(Message rqd:27) Return-Path:Received: from Holland.Sun.COM (sunnl) by homeland.Holland.Sun.COM (4.1/SMI-4.1) id AA00558; Sat, 31 Jul 93 07:16:10 +0200 Received: from glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM by Holland.Sun.COM (4.1/SMI-4.1e) id AA01376; Sat, 31 Jul 93 07:15:51 +0200 Received: by glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (4.1/SMI-4.1) id AA01441; Sat, 31 Jul 93 07:15:22 +0200 Date: Sat, 31 Jul 93 07:15:22 +0200 Message-Id: <9307310515.AA01441@glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM> From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer) To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest) Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 31 Jul 1993, part 1 Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily) Sender: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM Precedence: junk 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", they will automatically be included in a next issue. Try to change the Subject: line from the default Re: RuneQuest Daily... on replying. Selected articles may also appear in a regular Digest. If you want to submit articles to the Digest only, contact the editor at RuneQuest-Digest-Editor@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM. Send enquiries and Subscription Requests to the editor: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Henk Langeveld) --------------------- From: dustin@ocf.Berkeley.EDU (Dustin Tranberg) Subject: 3 spells Message-ID: <199307290646.AA08643@locusts.berkeley.edu> Date: 28 Jul 93 16:46:38 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1332 Here's some sorcery spells I've come up with. Comments are encouraged. *** 3 Sorcery Spells for RuneQuest Dustin Tranberg 7/24/93 (SENSE) PAST ------------ Ranged, Active, Temporal This spell allows the caster to see/hear/earthsense/etc. events which occurred in the past. At Intensity 1, the caster can sense events up to 10 minutes in the past, with each additional point of Intensity doubling the "time depth" which can be sensed. (Thus, to hear a conversation from 1 year ago would require a Hear Past spell of Intensity 17.) The caster can usually pinpoint desired events, if they know what they are searching for, i.e., "The time when Dashka the Sneaky hid the blue- bound book under one of these flagstones", and not "When somebody hid something in this room." Adding Duration to the spell simply allows for longer viewing/listening/ etc. of the target zone. Adding Range to the spell allows sensing of areas further from the caster, but these still must be in "line-of-sight", a difficulty often dealt with by Multispelling (Sense) Past with (Sense) Projection. (This combination is particularly useful if the sorceror wishes to follow the past actions of a moving person.) The (Sense) Projection still has existence in the present, though, and can be attacked by others as normal. This spell cannot sense into any area which was magically warded at the time in question. (Thus, areas which were Sanctified, had Protective Circles with Spell Resistance, etc. are impossible to sense with this spell during the periods in which their defenses were active.) Multispelling (Sense) Past with Mystic Vision may work or not, according to the discretion of the Referee. Note: For particularly chilling effect, a la Call of Cthulhu, one might have a supernatural being who is observed by this method NOTICE it. B^) DEADHANDS --------- Touch, Passive, Temporal This rather gruesome necromantic spell animates a number of severed hands up to the Intensity of the spell, which then hover within 1 meter of the caster, and which the caster can use as if they were his/her own. This does *NOT* increase the number of actions possible by the magician, the magician may simply switch between sets of hands every round, with all other hands remaining still during this time (except to keep up with the sorceror's movement). The spell is usually used to carry lanterns and keep weapons, um, "handy", and in cases where the sorceror does not want to expose his/her own hands to possible harm (trapped chests, etc.). In combat, any deadhand which is not in-use may be hit with a normal success, with a -30% for missiles. The animated hands are made unusable by 2 points of slashing or crushing damage, and will have only 1 MP each, making them very easy to dispel, unless the sorceror puts extra Intensity into the spell to give them additional MPs, with each