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, Sat, 13 Aug 1994, part 3 Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM Content-Return: Prohibited Precedence: junk --------------------- From: david_baur@cl_63smtp_gw.chinalake.navy.mil (David Baur) Subject: Same Song, Second Verse Message-ID: <9408122039.AA03485@Sun.COM> Date: 12 Aug 94 05:36:23 GMT X-RQ-ID: 5667 Same Song, Second Verse 8/12/94 11:42 AM Howdy again from Dave Baur, Still At It, Discussing Impobable Uses For Power Spirits =========================================== Joerg Baumgartner writes in X-RQ-ID: 5535: > The munchkin deep inside of me squirms... There _is_ a RQ3 way to use > someone else's POW, but it is for divine magic users only. It requires > a casting of Mindlink to the provider of the POW and sufficient Extension > to last this Mindlink through the ritual. Each participant can use the > magical knowledge of the other participants, so a POW spirit could use > the Enchantment skills of a mindlinked enchanter, and, if Commanded or > Controlled, could produce a magic item. Though we tend to agree that it is "God Learnerish, mightily frowned upon by a cult", I disagree that it can be done at all, reguardless of Sandy's restriction that an unwilling creature can not be forced to use it's POW like this. First, a Mindlink has to be cast on a willing target. If you say a Commanded/Controlled/Dominated creature has no will of their own under the influence, then this might work, but the creature should at least get a roll, much like a spirit thinking it can break out of a weakened fetch. The spirit is free to leave the link anytime it wants. Second, how would this amorphous blob of power without any INT (at least a Bison has a 4 INT) cast the spell when it probably doesn't have an Enchanting Ritual Skill. If this is a knowledge, then it can be shared, but I tend to think of this as a skill of preformance. Just because I can climb a wall doesn't mean my Mindlinked Bison can nor does it mean that because my Allied Spirit in a hawk can fly that I can either. (The creatures and Characters used for this example are fictional. Any resemblance to any Game Characters either alive or with their God(dess) is purely coincidental.) As to the Blue Wizard in X-RQ-ID: 5566:, I apply the same arguement, unless the Familiar is finished being made complete (too expensive for any character I would care to play), then taught the spell. You'd be better off conning your Allied Spirit to do the work. QUICKSTRIKE (The Skill) =================== Devin started this in X-RQ-ID: 5557 followed by Bryan Maloney in X-RQ-ID: 5580 (et. al.). I actually see it as being able to be done both ways. One for those superbly trained and the others wanting to do it fast without the training (Magic can always duplicate a good skill). I see Quickstrike as also being broken down into a slight, conceal, attack, conceal, slight series of rolls being put into two seperate rolls (quickstrike and attack). I also agree that it has to be a small weapon that can't "glitter or reflect light" too much. This would limit non-magical/non-chemical damage that has to first pierce the armor. In a crowd, this is useful, but in a retinue, people are usually known and limited as to who it could have been. I can see the skill (I'm not going to question or discuss the magic version) as usefull and practical as well as specialized and hard to learn (even worse than martial arts). Unsuspecting is a given and the offsetting bonus should be absorbed so that it is just a penalty. I agree with Bryan that it would appear like magic, but I would presume that the sheath or other weapon holder is concealled and that the weapon would not necessarily be returned to it all in the same strike rank or even necessarily the same round. A fumbled quickstrike might be dropping the weapon on the ground (how embarasing). A missed attack, but made quickstrike might mean that a breeze was blowing . ;) But, a missed armor penetration (too small of a weapon) would not necessarily go unnoticed and a successful Sense Assassin or Detect Enemy spell would alert the target making a quickstrike impossible. Since this is a skill, I would imagine that an assassin would want to train up to 70% before trying this for real on someone who mattered as this is a gutsie (sic) manuver to try in the presence of others watching. If I had an assassin, I would rather a crossbow with a quarl massively damage boosted on a called shot to an underarmored vital area, thus giving me time to run (bow and arrow would also work). Poison would be my second choice. --------------------- From: davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au (David Cake) Subject: Desert Trackers Message-ID: <199408130121.JAA01126@cs.uwa.oz.au> Date: 13 Aug 94 17:32:55 GMT X-RQ-ID: 5669 I want to know more about the quest of the Desert trackers. It is partly spurred because I have an Issaries PC, and sending her and a few companions of into the trackless wastes would pass a few sessions in fine style, but also just out of curiosity. Why is it such a hard quest? As I see it the major obstacles are: 1) hostile nomads - a bad problem, but not an insurmountable one. 2) general survival in the wastes - easy for nomads, but not so easy for unfit Garzeen merchants. 