From: owner-runequest-rules@lists.ient.com (RuneQuest Rules Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.ient.com Subject: RuneQuest Rules Digest V4 #83 Reply-To: runequest-rules@lists.ient.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@lists.ient.com Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@lists.ient.com Precedence: bulk RuneQuest Rules Digest Thursday, July 5 2001 Volume 04 : Number 083 RuneQuest is a trademark of Hasbro/Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS Re: [RQ-RULES] Attributes/Characteristics [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists etc Re: [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists etc Re: [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists--every Humakti Initiate's sword [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? Re: [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? [RQ-RULES] Potty Pete [RQ-RULES] Attributes/Characteristics RE: [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? RE: [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists etc Re: [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? [RQ-RULES] More spells for criticism []Long] Re: [RQ-RULES] More spells for criticism []Long] 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: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 19:05:11 +0000 (/etc/localtime) From: Brian Newman Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Attributes/Characteristics On Wed, 4 Jul 2001, Jeremy Martin wrote: > Personally, I am big and don't have fast reflexes but am pretty quiet when I want to > be. "Pretty quiet" is fine. I was talking about a negative category modifier, not zero skill. I thought he was talking about starting all stats at 10 and going only up from there, never down; I didn't see the part about eliminating SIZ and POW. One of the first things I tell my new players is that low SIZ and POW can be a plus for that very reason. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001 22:38:30 -0400 From: Peter Maranci Subject: [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists etc Er...I can't help but wonder if this is the Hero Wars list now? Or a Gloranthan list? Is there anyone subscribed who *really* hews to some sort of Received Wisdom about Glorantha? I was under the impression that this was a group of rugged individualists. :) I mean, I'm certainly interested in Glorantha as it relates to RQ2 & 3, but Hero Wars is nothing to do with RQ any more. Besides, everyone KNOWS that Humakti's blades shine with REFLECTED light, but remain well-polished by the blessing of Humakt! And anyone who says differently is blowing a load of cobblers (or whatever it is that the Glorantha Nazis on the GD say). No offense, but as a refugee from the GlorNazis I'm a leetle sensitive about this sort of discussion. ->Peter - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Maranci peter@maranci.net Woonsocket, RI Come to Pete's RuneQuest & Roleplaying!: http://www.maranci.net/rq.htm *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 19:37:53 +0000 (/etc/localtime) From: Brian Newman Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists etc On Tue, 3 Jul 2001, Peter Maranci wrote: >[...] > Besides, everyone KNOWS that Humakti's blades shine with REFLECTED > light, but remain well-polished by the blessing of Humakt! And anyone > who says differently is blowing a load of cobblers (or whatever it is > that the Glorantha Nazis on the GD say).[...] Yeah, I for one am willing to accept that perhaps the devout Humakti doesn't need to sharpen or polish his sword as often as others might... *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 19:52:37 -0700 From: Brad Furst Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists--every Humakti Initiate's sword >I mean, I'm certainly interested in Glorantha as it relates to RQ2 & >3, but Hero Wars is nothing to do with RQ any more. My original inquiry was to discover whether I had missed something in RQ2-3 re: Humakti. It seems that I did not, that the information presented to me was new as of HW, a useful [to me] confirmation. Brad Furst esoteric@teleport.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2001 00:53:59 EDT From: MurfNMurf@aol.com Subject: [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? - --part1_da.883706d.2873fb67_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hiya gang, Having only recently had the misfortune to roll a character up with an APP 7, I got to wondering just _how_ ugly that is.Most of the hideous types of creatures I've found listed usually have an APP of 1D6, while the "average" APP for most humanoid types seems to run about 11. So just how ugly _is_ APP 7 at 1pt higher than hideous? -Ken- - --part1_da.883706d.2873fb67_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit  Hiya gang,
  Having only recently had the misfortune to roll a character up with an APP
7, I got to wondering just _how_ ugly that is.Most of the hideous types of
creatures I've found listed usually have an APP of 1D6, while the  "average"
APP for most humanoid types seems to run about 11. So just how ugly _is_ APP
7 at 1pt higher than hideous?
