PhilHibbs

No, just the cultural bonus. That's the only one that I am assuming affects both. Well, plus the Manipulation category modifier of course. Even if you don't, you're only starting out 3% lower in offhand than in main divided by two. You're really hurting over "wasting" 3%? Well, as a munchkin, yes I feel your pain! 3% is an OUTRAGE!

So draw a big green B in Paint and use that as an avatar!

No not at all! If you take a Sartarite with a +10 Manipulation modifier using a broadsword and give the cultural bonus, then here's how it would go in the two systems: Improve from half: Main hand 10 base + 15 cultural + 10 modifier = 35, halve it to get 18, then build from there. Improve from 5%: Off hand 5 base + 15 cultural + 10 modifier = 25, build from there. The cultural modifier wipes out and improves on any "benefit" of starting from half skill. It's 7% better.

Personally I would solve the Herd quandry by making the Sartarite bonus for Herd +20 or +25 instead of +10.

The answer to your last question is, "Yes, Herd! And none of the pre-gens have anything in that!" I ran it with the pre-gens, but as an experienced RuneQuest GM, the only thing necessary is one or more characters who is involved with the clan. Even that isn't strictly necessary, the adventurers could be murder-hobos traditional footloose adventurers who happen across the trail of the raiders, track them to the tower, and then take the cattle and dead bad guys to the Ernaldoring (or Greydog!) clan for a reward.

Base 5, Modifier 10, Occupation (Light Infantry) 25, Cult 10, Cult choice 15, personal choice 25 = 90 You can also get it to 100 if you take the Cult 20 for offhand broadsword instead of the Cult 10.

Because it explicitly says that you have to keep track of the two separate skills, and that the offhand skill starts at 5% plus modifier, it does not start at half your best similar right hand weapon.

Oh, thanks. There is an implication there that although you might have a 50% right hand attack including, say, a 10% modifier, and can use a left-hand sword at 25%, you still have to train your left hand skill up from 15%. During that time, you have to roll using your 15% offhand skill in order to get a tick on that skill, rather than your halved right-hand sword skill. That's pretty tough. If you're going to go for an off-hand weapon, get it done in character creation!

Yes, you're right, p415. Dammit!

A scribe who has fought in several battles. Also, going by the actual character creation rules, she should only be able to get Broadsword up to 55% maximum. She could get Battle Axe to 70, though.

You have to be persistent to be a true munchkin. And, you don't roll the die, you take the 3.

Seems we've lost the description of the "Next unread topic". There is a particular thread title that I look out for, which was a useful indicator to me that I had come to the end of the new posts in the RuneQuest forum. Not a major problem. Oh, and Bill, I guess the upgrade has just rerolled the dice for the colour. You could always just set yourself a profile picture.

So I've got my Death Rune up to 95% but that isn't enough! I'm so deadly that only 100% Death Rune will do! But I keep failing my increase roll between adventures because it only has a 5% chance of success! I know, here's what I will do. I'll try to use my Fertility as an augment, because I can do that as often as I like, unless I accidentally succeed and then I have to wait 'til the next session. Each attempt gives me a 5% chance of fumbling, which gives an immediate 1D10% loss in Fertility and corresponding gain in Death! Sure, it's a risk that I will pass before I fumble, and get a tick on Fertility, but that can only happen once per adventure. I have an evens chance of fumbling before I succeed in the next session.

A Humakti should be able to get it up to 90, even with a modest +10% Manipulation modifier. It also depends on how generously you interpret the bonuses. Sartarites get Broadsword +15, should you get that as well for off-hand use? I don't see why not. That allows you to get you up to 95% or 100% depending on your modifier and how you allocate your cult and elective choices. What more do you want? An Orlanth Adventurous with the same +10 can get both sword skills to 95% and 85%. If you allow the +15 Sartarite bonus, which I would, then that 85% becomes 100%. Two swords is perfectly achievable. The only down side is the reduced HP for parrying, and the inferior damage taking mechanics. Get yourself an iron sword to parry with, and bless it for +50% HP.

Also, remember to reduce the treasure by a factor of 10.

You're right, that didn't make it into the pack. It's only available as a PDF download, I know it's on the Dropbox linked from the RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha. Pre-release mail-out, not sure if it's available as a direct download from the Chaosium web site. They need to link it from the GM Pack product page really.

Harmast His Runes are 5% higher than they should be I can't really do his skills as I don't know what occupation he is! Farmer? No, his Farm is already 5% below what it should be for a Sartarite. Noble? No, no Drive Chariot. Can't be Merchant as he has no third language. Any ideas? I'm going with Noble, thanks @Shiningbrow. Orate should be 45%, not 50% Farm should be 40%, not 35% Move Quietly should be 25%, not 30% Speak Own (Heortling) should be 55%, not 60% Speak (Tradetalk) should be 65%, not 45% So far he's down 10%, but for elective skills I had to take 5 at +25% and 1 at +10% instead of 4 and 5 respectively, so that makes a total of 25% down on what he should get. Oh, and his ransom as a noble should be 1000L not 500L.

