soltakss

On 12/8/2023 at 8:31 AM, Arocos said:

But what kind of mission/adventure can be given to PC, when (and if) he gains contact?

Go and kill some Chaos.

Rescue a kidnapped Healer.

Escort a merchant.

Go to some Zorak Zorani trolls as an emissary (Storm Bull is an associated cult and might not kill him out of hand)

On 12/7/2023 at 12:53 PM, Zalain said:

i played this this way: At first, the chief of the temple decline him. FOr weraing weapons, armor, marks and symbol of sun cult, and arguing any warrior doesnt have ANY knowledge to contribute with. But (character) player replied about a couple of knowledge skills he has over 50%. He meet the requirements to join Lhankor Mhy cult, in addition of Yelmalio.

Both cults are Neutral.

i thought admit him, but not allowing (for faith issues) sorcery spells.

or should i keep negate him??

Why stop him?

You did a good thing by playing it out. Refusing a warrior is a knee-jerk reaction that a Sage might do, but the Yelmalian showing that he had the right skills and could qualify for cult membership was a great move. The Yelmalian could show his Truth Rune, for that is a common Rune with Lhankor Mhy.

Personally, I'd allow the Yelmalian to join but maker it difficult. Give him a Quest to prove his willingness and worthiness to join. It doesn't have to be a HeroQuest, maybe to find some lost knowledge or to take a book from a library in the Yelmalio Temple and to bring it to the Lhankor Mhy Temple. That way, he has to prove his loyalty to Lhankor Mhy instead of Yelmalio. Of course, he could try to persuade the Yelmalio Temple to loan a book or scroll to the Lhankor Mhy Temple.

Also, as mentioned previously, Lhankor Mhy is Buserian when worshipped in Dara Happa, and Buserian might be an Associate Cult of Yelmalio. The Yelmalian could explore that aspect of Lhankor Mhy and prove something about the cults, maybe exploring a deeper relationship.

16 hours ago, g33k said:

So far as I know, Humakt's beef is only with the walking dead, the embodied-but-still-active dead.  Ghosts & other disembodied spirits are (theologically) just fine, normal, and unexceptional.

They aren't keen on Wraiths, as far as I can remember.

11 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

Because it is Kushile Horse Archery?

Griffin Mountain has Kuschile Hawk Archery, so it is already adapted to other mounts.

11 hours ago, jajagappa said:

We also assume that Delecti created the swamp and the zombies for his own nefarious purposes. It could well be that those simply intersect with another motive - keeping some dark draconic or Chaotic designs at bay.

In my Glorantha, Delecti created the Upland Marsh to protect the people from the True Golden Horde.

On 11/11/2023 at 6:00 PM, Erol of Backford said:

Saw the new movie trailer... does Glorantha have a lightning breathing giant dinosaur, maybe in Pamelta? Kong? Silly yes but what the Hell Crack right?

Of course.

I ran an RQ3 Gloranthan campaign when Channel 4 had a series of old Japanese Monster films, so they all appeared as monsters in Dorastor a few weeks after I watched them.

I had a Hero Power that enabled a Yelmalian to act as the Sun, so his Sun Spears cam from him not from the Sun.

Try looking at these threads, there are others here and on Facebook:

Weird Science covers those bits in films, books and TV Shows, where a mad scientist comes up with a load of pseudo-science babbling to justify something. If you can do that then you can make it with Weird Science.

On 11/14/2023 at 11:57 PM, bronze said:

Are the Red Emperors truly the same person wearing different masks?

It seems their characters, and even policies, are very different from each others. 

In my Glorantha, yes, the Red Emperor is the same person. Sure, he had different bodies and some of the bodies were destroyed, but he simply reforms on the Red Moon and returns. Some people say that the Egi's bodies make up the next Red Emperor, but that doesn't happen in my Glorantha.

In my Glorantha, there are gladiatorial contests at Tourney Altar, but they are more about challenging other combatants.

The Ten Tests might be a form of Gladiatorial Contests, or might have them as part of the tests.

Hon Eel's Rites might involve gladiators fighting and their blood feeding the crops.

The Blood Sun, I think, had gladiatorial contests.

Gaining entry into Ralzakark's Broo Legion involved gladiatorial contests, with the victors joining the Legion, in my Dorastor.

On 11/15/2023 at 2:52 AM, bronze said:

Of all deities, they should oppose the Chaos the most. Are they secretly in league with the Chaos? 

How could Yelm accept the Red Goddess as his daughter? Isn't Chaos the ultimate rebellions against cosmic order? 

