Playable Cults / Races

[Jose]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:18 AM, Nick Brooke said:

Pick up Trollpak if you want to play as a troll. It's one of the RuneQuest Classics, but the lore won't change much and the rules are very similar to RQG's.

I strongly recommend the DuckPac series on the Jonstown Compendium: Book 2 - Duck Adventurers is all about playing as a duck.

The old Cult Compendium is a lovely collection of cult writeups for RuneQuest Classic, many of which are being lightly updated (with new art) for RQG.

There are some new Cults books in the works (they should be the next major RuneQuest release), and I hear there's a complete ElfPack manuscript, but given the state of the world and the enthusiasm of our supporters Chaosium doesn't like to announce release dates for future books until they're finished, printed and shipped.

HI, I realise that argan argar has rune lords in troll pack but not in RQG. Those who have seen the pre_cults book can tell me which is correct? Thanks

[Bill the barbarian]

1 minute ago, Jose said:

HI, I realise that argan argar has rune lords in troll pack but not in RQG. Those who have seen the pre_cults book can tell me which is correct? Thanks

There are two answers to that question.

One, it depends. Which one does your table wish to use. Two, canonically it is RQG, but canonically affects Chaosium products not your table. 

[Joerg]

10 hours ago, Jose said:

HI, I realise that argan argar has rune lords in troll pack but not in RQG. Those who have seen the pre_cults book can tell me which is correct? Thanks

RQ2 offered lords, priests and lord-priests for all cults (e.g. in Rune Masters). RQ3 took away half of those, with few exceptions (Orlanth, Yelmalio, Yelm, 7Mothers, Kyger Litor, Aldrrya) while introducing the Acolyte (God Talker) semi-priest.

RQG has inherited the "incomplete" spread for most cults from RQ3. Thus you will find positions in the RQ2 cult descritptions which aren't in canonical RQG.

YGWV. RQG has the general rules for all these ranks, RQ2 has details on some of these cults. Use what feels right for your game.

Cults and cult ranks are made by the worshippers, although the magic comes from the deity, or some subservient entity (could be a child, an aspect, an immortalized hero, a community wyter). Local cults will have differet forms, imagery, etc..

 

 

[David Scott]

11 hours ago, Jose said:

HI, I realise that argan argar has rune lords in troll pack but not in RQG. Those who have seen the pre_cults book can tell me which is correct? Thanks

Bear in mind that the upcoming cults of Glorantha doesn't change any of the cult structures from the core rules, it gives more detail. If you are using RQG, I'd suggest sticking with that rules set for continuity.

If you want to use older material that has no equivalent in the current rules, use those and modify them accordingly. I'd suggest re-reading the Rune Lord section in the Core Rules (page 278) as it discusses the duality of the statuses of Rune Lord and Rune Priest.

If a player really wanted to be an Argan Argar Rune Lord, i'd add it as a localised subcult (I would however remind them that the concept of a martial diplomat is an oxymoron). However there are much better martial cults with Rune Lords that would work better.

[Nick Brooke]

Adventurers are exceptional people: cult writeups describe what is normal and expected. Back in RQ2 days, every cult writeup had Rune Lords and Rune Priests, because that's "the way it had always been done." In RQ3, this was rationalised: lots of cults that didn't really need martial heroes lost their Rune Lords, while lots of cults that didn't really need a temple-based non-fighty priesthood lost their Rune Priests.

In your own campaign, there's no reason not to allow a player to become "the first Torkani Rune Lord of Argan Argar in this generation," or "the first Champion of Pavis since Balastor fell defending his Barracks," or "a Sword Sage of Lhankor Mhy from some obscure temple in Esrolia where they never got the memo telling them that was now considered gauche." It's your game, and YGWV.

In Chaosium's rules and supplements, while they'll write sweeping definitions (caveated with generous exceptions), they won't ever detail every interesting local quirk: that's what community content is for. Let a thousand Gloranthas bloom!

[Jose]

5 hours ago, David Scott said:

Bear in mind that the upcoming cults of Glorantha doesn't change any of the cult structures from the core rules, it gives more detail. If you are using RQG, I'd suggest sticking with that rules set for continuity.

If you want to use older material that has no equivalent in the current rules, use those and modify them accordingly. I'd suggest re-reading the Rune Lord section in the Core Rules (page 278) as it discusses the duality of the statuses of Rune Lord and Rune Priest.

If a player really wanted to be an Argan Argar Rune Lord, i'd add it as a localised subcult (I would however remind them that the concept of a martial diplomat is an oxymoron). However there are much better martial cults with Rune Lords that would work better.

Thanks for the info, I didn't know if the cult would change, kimantori and all that, in Cults  book again. No rune lords then. OK for me. 

Thanks. 

[Jose]

Hi, I am planning to give to Thunderbird all common rune spells 1 point and cloud cover, summon /control small silph, bless thunderstone. 

