meridian

Hello all! I’m laying the groundwork for an RQ campaign using the Starter Set and Adventure Book in the GMs Kit, with the heroes starting in Jonstown then being recruited, Magnificent Seven style, into Defending Apple Lane. While looking everything over I took note of Xiobalg’s ambition to become a Rune Lord (or Leader, per Cults of Runequest: The Earth Goddesses). Being new to the system, I undertook a thought experiment to see what his ritual might look like in game terms. I want to make sure I have my math right. I presume becoming a Leader will involve a big ceremony and a Worship (Bloody Tusk) roll. The skill roll doesn’t seem to be required, but I figure putting on a big show could gain Xiombalg prestige among his fellow Tusk Riders, as well as edifying his own ego (and restoring the Rune Points he spent sacking Apple Lane). There are lots of ways to modify the skill roll, and I set out to compute them all and see what kind of numbers Xioblag would be playing with. Base Skill: Xiombalg has a Worship (Bloody Tusk) of 60% Passion: Though the stats in the scenario don’t specify anything but Hate, I’m presuming he’d have a Devotion (Bloody Tusk) of 60%, gained when he became an Initiate. Modifiers: Here’s where the fun begins. I’m presuming the attack on Apple Lane is early in the season, the Wildday of Disorder Week: Disorder seems fitting, and doing it in Harmony week would mean attacking on Uleria’s seasonal holy day, which would be inauspicious. Xiombalg carries out his attack, taking the hands of all the priests in Apple Lane with their spirits bound in them as trophies. He journeys to Ivory Plinth and holds his ritual on Wildday of Death Week, the Bloody Tusk’s seasonal holy day. He engages in ritual preparation for 2 days before the ceremony begins, arriving early to have the time to do the prep and overpower any other Riders who mean to use the Plinth that day (I can’t imagine all the chieftains peacefully taking a number for temple access). When all is done, Xiobalg finally makes his Worship skill roll with the following modifiers: 55% - 2 days ritual prep (he could conceivably do a week, but I figure interruption at the Ivory Plinth is a real possibility - and an additional 5% for five whole days doesn’t seem like a good investment) 20% - Seasonal Holy Day 30% - Great Temple 400% - Sacrifice of 40 MP beyond the 2 base MP the roll requires (he has 46 after his POW sacrifice to create his offering) 20% - Sacrifice of the spirit bound hand of the Apple Lane Uleria Priestess (counting it as a magic item) -10%, +20%, +30%, or +50% from the Passion augment based on the degree of success (fail, succeed, special, critical). A fumbled Passion roll presumably botches the entire ritual. So, his total bonus is +515, 545, 555, or 575%, based on the Passion result. That makes his modified skill 575, 605, 615, or 635%. At worst, Xiobalg has a 29% chance of a critical success, and a 115% chance of a special success. These are some big numbers. Note that I’m not at all complaining: I’ve got a bachelor’s in Anthropogy and an obsession with modifier-heavy magic systems (Nephilim, BRP Enlightened Magic, and GURPS Cabal are my guiding stars): I’m an RQ true believer - the effort Xiombalg is investing here is worth a huge bonus - he’s in effect boosting his worship skill by a factor of 10. I can only imagine the numbers Leika and the Clearwine Ring must be throwing around on High Holy Days, and bonuses like these make it easy to believe that the Worship ceremonies every Sacred Time are (re)creating the universe. But I’m concerned I’m missing something. Are my numbers above on target? I want to know if I’ve missed any limiting factors here - is there a maximum number of MP you can sacrifice for a Worship roll? Do ritual factors (place, time, sacrifices) all stack, or do you just take the highest modifier?