Sorry Michael, but I'll have to disappoint you because I have been thinking along similar lines recently.
I was thinking that dropping the POW stat might not be such a bad idea. After all, when I started playing RQ it was described to me by the GM as a value for how favourably the gods have looked upon your birth. Which gods, how did they know you would end up following there ways and not the ways of one of their enemies.
I was thinking instead along the lines of some new stat for devoutism(?), following Michaels' idea this could be split into magic types. This would begin at zero and would increase through study, time working for the cult/shaman/sorcerer and possibly through outstanding efforts.
Incorporated into this could be levels of magics, i.e. you will be able to use low level magic with the level of this stat(s) that you could gain as a normal citizen. Only through devotion to a religion or teacher could you learn sufficient stat(s) to gain a knowledge of the higher magics and the stat to power them.
I also like the idea of physically weak characters wielding great powers, and here I was thinking that through some special rituals characteristics could be sacrificed to increase this new stat(s).
DarenClark_at_aol.com
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