From news@glorantha Wed May 19 17:16:33 1993
Date: Wed, 19 May 93 17:15:13 +0200
Message-Id: <9305191515.AA00973@glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM>
From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Wed, 19 May 1993, part 1
Precedence: junk
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X-Lines: 399
Status: RO
The RuneQuest Daily and RuneQuest Digest deal with the subjects of
Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha.
Send submissions and followup to "RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM",
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Selected articles may also appear in a regular Digest. If you
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Send enquiries and Subscription Requests to the editor:
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---------------------
From: flammang@heart.med.uth.tmc.edu (James Flammang)
Subject: Strange attacks
Message-ID: <9305181556.AA11925@heart.med.uth.tmc.edu>
Date: 18 May 93 15:56:10 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 800
I never had much problem getting my characters to learn strange
attack skills like kicking, head butting, whatever. A few bar-room brawls
are always nice, as well as the ever-popular Musashi idea of ambushing them
in the bath. I never realistically believed that characters lived with
their weapons. There are many opportunities, at home and/or at rest, to get
your players into a weaponless fight. One of my players eventually mastered
the skill of kicking, and he'd use it every now and then when it seemed
more appropriate then just slicing somebody open with a sword. Think about it
in realistic terms. While a kick may do 1d6 (rather high, I think), and can
therefore be lethal, in 'realistic' terms, it's a bit less antagonistic than
going for the bastard sword. The characters could kick somebody and not
trigger a lethal fight, just show general displeasure, etc. I usually give
the option of kick, punch, or head butt to annoy, rather than kill. They still
have to roll the same percentage, but they wouldn't do any damage. Players
love to do this to each other and NPC's.
Just my thought, and in no way reflects the opinions of broos, trollkin,
or Walktapi.
Jim Flammang
flammang@heart.med.uth.tmc.edu
---------------------
From: paul@phyast.pitt.edu
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 18 May 1993, part 2
Message-ID: <9305181617.AA03144@bondi.phyast.pitt.edu>
Date: 18 May 93 16:17:52 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 801
Paul R. here.
Arganth: Try these addresses:
paul@bondi.phyast.pitt.edu
par@vm2.cis.pitt.edu
paul@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu
paul@artemis.phyast.pitt.edu
Good luck.
_____________
Oliver J:
I think that the Spirit of Retribution for the Lunar offshoot cults will be
a spirit of the same species as that for the parent cult, but may be applied
differently. For example, our Etyries cult uses Greed spirits, but they
make you hoard things that you _already_ own rather than for other
people's stuff, turning you into a miser incapable of trade.
What's the spirit of Retribution for the Emperor's cult? The Red Tapeworm
perhaps?
We indeed believe in Irripi Ontor's 'sin' of openness and also that
Etyries has much better relation with her father Issaries than do say
Y.T. and Humakt. Of course, they both use the Communication Rune, so
you'd expect them to stay in touch.
Our Etyries cults uses hinnys (female off spring of horse and donkey)
rather than Mules for their allied spirits. I'll try to finish a full
writeup on this cult sometime when the Thesis is relatively under
control.
RQ IV: Many things are good in it and are
similar to our own house rules. I think that moving in the
direction of simplicity (a la Pendragon) would be good if possible.
Thanks also to Loren for setting up the list.
OPPOSED RUNES: Earth and Water are definitely opposed in Glorantha.
Remember the great invasion of the land by the Rivers? I think that
the alliances and enmities among elements are more complicated that
just one opposite per element.
___________
Boris Mikey:
Excellent songs!
We tried two different systems for yearly Initiate recovery:
1. Renewal on High Holy Day as you suggest.
2. The Initiates must succeed in their own Cermony skill.
I like the latter better, players liked the former.
We also tried Sacred Time as the season of renewal, but like each cult
having their own time better.
This reminds me, I should post sometime on Sacred Time rituals and happenings,
which we used quite effectively in our game.
__________
Brian H:
I think short scenarios are ok, but if it's quite long then I would just
post a summary and tell people to e-mail or ftp for more.
________
Roundless combat:
We experimented for a while with a cribbage board system but gave up
on it because we didn't want to diverge too far from the RQ mainstream.
DEX becomes a tremendous stat in this system.
You have to devise a system telling how often you can parry, etc. if
you want to go to roundless combat. On the whole I prefer Pendragon
combat, which skips ahead to the result.
_______________
john medway:
We tried the Glory system for POW gain but it was quite a job translating
it from the Arthurian to the Gloranthan social context - in Pendragon,
everyone is a knight and uses pretty much the same yardstick. In Glorantha,
some people want zero Glory, e.g., assasins. One player (out of about
eight) complained about the new system.
