Animals vs animal spirits

[Pentallion]

Okay, I just finally noticed this so forgive me if it's been already brought up elsewhere and just link to that thread please.

In RQG animals have no INT stat.  They never know spells.  Animal spirits, however, have INT and know spells?  This makes no sense to me.  Can anyone explain to me why this should be so?

If I sacrifice my cow and bind its spirit can it cast it's spells for me?  With the INT it never had and the spells it never knew during its lifetime?

[g33k]

I don't think an animal's "ghost" is an "Animal Spirit" in this sense.  I'm thinking the INT'ful / spellcasting "Animal Spirits" are more like Totem spirits and such.  Patrons of the species, or the local herd, etc...

[Pentallion]

Then it should describe them as such.  Being as the actual animals are so important in the Otherworld, animal spirits and herd spirits should be separate classes of spirits.

[jeffjerwin]

4 hours ago, Pentallion said:

Okay, I just finally noticed this so forgive me if it's been already brought up elsewhere and just link to that thread please.

In RQG animals have no INT stat.  They never know spells.  Animal spirits, however, have INT and know spells?  This makes no sense to me.  Can anyone explain to me why this should be so?

If I sacrifice my cow and bind its spirit can it cast it's spells for me?  With the INT it never had and the spells it never knew during its lifetime?

There are animals with an INT stat in the non-spirit/mundane world in Glorantha. Not merely awakened animals, but also magical ones. These are likely to become spirits after death. Also, before the Storm Age, and definitely in the Green Age, there was no difference in INT between animals and humans, and many spirits originate from that time.

[Pentallion]

Sorry, I'm just a bit slow today.  Day 7 of the flu and I'm getting up there in age.  Probably should just delete the whole thread. 

[drablak]

10 hours ago, Pentallion said:

Sorry, I'm just a bit slow today.  Day 7 of the flu and I'm getting up there in age.  Probably should just delete the whole thread. 

No don't delete the thread, it's interesting.

My take on this was that animal spirits were spirits of animals that were awakened in life (there is a description on p.83, result 12 of the D20 Family Heirloom table). An awakened animal has INT and spirit magic. When it dies it becomes an animal spirit.

[jeffjerwin]

10 hours ago, Pentallion said:

Sorry, I'm just a bit slow today.  Day 7 of the flu and I'm getting up there in age.  Probably should just delete the whole thread. 

Feel better! But I agree, this is an interesting thread.

[jajagappa]

This is an area that feels like a bit of a cross between RQ2 and RQ3.  RQ2 (which RQG goes back to) did not have INT for animals.  That's what's reflected in the RQG Bestiary.

RQ3 though had the concept of Fixed INT - animals had a set INT (generally 3 or 4) which means they don't have conscious active thought, but obviously have brains and can react, etc. although in some rare cases you could have animals with full INT (i.e. Xd6).

Animal spirits seem to be based more on the RQ3 concept, so all animal spirits would have some degree of INT assigned.