Could a character be a witch in RuneQuest?

Pigking5500

Mongoose
I have a relative who interested in playin RQ but she want's to play a witch character. Is there any spell casting classes that could be close to a witch type character with any problem's? Or will I as GM have to scratch build the class.? Please help me as I am new to the New RQ rules by Mongoose Publishing. Thank You PIGKING-KING OF ALL UNDEAD ZOMBIE PIGGY'S EVERYWHERE-NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO OR WHERE YOU HIDE THEY WILL FIND YOU--BWAA HAA HAA-BOO! :shock:
 
Well, first and foremost: Get rid of the connotation of "class" :)

Not trying to sound like a jerk here, so I apologize if I did, but one thing you will quickly find is that Runequest characters can, by and large, do and become whatever you want them to be. Its just a question of how much time it will take them.

Now, there's a buttload of different magic, so, what do you mean, when you say "witch" ? What makes a character witchy to you ?
 
I don't know this for sure hopefully others can let us know about this but if D20 Slaine is any indication the RQ Slaine may have something on witches. Again I'm just speculating on what was in the previous game.

If it doesn't than it depends on what you want or what type of witch are you looking for.
There is black magic in Lankhmar, if you want black witches or demon summoning from Stormbringer or wait and see what is in the new RQ Elric. If your looking for visions I'd introduce a vision skill or dreaming skill(like was introduced in the old thieves world box.) I'd limit it to 60% or 65% max if not lower. The liber ka supliment for the Nephilium RPG may be helpful for more subtle,white, magic. Holy sites and other modifiers (sky clad, lock of hair,time of year, moon phase,etc.) could add % to the spell casting ability or increase available mp.

lore skills would be important(I would think). You could add skills if need be like brewing potions or what ever you need.
Just some thoughts that came to me off the top of my head.
 
Signs & Portents 41 has rules for creating Druids, which might be most easily adapted to creating a "Witch" (though I suppose it depends on what you envision as a witch).

Link to the issue is here.
 
The basic rules have a witch profession.

Witch

First Aid +5%
Lore (Animal) +5%
Lore (Plant) +10%
Runecasting4

Pick Two:
Healing
Lore
Runecasting (other)4
Survival

4 Choose one of the following: Fertility, Luck, Moon or Shadow. The character has integrated that rune and has that rune’s Runecasting skill.
 
From a Gloranthan viewpoint I think Ernalda priestesses are a bit witchy with their earth-based magic. They could be modified to fit other settings. This would be useful as there is a great deal of information about the goddess Ernalda.
 
It depends what you want.

A witch is normally an old woman who can cast spells. Sometimes a young woman who can cast spells. Normally not a priestess.

Your setting might have Discworld-style witches who are respected members of the community or Medieval-style ones who the peasants like but churchmen don't. You might have fairytale-style wicked witches or modern-day pagan witches.

All would be different, all would have different rules.

What kind of witch do you want? What kind of setting?

I'd use the basic Witch as standard and build on that.

Want a mad old woman who makes potions and turns people into frogs? That's a witch, so run with that and add bits and bobs as you go along.

Want a wicked queen who rules her subjects with an iron hand and turns them into stone? That's a witch, so run with that and add bits and bobs as you go along.
 
Koski said:
I agree with Simon, it depends on what you want and it depends on what setting you are in...

Role Aids produced a supplement for AD&D years ago called "Witches" - one of the very few Role Aids publications I ever bought at the time. It provided 10 different templates for Witches in the game, including (IIRC) Elven; Dianatic (worshippers of the virgin Goddess Diana); Voodoun; and Deryni (based on the magic system of Katherine Kurtz's novels). Although this was designed for AD&D, it did provide numerous potential sources for a Witch character, and might be worth looking out for in pdf form for the ideas if nothing else.

Carl Q.
 
The Mongoose book The Quintessential Witch is, in my opinion, a very good treatment of the "witch" concept. It is D20, so it would have to be converted over to Runequest, but I think if you take a look at that, you can get a lot of very good ideas.

