Re: Little Things & Stuff

From: Delecti_at_aol.com
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 20:26:45 -0400


Jane Williams writes:
<<So if my players drink bad water, they'll get the runs: but in town, or in
any "normal" life, this just isn't a problem. You drink weak beer, not water. Or whatever.>>

I consider the water ok unless the river/well/lake god is dead or corrupted (i.e. by chaos or in a small area, a disease spirit). Normally in my game most of the above have guardians for example..even though far away, a priest who blessed a well would probably be informed of a problem (i.e. disease spirit in well) by the god the well was dedicated to.

<< 2) no way would the River People of the Zola Fel pollute the River like
that! Ordinary people who just live on a river without worshipping it, yes. >>

I do not know Jane. They may....afterall, the fish and newtlings do it in the river. ;)

Your ideas on the use of those spells is a good idea. You figure after a few generations a tribe could produce these items/fetishes/charms. They could be held by the tribe's shaman, or a local earth priestess or whoever.

Jane on Menses:
<<Levels of fitness affecting it: yes, probably. There's an old Pelican book
I picked up called "Coming of age in Samoa" (Margaret Mead) that describes a "modern primitive" culture, and a survey of the women in that tribe found that they had never heard of menstrual pain so severe as to stop them from working.>>

If I remember correctly from a conversation awhile back, according to my wife (a nurse) if her body fat is low enough a female would stop her monthly problems. It being a survival trait as the body feels it does not have enough food to support the replacement of all the fluids lost. This could be an excuse for some female adventurers.

On peoples problems with little problems: While I personally feel that talking about this kind of detail gives all of us a better feel of Glorantha, I do not feel that we have to push it on players. It is the GM's choice on how much detail is used (and if the players do not like it they should let him know), but sometimes you should go over the "how" these kind of things "work" with your players (if a GM) so they can get the feel, just do not hit them with it constantly. Sometimes little details have to be mentioned in a scenario to further the plot, but if not touched on once in a great while, mentioning it will trigger all the alerts in your players.

Jane on Dates, details:
My thoughts exactly, I get a better feel for Glorantha in this way. Playing/GMing in it is an added bonus. I have talked to several people on this list and they do not have time to play, but enjoy Glorantha for the world that it is. They love to explore it by reading, and talking about it on this list. AND...you never know when something you end up putting into your game or character came from this list.

Joerg on Shamans & Sorcerers:
<<Did you ever have a PC shaman apprentice undergo the shamanic quest
described in the rules? I had, once, and the character was weakened beyond useful gaming. It turned out unwise to wander the spirit plane with POW 9...>>

Yes, most of the time I end up with a low POW for my fetch. It is rough, but survival is possible.

Sorcerers have the same problems as shamans, they need POW. I have had an easier time playing a tribal shaman than a sorcerer, but a shaman without a tribe will have a harder time unless he hooks up with others (i.e. adventurers).

Joerg on discorporation:
<<Nor do I see why a folk magic specialist has to be a shaman able to
discorporate. A witch learning from a nymph or other natural spirit he or she is allied to would do as well, IMO, more like the wise women of the Vikings box. These would be more appropriate to vast parts of Glorantha, too, IMO.>>

I play the shamans discorporation as more of an ability due to their connection to the spirit plane than a ritual. They achieve it by blocking out all the distractions of the mundane plane and focusing on the spirit plane to shift thier senses to it and then separate from their body. The fetch goes into the mundane centered on the shaman's body.

Others in my game do go into the spirit plane, at a risk. it requires a bit of "spirit moss" or bark from a "ghost tree" to make a simple potion which is not hard to learn. The trick is getting the ingredients. It is a hard to get item which is used in real need. Some protection for the body is needed, as it has no spirit defense. Priests of course usually are in a temple (not an enemy of course). Others use guardian spirits (wyters, etc). Lhankor Mhy Sages studying the spirit plane are not considered "knowledgeble" on the subject till they have spent some time in the spirit plane. Though most try to hire shamans to "assist" if possible.

I ran a scenario once where the PC's went on a "spiritquest" using ghost tree bark. One of the PC's was a baboon shaman who had while searching for a way to end his exile from his troop, found information on a trapped ancestor thought to be lost forever. The ancestor was the last direct link to grandfather baboon and the source of some powerful magics (ala martin crim's baboon bites). The reason that no one had found the ancestor was that is was bound to the spirit plane in monkey metropolis in such a way only a non-baboon could spot it. The PC baboon talked the ther PC's into helping get the bark and going on the quest. I had used some modified rules allowing the use of weapon skills and such, while making everything do about 1d6 MP damage. I do not remember them exactly and they would need to be redone now. But the players had fun and won, getting a greatly enhanced baboon troop as an ally.

Maybe I will dig it up and put it in my upcoming scenario vault. Anyone having a scenario they want to put in it can email it to me. I will get running somtime this week.

<<So: powerful shamans beat powerful sorcerers on the spirit plane, only my
campaign never developed any powerful shaman through play. The sorcerers ended up quite powerful...>>

Hmm, well I think it depends on the area they are in. Seeing different games played in different areas, some are better for shamans, some for sorcerers.

Scott


End of Glorantha Digest V3 #200


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