RuneQuest Rules Q&A

[Scotty]

If want to report mistakes or ask questions about our RuneQuest Glorantha products, this is the thread. Question and Answers where appropriate will end up here as official corrections. Although centred around RuneQuest, corrections and questions about the Guide to Glorantha (GtG) and the Glorantha Sourcebook (GS) are welcome too. The current product line is:

• Roleplaying in Glorantha Quickstart (RQQS) 
• Roleplaying in Glorantha (RQG)
• Glorantha Bestiary (RQB)
• Gamesmaster Screen Pack (GMSP) 
• The Red Book of Magic (RBM) and Rune Spell Reference (RSR)
• The Smoking Ruin & Other Stories (TSR)
• The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories (TPP)
• Starter Set (RQSS)
• Weapons & Equipment (W&E)
• The Prosopaedia
• Lightbringers (LB)
• Earth Goddesses (EG)
• Mythology (CoR-M)
• Lunar Way (LW)

First and foremost, it cannot be stressed enough that the rules are guidelines for the gamemaster and must occasionally need to be interpreted when a question arises. No set of rules can accommodate every permutation and interaction between the various sub-systems, nor should they.

When there’s an potential conflict or unclear area, it is the gamemaster’s job to adjudicate, revising later if necessary. When in doubt, make a decision and move on.

The play is the thing, not getting it “right”.

Please post your entries in the form of a single simple, direct question, with book and page references.

Please take any arguments, complaints or discussion to another thread. 

Before you post, please make sure that you have:

• the most up-to-date version of the book and/or PDF.
• checked the book and rules fully.
• Checked the RuneQuest Glorantha Corrections and Q&A
• Please be aware that, Sorcery is presented to allow Lhankor Mhy adventurers to be created. Future supplements will detail sorcerers from other cultures and provide more details of the sorcery system.

New answers in this thread are moved to the Q&A when a full page is reached.

When in doubt, make a decision and move on.

See Jason Durall talking about when it's important to lean into or away from TTRPG system rules (YouTube)  

Edited June 6 by Scotty
updated 8 June 2024

[Psullie]

Can we please have a clear statement, with examples, on how boosting spells with MP's is intended to work. 

[Scotty]

4 hours ago, RandomNumber said:

A map error has been ported across into the updated Map Pack for the GM Screen.

That's for spotting this. I'll fix it asap.

[Scotty]

16 hours ago, Dragon said:

Not positive if this is the correct place to note an error, as it is not the Red Book of Magic itself, but the Rune Spell Reference additional download.

Yes this is the place, I've added the Rune Spell Reference to the initial post.

16 hours ago, Dragon said:

In the Rune Spell Reference, the spell Arrow Trance is listed in Fire/Sky spells correctly. It is erroneously missing from Plant Spells, and is erroneously included in Truth Spells.

I mentioned it in another thread, and the author agreed. He stated that I would have to notify you as he had turned over the source materials to Chaosium control. I just wasn't sure where.

I find the Reference quite handy, and appreciate the work that went into it. Thank you.

Thanks for spotting this. We will correct it asap.

[Scotty]

38 minutes ago, Steve said:

Do the general rules for boosting magic cover a Rune spell boosted with magic points vs defensive magic though?

They will. There is a question in the queue (see page 1) about clarifying boosting.

[Scotty]

On 3/26/2022 at 3:54 PM, Steve said:

Core Rulebook p.23

In the intro text, last paragraph, it refers to the GM Screen Pack having a quick adventurer generation system. I don't think that's the case, is it? Perhaps the GM book?

Yes, but the final name has not been announced.

[PhilHibbs]

Starter Set, Blank Folio

Craft has a tick box, but the two lines underneath for filling in two different Craft skills do not. Remove tick box, and place two on the lines underneath it.

Same with Speak Other Language, a single check box doesn't work for two separate skills.

Also, Cult Lore should not have a tick box. Customs (Local) should.