But the question really is, what is a witch? If using an established setting like Glorantha or Iron Kingdoms, you could point to anybody and call her a witch.

In Iron Kingdoms, a "witch" would usually be a sorceress without formal wizard training. I'm not sure who would be considered a "witch" in glorantha.

In my homebrew setting called Audor, they actually do that: there is an ethnic group called Kosaka, and while they have a type of priestess who is very "witchy", they also use the same term for any woman with exceptional skill at anything: a skilled swordswoman would be called a "sword witch", even if she couldn't cast any spells.

But the thing about a system without classes, is that you can call yourself anything: you don't get tagged with a label.
 
My relative wants a witch character that has the 'Sight' to be able to look at a deck of cards and tell someone their possible future if they wanted her to.Also have some offensive and defensive rune spells to help the party she goes adventuring with in a fight if need be.some type of rune magic for enchantment spells etc..Iwas thinking What do you guy's think about the Gurp's Magic 2nd edition for spells possibilities? Gurps Magic uses strength points to cast spells--RuneQuest from what I remember uses Magic Points based on Pow.Could Gurp's Magic work in RuneQuest or not? or would I be waisting my money if I got it? Would you guy's give a list of possible skills the witch could learn later with the starting %..Thank you Pigking.=KING OF ALL UNDEAD Z0MBIE PIGGY'S :shock:
 
CharlieMonster said:
Golden Wheel Dancer said:
How do you know it is a witch?
Witches float, right? What else floats? A Duck, so if she weighs the same as a Duck, she must be a Witch!!!
I like the logic : so all Duck are Witches becauase they float! :D

There's the answer - play a Duck!
 
Pigking, I guess your friend will have to decide whether she wants to be part of a coven, or would prefer to be a hedge witch and do her work alone. If she was part of a coven then I guess the mechanics would be similair to those for a traditional runequest cult (minus the god (perhaps)). I still think that the role of (gloranthan) Ernalda worshipers in their communities are very wiccan, and their abilities, attitudes and magics could be filched for your campaign.
Some Ernaldan features that might interest you;

Earth based practices
Reverence for seasonal sacred times
Practice their craft outdoors in natural places
The use of plant and animal sacrifice during their practices
The casting of augeries to know secret things and future events
herbology
magic to aid, bless heal and protect families and their hearths
magic to aid fertility and bless its results
magic to bless and protect the crops
powerful healing magics
magic to command animals and earth spirits

all you need to do is add a broomstick and away you go!
 
there's no reason why you couldnt base magic points off strength, instead of power, though Im not sure if thats more "witchy"

GURPS magic and Runequest magic largely work the same
 
I think that for your own sanity, as GM, that you should limit the player's PC to magic that is defined in the setting, whether published or homebrew, unless and until you feel comfortable expanding the options to include an alternative source.

For Iron Kingdoms, I would say "You are limitted to the way magic works in this setting, but you may design a Sight spell, provided that I approve of it." I then put the onus of work on the player to write up the spell description in the same format as in the relevant book, and then I have to approve it, possibly with revisions. I reserve the right to reject a spell either on balance issues or on setting issues.

(For example, I've rejected two spells. One was too powerful for its spell level. The other was a divine spell which I thought the character's deity would choose not to grant, even though it was a pretty cool spell and nicely balanced.)

In fact, for Runequest I would encourage the players to design their own spells. (This is also encouraged in the IK setting, which says that "sorcerers" especially should be encouraged to design their own spells.) But the GM really has to stay on top of this to prevent abuse.

As to alternative magics: one strength of Runequest is the way that alternative magic systems can easily be implemented. If you have not gotten the Runequest Companion book yet, I highly recommend it, since it defines two alternatives to the Runecasting system presented in the MRQ rulebook. Importing a magic system from another game system is doable and can really add a lot of flavor to your campaign.

As for a comprehensive list of skills, I'm afraid that we can not do that. The possibilities are really as endless as your imagination.
 
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