The advantage of Pendragon is that the rules system rewards (in game terms)
the behavior which is good roleplaying in the world. Knights seek Glory,
wives with good dowries, etc., even if their players are not familiar
with the genre because 'winning' under the rules involves in-genre
behavior.
I tried a system which worked fairly well with this. I gave people
Runic Ties for their characters which gave them a bonus whenever they
acted along with the Runic Tie. Initiates of Storm Bull for example
got a 5% Tie to the Beast, Death, and Air Runes. Whenever performing
an action favored by one of these Runes they got a 5% bonus. When
acting against their Runes they got either a 5% or 10% penalty (we tried
both. Players like 5% penalties better).
Examples:
A Humakti initiate gets a 10% Tie to the Death Rune and a 5% Tie to
the Truth Rune (and he may get more at some point.) Whenever trying to
kill someone or sever something he gets a 10% bonus on his skill (max
of double skill, i.e. won't give you a skill you don't have.) When
trying to oppose Death, say by Healing someone to save their life, or
to oppose Truth, say by using Fast Talk to tell a lie, they get a 10%
or 5% penalty or their skill.
This really encouraged Runic behavior. We had a sorceror Tied to
the Mobility/Change Rune who was always changing his mind in mid-play,
etc. He also got a bonus on Mobility-related spells, etc. and of
course a penalty on Stasis spells.
Elements were a little hard to work into this system (except for the
obvious lighting a fire, etc.) but we used the types of behavior and
emotion associated with each element as guides. Darkness, for example,
was associated with causing or experiencing fear (see for example
Dirk Blackpool as an individual with a Darkness tie) and Moon with
madness, etc.
Someone witha 100% Tie to the Death Rune would be similar to a person
under Berserk, etc. (Under Berserk you are really good at killing
but have no regard for your own life.)
This system worked pretty well in _encouraging_ role-playing behavior with
bonuses and penalties without _dictating_ to the Players.
I should mention that PCs could be born with some Runic Ties, indicating
a personality type.
We thought this had a little advantage over the Pendragon system in that
it was a bit more plugged into the Gloranthan matrix.
Feel free to comment on the system, or try it out.
All for now,
- Paul Reilly
---------------------
From: drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu (David Cheng)
Subject: Mass Combat & Strike Rank Theory
Message-ID:
Date: 18 May 93 17:21:26 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 802
Mass Combat:
Sandy Petersen's "Warhamster" mass combat rules will appear in a future
issue of _Tales of the Reaching Moon_ (confirmation, Mr. Hall?).
This doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to Arganth's ideas!
Strike Rank Theory:
(Long & Boring - Read at your own risk)
The Strike Rank system is obviously not one of the strongest, most
fool-proof ideas in the RQ system. But, you've got to admit, it's
better than "we won initiative - we all swing first."
That said, one of my peeves is when people get too stuck on the idea
of strike ranks determining exactly when in a melee round something
happens.
I especially hate this one, and it's kin:
"Well, he swung on me in SR 7 last round, so this round I declare
that I'm casting Bladesharp 2. 3 SR to prep the spell, plus
my DEX SR of 1, plus 2 SR for a 2 MP spell = 6 SRs - No problem,
I've got time to cast the spell unmolested, and will be able to
parry/dodge in SR 7."
I hope you all see the folly in this.
Obviously, the foe is not taking a single swing at our spellcaster
"seven or eight seconds into the round." He is attacking with his
weapon the entire round, repeatedly. There's no way he'll stand
back and let our spellcaster ensorcell in peace...
Melee combat is dynamic. Melee goes back and forth, feint-parry-
attack/abort-parry-attack-dodge-recover-feint-attack... Any
opening is exploited, because your life is at stake here.
The Strike Rank system is simply a way to try to determine who
get to roll dice first, _not_ who swings first. You're both
swinging at the same time!
You've got a high DEX, knuckles that scrape the ground, and a big
weapon? OK, you probably deserve to be able to try to kill the
slow guy with stubby limbs before he gets you first.
OK, enough hot air. My recommendations:
Any character that tries to cast a spell while engaged in melee
must make the INTx3 "concentration roll." He cannot parry
or dodge without aborting the spell. If the character takes
damage insufficient to incapacitate him, INTx1 to avoid having
the spell abort.
ALSO, the attacker gets the +10% (or more, as that seems kind of
low) bonus for unprepared defender. You're not actively
meleeing, so you're open to attack.
ALSO, the attacker gets to roll to hit _the Strike Rank you
begin the spell_. You are not actively meleeing any more, so
he gets to exploit the opening you're giving. He gets a chance
to mess up both your spell and you.
