Kloster

I would require physical contact, either with skin or with clothes. I'm sure a shield is OK, and I think a weapon can also be used.

10 hours ago, Brootse said:

No, there are different gauges in Europe too.

I was only speaking of the changing of axles between France and Spain.

I don't know if it is using Mournblade, but this is not a BRP game.

8 hours ago, AndrewTBP said:

Howls of derisive laughter, Bruce. 😉 Australia has this problem to this very day. We do have some standard gauge railways interstate, now. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_gauge_in_Australia

I didn't knew. At least Europe solved this specific problem.

18 hours ago, MOB said:

The wheel rut thing is based on how things once were in China, where different provinces had different axle widths, so travelling any long distance tediously required multiple sets of axles.

18 hours ago, metcalph said:

Or to use a more recent example between Victoria and New South Wales at Albury Station

I don't know when Mark Twain wrote the text in Australia, but France and Spain had this very problem about 40 years ago (last time I went to Spain).

1 hour ago, Eff said:

stone-paved roads date back at least to 2000 BCE, when Minoan Cretans built a 50km road across the island from north to south.

Yes, and I don't remember the dates, but Mycenae has stone paved roads.

2 hours ago, FungusColombicus said:

For the latter... I think it have to be incredibly difficult to provide evidence and convincing arguments to show a group priests that you have the powers and hold the interest of the given god and the organization. This is particularly true because I am sure the ceremonial rites are in a good way created by humans not the gods.

I think divination, knowledge of god (not cult) secrets and rune spells could be a way to convince cult members. But yes, it would be difficult.

1 hour ago, Godlearner said:

Not the case. An initiate devoting 90% of his time and magic points tending the shrine, would still not get the same benefits as a priest.

True, but I don't see many initiates spending 90% of their time for the temple, just because they need income just to avoid starving. But I agree, RAW, an initiate that has enough income to allow tithing 90% of his time and income to the temple will not receive the same benefits than a full priest, although he gives the same gifts to the god.

20 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

In that case two worshippers with an equal Rune Pool would have the same abilities no matter the title, but they do not.

A priest gives more time, has more dedication, leads worship, ... . So, he receives more.

27 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

I am not sure about that, after all there are specific and  tangible benefits in terms of magical power to becoming a priest or a rule lord. Why would a priest, for example, have a +20% of a POW gain if it was all the same to a deity.

The titles are mortal ones. What the gods like are the gifts (POW, MP, attention, devotion, offers, time, ...), and they reward those who are giving the most with their best rewards (spells, powers,...).

2 hours ago, Oracle said:

I had pictures of Captain America using his shield in defence as well as for attacking in my head immediately ...

Have you seen Spike's "who is the deadliest warrior"? The combats are not very good, but the measurement of the effects of the weapons are interesting. In one of the airings, there is someone that is using a Spartan hoplon to strike a crash test dummy, and the measured effects are devastating.

On 2/7/2021 at 5:05 PM, Seldak said:

I'm trying to grasp the system behind the "Attack and Defense Matrix". I have a feeling that you could boil it down to a simpler, more managable representation.

I never use the combat resolution matrix. I hate having to look in a table in the middle of action.

I am using the old RQ2/RQ3 rule.

4 hours ago, Nozbat said:

I'm guessing I'll just have to wait having made my Knowledge roll x3 and discovered 1 inch=2.45cm... damn

It's 2.54, but the difference does not matter.

Same for me. SB being my least favorite BRP game, I had no real interest going to Magic World.

Well seen. I've just checked and this was already the case with RQ3, but I've never noticed that point.

9 hours ago, RogerDee said:

Thing is you are in a cinematic world of high magic. So really does it actually matter?

Yes, if only for the reason g33k noted:

11 hours ago, g33k said:

I'd also mention that -- if your foes notice you doing this -- they'll likely kill you right away, as (a) easy pickings NOW, unarmored and with your hands full of fastenings and (b) much more dangerous LATER, if you enter the fight fully armed & armored & prepped.

Agreed. But this clearly means most fights will be over before you have put half your armor.

4 hours ago, Joerg said:

So, are elementals initiated? And will they donate POW? Do you have to summon them in order for them to worship, or do they show up anyway (like that storm of subservient spirits observed by Biturian at Pairing Stones)?

I don't think. They have no INT, so no free will.

2 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

Although the "regular" (S/M/L) elementals seem to be pretty close to mindless, and likely don't qualify. They might still be "inherent nature" lay members.

Agreed.

3 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Allied Spirits are, so it makes sense that at least some cult spirits are initiated.

Sure, but in that case, it becomes the quest for the right initiated spirit. Of course, the spirit being already initiated, the rest is much easier to munchkinize.

5 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

Why not simply bind a cult spirit?

It'd have the added benefit from f being an initiate from the start...

(I presume that that's actually one of the major uses of cult spirits... And the binding is less about control, and more about constant physical presence. After all, it's not a problem with elementals.)

I am not sure Cult Spirits are initiated, but if they are, yes, of course, very good point.

18 minutes ago, HreshtIronBorne said:

In a totally non-munchkin way I can see sorcerers or logical LM types using Legalese and jargon to convince a spirit to do a thing or help in some magical endeavor as totally reasonable. Even if they were brought rhere through a summons or made to listen through a domination. Some spirits are smart enough to understand Logic. The equivalent of trying to bargain things out of spirits as a shaman, sorta. 

In fact, I don't find this munchkin, and I think spirits can be perfect lay members. The (egregious?) munchkin use of this trick would be:

- Finding and summoning a 18 CHA spirit, and binding him to a matrix.

- Convincing him to become lay member of a cult (let's say Lhankor Mhy).

- Having him learn 18 points of Spirit Magic.

While bound to the matrix, you can freely use the 18 points of spells known by the spirit and his MP. If not a sorceror, the character has now 18 extra CHA to store spells. If a sorceror, he has 18 points of Spirit Magic spells without lowering his free INT.

11 minutes ago, HreshtIronBorne said:

In a totally non-munchkin way I can see sorcerers or logical LM types using Legalese and jargon to convince a spirit to do a thing or help in some magical endeavor as totally reasonable. Even if they were brought rhere through a summons or made to listen through a domination. Some spirits are smart enough to understand Logic. The equivalent of trying to bargain things out of spirits as a shaman, sorta. 

Exactly my point.

17 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

No, voluntary is of ones own free will. Magical domination is not what. Even more, I would argue that which ever cult you try with, spirits of reprisal would be soon follow. At the very least, once the spirit becomes a Lay Member the shrine defenses would most likely register the dominating person as an enemy.

I completely agree. I would not accept the use of dominate to give MP or POW: I would not be voluntary. What I explained is that you can try to convince the spirit to do it, while it is dominated, but not using the dominate. This is why I spoke of role playing opportunities.

1 hour ago, Godlearner said:

That does not sound like a voluntary donation and thus would not make the spirit eligible to a Lay Member

Correct, but you can use the dominate duration to explain him why he should give MP (big RP opportunities), and in that case, he becomes Lay member, and can even become initiate. You can force him to give, but there would be no benefit. I very much enforce the voluntary aspect of freely giving MP or POW, whether for worship, enchants or others.

I am using since years the same rule as Soltakss, exactly for the same reasons (and with the same caveats)