From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Fri, 27 May 1994, part 2
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
Content-Return: Prohibited
Precedence: junk
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From: sandyp@idcube.idsoftware.com (Sandy Petersen)
Subject: Malkioni doctrine
Message-ID: <9405261750.AA00626@idcube.idsoftware.com>
Date: 26 May 94 05:51:10 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4192
Jonas Schiott sez:
>My group has a long-running campaign in the East Wilds of Ralios I
>could post some of this, and then we could argue endlessly
Please do. My own group may be visiting Ralios sometime and
I'd like to know what's there waiting for me.
There have been some puzzling references to saints in the Daily.
"Saint cults" "Saint Rune Lords", etc. To clarify matters, here is
how the RQ rules are currently intended to support Saints. Anyone who
insists on a different system for their campaign has my blessing.
*ahem*
SAINTS
Certain men and women attain great spiritual perfection.
After their mundane life, they can procure special benefits for
those who pray to them. These individuals are known as saints. A
few saints are debased and worshiped as deities in non-Malkioni
realms. Only mortals can attain sainthood -- no deity has ever
done so, though a few have achieved salvation through recognition
of the primacy of the Invisible God.
To gain a saint as a Patron, you must spend an amount of POW
varying with the saint in question. This can be sacrificed over a
period of time, and need not be done all at once. Once the saint
becomes your Patron, you can invoke him at will and receive his
blessing. It costs 1 POW each time a saint is invoked. The blessing
normally occurs on SR 1 of the round of invocation. A saint's
blessing cannot beDispelled, Dismissed, or Neutralized.
Not all sects of the Malkioni accept saints. The Brithini
and Vadeli do not recognize saints and never worship them.
Some important saints are described below.
ARKAT'S BLESSING (8 POW): When invoked, the skin and clothing of all
illuminated beings within 100 meters of the supplicant turn
translucent white. This effect lasts until the next sunrise, and
includes the supplicant himself, if he is illuminated.
CONWY'S BLESSING (2 POW): Must be invoked at the same time a sorcery
spell is being cast. The spell's total Duration is multiplied by the
user's Free INT.
GERLANT'S BLESSING (3 POW): When invoked, a bladed weapon in the
caster's hand becomes a Fireblade. From then on, whenever the
supplicant wields that blade, it is a Fireblade. The effect is
permanent. Gerlant can be called again to transfer the effect to a
different blade.
HRESTOL'S BLESSING (8 POW): When invoked, the supplicant's POW
doubles, and remains that way for one full day. At the end of the
day, POW drops back to normal, but MPs may still be higher than the
user's POW.
JOSLYN'S BLESSING (3 POW): Must be invoked at the same time a sorcery
spell is being cast. The user's Free INT is added to the spell's
Intensity at no additional MP cost.
MALKION'S BLESSING (6 POW): Must be invoked at the same time a
sorcery spell or ritual is being performed. The spell's MP cost is
reduced to 0. In addition, the spell goes off at the user's DEX SR.
NOMIA'S BLESSING (7 POW): When invoked, the user's mind is expanded.
For the next week, all research & experience checks automatically
succeed, plus the amount of increase is automatically the maximum
possible (this last also applies to training). Thus, if the user does
research in, say, Mace Attack, and invokes Nomia's Blessing, not only
does he automatically increase, he gets 4 full points.
OUXEY'S BLESSING (2 POW): Must be invoked at the same time a sorcery
spell is being cast using the Hold skill. The spell gains an
independent existence, remaining held for use indefinitely, freeing
the user to cast another spell. Any number of spells can be held in
this manner, each requiring a separate Blessing and pt of POW. A
spell held in this manner is only lost if the caster dies. However,
once such a spell is triggered, it is cast and gone for good.
PASLAC'S BLESSING (5 POW): When invoked, the armor points of a chosen
piece of metal, which can be a tool, weapon, or piece of armor, is
doubled when the piece is touched by the supplicant. Paslac can be
called upon again to transfer his blessing to a different piece of
armor, but only a single piece at a time can be affected for a given
supplicant.