Edited August 28, 2022 by PhilHibbs

[Cassius]

Are the updated and corrected versions of the Starter Set books available anywhere ? When I re-downloaded the Book 2 yesterday at Chaosium website, where I bought the Starter set, it contained no corrections.

[Scotty]

12 hours ago, The Lonely Khan said:

Is there cannon that The Spike and The Block is adamant or truestone? Adamant makes no sense, as the Storm Bull followers protect and gather the fallen pieces of The Block after it bounced over The Plains to strike and pin Wakboth. And those pieces are truestone. 

The words are used interchangeably (see Mythology (PDF), pages 23, 44, 47, 49). Only the Dwarfs or a sage can likely tell the difference. 

[Scornado]

Runequest Starter Set in books 2 and 4 and Jonstown Map) - Jonstown has a "Merchant's Quarter" - should that be more than one merchant, as in "Merchants'"?    Similarly, for "Crafter's" and "Scholar's".

Edited November 29, 2023 by Scornado

[Brian Duguid]

On page 314 of the RQG core rulebook:

Quote

"Rune magic spells always take effect at strike rank 1"

But on page 194:

Quote

"If more than 1 magic point is used to boost a Rune magic spell, or otherwise increase its effects, 1 strike rank is added for each additional magical point after the first."

I believe page 194 is correct, so it may be worth adding a clarification to page 314 to the effect that:

"Rune magic spells always take effect at strike rank 1, unless more than 1 magic point is used to boost the spell; see page 194 for further details".

[Scotty]

15 hours ago, GoldShogun said:

Since Acolytes are part-time rune priests, are Seven Mothers Acolytes able to initiate into the Red Goddess cult if they are illuminated?

No. They need to be a priest (LW 122, Red Goddess, Initiates: They must also be a priest or lord of a Lunar cult.) Note that they can be a Red Goddess initiate and an acolyte if they have requested and received a demotion after their initiation (per God-talkers, Mythology 145 - an acolyte is another name for a God-talker).

As usual GMs may ignore this requirement in their own games.

[Scotty]

On 5/27/2024 at 8:58 AM, Luca Cherstich said:

Once I performed "Meld Form" to obtain a shape, how many times can I use that specific shape with Proteus spell?

Once or many times?

Many - the form has been learned through Meld Form.

On 5/27/2024 at 8:58 AM, Luca Cherstich said:

Is each use of "Meld Form" connected to a single use of "Proteus"?

No. Once learned, you can cast Proteus as much as you have available Rune points.

On 5/27/2024 at 8:58 AM, Luca Cherstich said:

Or can I collect many shapes through "meld form" and use them all in different times, maybe even multiple times?

Yes, each Meld form Ritual gets you a different shape, that you can use with Proteus.

On 5/27/2024 at 8:58 AM, Luca Cherstich said:

Sorry, I'm not very expert in RQG things, and my confusion derives from the fact that "Meld Form" is an enchantment (so I supposed it was kind of permenent thing) and the first line in its description is very confusing.

"This ritual must be undergone whenever a cultist sacrifices for the spell of Proteus"..... the reference to "sacrifices" does not make sense to me.

Thank you in advance!

Sacrifice means pay POW to learn the spell. So 1 POW to learn Proteus and one for Meld form.

You may find it helpful to re-read the example. Note that if Loronaga casts only one point of Proteus, she must choose which form to change into, two points - she can switch twice in the 15 minutes.

On 5/27/2024 at 12:26 PM, Luca Cherstich said:

Given this text...."This ritual must be undergone whenever a cultist sacrifices for the spell of Proteus".

If "sacrifice" means "pay POW to learn a spell", does it mean that Proteus should be learned again (each time paying 1 POW) for each form acquired through Meld Form?

No. Meld form needs to be learned once. A different ritual needs to be performed each time to learn the form. You don't need to spend anymore POW. 

Edited June 3 by Scotty
updated answer

[Scotty]

1 hour ago, Gamesmeister said:

Can an allied spirit know spells from an associated cult?

