From: owner-runequest-rules@ (RuneQuest Rules Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.MPGN.COM Subject: RuneQuest Rules Digest V1 #66 Reply-To: runequest-rules@mpgn.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@ Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@ Precedence: bulk RuneQuest Rules Digest Thursday, April 16 1998 Volume 01 : Number 066 RuneQuest is a trademark of Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS Re: [RQ-RULES] Elementals RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts Re: [RQ-RULES] Anyone doin' enchantments in their game?? [RQ-RULES] Administrivia RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts [RQ-RULES] The campaigns [RQ-RULES] Hextor for RQ/Greyhawk Re: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts [RQ-RULES] Bound Spirit(2) [RQ-RULES] Magic Item - Orlanthi Jar 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: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 23:25:21 +0200 From: Nils Weinander Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Elementals Alain RAMEAU: > > I saw on this list a discussion on elementals power. The argument was > to say that they were somewhat weak as a few weapons strikes could > dismiss them. Leon Kirshtein: > > Some people suggested that elementals should take damage only from > magic. I think that this will make them too powerful. That's how I run elementals. They are magically created/summoned, so I think it is within reason. Additionally, non-magic "opposed" substances should hurt an elemental, fire and water for example. And I want elementals to be scary. The cost to get them is high after all. ______________________________________________________ Nils Weinander | Everything is dust in the wind nilsw@ibm.net | http://www.geocities.com/Paris/8689/ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 22:21:39 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts >a Dominate Human spell and a 7 POW Human Bind 1: Dominate Human is a rare spell 2: Binding enchantments are only for "otherworld creatures" (I think it says this in the rules). philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/phibbs A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths, a statistic *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 16:11:48 -0700 (PDT) From: allen wallace Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts On the human binding matrix, the rules for binding enchantment say it is only for otherworld creatures. In my game I have interpretted this as any creature lacking permanent size. Now if this wasn't so, wouldn't an area effect bind human be a really nasty trick. I may just allow area affect bindings to work on permanent size creatures for just this thing. Wouldn't the brave hero walking into the Hag's home bew annoyed to find he is now forced to obey the hags commands. Allen *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 19:44:09 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Anyone doin' enchantments in their game?? Andrew Barton wrote: > > I run a Byzantine sorceror in an RQ3 campaign set in Dark Age Europe. He Wow... I keep meaning to put in some work on actually using the Fantasy Earth stuff as it was intended (wishing that the Aztecs supplement had gelled) but I keep getting drawn back to other fantasy worlds. > His skill also stood him in good stead when he reached Adept status and > came to create a familiar. His high skill level meant that my GM allowed > me to have him attempt a somewhat unusual familiar, and when I got a > critical on the roll to create it, my character gained a very useful ally What did he make, if you don't mind me asking? > I also use ceremony/enchant/summon skills to represent player knowledge > about how enchantments work, and about the kinds of otherworld creatures > that can be summoned. I'd been using Magic and Spirit Lore, but those are good ideas too. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 20:15:40 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: [RQ-RULES] Administrivia Over the past few months, I've had various folks make suggestions about the appearance of the list and/or digest. I do tinker with the configuration from time to time, and there are some things that I don't have the power to change (frex: putting people's names alongside their subjects in the digest requires altering the base code of the majordomo program; I dount MPGN is willing to humor me in that request (although Shannon over at Chaosium was generous enough to send me the necessary lines of code)). On the table for your decision: I've been asked at various times to remove the footer message on how to unsubscribe that accompanies every message to the list (my usual reason for not doing so is the number of other lists I'm on where even WITh that blurb at the bottom, people are too dense to unsubscribe themselves) and the [RQ-RULES] bit in the subject line. I would prefer that folks send their preferences directly to me rather than the list, but I'll hardly bust a kidney if it gets mis-sent. Y'all may now return to the Ghost Binding thread, already in progress. :) *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 21:02:14 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts RU>>a Dominate Human spell and a 7 POW Human Bind RU>1: Dominate Human is a rare spell True RU>2: Binding enchantments are only for "otherworld creatures" (I think it says RU>this in the rules). True also, but one can dream. I'm an Orlanthi myself, I like to bait sorcerers. Bob Stancliff (stancliff@commnections.com) (http://commnections.com/upgrades) *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 21:29:34 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts RU>On the human binding matrix, the rules for binding enchantment say it is RU>only for otherworld creatures. In my game I have interpretted this as any RU>creature lacking permanent size. Elementals have permanent size also. Otherworld creatures are basically anything on the Spirit Plane encounter charts in the Gamemaster Book. They are the creatures that live on the Spirit Plane. RU>Now if this wasn't so, wouldn't an area