Ultor

One important thing to remember is that once your party reaches Rune Lord level, a lot of them will be defending against every POW-based attack with an effective POW of 21. So most offensive spells, even those cast by high-POW opponents, are going to bounce off them.

Large elementals, however, have large POW stats and/or attack with their large stats against non-POW stats, so they will be the weapon of choice against Rune level parties - at least in my experience so far. A large Shade, for instance, not only has a good chance of hurting a Rune Lord, but a small chance of killing her outright. An enemy who knows they will be facing Rune Lords should have access to elementals, I suspect, even if they are moving terrain.

Similarly, spirits, which have been discussed above in spirit combat roles, can have high POW and spell capability, so a shaman who controls some of those can suddenly start hurting Rune Lord parties in a way to which they may have become unaccustomed.

On 2/20/2019 at 6:49 PM, Runeblogger said:

As for this, some more tidbits were revealed at THE KRAKEN 2018 during Jeff's seminar: See here (about 2/3 down). 

"It looks like Jeff had been working on a way to run heroquests that does not require the GM to first create a myth that then the players must memorise and go through in the Godplane. The approach Jeff is working on consists on going to the Godplane and creating the myth as the players go through it, so there is no longer the need to plan and prepare a coherent myth before play. That is to say, the in-world characters do know the myth beforehand, it's just that it won't be necessary for other players (and the GM!) to know it beforehand. In order to achieve this, he's working on a set of maps of the Godplane, where you can see how all the myths interact, so at least the GM can have a good picture of where can the PCs end up if they do certain things in each mythic place, so by chaining Godplane events, players can get to a climax not even the GM was aware of before the beginning of the quest. In my opinion this sounds like a fresh and great idea so people have it easier to go heroquesting without the need to first find the most appropriate myth."

This is fantastic - the sort of creative approach I'd always hoped for from RQ heroquesting rules. My players have always found "playing out a myth" confusing and even started to avoid them.

On 2/17/2019 at 4:20 AM, seneschal said:

Not intending any snark here, but is there no one within Western civilization who can print and bind books at an affordable rate?  I mean, we already depend on the Chinese for essential military parts, Christmas toys and decorations, and national flags.  Now we depend on them for reading material, too?  They can shut down our military and cancel Christmas at a whim — and they control our gaming!  How many Chinese Runequest, Pendragon and Cthulhu fanatics have we created?  😱

There are plenty of people within Western Civilization who could do this, but as the great LM sage Ricardo pointed out, there is a principle at play called comparative advantage, which stipulates that regions specialize in things where they have the biggest advantage, and for most of the developed world mass printing is not that. Another great sage named Krugman explains that here: http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/ricardo.htm

I have CDM 1,3, and 4 sitting on my shelves. They are all in my Gloranthan sandbox, even if heavily modified. My PCs have never gone anywhere near any one of them...

Ironically I remember the one I don't have (The Lost Shrine) being described in White Dwarf as very Runequesty, whatever that meant.

2 minutes ago, Carew said:

This sounds really cool, but is also really frustrating too. I did a search in my RQ pdf and there are mentions of Arkat but not who he (she? it? they?) is, or were, or what they really did. Is this Arkat a god or a hero? I cannot tell from the RQ book.

Your best bet is The Glorantha Sourcebook

https://www.chaosium.com/the-glorantha-sourcebook-pdf/

That lays out the mythology of the setting pretty well and has enough about Arkat to build on. Briefly, there were two ages before the current age. In the first age a "perfect" god named Nysalor appeared who ruled most of the continent from a majestic city in Dorastor. However, alongside his perfect rule chaos started seeping into the world. A hero appeared in the west called Arkat who led a long campaign against Nysalor, whom the Arkati called Gbaji. Arkat went through many different methods of defeating Gbaji, at one point becoming a troll, and perishing at least once, before entering Dorastor and confronting his enemy face-to-face. The victor claimed to be Arkat, but who knows? He then founded an empire in Ralios before his apotheosis. That was the end of the first age. In the second age, thanks to the machinations of a cursed people called the God Learners, the power and cult of Arkat was shattered. There are now many different aspects of Arkat, all worshipped by people who claim it to be the one true version of the cult. That's really all you need to go on here. Because Arkat's cult has never been worked up officially, you can make it whatever you want.

