Hmm rules and thoughts

[Mexorlon]

First off pardon my english!!
I'm just beginning a new group (pehaps) i mrq2.
However we ran into some issues, would like your opinion on.

1) Massive loss of limbs
in our make of humans we got ca 5-6hp in limbs, an attack Will not very often give a major wound in first strike, however hits by 2-hander..auch 2 hits on same location..byebye limb or head!! I consider saying you have to give a major wound in one strike!! Imo not likely that you hit the excact same place twice??

2) divine magic out of control
admitted it was a test run, so no restrictions on wich spells to choose, only initiate though. But jeez ligthning strike 3d6 to specified location, thats an 11 avagde. No armor- ie loss of limb/dead hell of a one-shot killer, and at 120meters aswell overpowered..Is it only 1/Day or dedicated pow times a Day?? Still an initiate...jeez

3) sorcery
looks cool however (there is always a however lurking somewhere)
how many spells do a sorc start with in his grimore?? Can he add more?

4) sorcery
High pow sorc, trying to hit 3 targets at pow range at mag 4 cause there is a sorc amongst them..9 ca later he is done and cast the spell (at that time the others either nod of or lay sprayed in little limbless heaps All around, there was a twohander amongst the group )
I'm thinking of adding pow for faster cast, ie spell cost 9 but adds 4 more now its "only" 5ca..

5) ranged attack
If i read the rules correct, this means that I with my longbow hit at target at 180m as often as one only 20 m away?? Hmm seems a bit odd..

6) demi-humans
we love build points, in rq2 not so much, just destribute 80 amongst you stats no 2 for above 15 etc.
And if i try to convert demi-humans jeez the boat totally tips over!!
Anyone have an excellent converter. (the most überrace elf jeez, so precisly why would i play a Human, I know diffrent rp but still

thx for Reading
Mex
any comment are welcome (Well almost any..)

 

[Mugen]

3) sorcery
looks cool however (there is always a however lurking somewhere)
how many spells do a sorc start with in his grimore?? Can he add more?

Actually, a "Grimoire" in MRQII terms is not a D&D-style book in which a magic-user writes the spell he learned.

It is a complete book written by other sorcerers inside which spells with some common characteristics can be learned.

The standard number of spells in a Grimoire is 6, and the number of spells a newly created sorcerer PCknows among them is 4. I houseruled that one can learn more spells by sacrificing 10% of his beginning skills.

Once a sorcerer has learned all the spells in a Grimoire, he needs to find and learn another Grimoire an develop a new Grimoire skill for this one.

4) sorcery
High pow sorc, trying to hit 3 targets at pow range at mag 4 cause there is a sorc amongst them..9 ca later he is done and cast the spell (at that time the others either nod of or lay sprayed in little limbless heaps All around, there was a twohander amongst the group )
I'm thinking of adding pow for faster cast, ie spell cost 9 but adds 4 more now its "only" 5ca..

The casting time for a Sorcery spell is 1 CA, plus one for each manipulation effect.
In you example, you only used 2 manipulations effect : Targets + Magnitude.
Therefore, you only need 3 CA to cast it.

6) demi-humans
we love build points, in rq2 not so much, just destribute 80 amongst you stats no 2 for above 15 etc.
And if i try to convert demi-humans jeez the boat totally tips over!!
Anyone have an excellent converter. (the most überrace elf jeez, so precisly why would i play a Human, I know diffrent rp but still

One method :

1) For every stat, determine species average and substract 7.

For humans :
STR, CON, POW, DEX, CHA = 4
SIZ, INT = 6

2) Distribute between 48 and 78 points, depending on the "power level" of your campaign, with a limit set by the maximum possible roll.

You PCs will not be balanced if you have Trolls or Elves, but this is normal in RQ

 

[Mexorlon]

Great thx for clerifing!!! Makes more sense!!
Will give the demi-Human build a try!!!
Thx[/list]

 

[Loz]

Hi Mexorlon.

