How Normal are Runelords

[Darius West]

On 7/3/2021 at 12:39 PM, Shiningbrow said:

 

So, you're suggesting that 1/4 of weaponthanes are at RL level??? Yeah, I disagree. I see only about 2-3 of them having achieved - and survived for long - that level. Most are relatively young , with a couple of older (perhaps wiser) members, with a couple of them being the RL leaders.

In my experience, more than half of RLs bite off more than they can chew pretty early, or suffer from Balastor syndrome (trollkin or equivalent spear crit takes them down).  They Divine Intervene to get out of it, and they get away with it the first time, but the second time their power gets nuked, and the third or fourth time they die.  I would imagine Hero Wars RLs are even faster to bite the dust.

On 7/3/2021 at 1:10 PM, svensson said:

My all-time favorite PC was a Rhino Rider by name of Grettir Widewander. He exceeded every single requirement to become a Wind Lord of Orlanth... except Sword Attack. I must have burned through three character sheets erasing skill checks on his Broadsword Attack. So I changed to Greatsword. Same thing. By the time the campaign was finished, everybody else was a Rune level in their cult, several were Rune Lord/Priests, and here I was... a lowly initiate with 85% Sword Attack in Shortsword, Broadsword, and Greatsword!

My great ambition to play another iteration of Grettir again and finally make it. 😁

Wow, your character had a worse case of it than my friend's Yelmalio.  Perhaps we should call this particulr affliction "Grettir's Syndrome" in his honor? 😄

On 7/3/2021 at 12:39 PM, Shiningbrow said:

Were his stats at max? 

No, they were a little above average. His INT was 16 I think, and he had a +1d4 Dam bonus.  Nobody had the funds to train much unless we got very lucky adventuring, or sacrificed power to make spell matrices to sell to afford training.  RQ2 you understand.

Edited July 24, 2021 by Darius West

[Akhôrahil]

We’re getting good numbers for this with Jeff’s FB clans postings. The Hiordings have 7 Priests and 5 God-Talkers in a population of 800 (and it looks like no Rune Lord). The Varmandi have 2 priest (one of them reasonably a Rune Lord as it’s an Orlanth Adventurous temple) and 6 God-Talkers in a population of 450. 

So it looks like a few percent (3-4%) of adults are Rune Level, and that it depends on the cults whether you have any Rune Lords at all.

Edited July 10, 2021 by Akhôrahil

[Darius West]

On 7/10/2021 at 8:25 PM, Akhôrahil said:

We’re getting good numbers for this with Jeff’s FB clans postings. The Hiordings have 7 Priests and 5 God-Talkers in a population of 800 (and it looks like no Rune Lord). The Varmandi have 2 priest (one of them reasonably a Rune Lord as it’s an Orlanth Adventurous temple) and 6 God-Talkers in a population of 450. 

So it looks like a few percent (3-4%) of adults are Rune Level, and that it depends on the cults whether you have any Rune Lords at all.

I really like the addition of God-talkers in the rules (p278), but I always thought they were more involved in supporting ceremonies for any and all gods of their pantheon, rather than just one.  I certainly have no problem with the clarification though.

[Hteph]

As note above, there is really an important distinction between rune level of clan “usefulness” and adventurer rune levels. An “investment” in an Ernalda priestess is a much more apparent benefit for everyday perception, years to come. Supporting an Humakti or Stormbull lack the same instant pay back ... until you really need them, that is.

So I would really separate out the Runelords from the average runelevels in a clan and say that they are a completely random number, where the actual presence in clan lands are also a chance. A number of factors guide this, presence of special temples/places/events, if a clan was involved in epic battles and conflicts, you name it.

... that is how I view it at least.
No (or almost no one) clan keep a Humakti runelord around just in case they need him in a battle. But if they happens to have the Shrine of the Twice Killing Sword and the Runelord (who brought it with him from a heroquest) hangs aound the tula during the winter with his mates, that a different thing.

[Runeblogger]

17 minutes ago, Hteph said:

No (or almost no one) clan keep a Humakti runelord around just in case they need him in a battle. But if they happens to have the Shrine of the Twice Killing Sword and the Runelord (who brought it with him from a heroquest) hangs aound the tula during the winter with his mates, that a different thing.

I guess the Malani tribe must keep several Humakti rune lords. But they are the exception, not the rule.

[Akhôrahil]

36 minutes ago, Runeblogger said:

I guess the Malani tribe must keep several Humakti rune lords. But they are the exception, not the rule.

