Shiningbrow

3 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Well I suppose I and only half a planet away... when do we play?

I am working my way around to round up people around here and having a lot of interest but not new players... yet. So, good luck! Hey, is there no gaming at the universities of FLGS (if they exist) in China?

Nope to the universities... basketball, ping pong, badminton, and K-pop dancing. I don't think I've even seen a D6! (although, if you go to the bars, there's a drinking game with lots of them)

FLGS? I think there's one in Shanghai,b ut again, they tend to be board games rather than RPG. I mean, even M:tG is more popular here!

A few expat groups around... but as per previous

4 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Why the great people here that play the game should be more than enough to sway your crew, oh and it will make you sexy and incredibly smart as well.
your mileage may vary...

(I cast Charisma )

(Oh, and, and a quick Lie too...)

Yeah, RQG is the best game ever!!!

(oh, damn.... doesn't quite work second hand...)

5 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Alas, I just must disagree with you , Don't mean to but...

Watch a little politics and cheating (sorry folks  don't mean to be mean, or start a war so I will tread carefully here)  of a very egregious nature seems to be a topic that comes up very often and many if not all are painted with the accusation at one point or another. And yet, politicians utilize all tools up to and including murder and beyond and some actually get away with it. TelePrompTers, speech writers, paid political ads that baldly lie and bring in actors in place of real people, media hatchet jobs that ruin families and worse, political assassinations, burglaries, planted evidence on opponents and as mentioned actual assassinations. In our world I won't say this happens every day but I'll bet there aren't many where the question doesn't come up that someone is guilty of one or more of the above...  In one country alone, never mind all the nations of out planet.

We are supposedly savvy but  do not know what to believe. Not saying that the Gloranthans are not savvy but it seems to me that a (if I can utilize our poor overworked priestess again, sorry lass) priestess using the skills she has a goddess given gifts is perfectly okay to, the less jaded and more united Theyalans and not that crazily unbelievable/unacceptable to true believers and good Orlanthi, all! (politicking, moi?).

I suppose I shall retreat from the field after this for I can't imagine having more to say on the topic besides YGMV

cheers

So, you are suggesting that the LM Sage who gets fed up with the stupid grunts who want to control everything and decides to Dominate Human(oid) to get the vote to go his (far more intelligent and thought out) way is not a problem?

The Kolati Shaman who possesses the Orlanthi King is well within their rights to do so, as long as it's helpful (or if it's not!) at the request of his mate on the Council Ring, just to swing the majority?

Anything goes, huh?

The difference with your example is that the politicians will keep doing those things here as long as they don't get caught! The thread started on whether magic is clearly obvious (some yes, some no, some...??) and then extended into how people might react to those which are obvious/visible. Politician X doesn't order the killing of a political rival on TV (nor, usually, in the middle of their cabinet room)... and neither should the Ernaldan Priestess drop in a Charisma in the middle of the discussion (for sort of similar reasons).

Sunspear - p234 "Only the target’s thinnest armor protects against this damage; spells are ineffective."

And I have never understood why it is so!

Getting really upset/jealous of people who can play regularly...

The boardgame groups I'm in tend not to do RPGs in general, and when they do it appears no-one's even heard of Runequest!

I'm in Hangzhou, if anyone puts a hand up here...

19 minutes ago, Oracle said:

Another good story for getting an impression, what Glorantha is, is the web comic Prince of Sartar. Although it is not yet complete, it contains already six great chapters, which give a good introduction, how Glorantha and how a game in Glorantha could work ...

Not enough Ducks.

Or Trolls...

And I don't recall even a single Dwarf....

Don't mind me - I think it's a great comic, and am avidly awaiting the return. Lots of HeroQuest-y stuff as well as a good story (but, you'll need to read the comments to understand a lot of what you're looking at.. lots of grognards 😛 )

However, it's based purely around the Dragon Pass area (plus some Prax), and involves only the people's from that area. So, it's less "Glorantha since the Gods Time", and more "Dragon Pass over the last 20 years". Granted, that was the bread and butter Glorantha for a while (and, once again, is). I don't even recall any sorcery being used.

2 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Minor spoiler ahead for Broken Tower.

 

 

Hmm, perhaps a herder could have been advantageous in the Broken Tower

Gods damn it!!! I'll never be able to read that now!!!!!!!

2 hours ago, lordabdul said:

 

So no I don't think it I would do that in my Glorantha, the same way it doesn't make sense (except for special circumstances) to say that a business meeting should have no technology allowed whatsoever (i.e. no laptops or smartphones or internet access). Some actions are frowned upon, like deceiving people, or spying on them in between council meetings, but that's the case whether you're using a spell or not (or technology). Maybe banning some spells, or monitoring spell activity, makes it a bit harder to do those things, so depending on your views about how (in)effective those policies might be, they could be used in your world.

 

I'm not even remotely suggesting that that should be the case.

I'm saying that people would use the magic they've got and the contacts with the deities that they have for mutual benefit and for the forwarding of the deity's goals. Using a spell like Charisma to win over a meeting just because it suits your personal goals is vastly different to casting a DI to figure out where the latest source of attacks is coming from.

