From: owner-rq-rules-digest To: rq-rules-digest@hops.wharton.upenn.edu Subject: RQ Rules Digest: V1 #34 Reply-To: rq-rules Errors-To: owner-rq-rules-digest Precedence: bulk Content-Return: Prohibited Return-Path: owner-rq-rules-digest RQ Rules Digest: Thursday, 1 December 1994 Volume 01 : Number 034 RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to say "Yeah, I agree." Those who do will be lynched. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. RQR: will be prepended to it. 3. Do not engage in a point-by-point analysis or rebuttal of another person's message. It is too confusing for others to follow, qualifies as nit-picking, and it usually leads to flame wars. 4. There is no number 4. TABLE OF CONTENTS Aden Steinke RQR: RQ3 Errata sstair@cs.utep.edu RQR: RQ Rules Digest: V1 #33 Brent Michael Krupp RQR: Spells stopping crits or not... David Dunham via RadioMail RQR: questions Loren Miller RQR: The errata Jonas Schiott RQR: questions Kevin Rose RQR: Horse Archery Loren Miller RQR: RQR Various (fwd) Chris Cooke RQR: RQ3 Errata ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Aden Steinke" Date: 1 Dec 1994 17:31:01 +1100 Subject: RQR: RQ3 Errata Hi All Lately some people have made comments about those of us that do not use the errata for RQ3, and the very useful advice to try the ftp site at ftp.csua.berkeley.edu was given, but sadly when I try to end my ignorance and download rq3.Z from it the vile machine says 'rq3.Z: Permission denied' leaving me to wander still lost in the wilderness. Aden - sad and unerrated ------------------------------ From: sstair@cs.utep.edu Date: Wed, 30 Nov 94 23:49:03 MST Subject: RQR: Re: RQ Rules Digest: V1 #33 Carl-Johan Lundell said: > - - Does a Protection (Shield) spell count against critical hits? > I let the AP from the spell reduce critical damage. I assume criticals > are hits on spots where the armor does not cover. Protection perfectly > covers the body, and would thus stop critical hits. I believe the rules state that critical hits ignore ALL armor (incl. spells ?). I have played that nothing stops a crit, and that some spells can stop a crit. Both have their drawbacks. The former makes less sense (to me anyway - how do you find the chinks in a spell?), but the latter allows for magically unstoppable TANKS. By the way, we only let Shield & Damage Resistance affect crits, not Protection, which helps some. > - - Is there any limit to the number of bound spirits a person can have? > In RQ2 there was a limit (CHA/4?). Not unless you mean in a Shaman's fetch. > - - Is there a limit to the number of MP matrices a person can have? > If not why would anyone bother to make a single matrix with many points > instead of making several 1POW (1d10 MP)? Because putting conditions on one matrix is a LOT cheaper than putting the same conditions on many matricies. Unless you mean enchanting many 1 POW MPMs in a single item, in which case I believe they would share any conditions. - -- Stephen Stair Steve's Law: Never date a woman who has more tattoos than you. sstair@cs.utep.edu ------------------------------ From: Brent Michael Krupp Date: Wed, 30 Nov 1994 23:09:43 -0800 (PST) Subject: RQR: Re: Spells stopping crits or not... On Wed, 30 Nov 1994 sstair@cs.utep.edu wrote: > The former makes less sense (to me anyway - how do you find the > chinks in a spell?), but the latter allows for magically unstoppable > TANKS. A number of people have made a similar point to this before. Having an armor providing/enhancing spell be ignored by a critical bothers them. I think that if one uses one's imagination, one can come up with some very sensible reasons why crits overcome armor spells. If armor spells are force fields, then I suppose crits shouldn't penetrate them, but whoever said that they are? They seem to affect the skin -- one's armor is not protected by shield, just you are. So if one imagines the spell as strengthening one's skin with magic, then there are still vulnerable parts. Normal blows hit magically protected skin, but the occasional critical hits a vulnerable joint or whatever. Even more intriguingly, perhaps if actual armor has chinks in weak spots, then maybe magical armor spells truly are magical armor suspended around the recipient, and so that magical armor has chinks in it. I'm not saying the above is right, just trying to demonstrate that even seemingly non-sensical rules can be seen to be quite sensible if some effort is taken. Only the truly hopeless rules then need to be fixed. Of course, it would be wonderful if any given RPG included these kind of explanations -- so the rules *do* make sense to the first time reader. Very few seem to, but then that's a topic for rec.games.frp.advocacy, not this list. Brent Krupp (fletcher@u.washington.edu) ------------------------------ From: