From:
Date: Sat 25 Mar 1989 - 09:56:33 EET
HEROQUEST rules for Variant RQ....
Author: Steve Maurer
Copyright(C) 1989 Steve Maurer (permission to copy for personal
non-profit use is hereby granted, as long as this copyright notice is included in the text. All other rights reserved.)
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A CERTIFIED VERSION OF GLORANTHA. I HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHAOSIUM, OR ANY OF ITS STAFF. Hero/God Plane Magic
Magic on the God plane is much more primal than that of the normal plane. This is not just because of the function of Time, but also because the God plane is a much older aspect of creation. (In computerese, it's the Operating System). Hence, many magics are possible on the God plane, that are not in mundane Glorantha.
Will
Though it is not important to RuneQuest, there is a form of inner strength which is often tested on the Hero plane. This is called WILL. It is a new characteristic.
Will is the spiritual strength of the character, the ability to presevere despite opposition, or difficult circumstance. It is assumed that characters who have achieved great status among the cults already have a high WILL. In addition, as a character overcomes difficulties, WILL tends to increase (though rather slowly).
A "Player Character" receives WILL by the following formula:
WILL 3d6
+3 For being a Player Character
+1 For being a Lay Member / Student
+2 For being an Initiate / Apprentice
+3 For being a Rune Priest / Shaman
+6 For being a Rune Lord / Sorceror
+8 For being a Rune Lord-High Priest / Adept
( bonuses above are non-cumulative )
+10 For being a Hero ( acknowledged by
....bonuses above are non-cumulative
+1 For every skill mastery ( 90% ), above 5; natural
skills are not counted in this (i.e. walking for humans, swimming for ducks, etc).
+1 For every 5 pts permanent POW invested in rune
spells or enchanted objects. Minimum WILL (for Player Characters): 13 For Initiates 15 For Rune Priests / Shamans 20 For Rune Lords / Sorcerors ... reroll until WILL at least matches this number. Temporary (for the Heroquest) WILL increases:
+1-10 If there is great personal interest in the quest
(your life, or loved ones life, depends on it)
+1 For every x2 people, for whom you are similarly
questing (lots of people's lives depend on it).
+1 For each point of Permanent POW or associated Rune
Magic thrown into a specific task.
Normal Use of WILL
As the "unknown" characteristic, it is assumed that the PCs have made their WILL rolls up until this point. However, for starting players, incredible feats of heroism, and as a general reference guide, the following is a list of typical WILL x (X) rolls necessary to get up the courage to perform/resist an action:
WILL x Rough Equivalent 10 Doing a chore you don't want to do right now 9 Not falling asleep when you are very very tired 8 Risking serious (non-fatal) injury, when you have Healing 7 Risking your life, when there's a chance of resurrection. 6 Doing a Divine Intervention 5 Risking your life when there's no chance of resurrection. 4 Risking your soul being destroyed (fighting a Vampire) 3 Volunteering for a suicide mission (certain death) 2 Forcing yourself into activity, when you have broken bones 1 Not screaming when tortured 1/2 Volunteering for certain destruction of your soul (troops fighting the Crimson Bat) etc.
Magic Use of WILL
With enough inner strength, you may change the Universe by sheer force of Will. This is the most basic and fundamental form of magic, embodied by the Magic Rune. However, Willing a change is extremely difficult. A roll of WILL as a percentile is the "base" necessary to make a minor change, but the multiplier varies depending on the difficulty of the change you are attempting to accomplish. (More on this below).
You may even do this within Time, though the Universe is much more "solid", and hard to manipulate. Subtract 100 from the final Will roll. Any number below 0, has no chance of success.
Forcing your will upon the universe isn't exactly physically painful. However, it is incredibly exhausting, not only to the body but to the Spirit. This is discussed later.
Disadvantages of WILL
People who have high Wills are stubborn, single-minded, uncompromising, and question all authority. They are often extremely difficult to get along with. As WILL increases, so does the tendency to take on tasks (and Heroquests) individually.