Any suggestions will be welcomed. 

 

Thanks

[Godlearner]

31 minutes ago, Jose said:

Hi, I am planning to give to Thunderbird all common rune spells 1 point and cloud cover, summon /control small silph, bless thunderstone. 

Any suggestions will be welcomed. 

You are still laying RQ2, suggest you move to RQG. 😁

Why do you feel this spirit should have access to common rune spells?

[Jose]

27 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

You are still laying RQ2, suggest you move to RQG. 😁

Why do you feel this spirit should have access to common rune spells?

Same that black fang in RQG

[Jeff]

40 minutes ago, Jose said:

Same that black fang in RQG

Black Fang does not provide all common rune spells - only Divination, Extension 1, Multispell 1, and Spirit Block. Thunderbird only provides Cloud Call and Thunderbolt.

[Rodney Dangerduck]

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

Black Fang does not provide all common rune spells - only Divination, Extension 1, Multispell 1, and Spirit Block. Thunderbird only provides Cloud Call and Thunderbolt.

I'd argue that both of those cults, and many other interesting minor cults, provide nothing.  Until the Gods' book comes out.  😞

[PhilHibbs]

8 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

I'd argue that both of those cults, and many other interesting minor cults, provide nothing.

Why? We know from RQ3 GoG it provides Shattering, which is a super-disrupt. And the spell is in RBOM so I'd assume it's still a Black Fang spell.

It's had a buff as well as it is no longer blocked by armour, and 4D3 is more reliable than 2D6.

[David Scott]

58 minutes ago, PhilHibbs said:

Why? We know from RQ3 GoG it provides Shattering, which is a super-disrupt. And the spell is in RBOM so I'd assume it's still a Black Fang spell.

Black Fang and its Rune spells are in the Core Rules page 379. (Ignore the numbers on the common spells per the Q&A).

[Jose]

2 hours ago, David Scott said:

Black Fang and its Rune spells are in the Core Rules page 379. (Ignore the numbers on the common spells per the Q&A).

Thanks, I will use the example plus what Jeff wrote, to my thunder bird iniciated until sartar sourcebook comes out. 

[soltakss]

On 10/31/2022 at 9:01 PM, Jose said:

Hi, I am planning to give to Thunderbird all common rune spells 1 point and cloud cover, summon /control small silph, bless thunderstone. 

The Three-Feathered Rivals are written up in Different Worlds 3, as a combined cult, similar to the structure of the Seven Mothers.

Have a look at the spells and take the air ones for Thunderbird. 

[Jose]

Thanks, Jeff explained that only offers thunderbolt and cloud call. 

[PhilHibbs]

On 11/4/2022 at 8:09 PM, soltakss said:

The Three-Feathered Rivals are written up in Different Worlds 3, as a combined cult, similar to the structure of the Seven Mothers.

Have a look at the spells and take the air ones for Thunderbird. 

From DW3:

So take your pick, go with Jeff's up to date take, or roll your own.

Edited November 7, 2022 by PhilHibbs

[whitelaughter]

On 9/27/2022 at 12:28 AM, Kloster said:

This contradicts RQG (p74 and p290): Chalana Arroy cultists take an oath never to harm an intelligent creature or needlessly cause pain to any living thing.

 

If the cultist is an intelligent creature, then a refusal to dodge or parry would actually violate that oath...

[PhilHibbs]

1 hour ago, whitelaughter said:

If the cultist is an intelligent creature, then a refusal to dodge or parry would actually violate that oath...

Ah but the CA rule is lacking the second half of Asimov's Second Law formulation "...or by inaction allow such a creature to come to harm".

[JRE]

I agree. CA is all about personal action being right, while they do not have any obligation to limit the actions of others. So they cannot harm others, but they can witness the harm happening without being forced to act. Getting hurt does not allow them the potential of hurting others that may come from parrying.

For what is worth, I consider Dodge is not a Combat skill, as it is both useful outside of combat, it is Agility rather than Manipulation, and it cannot hurt others (except possibly dodging a bull rush charge so they move into something dangerous...).

 

[Ian A. Thomson]

On 9/30/2022 at 6:40 PM, JRE said:

So they traveled around, though they were too laid back and risk averse to be true murder hoboes. It really played as Holiday Genertela, visiting a sizeable part of the continent. It worked really a Jack Vance homage, and it is interesting to see Glorantha as the result of ages of decadence, as well as funny hats and interesting foods. 

I had the joy to design and run one Dying Earth Campaign, and the characters started out as penniless and useless rascals. But by the end of it - simply due to experience/abilities gained while surviving and skills built so that they could better hoodwink and steal - they became pretty decent adventurers that would leaned more and more into doing the right thing.

Edited December 18, 2022 by Ian A. Thomson