From: owner-runequest-rules@ (RuneQuest-Rules-Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.MPGN.COM Subject: RuneQuest-Rules-Digest V1 #24 Reply-To: runequest-rules@mpgn.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@ Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@ Precedence: bulk RuneQuest-Rules-Digest Tuesday, March 3 1998 Volume 01 : Number 024 RuneQuest is a trademark of Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS [RQ-RULES] Re: Warding [RQ-RULES] FWD: Summoning Re: [RQ-RULES] Truesword in RQ2 , damage in general Re: [RQ-RULES] Storm Blade Re: [RQ-RULES] weapon damages, armor & hits Re: [RQ-RULES] Re:Sandblade, Warding Re: [RQ-RULES] Illumination Re: [RQ-RULES] Illumination [RQ-RULES] RE: RuneQuest-Rules-Digest V1 #23 [RQ-RULES] Re: Detect v. CM & RQ2 Prices Re: [RQ-RULES] Truesword in RQ2 , damage RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to add "Yeah, I agree" or "No, I disagree." Or be excoriated. If someone writes something good and you want to say "good show" please do. But don't include the whole message you praise. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. 3. Learn the art of paraphrasing: Don't just quote and comment on a point-by-point basis. 4. No anonymous posting, please. Don't say something unless you're ready to stand by it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 14:53:40 -0600 From: "Hughes, Newton" Subject: [RQ-RULES] Re: Warding Maybe RQ3 Warding uses something like the 'target condition' (in the rules on enchantments) to determine when to take effect. Would that bypass countermagic? That would lead to the question: how does an enchantment know if the user or target meets its conditions? > jarold davis [SMTP:jfdavis@west.net]: > > Another question, about Warding: > The RQ3 spell description doesn't say if Warding 'acts' as Detect > Enemy, though an enemy sets off the Warding effects. In Sun County, a > scenario > describes Countermagic as effectively blocking Detect Enemies, so that the > person protected by enough CM is, well, basically undetectable. > > Question: would a person with enough CM up go undetected through a > Warding? > > We've played as no, the Warding senses him/her, having overlooked the RQ3 > definition of CM that protects against Detects, and the RQ3 Warding that > doesn't seem to have a 'Detect Enemies' function, per se. > > *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 21:33:26 -0500 From: Tal Meta Subject: [RQ-RULES] FWD: Summoning From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: Summoning Hi, I found the digest while checking links. I would like to add my comments. The key fact of summoning is that, while the spells differ, they are all Rituals. The spell takes 1 hr + (1 hr / Pow) for the gate. If the spell cast succeeds, there is a 10% chance that a hugh (25-100 Pow) variant of the type will arrive... unless the True Name of the spirit was used in the casting. Therefore, any True Name is a hoarded commodity, and all summoners will collect lists so that they know what is going to show up and how big it will be. This also means that early in their careers, they will not have much variety, and they will have to beg or buy names from their comrades. Most temples will share this info with fellow priests of their god unless there is a lot of infighting. If someone blindly summons a Spell Spirit, the referee will have to generate the spell, it's intensity, and the Pow randomly, and check the 10% before he says what shows up. If the Pow is too large for the gate, nothing happens unless the 10% is rolled and some behemoth spirit rips the gate open from the other side!! Note: if you are doing this by hand it can be tedious, but I created spreadsheets to generate random Spell Spirits. The next step requires a rules fix... If the spirit has the opportunity to leave as soon as it can act (roll under Pow%), then Shamans will never be able to reduce them to 0 MP's and Control them, Commands and Dominates might be hard as well. It is essential to say that the spirit is always upset and attacks the summoner, or IMC I say the nearest soul. All three spells can order a spirit to tell it's True Name or they can order the spirit to take any action appropriate to the spirit. For Command and Dominate, the spirit does not have to be defeated before it can be given orders, but for Control, the person or spirit who fights the summoned spirit must defeat it before checking Control. This means that for a Shaman to capture an elemental, he will have to discorporate, find and fight it on the Spirit Plane, and have the Command spell to force it into a bind. The commands to a spell spirit can include how many MP's it will have when it fights the student. Other commands can force the spirit into the proper bind, etc. This can control whether a Pow check is justified for fighting a spirit that has a chance to win, some students will want a sure thing and others will want to get a check if they can. The big risk is if the spirit wins. Shamans or Healing spirits will have to drive it away since priests and sorcerers cannot (if you know it's True Name you might be able to summon it out of the body). Sorry I ran on so long. Bob (Stancliff@Commnections.Com) *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 22:11:27 -0500 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Truesword in RQ2 , damage in general Hughes, Newton wrote: > Actually the quote here from Tal Meta is right. Wasn't me; this is my first response to this part of the thread, and even then, it's just to get clear on who said what (I think it was Philip, meself). Choinski, Burt wrote: > I have heard rumors/loose