> >> > (What's this supposed to mean... a sword charged with lightning... a
> >That sucks. We are not playing scrabble. This is no way to run a
> >FRP. Either it's an adjective meaning "swift" or it refers to actual
> I am in complete agreement. Ambiguity because the same basic
> effect could be used many different ways in different situations is
> cool. Ambiguity due to vagaries of the English language (such as the
> occasional use of the word lightning due to its connotation of
> proverbial speed rather than its direct meaning) is extremely silly.
Hmmm, well, I'll have to disagree with you. I'm not sure I can get what I'm thinking into typed words, but I'll try.
As I have always understood Glorantha -- and this probably trods dangerously into God Learnerism -- magic and myth are highly susceptible to interpretation and belief. The gods, therefore, act in accordance to how their worshippers believe they will act. Feats, taken as metaphors of a particular god, therefore are open to the same interpretation, reinterpretation, and susceptibility to belief as the god.
Taking your example of 'Lightning Sword', you obviously believe at least some of the following things to be true about lightning: it's a something formed of electricity, something that can light fires, something that can arc across the sky, something that could blind or stun the eye, and it's something that is very, very fast. Since your character, I assume, believes similarly, then these are all valid interpretations of the word 'lightning'.
The ambiguity in a word like 'lightning' arises because we, as a culture, belief certain things to be true -- or at least metaphorically true -- about lightning. Therefore, magic constructed from this belief would emulate the physical and metaphorical aspects of the word.
So, I for one think the use of ambiguous -- but well-choosen -- feat words greatly enchances the sense of mystery and omnipresence of magic in Glorantha.
-- Clay claycle_at_...
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