Cults/Myths

[JayeAeotiv]

My players really want to join some cults. I'd love them to do so. I've already invested in the core rulebook and the Glorantha 2nd Age books. The 2nd age refers to a lot of cults for different cultures. However, I can't find anything about them. I assume I've got to shell out another $40 to get the cults book. The core rulebook and 2nd Age make cults and myth seem like a very important part of the game. If they are such an important part of the game, why are there no basic rules in the core book (or setting) for creating your own cult and its myths?

I've already started creating a couple, but since I am new to the setting I'm almost positive they will be completely unbalanced. I'd hate to create some cults, then by the cults book and realize how unbalanced/off my creations are and then feel the need to pull the rug out from under my players.

So what do I do to ensure the cults are balanced? Or are there some more cult descriptions burried somewhere in the core book?

 

[Chronos]

If they are such an important part of the game, why are there no basic rules in the core book (or setting) for creating your own cult and its myths?

The RuneQuest II core book is meant to establish the basic rules, sort of like the Player's Handbook & DMG of D&D. Glorantha 2nd age & Cults of Glorantha are setting-specific, much like Forgotten Realms, DragonLance or Greyhawk.

It seems to be a common conception that RuneQuest = Glorantha, but that's not necessarily so. There are other settings like Elric, and even homebrew worlds to play in. The RuneQuest basic rules are meant to be extensible to whatever kind of story you care to tell.

That said, I played D&D for years and only recently got into RuneQuest + Glorantha, and I think that as you continue to play and learn about Glorantha the more you'll come to like it. It's a very rich world.

 

[soltakss]

Make sure that no cult has too many skills or spells.

Look at the spells that other deities grant. Those gods that own runes should be the most powerful deities at dealing with those powers. If the prime Storm God can cast Thunderbolt and your cult has a Thunderbolt that kills 100 people then it is probably unbalanced.

Don't have too many divine spells or grimoires with hundreds of sorcery spells. Again, look at the other cults and see what they have.

Don't be scared, though, of having a constructed cult that does certain things very well. The Godlearners are famous for creating new cults and giving them mythical and magical powers, so it is reasonable to expect such cults to exist.

If you are creating cults outside of Glorantha, I'd look at the pantheon first and see which gods and goddesses belong to the pantheon, what their places are and what powers they should have. Then construct the cults, either based on the powers they should have (spells and skills first) or from their myths (background and runes first).

Some cults would seem overbalanced at first. For example, a Zeus or Jupiter cult is a Sky, Storm and Ruler God. One way of making the cults more balanced is by breaking cults down into aspects, so Jupiter could become Jupiter Rex and Jupiter Sky/Storm.

 

[JayeAeotiv]

One of my players wants to be a shaman. So I need to make him a spirit cult. He likes the cultural background of the Hsunchen Flari (Black Owl People) from the 2nd Age. So the cult would be of the Black Owl.

Based on the example spirit cult in the Core Rulebook, I've devised this as my Black Owl cult. Does this seem reasonable?

Black Owl (Spirit Cult)
Runes: Air, Spirit
Spirits: Ancestor Spirits (tribal ancestors), Guardian Spirit, (Some spirit with an owl/nightbirdy aspect to it not yet defined).

Myths: To Be Determined. 1 myth at 50% resonance. 1 myth at 75% resonance.

Membership:
Followers: 5 cult skills
Spirit Worshipper: 5 @ 30%
Shaman: 5 @ 50% (and perform the smaller myth)
High Shaman: 5 @ 75% (and perform larger myth)

Cult Skills:
Spirit Binding, Spirit Walking, Lore(Owl), Evade, Stealth, Survival, Tracking

 

[Loz]

That seems an excellent little cult with just the right balance. Part of the fun will be filling in details with your player - especially the myths.

Nice work. You don't need reams of detail for a cult.

 

[PrinceYyrkoon]

I agree that there should be a 'cult template' in the core book, and a few cult examples. Yes, RQ describes lots of worlds and settings, but the way belief is described by the rules is common to all of the settings.

 

[daxos232]

That example jayeaeotiv provided is good. I'm making a homebrew setting and that's what design many of my cults have. The only difficulty is the cult ges/gifts, without the cults books I'm having trouble thinking up ones that are balanced and relevant to gameplay. The behaviors and guidelines to live by are a huge part of a cult.

 

[JayeAeotiv]

I would think that the behaviors would be some quirk. Try to relate to some real-life religion. No alcohol, no beef, etc. For the Owl cult I'm thinking of a preference for eating small rodents (since that also falls in line with the Flari culture) and a hatred for one of the owl's natural predators. I'm having a hard time coming up with a natural predator to an owl though. Fox's/Raccoons come to mind, but I think Hawks/Falcons have been known to hunt Owls as well. I might decide to go with a preference for traveling at night rather than the day.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I agree that there should be a 'cult template' in the core book, and a few cult examples. Yes, RQ describes lots of worlds and settings, but the way belief is described by the rules is common to all of the settings.

Well, um, there is, isn't there? The Cults chapter, with Orlanth the Dragon and The Cult of Fire Dancer as examples?

 

[JayeAeotiv]

I ended up using one as a template. But a template would be more like the way spirits are described in the spirit chapter.