(Yes, this is a lot harsher than many people play. Who said
it should be easy to cast spells in melee?)
Now, you could make the argument that this doesn't apply if the
foe has to move during the round to get to you. I am assuming
that the combatants begin the round already engaged. Also,
if you're using RQIV, you're doing move-fight-move, which
I think is far superior, and one of my favorite RQIV revisions.
These penalties go for other things besides spellcasting too:
pulling out items, using a perception (or whatever) skill, and
probably more that don't come to mind.
Summary:
Melee is happening all twelve seconds of the melee round. Weapons
are constantly swinging back and forth, not just in the "strike ranks"
when you roll to attack. There are no "safe pockets of time before
the foe swings on you" where you can sneak in other actions.
Penalize characters who are so foolhardy (or so desparate) as to think
there are.
-David Cheng
---------------------
From: awr0@aberystwyth.ac.uk
Subject: Scenarios etc
Message-ID: <9305181618.AA24488@deca.aber.ac.uk>
Date: 18 May 93 18:18:58 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 803
This I think would be a perfect forum for the distribution of scenarios.
There would be a problem with maps and such like, but maybe the use of
uuencoder might be an idea. I presume that most people have access to
a laser printer? In that case, the sending of postscript files might
be an idea. These are after all only text. Other options include the
use of particular software packages..ie Pagemaker but that may be
getting too selective. What does everybody else think? There is
always FTP.
I'm off to do some revision. Exam on thursday...damm.
Adam.
I can't wait for the 7th of June....neither can the pub.
PS: BTW Is there going to be a Convulsions93? If there is, when is it?
Is anybody going? Anybody wanna meet up? Anybody have an idea
as to how we would identify each other? Maybe a badge?
---------------------
From: carlf@Panix.Com (Carl Fink)
Subject: realism, armor, and buckling swashes
Message-ID: <199305181723.AA08050@sun.Panix.Com>
Date: 18 May 93 09:23:18 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 804
-mith@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Robert Smith) writes:
>It is easier to divide a movement of 3 by two than by three? In addition,
>for those who use hex grids, the scale is usually use 1m to the hex. Moving
>1.5 meters per strike rank becomes a real pain. It seems to me that it
>would be *simpler* to work in thirds, as far as the mechanics go.
I misunderstood you somehow. You are correct - the math is easier with
your system. Oliver?
>OK, I'm open to suggestions here. Since players tend to be rational people,
>at least by their own definition of rationality, they are going to spend
>the majority of their time learning to do the most damage that they can with
>the least cost in training time. This always is some heavy duty weapon.
>Why bother learning how to kick and grapple, when these cause little damage
>and you always prefer to hit with your primary weapon? What actions of the
>GM can encourage players to act contrary to their interests (inflicting as
>much real damage as possible on a deadly opponent) without seeming arbitrary?
Well, because (for instance) you can't carry heavy weapons openly in
most major cities? Because weapons break/drop/can be snatched by
whips? Because kicking someone in the middle of a fight with maces can be a
surprise maneuver, giving +30%? (Which is why it's so effective in the _Three
Musketeers_.) Because if you parry a Grapple attack with a weapon,
the other person is now holding onto your weapon and can pull it away
(especially useful on blunt-edged weapons like quarterstaves, but
quite effective on shields)? Should I go on?
>I agree that complexity is a problem, but that is what optional rules are
>for. For many of my critisism, the response has been that the GM and players
>should fix the inadequacies of the rules through role-play. That does not seem
>very satisfactory to me. The game system defines the physical reality of the
>world. Characters' action will conform to the reality created by the game
>system. That is what the game system is supposed to do: create the game
>reality.
Granted. I suspect this particular optional would belong in a magazine
article published after RQ4, titled something like "realistic armor".
I haven't seen anyone else among RQ4 playtesters comment about this
particular problem, which means that the priority of including special
arm and leg armor rules in the main game is probably low.
>I certainly do appriciate Carl's promt response to my querries and I hope
>others will continue this thread.
You're welcome.
jjm@zycor.lgc.com (johnjmedway) writes:
>Interesting how this relates to how _players_ corrupt the gods, as well. Ever
>had a player say: "Hmm, it'd be neat to play a Kyger Litor, oh wait, they don't
>get Sever Spirit, like Zorak Zoran. I guess I'll play one of them instead."
>Picking cults for their spell lists - yuk!
Actually, this makes perfect sense...I can certainly imagine the
*character* deciding to join ZZ based on his magic, after all.
Personally I prefer Kyger Litor, because that Counterchaos spell is
terrific. No, wait, it's only okay. No, it's terrific again. No, wait....