3) the Copper Sands - an extreme case of problem 2. 4) the swamps - full of chaos beasties presumably and then 5) whatever happens at the end when you get to Generts body. All in all, it doesn't sound too bad. So what I want to know is 1) why is it supposed to be so dangerous? Is there anything I have missed? and 2) what happens at the end of the quest? Is there some sort of HeroQuest, or do you just dump your lump of Genert in with the rest and turn around (maybe the worlds hardest jigsaw puzzle?)? Cheers Dave Cake --------------------- From: davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au (David Cake) Subject: Jumping Message-ID: <199408130121.JAA01130@cs.uwa.oz.au> Date: 13 Aug 94 17:33:04 GMT X-RQ-ID: 5670 Bearing in mind that the Sartarites are often compared to the Celts, and that Jumping is a favoured skill of the Orlanthi, I think it would be quite likely that one heroic feat used by the wilder Orlanthi warriors would be a mighty leap, like the Red Branch Warriors feat of the Salmon Leap, from Irish legend. Anyone like the idea of Orlanthi being fond of heroic leaping? One simple way that such a heroic leap could work (and keeping with the idea of a heroic feat of skill, rather than a simple magic like the KL Jumping spell) would be to use the Jumping Ki skill from Land of Ninja. Many Orlanthi have Jump at 100% anyway (it is a cult skill) so quite a few of them would be able to acquire this skill. Any suggestions as to how they would acquire such an ability? Would they just need to find a heroic Wind Lord to teach them (perhaps a sub-cult that teaches the mighty leap?) or is there some sor of minor heroquest? If taught, how widely available are the teachers? Were are they to be found? Is there a cult hero of Leaping? If a heroquest, what form might it take? Would it be an Orlanthi heroquest, or a Mastakos one? (Mastakos being the centre of the only Orlanthi leaping myths I know of) Suggestions and comments requested! Cheers Dave --------------------- From: david_baur@cl_63smtp_gw.chinalake.navy.mil (David Baur) Subject: One Last Time Message-ID: <9408122146.AB18248@Sun.COM> Date: 12 Aug 94 06:45:42 GMT X-RQ-ID: 5668 One Last Time 8/12/94 2:44 PM Greetings again (David Baur) -- I hate being gone during a good discussion session. Klaus and Coaching (X-RQ-ID: 5592) ============================ We have done this and I can only tell how we've done it. First, this presumes that the Coach's skill exceeds the Coachee's skill. For direct coaching (robe sleeve's rolled up, watching over the shoulder, ready to bail the poor student's tail out of a sling's help), we treat it as a ceremony with the coach's skill as duration (a coach with a skill of 50% would add 8d6% of skill). For just observing and watching a group, adding pointers to an individual (normal class lab environment) it would be adding the "1d(Coach's skill/5) %". This last is usually done rarely, but can be done for someone trying to do it solo only getting pointers. Spirit Bindings ============ Ian Gorlick (I assume not Alison) mentioned his approach to spirit bindings in (X-RQ-ID: 5595). This method sounds like a low grade fetch to me. My Shaman is happy with his bindings the way they are, though I understand your approach for the generic spirit. I guess Black Feather (My Shaman) could like your basic binding (you mean I can stick ANY spirit in this?!? Oh, I would constantly have to beat this spirit down more and more or else use it know for good). Sorry, but I think only someone who constantly summons and traps spirits for short use and work would really enjoy this. My Storm Kahn would hate it as he has limited control spells and occationally gets friends to fill up his bindings (Pardon me Ryan, could you spare a small Gnome for this binding I found?). Baroshi and Amber ================ Devin replies to Nils in X-RQ-ID: 5618: N> "Why Enchant Amber? The spell is OK, N> but is amber that strongly associated to earth?" D> Baroshi, in SPH, has a piece of crackling, glowing amber that HE uses as a D> weapon, and it drains Con and Strength...so this item is really D> official/Greg. Why would fosilized tree sap be more Earth God related? I would think that one of the tree loving gods would rather use this. Even though Baroshi uses something doesn't mean it's directly in the realm of his powers. Maybe it's an associated cults toy or spell? Having been through the module, my Storm Kahn kind of misses the old "barly head" and never saw the amber in use. Speak of which, maybe he can be a god of brewing. It was a good write up and the spell is good to, I just ponder whether it should really be his or if it isn't maybe his representation of an associated cult's spell. Divine Magic Pool ============== I agree with Jon Green (X-RQ-ID: 5620) about this views against this type of magic