Squaredeal Sten

Except that if you start close to the archer, he may not get his second shot off under RQiG rules. But in the sequence just proposed above, he will get all his shots off even if you start right next to him. With a high DEX, that is three arrows at point blank range before you can spear him. I have a harder time accepting that that I have counting strike ranks.

As far as I can see a Trample has to be preceded by a Knockback and the target falling down. If next MR the trampler moves first / in the trample strike rank, then the tramplee may be trampled. At least that's the way I handled it with ankylosaurs vs. mounted adventurers. So if your mount is knocked down you had better scramble up before the trample. Luckily the adventurers and their mounts tend to have better DEX, or the campaign would have continued with new characters.

No. IMHO it is not canon, as I read RQG. But if you move to be a third person in a two person fight you are likely to arrive after the original two have exchanged blows.

In my Glorantha a weaver (at least in Sartar) is indeed an Ernalda cultist. There is plenty of Gloranthan reference to Ernalda weaving,starting with King of Sartar. Whether it is in the home or more likIely in the village or temple Loom House; whether a full time job or part time, makes no difference. In either case it is an activity associated with the goddess. Perhaps the assembled women in the loom house pray to Ernalda. Certainly weaving can be a cult - taught crafting skill. But there is no cult-taught weaving spell in the RBOM. Maybe weaving can feature in Crossing Over into your heroquest, since it appears in legends. IMHO weaving requires no particular magic, this is cultural. Just as generosity is an orlanthi virtue, but you don't need a spell from Orlanth to be generous. However a weaver - not every weaver - might have some magical aid, for example a set of magical loom weights that enhances weaving skill or speed. Other crafts do have cult associations. Baking and bronze working are both associated with Gustbran in existing Gloranthan documents. These will be cult taught skills and there are spells in the RBOM that will help work with fire. I do not have a particular god in mind to associate with carpentry. It seems to me that carpentry is too basic and widespread a skill to belong to an obscure spirit cult, because too many people do it. Making a plow is associated with the Barntar sub cult. But how about making a house, or a door, or a box, or a bench. or a wooden bowl or spoon, or a fencepost? I can't deal with the proliferation of cults that assigning each item a different cult source would imply. Nor can the average Gloranthan sacrifice MPs and learn separate Worship skills for an infinite set of cult gods and spirits. We need a few major ones instead. Making arrows (fletching) is definitely a specialized craft. Like carpentry, it is very widespread, even hsunchen do it. No one has yet written up an arrow making cult with arrow making temples. Do you want a fletchers' cult? Maybe. You do you. Do you have to have a fletchers' cult? I think not. Maybe a guild with a wyter in the city. But not in the village, or in the nomadic hsunchen camp. Maybe widespread skills don't need a cult. But specialized ones with both "secrets" and spells might need a cult. Organizations like guilds need a wyter. But that wyter is to make them stick together, not necessarily to teach skills. My inn (to be published) has a wyter to make the staff stick together, but may be exceptional in that aspect. But the wyter doesn't teach spells to sweep the floors or wait on the tables. The cook is a lay member of Mahome and the manager (seneschal) may be Ernaldan or Issaries.

How about, to simplify the interpretation of the RQiG rule: 1) If you are only dealing with two opponents who attempt no other action that melee round except weapon use, then who strikes first is just a matter of comparing their DEX+SIZ+ Weapon strike ranks, even if one or both of them moved.. 2) If one or both of the two opponents attempts another action before weapon use, for example readying a weapon or casting a spirit magic spell, then you count the strike ranks for that action to determine who strikes first. For example if A has a spear ready and B has a sheathed sword, B takes 5 SR to ready the sword + DEX & SIZ SRs + weapon SR, therefore B will probably be speared before completing his sword strike. 3) If you are dealing with more than two opponents, for example A and B facing off as above and C running to join the fight and strike at A, then you add in C's movement strike ranks to determine whether C arrives in time to forestall A from striking B - or if the run in is long and C is small or clumsy, to determine whether C can strike at all before the next melee round.