I’m certain the ducks (and Lismelder) pack a number of them as well.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Akhôrahil

[Grievous]

15 hours ago, Runeblogger said:

I guess the Malani tribe must keep several Humakti rune lords. But they are the exception, not the rule.

They are probably War Clans and likely rent out their Humakti as mercenaries too, though. So the clans make their "investments" work for them. 

[Joerg]

Humakti rune lords on clan or even tribal level should be rare, and likewise Yelmalians. The situation may change in professional military outfits, where the rank and file will provide the worshipers required to uphold such an office, while mercenary salary will provide the financial support of the office.

How many private armies or escort services are there in Sartar, who are its leaders?

How much do target-rich environments like the Footprint, the Devil's Marsh or Snake Pipe Hollow increase the Storm Khan population? The Upland Marsh is known  to attract Swords of Humakt. In a way, places like these are pilgrimage sites, too, making the presence of rune lords from more distant communities quite likely.

 

Pavis and the Rubble has an over-abundance of non-chaotic cults providing rune lords or ladies:

Kyger Litor (Karrg), Zorak Zoran, Aldrya (High King Elf), Yelmalio, Yelorna, Orlanth Adventurous, Storm Bull, Waha, Pavis (at least once that axe is back in circulation), Babeester Gor, Seven Mothers/Yanafal Tarnils, Lanbril.

There are a couple of cults in RQ2 Rune Masters that have been stripped of the lord position as early as in RQ3 and still in RQG - the other Lightbringers, Eiritha, Daka Fal. Humakt, Storm Bull and Waha have lost their priests, and all of these cases have trouble justifying a lord-priest position, too. This full declination of the RQ2 rules also resulted in other oddities like zebra-riding elves or trolls. Otherwise, the full array of Cults of Prax cults could have rune lords based on Pavis, or regularly visiting the place.

[Akhôrahil]

Checking the Dorastor book, Clan Renekot has (at least) three Wind Lords and three Storm Khans. On the one hand, this seems like a lot (especially for a small clan), but on the other, the numbers may be artificially high as the clan has been loaded up with extra muscle, being sponsored by the King of the Bilini.

[PhilHibbs]

10 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

Checking the Dorastor book, Clan Renekot has (at least) three Wind Lords and three Storm Khans. On the one hand, this seems like a lot (especially for a small clan), but on the other, the numbers may be artificially high as the clan has been loaded up with extra muscle, being sponsored by the King of the Bilini.

Yes, Dorastor is not demographically typical!

[Godlearner]

3 hours ago, PhilHibbs said:

Yes, Dorastor is not demographically typical!

Thank Gods, otherwise we would have had to create a different area to populate with monsters.

[Groovetronic]

I'm considering that for my Glorantha that I want rarer Rune Lords. I'm thinking that for my Glorantha that having 5 90% skills should be unusual, even for chieftains. I like the idea that a clan ring should be mostly Initiates with 1 member (usually the clan priest) being a runemaster. This is obviously my Gloranatha. I like the idea that most of the Clan Ring has skills in the neighborhood of 75% and that folks have 90% have that because they are prodigies or they have decades of experience.

[soltakss]

7 hours ago, Groovetronic said:

This is obviously my Gloranatha. I like the idea that most of the Clan Ring has skills in the neighborhood of 75% and that folks have 90% have that because they are prodigies or they have decades of experience.

I just rolled up a Healer that could have qualified for High Healer status, if she had taken Heal 6 and took 5 Rune Points. Obviously, the bar for High Healer is lower than for other cults, but you can roll up a PC that is near God-Talker, Rune Lord or Rune Priest status.

[Akhôrahil]

29 minutes ago, soltakss said:

I just rolled up a Healer that could have qualified for High Healer status, if she had taken Heal 6 and took 5 Rune Points. Obviously, the bar for High Healer is lower than for other cults, but you can roll up a PC that is near God-Talker, Rune Lord or Rune Priest status.

Someone demonstrated that it's possible to qualify for Sword of Humakt at character creation. 

[Bill the barbarian]

47 minutes ago, soltakss said:

I just rolled up a Healer that could have qualified for High Healer status, if she had taken Heal 6 and took 5 Rune Points. Obviously, the bar for High Healer is lower than for other cults, but you can roll up a PC that is near God-Talker, Rune Lord or Rune Priest status.

How would one be able to take healing 6 off the roll up? One only gets 5 MPs of spells and the cost for that 6th should be incredible. Mind you, you did say could have. I  suppose if one wanted to, one could go into major debt. Is this what you were thinking of soltakss or were you thinking of a little munchkinnery and paying for the first point and getting the remaining five for free?

