From: owner-rq-rules-digest To: rq-rules-digest@hops.wharton.upenn.edu Subject: RQ Rules Digest: V2 #236 Reply-To: rq-rules Errors-To: owner-rq-rules-digest Precedence: bulk Content-Return: Prohibited Return-Path: owner-rq-rules-digest RQ Rules Digest: Tuesday, 16 April 1996 Volume 02 : Number 236 TABLE OF CONTENTS Thomas Michael Cantine Spell special effects Martin Declan Kelly 4th Edition update? Bernuetz, Oliver: WPG Some questions Martin Declan Kelly Some questions RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to add "Yeah, I agree" or "No, I disagree." Or be excoriated. If someone writes something good and you want to say "good show" please do. But don't include the whole message you praise. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. 3. Learn the art of paraphrasing: Don't just quote and comment on a point-by-point basis. When paraphrasing you demonstrate exactly how well you understand the point someone was trying to make. 4. There is no number 4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Thomas Michael Cantine Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 04:06:15 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Spell special effects I've been rather enjoying the discussion of the visibility of spells so far, and thought I'd share some of my own views on the subject. Game-mechanically, I agree with Sandy's assessment that making spellcasting hard to conceal is a Good Idea in RQ, and about the only reservation I have is probably a prejudice from the design philosophy I employed in my LARP system: I don't want to force interpretations on anyone. Some people have character conceptions that base their magic on incantations and gestures, while others want to play adventurers with psychic abilities that just happen to resemble certain spells. The more creative ideas people come up with, the better for everyone. But in a live game, one doesn't want to lug around a huge rulebook, so one needs to make do with a lot fewer and more generally applicable rules. In a tabletop game like RQ, one can afford more specificity and detail. As for the actual special effects for magic in RQ, I tend to take a "hard s-f" approach to it, in that I like to think about how the spell itself works and derive appropriate special effects from that. Take Bladesharp, for example. It's a spirit spell that makes swords and such hit harder and with greater accuracy. Now, how might such a thing come to be? Well, looking at things from an animistic perspective, I figure that the spell represents an arousal of the spirit that is the weapon itself. EVERYTHING has a spirit, you see, a spirit that is the essence of the thing. (Or maybe everything partakes of the platonic ideal of the thing? Something like that...) Anyway, to awaken this spirit for battle involves invoking its Name, calling it forth to battle, drawing the blade noisily from its scabbard to set it ringing, and waving it in appropriately warlike gestures. (It's a bit more than that, actually; you've got to true to the spirits, show them respect, honour them with MP and that sort of thing. Which is why sorcerers, who don't really respect spirits, can't use spirit magic, and why priests can only use cult spirit magic. Them spirits is smart, they know.) Once this is done, the blade actively seeks to hack and slay, darting about almost on its own, to the extent that you could say it possesses the wielder, in a sense. You don't really notice THAT much with Bladesharp 1; it feels a bit lighter, and when you swing it it feels good, like it wants to be swung, and if you listen closely, you can hear the blade ringing, its edge vibrating, just itching to slice something open at the slightest touch. But with Bladesharp 5, a sword leaps and dances with the slightest twitch of the wielder's wrist, actively seeking its foe, and the blade sings angrily for blood. Important safety tip: NEVER to touch such a weapon except on the handle! I don't rule that a Bladesharped weapon LOOKS any different (except to magically viewing observers), but you can definitely see when someone casts the spell, and experienced adventurers can usually tell just by looking at someone whether or not they've got Bladesharp up. For one thing, the weapon is not in its scabbard; a good way to damage both is to let the thing chew its way out. For another, people holding chainsaws just tend to behave differently depending on whether they're fired up or not... The same sort of treatment applies to other spells. An important thing to keep in mind is the focus; I like foci to be appropriate to the spell, usually a souvenir of the spellcaster's first encounter with the spirit. Ignite, for instance: the shaman might send the student to sit on a hilltop. A thunderstorm comes up, lightning strikes nearby and ignites a tree, a burning twig lands in the student's lap and spirit combat ensues; the student suddenly experiences Fire in a new way, and the charred twig becomes the focus for Ignite. It's fun sometimes to sit down with the spell list and try to come up with these things. At the same time, it's also nice to allow for some flexibility; not everyone relates to the spirits in exactly the same way, and while one person may have encountered Disrupt by meditating on the experience and meaning of throwing rocks, another may have acquired the same basic spell for game purposes (1d3 damage to missile location, range 50 m, 1 MP) by communing with a patch of nettles. The gestures and visual effects, if any, as well as the precise sensation of the damage itself, would vary accordingly. