There is no good reason why vampires could not steal healing magics. If one looks at the myths of how Vivamort was cursed by the Elements, maybe there should be restrictions on whether vampires can use magic which gives them control over the elements which curse them? (e.g. a Helering rite which heals using blessed water, for example, or magically-created fire) Or maybe it is all part of the vampire's sinister power that they can manipulate even the elements which are their sworn enemies?
There is a second question as to whether normal healing magics (especially if they are derived from the Life rune, though healing is increasingly associated more with Harmony anyway) work if cast on a vampire. but that is really the old question about whether an undead thing is 'cured' by using a Healing spell or a Repair spell. Also as vampires regenerate from most wounds automatically, but do not regenerate the spiritual energy they burn in order to cast common magic, they will often be tempted to let regeneration take its course if they can. Vampires probably aren't much fussed about healing others, so healing spells they can't use on themselves are probably not usually a high priority.
Someone raised a point earlier about vampires having the ability to steal rune magic largely in the interests of game balance. Maybe this is true -- after all at the time Cults of Terror was written, vampires had only limited access to rune magic through their own cult. Later rules allowing vampires access to sorcery gave some/all vampires an alternative route into advanced magic.
However Gloranthan vampires are manifestly intended as powerful enemy NPCs, not as possible player characters. Game balance is much less of an issue here -- especially when we are comparing vampires to other rune level horrors that are equally unsuitable as player characters.
The mechanics are tricky -- I have my own ideas as to how I do this in RQ, but HW might be more challenging -- but I like the concept. I like the idea that a vampire can drain/steal more than someone's temporary STR and/or Magic Points to keep going. It also makes capture by a vampire properly terrifying, especially as the 'traditional' fear of a captive being turned into a vampire against their will is not part of the Gloranthan vampiric tradition.
In my Glorantha vampires will continue to drain other people's divine magic and use it for their own ends.
Richard Hayes
To: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, 14 December 2011, 18:19
Subject: Disconnected use of Magics (was Vampirism)
Gods don't get a choice in the matter (vampires using their Magics drained from a victim)
/// I agree. Vampires rip life away from the universe, and Magics are Life. They take it, they use it, even anti-chaos feats (though I realize I'm not sure about Healing magics as I write this)
Illuminates can hide their infractions from their god, spells traded can be traded via Issaries and can be used for any purpose, magic can be embedded in Truestone and used by anyone (not sure about how HQ models this, or whether this is an outdated idea).
/// All these concepts still are "go" in my Glorantha : you can "can" Magics and have it used later, by somebody else, who possibly has nothing to do with the Source of this magic - IF there are no "user conditions" on the item.
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