Shiningbrow

Just an important reminder - you get 2 Techniques and 3 Runes and 6 spells (?) given to you at that section of chargen. (Do you also have RPs?)

You can then spend more POW for more Runes and/or Techniques, and you can use your 25/10 skills on other spells...

Obviously, we don't have a real "sorcerer" occupation yet, so that'll change things a bit what it comes out.

However, in relation to our adventuring sorcerer, I personally wouldn't start with philosopher. Sure, extra Rune and Technique are nice to have for free... But cult initiation might be better. And ability to effectively handle a sword - especially at start - would be very useful for when you run out of MPs.

Philosopher only gives +10% to 3 spells... Oh, whoop-dee-do! Ignore that, take a different occupation, go LM, and use the cult skills for sorcery, and occupation skills to keep you alive. Use 10/25 skills on getting new spells.

11 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

That doesn't exactly "Make Ernalda Shine" now, does it?  🙂

The lack of control? No.

But not willing to *risk* it (when there's not actually anything risky about it) - that's the player stopping themselves from shining!

14 hours ago, Joerg said:

usually, but not even biological sex can be a safeguard against pregnancy if sufficient ambient fertility is present during the act

You might want to edit that...

16 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Yes, add a little effect to your mechanism.

Manu, the powers that be have said they will not be adding sensory effects to the spells, but that the individual GMs would be able to shape the look and feel (best expression I could think of  quickly) of what the observers perceive. For example, if you wish lightsaber sounds on your bladesharped blade, make it so. If it has no impact on game play they are leaving it in your capable hands. What Joerg is saying would be sensible to any, has no impact on game play and adds flavour,  have them appear as tendrils or an enveloping maw if it gets the feeling across better.  Beats the hell out of generic roleplaying to me.The added effects are like seasoning a meal, completely unnecessary, but oh, so much better.

They DO have significant in-game effects that should be sorted out before the game starts. 

E.g., if Bladesharp has that effect, then it's going to change the way the player uses it, or what they'll do if the NPC enemy comes towards them with a vibrating buzzy sword.

If spirits can move through walls, then it changes the way some combats will work... 

I do agree that it's ultimately up to GM.

Q: some cults only allow marriage to other cultists... Is that intended for all marriage types?

9 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

For example, our Ernaldan player has not yet summoned her Elemental (over ~6 sessions) because she's pretty sure she cannot control it, and doesn't want to trust the GM to save the day.

She doesn't really need to. If she loses control, then it's most likely going to just sit there pounding on the dirt. There is no *good* reason it would attack her (or the rest of the party). Uncontrolled elements just do their normal elementally thing... (as per Bestiary)

6 hours ago, lordabdul said:

but at this point, like I said, I would frankly prefer to see a "RuneQuest Revised" rulebook produced, much like what Zweihander or GURPS 3e or several others did in the past)

I suspect it will happen - just not any time soon.

When it comes out, I hope it lacks the snarkiness of the Q&A... 

2 hours ago, Crel said:

I think this is relying on the whole irritating "cult initiation =/= adulthood initiation" thing again

For many cults and cultures, they would happen around the same time. So GM is going to have fun choosing which do and which don't 😁

Similarly with occupation. Some lend themselves to earlier cult initations (e.g., priest... As the child of the local priest, you'd be expected to initiate ASAP). Warriors would also initiate young as a virtual necessity.

I'd think, being part of a culture that is centred around gods, some level of Worship <X> and Cult Lore would be appropriate, and some of the other skills as well... Your skill selection is more directed towards the cult you're a Lay Member of.

16 hours ago, Joerg said:

No, it won't, because for Control to work it must have been fought down to zero MP.

I really wish that RQG had replaced that mechanic, or introduced an alternative spirit magic spell to "strongly suggest" behavior in spirits.

Spirit Magic's Control - yes.

Rune Magic Command and sorcery's Dominate - no.

2 hours ago, Crel said:

Alternately, you could offer your player to drop starting POW a point per additional Rune or Technique mastered (just like an adventurer can drop their POW to get additional Rune points). I think a big draw to playing a sorcerer is "Ooh, look at the variety of magic I can learn!" and that boils down to getting a variety of Runes/Techniques.

Personally, I'd think GMs should allow reducing the 3 free Rune Points allocation, to be spent on Runes or Techniques (obviously, 1 is still required for initiate status)... 

Choosing other occupations, but as an LM initiate allows for a good range of skills (including lore and combat) using sorcery as a back up, rather than a focus, would work ok. 

If it's hack'n'slash, then it's not going to be easy. If it's a lot more roleplay, and using skills more, then he'll be much more valuable. 

So, basically, as a GM, make the characters worthwhile and useful.

Well, I was more referring to whether you can get it to do other stuff within the binding without a control spell. 

A control spell might just get the spirit to stop the spirit combat! (But yeah, very situational).

"Also, a control spell supersedes the innate control held over an entity bound into an item. An enchanter who does not use conditions (see below) to restrict the use of their items may find their bound entities stolen or turned against them by crafty opponents using the proper control spells. Anyone that can use the item can also cast spells on the entity trapped inside: they do not need to be in physical contact with the item to affect the entity with spells, although they must use magical means of seeing (such as Pierce Veil, Second Sight, or Soul Sight) to target spells against a bound entity in this way."

RQG P250

Also, there are other bits that are contradictory... Some bits say you can use the spells (or command the spirit to), other bits say no....

Undead (and their creation) is not chaotic.

Slavery is not chaotic.

Succing passion spirits on someone to drive them mad is not chaotic.

