Manirian Paddle Magic (Spirit or Rune)

[kr0p0s]

I'm messing around with the idea of the more traditional Orlanthi of the Nimistor Valley getting around using log boats (as depicted below). They would be used during Sea, Earth and Fire season for getting about up and down the rivers, such as the Trader and Skonthor. I imagine that most if not all river traffic would cease during Dark and Storm seasons. Down stream is fine, but to get back upstream, especially during high flows I envisage them using magical assistance and have devised the following magic (riffed off of Blood Over Gold):

Paddle Tirelessly
2 Points
Touch, Temporal, Passive
Allows the target to paddle without rest for a maximum CON/2 hours against a current equal to or less than STR km/hr. The magic ends when the target stops paddling. At the end they are fatigued and must rest for 20-Con hours.

I imagine the magic being available through a local hero or ancestor spirit cult that had some competitive relationship with the local rivers.

But the question is, should it be Rune or Spirit magic? It has a long duration, but very specific use and a cooldown penalty.

As spirit magic it could be used by or cast on individuals.

As rune magic possibly more a ritual cast on the crew of a boat, thus more community focused.

Thoughts?
 

[hipsterinspace]

I think you could pretty straightforwardly rule it like the Morale or Star Walk rune spells. Cast by the leader on the boat's crew, it lasts until they stop rowing or sunset. Maybe it could use Vigor the same way that Star Walk extends Mobility, where every rower casts Vigor on themselves and it's extended through the day of rowing.

Edited April 5, 2023 by hipsterinspace

[Darius West]

Human beings have devised a great many ways of travelling upriver IRL without magic.  The Nile for example has a prevailing wind that blows upriver off the Mediterranean most days.  Towing via beasts has also long been an option.  One thing that most people don't know is that while the main current in the center of the river flows downstream, the sides of the river have eddies that actually circulate in the opposite direction and can facilitate up river travel, if you have a long enough boat to benefit (hence the length of keelboats).  You can brute force your way upriver, but this will require periodic beaching to recover one's strength.   It is odd the sort of trivia that GMs have to know...

[kr0p0s]

I'm envisaging the upper reaches of the Skonthor and most of Trader as being fast flowing upland rivers. The use of magic and the involvement of the hero or spirit cult would give a good story.

I'm just not sure if that magic should be available as rune or spirit magic. There are good reasons for it being either, and I favour the spirit magic route because it is quite utilitarian.  You can imagine it as a survival magic during the godtime Flood or Darkness eras. But is it too powerful for spirit magic? Should it cost more MPs?

There is a section in the Red Book on devising Rune spells, but asides from a general duration limit no indication for spirit magic.

[g33k]

26 minutes ago, kr0p0s said:

... I'm just not sure if that magic should be available as rune or spirit magic ..

Frankly, I'd go with "both".
Spirit-magic boosts an individual, on an individual basis, as a basic utility spell like "Mobility" or the like.
Rune-magic is for the group, as a community-oriented spell (as so much Rune magic is!).

I like @hipsterinspace's suggestion:  a Rune spell that links all the individuals' efforts and supports them as a group effort.

Maybe having ships' Wyters is a good model, here?

[French Desperate WindChild]

i disagree with myself but I would find a compromise

 

my first I would say not a divine spell because, if I understood well rbom is "complete". So yes a spirit spell but it is very too long

my second I would say a divine subcult spell, why not mgf

and

my last I - the conciliator -, would say that the clan / tribe has to perform every year a ritual with the local river nymph (like in sun county supplement if you have), and if this ritual (a little not too dangerous heroquest) is a success, the heroquestor learn  the ability to cast the spiritual spell (only the successful heroquestors know, that's the benefit of the Alliance)

 

this spiritual spell then would be cast by one of our heroquestors (one per ritual) on the ship he leads and all the crew will have the gain

the two restrictions are :

- only one ship / crew by caster

- only effective when this year heroquest is a success

 

so the clan has to decide who to send :

- not the same one every year,to have more paddles able to do it ?

- or some already successfull to renew the alliance (because the spell is effective with the heroquest success)

 

and opponent would (if they know the local secret)  try to reduce the rare people able to cast the spell (and of course would try to block the heroquestor). Some hook then for scenario

[svensson]

Replying to the OP:

The spell as described has a more Rune spell feel to it. Appropriate runes being Air [because of the Strength aspect], Water [duh], and Movement [duh twice].