Edited July 18, 2021 by Bill the barbarian

[Baron Wulfraed]

11 hours ago, Groovetronic said:

I'm considering that for my Glorantha that I want rarer Rune Lords. I'm thinking that for my Glorantha that having 5 90% skills should be unusual, even for chieftains. I like the idea that a clan ring should be mostly Initiates with 1 member (usually the clan priest) being a runemaster. This is obviously my Gloranatha. I like the idea that most of the Clan Ring has skills in the neighborhood of 75% and that folks have 90% have that because they are prodigies or they have decades of experience.

Heh... the first character I generated as practice finished the generation with

broadsword 115%
dagger 95%

And would only need to succeed at a few experience rolls to bring a few other skills up to 90%

ride horse 80%
battle 80%
javelin 80%
M. Shield 80%

{though that is too many weapon skills for qualification... Need to work on Spirit Combat 65% or Speak Own 60%}

Edited July 18, 2021 by Baron Wulfraed
accidental save before finished writing

[jajagappa]

4 minutes ago, Baron Wulfraed said:

broadsword 115%

Generally, you shouldn't be able to get to 115% out of character generation as the skills are capped at 100% including skill bonus.  RQG p.79: "No skill may be raised to above 100% in this step. If your adventurer has a skill at 100% or greater through a combination of base chance, history, boons, skill category bonus, cultural skill bonus, occupational skill bonuses, and cult skill bonuses, you cannot add additional personal skill bonuses to that skill."

Exception might be with Humakt/Yelmalio gift.

[Groovetronic]

4 hours ago, soltakss said:

I just rolled up a Healer that could have qualified for High Healer status, if she had taken Heal 6 and took 5 Rune Points. Obviously, the bar for High Healer is lower than for other cults, but you can roll up a PC that is near God-Talker, Rune Lord or Rune Priest status.

Player characters are more heroic, obviously. A PC who could qualify to be a Ring member is something I don't have a problem with.

Also, becoming a Runemaster is literally *giving up your life to your god*. There may be many people who are politically powerful and essential members of their communities who don't want to become holy people and step into the realm of myth quite yet.

[Ludo Bagman]

3 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

How would one be able to take healing 6 off the roll up?

I suppose by making the starting character older. For every 10 years, the character gets 1 spirit magic point, 3 Rune points, and +5% in four skills (which is low compared to say the four experience checks a character gets per season).

[Akhôrahil]

18 minutes ago, Ludo Bagman said:

I suppose by making the starting character older. For every 10 years, the character gets 1 spirit magic point, 3 Rune points, and +5% in four skills (which is low compared to say the four experience checks a character gets per season).

Depending on how your GM runs things, you may also be entitled to a free point of Spirit Magic from start due to five years of initiation (it’s not completely clear how to interpret this passage).

[soltakss]

4 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

How would one be able to take healing 6 off the roll up? One only gets 5 MPs of spells and the cost for that 6th should be incredible.

It might have been, I was pretty close anyway.

[Baron Wulfraed]

5 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Generally, you shouldn't be able to get to 115% out of character generation as the skills are capped at 100% including skill bonus.  RQG p.79: "No skill may be raised to above 100% in this step. If your adventurer has a skill at 100% or greater through a combination of base chance, history, boons, skill category bonus, cultural skill bonus, occupational skill bonuses, and cult skill bonuses, you cannot add additional personal skill bonuses to that skill."

Exception might be with Humakt/Yelmalio gift.

No personal skill bonus added -- it was all base/culture/category/occupational/cult (and yes -- Humakt Light Cavalry [type 4: Javelin, 1H Weapon, Medium Shield])

10% base, +15 culture [Sartar], +25% category modifier, +25 occupation [Lt. Cav. 4], +20 cult base [Humakt], +20 cult "additional distribution" => 115%

I think I went through the system three times to confirm that wasn't a mistake.

[jajagappa]

1 hour ago, Baron Wulfraed said:

I think I went through the system three times to confirm that wasn't a mistake.

Yes, looks correct.  Potentially they could have introduced a cap on the cult additional distribution, but no indication there that you can't add there, only on the personal skill bonuses.

[PhilHibbs]

On 7/19/2021 at 12:26 AM, jajagappa said:

Yes, looks correct.  Potentially they could have introduced a cap on the cult additional distribution, but no indication there that you can't add there, only on the personal skill bonuses.

It even says "If your adventurer has a skill at 100% or greater through a combination of...", so greater than 100% is explicitly a possibility.

[Shiningbrow]

25% Category Modifier.... Is that some lucky rolling? Or some other stat allotment? (ie, min-maxxing?)