David Dunham (via RadioMail) Date: Wed, 30 Nov 1994 23:29:21 -0800 Subject: RQR: re: questions >From: cjl@carmenta.se (Carl-Johan Lundell) >I have some questions regarding magic in RQ3 which I would like to discuss: > >- - Does a Protection (Shield) spell count against critical hits? > I let the AP from the spell reduce critical damage. I assume criticals > are hits on spots where the armor does not cover. Protection perfectly > covers the body, and would thus stop critical hits. Officially, no. The idea being that Rune masters with Shield 6 can still be taken out with a lucky blow. >- - Is there any limit to the number of bound spirit a person can have? > In RQ2 there was a limit (CHA/4?). Not in RQ3. >- - Is there a limit to the number of MP matrices a person can have? > If not why would anyone bother to make a single matrix with many points > instead of making several 1POW (1d10 MP)? No. But if you're putting conditions on your matrix, you'd rather have a large one than several small ones. ------------------------------ From: Loren Miller Date: Thu, 1 Dec 1994 02:29:48 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: RQR: The errata Good idea. But I'll put them in as a get-able file instead. - -- +++++++++++++++++++++++23 Loren Miller "I don't have to practice what I preach 'cause I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to!" The Book of The Subgenius ------------------------------ From: jonas.schiott@vinga.hum.gu.se (Jonas Schiott) Date: Thu, 1 Dec 1994 16:13:57 +0000 Subject: RQR: Re: questions Carl-Johan Lundell: >Does a Protection (Shield) spell count against critical hits? No. >I assume criticals > are hits on spots where the armor does not cover. This is true. >Protection perfectly > covers the body, and would thus stop critical hits. This is false. >Is there any limit to the number of bound spirit a person can have? No. At least not if you're talking about matrices. >Is there a limit to the number of MP matrices a person can have? No. >If not why would anyone bother to make a single matrix with many points > instead of making several 1POW (1d10 MP)? To avoid having to flip through your matrices in the midst of combat, desperately trying to find the one that isn't drained? Note also that in the AiG version of Glorantha, there are no MP matrix enchantments, you have to make do with crystals. Seems like a good idea to me, but only for _Gloranthan_ RQ, mind you. ( Jonas Schiott ) ( Institutionen for Ide- och lardomshistoria ) ( Goteborgs Universitet ) ------------------------------ From: Kevin Rose Date: Thu, 1 Dec 1994 13:12:08 -0600 (CST) Subject: RQR: Re: Horse Archery Making horse archery very difficult to learn makes sense. From what I've been told, the way it was taught to nomad children was to start with a light bow and increase it in weight. So you'd been practicing for 10-15 years before you were using a 100-150lb war bow. Most people can't really draw the kind of bows that were used for combat by the Turks and Mongels, much less shoot them accuratly. But like everything else, it's mostly a matter of training and practice. (The skeletal deformation of several of the bodies on the "Mary Rose" is attributed to long bow practice.) The coments in Kegan's "History of Warfare" was that horse archery, like sling skill, was a skill best developed by people with a lot of time on their hands. Most RPG's have always reduced the dificulty of learning combat skills. Most take a couple of years of training to become truely proficent. That's one of the reasons why musketry (a very short ranged, inaccurate weapon) replaced bows. You can train a person to march, load, aim and fire in formation in a couple of months (Maybe weeks?). You can train an archer in a couple of years. I would say that if you are not a skilled rider, you can't shoot from a horse with any degree of accuracy, as you have to think about the horse and what you are doing. Consider the concept of cross country bicycle archery. . . Kevin ------------------------------ From: Loren Miller Date: Thu, 1 Dec 1994 17:53:46 -0500 (EST) Subject: RQR: RQR Various (fwd) Forwarded message: From postmaster@hops.wharton.upenn.edu Thu Dec 1 17:32:10 1994 Date: 01 Dec 94 17:25:34 EST From: Hugh Foster <100326.446@compuserve.com> To: "INTERNET:owner-rq-rules-digest@hops.wharton.upenn.edu" Subject: RQR Various Message-ID: <941201222534_100326.446_BHG63-1@CompuServe.COM> >>"ftp challenged")<< I _like_ that expression! As a sufferer myself. On the subject of POW being "illegally" high, etc, think on this: Have any of you, anywhere, whilst running games, never, ever, mentally or in your notes, fudged an NPC outwith the rules to give your players a better game ? Added a couple of hps so they get a good fight ? I think not. So why the witch-hunt when someone has the temerity