Plant Rune HeroQuest

[Jose]

Hi, I am planning a heroquest for my players, one of the boons is going to be "Awakening of the Plant rune" but I am not sure about  the rating, maybe 20, that I think is a minimum, or 50 is more a proper number.

What do you think? 

[soltakss]

16 hours ago, Jose said:

Hi, I am planning a heroquest for my players, one of the boons is going to be "Awakening of the Plant rune" but I am not sure about  the rating, maybe 20, that I think is a minimum, or 50 is more a proper number.

How well did they do on the HeroQuest?

I know you have not run the HeroQuest yet, but I would tie the benefit into how well they do on the HeroQuest. Also, I would add the Magic bonus to the Rune, to give some variability, so treat the 20% or 50% as a base chance.

[Jose]

3 hours ago, soltakss said:

How well did they do on the HeroQuest?

I know you have not run the HeroQuest yet, but I would tie the benefit into how well they do on the HeroQuest. Also, I would add the Magic bonus to the Rune, to give some variability, so treat the 20% or 50% as a base chance.

I thought it coulbe 50 if he gets 4 of 7 Victory Points over enemies and 20 if he success but below 4 of 7 Victory Points over enemies. I am planning to use extended contest. Every time you success you get 1 Victory Point if you loose then your adversary gets that 1 Victory point. I am going to handle this HQ challenges using Spirit combat rating plus augments according to proper rune os skills/pasión.

 

What do you think? 

[French Desperate WindChild]

19 hours ago, Jose said:

Hi, I am planning a heroquest for my players, one of the boons is going to be "Awakening of the Plant rune" but I am not sure about  the rating, maybe 20, that I think is a minimum, or 50 is more a proper number.

What do you think? 

Mmmmmm

Honestly i m not sure of the effect

I consider plant rune like beast rune:

the rune completing the man rune to define a being 

So if a human being gains plant rune i would impact it :

a) the total amount plant + beast + man runes must stay at 100% (so player may have to reduce beast or man or both runes)

b) the body should be transformed (or maybe just the soul?):

less flesh more wood ? 
less skin more bark and leaves ?

less hair more leaves and flowers ?

 

so no advice about the total. Just Check about your security if one of your player cannot accept he is now a sentient tree 😅

[soltakss]

48 minutes ago, Jose said:

thought it coulbe 50 if he gets 4 of 7 Victory Points over enemies and 20 if he success but below 4 of 7 Victory Points over enemies. I am planning to use extended contest. Every time you success you get 1 Victory Point if you loose then your adversary gets that 1 Victory point. I am going to handle this HQ challenges using Spirit combat rating plus augments according to proper rune os skills/pasión.

Ah, this is QuestWorlds, then.

Yes, that could work, but is a bit complicated.

You could give them 10+10 per Victory Point. That is nice and simple, yet rewards success.

[Jose]

2 hours ago, soltakss said:

Ah, this is QuestWorlds, then.

Yes, that could work, but is a bit complicated.

You could give them 10+10 per Victory Point. That is nice and simple, yet rewards success.

Is runequest. But we dont have mechanics to run challenges in a RQ heroquest so I improvised.  I am open to  a better method if you explain me. I am new as GM so I pick here and there until Hq rules are published 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Jose

[soltakss]

40 minutes ago, Jose said:

But we dont have mechanics to run challenges in a RQ heroquest so I improvised.  I am open to  a better method if you explain me.

Secrets of HeroQuesting, p28, describes a HeroQuest Challenge, but I leave the mechanics up to individual GMs.

10+10 per Victory Point still works. I would add the Magic Bonus to it, as well, to give them a good starting point.

43 minutes ago, Jose said:

I am new as GM so I pick here and there until Hq rules are published 

It is a shame that HeroQuesting was not given a chapter in the RuneQuest Rules, as it should be central to gaming in Glorantha.

As a new GM, you have the freedom to do things in exciting new ways, which is good. So, use whatever mechanics suit you best.

