Certainly everyone knows that an Orlanthi priest is more dangerous when the sky is overcast. And everyone knows that Storm Bulls go frothing mad in a fight. Most people also notice that the initiates tend to be a little less furious than the priests -- presumably because they are less indoctrinated into the cult secrets (an excellent differentiation of Fanaticism vs. Berserk).
Everyone knows that Humakti are honorable, hate icky stuff like undead, and good swordsmen. It's also widely known that they can strike you dead at a distance -- such a flashy spell has got to be infamous. Just like folks in Peloria know all about the priests' ability to draw down Elijah-like fire from heaven to consume a sinner (Sunspear).
>In "Smell of a Rat" the characters were talking about disruption
as though the >spell was known to everyone, everyone (except the
newby) knew what it did, they >knew about overcoming other people
power etc. How many people play this?
As I see it, a troop of adventurers are fairly likely to know this kind of detail, just as today a cop can tell you the difference between a .38 Special and a .357 Magnum. Most folks don't know much about it, except that "magnum" sounds more powerful. I constantly talk about "sprites" at my job. Non-computer folks who are puzzled by this reference. It's just specialized jargon. The average barmaid might know there's a spell that hurts folks from a distance (Disrupt), but she probably calls it "Kill Rats", which is where folk magic comes in again. I guess I'll reiterate some of it here.
REAL NAME PC NAME Plowsharp Bladesharp Catch Small Child Slow Kill Rats Disrupt Light Stove Ignite Impress Barmaid Glamour Drive Fencepost Bludgeon Grasp Hedgehog Protection
Most have other uses. Grasp Hedgehog, for instance, can be used to more safely use a needle and thread with leather or other difficult-to-sew materials.
>Does it make your campaigns more or less interesting?
Can't tell. Never tried it the other way.
>Do the characters know that shield 3 will stop a normal server spirit?
A magician would, just as my architect knows the difference between a floating foundation and pylon supports, and how much each costs, the advantages and disadvantages of each, etc. If spells come in quantum values (as they appear to do in Glorantha), then a person who'd done some research, or even just listened carefully to the lore of the old retired priest, would know how much Shield was needed to stop a Sever Spirit. There's probably books listing the equivalents to all sorts of magic.
Of course, this is all very general. A specific character may well know or not know what a spell does or how big it is. Most of my RQ characters have no idea that it takes a Shield 3 to stop a Sever Spirit. A lot don't even know that Humakti _has_ a Sever Spirit. Those that do, would be surprised to learn that Yanafal Tarnils and ZZ have the same spell.
Sandy P.
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #416
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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