Austin

On 3/22/2020 at 2:21 AM, Joerg said:

Now go, and start listening, or Jörg will bring all of this to you in a couple thousand words, typed in a very small font!

Don't make threats you won't keep—I need printouts to read from at the game table!

Just now, Jeff said:

Of course it could. Just don't make it substantially the same as RQ's battle magic or spirit magic. Give it different durations, ranges, etc., come up with a different spell list (instead of RQ's) with different effects, and tailor it to your Bronze Age fantasy. And to be honest, that is the same thing we would do if we were doing a historical Bronze Age game.

Thanks for the feedback. I think this actually helps illustration some of the potential miscommunications.

For me, when I read "substantially similar," my mind reads that as using the same base mechanic—e.g., POW×5% to cast stuff. It hasn't seemed clear to me where that line exists between "substantially similar" and "substantially different," which makes me feel hesitant and cautious. I think some others commenting feel the same way.

46 minutes ago, Rick Meints said:

A vague example of "I want to write X, but your license options don't allow it" is far better than saying our license options are (insert vague negative word or phrase). 

I'm interested in writing my own Bronze Age fantasy RPG based on fiction and world-building I did before I began exploring Glorantha, which was heavily inspired by the Iliad, Herodotos, and Thucydides involving wars between city-states and broader culture clashes tied together within a unified mythic background. I would use D100 mechanics because I like the simplicity of percentile skills, but I have ideas to give a game a more "pulp"-like feel than RuneQuest's hyper-lethal simulationism. I'm of the (naturally self-biased) opinion that my design notes indicate a game and setting which, while maybe not revolutionary, is still notably not RuneQuest or an RQ clone.

Under the BRP OGL, this game couldn't use the staple POW×5% mechanic for its "low magic" or "common magic," if any. Just making a Bronze Age fantasy RPG itself might violate the OGL. I couldn't use any sort of percentile-rated ability system to describe a character's connections to their community, and toward their fellow adventurers.

While such a game is extremely hypothetical and I'm mainly focused at the moment on cutting my design teeth with RuneQuest and Jonstown Compendium content, if I wanted to make the above, hypothetical, game, I'd probably end up building from the ground up rather than utilizing the BRP OGL. If I wanted to use BRP, I feel like it would be more contingent on marketing thoughts than on game design thoughts.

2 hours ago, Tanaka84 said:

Please, please, don't take this post in bad faith. I want you to succeed, I want BRP and QW to be big brands in the hobby (hell, I'm still waiting QW's to publish my own game).

Heartily, heartily agree. The only person I can ever speak for is myself, but I'm completely in agreement. I want Chaosium/BRP to be successful and healthy, and Chaosium protecting its own IP and game lines makes complete business sense.

1 hour ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

Do the Tax Demons have stats/Runes?

I think @Nick Brooke might be the guy to ask, if they're included in his forthcoming Rough Guide to Glamour.

2 hours ago, fmitchell said:

Is a magic system that uses Magic Points to power small utility and tactical combat spells "substantially similar" to Battle Magic / Spirit Magic?

This is my primary question, too, considering how integral the POW×5 roll for "small" magic seems to have been for BRP-derived fantasy games.

Does "substantially similar" mean mechanically similar, descriptively similar, or both? I assume the answer is both.

In any case, thanks Chaosium! It's cool to see this new game design tool out there.

I cribbed together a Lunar demon once using the Bestiary's demon entry, and throwing it a few Chaos features and the Control (Human) spirit magic spell for flavor—I don't think they can actually use it unless they know Attack Soul or something, since they're embodied entities?

Really nasty Chaos feature with demons is regenerating magic points at the end of each round (2D6-5, min 1, if I remember the entry correctly). Considering a demon's AP & HP is based on it's current magic points... yikes.

46 minutes ago, lordabdul said:

Maybe we can release a Rune Fixes Fixes on the Jonstown Compendium 😅

I have been tempted to collate the Well of Daliath errata into a PDF to load up here, but definitely feels like I'd be overstepping myself.

That said, it seems to me that RF2 overturns the errata ruling regarding the Stackability requirements of spells cast with Extension, since all the sample "problem" spells ([Weapon] Trance, etc.) are Nonstackable. Broadly, that seems a good thing because it makes life simpler.

