Scorus Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 A couple of months ago I posted a draft skill tree system for lores and got some good questions and comments. Below is the result we've been using and enjoying, in case anyone is interested. My goals were: 1) To make lores more useful at the lowest levels to make them more interesting for players. 2) To require specialization in lores as skill level intervals, since being 100% in something as broad as plants or spirits didn't work for me (I realize that that number often comes with penalties due to the difficulty of knowing something in particular, but it is not fun to always be rolling at 50% when you have the skill at 100%). 3) To make lores into skills fit for the hero age. It is no longer enough to find one of the many Lhankor Mhy at the Jonstown Temple with 90% Draconic Lore, you need to find THE specialist in what you need to know. Or, better yet, BE the specialist in what others need to know. The system combines all lores except Cult Lore (which doesn't change) into four lore skills which branch into specializations at regular intervals. Multiple specializations are possible within an individual lore, and probably are common among older scholars. Glorantha Lores Elder Race Lore (Knowledge 5%) – Non-human intelligent races (replaces Draconic, Elder Race). Genert Lore (Knowledge 5%) – The natural world (replaces Animal, Mineral, Plant, River). Glorantha Lore (Knowledge 20%) – Middle World history and geography (replaces Homelands). Otherworld Lore (Magic 0%) – The other worlds (replaces Celestial, Spirit, Underworld). Characters specialize as they advance: From 1-25% there is a basic understanding of the Lore with knowledge of some specifics. With Genert Lore at 20% you have a chance to know about animals, minerals, plants, rivers, etc. From 26-50% a Category (usually one of the original lore skills) is selected. With 40% Genert Lore there is a 25% chance at anything under Genert and a 40% in the Category of your choice (e.g. Animals). From 51-75% character chooses an Area within their Category to have a deeper knowledge (e.g. Insects) and is capped in other areas of the category at 50%. From 76-89% the character has specific factual, theoretical, and mythic knowledge of a particular Subject (e.g. Beetles) within the Area, other subjects are capped at 75%. From 90+% the character has full expertise within a narrow Aspect of the Subject, acknowledged as an expert in that narrow field (e.g. Breeding). Tree Examples: Lore: Elder Race Lore Categories: Beast (Centaurs, Durulz, Baboons, Morokanth, Telmori), Chaos (Broo, Ogres, Scorpion Men), Darkness (Uz, Tusk Riders), Draconic (Dragonewts, Dragons, Wyrms), Giant (Giants, Agrimori), Plant (Aldryami), Stone (Mostali), Water (Ludoch, Newtlings). Areas: Individual race such as those listed above. Subjects: Particular knowledge of the race such as their myths, history, culture, etc. Aspects: Specific entities, events, myths, habits, anatomy, etc. ------------------- Lore: Genert Lore Categories: Animals, Minerals, Plants, Rivers, Mountains, Swamps. Areas: Felines, Freshwater Fish, Birds, Insects, Forest, Underground, Riding, or Farm Animals, Metals, Architectural Stone, Home Use, Medicinal Plants, Grains, Textiles, Poisonous, River plants. Subjects: A specific animal/mineral/plant such as Alynx, Python, Vrok, Beetle, Cow, Bronze, Iron, Clay, Salt, Barley, Ginseng, Flax. Aspects: Something specific about that animal/mineral/plant: Mythic Lore, Diet, Mating Habits, Health Care, Alloys, Density, Mining locations, Cross-breeding, Fertilizing, Soil needs. ------------------- Lore: Glorantha Lore Categories: Dragon Pass, Wastelands, Holy Country, Lunar Empire, Elder Wilds, Dawn Age, 2nd Age. Areas: Sartar, Esrolia, Prax, Dorastor, Empire of Wym’s Friends, 2nd Council, Grazelanders. Subjects: Bison Riders, Colymar Tribe, Nochet, Sartar River Navigation, Esrolian Culture, Grazelander Queens. Aspects: Colymar Wilds, Nochet Trade, EWF Cities, Dragonkill War, Specific Entities, Clans, Artifacts, Sites, or Events. ------------------- Lore: Otherworld Lore Categories: Celestial, Spirit, Underworld Areas: Types of Celestial bodies (Sun, stars, comets), The Sky in particular eras or from particular PoVs, Types of Spirits (Animal, Plant, Disease, Genius