davecake

It makes a lot of sense that 'ancient' Dendara has serpent connections. And when Yelm approaches Dendara as her husband, he does so in serpent form as BerNeel Arashagern. To the modern Yelm cult its a bit of prevaricating about the high pure Yelm not being involved in anything so mundane as sex except in his devolved parts, but it seems more that ancient Earth worship in Peloria saw serpents as Fertility, and the male half of that was incorporated into the Yelm cult. It makes some sense that the serpent power is associated with Fertility rather than Earth directly, but the association is close?

Thanks for clarifying that the Sourcebook is considered a source for the RQG branch of the now split Gloranthan canon. Though the now deliberate inconsistency between HQG and RQG canon annoys me, as you have no doubt gathered, its good to know which is which. Though RQG canon already has differences to Sourcebook canon in any case.

The RQG philosophy in practice, explicit or not, seems to be to make the base rules quite simple (combing attack and parry, removing the different parry rules for different kinds of weapon etc), but then introduce as much complexity in a simulationist way for special cases. Rules that are simple, unless you get excited about a specific bit of ancient warfare, then go nuts with fiddly rules, seems how it work. It seems to have gone a little bit too far in both directions for my personal taste. But hey, I own multiple other editions and related games, and can customise my house rules to taste. And I play with a bunch of grognardy types who care just as much as me about the difference between hoplites and phalangites, or at least play along. TBH, I would probably only use them normally with pikes and long spears, and setting a long spear is pretty suicidal against a lance charge, as the lance hits first (but there are other situations when it is more useful). I'm got to take a look at the Men And A Half, they are the only people besides Sun Domers who use pikes, and I am fairly sure they don't do the Sun Domer 2H Spear and Shield full phalangite thing. Setting your pike is no brainer for the Sun Domers - they can't parry or dodge in formation anyway. The pike users are the only guys in Prax who are going to be able to stand up to a bison or rhino charge, I'm sure the Agimori do it, just might leave them more vulnerable to missile etc than the Templars. I am looking forward to it. Though I am sure bits will be too much for me. Another special case rule I miss from RQ3 is the knockback rules, which proved relevant to these sort of fights - though usually to the PCs detriment. One rule was the overhand smash could end up driving you into the ground, so someone using Earth Shield could block infinite damage from the strike but still break their legs.

Of course, many people in the Gloranthan community do identify as pagan or neo-pagan or other forms of minority spiritual tradition, and bring that perspective to their understanding of Glorantha too. For some, the boundary isn't even that clear - gaming is another way to explore some important spiritual ideas. Starting with Greg.

I think the Red Book of magic is just Rune and Spirit magic. At least the preview version was. I don't expect a significant work on Sorcery any time soon - we have the Cults book, well really three separate volumes, first (which has a small number of sorcery spells as used by mixed sorcery/Rune cults like Irripi Ontor in it, but no big rules expansions), and the Campaign/GM book, and Pavis and Big Rubble, all to out come first I think? Maybe even a troll book? A variety of projects for various parts of the Holy Country? We will probably even see a Kralorela book before we see a book on the West, just because it has a writer and substantial work done on it currently. This isn't inside information - maybe Jeff has been working furiously on the West and we just haven't seen it - but we do know that a lot of other stuff that seems further along the queue.

