radmonger

The Humakti definition of 'undead' is perhaps better translated as 'not dead'. Everyone is supposed to die; those who defy death must be dealt with. Skeletons and zombies are actually dead, so they in theory don't count. However, the vast majority of such in the Dragon Pass area are raised by Delecti the necromancer or one of his minions. As he was around in the second age, he presumably is using some form of sorcerous immortality adjacent to vampirism. So they do detect as undead because it is his magic that power them. Corpses animated by other means (by trolls, or perhaps Esrolians) do not detect as undead because they are expressing the death rune normally. However, such practices are one minor heroquest, or sorcerous innovation, away from summoning and binding a dead soul back. So Humakti are always suspicious of them. As they are of Chalana Arroy healers, who have the other half of the magic required to do that, as was shown when Queen Deezola participated in the rebirth of the Red Goddess. Perhaps the seven day limit on resurrection is more of a pragmatic compromise between the two cults than an unbreakable cosmic rule.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves'_World is a very RQ and somewhat Gloranthan fantasy anthology. Chaosium published a boxed set describing the novels setting, the city of Sancturay. As I understand it, the Esrolian city of Refuge was, once upon a time, a stand-in for Sanctuary. However, that this is not currently true, presumably for the obvious reason that Chaosium do not want any part of official canon Glorantha to be based on a way out of print box set based on someone else's IP.

The red book of magic has _detect undead_ as a spirit magic spell. So presumably whether something is undead or not is an answerable question. This is in contrast to chaos, where there, by current canon, no reliable objective procedure to determine whether something is chaotic or not.

I use: x1 on a success is a critical. x5 on a success is a special x0 on a failure is a fumble This is simple, but does double the odds of a critical. I use it with other tweaks to the per-location 'instagib' rules that make a critical a fight-ending event, not necessarily a life-ending one. i need to check out the math for adding an extra rule: x2 under (skill - 100) is a critical x6 under (skill - 100) is a special and so on.

Humakt is neutral to chaos because, having severed all relations his kin, he can't feel anything but indifference towards his nephew Wakboth. Doesn't mean he won't kill him in a fair fight. or if he's getting paid. But there is no hatred there.

Old school Dara Happans are somewhat fuzzy on the distinction between Orlanth the son of Umath, and his brother Ragnaglar, father of Wakboth. Both of those are storm gods who broke the world, supported by violent rebels against civilisation. Any subtle distinction between the two is not really evident from the outside. Enlightened lunar scholars would tend to respond with 'well actually' when someone confuses the two, as they would if someone confuses say Antirius and Khelmal. But then they go on to say that the partial redemption of Orlanth, when he went on the lightbringers quest, shows that the same is possible for Ragnaglar.

I would recommend the Last Kingdom and Winter King TV series, or the novels they are based on. They really show how to tell a story around and largely about battles, without becoming a wargame. They have the Runequest feel of combat being a deadly thing where skill matters, but numbers matter more. The technology level is a bit higher than Glorantha , but it's still clearly pre-medieval.

A promise to not use any Odaylan rune magic?

Yes the other option is to ritually bless the journey at the village shrine/site. This just flags it up as 'interesting', and so ensures the eventful and potentially dangerous things happen on the way. This including speaking to people who suddenly find themselves playing up to archetypes[1], and stumbling across farms or even villages that are not on any map. On the other hand, you definitely wont run into anything mythically anachronistic, like a lunar patrol. At their destination, the spell pathwatch is learnt, as the pc now knows the secret of what signs of trouble to look for. As there is an actual element of risk and a fully-played out adventure, that spell is technically a heroquest reward rather than simply learnt, and so the usual restrictions on what can be learnt where do not apply [1] You are my brother's wife's cousin; we drank together at Helda's wedding barely two seasons ago. Are you really saying you won't let me pass the gate without paying this ridiculous toll?

