Sample Grimores

[dazzah]

To save time could anyone give a couple of sample Grimores with spells.
The character they are for is Malkioni, however the cults book talks about only the Abiding book.
I want to split the common sorcery spells into grimores with names appropriate to the worship of the invisible god so they make sense but means the character cannot be having all useful common spells at one grimore skill.

 

[Deleriad]

Well there are some Malkioni grimoires in Glorantha II. It's probably reasonable to post a couple of them.

The Malkioni True Church Grimoire contains at least: Cast Back, Damage Resistance, Mystic Vision, Neutralise Magic, Spell Resistance, Spirit Resistance.

Knights of St Volanc (always popular) has a grimoire with Damage Enhancement, Damage Resistance, Enhance (STR), Spell Resistance, Spirit Resistance, Treat Wounds.

A "typical lesser saint in Fronela" is listed as having:
Banish, Cast Back, Enhance (Appropriate Characteristic), Haste, Mystic Vision, Spell Resistance.

I do believe that these are going to be expanded on in Cults of Glorantha but they form a starting point for PCs.

 

[Loz]

T but means the character cannot be having all useful common spells at one grimore skill.

And that's quite important. The Abiding Book is the source of all grimoires but is not used, in itself, as a grimoire. Malkioni grimoires tend to be based on:

What access the originator had to a copy of the Abiding Book - only 13 copies were made and some got damaged...

What additional spells were formulated based on additional AB insights, exploration and extrapolation...

General protectionism between sorcery orders.

It would be a rare sorcerer indeed who had a massive complement of spells considered 'useful' and most will be specific to an order's needs and function. However Cults of Glorantha does provide allied Malkioni cults that will teach their own grimoire to sympathetic orders. Some though, remain isolationist for their own reasons....

 

[simonh]

Some general guidelines for GMs on on creating grimoires would also be useful. For example do they generaly reflect insights into a particular topic such as natural history, warfare, seafaring, etc. Or are they more arbitrary collections of magic accumulated by a saint in their lifetime and so reflective of the particular experiences and teachings of the saint? Or are both possible?

Simon Hibbs

 

[Loz]

Some general guidelines for GMs on on creating grimoires would also be useful. For example do they generaly reflect insights into a particular topic such as natural history, warfare, seafaring, etc. Or are they more arbitrary collections of magic accumulated by a saint in their lifetime and so reflective of the particular experiences and teachings of the saint? Or are both possible?

Simon Hibbs

They tend more towards the former than the latter, although some (like Hrestol) are definitely saintly experiences.

Much depends on the nature of the order. True Malkioni are far more inclined towards function than philosophy, but the 'fringe' orders are the other way around.

 

[dbhoward]

Well, here are two I made up for my own campaign. Non-Gloranthan, if that matters.

The Libram of Spiritual Might: A basic primer on the nature of the spiritual realm. Also teaches Lore (Spirit World) at base %.
Banish, Mystic Vision, Neutralize Magic, Spirit Resistance.

Upon the Abnegation of the Flesh: From a cult that teaches the need to transcend mortal existence; the first steps being to defeat the carnal self. Teaches that the needs of the body are an illusion that can be overcome by the will.
Abjure Food, Damage Resistance, Tap CON, Treat Wounds.

 

[SSWarlock]

One of my favorites comes from the Empire of the Petal Throne game.."The Book of Ebon Bindings".

My RQ version contains spells for the summoning and binding of various nasty spirits and chaos creatures. Really nasty and chaotic, with extremely high POW, incredibly complex summoning rituals, and a known penchant for turning their summoner's commands back on himself.

 

[simonh]

Here are some notes from the Atlantis setting I'm working on.


Lemurian Sorcery
---------------------

All known sorcery is ultimately derived from the lore of the ancient continent of Lemuria, now long lost to a distant sea. Few original examples of Lemurian writing survive, but it's lore has been handed down through the ages and survived in one form or another in various corners of the world. Over the years Atlantean adventurers and traders have brought back a wide variety of documents and artefacts which have accumulated in various royal and private collections.

Sample Lemurian Grimoires

The core of these documents are written in Lemurian script, or some synthesized version of it, annotated and combined with passages in any number of other languages. In addition to magical lore, they also often contain intriguing hints about the nature of Lemurian society, beliefs and practices.

Sorcery (Manual of Slave Management): Hinder, Dominate (Simian*), Sense (Simian*), Palsy, Treat Wounds.

*These spells only affect humans and some higher forms of ape.

Sorcery (Dances of the Celestial Sphere): Animate (Moon Rock), Form/Set (Moon Rock), Mystic Vision, Abjure (Air), Shapechange (Lizard) to (Untranslatable*), Fly.

*When cast on a lizard it turns into an unknown insectoid creature with four body segments, the middle two of which are winged and the hindmost of which glows with a pulsing blue light. The creature begins to smoke and inevitably dies within a few minutes if the spell is not cancelled.

