Increasing POW - How?

[frogspawner]

Can someone help me with this Newbie-type question, please: Is the only (normal) way to increase POW by the spending of Improvement Points, like any other characteristic? (That is, if your POW is 10, spend 10 to go up to 11)

Or have I just not yet found the traditional RQ 'Increase POW by overcoming someone else's POW' rule?

[rust]

I have also only found the rule for POW increase with Improvement Rolls, not the

POW versus POW rule. Such a rule could perhaps be in the free Spirit Magic sup-

plement, but I have not yet downloaded and read it.

[deleriad]

The only way to increase POW in Legend is improvement rolls. Legend doesn't have the resistance table so there is no POW vs POW roll anyway. Nothing in Spirit Magic changes that.

[frogspawner]

Thanks, gents. Glad I wasn't just missing something.

So - next question: Is lack of POW Gains a 'problem' that needs fixing? Has anyone played enough Legend (or MRQ2, presuming the rule was the same) to tell whether POW/Magic Points progression is too slow, or perhaps is fine anyway?

[rust]

So - next question: Is lack of POW Gains a 'problem' that needs fixing?

It will probably depend on the setting and campaign. In the Phalanos setting

I am currently working on a sorcerer needs some enchanted items, and with

the rules from Mongoose Runequest II (Legend probably has the same rules

for enchantments ?) this leads to a temporary loss of 6 magic points per en-

chanted item as long as the item exists. With improvement rolls as the only

way to gain more POW it could take a sorcerer a long time to make up for

the magic points bound into his enchanted items, and he will probably find

it difficult to also improve any of his skills.

[deleriad]

So - next question: Is lack of POW Gains a 'problem' that needs fixing? Has anyone played enough Legend (or MRQ2, presuming the rule was the same) to tell whether POW/Magic Points progression is too slow, or perhaps is fine anyway?

Never noticed it as a problem. The system generally doesn't require much in the way of POW or Magic Points: deliberately so.

On the other hand, the cost for characteristic gains is so prohibitive that it effectively takes them out of the game unless you're giving out a lot more Improvement Rolls than suggested.

[frogspawner]

...a sorcerer needs some enchanted items, and with the rules from Mongoose Runequest II (Legend probably has the same rules for enchantments ?)...

The Legend core rulebook has no rules for enchantments (or any magic items) that I can spot. (Only mention is of finding components to aid 'a Sorcerer or other magician in creating a magical treasure' as a possible quest).

Never noticed it as a problem. The system generally doesn't require much in the way of POW or Magic Points: deliberately so. On the other hand, the cost for characteristic gains is so prohibitive that it effectively takes them out of the game unless you're giving out a lot more Improvement Rolls than suggested.

Hmm, both these aspects may limit character advancement a bit more than people might like, I suspect. (Until a Legend expansion book appears, that is... )

[nclarke]

Arms and Equipment for RQII had rules for enchanting things. I don't know if the Legend version still has those (some things were removed besides the RQ/Glorantha stuff).

[MrJealousy]

Or have I just not yet found the traditional RQ 'Increase POW by overcoming someone else's POW' rule?

Its on page 112 in the Psionics section "... whenever your character succeeds in POW-base resistance roll... versus higher POW... you should put an experience check next to POW... See Increasing Characteristics on page 186..."

Page 186 has a section on 'POW Gain Rolls'. Which does go into more detail.

Oops, just spotted this is the Legend Thread... please feel free to ignore me

Edited February 11, 2012 by MrJealousy

[soltakss]

POW in Legend isn't used in the same way that is was in RQ2/3, so isn't that important. Increased POW allows you to have more Dedicated POW, and hence a few more divine spells, and makes you luckier, but that's about it.

Personally, I prefer the RQ2/3 approach with possibly hundreds of points of Divine Magic and enchantments, but that's just me.

[Clarence in Wonderland]

Hmm, both these aspects may limit character advancement a bit more than people might like, I suspect. (Until a Legend expansion book appears, that is... )

My group really doesn't like the pace of character advancement, nor do they like rolling for improvements. One player wants to boost his INT by 1 point so that he gains another combat action. He has yet to make a single improvement in the campaign. Looking back, I should have switched early on to a "sessional experience" system (2-3 static improvements, not rolls, per game-night) instead of the "accomplishment experience-base improvement rolls" as the rules suggest.

My players were being nicer than they ought to have been and didn't communicate their dissatisfaction until we neared the end of the campaign.

[deleriad]

My group really doesn't like the pace of character advancement, nor do they like rolling for improvements. One player wants to boost his INT by 1 point so that he gains another combat action. He has yet to make a single improvement in the campaign. Looking back, I should have switched early on to a "sessional experience" system (2-3 static improvements, not rolls, per game-night) instead of the "accomplishment experience-base improvement rolls" as the rules suggest.

I'm with you on this; I find the suggested pace and amount of Improvement Rolls to be extremely slow. If you take the rules literally and play once per 2 weeks it could take about 6 months (real time) to get enough Improvement Rolls to increase an average characteristic by 1 point and that prevents you from increasing any skills. It's ok if you're set up to play a game with minimal improvement but you need to have realised that in advance. On the other hand, the speed of increase possible through training is quite extreme. Easiest way to improve characters quickly is through training. That said, there is no mechanism for improving characteristics through training that I recall.

[SDLeary]

I'm with you on this; I find the suggested pace and amount of Improvement Rolls to be extremely slow. If you take the rules literally and play once per 2 weeks it could take about 6 months (real time) to get enough Improvement Rolls to increase an average characteristic by 1 point and that prevents you from increasing any skills. It's ok if you're set up to play a game with minimal improvement but you need to have realised that in advance. On the other hand, the speed of increase possible through training is quite extreme. Easiest way to improve characters quickly is through training. That said, there is no mechanism for improving characteristics through training that I recall.

In RQ 3, IIRC (don't have the book handy), you can train characteristics the same way as skills thru training. Something like the characteristic x25 hours to get a gain of 1d3. I do seem to remember something in the BGB that paralleled; I would adopt something like this. With regards to POW, thats a tougher question unless you want to have POW teachers as well.

SDLeary

Edited February 22, 2012 by SDLeary

[Rudy Boe]

I'm with you on this; I find the suggested pace and amount of Improvement Rolls to be extremely slow. If you take the rules literally and play once per 2 weeks it could take about 6 months (real time) to get enough Improvement Rolls to increase an average characteristic by 1 point and that prevents you from increasing any skills. It's ok if you're set up to play a game with minimal improvement but you need to have realised that in advance. On the other hand, the speed of increase possible through training is quite extreme. Easiest way to improve characters quickly is through training. That said, there is no mechanism for improving characteristics through training that I recall.

Indeed, we have quickly increased the number of improvement rolls as well. We play once every 2 to 3 weeks, and people want to see improvement, they wanna have fun seeing their character grow. Plus there are so many areas of possible improvement, the RAW rolls just don't cut it. After a standard 5 hour session, most of my players get 3 improvement rolls. For particularly heroic actions I sometimes give out a hero point (we use glass beads to represent them) which players can exchange for an additional 3 improvement rolls. We still use the heroic abilities as well. Even with all that, after our first campaign which recently ended only two characters survived, and for our upcoming Pavis campaign all other players will have to make a new character. The two survivors are a Lhankor Mhy Acolyte and a sneaky assassin. I'm sure there are lots of little inconsistencies, but people love the game, we have several people on a waiting list for joining we're in a gaming club, and we could play twice a week if only I could keep up with the prep, so we must be doing something right.