My mental picture of Ralios is of a swords-and-sorcery version of medieval Italy. Lots of dueling city-states with rulers who don't last very long owing to some court intrigue or other, plus Arkati wizards with their own agendas, who also may or may not last very long. Assassinations are commonplace. Nevertheless, the trade around Lake Safelster makes the area rich and full of merchants. Your player's character would quite easily have the philosopher background, with a specialization in refuting the arguments of heretic Arkati (there are lots of Arkats...sadly the cult has never officially been worked up in the Ralian context AFAIK). That deep philosophical background won't matter in Sartar, as there are very few Arkati around to debate with, so you can just hand-wave it. The PC should be confident in her *secret knowledge*, however, and would probably view the Sartarites as illiterate barbarians. Perhaps she offended a rival sect and there are other Arkati coming after her?

The bigger issue you'll find is that RQG sorcery isn't nearly as flexible as Mythras sorcery, and contains a lot of fiddly bits that in my experience so far slow down play. Our party sorcerer has given up trying to use sorcery in combat and just uses it to pre-buff the party (for which you'll need a LOT of magic points - I'd give a starting sorcerer an MP storing enchantment or crystal). That is a conscious design choice.

Note also language rules. I'd give a far-traveling starting PC extra languages in Tradetalk and possibly the local language for your campaign otherwise things could get very frustrating.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I want spell drain in my Glorantha and will write a myth for how Vivamort has this power, which our Humakt Sword should appreciate. I think @soltakss has the right idea mechanically.

Despite their mechanical similarity, I see the Dancers in Darkness as different from Vivamorti (I view Delecti as a tragic figure, about whom plays should be written) and see no reason for them to have this power.

A RQIII Vivamort write-up was promised in Lords of Terror, iirc. Was one ever written?

1 hour ago, Sumath said:

I have to say, I prefer the standard character sheets rather than the 'artisan' ones - 'busy' character sheets are a bugbear of mine. I like to be able to find information quickly and easily. 

The screen, calendar and maps looks awesome.

We've found the "artsy" ones much more difficult to use. There are some background effects that make reading a skill marked down in pencil very hard to read, for instance.

One of the frightening things about Vampires in RQ2 (Cults of Terror) was that they could drain Rune Magic, draining the last rune spell sacrificed for if they reduced their victim below 3 POW.

I'd like to have the same effect for Vampires in RQG, given that they are all supposed to be Vivamort rune levels and utterly terrifying (who knows what magic they might have?)

However, the Rune Point mechanic makes simply transferring the ability difficult. I suppose I can have a mechanism for draining Rune Points,  perhaps draining them after they have drained MPs (up to a limit of their pre-death POW?) but how to decide what spell they drain, given that all cultists generally know all common Rune spells? This would obviously only come into play in-combat. I suppose I could just determine randomly, but if anyone has any better ideas, I'd love to hear them.

That's a fun map, which I shall use. Thanks!

7 hours ago, Tindalos said:

Might I suggest that this could instead function more like Steal Breath, involving the Tap Technique and the Water Rune?

This was implicitly designed as a non-Tap spell - Tap implies taking essence and gaining it, while this simply removes the essence from where it should be.

I used the floorplans from the classic White Dwarf scenario "The Halls of Tizun Thane" as the Palace in my game. I threw in quite a few elements from that scenario, including the brain-eating monster, and the mirrors as sorcerous entryways to Dragonewt roads (including a long-lost road to Kralorela). MGHV, of course.

Yes, to be an effective starting Sorcerer you really have to be a Philosopher. This makes sense.

However, it is really difficult to become an effective sorcerer "in game." I can see the intention, but there's little MGF there. I'd have "Scrolls of Revelation," that reveal the secret of a Technique or Rune upon reading (perhaps at the cost of an additional point of POW, or something) to quicken things up a bit.

On 12/26/2018 at 9:05 AM, Manu said:

Shouldn't it be 'Command, Combine, Movement, Element'? As you have to give order and command the moving target?

Also, what could be the effect on Air?

Yes, Command is probably necessary. There could be a version without Command that just sets them off at random, like Firestorm/Blizzard spells in certain games.

I imagine Air could create a Skyrim-style "Unrelenting Force" effect or simply be used to disrupt archery. I can imagine a special effect of the animated air plucking arrows out of the sky.

On 12/26/2018 at 12:54 PM, Scott A said:

Here's my take on the various other spells implied by Enhance Int. They're roughly balanced against the spirit magic spells.

Excellent - particularly the point about Enhance POW. I bet the GodLearners knew how to do that, though.

On 12/24/2018 at 9:25 AM, Darius West said:

There is a good way of correcting this imbalance.  Change the name of the spell to Boon of Umath.  The first part of the spell strength is used to get the caster up and flying i.e. 6 SIZ per Spell Strength, but at movement 1.  All subsequent spell strength adds 2pts of movement.  This will cut down on the duration, and effectiveness of the spell.  This would mean that sorcerers would likely prefer to use the spell to make Dancing Sword effects a la telekinesis, that trade spell strength for damage bonus.

