Baron Wulfraed

{Blast, for some reason I couldn't "split" that quote} As mentioned -- for any VAR spell, you can cast at any level UP TO that which you know. Learning variables gets costly -- at least I recall threads implying you had to pay the cost for each intervening level: to learn Heal 3, you have to pay the cost for Heal 1, Heal 2, and Heal 3. As for boosting -- that is to get past blocking magic... But anyone resisting a Heal must be insane or dead...

Under "Free Stuff/Runequest Rune Fixes" on the Chaosium site... https://www.chaosium.com/runequest-rune-fixes/

That feels a bit on the long side. After all, what is a modern "slow cooker"? A clay pot surrounded by the equivalent of 3 100W incandescent light bulbs. They cook at around the boiling point of water. A fired clay pot should be able to take sitting fairly close to a fire -- after all, depending upon the clay, refractory pots are used to hold/transport MOLTEN METAL. However -- thermal shock is a concern. Don't splash a hot clay pot with cold water. If one has to be concerned with metal pots being damaged by a fire, one is also going to be out of favor as cook as the contents will be hard/charred and inedible. So long as the pot contains water, the pot shouldn't get much above the boiling point of water.

Possibly not applicable to BRP... When I was an active player (days of RQ2), the group made one modification to the order of declaration of intent. We started with the player/NPC having the worst DEX strike rank (highest) (and for ties then by worst actual DEX (lowest) ). We presumed that statement of intent committed that character to an action from which subsequent characters could react. Hence the quicker characters were basing their statements upon having some inkling of what is going to take place in the round. There was no changing intent after a character had declared. THEN the strike ranks start counting. Any character whose strike rank is "now" (current count) would roll their action (attack&damage, maybe dodge though I'd treat dodge similar to parry -- not tied to SR but applied when the opponent attacks [RQ2 didn't have dodge -- it had Defense which wasn't something declared unless splitting between multiple opponents, otherwise it was an inherent ability reducing the attacker's %. I don't recall if we even bothered with it). Think RQ3 introduced dodge, but again, it was seldom used: Attack&Parry vs Attack&Dodge? Especially as most characters had much better parry %ages. Damage would be applied at the SR it was inflicted and could take the opponent down. If they hadn't had their attack yet, they might get to attack later (on their SR) taking into account any side effects of the damage taken. If their weapon arm was taken out of action, well...

If I really had too, I'd skip the "bag" and move to something like: https://www.amazon.com/Solo-New-York-Classic-USLB1514/dp/B000IJ9O8W?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER (How nice, they now have wheels -- I used to carry the manuals for a Xerox Sigma-6 running CP-V in one back in the late 70s, at my college, along with a few text books. No Wheels!) Though mine had flip-over hinged top, not zipped fold-out.

Maybe a situation similar to https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.1993.0059 ?

I did suggest maybe putting the +/- points into strength groupings... Maybe every three or four points of strength gets a 1pt damage adjustment. Can't be worse than ideas to apply 1/2X or 1X personal damage die roll (IF the bow is recorded as built for user's strength rating).

There's also the matter of what IS a "sailor". Often the captain and one or two "officers" would really know navigation and sea lore (reading waves and weather) and ship-handling (in terms of what sails to set when, maneuvering/piloting) along with some leadership skill, while most of the crew may be relatively unskilled. What does it take to scrub potential slippery moss from growing on a wooden deck? Knowing carpentry (hull repair), how to sew (sail repair) and splice rope (more repairs), and understanding/performing commands relayed from the captain through the other officer(s) may suffice for crew. That's three "craft" skills for base crew. That sort of makes two occupations: ship master, and ship crew. And maybe an apprenticeship path from the latter to the former (beginning to sound more like a cult: lay => initiate => rune master; or maybe a guild (with apprentice equating to more modern "mid-ship man", journeyman to lower officers, and master to... ship master/captain).

