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So I've been fiddling a bit with the Summon Ancestor spell in our RQG game (and to a lesser extent with its adjacent spells) and it seems both powerful and fun to use, but also a bit incomplete. Thus I figured it might be interesting to see how others have used the spell, and if y'all feel similar holes exist in the description, and how they've been filled. One of the first things I've done is, at the start of play, let an adventurer who knows Summon Ancestor have D6 ancestors generated using the charts on p. 342-343 of the Core. To my mind this represents past use of the Summon Ancestor spell, which can then be called up if Summon Ancestor is stacked with Summon Specific Ancestor per those spell rules. For me, generating some of these random ancestors was a big revelation. Over time, even just an initiate of Daka Fal generates a huge pool of different ancestors they can call upon, giving access to a wide variety of spirit magic spells for 2 RP (well, for friendly ancestors). Although there are some limitations involved, often substantial, it still introduces a great deal of strategic flexibility for the adventurer. That being said, there are several gaps in the spell's material as written: Ancestors are described as being able to engage in spirit combat, but have neither a skill percentage assigned nor a CHA characteristic to roll for determining SC damage. INT can sometimes be relevant too--for instance, ancestors probably possess INT and therefore require a 3-POW Binding Enchantment to be contained--but this isn't as important for spirit mechanics. My solution was to approximate the ancestor's POW roll on the Ancestral Summons table to the POW and CHA rolls for random spirits on p.165 of the Bestiary in order to determine the ancestor's CHA, and then determine SC damage as usual. Additionally, there's no Spirit Combat skill rating attributed to ancestor spirits. I assigned such spirits a Spirit Combat skill of POWx3% because they're the spirits of random mortals from stickpickers to shaman-priests. A POWerful ancestor (5D6+6, average 23-24, SC 69-72%) still maybe doesn't have the high percentage it ought, but this felt more representative than using POWx5% for unremarkable Uncle Joe who's spirit has POW 12 (max of 1D6+6). As far as I can tell, there's no actual generic entry for ancestor spirits in the Bestiary. Ghosts have a flat Spirit Combat 70%, but that didn't feel right as an approximation of an ancestor spirit due to a ghost's malign nature. I'm not certain what to do if a randomized ancestor's spirit magic is rolled twice. My solution, for variable spells, was to roll 2D6-5 again and add the new points atop the old. In one case, this resulted in a spirit which knew Heal 9 (which was interesting, but is basically fine). I think I've been rerolling non-variable spells. I'm not certain how to handle ancestral spirits which know enchantment spells (like the Magic Point Enchantment, random spell 52-54 on the D100 table). For the moment if a player brings it up, I'm thinking to handle it that if the caster sacrifices POW in worship of the summoned ancestor, the ancestor would then use some or all of that POW casting the relevant enchantment. Alternately I suppose you could use Control Ancestor Spirit on one, and force it to cast the enchantment, but even doing this on a malign ancestor feels super sketchy and Chaotic to me... Finally, ancestor spirits who have Rune points only know Daka Fal Rune magic; but most Daka Fal rune magic deals with summoning more ancestors, or manipulating ancestor spirits. This feels... odd, to me? For the moment, I'm ruling that such an ancestor can use spells like Spirit Guardian and Spirit Melding upon its summoner, and the result is effectively as if the summoner had cast the spell himself. Or maybe an ancestor's Discorporation can target willing mortals, to bring them into the Spirit World? I could see myself varying up the cult from just Daka Fal, depending on the caster's culture. For example, a Bison Tribe worshiper of Daka Fal might call forth an ancestor who worshiped Waha, Eiritha, Storm Bull, or even perhaps Orlanth. Does anyone else have tips for utilizing ancestor spirits? Felt there are gaps in the spell description too, and filled them another way?

I´m playing a Kolati shaman in the eleven lights campaign in RQ Rolelaying in Glorantha (a Free Adaptation from my GM) and I want to take the Spirit Affinity to bargain better with the Air Elementals, so I don't know which is the correct category for that kind of spirits: Main category which gives me a 10% in command and -10% to others to control my spirit or the minor category, which gives 20% and -20%? Thanks for your answers.

Hi. In RQ Roleplaying in Glorantha, shamans of certain cults (Daka Fal, Waha) acts as priests of the cult. Does it means they have the benefits and obligations of a priest, like easy chance to increase Pow, more oportunitties to increease it and to recover rune magic.? Or is it only a social role in the community? Since is easier to became a shaman than to became a priest I think the correct answer is the second but I want to ask another people. Thanks for your answers.

Hi. I've got some questions related to shamans and fetches that I've been trying to figure out. I'm playing RQ3, but will appreciate answers from other systems. My group have played RQ for a long time, so we have plenty of house rules and rule specifications, but we always try to find answers in the rules and supplements before changing/extending rules. Sorry that this is a bit long, but here goes: 1) Can a fetch cast spells when the shaman is not discorporate? The RQ3 magic book states that the fetch appears on the mundane plane and guards the body while the shaman is discorporate. It also states that the fetch can cast spells, and has access to the shamans' spells, in this situation. The RQ3 Magic Book however never states that a fetch can cast spells 'on it's own' in regular situations (when the fetch is on the spirit plane and the shaman is in his body). Can a fetch cast spells when the shaman is not discorporate? If it can, can it do so 'independent og the shaman, effectively enabling the shaman-fetch-pair to cast two spells at once? In my current Glorantha the answer to 1a) and 1b) is yes, but is this consistent with general Gloranthan thinking, RQ3 or other RQ versions? 2) Can a shaman and fetch send sprits back and forth between planes? RQ3 Magic books describes that a fetch can hold spirits that the shaman has beaten, and that the shaman can use these spirits later for healing, exorcism etc. This implies that a shaman can beat a sprit on the mundane plane, and then transfer that sprit back to the spirit plane via the shaman-fetch-link. Later, the spirit can be pulled into the mundane plane though that same link (no Summon needed to transport a spirit between planes). Is this correct? If so, when a spirit is pulled from the spirit plane into the mundane plane, will it become visible? (would it not have to in order to initiate spirit combat?) Can a shaman use a control spell and send a spirit into the spirit plane and the fetch instead of beating it in spirit combat? 3) If a fetch can cast spells, can it cast spells on the mundane plane? The answer to question 1) above will obviously impact this question. I also imagine that the answer to question 2) should impact this question. Can a fetch cast spells on the shaman? Protection etc to prepare for combat, Healing during combat and even when the shaman is unconscious? Can a fetch cast spells on targets on the mundane plane that the shaman is touching? Can a fetch cast spells on targets on the mundane plane that the shaman is not touching? The fetch will need to perceive the target somehow. Thanks and regards, -Terry

Something has been troubling me for quite some time, and I was wondering how others handle it (or how I have misinterpreted the rules ). In RQ2 and RQ3 the Shaman has a fetch. It is almost allways active on the Spirit Plane. The Spirit Plane exists parallel to the Mundane World. One of the examples liken it to being above and below the surface of a lake. Does that imply that if a shaman travels his Fetch will be dragged thru countless spirit areas like bait on a fishing line? And probably get attacked by lots of nasty spirit stuff? It's not that big a problem for Blue Face with his 143 point fetch - but how does a beginning shaman with a fetch with less than 20 POW leave his home turf whithout getting eaten?