Excellent suggestion. The idea that the sorcerers are manipulating primal air (ie Umath) makes sense as well (although in my Glorantha, Umath somehow became Humakt when he lost his air powers after his conflict with Shargash, so I'll need to work on that...)

On 12/26/2018 at 1:28 AM, Bilharzia said:

Much of this is a straight lift from the current Mythras sorcery rules.

Indeed. I'm converting from the RQ6/Mythras system so needed as close a facsimile as possible within the new rules. I'll edit the original post to reflect that omission.

14 minutes ago, womble said:

a high roll on a Special/Crit could certainly off a pencil-neck

I'm sure Gimpy's has a sign outside saying "No Pencil Necks." If not, Loud Lilina's certainly does.

2 minutes ago, Atgxtg said:

The difficulty is that RQ doesn't have any sort of non-lethal combat.

The rules for subduing and disarming are here: https://www.chaosium.com/blogrune-fixes-1-clarifications-and-play-examples/

Also, immobilizing the head via grappling could be regarded as knocking the character out, although iirc the rules are silent on this.

9 minutes ago, jeffjerwin said:

Does anyone else recall the White Dwarf scenario "Rumble in the Tin Inn"? Because it seems germane

Indeed, but iirc that was no-holds-or-weapons-barred.

Fist, Kick, Grapple, Knockback, Dodge, Thrown Rock give you the basics. I'd make any improvised weapon have 1d4 damage with crushing (for a beer mug or plate) or slashing (for a kitchen knife). The free Rune Fixes document contains rules for subduing and disarming.

3 minutes ago, davecake said:

I find Enhance INT quite an oddity. Its existence as written without the rules would imply that Fire sorcerers are notably more capable than other sorcerers. Yet I don't remember a single mention of a Fire sorcerer, or Fire sorcerer, tradition in all Gloranthan writing about sorcerers, which would imply that they aren't particularly remarkable. I'm inclined to say that Enhance INT does not Enhance INT for spell casting purposes, just to avoid the potentially quite unbalancing rules issue. Or at least, not give any of my players the spell. 

That's very close to what I said on this thread 

Jeff pointed out that, for Lhankor Mhytes at least, there was a mythic reason for their sorcerers to study the Fire/Sky rune - the Mistress of the Light of Knowledge.

On 12/6/2018 at 3:12 AM, Jeff said:

I see nothing wrong with encouraging LM sorcerers and philosophers to study the Runic Technique of the Light of Knowledge.

I'd forgotten completely about the Mistress of the Light of Knowledge - a clear mythic incentive for LM sages to study the Fire/Sky Rune. Presumably the Celestial Lore stacks of the LM temples are kept in the attic.

2 hours ago, PhilHibbs said:

I expect that different schools will teach more or less the same spell but with different techniques - Combine vs Summon, Dispel vs Separate, Stasis vs Movement, Harmony vs Fertility etc.

I suspect that's right. There's more than one way to skin Yinkin.

4 hours ago, Crel said:

RQG's sorcery no longer has multispelling.

Thanks, @Crel for all those helpful comments. I'll take a look at them tonight and edit the OP to reflect them where appropriate.

My draft advanced sorcery rules contemplate restoring either Multispell or RQ6/Mythras Targets. I'm still in two minds about that - I meant to take out all references to Multispell for this post and clearly missed one.

I've attempted to put together a few more Sorcery spells, some of which represent adaptations of old favorite spells from previous versions of the rules (ETA: many of these are conversions from RQ6/Mythras), while others are completely new. None of these have been playtested yet except Tendrils of Hell. Feedback gratefully received.

Abjure [Rune] - Separate Man [Element]

Allows the recipient to do without an essential element for the duration of the spell. For instance, Abjure Air means the recipient does not need to breathe. Abjure Fire means the recipient does not need warmth, and is immune to all Cold and Fire damage. Abjure Earth means the recipient “floats” above the ground and may cross an abyss, etc., as if walking on air. Abjure Water means the recipient is immune to the effects of thirst and may walk on water. Abjure Darkness means that the recipient can see in even pitch blackness as if it were daylight. These spells may be cast on a Protective Circle.

Agreement - Combine Harmony Truth

Cast on the reaching of an agreement, the parties concerned (who should be within the range of the spell when it is cast) will abide by the agreement for the duration of the spell. All other parties and the spell caster will know if the spell is dispelled on one party.