While this is mainly for roleplaying, a game mechanic is also provided: any time two heros get into an argument, they must roll under: 100 - (combined WILL x 2) to keep from escalate it. Each failed roll escalates the argument by stages: trifling, minor, major, extreme, final. (Some invocations of the Harmony or Disorder runes by others may modify this progression).
Characters with high WILL will also have a tendency to become obsessed with certain objects, people, or situations. Again, if a character is presented with the opportunity to fulfill a long sought after goal, he may go for it (take, use, find, etc) despite the feelings of others.
Curiously enough, the Gods understand the Willfulness of Heros, and tolerate it. So Heros are traditionally freed from most godly restrictions. This includes minor Geases, cult ties (90% time, and 90% tithe), and minor cult restrictions (such as not having certain spells). Note that you are NOT a Hero (even a minor hero) in the eyes of your God until you actually meet your God in person. This isn't always easy. Also, major restrictions, such as the Humakti love of Death (i.e. No Resurrections), is NOT something a hero can ignore. Finally, the Gods do not actively encourage their Heros to break restrictions, they simply understand and forgive if their Heros do.
Spirit
NOBODY likes to "use" their Will. Even legendary Heros don't. After a while, if your WILL seems to have little or no effect on the situation, characters will become desperate, and then eventually give up. To simulate this, there is other "Temporary" characteristic called Spirit. Spirit is to WILL what "Magic Points" are to Power. The Spirit starts at WILL, but drops by one ( 1 ) from every usage of Will. If a character's Spirit reaches 0, their "Spirit has been broken". A character with a broken spirit may make NO voluntarily Will rolls, and any involuntary Will rolls (resistance) are at 1/2 normal WILL.
There is an exception: if an unopposed WILL roll is over 100%, then no Spiritual loss is charged. It's easy.
There is no "storage" of Spirit in magical items, however at the GM's discretion certain actions or events may cause to "sustain one's Spirit". ALL rewards are at the GMs discretion. The standard list is:
o "Success" -- On completing a task which needed several Will rolls, most or all of the Spirit lost will be regained. If the character's Spirit was broken, a maximum of 1/3 the Spirit may be regained. o "Hope" -- If a character suddenly sees a way out of a predicament, s/he may receive a number of Spirit points to either A) Get out, or B) Hang on a bit longer (when others are effecting the release). o "Responsibility" -- When a character knows the fate of others rides on his or her success, an extra starting Spirit bonus of up to x1 WILL may be awarded. Note this is NOT often the case in a "power gathering" Heroquest. o "Hate" -- Hate can make you strong. If success means the destruction of a hated enemy, then an extra starting Spirit bonus of up to x2 WILL may be awarded. Note this is NOT often the case in most Heroquests. o "Love" -- When the fate of a loved one rides in the balance, the Spirit may be sustained at a minimum of 1 point, no matter what other considerations apply. Essentially, the character gains infinite numbers of Will rolls. This is extremely rare. In addition to the limitation of Spirit, the character must paya minimum of 1 Temporary POW (Magic) Point for each use of WILL. Actually, this number follows a very complex formula, however since Temporary POW is so cheap for most Heroquesters, I will not go into it. (GMs recommendation: if the Heros try to make large scale changes, charge from 5 - 30 Magic Points).
Modifiers to Will Rolls
The difficulty of forcing the universe to respond depends on various modifiers: the Scope (the area over which the change has effect), the Magnitude (the power of the effect you are attempting to achieve), and Runic Associations (the relationship the hero has to the Rune of the task he is attempting to accomplish). The mechanic is simple: each Modifier acts as temporary MULTIPLIERS to the character's WILL, for the completion of the task. All are subject to GM discretion.
GM guideline to Temporary Will Modifiers:
WILL x Scope 1/8 Attempt to change the nature of Glorantha (*) 1/4 Attempt to make changes over an entire domain (*) 1/2 Attempt to make changes over a battlefield area 1 Attempt to make changes to a specific target (line of sight) 2 Attempt to defend yourself in a direct attack (not just because you happen to be in combat) 4 Attempt to defend yourself from a second, similar attack, from the same enemy(s).
(*) Note that you must also overcome the WILL of all those within the area
to make the change. For overly large areas, this basically makes it impossible. See WILL vs WILL below.