 -Ken- - --part1_da.883706d.2873fb67_boundary-- *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 22:03:32 +0000 (/etc/localtime) From: Brian Newman Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? > Having only recently had the misfortune to roll a character up with an APP > 7, I got to wondering just _how_ ugly that is.Most of the hideous types of > creatures I've found listed usually have an APP of 1D6, while the "average" > APP for most humanoid types seems to run about 11. So just how ugly _is_ APP > 7 at 1pt higher than hideous? There's a human character in my current game with an APP of 5. I offered to him to reroll it but he wanted to keep it. I was thinking... he's just 3 points above being so ugly that he's no longer human. That's got to be pretty darn unappealing. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2001 08:45:26 +0100 From: "Tom Zunder" Subject: [RQ-RULES] Potty Pete Hi Pete! I'd say pot should be about the same as drunk but stop before the collapsing stage, so start the same and then stop it before catatonia sets in. - --- T H Zunder tom@zunder.freeserve.co.uk ICQ:1521799 *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2001 02:01:47 -0700 From: Simon Hibbs Subject: [RQ-RULES] Attributes/Characteristics Brian Newman : >The only problem is that now you can't have a sneak-thief-type who's >naturally good at it because of low SIZ and POW. Almost everyone is >going to start with a very low Stealth modifier. Perhaps I didn't explain very well. If the Stealth modifier is now equal to the Agility stat, there's nothing whatever stopping a sneak-thief type from having a Stealth modifier of +18. He can even have a low STR (because he's small) and a low POW if you like. There's nothing stopping you having almost exactly the same characters you had before, and plenty of options that were completely denied to you before. I've broken the causal link between low POW and high stealthiness (or Agility), but you can still have the character you want. If you're using a points allocation system for stats (which is fine by me as a GM) then you can spend fewer points on POW and put them on Agility and there you go - low POW gives better stealthiness. It's all a matter of how you think about it. If you particularly like SIZ as an attribute, that's fine. I'm personally not a big fan of it. Simon Hibbs *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2001 08:35:15 -0400 From: Robert Stancliff Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? > Having only recently had the misfortune to roll a character > up with an APP 7, I got to wondering just _how_ ugly that is. > Most of the hideous types of creatures I've found listed > usually have an APP of 1D6, while the "average" APP for most > humanoid types seems to run about 11. So just how ugly _is_ > APP 7 at 1pt higher than hideous? > -Ken- It's about like the really old guy with no teeth who removes his dentures and sucks his lips into his mouth so far his entire face starts to sag towards his mouth. It's like the wicked witch of the west from Wizard of Oz. Anything uglier than those is missing major body parts, has open wounds and sores, or is mutilated in several places. Stancliff *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2001 09:44:27 -0400 From: Robert Stancliff Subject: RE: [RQ-RULES] Canon Cultists etc > Er...I can't help but wonder if this is the Hero Wars list now? > Or a Gloranthan list? First and foremost, it is a Rules List. Cult descriptions are rules that tie the generic, flavorless game to the specific world of Glorantha. Without a world to run in, the game is meaningless. > Is there anyone subscribed who *really* hews to some sort of > Received Wisdom about Glorantha? I do care to know what is written about Glorantha. Then I can make an informed judgment about whether I want to change or keep it. Also, it keeps my players happier if we only make changes we agree on... then, when they want to run sessions, they can read the published material with some confidence that it will not be yanked out of their hands and told it doesn't apply. > I was under the impression that this was a group of rugged > individualists. :) It's all about consensious, no one really role plays alone. > I mean, I'm certainly interested in Glorantha as it relates to > RQ2 & 3, but Hero Wars is nothing to do with RQ any more. RQ was about Glorantha just as much as HW is about Glorantha. My 22 year love for Rune Quest is Because Steve, Sandy, and Greg wrote it for Glorantha. Without that, it is just an average combat system. Even when I disagree with Greg, I care about his opinion. HW is the last and most complete description of Glorantha we are ever going to get. I am convinced that Chaosium will die with Greg, and RQ, HW, and the other games will just fade away. Therefore, I am going to mine HW for every idea I am willing to bring into my Glorantha campaign. If that means I twist or change a RQ rule occasionally to make it fit the concept I want, then so be it. > No offense, but as a refugee from the GlorNazis I'm a > leetle sensitive about this sort of discussion. Get over it, you are just giving someone else the power to ruin your mood. I've seen your posts long enough to know you will