 

[Jose]

1 hour ago, soltakss said:

Secrets of HeroQuesting, p28, describes a HeroQuest Challenge, but I leave the mechanics up to individual GMs.

10+10 per Victory Point still works. I would add the Magic Bonus to it, as well, to give them a good starting point.

It is a shame that HeroQuesting was not given a chapter in the RuneQuest Rules, as it should be central to gaming in Glorantha.

As a new GM, you have the freedom to do things in exciting new ways, which is good. So, use whatever mechanics suit you best.

 

Yes, it seems strange to me that you have rules (in the rules book) to manage shamans but not a few rules to manage heroquest. 

[Godlearner]

3 hours ago, Jose said:

Yes, it seems strange to me that you have rules (in the rules book) to manage shamans but not a few rules to manage heroquest.

Because it's easier to standardize shamans than very subjective HeroQuests. 

Gods only know we tried and let's just say it did not work out exactly right.

[Jose]

10 hours ago, Godlearner said:

Because it's easier to standardize shamans than very subjective HeroQuests. 

Gods only know we tried and let's just say it did not work out exactly right.

That I understand, but I was thinking about a few light rules. 

I have just begun this thing but here are my thoughts. 

1. Bring the other world to the mundane. Use rules for worship ceremonies, augmented with cult lore, dance, sacrifices.... And penalized for other circumstances like curses, non propitious days or places.... 

2. If the heroquest is a reenactment myth then for challenges use spirit combat (it is a psiquic combat really) augmented with Runes, passion or skills. For other test use skills as normal. Role play other things. 

3. I you go outside of "the road" you will have to use the mastery rune, that rune if I recall has a value of 10 for those with adults initiation plus another 10 for those with cult initiation plus 30 for those who are runemasters. This rune you use for things that change the myth and penalties are bigger the more you try to divert from the main current of the myth. For example. A station where you have to bargain with the green woman, "She ask a gift from you or a favor, but you choose to seduce her and have a nice night together" you roll mastery rune without penalties and you pass the station(of course there are consequences and unexpected like a new "love green woman passion" or "you can only love earth cultists" . But now imagine that you expect the green woman but suddenly she is not there but the RED WOMAN, and she is there to do your life miserable to you or your clan, you will have to challenge her with your mastery rune with augments and penalties as appropriate to pass, if you win you strip power from her and pass and possibly restore the proper myth station. Or even defeat her in her own game and make her realize she always was the green woman so when she return to the mundane plane go the the nearest ernalda temple and pleas acceptance in the cult 😉

4. Boons... Well that part I am not so sure how to handle it. I want something at the same level of risk and level of success. 

What do you think? 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Jose

[soltakss]

15 hours ago, Jose said:

Yes, it seems strange to me that you have rules (in the rules book) to manage shamans but not a few rules to manage heroquest. 

I agree and had to write a book to fill in the gaps.

1 hour ago, Jose said:

1. Bring the other world to the mundane. Use rules for worship ceremonies, augmented with cult lore, dance, sacrifices.... And penalized for other circumstances like curses, non propitious days or places.... 

2. If the heroquest is a reenactment myth then for challenges use spirit combat (it is a psiquic combat really) augmented with Runes, passion or skills. For other test use skills as normal. Role play other things. 

Yes, I normally handwave those, as it is better to be able to just goon a HeroQuest than to roll 96-100 and fail to begin it.

1 hour ago, Jose said:

3. I you go outside of "the road" you will have to use the mastery rune, that rune if I recall has a value of 10 for those with adults initiation plus another 10 for those with cult initiation plus 30 for those who are runemasters.

I don't think that Adventurers can get the Mastery Rune normally. Maybe Orlanthi can as one of their cult runes.

In any case, using the Mastery Rune for everything is a bit of a cop-out, for me. I prefer to use applicable Runes, where possible.