to _publish_ a character with such a tweak ? >> Yes, but it seemed more cost effective to learn Archery and Ride instead of an archery skill that wouldn't work off a horse. << The whole question arose in context of horse nomads, who seldom _are_ off a horse. They do everything in the saddle (ooh Missus!) and would not notice the difference... Rather than a "player picking best skills for gaming" going for Ride and Archery, it's "culturaly normal to learn archery from the saddle" sort of thing. IMHO o'course. >>- - Is there a limit to the number of MP matrices a person can have? If not why would anyone bother to make a single matrix with many points instead of making several 1POW (1d10 MP)? << Yeah, I always wondered about that. Same with spell matrices. RQ2 used to say you couldn't attune more than one crystal but RQ3 enchantments are different. If there's no limit, in theory a moderately competent enchanter (after a few failures) would be behung with MP matrices and spell stores, hold nothing at all in mind, never run out of MPs and resist with full MP all the time. Nah. Can't work that way. Everybody'd do it. But I can't find a limit. - -- +++++++++++++++++++++++23 Loren Miller "I don't have to practice what I preach 'cause I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to!" The Book of The Subgenius ------------------------------ From: Chris Cooke Date: Thu, 1 Dec 94 19:20:34 EST Subject: Re: RQR: RQ3 Errata : Lately some people have made comments about those of us that do not use the : errata for RQ3, and the very useful advice to try the ftp site at : ftp.csua.berkeley.edu was given, but sadly when I try to end my ignorance and Hopefully, no one will mind if I post this, I got it off soda, so I HOPE this isn't a problem. It is available for a SASE from AH, I will even Email it to anyone who still has a problem(the FTP or list challenged)... - -----------< RuneQuest III Eratta >---------------- Subject: RQIII Official Errata RUNEQUEST ERRATA PLAYERS BOOK Page 33: SIMPLE SUCCESS ROLLS, fourth paragraph. Add this sentence: "The adventurer's category modifiers do not apply to a skill with a 00% base chance until he has gained a positive ability in that skill." Page 37: TRAINING INCREASES AND DECREASES, second paragraph. A player who foregoes the die roll may add 1 percentile to his skill, not 2 percentiles as written. Page 38: REQUIRED TRAINING TIME, add this paragraph: "To initially learn a skill with a 00% base chance, the character must spend 50 base hours training. At the end of the training period, he gains 1D6-2 percentiles in the skill, plus his category modifier. If this does not bring him to a skill of 1% or higher, he must train another 50 hours, and so forth, until he either gives up or has attained a positive skill percentile. The character only adds his category modifier the first time he trains in the skill." Page 43: RESULTS OF FATIGUE LOSS: delete the third paragraph. Fatigue loss only causes unconsciousness at the gamemaster's discretion. Page 44: NON-HUMAN ENC. -- change the first paragraph: "When determining weights carried by creatures with a SIZ of 21-30, refer to the SIZ equivalency table. Find the SIZ of the weight carried by the animal, then halve the kilograms beside the number. The result represents the actual ENC subtracted from the animal's fatigue points. If the creature has a SIZ of 31-30, divide the kilograms carried by three. If its SIZ is 41-50, divide by four, and so forth." Page 48: HOW TO PARRY. Delete the last two sentences of the first paragraph, and replace with: "In either case, no character may attack and parry with the same weapon on a single strike rank." SUCCESSFUL PARRY VERSUS UNSUCCESSFUL ATTACK. Add: "A successful parry by poleaxe or halberd only damages an unsuccessful attacking weapon if the parry is a critical success." Page 52: HIT LOCATIONS OF MOUNTED TARGETS. Add: "Mounted characters fighting footmen also get the advantages of high ground (page 54)." Page 54: HIGH GROUND. Delete the third sentence and replace the second sentence with: "This means that his player may subtract one strike rank from his adventurer's hand-to-hand weapon attacks against a downhill foe and rolls 1D10+10 for all hit location rolls for his attacks with one-handed weapons." Page 59: TWO-WEAPON USE. Add to the first paragraph: "He may both attack and parry with the same weapon, so long as he does not do both in the same strike rank." Page 60: MELEE WEAPONS TABLE. Special hits with all daggers are impales. Page 61: MELEE WEAPONS TABLE. Impaling damage with the thin-bladed Rapier is 3D6+3, not 2D6+2. Also, unlike other two-handed spears, the Naginata does not impale. Page 64: MISSILE WEAPONS TABLE. Sling Rate of Fire is 1/SR. Javelin damage is 1d10, not 1d8. Page 68: SPECIAL EFFECTS OF ARMOR COVERAGE. Add