Cold Rune?

[Guy Hoyle]

I have a question about the Cold Rune. Both Valind and Himile have it instead of the Darkness Rune. A player wants to play a VadrudicShamsn, and thus have connections with spirits of winter and cold. Would he just use his Darkness rating for Cold, since Cold is a sub-rune of Darkness? 
 

Thanks in advance

[metcalph]

7 hours ago, Guy Hoyle said:

I have a question about the Cold Rune. Both Valind and Himile have it instead of the Darkness Rune.

 

A Rune Lord of Himile is described in the Smoking Ruin and Other Stories p181-p182 and he has the Runic Affinities of Darkness, Disorder and Stasis.  Chill, a specific cold magic, is described with the Darkness Rune which is also the case in the Red Book of Magic p28.  The Cold Rune only appears for Valind and Himile in AH Gods of Glorantha, published nearly 40 years ago

[Richard S.]

You'd just use their Darkness rune rating, yeah. I don't think RQG describes any god using subrunes or combinations, they just use the appropriate core runes.

[DrGoth]

I can understand why RQG simplified things that way.  You could always introduce subrunes into your Glorantha if you think it gave flavour that works for you and your group.

[David Scott]

12 hours ago, Richard S. said:

I don't think RQG describes any god using subrunes or combinations

You'll see sub runes in the Prosopaedia and in the upcoming Cults of RuneQuest books. Some core rule cults will see their cult Runes refined (like Yinkin gets Shadow, but there's no mechanical difference)

As said by others, just use the main Rune.

[JRE]

It adds a little complication, but mechanically I would consider sub runes as modifiers on the main rune affinity. An Inora god-talker could have only 50% Darkness Affinity, but add +30 Cold, so the effective Cold affinity is 80%, without requiring them to be full Dark. A yelmalion could alternatively have a -30 Heat, so although he has 90% Fire affinity still has trouble with heat spells, or a +60 Light, while keeping Fire at only 30%, though that will make them dumber than others. 

It would also allow Lodrili with low Light, which probably will please Yelmites. In most cases I would apply the modifiers mainly based in homeplace and cult, and would not have effect in stats and other high rune effects, except for specific magic effects, and possibly chrome, such as high Fire (Heat) affinities having a tolerance for high temperatures.

[French Desperate WindChild]

On 7/10/2023 at 9:16 AM, JRE said:

It adds a little complication, but mechanically I would consider sub runes as modifiers on the main rune affinity. An Inora god-talker could have only 50% Darkness Affinity, but add +30 Cold, so the effective Cold affinity is 80%, without requiring them to be full Dark. A yelmalion could alternatively have a -30 Heat, so although he has 90% Fire affinity still has trouble with heat spells, or a +60 Light, while keeping Fire at only 30%, though that will make them dumber than others. 

It would also allow Lodrili with low Light, which probably will please Yelmites. In most cases I would apply the modifiers mainly based in homeplace and cult, and would not have effect in stats and other high rune effects, except for specific magic effects, and possibly chrome, such as high Fire (Heat) affinities having a tolerance for high temperatures.

I like the idea

 

perfect for a computer game (or table with computer support)

 it implies to  refine lot of rules, (what about check, augment, associated cult, etc)

 

But as you said it adds complication.

[Akhôrahil]

On 7/9/2023 at 1:53 PM, David Scott said:

(like Yinkin gets Shadow

Oh, I like this!

[davecake]

The sub-runes are used in the Gods books. But the best way of thinking about it is they express a limitation of the god, not their mortal worshippers. Himile has the Cold rune, and so he can grant magic that makes things cold, but he can’t grant magic that creates shadow or darkness. But a troll that worshipped Himile would still have the Darkness rune and could learn darkness magic from another source. 

It’s a little different with Yelmalios Light rune, because they are forbidden to use some Fire magic, but again it’s a limitation of the god not the worshipper - they could still learn Fire magic if they leave the cult - or indeed if they progress in the cult sufficiently that they can learn it in a way acceptable to the cult (such as learning Sunspear from Yelm). 

[JRE]

It is a very valid point. However, as Rune affinity is a thing and it may shape the PCs actions, adding a sub rune modifier decouples being a good Inora God talker or a Lodrili headman from an extremely high Darkness or Fire, which may well be socially unacceptable in Sartar or Peloria, while it is still positive to have such an affinity for religious reasons. As IMG there are cosmetic and even some practical effects for very high affinities, and most people can recognize who is "strong" in the runes, it is different to have 90% Darkness affinity from 90% Cold, or 90% Fire, 90% Heat or 90% Light.

90% Darkness gives you the same cold resistance I give to 90%  Cold, however, as it is the full package, and the same with Heat and Fire.