Akhôrahil

Yeah, it doesn't actually reduce tick-hunting, but it means that you can cover for skills you don't roll for so much (I mean, I try to allow for peaceful skill, but let's face it, PCs don't have to roll for Farming during adventures that often...)

That's a good way of covering for a skill you want to improve but haven't had a tick in from adventuring. Particularly useful for elevating skills you're very bad in to a level where you have an acceptable chance of earning the tick in the future.

Or, if it's not important that this is highly competitive, just let the PC shine. Players love that stuff!

I don't keep count, but when I see the players rolling for the season (including seasonal experience), it tends to be the their or so three core runes, two to three Passions, and maybe 10-15 skills, including 3-4 combat skills (note that I allow ticks for all skills, though). And 95% of the time, a POW gain roll. Just tell them they don't get the tick if you think a particular skill use is a pointless stretch that just wants the tick. This will quickly establish the norm. But even if a player's use of say Dance, Sing and Darktongue to impress some trolls is actually just intended to earn ticks, that's not a problem if the outcome for play is good.

To an extent, it can even be a good thing, if it means players creatively vary their skills.

It’s queued up for play in my campaign. I found it pretty easy to transpose into just some isolated valley elsewhere.

I imagine a significant part of Humakti human sacrifice will be human self-sacrifice?

That probably depends on the god. Some of them would receive regular human sacrifice. Some would not.

It's also easy to picture minor or local gods, spirits and wyters who accept human sacrifice. Perhaps your neighbouring clan drowns captives in their black tarn?

Another reasonable interpretation is that if they're up on a wall, they will just attack you with missile weapons, improvised if that's what it takes.

Although you will have to decide whether "most effective and expedient" (my emphasis) implies that it must actually be effective and expedient - under one reasoning, something really dangerous and difficult could still be the most effective and expedient way, if nothing else is available. 🙂

Improved POW gain for (proper) God-talkers is a huge deal (for PCs).

RQG actively lists it when a cult has God-talkers, though, and doesn't mention it for Issaries.

Unsure of whether it’s supposed to stop supernatural horror.

Isn’t it a bit surprising that a Taunt spell would be so rare and not in the warrior god cults? Anyone who’s looking to defend others couldn’t do better. (And isn’t ”Distraction” an odd choice of name? To me, that sounds like something you would cast to sneak past a guard or something.)

If it's a fellow PC is roleplaying out the angst, let them do it until you think it's enough before you pop Solace on them to get them to calm down. No-one wants their soliloquy interrupted.

Or the enemies up on the city walls, when you're at ground level... 🙂

That seems completely unreasonable - surely you’re allowed to not take a new spell, especially if you know them all? I would always allow the POW sacrifice, and saying you can sacrifice for RPs within a Sanctified area but not receive any spell seems like a good interpretation.

Hey, a ”taunt”! You don’t see that every day in BRP games!

Bilious, the Oh God of hangovers?

I believe you can probably HeroQuest for initiation and priesthood status, if you don't have the key people in place. It's just much more of a bother.

On the flip side, a shrine might be uniquely specialized. Perhaps this is the only one in the world that knows the secret of Orlanth Frog-of-Thunder?

Can you unpack that? Is it the +4 rating?

And if you keep fishing at the same hole, you will only have to get rid of recent ice.

I think you will often have decent chances to be taught by a shaman - it’s just that they’re not looking to be paid in something as boring as cash. Expect to have to run errands!