RACEEN'S BLESSING (2 POW): Must be invoked at the same time a sorcery
spell is being cast. The spell's total Range is multiplied by the
user's Free INT.
TALOR'S BLESSING (6 POW): Talor may only be invoked just before or
during a battle. His supplicant experiences great joy while fighting.
For the duration of the battle, the supplicant is immune to fatigue
loss, incapacitation, shock, unconsciousness, or the effects of
exhaustion. He fails CON rolls only on a roll of 96-00. In addition,
when first invoked, the supplicant can expend 1 or more magic points.
For each MP expended, all his skills are increased by 2%.
VALKARO'S BLESSING (6 POW): When invoked, until next nightfall, the
devotee has great force of mind. He automatically succeeds in any INT
roll he makes, including Concentration rolls. He automatically
succeeds in sorcery spell casting and manipulation, with no die roll
necessary, and no critical successes possible.
WAERTAG'S BLESSING (4 POW): When invoked, the user gains the ability
to survive underwater. Once he resurfaces for air, Waertag's blessing
ends.
XEMELA'S BLESSING (9 POW): The invocation has two parts. In the first
part, the supplicant's skin turns night-black, and he or she has one
minute to touch other beings. When he or she has touched every being
that he or she wishes to affect, or the minute is up, the the second
half of the invocation takes place. At this moment, all the beings
touched have all their damage cured.
For every hit location cured of damage, the supplicant takes
1 point of damage in the corresponding location. For every person
cured of all general hit point damage, the supplicant takes 1 point
of general hit point damage. For every disease cured, the supplicant
loses 1 point off the appropriate stat (i.e., curing Brain Fever
costs 1 INT). Other losses can generally be figured out by comparing
to this general effect. Thus, a person Tapped can be cured by losing
1 point of the appropriate stat. Only points lost below the
character's normal trait level can be restored -- if you started with
a POW of 10, and had it worked up to 15, and had it tapped down to 8,
Xemela's Blessing would only restore you back to 10.
If a hit location is completely destroyed, this blessing has
no effect on it -- the Restore Limb spell must be used instead. This
blessing cannot help someone who is dead, nor can it remove the taint
of chaos from an individual. This blessing will not expel a passion
spirit or disease spirit, but it will heal all damage done by such a
spirit to date.
If the total damage taken by the supplicant is enough to
kill him or her, the complete effect still works. Hence, one common
exploitation of this blessing is to "use up" Xemela supplicants
during a battle, by having them touch a hundred or more wounded
individuals before invoking the second half of an invocation. The
supplicant takes hundreds of points of damage, dying instantly in a
tatter of bloody shreds, but all her "patients" are cured and ready
to return to battle.
Nils mentions:
>Our current main campaign is the most high-powered so far. All
>characters are rune level, in the 150% class, and renowned
>heroquesters.
*wow*
Joe Lannom mentions:
>Hurray! Flesh out those non fighters. I've got two of 'em in my
>game, although the Issaries is getting to be a marksman with a
>crossbow and passing good with a shovel. (long story)
The most bloodthirsty PC I ever had in my campaign was a
screwball who'd re-thought the lost art of alchemy and spent all his
time trying to brew magic potions. He hired all the other PCs as his
potion ingredient-getters and rode around behind them in his wagon
filled with awful things. Basically, he'd hunt down and kill the
most exotic monsters around and then brew up their nastiest bits to
see if it helped make a magic potion. The party finally ended when
the alchemist found out that part of an allosaurus was useful in
making a potion which turned the drinker to stone. He insisted that
they go out Right Now to Balazar to hunt allosaurs. Innocently, they
did so. When two allosaurs showed up, he urged the party into combat.
Instead, they fled precipitously, abandoning him and his wagon.
Rather than run off with the left, he stuck with his wagon, firing
his arbalest at the oncoming monsters to the end.
