Demons, Devils and other sorts of creatures in Runequest

[yipwyg]

I was wondering how Runequest handles these types of creatures.

I am coming from the D&D side of the RPG's, having played D&D for 26 years now. I remember many campaigns spanning the planes, and "outsiders" are one of my favorite creatures to throw at parties.

I know that we are probably talking about higher powered runequest characters here, due to how brutal (love that) RQ is compared to D&D.

Thanks for any info.

 

[andakitty]

Well, if there are no rules for demons at all, we can just use Strombringer 5 with its nasty, nasty demon generations rules. Same stats, be an easy conversion.

 

[Urox]

Previous editions of RQ didn't have anything as organized as Demons/Devils.

Instead you get Krijalki and Chaos Horrors. And RQ allows for you to make some nigh impossible to defeat monsters though various ways -- from the purely arbitrary (the only way to defeat this monster is to shatter the glass heart) to the system-based (lots of HP, AP, Magic, etc.).

As for planar, RQ doesn't have traditional alternate reality planes, but it does have mythic planes accessable through HeroQuesting. While the rules for this high level content were never officially provided for RQ, there were various fan-adapations of the rules.

The idea was to be able to reinact mythic history on through these planes -- in effect, you could be the avatar of Storm Bull fighting the Devil in ancient Prax.

 

[SteveMND]

I was wondering how Runequest handles these types of creatures.

Depends on what you mean by "RuneQuest."

If you are referring to the set of game mechanics and rules, not sure. Maybe some other system had stats for such 'classically demonic' creatures, but I never saw any specifically before.

If you mean how they are handled in the Glorantha Campaign Setting, well, that's a differnet story.

While Glorantha has a place called "Hell," it's not the same as the traditional "good versus evil' hell (since Glorantha doesn't really have a well-defined "Good versus Evil" bent to it). IIRC, the Glorantha 'hell' is a quasi-mythical region associated with the Darkness element; I seem to recall in one supplement a 'demon' (more accurately, a Darkness spirit) from Hell managed to find a way to posses a trollkin.

 

[TrippyHippy]

There was a really good White Dwarf article, including humorous cartoons, about Runequest demon summoning way back in the early 1980's.

I dunno really how demons are defined, as such, in RQ, but it did seem to be similar to Stormbringer in many ways.

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

The nearest equivalent would be Passion Spirits (Spirits of Fear/Madness/Pain), Disease Spirits and the like. But these don't even possess INT, so they're just behaving according to their nature (in the same way as water running downhill behaves according to it's nature, rather than an animal would), rather than being specifically "demonic".

 

[Deathdealer]

Demonology: There are fouler things than spirits walking
through other realms. The demonologist actively seeks
to harness and bind the power of demons to his own
bidding, temporarily gaining their strength to fuel his
own abilities.

Given this passage in the third preview I think it is safe to say that there will be rules for Demons at some point.

 

[Adept]

As for planar, RQ doesn't have traditional alternate reality planes, but it does have mythic planes accessable through HeroQuesting. While the rules for this high level content were never officially provided for RQ, there were various fan-adapations of the rules.

And now with HeroQuest, we have quite a detailed view of the magical planes of Glorantha and of heroquesting in general. The new RQ is propably aiming at simpler mechanics and less mythical questing, but...

This is the Second Age we are talking about. Godlearners creating gods and swiching them around, the EWF creating new True Dragons... I'm guessing there will have to be Heroquesting rules.

Uh, but about the question. There are magical worlds that represent the "physics" of Glorantha, as well as the collective subconscious and mythology of all the sentient beings living on Glorantha. In those places dwell powerful creatures from angels to demons and horrors of chaos. Nasty sorcerer's and cultists can bring such things to the mundane world. Anything from a spirit of disease to Cacodemon himself (a sort of a demon god).

Plenty for you to mess with really

[The only problem is that so far Glorantha doesn't really have a comprehensive demonology. There are examples, but no system of fitting it all together. I've decided to use the excellent demonic hierarchy from the computer game Dominions II myself]

 

[yipwyg]

Thanks for the responses so far. I appreciate it. I am probably thinking along the lines of RQ rules than the actual Glorantha setting.

It looks like I might have a reason to buy Stormbringer as well.

