Re: HQ Beginner - Character Generation questions

From: Thorsten <eisigerprinz_at_...>
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:35:19 -0000

• In HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com, "parental_unit_2" <parental_unit_2_at_...> wrote:
  > > 1. I've often read something along the lines of "Additional abilities
  > > start at 17 if part of a keyword". Does it make sense to list or
  > > narrate this ability during chargen?
  >
  > Good question. We've never run into this -- narrators have just
  > suggested leaving out stuff in the narrative if it's obvious from the
  > keywords, or players have figured that out on their own.
  Okay, so that's basically saying: If is or can be part of a keyword (i.e. is listed in the book or is not listed, but well imaginable), do not include it in the narrative. this is the only thing that makes sense rule-wise, I was just thrown off by seeing the "starts at 17 if part of a keyword" mentioned so often.

> In our games, we always had to specify the specialized magic keyword
> and level (e.g. practitioner, devotee) in the narrative. Common Magic
> and whether a not the character was Concentrated were left out.
[...]
> See answer above. I guess if a player decided not to specify a
> specialized magic keyword, he'd be a communal
> worshipper/spiritist/church member of the dominant religion based on
> the homeland keyword unless he explicitly said otherwise.
[...]
This seems contradictory to me. On the one hand you say you have to specify a specialized MK. On the other hand, if a Puma doesn't include this in his narrative, he's a spiritist of the dominant religion? But that's his specialized magic then, isn't it? He'd be an Ancestor's Tradition spiritist, getting his 5 simple charms, usable as augments.

> > 4. Concentration. Should a char who wants to concentrate their magic
> > either during gen or in the near future pick appropriate common magic
> > abilities only (i.e. charms for an animism concentration)?
>
> This is what we've done in our games. It effectively means that many
> characters can't have common magic at all if they have concentrated on
> an Otherworld. For example, Heortlings would typically have Flesh Man
> common magic or common magic from the sample list in the HeroQuest
> rule book -- all talents. [...]

This is not true as I've understood the rules. Nowhere is it said that the sample list is all talents. Quite the contrary, I understood as a kind of pool of magic used all over Glorantha, available in one form or another everywhere.

> [...] One solution is to require
> the player to add the word "feat", "charm", or the like in the
> narrative (e.g. "He knows the FlattenFoe and FlyThroughDirt feats").

Sounds doable, if one includes them under common magic.

> > 5. ...If my narrative / list indicates
> > a one or more magical abilities, what do I do with those?
>
> We always put them in the Common Magic keyword.

Hm. Somehow I'm not very satisfied with that solution. For one, because it's really an additional ability and should start at 13, and also because without concentration it's not very powerful then. Unconcentrated you'd get a +1 bonus if I'm right with my 13 - that seems a bit too low to include it in the narrative as something that defines the character.

Anyway, thanks for your comments, they helped to organize my thoughts, even if I don't agree with you on all points :).

Thorsten