The dumbest weapon skill I ever had in my campaign was a guy
who'd worked his Crossbow Attack skill up to 50%. What you have to
understand is that this was a MELEE Crossbow Attack (i.e., swinging
the crossbow like a club). He'd gotten in a fight with bandits. First
he fired his crossbow. Then he stabbed with his spear and impaled a
foe, losing the spear. He whipped out his shortsword and impaled with
that too, losing it. Since he was on horseback, he couldn't very well
retrieve them. So his only weapon left was the crossbow, which he
pulled out and started whaling on the opposition. After the fight he
asked to be allowed to increase in the skill, and I let him. Then he
decided to keep working on it. *sigh* And did.
Mike asks
>>How do you handle ordinary meat-and-potatoes non-Biturian trading?
Dave Dunham responds:
>My anthro/archeology is rusty, but I do know that trade in luxury
>goods (feathers, shells, rare furs, gold, amber) and obsidian ...was
>quite common and extensive in ancient times. So one answer is, you
>_don't_.
This is my response too. Though my players do plenty of
trading, most of it is valuable and exotic goods. Not only because
they usually can't afford a huge caravan for bulk items, but also
because it's more FUN to trade ever-burning helms and magic bird
sticks than copper pots.
Loren Miller states:
>Every worship service is a heroquest. (I think I was the first on
>this forum to state this flat out, but Greg said exactly the same
>thing at the RQ-Con Heroquesting seminar.) With constant worship
>there must be constant minor adjustments to the cult.
Every worship service IS a heroquest, but this tends to unify
the cult, not divide it. Most heroquesting does not change the nature
of reality, but rather confirms it. Only creative heroquesting as was
done by Arkat and the God Learners alters Things As They Are.
Devin Cutler asks:
>Does anyone have any secret info on True Dragons (like Stats)?
True Dragons do not really have stats in any sort of useful
form. They have the Infinity Rune, so have total control over all
magical energy in and around them. Hence, any spell cast at them is
immediately canceled/placed under their control/warped into whatever
they want. As the man said, "They can think a human to death, mold
the earth like clay..." Their DREAMS come real and become huge
monsters that are fairly difficult to kill.
My players saw a real dragon once -- the black dragon up by
Cragspider's. 'Twas asleep at the time.
re: Malkioni Afterlife
Here are my humble suggestions (partially stolen from Martin), which
I'm sure will soon be improved by the readers, gamers & scholars
alike:
OPTION ONE: humans are always committing sins because we are evil by
nature. Sins distance us from the Invisible God. Every worship
service, the Wizard-led ritual purges us of a certain amount of this
sin. If we've committed REALLY BIG sins during the week, it may take
several years of worship services to get us off the hook. But for
most trivial sins, the service takes care of everything. If we die
with too much sin still on our conscience, we don't receive Solace.
If we've done something really bad, and don't want to be
satisfied with years of worship services, we can go to the Wizard and
ask him for a penance to purge us of lots of sin at once. Everyone
should probably undergo a penance once a year or so anyway, just in
case they've done something they've forgotten about. Penances
include: pilgrimages, crusades (if one's ongoing), public humiliation
or confession, fines, mortification of the flesh, etc.
OPTION TWO: humans are bi-natured. Part of us wants to sin, part of
us wants to do good. We must continually emphasize and express the
part of us that is Good, while suppressing and dwindling the part of
us that is Bad. If, at death, we've managed to tip the balance
sufficiently in favor of Good, then we receive Solace.
By doing good deeds, we encourage Good and improve ourselves.
When we slip and do a bad deed, our bad side grows and threatens our
immortal soul. There is no deathbed repentance, because if our bad
side is already too big when we die, it's too bad for us.
Penances can help us because they count as automatic Good
deeds. On the other hand, they're unpleasant, and we can get just as
many brownie points by simply doing the right thing in our everyday
life.
I suggest that one of these two ways of getting to heaven be chosen
by the Rokari and one by the Hrestoli. Any suggestions on which is
which? I rather like Option One for the Rokari, as it seems to be
more "practical" and guilt-ridden, while Option Two is
internally-driven -- you kind of choose for yourself what is right
and wrong in a Zen-like way. So Option Two sounds more Hrestoli to
me.