Mind altering affect spells should be banned within such types of meetings - and that's basically what the Charisma spell does.

2 hours ago, lordabdul said:

My personal opinion on the matter is that I don't like it when a world gives me a toy, but the story removes the toy from me. "It's a world where you have access to lots of magic spells!" the GM says... but when we want to figure out who killed the innkeeper, we can't interrogate the ghost because the killer used a special weapon that destroys the victim's spirit. If we want to locate the kidnapped innkeeper's child, we can't use a scrying spell because somehow the bad guys are using something to block it... there's no point in having access to magic if it ends up being useless or unusable. But yes, it means it's a lot harder for the GM to design adventures, and that's why I hope there will be lots of well-designed scenario packs and GM advice coming from Chaosium soon

That's vastly different to what I was suggesting... and the whole thread is about "visual components on spells". So, who cares if everyone can see that you're talking to that ghost? Not overly relevant (unless, of course, that form of necromancy is considered evil in that part of the world). No-one's going to complain about a scrying spell (although, if people have no idea what you're trying to scry, maybe they'll get a bit antsy... but that's merely about the target, not the use).

The closest analogy I can immediately think of to your example above to what I'm referring to would be the Orlanthi decides to wave his sword about and threaten to kill people if they don't agree... or the Daka Fal Shaman possesses one of the other council members.... if people think using Charisma is ok, then what would be the problem with doing that??

For all those who are suggesting that using Charisma to get your own way (NB - not the goddesses way!), would you all be quite happy to have that priestess (or even an initiate!) cast Charisma (and, what the hell, the Trickster cast "Lie") to get their own way in a tribal council meeting?

Or, would you expect such a council meeting to have a standard "no spells" policy?

6 hours ago, Brootse said:

So I can't see an honourable Aeolian or Lhankor Mhy wizard tapping anything.

For the most part, I would agree. But, I'd think that Chaos and Red Moon  might be an exception... especially the latter as it came about after the Great Compromise, and allowed Chaos back into the world. "Killing" off Orlanth certainly didn't help their cause either!

38 minutes ago, soltakss said:

One of our PCs had a Speedart 4 matrix, a special version of the spell, cast it on one of the peas and used it to take down a foe (Critical in head, does double damage as they didn't have any armour, so 8 points in the head). It was in a circus scenario. I think it was the one with the were-goldfish assassins, but can't really remember.

Were-goldfish...??????

17 hours ago, soltakss said:

Farsee lasts 4 hours and he played several games of the Shell Game, longer than 10 melee rounds, so another spell would have gone down. Detect Magic showed where the magical pea was, so he could tell which cup the pea was in. After the chappie cheated several times, he started either putting his hand on the cup with the pea or removing the cups without the pea, allowing the chappie to admit the pea wasn't in any of the cups. He got very annoyed after a few games.

 

But, can you imagine what a Bludgeon 4 or higher would do to his shell game??

23 minutes ago, soltakss said:

Did she keep falling into the sink?

If you're going to go there.....

Is there a sub-Rune of the Water Rune? So that I could Tap Drip? (And I don't even have to faucet )

36 minutes ago, Pentallion said:

I just want to see it for sale... soon!

Fixed it for you

17 hours ago, soltakss said:

It lances the boil.

So, if you have been suffering loads of minor attacks, you can use Summons of Evil and bring the Chaos Enemy to you all in one go. It can be used to nip the Chaos in the bud before it becomes too powerful.

Yeah, I get it now....

Are they supposed to take the fastest and most direct route? Or, can they scout around, check for terrain, advantage, etc?

17 hours ago, soltakss said:

Who cares about Cost/Benefit ratios?

I have never said "Oh, that spell costs too much, so I won't take it.". I have said "Oh, that is costly, I won;t take it as I won't need it", which is slightly different.

Apologies - what I meant was "profit/loss ratio".

Sometimes, using this spell will do exactly what you want and all it all good and well (profit). Sometimes you draw in something horrific you haven't planned for, and get a total wipe! (huge loss)

14 hours ago, metcalph said:

Yes, two Ernaldan priestesses arguing with each other using magic does present certain theological problems.  

Now in arguing against each other, they are not arguing against the Goddesses' interests.  The Goddess is vast and encompasses multitudes even to the extent of a tiff here and there.  In having the disagreement, they are still acting as Ernaldans do and thus there is no sin against Ernalda.  Ernalda does not have a Great Checklist of what is right and what is wrong for every particular circumstance, She has a wide variety of answers, available to her worshippers through myth and magic, but because of the Compromise her worshippers need to work out which of Ernalda's answers is right for a given circumstance.  And since a common myth of Ernalda in the God Time is arguing with her Sister-Goddesses, in having the argument and using charmisma spells etc, both are being Ernalda.

Most gloranthans being simple folks have long accepted the rule that whoever wins is in the right.  A few are rightly concerned with the conundrums posed - how can both Ernaldans be Right?  What is Right?  What is Ernalda?  The names for these people are God Learners, Philosophers and Illuminates.  