pool. I also view divine magic as a "holy" covenant between the god and the caster. Okay, we can talk about Runepaths and such, but this is still a specific aspect of the god that the worshiper earned. The pool concept does seem to belittle the divine magic concept. I also like the thought of making this pooling ability the subject of a "pretty high-level, high-risk HeroQuest" (or at least a portion of the pool related to the mastery of a specific rune). Disease Spirits =========== Alison Place (not Ian Gorlick) asked in (X-RQ-ID: 5595) the following: > This may be one of those topics that was done to death years ago, and if so, > could someone please forward the essence of the discussion. I have wondered > for years about the genesis and spread of diseases. Is Mallia the source for > all diseases? Are all diseases caused by spirits? Is there any way to create > either a spirit of disease or of healing? I know the RQ3 rules for the things, > and as a biologist always found them dissatisfying, since contagion is allowed, > but not explained. Has anyone come up with anything? I haven't wondered for years (actually hardly thought about it much just assuming that all diseases were fragments of disease spirits all over the place too small to even be seen with a 1 POW), but they are good questions. If and when someone responds, could you please include me in on the mailings? Thanks! Prax Like Wyoming, Wastes like the Great Basin ===================================== Sandy replies to Dave Cordes: >>Exactly which US Prairies are you finding this 2-3m grass? > In MOB's defense, I have seen plots of "native prairie" in >the midwest which I was told during the height of summer and fall had >grass well over six-feet tall. (I was there in the spring, and it >wasn't nearly so high.) I've spent some time around South Dakota and >Wyoming myself, and you're right about the grass there not being >superhigh. I envision Prax as looking much like Wyoming, with the >Wastes looking a lot like the Great Basin. Having lived in Wyoming as well, I find it interesting that my first Runequest character (Gilly the Taller) was a Stormbull initiate of the Bison clan (and PROUD of it!). I started playing Runequest in California having escaped Wyoming only to just find a parallelism. There's got to be a meaning in this somewhere! Actually, thinking about the Prax/Wyoming-Wastes/Great Basin duality, I guess I agree. It does make sense. Just don't give Gilly any ideas of selling the Praxian equivalent of Rocky Mountain Oysters. Renewable Divine Magic =================== In case others haven't yet made the connection, Elias, David Cordes, and myself are in the same group. We were discussing the question of gaining back Divine Magic and I was going to post the results of our discussions. Since their views spilled forth on to the Dailies, I'll just wait, letting them post their refined views. --------------------- From: strauss@hopper.itc.virginia.edu (John Strauss) Subject: Chalanna Arroy stuff Message-ID: <199408130342.XAA53326@Hopper.itc.Virginia.EDU> Date: 12 Aug 94 19:42:24 GMT X-RQ-ID: 5671 Bob Luckin sez: >On a related topic : does the Wild Healer of the Rockwoods go >round impregnating things ? Presumably being a CA it would want >to avoid causing distress to living creatures in this way, but it >could still mate with inanimate objects; it is still a child of >Thed, after all. I, too, would be interested to hear what people have done with the Wild Healer. The CA cult is remarkable in so many ways, not the least of which are its unusual entrance requirements. This is a lightbringer cult that will accept chaos beings as members! There are no skill requirements, just sincerity and acceptance of the cult strictures, which are quite extreme for a world as violent as Glorantha. (There is a *good* reason why Storm Bulls tend to respect CAs for their extreme bravery.) Phil did a lot with the Wild Healer while I played Bargahz. It was startling how much an ex-Thed and an ex-Storm Bull, each turned CA, had in common. I won't say they were *friends*; but they had a lot to teach each other. ******************************************************************* **WEAK STOMACH ALERT. SKIP IF YOU HAVE TOO VIVID AN IMAGINATION. ** ******************************************************************* Broo biology has been pretty nasty in the campaigns I have been in. Broos reproduce via rape, with any living creature, and the union is ALWAYS fertile. The infant claws its way out the abdomen, killing the mother, who is the child's first meal. Pregnant females are the considered the very best host mothers, as the broo fetus emerges doubly strong from having killed and eaten the natural offspring in vitro. Further, broos go completely mad with lust if they do not have sex once per season and will die within a week of the madness, from hemmoraging of the penis. ******************************************************************* ** SECURE FROM WEAK STOMACH ALERT ** ******************************************************************* Obviously, those