...

And lets me once more Extend my Bear's Strength so I can hit people really hard. I might be a lil biased here.

12 hours ago, gochie said:

As I wouldn't limit the number of spirits Vishi can damage in a round, I would rule that Vishi deals special damage to spirit #1, deals normal damage to spirit #2, and deals no damage to spirit #3.

I think that's reasonable.

1 hour ago, gochie said:

There is no attack and parry in spirit combat, only an opposed success. The adventurer will likely end-up losing VS many spirits anyways, since in the case of a tie both parties deal their damage.

I'll try to elaborate a little further (keeping in mind that I could have this totally wrong).

You're correct, the whole set-up is an opposed success. Vishi is in spirit combat with three spirits simultaneously. He rolls his Spirit Combat skill of 80% once, rolling 16, a special. The spirits roll:

• 54 on 60%, a standard success. That spirit deals no damage, because Vishi rolled a special, and wins the opposed roll.
• 10 on 60%, a special success. That spirit deals normal damage, because both the spirit and Vishi rolled the same result, a special.
• 02 on 60%, a critical success. That spirit deals critical damage to Vishi (or maybe special damage, I'm uncertain on this one), and Vishi can't deal damage to it, because the spirit got a better result than him.

Vishi's Spirit Combat roll lets him deal damage to one spirit. His player chooses to deal damage to the first spirit, because the special will deal the most damage. The second spirit deals normal damage, and the third deals critical damage. All of that damage is dealt simultaneously on strike rank 12.

Importantly, as far as I understand Vishi doesn't deal his spirit combat damage to all three spirits based on individual opposed Spirit Combat rolls. His player rolls once, and assigns his "attack" where he wishes. That one roll is his "parry" or defense against all three opposed rolls. So, without spiritual armor or an extremely high Spirit Combat skill, when fighting multiple spirits with spirit combat the danger grows quickly.

Worth pointing out on the player side of these tactics, that once you become a Rune Master (and if your cult has the enchantment) the Spirit Armor Enchantment can make small spirits trivial for a few points of POW (1D3 points of armor per POW spent). Not necessarily easy or convenient, but I've got to imagine many shamans have a few POW of spiritual armor, considering that's their bread & butter.

Just now, Akhôrahil said:

Most spirits are pretty obsessive and not very smart about things, only reflexively doing their own thing, so there's that.

On the other hand, it's probably the bigger spirits that tend to act smarter, so that just makes them even more dangerous.

Yeah, it's definitely not something I see as a commonplace behavior.

55 minutes ago, Puckohue said:

Does anyone have experience of sending a bunch of aggressive spirits at the adventurers?

I think the most I've sent was 3 or 4 madness spirits when my players were investigating a Lunar ruin. Every spirit encounter my group's ever had has been pretty one-sided due to the Humakti's enchanted iron sword + Truesword. I suspect that even Truesword alone is probably a workhorse.

Now that I think about it, when I was playing rather than GMing I think we may have fought 4 or 5 when against a Mallia shaman. Again, the Humakti cleaned house. Same adventurer, his combat prowess is basically a Sword's, he's just missing some other skills.

It seems to me that the really scary part is when multiple spirits stack up on a single adventurer. While not certain, I believe the consensus I saw on these forums was that the adventurer could only attack one, but could receive basically any number of spirit combat attacks. Their roll could defend them--e.g. if they rolled a special, only specials or crits would deal MP damage to them--but their rolled damage only went to one spirit.

Intelligent, crafty spirits can also be really dangerous. I remember a tactic suggested that a spirit would initiate combat, then withdraw after the adventurer casts Spirit Block and wait for the spell to expire.

12 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Works for me. But don’t let the Storm Bull hear you say that, he might suspect you are illuminated.

How about: "All I know is that I know nothing... but those damn Moonies know even less!" Should that ward him off?

14 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

You Know Nothing, Bill Snow

Alternatively, "All I know is that I know nothing."

16 minutes ago, Joerg said:

Removing his penis and having to look for it is a classic for Eurmal.

My adventurers found it in the marketplace once. Still aren't sure where it belonged.

