[Glorantha] Field College power level

In message <20061114201520.46043.qmail@web27203.mail.ukl.yahoo.com> Jane Williams writes:

>Same here. We have known levels for many things, the
>power level of a typical Orlanthi clan warband, or
>champion, for instance. We know the levels of several
>major Orlanthi NPCs. So if we get a contest between
>Orlanthi and Lunar (think that might happen from time
>to time?) we need the relative numbers.
>
>Sure, I'll adjust to fit my PCs. I'll say the warband
>they meet is having an off-day and drop the numbers
>(and the description, to make it clear). Or I'll
>decide that a mere clan warband comes under "no
>self-respecting Humakti mercenary group..." and hand
>them the tribal one instead. But the numbers for a
>"typical" whatever stay put. Glorantha is an
>internally self-consistent universe, even if the
>details vary from game to game.

OK, let's think about the range those numbers should be in. We know a field college is a tribune with 70 magicans, 210 guards and some servants etc. Used correctly that unit is equal to a thousand strong infantry unit. So in a magical combat it should be able to trash a single clan or any party of PCs that don't include an Argrath level hero. Indeed it would be a large tribe that could stand as their equals.

By my calculations that puts them about 1W4 with typical augments. A single century then comes in at 1W3 which is starting to look possible for a powerful party. The trouble is ILH2 states specifically that the colleges rarely provide detachments for vexillae. So the story needs to explain why such a weak force is running about without protection.

>> I beg to differ. A field college that specializes in battlefield
>> bombardment will be very, very effective in what it does, a
>> generalist college will do less well in such a specific role.
>
>And the Lunar Empire is a large enough system to be
>able to afford specialists as well as generalists, in
>any field.

Except that it can't. All it's resources produce a mere six schools of seventy one magicans. However I'm inclinded to think there are a lot of other units included in the College of Magic. The Blue Moon School and the Crater Makers from WB&RM being two examples. Which means the six schools described are the generalists and there are some others which specialise.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/