Re: Re: Narrator freebie

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_...>
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 19:31:27 +0100

On Mon, Sep 06, 2004 at 12:18:56PM +0100, Jane Williams wrote:
> Which brings me to another related point I keep
> considering - what are the heroquests to gain feats
> actually like? Obviously you need a myth to work from.
> But should it be a myth where the deity *uses* the
> power, or the one where they *learn* the power? There
> are plenty of the former around, less of the latter.
> And if it's "and at this point Vanganth picked up a
> heavy weight and flew with it", then how is the
> questor, who as yet has no ability to fly with or
> without weights, meant to do that station of the
> quest?

I imagine the latter is preferable, in both Gloranthan and meta-game respects, but they're hardly ubiquitous, indeed. I suspect they will occur more often when it's some power that's considered "stolen" or otherwise "acquired" (like the magic weapons) or "learned through hard lessons" (like a lot of Orlanth's social magic), as opposed to things that are essentially 'inherent' to the deity (like Windiness).

In these latter cases, I suspect the pattern might be a little like the old medical saw of "see one, do one, teach one". One participates in such a heroquest, but as 'chorus', and then as a companion, witnessing the deity (and some senior member of your religion embodying the role) accomplish the feat in question. Then one does generic stuff to 'estibalish one's identity" with the deity, and does it again, as the protagonist. Game-mechanically, one might use a more general magical ability, or relationship, or virtue, at this point, rather than, as Jane says, rolling-against-the-ability-you-don't-have-because-you're-questing- to-get-it.

Cheers,
Alex.