1) Massive loss of limbs
in our make of humans we got ca 5-6hp in limbs, an attack Will not very often give a major wound in first strike, however hits by 2-hander..auch 2 hits on same location..byebye limb or head!! I consider saying you have to give a major wound in one strike!! Imo not likely that you hit the excact same place twice??

Yes, getting hit with a large blade tends to slice off limbs quite readily. Invest in armour as soon as you can.

2) divine magic out of control
admitted it was a test run, so no restrictions on wich spells to choose, only initiate though. But jeez ligthning strike 3d6 to specified location, thats an 11 avagde. No armor- ie loss of limb/dead hell of a one-shot killer, and at 120meters aswell overpowered..Is it only 1/Day or dedicated pow times a Day?? Still an initiate...jeez

Divine magic is powerful, but its not out of control. We made it powerful because the other forms of higher magic - Spirit and Sorcery - are also very powerful and Divine Magic needs to be able to compete with them. Also, this is magic provided by your gods: it should be powerful!

Your dedicated POW determines how many spells you have available. You can have the same spell multiple times. So if you have 2 dedicated POW, for instance, you could have Lightning Strike x2. Once you cast a spell, you lose its use until you can pray for its return at a temple or shrine. So its not once per day or even a number of times per day equal to dedicated POW. You cast it, you lose it, then you have to pray to get it back again - unless you have multiple instances of the spell.

3) sorcery
looks cool however (there is always a however lurking somewhere)
how many spells do a sorc start with in his grimore?? Can he add more?

Different grimoires have different numbers of spells. Some grimoires might have dozens; others only a few. For a starting sorcerer we recommend 4 spells, but if you use a cult such as one of the sorcery orders found in 'Cults of Glorantha' you might have more spells available to you. It does tend to average around 6 spells, and you can learn more by learning new grimoires from other cults.

4) sorcery
High pow sorc, trying to hit 3 targets at pow range at mag 4 cause there is a sorc amongst them..9 ca later he is done and cast the spell (at that time the others either nod of or lay sprayed in little limbless heaps All around, there was a twohander amongst the group )
I'm thinking of adding pow for faster cast, ie spell cost 9 but adds 4 more now its "only" 5ca..

As Mugen said, casting time is 1 CA + 1 CA for each Manipulation type. So 3 CA in your example.

5) ranged attack
If i read the rules correct, this means that I with my longbow hit at target at 180m as often as one only 20 m away?? Hmm seems a bit odd..

We decided not to reduce he chance to hit for increased range for the sake of keeping the math as simple as possible. But in your game you could make long range targets a -20 or -40 penalty.

6) demi-humans
we love build points, in rq2 not so much, just destribute 80 amongst you stats no 2 for above 15 etc.
And if i try to convert demi-humans jeez the boat totally tips over!!
Anyone have an excellent converter. (the most überrace elf jeez, so precisly why would i play a Human, I know diffrent rp but still

Mugen's advice is sound.

 

[PhilHibbs]

I spent some time negotiating the spell content of a grimoire for a player ni my game. It ended up with quite a lot of spells, but some of them were very closely related, e.g. form/set metal, form/set glass, and animate metal, I didn't really count those as three different and separate spells.

 

[Mexorlon]

just to clarify, pehaps me being thick skulled.

1) the rule for major wound is "just" minus the original hp value of the limb?? Ie it dosent matter if i'm hit 1 time for 14 or 4 times for 14 Dam disregarding any armor.

2) i'm a little confused, Can he or cant he cast lightning strike dedicated times a Day, or is that only possible if its the only spell hé has memorized??
3 dedicated pow, in memory 1 lightning, 2 others. So he can now cast 1 lightning ?? And Them needs to pray at a shrine for it again??

Thx for the Quick and good responces
Mex [/quote]

 

[Grimolde]

just to clarify, pehaps me being thick skulled.

