Subject: Jus' Plain Ol' RQ Digest, Volume 4, Number 1
First Distribution: January 10, 1989
This issue:
Re: New Magic Items/overcoming MP's (Andrew Bell)
Re: RQ digest 3#12 (Jeff Okamoto)
Re:overcoming MP's of friendly targets (Rich McAllister)
Re: RQ digest 3#12 (David Gadbois)
Re: RQ digest 3#12 (Bob Kusumoto)
Some of you will have gotten a mutant version of last issue without the
title of Doug's second article in the header. I trust you can fix this
yourselves if you care.
Nice to see an enthusiastic response; some of the comments are duplicates,
but the volume isn't so high as to be problematic, so I'll include them
all.
I'm having trouble reaching the following subscribers, so if you know
new accounts for them, please let me know:
urbbl@troubadix.liu.se (Urban Blom)
ajoseph%cs.ucl.ac.uk@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Adrian Joseph)
f-jax@ifi.uio.no (Jonny Axelsson)
icsg8014@caesar.cs.montana.edu (Sam Patton)
lsmith@apollo.com (Larry Smith)
p87-gen@sigma.sm.luth.se (Glenn V Erikson)
---
Subject: Re: New Magic Items/overcoming MP's
From: bell@cs.unc.edu (Your cranky editor)
Last issue, among other things Doug Crabill writes:
>500 5 point magic crystal - useless once the 5 points are used
>1200 5 point magic crystal - can be recharged at 1 pt per 2 pts used
>2000 5 point magic crystal - can be recharged at 1 pt per point used
My gaming group generally sets the value of 1 point of power to be at least
1000 pennies, so I would evaluate the latter crystal at about 5000. The
price of the non-reusable version is too high if only one quarter the cost
of the infinitely reusable one, but at one tenth the cost, it's about
right. Meanwhile, the one that requires more magic points to be recharged
is not that inferior to the 1:1 version; I'd price it at about 4000. (Note
that these are merchant prices; PCs looking to make a quick sale will get
less than full value.)
>700 Exploding crystal - explodes if magically charged
How are you meaning for it to be charged; are these points put in it at
the time of use? (I would suggest this is the best method, otherwise
one can just pump magic points into it in advance.) I would suggest damage
should be D4 + 1/point, armor affects.
Exploding crystals might also have an upper limit on how many points can
be put in, beyond which they explode instantly. This can be made even
more hazardous by giving each such crystal a *random* upper limit (say a
6D6 limit...)
>1300 Crystal lens - gives magnification of 2^N power
If this is a magnifying lens with a short field of vision, it could also
add +5% to search skill per point put into it. If it works over long range,
it should affect scan as per the farsee spell.
-
Doug also writes about the shapechange spell:
[PLEASE NOTE: Doug is asking about the system for the *shapechange* spell
only, which says the intensity of the spell must be greater than the
target's MAGIC POINTS. It is the only spell so written.]
When Stafford and co. designed the shapechange spell (which is the
only spell that works in this fashion), they seem to have only been
thinking of it being cast on non-willing recipients. I suggest changing
the spell so that the intensity of the spell must be greater than or equal
to the *size* of the target.
Note, however, that a size 13 eagle is probably too large to fly.
(Mythical beasts fly with a little help from magic.) Thus such a spell
should be combined with diminish size or with a fly spell of sufficient
intensity to lift the person/eagle.
>While I'm on the subject, have others interpreted the shapechange spell
>to only effect living tissue (i.e, arms and armor don't shapechange also
>if they were being worn at the time the spell was cast)?
I have ruled that this is the case. The only valid target for the spell
is living beings, and they can only be transformed into living beings.
---
From: Jeff Okamoto
Subject: Re: RQ digest 3#12
>Subject: HeroQuestions, Volume 3, Number 12
>From: Andrew Bell (bell@cs.unc.edu)
>
>Reduce Damage
>ranged, passive, temporal
>
>For every point of intensity in the spell, it reduces the amount of
>damage the weapon does by one point of intensity. It does not cancel
>out any other spells on the weapon.
What happens if I cast it on a Firebladed weapon, which REPLACES the
normal weapon damage with the 3D6 fire damage?
[An interesting question, and one not answered in the regular rules.
Since RQIII includes strength bonuses in fireblade damage, I would rule
(for RQIII at least) that it still works. -acb]
>While I've seen fanaticism used as an offensive spell more often than
>dullblade, a sorcerous version of this spell might prove more popular.
>It's most useful against single, powerful foes.
Dullblade has an advantage over this one -- Dullblade also reduces the
percentage chance to hit (or, perhaps even more important, special
and critical).
[Not in RQ III it doesn't. In RQII, it subtracted 5 percentiles and 1
point of damage per point from any edged weapons. In RQ III, it *only*
affects damage, but will work on any weapon. -acb]
>Subject: New magic items
>
>From: dgc@cs.purdue.edu
>
>The lack of magic items contained in the RQ rules has (of course) led
>me to create some of my own.
I would just like to mention, in the context of Glorantha, a little
bit about magic there. Anything that has a permanent effect almost
invariably takes POW to create/use. Given that POW is not easily
regenerated (like MP), they tend to be much more expensive.
Also, due to the elemental nature of Gloranthan "culture", it is
unlikely that many objects would be found on the "open market".
You just don't tend to find many trolls that can do ANY kind of
light/heat magic (except for Zorak Zoran, who stole Yelmalio's
fire powers).
>Subject: overcoming MP's of friendly targets
>
>From: dgc@cs.purdue.edu
>
>I was wondering how others have handled casting spells (upon willing
>recipients) which require that magic points must be overcome to
>succeed.