Carl Fink carlf@panix.com C.FINK4 (GEnie)
"If you can't laugh at yourself, then you can bet that everyone else is doing
so." - Ed Johnston
---------------------
From: ECZ5RAR@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU (Anthony Ragan)
Subject: Moons of many Colors.
Message-ID: <9305181857.AA12046@Sun.COM>
Date: 18 May 93 18:57:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 805
Curtis mentioned red,white,& yellow moons.....but, there's
another possibility--the Orange Moon, made from smushing the Red and
Yellow Moons together.
Think of it: as the Orange Moon hangs in the sky above Prax, the Lhankor
Mhy scholar-priests stare at it, contemplating the Lunar Navel......
:)
---------------------
From: peterw@computer-science.manchester.ac.uk (Peter Wake)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 18 May 1993
Message-ID: <9305181852.AA01750@r2k.cs.man.ac.uk>
Date: 18 May 93 18:52:08 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 806
As I'm sure you all know, the character sheets that AH provided for
RQ3 were a bit poor. The RQ2 sheets were way better. Here's a sheet
in the spirit of RQ2 in postscript code (just send to your postscript
printer). It has many of the extra skills from Vikings, Land of Ninja
etcetera, with space for new skills. It also has space to mark
locations of equipment (and more of it), lots more weapons, spells and
stored magic points. It's A4 format though, if any US people want to
use it on their odd shaped paper I can tell you how to add a couple of
lines to make it the right shape for that.
I have a sheet for Land of Ninja (with Ki skills for weapons on it)
and some special sheets for Rune Levels that has a second sheet for
all the spirits and stuff. If people mail me I will post them.
This is a bit of a long post, so I hope it doesn't get split.
--
Peter Wake
[Note from the editor: due to the size of the file, it has been
extracted. I will put it on soda.berkeley.edu when time allows...]
---------------------
From: 100270.337@CompuServe.COM (Nick Brooke)
Subject: Scribble, scribble, scribble, Mr. Brooke...
Message-ID: <930518190634_100270.337_BHB78-1@CompuServe.COM>
Date: 18 May 93 19:06:34 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 807
________________
for Boris Mikey:
> Arkat heroquested to find it, and used it against Gbaji.
Oddly enough (given the plausibility of your *excellent* explanation of the
"'original' Death myth"), Arkat appears to have owned "the Unbreakable
Sword" since his youth:
"Some say Arkat's father was Humakt, the god of war, but the Brithini claim
the hero's father was a barbarian warrior. Whatever the truth, Arkat
possessed a powerful weapon before he left the island: the weapon was
called God-Cleaver, reputed to be the Unbreakable Sword." - CoT p.17.
Given the name of the weapon, it appears implicit that this is the same
sword he uses to kill Gbaji/Nysalor. But Arkat is not supposed to have
discovered HeroQuesting until his second initiation (as a Knight of
Hrestol; ibid. p.18).
Might be worth checking with Greg on this: his first draft Ms. for "Arkat's
Saga" made no mention of that super-weapon, and (as I said above) your
version is extremely tempting.
PS: a refutation of the "cunning ZZ" thesis. When Eurmal gave Zorak Zoran
a copy of Death, the Troll wargod held it the wrong way round, and attacked
people with the handle, not the blade; which is why Trolls use blunt
weapons. (A Dark Troll Joke, there!).
Re: your proposed middle lines for "Wyrm-Tangled Banner": I'd suggest "Oer
the Quivin Peaks *white*", rather than have "high" in two successive lines.
But thanks for the suggestion! (& your later hymns. Scansion is always
helped if you try singing to yourself as you write the things...).
> Is Initiation a spell? It makes sense, but I don't recall it.
It was in a RQ4 draft, I think; or else somebody I know suggested it.
Either way, it makes loads of sense. You seem to have the mechanics as I
envisaged them. I'm not proposing rules for one-point (etc.) Rune spell
recovery, as we use the *magnificent* David Cheng RunePower system in our
games.
__________________________________________
re: Justin Ronald Cann & Oliver Jovanovic:
I notice nobody is asking me why I hate Strike Ranks. I guess it's too
obvious... O.J. being *surprised* at their clunkiness is a worry for those
of us expecting any great reforms or improvements to the system from RQ4.
The Strike Rank mechanics are packed with threshold characteristic values
and other hangovers from primaeval RuneQuest. Chuck'em out, quick!
______________
john j medway:
thanks for your support on pow gain rolls. they really do annoy me
inordinately. i too had considered the pendragon glory system, but as paul
reilly had already mentioned it i didn't want to cover the same ground.
the storm bull battle tactic you described was exactly what i meant.