Loci, Wyters, Elementals), Spirit World Regions, Spirit Cults, Underworld Regions, Paths of the Dead, Demons, Burial Customs. Subjects: Specific Entity or Site, Orlanth and the Sky, Vingkotling sky beliefs, Nochet interpretations, Dehori, Tribal Wyters, Ghosts, Oakfed, Vortices, Specific Underworld Regions. Aspects: Rigsdal vs. Polaris worship, Elmal in the Vingkotling era, The Only Old One and the Sky, Secret Knowledge of or even a Relationship with a Specific Entity or Region. Play examples: Farmer Harmast has Genert Lore 20% and a basic knowledge of plants, animals, minerals, rivers, mountains, etc. By 35%, he specializes in plants with rolls limited to 25% on other natural areas. By 60%, he focuses on grains. He can augment his Farming roll for his grain harvest during Sacred Time. But if he is wondering what is affecting his cabbage he is capped at 50%. By 85%, he KNOWS barley. His corn crop is excellent, but the tribe turns to Harmast on barley. If barley is a major aspect of the clan’s harvest, his skill can help the clan’s annual harvest roll. By 95%, he is one of the leading minds on barley pests. A Lhankor Mhy writes down everything he says on it. Any heroquest involving Esra the Barley Mother starts with a consultation with him. ------------------- Asst. Shaman Inervan has 20% Otherworld Lore and is familiar with the Sky Dome, Spirit World, and Underworld. By 30%, she focuses on the Underworld. She knows more on its deities, demons, and geography. By 60%, she specializes in paths through the realm of the dead. She eases the fears of the dying and is consulted by heroquesters, those dealing with ghosts, or resurrecting travelers upon it. By 85%, she has expertise on the warrior’s path to the Underworld. She gives advice to warriors on trials they will face on it, has identified and communicated with its guardians, can strengthen an army’s courage with tales of afterlife glories, and can find those currently on the path. By 95%, she has trod a Babeester Gor’s path to the Underworld multiple times. She is the go-to heroquester when a BG warrior needs to be pulled from the Underworld. She knows prayers to BG servants in the Cavern of Silence and can advocate in front of BG and Daka Fal. ----------- Cartacar has a 20% skill in Glorantha Lore, knowing the basic history and geography and a better knowledge of his native Carmania. By 35%, he focuses on Glorantha’s political history. Questions of military history, for example, are capped at 25%, with a bonus in areas connected to the political history. By 65%, he is fascinated with the 2nd Council. He has a good basis of general political history, but his knowledge of the 2nd Council has begun to be noticed by other scholars. By 80%, he researches Dara Happans on the 2nd Council. The work brings the patronage of families whose ancestors were involved and leads to discoveries of relevant sites. By 95%, he works with shamans to contact the spirits of Dara Happans involved in the decision to join the Council and has led exploration of important sites. His work resulted in a significant rise of importance in one of his patrons, who gave him a small estate. He provides information on the 2nd Council which could be instrumental to future heroquests. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puckohue Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Thanks, interesting! How have you handled Cult Lores? Quote Early Family History Humakt, Raven, and Wolf Boldhome Heroes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorus Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 18 hours ago, Puckohue said: How have you handled Cult Lores? I decided to leave Cult Lores as is. I thought of organizing them into a tree based on pantheon, but finally decided that it was taught by the cult itself and therefore would be narrowly focused at lower levels. And less to learn at higher levels then something as broad as plants or spirits, for instance. In an earlier version I incorporated Customs with Homeland Lore, but I wanted to continue allowing experience checks in the former and I don't like having them in lores. I'm considering combining some other skills but haven't pushed into that yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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