No, but they can cast any Rune spells their Rune level knows.

See 5.5.7 Allied spirits as cult initiates in the Q&A

Note that a GM can have allied spirits learning Rune magic, and that from associated cults if they desire in their games.

[Scotty]

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

this has been a (albeit minor) problem of mine since I started playing RuneQuest. Basically, the lack of description of nonhuman hit locations and the effects of wounds. For example horse hindquarters are equal to a human's abdomen

Correct.

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

in terms of what happens when they reach 0 HP or -max HP?

Treat as as abdomen in Results of Damage, RQG 146.

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

And the forequarters are equal to the chest?

Correct.

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

What happens if a 4 legged creature loses a leg? Does it fall on the ground?

Yes. That's not to say it cannot walk three-legged (I've seen plenty of three legged animals), but at the time of injury, it falls. If healed and remains three-legged, it could walk again.

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

Should a lizard die of blood loss if its tail is severed?

Yes, there's a difference between involuntary severing and voluntarily losing a tail that some creatures can do.

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

I understand it's impossible to have a separate description for every case and most of the time it's pretty easy to wing it but still some guidance would help.

• Forebody as Chest
• Forequarters as Chest
• Hindquarters as Abdomen
• Shell as Abdomen
• Tails as arms
• Tentacles as arms
• Thorax as Chest
• Trunk as arms. Wings as arms. When at 0HP they cannot fly

(I think that's all, but please let me know)

For specific information on arthropods, (per the Bestiary chapter) especially legs see RQB 130.

On 5/28/2024 at 5:10 PM, Alexandre said:

Maybe the bestiary would have been the right place to put this stuff? 

Or just ask here.

[Scotty]

1 minute ago, Garth Coriales said:

Apologies if this a dumb question but does anyone know how to calculate FREE Int with Sorcery in RQG (I never really got my head round this in RQ3 either?) I suppose this is not just for Lunar sorcerors... but to me It's not 100% clear what affects FREE Int. I think I have Runes and Techniques sorted (which I don't believe affect Free INT right?)

FreeINT = INT minus each individual sorcery spell and each point of spirit magic, per Memorizing Spells, RQG 390.

1 minute ago, Garth Coriales said:

Let me use an example so someone can explain - Sorcerer has Int 18 so can master up to 7 Runes &/or Techniques.

(Not relevant for Free Int calculation)

1 minute ago, Garth Coriales said:

If the Lunar Sorceror has Moonfire (*4pts) and Solace of Our Goddess (*2pts) - is that 6pts (ie then Sorceror's Free INT is 11)
OR are they only 1pt each (eg Free INT is 16) ... and if they know Countermagic III spirit magic spell on top does that reduce it by 3 or 1?
It's not clear in the example in RQG rules IMHO

So INT 18 minus 2 spells = 16 Free INT

16 Free INT - 3pts of Countermagic = 13  Free INT

1 minute ago, Garth Coriales said:

"Damastol wishes to increase the intensity of his Enhance INT (Fire + Summon) spell, increasing its strength. He has an INT of 17 and 3 points of spirit magic. As a result, he can add up to 14 levels of intensity, divided among strength, range, and duration. "

This is either implying that knowing Sorcery doesn't use up Free INT (it's a 2pt spell) ... as it should either be reducing his Free INT to 12 with the 3 points of Spirit Magic (or 13 if knowing Sorcery spells only take up one point?)

It doesn't take into account the spell (it could be inscribed). If it did, it would be:

INT 17 minus 1 spell, minus 3 points of spirit magic = 13 (17-4=13)

[Scotty]

28 minutes ago, Yazurkial said:

In the Family History, on page 31, one possibility is "Resettled in New Pavis to escape Dragon Pass. Choose whether you pick your original Homeland modifiers or Praxian modifiers. You may return to Dragon Pass after 2D6 years (your choice)."