I'd probably end up with two tables for bows then... Bow Table (with entries for "self" and "composite" bows -- maybe also "elf" bows though they already have so many oddities). Bow built for non-standard draw weight (where standard draw weight is assumed for the bows and min STR shown in the weapon table) and only usable by the designed draw strength and above for each point of strength BELOW base: subtract 1pt from damage for each point of strength ABOVE base: add 1pt to damage Maybe make groupings: for every m-points of STR below/above: subtract/add n-points of damage. This could affect cost of replacement arrows, as mismatched arrow spine could affect usage. Too stiff for the draw weight may divert to the side (I doubt any bronze age bows are "center shot" designs, so there is already the inherent "head of arrow is aimed to the outside of where the tail is when drawn"). Too soft for the draw weight and the arrow will "vibrate" in flight, flexing left and right, as the shaft is compressed some on release [the string pushes the tail forward before the head begins to move].* Then add a range effect table, adding 1D<something> for close range, and subtracting 1D<something> for extreme range. No modifier for mid-range. * I had such an example in my college days. The campus supplied bows were mostly fiberglass recurve bows of slightly higher class than the beginner bows bound in department stores -- pull weights varied from around 20lb to maybe 35lb. Arrows were similar low-end assortment. Thing is, the archery "course" tended to be offered early in the fall term, and was often used as a warm-up for hunting season. About half the class brought their own hunting grade (laminated/composite?) wood recurve or compound bows tuned for 50=75lb pull. While not a hunter, I was in that second half -- a cheap Outers compound bow cranked up to 50lbs [unfortunately, on that bow draw weight and draw length were inversely linked -- and the length was a hair short for best cheek weld]. I ended up with one of the low-spine campus arrows [what -- risk losing an expensive aluminum hunting arrow in the weeds of that field?] and observed move [from my standing position] an apparent three targets to the left, arc back about two targets to the right, and then arc left to hit the target I was aiming at. Just lucky coincidence that the wave length in flight matched the shooting distance. I rapidly concluded that arrow was unsafe to use in my bow. On the other end of the scale, one of the girls kept choosing the weakest campus bow. It was so weak even she was drawing to behind her ear -- and was practically thowing the arrow at the target as her release included flicking her hand forward, not just opening fingers.

Naw... It should be "The Past Popularity of Archie, Jughead, Veronica -- and Gophers" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_(search_engine)

Yes, the ways have apparently been Opened... But as I recall getting "dinged" when I made some comments, somewhere, it may not be widely known and many ship masters are still relying upon Dormal cultists for safe passage whether needed or not. After all, if you are in charge of a merchanter, would you /really/ risk passage without Dormal's rites just because the Boat Planet seems to have returned?

Since I doubt you mean anything with elastic for the sling, that means you are talking about swinging a mass at one end of a folded strip of leather -- multiple times to build up speed. How do you keep the line from tangling (with either itself or with the length of the sling)? More practical, in my mind, would be something like an extended atlatl, having an eye on the far end for the line to pass through. Said line passes down the shaft and is held by a finger of the launching hand; the rest of the line is loosely coiled at one's feet. Swing the launcher and release the line at the (TBD) optimal point in the arc, letting the hook/bait/sinker? pull the line from the coil. Or control the line with the off hand, and develop the techniques used by fly-fishers, wherein one makes multiple fore/aft swings with the launcher, feeding a few feet of line out at each end, until one has 15-20 feet of line in the air. Of course, I'd suspect the first development would just be a bamboo rod (my first pole was 10+feet long). The length of line being such that it reaches from the eyelet at the tip down to (for safety, to avoid snagging oneself) just above the hand hold. Extreme reach for the line would then be about twice the length of the bamboo. With a long enough rod, the acceleration would be gentler, so one doesn't end up ripping the bait.

I'd suggest it is because sling stones would be fairly ineffective at hitting fish -- even if one has mastered the "fish looks to be there, so I need to aim here" refraction matter (bit easier with a spear -- as one could dip the end into the water and see an approximation of the visual shift)... Because sling stones are rather blunt and will 1) slow down rapidly on entering the water, along with making a big splash that probably startles the fish much before the stone gets near it; 2) at shallower angles stones would have a tendency to ricochet/skip off the surface of the water. At the angle needed for a sling stone to have a chance, you might as well just "tickle" the fish out of the water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trout_tickling

With a name like "Humct" one might be forgiven for seeing a perverted "Humakt" worship. Though how Truth would apply is an open question. May depend upon the worshippers having a firm belief in some odd form of truth (honor among thieves? Everyone else is prey.).

You appear to be conflating "compound bow" with "composite bow". Compound bow: elliptical pulleys allowing for a pull-weight let-off at full draw -- typically 30-50% reduction, which makes it much easier to hold and aim, but since the full pull-weight only appears at mid-draw and release, the arrow is accelerated at the lower pull up through the peak draw weight (so may have shorter range). Composite bow: bow limbs made by laminating two or three different materials -- (for three, the middle one is likely wood). Bone which resists compression and sinew which resists stretching. Some of the eastern Mediterranean composite bows were quite short -- maybe 2-3 feet. When unstrung they would look like a C, strung they look like } (I did not reverse the "opening" -- the tips of the C have to be bent all the way around to the left side to form the recurve shape) "Self" bow (English longbow and kin): typically quite long -- 4-5 feet would not be amiss. Formed from a carefully shaped single piece of flexible wood. Composite and Self bows have a steadily increasing pull-weight as one draws the bow back (and the pull-weight really stacks up as one reaches near the breaking point of the bow). As a result, arrows undergo the greatest acceleration immediately upon release, with the acceleration decreasing as the bow straightens out.

