French Desperate WindChild

Just now, Akhôrahil said:

And Battle. And Ride if you're cavalry. Probably Orate and Insight if you're an officer. Area Lores and Customs. I could go on if you like...

and there are in the carreer / cult / homeland lists, aren't they ?

my words were about balance

and after all, nothing force anyone to follow the rules. I decided that players decide the distribution of a global amount for characteristics (with game limitations) you can do the same for skills

there are numerous skills

some are very important for play, some not

some are very specific, some are very large

so it is very difficult to see any balance or not between homeland, activity, cult ...

what do you need as an efficient warrior ? 3 - 4 fighting skill, and rolled hundred dice against them

what do you need as an efficient scribe ? (also when will you be efficient as scribe in a scenario ?) How many time you will roll the dice for scribe skill ? so don't care scribe have 100% more skills, these skills will not save the party

Would I define skills like RQG if I were a game designer ? no but I m not sure i would be better.

Would I define the starting bonus like RQG, definitly not (I would probably give x % to every body, and let them choose in a list - or several -)

But most important, Would I be able to create and edit a good RPG ? hum, that's just 20 years I have the idea...

2 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

And no-one has anything in Survival, with two herders and two hunters...

what about the 25 and 10% of personal bonus at the end of the creation system. As a hunter / herder player I would spent a little bit here, and maybe cry because I need more bonus to charm and dance and sing skills

6 minutes ago, PhilHibbs said:

They have Second Sight, they have Speak Spiritspeech, so absolutely they will be babbling incoherently to things that "aren't there".

yes.. like "ghost whisperer" ? not so hard in a world where everybody knows these things exist

before building a story to explain the fact, I think it would be usefull to identify why the player wants to play a lunar, and what is a "lunar".

a lunar can be

• a person following a lunar cult
• a person following the red emperor
• a person living in the lunar empire
• someone else

then choosing a lodrili, a yelmite, a grain goddess, a bandit or a sorcerer is easier to explain (and play) than choosing a fan of the red emperor or a lunar cultist

if the player wants to play a lunar for lunar magic it is also difficult. How would the cult support the "traitor"  ? How would the character explain to orlanthi than he/she can continue to follow the lunar cult ?

On 1/20/2020 at 2:29 PM, EricW said:

I kind of think of a shaman as being like someone walking around with their mobile phone in their hand all day - holding conversations with people you can't see, bumping into stuff because they're too busy looking at their phone, yet at the same time that phone provides all sorts of useful information they wouldn't have if they weren't staring at it. Maybe they'll dial up a rain shower to water the crops.

Hi

After much reflection, I have an other view than yours.

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While discorporate, the shaman can sense other spirits and sources of POW at a range of roughly 10 meters per point of POW. Within a range of 1 meter per point of POW, the shaman can sense the POW of entities to within 10 points, 5 points above or below their own. At that range, the shaman can also sense Runic affinities over 50% and the adventurer can also communicate with the spirit using Spiritspeech.

I understand it as without discorporate, the mobile phone is the "first model", you can only receive call from your fetch or something like that. You have just the second sight power. Not the smartphone with a big choice of apps. The smartphone is only in the other side, when you discorporate.

I see a shaman in the mundane world like almost any one. The shaman has some powers, few are always active, and these always active are not so weird.  Of course if you see the shaman in trance, it is another story. Of course a insane shaman may be different from insane average person (speaking spirit language, hallucinating with some memories unknown from people because not in mundane world, etc...)

but the good shaman seems to me to be just "normal" as human / uz / ...

after that there are two things :

the job : there are shamans like priests, working for their community. But can a shaman (aka with the powers) do something else than working for a community ? after all, becoming a priest is  be chosen to serve a community : when a priest forget the community, he/she commits a serious sin, and will be punished by the god(dess). The power of a shaman is not given by the community or by a god, it is inside him / her. So what happens if a shaman doesn't serve the community  ?

the style : we  imgine a weird, wild shaman, but again why a shaman could not follow the last esrolian or lunar fashion ? (cloth, behaviour,..) or why not a full armor ?

for me, a character should obtain that by heroquesting more than bargaining with a merchant but the price should be more than 45000 silvers ( you said 15-points effects, so a lot, so 3000 * 15. I used 1500 silvers for 1 POW, in my oriflam version as I don't see price for enchanters in RQ:G), the powers are rare too so why not 100 000 ?

