kirinyaga

Reminds me of the beginning of the movie Once Upon a Time in China 2, when the hero gives a talk about acupuncture in a medicine congress : a guy is translating both the language, from chinese to english, and the medical concepts, from shakras to organs and such.

Note a möbius band has a single edge. What appear to be its interior edge and its exterior one really are the same edge. So, if Zaramaka has the topology of a möbius band, you can go though its edge from inside Glorantha to enter Zaramaka, and when you go though its edge again, you just entered back inside Glorantha.

Yes, I was waiting as rick didn't seem to agree with scotty on this one but it looks like it's now official, gain roll doesn't use species max. The whole thing is a mess, really. Well it already was. Oh, well ...

I could not find anything in the rules clarifications either, an addition is needed as the rules are so obviously unclear here.

Yep, it's pretty clear to me there is a blatant inconsistency in the rules here. And I remember we already discuss this at length and the official position was gain roll are calculated by (max-current)*5% and max was max+1/die+1/6.

I believe the new system is the one from p417 : max+1/die+1/6 bonus (meaning each +1 to +6 count as one die) So, 2D6+10 would be 22+2+2=26, and 2D6+6 is 18+2+1=21. Chances to increase is (max-current) * 5% (15% for a 18POW baboon).

yes. But it's not really a countermagic, it's a similar effect. And also Warding and so on ... Spirit screen will not dissip nor prevent Shield by the way. Personnally, I visualize the mps as the mass and the level as the velocity of a spell (to link Glorantha with the more familiar newtonian physics).

piercing a countermagic dispels it. And a countermagic 2 boosted with 10mp is still dispelled with an unboosted disruption 1. And a disruption +3mp (4mp total) will dispel it and go through. Total countermagic mp will only matter for dispels and incompatible spells. The spell level sets the effects (shielding from incoming spell for countermagic, dispelling spells for dispel magic, etc.., what is written in the description of a spell) and the boost mp sets the magic power, the stability (punching through or resisting dispels).

Well, take it as an operational return : we use it and found in practice that most of the time it's not worth it. It costs lots of mp and takes lots of time. Casting something else is almost always a better idea, both defensively and offensively. We start boosting spells when we know opponents will try to dispel or cancel them one way or another and we only do it on THE spell that has to stay for us to stand a chance. I don't see why this is controversial, really. First, as I said, there is no real game-changing impact. Then, it is very clearly stated that you can always choose to boost a spell by pouring mp into it. Why could you do it in one case and not another ? That would be very inconsistent. And the stability of a magical effect depends of the number of mp in it (and rp), while the strength of its effects depends of the level. I find it very logical and consistent.

We use spirit screen & other incompatible spells this way since RQ2. In practice, we don't use it often : casting time is a highly scarce resource in a heated fight and you have important spells to cast on yourself and friends. To be effective, you have to boost it with magic points, as when incompatible spells are cast on the same target, only the one with most points stays (at least, that's what was stated explicitly in the french version of RQ2 if I remember well), meaning it is costly and long to cast (and you have to take a reasonnable guess at what level of Protection or Countermagic your opponent have used/will use). Then, as said, you need a successfull POWvsPOW : hard to predict, really, and after all that, even having 5 more POW is still a 25% chance of a total waste of time and mp ... So ... it's quite rare we rely on this. On specific occasions, it's very handy to remember it. Including as GM, so players remembers to sacrifice some mp to boost their magic defenses.

consider POW cannot be given and stored, it has to be used for enchantement, during a ceremony. And the enchanter has to spend 1POW, s/he won't enchant a matrix every week. So, episodically, peoples having both the know-how and a large amount of money may gather a few poors from a compatible culture/pantheon, happening to have a few POW to spare at that time, s/he trusts enough not to mess with the long and delicate ceremony. I think it's probably easy to find 1-3 POW to buy if you invest some time to do a bit of communication a couple seasons ahead. Probably easier in cities. Enchanters will also probably favor less peoples giving more POW than the opposite.

Add to that, all sartarites may not be fond of spirits and shamans anyway. I don't think that's the first thing they will turn to. I could see other ways : asking a Sword of Humakt to check thruth has been indeed spoken (in exchange for a donation to temple or support to an expedition). the Divination is a good idea too, but gods usually has cryptic answers, it may be wise to ensure the priest interpreting it has a good opinion about the woman ... just standing atop the highest hill around during a storm, spear high towards the sky, asking Orlanth to judge her, may be enough to convince everyone, but that would probably be quite ... hazardous. succeeding a heroquest based on truth or honour will also prove her right. That may be out of her league, though. a Yinkini, or another hunt cult, could speak with either the shadowcats or the rats (if there is no shadowcat, there are rats) living there. Again, given interpretation of the answers will probably be needed, working on prejudices first would be wise.

hmmm, does an allied spirit body ages at the same rate than its lord/priest then ? Because that's very short.

The title says it all : what is the life expectation of an alynx ? Is there any indication somewhere ? Very important concern here, that's a genealogy issue !

Even at 0hp it isn't pointless to parry : if you do a better parry than the attack, the parrying weapon hp doesn't matter. If you have nothing else to try ...