talk that the armor protection and/or > weapon damages are different between RQ2 and RQ3. There was some > talk of change for the (now gone) RQ4 project in these areas. It > seems that, with all the double damage of specials, let alone > normal damage, limbs and bodies of players will be hacked > and mangled on a regular basis. One "fix" I know several people use is to change the sever rules from 2x to 3x. I didn't use it in my last campaign, and probably won't in my next (I'm currently planning on something closer to Elric!'s damage rules). I've got copies of the proposed RQ4 armor/weapon tables from the old RQ4 discussion list laying about here someplace, if anyone is interested. > Also, some source (can't remember who) thought that the prices for > magic in book three were bogus and uses the "RQ2 prices". For > those of us without RQ2, anut pointers to this information? I always charged whatever I thought I could get away with when my players wanted to buy magic; but I made it realtively cheap to create their own (as if they spent POW, my job often got lots easier... ). Hughes, Newton wrote: > > Maybe RQ3 Warding uses something like the 'target condition' (in > the rules on enchantments) to determine when to take effect. > Would that bypass countermagic? That would lead to the question: > how does an enchantment know if the user or target meets its > conditions? That gets you back into the question of how magic works in whatever world you're running. Since Warding is divine magic, perhaps some small portion of the God in question (or some minion of theirs) watches over the Warding to see what crosses it, and reacts appropriately. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 23:11:00 EST From: JULIAKIR Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Storm Blade I am resending this. I am not sure that it made it the first time. In a message dated 98-02-28 12:51:24 EST, you write: << Strom Blade Stackable,Touch, Temporal, Passive When cast on a blade the edge shows a a faint blue fire running up and down and there is a smell of ozone eminating from the blade. Each level increases the damage by 1D4 but the extra damage ignores all metal armour. Also if the target is wearing metal armour a miss by 10% will still alow the electric energy to jump accross the small gap and damage the opponent. Damage will also be done if the blade is parried by a metal weapon ( Sword) or a metal covered shield. Magical defenses worth normally >> Otherall very good, but: >Stackable - We are going for spirit magic, so Variable >Each level increases the damage by 1D4 but the extra damage ignores all metal armour - A bit too much damage considering even a near miss or a parried hit will still do damage. And, how are you going to handle a dodged attack? >electric energy to jump accross the small gap and damage the opponent - Where is the damage go to general hit points? If so then 1d4 is really too much. >Damage will also be done if the blade is parried by a metal weapon ( Sword) or a metal covered shield. Magical defenses worth normally - That if the person is wearing padding under the armor or the hilt of his sword is wrapped in leather? Wouldn't this spell be also dangerous to the user, especially if he is wearing metal armor, carring a metal shield, or is casting it on his sword. I think this spell is very good but really needs to be rewritten. Leon Kirshtein *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 23:32:19 EST From: JULIAKIR Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] weapon damages, armor & hits In a message dated 98-03-02 09:13:40 EST, you write: << I have heard rumors/loose talk that the armor protection and/or weapon damages are different between RQ2 and RQ3. There was some talk of change for the (now gone) RQ4 project in these areas.>> I have a copy of the unpublished RQ4 rules and the damage and armor are like RQ2's. This does not make it better in my opinion, and even though I play mostly with RQ4 rule I still use damage and armor from RQ3. <> Hey, this IS the fun part of gaming. It is very rare in my campaings there a character will loose a limb to a normal hit. Specials, if parried are also not too bad ( unless fighting something big or with lots of magic). Criticals, well lets just say you hope to get hit in a limb. We play with the following special rules: Special impale = normal weapon damage+ maximum weapon damage + magic + damage bonus. Special slash = normal damage rolled twice + magic + damage bonus Special crush = normal weapon damage + damage bonus + maximum damage bonus + magic Note: Critical = Special + no armor or magic protection Fireblade and True spells REPLACE the base damage of a weapon so on a impale or slash use the this weapon damage ( 6d6 Fireblade Slash) <> I use a simple system: Fixed spells 1,000L per point of the spell (Exp. Fireblade 4,000L) Variable spells 500L per point cumilative (Exp. Blade Sharp 4 = 500+1000+1500+2000 = 5,000L) Half price if Cult Spell and being bought from the cult. