>On the other hand, though, there is the idea that to influence the thoughts
>and actions of others using magic is abominable witchcraft, the kind of
>thing that one does only when all else fails, and that if found out would
>make any right-thinking person fear and hate you.
>My sworn enemy does an 'Issaries the Conciliator' heroquest, and
>suddenly I am willing to forget my determination to revenge his latest
>outrage; I turn up at his doorstep bearing gifts and asking to end the
>feud.
My sworn enemy fasts for forty days and forty nights in an attempt to quench my rage. As a result of his success, an angel from the lord comes down and beseeches me to end our quarrel. Am I as a right-thinker supposed to hate my sworn enemy for his attempt to influence my thoughts and actions? I don't think so.
Likewise in the Orlanthi worldview, there is a difference between using the magic of the gods (Issaries the Conciliator) and using "low" magic (sending spiritss to cloud the rival clan's judgement) to influence people.
>'Runequest', from what I remember, is compatible my image of a world in
>which magic to affect peoples' minds is a rare thing, whose targets would
>certainly not be happy about it.
Befuddle, Demoralize, Fanaticism and Glamour were relatively common spells in Runequest and depending on the circumstances, other people would not be adverse to having two (or possibly three) of those spells cast upon them.
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