I tend, rather, to see Nysaloran Illumination at all to have this kind of relationship with Yelmic religion in the first place - Nysaloran Illumination was quite explicit that normal folk had the potential for Illumination and spiritual freedom, in contrast to Yelmic tradition (and Dayzatar, etc). And I think the Lunars regard Lunar Sevening and Nysaloran Illumination as formally equivalent - but Sevening is faster and more reliable, if more dangerous (they blast their own people with Madness and so on), and much more directly tied to Lunar practice. But I think that they do maintain a very similar attitude of 'high'/vs 'low' to difference between the full Lunar path (which then offers further guidance through the Red Goddess cult, and eventually via residence on the Moon etc), which is open only to those in Lunar cults, and the various other forms. The Red Goddess cult is heavily controlled for orthodoxy as well (via the Examiners) and thoroughly a tool of the state, and offers further cool/Chaotic magical powers. The other paths are far less controlled, even those that are state sponsored like the Order of Day or the Sisterhood of New Consciousness. The Order of Day is the intellectual powerhouse of Illumination in the Empire, the Sisterhood of New Consciousness the 'official' populist outreach, the Red Goddess Cult the magical and political core (but a far more elite, difficult, achievement). The Order of Day is the approved way to integrate both the Solar, and ultimately Kralorelan influenced, strands of Illumination with the Lunar. But many strange and uncontrolled ideas about Illumination still enter Pelorian thought via these organisations - and I am sure many reject the very specifically Lunar path of the Red Goddess as impure.

RQ3 has a rules for setting a spear vs a charge. In RQG, you can only do it with a Pike, so it will be a lot rarer (Yelmalio or Men And A Half only, really). In RQG, it is also supposed to be only used vs cavalry charges, but it makes sense you could use it against other charging beasts etc. It has its own special hit location table and everything. The rules are more or less the same, though. No parry or dodge allowed, but you use the damage bonus of the attacking creature, which usually makes it a pretty fair threat for most charging things - even for most dinosaurs, that would mean a successful attack would take out the location. The huge head armour of a triceratops makes it a bit less vulnerable to this tactic, though. RQG also has further penalties (you don't get your Manipulation bonus or Bladesharp etc increases, which seems mean), issues with parrying, etc. In RQ3 you could use a long spear, but a lance would strike first, so long spear vs cavalry charge was often a terrible idea. I might keep this, as there are situations where a 'cavalry' charge are not equipped with lances in Glorantha (such as dinosaurs and such under magical control), so it would still see use.

Thats how it works for modern Icelanders who choose avoid a gendered patronymic.

Relying on Dodge is a horribly unreliable and dangerous option in RQ. If your opponent specials, you need to special Dodge. Which is when the dodger is usually down. PCs relying on dodge tend not to survive.

Doubling hit points would still leave most going unconscious to even a troll kin armed with light weapons that crits - and likely dying from still from an opponent powerful enough to get through their armour normally. I honestly think allowing strengthening enchantments up to double HP would help the game, making high level play much less brittle.

Yes. And I said: The canonical Healer broo is the Wild Healer of the Rockwoods. Rockwoods = not Peloria Of course there are all sorts of exceptions to any Gloranthan rules, which makes for rich mines of narrative etc. But the point I wanted to make is that, while individual healers can vary a lot, the cult doesn't vary much - CA is CA across multiple cultures. CA in Esrolia is very similar to CA in Sartar, in Prax, even in the jungles of Pamaltela. There are a few differences for sure - but the core principles are much the same. And thanks to that tradition of wandering healers, is likely to remain so. There are some small differences - The Sisters of Mercy sub-cult is popular in Esrolia and Dragon Pass and Prax etc, so the Refine Medicine spell means they use more healing herbs there, the Erissa sub-cult can Restore Vision, Elamle is popular with elves and a huge cultural figure in Maslo. But everywhere they take the pacifist oath. Of course, some individual healers might break that oath, but in the Lunars (or anyone else, except for the odd Illuminate) don't get to avoid taking it.

Deezola is more of an Ernalda knock off, really, with comparable but weaker Healing, Earth and sovereignty concerns. She is no slouch as a healer, has access to spells like Heal Body and Regrow Limb - but her Resurrect is one-use, and she doesn't have the sheer range of healing powers as CA. And she doesn't have Sleep. The Pelorian equivalent of CA is CA. Or, if you want to get precise, the goddess Erissa (a daughter of Yelm) is the subcult of CA that is common in Dara Happa and central Peloria, but it is a subcult of CA with the same rules. Now, the Lunars do have a fair percentage of Illuminates, and the Etyries cult has the ability to Exchange spirit magic spells, so it is definitely the case that an Illuminated CA could Exchange the spell with someone else (and then presumably relearn it from a different temple to avoid suspicion). But thats a more individual thing, and would be pretty rare and clandestine, because the CA hierarchy would be furious. But I imagine the odd Dart Warrior or Spoken Word agent could have done it if you want.

