Re: Heroquest power-level (was Ravenswing)

From: Mikko Rintasaari <mikrin_at_...>
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:17:56 +0200 (EET)

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005, Roderick and Ellen Robertson wrote: <snip>
> Say you want to prove that the Moon is really Orlanth's long-lost sister,
> and they should just kiss and make up. If you quest on the Hero Plane, you
> might be able to prove it to yourself, and anyone who was there with you.
> You might be able to convince peopel in small units. But to make it "really,
> truely so", you would have to go to the God Plane and face w10+ difficulties
> (because of the level of diety you're dealing with). But if you succeeded
> there, then it *would* be so.

Very neatly put. That's the part I've always felt is really, really brilliant about the concept of Hero Questing in Glorantha. The quest primarily defines your personal reality (hence there is no point in trying the same quest twice, it will go as it did before). With a more powerful quest, you can impose this personal reality on a larger part of the rest of the world.

So heroquesting back and stopping Orlanth from killing Grandfather Mortal can end Death... for you. After that in your personal reality humans are not mortal, or possibly the whole community that supported you will be supernaturally resistant to Old age and Death. The rest of the world will still remain as it always was.

What if somebody would do a Godlevel Quest to do the same? Glorantha would propably descent back to the Great Darkness, and the world would end... in practise, the resistances are such that there is no power great enough to even attempt this. It is not just Humakt 10w8 (or some such) resisting you, it is the whole weight of the reality of the world.

        -Adept