From: owner-runequest-rules@ (RuneQuest Rules Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.MPGN.COM Subject: RuneQuest Rules Digest V1 #103 Reply-To: runequest-rules@mpgn.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@ Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@ Precedence: bulk RuneQuest Rules Digest Friday, May 22 1998 Volume 01 : Number 103 RuneQuest is a trademark of Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS RE: [RQ-RULES] Boosting spirit spells RE: [RQ-RULES] Boosting spirit spells RE: [RQ-RULES] Boosting spirit spells [RQ-RULES] Ranged Healing Re: [RQ-RULES] Ranged Healing Re: [RQ-RULES] RFC: Character Concept Re: [RQ-RULES] More Debate on Touch spells RE: [RQ-RULES] More Debate on Touch spells Re: [RQ-RULES] More Debate on Touch spells [RQ-RULES] Non-Gloranthan Magic [RQ-RULES] Projecting Senses Re: [RQ-RULES] Non-Gloranthan Magic [RQ-RULES] Using Arts with Rituals [RQ-RULES] More Using Arts with Rituals Re: [RQ-RULES] Using Arts with Rituals Re: [RQ-RULES] Using Arts with Rituals 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, 20 May 1998 09:12:02 -0700 (PDT) From: Brad Furst Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Boosting spirit spells At 10:13 AM 5/20/98 +0100, Philip Hibbs wrote: >>"MAGIC PUSH" or "ADRENALIN BOOST" >Wow, that's powerful! I'd make it a special duration, just till the end of >the next melee round, or say it expires when the next spell is cast, a bit >like speedart. Indeed. That's why I reserved it for NPC. ("This is the NPC spirit spell I have used.") It was just a necessary rationalization for a GM fudge. The wording is taken from Spirit Screen which yield points at 2 for 1. Acquisition of spirit spells is not easy in my game. I enforce the necessity to learn each increment (e.g. the character must learn both Bladesharp 1 and Bladesharp 2 before learning Bladesharp 3). As well, the spell spirits have POW equal to at least 1d6 per point of spell (e.g. Bladesharp 6 is a 6d6 spell spirit, which can be tricky to defeat and consume), often requiring assistance from a third party who can try to command the spirit when it defeats the character. Brad Furst esoteric@teleport.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, 20 May 1998 17:12:08 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Boosting spirit spells >It was just a necessary rationalization for a GM fudge. The wording >is taken from Spirit Screen which yield points at 2 for 1. Yeah, but that's defense vs spirit combat, not attack with spell. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough. - William Blake *************************************************************************** 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, 20 May 1998 14:57:36 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Boosting spirit spells RU>It was just a necessary rationalization for a GM fudge. The wording is RU>taken from Spirit Screen which yield points at 2 for 1. You could just give certain NPC's a higher POW... you could even increase their maximum POW so that they can increase POW easier. This could be from Hero-questing, divine intervention, special mushrooms or potions, etc.! RU>Acquisition of spirit spells is not easy in my game. I enforce the RU>necessity to learn each increment (e.g. the character must learn both RU>Bladesharp 1 and Bladesharp 2 before learning Bladesharp 3). This is a harsh house rule... you really don't like your players very much do you? 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: Thu, 21 May 1998 00:09:53 +0200 From: Julian Lord Subject: [RQ-RULES] Ranged Healing Hi, remember me? I'm the Ranged Touch Spells guy ... IMO ranged healing is as difficult as ranged Tap (apart from that resistance roll business ... ) ie, mainly impossible, but feasible with the right skills. Sandy's version of Treat Wounds CAN'T do long-distance healing (using my cheating system), though, unless you can find some method of doing long distance First Aid. (Of course, this *is* possible with Animate spells ...) (!!!) An overly-complicated process! (Controlling three Active spells at the same tame is possible, with the right tricks, but doesn't yield good returns on your investment ...) It would be easier to cheat using the Rokari Neutralize Damage touch spell, except that the magics needed would certainly be sinful and evil. The most reliable method for long-distance healing is to use the Illusion spells for *temporarily real* healing. You'd probably need to be a specialised Illusionist, or Trickster, for this tactic to be effective. Hey, all I'm saying is that it's *theoretically* possible. Long range Tap and Heal? Yuck. Not what the designers of the excellent RQ Enchantment rules had in mind, IMHO. BTW, I am wondering whether splitting the Enchantment magic skill into smaller, more GM-controllable pieces might not be A Good Idea. Would this kill the elegance of RQ Enchantment? Has someone out there tried something like this, and seen what happened? *************************************************************************** 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, 20 May 1998 19:48:14 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Ranged Healing Julian Lord wrote: > An overly-complicated process! (Controlling three Active spells at the > same tame is possible, with the right tricks, but doesn't yield good > returns on your investment ...) > I'm minded to point out that I've got NPCs who could work this trick, but they're sorcerers who also know a bit of my psionics, and