What does "Homeland modifiers" mean?

• The elemental modifiers on page 45?
• The Homeland Modifiers to Characteristics on page 53?
• The cultural skill bonuses on pages 60-63?
• The local modifiers sprinkled throughout the Homeland Sections (see pages 102, 106, 108, 112, etc.)?
• The homeland for Homeland Lore (local)?
• Everything to do with your Homeland?
• Something else?

Something else: These - after the year.

So in the case of this event, Sartarites (you can only be a Sartarite in this casedu to the Homeland Modifiers), can use the Prax or Sartar modifiers in all subsequent events until they return after 2D6 years. This reflects whether they were in Pavis or Pavis County or out riding with the Praxians.

Edited June 3 by Scotty
page 66

[Scotty]

On 6/1/2024 at 7:31 PM, Brootse said:

In the Glorantha Bestiary 28 it says: The War Tree’s hit points are treated like those of weapons. In RQG 200 it says that Every time a weapon or shield takes damage more than its HP, it loses 1 hit point. Is it intended that attacks against War Trees can only cause 1 hit point damage at a time?

Yes, that's the general results of damaging a weapon

On 6/1/2024 at 7:31 PM, Brootse said:

Or should the War Trees be treated like weapons succeeding in a normal parry in the table in RQ Roleplaying in Glorantha on p. 199? That is to say, eg. that a critical hit against a War Tree would reduce its hit points by the damage rolled, but a normal hit would only cause a maximum damage of 1 hit point if damage exceeds the War Tree's HP in that location.

Yes.

So on a normal attack against a War Tree with a successful parry by the War tree:

• Attacker rolls normal damage.
• Defender’s parrying weapon takes 1 HP damage if damage more than its current HP. Any excess damage goes to the affected hit location.

is treated as:

• Defender’s parrying branch or trunk takes 1 HP damage if damage more than its current HP.

on a special attack:

• Attacker rolls special damage.
• Defender’s parrying weapon takes 1 HP damage if damage more than its current HP. Any excess damage goes to the affected hit location.

is treated as:

• Defender’s parrying branch or trunk takes 1 HP damage if damage more than its current HP.

on a critical attack

• Attacker inflicts max special damage.
• Defender’s parrying weapon HP reduced by the damage rolled.

is treated as:

• Defender’s parrying branch or trunk takes max special damage.

From this you should be able to extrapolate the other results.

[Scotty]

On 6/5/2024 at 2:37 PM, Jose Luis said:

Some of my players are asking if they can create new spirit magic spells, as sorcerers can do with their magic.

They might find a shaman or meet a spirit that knows a unique spirit magic spell. In the case of a shaman they will charge for teaching it (I suggest using the cost of the more expensive Special Cult Spirit Magic 107 and 109 in RBM as a guideline).

On 6/5/2024 at 2:37 PM, Jose Luis said:

As spirit spells are actually spirits that carry a spell that you can gather if they are defeated in spiritual combat, they are asking me to approve the spell (so I check if it makes sense in the campaign or it is not overpowered or illogical) and then give a shaman the possibility to find this specific spirit in the astral plane.

In the case of a spirit:  Any adventurer defeating a spirit in combat may learn its magic, forcing it to teach them any spells it knows (per RQG 368). These spirits will be unique or everyone would know the spell. See the Spirit Rarity table (RQG 375), Unique spirits should have a POW of 6D6+, so will not be pushovers for normal adventurers and tough for a shaman. Shaman have an automatic -50% when searching for them using a spirit travel roll.

The easiest way is to find a spirit cult where such a spirit can be worshipped and teach its unique spell, or with a normal cult, have a local hero teach a unique spirit magic. 

On 6/5/2024 at 2:37 PM, Jose Luis said:

Is this reasonable?  My concern if I agree with this, is to open a door for abusing the spells acquisition as the players can design more and more spells and simply try to find the spirit in the astral plane.