effect bind human be a really RU>nasty trick. I may just allow area affect bindings to work on permanent RU>size creatures for just this thing. Wouldn't the brave hero walking into RU>the Hag's home be annoyed to find he is now forced to obey the hags RU>commands. A careful sorcerer does the next best thing with a long duration Dominate spell. There are plenty of myths and fairy tales that require breaking a rule here and there to do. It's best to reserve those abilities to the gods or those who earn their favor. Whenever you change the interpretation of a rule or change the rules entirely, you change the whole balance of the game, and all of the consequences have to ripple through your campaign because everyone deserves the same breaks or restrictions. In this sense Philip's protests are correct, these things can unbalance a game beyond playability. Mainly we have a disagreement on rule interpretation, and it is also easy to forget or overlook an occasional modifying rule. The campaigns that really scare me are the ones with demi-god PC's with 5+ cults "'cause they're illuminated", who get magic artifacts and god powers just for entering the God Plane. Bob Stancliff (stancliff@commnections.com) (http://commnections.com/upgrades) to: INT:runequest-rules@mpgn.com cc: INT:toobear@biophoto.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: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 22:49:51 EDT From: JULIAKIR Subject: [RQ-RULES] The campaigns In a message dated 98-04-15 22:41:05 EDT, you write: << The campaigns that really scare me are the ones with demi-god PC's with 5+ cults "'cause they're illuminated", who get magic artifacts and god powers just for entering the God Plane. >> Well don't you worry Bob, we'll keep 'whose' big bad powergamers away from you. 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: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 23:09:56 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: [RQ-RULES] Hextor for RQ/Greyhawk 3rd in my series of Greyhawk Gods in RQ format... HEXTOR Runes: Mastery, Death, Disorder Hextor is the half-brother of Heironeous (Beory's child by Nerull, it is whispered), and he epitomizes the flip side of the coin of War. Hextor is the very essence of Hate, Discord, Conflict, and Fitness. Whereas Heironeous champions such concepts as fair fights, chivalry, and justice, Hextor's priesthood schools itself in the skills of assassination and ambush, and teaches that any measure that wins a battle is worthwhile. Hextor's favored weapons are the bow, scimitars, flails, morningstars, and military forks. Cult in the World Hextor's faith thrives in dark, bloodied halls of stone, erected on the sites of military slaughters. Followers of Hextor are considered wanderers by choice, forever roaming the world in search of battles to fight, sowing discord where're they can. Lay Membership Requirements: Lay members of this faith are generally the greenest troops, just beginning their careers in the military. Skills available from Hextor's' faith include Dodge, Ride, Maneuver, First Aid, Poison Lore, Scan, Ambush, Sneak, Ceremony, various weapon attacks, and spiked buckler parry/attack. Initiate Membership Requirements: Standard, but in addition, initiates of Hextor must have been lay members in good standing for at least 1 year, and must succeed in 3 out of 5 of the following skill rolls: Dodge, Maneuver, Scan, 1 weapon attack (applicant's choice) and Buckler Parry. Spirit Magic: Bladesharp, Countermagic, Darkwall, Endurance, Fanaticism, Protection, Shimmer Acolyte Membership Requirements: as per Priests. Priesthood Requirements: Standard, plus the Initiate candidate must have led an ambush successfully at least once. Virtues for Hextor include: Angry, Cruel, Destructive, Pragmatic, and Warlike. Common Divine Magic: all Special Divine Magic: Discord, Sprout Arms, Strike. Associated Gods Beory: provides Heal Body Nerull: provides Sever Spirit Hextor's Gifts # of Geasa Required +10% in any skill, chosen by initiate 1 +1 to any raiseable characteristic 1 +1 to any non-raiseable characteristic 2 recover magic points at 2x rate 2 recover fatigue points at 2x rate 1 bless specific weapon to do 2x damage (after armor). 1 Hextor's Geasa 1 Never use an axe of any kind. 2 Never flee or surrender to Heironeous worshippers 3 Pay double tithing each holy day 4 Never speak the truth 5 Wear no armor over a specified location. 6 Never refuse a chellenge to one-on-one combat. 7 Sacrifice 1 POW to Hextor per year 8 Never use any weapons except bows scimitars, flails, morningstars, or military forks 9 Train to improve one raiseable physical attribute to maximum. 10 Favored by Hextor, no geas. Divine Spells Discord 2 Points Ranged, Temporal, Nonstackable, Reuseable For the duration of this spell, old greivences are remembered, and the affected subjects are stimulated to contemplate them. In addition, subjects affected by this spell always choose the wrong words, further enflaming the situation. This spell affects every individual within range who belongs to one of the same "communities" as the caster, a community being defined as any social group or class with common interests. A company of soldiers, the citizens of a small village, members of the same faith who worship at the same shrine, or any similar group of less than 1000 individuals qualifies under the terms of this spell. (This is as close to a reverse of Community as I could work out...) Sprout Arms (Same stats as Bagog's Sprout Legs, but provides up to 3 additional arms). *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 23:36:58 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts Hibbs, Philip wrote: > Yeah, those are the only differences *in the rules*. Personally, I think the > differences in terms of the game world run a little deeper. Depends, I suppose, on the game world. On Glorantha, I'm sure that your arguments are sound, as they would be on many others. However, I've seen game worlds where evil sorts will kill you on Tuesday, bind your ghost into their rug on Wednesday, and spend all day Thursday marching back and forth on that rug with hob-nail