Well, maybe, but in Central Genertela it is canon that it is a CA monopoly, and I don't think the RQG authors intended to overturn that. The rule about Sleep being strictly cult only has been in every CA RQ writeup since, and will be in the Gods book writeup too. It is not just Prax and Dragon Pass. Deezola does not have access to re-usable Resurrection. One use like everyone else except CA. I don't have any reason to think Brithini and Vadeli sorcerers do either - I think its a difficult ritual for them.

More than a D&D module, but not that difficult. The standard advice is start small and specific, spiral out to more and more of the world gradually. Just make sure as GM you have a good idea of how the players community works. So if you are running the stuff that comes with the GMs screen, understand how an Orlanthi clan works, introduce the basics to the players, and within the first few sessions how the clan is part of a tribe which is part of a kingdom. Then introduce their neighbours, other races, the 'big picture' politics, etc gradually as you need to. And don't feel you need to fully understand something to introduce it. Non-humans, for example, are going to be weird and unfamiliar to most people, and beginning PCs might know very little - so if the first time they meet trolls or elves they are just antagonists to deal with, that is fine. Later on they might meet important trolls with a more complex agenda, and gradually realise that trolls have a whole culture with a lot of internal diversity and factionalism. But no one needs to understand all that at the start.

Yeah, heaps of interesting stuff about dreams for the East Isles, not much about them for anyone else. There is a whole myth cycle about it, and whether dreams are illusions and lies, or can communicate mythic truth, including a whole separate form of dream magic. In Peloria, Gorgorma has the power of nightmares. While I've not heard it mentioned, that might speculatively make Dendara a good candidate for goddess associated with more pleasant dreams? Waha's spirit of retribution, Borabo Nightmare, often attacks during sleep. Thed is supposed to communicate with her worshippers during nightmares. I suspect dreams might be 'adjacent' to the spirit plane.

People have pretty much already hit the main point - while RuneQuest has its far share of weird and wonderful monsters, the philosophy of creating encounters is that instead of creating a new variant of an intelligent monster race, it is usually better to create a new religious cult with new magic and customs for that race. So instead of a dozen variants on Dark Trolls, we have dark trolls that worship Kygor Litor, ones that worship Zorak Zoran, ones that worship Argan Argar, ones that worship mostly their ancestors, etc.and all those encounters will be different. (hint: the Zorak Zoran ones are the ones you want to avoid). There is a huge variety of otherworldly creatures like spirits and demons, mostly associated with various religions, but only a few are in the bestiary - a lot would be just part of a cult description or written up as a scenario one off. Gloranthan monsters generally tend to come with a bit more history and context than D&D monsters - and are often people much like yourself, just with a good reason to oppose you. Which isn't to say you can't make up crazy monsters. It's just less emphasized. Also, fighting is often dangerous enough you don't want to make it your only response.

While I very much doubt Chaosium will be making adventures etc for 'evil' cult PCs, the cults with be in the forthcoming cults book, and there is no reason you can't use those writeups to create evil PCs if your campaign permits, though most people will use them for NPC villains. Just like the old Cults of Terror/Lords of Terror books for previous editions.

And I think it is a mistake in the RAW. It always is. But the point is more that Sleep it isn't an 'all powerful' attack. If you have even a spell barrage capable of multiple Sleep spells, but your attackers all have Countermagic up, would won't be able to Sleep them before they physically overwhelm you most likely, as you'll be slowed down by that huge boost. Except vs other shamans. Who are frequently your serious rivals or enemies. So, you know, it is one those 'really great, except when you really need it' things. If your shaman thinks they aren't important, and so you are going to make an enemy of CA, I'm not going to argue. But I think the attitude is hubris and you'd regret it. Its not going to make you any friends with the other Lightbringers either. But I'm sure there are many shamans who share your opinion.