Can't keep it up :
Why not go the whole hog and have "stat gains" rather than POW gains
awarded (through whatever system) after adventures? Ties to my "annual use
of Rune Magic" suggestion, as players will need fewer points to get by
unless they're sprinting for the priesthood. More suggestions in this vein
will follow when my life gets a little slower. (The RQ4'ers have had my
suggestions for eight months, now: anybody else heard of them?).
_____________
Someone said:
> Someone suggested a sort of reward for doing good things.
> I already run a system like this which uses Pendragon
> characteristic traits
The problem with the Pendragon personality traits is the Christian bias
inherent in them. They aren't universally applicable, so your table in
TotRM #6 felt rather clunky to me. But it was a good idea...
_________________
Oliver Jovanovic:
My assumption has been that Yanafal Tarnils, a Carmanian Noble born in
Yuthuppa in the late 12th century S.T., is not actually as powerful as
Humakt, THE premier God of Death. He has stolen most of the god's powers
(through abuse of cult secrets coupled with Lunar Illumination), and thus
his cultists are in Humakt's bad books, and get it in the neck when they
pass through Humakt's domain.
More generally, the threat is that if you violate the precepts of the base
cult, you suffer an insidious loss of the base cult's powers (sword use;
intellectual insight; trading acumen). The Lunar Way can make up for this
to a limited extent in each case (scimitars; pen-pushing bureaucracy;
contract law), but still suffers for the wrongs it is inflicting on the
Universe.
Your version seems to make the Lunar cults *more* powerful than their
original Greater Deities. Mine attaches a limitation to the advantages
they reap. Still, this is a nice argument, and helps pave the way for
Cults of the Red Moon...
______________
Green Moonies:
I am *not* using my now-legendary Gloranthan insight in the following
comments:
> Green Lunar rocks were scattered to the edge of the Universe
Like Gloranthan Kryptonite??
Curtis's latest posting (Yelm + Red + Blue = White) seems sensible, and
avoids the need to create new and unheard-of Gloranthan moons.
Yeah, it would make sense (says my God Learner slave) for the Godtime's
Perfect Sun to have been White. Then it fragments into three. The New Sun
(which rose at the Dawning) was only the Yellow fragment of the original.
Now the Waertagi are back, there's a chance we can get the Blue Moon under
control and recreate the Perfect World.
Have you considered that if the Mostali are intending to use the Red Moon
as a giant bath-plug, the Blue Moon will crash into it at an
*unpredictable* moment during the operation? It's in her nature...
New Suns... Green Moons... reminds me of something...
Yours, seeking after Truth and Penitence
====
Nick
====
---------------------
From: okamoto@hpcc90.corp.hp.com (Jeff Okamoto)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 18 May 1993, part 2
Message-ID: <9305182030.AA18448@hpcc90.corp.hp.com>
Date: 18 May 93 20:30:51 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 808
> From: JOVANOVIC@CUCCFA.CCC.COLUMBIA.EDU
> Subject: Various comments
> Actually, I would give each of the Seven Mother's
> cults a spirit of retribution which has a very
> similiar effect as the parent cult.
Given the way the Lunar "cults" are set up, I really wonder if the
Seven Mothers would have modeled their spirits of retribution after
the "adopted" cult or not.
The Lunar philosophy is that non-gods can become gods. The Red
Goddess and all the Seven Mothers are examples of mortals going
beyond their limitations to become gods.
Otherwise, the Lunar pantheon is similar in many ways to the Solar
pantheon -- their hierarchy is about the same, they have a dislike
of the Air, etc. Only the above notion is different.
It would be interesting to know what choices the Seven Mothers had
to make when they were deified -- did Duke Tarnils choose his cult
to emulate Humakt or did he have to do so? In other words, are the
cults that the Seven Mothers emulated a kind of Platonic "ideal"
that newer cults must follow? This may be so: Humakt owns the Death
Rune (Yanafal Tarnils), Lhankor Mhy the Truth Rune (Irripi Ontor),
Chalana Arroy the Harmony Rune (gadzooks, forgot who she is), etc.
Perhaps even the Red Goddess herself was forced into a Solar-style
pantheon -- after all, Yelm did rule the Universe before the Lesser
Darkness.
Jeff
---------------------
From: ROBERTSON@delphi.intel.com (Roderick Robertson, SC1-5, x52936)
Subject: RuneQuest Wargame - Gamma Test (Not ready for Beta even)
Message-ID: <277CFB3780022B9A@delphi.intel.com>
Date: 19 May 93 01:08:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 809
Gang,
Below are the bare bones of my try at a RQ wargame. It is intended
that a GM can translate RQ statistics into wargame statistics, then
run the scenario as a wargame. Not that this is not playtested yet,
(my current group are a bunch of flakes, but we should
get to it this weekend...)