1) the rule for major wound is "just" minus the original hp value of the limb?? Ie it dosent matter if i'm hit 1 time for 14 or 4 times for 14 Dam disregarding any armor.

Was reading this today.

"If a location is reduced to a negative score equal or greater than its starting Hit Points, the character receives a Major Wound."

It's a gradual decline or all in one. Point is, it's 'when' you hit the threshold, you suffer the major wound. How you get there is not important - only that you do.

Least that's how I read it.

 

[Loz]

just to clarify, pehaps me being thick skulled.

1) the rule for major wound is "just" minus the original hp value of the limb?? Ie it dosent matter if i'm hit 1 time for 14 or 4 times for 14 Dam disregarding any armor.

Was reading this today.

"If a location is reduced to a negative score equal or greater than its starting Hit Points, the character receives a Major Wound."

It's a gradual decline or all in one. Point is, it's 'when' you hit the threshold, you suffer the major wound. How you get there is not important - only that you do.

Least that's how I read it.

Yes, this is correct.

2) i'm a little confused, Can he or cant he cast lightning strike dedicated times a Day, or is that only possible if its the only spell hé has memorized??
3 dedicated pow, in memory 1 lightning, 2 others. So he can now cast 1 lightning ?? And Them needs to pray at a shrine for it again??

If he has 3 dedicated POW, 1 Lightning and, say, 2 Heal Wound, he can cast Lightning once and then he must pray to regain it. He can cast Heal Wound twice, but must then pray to regain that spell again. You cannot cast a single spell you have multiple times even if you have lots of dedicated POW. You must have multiple instances of the spell for multiple castings.

 

[andyl]

2) i'm a little confused, Can he or cant he cast lightning strike dedicated times a Day, or is that only possible if its the only spell hé has memorized??
3 dedicated pow, in memory 1 lightning, 2 others. So he can now cast 1 lightning ?? And Them needs to pray at a shrine for it again??

If he has 3 dedicated POW, 1 Lightning and, say, 2 Heal Wound, he can cast Lightning once and then he must pray to regain it. He can cast Heal Wound twice, but must then pray to regain that spell again. You cannot cast a single spell you have multiple times even if you have lots of dedicated POW. You must have multiple instances of the spell for multiple castings.

Yes. What Loz doesn't make clear here (but does in the rules) that regaining a divine spell can only be attempted the day after casting (for initiates) by praying at an appropriate shrine or temple. When you pray for the spell again you can fail (it requires a Pact skill check) and if so you will have to wait another day.

If you are lucky enough to critical the casting of a divine magic spell you do not lose it, and can recast it again without praying.

It is different for differing levels of cult membership. Presumably the god is more favourable to those who have dedicated more POW to him/her.

It is described very well on page 117.

 

[Mexorlon]

Great I think even my thick skull seem to get the concept now!! Will add Houserules, but having rp'ed for 15+ years it is to be expeted!!
Thx for the good and fast replies!!
Mex
(proberly returning with more noob questions as the game goes on)

 

[soltakss]

First off pardon my english!!
I'm just beginning a new group (pehaps) i mrq2.
However we ran into some issues, would like your opinion on.

1) Massive loss of limbs
in our make of humans we got ca 5-6hp in limbs, an attack Will not very often give a major wound in first strike, however hits by 2-hander..auch 2 hits on same location..byebye limb or head!! I consider saying you have to give a major wound in one strike!! Imo not likely that you hit the excact same place twice??

That's how I'd play it. One big blow that takes your arm off is worse than a couple of blows that do the same.

3) sorcery
looks cool however (there is always a however lurking somewhere)
how many spells do a sorc start with in his grimore?? Can he add more?

Sorcerers who belong to a cult or school would have access to the grimoires of that cult or school and those grimoires would be described in the cult/school.

Those that are truly independent would have their own starting grimoires (in Glorantha this would be rare, in the Second Age probably rarer, in other settings perhaps more common) and it is important to know how many spells are in the grimoire. For Living Glorantha, we used 3 spells (I think) and they can be increased by writing new spells into the grimoire.

