Gems and Bits from Early Dailies:

This is a very personal collection of "Best of Dailies", in an attempt to make those old gems directly available on the web. All Copyrights are for the given date and author, and for Greg Stafford in as much as Glorantha is concerned. Since this is a project not likely to be finished soon, I might add some "Worst of Dailies" as well... Note that e-mail addresses may (will) have changed since when these texts were posted.

The first Daily ever appeared on 27 Jan 93. My own very first contribution (fondly (?) remembered as the first Daily exceeding 30 kByte...) was channeled to the Daily on 10 Feb 93 through a friend's account. Some things have changed since...

From: SPB1@VMS.BRIGHTON.AC.UK (Ghost Dancer, aka Jarec)
Subject: Something overheard
Date: 27 Jan 93 11:54:00 GMT

"In a time of heroes, who will be the heroes' champion?"

To which the other replied

"The heroes' champion is the man who has nothing, not even life."

[Jardrin Goldloom, Issaries Trader 1621 S.T.]

From: SPB1@vms.bton.ac.uk (Ghost Dancer)
Subject: Rumour
Date: 28 Jan 93 11:56:00 GMT

From: SPB1@VMS.BRIGHTON.AC.UK (Ghost Dancer)
Subject: Never Trust a .......
Date: 29 Jan 93 15:29:00 GMT

[Tale overheard in a Tavern, originator unknown]

"Never trust a Yelmalio to be polite, they never lie"

[Old Pavic Saying]

"Never trust a friend you owe money to"

[Old Pavic Saying]

"Never trust a friend who owes you money"

[Old Pavic Saying]

"Never trust a good pub guide written by Trolls"

[Berlitz guide to Troll Realms]

"Never trust a God to grant you Divine Intervention when you need it"

[Last known words of Bren the cynic before he was tragicly struck down by a freak lightning bolt on a clear day, his smoking boots can still be seen on display in the weather bureau Pavis, Pavis 1619 ST]

From: clay@morticia.cnns.unt.edu (Clay Luther)
Subject: Everything Greg Stafford says is wrong.
Date: 8 Feb 93 05:20:01 GMT

After basically forbidding my players to read to unfortunately dull but informative "King of Sartar", I was asked by them "why?"

"Because," I said, "the first sentence in the book spoils everything."

They inquired further.

"Well," I replied, "it's like this. What I have here is a history of the events that are about to occur, starting in about 2 years, relative to yourself. Now, if I assume these events are in fact moderately accurate of at least some of the events that are to occur in those years, then I'd have to say that letting you read this book would spoil the entire sense of future in the game."

"You mean," my quickest player replied, "that events in Glorantha are predestined to occur?"

I nodded slightly, unsure of a proper answer.

"And," continued the player, "our heroes have no real chance to become true Gloranthan heroes and have their names hailed by future generations."

The Sartarite Storm Bull player piped up, "You mean that I cannot even hope to be the hand that destroys the Evil Empire? I was so looking forward to that."

"It's good to want things..." I said lightly, hiding my grimace. "You must realize that destroying the Empire would be a difficult thing to do, let alone doing it single-handedly. I don't think anyone could do that. Even Orlanth, a god, can't do that."

"I bet that Argrath guy mentioned on the cover does it." said another player. "Single-handed, too."

"Yeah, that'd be just like Stafford, the jerk. All the glory goes to his pet heroes, and nothing is left on the plate for us to except slim pickings." said another.

A mutual "bummer" was muttered by my eight players. A silence fell over the group as their prospects of gaining True Gloranthan Heroism sank into their sea of disappointment.

"And I was beginning to like RQ..." said the Storm Bull, "I coulda beena contenda!"

"The One True Path Syndrome! Damn, I hate that in games." said the first player to speak.

I had to do something. Damage control. Something. Things were unravelling faster that Wakboth's Girdle.

"Well," I ventured, "this is a history many hundreds of years hence and it is a rather single-sided opinion."

