Shiningbrow

Gonna be terrified when they see the maxxed out sorcery buffs 🤭

This is one advantage of Harnmaster (and vaguely mentioned in D&D) - damage types. However, in open areas, there's not going to be much difference with weapons. But in tight spaces (including a pub brawl), then it's going to be a serious issue. Other ways around it would be enchantments. The difference - and I think rightly so - is that once your characters have gotten to that level of skill (about mastery or so - 75%+) it really doesn't make a lot of difference. But characters with lower skills (eg, earlier RQ), that 5 or 10% bonus from culture and cult makes a nice bit of difference.

It doesn't matter... it's all mythology anyway, and that is very mutable and suffers from interpretation. I'm quite sure someone could do a HQ and suddenly become a descendant.

Yeah, I haven't thought that far ahead...

Houserule!

This does not make any sense to me! Especially when we do the same thing with Protection. If the Countermagic isn't stacking, then it's an either/or situation - either the CM is stronger than the Shield, or it isn't. If it is, then the CM effect of the Shield is irrelevant. If the Shield's CM effect is stronger, then there's no point in casting CM (as in your examples above). Anyone with Shield 2 or higher is simply wasting time and MPs by casting a CM (unless they've got quite a powerful POW Enhancing crystal). OTOH, if one is hit by a weapon, the damage will be reduced because of both the Protection and the Shield. Prot 2 + Shield 1 = 4 points of damage reduction.

Taboos which limit access to other elementals. As @soltakss wrote above, but rather than just 'harder', a complete ban. Similarly, forbidden spells, similar to the geasa of Yelmalio and other cults. A Water or Darkness great spirit might say no to having Firearrow, Fireblade, Ignite, etc

If the main principle is MGF - then does it really matter? Why should a player-constraining rule be supposed to affect character? Are there many situations where this combination becomes important?

Oh, I'm quite sure there are ways around everything. But the point of the thread isn't "how can you make shit up to defeat the biggest baddies on Glorantha?", it's "How can we fight them within the rules as currently written?"

I just looked at Runemasters spell tactics. The first one says that all spells cast on the same SR effectively stack against countermagic (hence the Sunspear above - maybe). Does anyone play that "rule"? I would never allow it - each spell is separate and distinct, so Countermagic would defeat each separately.

*Lie* (TM) to Harrek, telling him he killed Gunda while berserk.... (You're welcome )

The stacking amongst different people was my query there... no more Mindlink spells. Yep, very Mary Sue.

Depends on your definitions... if you mean "reflection" as per the rune spell - you're out of luck, because Sunspear doesn't have a resistance roll - it's all direct damage, so can't be reflected (as per the spell). Stacking Sunspears isn't RAW...

Apologies for the personal in-joke*. (Especially @davecake) One thing I do want to add is one thing that's been mentioned - even glossed over - is the idea of sacrifice. RQ is quite big on that, and is one of the things I really like about it. There's the relatively mild sacrifice of spell options by being able to choose only a small amount of cults for their benefits, to sacrificing POW for RPs, to the bigger sacrifices of being a pacifist (CA) or not being able to be resurrected (H), or the various Gifts and Geasa (H & Y), to the taboos of shamans. But, if you want to take on Jar-Eel or Harrek or Argrath, I think sacrifice should be a very important part of that. Be it personal sacrifice of one's own body, to those of possessions, to those of society (eg, as Arkat knew he was going to be hated by those he apparently betrayed when he changed into his next form). Getting the PCs to journey all over the place collecting strange and wonderful magics and friends is what they want to do. Getting them to give up something actually important to them for a more nobler cause is even better... (* personal in-joke... having just graded a stack of group discussions, and telling the students that bland, superficial comments like "I agree" are going to fail them ....🤪)

I agree.

I've presumed that since the GT requirements are the same (with occasional exceptions), that they're effectively a priest without a position to take up. Evidenced by some cults not having GTs at all, but automatically gaining priesthood (eg, LM).

Neither have a living spirit which can DI.

I think it would be better to wait for the HQ rules to come out first. The possible rewards will be significant for this discussion.

I think you misinterpreted. The low chance I was referring to was getting to that point of superheroism, not the final boss fight. The low chance refers to all the combined adventures, fights, Heroquests etc that one needs to survive first. First you need to survive to Rune Master level (not easy), then face other, tougher challenges, and then go and face other - tougher - challenges, and then go and face..... You get the picture. None of them should be a walk in the park, with low risk of player death. I think it does disservice to the players to a) present minimal challenge, and b) ensure PC survival through handwavium or GM fiat ("the Eagles are coming"). Now, I'm not suggesting you think otherwise, but merely clarifying. Fighting Harrek should be a tough fight... but getting to that point should be much much tougher overall.

You think there won't be stations? Or that certain locations give bonuses to entering the HQ? (which is basically saying... Mongoose took the general idea that's been around for decades, and put some rules to them. I doubt Chsosium will go against those decades). Mechanically, there will be differences, but the general underlying idea should be the same. The rewards will also be the same/similar. And I presume that the relevant skill will be Cult Lore. I like your idea of HQs also being Rune Spells, as are the stations. The one big difference may be how abilities (and even spells) gained on a HQ will work...

apologies for pedantism, but you might want to edit this.

😜 Possibly - but again, we're left with a "how?" What were hundreds of Wind Lords capable of achieving? Because we certainly don't have anything in the rules to account for that.

I was about to write something that would clearly cast doubt on this - then I thought about very wide roads.... how wide is permitted? I would presume, as wide as has been made... It's quite rare for a ship in open water to follow exactly within the same relative 'path' (as in, a line), but does go via a very specific route (hence, the OP question). Ships could easily veer hundreds or even thousands of metres "off course", while still remaining on the same general path. Tides would seriously affect this, as well as the aforementioned weather (eg, storms). If one leaves Nochet and heads south-east to the gap of the Troll Straits, how far are they allowed to veer off the straight line? 50m? 100m? 500m? What if they know that sometimes you go straight, and other times you need to swerve more - and you know that for this time you go straight... is it the same path? I'd probably..... make it a Shiphandling roll, with weather modifiers. The first roll needs to be by the caster (because they can't effectively cast the spell without knowing the actual path), and then regular rolls from the pilot. But then - I'm more simulationist.... I'm sure many other GMs would just handwave.

Maybe they just ballsed up? or... 2D or not 2D - that is the question!

Actually, I think your ideas are a touch to mechanistic real world for me. I think the question should be - when does the connection between the spirit and the body separate completely?