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thomas M. Cantine "My theory, which is mine, is mine. g9326443@mcmaster.ca And I own it, too." ============================================================================== ------------------------------ From: Martin Declan Kelly Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 01:06:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: 4th Edition update? Just a quick introductory question.. it's probably common knowledge but I'm new to the list (got tired of just reading the archives).. what's the current state of play with 4th Edition..? ta in advance Declan - -- We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars... - Oscar Wilde o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o Martin Declan Kelly Teleport Technical Support My view and opinions are my own; go get your own http://www.teleport.com/~declan/ o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o ------------------------------ From: bernuetz.oliver@ic.gc.ca (Bernuetz, Oliver: WPG) Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 10:53:15 -0400 Subject: Some questions I have some questions I thought I would shoot past the group. 1) Can more than one person use a spirit magic focus at a time? 2) What do people think about changes to armour encumbrance. What my group has proposed to me is that the encumbrance of a suit of armour shouldn't vary much according to size. The weight of a suit you're carrying (as opposed to wearing) would of course vary but it doesn't seem to make sense that two characters with the same STR and CON but different sizes couldn't wear the exact same armour. Yes, the bigger person's armour weighs more, but we're talking encumbrance, not weight. Should it encumber more? The biggest character in my campaign wears the lightest armour because she can't afford the encumbrance. This doesn't seem to make sense. 3) Why does SIZ have such a detrimental effect on agility skills? Are the rules saying that basketball and volleyball players shouldn't be good jumpers? This doesn't make sense either. Granted they may (which I doubt) have more trouble learning but the way bonuses work in RQ3 it makes it very hard for anyone with a negative bonus to learn these sorts of skills. 4) How do people treat damage from iron weapons on trolls and Aldryami? Does it act as a non-magical lopping off limbs left right and centre or does it act more like poison on the affected area. i.e. it cripples the limb but doesn't lop it off any easier. Thanks, Oliver Bernuetz bernuetz.oliver@ic.gc.ca ------------------------------ From: Martin Declan Kelly Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 20:50:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Some questions At 10:53 AM 4/16/96 -0400, you wrote: (edited for brevity) > >1) Can more than one person use a spirit magic focus at a time? > Geeze.. that would depend on the focus I think.. if it was a wand used for detect, no, cause it'd be hard to have two people being led in different directions at the same time by a stick. For other things, foci that were only needed to cast the spell and not actually used during the spell's duration, why not? As many as can touch it at once. That is, unless you go by the approach that each focus must be 'attuned' to it's user. >My group has proposed that the encumbrance of a suit of armour shouldn't >vary much according to size. The weight of a suit you're carrying (as >opposed to wearing) would of course vary but it doesn't seem to make sense >that two characters with the same STR and CON but different sizes couldn't >wear the exact same armour. Yes, the bigger person's armour weighs more, >but we're talking encumbrance, not weight. > I think I missed something here. Basically, a bigger person has a bigger body and needs bigger clothes, and in the same way needs bigger armour. Bigger armour has more material in it (whether leather, bronze or iron) and thus weighs more, and therefore encumbers more, as encumbrance is at least partially dependant on weight. That's how *I* see it, but then I'm just *me* :) If you wanna have all suits of armour encumber roughly the same regardless of size, go ahead though. It'd save some number-crunching. >3) Why does SIZ have such a detrimental effect on agility skills? The problem with this is large size helps in some agility-related skills, such as jumping, and hinders in others, such as dodging. The skills are simply categorized together because the have more things in common with each other than, for instance, each has with World Lore. You could subdivide further, making it more specific, or even have a seperate bonus for each skill, worked out on individual merits, but every area of the game could be more accurate. It's the sacrifice of playability vs reality, and you'll find it in any game you play. No reason not to work around it yourself. If you think it's wrong, change it in your campaign. > >4) How do people treat damage from iron weapons on trolls and Aldryami? I'd say it worked like poison, simply because the additional damage caused to elder races is due to intolerance of the metal, not to the sword magically speeding up and getting heavier and sharper if it happens to be aiming at a troll/elf. This is why the extra damage is *after* armour, not before. > >Thanks, you're welcome. > >Oliver Bernuetz >bernuetz.oliver@ic.gc.ca > > Declan ;) - -- We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars... - Oscar Wilde o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o Martin Declan Kelly Teleport Technical Support My view and opinions are my own; go get your own http://www.teleport.com/~declan/ o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o - -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.12 GAT d-- s: a- C++++ US+++ P+ L+ E--- W+++ N++ o+ k? w-- OM+ V-- PS+++ PE- Y++ PGP+ t+ 5++ X++++ R+++ tv+ b++++ DI+++ D++ G++ e+ h---- r+++ y+++++** - ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------ ------------------------------ End of RQ Rules Digest: V2 #236 ******************************* 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. WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html