Questions about pre-gen characters

[Marc]

So, I'm getting ready to run a scenario at my FNSLGS( Friendly, Not So Local Game store, its about 100 miles away, and is the closest! ), and as I was putting together character sheets for the pre-gen characters, I ran into a couple of puzzling items.  First, fairly minor, why would Harmast have Passage without Lock?  You can't use Passage without Lock, so it seems a bit odd to take it. 

The second one is a bit more serious.  Vostor has Summon Fire Elemental from Seven Mothers.  Having the spell is not a problem, but the description of Summon Elemental(Type) says that the Rune used varies depending on the elemental being summoned.  I always assumed that meant Earth Rune for an Earth Elemental, Air Rune for an Air Elemental, etc.  But Vostor has 0 for the Fire Rune.  So, he has taken a Rune Spell that he has no chance of casting?  Or is this a Lunar thing, cause Lunars break rules all the time, and he can use his Moon Rune for the spell?

 

[Joerg]

52 minutes ago, Marc said:

Vostor has Summon Fire Elemental from Seven Mothers.  Having the spell is not a problem, but the description of Summon Elemental(Type) says that the Rune used varies depending on the elemental being summoned.  I always assumed that meant Earth Rune for an Earth Elemental, Air Rune for an Air Elemental, etc.  But Vostor has 0 for the Fire Rune.  So, he has taken a Rune Spell that he has no chance of casting?  Or is this a Lunar thing, cause Lunars break rules all the time, and he can use his Moon Rune for the spell?

Vostor's Moon rune covers all of the Young Elementals (i.e. Darkness, Water, Earth or Fire as small elementals).

In addition to "summon cult spirit" the caster also needs "command cult spirit" to make the elemental do anything.

[styopa]

1 hour ago, Joerg said:

In addition to "summon cult spirit" the caster also needs "command cult spirit" to make the elemental do anything.

Depending on your inclination, being able to summon a fire elemental (and then just running away) might be useful enough.  Just sayin'.

[Marc]

2 hours ago, Joerg said:

Vostor's Moon rune covers all of the Young Elementals (i.e. Darkness, Water, Earth or Fire as small elementals).

In addition to "summon cult spirit" the caster also needs "command cult spirit" to make the elemental do anything.

I knew about the need for the command cult spirit spell. Where is the use of the Moon time for this documented in the rules?

[Psullie]

I raised the Passage/Lock question before. Feel free to add Lock to his roster. I however went with the idea that as an initiate he has access to Passage so he can participate in larger rites where a Priest would cast Lock and the each Initiate simultaneously casts Passage. This would enable them to access private areas of the temple.

As for Vostor, he's a foot soldier. As styopa said, cast and run!

[Unferth]

2 minutes ago, Marc said:

I knew about the need for the command cult spirit spell. Where is the use of the Moon time for this documented in the rules?

This question came up on rpg.net as well - https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/runequest-glorantha-quickstart-questions.831589/.  From my comment there (which is not purely in favor of it being a clear rules call!):

Well...for one interpretation, the "Common Rune Magic" block on P. 317 says:

All common Rune spells use the Magic Rune. Any Rune of the cult providing the spell may be used to cast a spell indicated with the Magic Rune.

It also lists Summon Cult Spirit as a common Rune spell.

Summon Cult Spirit, in turn, says:

Summon Elemental is a specific example of this spell but many other variations exist.

From this, one reading is that Summon Elemental can be cast with any rune of the cult that granted it, as common Rune magic. The same logic would apply to other cult spirits - an Orlanth cultist could, if the identification of Summon Cult Spirit as common Rune magic is correct, summon an Air elemental using their Movement rune rather than their Air rune if they preferred. On the one hand, this doesn't fit very well with Gloranthan metaphysics - the power runes don't have anything in particular to do with elementals. On the other, the alternative is that the example character is wrong, and that the list of common Rune magic is wrong.

Contrary indications are that the summoning spells are called out as "Special Rune Magic" in the cult writeups, and that Summon Elemental just says "the rune depends on the elemental being summoned" rather than listing the Magic rune. Although circling back to arguments for allowing it, Summon Elemental never actually says it always matches the specific element - it seems at least arguable given the example to assume "the granting cult's only elemental rune" rather than always "the rune for the summoned elemental".

[Psullie]

With Rune Magic you are channeling divine power, so with a Common Rune Spell you can use which ever Rune is listed on the Cults pages. A follower of the the Seven Mothers could use either their Death, Moon or Fertility Rune.

[PhilHibbs]

17 minutes ago, Psullie said:

As for Vostor, he's a foot soldier. As styopa said, cast and run!

Summoning it in the enemy campfire can also be hilarious.

[Bill the barbarian]

2 hours ago, Psullie said:

As for Vostor, he's a foot soldier. As styopa said, cast and run!

The Holy Hand Grenade of Mirin's Cross?

"and the count shall be three..."

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, Marc said:

Where is the use of the Moon time for this documented in the rules?

It's not explicit, but the Seven Mothers gets these elementals from the associated Young Elementals cult (see p.304-5).

The Young Elementals: These are the major spirits of the Elements, born when the world ended but imprisoned outside of Time until the coming of the Red Goddess. They control appropriate elementals of each type and serve to focus such spells. They are the source of the small elementals of the cult.

As a collective group that serves the Red Goddess, I'd just interpret it as the Moon Rune that is used.

[PhilHibbs]

8 hours ago, jajagappa said:

As a collective group that serves the Red Goddess, I'd just interpret it as the Moon Rune that is used.

I'm pretty sure it says that somewhere. Probably in  the 7M cult writeup.

[Nevun]

Not to hijack this discussion but since it's about the pre-gen characters...

The scribe character - Sorala, has some fairly heavy armour for a scribe. Both the quickstart and RQG list her as having "Armor and Helmet". 6pt head and 3pts everywhere else.

Where in the character creation process would she get that? Her backstory tells of her fighting in the wars but her listed profession is scribe.

 

[Hzark10]

She could have gotten it by rolling additional Lunars as a reward or boon during the background tables. If I have it right, it is 150 Lunars to buy the armor she has.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Hzark10

[Kloster]

10 hours ago, Hzark10 said:

She could have gotten it by rolling additional Lunars as a reward or boon during the background tables. If I have it right, it is 150 Lunars to buy the armor she has.

This is exactly what I have thought ... and done with my own characters.

[Nevun]

That was my thought too. Loot from battle is probably in the form of arms and armour anyway,