WILL x Magnitude 0 Alter the Universal Laws 1/8 Incredible alterations (e.g. Superhero/Dragon/God Magic) 1/2 Huge alterations (e.g. Hero/Chaos Magic or Features ) 1 Major alterations (e.g. Standard "D.I.", non-reusable R.M.) 2 Minor alterations (e.g. Rune Magic) 3 Negligible alterations (e.g. Battlemagic) WILL x Runic Association (the relationship with the Task's Rune) 0 Invoking a Severed Rune 1/4 Invoking a Fractional Rune 1/2 Invoking a Minor Rune 1 Invoking a Major Rune 2-5 Invoking an Tied Rune 6-9 Invoking an Allied Rune 10-20 Invoking an Embodied Rune ( See Runic Associations below ) WILL x Extraneous 1/2 If the character acts against a Runic Trait (can be lower -- see below) 1/2-1/8 To make a permanent change (can be lower -- also almost always requires additional prerequisites.) 1/2 If the WILL usage is trivial. ( This divisor increases for extra rolls -- see below ) 1/2 If the character is in spirit form, attempting to affect an embodied spiritual object (living creature) (*) 1/4 A spirit attempting to affect an inanimate object. (*) 4 - 1/4 Acting with/Attempting to Overcome the original result of a reenactment (depends on the original's power)
(*) When reduced to 0 HP, you may only act as a Spirit until healed.
WILL vs WILL
Often, one's Will is opposed by another. This is especially true if you are appling your Will against a victim. The contest in this regard is simple: whoever makes the better WILL roll (as a multiple) wins.
Ties go to the status quo.
Length of WILL Use
There is NO duration on the Hero Plane. WILL rolls either effect a permanent change, or must be maintained by concentration. (The vast majority are the latter). The character may only concentrate on one thing at a time.
Rerolling WILL failures
Characters may reroll WILL failures, but there is a caveat. In addition to the loss of Spirit, the character may never achieve a result more than twice as good as the initial roll. Example: If the original roll was WILL x 4, the best future result could be only WILL x 2. Also, if the usage is trivial (i.e. the character doesn't REALLY care about the outcome), the WILL divisor fraction increases: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, etc. This is determined by the GM.
Example: An Orlanthi decides to Fly. He has a 23 WILL, this is a Minor Alteration of one of his Major Runes (explained later). He isn't all that worried about not doing this, since it's just to save him from having to climb over 50 miles of rocks (would take a few subjective "days" -- big deal). His final roll is: 23 x 2 x 1 x 1/2 = 23% chance. He rolls a 36, and can't quite get off the ground. Being stumped, he decides to try again. He now has a: 23 x 2 x 1 x 1/3 = 15% chance. Rolling an 11, he is off and flying. He will continue to fly, until he decides to use his WILL elsewhere.
RUNIC ASSOCIATIONS The Runic Associations described above are the association that the character has with the rune of the change he is attempting to perform. The Runes are more than symbols. They represent the fundamental aspects of creation, and allow the character more power over that aspect of creation. For example, a character Tied to the FIRE rune, can make things burn.
ALL skills and spells have runic associations. However, due to space considerations, they will not be listed here. GMs are encouraged to use common sense. Also, for every rune, you should look at a cult who has it as a major aspect, and examine the "1/2 price" skills and spells.
