From: Nick Brooke (100270.337@CompuServe.COM)
Date: Sun 06 Feb 1994 - 08:40:26 EET
Nick here, for the halt and lame:
Newton Hughes said, wisely:
> Here's what bugged me about RQ3: the % chance of casting spirit
> magic, POW x 5 - ENC. The problem with it is that low-POW characters
> become totally helpless. It's bad enough having no reasonable chance
> to resist an incoming spell; reducing the chance of casting spells
> to 30%-40%, so it can take three tries to get a spell cast, is
> extremely unkind. I feel sorry for low-POW types like trollkin who
> have to waste several rounds and several mps just to get a puny
> countermagic spell up.
Worse than that was losing 1 magic point for a failed cast roll. Characters
with high POW (and MP) cast spells easily. Characters with low POW (and MP)
failed their casting rolls easily, then lost some of their few magic points
for having the temerity to try... it's viscous circle time, folks!
On the other hand, tell me who's been teaching trollkin Countermagic and
I'll bite his ears off! <g>
I'll run through the RQ:Glorantha rules changes for this important area, so
we can get some more informed feedback. (Don't get me wrong, Newton: that's
not "more, informed" feedback. It's a public service for people without the
draft to raise their concerns on this line).
______________________
BASICS: CASTING CHANCE
RQ:AiG has a flat base casting chance for Battle Magic (cult or spirit) of
POWx5. This is not modified for ENC, Magic skills modifier, etc., I suppose
because with this form of magic, there are built-in advantages for high-INT
and high-DEX characters: normal memorisation rules are based on INT, and
base casting SR for battle magic, divine magic (?) and sorcery is now DEX
SR. No need to complicate the system further...
Casting chance is halved for having no focus.
There are no rules for ENC affecting casting chance for Battle Magic or
Sorcery spells, except by way of fumble-increasing Fatigue. I'm not sure
whether this is a gain or a loss. It certainly speeds things up; doesn't
necessarily encourage appropriately-equipped characters ("Why shouldn't my
wizard/shaman/priest wear a full panoply?"). It'd be good as an Optional
Rule in the small-print appendices... *EITHER* straight subtraction of ENC
from all spell casting chances, *OR* perhaps adding the excess of ENC over
POW to all spell casting die rolls. I'm quite attached to the latter, esp.
if the Fumble rule is changed from "lose all MP used" to "lose 1 MP".
_____________________________________
OPTIONAL RULE: FREQUENCY OF SPELL USE
There's an optional rule, which I like (!horror!) [though it needs some
work] which varies casting chance according to frequency of spell use.
Characters can declare spells to be "commonly used" (cast chance is POWx6)
or "uncommonly used" [recte: "seldom used"] (cast chance is POWx4). The
written rule for this invites abuse:
"A character must declare one of the spells he or she knows to be
uncommonly used for every spell he or she declares to be commonly
used." [w/ no need for gamemaster approval of the selection made].
Which means: "Bladesharp 6 (commonly used), Heal 4 (commonly used), Food
Song (1) (seldom used), Repair 1 (seldom used)" is a legitimate selection.
Now, I think it'd be more reasonable to assess spell usage on a point by
point basis to avoid crap like this coming down. But the idea of frequency
of usage affecting casting chance is close to what Greg now says about
personal magic in Glorantha, so I'm rather keen on this.
Nick also says: how about making common spells POWx6, uncommon ones POWx3,
on the grounds that that's a bigger penalty for the things you *don't* want
to do (i.e. you lose overall for applying this rule). Alternatively, you
could shift *everything* down a gear for users of this rule:
Commonly used spells POWx5 [normal default]
Betwixt and between spells POWx4 [default w/ optional rule]
Uncommonly used spells POWx3
On the grounds that people using the optional rules are probably abusive by
nature, and this adds Gloranthan compatibility and detail while preserving
the same game balance (i.e. in combat, the spells most likely to be cast
will succeed on a POWx5 roll, as any fule kno). You don't *reward* people
for using the optional rules with anything other than that warm feeling of
better simulating Glorantha... certainly not with trivial combat advantage.
___________________________
BASICS: SPELL CASTING ROLLS
A success on the POWx5 (or whatever) roll casts the spell. No effects are
defined for special or critical spell casting rolls; I'd favour specials
costing half as many MP, and criticals giving you the whole spell for 1 MP
(exactly the same as with sorcery: consistency is a virtue).
A failure on the POWx5 roll costs 1 MP. I still object to this (as stated
above) and will be whining to the authors about it in due course. It's a
negative mechanic: low-POW types will lose melee actions and magic points
for trying to use magic, and feel aggrieved.
A fumble on the POWx5 roll costs all the MPs you would have spent. Nick
says: have *this* cost 1 MP, then you can play silly buggers with ENC as a
direct add to spellcasting die rolls.
________________________
BASICS: RESISTANCE ROLLS
All resistance rolls in RQ:Glorantha are made with attacker's magic points
(prior to casting) versus defender's characteristic POW. This is like Rune
Lord magic resistance in RQ2. I like it. So will Newton's trollkin friends.
Hope this has helped and informed. At the current rate of progress, my epic
proof-reading project will have reached the end of the Divine Magic section
by next weekend, when you can hear my theories about why the runes given
for the Seven Mothers' individual cults are wrong...
====
Nick
====
0,,
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