1 hour ago, Jose said:

This rune you use for things that change the myth and penalties are bigger the more you try to divert from the main current of the myth. For example. A station where you have to bargain with the green woman, "She ask a gift from you or a favor, but you choose to seduce her and have a nice night together" you roll mastery rune without penalties and you pass the station(of course there are consequences and unexpected like a new "love green woman passion" or "you can only love earth cultists" .

The Air Rune would be good for this, emulating Orlanth and Ernalda.

1 hour ago, Jose said:

But now imagine that you expect the green woman but suddenly she is not there but the RED WOMAN, and she is there to do your life miserable to you or your clan, you will have to challenge her with your mastery rune with augments and penalties as appropriate to pass, if you win you strip power from her and pass and possibly restore the proper myth station. Or even defeat her in her own game and make her realize she always was the green woman so when she return to the mundane plane go the the nearest ernalda temple and pleas acceptance in the cult 😉

Yes, in this case the Air Rune would not help much, no matter how much you have boosted it.

A good HeroQuestor needs to be able to be flexible in their approach.

1 hour ago, Jose said:

4. Boons... Well that part I am not so sure how to handle it. I want something at the same level of risk and level of success. 

I agree.

A Humakti Initiate doing a SwordQuest might come away with a Bladesharp 4 matrix and be happy with it. A Humakti Rune Lord doing the same HeroQuest might be unhappy at just receiving a Bladesharp 4 matrix.

I think that if you actively perform the HeroQuest then you are trying to achieve something specific, so the main Boon should reflect that. Minor Boons are just add-ons.

[Jose]

4 hours ago, soltakss said:

I agree and had to write a book to fill in the gaps.

Yes, I normally handwave those, as it is better to be able to just goon a HeroQuest than to roll 96-100 and fail to begin it.

I don't think that Adventurers can get the Mastery Rune normally. Maybe Orlanthi can as one of their cult runes.

In any case, using the Mastery Rune for everything is a bit of a cop-out, for me. I prefer to use applicable Runes, where possible.

The Air Rune would be good for this, emulating Orlanth and Ernalda.

Yes, in this case the Air Rune would not help much, no matter how much you have boosted it.

A good HeroQuestor needs to be able to be flexible in their approach.

I agree.

A Humakti Initiate doing a SwordQuest might come away with a Bladesharp 4 matrix and be happy with it. A Humakti Rune Lord doing the same HeroQuest might be unhappy at just receiving a Bladesharp 4 matrix.

I think that if you actively perform the HeroQuest then you are trying to achieve something specific, so the main Boon should reflect that. Minor Boons are just add-ons.

About the mastery rune numbers. I learned about it in the discord channel of the last impromtu con. 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Jose

[Jose]

Does anyone knows the personality traits of the plant rune? 

[metcalph]

6 minutes ago, Jose said:

Does anyone knows the personality traits of the plant rune? 

Wooden.  

[Akhôrahil]

I would replace the Beast Rune with the Plant Rune in this case, making the slider Man <-> Plant.

This would Matter A Lot!

Edited November 17, 2022 by Akhôrahil

[jajagappa]

2 hours ago, Jose said:

Does anyone knows the personality traits of the plant rune? 

Communal, even inter-dependent.  Cyclical (perhaps in a manic-depressive way but spread across the seasons?).  Rooted (i.e. closely aligned with a home from which you rarely depart).

[kalidor]

Hi Jeff Richard just wrote in Facebook that a human who is initiated in Aldrya's cult is no longer human. Can someone explain this. I mean... What happen? Do you become suddenly vegetarian, Iron causes you double damage? 

[Jex]

 

9 minutes ago, kalidor said:

Hi Jeff Richard just wrote in Facebook that a human who is initiated in Aldrya's cult is no longer human. Can someone explain this.

Oh, dear.  I was planning on having an NPC in Marshedge be an initiate of Aldrya (I have a backstory for her to explain how that happened), so this is something I'm very interested in knowing more about as well.