do what you want anyway, so our comments have little bearing on you. So to address the question that started this thread... > _Storm Tribe_ p.93 "The Death Light of the Shining Sword" > The swords of Humakti always shine, and often flash when > they are first unsheathed. This Death Light is bright > enough for Humakti to see around them as if it was day, but > non-Humakti cannot even see the light. Sometimes a > Humakti's sword glows brightly enough to light a passage > through darkness or to be visible to non-Humakti." > Cults of Prax, p 38: > "Marks of the Initiate and Sword levels of Humakt > worshippers are the well-polished swords they bear. > Once initiated, a Humakti's sword always shines." While the RQ reference doesn't make it clear that the shine is a visible light, the reference that it starts immediately after initiation certainly supports the interpretation that it is a divine glow. The HW reference states that it only affects cult members (except in very special cases), which suggests that the glow really derives from the soul of the Humakti and expresses in the weapon. When I read this, I am immediately reminded of Thanatari Dark Light, which has very similar properties for the cult of stolen knowledge. I really like this concept with the small change that I consider the light to stem from Humakt's other rune, the Torch of Truth. I would consider giving a similar power to Lankhor Mhy and other Truth Rune cults, and I would make it clear that the Light of Truth negates the Dark Light of Thanatar's anti-knowledge. In defense of the HW write-up, I seem to recall that in one of the myths of Eurmal finding death, it is said to have glowed softly... but I could be wrong about it. Bob Stancliff *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2001 23:28:44 +0800 From: Jeremy Martin Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] Just how ugly is ugly? Robert Stancliff wrote: > > Having only recently had the misfortune to roll a character > > up with an APP 7, I got to wondering just _how_ ugly that is. > > Most of the hideous types of creatures I've found listed > > usually have an APP of 1D6, while the "average" APP for most > > humanoid types seems to run about 11. So just how ugly _is_ > > APP 7 at 1pt higher than hideous? > > -Ken- > > It's about like the really old guy with no teeth who removes his dentures > and sucks his lips into his mouth so far his entire face starts to sag > towards his mouth. It's like the wicked witch of the west from Wizard of > Oz. Anything uglier than those is missing major body parts, has open wounds > and sores, or is mutilated in several places. > Stancliff Actually, there's a website: www.uglypeople.com It's a very rude site - venture there at your own risk... And if you've done much travelling, you'll know what it's like. I've seen beggars in Thailand with burned flesh, open sores, etc. I've seen people that have nose warts with 6 inch hairs growing out of it... One of my players once rolled up a guy with a 3 APP. He ended up being the Doorman henchman for our house... Jeremy *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2001 17:18:21 +0100 From: "Adam Benedict Canning" Subject: [RQ-RULES] More spells for criticism []Long] As before Deities listed are Gloranthan Examples. Informed opinion about the power levels, capabilities, etc of the following would be appreciated. Spider Climb Variable spirit magic spell, temporal, passive This spell adds 5% per point to the subject’s Climb skill. Spiritwrap Variable spirit magic spell, temporal, passive For each point in this spell the subject suffers the effects of uncomfortable temperatures as if the temperature was 5°C less extreme. Thus under 3 points of this spell –5°C would affect the character as if it was 10°C and 65°C as if it was 50°C. Knock Variable spirit magic spell, temporal, passive This spell adds 5% per point to the subject’s Devise or Open Locks skill. Cloud of Magic Variable spirit magic spell, ranged, 5m radius per point area effect, temporal, passive Within the area of effect of this spell, the visibility of magical phenomena is reduced by formless swirls of mana. The visibility of gross effects, such as the presence of spirits or spells running is reduced by 50% and detail examination of magical fields is prevented. Reflection Of The Death Rune 2 point divine magic spell, temporal, passive, nonstackable reusable Humakt (Sword), Yanfal Tarnils (Scimitar), Babesta Gor(Axe), Zorak Zoran(Maul) This spell temporarily provides a normal weapon of the type appropriate to the casters god. The weapon disappears at the end of the duration or if it leaves the casters possession Reflection Of The Harmony Rune 1 point divine magic spell, temporal, passive, reusable Uleria (Harp), Donander, Drogasi(Bagpipes) This spell temporarily provides a normal musical instrument of the type appropriate to the casters god. The instrument disappears at the end of the duration . Tenebrous (Weapon) 2 point divine magic spell, temporal, passive, reusable Humakt (Sword), Black Fang(Dagger) Zorak Zoran(Maul) This spell obscures the target weapon such that it cannot be parried unless the defender makes a greater level of success on a scan roll than the success of the