Animate [Substance] - Combine Movement [Element]

This spell imbues an inanimate object with the ability to move. The wizard can animate a volume in SIZ equal to the Strength of the spell (or cubic meters in the case of insubstantial elements). Default movement rate is 1, but that can be increased by devoting extra MPs on a one-for-one basis.The animated substance can produce “limbs” that can perform skills at half the rating of the magician. Damage is calculated according to twice the SIZ of the substance. This spell requires extreme concentration, meaning an INTx1 roll is needed if the caster is damaged.

Banish Spirit - Dispel Spirit

The spell must overcome the MPs of the spirit with its Strength, and its strength must be at least half the spirit’s MPs. If successful, it banishes the spirit back to the Spirit World. It cannot be cast on a spirit trapped or bound to a physical object, but will banish a spirit possessing an individual.

Banish Elemental - Dispel Spirit [Element]

The spell must overcome the MPs of the elemental with its Strength, and its strength must be at least half the elemental’s MPs. If successful, it dissipates the elemental.

Bless Marriage - Combine Harmony Fertility

Ensure a happy relationship for the married parties for the duration. [[Pregnancy will result if desired.]] 

Blindness - Separate Fire/Sky Man

If this overcomes the POW of the target, he/she is struck blind for the duration of the spell.

Boon of Harana Ilor - Summon Harmony

The target lays down any weapons and ceases any offensive action. Out of combat, this resolves any argument or disagreement in the caster’s favor. This spell may be combined in a Multispell.

Boon of Larnste - Summon Movement

This spell augments the movement rate of anything it is cast on for the duration. The augment is equal to the half the strength of the spell and can affect targets up to a maximum SIZ of three times the strength of the spell (thus a spell with strength 6 can affect a person of SIZ 18, or two people of SIZ 10 and 8, giving them +3 to their Movement rate). This spell does not boost Dexterity or give a bonus to SR.

Curse of Acos - Dispel Movement

This spell reduces the movement rate of anything it is cast on for the duration. The reduction is equal to the half the strength of the spell and can affect targets up to a maximum SIZ of three times the strength of the spell (thus a spell with strength 6 can affect a person of SIZ 18, or two people of SIZ 10 and 8, giving them -3 to their Movement rate). This spell does not reduce Dexterity or increase SR.

Curse of Uleria - Separate Earth Life

If the target fails to resist, he/she loses all sex drive for the duration of the spell and will not be able to “perform” or conceive. With long duration, this is an effective curse against nobility, Earth priestesses, or the tosser who spilled your pint.

Dessicate - Separate Water Life

If the target’s POW is overcome, he/she suffers the effects of extreme thirst, losing 1 general HP per hour for the duration of the spell. No sustenance will slake the thirst until the duration is over or the spell is dispelled and healing only delays the inevitable. This spell is an effective assassination spell when sufficiently powerful, and is often used by Arkati wizards.

Diminish [Characteristic] - Dispel [Element]

Reduces the target’s affected characteristic by 1 point per strength of the spell to a minimum of 1, if POW is overcome. The diminishment is temporary, for the duration of the spell. Attributes and bonuses are temporarily recalculated, weapons may need to be dropped if STR is affected, and Encumbrance etc may become a factor. If POW is diminished, MPs will not drop below 1 even if MPs are fewer than POW. A target affected by Diminish SIZ shrinks, which may cause clothing or armor to drop off.

Draw [Creature] - Command Beast

All creatures of the specified type within the range of the spell move towards a target (also within range) for the duration of the spell. The caster does not control the creatures once they arrive at the target unless another method is used. This spell is often used as a curse to infest a person or home with vermin.

Enlarge [Object] - Summon [Rune]

This spell increases the size of inanimate objects - the rune being appropriate to the object (plant for wooden objects, earth for stone etc.) The object grows proportionally, by a factor equivalent to the Strength of the spell, so a small rock subject to an Enlarge Stone 7 spell would grow by 7 times in height, width, and length. The spell may affect items up to 3 times the spell’s strength in SIZ.  When the spell duration expires, the target returns to its original size.

Fly - Combine Air Movement

The target may be transported through the air by the caster for the duration of the spell. Each point of strength allows 3pts of SIZ to be transported (so a SIZ 15 human will require 5 points of strength). The movement rate is 6, but each point of strength not allocated to SIZ may increase this by 1. If the caster needs to maneuver the target, she should use her Air or Movement rune to succeed. A target may be slammed to the ground, with falling rules applying. [[Needs playtesting - falling damage may be OP]]

Holdfast - Command Stasis

Stops a target or object from moving or being moved for the duration of the spell. No amount of strength will move the target - the spell must be dispelled. It affects objects of up to 3 times the strength of the spell in SIZ.