I do it using Zoom. It provides a semi face to face experience and allows display of images on screren, also sending documents and documents, etc.. There is no problem learning to manipulate a "game system". Note that I am doing theater of the mind, not simulating using miniatures. I trust the players, they roll their dice. If you haven't used Zoom, ask what you want to know.

It is certainly a possibility for me. I have been thinking of running an Issaries campaign involving long distance trade, Sartar to distant lands.

Indeed that one will be easy on the GM: The character, or better yet her quest giver patron, was healed with rune magic, or even resurrected. Instead of paying cash the obligation will be worked off. So stick around until Fire Season and then escort a CA party against the threat of broos while the CA deal with a disease outbreak. Now you have accounted for at least one season, probably two.

No, I think the points for armor reflect a simple progression of sturdiness from leather=1 to plate =6. As for the armor losing AP. I estimate three reasons it wasnt written that way: A later hit needn't hit in the same spot. It's more Points to track in a game that does already have more to track than its then principal competitor. And in back of it all is the original D&D trope of armor being a single number not reduced by hits. RQ was already more crunchy due to having hit locations which could be differently armored.

Spirit magic: Powered by your own spirit's daily production of Magic Points. More people have spirit magic than the other magics. Learned from a Shaman or Priest, perhaps by their sqeezing it out of a spirit or subjecting a spirit to you. (That last part is ambiguous to me but the distinction is not important in game terms). Spirit magic usually persists for a shorter time than the other magics. Rune Magic: Powered by a god. Only available to initiates of the god's cult (with two exceptions: use of matrices or Truestone, and spell trading.) . Learned from a Priest. Received in exchange for sacrifice of pieces of your soul's POWer to that god, plus regular worship which includes sacrificing Magic Points to the god. Rune magic is cast most quickly. Sorcery: Powered by Magic Points plus mental manipulation of the Runes which underly visible reality. No spirits or gods are involved. Sorcery is an ability gained from years of study with high INTelligence, and is much rarer than tbe other magics. Sorcery spells take the longest time to cast but can be most powerful.

It can, and I don't doubt it will be. But the stone weapon discussion started because someone can't shrug off these lingering doubts about believability and consistency. . Even in a game context that has magic, giant red Chaotic bats, etc. that one may be a little too far for some of us. If your Glorantha varies from ours on the stone weapon issue, don't let it bother you.

Re. that shark tooth sword: it looks as though it's all wood except for the teeth. Ingenious slashing weapon. Re. the rondel dagger video: The real Gloranthan test would be with a bronze sword, trying to slash as well as to stab. And of course at bronze plate and scale, rather than steel chainmail. I can't make those, I'm not a redsmith. I don't even know one. Now for the Mostali among us if you want a test with a musket, I can do that. But I'm sure of how that will turn out because even 1/4 inch steel silhouettes will be damaged at close range by a musket, it's why we don't shoot silhouettes at 25 yards with big muskets. Bronze plate, not brass - where do i get that? How thick? I'm sure bronze armor thickness is documented, when in doubt ask a museum curator, I think I know where there is a helmet.

It depends on tbe context and the weapon. In RQ context a 1D8+1 broadsword will penetrate 6pt bronze plate 3/8ths of the time on a normal hit, more often when enhanced by STR bonus. I have my doubts about that in the Real World. But I have not tested it live any more than the SCA folks who orignally wrote the system did. Maybe someone has a cool video? On the other hand I have many fewer doubts about penetration with a war hammer or a Halberd, which are RW items designed to do the job.

I like the idea! But I don't see how we get from that to making all the babies grow beards.

Perhaps through a very powerful spirit, one that approaches minor god status like Cacoemon? Or a spirit of disease if disease is the curse. Maybe souring your neighbor's milk (or, ultimate evil, their wine) is a minor application of disease spirits. But that association makes more sense in a RW post-Pasteur context than in a bronze age context. Maybe the thought is that the shaman sics a spirit on you and if follows you around and gives bad dice rolls. But I don't see how that fits with the rest of spirit magic as presented in these rules.

