simonh said:
It seems to me that Rune Magic is a direct replacement for RQ3 Spirit Magic (Battle Magic in RQ2)
Except it isn't.
Every cultist (and everybody was a cultist) had some spirit magic (or sorcery) in RQ3. Everyone you met, walking down the street, served their god(s), and had some spirit magic. Although for redsmiths, artisans, and farmers Repair, Glue, and the various utility spells were more useful than the battle-ready spells, you couldn't tell who may have served as an initiate of a more militant god in their youth and might be packing a Speed-dart.
In MRQ Runes must be earned, they don't seem to be sold by temples, and they're physical objects. No object in hand, no spell. Very few occupations or backgrounds offer a character (PC or NPC) a chance to possess a Rune. Therefore we can safely presume, unlike RQ3 spirit magic, rune magic isn't common. Just the most common. That's different.
Additionally, each Rune is a separate skill, and integration of the Rune has its own 'kewl power.'
In all, the changes from RQ3 seem to be considerably less than many of us orriginaly suspected.
Simon Hibbs
When it comes to rune magic vs. spirit magic you may be surprised.
There are other differences. For instance, in RQ3, if you knew Bladesharp 4 you could chose to cast Bladesharp 1, 2, 3, or 4. In MRQ each is a separate spell.
Doug.