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From: CHARTLEY%ESOC.BITNET@vm.gmd.de (C. Hartley Data Processing Division)
Subject: Non Gloranthan Stuff
Message-ID: <9405260732.AA11426@Sun.COM>
Date: 26 May 94 14:32:05 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4184
YES I WOULD LIKE TO SEE NON GLORANTHAN MATERIAL ON THE DAILY.
Please.
Chris.
End of Message
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From: langsl@cbr.hhcs.gov.au
Subject: Starting A Campaign
Message-ID: <0097F041.3A613A60.1759@hhcs.gov.au>
Date: 27 May 94 03:00:42 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4185
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: Sent on: 26-May-1994 05:01pm
From: Alistair Langsford
LANGSFORD ALISTAIR
Dept: Information Services
Tel No:289 7870
TO: Remote Addressee ( _runequest@glorantha.holland.sun.com )
Subject: Starting A Campaign
I have been asked to consider running a RQ/Gloranthan campaign. It is
going to be for people who haven't played RQ before. If it works out
though I am likely to asked to run something for the more experienced
group of RQers I play with, just to give our long suffering ref a bit
of a break.
What published materials would people recommend for starting off a new
campaign for new players? I am particularly interested in the latest
stuff out for RQ3, e.g. Sun County, River Of Cradles, Dorastor etc. but
any comments about RQ2 materials are ok too.
What materials would be best for more experienced players?
Any other advice you feel appropriate (or just wanted to throw in) also
appreciated.
My RQ experience is with RQ2 only. I have access to RQ3. If I try
converting RQ3 materials to RQ2 what are the known problems with doing
so. Would I be better off converting to RQ3? I am more concerned with
changes which affect the feel of the game and the way the world of
Glorantha works - e.g. the fact that RQ3 doesn't have lay membership
like RQ2.
Any helpful advice appreciated.
Alistair Langsford,
langsl@cbr.hhcs.gov.au
---------------------
From: carlsonp@wdni.com (Carlson, Pam)
Subject: RE:Peter's Info
Message-ID: <2DE3D096@itlab.wtc.weyer.com>
Date: 25 May 94 22:25:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4186
Peter asks again -
I HAVE SOME NON-GLORANTHAN CAMPAIGN NOTES ON DISK FROM A FRIEND'S CAMPAIGN.
CULTURES/SOCIEITES/GODS ETC. DO YOU WANT TO SEE THEM OR NOT?
Count me as another "YES"! I didn't reply the first time because being a
well-conditioned American I took the easy way out and waited for someone
else to do it. (Sounds of self flagellation...)
In general, I'd like to see more scenario descriptions, plot ideas, and
descriptions of small details of Gloranthan life. FREX:
1. What happens if a human eats a chaotic critter, like a slime deer or a
two-headed bunny? Does Walktapus have any side effects besides regeneration
in-stomacho?
2. How would an Orlanthi clan chief deal with a young man from his clan who
had been caught robbing strangers? Fines? Banishment? Confinement? Lop off
body parts? Make him do extra work?
3. Do Orlanthi farmers have to pay taxes to the clan to support the
non-farmers (the poor, the housecarls, the smith)? Do their tithes they pay
as initiates cover this?
I also thought the trade question was a good one - there should at least be
an opposed bargain skill. And (mount soapbox)
THERE SHOULD BE MORE DOGS IN RQ! Where are the big dogs who guard caravans
at night? The dogs of any size who travel w/ adventurers to hear or smell
those pesky trollkin before they get off the first round of slingstones?
The Coursing Hounds of Prax? The herding dogs of Sartar? (Just try and get
an alynx to bring in 1000 sheep.) A Yelmalio file's mascot who wears the
unit's logo and wins big at the dogfights? I realize that several groups of
Gloranthans identify strongly with other animals, but how could so many
cultures fail to keep such a fabulously useful beastie? Just because
certain pre-RQ games had the ubiquitous "war dog" which could be purchased
fully trained, loyal, and practically stuffed into the bottomless
adventurers pack when not in use doesn't mean that dogs should be tossed out
along with alignments and maps of the netherworld.
End tirade. I appologize if there are lots of dogs in Glorantha, but I
certainly haven't found many. Does anyone else want to see more canids, or
have I been sniffing too much flea spray?