Edited December 18, 2022 by Jex
Added quote to make it clearer what I was replying to

[General Confusion]

2 hours ago, kalidor said:

Hi Jeff Richard just wrote in Facebook that a human who is initiated in Aldrya's cult is no longer human. Can someone explain this. I mean... What happen? Do you become suddenly vegetarian, Iron causes you double damage? 

The comparison he drew was to initiation into the Kyger Litor cult, which for non-Uz is difficult and dangerous; the modern rules according to the cult write-up in the bestiary require 50% or more in the Darkness rune, some skills, and then you have to pass a POWx3 roll or die. There's also the troll adoption rite to turn a non-troll into a troll entirely, which is even more risky (not to mention gruesome).

 

So if we're using that as a basis, it would seem to suggest that initiating into Aldrya would be associated with gaining the Plant rune, which is assocated with Aldrya in the same way that Darkness is associated with Kyger Litor, at some level - and yeah, at high levels of Plant you're not an elf but you're also probably not a normal human anymore.

[Jex]

Hm... I think that still works

1 hour ago, General Confusion said:

So if we're using that as a basis, it would seem to suggest that initiating into Aldrya would be associated with gaining the Plant rune, which is assocated with Aldrya in the same way that Darkness is associated with Kyger Litor, at some level - and yeah, at high levels of Plant you're not an elf but you're also probably not a normal human anymore.

Hm... I think that still works with my Marshedge NPC, as long as she can still pass for fully human, at least to casual observers.

[JRE]

Honestly, I would not change anything on a finished scenario just because there was a comment in Facebook. If it is in the supposedly almost ready for years Elfpack, then I would think about it. 

It is likely that you exchange the Human-Beast dichotomy for a Human-Plant pair, so increasing your Plant decreases your Human affinity. But I am sure they are still not stranger than an Uroxi with 90% Beast affinity.

[Nick Brooke]

Poison Ivy; Swamp Thing. There you go. They used to be human, but are now part Plant and able to access the collective consciousness of the Green.

[David Scott]

14 hours ago, kalidor said:

Hi Jeff Richard just wrote in Facebook that a human who is initiated in Aldrya's cult is no longer human. Can someone explain this. I mean... What happen? Do you become suddenly vegetarian, Iron causes you double damage? 

Initiation into the cult of Aldrya is not a casual event for a non-elf, just follow this 16 step plan detailed in the upcoming cults book

Failure in any part of the lengthy and difficult adoption ceremony means the death of the candidate.

1. A non-elven candidate first must prove themselves to the Council of Elders with an average POW & CHA roll x5.
2. Then must succeed skill test on 5 set skills.
3. Then candidate must perform an unspeakable deed to their species, which is always criminal in every human sense (this is a secret kept from non-initiates).
4. Then sacrifice 1 point of POW to Aldrya.
5. Now the elves take the candidate, strip them, and carry them to a holy tree.
6. With copper stakes, they nail the candidate to the tree, one spike per limb.
7. With a holy knife, they first cut out thigh and upper arm bones and replace them with wooden sticks.
8. Then they gut the candidate and rip out most of their inner organs.
9. Plants, seeds, and soil are inserted in the hollow cavities.
10. A hole is drilled into the forehead through the skull, and a dried root is stuck in the brain.
11. Genitals are amputated, with seeds planted in their place.
12. A sacred copper axe is then used to chop a slit in the tree, which opens and swallows the mutilated corpse.
13. The wood folds around the mess and the metamorphosis begins.
14. At the end of some number of days, which varies with the amount of damage the body sustained, the person will awaken, enclosed in a nut-like shell.
15. This hangs on the holy tree.
16. After breaking out of the shell, the new elf is welcomed by the cult.

Much easier to stay a lay member.

[Brian Duguid]

Love it! Half-way between Swamp Thing (in its gruesome horror period) and one of the shamanic initiation rites described in Eliade.

[Brian Duguid]

Quick question / suggestion: could a human initiate to Flamal in a manner that doesn't require the Aldryami transformation, and become an elf-friend that way?