Don't let them design spells, unique spirit magic is the realm of story hooks and rewards for adventures. In one of my games, one of the adventurers was taught webfeet ((variable) adds +5% to swimming and that's it) by the Great Newt as a reward for a task. Another was from an Eirthan hero cult, Katran the Herd, Move herd (targets the herd leader and allows a whole herd to follow for 4pts, 6pts charge, 8pts trample, cost 100L per point). The hero's sacred cow prod was found by an Eiritha initiate on an adventure and had her spirit inside.

On 6/5/2024 at 2:37 PM, Jose Luis said:

What do you advice me to do?

Just say no.

[Scotty]

On 6/5/2024 at 8:45 AM, svensson said:

In regards to The Lunar Way and Illumination mechanics:

Can someone who has achieved Illumination still increase their Illumination skill?

Yes, the illumination skill is used for illumination Power (when required). It's a magical category skill that can be improved by experience, research, training (by those with The Ability to Illuminate Others power), and certain Lunar spells.

On 6/5/2024 at 8:45 AM, svensson said:

There are good 'Stafford-ism' reasons both for and against this.

Meditation, prayer, and study are important aspects to enlightenment for most monastic traditions.

But my sense of Greg Stafford and his sense of humor is that he would laugh his arse off at the idea that an 'idiot savant' with a low IQ and abysmal Illumination skill  who achieved Lunar Nirvana because the player rolled crit at Sacred Time.... the implication being that this knucklehead had the sudden epiphany while all the smart guys are working their asses off are still out there trying and failing. And if the Illumination skill is locked at the moment of Illumination, that means that 'St. Knucklehead' doesn't know one actual fact about it, can't explain it, is a lousy teacher at it, but still knows everything.

Remember it's not Nirvana - The Illuminated one will know as truth that Chaos is, in itself, neither evil nor inimical. [...} It makes a person free from automatic fear of Chaos and the obsession to destroy it.

Anyone can be freed from the burden of fearing Chaos. There's no intellect involved.

[Scotty]

46 minutes ago, Scotty said:

No. Irrippi Ontor is a subcult.

22 minutes ago, radmonger said:

Where is this stated?

LW 33, Subcults of the Individual Mothers

22 minutes ago, radmonger said:

The writeups say that the Seven Mothers teaches Worship Seven Mothers, and Irripi Ontor teaches Worship Irripi Ontor. Are there supposed to be separate full cult and subcult versions?

There are Subcults of the Individual Mothers and the full cult of each separate Mother.

22 minutes ago, radmonger said:

So the Yanafal Tarnils subcult of the Seven Mothers has, rules-wise, no connection to the Yanafal Tarnils cult described in the writeup?

One cult worships the Mothers as a whole, the others are individual Mothers. There is of course a connection, with the individual Mothers as the specialists. An initiate could transfer to a Mothers cult or a priestess who had settled into a subcult could become a priestess of a mother (and vice-versa). You'll have to see if players will want to do it in your game.

22 minutes ago, radmonger said:

Or is the 'worship 7M' skill supposed to be special in that it can stand in for any of the individual 7M worship skills?

No, Worship Seven Mothers is worshipping the collective.

22 minutes ago, radmonger said:

And so a 7M priestess is actually rotating through the full versions of those cults?

No, rotating through the subcults per Lunar Way 32, Restrictions.

[Scotty]

 

2 hours ago, Aurelius said:

Red Goddess: How does Shamanic Extension power from  RQG combo with Lunar Magic, for example with Amplified Spirit Magic spells?

I'm assuming that you mean the shamanic ability Spell Extension (RQG 262).

If they are going to manipulate a temporal spell that is cast using Spell Extension, there is no need to prolong the spell. For example, if they have a CHA 18 and successfully cast Glamour with Shamanic Extension and Amplify 8 (for a total of 10 magic points), they would have CHA 34 (18+8+8) and per Spell Extension, the shaman can maintain it indefinitely.

