I'm not, by any means, a long-standing player of games set in Glorantha. I'm aware of how Humakt may have been in the past, but have no great connection with it. The friend who ran my first ever Hero Wars game said I'd like Humakt. And, at first, he was right.
(My first ever character was named Zazamoukh. Sounds more like an Egyptian pimp. He could speak Tradetalk, was Resistant to Arrows, and had Tattoos of Hidden Power.)
Then, after a while, it just got a bit much. I understand that Humakt is the very deification of Death. But... Maybe it's my less than battle-oriented conception of conflicts, but I far prefer Finovan, Sword of Orlanth, as my 'default' Heortling war god (and I don't just mean for raiding-aspected clans). Not so much Starkval, bless (he can inspire the fyrd, but not me).
For most people, their Humakti character is a lonely complex of shattered dreams and inner struggles, battling his severance from the world. For me he's a one-dimensional murderous gimp.
So, yeah, I approve of nerfing Humakt. If you're going to stack him with death-dealing power -- listen to the resigned exhalations when someone creates an Humakti at the table ("Oh, but my starting sword skill's only 10W; I did put some points in Look Like a Goth") -- then he should at least be a miserable bastard with no mates.
I mean, look at their supposed geases.
Humakti 1: Dave, that's so kewl. You just, like, eviscerated twentyseven trolls. How did you become the best swordsman in Sartar?
Humakti 2: Yeah, well, it wasn't easy. I've made... sacrifices. Humakti 1: What, you took a geas? Humakti 2: Yeah, I can't use polearms from the glaive-guisarme-voulgefamily.
Humakti 1: What? No! I'm eally sorry, man. How did you cope? Humakti 2: Well, I guess, you know... I got over it, eventually. Humakti 1: We suffer for our art. Is that it? Humakti 2: I wish. I also can't use bolas and lassos. Humakti 1: Oh, the angst. Humakti 2: Tell me about it.
Stu.
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