Quickstart Questions and Spoiler

[10baseT]

Hi Folks, i'm getting ready to run The Broken Tower tomorrow, Sunday, and  have a few questions.

*Question on Combat Options, Disengaging Retreat vs Fleeing, What's the difference? Fleeing says turn and run and no parry/dodge chance. Retreating says one round of parrying/dodging, but then what? Do i get to run away? if not then i'm not retreating and i'm still in combat. If i can move, then why would i use Flee which has no defense, when i can Retreat and use defense the move. (does Retreat let you move half while Flee lets you move full?)

*SPOILER Question - Page 32 right column, under 'The Old Ruins', the first bullet point: If the PCs make a successful Scan, they see a head peeking over the wall. Who is this, Varanik?

*Are the additional pregen PC Shaman and additional Shaman rules on the Chaosium webiste? The Quickstart rules mentioned them but when I looked for them Icouldnt find. I'd like to have another PC.

I am sooo happy this came out and I can't wait for more!!! Truly Christmas in summer has arrived.

[nclarke]

Shaman and rules out in July when the QS goes public.

[Jason D]

3 hours ago, 10baseT said:

Hi Folks, i'm getting ready to run The Broken Tower tomorrow, Sunday, and  have a few questions.

*Question on Combat Options, Disengaging Retreat vs Fleeing, What's the difference? Fleeing says turn and run and no parry/dodge chance. Retreating says one round of parrying/dodging, but then what? Do i get to run away? if not then i'm not retreating and i'm still in combat. If i can move, then why would i use Flee which has no defense, when i can Retreat and use defense the move. (does Retreat let you move half while Flee lets you move full?)

*SPOILER Question - Page 32 right column, under 'The Old Ruins', the first bullet point: If the PCs make a successful Scan, they see a head peeking over the wall. Who is this, Varanik?

*Are the additional pregen PC Shaman and additional Shaman rules on the Chaosium webiste? The Quickstart rules mentioned them but when I looked for them Icouldnt find. I'd like to have another PC.

I am sooo happy this came out and I can't wait for more!!! Truly Christmas in summer has arrived.

In order: 

If you flee and are able to get out of range, you're no longer engaged or immediately threatened by any antagonists. You are assumed to be nothing but moving, so you get your full MOV in meters. For someone to continue to attack you, they need to either switch to a melee weapon or give up their own attacks and parries and pursue. 

If you are disengaging, you are at half your MOV in meters, and are able to defend. Your opponents, however, can just as easily follow you without giving up any of their attacks and/or parries. 

Yes, it's Varanik. 

 

[10baseT]

Excellent, thank you. By the way, well done on the rules and adventure. It really evokes the cultural feel in Sartar in a very welcoming way. Leaving one well satisfied, yet hungering for more. Well done.

[MOB]

Here's what we're going to do going forward:

Cult of Chaos Forum (password protected) - Discussion, questions, post mortems about "The Broken Tower" scenario in the RuneQuest Quickstart. 

RuneQuest Forum - Discussion about the RQG rules themselves, and the rules as presented in the RuneQuest Quickstart. No discussion or spoilers about "The Broken Tower" please.

[GamingGlen]

(should we start new topics in this forum for RQ?  not sure, I'll post my question and an RQ suggestion here)

I thought of something during my running the adventure involving the summoned air elemental about using STR vs STR to get through it's whirlwind.

It came when someone asked what does it take to open the door into the Broken Tower.  There's no mention of what that door is made of, was it locked or barred, or was it open already.

What is the STR of objects to avoid getting blown about?  What if the air elemental is ordered to blow things in a direction?  What are the various wind STRs and compared to a hut, a small tree, a large tree, pushing doors open.  Are these covered in the rules already that just weren't copied into the QS?  

Edited June 22, 2017 by GamingGlen

[Jason D]

On 6/22/2017 at 8:35 PM, GamingGlen said:

(should we start new topics in this forum for RQ?  not sure, I'll post my question and an RQ suggestion here)

I thought of something during my running the adventure involving the summoned air elemental about using STR vs STR to get through it's whirlwind.

It came when someone asked what does it take to open the door into the Broken Tower.  There's no mention of what that door is made of, was it locked or barred, or was it open already.

What is the STR of objects to avoid getting blown about?  What if the air elemental is ordered to blow things in a direction?  What are the various wind STRs and compared to a hut, a small tree, a large tree, pushing doors open.  Are these covered in the rules already that just weren't copied into the QS?  

Some quick answers: 

There's no mention of the doors, but the assumption when I wrote the scenario was that they were long gone. The map contradicted that, so when running it I just mentioned they were stone doors, balanced into grooves cut into the ground, so they'd pivot open when pushed in either direction. That made sense considering supplicants are bringing in cattle heads, and also gives Idrima the ability to walk through them without futzing with keys. Why would an immortal stone goddess need a barred door? 

