From: Alex Ferguson (alex@dcs.gla.ac.uk)
Date: Tue 16 Aug 1994 - 09:56:52 EEST
Hi all. This is my current theory on might be a Fun, possibly even Playable, or in extreme cases, Glorantha-Accurate view mechanism for RQ<next year> rune magic. It steals liberally from David Cheng's Rune Power idea, though is rather more like the bog-standard RQ system in actual play. Bonus rants on DI and regaining RM included.
Caveat: this may be marginally better organised than one of my usual rambles, but I don't claim this to be any kind of Finished Article, much less a debugged one. [Sections in []'s are Outright Blatant Holes and Sketchy Ideas.] I reserve the right to recant it all, especially if anyone has a better idea, or demolishing counterargument. Bring 'em on.
Alex.
There's a lot to like about David Cheng's Rune Power system. He puts its virtues so well, I won't bore you all by belabouring them. But there are some problems with it, some of which he addresses himself, others not.
Spell learning. DCRP abolishes any notion of learning or sacrificing for any particular spells. This has some funny consequences, such as trying to delimit exactly what divine magic an initiate has access to: does she instantly know all the spells associated with the local aspect of the god? What happens when, over a period of time, she shifts from one aspect to another?
More seriously, I feel this fails the Gloranthan Reality Check: the received wisdom about getting rune magic is that it requires a (minor) heroquest for each spell, at the end of which one sacks da POW, and gains use of the spell as the "spoils" of the Quest. Therefore, gaining use of a particular spell should be a significant step in itself, and one shouldn't get "automatic" access to any spell.
However, gaining additional uses of a spell does not seem to have this particular significance; one shouldn't have to do the Quest again from scratch, not should it be anything like "doubling" the quest; if anything, it should be more similar to the recapitulation of a worship ceremony, or of regaining rune magic. So the RQ<n> rules don't seem an ideal model, either.
An initiate may sacrifice for either a (new) spell, as per the usual RQ rules, or for a Rune Power spell (or Rune Power points, as you will). Rune power is obtained by the same process as any spell.
Each spell may be cast in the normal way. Additionally, the Rune Power spell of a cult may be used to create the effect of any other spell of the same cult _which is known to the caster_. This includes the common and special magics of the cult, and subject to referee approval, the magics of subcults and associated cults. Each point of Rune Power acts as one point of the desired spell.
Example: Effrisa is an initiate of Chalana Arroy, and has sacrificed for the Heal Body spell, Heal Wound, and three points of Rune Power. She may cast Heal Body in the usual way, and may then use all her Rune Power to perform the same effect one more. Or she could use each of her points of Rune Power to cast a Heal Wound.
Where a cultist is an initiate of more than one cult, Rune Power must be accumulated separately for each. Furthermore, each spell known that could have been gained from more than one cult initiated into must be recorded by cult. Rune Power from each cult may only be used to create the effects of spells _of that cult_ known; even if the same spell is available to two cults, only a particular cult's Rune Power may be used to create effects of spells of that cult which are known.
Example: if Effrisa is also an initiate of Ernalda, but hasn't sacrificed for Ernalda's Heal Body spell, only her CA Rune Power may be used to perform the spell. She may later choose to sacrifice to Ernalda for Heal Body too, if this proves irksome.
Spells gained via associate worship are an exception to this. For example, if a person joins both Orlanth and Issaries, they need learn Lock only once, and may use the Rune Power of either cult to create the effect.
(Variant: to be slightly nastier to the characters, require that Rune
Power be used only for spells which are _currently available_ to the caster.
For example, if our initiate has cast Find Silver, she cannot cast that spell
with any remaining Rune Power points. However, while she retains the spell
uncast, she can use her Rune Power to create this effect.
This leads to slightly different tactic for using the magic, and less overall flexibility.)
As a rule, you can't. Haven't walked the path, can't do the magic. But equally, casting any spell, even if not "learned", or if all your RM has been cast, should still be easier than a generalised DI. However, you're going to have to pay for this by at least a significantly larger expenditure of RP points, and more likely with loss of characteristic POW (and/or permanent lost of RP points).
