Herocults and improvisation

From: Stewart Stansfield <stu_stansfield_at_...>
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2005 11:36:40 +0100

Hi folks,

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while, and the HQ-Rpg dialogue prompted it. Apologies if it's already been discussed.

MONOFEAT HEROCULTS/SUBCULTS & IMPROVISATION Let's assume this is a theist herocult/subcult, intimately connected with the God World, and not an Inner World one subsumed into any common magic keyword (if it had been, 'Common Magic Feats' on page 118 is pretty explicit).

It provides but one feat.

Can a hero improvise such a feat, and in what circumstances? HeroQuest (page 120) has some fairly strict rules regarding the benefice of subcults, but then loosens them a touch (potentially allowing worshippers to cherry-pick a feat, etc.).

• as only a feat is provided, not an affinity, must one devote oneself to the herocult (a requirement for 'using' feats of a subcult affinity) to use this feat as an active and/or augmenting ability (yep, this can give multiple answers); or is devotion just really required for any herocult secret?
• pursuant to the above, can this feat be improvised as an active ability by those who can not do so as a matter of course? And what are the mechanics for such?

Personally, I would currently move to allowing initiates of the herocult, unconcentrated in theism, to learn the feat as an 'inactive ability'; they could improvise its use at the standard -10 penalty. If I was being a touch strict, I would say that initiates of the herocult concentrated in theism could not use it actively (it is not a common magic feat), but improvise at the standard -5 penalty (not a huge loss by any means); whereas devotees of the herocult could use the feat actively at no penalty, and also learn any secret.

Thoughts welcomed!

Cheerio,

Stu.