Forced Traits

        Many people have expressed their opposition to forced trait rolls in heroquests. I will write in support of them (at least that will constitute a debate).

        The real problem is that in the Heroplane you (more or less) stop being yourself to become something else, usually the personification of a god or a hero, or at least the "ideal" hero for that myth. How well you embody the myth will depend on your personality molding itself to the model.

        So, the same way that you may have to climb a mountain (testing your climb) in a "Cliffhanger HQ" and you would be a fool trying it with a Climb skill of 40%, you are a fool if you try "The arming of Elmal" with an Orlanth who has not a 18+ Generous Trait. It is as unjust to make you roll as saying: "Yes, he criticalled and you fumbled your dodge, you are dead." Individual HQs are dangerous, and you should take on those you can handle. That is why group HQs are prevalent. Your Issaries will roll the suspicious in your place, and Eurmal will roll the Indulgent. And instead of being groping in the dark with players being themselves instead of an archetype (as they should be) you have the prequest planning (in some cases taking years, training oneself, researching the myth and searching the apropiate helpers) to do.

        Anyway, if you use traits anybody worthy of heroquesting should have heroic traits, at least in those traits he heroquests in. Maybe I see it inversely to other digester, it is not that you get a +3 to Courage if you succeed, but you need a Courage of 20+ (and luck) to succeed.

        So you will go in a preparatory Quest first to raise your courage to 25, before tackling the Quest you really one to do. (Or searching for the Dragonheart that will make you always courageous, if you prefer a mundane quest)

        Concerning Worship Heroquests, things are much easier with many people around. When Orlanth checks his Merciful to avoid killing Yelmalio in the HoG, most of the initiates taking part (hopefully) will pass the test, and the ceremony will go in the right direction. If Merciful is low in your clan, you surely do not reenact this myth, but you reenact "The Quartering of Vadrus", where you check your Cruel. And in this way the Clan Virtues go on.

        It is the job of the priests to know what myths go with their flock. And that makes the sudden appeareance of a group of mercenaries (or just foreigners) to the worship ceremony the more dangerous, as the priest does not know them.

        I will stop now, before I get lost in my own ramblings, and wait for contrary views.

Jose Ramos (The J much plegmier that just an english H, and I will not talk about the rolling R).