in. 

Keep Away (Selkie): You must obey the current holder of your pelt. 

Marked For The Hunt (Vampire): You can track people you feed on.

Musk (Sasquatch): You smell really bad.

Outer Skin (Selkie): You have a selkie pelt. 

Satiety (Ghoul): Gain mechanical benefits from satisfying a ghoul Hunger. 

Spoken For (Disciple): When someone gains a string on you, the Dark Power gains a string on them. (With MC approval, this move may be taken with a different target, e.g. the Mortal’s Lover.)

Soul Debt (Infernal): Contract with a Dark Power. 

Spirit Armor (Werewolf): When bathed in moonlight, take 1 less harm and +2 to Keeping Your Cool.

Sympathetic Tokens (Witch): You gain power from items of personal experience taken from others. 

The Clique (Queen): You have a cult.

The Hunger (Ghoul): You pursue a ghoul Hunger. 

The Feeding (Vampire): You feed on blood.

What The Right Hand Wants (Ghoul): Gain an additional ghoul Hunger. 

Victim

Moves for characters who are abused, bullied, or taken advantage of. 

And Your Enemies Closer (Queen): Gain a string on people who betray you.

Better Than Nothing (Hollow): Mark an XP when you get a Condition. 

Excuses Are My Armor (Mortal): Mark XP when you ignore a problem with how someone treats you.

Entrenched (Mortal): If you and another character have 5 or more strings on each other, gain +1 to rolls against them. 

Fake (Hollow): +1 to lying.

Loyal (Cerberus): Whoever has the most Strings on you is your master. +1 to rolls assisting your master; they gain a String on you when you do.

Keep Away (Selkie): You must obey the current holder of your pelt.  

Precarious (Neighbor): Offer someone a string on you in exchange for a favor or a second chance.

Sympathy Is My Weapon (Mortal): Mark XP when you forgive someone for hurting you. 

Under Pressure (Infernal): If someone has 3+ strings on you, +1 to doing their bidding. 

Unicorn Hunters (Unicorn): Someone is hunting people like you. 

Violence

Moves for characters who do violence. 

Family Portrait (Heir): When you show a sibling how dangerous you are, take a String on them or take 1 forward against non-siblings. 

Final Showdown (Chosen): Spend 4 strings on a side character to kill them dead.

Mercy (Chosen): When you spare someone you have reason to kill, take a String on them.

Primal Dominance (Werewolf): When you harm someone take a String on them.

Scent of Blood (Werewolf): +1 to rolls against those harmed in this scene.

Take The Blow (Chosen): You can step in and take the blow instead of someone else.

Unicorn Hunters (Unicorn): Someone is hunting people like you. 

Watchful Golem (Ghoul): Mark XP when you protect someone without them knowing it.

Where I Want You (Wyrm): Spend 4 strings on someone; they have to be with you in the place of your choosing until you use a Move. 

Miscellaneous

Moves that don’t fit in anywhere else. 

Close To The Sun (Cuckoo): When someone is suspicious of your identity while you’re passing as someone else, gain XP. 

Lure (Fae): You get XP if someone breaks a promise to you; they get XP if they make a promise.

That Good (Cuckoo): When someone would gain a String on you while you’re passing as someone else, they instead gain a String on the person you’re passing as.

Watch Dog (Cerberus): Mark XP when you put someone on the correct side of a liminal boundary.