Humakt: He is opposed to the misuse of Death and allows Chaos cultists as worshippers as long as they do not misuse Death and uphold his Honour. That is all he cares about.

Yelm: He defeated Chaos very early in his reign and banished it. Chaos did not affect his realm until he was killed by Orlanth. So, Orlanth cause Chaos to attack his realm. Yelm is fine with the Red Goddess, as she is his daughter. He doesn't see her as Chaotic as he is not really aware of Chaos except as something that he defeated long ago.

Ourania: She is so remote and so far removed from the world that she is beyond petty things such as Chaos. If it does not affect the Heavens then she is not interested in it.

On 11/14/2023 at 11:34 PM, bronze said:

Do the air gods possess inherent power over rain and lightening, respectively domains of water and sky deities? 

No, not all air deities have powers of rain and lightning. Don't forget that Lightning was originally a power of Umath before Shargash picked lightning bolts from his skull after he killed him, so Orlanth simply regained the stolen powers of Lightning from the Sky Deities.

Gloranthan deities are quite specialised. Not all Air deities are deities of Storm and not all Stom deities have weather magic. Storm Bull, for example, is a hot dry wind and doesn't get powers of Rain or Lightning. 

On 11/18/2023 at 6:29 PM, g33k said:

Maybe Storm Bull?  Does their "detect Chaos" ping on Gark-zombies & similar undead, but not ping on ZZ-zombies...?
I'm sure I recall someone being "surprisingly OK" with ZZ's undead ...

Storm Bull is a Death deity who is OK with Zorak Zoran, in fact they are associated. So, Storm Bull cultists have no beef with Zorak Zorani undead. 

Zorak Zorani Zombies are not Chaotic, so don't ping on Sense Chaos, but they are undead and ping on Sense Undead. Not all Undead is Chaotic.

On 11/17/2023 at 12:26 AM, g33k said:

IIRC, there *are* some forms of zombie (at least) that Humakti find abominations (not sure about skeletons).
I'm not recalling which those are, however... 😕

There are others (looking at ZZ's undead) that AFAIK do NOT bother Humakti.

Humakti hate all forms of Undead, including skeletons and Zorak Zorani Zombies.

They are fine with Ghosts, as they bind Ghosts themselves.

On 11/14/2023 at 3:58 PM, Rick Meints said:

To paraphrase one of my favorite movie quotes, Delecti has a long tradition of existence.

Having him defeated, destroyed, and gone for good would be a tremendous loss for MGF.

Permanently killing him would mean that the Undead of the Upland Marsh would be out  of control, which is far worse than they are under Delecti's control.

On 11/12/2023 at 7:08 PM, Murf said:

So what happens to everybody's favorite undead menace?

In my last Glorantha campaign, the Adventurers gave the Upland Marsh to Harrek, making him Duke of the Upland Marsh, expecting him to fight Delecti, but instead they came to an arrangement that allowed Harrek to raid from the Upland Marsh into Sartar, the Holy Country and the Lunar Provinces, with an army of Wolf Pirates and Undead. 

On 11/12/2023 at 7:08 PM, Murf said:

Does Argrath take some time out to eliminate this threat to his flank and later his rear?

Delecti is not a threat if he is hired by Argrath. Sue, he is a temporary threat in the wars against the Lunar Empire but he can as easily be hired by Argrath. After all, Argrath has Ducks that he can send to Delecti as Emissaries.

On 11/12/2023 at 7:08 PM, Murf said:

Also are there any stats for the Mr Cold and Clammy and his bevy of blood sucking bimbos.?

I didn't really bother. He can cast Create Undead spells using his Magic Points instead of POW and can raise hordes of undead from the ranks of the newly-slain. Remember the scene in Game of Thrones when the King of the White Walkers raised his fallen enemies? That is what Delecti does. 

On 11/22/2023 at 11:26 AM, Darius West said:

There is no Kuschile High Llama Archer skill.

Why not? If a Yelmalian High Llama Rider, who cannot ride a horse due to taboos, gained a Kuschile Archery skill, why wouldn't it apply to a High Llama?

On 11/22/2023 at 11:24 AM, ChrisWentWhere said:

Obviously if the Humakti were to try to shoot at someone from his Llama his attack chance is limited to his Ride skill. What about the baboon? I'm assuming that the main reason for limiting it to the ride skill is because the person in chance is having to control the mount. The passenger is just a passenger after all. But it is also not a completely stable platform to fire from. Perhaps limit it to DEX x 3?  

I would limit the shot to the Humakti's Ride skill and keep it simple.