4 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

Having a GM say "yeah, sure, no problem", only to then change it because it suddenly means something they didn't count on is a bit mean.

Standard rules should apply - if you agree to something, don't back out later because it becomes inconvenient!

That's valid, and I agree with the principle.

I see those comments more as descriptive than prescriptive; I'm more likely to support a munchkinny argument for a healer than for a warrior, subjectively. That doesn't mean that response is correct.

2 hours ago, gochie said:

RAW, there is technically nothing preventing a player from doing that, especially an egregious munchkin.

Yep, that's basically my interpretation. As a gamemaster I'd be inclined to allow it—but @Thaz makes a great point in that if this was the last requirement to be met for becoming a Wind Lord or a Sword, I'd be thinking much more carefully before making that decision.

While not directly relevant, I think Jason's commentary on Well of Daliath tentatively supports this:

Quote

Rune Priests earn a 1- pt increase in cult spirit magic every year, does this mean Bladesharp 6 would ‘tick up’ into Bladesharp 7? Is this also the intent for how spirit spells are learned at increasing variables? You find someone with a Bladesharp 7 and they can improve your Bladesharp 6 to 7?

The 1-point increase is determined by the player and approved by the gamemaster, and is applied to one spell.

It might mean an existing spell increased by one level, or a new spell is gained from the list of existing cult spirit magic spells. 

You learn to improve your spirit magic by finding a teacher and paying them to teach you. Like any subject, they must know it themselves. 

The gamemaster should determine how available the teaching is and whether anyone in the desired area knows the spell at the desired level. It might be that some of the cost in L is for this research. It might also be that in some cases, a spell’s higher level is only available from pretty rarefied sources. Someone with Bladesharp 7 is going to be a pretty intensely dedicated warrior, and might not have the time to spend it teaching magic to newcomers.

By the way, does anyone have opinions on how Urvantan's Tower runs? Of the adventures in TSR that's the most likely for me to play, since it's least attached to a specific region. I'm a little skeptical of the finale since it seems more like "sorcerer does cool cutscene stuff" than "adventurers save town."

3 minutes ago, Crel said:

Beginning Play as a High Healer of Chalana Arroy

Oh, and additional upside that once you become a shaman and get a fetch the party healer will gain a ton more magical endurance. Although the fetch will be crap at first due to needing to stay at 18 POW (assuming saccing to go below for the fetch would qualify as voluntary, and a No Go for a theist).

Self-rez Chalana Arroy, then resurrect your favorite party member. And others, if you've still got RP post-TPK. Or just the whole "I resist magic with 25+ POW, nice try casting magic at me, folks."

Beginning Play as a High Healer of Chalana Arroy:

Did some math for a conversation over in the FB RQ group, and I think you can start play as a High Healer with lucky starting characteristics. You take the Esrolia Homeland, Assistant Shaman occupation (IIRC in prior editions it's noted that CA can be shamans or sorcerers if they follow cult guidelines, and at least RQG notes that they can still be sorcerers).

• Required characteristics: INT 17+, POW 20+ (sacrificing down to 18 later), CHA 10+.
• Knowledge mod: +15%
• Magic mod: +10% or higher, depending on CHA

High Healer requirement #1 — First Aid 90%

• Base = 10
• Knowledge Mod = 15
• Esrolia = 5
• Assistant Shaman = 15
• Chalana Arroy cult = 20
• Cult Bonus #2 = 15
• Personal = 10
• Total = 90%

High Healer requirement #2 — Treat Disease 50%

• Base = 5
• Knowledge Mod = 15
• Chalana Arroy cult = 15 (You chose +15 to either Treat Disease or Treat Poison)
• Personal = 25
• Total = 60%

High Healer requirement #3 — Treat Poison 50%

• Base = 5
• Knowledge Mod = 15
• Cult Bonus #1 = 20 (From the bonus +20 and +15 you can assign to starting cult skills—nothing says you can't pick the unpicked half of Treat Disease/Poison; this is the most sketchy part of this adventurer creation IMO)
• Personal = 10
• Total = 50%

High Healer requirement #4 — Worship (Chalana Arroy) 50%

• Base = 5
• Magic Mod = 10
• Generic Cult bonus = 20
• Personal = 25
• Total = 60%

High Healer requirement #5 — Know Heal 6 or greater

• Assistant Shaman occupation: Second Sight (3pt.), Heal 1, 1 point of any other spell.
• Chalana Arroy cult: 5 additional points of Heal.
• Total: Heal 6, Second Sight (3pt.), and 1 additional point of spirit magic.