 

 

Ummm.... I'm a God Learner

(Hence this long thread I started...)

17 hours ago, soltakss said:

Everyone uses magic. It's not a crime and it's not cheating. Powerful people use more or better magic. 

Sure, you might know that magic is being used and that might give you a bonus, or you could use a Passion as an augment because magic is being used. You could also question the result of a contest because magic is being used. 

However, when PCs use magic, Players don't accept that NPCs might not accept the result because PCs used magic.

And, that' was basically the angle I was coming from...

If the players can do it, so too can the NPCs. And, I'd be quite certain that the players would most certainly try to question the (ab)use of magic to influence people (in a way that may be considered "cheating"). Especially if they're told "nope - you totally accept her argument". Especially, again, when that quiet little wallflower they've known and loved for ages suddenly turns into something awesomely powerful and amazing. (ok, exaggerating... but a 9 to 18 would be pretty obvious)

Q: If someone has a Detect Magic spell on at the time, and see (and maybe know exactly the spell) would they be less likely to accept the outcome powered by a Charisma or Clever Tongue - or not?

(again, I'm not denying the power of the gods. What I'm saying is that most people know that individuals will use that power to their own ends, and not always to better the goals of the deities they serve)

13 hours ago, Pentallion said:

 

I remember when I saw Wonder Woman in the theaters thinking if I were a Brithini, I'd tap that.

And that's why Tapping is considered evil... especially without consent.

Yeah, I was simplifying... effectively trading 1 POW for 1 (other stat). There's a round-about way of how it works, but that's what it equals in the end...

Yes, you can choose other cults.

Remember that cults usually affiliate at the clan level.... so, in Sartar, most people will be part of the Orlanth cult - regardless of their occupation. Although, obviously, many will be part of other cults (as well or instead...).

And, the deities have very different aspects that can make it appropriate for very disparate people to worship them.

RE: farmer adventurers... wasn't that Conan??? There are lots of reasons a farmer would be an 'adventurer' (which isn't an occupation!) And, as a real basic, clans often raided each other for their livestock... and, if your tula is attacked, you are expected to help pitch in and defend it. If they take off with something of yours, you might be expected to go and get it back... or seek revenge!

17 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

Because Rune magic is the power, voice, and manifestation of a deity. If you go against your deities and they withdraw their support for you, effectively cursing you and your community, you learn that it is best to be swayed by "magical effects".

But the use of Rune magic isn't always in the best interests of those deities... We'd like to think that Ernalda wouldn't like her priestesses abusing the powers given to them... but, they're only human (usually) after all, and have human foibles.

And, again, it's not "go(ing) against your deities", it's going against the individual who manifested the power of the deity (ie, cast the spell). And, even then, it's not really "going against" - it's merely noticing the use it was put to...

1 hour ago, Joerg said:

You name the evil and work it into the effigy. Another clan (even though it may be part of your own tribe) eternally shaking you down for the products of your honest work when they never have done anything like honest work in the last few generations surely counts as an evil, doesn't it?

Orlanthi will fight other Orlanthi. The Lawstaff myth is about one way out of this, but Violence Is Always An Option. And especially towards a clan that traditionally hasn't given a damn for Always Another Way approaches.

I was thinking DI... can't be used against worshippers of the same deity... and, thus, thought the same might apply here.

4 minutes ago, Joerg said:

You know the Varmandi are going to raid you sooner or later as you have denied their "polite request" for tribute in the most clear way possible, but these scum are crafty and sneaky, and you never know where they will strike. Well, now you do.

Your rite will be the bait in the trap, so don't expect to get off lightly, but properly orchestrated, it could blunt their tribute-taking for years to come.

Ok, that works for me....

Although, it's a bit specific for a Rune Spell... (and, would Orlanth let you do that? Varmandis are Orlanthi too - yes? Or am I confusing them with a different tribe???)

8 minutes ago, Joerg said:

It helps manifesting an enemy that is hard to pin down or manifest, at a time of your choosing, so that you are as prepared as you can likely be. Plus it offers you a certain magical bonus when dealing with that threat.

Which myth does have this? Right now, the best fit I can think of is The Making of the Storm Tribe with that "serendipitious" arrival of the Darkness foes of the assembled clans.

The bonus is for the duration of the ceremony only.

And, it will summon a random representative of the enemy (if it's generic). So, while I can appreciate it for an individual, anything other than that is really asking for trouble (unless, I suppose, you happen to know there's a small band of X in the vicinity you want/need to pull out of hiding or something).

The "at a time of your choosing" is great - if you're ready for almost anything. As said in the description and by @soltakss above, if there's a Heroquester in the region (or a large raiding party you didn't know about), you could be in for a world of pain.

The benefit of the +50% Worship roll.... ummm, how about just throw another 5 MPs into the ritual?

So, other than trying to take out a particular individual, I still don't see a great benefit... (as I sit here on blue planet, and not on green lozenge)

I'm not seeing a great point to this spell.

The cost/benefit ratio just isn't that great...