Is the idea of Common Magic dead?

[AndreasDavour]

In HQ1 there was a concept called Common Magic. Is that one just silently fallen to the wayside, or has it been incorporated into something else in RQ?

[metcalph]

Just now, AndreasDavour said:

In HQ1 there was a concept called Common Magic. Is that one just silently fallen to the wayside, or has it been incorporated into something else in RQ?

It was largely spirit or battle magic from RQ2/3 - trivial magic that rounded off the hero.  There was some suggestion that much more could come from it but people at Issaries couldn't agree on what that was meant to be. 

[AndreasDavour]

I never managed to figure out what Greg's vision was for it, and as i don't know RQ that well I wasn't able to identify the powers. That answer clarified it more for me. Thanks.

[Snugz]

It would be easy enough to add "cantrips" to a game if one wanted to. Take spirit magic and tone it down; or see example "Folk magic" spells from Mythras RPG, which are like that (with some new ideas too).

[jajagappa]

2 hours ago, Snugz said:

It would be easy enough to add "cantrips" to a game if one wanted to. Take spirit magic and tone it down; or see example "Folk magic" spells from Mythras RPG, which are like that (with some new ideas too).

IMO, this is what we know now in RQG as "Runic Inspirations". 

[John Biles]

Common Magic basically reflected how thoroughly Glorantha was impregnated with magic/religion/myth in Heroquest.  It was small scale booster magic, usually, making you farm better, bake better, etc.  But not blatantly magical.

Spirit Magic basically holds that role, but is more limited than Common Magic was - all magic is more limited in Runequest than Heroquest.

 

 

[jajagappa]

39 minutes ago, John Biles said:

Common Magic basically reflected how thoroughly Glorantha was impregnated with magic/religion/myth in Heroquest.  It was small scale booster magic, usually, making you farm better, bake better, etc.  But not blatantly magical.

That's why I put Rune and Passion inspirations in this category.

[soltakss]

On 7/1/2024 at 12:18 PM, AndreasDavour said:

In HQ1 there was a concept called Common Magic. Is that one just silently fallen to the wayside, or has it been incorporated into something else in RQ?

As Peter says, this is essentially the same as Spirit Magic. 

In QuestWorlds, I would just have it as a Keyword with Spirit Magic spells.

[Mugen]

11 hours ago, soltakss said:

As Peter says, this is essentially the same as Spirit Magic. 

In QuestWorlds, I would just have it as a Keyword with Spirit Magic spells.

Except it didn't necessarily came from defeating spirits, and could also be a vulgar/minor form of Sorcery or Mysticism.

[svensson]

To the OP:

HQ1 Common Magic is roughly the equivalent of RQG Spirit Magic boosted with several Magic Points. Arguably you could also add the Common Rune Magic spells [Cure Wound, etc.]

HeroQuest treated the deity-iconic Rune Spells [Flight, Sunspear, etc.] as separate powers on the character sheet rather than categorizing them under the Magic header.

[g33k]

On 7/1/2024 at 4:18 AM, AndreasDavour said:

In HQ1 there was a concept called Common Magic. Is that one just silently fallen to the wayside, or has it been incorporated into something else in RQ?

I really think you're looking an an artifact of game-mechanics.
Greg and/or Robin thought that the RQ-ish mechanics of Rune Magic & Battle/Spirit Magic weren't entirely sufficient for the HW/HQ line.

As others have pointed out, you can take it as roughly approximate to Battle Magic / Spirit Magic, but also to using Runic inspirations, etc.  The dividing lines between them and different mechanics are, again, artifacts of different game-mechanics implementing the in-universe concepts.

[soltakss]

13 hours ago, Mugen said:

Except it didn't necessarily came from defeating spirits, and could also be a vulgar/minor form of Sorcery or Mysticism.

Spirit Magic used to be called Battle Magic, and has nothing to do with battle or spirits.

Sure, in Malkioni lands, Common Magic could include some basic sorcery.

[g33k]

34 minutes ago, soltakss said:

Spirit Magic used to be called Battle Magic, and has nothing to do with battle or spirits.

...

The presumed source of "Spirit Magic" is usually spirits:  mugging (and/or bargaining with) spirits for their spells -- and possessing odd/unexpected spells, as a result -- is a key hallmark of the Shaman.