Having presumably gone through the general adulthood initiation rites, the PC will now know the secret of getting to Orlanth's hall, or Ernalda's Palace, on the hero plane. on the holy days of Issaries, he visits that location, and so can be met. Initiation requires learning a spell, in order to provide a route for the exchange of mortal and divine energies. The default spell learnt at issaries shrines is _lock_, so that is likely the first myth acted through. Something like: In that time, King Vingkot's Second Son had not come into his wisdom, and was eating more than even a king's wealth could support. He ate a horse as a starter, and followed that up with 5 more courses, each larger than the last. When the hunger came on him, no argument could sway him. Vingkot asked his first son, who said while violence was an option, noone could stop him without kinstrife. Vingkot asked his wife, who said there is always another way, but turned back to her weaving without explaining what it was.. he went to see the Knowing God, who only talked nonsense about prophecies Finally Vingkot came to Issaries for practical advice. He taught him the secret of the first lock, which kept the second son out of the food store. Not being able to sate his hunger caused ther second son to come into his wisdom, and he departed to fulfill Lhankhor Mhy's prophecy. The pc takes the role of vingkot. [1] By the third generation, Orlanth's line was actually starting to get the idea of forseeable consequences.

If every father has 3 sons (who live to adulthood and pass the initiation rites), the clan is tripling in size per generation, which is obviously unsustainable. Relevant myth (from Prince of Sartar): In a stable clan, it would be relatively rare for two sons of a carl to both be allocated land. The happy ending to that situation is one of them qualifies as a thane or priest.

noble status: a ruling cult[1] feels an obligation to support you at an elevated living standard. This usually comes from exceptional performance in adulthood initiation and other personal-level heroquests. All rune lords are of noble status; the cults that don't support rune lords are those that don't provide a route to nobility. noble occupation: you spend a significant part of your day to day life dealing with the concerns of those who labor to support that elevated lifestyle. If you have noble status, then not only is someone is doing the work implied by that status, but someone else is managing and organizing those workers. if you are a noble, this could be you; it could also be your sibling, spouse, or priest. I don't think the Orlanthi have the kind of hierarchical society where that work could be delegated to a steward, let alone the kind of letting agency a modern landlord might use. This logic of self-defending rural farming communities applies as well to the atomic age as it does to the bronze age [1] one risk with some interpretations of the RQ:G rules is assuming they imply a rigid separation of cult and state. Whereas it is more true that the structure of ruling cults (including Orlanth) is the structure of society, into which other cults fit.

Yelmalian, Ernaldan, Pavisiite.

Relevant: https://www.berfrois.com/2021/09/groundnut-scheming/ Albert Walter, who had directed meteorology in East Africa since the 1920s, had been appointed as an advisor to the scheme and warned the other technical advisers of the low rainfall levels. Despite boasts that the scheme was uniquely guided by scientific and technical expertise, Walter was eventually dismissed from his role, with his deep frustration at his advice going unheeded ... Of course, if the climate is unsuitable for the desired crops, then to a sufficiently powerful empire, that becomes the climate's problem: But the experiments carried on under the aegis of the local colonial government and its meteorologists. “Balloon bombs” (photographic film canisters tethered to weather balloons) and a repurposed Royal Navy flare gun were used to target individual clouds when the burners proved imprecise. Some success was claimed in measured rainfall, but not enough to resuscitate hopes of mechanized agriculture in the area. Rare video footage of a sympathetic god learner:

It's not a really simple work of middle sea empire apologia; it was favorably reviewed in the Jonstown guardian. it's main thesis is that the caste-bound nature of Jrusteli society meant that the Talars running things never talked to the Zzaburi studying things. For example, the common picture of the great Hashemite King switch is that the god learners intentionally placed a Sunni ruler in charge of a Shia people out of curiosity to see what would happen. _Ghosts of Empire_ makes heavy use of shamanistic research to support the claim that those making the decision were simply unaware of that distinction.

The Red Moon hangs in the sky. Orlanth spirals around Kero Fin. Donander wanders around playing the lyre. None could choose to do otherwise.. The compromise isn't that the gods cease to exist, it is that they lack choice of actions.

Personally i would move 'enhance int' as a variable duration/intensity spell out of play with the Vadeli. Lhankhor Mhy sorcerors would get it as a rune spell will fixed values. Orthodox Malkioni would get it as Zzabur caste magic. Brithini would just be born that smart. Which they would no doubt tell you within 15 seconds of 'hello'. Also rename 'free int' as 'law rune', while keeping it mostly mechanically the same.