Items would use their SIZ against the elemental's STR. It was deemed too much detail to throw into the already-packed rules section. 

The core rules are very, very comprehensive. 

 

 

[jajagappa]

Two questions:

Extension: it notes "Affects the duration of another spell" - in RQ2, this was specifically a battle/spirit magic spell.  Here it does not say, so does that imply that it can also extend rune spells?

Earth Elementals:  one of my players noted that the earth elemental can create a pit the size of its volume (e.g. small = 3x3x3, so at 27 cu.m. a fairly good-sized pit).  Yet it also says that in combat it can only create a depression to grab a foe roughly 1 meter deep.  These appear inconsistent.

[Psullie]

13 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Two questions:

Extension: it notes "Affects the duration of another spell" - in RQ2, this was specifically a battle/spirit magic spell.  Here it does not say, so does that imply that it can also extend rune spells?

Earth Elementals:  one of my players noted that the earth elemental can create a pit the size of its volume (e.g. small = 3x3x3, so at 27 cu.m. a fairly good-sized pit).  Yet it also says that in combat it can only create a depression to grab a foe roughly 1 meter deep.  These appear inconsistent.

Extension was also a Rune Spell, effecting Battle Magic and Rune Magic differently. I read the QS as referring to Spirt Magic (consistent with RQ2's Extension 1, 2 & 3.  

[Psullie]

On the topic of Rune Magic, does anyone else see Lock as user powered? Lock at STR equal to Magic Points spent. 

As most humans have a STR of 11 - 12 you need a STR 2-3 lock just to get on the Resistance table, with at least 10 MP cost before to reach a 50/50 chance. That seem like a costly spell that on average only works half the time unless you are willing to drop ~12+ MP 

2 STR per MP spent or starting off with STR 10 would be fairer considering the Rune Point cost.

[styopa]

8 hours ago, Psullie said:

On the topic of Rune Magic, does anyone else see Lock as user powered? Lock at STR equal to Magic Points spent. 

As most humans have a STR of 11 - 12 you need a STR 2-3 lock just to get on the Resistance table, with at least 10 MP cost before to reach a 50/50 chance. That seem like a costly spell that on average only works half the time unless you are willing to drop ~12+ MP 

2 STR per MP spent or starting off with STR 10 would be fairer considering the Rune Point cost.

Not to mention that Passage (if one wishes to use it) needs to be cast simultaneously for MORE RP.  Seems extraordinarily complicated for the results.

Just to toss it out there, perhaps instead (with some alternatives):

 

LOCK: casts a magical lock on a portal, door, or container.  STR of the lock is the caster's POW.**  1***, D*, T

*Duration could be the RAW listed 8 weeks, or it could be as long as the caster doesn't regen that RP?

**Alternately, it could be tied to a Rune, based on a successful Rune check by the caster - using one of the essential runes for the spell (Harmony, Movement) the spell casting itself can count for this check.  In such a case anyone trying to pass the LOCK would have to succeed (deliberately declaring it, ie "I'm opening it evoking the power of Harmony" or whatever) at that Rune check to pass the LOCK.  

*** Caster may always pass their own LOCK. Additional RP spent allow the caster to name another individual who can pass the LOCK freely.

On opening effort: 

Success: the LOCK is bypassed for that individual (only) for the next 15min.   Caster knows lock has been bypassed.

Special: as success, but caster doesn't know LOCK is cracked.

Crit: as special, but the LOCK is dispelled.

A fumble means that individual cannot try again today.  Caster knows it was tried & failed

 

[AlbertG]

I found something interesting while preparing the scenario for an upcoming game.

Varanik's mind snapped due to a fumble when he tried to resist Idirina's Enthrall. But since the Enthrall ability was the active in the POW vs POW contest, the defender (Varanik) wouldn't roll, so he couldn't fumble.

Or at least this is what I am understanding fromt the resistance table; isn't the active character the one who rolls to overcome his target's resistance?

[Psullie]

you are correct, the initial Enthrall is a straight POW v POW resistance roll. Poor Varanik didn't stand a chance against her POW 25.

But it was his subsequent roll at POWx3 to break the charm that snapped his mind, rolling 98+  

There is also writers fiat that accounts for anything that makes a good story...

Edited June 29, 2017 by Psullie

[AlbertG]

20 hours ago, Psullie said:

you are correct, the initial Enthrall is a straight POW v POW resistance roll. Poor Varanik didn't stand a chance against her POW 25.

But it was his subsequent roll at POWx3 to break the charm that snapped his mind, rolling 98+  

There is also writers fiat that accounts for anything that makes a good story...

You are right, of course. The madness could come from fumbling the attempt to break free of Enthrall, but I think this should be made more clear, since from Varanik's stats block it could be undestood that the he rolled to resist the initial attempt, something that could generate questions as mine.

Varanik's mind snapped due to a fumble when he tried to break free from Idirina's Enthrall.