From: Delecti@aol.com
Date: Tue 17 Sep 1996 - 03:26:45 EEST
Jane Williams writes:
<<So if my players drink bad water, they'll get the runs: but in town, or in
any "normal" life, this just isn't a problem. You drink weak beer, not water.
Or whatever.>>
I consider the water ok unless the river/well/lake god is dead or corrupted
<< 2) no way would the River People of the Zola Fel pollute the River like
(i.e. by chaos or in a small area, a disease spirit). Normally in my game
most of the above have guardians for example..even though far away, a priest
who blessed a well would probably be informed of a problem (i.e. disease
spirit in well) by the god the well was dedicated to.
>>
I do not know Jane. They may....afterall, the fish and newtlings do it in the
river. ;)
Your ideas on the use of those spells is a good idea. You figure after a few
generations a tribe could produce these items/fetishes/charms. They could be
held by the tribe's shaman, or a local earth priestess or whoever.
Jane on Menses:
<<Levels of fitness affecting it: yes, probably. There's an old Pelican book
I picked up called "Coming of age in Samoa" (Margaret Mead) that describes a
"modern primitive" culture, and a survey of the women in that tribe found
that they had never heard of menstrual pain so severe as to stop them from
working.>>
If I remember correctly from a conversation awhile back, according to my wife
(a nurse) if her body fat is low enough a female would stop her monthly
problems. It being a survival trait as the body feels it does not have enough
food to support the replacement of all the fluids lost. This could be an
excuse for some female adventurers.
On peoples problems with little problems:
While I personally feel that talking about this kind of detail gives all of
us a better feel of Glorantha, I do not feel that we have to push it on
players. It is the GM's choice on how much detail is used (and if the players
do not like it they should let him know), but sometimes you should go over
the "how" these kind of things "work" with your players (if a GM) so they can
get the feel, just do not hit them with it constantly. Sometimes little
details have to be mentioned in a scenario to further the plot, but if not
touched on once in a great while, mentioning it will trigger all the alerts
in your players.
Jane on Dates, details:
My thoughts exactly, I get a better feel for Glorantha in this way.
Playing/GMing in it is an added bonus. I have talked to several people on
this list and they do not have time to play, but enjoy Glorantha for the
world that it is. They love to explore it by reading, and talking about it on
this list. AND...you never know when something you end up putting into your
game or character came from this list.
Joerg on Shamans & Sorcerers:
<<Did you ever have a PC shaman apprentice undergo the shamanic quest
described in the rules? I had, once, and the character was weakened beyond
useful gaming. It turned out unwise to wander the spirit plane with POW
9...>>
Yes, most of the time I end up with a low POW for my fetch. It is rough, but
survival is possible.
Sorcerers have the same problems as shamans, they need POW. I have had an
easier time playing a tribal shaman than a sorcerer, but a shaman without a
tribe will have a harder time unless he hooks up with others (i.e.
adventurers).
Joerg on discorporation:
<<Nor do I see why a folk magic specialist has to be a shaman able to
discorporate. A witch learning from a nymph or other natural spirit he or she
is allied to would do as well, IMO, more like the wise women of the Vikings
box. These would be more appropriate to vast parts of Glorantha, too, IMO.>>
I play the shamans discorporation as more of an ability due to their
connection to the spirit plane than a ritual. They achieve it by blocking out
all the distractions of the mundane plane and focusing on the spirit plane to
shift thier senses to it and then separate from their body. The fetch goes
into the mundane centered on the shaman's body.
Others in my game do go into the spirit plane, at a risk. it requires a bit
of "spirit moss" or bark from a "ghost tree" to make a simple potion which is
not hard to learn. The trick is getting the ingredients. It is a hard to get
item which is used in real need. Some protection for the body is needed, as
it has no spirit defense. Priests of course usually are in a temple (not an
enemy of course). Others use guardian spirits (wyters, etc). Lhankor Mhy
Sages studying the spirit plane are not considered "knowledgeble" on the
subject till they have spent some time in the spirit plane. Though most try
to hire shamans to "assist" if possible.
I ran a scenario once where the PC's went on a "spiritquest" using ghost tree
bark. One of the PC's was a baboon shaman who had while searching for a way
to end his exile from his troop, found information on a trapped ancestor
thought to be lost forever. The ancestor was the last direct link to
grandfather baboon and the source of some powerful magics (ala martin crim's
baboon bites). The reason that no one had found the ancestor was that is was
bound to the spirit plane in monkey metropolis in such a way only a
non-baboon could spot it. The PC baboon talked the ther PC's into helping get
the bark and going on the quest. I had used some modified rules allowing the
use of weapon skills and such, while making everything do about 1d6 MP
damage. I do not remember them exactly and they would need to be redone now.
But the players had fun and won, getting a greatly enhanced baboon troop as
an ally.
Maybe I will dig it up and put it in my upcoming scenario vault. Anyone
having a scenario they want to put in it can email it to me. I will get
running somtime this week.
<<So: powerful shamans beat powerful sorcerers on the spirit plane, only my
campaign never developed any powerful shaman through play. The sorcerers
ended up quite powerful...>>
Hmm, well I think it depends on the area they are in. Seeing different games
played in different areas, some are better for shamans, some for sorcerers.
Scott
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