> [Slave] Bracelets were invented by the Dwarves who would know how
> to disrupt the casting of magic. I do find it odd in such a case
> that it was designed only to work against spirit magic and divine
> but not sorcery.
Uh: seems just as odd as the way the Mostali made Iron so it would burn elves and trolls, but not other dwarfs, if you ask me. Why should the dwarfs design Slave Bracelets so they could be used against them, back in the days when elves and trolls had no sorcery? (Remember: humans weren't seen as a threat when the dwarfs were designing their mythical armament).
That doesn't mean Slave Bracelets *don't* work on sorcerers; it just means that yours isn't a good explanation why they should.
FWIW, I recently worked on how Slave Bracelets are made (by the Danfive Xaron cult): the current draft rules follow, for RQ3 based on the RQ3 Divine Magic and Ritual Magic rules and the RQ2 "Cults of Prax" article; I would appreciate any constructive comments.
[NB: I'm thinking of adding another use for one point of POW: making the chains magically self-locking: so you can *fling* them at a fleeing fugitive and bring him down, already shackled; slip them over his wrists in the heat of a melee; etc. Any ideas on how to do this mechanically (roll MP invested vs. target's DEX?), and/or how much POW these abilities should cost?]
DANFIVE XARON SPECIAL RUNE SPELL
Enchant Shackle 1 point
ritual enchantment, stackable, reusable
This spell allows the caster to enchant any set of chains or manacles,
making them more difficult to break or remove. The enchantment must be
performed during the cults Holy Day, within the temple precincts, and costs
at least 1 POW. The maximum POW that can be used to Enchant Shackles is
equal to the points of this spell that are stacked in a single casting.
THE SHACKLES OF SUBMISSION The most common form of these chains, enchanted with a single point of POW, have their natural STR of 24 and AP of 12 increased by an amount equal to the Magic Points placed into them by the maker, and subtract five times this number from the Devise skill of anyone attempting to remove them. Each point of POW used in the enchantment can have one of the following effects:
> I disagree with the idea that being on the inside of the Sky Dome is
> being outside Glorantha. Hypothetically, one could fly over the RM,
right?
Only by going high into the Middle or Upper Air, which *anyone* would recognise as HeroQuest Country. It's not "outside Glorantha", it's "outside the mundane world", same as the tops of high mountains, the abyssal deeps of the oceans, or the palace of the Altinae beyond the Northern Ice (other places you can reach by "normal" travel). And magic works differently, there, too.
> Could the glowline be a side on view of a glowsurface (or glowmanifold
> perhaps) which extends up into the middle air, enveloping lune.
It certainly is. Some see it as the current manifestation of the "Dome Over The Empire", an ancient Dara Happan concept. I see it as like an umbrella or a shroud, hanging over the Red Moon and encompassing it, too.
> On a bit of a tangent, does it follow that the weather is better within
> the glowline?
It certainly is: the Kalikos Expeditions are, if you like, the lack-of-icing on the cake. The climate within the Lunar Empire has been generally improving ever since the Rise of the Red Moon (the summers are less hot and the winters less cold: Peloria used to have a more extreme, unmoderated climate), with few strong winds and a usually cloud-free sky (irrigation agriculture in the lowlands); these gains were consolidated when the Glowline was established a few centuries ago, and given a further shot in the arm with the Icebreaker Expeditions which are sent to beard Winter in its lair.
There's a Death Lord to see you, Peter, and I don't think he saw the funny side of your last post... :-)
Even *if* the Chicago RQ-Con is going to have fewer attenders than previous RQ-Cons in the UK, US, Germany and Australia (and I believe that with last-minute registrations and walk-ins it could still pull up: we gained dozens of new members in the last month before Convulsion), that means there will be a *higher* ratio of guests to audience members: all of the Guests of Honour are still going to be coming, and if fewer people want to talk to them, it means that you've got a better chance of twisting their ears, being heard or being answered. But only if you turn up.
For the record, the first time I introduced myself to Greg Stafford was at GaelCon 1991 in Dublin, Ireland. The GaelCon organisers had invited him over as a Guest of Honour, but hardly anybody in Ireland seems to play "RuneQuest" (the RPG market is much younger than the US/UK) or "Pendragon" (British upper-class imperialism? - this was before Pagan Shores), so the only people who wanted to talk to Greg about *his* games (as opposed to Chaosium and/or Cthulhu) were myself and David Hall (whom I'd met a month previously through a letter from Greg... it's a bit of a Moebius relationship, when you look at it).
That was a *good* weekend! It meant Greg recognised me when we met again at Convulsion (in summer 92), and by the time of RQ-Con 1 in January 1994 he was introducing me to other Gloranthan authors as someone they should be nice to. It could happen to you, too... but only if you turn up.
The guests who'll be attending RQ-Con in Chicago include:
Greg Stafford Chaosium's President and Publisher Sandy Petersen Author of Cthulhu, Doom and Quake Paul Jaquays The Classic RQ2 Artist and Author Rob Heinsoo Chaosium's Glorantha Line Editor Eric Rowe Chaosium's Director of Marketing David Hall Founder of the Reaching Moon Megacorp David Gadbois U.S. Arm of the Reaching Moon Megacorp David Dunham The Man from PenDragon Pass, etc. David Cheng Evil Genius, Father of U.S. RQ-Condom (*)David [insert surname here]
Chris Gidlow Author of Credo, Tarsh War and more! Nick Brooke Moonie Stooge and Official Con Drunk
And there's other, "non-official" guests who we're looking forward to meeting: the stalwarts of the Pacific North-West Farmers' Collective, to name but a few (hey, do you guys have an anthem for the Singalong, yet?). So you know there will be plenty of people to meet, a better than usual chance of having a heart-to-heart with one of your idols, and a programme packed with Gloranthan panels, games and events, including two Gloranthan semi-freeforms ("Tarsh War" = 12 players, refereed; "The Great Secret of the God Learners" = 16-32 players, puzzle-solving) and the "Miskatonic Archaeological Expedition" for Cthulhu fans... not to mention the first night's Evening With The Megacorp, culminating in the SingalongaNick concert's first U.S. tour!
All that and a Lore Auction, a Cultural Exchange, a Trollball match (starring the RQ-Con Committee as trollkin), role-playing games and tournaments, miniature wargaming, art exhibitions, seminars, socialising, sneak previews, parties, and your chance to buy stuff that just ain't available *anywhere* else...
Join the Few, the Proud: the Chicago Crowd!
(*) No, "U.S. RQ-Condom" means the culture of RuneQuest Conventions held in the United States of America: it's *not* a novelty souvenir prophylactic, though if there's enough public demand I'm sure David Cheng will rise to the occasion...
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