Silence and glares.

"And, uh, well, I think Stafford is writing a completely contradictory Lunar version of the same history."

"Meaning," began an increasingly angry Storm Bull player (who's personality is remarkably like what I'd imagine a real Storm Bull's to be like) "that there's a non-zero possibility that the Lunar Empire doesn't get destroyed?"

"Um, well, I suppose."

"Well, shit...depressing..."

And mutually again, "Bummer."

This wasn't working.

"Well," I admitted, "in our real history, the Visigoths might have declared the end of Roman Empire to be when they sacked Rome, though I'd think the Romans would say it continued much longer after that."

They seemed to respond favorably to that line of thinking. Maybe I hit upon something.

"And, well, I'll admit that Argrath does, according to this book, have a major impact upon history in the region."

Ooops, I lost them again.

"But!" I hastily added, "This could all be bullshit!" I said thumping the book.

"Eh?" said the Storm Bull looking up.

"Yeah, it could be bullshit, you know. Argrath was some weanie, see. Some greasy spineless asshole who was just lucky enough somehow get his name substituted in the history books as the person who performed these heroic acts."

"But what about the Hero Plane and Gloranthan Myth." piped up the Quick Player. "Wouldn't Argrath leave a 'stamp' in Myth that future heroquesting could use to confirm the actions of Argrath, sort of like Mythic Carbon Dating?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but it sounds reasonable."

"Then that would mean, assuming the historians would try to do such a thing, that they could confirm Argrath's actions."

"Well, maybe, but I don't think so. The book pretty much makes it clear that they are using what'd we consider normal historical research techniques. In fact, I get the opinion that they don't really know how to heroquest, or even believe it could happen. Heroquesting's become Myth."

"Ahhh," savored the Storm Bull player, "then that history could be a pack of lies completely...like reading the Necronomicon in Taylors, 100% bull!"

"Or," I said, "the history could just be wildly inaccurate. Argrath could have been several people. After all, he did live for an extraordinary long time - a few hundred years or so. Why not make Argrath several people making up a single Mythic being that future heroquesters would see and emulate. A macromyth, if you will."

The players thought on this for a moment.

"You mean then," said the Storm Bull player, "that there is a non-zero chance that I could be the Argrath-person who defeats the Lunar empire?"

"Sure," I smiled, "It seems equally possible."

"And I could be the Argrath-person that becomes King of Sartar?" said another player.

"Of course. You could all do something as Argrath-person which later becomes Argrath-Myth."

"Everything Stafford says is wrong then, isn't it?" said the Quick Player.

"Yes."

---
Clay W. Luther                   clay@vortech.com
Also cluther@morticia.cnns.unt.edu

From: clay@cool.vortech.com (Clay Luther)
Subject: Re: Greg is Wrong
Date: 12 Feb 93 06:00:18 GMT

[Thom Baguley:]

A bit unfair. As I understand Stafford has been trying to avoid giving a one-true-path Glorantha. I haven't read KoS but I gather it is meant to be contradictory and inconsistent. I think they are all possible paths that players may shape or take part in.

[Clay does a double-take.]

Unfair? Unfair?

Between you and a previous poster, I see I didn't quite make my point...or more to the point, some people ;) missed the forest because of the trees.

The subject "Everything Stafford Says Is Wrong" is absolutely true, and you yourself already accept that when you say

As I understand Stafford has been trying to avoid giving a one-true-path Glorantha.

EXACTLY!

The whole point of that post was a response to a previous poster (either here or on r.g.f.m) that Glorantha was boring because everything was set in stone by Stafford.

Admittedly, at first glance, this looks to be true, and I was relating my own path of illumination from that very same feeling to the realization that Stafford had, indeed, done the exact opposite, as proven by KoS.

