PhilHibbs

Self-resurrection is already a thing, Asborn Thriceborn has it in the Gamemaster Adventure Book, it's a Heroquest power. I would be reluctant to make it something that any Rune master can easily get. Unless the basic version is less useful than the Heroquest version, I think shamanic self-resurrection is quite slow isn't it? Whole seasons or something like that?

It makes sense to me, since we know that Extension requires a Rune Point pool dedicated to maintaining it. Without the RP backing up the spell, which are moderated by a CHA stat, which maintains a connection between the middle world and the god world, it drops. On the other hand it may be a legitimate move for a community that is facing annihilation to use up their Wyter in a last desperate move. Harrek's killing and binding of his god is a little like this. He might have sacrificed his community's wyter as part of achieving that. It's clearly an unusual move, though, and not something that normal, healthy communities do regularly.

I agree that it's sometimes hard to distinguish between "Here's something gloriously over the top that is obviously intended" (Terrors section of Bestiary), and "Here's something over the top that you could do within the rules... is that intended?" (Wyters with Mass Extension).

So this probably explains it - they might "all" have 42 POW on the high holy day, or the clan's foundation celebration day, or Sacred Time (if everything goes well - I'm looking at you, Kallyr), but throughout the year this will get used up leaving them with 6D6+6 at any random moment.

Yeah, I've come across the vampire option before, but really, a sentient creature as a familiar is challenging, particularly something thoroughly evil (and chaotic) like a vampire. Also they're damn tough so good luck getting the jump on one. I rationalised the hag as rescuing a wretched, hateful creature from her miserable hell-hole of a prison. She probably used to be a beautiful dryad in an enchanting grove before something disastrous happened to her home. Now she gets to see the world and smack it with a gigantic troll maul.

I would say it's an over-simplification to say that all clan wyters have a max POW of 42. Just as it has levels for "small tribe", "large tribe", etc., I'd say there's some unspecified granularity in clan wyter size. Also not all clans have a good grasp of RuneQuest game mechanics and "maximum POW", so they can't always hit that sweet spot where further sacrifice is wasted. Having said that, it does seem odd that not all wyters have maximum POW, seeing how that would be fairly easy.

That's what Vasana's Saga is for. I wish there was more of it.

No, we ignore exploits because otherwise the rules would get bogged down. Kind of like saying that an RPG to simulate the real world needs quantum mechanics and relativity. No, it just needs to be fun and playable, and approached with a mindset that works for the group (and if OTT silly stuff is your thing, then go for it with the halberd-pixies). All rules are hierarchical special cases to Crowley's Law of Thelema, at some point you have to stop descending into more and more niche special cases. Where that descent stops, exploits begin. Not at all, I think this is all entirely legitimate exploration of "What is RuneQuest", "What is Glorantha", and "What is intended/exploit".

...which is why I would not allow a wyter to use POW to cast Extension. It breaks the POW/RP economy. Congratulations, you found an obscure and easily fixable exploit.

We know that the God Learners could mass-produce magic items on the cheap, but I don't think they used a wyter-hack. I think that was from zerging Heroquests.

Yes, good fun, but I do think it can be taken too far. Like Soltakss's story about the halberd-wielding pixies (high DEX compensates for low STR), just because it's possible in RuneQuest doesn't mean that it should happen in Glorantha! Ah, I'd forgotten about that rule! Er, no I don't think it can photocopy magic items for 1 POW. That's God Learner stuff right there.

I think so, but does it matter? If the temple wanted to create a big enchantment, the POW all comes from the same place in the end. They could get the wyter to contribute a big chunk, or get a bunch of worshippers to give it directly.

If you have an evil spirit hanging around causing trouble, why not bribe or cajole it into going and attacking your enemies? I seem to recall that this is an option in a malign spirit encounter in KoDP.

We always played that you can only give stats that they need to be a complete creature, which I think was the normal rule. The only familiar that I enhanced physically was my troll's hag, Esmerelda. She hit like a truck, and could take a fair pounding too. Boris was frequently mistaken for an enlo, but he had back-up.

That's precisely what this thread is for! Now that's an interesting idea. If the sorceror gives all their INT to the familiar, then it will end up being the dominant mind, so it's a kind of transhuman mind transfer. At least, the sorceror just has to believe that. So you create a sorceror character who gives all his INT but for a sinlge point to a familiar, then play the familiar. The sorceror could be completely wrong in their calculations, but hey, that doesn't matter. Of course Nilmergs are small and crappy. Jolanti have no INT at all so that's no help. Hard to think of an ideal target for this, other than Herd Man. Then again, RQG doesn't always give fixed INT levels, so Jolanti might have INT in RQ3 terms.

How about merging these into one "Never use any <non-cult weapon type>"?

In a game world written by a practicing real-world shaman, don't dismiss real-world shamanism as an influence on said game world.

Splitting off from a slightly drfting thread: You could have a Nilmerg familiar in Glorantha, although they have fixed INT so that isn't as good as something that has free INT but lacks POW. Craziest familiars I've seen/had: Stoorworm, Diminish SIZ to 1, living in a sack Chimpanzee shapechanged into an eagle Dolphin shapechanged into 2m giant (claustrophobic Durulz sorceror SIZ-Diminished living in his backpack) Twin brothers who had Fix Intelligence cast on each in turn and made each other into mutual familiars Hag, familiar to an Uzko sorceror

Wyters are a bit confusing, because there are two mechanics for rune magic. The core rules say that they spend permanent POW to cast rune spells, and that POW is provided by worshippers. When you have hundreds of people with not much better to do with their POW (they aren't out adventuring and heading for Rune Master status), that could work. The Gamemaster Adventures book gives them Rune Points. It has been raised on the Core Rules Questions thread, not very satisfactorily if you ask me. Hopefully the Campaign Guide will straighten it out. My take is that all wyters have RP, limited by their CHA as normal, and additionally can cast rune spells with POW if their RP runs out. It doesn't make sense that some wyters have RP and some do not. Also, those RP don't come back the next day, they come back at the next Holy Day worship. I think. That's what Jason implied in the CRQ. I might not allow wyters to use Extension on spells cast with POW. It breaks the RP economy if they can have an unlimited amount spells running constantly (limited purely by how much POW they can get from worshipers).

Don't worry about me, I've been around a while and should have seen that slug coming! Jeff knows I don't need the kid gloves.

My apologies, I had not realised it was such a touchy subject.

Most of the Iron Age had all that, though.

I wouldn't do that. If an Ernaldan casts Charisma, I would say that that isn't an illusion. If a Trickster does, it is.

The PDFs are not entirely up to date with some of the last corrections. The calendar has a mistake on an Orlanth holy day, for example.

Kill the priest who holds the connection to it. Actually that might only work for clan/tribe wyters.