From: Nick Brooke (100270.337@CompuServe.COM)
Date: Tue 08 Jun 1993 - 00:41:10 EEST
Magic Book
The Planes
I like the extra detail on the Spirit Plane you are providing, though I'm
not sure how necessary it is as I've never knowingly been there myself
(featureless greyness not being my scene). This stuff on Spirit Sense looks
useful to me. A few specific comments:
Are you going to write more about all of the Six Worlds in this section
(perhaps reprinting the World of Glorantha: Glorantha Book article in its
entirety)?
How about redoing the cosmic diagram from the Gloranthan Encyclopaedia
(showing the world like it really is)? It would make a great illustration
for this section.
Spirit Scouts
How (if at all) can a Spirit Scout sense a magical barrier before crossing
it and bringing the house down? If it can't, or must cast Detect Magic vel
sim. to do so, you ought to state this explicitly. My guess would be that
long-established barriers (all your examples apart from temporary Wardings)
probably do "cast a shadow" onto the contiguous Spirit Plane.
The mechanism suggested (not telling CHARACTERS what they can see because
the PLAYERS might recognise it) is ugly and ought to have no place in a
role-playing game. Would you do this in any other encounter (a Lunar patrol
met by new players, for instance?). Do away with it, and have a freer hand
in describing what spirits look like. There have been good examples in past
RQ products which give little away, and that for role-play purposes.
Driving Away Spirits
This is very nice. One suggestion, though: it is possible that a "new" or
"spontaneous" ward will be effective largely through fear or surprise, and
that given the time to probe it a spirit will find out that it's not as
tough as it thought. So if the referee rashly decides that loud noises
drive away ghosts, he can always change his mind. Improvised wards can and
will decrease in effectiveness as spirits gain familiarity with them, and
will not work against all spirits of a given class all of the time. This
does not apply to tried and tested local remedies, of course (though away
from their homeland, spirits may be different).
Appeasing Spirits
Again, a nice idea. +1% per magic point seems rather low; if this is
is all-important. Remember also that we know shamans can do this kind of
Spirit Combat
intended to prevent shamans with oodles of stored MP, make it +5% per
PERSONAL magic point, +1% for bound or stored stuff. Remember that the
spirit is being made well disposed towards yourself, and the personal touch
stuff; don't set up a rule that makes it impossible for anyone else, and
difficult for them to boot. Why do shamans get a special bonus as well as
the advantage of having more MP on tap than anyone else?
I dislike the current RQ3 system. I also dislike your suggested system in
several of its details. Briefly, the Damage table is not very pleasant, and
the Fumble table is a disaster: unnecessary and uninteresting for the most
part. Just have fumbles make the opponent's action one level better, as in
Dodge rolls.
Spell Effects
Apparent Effects of Magic:
Remove the reference to Krarshtkids from the basic rules. We don't know or
I like the Twilight rule. Nice local colour.
In the apparent effects table, refer to "Air magic", "Chaos magic" etc.
care how they work; if their senses are so interesting, include a box on
them where you write the species up. Most normal folk will hope never to
meet them (as with timinits, kukris, naginatas, etc.).
through-out. Remove the phrase "a disturbance in the air", which is often
inept or inappropriate and seems to cover a dearth of ideas. Explain why
Chaos magic has a cyclical black-and-red glow while Lunar magic is purely
red. Also explain, in the light of this, why the First Age Orlanthi wore
red. I can, of course, send you an article on this. (For my money, Chaos
magic appears with an unearthly, Lovecraftian "colour out of space": a
swirling, throbbing greyish pain to look at). Cut the Vormain magics from
the basic rules. Note that Lunar magic tends to pulse or throb. Comment on
Mostali magic as well (metallic? sparks?), and perhaps add both of those
effects to Humakti magic.
The phrase, "shamans are the junk collectors of the spirit world", is
(rather than here where we want not concepts but rules). The random table
mighty fine, but perhaps belongs back in the general description of shamans
is boring, colourless, and will only be used by idiots; why should we help
them?
