Godhi

Greetings from the Tragic Kingdom! I'm working on a project for the Jonstown Compendium which will be a combined bestiary and rogues gallery of chaos creatures going under the current title of the Chaos Compendium. While working on the section for Dancers in Darkness, I realized something interesting regarding the rules for Sorcery, and I'm hoping the designers of Runequest Glorantha could give me some information. Since Dancers in Darkness and Vampires are Undead and repelled by the Death Rune, it would be natural to believe they cannot learn the Death Rune or cast Sorcery spells using it. This prevents them from casting such spells as Animate Dead, Boon of Kargan Tor, and Ward Against Weapons. On the other hand, can such Sorcerers substitute the Undeath Rune in its place?

Blessed Water-Skin i.e. Eiritha's Blessing, Heler's Friendship, Traveler's Water-Skin. Description: A large water-skin made from tanned leather, sometimes contained within an attractive fur pouch and decorated with beads, feathers, and polished stones, the latter of which are always associated with the element of Water. The bag is inscribed with the Water and Fertility runes, and sloshes as though filled with water. Cults: Associated: Daka Fal, Eiritha, River Gods, Storm Bull. Friendly: Ernalda, Heler, Orlanth. Knowledge: Common. History: Grandfather Mortal is believed to have made the first enchanted water-skin during the God-Time so his people could have fresh water during long journeys across the plains of Prax. Shamans during the First Age learned this secret from him on the Spirit Plane, and since that time have crafted enchanted water-skins for the people of Prax, especially in the Wastes and the Long Dry, where water is scarce. Procedure: To make a Blessed Water Skin, a shaman of Daka Fal must travel to the Spirit Plane and negotiate with a small Water Elemental (Undine), then with its permission bind the spirit into a specially consecrated water-skin which has been decorated according to the proper rituals, inscribed with the runes for Water and Fertility, and enchanted with a Bind Elemental spell. Powers: The Blessed Water-Skin produces up to a cubic meter (10 liters) of pure spring water every day. Unless completely drained of water, the water-skin never runs out, and magically returns to full capacity each day at noon. Value: Most inhabitants of Prax will not part with a Blessed Water-Skin no matter how much money they are offered, especially since such magical treasures are often the property of a clan or tribe and are passed down from one generation to the next.

The Iron Quill i.e. Quill of the Master Scribe, The Wyrm's Tooth Description: This magical artifact appears at first glance to be nothing more than a fancy writing quill crafted from an iron-gray feather of unknown origin, attached to an iron nib bearing the Truth rune. If examined closely, the tip will be found to be moist with a small amount of octopus ink, which never dries out no matter what the circumstances. Cults: Associated: Lhankor Mhy Friendly: Lightbringers Knowledge: Cult secret. History: The Iron Quill was created during the Second Age by Balzurian Dragonfriend, a Sage of Lhankor Mhy who was fascinated by Wyrms, Dragonewts, and all things Draconic. Crafted from the wing feather of a most unusual wyrm, Balzurian Quill (as he was later known) took the quill with him on several Heroquests and imbued it with special powers. After his death, the artifact passed down from one Sage of Lhankor Mhy to another, and was later lost to history. Powers: In the hands of anyone who is not an initiate of Lhankor Mhy, the object is a magical writing quill that never runs out of ink, and produces a high quality octopus ink suitable for writing on paper or parchment. In the hands of an initiate of Lhankor Mhy, the artifact grants a +20% bonus to Craft (calligraphy) and to any Read/Write skill known by the initiate as long as it is in their grasp. In the hands of a Sage of Lhankor Mhy, the above bonuses double to 40% and they acquire the skill Read/Write Auld Wyrmish at a base of 30%. If an initiate of Lhankor Mhy knows the command word, the Iron Quill transforms into an iron dagger with a matrix for Bladesharp-6. The blade will turn back into a writing instrument at the end of the melee. Value: Since this artifact is unique, it will never be for sale. Anyone finding the Iron Quill will be able to name their price at any temple of Lhankor Mhy.

Ouch. That means no Divine Intervention for their worshipers, either. I'll have to ask my players if they like this idea since from a roleplaying point of view, it gives their characters all the more reason to fight against the Lunar Empire.

I would like to begin a Runequest campaign taking place in 1621, allowing the Heroes to take part in such great adventures as Argrath and the rescue of the Giant's Cradle as well as the early battles of liberation against the Red Empire. However, such a campaign would take place during the Great Winter, when Orlanth and Ernalda were "killed" and sent to the Underworld by the Red Goddess. What effect--if any--would this have on Rune Magic and Divine Intervention connected to their two cults? Would worshipers be able to call on Orlanth and Ernalda for Divine Intervention? Would worshipers be restricted to one point Rune Magic, or would their magic become cyclical in nature, allowing them to cast certain spells only during Earth or Storm Season or on certain days of the week?

There are several factors one must consider in a typical Runequest melee: Few combatants are going to be wielding weapons which inflict large amounts of damage. Remember that the cost of a weapon is directly proportionate to the amount of damage it inflicts, and we are in a Bronze Age culture where wealth is concentrated among the nobles and merchants. Most opponents will either be wielding clubs, knives, or fists; members of the city guard will be among the few armed with swords, but they will most likely be carrying a gladius or shortsword. (1D6 +1) Warriors will most likely be carrying short spears, or maybe a battle-axe (1d8 +2) but the latter will be less common than the spear carriers. Swords will most likely be carried by merchants or noblemen. The good news is they will probably not be as proficient as a trained knight or warrior; the bad news is they are wielding weapons that inflict better damage (1D8 +1) and can impale. Another bit of bad news is they are most likely carrying a shield, and are just as good--if not better--at parrying with a shield than striking with a sword. One advantage to opponents wielding two-handed swords or great axes: they cannot carry a shield, and have to parry with the same weapon. The bad news is when they hit, the weapon can cause some serious damage in melee. Beware of Trolls armed with mauls! The worst danger for the heroes will be missile fire. They might be able to dodge thrown weapons like javelins, but against arrows and crossbow bolts all the heroes can do is hide behind their shields and hope their armor can protect them. The only good news is that the damage bonus for missile fire is halved; on the other hand, missiles such as arrows can impale. Rarely will weapons roll maximum damage, fortunately. On an average roll, a light club wielded by a character with a D4 damage bonus will inflict 6 points of damage on a successful hit. A character with average statistics wearing cuirboilli armor with soft leather padding (4 points of armor) who is struck in an arm will take 2 points of damage--enough to reduce the limb to 1 hit point and really hurt him, but not enough to cripple the limb. On the other hand, a blow from a battle axe doing 9 points of damage (an average roll) will reduce the limb to -2 hit points, breaking bones and crippling the arm, but not severing it. This is to be expected from a battle axe in medieval combat. So how does one stay alive in Runequest combat? Learning how to parry with a shield or another weapon in one's off-hand. Either that, or learning how to dodge blows so the enemy doesn't hit you in the first place!

**sings the Tree Chopping Song**