Palsy - Summon Death [or Stasis?]

When cast on an opponent, this spell targets a random hit location. If the strength of the spell overcomes the HP of the location, that location is incapacitated for the duration of the spell. Limbs stop working, both legs stop working in the case of the abdomen, and the opponent falls unconscious in the case of the chest or head. No damage is incurred, but the spell must be dispelled to get the body part working properly again.

Project [Sense] - Combine Movement [Element(s)]

Allows the caster to use the appropriate sense at distance. The sense starts at the caster’s body and moves at a rate of 12, up to the maximum range of the spell (so 900m per turn). The caster must concentrate to maintain the projection, but may also use it as appropriate to cast spells. Additional Runes may be added to represent additional senses, e.g. Sky, Darkness, and Earth to allow Sight, Listen, and Search senses. The projected sense “point” is visible to such magic as Second Sight, and the caster may be targeted through it as if within range.

Punishing Wind - Combine Movement Air

The equivalent of Finger of Fire for air. The “fingers” are continuous blasts of air. If they do damage, the target must succeed in a test of SIZ vs the strength of the spell to avoid knockback as per p.224.

Ratslaff’s Last Laugh - Summon Combine Disorder Illusion

An area effect spell, this causes all who fail to resist the strength of the spell with their Magic Points to become argumentative and to lie. This will probably start fights and cause lasting resentments. It is commonly used by scheming Arkati sorcerers in Ralios to promote circumstances they can take advantage of.

Rebuild - Separate Disorder Earth

Repairs any cracks, fallen stones, tumbled walls etc, within the area of effect up to a SIZ limit equivalent to 3 times the Strength of the spell.

Regenerate - Summon Life

Cast on a target who has died, this “rebuilds” the target, bringing them back to life in a new body formed from the wreckage of the old (the old body disappears). The strength of the spell must exceed the highest characteristic of the dead target. All characteristics, etc., are rerolled, but the target retains skills, knowledge, spells, etc. Sex is rolled randomly. A cult may need some persuasion that the regenerated character is who he/she says they are. A wizard that knows they are dying may cast it on themselves to avoid death. [[Yes, this is Dr Who regeneration. Sue me.]]

Rock Barrage - Combine Movement Earth

The equivalent of Fingers of Fire for the earth element. The wizard creates a continuous stream of small rocky projectiles that cumulatively inflict damage.

Sculpt [Element] - Command Combine Stasis [Element]

Allows the caster to shape an element into the form the wizard desires for the duration of the spell. The maximum volume affected is equivalent to 3 times the strength of the spell in SIZ or the strength in cubic meters for insubstantial targets. Artistic or artificial qualities are determined by an appropriate Craft, Lore, or Devise roll. Variants of this spell exist for Plant and Beast runes, allowing the caster to “sculpt” clothing made from fiber, hides, or wool.

Shrink [Object] - Dispel [Rune]

The opposite of Enlarge. This spell decreases the size of inanimate objects - the rune being appropriate to the object (plant for wooden objects, earth for stone etc.) The object shrinks proportionally, by a factor equivalent to the Strength of the spell, so a boulder subject to a Shrink 7 spell would decrease 7 times in height, width, and length. The spell may affect items up to 3 times the spell’s strength in SIZ. When the spell duration expires, the target returns to its original size.

Summon Boggle - Summon Disorder

Conjures up a Boggle, a spirit of Disorder, for the duration of the spell, which will do its best to create disorder. Boggles defy rules and are immune to anything anyone might try to throw at them. They are subject only to the dictates of Maximum Game Fun. A Boggle might, for instance, be dispelled by being tricked into saying its name backwards.

Tendrils of Hell - Combine Movement Darkness

The equivalent of Finger of Fire for freezing Darkness.

Venom - Command Death

If the caster overcomes the target’s POW, he inflicts a Poison attack with a POT equal to the Strength of the spell. Poison rules apply as per p.157.

Wakboth’s Seed - Combine Fertility Chaos

Cast on a pregnant target, this spell will ensure the offspring is born with a Chaos Feature if it is born within the duration of the spell.It is the offspring’s POW that needs to be overcome, not the mother’s.

Water Festival - Combine Movement Water

The equivalent of Fingers of Fire for water. The tendrils force their way into the mouth and nose to inflict a form of drowning damage. They cannot affect anyone who does not need to breathe.