Sorcery (Tome of the Sticky Tongue): Animate (mud), Abjure (Water), Dominate (Fish), Smother, Project (Taste), Shapechange (Toad) to (Fish).

Sorcery (Manual of Corrective Punishments): Dominate (Toad), Dominate (Untranslatable), Diminish (CHA), Tap (Agression).

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

One of my favorites comes from the Empire of the Petal Throne game.."The Book of Ebon Bindings".

My RQ version contains spells for the summoning and binding of various nasty spirits and chaos creatures. Really nasty and chaotic, with extremely high POW, incredibly complex summoning rituals, and a known penchant for turning their summoner's commands back on himself.

Demons in Tékumel (and especially those in 'The Book of Ebon Bindings') are not "Chaotic" chaos creatures... they are merely totally alien, nasty, unpredictable and self-centred. Did I mention nasty?

But "chaotic" (as RQ usually means by the word), no.

 

[SSWarlock]

Demons in Tékumel (and especially those in 'The Book of Ebon Bindings') are not "Chaotic" chaos creatures... they are merely totally alien, nasty, unpredictable and self-centred. Did I mention nasty?

But "chaotic" (as RQ usually means by the word), no.

True but I wanted to add an RQ feel to them. Not that I expected anyone to actually try to summon something on the level of Origob but players have occasionally surprised me with what they consider to be wacky fun.

By the way, DriveThruRPG has some interesting Tekumel-related items for decent prices, if anyone is interested in such.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=tekumel&x=0&y=0&quicksearch=1&search_filter=&filters=&search_free=&search_in_description=1&search_in_author=1&search_in_artist=1

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

'Create a Religion In Your Spare Time for Fun and Profit' is always fun... and a useful read.

 

[vistikos]

Will we see a Brithini Grimoire in CoG?

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

I would like to see such... but I imagine, if it is to see the light of day, it's more likely in 'The Abiding Book' as it's "more western" (although that seems an odd place for it, given the Brithini's attitudes to said volume).

 

[Loz]

Will we see a Brithini Grimoire in CoG?

No.

A true Brithini grimoire would be too much for mortal minds to handle.

 

[vistikos]

Will we see a Brithini Grimoire in CoG?

No.

A true Brithini grimoire would be too much for mortal minds to handle.

Mmmm...

In the sense that both are Prehuman/Inhuman does this rule out the practical use of Brithini as PCs in same way as Dragonewts?

Or is it the concept that personal growth of above PCs is forbidden/constrained?

Thoughts anyone?

 

[andyl]

It is not that they are inhuman (they refer to non-Westerners as animal-men) but they are deeply conservative and immortal, if they don't violate their caste laws. This means they don't go adventuring and try to avoid being tainted by mixing with non-Brithini lest they start getting old and die. Ideally Brithini society is very static and unchanging with little opportunity for independent thought and action. Everyone has their place, and knows what they have to do on a daily basis - for eternity.

Whatever next - will you be wanting to play Vadeli as PCs?

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

Whatever next - will you be wanting to play Vadeli as PCs?

Vadelli can certainly make excellent PCs, although it takes a certain "sort" of player....

Power-politics and machinations amongst the various guilds and axes is a viable trading/intrigue setting.

 

[vistikos]

It is not that they are inhuman (they refer to non-Westerners as animal-men) but they are deeply conservative and immortal, if they don't violate their caste laws. This means they don't go adventuring and try to avoid being tainted by mixing with non-Brithini lest they start getting old and die. Ideally Brithini society is very static and unchanging with little opportunity for independent thought and action. Everyone has their place, and knows what they have to do on a daily basis - for eternity.

Whatever next - will you be wanting to play Vadeli as PCs?

"Come here Little Sister, and let's get dinner started..." YECCCHH!!!

I see no good coming of that Campaign!

On a more palatable note (!) I recall the Great Shaman G.S. referring to the Brithini as "Pre-Human" and Arkat's abandonment of Horali (Holari?) caste strictures as the first of many innovations that "Humanised" him.

Well, in the short term...

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

The Brithini are not "Pre-human" as such, they are "human"... everyone else is lesser. Maybe not totally "sub-human", but lesser.

This was one of the foul-ups that the Vadeli were trying to fix with the 'Great Exploration' (Malkion's Fifth Action)... but Zzabur had to go and foul that up too by refusing to take part!

As they say—never trust a Logical Conservative!

 

[SJE]

I thought you could play Brithini as PC's from the Glorantha 2 book?

It says they 'claim' to be immortal and certainly they dont have many children but couldnt they get by on a sufficient number of Abjure Age spells? As part of the social contract of Brithini society, if you follow your caste and duties to the island well, then you are annually rewarded by staving off age once per year?

SJE