new section : BLUNT WEAPONS VS. SOFT ARMOR When a flail, mace, or maul is used against soft armor, the value of the armor protection is halved (round fractions up). Soft armor overlapped with hard armor counts as hard armor. POINTS FOR OVERLAPPING ARMOR As described above, it is possible to wear soft armor under another armor to provide added protection. Hard armor may not be worn under any other type of armor. In any case, the outer layer of armor must be heavier than the inner (i.e., have more armor points). The interior soft armor adds its normal AP to the total armor at TWICE normal ENC cost. Page 72: AGILITY SKILLS. Add a second paragraph, reading: "The skills of Dodge, Jump, and Swim are affected by ENC as described below for human-sized creatures. For creatures with a SIZ of 21-30, it takes 2 ENC to reduce the skill chance by 1 percentile (by 5 percentiles in the case of Swim). With a size of 31-40, 3 ENC reduces the skill by 1 percentile (or 5, for Swim). A SIZ of 41-50 takes 4 ENC to reduce skill by 1 percentile, and so forth." MAGIC BOOK Page 9: COVERT POSSESSION. Alter the second sentence of the third paragraph to read: "Normally, when the target's magic points are reduced either to 0 or 10 points less than those of the spirit, it covertly possesses its target." Page 10: ACTIVE SPELL: add "The target of an active sepll must remain within the caster's view or the spell ends." Page 16: SPELL CASTING ABILITY. Replace first sentence with: "A spirit magician has a percentile chance of successfully casting non-ritual spells equal to his POWx5, plus his Magic skill category bonus." Page 19: COORDINATION: each point increases the target's DEX by 2. Page 21: PROTECTION: delete the last sentence. Page 22: SILENCE: each point adds 15 percentiles to Sneak. SPEEDART: duration is Temporal. Page 27: LEARNING AND USING SPELLS. Replace the fourth paragraph with: "A user of divine Magic skill category modifier, but this chance is reduced by 1 percentile for each ENC carried. (With no ENC there is still a chance of failure with a d100 roll of 96-00%.)" Page 28: SPELL LIMITS, add to first paragraph: "Initiates cannot learn spells that are one-use for priests." Page 29: TEMPLE SIZES. Worship Diety is also available at shrines. Minor temples also provide Worship Diety and Spellteaching. Page 30: Add the following spells to the named dieties: Earth Goddess -- Command Gnome; Night Goddess -- Command Shade; Sea God -- Command Undine; Storm God -- Command Sylph; and Sun God -- Command Salamander. Page 31: ABSORPTION: delete the last sentence. Page 33: COMMAND (SPECIES) is a 1 point spell, and is capable of affecting intelligent creatures. EXCOMMUNICATION: this can only be cast on an initiate sworn to the priest casting the spell. EXTENSION: replace the last two words of the first paragraph of the spell description with "strike rank". Page 34: ILLUSIONS: replace the last two words of the general description with "strike rank". Page 36: SHIELD: delete the first sentence of the last paragraph of the spell description. SOUL SIGHT is a 1 point spell. Page 37: SPIRIT BLOCK: delete the last sentence. Page 42: MULTISPELL. delete the entire description and replace it with: "With this skill the sorcerer can cast multiple spells at a reduced cost in magic points. each spell may be directed at a different target provided that all targets are within range and sight of the caster. "Each point of Multispell permits one additional spell to be cast. First the sorcerer determines the amount of Intensity, Range, and Duration he will use, limited by his Free INT, and all spells are affected identically. However, Touch spells gain no range this way, and Instant spells gain no duration, even when combined with ranged or temporal spells. "The cost of the spells in magic points is equal to the total points of manipulation, counting the Multispell. Ritual magic cannot be Multispelled. "The time need to cast the spells is equal to the total Free Int used, multiplied by the number of spells being cast. This is the major exception to the usual rule for time taken in spellcasting." Delete Cormac's Saga on this page. Page 43: SPELL DESCRIPTIONS: Instant spells can be neither Passive or Active. Ignore such references. Page 44: CREATE FAMILIAR CHARACTERISTIC. Replace the third paragraph with; "Each Create Familiar Characteristic spell permanently transfers the specified characteristic points from the sorcerer to the familiar. If the spell is intensified, more characteristic points are transferred at once. Since these spells have no effect on a complete creature, they cannot be used on a familiar, but only on a creature which is about to become a familiar." Page 46: DIMINISH CHARACTERISTIC is a ranged spell. Every third characteristic point drained by the Diminish SIZ spell is STR, not