> Are trolls hurt whenever they touch iron or just when the iron
> penetrates their skin? Would a troll ever choose to use an iron
> weapon to combat an opponent which was a troll or an elf?
Uz aren't "hurt" in the, "Crap, there's a point of damage to the left
arm" kind of hurt. But it's surely unpleasant -- surface burns, or an
allergic reaction, or whatever form of unpleasant pain you might want to
inflict. Most uz treat the stuff like it's radioactive, and quickly give
it to the local hero with some sort of "Eat Iron" feat.
Using Iron is a big no-no for uz, and I doubt proper uz would ever do it. On the flip side, crazed uz PCs who have gone over the edge might dabble with it. No sane uz is going to go near them, of course. But for a single Uz PC, it's possible. Especially if he's worshipping some sick, twisted god of aberrant morality, like Humakt. (Aberrant by *uz* standards ;).
> One more check: I understand why nearly all trolls won't use
> bows for mythological reasons. But does this also rule out
> crossbows? I see no record of Yelm/Sky cultists using crossbows (Am
> I ignorant?).
Nope! But crossbows are a dwarven invention, and thus there's the same
kind of stigma, uz magics don't work with them very well, and the darn
things are tough to make, break down lots, and get nibbled on by the enlo.
> I am unsure why there is no record of *any* maverick troll
> (or an Illuminated troll) *ever* using a bow.
Probably 'coz there's just not much at all known about uz: there's, what,
twenty or thirty tops that there's any record of, right?
Sure, there might have been "Garatach Elf-Lover" in the Elder Wars that waged a relentless personal war against his fellow uz and used the bow; or "Vangarka Deathray" that Heroquested to steal Yelmalio's bow, and cheerfully used it to kill hundreds of Dara Happans. These are possible -- but they're very, very rare, and not anything most uz would emulate.
Given the general weirdness of Glorantha (the odd meat-eating elf, non-chaotic broo, etc.), you can probably *always* find "one-offs" who break the rules.
> I am unsure why slings have less need of eyesight than bows.
Of course, uz don't use eyesight, but... :)
Frex, FWIW, since darksense is supposed to be as good as it is, then there's no real advantage to using a sling *over* a bow in *this* case -- I wouldn't buy the "you can see the stone better than the arrow." Uz are quite good at seeing arrows, chiefly as a survival trait. Worse come to worse, forge lead arrowheads. Uz are *physically* capable of using bows, even if (don't know how to make, enlo nibble) they are some problems using them.
The big problem (as it often is, in Glorantha) is mythic and magic, as people are suggesting. Enterprising uz picking up bows get a Stern Talking To from Great Grandmother. And since she's a spirit, and can show up *anyway*, it's much less bother to just eat the bow and keep using rocks.
And even if Grams is fine with the bow-thing, you do a hell of a lot more damage using the sling with the appropriate Vaneekara and Bokatang and Karrg magics, so after a few goes with the bow you give it up with disgust, seeing that Traditional Uz Values have once more been completely reaffirmed and that outside ways are useless.
> While I appreciate the technogical reasons why slings are so much
> more abundant, I am unsure of the technological reasons why sometimes
> trolls (Zorak Zorani only?) *do* use swords but not bows.
A few thoughts:
You're right, there's reference to Greatsword-wielding uzdo in a few cases, and there's sword-uz in the Sazdorf (but they're not Zorak Zorani - -- the best use a Zorak Zorani has for a sword is to teach a Humakti's undead corpse to use it.) But the uzdo is probably an aberration (some early GM said, "hey, look at the whiz-cool damage the uzdo could do!").
The big problem is, now that Hero Wars is the "best approximate vision" of Glorantha, is that uz have *no* sword magics (as well as no bow, spear, etc. magics). Spells like Bladesharp are now effectively *gone*. Plus, the inherent, systemic "swords are better" aspect from Runequest seems to be gone, so there's not as much reason (slash) to want to (slash) use a sword (roll damage twice instead of maximum damage bonus).
Similarly, spells that used to boost all missile weapons (Speedart, Sureshot, Multi-missile) seem likely to now be specific feats: "Hurl Boulder a Mile," "Always Hit Foe", "Sling Many Stones," etc.
Now, Uz PCs -- as you suggest -- *might* be picking up bows, and swords, and such and using them left and right. And it's probably true that some isolated uz somewhere use them -- the Yolp uz probably use some swords, with their affinity to Orlanth. The Argan Argar spearkin use spears. The uzhim use harpoons. Cragspiders 1st Armored Tarantula Cavalry use javelins. The Kitori *might* use swords, with the Orlanth connection.
But these are all kind of freaks, really: in each case, they have access to magics that most uz don't, and so they've successfully adopted new magics. Uz PCs (in hooman parties, especially) usually don't act much like most uz in any case, alas.
Now, if you really want your uz to use bows or swords, you can always rationalize it IYG by just saying, "Kagratch the great ancestress killed the Little Death and took his far-shooting rays, and this is why our clan hunters use this weapon that no other uz knows. The other uz say we are strange and use evil magics, but we know that nothing that gives us so much food is a bad thing, and we defeat our foes." And your clan has an ancestral spirit that *does* give you some useful magics and such, with the trade off that other uz think you're all a bunch of sickos.
Granted, this would be heretical -- it doesn't mesh with Glorantha canon - -- but if it works in your game, go for it. There might be *one* tiny group of uz that use bows somewhere in Glorantha, and you're just sort of specifying the location.
James Frusetta
End of The Glorantha Digest V8 #257
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