[svensson]

17 hours ago, Darius West said:

Human beings have devised a great many ways of travelling upriver IRL without magic.  The Nile for example has a prevailing wind that blows upriver off the Mediterranean most days.  Towing via beasts has also long been an option.  One thing that most people don't know is that while the main current in the center of the river flows downstream, the sides of the river have eddies that actually circulate in the opposite direction and can facilitate up river travel, if you have a long enough boat to benefit (hence the length of keelboats).  You can brute force your way upriver, but this will require periodic beaching to recover one's strength.   It is odd the sort of trivia that GMs have to know...

And some rivers [the Nile, the Dnieper (where Slavs were using log canoes in Medieval times), the Amazon] were wide enough at stretches to even tack into the wind. And let's be honest, that's a pretty neat trick when you consider mud banks, snags and floating debris in a river.

[hipsterinspace]

10 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

my first I would say not a divine spell because, if I understood well rbom is "complete".

The second page of the Rune Magic section of the RBoM has rules for devising new rune spells. The spells in the book are certainly not all of the spells that are possible, and this seems like a great use of those rules to create something interesting.

Edited April 6, 2023 by hipsterinspace

[French Desperate WindChild]

6 hours ago, hipsterinspace said:

The second page of the Rune Magic section of the RBoM has rules for devising new rune spells. The spells in the book are certainly not all of the spells that are possible, and this seems like a great use of those rules to create something interesting.

O...M....G... of glorantha

So I did not understand, and I don't know why !

thanks a lot for the info, and of course it was so visible that I did not notice it. So why I have this completeness concept in my mind is another question. Eurmal may be behind it

 

[radmonger]

Riffing off sanctify and bless champion

 

Bless Voyage,

water, movement, 2 point

ritual, duration (special), stackable

This blesses one small boat (up to 5m) and it's crew for one river voyage . The targets must be willing and present on the boat, and must participate in the ritual by chanting.

While this spell is active, any defensive spirit or Rune magic spell cast on a crew member will last for the duration of the voyage. This duration ends if any crew member takes any action not strictly necessary for the continuation of the voyage. This prevents defending themselves from attackers, or breaking the journey to portage across rapids or a waterfall. They may eat or drink, but must continue chanting while doing so.

Non-crew members may act normally. However, when a heavily-enchanted crew chooses to run a rapid, or even shoot a waterfall,  it is wise to be securely strapped to the boat.

Stacking this spell allows for larger boats to be affected.

 

 

 

[svensson]

On 4/5/2023 at 6:05 AM, g33k said:

Frankly, I'd go with "both".
Spirit-magic boosts an individual, on an individual basis, as a basic utility spell like "Mobility" or the like.
Rune-magic is for the group, as a community-oriented spell (as so much Rune magic is!).

I like @hipsterinspace's suggestion:  a Rune spell that links all the individuals' efforts and supports them as a group effort.

Maybe having ships' Wyters is a good model, here?

Well, what do you think the ship's figurehead if for? Or, taking a page out of Jason and the Argonauts, the poppa the overhanging section of the ship's keel at the stern of a trireme.

But in order to support the mystical costs of a wyter, there would have to be a HELL of a lot of spirits devoting magic points and POW to the ship.

It might be better to consider a fleet standard as the mystical group identity. There'd be enough warm bodies to worship it then.

[Agentorange]

I must admit when I saw the title Manirian Paddle Magic I envisaged some kind of kinky Ulerian ritual involving spanking.

Whilst the thread has turned out to be more practical I do feel  let down in some obscure fashion........

[g33k]

12 hours ago, svensson said:

Well, what do you think the ship's figurehead if for? Or, taking a page out of Jason and the Argonauts, the poppa the overhanging section of the ship's keel at the stern of a trireme.

But in order to support the mystical costs of a wyter, there would have to be a HELL of a lot of spirits devoting magic points and POW to the ship.

It might be better to consider a fleet standard as the mystical group identity. There'd be enough warm bodies to worship it then.

Smaller independent ships might not have it worthwhile; but a multi-ship village might have enough magic to support fewer/larger ships...

Some small-ish military groups have wyters (usually in their battle-standards).

I'm pretty sure Jeff has stated that most of the Wolf-Pirate warships had a per-ship wyter.

Edited April 8, 2023 by g33k

[g33k]

46 minutes ago, Agentorange said:

I must admit when I saw the title Manirian Paddle Magic I envisaged some kind of kinky Ulerian ritual involving spanking.

Whilst the thread has turned out to be more practical I do feel  let down in some obscure fashion........

s/Mani/Uler/ and Bob's yer uncle!