Re: Four Magic Weapons subcults

From: Ian Cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 08:54:58 -0000

>
> There is no option to forgo learning a secret -- you can only learn
a
> secret if you are a devotee. Though in the case of the 4MW, I'd be
> be
> curoius to see what it is. This is one reason why I think of them
as
> stand alone feats, one for each subcult. THe secret might be
getting
> them as an affinity or something similar. These things are about
as
> minor as it can get for a divine cult to be.
>

The rules on subcults

"Subcults are normal in cultures which practice initiation, and both initiates and devotees may join subcults to learn their magics. Most worshippers in a subcult are there to learn the special magics or skills provided by the cult. A few are truly devoted to the petty god or hero."

To me that not all subcults need to have priests, devotees or even a secret. I think this may be a bit OTT if you want to add local falvour by adding new feats available from local mythology. When you learn feats on your trips to the other side (NrBk sugests this I think, sorry not to hand), I suspect that some of these subcults are simply myths that you can follow to learn a specific new feat. You pay a HP cost to join the cult and to learn the feat, but after you have gained the magic that cult offers little more. It is far more secret knowledge of the parent cult than a new cult. Of course other subcults might be more significant and have devotees, priests there own temples. In the case of the 4MW I suspect that the easiest way to handle them is as these "expensive" feats. And I suspect they are only subcults and not new feats under existing affinities because they represent powers that Orlanth borrowed but does not have. We know there are supposed to be a large number of local sub-cults, I don't expect all of them to have any religous organisation.

YGMV, Ian