additional point of Intensity adding 1 MP to a single hand. Dispel-type magic can target single hands, or groups of hands, with the total MPs of its hands defending a group. Example: Losha wants to rob a grave to support her necromancy studies. She knows Deadhands, and casts an Intensity 8 spell with Duration 5 (4+ hrs). She animates 5 severed hands with 1MP each, and one hand with 3MP (to defend it against local spirit magicians). In her 6 animated deadhands, she carries: a shuttered lantern a cocked lt. crossbow (2 hands) a vial of holy water a shovel (2 hands) She keeps her staff in her own, living hands, for defense. If something happens to her while she is digging, she can use any item in her many hands, without having to dig it out of her pack. Spells which protect the sorceror will generally not protect the hands. This spell is often Multispelled with Spell Resistance to protect them from being so easily dispelled, or more rarely with Damage Resistance to protect them physically. All items being held by the hands count against the sorceror's ENC. A severed hand is only usable once, ensuring that the necromancer must be always digging up graves for more! CONCEAL MAGIC ------------- Ranged, Passive, Temporal This spell is used to conceal another spell's presence. When multispelled with another spell, any attempt to sense the spell's presence is resisted by the Intensity of the Conceal Magic spell, as follows: Soul Sight: Caster's current MP vs. Intensity of Conceal Magic Mystic Vision: Intensity of Mystic Vision vs. Intensity of Conceal Magic The Intensity of Conceal Magic must be equal to or greater than the Intensity of the spell being hidden. Depending on how the campaign treats mundane visibility of magic (Do boosted weapons glow, etc.?), this spell may or may not affect mundane visibility of magic. ************ So, what have I neglected? Comments encouraged to dustin@ocf.Berkeley.EDU Thanks, Dustin --------------------- From: f6ri@midway.uchicago.edu (charles gregory fried) Subject: Conversion Perversion Message-ID: Date: 29 Jul 93 06:57:59 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1333 Greg Fried here. to John Morgan: The best way to convert AD&D modules to RQ? THROW THEM OUT! But seriously, I have found it to be almost more trouble than it's worth to convert materials from other game systems. Even the Chaosium's own "Thieves World", complete with RQ2 stats, is not immediately playable. The reason it is hard to convert modules is that the underlying plot rationale for a good RQ campaigne has to be well-rooted in a detailed cult lore, as well as a detailed local history. It is VERY hard to "convert" AD&D modules into an appropriate RQ setting. If you try to translate every critter and every item into RQ equivalents, you come up with a monstrosity. Don't even try. Your old modules MIGHT be servicable simply for the architectual and geographic settings, but even so, D&D "dungeons" tend to be way too high tech (!) for bronze age Glorantha. If you have one or two modules you particularly like and can't bear to part with, I suggest you outline the broad plot structure that appeals to you, give it an appropriate RQ setting, and then completely repopulate the "dungeon". I suggest that you get Snakepipe Hollow as good working model. Shadows on the Borderlands also has some excellent "dungeons" (forgive me, fellow readers!), but it may be too involved for a newcomer to RQ -- what makes them so good is an extensive knowledge of Glorantha required on the part of the GM who runs the gloriously detailed stories of this supplement. I do have a RQ module, available over the net, plus supporting materials. Write to me directly if you are interested. --- to Kirsten Niemann: I'm interested in your thoughts on RQ tarot. Any chance you could send me your stuff via surface mail? Email me personally if so. GF out. (Oops! That's 'architectural' above -- I'm not that much of an idiot, just a bad typist!) --------------------- From: STEVEG@ARC.UG.EDS.COM (Steve Gilham Entropy requires no maintenance) Subject: Chalana Arroy / Identification / AD&D conversion to RQ Message-ID: <01H13GCRYMUQ009RML@UG.EDS.COM> Date: 28 Jul 93 17:40:37 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1334 In X-RQ-ID: 1325, Greg Fried asks about C.A.'s w/weapon skills. I recall the background for the high combat skill healers in e.g. RuneMasters as the result of turning to the cult after several years military experience. I've