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, 10 Aug 1994, part 3
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
Content-Return: Prohibited
Precedence: junk
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From: jacobus@sonata.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Subject: The Beer Spirit
Message-ID: <9408091923.AA17089@sonata.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 9 Aug 94 09:23:46 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5582
The Burrrruphti
The Burrrruphti are a specific sort of craft/household spirit that is held in
very high regard among Orlanthi and other worshippers of air-imbued alcoholic
beverages. They are rumored to be the illegitimate offspring of Kolat and
any number of nymphs, fathered at various Divine parties before the Greater
Darkness. Burrrruphti love sweet things and water. They can be found
inhabiting any number of sweet liquids that have been exposed to air. Some
Burrruphti have a preference for malt extracts, and it is these who are called
upon for brewing. Most households simply make a malt extract, boil it down
to concentrate, and leave it out with a small prayer in hopes of attracting
an appropriate Burrrrupht. Most of the time, this works. Unfortunately,
this sometimes attracts a Burrrrupht who is more hungry than particular, and
the results are less than ideal. On rare occasions, a chaos-tainted
Burrrrupht is attracted, and the resulting brew is actually toxic (and
chaotic). In general, a "wild brew" can expect a proper Burrrrupht about
80% of the time and a "farty Burrrrupght" about 15% of the time. The tainted
Burrrruphti infect about 1-4% of all other brews, depending upon the location
of the brewer. A special summon spell can remedy this problem to a great
extent. See below.
Note: The frequency of tainted brews does not necessarily represent the
actual frequency of tainted Burrrruphti. Honest, respectable Burrrruphti
are just usually busy because of being summoned, thus leaving the tainted
and farty Burrruphti little recourse other than to try to sneak into a
wild brew.
Spirit Magic Spell:
Summon Burrrrupht
Ernalda
Orlanth Steadkeeper
Lodril
Argan Argar
Eurmal
Pelora
Rice Goddesses
Eiritha
Pamalt
Seriously High King Elf
This is a typical spirit summoning, except that one's Craft (Brewing) skill
can substitute for the Ceremony roll. It also requires a minimum of one
liter of a fermentable liquid on hand for the Burrrrupht to inhabit. Many
casters get a random Burrrrupht from the neighborhood, but repeated
castings often attract the same one. Some master brewers know the true names
of several different Burrrruphti and can summon specific ones to get specific
brewing results. Knowledge of this spell is sometimes enough to get a free
meal and bed for the night in return for casting it in the kitchen the next
day.
A fumble on the Craft (Brewing) or Ceremony roll summons a farty
Burrrrupht. This spell guarantees against a tainted Burrrrupht even if
fumbled. Note that Trolls do not consider a farty brew to be flawed, and
may even consider it to be a very lucky thing to get hold of.
Sorcery Spell:
Summon Spirit of Spirited Drink.
This is identical to "Summon Burrrupht" except that the great scarcity of
spiritual life in the West requires that this spell be cast for any
fermentation to occur at all. There are no wild fermentations in the West.
Furthermore, a brewer may have legal rights to a particular Burrrrupht that
can be defended in court. Many villages have community Burrrruphti that they
rotate from kitchen to kitchen much as they share large farm equipment and
grain storage.
A fumble on the roll summons a farty Burrrrupht. Chaotic Burrrrupht are
so rare as to be virtually unknown in the West.
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From: jacobus@sonata.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Subject: Argan Argar and the Only Old One
Message-ID: <9408091841.AA16758@sonata.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 9 Aug 94 08:41:19 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5583
I had thought that the Only Old One was the son of Argan Argar. I don't
remember where I got this impression, though.
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From: jacobus@sonata.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Subject: Heroquests
Message-ID: <9408091902.AA16970@sonata.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 9 Aug 94 09:02:53 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5584
Okay, I ran a heroquest a few months ago. I didn't need a whole packet of
new rules and I didn't need my players to rewrite their character sheets for
it.
I'll post the entire quest, probably after I get back from GenCon.
I made the following alterations to the RuneQuest rules:
All magic cast upon the hero plane has a duration of the quest. (No time)
MP cannot be regained outside of a temple or other appropriate holy area.
"Natural" healing or recovery of fatigue does not occur (No time passes for
it to occur).
Stepping off your particular road leads to unknowable and unforseeable
consequences.
That's about it.
The quest worked, without need for any other rule changes than this.
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From: ddunham@radiomail.net (David Dunham)
Subject: rune spell recovery
Message-ID: <199408100421.AA07981@radiomail.net>
Date: 10 Aug 94 04:21:28 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5585
Colin Watson asked
>What was wrong with the old rules anyway..?
1) priests spend their entire time on their knees regaining rune magic, in
between dashes to their congregation to use it (at least that was the
experience of the Ernalda acolyte in our game). A priest with one Bless
Crops spell can cast it once a day (assuming fields close enough). A priest
with 10 Bless Crops spells can cast all in one day, but then has to spend
10 days regaining them, so can effectively cast one per day.
