Paul and Paulo

From: Nick Brooke <Nick_Brooke_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 03:15:13 -0400



Paul Chapman writes:

> I have tried a slightly different system in RQ whereby the initiate
> is effectively 'tested' on the five cult skills as part of the high
> holy day ceremonies (being minor heroquests and all), and needs a
> certain success rate to regain his/her/its magic. This means that as
> initiates get more powerful/closer to their deity, they will tend to
> regain more magic at High Holy Days, which conveniently allows for a
> smoother power gradient between beginning adventurers and Rune levels.

Sounds great! I'm very keen to stress that the idea that "One-Use Rune Magic can be recovered on (High) Holy Days" is meant to be a flexible one: balance it to suit your own campaign, desired recovery rate, etc.

Paul's suggestion sounds workable, and not at all unbalancing. For my part, I'd be happy to work out a way to give back some points of Rune magic on normal Holy Days too (thus upping the "cost" of missing them too); using the cult skills as in Paul's game is certainly better than relying on POWx5 rolls or such generic stuff.

I have a Yinkin the Cat story on my homepage, if you're looking: <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Nick_Brooke/>



Paulo, you can do whatever you want using my article from Tales #12, right up to the point where you're about to make some money from it. Then call me again... :-)

(I love this hobby).



Dave muses elvishly:

> Perhaps the full elf ability to sense the song of the forest is
> developed fully through Aldrya initiation... there are things that
> can be 'elf-sensed' during elf religious ceremonies that can only
> be perceived by initiates. I imagine this religious connection would
> be very moving. And then the elves that cannot initiate (rootless)
> are those that can not hear the Secret things no matter how they
> try - and most elves feel great sorrow for them, because they know
> what they are missing out on.

Can I take this further? It's not just Rootless elves, but all Player Character elves, who do not yet have this connection to the Song of Aldrya. Even if they're initiates of Aldrya "by the book", just by acting like PCs they show that they haven't yet developed the elvish maturity ("ripeness", if you want) to participate in the life of the forest. This is why PC elves are so able to up sticks (!) and move out from their homelands... but when they mature (in a few decades' time), they'll return to their communities and fit in just fine. A bit of seasoning in the outside world is all that they need.

(Also fits in with my piece on archetypal elves and seasonal Aldryami personalities a few years back; ask if anybody wants a repost).

> Spells that are one-use to priests are supposed to be rare and
> powerful and important magics - so its one use nature agrees with
> the Gloranthan experience.

Absolutely! My article was about initiates' "one-use" rune magic, not about "real" one-use rune spells, which are unchanged by my suggestion (still unavailable to initiates, still one-use to rune priests and lords, barring heroquest or divine gift).

               _______________ _____________ Could I remind Comrade Trotsky and Hasni Mubarak of Rule Four, in passing? It's nice to know who you're talking to, and I doubt it's either of you :-)



Nick

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