SIZ. Thus, an intensity 5 Diminish SIZ would drain 4 points of SIZ and 1 point of STR. FORM/SET SUBSTANCE: delete the second sentence of the second paragraph. Replace the last paragraph with: "While the sorcerer is actively manipulating the appropriate substance with the Form/Set Substance spell, he can cause the substance to arc toward the target for a magic point cost of one per kilogram (or per cubic meter, as appropriate) of substance thrown. The magical lance of material has a chance of hitting equal to the caster's DEXx3 as a percentage. If successful, the target sustains appropriate damage from the type and amount of substance thrown. Hard substances such as rock, wood, or metal do 1D3 points per kilogram thrown. Liquids do no damage unless extremely hot or acidic. Fire does damage depending on its intensity. Darkness does nothing unless it is part of a shade. If the lance misses, the sorcerer still loses the magic points. Armor and spell which protect against physical damage work normally. The substance under the effect of the Form/Set can be used again and again as a Lance, for the Form/Set spell's duration." Page 49: PHANTOM SENSE: alter the Sample Sight Intensities table: Sample Sight Intensities 1 smooth, clear glass 2 rippling water 3 lightly stained glass 6 murky water 10 opaque REGENERATE: duration is Temporal, not One Hour. Replace the first sentence in the third paragraph with: "Levels of intensity equal to the target's normal hit points in his limb must be provided. The tissue will regenerate one hit point per week if the spell is applied within 10 melee rounds after the limb has been mangled or lost." Page 51: SUMMON CREATURE is a Summoning Ritual. TAP is a Passive spell. TREAT WOUNDS. Duration is Temporal, not one hour. Replace the fourth sentence of the first paragraph with: "The treated creature recovers 1 point of total hit point damage and 1 point of damage in the affected location per hour (until the location is healed) for each point of intensity in the spell." Replace the last sentence of the first paragraph with: "This spell requires enough Duration to last at least one hour." Page 57: ARMORING ENCHANTMENT: Each point of Pow adds 1D3 armor points, not 1D6. Magic Point Matrix Enchantment: Each point of POW stores 1D10 magic points, not 1. Spell Matrix Enchantment clarification -- a spirit magic enchantment is needed to create a spirit spell matrix. The divine enchantment is needed to create a divine spell matrix. Sorcery is needed to create a sorcery matrix. GAMEMASTER BOOK Page 36: Change the first paragraph of the page to read: "...tegrity of the ship protected the cargo and crew despite the captain's incompetence and the ship suffers no loss. If the seaworthiness resistance roll falls reduce seaworthiness by one point." CREATURES BOOK Page 10: BRONTOSAUR: the tail lash should do 4D6 damage, not 7D6 damage. Page 19: ELEPHANT: the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) actually has a STR of 6D6+30 and SIZ of 6D6+38. The extinct African forest elephant has a STR of 6D6+22 and a SIZ of 6D6+30. Normal African elephant STR and SIZ should be 6D6+34 and 6D6+42 respectively. Other characteristics are unchanged, except that Move is 4. Page 21: GHOST: ghosts have no STR but do have INT of 2D6+6. Page 35: SKELETON: The last three words of the creature description should read; "... and 3 current POW expended on DEX." Page 43: WYVERNS: the wyvern's sting injects poison with a POT equal to the creature's CON. GLORANTHA BOOK: CHAOTIC FEATURES TABLE: add the following possible results: 89 One hit location (choose randomly) is invulnerable to damage from any source. 90 Endearing: match INT versus the creature's APP (of 5d6) when encountered. If overcome, the character tries to make friends with it, accompanies it in the future, and acts as its bodyguard. It already has 1d6 bodyguards. The character fights with it against his friends if they attack. Possible Chaotic Creatures Table: add Hellions to the list. They normally have no chaotic features. - -- /> Chris Cooke // (//////[O]>====================================- \\ \> cookec@mml.mmc.com OR cookec@io.com ------------------------------ End of RQ Rules Digest: V1 #34 ****************************** This is the bottom of the RuneQuest Rules Digest. RuneQuest is a trademark of Avalon Hill, and Glorantha is a trademark of Chaosium. With the exception of previously copyrighted material, unless specified otherwise all text in this digest is copyright by the author or authors, with rights granted to copy for personal use, to excerpt in reviews and replies, and to archive unchanged for electronic retrieval. Send electronic mail to Majordomo@hops.wharton.upenn.edu with "help" in the body of the message for subscription information on this and other mailing lists.