[Scotty]

For future reference please note that the intro to this thread does say: Please post your entries in the form of a single simple, direct question, with book and page references.

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

Yanafal Tarnils: Do you get random gifts or do you get to choose?

Per LW 105: The recipient may choose whatever gift is desired

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

The text says you choose, but there is a d10 for results in the Gifts table? 

Roll when creating NPCs or choose.

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

If you "Gain a permanent Chaos Gift", do you roll from the Chaos Features table? Probably, because that is where Chaos Gift makes you roll from, but just to be sure. This probably includes all the Chaos Rune side effects of that spell too? 

This is the Chaos Gift Rune spell (RQG 322 / RBM 27). Use the spell description, including the use of Divine intervention, Chaos taint, etc., but ignore the duration.

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

Gift "+10% to attack with chosen Lunar weapon" with a geas "Never sheath weapon without drawing blood. For each time this geas is taken, increase the number of times blood must be drawn." How many times can you take this and how does it stack? 

It stacks as expected if on a single weapon. There's no limit, but an adventurer may need to be careful if more than a few times. If it's taken ten times for +100%, and blood has to be drawn ten times, if you run out of targets,your going to have to draw blood from yourself or friends. Remember bleeding takes Heal 2 to stop and your weapon is sharp.

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

Gift: "Increase a raisable Characteristic by +1 point" with a geas "Pay double tithing of magic points and offerings each holy day (an adventurer taking this geas twice would pay triple tithing, and so forth each time the geas is received)"

per LW 139

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

How many times can you take this?

As many times as you have the personal magic points to fuel it. So with POW 16, it would be

1. 4 magic points (double)
2. 6 magic points (triple)
3. 8 magic points (quadruple)
4. 10 magic points (quintuple)
5. 12 magic points (sextuple)
6. 14 magic points (septuple)
7. Can't do 16 as the adventurer would fall unconscious in the ceremony.

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

What does Offerings mean more exactly?

Per Sacrifice RQG 184.

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

How many MP is the basic amount (2?).

Per Sacrifice RQG 184, and Worship RQG 271 - two magic points.

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

If you have a Matrix with 25 MP, can you use that to tithe? 

No. Although you could offer the matrix for +20% Worship as a large Valuable Object Offerings.

[Scotty]

10 hours ago, Yazurkial said:

Dodging while mounted: Is that a thing?

There's no specific rule for this

10 hours ago, Yazurkial said:

If so, do I treat it just like using a weapon while mounted (i.e. skill is capped at Ride skill)?

Per the Q&A, an adventurer can ride horse while dodging missile fire (7.2 Dodging missile fire while mounted). However in melee combat, the horse isn't as responsive as the adventurers upper torso, so even capping at Ride skill doesn't reflect this. I'd suggest half Dodge. As usual GMs may ignore these suggestions in their own game.

[Scotty]

4 hours ago, Murf said:

1) Does an attuned power crystal have to be in contact with the attuned person to work?

I have looked in all the usual places and can not find a definitive answer.

Firstly as you are saying attuned power crystal, I'm assuming you mean Power Crystals not Spirit Trapping/ POW Storing Crystals (unattuned)

Like all magic items, Magic Crystals need to be on their owner to work for their owner. Powered Crystals, as they are attuned don't need to be on their owner but close by to work (roughly a few metres or more). If you want to make this more complex for your game that's fine.

4 hours ago, Murf said:

2) Some skills base is a Characteristic X Whatever (Usually x3 or x5). 

I am thinking of Dodge primarily but there are others.

Dodge (DEX × 2) and Jump (DEX × 3)

4 hours ago, Murf said:

So so over the course of adventuring you improve the skill by a certain %. Later you increase the base Characteristic. Does the skill automatically go up also?  

The base remains the same but the Category modifier may change. As usual It you can do what you want in your own games, So if want it change the base of those those skills, then that up to you.

Note that in the case of DEX, it's limited to 1.5 of original DEX and species maximum, this may affect the increases.