A lot of things have not been determined yet (Morale values,
Morale modifiers, etc.). Go ahead and give it a try, and let me know
how you like it.
========================================================================
Wargame Rules for RuneQuest
Roderick Robertson
Robertson@Delphi.Intel.com
May, 1993
Time Scale: 5 Minutes per round
Ground Scale: 1 Yard/Meter per pace; 10 Paces/inch/2.5 centimeters
Figure Scale: 1 man/Figure
BASE FACTORS:
Attack factor: 1/10 Weapon Skill + Damage Value of Weapon + Magic
Defense Factor: 1/10 (Parry or Dodge) + Armor + Magic
Move Rate: 20 paces x Movement Rate per RQ rules - 10 paces x Load
Morale: 1/10 Main Weapon Skill + Cultural Score + Other
To Hit:
Attack is compared to Defense using the resistance table. If the attacker
rolls lower than the necessary number, then a Hit is made.
Wounds vrs. Kills:
For each successful attack, roll again to check severity of Damage. The
number by which the attacker beat the defender is the target number. If the
attacker rolls the number or less, he kills his opponent. If he rolls gretaer
than the number the defender is wounded.
Wounded Characters subtract 5 from all skills (attack, defence, Riding,
Etc) for each wound sustained. In addition, subtract 5 from To Kill rolls
against wounded opponents (only one reduction, no matter how badly wounded).
Notes:
Damage Value of Weapon is equal to 1/2 the size of the die. Plusses to the
Die are rounded down (+1 does not add, +2 adds 1, etc) Strength Bonuses add
1/2 the size of the Die. (Example: a Broadsword is rated at 1D8+1 in RQ. For
the Wargame, the Damage rating is 4. A strength Bonus of +1D4 is rated at +2)
Armor Value is ((Shield or 2h Weapon Armor) + Head Armor + Chest Armor +
Abdomen Armor/4)
Load is determined as a multiple of the Phys Stat. The Phys stat is the
average of Str+Con+Siz. Add up the total Enc. of weapons/armor/etc,
and compare to the Phys stat. If less than or equal to the Phys stat, then the
move is not modified. If Between 1 and 2 times the Phys stat, then -10
paces, etc. What this means is that most humans will be at full move
in leather armor, -10 paces in everything but plate, and -20 paces in
plate.
Morale is based on Highest Weapon Skill + Cultural Value + Other Values
(Cultural values still need to be determined, but are based on the values
which the culture holds. Orlanthi value Valor, so may have a value of 8,
Lunar troops are well-disciplined, so may have 6-9 depending on the
commander, etc). Other values may be based on Cult, or values determined by
the players. (Example: Humakt Cult +5, Facing Chaos (and not Storm Bull or
Lunar) -3, etc).
Example:
A Foot Warrior with Broadsword 60% and Round shield 60%, wearing Scale
Armor:
Attack Defense
Weapon Skill Weapon Magic Total Skill Armor Magic Total
Swd/Shld 6 4 10 6 7 13
Two of the above example warriors attack each other. Each needs to roll
7 to hit. Warrior A rolls a 3, hitting by 4. He rolls for Kill and rolls a
6, not enough to kill his opponent. Warrior B rolls a 4, hitting by 3. His
roll to kill is 2, lower than the number needed to kill. Warrior A is Killed,
Warrior B is Wounded.
MORALE:
Morale is checked for specific circumstances which depend on the
nationality and type of troop in the unit (for example, Orlanthi have few
qualms about charging (no morale check), but rarely stand up to a charge
(penalties to the check). Sun Dome Templars may charge (normal moral check),
and have no qualms about receiving most charges (no morale check unless
special circumstances).
A normal morale check checks the figure's morale against a base of 10 on
the resistance table. Penalties and bonuses are subtracted/added to the
unit's morale score.
When a unit must make a morale check, the Commander checks first. If he
misses the roll he retreats, and all other figures receive a -2 penalty. If
he makes the roll, he may add his Leadership bonus to the unit's morale.
Other specialists included in the unit check before the troopers. If they
fail morale, they invoke a cumulative -1 penalty. If they succeed their
morale, they may add +2 to any one other figure's morale check.
What happens to figures who fail their morale check depends on the orders
and the circumstance.
Units ordered to advance will stay put.
Units ordered to charge will regroup back to their starting point.