Every character has a relationship with all Runes (yes, including Chaos). In Heroquest, this is called "Rune Mastery" of a particular rune, and ranges from 0% to 100%. Most mortal beings start with a 10% (Fractional) relationship with ALL runes. There may be alterations depending on race and gods worshiped. (There are relationships above 100, but they are unattainable by mortals -- runes above 100% are called "Aspects" of your nature)
% Mastery Relationship (0) Severed Rune 01-19 Fractional Rune 20-39 Minor Rune 40-59 Major Rune 60-79 Tied Rune 80-99 Allied Rune 100 Embodied Rune A PC gets a Allied (80%) relationship when: - The PC becomes a Major Hero of the god who is the embodied Aspect of that Rune. - The PC finds the elemental Rune, and Allies himself directly with it. A PC gets a Tied (60%) relationship when: - The PC is a member of a Race Tied that rune... All men are Tied to the Man rune, Trolls are also Tied to Darkness, Elves are also Tied to Plant, Dwarves are also Tied to Stasis, Wind Children are also Tied to Air, Agamori are also Tied to Fire, Broos are Tied to Beast and Chaos (but not Man), etc, etc. - The PC becomes a Major Hero of a god who possesses this rune as a Major Aspect. - The PC becomes a Hero of the god who is the embodied Aspect of that Rune ( Hero of Chalana Arroy is Tied to Harmony, Hero of Humakt is Tied to Death, Hero of Red Moon is Tied to the Moon, Hero of Orlanth Thunderous is Tied to Air) - The PC finds the elemental Rune, and Ties himself directly to it. A PC gets a Major (50%) relationship when: - The PC becomes a Hero of a god, who possesses the rune as a Major Aspect. ( Hero of Orlanth Rex is Major in Mastery, Hero of Zorak Zoran is Major in Death, etc ) - The PC becomes a Rune Lord High Priest of the god who is the embodied Aspect of that rune. - All Shamans have a 50% relationship to the Spirit Rune. A PC gets a Major (40%) relationship when: - The PC becomes a Rune Lord High Priest of a god who possesses the rune as a Major Aspect. A PC gets a Minor (30%) relationship when: - The PC becomes a Rune Lord High Priest of a god who possesses the rune as a Minor Aspect. - The PC becomes a Rune Lord or High Priest of a god who possesses the rune as a Major Aspect. - A Shaman PC allies himself with a Great Spirit who possesses the rune as a Major aspect. A PC gets a Minor (20%) relationship when: - The PC becomes a Rune Lord or High Priest of a god who possesses the rune as a Minor Aspect. - The PC becomes a simple-Priest (Acolyte) of a god who possesses the rune as a Major Aspect. A PC gets a Fractional (15%) relationship when: - The PC becomes an Initiate of a god who possesses the rune as a Major Aspect. A PC gets a Fractional (5%) relationship when: - The PC is a member of a Race Tied to the opposite of that rune.... Trolls only have a 5% relationship with Fire, Dwarves have 5% relationship with Mobility, etc.
Sorcerors' spells may also impart a relationship. For every 10% of a spell Tied to a rune, the Sorceror has a minimum 1% relationship. These are NOT cumulative. If the Sorceror has Burn and Summon Fire Elemental at 130% and 170%, he has a 17% (Fractional) relationship with Fire. The maximum gainable in this fashion is 30%.
Note this effect is two way. A sorceror cannot go beyond 5 x his Runic Mastery in any Spell which uses that Rune in a major aspect. This means all sorcerors are normally limited to 5 x 30 = 300% in most spells.
You MAY NOT "turn down" a relationship with a Rune. Getting rid of a relationship is just as hard, or even harder than gaining one.
Other Prerequisites and Costs for Spell Use of Runes
While Will can be used to create spell effects, this is by no means automatic. In addition to the higher WILL rolls, the character must know the "formula" for the particular Rune spell-effect. Simply having the FIRE rune doesn't give you a Sun Spear. Having the spell in question is a simple means of getting the "formula", but even then the casting comes at a price:
Permanent effects cost the character permanently. The cost depends on what kind of effect the character is attempting to make. ANY Permanent Major effect costs the character 1 - 10 pts Permanent POW for each use (GM determines cost). ANY Permanent Huge effect costs the character 2 - 20 pts Permanent POW, plus 1 - 5 pts WILL. Permanent Incredible alterations are beyond the scope of normal Heroquest, but cost lots and lots and lots.
Runes and Skills
It is easy to learn skills Associated with your Runes. A WILL roll allows you to train in a skill every time you have an opportunity to do so. As time does not exist, a character may spend several hundred years perfecting a skill (as long as it interests him). This bonus lasts up until the Special Chance is equal to the Rune Mastery of the associated skill. Note that you can't be "trained", unless you have either gotten a check, or have a source of knowledge. You don't get extra WILL training in this fashion.