Looking from the top down, maybe it is is useful to maintain a distinction between cults that actually run clans, tribes, nations, cities or guilds, and those that don't? For example. Telmor is currently the former. In the canon timeline, it presumably becomes something like Yinkin once Argrath is done with it. And Yelmalio obviously made the opposite transition a generation back. However, looking from the bottom up, that risks writing up the cults, and then making them unplayable due to bad rules. As everyone above agrees, an Orlanthi clan is not monotheistic, It contains members of many cults. This is what makes it suitable as a base for PCs, in a way a city-based temple with a congregation of mostly initiates of a single cult struggles to match. There is no reason that setup can't be adjusted, via tribal and city federation obligations, to accommodate the presence of any reasonable PC cult choice.

The write-up of Heler in the Jonstown Compendium book Six Paths has Change Sex as a 3 point reusable rune spell (provided to both Vinga and Nanda). A potentially dangerous heroquest for a 1-time effect doesn't seem very on-brand for Heler. And surely a safe heroquest is just a rune spell? For background (not protagonist-accelerated) rates of RP regain, casting that once a year seems about right.

I think you are now agreeing with me, but i can't be sure. The PC starts off worshipping Odayla at a temple dedicated to Orlanth, run by a clan following the Orlanth Thunderous tradition, with the usual tribal and city federation links. They then travel to temple dedicated to Odayla, run as an independent cult. This gives them extra options to learn new spells, but does not constitute switching or leaving a cult. So the rules from p282 do not apply. You could call the first subcult they were in something like Odayla Thunder Brother. They have 'Worship Odayla' on their character sheet, and play that role in clan or city ceremonies. Without going to a full temple, they only have access to the myths about Odayla when he was at Orlanth's side, not when he was off adventuring in the wilds on his own. in-world, in some clans, tribes and cities, there is no support for being from some cults. No temple exists that has an obligation to provide support to people from that clan, tribe or city. In-game, you can tell which cults these are by the fact that no PC chose them during character creation. This is simple, straightforward and playable. if there is some Gloranthan lore reason why things should instead be fractally complex in a way that puts players who want to have different magic available into opposing, or just remote, factions, then can someone please explain it to me?

Can you acknowledge that rules-as written, there absolutely are? RQ:G p282 says that spells in a cult you have left cannot be replenished via worship (i.e. become 1-use). Unlike the previous paragraph, there is no exception for joining an associated cult. And having all your old magic still reusably available as you switched between radically different, but associated, cults would seem pretty weird. By the rules, a member of the orlanth/yinkin cult knows the _Worship Orlanth_ skill, and does not know the _Worship Yinkin_ skill. It would take a lot of dedicated training to take that skill from a 5% base to a usable level. i could see the Lunars doing that for converts to the Seven Mothers, but not in most other cases. Obviously a gm is free to ignore whatever rules they want, but I feel the need to understand how things are supposed to work before I do so. So what i will do going forward is; - as per the mythology book Sartar cult distribution, a lot of people in Orlanthi clans are initiated into someone other than Orlanth. - those people are actually, in rules terms, initiate member of those cults (not some weird confusing subcult thing). - they do their routine worship as part of the clan, travelling to a tribal or city temple for special occasions. As young adults, there will likely be some system of apprenticeship or fostering. - they pay their cult tithes as per standard rules. But in practical terms, that money or time goes to the clan, who then use it to support the above arrangements. - for some pairs of cults, Worship skills are transferable, perhaps in a similar way to related languages. So your worship Barntar skill could perhaps start at half your Worship Orlanth skill. - This includes some cases of pairs of cults that are not associated, and might be surprising, or even shocking, to those involved. - if a spell can be renewed by more than one Worship skill a pc has, they are free to move that spell, and the corresponding Rune Point, between Rune Pools

