From: owner-rq-rules-digest To: rq-rules-digest@hops.wharton.upenn.edu Subject: RQ Rules Digest: V3 #89 Reply-To: rq-rules Errors-To: owner-rq-rules-digest Precedence: bulk Content-Return: Prohibited Return-Path: owner-rq-rules-digest RQ Rules Digest: Tuesday, 15 October 1996 Volume 03 : Number 089 TABLE OF CONTENTS Aden Steinke Slash/Crush/Impale Alain RAMEAU Transform spells Robert Baumgartner Permanent loss of characteristics Janne Repo Transform spells David Weihe Training POW John Neilson Training POW Delecti@aol.com Training POW Brad Stradley Permanent loss of characteristics RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to add "Yeah, I agree" or "No, I disagree." Or be excoriated. If someone writes something good and you want to say "good show" please do. But don't include the whole message you praise. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. 3. Learn the art of paraphrasing: Don't just quote and comment on a point-by-point basis. When paraphrasing you demonstrate exactly how well you understand the point someone was trying to make. 4. There is no number 4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Aden Steinke" Date: 15 Oct 1996 15:18:43 +1000 Subject: Slash/Crush/Impale Hi All In response to an unknown person saying >However, there's a crucial difference between slashing and chopping. A >great axe would easily sever a limb. A really sharp scimitar, probably NOT >so easy. I have a great deal of experience in cutting stuff up (no, not >people, but i had the unfortunate experience of working in a rendering plant >for a summer -uck!) and it would be REALLY HARD to just 'swipe off a limb' >as the rules present, with anything BUT a really heavy edged weapon. And >really, it's NOT the sharpness of the edge, it is very much the speed of >swing & weight of weapon (the weight keeps the weapon 'on course' - the body >is really pretty tough, all those bones & stuff). Frederic J-M Moulin opined that :While I agree 100% with the above statement ( It actually reminded me of the :infamous discussion of the Katana cutting through an entire torso from :shoulder to hip: Please Japan fans don't start it again...), I would take :issue with the following statement To which I must comment that on a person limbs, in particular arms, are not that massive. While the great bones of the femur present a fairly formidable obstacle to a sword, the other bones do not. If the swiping off of a limb can be anywhere from wrist to shoulder, or from groin to ankle, there is nothing that would stop a broadsword or scimitar from swiping through the limb on a good stroke (which is required, especially against an armoured opponent) though the relative lightness of a scimitar would make it difficult to plow through large masses of flesh/bone. And yes, a katana can cut through a torso, as could the much blunter european long sword, there is at least one known body almost hemisected by a norman sword, both weapons, especially when used with two hands, generate significant cutting power, and have relatively long cutting arcs to draw through the target. Indeed with the japanese sword the kesa cut is specifically that, a cut through the opponent from the shoulder/neck diagonally through the body following the line of the robe. Aden Steinke ------------------------------ From: Alain_RAMEAU@total.fr (Alain RAMEAU) Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 08:08:48 +0200 Subject: Transform spells I need advices on how to play the transform spells with regard to armoured character. How is the armor/clothes affected by the spells. If I can accept that clothes are not too much affected by a transform head or the like, I have difficulties to say that the plate armor of the character automatically adapt itself to a transform body from Gorakiki for example, where additional insect arms sprout. Are there official rules, and how do you play this case ? Thank you. Alain. ------------------------------ From: Robert Baumgartner Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 14:06:55 +0200 Subject: Permanent loss of characteristics I have some questions concerning characteristics: My interpretation of the aging rules is that if a character loses characteristics from aging that this doesn't only influence his current value but also his original value. Cause if it only influences the current value one could stop aging with lot of training of characteristics (it would take much time, but it would be possible). I also treat the loss of characteristics from being dead one day as permanent, i.e. influencing the current and the original value of the characteristics. With this characters can slow down the aging process, but the can't stop it - some day the characteristic * 1.5 will be zero. And as far as I understood no spell (except immortality spell) can restore or stop the above mentioned losses of characteristics. Am I right upon these interpretations? Another question somehow related to this topic is the training of characteristics: If someone trains a characteristic, like strength, will he lose the points sometimes when he doesn't regulary spend some time on keeping this strength (but still does lot of activities like adventuring)? thx for help, Robert ------------------------------ From: Janne Repo Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 15:40:46 +0300 (GMT+0300) Subject: Re: Transform spells On Tue, 15 Oct 1996, Alain RAMEAU wrote: > I need advices on how to play the transform spells with regard to > armoured character. > How is the armor/clothes affected by the spells. If I can accept that > clothes are not too much affected by a transform head or the like, I > have difficulties to say that the plate armor of the character > automatically adapt itself to a transform body from Gorakiki for > example, where additional insect arms sprout. > Are there official rules, and how do you play this case ? Thank you. > > Alain. Transform spells do not affect clothes and/or armor. That may also cause some difficult situations with those extra arms(unless they understand to take all armor off). I have not seen any official