I've watched the magic debate go in circles for, oh, 3 or 4 pages now. Most of this has very little to do with magic itself, and more to do with understanding what the HQ system is supposed to be doing.
-It's about what happens, not how it happens
Who beat who? Who got there first? These are the questions the system answers.
How many pound of pressure per square inch impacted your enemy's left clavicle using your 5.6 pound sun mace swung at a this angle? How many grams does this water elemental weigh, and given the temperature, humidity and wind factor, how long for it to evaporate? These are the questions the HQ system doesn't give one fig about. And neither should you.
Here's what you do: What is in contest? What factors do you want to take into account(ranging from realistic advantages to cinematic ones)? Roll. Look at the results, now figure out the "how that happened" and come up with plausible reasons fitting your style of play. Very simple.
-How does magic rate to abilities?
Two options:
-The old Hero Wars way(simple), magic works like a normal ability, in all shapes and
forms, except that against non-entity contests, it only gets a resistance of 14. The
only other major difference being that magic abilities allow you to "break" laws of
physics.
-Magic always gets a resistance of 14, except against other magical resistances. This
pretty much makes magic King in the world of Glorantha.
Take your pick. Either way, there is no need to "justify" it in terms of reality. Runequest dealt with "realism" factors. HQ deals with abstract factors, you can angle for "realism" or angle for "cinematic" or what have you, but the system doesn't force your hand in that regard. The system does not tell you what factors to include or leave out. The system is a formula, that you choose the X, Y and Z factors, with dice thrown in as a randomizer.
Again:
1. What is in contest?(characters are usually in contest, rarely will you find character
vs. situation by comparison)
2. What factors do I want to include?(Weight, windspeed, physics, mythically fits,
emotional ties, etc.)
3. Roll dice 4. Check results 5. Narrate details that fit with your style of play and the factors involved(You wonbecause you have better armor and weapons, you won because your one true love stabbed him in the back before he could deliver the finishing blow, etc.)
Chris
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