Kloster

A separate list or table compiling races that can be used as PC can also be useful.

I have Questworld, but I didn't remember of this one. I will have to check.

Thanks.

6 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

A couple of real world instances come to mind for stats... SIZ & INT. We've quantified sizes (S,M, L, or numerical - what's your shoe size??), and we regularly talk about a person's IQ (even EQ now).

I'm clearly in favor of the 'Rules Realist' model, in part because I prefer having player and character using the same way of explaining things. This are 2 perfect examples that work.

6 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

Just saying... Bladesharp 6 could be a real thing to some people. So could "I need some armour for a SIZ 15 human".

Ditto.

5 hours ago, lordabdul said:

Good points, although these measures are most likely in other units in the game world -- like "stones" for weight, or "cubit" for sizes.

Of course. And different region or countries can have different words with same or different values. Medieval France had over 20 different livres (pounds) units, each area using it's own (in most case with the same name, causing much confusion).

7 minutes ago, Joerg said:

I have no idea where Gloranthans would get ferric vitriol from for gall ink, though.

Alchemy?

Even if I'm strongly in the other side, I like very much your description. Congratulations.

10 hours ago, Hzark10 said:

She could have gotten it by rolling additional Lunars as a reward or boon during the background tables. If I have it right, it is 150 Lunars to buy the armor she has.

This is exactly what I have thought ... and done with my own characters.

12 hours ago, jajagappa said:

If the title page has this note towards the bottom "Dedicated to Greg Stafford, 1948–2018" then you have the latest.

 

It has.

3 hours ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

you right , just checked that...

 

although.. on one hand I feel you should be able to parry arrows better... in war the turtle formation was very efficient at stopping an incoming arrow cloud...

at any rate, I might create a stunt that allow hero to parry missile at normal chances instead...

The only BRP rule I remember enabling to parry arrows is the 'Arrow Cutting' in RQIII's Land of Ninja. It i stored some 200 klicks away so I can't check it, but I know it exists. The turtle formation you spoke of is passive screening, not a parry. For the stunt part, I don't play games that include them, so no comments from me on that part.

19 minutes ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

I was thinking to use normal shield chance to block missile attack...

no need to worry about localisation cover... 

I don't remember for BRP itself, but for all the BRP games I have played (except perhaps Superworld), you can not parry or block missile, only projectile weapons (i.e. thrown weapons). What shield can do is to stay passively in the way of an incoming missile. In that case, either you use localized damage, and depending on it's size, the shield covers(and thus protects) a number of contiguous locations, or you don't and the rule described by el_octogono can (or does, I don't remember) apply.

8 minutes ago, Mugen said:

But if you miss your parry because of the difference in skills, you're very likely to lose a limb.

Very true. This is why it is a matter of personal feelings and also depends on the difference between the 2 skills: the higher the skill, the more the shield protects versus the sword:

If shield parry is 30% and sword parry is 50%, the average protection is 16x0.3=4.8 points for the shield and 12x0.5=6 points for the sword: 1.2 point in favor of the sword.

if shield parry is 75% and sword parry is 95%, the average protection is 16x0.75=12 points for the shield and 12x0.95=11.4 for the sword: 0.6 point in favor of the shield, even with 20% less in skill.

2 minutes ago, Mugen said:

That's how I remembered it in RQ3, but RQG pre-gen characters have broadsword and shields with the same AP value, 12.

RQG large shield (the one my character is using) has 16 HP versus 12 for the Broadsword (in fact, for most of the swords: even the greatsword has 12 HP. Only the rapier has 8 and the rhompaia 10). You're right, in RQIII, the difference was even more favoring the shield, especially for the smallest swords (iirc).

10 hours ago, BWP said:

I have no idea what the version number of the document is (there is no statement that I can see other than "First Printing" on the indicia page) but the file is noted as "last modified 2018-10-17".

This is the last I have been able to download, so I think it is the most current one.

29 minutes ago, Mugen said:

However, having separate attack and parry skills was not a very good rule.

Why? It worked well during 40 years. Current rule is another paradigm, but because it is the choice of the designers, not because the previous rule was bad or didn't work.

31 minutes ago, Mugen said:

Neverheless, I will not use a shield in RQG either, where attack and parry skills don't exist, if my shield skill is more than 5% lower than my main weapon skill.

Even with the new rule, I continue to use a shield because:

1 - It has more HP than my sword.

2 - If it breaks, I can still attack and parry. If I parry with my sword and it breaks, I can not attack, nor parry anymore.

3 - The cover it provide against missiles and projectiles, the bane of RQ characters.

