From: owner-runequest-rules@ (RuneQuest Rules Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.MPGN.COM Subject: RuneQuest Rules Digest V1 #65 Reply-To: runequest-rules@mpgn.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@ Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@ Precedence: bulk RuneQuest Rules Digest Wednesday, April 15 1998 Volume 01 : Number 065 RuneQuest is a trademark of Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS Re: [RQ-RULES] Fwd: Re: "Relic" Enchantments [RQ-RULES] Heironeous for RQ/Greyhawk RE: [RQ-RULES] Anyone doin' enchantments in their RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts [RQ-RULES] Elementals [RQ-RULES] Bound Spirits Re: [RQ-RULES] Elementals Re: [RQ-RULES] House Sorcery Rules RE: [RQ-RULES] Elementals RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts [RQ-RULES] Bound Spirits RE: [RQ-RULES] Elementals RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to add "Yeah, I agree" or "No, I disagree." Or be excoriated. If someone writes something good and you want to say "good show" please do. But don't include the whole message you praise. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. 3. Learn the art of paraphrasing: Don't just quote and comment on a point-by-point basis. 4. No anonymous posting, please. Don't say something unless you're ready to stand by it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 00:08:10 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Fwd: Re: "Relic" Enchantments stancliff@commnections.com wrote: > 10 MP's is too cheap for a power like this, the only thing that would > keep it from becoming common is that the POW cost is so high, especially > with the additional penalties for magic items. I had considered making it available only to items containing no other enchantments, but couldn't justify why it should be so. As David suggested (below), it might be better as a Heroquest power, instead of a spell. David Weihe wrote: > My characters love it. I have a few game balance concerns. Frex, you have > a 1 MP powered teleport any item for any distance spell - great for after > you land on Luathela and just happen to "find" your most powerful or most > fragile gear, like a barrel of 20 acid, or the Unstoppable Sword. More > simply, make a lockpick into a relic, for when you are in dungeons. It > seems TOO useful for the power expended at use. I'm reminded of another pair of spells (I forget exactly where I got them from originally) specifically Object Binding and Call Bound Object; the first designates an object as callable, the second causes it to fly to the hand of the caller. Call is modifiable as to Range, etc., and the object can be designated to arrive point or pommel first... the divine versions don't require any magic points to activate, even. Though there is a certain amount of travel time involved. :) > Also, require all "relics" to be named, and the player to cast it by > loudly yelling "To me, Irving!" (or whatever she/he named the item) - that > good an enchantment needs to be made showy, as well. Heh. Showers of sparks, unfelt winds, etc. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 23:51:23 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: [RQ-RULES] Heironeous for RQ/Greyhawk 2nd in my series of Greyhawk Deities for RQ... HEIRONEOUS Runes: Mastery, Death, Law Heironeous is said to be the child of Beory and Pelor, half-brother to Hextor (Beory's child by Nerull, it is whispered), and the two of them together are the embodiment of War. Whereas Hextor is the Dark Twin, Heironeous is most certainly the Bright, embodying the concepts of Chivalry, Honor, Valor and Justice. Heironeous is called "The Invincible", for he has never retreated from the field of battle, and it is said that his skin itself has been treated to harmlessly turn the blows of most weapons. Heironeous' weapon of choice is the battle axe. Cult in the World Heironeous' faith thrives on righteous combat, championing causes of good, and thwarting the plans of Hextor's minions. Temples to Heironeous are commonly found in or near strongholds, and small shrines typically can be found on the sites of major battles. Lay Membership Requirements: Lay members of this faith are generally the greenest troops, just beginning their careers in the military. Skills available from Heironeous' faith include Dodge, Ride, Maneuver, First Aid, Listen, Scan, Ceremony, 1H Axe Attack/Parry, and 2H Axe Attack/Parry. Initiate Membership Requirements: Standard, but in addition, initiates of Heironeous must have been lay members in good standing for at least 1 year, and must succeed in 3 out of 5 of the following skill rolls: Dodge, Maneuver, Scan, 1H Axe Attack, or 2H Axe Attack. Initiates must also accept at least one gift and it's attendant geasa. Spirit Magic: Bladesharp, Bladeweave, Coordination, Disruption, Fanaticism, Protection, Strength, Vigor. Acolyte Membership Requirements: as per Priests. A second gift/geas may be taken at this time. Priesthood Requirements: Standard, plus the Initiate candidate must have led men in battle to victory at least once. Virtues for Heironeous include: Energetic, Honorable, Loyal, Reckless and Warlike. A third gift is generally taken at this time, and the priest can decide to take further gifts each year at the anniversary of his ordination if he so chooses. Common Divine Magic: all Special Divine Magic: Axe Trance, Shield, Slash. Associated Gods Beory: provides Heal Body Pelor: provides Sunspear Gifts / Geasa +5% to axe attack (1H or 2H). / Never use one type of non-cult weapon** +20% in a cult related skill (Dodge, Ride, Maneuver, First Aid, Listen, Scan, Ceremony, 1H Axe, or 2H Axe) / Remain silent one specified day per week (includes casting spells) Bless a specific weapon to do double damage (once armor is penetrated) against a chosen foe species / Accept no spirit magic heal spells Bless a specific weapon to do double damage (once armor is penetrated). / Accept no magical healing at all Recover fatigue at 2x speed / Drink no alcoholic beverages Recover magic points at 2x speed / Never refuse a challenge to one-on-one combat. Increase Disruption damage 2x / Must challenge all followers of Hextor to one-on-one combat to the death. Increase Disruption damage 3x / Must challenge all followers of evil gods to one-on-one combat to the death. ** Non-cult weapons are anything but axes, thus weapon groups such as 1H Swords, Maces, etc., all qualify. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 08:09:02 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Anyone doin' enchantments in their >>This is ferocious abuse of the game system, the game world, and most of >>all, the ghosts. Whose ghosts are they? Have their descendants ever >>tried to find out where they are (divination), and release them? >This is perfectly within the rules. While there could be a problem >with descendants trying to free their ancestors, only Daka Fal >teaches that this is important. Most barbarian and civilized cultures >couldn't care less, so the chances of the ghost having a Dake Fal >descendant is slim and varies by region. If someone came and proved >ancestry of their bound ghost, they would make a deal and trade or >release it. "Most barbarian and civilized cultures couldn't care less"? I disagree. My mother believed that we were being haunted by my grandfather's ghost, so she had the local priest perform an exorcism over his grave. Whenever I come across abusive use of the rules, which is usually a case of "It doesn't say I can't", I look for reasons why it either can't be done or is horribly dangerous. Here's one: If someone's near ancestor has become a ghost, bound, and forced to forget the cult rituals (spells), then their initiation ceremony will fail. The priest will perform a Divination, discover that a member of the cult has been captured, bound and violated ... watch out, player! IMO, this would happen nearly every time. As to Barran's bound ghost, well, he knows what it is, had wiped out all of the creatures that cared about it (if there were any), and probably got it from a Tsankth (sp?) cultist who bound it with a special soul-stealing ritual. Oh, and if the character's priest ever found out about this abominable behaviour, they would insist that the bindings were destroyed, or excommunicate them. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/phibbs A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths, a statistic *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 07:58:17 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts >I'm not sure myself, but the only major differences between a ghost >and a magic spirit are personality, initiatory spirit combat, and >nomenclature. Yeah, those are the only differences *in the rules*. Personally, I think the differences in terms of the game world run a little deeper. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/phibbs A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths, a statistic *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 10:26:21 +0200 From: Alain.RAMEAU@total.com (Alain RAMEAU) Subject: [RQ-RULES] Elementals I saw on this list a discussion on elementals power. The argument was to say that they were somewhat weak as a few weapons strikes could dismiss them. One of the solution proposed was to give some AP to elementals. My problem with this idea is that it is difficult to explain how such AP are here! My house rules deals with elementals are as follows : Large ones (which may engulf more than one target) may split their attack abilities against those various targets. Elemental recover HP each round, according to its size : 1HP/m3 each round. Alain. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 10:28:26 +0200 From: Alain.RAMEAU@total.com (Alain RAMEAU) Subject: [RQ-RULES] Bound Spirits I do not play that you spend 1POW/charac of the creature, as for me only 2 charac (POU/INT) are really important to spirit (for elemetals having STR, their STR may not be used while bound for example). But instead I play that you must spend 1POW per 1D10 point of POW of the creatures ; therefore, a bound Magic Spirit matrix of 2 POW could bind only a 20POW Magic spirit (provided the 2D10=20). In addition, I play that due to the fact the bound spirit has no more link with the spirit plane, it recovers its MP less quickly. I play that they recover 1MP/day while bound. Recovering all MP in one day require it to be released for one day (or less if some MP remain when released): either through a long lasting control spell, or by completely releasing him and summoning another one to take its place in the item (or summoning the same if you know his true name (that you can learn only if you speak Spirit Speech).). Alain. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 07:27:30 PDT From: "Leon Kirshtein" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Elementals > I saw on this list a discussion on elementals power. The argument was > to say that they were somewhat weak as a few weapons strikes could > dismiss them. I think in the end we agreed that may be they are not as weak as propossed in the begining. > > One of the solution proposed was to give some AP to elementals. My > problem with this idea is that it is difficult to explain how such AP > are here! Some people suggested that elementals should take damage only from magic. I think that this will make them too powerful. > > My house rules deals with elementals are as follows : > > > Large ones (which may engulf more than one target) may split their > attack abilities against those various targets. An elemental should not have to split its attacks. It automatically attacks all it engulf. Rember, elementals have no intelegence, and are just a representation of a natural force. > > Elemental recover HP each round, according to its size : 1HP/m3 each > round. Now, this is a very interesting and not overbalancing proposal. Leon Kirshtein ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 18:35:51 +0100 From: Stephen Watson Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] House Sorcery Rules In message <352E3B40.1C0C@bellatlantic.net> Tal Meta wrote: > I've been tinkering on and off with a new Sorcerous Art, but I'm at a > loss as to what to name it. Current thoughts range from Strike to Oomph. > > Basically, what this art would do is increase randomly rolled damage by > a certain amount, up to the maximum damage permitted by the spell's > Intensity. > > Comments? Better names? Sounds interesting. I'd call it "Perfection" or if you prefer a runic connection call it "Mastery". - -- Stephen Watson - http://www.kerofin.demon.co.uk/ - Glorantha & RISC OS "A friend in need is a friend that bleeds." *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 18:39:56 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Elementals > One of the solution proposed was to give some AP to elementals. My > problem with this idea is that it is difficult to explain how such AP > are here! Why is this a problem? AP is just a game mechanic for determining how hard something is to damage. Just say that Elementals are fundamentally difficult to damage, and simulate that by saying that they have 1 or 2 AP per cubic meter of size, or a fixed value of 5 AP or something. Gnomes get it for being tough, other elementals get it because they are not solid, so some of the damage just bypasses them. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk or phibbs@compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/phibbs A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths, a statistic *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 13:24:58 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Ghosts RU>>I'm not sure myself, but the only major differences between a ghost RU>>and a magic spirit are personality, initiatory spirit combat, and RU>>nomenclature. RU>Yeah, those are the only differences *in the rules*. Personally, I think the RU>differences in terms of the game world run a little deeper. I firmly believe in house rules, just avoid assumptions about 'the rules'. Your campaign is very different from mine just because of this small difference. I learned RQ1 and RQ2 spirit binding, where a ghost could be forced into any dead crystal and it acted as a combined INT and POW spirit. When RQ3 came out it was an interesting switch to Magic spirits (and by direct extension, ghosts). It is true that most ghosts will be hostile, the Daka Fal ancestor table says that 1/3 of all 'ancestors' are hostile, but NO spirit in a bind can refuse a simple order, whether hostile or not. So summon a friendly ancestor, make a deal with it, and bind it. Then you get a cooperative ghost. I'm surprised that with so many people playing western campaigns, no one has taken a Dominate Human spell and a 7 POW Human Bind to carry prisoners or helpers around. This is a variant on the genie in a bottle. to: INT:runequest-rules@mpgn.com cc: INT:lackey@gator.net INT:afn50803@afn.org *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 13:36:14 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: [RQ-RULES] Bound Spirits RU> In addition, I play that due to the fact the bound spirit has no more RU> link with the spirit plane, it recovers its MP less quickly. RU> I play that they recover 1MP/day while bound. RU> Recovering all MP in one day require it to be released for one day (or RU> less if some MP remain when released): either through a long lasting RU> control spell, or by completely releasing him and summoning another RU> one to take its place in the item (or summoning the same if you know RU> his true name (that you can learn only if you speak Spirit Speech).). Alain. These spirit rules primarily exist to allow spirit magicians, especially shamans, to be as tough as other forms of magic. Your restrictions make it almost worthless for a shaman to bind spirits. You remove some of his greatest power, especially since control spells only last five minutes. It isn't the one or two spirits a shaman has under his fetch that make him tough, it's all the binds he can make and populate and teach spells to and link together, etc.. Bob Stancliff (Stancliff@commnections.com) (http://commnections.com/upgrades) *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 13:52:52 -0500 From: stancliff@commnections.com Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Elementals RU>> One of the solution proposed was to give some AP to elementals. My RU>> problem with this idea is that it is difficult to explain how such AP RU>> are here! RU>Why is this a problem? AP is just a game mechanic for determining how hard RU>something is to damage. Just say that Elementals are fundamentally difficult RU>to damage, and simulate that by saying that they have 1 or 2 AP per cubic RU>meter of size, or a fixed value of 5 AP or something. Gnomes get it for RU>being tough, other elementals get it because they are not solid, so some of RU>the damage just bypasses them. Very nicely put. I use this same argument in champions for semi-solid beings. Bob Stancliff (Stancliff@commnections.com) (http://commnections.com/upgrades) *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ End of RuneQuest Rules Digest V1 #65 ************************************ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. RuneQuest is a Trademark of Avalon Hill Games. 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