From: owner-runequest-rules@ (RuneQuest Rules Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.MPGN.COM Subject: RuneQuest Rules Digest V1 #166 Reply-To: runequest-rules@mpgn.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@ Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@ Precedence: bulk RuneQuest Rules Digest Wednesday, October 7 1998 Volume 01 : Number 166 RuneQuest is a trademark of Hasbro/Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS [RQ-RULES] Re : One use matrix RE: [RQ-RULES] Re: One-Use Matrix Re: [RQ-RULES]:Sorcery Rules RE: [RQ-RULES]:Sorcery Rules RE: [RQ-RULES] Re : One use matrix [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits RE: [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits Re: [RQ-RULES] Spirits Re: [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits Re: [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits Re: [RQ-RULES] Spirits 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, 7 Oct 1998 10:04:38 +0200 From: Alain.RAMEAU@total.com (Alain RAMEAU) Subject: [RQ-RULES] Re : One use matrix Philip Hibbs wrote : >In my RQ game recently, an NPC river priest gave the characters >one-use >spell enchantments of Breathe Water and River Eyes, and one of the >players >complained "But you can't do that in the rules". I told him not to be >silly, >the rules just don't describe how it is done because it is uncommon. > >Can anyone think of a reasonable RQ rule for this kind of >enchantment? What about an enchantment with a condition : with additonal POW, as you know, you can add conditions. For example : A single person may use the spell only once ? It means that the person can give the object to another character after he used it, and so on, but once each only. Or instead of a single person, replace by "people other than river cult initiates",... Other more complex conditions (with more POW may be) could also explain the limitation. Alain. http://www.btinternet.com/~karamo/rqgb.htm d only once philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ Any view of things that is not strange is false - Neil Gaiman, Sandman ********************************************************************** ***** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ *************************************************************************** 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, 7 Oct 1998 10:19:23 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Re: One-Use Matrix I don't have a problem with NPCs doing things without having a game mechanic for it, like the Red Moon priests' magical assault on the Cradle. I was just wondering how one might express this kind of ability in RQ rules, as it fits quite well into the power level of the game. I suppose stacking it with a new Divine spell such as "Spell Storing" would do. Spell Storing Enchantment, reusable, stackable, uncommon This spell allows another divine spell of the same number of points to be stored in or on an object, which myst be marked with special runes in the same way as an enchantment. The stored spell may only be used once, after which the runes are useless. Unlike most enchantment, temporary markings such as chalk or charcoal are sometimes used for this purpose. The caster may not re-use the stored spell until it has been cast, but may use the Spell Storing. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ Any view of things that is not strange is false - Neil Gaiman, Sandman *************************************************************************** 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, 7 Oct 1998 11:26:51 +0100 From: "Terje Tollisen" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES]:Sorcery Rules > I have a gut preference for a system where sorcerors do NOT use any > structured spells like spirit magic, but rather wrestle with the > web of reality to create the outcome they desire, or at least have > this option alongside standard rituals and ceremonies for simpler > results. > > Does anyone have knowledge of a set of rules/ideas that equate this, > from any rpg system? I must I have never played it, but as far as I know Nephlim has a magic system like that. Also some guyes in Sweden have made a game called Eon. Here, a magician can draw power from a number of sources like: the four normal elements, living things, dead tings, light, darkness, thunder, spirits, chaos and so on. I think there are 13 different sources. Power drawn from one source is best for one type of magic of course, but a magician can transform the power he has gathered. So one can draw power from water, transform it and do fire magic with it. But in the process of transformation you loose a little power. How much power is needed for a given effect is up to the GM. We played it with both standard spells, and effects created as one needed them. If a magician has done the same thing several times before he should know what to do and not to do, so it becomes easier to create the magic. We defined this as a known spell. The wrestling with reality is also represented. If one draws more power than one can handle, the chance of a "fumble" increases very fast. And some fumbles are quite nasty. I guess I should shut up now, this being a RuneQuest list. - -Terry *************************************************************************** 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, 7 Oct 1998 10:36:37 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES]:Sorcery Rules >I guess I should shut up now, this being a >RuneQuest list. I don't have a problem with people proposing alternative magic systems that could be adapted for use with RQ. For instance, if someone worked out how to do M:TG magic, with it's coloured and colourless mana (which sounds a little like the Eon system) in RQ, I'd be interested. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ Any view of things that is not strange is false - Neil Gaiman, Sandman *************************************************************************** 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, 7 Oct 1998 10:37:21 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Re : One use matrix >What about an enchantment with a condition : with additonal POW, as >you know, you can add conditions. For example : A single person may >use the spell only once ? It means that the person can give the object >to another character after he used it, and so on, but once each only. >Or instead of a single person, replace by "people other than river >cult initiates",... Other more complex conditions (with more POW may >be) could also explain the limitation. That's an interesting idea, and I might use it, but not what I was after. The newt cut a rune on their palms, and that gave them the one-use spirit and divine spells. He did not expend 2 POW on each character (4 of them, IIRC)! Your version would be useful for a temple to hand out to its troops, a matrix of Protection 4 to pass down the line before a battle, with much less incentive for anyone to pocket it and run off. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ Any view of things that is not strange is false - Neil Gaiman, Sandman *************************************************************************** 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, 7 Oct 1998 12:51:44 +0000 From: "Simon Phipp" Subject: [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits Paul Bestwick: > Given recent comments about missile combat (archers in the main), > both magical and bonuses for multiple targets. The effects of > multi-missile spells against close packed targets, Pikemen etc. > would be devastating. The close proximity of additional targets > taking the chance to hit to greater than 100% and a couple of points > of multi missile would make a big mess of lightly armoured troops. > Even heavily armoured troops will suffer because of the way the > rules mechanics work i.e. more chance of a special or crit, due to > the greater chance to hit. Ambushes become a even more impressive > in Runequest than I'd realised or played them for my group before > now. This is something I spotted ages ago in RQ3 and changed ASAP. The chance to hit increases thus increasing the Critical Chance. This is patently silly. What I do is to increase the chance of hitting the group but not increase the Special/Critical chance. This also applies when standing on top of a Dragon with a sword. Imagine a SIZ 450 Dragon and a little chap with courage but no brains who jumps/flies/teleports onto its back and starts hacking. Imagine the Dragon has 50 point skin, say, because it's hard. RQ3 gives a bonus to hit of 5% per point of SIZ above a certain SIZ. I can't remember the exact figures, but let's say each SIZ above 50 gives + 5%, for argument's sake. His chance to hit is increased by (450 - 50) * 5 = 2000%. This gives him an automatic Critical roll enabling him to bypass the armnour. This is silly. Once again, I allowed the bonus to hit but not to Special or Critical, on the basis that he couldn't really miss. One of my players argued for the bonus as follows: The Dragon is so big that it has massive scales. The Scales have joins/gaps between them. As the dragon is massive, these gaps are also massive. The hacker is hitting the gaps and penetrating the flesh with ease. Even though he succeeded in his Frantic Rationalisation Roll (for those who do not know, this is a skill normally reserved for GMs, but occasionally used by players, when he has to rationalise a decision on the spot in order to forestall being bashed about the head by irate players holding heavy rulebooks) my response was inevitible - "Bollocks". Apparently, my argument won the day :-) Now I see that Terje Tollisen gives a similar example for the missile case - 400 is a magic number to demonstrate how silly the rules can be, sometimes. Richard Ohlson > I'm having trouble figuring out exactly how spirit combat works with > passion spirits. Does the spirit have to knock the adventurer down to > 0 MP to posses them? It almost seems pointless, because if you can > sick a spirit on somebody and knock 'em to 0 MP, they'll be > unconsious. (So who really cares if they are demoralized, feared, > etc.) > Am I reading these right? I think so, but Passion Spirits often attack at night when all good people are asleep and therefore DO NOT RESIST SPIRIT COMBAT, so they go right in, causing a really bad dream and loads of problems afterwards. This is a GOOD TACTIC to use, if you are a nasty GM. Passion Spirits are generally pretty crap, so I allow an attempt to possess if they are 10 MP or more higher than their opponent. So, if Apollo (POW 12) is attacked by a Masturbation Spirit of POW 20, then Spirit Combat begins. Apollo loses 2 MP straight away taking him to 10 MP, next round the Passion Spirit attempts a possession and jumps right in with hilarious consequences :-) When a Passion Spirit possesses in this way, would it be obvious that the character is possessed (the Spirit laughs like a maniac and dives down their throat) or would it just disappear, leaving people to wonder where it had gone? Of course, in the above example it becomes very obvious very quickly where the Spirit is and what it is doing. By the way, Passion Spirits need not be restricted to the normal Fear/Pain/Madness Spirits. Much fun can be had with Masturbation/Impotence/Lust/Incontinence Spirits and their ilk. See Ya Simon *************************************************************************** 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, 7 Oct 1998 13:04:40 +0100 From: "Hibbs, Philip" Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits >RQ3 gives a bonus to hit of 5% per point of SIZ above a certain >SIZ. I can't remember the exact figures, but let's say each SIZ >above 50 gives + 5%, for argument's sake. It's +5% per 10 points above 20, so a SIZ 450 dragon gives +210% to hit, so crit chance is something like 11%, not unreasonable. philip.hibbs@tnt.co.uk http://members.tripod.com/~PhilHibbs/ Any view of things that is not strange is false - Neil Gaiman, Sandman *************************************************************************** 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, 7 Oct 1998 08:45:30 -0400 From: "Bob Stancliff" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Spirits > I'm having trouble figuring out exactly how spirit combat works with passion spirits. > Does the spirit have to knock the adventurer down to 0 MP to posses them? It almost seems > pointless, because if you can sick a spirit on somebody and knock 'em to 0 MP, they'll be > unconsious. (So who really cares if they are demoralized, feared, etc.) > Am I reading these right? > Rich You are generally right, but you have missed some of the finer details. Passion spirits possess covertly. That means that if their attack is ever 10 points above the opponent's defense they automatically win without reducing the POW to 0, they do not take control of the person, but inhabit them and plague them with constant mood shifts that the person might not even realize they have, and they don't leave until banished, which could take years. Bob Stancliff (stanclif@ufl.edu) 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, 7 Oct 1998 09:01:14 -0400 From: "Bob Stancliff" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits > > Am I reading these right? > I think so, but Passion Spirits often attack at night when all good > people are asleep and therefore DO NOT RESIST SPIRIT COMBAT, so they > go right in, causing a really bad dream and loads of problems > afterwards. > Simon I'm sorry, Simon, but I want a page number for that. I think everyone resists, but the spirit would get a surprise attack. Bob Stancliff (stanclif@ufl.edu) 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, 07 Oct 1998 11:57:20 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Silly Rules/Passion Spirits Simon Phipp wrote: > > When a Passion Spirit possesses in this way, would it be obvious that > the character is possessed (the Spirit laughs like a maniac and dives > down their throat) or would it just disappear, leaving people to > wonder where it had gone? Of course, in the above example it becomes > very obvious very quickly where the Spirit is and what it is doing. I dunno about you, but I'd use the first image for my group. :) One time the party's shaman foolishly went out on the spirit plane seeking a demon; he found one, and when it became obvious that it was going to eat him, he tried fleeing (leading it back to his body). It caught him on the frontier region, within sight of his body, and possessed it. His fetch, which commonly took the form of a ferret when guarding his body, bunched up and hopped away from his body, hissing and spitting. The group obviously knew something was up. The demon spent a couple of minutes trying to fake a massive headache (pretending to be the shaman, who was subject to mood shifts in the first place), and trying to make a graceful exit. The group prevented him, so he assumed his full height of 8', stretching the shaman's body into a bad replica of a wookie, and tried to fight his way out. Elf priest had to DI to expell the demon without killing the shaman. > By the way, Passion Spirits need not be restricted to the normal > Fear/Pain/Madness Spirits. Much fun can be had with > Masturbation/Impotence/Lust/Incontinence Spirits and their ilk. Heh. - -- talmeta@bellatlantic.net - I *am* one of the Chosen Few! ICQ - 12594453 AIM - talmeta1 TANJ Lives! - Alternate Homepage - *************************************************************************** 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, 07 Oct 1998 13:58:02 -0400 From: Richard Ohlson Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Spirits Bob Stancliff wrote: > > I'm having trouble figuring out exactly how spirit combat works with > passion spirits. > > Does the spirit have to knock the adventurer down to 0 MP to posses them? > It almost seems > > pointless, because if you can sick a spirit on somebody and knock 'em to > 0 MP, they'll be > > unconsious. (So who really cares if they are demoralized, feared, etc.) > > Am I reading these right? > > Rich > You are generally right, but you have missed some of the finer details. > Passion spirits possess covertly. That means that if their attack is ever > 10 points above the opponent's defense they automatically win without > reducing the POW to 0, they do not take control of the person, but inhabit > them and plague them with constant mood shifts that the person might not > even realize they have, and they don't leave until banished, which could > take years. Ok, I thought there was something like that. However, How would they not know? Don't they have to activly fight the spirit? *************************************************************************** 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 #166 ************************************* *************************************************************************** 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 Hasbro/Avalon Hill Games. With the exception of previously copyrighted material, unless specified otherwise all text in this digest is copyright by the author or authors, with rights granted to copy for personal use, to excerpt in reviews and replies, and to archive unchanged for electronic retrieval.