From: Entropy needs no maintenance (STEVEG@ARC.UG.EDS.COM)
Date: Thu 25 Feb 1993 - 19:07:13 EET
Gloranthan trivia
> Does anybody have any inside knowledge or educated guesses about the
> "Invisible Orlanth" cult or the reversed air rune? I'm fascinated by
> these little bits of Gloranthan trivia.
My guesses on these subjects are
Reversed Air rune - mirror image of the standard one. It seems the sort of thing that ought to be a little "left hand path" but the stated use as decorative motif in Orlanthi culture speaks against this
Invisible Orlanth - A combination, I would guess, of the Malkioni way with the cult of Orlanth, with priest (or sorcerer-priest) instead of wizard. One would have farmer-thane-priest-chief rather than farmer-knight-wizard-lord. Knowing the freedom inherent in Orlanth, I'd guess at this being a Hrestoli interpretation.
> Suppose an Elmali goes on the Elmali heroquest, but actually sets out to
> fail, so he can re-define the God's role.
Sounds eminently reasonable.
RQ4???
> I think that RQ is basically a pretty simple system with a few well
> chosen ornaments that make it plausible. I would like it to keep these
> characteristics (simplicity, elegance, plausible) in future editions.
Hear, hear! RQ2 is simple enough to outline on a postcard (except for a few messy bits like training and spell costs). RQ3 lost this. Over the last few years there has been a noticeable tendancy for new systems to be much more concentrated on a simple core mechanic as RQ2 was, with breadth of application of that mechanic (ShadowRun, especially in its 2nd edition, is a good example of this).
If people want an RQ-like system with hard,medium and easy skills, it already existed (Lands of Adventure, as I mentioned a while ago).
Armour&such
> The way to handle two high level Rune-Lords fighting is simple -
> have one of them cast Fanaticism on one of them.
Not necessarily so - Remember, 9 points of iron, 2 points padding + 8-12 points magical protection exceeds the amount of damage likely to be inflicted by a human (bastardsword max 11, damage bonus, say 4, magical enhancements about another 4). (What happens if the combatants are e.g. Zorak Zorani - more damage, lead armour - are another matter) The 24 points of large iron shield are merely an outrageous luxury for fighting things with 6or8 dice damage bonus.
>>> "But the point of this is that the low level characters get creamed," >> The point is actually that the reasonable fighting type, with skills ~60% >> has maybe six points of worn armour and then a 60% change of twice as much >> again - you have to calibrate damage against that - and as the skill %s get >> higher, the chances of critical match those of a failed parry.
The point is that whatever the level of the combatants, anything that trickles damage through when parrying is a one-hit stopper should the parry fail. The problem is the same whether we're talking low vs low OR high vs high. My concern was the effect of mixing the styles of the armour worn (or trading off dodge vs. armour&parry), not the combatant skill. The 2D8+2D6 could have been done by a beginner dark troll character.
Too much magic???
>>To the average Sartarite, the typical shaman is at best one of those >>Chaos-tainted Telmori (Wolf Hsunchen), or possibly an elf or troll. Not the >>sort of person one goes up to and cadges spells from.
>In one campaign perhaps.
Precisely! Assuming that big spells of arbitrary nature are freely available is just as bad in its own way as my "magic items corrupt" posting. The world being as it is, I can only quote from my own imagination or my own experience.
The availability and social stature of shamans so far as the PCs were concerned was derived from the last (and most developed) Gloranthan campaign I was involved in.
> Let's see an end to the 'ONE TRUE PATH' idea of roleplaying.
Shall we also aim for world peace? I think achieving the one means enough of a transformation of human nature to achieve the other. :-)
Just assume that I've bothered to waste an extra 6 bytes per sentence to prefix it with "IMHO, " which is all anything said here ever can be when we're not discussing objective reality, .
My opinion on the corrupting effect of copious magical power is the result of well over fifteen years bitter experience in a variety of systems and campaigns, and discussion in various fan fora; and DESPITE having a personal hankering for high power and "expensive special effects" type magic in quantity.
> Oh dear... You seem to think that there is a right amount of power or
> magic in a campaign. Fact is I allow exactly the right amount of
> magic in my campaign. You allow exactly the right amount of magic in
> your campaign.
I'm awed at your certainty. The fact is, I personally never have been satisfied that I _have_ let the right amount of magic in : too often it seems that "too much" starts well _before_ "too little" finishes!
> Even as things stand a good Humakti might have one spell: bladesharp.
> If he decides that bladesharp 14 is better than a mix of smaller point
> spells the rules as they stand don't stop him.
True. Tactical considerations and the hard laws of economics will perform their own harsh selection procedure. The last Humakti PC I saw in local play (under RQ2) went for Healing6, Bladesharp6 (local ruling that the sword cult would have a better version than the standard issue). He did tend to look rather silly when, having cast BS6 from his own POW, the trollkin proceeded to Befuddle him.
> The GM doesn't have to give them away. A priest, sorceror, or shaman can
> make them, and a non-adventuring priest who just keeps his pow at 11 or
> thereabouts can make 2-3 Pow spirit binders or an Int spirit binder every
> year. And if you adventure and get POW checks...
Just goes to show that I speak/think RQ2+ rather than RQ3. Permitting the manufacturing of such things would change the dynamics totally, if your players directed the play of campaign into such sedentary persuits.
The amusing thought occurs to me that there is a precedent for discouraging this if you don't want it - remember what last happened in Glorantha when the mass production of magic items was attempted...
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