Killing, including genocide, is not chaotic. Removing a person's soul from their body is not chaotic.

Chaotic is not simply evil (or "icky", as @Qizilbashwoman said above).

9 minutes ago, Joerg said:

Crystals can be harvested from mythical sites, too - and if the mundane site has already been plundered dry, go visit the myth and dunk a rock or three in the still warm blood of a wounded deity.

Ummm, wouldn't that make a powered crystal? By enlivening it??

47 minutes ago, Darius West said:

Silly like a fox.  Spirits bound into crystals also refill the crystals.  How much better than creating a spirit matrix is that?  I would suggest that crystals will be a sorcerer's stock and trade, much like they are a Priest or a Shaman's stock and trade.  If that isn't an incentive for going after theists and primitives, I don't know what would be.

Foxes are silly???

Possibly, except you're limited in the number of bound spirits you have, as well as the amount of POW for the bindings.

11 hours ago, lordabdul said:

In the munchkinery thread some grognards reported how PCs accumulate dozens of crystals over the course of campaigns, though, so I think my question of "why doesn't a 105 year old wizard have multiple crystals" still holds... I would have, like, one gem-encrusted ring at each finger with 6 MP each, a couple necklaces with ~20 MPs each, a couple bracelets with a dozen MPs, a belt, special socks, magical underwear, etc. Why have 116 MP when you can have 500 MP?

Well, that would be silly! 

Why have a crystal with 6MP, when you can bind a spirit into it that has 20? And you get two added benefits - 1), no need to recharge yourself, 2) you can sic them on people. Maybe a third if they can also cast spells... 

OTOH, I've always wondered how big a crystal is supposed to be... And if you can cut and shape them without losing their powers.

Worship of Malia is not required to summon disease spirits.

Also, if the intent of the summoning is a) selfish (to get POW), or b) to give immunity to a person/clan; and the destruction of the disease spirit - why chaotic?

I would say... Joerg's comments are less about sorcery, and more about play-testing and editing! This is blatantly obvious when one of the NPC sorcerers has -3 Free INT to be casting with!

Apologies for the resurrection, but does this mean that the summoning and controlling (and perhaps even the siccing on someone) of disease spirits is not a chaotic act? 

Given you get POW and a year's immunity to the disease, as well as removing another bad spirit from the world, it seems a really smart idea to do this regularly... 

I'd suggest that the tithing is sufficient payment for the blessing. Along with whatever RP the farmers choose to spend at the time.

On 9/9/2019 at 2:17 PM, Qizilbashwoman said:

if yer an ESL teacher then you should be aware that literally has been used as an intensifier (and not just to mean "in the literal sense") for hundreds of years. Jonathan Edwards (the jerk from the Colonial era US, not the jerk who pretends to be a psychic) commented on this usage in 1698 (and he didn't even judge it, which is... remarkable for Jonathan Edwards, whose main occupation was harshing on whatever he happened to lay his eyes on that particular minute).

and even if it weren't, learners of English should be able to understand vernacular written and spoken English, where this usage is omnipresent

signed, a linguist who specialises in language revitalisation programs and therefore issues of multilingualism and translation difficulties

Oh yes... I tell them how it's used... Wrongly.

That's part of how language changes... Someone gets it wrong - lots of other people jump on the bandwagon. It's great to have words mean the exact opposite of the original meaning... Makes life so much easier 🙄

(I teach students heading to university. They should be aware that modern vernacular isn't the best to use in academic writing)

On 9/2/2019 at 9:46 PM, Qizilbashwoman said:

God can you imagine if he did a Glorantha comic, I'd literally die

His comic series about the dungeon dwellers is incredible and his emotional work in The Rabbi's Cat is subtle, graceful, and moving. Imagine if he finished Prince of Sartar, I'd diieeeee.

"Literally"... 🙄

(ESL teacher... )

On 9/2/2019 at 10:34 PM, Brootse said:

I did the math on this, and got 73%.

x=skill/100
income after taxes=80%=0.8
chance for a critical success=x/20
income multiplier for a critical success=2
chance for a special success=x/5-x/20
income multiplier for a special success=1.5
chance for a normal success=x-x/5
income multiplier for a normal success=1
chance for a failure=(1-x)-((1-x)/20)
income multiplier for failure=0.5
chance for a fumble=(1-x)/20
income multiplier for fumble=-0.5
base income=80L
free standard of living=60L

(0.8( (x/20) * 2  +  (x/5 - x/20) * 1.5  +  (x - x/5) * 1  +  ((1 - x) - (1 - x)/20) * 0.5)  +  (1-x)/20 * (-0.5)) * 80L ≥  60L

(you can copy paste that on https://www.wolframalpha.com)

But since RQ rounds up criticals and specials and rounds down fumbles, the needed skill is slightly lower. And you are as likely to get good and bad omens, so they cancel each other. The harvest results give you on average a -0.75% to your skill, but since on average the previous year's harvest results give some small bonus, they likely cancel each other.

So to get the expected living you need to be an upper level Professional:

Professional (51–75%): At this rating, the adventurer can make a living using the skill.

If you want to houserule that lower level professionals should also on average earn their expected living standard, you could make eg. the normal success have 1.2 income multiplier, and the failure have 0.6 income multiplier. Then you'd earn free living standard with a skill of 54%.

You don't add any Blessings, which I would presume to.be standard for all initiates clan/tribe... After all, there's a reason they worship. 

Also why being cast out has it's negatives (other than being at the mercy of the world)

16 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

As I understand it, they have to be done in order to avoid chicanery and egregious munchkinerry, alas.

Blasphemy!!!