High Healer requirement #6 — Have 5 Rune points

• Adventurer creation: start with 3 points.
• Sacrifice 2 points of POW, down to POW 18.
• Total: 5 Rune points

Did I miss anything? Put my foot in my mouth on the math?

24 minutes ago, Thaz said:

Our initial assumption was that indeed you'd do your potting near you clay. But it turns out there's quite a lot of physical evidence that it was the other way around back in ancient times. BwT Archaeology department got quite excited and geeked right out over this. Turns out you want to make your amporah near to where you fill them.

Could you direct me toward your references on this? I've just started the research/pre-writing stages of my next bigger project, writing up an Esrolian city, and this sounds like useful reading. I basically just assumed clay from the near by river(s) and stream(s) would be used.

34 minutes ago, Thaz said:

I think Orgvale is more likely to ask (via all sorts of divine style hints) to recover her mothers mirror than the complicated plot in TSR. 

That's a solid plot hook. Nice and simple (and works with any variant of land goddess).

The place my brain went when I did my read-through of TSR back in December was "oh, huh, that's a neat option for players." But from Rodney's experience, and how I recollect the text, I do see that it probably comes across less like a "choice" and more like a "gotcha!" on the player side of the table. I've made similar mistakes on my own before, not sufficiently explaining a decision's consequences.

16 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

I'm surely biased cause I was a victim, but, in my opinion, this aspect of the scenario, as written, is one of the worst ideas of all time.  The other players didn't like it either.

Your post is good feedback to hear for me, as a gamemaster. I've considered running this adventure for my group, especially because part of one adventurer's gimmick is his bloodline and I thought it could be interesting to offer him the chance to play instead as the progenitor reborn. But hearing that it's a big roadbump for a variety of players is good to know in case I do run TSR.

1 hour ago, Qizilbashwoman said:

Maran Gor requires you to castrate yourself, so uh,

Small price to pay to apocalypse a city.

I do literally have a player whose prior adventurer cut off his genitals for magic.

My campaign sort of operates as a shared campaign with @GeminniRed. We're still working out exactly how it works, but I enjoy it. Thus far, I'm basically "main" GM, but he runs an adventure every now and again so I can play for a bit. It really helps me avoid burnout since I'm typically writing most of our material. Turns out it's tough to play a campaign loosely centered on Pavis in 1625 when all the published scenarios are over with the Colymar in Sartar.

I also adapt from other games now and again, which helps my workload a lot. Our previous GM did this all the time, mainly with old AD&D dungeon-crawl adventures like The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. The adventurers recently finished Spire of Iron & Crystal (by Frog God Games for Pathfinder), and I also ran part of Prophecies of the Dragon for the old Wheel of Time D20 game in the past.

As "Main GM" I already had a loose plot sketch, based largely on canon and how to use the framework from King of Sartar, etc. So I've basically let my co-GM in on a number of my plot 'beats' without giving away the whole cow, and he's been fitting in places and ideas where he'll do an adventure. E.g. I should plan for a pirate attack, and he'll run the adventure involving the aftermath. And so on.

Our current "meta-plot" or "arc" notion is prepping for a giant cosmologic heroquest taking the adventurers outside time itself... entirely so I can run a pre-made non-Gloranthan campaign while working on other stuff . And hopefully the forthcoming RuneQuest Campaign will be done by that point and I won't have to improve/guess at stuff as much anymore.

3 minutes ago, HreshtIronBorne said:

so even without practice you become a total badass when you hit the BIG RED RUNEBUTTON!

It's totally not worth the equivalent RP in Munchkin terms since it turned out you can't Extension the various spells involved (which makes me sad since when I get to play my adventurer is an Odaylan), but oh my god it is satisfying when you start ripping enemies apart.