casting. A separate scan check is made for each attack with this weapon. Rune of the Tiger Spirit magic enchantment Each point of permanent POW sacrificed with this enchantment increases the size of dice used for unarmed combat damage caused by the subject by one step on this list 1d3 - 1d4 - 1d6 – 1d8 – 1d10 – 1d12[maximum]. Martial arts double the improved dice type, when relevant. Adam *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2001 13:35:07 -0400 From: "Leon B Kirshtein" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] More spells for criticism []Long] > Informed opinion about the power levels, capabilities, etc > of the following would be appreciated. > > Spider Climb > Variable spirit magic spell, temporal, passive > This spell adds 5% per point to the subject’s Climb skill. I would pump this spell up to give at least +10% per point to make it on par with other spells of this type (maybe even +15%). > > Spiritwrap > Variable spirit magic spell, temporal, passive > For each point in this spell the subject suffers the effects > of uncomfortable temperatures as if the temperature was 5°C > less extreme. Thus under 3 points of this spell –5°C would > affect the character as if it was 10°C and 65°C as if it was > 50°C. I just do not see this spell as being used too much. As spirit magic its duration is fairly short plus to be of any benifit you would have to cast it at a very high level. Make it sorcery and 10°C per intensity and it would be worth while. > > Knock > Variable spirit magic spell, temporal, passive > This spell adds 5% per point to the subject’s Devise or Open > Locks skill. Again make it +10% per point. > > Cloud of Magic > Variable spirit magic spell, ranged, 5m radius per point > area effect, temporal, passive > Within the area of effect of this spell, the visibility of > magical phenomena is reduced by formless swirls of mana. The > visibility of gross effects, such as the presence of spirits > or spells running is reduced by 50% and detail examination > of magical fields is prevented. I assume you are trying to prevent people examining your spirits and magic in combat. I would go for a set area, something like a Darkwall or Lightwall and make it a 2pt or 3pt spell or make it variable effect one person/spirit and each point would reduce search/scan skill by 10% per point. I do like the idea of this spell. > > Reflection Of The Death Rune > 2 point divine magic spell, temporal, passive, nonstackable > reusable > Humakt (Sword), Yanfal Tarnils (Scimitar), Babesta Gor(Axe), > Zorak Zoran(Maul) > This spell temporarily provides a normal weapon of the type > appropriate to the casters god. The weapon disappears at the > end of the duration or if it leaves the casters possession Unless the weapon is going to count as magical for purposes of killing such things as Gorps and Werewolves, it should only be a 1pt spell. Although ZZs have a 'soft spot' for blunt weapons they are not really associated with Mauls, Kigor Litor is, she does give out True Maul to her worshipers. You may wish to add Yelm/Lodril(Spear) and Orlanth(Sword), and Aldria(Bow and Arrows???) > > Reflection Of The Harmony Rune > 1 point divine magic spell, temporal, passive, reusable > Uleria (Harp), Donander, Drogasi(Bagpipes) > This spell temporarily provides a normal musical instrument > of the type appropriate to the casters god. The instrument > disappears at the end of the duration . How about duration = duration of the preformance? > > Tenebrous (Weapon) > 2 point divine magic spell, temporal, passive, reusable > Humakt (Sword), Black Fang(Dagger) Zorak Zoran(Maul) > This spell obscures the target weapon such that it cannot be > parried unless the defender makes a greater level of success > on a scan roll than the success of the casting. A separate > scan check is made for each attack with this weapon. Humakt would never give out such a spell. I seem to remeber a Humakti quest were you are supposed to turn down an Invisiable Sword. Does any one remeber this? It also seems a bit too sutle for ZZs. Most assasin type cults would love it on the other hand. > > Rune of the Tiger > Spirit magic enchantment > Each point of permanent POW sacrificed with this enchantment > increases the size of dice used for unarmed combat damage > caused by the subject by one step on this list 1d3 - 1d4 - > 1d6 – 1d8 – 1d10 – 1d12[maximum]. Martial arts double the > improved dice type, when relevant. Make this a stackable divine magic and have it add the base damage per point 1d3 - 2d3 - 3d3 - 4d3. Or leave it as spirit spell but make it variable. I just can't see someone walking around all the time with hands which do 1d12 and be able to use them for anything else execept combat. Don't trip ... Leon Kirshtein ___________________________________________________________________ To get your own FREE ZDNet Onebox - FREE voicemail, email, and fax, all in one place - sign up today at http://www.zdnetonebox.com *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ End of RuneQuest Rules Digest V4 #83 ************************************ *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.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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