Units charged will retreat
Units fired upon (Missile of Magic) will retreat
Units which are attacked physically while disordered (more than 1/4 of the
unit failed morale check) must make a further morale check at -5. If the
commander makes the roll, then he has rallyed his troops enough to make a
stand in open formation. Failure of the commander to check morale will Rout
the unit. Routing units will throw away shields, helmets and unsheath-able
weapons (Spears, bows, 2 H weapons, etc). In general, weapons of value 5 or
greater will be discarded, as will any two handed weapon (even if of lesser
value)
WEAPON VALUES:
Melee Weapon Value Missile Weapon Value
============ ===== ============== =====
Battle Axe 5 Bow, Self 3
Hatchet 3 Bow, Long 4
Great Axe 7 Bow, Composite 4
Halberd 9 Crossbow, Heavy 7
Pole Axe 9 Crossbow, Medium 5
Dagger 3 Crossbow, Light 4
Knife 2 Repeater Crossbow 4
Main Gauche 3 Stonebow 4
Sai 3 Blowgun 2
Heavy Cestus 3 Sling 4
Light Cestus 2 Staff Sling 5
Fighting Claw 3 Bolas 2
Ball & Chain 5 War Boomerang 4
Grain Flail 3 Hunting Boomerang 2
Three Chain Flail 4 Dart 3
Military Flail 7 Javelin 4
Warhammer 4 Javelin w/ Atlatl 7
Great Hammer 7 Shuriken 2
Heavy Mace 5 Throwing Axe 3
Light Mace 4 Throwing Knife 2
Singlestick 3 Thrown Rock 2
Club 3 Whip 2
Quarter Staff 4 Pole Lasso grapple
Troll Maul 8 Rope Lasso grapple
War Maul 6
Work Maul 7
Rapier 3
Gladius 3
Kukri 3
Buckler Shield 2
Heater/Target 3
Hoplite Shield 3
Kite Shield 3
Round Shield 3
Javelin 3
Lance 5
Pilum 3
Short Spear 4
Long Spear 5
Naginata 7
Pike 7
Bastard Sword 5
Broadsword 4
Scimitar 4
Greatsword 8
Hoe 3
Scythe 6
Sickle 3
Spade 4
MAGIC ON THE BATTLEFIELD
Each unit's Magic Points are averaged to find the number of Magic Points
are available to each trooper. As the unit uses magic, the Unit Magic Points
will be reduced accordingly. In addition, up to 1/10th (minimum 1) of the
unit can be designated as Leaders or other specialists. These specialists may
cast individual spells, without affecting the troopers (Specialists still
lose MP if they cast the same spells as the troopers). These specialists
generally carry spells such as Farsee, Repair, and Visibility.
During the Orders phase, Spells to be used by the unit must be designated
(exception: Specialists need not declare their magic). The Magic points are
deducted from the Unit Magic Point Total, and the effects of the spell take
effect for the duration of the round.
SPELLS
SPIRIT MAGIC
In general, one point of spirit magic will affect one attribute of a
figure by one point. Most Spirit Magic lasts 1 round, most Rune Magic
lasts 3 rounds.
Direct Attack Spells:
Befuddle, Demoralize, Disruption, Dullblade, Fanaticism, Glue, Ignite,
Slow
Each figure in the unit casts one spell at the opposing unit(s). The
attacker may specify how many spells are targeted on each defending figure
in the target unit. This decision must be made before any spell resolution
rolls are made.
Befuddle 2 points
Each figure affected by Befuddle must roll on the following chart:
1-3 Shake off effects of spell immediately (not affected)
4-10 Shake off Spell after 1 combat
11-19 Spell wears off normally
20 Attack Friends
Troops who do not shake off the spell and do not roll 20 may take no
offensive action. If attacked (including being interpenetrated by friendly
troops), they may attack back at normal chance. (Note that 4-10 takes
effect only if the Time scale is changed to less than 5
minutes/round).
Bladesharp var
Each point of Bladesharp adds 1 to the Attack factor of the unit
Bludgeon var
Each point of Bludgeon adds 1 to the Attack factor of the unit
Coordination var
Each point of Coordination adds 1 to the defensive (dodge) factor of the
unit
Counter Magic var
Counter Magic adds to the magical defense of the Unit. If attacked by Magic
while the spell is up, the attacking spell's magic points are compared to the
level of Countermagic. If the Incoming spell is two or more points weaker,
it is eliminated and the Countermagic remains up. If it is one point more or
less than the countermagic, the spells cancel each other out. If the incoming
spell is two or more points greater than the countermagic, the attacking
spell affects the unit and eliminates the countermagic.
Darkwall 1
Each full point of Darkwall creates a wall of utter Darkness 2 paces high
and 20 paces long.
Demoralize 2
Demoralize works against the target's confidence. Each affected figure in
the target unit must make an immediate Morale Check at -2.