You are trying to show off and going badly wrong when you refer to
"Henotheist schools" of sorcery. This is a misleading misuse of
terminology, comparable to asking a Muslim his Christian name. What is
wrong with saying "from sect to sect"?
Spell Spirits
You are labouring the point when you say, "Some Lhankor Mhy scholars
believe that spell spirits are the byproduct of the use of great power.
Their school of thought is the so-called 'Byproduct School'". Cut the
second sentence entirely. Besides which, you should be careful not to write
"LHankHor Mhy", which is the name used by Holy Country asthmatics.
Perception Skills
If a shaman's mundane perception skills are halved when he is not dealing
with spirits, but he uses his Spirit Sense instead when he is, how does
this rule apply?
Shamanic Magic
Excellent rules section! More, please, with some interesting as well as
useful Shamanic special spells. I'd hand out a one-off every five years,
and make half of them quirky rather than useful (player's choice whether or
not to keep them, but if they didn't I'd mock them!).
These "unique rare spells" (a contradiction in terms) shouldn't have
"common names" as well, though you could easily give them "other names",
"variant names" vel sim.
The spell "Banish" is surely meant to be used for driving out possessing
spirits. Why is it that it only works on discorporate spirits, not those
embodied in a host?
Other names for Draw Spirit: Compel, Attract...
Spirit Sword: don't use "one's" like that. Say "the user's" or something
like.
Shamans on the Spirit Plane
First, the Spirit Plane Encounter Tables should be moved here from the
Gamemaster Book.
Second, the rule that "the number of percentiles devoted to the spirit is a
guide to its rarity" will be more user-friendly if the spirits have their %
chance listed (in parentheses?) after the actual roll required for an
encounter.
Learning and Using Spells
Very good on the sensory perception of learning a new spell. Water cultists
"drink (or breathe) the spirit in", to emphasise that the ones that breathe
it in are water-breathers. They might also soak it up, of course.
Limits to Spell Memorisation
A rule that says players don't know how large their characters' magic
Range of Spirit Magic:
(also p.23, Divine Magic)
spells are is doomed to be ignored by everyone who reads it. Better simply
to say that you can't tell objectively how large a spell that isn't yours
is without some very sophisticated magical perception.
A very good change. And why not?
Spirit Magic Spells
I approve of suggesting extra names for these spells. Your example of the
it's embarrassing to look like a hick in combat. You should also note that
Befuddle: the kind of "clever management" that would be needed now beggars
farmer learning Wound as well as Slay Pest doesn't mention the real reason:
spell effects vary as well as the names. I'm a Humakti, and have piously
learned Swordsharp 4. Cast on a spear, this spell will have exactly NO
effect: it isn't "Bladesharp by another name", but a different, distinct
spell. Get people used to thinking like this and we'll have a lot more
realism and fun in our games.
belief. Cut this reference from the spell description: it's hardly
plausible any more. Also, as a 2-point spell, Befuddle seems less useful
than Demoralize.
Ignite: don't call it "Vangono's Breath": wrong continent for the basic
Mobility: also called "Athlete's Foot".
rule book!
Divine Magic
I've always preferred to call it "Rune magic", and would be delighted if
the Gloranthan-once-more RQ4 rules reverted to this name. ("Battle magic"
never really gripped me).
I'd like to propose one general sweeping change: "one-use" (initiate-style)
Divine magic should be changed to "one use per year", renewed at the High
Holy Day ceremony. This makes all the difference in realism and balance
when you're working towards the priesthood, and very little difference to
character power in an individual scenario or continuing campaign. Consider
this: as the rules stand, the most likely man to reach the priesthood is
one who never casts his Rune spells but holds onto them against the future.
This means he has had less contact with his god on a personal basis than
the guy who chucks each point at a foe within a few weeks of sacrificing.
Also, it makes players more likely to cast Divine magic regularly without
the kind of agonising - is this fight important enough to be worth one
point of permanent POW? two? three? - that otherwise goes on.
