[snip]
>The latest refinement to this process, as=A0I (probably imperfectly) unders=
>tand it, =A0is to make a very direct link in terms of game mechanics, betwe=
>en the number of runes with which any god can be associated and the status =
>of that gods in the three-tier system.
>
>It sometimes seems to be a bit tricky shoe-horning existing gods/cults
>into this new system of stricter runic associations, especially at a
>time when the system is also trying to shrink the number of core runes.
That's the impression I'm getting from this discussion. There's also a distinct Sartarite bias in the core runes chosen which makes it even more difficult to apply to other areas.
[snip]
>Maybe the answer is to have two levels of runic assocation:
>A system of primary runes, the runes which denote the magic that a
>god can give to its followers (to which the system of ranking the gods
>using 'three runes', 'two runes' and 'one rune' applies); but A separate
>means of using another rune or two to describe (and limit?) the kinds of
>feats that a god's association with his/her primary rune(s) allows its
>worshippers to perform?
The difficulty with this is that we get runes which negate parts of other runes and it may not be clear what is being negated or how. E.g. Deezola has a limited form of ressurrection in that someone has to die in the ressurrectees place. So you modify Chalana Arroy's Harmony rune with what? Death?
>For example, I have no problem with Doburdun granting his followers
>limited storm/air magic only because he is minor league (and was probably
>even more minor league until recently when the Lunar Empire latched onto
>him as "the acceptable face of storm/air worship"). Doburdun's cult should
>not be able to grant powers connected with a second rune.
I think Doburdun should have the powers of "calm air" which if we follow the Urox approach means a separate rune for that subset of air powers. It probably isn't a core rune as it is mainly known among the Lunars.
>At the same time I think maybe it would be useful to be able to use
>other runes to describe what kind of a minor storm god Doburdun is,
>(and which aspects of Storm/Air magic his followers can/can't do),
>without granting the followers of that god access to feats associated
>with these secondary runes. In a funny way it seems right to use the
>language of runes to flesh out the descriptions of gods in this way.
>
>The earlier discussion of runes for other Pelorian gods suggested that
>Doburdun might not be the only god to benefit from this kind of
>description by reference to runes other than the one or two over which
>the god (and his/her cult) has real power.
I think I'd go for a hierarchy of runes with the core runes as descriptors for important gods, spirits and saints. Minor beings of limited powers get local runes as do the limited powers of more important beings.
So we get Orlanth with the core rune of Air/Storm while Doburdun gets "Calm Air", Valind gets "Freezing Wind", Vinga gets "Defender Storm", etc.
This also solves the problem of Humakt having only limited powers from the Truth rune. He should have something like "True Oath" especially as Humakti outside Sartar don't always have this rune.
I appreciate it's going to involve a lot more runes but it is very difficult to use a language with only a couple of dozen words. And runes are the language to describe Gloranthan magic.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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