Vostor Intrigue should be 10% not 15% Farm should be 40% not 35% Homeland Lore (Lunar Tarsh) should be 35% not 30% Meditate should be 10% not 15% Spirit Combat should be 40% not 45% Worship (Seven Mothers) should be 30% not 35% Perception modifier should be +5% not 0 Search should be 30% not 25% Track should be 10% not 5% To get the other skills in line I only needed 3 at +25% and 3 at +10% so he's missing out on 1 and 2 respectively. By the numbers, he's 45% down on what he should have.

Nathem Dodge should be 44% not 49% Ride should be 20% not 15% Animal Lore should be 35%, not 30% Cult Lore (Odayla) should be 20%, not 15% Homeland Lore (Old Tarsh) should be 40%, not 30% Spirit Combat should be 40% not 35% Worship (Odayla) should be 30% not 15% Conceal should be 25% not 15% Listen can't be 50%, if he takes an elective +10 then it's 45%, +25% would give 60% Hide should be 25%, not 30% Move Quietly should be 40%, not 45%, if he takes an elective +25% Speak (Heortling) - should start at 10% as 1/5 of Tarshite, so 25% is not possible. I assume that this is an elective +25% and they didn't take into account the 1/5 default. Should be 35%. Composite Bow should be 80%, not 70%, assuming an elective +25% I make it 50% down on the numbers, as I had to take 7 skills at +10% instead of 5 to make all the others line up.

I think where they live is left deliberately vague, but I agree that "a couple of days" is a lot. When I ran it, I decided that the ghost is there, in the Middle World, bound by the trauma of kinslaying, but not visible unless you use Second Sight which Carthalo has pernanently as a shaman. As a fresh ghost maybe she hasn't the knack of becoming visible yet. She probably doesn't even know that she is dead until Carthalo (or Vishi Dunn) tells her what has happened. I ruled this in order to give Vishi Dunn an opportunity to do something, and Carthalo was not there. I can't see any player choosing Herd as a starting skill, none of the pregens did! I think the bonus percentage for Sartarites should be a lot higher. Vishi Dunn (not in the Quickstart) has 50, but the highest any of the other pregens has is 25%. Yes, this is a real problem!

Number 2 in my series recreating the pregen characters. Vishi Dunn was in his own thread. Sorala Sing should be 35% instead of 30%. Battle should be 45% instead of 50%, if I have traced her history correctly. Customs (Esrolian) should be 65%, not 35%. I can't get the Lore skills to line up, by my reckoning one of Old Pavis or Troll should be 10% lower. Speak (Heortling) is tricky, as far as I can tell they've taken her Esrolian of 60, halved it as per p173, and added 10 for occupation and 10 elective. Seems ok to me. Broadsword 70%? She doesn't get any thing from culture, occupation, or cult, so the only option for increasing is an elective +25% which brings it to 55%. Battle Axe should be 45% instead of 35%, if she added the 25% to this then she could start with a weapon skill at 70%. Sling, she gets nothing from culture, occupation, or cult so this should start at 25% so 45% is not possible. I can only assume that the Esrolian culture used to give Sling +10% in some prior version, and that she's put an elective +10 into it. If she puts that +10 into Self Bow instead then that would be 45% so that's an option for a missile weapon at the same level. Sorcery skills are ok assuming a +25 and a +10 as elective choices. In total that required 5 skills to be raised by +25% and 7 with +10%, one and two more than is allowed respectively. All in all, not too bad apart from Customs (Esrolian) being just over half what it should be, Broadsword instead of Battle Axe, Sling instead of Self Bow, and significantly more elective skill choices. I haven't checked exhaustively, but I think she's 15 or 20% up in total.

Sorala does not have the extra 1D6% so I'd take that as indicating no.

If they start out at 13, the beginning of adulthood, then they won't get the occupation skill percentages so that cuts 25% off the warriors so 80% is pretty much the maximum achievable anyway.

I think I've come up with a way to offer the path to shamanhood to Vishi without hampering his adventuring ability. He can become a shaman of the White Bull. I'm going to follow Vasana's Saga and he should be ready to attempt it when they get to Pavis. Elusu can cast Charisma on him to give him a better chance (+20%, +25 if he can get his CHA up to 19).

Reading this again, p355: This implies that the shaman can choose a shamanic ability right away, if they so wish. If you're going to take Spirit Defense (+10 Spirit Combat skill), do it right now!