Rune spells that are defined as one-use for a cult are indeed "fire and
Have you considered including David Cheng's excellent RunePower system as
Uses of Divine Magic in Society
Recast the last sentence, which is clumsy: "... it can have great effects"
forget": they still cost permanent POW to cast once (effectively).
an optional rule in this section? It makes far more sense than the current
system (which still suffers from shades of the D&D cleric), and is easily
converted to by experienced players without needing any stat. changes. (If
you are unfamiliar with the system, it basically turns the list of Rune
spells known by a character into a "pool" from which he can cast any spell
available from his god, selecting only at the moment of casting).
is better.
Learning and Using Spells
I've often wondered why you don't give a straight 100% cast chance. Why
multiply die rolls unnecessarily?
Spellteaching
Nice idea, but poor execution. Most characters are less interested in how
much spirit magic they have than in how easy it will be to learn more,
which your (status-based rather than time-based) system does not address at
all. The old RQ3 rate of one point per five years was plainly too broad-
brush an approach, but at least it gave a feel for what a normal rate of
gain might be in society. These guidelines help game-masters set up temple
personnel; they do not help them determine what spells are gained during
play. While they have a use, they could be improved on quite easily.
The list of "Some cults (and favored spells)" is an affront to my eyes.
What it says is so obvious as to be unnecessary. Cut it from the rules.
Recovering Divine Spells
Maybe this could be made faster. After all, priests can get by with just
50% Ceremony, and initiates may have far less. A base time of 4 hours would
reward sensible characters who learned how to work with their temple.
Something that will have to be considered at some time is the interaction
(if any) between Cult Lore and Ceremony skills. As divine cults use
Ceremony as a catch-all Temple Manners skill, the arrival of a variant may
cause some rethinks. Broadly, I'd guess that Ceremony makes your cult
actions acceptable to your god, while Cult Lore allows them to conform to
your culture's ritual expectations. But you haven't yet said what you mean
by Cult Lore.
Temple Sites
What's all this "if the ... is not holy to the religion" stuff about? If
it's to justify the Rent-a-Temple or Cultists on the Move approach to
worship, then you should say so. Who ever held a proper worship ceremony
that wasn't in a holy site? Especially with the hundreds or thousands of
worshippers you envisage (a Great Temple, on a site that isn't holy, with a
priest who can't cast Sanctify?? The mind boggles!).
And what does "typically #" mean in the temple descriptions? The number of
people resident at the temple? The number normally in attendance at weekly
services? The number present on holy days? Or on High Holy Days?
I get the feeling you are trying to allow a proliferation of small-but-
powerful temples by what you write at the end about "particularly devoted
or fanatical worship-pers". This of course devalues everything that you
have said before. Why have a system if you allow an opt-out clause like
this at the end of it?
Note on disembodied spirits would seem to apply to almost all shamanic
cults, not just ancestor worship: cf. the Malia "temple" in Snakepipe
Hollow, and ask why a Praxian tribe couldn't do the same (with a crowd of
Spirits of Law from Waha).
Spell Descriptions
RQ4 should print the Rune spell listing in two parts: first the common Rune
spells available to almost every cult, and then the cult special spells in
a separate section. This will greatly aid reference during play or
character generation.
When listing the deities who can access special spells, don't say:
Aldrya, Babeester Gor [as associate of Ernalda], Chalana Arroy, Dendara,
Ernalda, Gorgorma [as associate of Dendara], Pamalt [as associate of
Chalana Arroy], Triolina, Yelm [as associate of Dendara], Yelmalio [as
associate of Aldrya].
Instead, say:
Aldrya [Yelmalio], Chalana Arroy [Pamalt], Dendara [Gorgorma, Yelm],
Ernalda [Babeester Gor], Triolina.
If you can't be bothered to look under your associate's name, you don't
deserve his or her spell. Use different typefaces or something, if you want
to have primary sources stand out more. This means that Lightning will look
like this:
Lightning Boy {Orlanth [Mastakos]}.
I'm delighted to see Soul Sight and Command (Species) cut down to size.
Cloud Call: "microclimate" is techno-babble and has no place in this game.
Madness: Befuddlement is no longer a severe enough penalty: replace with
Save it for Cyberpunk or Traveller if you must.
Demoralize?
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