> Until then, do as i would - improvise.
But I have, oh but I have! One of the most used spells of the
Gamemaster aspect's of Trickster cult is Improvise Details of
Gloranthan Phenomenon. Bloody lucky we're all acolytes.........
> Why do all gnomes have to be mindless? Some of them should have free INT
> and a few of those should have really high INT.
Yesyesyes! I think most mindless, multi-purpose gnomes are confused.
wandering Mostali constructs......
But then I have sometimes ( I change my mind pretty often, one of the
few similarities between me and Mahatma Greg) thought of the
difference between elementals and spirits in this way:
Elementals don't really live on the Spirit Plane. All earth is alive.
All air is alive. All natural elements are alive. However, the soul
of raw elements is somewhat different from the souls of trees,
animals, people and man-made items (who all have a clearer border
between the "I" and the "other" than the wind and the compost heaps).
Raw elements only have a "soul" when the many many small puffs of air,
specks of dirt, drops of water etc unite. This they usually only do
when urged to it by a magician or a spirit - a cave-spirit may cause
a cavein, an earth priestess animate a compost heap etc. Thus there
is a difference between "elemental spirit" and "elemental".
But then, this is just a theory. All Michael's suggestions on the Use
of Elementals/Elemental Spirits are very valid IMO.
> Acolytes should never have access to the full magic of priests or lords.
> That is a function of elevation ceremonies/'higher' initiation. They could
> have access to the priestly spells as one-use. An Orlanth godi shouldn't
> have access to Thunderbolt or Wind Warp. 'Thunder' yes, but not
> Thunderbolt. Thus, a Wind (initiate) shouldn't have access to Thunderbolt
> either.
Hm.. I have different ideas about this. I agree that acolytes ought
to be less powerfull than priests, but not that they should have all
one-use spells. My favorite idea is that an acolyte (and perhaps a
priest or runelord as well) only gets reusable access to the spells
of their temple; for most parts a shrine, which in my book only will
teach mostly basic-basic magic. So an Orlanth godi may have access to
reusable Cloud Call, but only one-use Wind Warp etc. You then get a
more smooth curve; the higher up in the hierarchy, the more cool
magic you get, and a high priest of Orlanth Thunderous or Tribal King
(bigwig of Orlanth Rex) gets not only social status against the
smaller fry, but also more raw magical power.
On the text on Earth Cults: Very Good! Ex-cellent!
Some questions on my all-time-favorite among the earth gods, Asrelia:
* Is there still a dog association? The watchdogs of her hut, etc?
* To think about it, is there a swine association with Ernalda? Or
they coupled with Barntar (swines are excellent for breaking new
ground, "living ploughs" in a way)?
* I liked the idea in GOG shortform of Asrelians caring for the money
of the Earth Cults, and that they have those special regards on
wealth to join and remain a member (though numbers shouldn't be taken
as Law, of course, and ought to be different according to HOW you pay
it). A proto-Rotary for the older, distinguished farmerwomen - the
"Gnomes of Zurich", so to speak. (At least the nickname for the great
graintrading families of Esrolia, who ought to worship Asrelia or
equivalent, really ought to be the "Gnomes of Nochet" - of COURSE
they really rules all politics in Maniria.....) Any comments, though
things are of course far more small-scale in Far Point?
* And how is it with burials, really: are Storm/Sky worshippers
(often men) mostly cremated, while the Earth worshippers (often
women) are mostly buried, as indicated by official ideas? A culture
which has so different burial customs for the different sexes always
have seemed very alien to me.....
Erik Sieurin
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