Detect Enemy 1
Cast by specialists, Detect Enemy will locate all enemy figures within the
range of the spell
Detect Magic 1
Cast by specialists, Detect Magic will locate all Magical Items within the
range of the spell.
Detect (Substance) 1
Cast by specialists, Detect (Substance) will locate all (substance) within
range of the spell.
Dispel Magic var
Each point of Dispel Magic will eliminate one point of Spirit or Sorcerous
magic, or 1/2 point of Rune Magic. Dispel Magic will dispel specific spells
if known to be on an object or person, else it will dispel defensive spells
before other spells. The Dispell must have at least as many points as the
spell to be dispelled (a 3 point dispel would have no effect on a Fireblade,
for instance).
Disruption 1
Each spell cast on the target inflicts one wound if a roll of 2 is made.
Disruptions may be stacked against one target, adding to the roll to wound.
Each Disruption after the fourth adds 2 to the chance to Kill the target.
Example: 5 Disruptions are cast on one figure. The chance to kill is 1-2,
to wound is 3-10, no effect 11-20.
Dull Blade var
Each point of this spell subtracts 1 from the attack factor of the target
figure.
Endurance var
Each point of Endurance is equivalent to 1 rest period.
Extinguish var
Each point of extinguish will extinguish a torch, stacked extinguishes may
put out larger fires.
Fanaticism 1
Each figure affected by Fanaticism adds 1/2 their weapon skill to their
attack factor for Melee weapons only. In addition, the figures defence is
modified: -1/2 Dodge skill if using dodge, and -Parry skill if using Parry.
Figures under fanaticism must make a Morale roll or immediately charge
against the nearest enemy unit in sight.
Farsee var
Usually cast by Specialists, targets of Farsee may identify individuals
withing units.
Firearrow 2
Each casting of Fire Arrow replaces the normal weapon value of a missile
with 9. Fire Arrows can ignite flammable material
Fireblade 4
Fireblade replaces the normal weapon value with 9.
Glamour var
Normall cast by specialists, each point of Glamour adds 1 to a Leadership
roll.
Glue var
A rare spell on the battlefield, glue is used offensively to restrict
secondary weapons.
Heal var
Each point of heal has a 1-3 chance of Healing all Wounded figures in a
unit. Roll individually for each Wounded figure. It does not matter how many
Wounds the figure has.
Ignite 1
Can ignite flammable material. If used against a unit, it must overcome
the magical resistance of the target unit. If so used, it causes a wound on
1-4. Multiple points on the same figure adds 4 to the chance to wound. Each
point after 3 adds 4 points to the To Kill roll.
Ironhand var
Each point of Ironhand adds 1 to the attack factor of a unit if using
natural weapons (Claws, Hooves, fists, etc.)
Light 1
Normall cast by Specialists. Each point of Light will illuminate a 10 pace
fadius around the figure.
Lightwall 2
Each casting of Darkwall creates a wall of bright light 2 paces high and
20 paces long. It can be seen through from one side only.
Mindspeech var
Normally cast by Specialists, each point of Mindspeech allows
instantaneous communication between figures. This allows situation reports
and orders to be issued immediately.
Mobility var
Each point of Mobility adds 5 Paces to the movement rate of the figure
Multimissile var
Each point of Multimissile allows an additional Missile attack to be made.
Protection var
Each point of Protection adds 1 to the Defense of the figure
Repair var
Normally cast by Specialists, Repair fixes broken objects.
Second Sight 3
Normally cast by specialists, Second Sight allows the character to see the
magical aura and estimate the Base POW of units and specialists.
Shimmer var
Each 2 points of Shimmer adds 1 to the defense of the figure
Slow var
Each point of Slow subtracts 5 paces from the movement rate of the
affected figure.
Speedart 1
Speedart adds 3 to the Attack factor of the unit's missile weapons for one
Volley
Spirit Screen var
Each point of Spirit Screen adds 2 to resist spirit attacks
Strength var
Each point of Strength adds 1 to the Attack factor of the unit
Vigor var
Each point of vigor reduces the To Wound and To Kill numbers by 1
Visibility 2
Normally cast by specialists, this spell brings a spirit to the mundane
plane.
---------------------
From: johnston@heart.enet.dec.com (Why settle for the lesser evil ?)
Subject: Shadows
Message-ID: <9305190841.AA14356@vbormc.vbo.dec.com>
Date: 19 May 93 12:41:07 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 810
Well, 'Shadows on the borderlands' has finally reached England.. I got my copy
from Esdevium in Aldershot today, and pretty good it looks too. Great cover.
Keep up the good work Ken!
njd DEC, Reading, England