I'm just speculating, but it seems to me that a curse has three key characteristics: It is magic you do not like, the opposite of a blessing, It is contingent: in most stories involving cyrses when you do or use x, then Y will happen. For example when you use a sword it will break in your hand. Or when you have a son you will cause his death. The only exception that comes to mind is Joe Btzpflk in the Little Abner cartoons. And it is persistent. It may not last forever but it will probably last for years, will certainly last well after you are very tired of it. If it is a curse for a one time event, like Theseus' curse killing his son, then it can lie in wait for a long time. It is like fate. So translating it into Runequest mechanics. It appears to me that it has Extension as one of its components. The contingent part is somethig I cannot match to any of the spells in the rules except to one of the aspects of enchantment: you can make an enchanted item which functions on a contingency, if I recall correctly. Because both of those ( extension. and Enchantment) involve large Investments of POWer, I don't see a curse as something a player character will use in the course of play, except as a Divine Intervention. But NPCs, as an adventure hook, seem very likely users. Maybe a sorceror, since sorcery seems to involve more long term actions.

Jajagappa would be the authority here. But my revollection is that the Kitori and Uz in Trollwood are a relatively small popuation. See Guide to Glorantha for numbers.. AA merchants may also handle Uz trade from the Shadow Plateau which has a much larger populace. Search for my topic on Argan Arar or Troll trade goods if you want ideas about those. No references to developing immunity to poison in this game. IMHO several stings are likely to lead to death on the principle of "the pot that goes to the well too often." Backford wharf? As for the ferry in high water season? I'd think small piles, wood stringers and a board floor. Stone would be a much more expensive construction. YGMV. Remember the name, the river is folrdable here at least in season so no ocean going ships go as far as the ford.

Yes, I have read something about Praxians using bone Swords in lieu of metal. And then of course there are Dragonewt weapons, see the Bestiary. I suspect bone is less fragile but also less sharp. There is no official rule for bone. So make one or don't worry about it. Maybe just fewer HP? -1 damage for edged weapons?

I can imagine that if. It is not urgent to get the patient out the door, rune magicwill not be used when there is a less costly cure like spirit magic, herbal potions, or what is in the Healer of Arroin's repertory. You can't be using Heal Body all the time instead of Heal 1 or First Aid. Or the natural rate of healing. But natural healing won't take a whole season. Not even from scorpion man poison, at rate of 1HP every couple of days - no one has 40 HP to lose except a giant. So STR or CON loss and a course of exercise under supervision would sound like what you want.

Powerful healing implies powerful obligations even if the CA cult doesn't explicitly charge. One might incur a smaller obligation with a Healer of Arroin and some herbal potions, and a course of exercise to restore CON or STR. I take it your desired stay is a season ? Training generally requires a season.

That's right! And the maquahuitl was a slashing weapon. At least once a horse's head was cut off with one. So very dangerous to an unarmored or lightly armored target.

I don't believe you can recover characteristic points by mere rest. General hit points yes, by normal healing at your normal healing rate. To recover characteristic point loss you need either training (it's listed for STR, CON, POW, CHA and DEX but not INT or SIZ) or magic , or some potions if you have an alchemist or a generous GM. That is what makes Gloranthan diseases so fearsome. They can undo your carefully minimaxed character. Look it up under healing and diseases. In RQiG and the Red Book of Magic. Also the Chalana Arroy section of the RQ2 CT Compendium or Cults of Prax.

I would say that the point is suspension of disbelief. People using stone weapons against people in metal armor should be at a disadvantage due to breakage and resulting failure to penetrate except on a crit. As for armor penetration. It is fairly well known that the Spanish conquistadors who wore metal armor had a great advantage in melee against the Aztecs, who used stone blades. If you treat their steel armor as enchanted iron, do the math under Runequest and I think you will get similar results (What are the damage dice for a maquahuitl, though?).

Bad link. I get "oops that can't be found".

That's the voice of painful experience that Agentorange wanted. I would say that re-knapping a flint spearhead is probably not something you could do in the middle of a fight, so in that context losing the edge, or the point, should be a problem. The only flints I have re knapped go with my flintlock pistol. Much less skill is required than to make a spear or arrow head. I would think that if a flint or obsidian spearhead were pushed through metal armor, or stopped by that armor, there would be a high likelihood of dulling or completely breaking it. That is not reflected in the current rule.