Re: Re: Stand Alone Feats

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 08:31:22 -0800

> >> Can he learn it as a Stand Alone Feat? Would it make any
> >>difference if he was a Devotee of Hedkoranth?
> >
> > No, stand alone feats are provoided as a part of the specific cult -
> > often it is the only magic they provide. You can't go and ransack
> > another cult for feats. Heord would have to initiate to Yinkin to
> > get the affninity.
>
> That is pretty much what I had assumed - So far so good...

Correct

>
> >>
> >> Baran is an initiate of Lankhor Mhy. Can he join Verlan's Hero
> >> Cult and learn the "Turn Weapon Against Owner" feat? Or can only
> >> devotees gain access to this feat?
> >
> >
> > Yes.
>
> Is that a yes to the first question or the second?

Baran can join Verlan's cult *as an initiate* and learn the TWAO feat. This is because the feat does not belong to any affinity - In rules terms, you will always have to raise this feat seperately from any other affinities you know, even if later you join a fighting cult and learn a "Combat" affinity.

> >If LM had a combat affnity or something like that, then it would
> > be a special feat. but any LM can join this cult and get this feat.
>
> Again to clarify "Can join this cult *as an initiate*" ?

Yes.

> > The reason for this is that Verlan didn't provide an affinity...
> >
>
> Quite intenionally. I suspect that once a cult provides an affinity
> it is more of a Sub-Cult, or a cult in its own right rather than a
> Hero Cult. But then I also suspect that these terms are "Gamespeak"
> and Gloranthans don't think of them in that way...

To A gloranthan, the difference between a Cult, Subcult and hero Cult depends on when the entity lived, and how powerful it was.

Without going into the exact nature of a God... A Cult is an organization that worships a god - a big piece of the God World. Subcults worship faces/aspects of a god, or a lesser being associated with the God. A Hero was once alive and became divine after death through continued worship (having a group of people continually giving you Extraordinary support is basically worship during your lifetime - one of the prerequisites to herodom). A *very* powerful hero may be able to teach an entire affinity, but most just have a few 'tricks"/Feats that they teach their followers.

> I suspect this is an answer to the first question. Leaving aside the
> unliklihood of someone following Hedkoranth and Lankhor Mhy at the
> same time, if he initiates into Lankhor Mhy then presumably he is in
> the cult. THe question then remains whether an Initiate of a god can
> gain feats from that gods Hero-cults

To get access to a Herocult you generally have to join the main cult (and possibly subcult) to which it is attached, as an Initiate at least.

> >_Most_ herocults are specific to a god though some could be
> > shared between different gods (like Harst is a subcult of Orlanth
> > and of Issaries.

Correct. (Though Harst is a Sub, not a Hero cult).

RR