5) ranged attack
If i read the rules correct, this means that I with my longbow hit at target at 180m as often as one only 20 m away?? Hmm seems a bit odd..

Yes, but it is harder to hit someone who is 200m away. There is an effective range where it is considered that you can hit at that range without any penalties. The alternative is a very complex calculation of penalties/bonuses depending on the actual range against the ideal range. This is simpler.

6) demi-humans
we love build points, in rq2 not so much, just destribute 80 amongst you stats no 2 for above 15 etc.
And if i try to convert demi-humans jeez the boat totally tips over!!
Anyone have an excellent converter. (the most überrace elf jeez, so precisly why would i play a Human, I know diffrent rp but still

OK, non-humans are an issue - RQ rarely has demi-humans (half-elfs, half-trolls do exist but are very unusual).

I don't have a formula, but you have to be flexible. Using 15 as a soft maximum for humans is fine, but for trolls or elves it makes no sense when working on their high characteristics.

Elves are most definitely not an uber-race in Glorantha. Sure, they have high INT and DEX, but they take double damage from iron and are eaten by trolls. They normally worship a few deities and are severely compromised when out of their Great Forests. They follow their Dryads and Forests and could become Rootless or Renegade if they stray too far from their orders.

Mistress Race Trolls, True Mostali and Luathelans are better statwise, but you can't really play a True Mostali, Luathelans are weird and Mistress Race Trolls are so tied to their clans that they are very difficult to play and keep to the spirit of the background.

So, why would you play a human? Because most of the other races have major disadvantages. Elves and trolls are burned by iron, dwarves are in a collective that makes the Borg look individualistic, ducks are silly, centaurs are cool but have baggage, newtlings are wimpy, dragonewts are weird, giants are useless underground, ogres, broos and scorpionmen are chaotic, minotaurs are trouble, satyrs are mistaken for broos, wind children are useless underground but not in the same way as giants and so on.

Play what you want to.

In Second Age Glorantha, you could say "Why would I play anything other that a God Learner because they are so powerful?" Those of use who were brought up on Third Age Glorantha would howl with laughter and point out, with glee, what happens to the God Learners.

Every culture has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the good things about Glorantha in particular, and RuneQuest in general, is that it concentrates more on culture than race/species. So, it's more important that you are a Heortlander than a human, a Sazdorfi rather than a Troll or a Greatway Mostali than a dwarf.

 

[PhilHibbs]

For Living Glorantha, we used 3 spells (I think) and they can be increased by writing new spells into the grimoire.

Loz's last post on the Living Glorantha forum said that LG characters are only using predefined, published grimoires. I guess you had to wing it a bit as you were running the first ever LG game and the number of published grimoires is... limited, I hope your sorceror player doesn't have too hard a time at a later official LG game.

 

[Loz]

Loz's last post on the Living Glorantha forum said that LG characters are only using predefined, published grimoires. I guess you had to wing it a bit as you were running the first ever LG game and the number of published grimoires is... limited, I hope your sorceror player doesn't have too hard a time at a later official LG game.

I did give the LG GMs advanced access to to Cults book so that new players would have full access to God Learner cult grimoires. Not sure how Simon handled things, but the intention was to have access to the full range of spells.

 

[soltakss]

The sorcerer in question was a renegade God Learner who had joined the EWF. He had his own personal Grimoire "The Book of the Flesh" which had Shapechange Human to Dragon, Tap Fear and a couple of others. I may have said 3 spells from memory, but it was more than that.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Loz]

The sorcerer in question was a renegade God Learner who had joined the EWF. He had his own personal Grimoire "The Book of the Flesh" which had Shapechange Human to Dragon, Tap Fear and a couple of others. I may have said 3 spells from memory, but it was more than that.

Sorry for the confusion.

Ah.... I know who you mean. And quite wise in the circumstances!

Don't worry - its unlikely to be an issue for future LG games.