I feel it stronger than fireblade (time x3 + damage in all cases)

fireblade = 3D6 = 10,5 (average)

your spear :

if 1 : 12.5 = 6.5 + 3.5 + 2.5

if 2 : 13.5 = 6.5 + 3.5 + 3.5

3 -> 14.5, 4 ->  15.5, 5 -> 16.5, 6 -> 20.5

it seems a little bit complex beacause to many steps to define damages why not just define 3d6 or 4d6 and then apply critical / special damages when it happens (if counter magic, then use your 1d12 as the "normal" spear)

I would also add an attunementthen no need to roll dice to know if yes or not it go back to the owner and can be use as usual (sometimes twice per round, depending dex)

Question : if it is an impale, what happens ? 1) go back as usual but use the double damage rule 2) go back if the owner succeed a pow roll ?(or something else) if not apply the rules ( +1d6 fire / round)  3) like any impale until the victim is slowly burned ?

bonjour

I would say impale ( I have a dog) the fangs can stay inside (not detached from the mouth 😉 )

just the beast can decide to keep them "in" its opponent or try to take (pluck ? not sure of my translator) flesh, that is not "just" laceration

in the bestiary there is a similar answer for saber tooth cat

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Note: Attacks simultaneously with both claws and the bite, which is capable of impaling (though it never gets stuck in the wound).

of course a saber tooth is bigger than a dog / wolf fangs but seems to me more appropriate

Just now, RosenMcStern said:

The point is that it should be a house rule that the duck player knows when he chooses to play a "small but exceptionally clever" character, not a ruling you make on the spot. Both player and GM should agree about plausibility when the player is still in time to say "Well, then if this is the rule I will play a big guy, instead".

I agree,  RPG is what GM and players defined. that is a common story.

But remember that a GM doesn't need house rule to let the giant kill the duck. give the giant enough skill (300.. 4000 ... 50000) and with the official rules, it will be done.

So for a group (GM + players) who don't want to kill any pc, give low skill to the giant and follow the rule

for a group accepting that a pc death is possible for the climax, we can imagine more simulationist rules than curently (of course shared with the players) or let the GM manage the % if he/she decides that this giant is part of the climax and cannot be killed in a normal fight. After all as a player I would try to imagine a smart plan to kill or avoid the giant fury than just rushing

maybe we can define a rule : we need a table or opposition roll :

SIZ / SIZ+STR/ damage bonus of attacker versus STR / SIZ + STR / damage bonus of defender

every x points, the defender get a penalty.

but also another table for a bigger attacker penalty : 100% in attack doesn't give you an automatic success again an ant, i believe

for this one I would use the ENC of the weapon compared to the SIZ of the defender, but I don't know how, I mean, an ant has more chance than a human to not be killed by a tree.

I fully agree your hypothesis is a nice poetic and dramatic story.

From an emotional perspective I would follow you, without any hesitation

but from a more logical perspective (well if logic has any sense ^^) I am not sure :

Let sees the reasons :

Mastery : Orlanth has Mastery Rune too

Spear : Orlanth gained Spear

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AA is the god of figuring out how to deal with a new world by adapting to it

there is no issue if I replace AA by another candidate

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Orlanth is the god of figuring out how to deal with a new world by adapting to it

Atmospheric : AA don't manage the sky, juste the "middle" like... Orlanth

And ... where AA is very very strong before Arkat ? In barbarian lands, among Orlanthi  / Ernaldan (edit : after Arkat too I think)

So i am not saying Orlanth is the father. Again I buy "the Yelm option" for poetry (It could be a good tragedy made by some lunar author :p)

My last point is : Uz have one great "negotiator/merchant" god, AA. Orlanthi have Issaries, Yelmites have Lokarnos

Uz have already lost their world, their power (and never obtain beauty, by the way). Don't tell me they are unable to manage trade without the "help" of external deity

13 hours ago, Lysus said:

I think you're fundamentally misunderstanding my position if you think I'm only against a metaplot from the player side of the screen. I find it far more restrictive when I'm running a game than I do when playing one. My preferred GMing style is almost exclusively "seat-of-your-pants," as you would call it, reinforced by Apocalypse World-style fronts, and I find it far easier and less stressful than trying to follow along some predetermined story arc. The things that I find useful when doing this are written locations or NPCs. The kind of material that isn't is a prewritten campaign.  I'm not fundamentally opposed to that kind of product existing (and to be frank, I'll still buy whatever Chaosium puts out, even if there's zero chance of chance of me using it as is), but the thing that really bugs me about the arc that's outlined in King of Sartar and which seems likely to be followed in the upcoming book is that it resolves the central conflict of the setting conclusively for one side.  That's something that makes Glorantha far less interesting to me.

I have the same difficulty, but my conclusion is different

Glorantha is not less interesting, but the official Story after the starting date of my campaign is.

So two solutions :

- don't care the official Story (so don't care the scenario too), let's continue our play story, all material is just the ground.