seen some discussion about the morality of CA's being able to fight things that don't register on Det. Life, such as the unliving (e.g. Mostali constructs) or the undead. and re Identification There's at least one of the Lhankor Mhy spells to do this; so charge the going rate for runemagic (such as the rates in the RQ3 books, modified by your campaign economics, supply & demand &c.) In X-RQ-ID: 1329, John Morgan asks >Also what is the suggested way of converting modules from AD&D >to RQ? It's not easy, given that D&D doesn't have the quantum leap that rune-priest status gives. As a personal rule of thumb, I'd convert ~9th level characters to base level rune-priest/ rune-lord/equivalent sorcerer, and fudge the other cases. Stats would convert straight for humans. Splitting AC into dodge at 5% per point or armour is a GM call. Creature hitpoints would give an indication of SIZ. If there are obvious equivalents then use those. Really, you keep just the plot-line and the names & then scale the rest. In many respects, going the other way is easier. --------------------- From: JARDINE@RMCS.CRANFIELD.AC.UK Subject: Chalana Arroy, Identifying Magic, RQ and AD&D... Message-ID: <9307291047.AA05204@Sun.COM> Date: 29 Jul 93 10:51:00 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1335 REF: X-RQ-ID:1325 - Greg Fried I would allow Chalana Arroy Cultists to carry a staff, primarily for parrying (It is lighter than a shield) and I might also allow them to train the parry (which is against the rules) if they had been previously attacked and had to parry. I would also allow the to use the attack skill against undead and magical constructs like skeletons. Note that they are forbidden to harm living beings, the above do not qualify, as magical constructs are no more alive than tables and chairs and undead are the antithesis and perversion of life and thus real candidates for the hatred of Chalana Arroy (if she was into hate and negative emotions man!!!). I would not allow Chalana Arroy Cultist to train in staff attack as that would be too warlike and agressive. Also there is the problem of the cultist who kills something because they thought that it was undead or just a magical construct, I don't think sorry would cut too much ice here and some fairly hefty repentance would be in order. Fortunately Chalana Arroy is a forgiving kind of goddess and the unfortunate cultist might just be sent to the nearest leper colony for a ten-year tour of duty and banned from adventuring in the future. As for the cost of identifying magic items. The Lhankor Mhy option: The cult sells its services to cult members and friendly cultists for the standard costs. (I can't remember them this far from a manual, but I think that its might have been 50 Lunars a point to cult members and 150 Lunars a point to friendly cults.) The priest or more likely acolyte would first want to perform a divination to check whether they might be harmed when handling and identifying the item and then use as much analyse magic as was necessary (up to a previously agreed maximum). Thus the cost is 100 Lunars plus for cultists and a hell of a lot more for others. No wonder the Lhankor Mhy cult can afford all those huge libraries full of academics palying with their own pwt projects. I assume that other cults such as Irripi Ontor would perform similar services. I doubt whether Orlanth or even Issaries would do so even though they have access to Analyze Magic through Lhankor Mhy as this would be seen as muscling in on their territory. Issaries mechants would use Analyuze Magic on their own stock to further their business however. REF: X-RQ-ID: 1329 - John Morgan Forget the AD&D scenarios; play in Glorantha! RQ is just another, fairly good RPG, its only advantage is that it *was* designed for Glorantha. Unfortunately RQ3 was initially set in a medieval earth and that is why most of the stuff that was new in it (such as sorcery) is such a cock-up. RQ4 was supposed to fix all these things but it was approached from a very rules oriented direction rather than a Gloranthan one and fell into the same trap as RQ3 and seemed to spend all its energy looking at neat rules rather than trying to capture the *DIFFERENT* exotic flavours of Glorantha. Anyway rumours say that RQ4 is dead now, at least in its current form and for the time being. If you want additonal adventures to those produced by Avalon Hill I suggest you subscribe to Tales of the Reaching Moon if you don't already (the current issue has 3 scenarios including lots of God Learner stuff) also there is the RQ Adventures zine which is dedicated to scenarios, I can't say of what quality because I have only flicked through it once. But David Cheng is a really nice guy so I am sure that it is very good. (Hi David I think I am right in saying you have something to do with it. If not I appologize to all in advance. Anyway thanks for all the auction stuff. Hope RQ Con goes well, I am sorry I can't come, but Karen is having a baby and I have already buggered off to Les Arcs for 2 weeks this year for a conference (holiday).) Also Tom Zunder (REF: X-RQ-ID: 1209) liked it so much he planned to distribute it in the UK (Tom are you still planning to do this? When? How much? Your real address?). --------------------- From: henkl@holland.sun.com (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland) Subject: Re: Chalana Arroy / Identification / AD&D conversion to RQ Message-ID: <1993Jul29.105155.4159@holland.sun.com> Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 10:51:55 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1336 STEVEG@ARC.UG.EDS.COM (Steve Gilham Entropy requires no maintenance) writes: >In X-RQ-ID: 1329, John Morgan asks >>Also what is the suggested way of converting modules from AD&D >>to RQ? >It's not easy, given that D&D doesn't have the quantum leap that >rune-priest status gives. As a personal rule of thumb, I'd >convert ~9th level characters to base level rune-priest/ >rune-lord/equivalent sorcerer, and fudge the other cases. Stats >would convert straight for humans. Splitting AC into dodge at 5% >per point or armour is a GM call. Creature hitpoints would give >an indication of SIZ. If there are obvious equivalents then use >those. Well, I once had the "Saltmarsh" adventures centered around a colony of Lizard Men refugees. Except maybe for their aquatic preferences, they could be quite easily mapped to RQ trolls. Unfortunately, I sold all of my TSR modules to someone who wanted to continue to play AD&D, so I never actually got around to really run it that way. >Really, you keep just the plot-line and the names & then scale >the rest. I agree, decide what type of creature the opponents are, and use previous experience rules to create appropriate stats for their roles. I'd never bother trying to translate hit-dice/levels one on one to RuneQuest. -- Henk | Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM - Disclaimer: I don't speak for Sun. oK[] | RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM --------------------- From: b_kondalski@vssi.trw.com (Brian J. Kondalski) Subject: CA Healing & Identify Prices Message-ID: <9307291319.AA06703@Sun.COM> Date: 29 Jul 93 13:20:07 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1337 > 1) Do any campaigns out there allow Chalana Arroy cultists to use weapons in > combat? In the Chaosium publications, CA cultists often have staff skills, > but I assume this is purely for parrying attacks. I think it would depend on how strict the player plays his CA cultist, and how strict the local temple personalities are. I have had CA cultists in my campaign attack undead and chaos (mostly Mallia cultists) before, and I have had CA cultists who wouldn't even carry a shield to parry with. I always thought that the CA cult weapon skill was large shield parry. > 2) What does your campaign charge for the identification of magical items? > My players do not have the means to identify items they come across, and I > am not sure what the cost of this should be. I charge a flat 1000 lunars for casting of rune magic, so a Lhankor Mhy would charge 2k lunars for a Analyze Magic 2. I've also had them charge a % of the value of the item (like 10-20). How do other people run Priest/Lord combos in RQ2? When a priest becomes a lord, does his magic become 1 use? Does he have to keep his power at 18 to keep his magic reusable? My ruling is that any rune magic sacrificed for before the switch is always reusable. How about Lord/Priest? Do they retain their mostly automatic DI? Do they continue to resist all spells at full power even when they lower it casting spells?? In regards to alchemical stuff in RQ2, how many doses of acid/magic potions/ healing potions/etc do you let a person make in a week? Do you vary it by the potency? -- Brian J. Kondalski b_kondalski@vssi.trw.com --------------------- From: faber@socrates.umd.edu (Christopher A. Faber) Subject: Answer to New Topic