On 11/22/2023 at 9:32 PM, Scorus said:

So my players are about to have the first of what I expect to be many meetings with Argrath (post-Dragonrise). I've read King of Sartar, Black Spear and other earlier pubs with him, but while those do well at his history and legend, they don't speak as much to his personality, so: How should I role-play him? By this time he is Illuminated and at least semi-Draconic, and influenced to one extent or another by Harrek, Giants, the Bison Tribe, the White Bull, his Colymar/Sartar upbringing, and who knows what else! I assume he is very strong in a wide variety of runes, including opposing ones since he is Illuminated. Would you play him as kind? tyrannical? just? power-hungry? arrogant? questioning of himself? mild-mannered (from Illumination)? volatile (as an Orlanthi)? extroverted? introspective? mature? immature?

He sees himself as a King to Be, someone with a destiny, someone powerful. This would affect how he treats people. Before he became powerful, when he was in Pavis, he was a friendly if not standoffish Adventurer. Now he has returned from his voyage with Harrek he is a changed man. He is probably arrogant and doesn't interact with common people. He is King of Pavis so has people to talk to other people. He is surrounded by his bodyguards and council, so he listens to them. When he talks to other people, they are summoned to his Council. 

So, he would be arrogant, driven, power-hungry, almost desperate, probably volatile.

On 11/19/2023 at 8:13 AM, Jose-san said:

What's "income"? Their basic professional or household income and anything made on the side as well, like loot from adventures? How do you manage this?

Generally, if people have to ask "Is this income?" then it clearly is.

So, anything you gain from loot and so on, even finding long-lost treasure, is income.

On 11/19/2023 at 8:13 AM, Jose-san said:

Initiates are supposed to pay 10% of their income to their temple. What's "income"? Their basic professional or household income and anything made on the side as well, like loot from adventures? How do you manage this?

You pay your dues to the cult. If you don't then you lose your standing in the cult, can't gain new magic or regain Rune Points, and so on, so people generally pay this.

On 11/19/2023 at 8:13 AM, Jose-san said:

Quote

The basic “tax” in most Gloranthan societies is the temple tithe, most notably the 20% of the harvest that goes to the local temples of Ernalda and her husband

Do you take this into account? Does it affect PC in any way?

That is just something that everyone pays when they do the harvest or take animals to the market. Some of the animals are just taken and put into the cult pens.

On 11/19/2023 at 8:13 AM, Jose-san said:

What other taxes exist in Orlanthi society, do clans, tribes and/or cities collect taxes in any way? If so how and how much?

For me, when the Lunars raise taxes, or even the Prince of Sartar, they raise taxes on the Clans and Tribes and they use their coffers or collect it in other ways.

Merchants pay taxes, or tolls, to travel roads. Adventurers used to pay taxes to enter Pavis, or they did in our campaign, paying a "Leg Tax" on entry to the City at the Gates.

On 11/23/2023 at 10:02 PM, Squaredeal Sten said:

Probably not.  I went to what appears to be tbe original Caladralnd write up.  (  )  It characterizes the position as more like a president. The Guide seems to be where that became "king".   Evidently established because Belintar wanted someone in that Sixth to  deal with.  

I can't see Belintar settling for someone who would periodically be sacrificed. 

The whole point is that the Kings of Caldaraland were periodically sacrificed by being thrown into the Volcano. Belintar himself became such a sacrificial king and was thrown into the Volcano but came back and said "I have been sacrificed so nobody else needs to be". Now he is long dead, the practice could start up again.

On 10/25/2023 at 11:30 PM, Erol of Backford said:

What makes a troll cry?

Being reminded of the Curse of Kin.

Listening to a song and realising that it is not the lost fertility song of Korasting.

The touch of fire.

3 minutes ago, Nozbat said:

I just killed six Broo... does that help my reputation?

Did anyone see it? If not, you could be a big bag of wind, or a silver-tongued chaos killer.

Reputation is based on likes.

I am not sure where you can see a Rank of 1, or do you mean "Newbie (1/4)"?

Here are some ideas from the Issaries Myth in the Lightbringers book:

• "He was noted for his cleverness and smooth tongue and wanderlust. While still ignorant of his own powers, he was found wandering in distant realms." - Origin Myth maybe awakening his powers.
• "One story says that he was the messenger carrying the secret notes between Sky and Earth that led to the begetting of Umath." - HeroQuest to enable a courtship and secret birth.
• "He is sometimes found as a conciliator, as when he settled an early argument between Yelm and Orlanth." - Issaries Peacemaker HeroQuest.
• "He was sometimes aiding war, as when he taught Humakt a secret battle language in return for protection." - Using his skills to gain protection seems like a useful heroQuest.
• Silver People Myth - Making silver coins to promote commerce.
• "He prepared his Spell of Passage and set off to find the light of communication with which to rekindle the world." - Start of the Lightbringer Quest, from the Issaries viewpoint. More is said about the LBQ.
• "Issaries’s golden home is the Exchange Place on the slopes of the Spike, near Orlanth’s palace. From here, worshipers may exit to the Golden Age, Lesser Darkness, or Greater Darkness." - Good starting points for Issaries HeroQuests exploring those Ages.
• "In the Lightbringers cult, the god Issaries Goldentongue is also the spirit guide for the other cults, leading the dead souls in general to the Underworld." - Maybe a HeroQuest to guide a Spirit to the Underworld so that it cannot be Resurrected.
• "Mules are the favorite beasts of the cult. These are said to be an invention of Issaries, conjured up by him in order to make something to sell out of nothing. These animals are very useful to the cult as work beasts and as trade items. Also, they may claim these beasts as not-horses among horse-haters (such as Doraddi and Praxians), and as horse-kin among horse-lovers (such as Grazeland Pony Breeders and Pentans)" - That would make a great HeroQuest, establishing the Issaries cultist as a friend of both Horse-Haters and Horse-Lovers.
• "Issaries was absent from his golden home on the Spike when the disaster struck and robbed him of home and kin. He traveled on through the dangers, rootless, ever protective of his own place. He met Lhankor Mhy, who was the holder of many secrets, and the two became friends." - Maybe a HeroQuest to befriend a Sage.
• "Chalana Arroy received a wound which would not heal, Issaries lost his road, and Lhankor Mhy found a fact he could not know. But they all persevered and found their way." - A HeroQuest to triumph over adversity, when all is lost.
• "Orlanth claims to have forced Eurmal to help, Lhankor Mhy claims to have reasoned Trickster to the need, Issaries says he talked him into it, and Chalana Arroy says she convinced him with mercy and kindness." - A HeroQuest to be able to talk a Trickster into doing something would be useful.

On 10/29/2023 at 1:19 PM, Hellhound Havoc said:

Dwarfs - Probably the most straightforward. The Mostali are either Orthodox or Heretics, with Heretics being against the status quo either in a radically individualistic or open bent (Individualism and Openhandism) or in an extreme reactionary bent (Octamonism). Thus the main issues relating to a Mostali are: do you support the status quo? What should be our relationship to the outside world? Do you have a stance on the Iron dwarfs?

In terms of goals, however, they all have the same one: restore the Machine God. That is in itself an ideology, though, because every one of these heresies are just different ways of restoring the Machine God.

Don't forget Flintnail Dwarves, as they are Openhandist and Individualist, also they worship Flintnail and Pavis. They are quite different from normal Mostali.

There are also Chaos Mostali in the Tunnelled Hills, but who knows what they believe.

On 10/29/2023 at 1:19 PM, Hellhound Havoc said:

Elfs - I honestly don't know a lot about the Aldryami, but I'd imagine that their major split would probably be on the grounds of Reforestation, what that entails, and to what degree that should go, with extreme reforestators saying the Aldryami should cover the entire world in trees, while more moderate types would be ok with just islands of forest in other biomes, like Prax. Plus the question of old grudges and whether they should let go or keep it up.

In Dorastor, the Hellwood and Poisonthorn Aldryami are at war with one another. Although they are both rabidly xenophobic, the Hellwood Aldryami hate Lunars and Humans more than the Poisonthorn Aldryami do, they also have a healthy dollop of Krjalk worship thrown into the mix.

Aldryami in the Garden, in the Big Rubble, want a return to the Green Age, or the restoration of the Forest of Prax. 

I am not sure about the intentions of the Great Forests, obviously they want to expand and to reclaim their former territories but many are friendly towards humans.

  On 11/3/2023 at 4:25 AM, Richard S. said:

Smoking Ruins page 187: " Each point of POW stored in the Hero World can be used as a Rune point."

Can heroic POW used in this way be recovered? And if so, how?

In my Glorantha, your Hero Soul is like a Shaman's Stored POW, but for Heroes, and it acts as a generic Rune Pool, so you spend Hero Soul MPs as Rune Points. You could spend them as Diving Intervention, but things would be really bad if you had to do that.

On 11/3/2023 at 2:51 PM, Richard S. said:

I think the Hero Soul is basically the Rune Magic equivalent of a Fetch.

Yes, I agree, but for Heroes and HeroQuestors not just for Rune Magic. It is your presence on the Hero Plane or your Heroic Self, in the same way that a Fetch is a Shaman's presence on the Spirit Plane or a Spirit Self.