[Mechanism: I'll get back to you. Some discounted version of your favoured DI scheme.]
(Aka, RuneQuest: the Gathering.)
Rune Power begs the question, "Well, which Rune is doing the Powering, then?" This is generally fairly evident, but the question has bearing on possible objections to the RP idea along the lines of whether it makes sense to have, say, Life-type spells and Death-type spells fuelled by the same amorphous Pool of points.
To address this very point, the following variation springs to mind. Instead of a single Rune Power spell for each cult, each teaches a family of [Rune] Power spells. Each divine magic may be performed using some _particular_ such spell, or some particular combination. For example, to perform a Chalana Arroy Heal Body might require two points of Harmony Power, and one point of Life Power (say). Otherwise the system works as before. Each cult's particular [Rune] Power spells may only be used to perform that cult's magic, as noted above, as well as only spells which "match Runes".
Cults will generally have a [Rune] Power spell for each spell which is a Major Association of the god, or aspect of the god. Certain subcults may offer additional [R]P spells, generally related to their own subcult magic. The offered Runes aren't necessarily the crinkle-cut God Learner standard set; whatever local concept is considered relevant should be used.
Example: The cult of all aspects of Orlanth offer the spells Storm Power, Motion Power, and Mastery Power (though varying as to their respective importance). The referee peers down the spell list and decides that Bless Thunderstone, Cloud Call, Cloud Clear, Command Sylph, Decrease Wind, Increase Wind, Thunderbolt, and Wind Warp can all be performed using (only) Storm Power. Flight and Teleportation can be performed using Mobility Power. Command Worshippers needs Mastery Power.
[[Rune] Power should tie into Runic Fame (or whatever kind of trait) in some way, if these are being used. Perhaps just the same thing?]
RPT points are regained exactly as are rune spells (however that is).
My own take on the subject (this week) is as follows:
Everyone's rune magic is (potentially) reusable. (Nick Brooke za-rai! Domo arigato.) In order to regain a spell (or Rune Power points), one has to take part in a suitable ceremony, in a role appropriate to the magic being sought. For Rune Power, this may be any worship ceremony, though the rate of recovery is strongly linked to the intensity of the ceremony, and the degree of the worshipper's participation in it. That is, a Holy Day ceremony is better than a weekly one, a large temple better than a small one, and leading the ceremony (as a priest) is better than merely taking part.
What does this mean in practice? It means that initiates will generally only be able to regain magic on the annual HHD, since this is the ceremony which has the greatest importance and magical oomph. For more experienced or favoured initiates, who play a more important role in the ceremonies, it's increasingly possible to regain magic at seasonal holy day ceremonies. Acolytes and Rune levels are able to regain magic readily at any holy day.
The other factor in the ease of regaining magic is yet more mundane; priests have more clout in having appropriate ceremonies laid on for their own convenience. However, it may still take some time to arrange this (time needed to round up warm bodies to take part, and to prepare for the worship), and the ceremony itself may take longer than would otherwise be the case if scheduled at a more usual, and opportune, time (due to the Stars Not Being Right, et al.).
To formulise this, I'd use roughly the RQ3/Brookian 1 day per point for priests, 1 year per point (or so) for initiates, and perhaps 3 days per point for acolytes. But only as guidelines; if the GM knows the detailed structure and politics of the local cult, he'll be able to judge whether someone gets Special Treatment, or The Bum's Rush.
[Rune Power points count towards DI chance, in some manner yet to be
properly developed. Current thought is to add RP to POW, then subtract
a suitable kludge factor based of the "difficulty" of the DI requested
(or appropriate) to obtain the DI chance. Point loss shared between
POW and RP.]
This is one possible compromise between the RQ RM and Rune Power systems; clearly others are possible. For example, one could require individual spells to be learnt, but without any specific POW sacrifice, otherwise using the Rune Power system as originally written. Or on the other hand, one could use the existing RQ rules, and add RPT as an "optional extra" by allowing use of Rune Power to create the effects of other spells, but at some penalty in efficaciousness; for example, two rune power points per point of rune spell.
None. Fire when ready.
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