Message-ID: <9307291425.AA08149@Sun.COM> Date: 29 Jul 93 14:25:43 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1338 Greeting Greg, I currently run a campaign of Lightbringers & Storm Bull/Zorak Zoran characters. The party has a Rune Priest of Chalana Arroy who is a master of the Staff Attack. This happened because the party likes to hunt Vivamort vampires. A Chalana Arroy promises never to harm a Living Thing including chaos creature. The undead are a great source of practice for the warrior/healer. In the case of chaos I find that Chalana Arroy turns a blind eye to Healer that kill chaos creatures in self defense, after all other options are exhausted (i.e. Sleep spell didn't work). The party also has a Lhankor Mhy Rune Priest who charges to identify Magic Items, normally charging what the market will bear. Sometimes the Rune Priest wants to much money, generally when he wants a new scroll, so the party most goto the Lhankor Mhy/Ippri Ontor Temple and they charge anywhere from 100 Lunars to 1000 Lunars. The Issaries with their Spell Trading will sometimes be able to identify Magic Items, but generally will only do so will an option to buy, charging 500 to 1500 Lunars. Most magic items can be identify with out Rune Magic, but for thou that can't I definitely make the party pay one way or the other. bye for now, Chris Faber --------------------- From: nrobinso@sirius.UVic.CA (Neil Robinson) Subject: RE: Becoming Jaded Message-ID: <38037.nrobinso@sirius.uvic.ca> Date: 29 Jul 93 18:33:55 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1339 >From: carlf@panix.com (Carl Fink) >Subject: Becoming jaded >Now I'm supposed to be scared because a man is charging me on horseback >with a *lance*?" We get this problem in our D&D campaign all the time. Every time we get cocky in our RQ campaign we end up getting thumped. Never underestimate a Broo with 4 arms and shield 4. Our Orlanthi has had his left arm maimed on several occasions for being overconfident. Then again, we're still playing initiates (but not for long!). Side note: I was wondering if anyone has any good ideas for peaceful adventures. I've got a few people who are new to role-playing, and are more interested in the story-telling/communication than combat. Being a new GM, I'm finding it a challenge. Does anyone have any good sources? Neil Robinson | "Never underestimate the power of human nrobinso@sirius.uvic.ca | stupidity." - L. Long 2996 Dysart Rd. Victoria B.C. V9A 2K2 (604) 385-1642 --------------------- From: JLROGERS@utkvx.utk.edu (Jim Rogers) Subject: Replies Message-ID: <01H164J8SHZ68ZF6SC@utkvx.utk.edu> Date: 30 Jul 93 18:53:27 GMT X-RQ-ID: 1340 To Greg Fried: Re Chalana Arroy - our game rulings have always been no attacks, period. Parrys are perfectly acceptable. There might be room for argument with lassos, nets, and other non-damaging, but incapacitating, attacks. Of course, I would argue that the victim would then be under the protection of the C.A.; ie., none of this "When she's asleep, we'll get that _______ !". Re Magic Item IDs - this is a very difficult call. In practice, reliance was heavy on cultic favors. Such as, "We found this written stuff, which we can't read. How about we trade this for info on these other items we found, oh Lightbringer companion?" Free verse for the Orlanthi was usually met with groans, but interesting. Non-Lightbringers had a more difficult time, usually paying some scale for other friendly, about 2x for neutrals. Never had any enemies. The Lhankor Mhy always collected data, and players made it a practice to file reports when they found the time or needed services. Learning that head-crushing free ghost ritual was pretty important on one occasion. To Carl Fink: Interesting. Remember a story about Rurik the Runelord and a spear-carrying trollkin? A mounted warrior with lance was always considered dangerous. Not many players got away with that Agimori set-pike defense, since they didn't have training. Of course, the players usually dealt more damage with lances than they received. Great for reaching vulnerable spots on giants, along with missle weapons. Of course, staying far enough away for missle weapons left you vulnerable to rocks! Just to contribute something. Has anyone tried to draw a map of Boldhome, from the description in KoS? Anyone running campaigns that incorporate it in any substantial way out there? Dissertation is too much for me right now, but I'd love to hear the stories. Jim Rogers