know the Split Personality discipline... > The most reliable method for long-distance healing is to use the > Illusion spells for *temporarily real* healing. You'd probably need to > be a specialised Illusionist, or Trickster, for this tactic to be > effective. I've seen a spell that does something very much like that somewhere... "heals" the wound temporarily, and prevents "real" healing magics from taking effect. When it is dispelled or allowed to lapse, all the damage comes back at once, potentially resulting in the victim exploding into a bloody shower of chunks.... *************************************************************************** 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, 20 May 1998 20:52:22 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] RFC: Character Concept Hibbs, Philip wrote: > I am interested in opinions/suggestions for a character concept. His name is > Max. All his characteristics are human maximum (18), but his skills are > forever frozen at base chance. Effectively, his ability to learn skills > stopped either with puberty or cult initiation. He may have been a magical > experiment (Kingdom of War?), a side-effect of a heroquest, or just a > magical accident. Curiously, I'd been contemplating something similar, in a campaign I'm playing in THAT OTHER GAME SYSTEM. Roddy was going to be 0-Level, permanently so, with dead average stats. He'd also be unkillable, regenerating any amount of damage eventually.Rather than use spells or combat, he'd specialize in thinking or talking his way out of things, rather than just trying to thump everything he meets. Heck of a guy. Wonder if he'll ever get played? :) *************************************************************************** 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, 20 May 1998 21:03:15 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] More Debate on Touch spells Hibbs, Philip wrote: > Does anyone think that ranged healing should/shouldn't be possible? I seem > to remember from somewhere that (in Glorantha, anyway) healing at range was > fundamentally impossible. That's what I rule IMG, anyway. Other touch spells > can be cast at range through a Project Touch (I don't use Sandy's rules - > there have been too many precedents for casting spells through Proj Sight in > my campaign to just say it isn't possible now). Since limiting range to "Touch" is a rules balance issue (i.e. spells designed to seriously muck with your stats or continued exostance will be "Touch"), I can't see any reason why ANY spell couldn't be cast at range, if that's the wway you want to run your campaign. Tinker a little; give a pc the chance to cast "touch" spells at range, and see how long it takes him to seriously rock the rest of the campaign boat. :) *************************************************************************** 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, 21 May 1998 08:52:54 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] More Debate on Touch spells >Since limiting range to "Touch" is a rules balance issue Is it? I'd have said it was a game world limitation. Any magic rules must be tailored to the game world that they are trying to simulate. For example, RQ magic as is can't be used to simulate Midkemian or Tsurani magic. Melnibonean magic would need a lot of tweaking (no spell casting, summoning and demonic or elemental pacts only). However, healing being a touch spell is traditional (I think it is in T.O.G). philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough. - William Blake *************************************************************************** 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, 21 May 1998 06:27:52 PDT From: "Leon Kirshtein" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] More Debate on Touch spells > >Hibbs, Philip wrote: > >> Does anyone think that ranged healing should/shouldn't be possible? I seem >> to remember from somewhere that (in Glorantha, anyway) healing at range was >> fundamentally impossible. That's what I rule IMG, anyway. Other touch spells >> can be cast at range through a Project Touch (I don't use Sandy's rules - >> there have been too many precedents for casting spells through Proj Sight in >> my campaign to just say it isn't possible now). > >Since limiting range to "Touch" is a rules balance issue (i.e. spells designed >to seriously muck with your stats or continued exostance will be "Touch"), I >can't see any reason why ANY spell couldn't be cast at range, if that's the wway >you want to run your campaign. > >Tinker a little; give a pc the chance to cast "touch" spells at range, and see >how long it takes him to seriously rock the rest of the campaign boat. :) Ranged healing for all, IMO, is a very bad idea, since it not only unbalances the game but also goes against the feel of the system. However, an interesting possibility is to allow ranged healing as a divine spell to certain cults like the Chalana Arroy as spell similar to Cure Chaos Wound or Extention, where it would be possible to stack it with a normal healing spell to achive a specified range. This spell could ether be stackable (with itself) to increase the range or just non-stackable (with itself) and have the normal divine magic range. This also gives player another reason to have a Chalana Arroy in the party. Leon Kirshtein ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.