Example: Takir, Rune Priest of Lankhor Mhy has just found a book of Ancient Law. In it is +10 Special (50% normal) training in Law, +3 Special (15% normal) training in Jrusteli History, and +1 Special (5% normal) training in World Lore: Cults. As Takir has a 25% association with the Truth rune, with a Will roll he may study the book until he has learned it completely (to a max of 25% Special). Since his Law is already 20%, he is limited to 25% Special. When he achieves a 30% association with the Truth rune, he may find new interest in the book, learning all it can teach him.
POW vs POW
Basic Power vs Power does not change on the Hero Plane. In addition to making WILL rolls, a character must overcome a targets POW with his own for any ranged spell to work. As both WILL and POW must be beaten, this makes ranged spells slightly less powerful than within time.
Runes In Opposition
Many Runes have opposites. Truth/Illusion, Luck/Fate, Harmony/ Disorder, Light/Darkness, Movement/Stasis, Life/Death. A characters Rune Mastery total may not exceed 100% for Runic opposites. (i.e. 60% Movement means you may only have a maximum of 40% Stasis). This is one of the chief reasons to attempt to sever a relationship with a rune.
Exception: Runes which have been twisted/modified by Chaos may ignore this rule. Many Chaos heros, and even some Chaos Gods, have opposite Chaos runes.
Disadvantages of Runes (Runic Traits)
At higher levels of Runic Mastery, the character does not so much have control over a Rune, but rather becomes part of it. This can have effects on the personality. The exact effect is left up to the individual GM, but the mechanic is the same. A roll under: (Runic Mastery) - (WILL) means the individual acts in accordance to his Runic Personality.
This isn't necessarily bad. Any act in accordance with a Runic Personality Trait is automatically NOT a "trivial use" if the Runic Trait roll is made. However, acting against a made Runic Trait roll requires a Will (x 1) roll. Even if this is made, the WILL of the character is halved on any act which works against the character's Runic Trait(s).
Note that certain spells have the same effect as "making" one's Runic Trait roll. Specifically Berzerker is the standard Runic Trait of Death, Seduction is the standard Runic Trait of Fertility, Peace is the Standard Runic Trait of Harmony, etc. Runic Traits are similar between characters, but not always the same. Humakti, for instance, don't go Berzerk.
Note that characters don't HAVE to attempt their Will roll to stop acting against their Runic traits. The WILL roll is only made, if they want to.
Spirits vs Embodied
Spirit Combat also exists. All spirits are visible, and travel at twice the speed of embodied creatures.
Spirits of ANY power may attack an embodied character. They get the number of attacks they did in normal form, however (with rare exceptions) do only the normal "magic point" (temporary POW) damage.
Magical weapons work against the spirits POW as if they were Hit points, and magical Shields may be used to parry (forcing the Spirit to Impale to hit). Disembodied spirits are at an extreme disadvantage, unless they massively overpower those whom they are attacking.
Spirits also have a reduced WILL when attempting to attack the physical plane. Their WILL is halved on all interactions with physical things occupied by a Spirit (such as living creatures), their WILL is quartered when dealing with inanimate objects.
Spirit Blood
Temporary POW which is lost as a result of spirit combat does not
disappear. It remains and pools like glowing blue blood. This may
be ingested by characters, restoring Temporary POW lost.
