From: owner-runequest-rules@lists.imagiconline.com (RuneQuest Rules Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.imagiconline.com Subject: RuneQuest Rules Digest V3 #26 Reply-To: runequest-rules@lists.imagiconline.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@lists.imagiconline.com Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@lists.imagiconline.com Precedence: bulk RuneQuest Rules Digest Tuesday, March 28 2000 Volume 03 : Number 026 RuneQuest is a trademark of Hasbro/Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS [RQ-RULES] Magnus Vindegg/UK/Contr/IBM is out of the office. [RQ-RULES] RuneQuest Low Magic Re: SV: [RQ-RULES] Baravar for RQ/Greyhawk [RQ-RULES] Is there a RQ Idiots' Guide anywhere on the web? Re: [RQ-RULES] Is there a RQ Idiots' Guide anywhere on the web? Re: [RQ-RULES] Is there a RQ Idiots' Guide anywhere on the web? [RQ-RULES] Cranky Review of Hero Wars 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: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 18:07:58 +0000 From: D06ML028/06/M/IBM@uk.ibm.com Subject: [RQ-RULES] Magnus Vindegg/UK/Contr/IBM is out of the office. I am out of the office from 23-03-2000, returning 01-01-2001. You will receive only this notification of my absence prior to my return, at which time I will respond. I've changed my mail address to vindegg1@uk.ibm.com. Please direct your mails to this address. Thanks! Magnus *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 22:56:26 +0100 (CET) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Julian=20Lord?= Subject: [RQ-RULES] RuneQuest Low Magic Hi !! Here's a RuneQuest version of a recent posting to the Glorantha Digest. bjm : > Therefore, if I'm reading the signs aright, were one > to do a Gloranthan adaptation using "A Different > System", what the legacy model of RuneQuest ended up > calling "spirit magic" would actually be better > modeled as "low powered magic" of whatever ilk. Yes. I believe that a late trend among people who are writing Official (or Semi-Official) HW material but still love to roll D100s when no-one's looking (among others), is that there is a Low Magic / High Magic dichotomy in most magic Traditions. > To reflect the innate inefficiency of "mixing", > perhaps characters might be required to "double up" > on "redundant" magics. (nb this inneficiency of 'mixing' magical traditions is a Hero Wars mechanic ; and makes good sense (up to a point). However. In this heresy, Low Magic would resemble RQ Spirit Magic, but : magical procedures to bring this magic into being would resemble those of the High Magic of the local Tradition. So, there would be Low Sorcery, which had effects similar to those of RQ Spirit Magic (but some spells wouldn't be available), but the peasants would have them as spell skills, using Sandy's rules frex. and have difficulty Manipulating them (although the cleverest peasants probably *could*. &c. There wouldn't be any 'redundant' magics under this scheme. Instead, you'd have complementary spell lists/keywords for Low and High magics in a single Tradition (but Low Magic would be usually be much the same in all of them). Such ideas can easily be turned into house rules for both RQ and HW, if that's how you want your Glorantha. For HW, you just write up Low Magic keywords for your campaign, frinstance. Julian Lord ___________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Achetez, vendez! À votre prix! Sur http://encheres.yahoo.fr *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 17:46:36 -0500 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: SV: [RQ-RULES] Baravar for RQ/Greyhawk Erik Sieurin wrote: > > Is there a place where I can find the specific Divine and Spirit spells mentioned in many of your excellent "GreyQuest" writeups? Some are obviously taken from, say GoG, but others are not (conversions from AD&D, I think, at least in some cases). Is there anyway I could get a hold of your stats for, say, "Believe Lie", "Cloak of Illusion" or "Whispers" spells mentioned in the Baravar writeup? > I couldn't find any on your website, but maybe I'm just confused... I have, for the most part, 'lifted' spells from a good many websites, publications, ezines, etc.. If my memory serves me, Believe Lie is from Sandy Petersen's Eleskar write-up, Cloak of Illusion is from Sandy's Misarde write-up, and Whispers is from Nikk Effingham's Jakaleel write-up . Since I've lost track of where Sandy's cult write-ups currently reside, I'll reprint those directly: Believe Lie Cost -- 1 POW Point Range - Personal Duration - 15 minutes Nonstackable Reusable For the duration of this spell, the caster believes his own lies. This causes Detect Truth, Read Mind, and Loosen Tongue to be based on the cultists new beliefs. It may also fool special skills like Sense Assassin. A drawback is that the caster