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: Thu, 21 May 1998 18:58:36 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: [RQ-RULES] Non-Gloranthan Magic Has anyone given any thought to how to impliment Midkemian magic in Runequest? It seems much more like DnD magic than spirit, divine or sorcery, although it does seem to be quite physically tiring. It makes a lot of use of magical devices, and there are spells that can only be cast from scrolls. More generally, has anyone adapted the RQ magic rules, or written new ones, to cope with different worlds with different magic? The amount of magic available could easily be adjusted either upwards (MP=POW+INT, or POW+INT+CON) or downwards (1 or 2 point spells only, no MP storage, POW% to cast) to suit the requirements of a different game world. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough. - William Blake *************************************************************************** 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, 21 May 1998 15:41:46 -0700 (PDT) From: allen wallace Subject: [RQ-RULES] Projecting Senses I've taken a different route with the sense projection spells than either the standard sorcery rules or Sandy's. IMG the project spells do not allow casting spells at a distance, they are only for sensory input. The projection points are visible to any magical sight, and tend to have appearances appropriate to the caster. Magical damage that exceeds the intensity of the projection disrupts it, but does not pass through to th caster. When a sorcerer has learned his entire range of projected senses and has successfully multispelled all of them the sorcerer gains the spell True Projection. This spell is a complete and visible projection, spells can be cast through the projection as if from the caster himself. Magical damage still disrupts the projection as with the lesser spells, but it also passes through to the caster as well. You can cast resist [x] spells on the projection. The projection is audible, but has no physical component. I'm interested in your comments, this spell has yet to reach PC hands as no one wants to run a sorceror. 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: Thu, 21 May 1998 16:54:02 -0700 (PDT) From: allen wallace Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Non-Gloranthan Magic Philip, I run a pretty thoroughly non-Gloranthan game. The primary differences are as follows. There are four major magical fields, ritual, spirit, sorcery and adept. All sorcerors and spirit mages have spirit travel and sensing abilities, giving them access to ritual magic. There are several types of adepts, mostly corrresponding to psionic style disciplines. Most have incomplete access to the spirit world and do not have access to ritual magic. Mage Adepts have access to their own variety of spells, I use the Arduin Grimoire spells. (The old ones not the new ones.) As a rule the most powerful of these spells are effectively uncastable without 'props' or similar material components. Note that IMG sorcerors must use physical charms or enchanted runes etc, to focus duration spells on. hope this is not totally useless, 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: Fri, 22 May 1998 19:27:34 +0200 From: Julian Lord Subject: [RQ-RULES] Using Arts with Rituals Well, looks like no-one has experimented with breaking up the Enchantment Ritual into several little ones ... Looks like it's not broken, so don't break it. Another question. How do you guys feel about using sorcery Arts to manipulate Ritual Magic, that is to manipulate the spell casting itself, not the resulting effect. Ease, Speed, Multispell, etc... Is this A Bad Idea? Can't think why it should be, or not ... The rules say you can't. Are they right? *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 19:50:14 +0200 From: Julian Lord Subject: [RQ-RULES] More Using Arts with Rituals I ask about this because the Art of Alchemy, at least, would allow it. (I think?) Can the other Arts do so, as well? *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 11:10:03 PDT From: "Leon Kirshtein" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Using Arts with Rituals >Another question. > >How do you guys feel about using sorcery Arts to manipulate Ritual >Magic, that is to manipulate the spell casting itself, not the resulting >effect. Ease, Speed, Multispell, etc... Is this A Bad Idea? Can't think >why it should be, or not ... > >The rules say you can't. Are they right? > I don't see any problem with most of this as long as the power cost ratio for the effect is maintained. The one Art that should not be used in this way, or changed significantly is Ease. Anything which reduces the cost of the ritual Enchantment is unbalancing in IMO. Leon Kirshtein ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.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: Fri, 22 May 1998 14:55:44 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Using Arts with Rituals RU>>How do you guys feel about using sorcery Arts to manipulate Ritual RU>>Magic, that is to manipulate the spell casting itself, not the RU>resulting RU>>effect. Ease, Speed, Multispell, etc... Is this A Bad Idea? Can't RU>think why it should be, or not ... RU>>The rules say you can't. Are they right? Sounds like God's Learner magic to me... can't have that again! *************************************************************************** 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 #103 ************************************* *************************************************************************** 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.