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 23:33:53 EST From: JULIAKIR Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Re:Sandblade, Warding In a message dated 98-03-02 16:59:42 EST, you write: << Question: would a person with enough CM up go undetected through a Warding? >> If the Warding does no damage, then the person is not detected. Leon *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 23:40:17 EST From: JULIAKIR Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Illumination Just wondering about something. If a priest or a rune lord is illuminated and has an allied spirit. Is the spirit also illumunated? Does the spirit know that its master/partner is illuminated? Will it let the priest do something which is against the cult principles and/or morals? Allied spirits are also at least initiates of the cult, so if it knows that the priest is an illumanate, does it meen the god/goddess also knows? Any ideas anyone. Leon Kirshtein *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:06:17 +0200 (EET) From: Pasanen Panu Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Illumination > has an allied spirit. Is the spirit also illumunated? Does the spirit know > that its master/partner is illuminated? Will it let the priest do something > which is against the cult principles and/or morals? > Allied spirits are also at least initiates of the cult, so if it knows that > the priest is an illumanate, does it meen the god/goddess also knows? I'd say depends on the individuals involved. My allied spirits always were lunatics of one kind or another: fanatical followers of the god or otherwise strong-willed. They could tell the god, maybe. Or could try to. But would they want to? Who do they love more, their friend who really cares for 'em, or some stinking god who sent him down from amongst his ol' pals... Panu Pasanen. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 09:13:49 -0000 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: [RQ-RULES] RE: RuneQuest-Rules-Digest V1 #23 >> Each level increases the damage by 1D4 but the extra damage >> ignores all metal armour. Tal Meta: >Perhaps a set amount of damage (2d4?) that just ignores armor, but >gets a +10% (?) to hit metal armored targets? I like this suggestion. How about +10 to hit metal armoured targets, -10 to target's dodge if wearing metal armour, and +2d4 damage? That puts the spell about on a par with Bladesharp 4 (less to hit, slightly more damage) but the ignoring metal armour balances this. I don't think we need to worry about damage to the weilder unless they fumble. Hurry up deciding, though, because I was just about to send the finished list when this one turned up. This makes 5 Air spells! philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/phibbs +--------------+ | Philip Hibbs +---------------------------------------------+ | What immortal hand or eye dare frame thy perfect symmetry? | +------------------------------------------------------------+ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 12:11:52 +0000 From: CWARD@srv0.bio.ed.ac.uk Subject: [RQ-RULES] Re: Detect v. CM & RQ2 Prices Hi, Jarold Davis Mentions that RQ3 CM protects vs. Detects. This is another minor change from RQ2 that bothered me. Does a Detect spell of sufficient strength knock down CM ? If CM protects vs. Detects then I think it should, but the problem with this the "area effect" of Detects- eg Jimmi casts his Detect Cream Bun spell boosted by 5MP and wipes out the CM protection of an entire half file of opponents. I think there are problems with the relationship between CM and Detects. RQ2 Spell Prices, Jarold also says:- >Basically, in RQ2 each point of a variable spell cost 500L. I've seen it played >as 1st point cost 500L, 2nd point an additional 1000L, 3rd point an additional >1500L, and so on. I always thought that the second method was what RQ2 proposed. Also in RQ2 most Detect spells were 2-300L. Most 1pt spells (Disrupt, Speedart etc) 500L. Most 2pt spells and spells which later became 2pt (Befuddle, Demoralize) were 1500L - which works out at the same cost as a 2pt variable spell by the 2nd method. - - Chris. - -------------- Save the Jags. - -------------- *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 08:42:42 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Truesword in RQ2 , damage RU>Choinski, Burt wrote: RU>> weapon damages are different between RQ2 and RQ3. There was some RU>> talk of change for the (now gone) RQ4 project in these areas. It RU>> seems that, with all the double damage of specials, let alone RU>> normal damage, limbs and bodies of players will be hacked RU>> and mangled on a regular basis. There was some minor reduction of AP from v2 to v3 to balance normal weapons to normal armor. It was probably a mistake since with just a few spirit spells my players are doing 20-25 pts with a bastard sword and about 30 with a great sword. The players have responded to damage inflation with armor made from magical creatures, large protection spells, and multiple Strengthening Enchantments to reduce the chance of limb loss. So far five PC's have lost and reattached limbs, and four have been killed outright (all resurrected). RU>One "fix" I know several people use is to change the sever rules from 2x RU>to 3x. I didn't use it in my last campaign, and probably won't in my If they don't crit, I insist that they double the AP as well as the limb. RU>> Also, some source (can't remember who) thought that the prices for RU>> magic in book three were bogus and uses the "RQ2 prices". For RU>> those of us without RQ2, anut pointers to this information? The guy who claimed RQ3 prices were based on 1L/day common wages was sadly delusional and needs some help. I always test my prices and treasures by assigning values in dollars and dividing by $5/Lunar. This gives me a reality check to adjust treasures and listed prices if needed. A point of Pow in a matrix is 1000-1500L adjusted by market conditions and the value of the item enchanted and the spells used. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ End of RuneQuest-Rules-Digest V1 #24 ************************************ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. RuneQuest is a Trademark of Avalon Hill Games. 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