Magic without spells:
In my Ralios, the pre-Dawn Hsunchen didn't have what we think of as spells.
I use the spirit friend rules from the Pendragon supplement Beyond the
Wall. Once you befriend a totem spirit, you can ask it for (magical) help.
Spirit magic as per RQ is much easier and more reliable, so it was widely
adopted when the Theyalans introduced it. (It's possible that the Theyalans
learned it from the Elder Races.) See
<http://www.pensee.com/dunham/ralios/bemuri.html>.
In my pre-Dawn Peloria
<http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha/oroninela.html>, there aren't
really spells either (you'd sing or dance, and being part of a group gave
you more effects). My system is still incomplete, but when a player
complained that spirit magic was easier, I knew I was on the right track.
Primitive magic (and I don't mean magic of primitive people) *should* be
less advanced.
I'm not quite sure what the primitive predecessor to sorcery was like. Perhaps there really wasn't one, and it's an inherent power of Brithini which was stolen by humans. It may have been much like the Pelorian magic, and evolved away from personalized powers.
BTW, any of this primitive magic would still work. But almost all of the songs are forgotten, tattoos for some of the totem spirits (like Elephant) are lost, etc.
BTW2, it's non-Gloranthan, but the latest edition of Pendragon includes a magic system that takes into account time (e.g. seasonal calendar), place (e.g. sacred grove), and [in Pagan Shore] direction (e.g. widdershins). I use some of this in my Gloranthan game.
Scott wrote
> The web pages
> for Ralios and East Ralios are very well done.
Thanks.
> Problem is people new to the
> internet need to know where to find them. We should organize and list all the
> stuff available at one site as well as make sure it is known.
My site is registered with catalogs like Yahoo, and I try to have links to all other Gloranthan information (though I rely on Kim Englund a lot -- if you want the best collection of links, check his site). I humbly think my site is the prime site for Gloranthan information (though the archives are pretty valuable too). For what it's worth, it's unlikely to move Net addresses in the forseeable future, and I
Orlanth subcult
Michael Raaterova adviSed
> Godi Divine Magic should include Rain.
Well, Heler is associated with both the Thunderous and Warrior aspects. This means Priests and Rune Lords, but not Acolytes, have Rain reusably. (A godi would probably also be initiated into one of those subcults, and could sacrifice for Rain on a one-use basis.)
Speaking of which, Jeff, do you intend Priests and Lords to have reusable access to godi magic?
> My conception of Orlanth differs from Jeff's so i won't propose any other
> changes to his write-up.
I'd like to see it.
Martin Crim wondered
> >Storm Voice (Priest): 18 in two of Awareness, Stealth, Oratory, Speak
> >(Stormspeech), Weapon, and 10 in three of Compose, Religion, Ritual, and
> >World Lore.
>
> Stealth? That doesn't seem to fit the mythic or mundane role.
Hmm, I guess nobody looks at my Web site; this has been there for at least a year. And it's based on the River of Cradles writeup. Stealth is the PenDragon Pass equivalent of Hide, and there's lots of mythic justification, at least for Orlanth in general (if not Orlanth Thunderous).
Mark Smylie wondered
> what Paul Jaquays, the admirable author of the specific RQ works I
> mentioned, was up to
He's got a game design company, and is doing stuff like the Central Casting products.
David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_pensee.com> Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> NO ZUKES! Stop zucchini proliferation.
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