Funnily enough, two things I'd try to make very difficult to obtain IMG. Sleep should be only available normally from the Chalana Arroy cult. Anyone obtaining it must have used extraordinary methods. Regardless of what the rules say, a shaman will not be able to locate a spirit to teach it in any normal place. And a Protection 20 requires learning from a spirit if such power and rarity as to be quite a significant quest in itself. Neither is impossible, but both should be a huge quest. Not that I am bothered too much. Protection can be bypassed multiple ways, and Protection is incompatible with Countermagic, which is a vulnerability. And Sleep is blocked with Countermagic, and still requires POW vs POW. They just change the nature of the game - a shaman with such powers is mighty indeed, but still needs to worry about other mighty shamans and similar opponents. And the greatest powers a shaman has The biggest consequence for a shaman who abuses the Sleep spell may simply be that the Chalana Arroy cult refuses to heal them until they give it up. Thats what I love about Glorantha - even really powerful magic that might be something I would find overpowering in other games becomes a great inspiration for narrative consequences that are more fun than worrying about game balance.

Certainly, it does not get enough love. For sure. A lot of the wilder, and not quite as we see Glorantha canon I think can very validly be looked at as the sort of ways the world as we know it begins to break down once the Hero Wars kick off. But equally a simple but valid reminder that your Glorantha should vary, if you allow your players to be epic. I am ambivalent about the 13th Age trickster - I used to be quite unsure about it, but I've now GMed a Trickster and it works. But I think it is only one way to do the many and varied Tricksters, one of the most varied and diverse cults in Glorantha. Luckily 13th Age has plenty more tricks up its sleeve - you don't have to restrict yourself to the 13th Age In Glorantha classes, you can mix in the base classes and some multi-classing if you want, Rogues and Chaos Mages both can present different sides of the Trickster (a Chaos mage is clearly Disorder and Illusion not Chaos in Glorantha), even sometimes a cleric with the Trickery/Illusion domain.

In Hillfolk (pg 65) there is the suggestion that you could combine using DramaSystem for dramatic scenes with HeroQuest (or another rules light system) for resolving procedural scenes. Has anyone actually done this? I would be interested in more detail, such as how you grafted the Character creation systems together? Any advice, or experiences to recount?

One thing I found was useful - even if you only print out the NPC diagram sheets from the book, let your players scribble on them. This will give you a more colourful, entertaining, and accurate record than if you do it yourself.

Without getting into the big themes, if we take the version of Pavis presented in the HQ Pavis book Pavis: Gateway to Adventure as more or less current, he seems barely a god as it is understood, though a major hero. - his one Rune magic is that of a standard City God, so effectively a major wyter for the city community. This has always been the case across editions. - most of his cults, quite interesting and varied, potential magical powers, are actually unusual EWF era sorcery that the cult retains knowledge of, but requires years of dedicated study to use, and few of them bother. - and they have a bunch of relationships with other cults/traditions, which is where most of the useful magic the cult actually uses comes from. - plus a few remnant artifacts and such from during the life of Pavis. So there isn't much to indicate that Pavis was much more than an EWF sorcerer and heroquester who became worshipped as a wyter. The main difference between him and, say, Hauberk Jon, a more conventional city wyter, is that Pavis was a more successful heroquester, passed on some of his knowledge in the form of unusual sorcery, and seems to have just transitioned to the hero plane somehow without actually dying as a form of limited immortality.