I've never been a GM, so that's one strike right there. RQ2 was the first RPG I was introduced to (I then bought the Traveller system: 3book box set, addendums, hard-cover, MegaTraveller, New Era). AD&D (and then 2nd Ed) was the second RPG I was introduced (as in "played") to -- and I found that artificial level/class system quite obnoxious (What... I've never used my dagger for more than eating, and suddenly I'm twice as effective with it? I'm wearing my own weight in metal armor and I'm actually /harder/ to hit? But if I am hit it is as if I had no armor regarding damages). The GM didn't emphasize much of the Gloranthan mythos -- beyond Cults of Prax. Character generation basically had us as a bunch of snot-nosed kids wearing ponchos made of carpet remnants for armor and using baseball bats for weapons (linen/mace) making our first forays out of town. Our first few sessions basically had us beating up the operator of the "troll bridge" or wandering parties of trollkin. Since the bridge troll kept getting upgraded we eventually gave in and just paid the troll... The trollkin eventually got upgraded to wandering party of broo. We didn't use purchased scenarios -- mostly the random encounter table in RQ2, with maybe some overall mission goal (equivalent to a dungeon-crawl). Even CoP was only of light use at first, since RQ2 required "two years" (as I recall) as a lay member before one could attempt initiation, and once initiated we rarely had Rune/Divine magic since it was one-use and required actual POW sacrifice (no such thing as a renewable pool of rune points) per spell. Everyone tended to get Heal-2 as that was the minimum needed to cauterize wounds to stop bleeding-out (and a few had the xeno-heal to handle injured horses or other species party members).

As I understand the thread: Each summon /cast/ consumes a RP, not a POW sacrifice. The POW sacrifice occurred when you gained access to the spell. If you have three RPs in your pool, you could cast three summons at 1RP each. Casting multiple summons in close order (so the first spirits summoned are still roaming) "tags" those spirits as "yours" for future summons -- but at that point the choice of which is to respond can be made during the summon.

Stray thought from the middle of the night... One could maybe apply some of the RQ 2nd Ed rules applicable to initiates to this "between lay and full initiate" stage. I'm thinking, mostly, the ONE USE RUNESPELL -- Sacrificing POW gets one the spell, but does NOT get one renewable RP nor a pool of points usable for the "commonly known" spells (that is, even the common spells would be one use, and require a POW sacrifice specifically for each spell).

"Novitiate"? Though that fits as a synonym for "apprentice" which leads close to classical guild rankings: apprentice, journeyman ("initiate"?), master (rune level).... Leaving lay members as customers 😱

Based upon https://oldschoolroleplaying.com/divine-intervention-in-dungeons-and-dragons/ it was something introduced in 1st Ed AD&D. If it wasn't in the 2nd Ed books, my GM must have carried it over (the transition from 1st to 2nd occurred during my active years; I don't intend to crawl into the basement to find the AD&D bin -- RQ2/RQ3/RQ:RiG is currently cluttering the living room). In my group, DI most often came up more as a humorous warning regarding saying things at the table: Player (not in character): Oh my god! GM (ominously): Yeeesss???

Given how most of the Prax riders object to horses being ridden, I suspect not many "bits" find their way to Sartar ("what am I supposed to do with a bit for a High Llama?") 🤔

I fall into the latter group. The "yearly income" is tied to your non-adventuring occupation (better not spend too much time on-the-road). But tithing comes from ALL income, including adventuring. Any other interpretation leads to the concept of... Spending 100% of your time adventuring -- hence no occupation income, and thereby no tithe to pay (though you would have to make up the cost-of-living aspect out of the adventuring loot). The tithe shouldn't be that difficult to compute. You know what you started the adventure with, you know how much you ended the adventure with... Take the difference (end - start), if zero or negative, nothing to tithe (you lost out on that adventure). If positive, deduct 10% (or whatever one's rank requires) from the excess, and keep the rest. Granted, if all the loot was in weapons, armor, clothing -- one may need to locate a trader willing to buy such (I'd consider loot used to replace damaged property as no=effect). Crystals may be costly if not sold, as one would still need to tithe the proportional value from out of money. Or maybe provide the tithe in the form of looted goods (Humakt may have a use for decent swords/armor to provide to members being sent on missions)

Never seen the LM002, have you? https://carbuzz.com/news/before-the-urus-arrives-let-s-look-back-at-the-lamborghini-lm002

For fairness -- how many fumbles might that trollkin encounter during all this, to its detriment?

Well... It's not a port of the Kilkenny Cats... 😱 Nor the one that starts "One fine day, in the middle of the night; two dead boys got up to a fight; back to back they faced each other..."