are serious problems if you want to be a Chalanna Arroy. I would argue that it would be physically impossible for a broo to keep cult vows without some sort of special help. Other interpretations of what it means, physically, to be a broo might make things simpler. I never learned what Phil had worked out for the Wild Healer regarding his Thed background. He may have done something with Zola Fel re chaos taint. Bargahz no longer had his SB chaos sense, as One Ear ripped it out of him, so I don't know if Phil's Wild Healer was chaotic. I know that he and a Hornsgate CA priestess were unconsummated lovers and planned a horrifically dangerous heroquest together to resolve some very nasty obstacles in their way. Phil and I never got the chance to explore that, tho. Alison sez: >I have noticed this dearth of women in gaming for years, but then, >who hasn't? Now that I'm married to a GM, I am also noticing the >distinct category of GM's wife, as in, "She just plays because the >GM's her husband. You know, not a real gamer." Out of mild >curiosity, is there any idea how many women do subscribe or write >to the daily? I've seen Michelle Ringo, and Janet Anderson, and >I think that that's all. Are females really so tremendously >scarce as that in Runequest? On the whole, I have found female gamers to be rare in number but of the highest caliber. They tend to emphasize role-playing over combat, which is my preferred style. All things appearing equal, I would accept a new unknown female into a game over a new unknown male, simply based on my positive experiences with female gamers. That being said, there really does seem to be a special category of gamer called "the GM's Girl". I played in a game, for 2 years, in which the group leader was played by the GM's wife. She (the player, not the character) was a for reals and for trues bimbo, the kind they make up blonde jokes about, and was also rather petty. She remained the group leader, in spite of incredible reasons why not, only because she was the GM's wife. If she had not been happy with the game, the GM could not have run it for us. So, we coped. I have heard other people relate horror stories of this negative stereotype, as well. I have also been in games where this did not happen. I doubt that the category is gender-specific; but I have never had the opportunity to play with a female GM. Having seen some kick-ass female gamers, I would relish such an opportunity. If I ever get that lucky, I will let you know if she plays favorites on her husband/boy friend. As to the idea that you are not a "real gamer": I think you should make a point of eating quiche each game and just ignore them. And don't let them pin that "GM's Girl" label on you, either. The simple fact is, no matter how fair your spouse tries to be, your greater access to him during non-game hours will enable you to react advantageously to things that happen during the game. It can't be helped. The same thing would happen in a case of "GM's Roommate" but no one says anything about it in that instance. Alison sez: >Disease spirits >I have wondered for years about the genesis and spread of >diseases. Is Mallia the source for all diseases? Are all >diseases caused by spirits? Is there any way to create either a >spirit of disease or of healing? I know the RQ3 rules for the >things, and as a biologist always found them dissatisfying, since >contagion is allowed, but not explained. Has anyone come up with >anything? Well, I agree with you. The RQ3 writeup is ambiguous and I don't care for it. I have decided that ALL disease is based on spirit possession. No germs in my Glorantha. Disease is essentially a spiritual "protection racket". The victim sacrifices a point of POW to Mallia, becoming an initiate, via the possessing spirit in exchange for having their life spared. From that point, they are cooerced by the possessing spirit into doing more and more to help the spread of disease. Disease spirits all have the spell of Summon Disease Spirit, which they can cast periodically. I use that instead of germ contagion for a disease vector. You can't get a disease without being possessed and every actively diseased person has a disease spirit in them. PCs tend not to give in to that kind of coercion; but it is important that they experience that spirit yammering at them and forcing them to join or die. Helps them understand it when they see it in others who HAVE made the agreement to save their own skins. My Gloranthans all present Mallia as chaos, pure and simple. But I personally think of her as Chalanna Arroy's evil twin, a CA that went bad. I like the double aspects of the twin sisters of Healing and Disease, which I stole from a Zelazny novel. I give both cults access to healing spirits and the CA spirit of reprisal is a very tough disease spirit, which I think gives the goddess a sharp edge outside the scope of what you hear from her priesthood. You can extrapolate my Deezola cultists from that. John Strauss strauss@hopper.itc.virginia.edu ---------------------