7 hours ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

Cover doesn't work so well without localisation..

Right.

8 hours ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

What's the benefit of parrying with a shield then? (I'd say maybe can parry projectile as well?)

In addition to SDLeary's answer, shields, at least large ones, have more HP/AP than most weapons and are more durable and provide a better protection.

Completely agree here. And the example you cited is probably the less problematic for me: Most, if not all the other armors (i.e. not plate + helm) are 1D something -1, which means the 0 is as likely to occur as any other number. Completely random lethality. 2 or 3 dices and a bell curve would, as you say, solve a good part of the problem.

7 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

Not much, but I will say most of the players of BRP-related fantasy games tend to prefer RQ3 rules and hit locations over other systems (i.e. Stormbringer/MAgic World) once tyhey become familiar with them.

Agreed.

7 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

But, from the viewpoint of opponent/monster deadliness which option someone uses can make a difference, not so much becuse of the difference between hit locations and major wounds, but because of the difference in armor that accompanies that decision. Most versions of BRP that use major wounds also use random armor protection, something that greatly increases the leathiality, while versions of BRP that use hit locations tend to use fixed armor protection.

Yep, the random armor linked to the Major Wounds rule is the main reason of my dislike of the rules: Lethality is way too much random for my tastes.

22 minutes ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

 

checking Damage and Healing section page 207-209 I can't see any such effect... all I can see is major wound effect occasionally cause loss of various random characteristics ... (another source of change ^^)

My BRP book is 200km away, so I have not checked. I was speaking of what I thought of your proposition, doing another one myself, not of an existing rule I didn't knew it existed. Sorry for the confusion caused.

57 minutes ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

I plan to have most characteristic change, not just POW. POW will be the "fastest" of course.. but every time someone survive death I might grant them CON roll.

Depending on the context, it can be a good idea, but being near death can also cause a loss of CON.

1 hour ago, Mugen said:

POW is the problematic one in games with POW economy (such as RuneQuest). IMHO, Other characteristics don't change that often to really be a problem.

True, but there are also Spells and Powers that are changing the CHARs, and that cause the same problems. Except in Superpowered games, Char training is quite slow, and they tend to be quite static, eliminating a great part of the problem.

1 hour ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

That is generally true...

But in the case of combat skill, 100% vs 100% is quite uninteresting....
How do you handle that?
I am genuinely curious, you might help me make my game much better!

One answer: Out think your adversaries, have better tactics. Else, combat is boring, even at other values.

What we did (with RQIII) was to write skill values with Category Modifiers excluded. This had 2 effects:

- EXP rolls are easier to calculate, becausewhen skill level is below 100, you just have to roll above written value.

- When a Char changes (usually POW), you just have to change one or 2 values, i.e. the categories affected by the modifier.

On 8/5/2019 at 12:39 PM, Crel said:

If allied spirits count toward the CHA/3 bound spirit limit.

I would say no. For me, they are not 'bound' stricto sensu, but a gift of a god to a loyal thane, not a spirit you have bound forcibly.

On 8/5/2019 at 12:39 PM, Crel said:

Also, do allied spirits start with Rune points? P.277 says they are initiates (which I understand as being mechanically defined as having 1+ Rune points) but doesn't specify starting RP.

I would say yes, they should have at least one, being initiates.

On 8/5/2019 at 12:39 PM, Crel said:

If a spirit in a binding can be commanded to cast a spell upon someone holding the binding, without use of a Control (Entity) spell. I.e., do spirits need to be released to cast spells?

No, they don't need to be released. A bound spirit that knows a spell can cast it without being released, but he can have a problem to perceive the target of the spell.

4 hours ago, Manu said:

When you beat a spirit in spirit combat, you can learn one of his spell (every one? Or just a shaman?)

Yes, one, and you don't need to be a shaman.

7 hours ago, soltakss said:

No, I've never played that.

In my RQ, the spell range is the range up to which the spell can be cast. If the target then moves out of range, the spell continues.

There may be some exceptions, if a spell is Active then it is possible that it must stay within range of the caster to be maintained, for example. 

Same understanding for me.

1 hour ago, Akhôrahil said:

"A deity cannot do other than what it did during the God Time." (p. 272)

Does Orlanth strike you as the kind of god who goes around making people smarter?

Frankly, none seems to makes people smarter, but this is not the role of a god.

46 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

This is impressively powerful and somewhat broken in a sufficiently long campaign. However, since there's a "mythic content" restriction on DI, I would not allow DI to Orlanth for extra intelligence. 🙂 Other stats yes, INT no. Other gods might have different such restrictions.

Why no INT?