- care the official Story but change name, if our play story impacts the official Story.

there is no issue when PC have ridiculous powers (or very local powers) compared to very important NPC and there is a timeline too follow

there is no issue when PC have very big powers compared to very important NPC and there is no timeline too follow

The difficulty (not for everybody) with Glorantha is PC have very big powers and there is a timeline

Ernalda description seems to me too close of women description by a lot of men (sorry @Sir_Godspeed maybe I paraphrase you, but without social lore ) maybe less now than a century ago, but still a lot.

the good wife :

• managing children
• houseworking
• farming
• waiting at home before healing her husband after the hunt / battle

the bad woman :

• mocking young and innocent men
• seducing and manipulating man to obtain what she wants always in the shadow (or how to start as one of emperor concubine to THE king wife, or how to get back her father from Moon Hell)
• cheat on her husband

I would prefer to transfert Babeester Gor (for example) as a subcult of Ernalda than a separate goddess. Ernalda adventurous, Ernalda the thief, Ernalda the free woman, etc... would give a less real world perspective. Except Dendara (juste the good wife part ) and Ernalda-like (Esrola...), the other goddesses are more interesting, not seen just like the good-foil of male. It is sad that the "main" human goddess give me this feeling (but I may be alone with this feeling ?)

On 1/30/2020 at 3:41 PM, dumuzid said:

 but I've got to admit, I like the idea of Yelm fathering a secret child with Xentha on a lot of levels.

I would dislike it for heritage reasons. What could "give" Yelm to Argan Argar ?

fire power ? light power ? There is no rune or power to describe any connection between both

And .. I am not sure but isn't there a myth about yelm birth and ZZ, AA and Xiola as witnesses ?

47 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Honestly though, did the truck really declare a Knockback attack?

the truck driver yes

but "Honestly though, can the shield really parry a truck percussion ?"

ok it is not in the rules

Something else is not in the rules :

- the rules describe that you need at least one hand to drive a chariot in combat (with penalty)

- the rules describe nothing about hands to play luth for example. Can I honestly conclude that a person with no hands / feets can play luth (without penalty) ?

The play may vary, the GM may vary, the level of simulation may vary

46 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

What you need for this job is a shield (small one for nicer optics) with the Earth Shield spell on it. Then it's all good.

(Supposedly the "Unbreakable Sword" would also work, if it's properly named.)or

it is better but not enough :  "Knockback attacks still affect the holder of the shield"

my view :

I considere mundane skill only able to manage character referential activity (size, speed, magic, etc..) To manage overpowered activity the character must have super power

a mundane olympic fencer  succeed to parry with his sword a tree or a triceratops, or a IRL car, I name this success a "crash test"

a mundane olympic Skjaldmö with the Earth Shield succeed to parry with her shield a tree or a triceratops or a IRL car, I name this success a "first and last flight lesson" (yes earth rune can give you fly power !, only issue she didn't learn how to land)

a hero with heroquest power dedicated to protection (a super sayan Earth Shield power) may survive

there is parade and there is dodge

I cannot imagine too that with a sword you can do anything against a 10 meters tree or a rhino

You may succeed to dodge the tree

but are you able to dodge the sun falling on you ?

28 minutes ago, Manu said:

I need some comments on these sorcery spells

Slow (Summon, Stasis)

This spell double de SR (Melee SR or Dex SR) of any action of the target (if POW vs POW fails). The target could not act at all if the Melee SR + weapon SR is more than 12.

 

Solid water (Combine Water, Stasis)

This spell makes a surface of water totally motionless for 3 cubic meter +1 cubic meter/strength of the spell. It become solid enough to block a passage (str = 3/strength of the spell) or to walk onto it.

 

Create wall of water

As the wall of flame but with water (no possibility to light anything, but everything is wet afterwards)

 

Please comment if you like

Slow : I would prefer + 1 (or 2) RA per level of spell strength, and I agree with @Akhôrahil

Solid water :  which surface. Seems too powerful compared with "calm water" in the rules

Create wall of water : seems ok to me, at least it is = to other element. but... as water is physically  heavier than fire / shadow / air and move more than earth, maybe adding stasis and combine : summon water to "create the wall" then combine and stasis to keep the wall (if not water falls)

2 hours ago, Bohemond said:

1) Can the Aldryami be brought back as the Undead?

no answer but a though :

As Aldryami are plants, they follow the life - death - rebirth cycle, don't they ?

It seems to me a different "way of life" than troll / human / duck / etc..

