>Aside from the fact that they offset in a purely
>arithmetic manner, why would there be any connect-
>ion between the two?
It is mainly a matter of arithmetic, true, but it falls on the Narrator to describe the loss just as he or she would describe AP loss. Alas, "Wound" is an unfortunate choice of words in HERO WARS, as the penalty represents more than just injuries. Any form of serious impairment is covered: falling for flattery in a mercantile transaction, losing your temper in a treaty negotiation, or hesitating out of doubt and fear in a battle are all appropriate. Perhaps it should just be termed "Impairment".
>Why does the knife cut in my side relate to my
>Bladesharp magic and, most importantly, why would
>they have the same 'duration' of effect?
The knife cut might be in an inopportune location which hampers you when following through on your attacks, effectively countering your magic. The pain may cause your confidence in God to waver, snuffing out your magic. You must recover from the impairment after the battle, as you normally would, or others may reduce the impairment during the battle by lending you 10 AP at least using an appropriate ability. If the Narrator describes the penalty in the former way, someone with Healing magic or First Aid could lend AP to eliminate it. If the latter, someone with Relationship (same God) or Encourage Others could lend AP to eliminate it. You could get rid of the impairment yourself, using an unrelated action to draw upon a magic item's healing power or steel your resolve with your Brave, Fearless or Reckless personality abilities.
Any clearer now? The idea is to enhance dramatic tension in the resolution mechanics, as per Simon's original post. It works extremely well, in my experience, and encourages roleplaying and creativity to resolve mechanics-related problems faced by the heroes.
[Aside to Greg and Stephen: *please* accept this as an official (or at least optional) rules addendum to HERO WARS. It really gets people psyched up about the game, and focusses them on its versatility. It also sparks a desire to discover more about Glorantha, and its wealth of cultural detail. In short, it *sells*.]
-- Michael Richard Schwartz | Language is my playground, mschwartz_at_... | and words, its slides and Ann Arbor, Michigan USA | swingsets. -- yours truly
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