truly believes what he says, and for the duration of the spell, will act in accordance with these beliefs. No spell or skill can detect either the casting or operation of Believe Lie. Cloak of Illusion Cost -- 2 POW Points Range - Personal Duration - 15 Minutes Nonstackable Reusable This spell alters the caster's appearance to anything he desires; it covers all senses. To successfully duplicate a specific individual's features, a caster must use a Disguise skill for each sense; this always succeeds if the caster is sensing the target as the being spell is cast. It can never succeed if the caster never sensed the individual with them. Touch also fools Darksense. Anyone familiar with a mimicked individual gets a Sense roll against any Sense that did not automatically succeed. Cloak of Illusion may also be cast by a Fear Master's Allied Spirit. This also makes an illusion, but it has no substance. This be used to distract guards, and also as a target for a Misarde DI. Example: A priest wishes to imitate an arrogant nobleman he just saw walk into a bar. Even now, he hears him yell at the bartender. When he casts his Cloak of Illusion, he must use his Disguise to duplicate the nobleman's appearance; the GM gives him a +20% since he just saw the man. As he still hears the nobleman, the spell perfectly imitates the man's nasal drone, but the priest can't duplicate the man's smell, taste, or touch (darksense) since the priest never was close enough to sense any of these. I have, for my own use, a big "every spell in creation" file, that I suppose I could give folks pointers to, as well - if I were to try and make it publicly available, I'd feel obliged to give due credit for - -every- spell, and that's a project equal to assembling them in the first place.... - -- talmeta@cybercomm.net - Heretic, Dilettante, & God-Machine ICQ - 12594453 AIM - talmeta Homepage - *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 23:30:09 +0000 From: Michael Cule Subject: [RQ-RULES] Is there a RQ Idiots' Guide anywhere on the web? Does anyone know of a good 'here's the basics of RQ' intro for complete newbies anywhere on the net? Something you could put in front of a complete RQ virgin so that they would have a definition in front of them of what a fumble, a critical, a special was? And how hit points work and all that sort of thing? I'm sure I could write one myself but I'd rather not reinvent the wheel. - -- Michael Cule *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 20:10:15 -0500 From: Tal Meta Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Is there a RQ Idiots' Guide anywhere on the web? Michael Cule wrote: > > Does anyone know of a good 'here's the basics of RQ' intro for complete > newbies anywhere on the net? Something you could put in front of a > complete RQ virgin so that they would have a definition in front of them > of what a fumble, a critical, a special was? And how hit points work and > all that sort of thing? Are they complete FRPG novices, or only new to RQ? I recently made three very dedicated converts to the RQ system (all who had AD&D backgrounds). I did see a very basic primer at: http://village.vossnet.co.uk/h/hpttrsn/rqbegin.htm - -- talmeta@cybercomm.net - Heretic, Dilettante, & God-Machine ICQ - 12594453 AIM - talmeta Homepage - *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 00:34:22 +0000 From: Michael Cule Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Is there a RQ Idiots' Guide anywhere on the web? In message <38DC11F7.E1C9DFBF@cybercomm.net>, Tal Meta writes >Are they complete FRPG novices, or only new to RQ? I recently made three >very dedicated converts to the RQ system (all who had AD&D backgrounds). I'm thinking of trying it on people who've had some experience but not with RQ. Thanks for the tip, I'll look up the site. - -- Michael Cule *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 09:35:46 -0500 (EST) From: Peter Maranci Subject: [RQ-RULES] Cranky Review of Hero Wars Just took a look at the three chapters of Hero Wars at Issaries.com. SLAPDASH REVIEW OF HERO WARS Okay, let's check our new glossary: GM = Narrator PC = Hero NPC = Narrator Characters Scenario = Episode Campaign = Series Hero Points = Experience Points. Waitaminnit -- EXPERIENCE POINTS?!? "Excuse me, Narrator, will the Narrator Character in this episode of this series receive Hero Points for killing my Hero?" Doesn't sound quite right... A d20 system. Oh boy. Now *that's a leap forward... Character creation -- a hundred-word essay? You just lost the interest of 95% of the potential market. They don't even want to *see* the words "100-word description" -- much less one with five bulleted mandatory elements. I mean it's a nice idea, kudos all round, but even as an optional rule this one should be hidden way, way deep in the back of the