3 minutes ago, White Coke said:

Perhaps Elmali could get fire powers through a Heroquest about helping Yelm at the first Dawn? Something to do with returning the role of the sun to Yelm and rule over the world to Orlanth. In exchange they allow Elmal to exercise some of their power.

or a kind of secret subcult "order / drive Yelm Power" where elmali can learn fire spirit magic. After all what I understand is Elmal drives Yelm , doesn't he ?

but personaly I m ok with the official RQG (Y)Elmal(io) cult

I am not sure you need fire power when you live among people who dance naked under rain and manage wind so strongly that will extinguish your riduculous flame (you re just the little "yo", not "YELM" after all)

Your powers are elsewhere : courageous, loyal, among friends with initiative (not like alone Yelm with slaves under orders)

Last and not least, you are not the deceived husband of Ernalda (but you can become her lover) So why Elmali would like more  ? 😛

thanks all (and mainly  @jajagappa) for that

you cannot imagine how richer is the day after reading you

I think there is something that "vieux grognards" (a canadian fool barbarian term I mean )  have to keep in mind and another for the "marie-louises" (the opposite : young men from the last Napoleon army)

"vieux grognards" : Glorantha is rich, very very rich. So rich that it is a heavy weight for a lot of people (not all, off course) And then, you can find a GM's desire to not disturb the world, not go in a "wrong" direction. This desire may become  an obstruction (to creativity, to decision, ..) just because they respect too much the world.

"marie-louise" : your players succeed to save Kallyr ? Don't care for the next campaign, change some names, skip a scenario, adapt another one, etc... keep in mind what the step 4 highlight: suicide squad to help Argath, transfom that in suicide squad to help Kallyr.

I succeed to manage in third age a campaign designed in second age with few changes like that godlearner = lunar (because sorcery) so ewf = orlanthi (for example). What the godlearner can fly and the vessel is a main topic of a scenario ? well moon boat, or change with just "boat on the river" don't care, the highlight is not they fly, the highlight is "how to go to their vessel"

but it is clear the harder part of RQG HQ etc is  the PC are not average characters, they are people who will change a predefined world.

No issue with timeline about harreck, argrath, kallyr, jar eel if you meet them once or twice in your life and your acts cannot alterate their fate. Big issue if you are "the key piece" of their play

On 9/10/2019 at 1:40 PM, Jeff said:

I've circulated a few chapters of it to some key people. For me, that and the Cults book are the most interesting things I've worked on since... I dunno RQG itself.

You're a so bad guy to say that, it is a torture to wait 😛

3 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

 is there a RW example where people anthropomorphised a natural phenomenon that they need to survive into a god that they shun?

 

natural desire = lucifer ?

5 hours ago, lordabdul said:

So the only two options are "play by the dice" or "play by the 40 years of published canon lore"? Nah, I'm very much OK with pitching a cult to a player and if it somehow resonates with them, they can play however they want within the broad boundaries. There are enough "balances and checks" in place in the form of Runes and Passions to keep them in the archetype... and for the rest, isn't collaborative worldbuilding the whole philosophy here? There's no "one right way" to play any cult IMHO.

 

I said only "play by dice" or "invest time to understand more", yes passion / rune helps, but you need to know a little bit. I fully agree of collaborative worldbuilding is the best way.

All depends on the "new". Is he/she able to wait for your explanation some time or not.

My view is,

- if you have players who want to start quickly, start with average local guys (sartarite = ernalda / orlanth, praxian, well there is not a lot of choice, etc...) and visit their local world in one or two scenarii (fest /cult / delegate mission / ...) to meet each "archetype" describe attitude and see what they like for them. Then create the true pc

- if you have more patient / literacy / autonomous players, propose them to read extract of RQG / gagogagogu /

- if you have more patient / hearer players propose a session of "discovery"

As player, I prefer to read on my side, then discuss with GM. As GM it depends on the players and their wish. If it is clear and archetypal, let start with the cult I (GM) think is good (or few choices with explanation). If not, let discover the world (local, don't care kralori, western, etc at the beginning) by the way the GM and the players are comfortable

2 hours ago, JustAnotherVingan said:

They're the psychopaths dressed in black all too often.

Like the Humakti who cured a plague by killing everyone who had it including himself (forget where I read that).

Not every Humakti is quite that fanatical ofc but the further you go in the cult the more you resemble Humakt who is not a nice god.

Agree

I woudl'nt recommand an humakti / xxx-gor to a "new" player, Orlanth or Stormbull for power or roleplaying, (Y)Elmal(io) or Yelm or Argan argar for roleplaying and power on specific opponent.

Humakt, Maran  and other fanatical and very dedicated cults need to understand a lot of lore to be well played (except if you play only with the dice not the lore, your pleasure may vary)

I make a difference with Stormbull because  it is a very "easly understandable" dedicated cult (kill the bad = chaos, drink, laugh, break what you want..)