All Inclusive Example Exercising The Rules:
Grunnik, has just polished off the lesser demon. It lies, alive but broken on the field before him. Despite its broken body, the Demon is not dead. This is a natural process within Time, but does not have any effect on the Hero Plane. As Grunnik is Berzerk, he automatically makes his Runic Trait: Death. Screaming "DIE DIE DIE", he attempts to part the demon's spirit from it's broken body. Grunnik has a Will of 32, and Death as a Major aspect (he is a Rune Lord High Priest of Zorak Zoran). He is attempting a permanent change (Death), satisfying the prerequsites for this change: destruction of the target's body. (This is one of the easiest permanent changes to make - Death is a powerful rune). His final roll is: 32 x 1 (Major) x 1 (applied to a Target) x 2 (Minor alteration) x 1/2 (Permanent Change: Death) = 32. He rolls a 17, under x1 his WILL, but just missing 1/2 his WILL roll. To save itself from Death, the demon must counter with it's own Will roll. It has a WILL of 41, but unfortunately also has Death as a Major aspect (55%). The demon must first roll more than (55 - 41 =) 14% to avoid following it's own Runic Trait: Death. It rolls a 96, making it easily. If it had not made this, it would have had to roll it's Will roll (41%) to avoid applying Death to itself. Even so, Will would have been halved to resist Grunnik's Will. The demon is defending itself from a personal attack (WILL x 2), and is attempting a Minor Alteration (defense). However, must use Life in defense of the Death from Grunnik, for which it only has a 8% (Fractional) association. Also because it's body is broken, it can only act as a Spirit. Its roll is: 41 x 2 (personal defense) x 2 Minor Alteration x 1/4 (Fractional) x 1/2 (Spirit) = 21% Will roll. The demon rolls an 85%, getting Will x 4. Not good enough. It dies. The Demon isn't finished yet however. It decides to attack, clawing at Grunnik's spirit. The Demon has two claws, and a 51 POW. As Grunnik has no special protections, the spirit only needs a Level 1 success (a hit). It easily overcomes Grunnik with both claws, draining 2 and 1 point of temporary POW. Grunnik replies with his Maul. The Maul does no damage, however the 4 points of Crush do. Grunnik hits doing 16 points of temporary POW damage to the spirit. At this point the demon decides to flee. Grunnik decides to leave it, feasting on the spiritual blood left.
Prizes of Victory/Agony of Defeat
Few creatures have the ability to actually apply Death to those whom they defeat. However, there are other things you may do with/to those whom you defeat. A character may attempt to wrest something from a defeated foe, or curse them, etc.
When reenacting a shadow, it is very difficult to gain more than what was gained in the original event; same thing can be said for loosing things as well.
Here are a few classical prizes of victory:
Destruction of Chaos - A Permanent "Huge alteration". Invoking the primal RUNE of Chaos to utterly destroy the victim. Corruption of Chaos - A Permanent "Major alteration". Gives the victim extra Runic Mastery of Chaos. This will lead to the victim being forcibly turned chaotic. (Note: The Death rune can sever this like anything else, but at the cost of the character's life). Absorbing your Victim - Take a portion of your victim and eat it, attempting to absorb a Rune power contained therein. A Major alteration to remove it from your victim preserving it's nature, a Permanent Huge alteration to incorporate it into yourself. (Via Runes of Darkness or Chaos.) Using a piece of your Victim - Take a portion of your victim, and attempt to use it independently of yourself (using a scorpion's stinger, the victim's head, etc). A Major alteration to remove the body part preserving it's nature, a Minor to Major alteration to use the item. (Via various Runes - Mastery is one) Stealing from your Victim - Take an item from your victim (if it has one). A Minor alteration to use the item. ( Via Rune that activates the item ) Recruiting your Victim - Persuading your victim to become one of your followers. ( Harmony or Mastery Rune ) Many permanent relationships are formed this way. A classical Orlanthi prize. Enslaving your Victim - Using the victim as an unwilling slave. ( Death, Darkness, Chaos, Disorder, or Mastery Rune ) Often the slave may escape or be freed. Imprisoning your Victim - Freezing the victim where he is, ending his path permanently (or until freed). ( Stasis Rune ) Stealing Magic (Temporary POW) from your Victim - Stealing temporary POW up to your maximum. (Via the Magic Rune ) Stealing permanent POW from your Victim - Stealing Permanent POW. (Via the Undeath Rune ) Healing your Victim - Undoing curses of violence or chaos. Creatures who have been unwillingly turned chaotic usually must be subdued before they can be healed ( Harmony or Fertility Runes ). Note also, that some creatures (such as Vampires) do not WISH to be "healed".
Pacts with the Old Powers
Not all encounters on the Hero plane are ones of violence. Often you may be treated favorably if you treat other beings with respect -- often to the point of fawning bootlicking. Having Mastery of the Harmony rune is often a good thing if you wish to talk to some creatures -- failing that, Mastery of the Mobility rune is another big plus.