book. Instead it's the first option listed. And the paragraph on proper grammar makes me wonder if the author is actually an operative for WOTC. Or is this aimed at the 40+ crowd? I thought we were too busy having babies and supporting families to play RPGs. And all our disposable cash goes to disposable diapers. This *can't* be intended for anyone under the age of 30. Keywords -- "a quick description of the character's role in society". Like Fighter. Magic-User. Thief. Wow. Can I have a duel-keyword half-elf Fighter/Magic-User? Skills: Let me see if I have this straight. Numbers represent skill levels but the Mastery rune modifies this somehow? The Master rune indicates a mastered skill, but apparently this can still be any number, rather than 20. A guess -- is this the equivalent of "Hero Skills", which have never been detailed as such in a Chaosium publication? How does a Mastered skill of 4 compare to a non-Mastered skill of 15? Later: It's explained in Chapter 2. A Mastery 1 skill = a skill of 21. You can get multiple masteries, so (for example) 8w3 equals a skill of 68. But not percentage. This is a reverse-notation base-twenty system, if I may dare to get mathematical (not my strongest point). Somehow, I don't think this system will ever need to worry about being called "intuitive". Looks like unlike RuneQuest, in Hero Wars characters have limited skill sets -- not all will possess all abilities, unless there's an unstated base chance for success for non-keyword skills. One step closer to a class system... "Keyword". Kind of rolls off the tongue, don't it? "When choosing abilities, you can use any words or phrases you want to describe them. It doesn't matter whether the ability is described with an adjective, noun, or verb; use whatever sounds good to you." This won't be confusing. Trust The Computer. Personality Traits -- "there will be occasions when the narrator will ask you to roll a personality trait directly". That's why it's called roleplaying -- die rolls, so you don't have to! Relationship Ability Rating -- "Loyalty", "Hatred", etc. Whoops -- I didn't realize I was reviewing Pendragon 2000. Thanks, Mr. Game Designer - -- thanks for saving me from the danger of actually ROLEPLAYING my relationships. Dependants -- "Dependents never raise their abilities; they are always meant to be frail". You no longer need worry about those annoying NPCs, pardon me, "Narrator Characters" -- they're not really equal to you any more. And how is this different from AD&D? Beats me. Remember how annoying Spiderman's Aunt May always was? Didn't you wish that some supervillain would crush her like an overripe wrinkly irritating grape? Hero Points = Experience Points. Now that's cutting-edge game design! What's next -- Armor Classes? Excuse me, I meant "Armor Keywords"? Flaws - AKA GURPS Disadvantages, but they don't give you any character building points. Despite this, you must pay points to eliminate them. They are also entirely voluntary. It would be nice to think that players will take Flaws nonetheless just for the pleasure of roleplaying. It would also be nice to believe that the majority of roleplayers are selfless and totally dedicated to the principle of artistic integrity before winning. Unfortunately if this is *not* the case then the system punishes good roleplayers while rewarding powergamers. Doesn't make sense. If you trust players to create characters -- excuse me, "heroes" -- with flaws for the sake of dramatic roleplaying, why suddenly treat them with suspicion when it comes to getting rid of flaws? If you don't write in a reference to a new element acquired by your character the GM may remove it by fiat. Somewhat reminiscent of Amber Diceless, but without all the freedom. Likewise, you must spend experience points to retain wealth gained after an adventure, else the GM removes it by fiat. Talking about jumping between extremes -- GMs have a huge amount of power in this system! There are something called AP (obviously not Armor Points), which can be "bid", and have a "normal lending mechanism". Ah, the synopsis tells us. These are "Action Points", which "are equal to his target number plus 20 APs per mastery plus modifiers". Waitaminnit. "Target Number"? Keyword! -->Pete - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Maranci pmaranci@tiac.net Malden, MA Pete's RuneQuest Page! Fantasy roleplaying adventures, an online game, art, character sheets, & more: http://www.tiac.net/users/maranci/rq.htm *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ End of RuneQuest Rules Digest V3 #26 ************************************ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.imagiconline.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. RuneQuest is a Trademark of Hasbro/Avalon Hill Games. 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