2) initiates have access to rune magic, but almost never use it, since a)
you need to accumulate 10 points to become an acolyte; b) when it's gone,
it's gone. I've been using a similar system, and my players know they can
use Sunspear and get it back. It's still not something to do lightly, since
it takes 3 years to regain.
I think a way for initiates to actually use the POW they've been
sacrificing is more fun. (I've heard second-hand that it's closer to how
Greg runs things, too.)
Elias Kadri points out
>If several priests were participating
>in the service, they would have to split up the magic somehow
This has always bothered me slightly about even the current RQ3 rules. How
can a Great Temple, with its dozens of priests, function? By joining a
Great Temple, a priest is suddenly cut off from his normal POW gain.
Presumably he gets other benefits, but if the cult goal is to increase
available rune magic (which it probably isn't), they'd be better off with
more but smaller temples.
Jonas Schiott asked
>Don't certain cults have _weekly_ holy days?
I give out RQ3 priestly POW checks only on seasonal holy days. Every
Windsday is holy to Orlanth, but some are more holy than others.
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From: rune@ace.com (Rune)
Subject: Interregnum APA
Message-ID: <9408100032.0.UUL1.3#25274@ace.com>
Date: 10 Aug 94 05:32:54 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5586
* David Dunham wrote:
> Devin Cutler e-mailed me for information on The Wild Hunt, the
> long-running APA which has had RQ information. My reply:
> It's still semi-active, tho it may be dying (Peter Maranci's
> Interregnum is either the usurper or the heir apparent).
I hope that we're neither.
However, I should take advantage of this opening (thanks, David!)
to post a small and much-delayed update about Interregnum APA:
Issue #5 has just been published; we've maintained a monthly
publication schedule. Back issues of #1-4 are still available in small
quantities.
Contributors to the RQ Daily who have appeared in Interregnum include
David Dunham, Curtis Taylor, Virgil Greene, Scott Ferrier, Gil Pili,
Mark Sabalauskas, and myself (I hope I haven't forgotten anyone).
More would be welcome.
Each issue has had some RuneQuest material; Interregnum #4
included a large and handsomely DTPed Gloranthan scenario for RQ by Gil
Pili and Dan Johnson.
Prices for subscribers and contributors have just gone down
thanks to a reduction in printing costs. The cost per issue for
subscribers is now $1 per issue plus the cost of postage, down from $2+.
Postage is typically $1.67 for 1st class US mail, for a total cost of
$2.67 per issue. Slower and cheaper rates are available.
The cost for contributors has also been halved: it's now $1 per page
of the zine (plus postage). Sample issues are $3 in the US, $4 in US
funds for overseas mailing.
Please feel free to email me for more information.
-->Pete
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Peter Maranci Malden, Massachusetts
Editor, Interregnum RPG/science fiction APA -- send email for info.
maranci@max.tiac.net, pete@slough.mit.edu, rune@ace.com
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From: davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au (David Cake)
Subject: Re: Strangers in Prax
Message-ID: <199408100645.OAA03135@cs.uwa.oz.au>
Date: 10 Aug 94 22:56:31 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5587
Someone was complaining about the Barran the Monster Killer
scenario being too much like Captain Ahab - I do not agree that this is
necessary a big disadvantage. In fact, I have to admit to a pang of
disappiontment that somebody used the idea first, as I originally planned a
'Moby Dick in Glorantha' scenario myself, though I never ended up running
it. It was to the last in a long series of confrontations with various
hostile sea worshippers, all something to do with the Waertagi ruins near
Sog City and their immanent return. After fighting the Magasta, Wachaza,
Drospoly, etc. representatives, they have wiped out all the savage warriors
of the tribe, but must still take on the nurturer of all the trouble, a
Triolina priestess. Nominally a peaceful cult, but she has used meld form
to take on the body of a sperm whale, a whale still capable of a variety of
Rune magic. The players must go a hunting, with the PCs as Ahab. I intended
for there to be a parallel to the books harpoonist as well - an ice troll
hunter - appropriately barbaric and strange, and known to use harpoons.
Also appropriate for the place, as all this takes place near Yggs Isles.
Cheers
Dave Cake
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From: davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au (David Cake)
Subject: How do Talars maintain their power?
Message-ID: <199408100645.OAA03122@cs.uwa.oz.au>
Date: 10 Aug 94 22:56:25 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5588
I think that one of the important reasons why Talars maintain their
power is that people who deviate from the true way of the Brithini (such as
by disobeying Talars) age. So any rebellions that occur generally take care
of themselves in only fifty years or so. Of course, the Talars incredible
skills at leadership and intrigue help contain any such rebellion, and
quickly quash them if they can.
Even if disobeying a Talar does not always lead to loss of
immortality (we do not really know much about the precise parameters to
maintain it) I bet that the Talars have the rest convinced that it does!
Cheers
Dave Cake
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