Bell Digest vol02p10.txt

Subject: Glorantha Today,  Volume 2,  Number 10

This issue:
	Skill Increases			(Charles C. Allen)
	Re: RQ Spell Power?		(Jeff Okamoto)

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From: cca@newton.physics.purdue.edu (Charles C. Allen)

Subject: Skill Increases

What's this, another unplaytested idea?  Aaarrgh... :-)


			   ===============
			   Skill Increases

			    Charlie Allen
			   ===============


RuneQuest 2 & 3 simulate how hard a skill is to learn by giving
"difficult" skills a lower starting percentage.  As several people
have pointed out from time to time, this is not a good solution.  It's
easy to train when skills are at low %'s, which is the only place a
difference exists.

One method for differentiating among various skills is to have the
increase be different.  To avoid having to come up with Yet Another
Number associated with each skill, base the increase on the starting
percentage.  As a first pass, let

	F = 1 + (M/5)

where

	F = the "Learning Factor" (see below)
	M = modified starting % = base starting % + skill bonus

When a character gets a chance to go up in a skill via experience, the
player rolls 1dF to get the % increase.

	 M	F	Avg

	 0	1	0.5
	 5	2	1.0
	10	3	2.0
	15	4	2.5
	20	5	3.0
	25	6	3.5


The modified starting % is used so that characters with a bonus in a
particular skill learn faster than those without a bonus, which
certainly seems reasonable.  Yes, they already do since the bonus is
included in an experience roll, but the effect is pretty minimal.  If
the increases seem a little low, just up the additive constant from 1
to 2 or 3.  This has not been playtested at all.

This solution affects the rate at which the skill increases, it does
not affect the final numbers.  In the long run, it'll still be as easy
to parry with a maul as with a large shield.  But, that's the subject
for Yet Another Note....

Charlie Allen			cca@newton.physics.purdue.edu

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From: Jeff Okamoto 

Subject: Re: RQ Spell Power?

In volume 2,  number 8,  Andrew Bell writes:

> Don't forget, also, the missile-affecting spells.  Speeddarted arrows
> are much more likely to penetrate armor,  and multi-missiled arbalest
> or heavy crossbow bolts can be devastating.  Firearrow also
> dramatically increases the damage of arrows.

One local rule we use: to add one extra missile takes as many points
of Multimissile as the number of D6's that you roll for damaged.  Thus,
a weapon that does 2D6+2 would need a Multimissile 2 to get one extra
bolt, MM 4 for two, etc.

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Subject: Spell fumbles and Monty Haul

From: bell@cs.unc.edu			(Andrew Bell)

In article 2.8,  Andrew writes:

> By the way,  Jeff,  I'm sorry if I seem to be picking on you.  I
> agree with the majority of your comments.  Hopefully the system I
> just described would satisfy your (and my) desire for a clean system,
> and still add a little variety (and risk) to spell-casting.

No offense taken.

Jeff

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