You never need to overcome a willing recipient's magic points.
Alternatively, I believe an unconscious person (as opposed to one
that is asleep) cannot resist a spell cast on them. If that is the
case, then Bill could simply put out Joe's lights, then cast the
spell on him.
Jeff
--
From: rfm@Sun.COM (Rich McAllister)
Subject: RQ digest 3#12 [overcoming MP's of friendly targets]
> I was wondering how others have handled casting spells (upon willing
> recipients) which require that magic points must be overcome to
> succeed.
We've always, since RQ2 days, played that a character can choose not to
resist a spell; then it automatically works. If the caster is in melee, and
wants to do the spell in one melee round and go on to something else, the
caster must roll 95 or better -- when you're rushed, you can always fumble.
And nonresistance must be a conscious act -- if a random spell drops in out
of the blue, you resist it. The usual warning cry is "Incoming, Fred!",
which tells Fred you're about to cast a spell on him. Characters who cry
"Incoming" and then Disrupt their friends have short lifespans. :-) If you
don't use this rule, it's just too hard to heal people at the end of a melee
when the healers are down on MP and the wounded newly-rolled-up PC is at
full MP 'cause he doesn't KNOW any spells yet.
> For instance, say Bill the sorceror knows "shapechange human
> to eagle" and wants to cast it on his friend Joe who wants to get to
> the next town in a hurry. This requires that the intensity of the
> shapechange be greater than Joe's MP's,
Um, intensity not less than Joe's SIZ, right? [This is certainly the way we
play it, and I think that's what the book says...]
[No it isn't, at least not in my edition. -acb]
> PLUS, Bill has to overcome Joe's MP's.
> So do you allow Bill to cast it with an intensity of one and
> ignore overcoming Joe's magic points since Joe is a willing recipient?
No, you always need intensity at least matching SIZ, but we do ignore
overcoming MP since Joe chooses not to resist.
> While I'm on the subject, have others interpreted the shapechange spell
> to only affect living tissue (i.e, arms and armor don't shapechange also
> if they were being worn at the time the spell was cast)?
Or clothes, either... a favorite magic item among shapechangers is magically
elastic pants :-)
BTW, we are pretty generous with MP storage crystals in our game, so
the usual limit on a sorceror's abilities is free INT.
Rich
---
From: David Gadbois
Subject: Re: RQ digest 3#12
I checked with King's Hobby Store in Austin, and they say that Avalon
Hill has two upcoming RQ products. The first is "Elder Secrets of
Glorantha," which was due out in December but hasn't been seen yet. The
second will be released in April (ha) and is a city adventure package
with an odd name that I can't recall at the moment. I think this package
may be the rumored redux of Pavis.
I've received the first two issues of the RQ fanzine "Tales of the
Reaching Moon" from a fellow named David Hall in Britain. It contains
Gloranthan rumors, some really nice scenario ideas, and much Gloranthan
material. If you haven't seen this mag yet, rush out, get an money
order for 10#, and send it to
David Hall
21 Stephenson Court
Osborne Street
Slough, Berkshire, SL1 1TN
United Kingdom.
I'm not kidding, this fanzine is really great. He is also looking for a
U.S. distributor. Let me know if you are interested in subscribing
through me. International money orders are fairly expensive and we
share the costs if one person in the U.S. pays for the issues and
distributes them "locally."
I have been playing in a Dragon Pass campaign run by Ken McKinney
(kenm@natinst.com). The adventures are set in 1616-1620 and have
included a trip to Snakepipe hollow, adventures in the Upland Marsh, and
participation in the destruction of The City of 10,000 Magicians. Has
any one else out there been running or playing in Gloranthan campaigns?
My latest software project has been writing a program to generate RQ
characters automatically. I have gotten the basics (like
characteristics and derived attribute computation) down, but I'm a bit
bogged down in the design of decision procedures for skills, spells, and
such and templates for specifying them. Has anyone else done such code?
--David Gadbois
---
From: kus3@tank.uchicago.edu (Bob Kusumoto)
Subject: Re: RQ digest 3#12
} Subject: overcoming MP's of friendly targets
}
} From: dgc@cs.purdue.edu
}
} I was wondering how others have handled casting spells (upon willing
} recipients) which require that magic points must be overcome to
} succeed. For instance, say Bill the sorcerer knows "shapechange human
} to eagle" and wants to cast it on his friend Joe who wants to get to
} the next town in a hurry. This requires that the intensity of the
} shapechange be greater than Joe's MP's, PLUS, Bill has to overcome
} Joe's MP's. So do you allow Bill to cast it with an intensity of one and
} ignore overcoming Joe's magic points since Joe is a willing recipient?
} If not, then the most efficient solution (for the sorcerer) is to have
} Joe spend all but one of his magic points on useless spells, so it will
} be very easy for Bill to overcome his magic points. But if this *is*
} the case, then how can Bill ever cast the shapechange on himself??? He
} has to use an intensity greater than the magic points he has!
As far as I've always understood this problem is that if the recipient
is willing to receive the spell (whether through trust or trickery), he
overcomes no matter what. This is kinda tricky when you have semi-conscious
people in battle who don't know that their friend or some stranger is trying
to cast a healing spell, but at least that's the way I've come to play it.
Bob
---
The RuneQuest(tm) mailing list is a courtesy of Andrew Bell.
All opinions and material above are the responsibility of the originator, and
copyrights are held by them.
RuneQuest is a trademark of Chaosium, Inc.
Send submissions, mailing list changes, requests for old article lists, etc.
to:
bell@cs.unc.edu ...!mcnc!unc!bell
Request old articles by volume number and issue number.