When Time was born, many immortal beings were frozen out. There were many reasons for this, but the biggest two were either that they were unable or unwilling to support Time. "Now" they want back in.
Those Unwilling to Support Time Chiefly these were chaos demons, but there were a few holdouts among the great spirits. These creatures wish to directly oppose the will of Time, and seek a conduit to bring their physical form into Time so as to continue their physical existence. However, they need mortal sponsors to help get them past the barriers Time has erected. The classic archetype of this type of creature is the Crimson Bat. Those Unable to Support Time Wounded gods, Great Spirits who too busy defending themselves to give Time any power, and Chaos gods who saw which way the wind was blowing. These gods accept the rules of Time, and wish mainly to start a cult within time to worship them. Again, they need help from mortal beings to do this. Gods, demons, and great spirits cannot, of course, force charactersto worship them. However they can offer enticements. Power is one. Additional Runic Mastery is another. These may be sealed with pacts strong enough to affect one's Word, Power, and Soul.
Word Pacts
A simple agreement. I'll do this if you do that. You bring this to me, and I'll give you that. This is not the easiest pact for a character to forge, because there is often little that a great spirit wants. ( It's easier with demons, because often all they want is IN. ) Sorcerors, and Priests of Issaries are the greatest masters of this kind of pact. Gods are not usually jealous of you having a Word Pact with other spirits, as long as they aren't Chaotic -- it is even expected of Issaries heros.
There is no penalty to breaking such a pact, unless the character is foolish enough to return to the same spot on the Hero plane. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that the Spirit or Demon will keep its pact with You!
Power Pacts
Most Characters are intimately familiar with Power Pacts, for this is what it means to become a Cultist. Being an Initiate, Priest, or Lord are all power pacts, as are binding spirits.
A Power Pact requires the sacrifice of 1 or more permanent points of POW. The minimum 1 POW is not given to the other being, but rather sets up a Link between the two creatures by which other things may be granted. Both sides are wary on such a pact, because it is a far more intimate relationship.
Because of this, Gods and Spirits are jealous of their Power Pacts. They prefer worshipers have no other pacts, or at the minimum, pact with friends they have pacted with (Associated Gods). It is a very exceptional individual who can persuade gods into simultaneous Pacts. ( It is easier for Shamans, because Great Spirits are often much more desperate for worshipers. )
Creatures in a Power Pact understand each other very well. They can often influence each other with their opinions. The gods especially fear this, knowing that too many worshipers who secretly wish to change them may accidentally do so. This is why cults appear to be so restrictive, even in a polytheistic society.
Breaking a Power Pact cannot be accomplished before the injured party gets to curse you. Although this is usually from a spurned god to mortal (in the form of a Spirit of Retribution), few realize that the opposite holds true as well; if a god reneges on a promise, you may curse him. Don't laugh. It's happened.
Soul Pacts
These are the most intimate Pacts of all. Powerful and dangerous, they are also called Will Pacts. Each bargainer gives an elemental piece of him/herself into a merged whole. This does many things. Both may share all knowledge, magic, innate powers, rune masteries, and the Will of both may be brought to bear on things that all agree upon. However if there is a disagreement, a WILL vs WILL roll is necessary to determine which course is taken.
Soul Pacts may be limited in nature, so as not to subsume either person. The more Limited, the less power that is shared. However, even limited Soul Pacts can result in a slow eventual merging of personalities. It depends on the exact nature of the pact.
Breaking a Soul Pact is extremely difficult, if not impossible. The character must first WANT to break the pact, which requires a Will roll; if one member of the pact wants the pact to remain, then this Will roll must overcome the other. Second, breaking a Soul Pact is at least a Major alteration (for the most limited of Pacts). For greater Soul pacts, it's a Huge or Incredible alteration.
Final Notes
Much of what has been discussed previously is known to the peoples of Glorantha. Much of it is not. And most of it is truth filtered through one perspective or another. While you or I might think its crazy to consider a Soul Pact with a Chaos Demon, such things happen with reasonable regularity.
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