rules. Umm, would make 'em suffer (getting extra arms while wearing plate armor should make you feel unconfortable(some little damage to the arms, maybe?)). But I am a nasty person. J RRR J R R J J RRR JJJ R R ------------------------------ From: David Weihe Date: Tue, 15 Oct 96 10:38:53 EDT Subject: Re: Training POW > One of the PCs in the game I'm in recently had his POW nuked down > to 3 by a Divine Intervention. Obviously, his prospects for future > survival aren't good. Several of us considered the options, and I think > that I've come up with something interesting -- or at least amusing. > Okay. I'll buy that. But what if a character's *friends* go to a > shaman, and hire him/her to send a weak spirit to attack the PC? As far as > the character would know, it would be a genuine crisis. As long as you can trust the shaman with your friend's soul, and as long as you can trust the *shaman's spirit* with your friend's soul, it should work. As you can tell, I wouldn't. The temptation to the spirit is probably too high. I would say that your friend should go on some hunting expeditions against low-power animals (rubble runners would be good), and try disrupting them. Have someone there to catch him when he goes unconscious from low MP, to be safe. Eventually he will successfully cast the disrupt and it will overcome the rubble runner's POW, and then he will get a point or two more with which to work. After his power is up to something like 5 or 6 he can take care of himself well enough that he doesn't need nursemaids, anymore. We never had a player who was willing to try this, as the PC is rather helpless until the POW does rise a bit, and it can be rather tedious to be so focussed on one problem, so they just NPC'ed them, instead. Lousy rollplaying, but better than losing the player to that *other* game. ------------------------------ From: John Neilson Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:54:06 +0100 Subject: Re: Training POW I don't think that any character should be trying any covert method of increasing their POW after a heavy hit of div int. My character has been very unfortunate in the fact that he has had to call upon his god twice for div int. Thankfully, the gods smiled upon me and my character has lived well for the past three months - even with a POW of 3. It does mean that I am more prone to magical attacks - our party have taken this into account and we have adapted. You must remember that RuneQuest is ROLEplaying not ROLLplaying. ------------------------------ From: Delecti@aol.com Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 14:47:40 -0400 Subject: Re: Training POW John Neilson writes: << I don't think that any character should be trying any covert method of increasing their POW after a heavy hit of div int.>> and <> But in a world where people cast magic using energy based on the strength of their soul/spirit, they have learned to "train" POW like any other characteristic. It is expensive (most likely serving the shaman/priest/soecerer who "trains" you) and difficult/dangerous (you are dealing with the soul here). For example: Morgan has gotten Ghostwynd the shaman to help him strengthen his soul after a bout with a bit of soul waste. Ghostwynd has arranged for a ghost of a farmer to attack Morgan, and made the deal if the farmer wins, he gets to help his family on the farm the rest of the season. During the attack Morgan does gain a chance for POW increase, but loses and will have to lose the remainder of the season. << It does mean that I am more prone to magical attacks - our party have taken this into account and we have adapted.>> With teamwork it should be less of a problem (i.e. someone casts Countermagic on the poor PC in while in combat) Aloha, Scott Knowles aka Delecti@aol.com Try my Upland Marsh pages at: http://members.aol.com/delecti/UpMarsh.html A collection of stories, cults, scenarios, and magic rules. ------------------------------ From: Brad Stradley Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 17:11:04 -0700 Subject: Re: Permanent loss of characteristics Robert Baumgartner wrote: > > I have some questions concerning characteristics: My interpretation of the > aging rules is that if a character loses characteristics from aging that this > doesn't only influence his current value but also his original value. Cause > if it only influences the current value one could stop aging with lot of > training of characteristics (it would take much time, but it would be possible). > I also treat the loss of characteristics from being dead one day as permanent, > i.e. influencing the current and the original value of the characteristics. > > With this characters can slow down the aging process, but the can't stop it - > some day the characteristic * 1.5 will be zero. > > And as far as I understood no spell (except immortality spell) can restore or > stop the above mentioned losses of characteristics. > > Am I right upon these interpretations? > > Another question somehow related to this topic is the training of > characteristics: If someone trains a characteristic, like strength, will he > lose the points sometimes when he doesn't regulary spend some time on > keeping this strength (but still does lot of activities like adventuring)? > > thx for help, > Robert Realistically, one could thwart such things by exercise. One could even thwart the effects of senility by continued learning. In this instance it has been discovered that learning actually stimulates the growth of neurons. Aristotle was more right than he knew. Learning is truely the reassociation of prior knowledge. These are both based on recent studies. So, one could miss a day and be allright. But a regular habit must be maintained for one to have these benefits. As far as the rules go, I gracefully boe to those of greater knowledge of RQ. Brad ------------------------------ End of RQ Rules Digest: V3 #89 ****************************** This is the bottom of the RuneQuest Rules Digest. RuneQuest is a trademark of Avalon Hill, and Glorantha is a trademark of Chaosium. 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