boots, because you died before they were finished making you suffer. In one of my campaigns, I used the rule that a person's spirit hovered near their body and/or place of death for up to seven days before journeying on to their reward; the shaman in the party started popping over to the spirit plane to interrogate defeated foes. He only quit after I had a demon come to collect one poor sods soul while he was trying to beat the ghost up.... stancliff@commnections.com wrote: > I'm surprised that with so many people playing western campaigns, no > one has taken a Dominate Human spell and a 7 POW Human Bind to carry > prisoners or helpers around. This is a variant on the genie in a > bottle. I've got an NPC with a flawed crystal that has a binding enchantment for tigers worked into it... and his back has an elaborate tattoo containing binding enchantments for about 6 shadow mastiffs... allen wallace wrote: > Now if this wasn't so, wouldn't an area effect bind human be a really > nasty trick. I may just allow area affect bindings to work on permanent > size creatures for just this thing. Wouldn't the brave hero walking into > the Hag's home bew annoyed to find he is now forced to obey the hags > commands. Heh. I have a (ahem) rather large dungeon complex in which various rooms have area enchantments that affect certain species, like the garden room that elves cannot escape from without breaking the runes of enchantment. Would make for an interesting prison, wouldn't it? *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 09:57:41 +0200 From: Alain.RAMEAU@total.com (Alain RAMEAU) Subject: [RQ-RULES] Bound Spirit(2) >These spirit rules primarily exist to allow spirit >magicians, especially shamans, to be as tough as other forms of >magic. >Your restrictions make it almost worthless for a shaman to bind >spirits. >You remove some of his greatest power, especially since control >spells >only last five minutes. It isn't the one or two spirits a shaman has >under his fetch that make him tough, it's all the binds he can make >and >populate and teach spells to and link together, etc.. >Bob Stancliff (Stancliff@commnections.com) >(http://commnections.com/upgrades). You are probabbly right that this could reduce shaman's power. However, on the other hand, a shaman cannot spend all its time making binding matrix (He does not want to lose too much of his POW). Therefore, my system could also give added value to the shaman in a party of adventurers because he is here too to refill other character's binding matrices. My rules for summoning/searching in the spirit planes an already know spirit are amended accordingly (simplified in this case, especially less time is necessary). But the main reason for this change was to give a better interest to have a MP matrix enchantment instead of a Power Spirit (or other) Binding Enchantment. I always thought that with RQ3 rules, the second first one was a bit useless compared to the second one ? Alain. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 10:21:41 +0100 From: wal@eff.u-net.com (Nikk Effingham) Subject: [RQ-RULES] Magic Item - Orlanthi Jar This is a reasonably powerful magic item that I've thought about using in my campaign. The talk of Binding Humans and other corporeal creatures reminded of it. While Gloranthan, it will, like anything else, fit pretty easily into any other game world. THE DAGASAD Religion: Associated: Orlanth Enemy: Daga Knowledge: Few These magical items are found on HeroQuests to Orlanth's Hut on the edge of the world where he stores them on a shelf to bind creatures to. He keeps Daga, God of Drought in one, but is willing to give them to those who prove themselves worthy. Over time, these HeroQuest items have become known to fall into non-Orlanthi hands. The Jars always appear to be small clay pots, which are themselves undecorated except for a single Storm Rune. The lid is always uniquely ornate and always has decorations of warriors in battle with daemons, a Mastery rune always dominates the scene. The Jar radiates magic to all those with Magic Sight (Soul Sight, Sense Magic, ID Spell etc...). The device is used to store certain creatures. Unlike Binding enchantments, it can be used to store corporeal creatures, trapping them. It can only be used to store creatures that have been Controlled/Commanded/Dominated, or defeated to 0 mps. At this point they can either be ordered into the Jar, which must have its lid removed. In the case of non-corporeal creatures, they merely go into the jar as if it was a normal binding enchantment. In the case of corporeal creatures, they dissappear in a blast of wind and smoke that then is sucked into the Jars interior. The Lid is then jammed back on. The creatures inside do not die from thirst, disease, hunger or fatigue. However, they do Age, and can go insane. Like any normal binding enchantment, the beings can be released to do one order of the casters choice, or forced to accept a Control/Command/Dominate spell. Normally only one being can be stored in a jar, but larger jars store more people. If the Lid is ever left off, or the user fails to put the lid back on after sucking the being in, then they are released. Breaking the supernaturally strong clay jar (16 aps, cannot be harmed by impact, fire, cold or electricity) has the same effect. They are considered very valued, starting at 10,000L and going up for larger Jars. Nikk Effingham http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Lair/7556/ "If absolute power corrupts absolutely, where does that leave God?" -- George Daacon *************************************************************************** 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 #66 ************************************ *************************************************************************** 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. With the exception of previously copyrighted material, unless specified otherwise all text in this digest is copyright by the author or authors, with rights granted to copy for personal use, to excerpt in reviews and replies, and to archive unchanged for electronic retrieval.