The mythology book has a new cult template, including some new text in the subcult section. Heler is given as an example, but this presumably also applies to at least Odayla, Valind, Mastakos and Yinkin. And likely also Engizi, Voriof, Barntar, Yelmalio (as Elmal) and Vinga (if you use the independent Vinga cult write-up from six paths). Somewhat confusingly the text 'the subcult has no existence independent of the larger cult' is still present, as is 'associated cults are deities worshiped as part of the cult that are also worshiped independently outside of the cult'. The term 'subservient cult' isn't defined, and there is no explanation for how it is different from an 'associated cult'. I don't think this is quite an issue for the corrections thread, but how is this supposed to work? Are those cults intended to be played by PCs, or NPC-only? if a PC follows one, do they write it in the 'cult' section of the character sheet, the subcult, both, they choose, or it depends? If, as i think the rules as written imply, that Yinkin as a subcult of Orlanth is different from Yinkin as an independent cult, then are the crippling penalties (i.e. all rune magic becomes one-use) really supposed to apply to anyone who switches from Orlanth (Yinkin subcult) to Yinkin? Are GMs just expected to break the rules here? Furthermore, does that imply that in general there can be two cults for one deity? And so Tolat and Shargash are in fact independent cults, not subcults, and asserting an identity between them is, for all the discussion it causes, actually meaningless in rules terms? Alternatively, which to me makes more sense, is a subservient cult just an associated cult that may or may not exist independantly? Then: This would also apply to worshipers of associated cults, such as a clan-based member of Chalana Arroy several days travel from the nearest full temple. In effect, they are worshiping Chalana Arroy (subservient cult at Bluetooth clan). This way, a clan is actually a meaningful entity in Runequest rules terms; it is a shared temple between (typically) Orlanth and Ernalda. Anyone who has learnt a spell from a clan temple or shrine has a connection to the clan wyter, and so can be said to be an initiate of the clan. This happens at adulthood initiation, and also marriage ceremonies and adoption rituals. Then there is a distinct issue that some deities (Orlanth, Barntar and Vinga, and presumably Tolat and Shargash) are cognates, meaning those who initiate into cults to both of them can share a rune pool between them. in turn, this means they can keep it fully reusable while worshiping at only one temple and paying one set of tithers.

The currently unpublished GM's guide is, as i understand it, not required to run a campaign. Everything for that is in the main rules, GM's pack and bestiary. Instead, it will presumably be useful to write one. hopefully this will be a simpler alternative to spending several years on forums and web archives gaining full familiarity with Gloranthan culture and metaphysics, and then distilling that into playable form. Just as how the starter set lacks character generation rules, but you can use pre-generated characters, until it is out the solution is to run a pre-written campaign, from one of the people who have already done that. There is the official chaosium one that starts in Jonstown and leads into Apple Lane and then on to Colymar tribal politics. Or there are alternatives based on the Haraborn, Dundealos and others. https://www.chaosium.com/runequest-gamemaster-screen-pack-pdf/ https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/313871/Six-Seasons-in-Sartar https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/421842/jonstown-compendium-index-2023

This kind of textual analysis is interesting, to me at least. Officially US and UK English are supposed to differ on this, but in fact, the UK spelling is predominant in the US: https://sapling.ai/usage/worshiping-vs-worshipping One theory is that when the Jrustelan colonists attempted to purge Brithini influence by their great spelling reforms, they were unable to update words commonly used in existing copies of the Abiding Book.

In RQ3, the idea was that in the West, all normal people used sorcery. This meant a single rule system had to handle folk magic, craft specialists, village priests and wizards. Opinions differ on how well that worked. The current picture of how sorcery-dominated societies work using the rules is that the _ideal_ is that only Zzabur-caste wizards do magic, and they do so solely to support the rest of society. But everyone (except perhaps the Britihini) is living in a world of scarcity. There simply just aren't enough wizards to bless the crops, awe the kings enemies, shine the soldier's armor and lecture the peasants. So something has to give. Typically this comes down to having peasants, warriors and sometimes nobles follow standard rune cults. Perhaps under a slightly different name, with some local variation. When there are enough wizards, they do support something like pseudo-cults for the 4 castes, as in the post above. The remaining issue is that coming up with a concept for a playable PC wizard is something that inherently needs a lot of support . The current sorcery rules are not going to naturally give you a 21 year old who belongs outside a monastery or library studying. One who is useful to the rest of the party without overshadowing them. So until someone does that, they are best treated as a background detail in society, not adventurers.