A big theme we've seen in play is that while there is nothing intrinsically wrong with Ancestor Worship/Daka Fal, that it also makes quite a comfortable fit for families that don't want to be too bound by authority or even a particular ethical code. Daka Fal helps you survive, and doesn't judge what you need to do to survive too much. If you want to have a family that is a bit dubious, at least to the point that the impests would trouble them if they were Orlanthi (which can be anywhere from just being very independent and not wanting to give other members of the community too much say over them, to being a bit workshy or a dabbling in dubious trades or even con artists or thieves, through to being effectively crime gangs), ancestor worship works - hey, some of your ancestors probably did the same thing, they aren't going to judge, whatever you have to do for the family. And in such an environment, plain unpleasant selfish people can often thrive, nothing about the tradition being very family oriented means that family can't be dysfunctional, creepy or abusive. It does explain why sometimes you need to be wary of your own ancestors. And maybe not want them to be uncontrolled. In some cases, this can go through to outright evil ancestors - not only can you can be a murderous brigand or such and still be an Ancestor worshipper in good standing as long as your ancestors are fine with it, you can worship other fairly nasty gods as well. Black Fang worshippers probably claim to be ancestor worshippers if anyone gets nosy, and quite likely are. Cannibal Cultists in Prax. The family might have an ongoing, even intergenerational, agreement with some nasty spirits or minor deities that they invoke against their enemies. Or even a bloodline of ogres. And it gets weirder, and potentially quite creepy, if there are families that are both Ancestor Worshippers and also practice sorcery, which is unlikely to happen in Central Genertela or the West, but might be the case in Fonrit or Kralorela.

If a shaman encounters a malign spirit and wants to deal with it, he has a lot of possible tools to deal with it. 'Ambushed by a hostile spirit' usually means 'attacked in spirit combat', so the problem more or less answers itself - he fights it in spirit combat. A shaman is usually very formidable in spirit combat - what might happen is the spirit realises it is losing, and flees into the spirit plane - and then a shaman might have to discorporate in order to chase it down and finally defeat it. But if it attacks him, spirit combat is already initiated, so he doesn't need to be discorporate, and he might just defeat it that way. If there is a problem with a malign spirit attacking someone else (typically a disease spirit or somewhat possessed by some sort of malign curse spirit, either that is killing them or that is dangerous to others (eg see the Bestiary pg 166-167 - spirits with the still death, active possession, shape change or passion powers)), then the shaman might find discorporation, so that they can actively attack the spirit, is useful. A shaman can also challenge spirits with other spirits that they can summon or have bound, either in an enchantment or to their fetch - they might be able to use a spirit of Healing to fight disease, one animal spirit to drive off another, etc The shaman has a few potential spirit magic tools they can use if they have them. If they encounter a malign spirit when travelling physically, they have the Distraction spell that they can use to protect their companions - if a spirit attacks a companion of the shaman, they can force it to attack them instead. Another useful spirit magic spell is Visibility - a shaman (who can see spirits that are still invisible to others in the 'nearby' Spirit Plane using Second Sight, such as ghosts or disease spirits that have not yet manifested) can force it into visible form, so that the shaman or his companions can target it with spells. The Visibility spell is also often used by shamans to allow spirits they have under their control to attack their opponents somehow. The Control spell can also be used to target specific types of spirit, if there is a sort of spirit that the shaman encounters frequently. Some shamans have even more tools, via Rune Magic. The Discorporation rune spell of course, but also Axis Mundi, Attack Soul, Free Ghost, etc. And there are many options for opposing spirits with other spirits that are made easier by some Rune Magic - Summon Spirit of Law, the various cult spirits, etc. Then there is the possibility of shamanic abilities - for example, Cure Disease lets the shaman deal with disease spirits. And even abilities from skills (Spirit Lore might tell you how to attract certain spirits to a place) and various more mundane tools like (even the drug hazia a form of Discorporation). Of course, once a spirit is in spirit combat, there is also the possibility that it can be fought using magical weapons - probably not that useful a tactic for a shaman alone, but potentially very useful for a shamans companions.