Richard S.

They're different lengths because the designers decided they'd be different lengths, there's not really a pattern to it. Spirit magic isn't sorcery, it doesn't have concrete mathematics or tiers of effect, it's just a grab bag of tricks borrowed from the spirit world. Most of them follow similar patterns in terms of duration or effect because the powers behind them are only so strong, but there's going to be exceptions.

I'm in the "all crafts have magic, but not all magic is spells" camp. Ordinary augments, runic or otherwise, can easily carry as much magic as the story calls for without need for MP. The weaver singing to her loom, the smith imbuing his strokes with the heat of his passion, the carpenters dancing a dance of stability into the foundations of a house, it doesn't all need spells. And honestly, I think a lot of "combat" spirit spells have just as much non-combat use too. As for gods, the current model still has all the old names for HW, but they are mostly either alternate names of or subservient deities to the primary gods. Lodril has his ten sons, which are also him in his aspects as different workers, but except in a few cases (Gustbran) they're worshiped as part of his cult (probably without a distinct subcult even - those are for much more distinct splits like adventurous/thunderous). Barntar is either worshiped alone or as Orlanth, but either of them can probably also serve as the patron for a variety of crafts. I'd argue that Ernalda and Lodril are the two biggest crafter gods out there. Issaries is worshiped where crafts are to be sold, but he doesn't concern himself with the actual making.

Sardaukar probably aren't a bad image for how Gloranthans see Humakti in general, as terrifyingly skilled religious warriors without mercy or compassion.

That seems like a safe assumption to me

Yes. Spirits cults have more limited rune magic, but its worshipers will always have a shaman available to teach spirit magic. Of course, that doesn't mean the shaman will spend all their time doing that - it is an entire week of learning per spell, after all.

For something like the charge example, I'd personally rule that both charger and charged would have to add the movement SR if they're attacking each other. That keeps the charged from attacking before the charger even gets close, and gives advantage to the longer weapon as per usual. I mostly like SR, but it's very limited by being designed for duels or very small melees. It doesn't help that it operates differently depending on whether you're "engaged" (in which case it's initiative) or "unengaged" (in which case it's action points). It's taken me the better half of a decade to fully wrap my head around it, and I dread the next time I have to teach it.

The form rune stuff isn't based on biology, it's something to do with human spirits iirc. In any case, technically speaking all humans do have a bit of every form rune, and every rune in general (grandfather mortal was made from a little bit of everything, after all). It's just that the forms that aren't beast or man aren't strong enough to manifest in any significant way. I imagine if someone did gain another form rune, in runequest terms, it'd join beast and man to make a trifecta to split 100% between rather than it being a separate score. Except Chaos. Chaos breaks the rules.

From what Jeff's said, a human Aldrya worshiper who gains the plant rune isn't a human anymore, like how initiating to Kyger Litor requires turning into a troll. Edit (citing my sources): https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/origin-of-rune-traits/

To note, the code of honor Humakti follow is not the exact same as "Orlanthi" cultural honor. Orlanth follows Humakt's code, sure, but it's also the same code followed by the Solar war gods (save Shargash, of course) and (most of the time) Yanafal. https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/honor-and-combat/

Humakt is the primary god of death and war, yes, but he's also explicitly called out as the god of honorable death and war. Death, in and of itself, is not honorable. Humakt serves to restrain death, to use it with responsibility, so that the horrors of the gods war (caused by irresponsible use of death) will never happen again.

Rokari wizards will snatch up any child they find who meets their INT requirements, regardless of caste. They themselves are supposed to be celibate. "In the Rokari sect of Malkionism, children with an INT of 16 or higher may be selected by age 5 to join the zzaburi caste and train as sorcerers. Training in the processes of logic and emotion necessary to manipulate the Runes begins from the age of 6 and continues until the child reaches age 13 and becomes a novitiate zzaburi (an apprentice sorcerer)." RQG p.389

Yeah, but since they can learn those through the normal channels (cults) there's no need for the Zzaburi to waste their time on a workaround.

Presumably they learn them from their cults like most other people. Dronar villages probably get the occasional wandering shaman too. Depending on the sect, a Zzaburi probably could teach spirit magic, or at least figure out a spell to simulate the ritual method used by priests and shamans, but given how it conflicts with sorcery I doubt any serious Zzaburi would know many spells to teach.

As a person of faith, if I swore with "or God strike me down" or similar, I'd certainly consider that a possibility of breaking it. What "strike me down" actually ends up being, of course, is up to my imaginary friend. I've never sworn that sort of oath though - on my honor is typically good enough, as I expect it is for most Gloranthans. Remember that the setting was made by a practicing shaman - someone who actually had belief, not someone trying to say what it was from an enlightened pedestal. Many of the elements he included were probably real to him.

The dearth of male earth spirits definitely feels like a result of Genert's death. I'd guess they're probably more common in Pamaltela, since Pamalt's doing fine. I think there's more male plant spirits than we think, we just usually see Dryads which are a special case. And there's definitely a lot of male animal spirits.

As far as we know, no, but it might have been done somehow in the EWF by people trying to turn into Dragonewts or even Dragons. I made a forum post a while back theorizing about theistic EWF cults and gaining a Dragon rune through them, and JRE made a convincing argument for using the Dragonewt rune instead, but so far the official stance on gaining form runes other than beast/man seems to be that it makes you no longer really human. At least in RQG's Glorantha (shamans' connection to Spirit seems to be via their Fetch, rather than gaining it as a personal affinity).

It's been several years since I actually got to GM, but iirc we didn't bother with any rolls for spellcasting unless it was for overcoming resistances. And not really a houserule, but the one time we went into the otherworld we just used runes and passions in place of any skills or attributes, though that experience was much more narrative than rolly anyways.

Hrestolism was the mainstream Malkioni philosophy up until the God Learners got God Learned, and it's not the same as what the Loskalmi practice. Both New Hrestolism and Rokarism are reactions to the failure of old Hrestolism, whose belief that the world was fully subject to humans led to the excesses and failure of the MSE. https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/third-age-malkioni-movements/ https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/facebook/runequest-on-facebook-july-2021-highlights/#ib-toc-anchor-14

Those are New Hrestoli. As far as we know, there aren't any original Hrestoli left; the last of them died with the god learners.

Neither will spirits, really. They just act out their natures unless something compels them to do otherwise, like a shaman making a deal or an adventurer trying to bind them. Gods behave the same way, it's just a lot harder for someone to do something which forces them to act.

Orlanth is the air and storms, Yelm is the sun, Ernalda's body is the earth. The gods are just as present and active in the world as spirits, while also dwelling in the God Time and Hero Plane. The compromise isn't a hard and fast line, it's just an agreement to not destroy the world again. There's not a hard and fast line between spirits and gods anymore, just differences in how they're approached and how powerful they are.

Orlanth has more initiates than Ygg among the pirates, but I personally think the influence of each cult within the crews would be about equal. If Harrek provides any magic to his close followers it's probably a spirit cult of the White Bear, with him as head shaman. He wouldn't provide any magic personally, being a mortal, but he'd probably still get MP and POW sacrificed to him specifically in return for temporal aid. https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/wolf-pirates/

Most rune magic originated as specific variations of "Incarnate Ancestor". Most mortals nowadays are just too weak to fully embody their divine ancestors, so we make do with only partial versions of the spell.

I assume it's either woad or him heroforming Orlanth, who's often depicted with blue skin. Or maybe he just fell in a vat of blue juice earlier. It doesn't always signify a water connection.

Did you mean for this to be in the group read board? I think most inland water cults are just spirit cults, led by shamans. Only the most important bodies like the rivers have full priests and temples and the like.