From: Burton Choinski (burt@ptltd.com)
Date: Tue 17 Aug 1993 - 19:31:44 EEST
Graeme A Lindsell Notes:
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%% I'm more interested in a completely re-written sorcery system than a
%% patch, ie something like Paul's presence system. Your point is well
%% taken though: if the Companion is meant to provide patches to broken
%% rules without needing to change the character sheet, then sorcery
%% is an obvious candidate for fixing.
This would be great, but if AH is wanting to maintain compatability with
RQ3, I doubt it will fly. *sigh*
%% The Easy/Medium/Hard is interesting, but I don't see it as essential,
%% and I'm worried about the way it's implemented: almost all of the
%% cults judge progression by skill level, and cults with Easy cult
%% skills will suddenly become much easier to advance in.
Well, I like the idea, and yes it will make some cult skills tougher.
Perhaps cults know special techniques to make all their cult skills
at least "medium" difficulty?
%% > I'm not sure what you mean by "Dull" in this context. My bitch with the
%% > current draft is that the ritual Duration/Range extension might as well
%% > not be there, since the POW based version is still too good, and the time
%% > based version is useless.
%%
%% I think both versions are useless: I can't see a sorcerer ever blowing
%% power to get a temporary spell. This is why I called it dull: the
%% interesting thing about RQII sorcerers was the long duration spells (OK,
%% the grossly overpowered thing as well). The draft RQIV sorcerers just seem
%% to have a different variety of spirit magic. There's nothing unique about
%% them.
Well, I think Sorcery only needs a bit of tweaking to make it useful myself.
1) Some guidelines on creating new spells...the existing list seems too
limited. Sorcerers, while having to blow lots of MP for effect, have the
ultimate flexibility. This should extend to a MUCH larger spell list,
OR an easy way for the GM or players to make new spells.
2) Some spells need to be tweaked to make them less worthless or less
3) I use a square table for duration and range, not a doubling one. So
gross. Tap, for one, shoul be a ritual spell in my mind. Fly shouldn't
use quite so much power, IMHO. In the case of Fly, I'm using what I have
always called a "pseudo-log" (don't know the real name). In this, 1
point allows for 1 intenisty, 2 points allows for 2-3 intensity; 3 points
allows for 4-6 intensity (1+2+3); 4 points allows for up to 10 (1+2+3+4) and
so on. So my sorcerer can afford to levitate himself with a resonable power
expenditure.
Duration 10 gets you 100x base duration, not 1024x. This, combined with
the use of ceremony to increase actual duration and range (the dice rolled
add to the range or duration factors before squaring) balances out the
grossness of spells lasting forever.
David Cake notes (on RQ4 char-gen)
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%% What I like about the system is the immense burden that it removes
%% from the gamesmaster, by having simple templates immediately available (eg
%% what's his Scan? Well, hes an average warrior so - is preferable to me
%% just ad hoccing it all the time). I also like the fact that the inbuilt
%% flexibility means that I have to spend less time fiddling the rules - Hmm,,
I, and my players, like the new system. But, if AH wants compatibility,
examine the following:
* HUNTER (Primitive) Novice Trained Expert Master
Cost 11 27 54 108
BASIC SKILLS Novice Trained Expert Master
<attack> 30% 45% 60 75%
<attack> 30% 45% 60 75%
<attack> -- 30% 45 60%
<attack> -- 30% 45 60%
<defense> -- 30% 45 60%
Craft <material> -- 30% 45% 60%
Craft <material> -- 30% 45% 60%
Hide 30% 45% 60% 75%
Hunter Lore 30% 45% 60% 75%
Listen 30% 45% 60% 75%
<terrain> Lore 30% 45% 60% 75%
Scan 30% 45% 60% 75%
Sneak 45% 60% 75% 90%
Throw 30% 45% 60% 75%
Tracking 30% 45% 60% 75%
OPTIONAL SKILLS Novice Trained Expert Master
Climb -- -- 60% 75%
Jump 30% 45% 60% 75%
Mimic 30% 45% 60% 75%
Run 30% 45% 60% 75%
Search -- 30% 45% 60%
Trapping 45% 60% 75% 90%
Wound Binding 30% 45% 60% 75%
EQUIPMENT
Cultural weapons, knife, gourds or water skins, firemaker, pack,
fur and hide clothing, pelts worth 50L.
Trained hunters have 100L worth of pelts.
Expert hunters have 200L worth of pelts and 50m of rope.
Master hunters have 400L worth of pelts, leather armor and a fine
cultural weapon.
I took the guidelines for converting existing templates and converted over
the Primative hunter (I made some mistakes, I have to do it again, but I
provided this as an idea). As a simplification, all 30% skills cost 1
background point, 45% costs 2, 60% costs 4, 75% costs 8 and 90% costs 16.
(extra costs for the occupation not figured in yet). I figured that having
easy vs. hard for cost modification was unneded baggage.
Now, you'll notice 4 attack skills. The benefit of this system is that
you can take 2 equal skills of equal level and combine them to get the
next level. A player, with an expert hunter, could take 75% in sword
and 75% in bow, or merge the two categories and get 90% in sword
(75% costs 8, 16 points of attack = 90%). Likewise he could concentrate his
craft skills.
I renamed First Aid to Wound Binding 'cuz that sounds better to me for the
world.
This optional metheod may be used, as it keeps RQ3 categories and allows
all special ones (in the Glorantha Players book) to have the same basic
level.
Skills of x4 and x5 will top out at x3, with the excess being put into
another copy of the same skill. Comments?
-- Burton
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