I am thinking along the lines of probably going with the Warhammer Demons, Korn, Tzentch, Nurgle, Slaneesh cults and whatnot. I know the Warhammer RPG just got released but am trying to narrow out the RPG's I get.

I plan on getting Liber Chaotica Complete just for the fluff material, and use that as a guideline to make the crunch.

 

[homerjsinnott]

Tales did some articles on demons in Palmaltela, which I thought were really good and meshed well with the world.

 

[TRose]

Although it did not have demons in the traditional sense there was Cacodemon and his fiends that fit the bill pretty much as wells as the Avator of Chaos, ect. and I used to use both Stormbringer and Call of Cuthullu monsters in Runequest when I was in the mood.

 

[Gaheir]

While demons and devils (other than THE DEVIL defeated by Stormbull) don't really exist, the presence of powerful chaos throughout the world certainly allows the GM to create powerful creatures that would be considered demons. Many chaos creatures that entered Glorantha when Orlanth and Yelm had their little problems still exist. I have felt free to use my imagination to create such beings as needed. Snakepipe Hollow would seem like an ideal place for such a powerful being, lurking about, hoping for a return to the good old days when chaos was able to maraud freely! To create such a being, find a figure you like and generate the monster around it. Make free use of the chaotic features tables (I hope they will be incorporated in the Glorantha setting.)

 

[Adept]

While demons and devils (other than THE DEVIL defeated by Stormbull) don't really exist, the presence of powerful chaos throughout the world certainly allows the GM to create powerful creatures that would be considered demons. Many chaos creatures that entered Glorantha when Orlanth and Yelm had their little problems still exist. I have felt free to use my imagination to create such beings as needed. Snakepipe Hollow would seem like an ideal place for such a powerful being, lurking about, hoping for a return to the good old days when chaos was able to maraud freely! To create such a being, find a figure you like and generate the monster around it. Make free use of the chaotic features tables (I hope they will be incorporated in the Glorantha setting.)

There are certainly demons and devils in Glorantha. Unfortunately not many have been given stats up to this date. There are many unique demons of chaos, but there is also the Underworld and basically anything coming from there is a demon. Also some creatures from the magical planes can be called demons (like the fire bears from the essense plane).

Heck, even the Trolls from Glorantha originally came from hell (underworld), so they too are demons. Of course the trolls have lived on the surface for so long that they've changed and adapted to living there. A proper mistress race troll is a powerful demon by any standards. Zorak Zoran, the wargod of "badboy trolls" is even titled a demon lord.

 

[The King]

There are lots of demons in HeroWars/HeroQuest. There are especially used by the Lunar Empire which accept chaos in its civilization.

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

One thing about planar creatures in RQ is that they don't have the full set of stats. Commonly they will only have INT and POW (some even have only POW). That pretty much limits them to magic use and spirit combat.

From my RQ3 rulebook (Summon fumble table), a "Demon" has INT of 3d6 and POW of 3d6 + 6, whereas a Bad Man manifestation has INT 20 and POW 35. I'm not sure how well these would fit in with what the original poster had in mind.

 

[Adept]

From my RQ3 rulebook (Summon fumble table), a "Demon" has INT of 3d6 and POW of 3d6 + 6, whereas a Bad Man manifestation has INT 20 and POW 35. I'm not sure how well these would fit in with what the original poster had in mind.

Those were so lame.

But I just remembered another demon. The Black Horse Troop is a mercenary band whose steeds are demons from the underworld. The "Black Horse" are vaguely horse shaped, but they have glowing red eyes, fanged mouths and claws. They are really tough and their smell terrifies real horses.

 

[The King]

There was also a demon in the Big Rubble pack (a demon which has the form of a man and a horse).

 

[homerjsinnott]

There was also a demon in the Big Rubble pack (a demon which has the form of a man and a horse).

It was a nucklavee which was a Celtic spirit who would stand on the banks of rivers in the shape of a horse and when someone touched them they would stick and be dragged in to the river to drown. Maybe also called the water horse.

 

[The King]

that's it, I just couldn't remember the name. But it was more than a spirit as it has a physical body.

 

[homerjsinnott]

that's it, I just couldn't remember the name. But it was more than a spirit as it has a physical body.

Oh yes! and he was a mean dude. I think the stats were in Gateway Bestiary if anyones interested. Although I think the only way he was any different was that he was summoned and bound there.