-Pam
<^==@
/\ /\
---------------------
From: pyspas@midge.bath.ac.uk (Paul Snow)
Subject: Re: Rules for Trading
Message-ID:
Date: 26 May 94 14:35:44 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4188
IMHO the rules for trading in Classic Traveller were easy to use and
seemed fairly sensible ( its a physicist rather than an economist talking
here chaps ) and only took up two or three pages of the little traveller
books.
The system was based on a list of goods and a universal base
price/value for each commodity. You then rolled to determine the buying
price at your current location and applied modifiers. This involved
looking at one table that gave a factor to apply to the universal base
price and which varied from about 20% to 400%. You then took the goods to
your chosen point of sale ( in this case of course a different star
system) and rolled again on the table given with approprite local modifiers.
Modifiers existed for skill of the character as well as Trade
classification of the world. Fortunes could be made and lost; profitable
trade routes found and adventures limked together by a nice little earner.
I'm sure this could be adapted to Glorantha very easily. Rather
than gems to an industrial world, iron tools/weapons to nomads, eh?
Paul Snow
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From: SYS_RSH%PV0A@hobbes.cca.rockwell.com (The Lawnmower Man)
Subject: Nya!
Message-ID: <01HCSDAB8R428Y51TX@hobbes.cca.rockwell.com>
Date: 26 May 94 02:56:36 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4189
Devin:
Well, Nya to you too. Is Nya a Scholarly exclamation of praise?-)
Me:
Nah. It's Nyarlathep's favorite pet name. We may be in trouble. :)
--Scott
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From: gec127@cent1.lancs.ac.uk (b hillesland)
Subject: Lodril / My campaign
Message-ID: <21101.9405261300@cent1.lancs.ac.uk>
Date: 26 May 94 15:00:26 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4190
I liked that stuff the other day about Lodril: I think the cult would
certainly have to be different to Pelorians/Agimori (the Agimori are no
peasants). Since the Agimori are directly connected to Lodril and the fire
rune maybe the cult would look something like Kyger Litor / Aldrya- (these
involving the man rune along with darkness/plant),with Shamans, special leaders
(Gardener-types) and that type of thing.
And since I also saw a request for campaign anecdotes/ideas, here's a little
idea I had for a praxian Agimori character in my campaign, who recently
joined the Storm Bull cult (?!) All of his clan thinks he is absolutely
insane and will have nothing to do with him. Can he find acceptance with his
people? Maybe so- the Shamans talk about the sacred fire of ancestors- anyone
who travels to the Elder Wilds and finds this sacred fire, then willingly
throws themselves into it for a bit, is scarred for life but gains a new
status among the Agimori when he or she returns home (along with special
magical powers?)
Where is this sacred fire? In the side of a mountain, bound into the
rock is a big salamander-thing, perpetually burning. The only problem: it is
very heavily guarded by the dwarf community who use this amazing fire to
heat and burn things. Maybe a specialized salamander-binding diamond dwarf
was the one who bound it there in the first place. How will these
dwarves react to a crazy savage throwing himself into the flame? What
about the party of Pelorian Lodril/Yelm worshippers who received news of this
spirit through divinations and have come to investigate/steal the spirit
away? How would they react to a crazy Agimori?
Any ideas on how I could make this scenario work?
-Bernt.
---------------------
From: f6ri@midway.uchicago.edu (charles gregory fried)
Subject: trade
Message-ID:
Date: 26 May 94 16:42:51 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 4191
Greg Fried here.
Mike:
If you want help for trading, I have one word for you: "Eldarad". <*DUCK!*>
No, seriously! The one thing I found helpful in "Eldarad" was the table of
barter-goods and corresponding values.
-------
On the question of non-Gloranthan material:
Folks, really, all you need do is make a contribution. I note that I have
offered my scenario, *Atek's Ghost*, three or four times now (or is it five?)
for private distribution, and have had more than 60 takers up to now. I
would post it to the Daily, but it is just too large. (Henk -- a Digest
positing?)
GF out.