Stafford has been wrong, and has always been wrong, about everything he has ever told anyone, save perhaps Sandy Petersen, about what really happens in Gloranthan myth. But, that's fine. That's the Way It Should Be(tm). What do we care about what really happened? Stafford probably doesn't really know, either. He just has "ideas."

[GOD LEARNER STUFF FOLLOWS - AVERT YOUR EYES OR SUFFER ETERNAL PAIN]

Take Orlanth. Was Orlanth always a God? No, I don't think so. The Orlanthi myth even hints that he wasn't ("When Orlanth was just a Godling, and had no inkling of his powers." paraphrased, KoS, Orlanthi Mythology) Just some person who eventually apotheosized. Just like all the rest of the gods.

Was there really a GodTime? No, probably not. Did Orlanth really kill the Yelm? Probably not...though perhaps for several years Glorantha fell into near-synchronous orbit with another planet(oid) and the sun was eclipsed. It couldn't last too long, though, becase everything would die. Maybe a decade.

But what about the Block? The Spike had to explode to land on the Devil, right? No. Pure luck. Some big planetoid (perhaps even the one that was eclipsing Glorantha (or maybe just Dragon Pass) finally fell to earth. Maybe it's radioactive. Maybe it's a Rama-like alien spaceship.

But Prax was once a garden, now its wasteland, explain that! The water table was drained away by a crack in the crust formed when the Block crashed into the earth. No ground water, no life.

[END OF GOD LEARNER SECTION]

So, the next time your players complain about Glorantha being stale or immobile or immutable, CITE the mantra:

"Everything Stafford says is wrong."

If it doesn't illuminate you, at the very least it will pacify your players.

---
Clay W. Luther                clay@cool.vortech.com

From: MILLERL@WILMA.WHARTON.UPENN.EDU (Loren J. Miller)
Subject: RQ character generator
Date: 14 Feb 93 04:20:00 GMT

RUMOR: The once efficient Sor-eel's twin grand-daughters were stolen by Pentian bandits twelve years ago, and he has been extorted by them ever since. This has made him into a drunk and a hazia addict.

RUMOR: Prince Argrath's companion, Rakim, was arrested by the Lunars for smuggling Hazia into Tarsh. He was caught by drug-sniffing Telmori at the gates to Bagnot.

whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller                        internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu

From: peterw@computer-science.manchester.ac.uk (Peter Wake)
Subject: Re: The Sunday RuneQuest Daily, 14 Feb 1993
Date: 15 Feb 93 14:46:40 GMT

My personal (God Learneresque) theory is that Orlanth is Argrath. Here's what I think happened... Orlanth sees that the Red Goddess is cheating and sidestepping Time by being part of it so he does a stormy unpredictable thing. He decides to sidestep the compromise too. He disguises himself as Argrath and breaks the compromise. This is not so crazy - we read about Waha being involved in fights and stuff apparantly during time - and he too is 'just some guy'.

Thus Orlanth mucks up time and they have to remake it - even stronger. Thus the battle with the devil at the end.

Also Orlanth is known for his mastery of Dragons, so check out Argrath, he has every attribute of Orlanth. No wonder Argrath is such a neat heroquester. No wonder nobody can work out who his parents are. No wonder he can work the banner of the EWF. No wonder he can defeat all those Lunar demons in battle.

Argrath's defeat of the devil is what Orlanth has always been waiting for, he missed the fight during the lightbringer's quest and his brother fought the devil instead, but Orlanth knew all along that it should have been him because he was to blame for it all by killing Yelm, and also for letting Genert and his army be destroyed.

Well that's not how it is in my campaign, but I might use it another time. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's what G.S. is thinking more or less - but who can say? Who can say?

--
Peter Wake

From: STEVEG@ARC.UG.EDS.COM (Entropy needs no maintenance)
Subject: Running hard to catch up...
Date: 15 Feb 93 02:49:09 GMT

[...]

Horses

I don't recall this (the implication being that the restrictions are primarily social rather than myth-ecological); but it certainly seems a reasonable extension at first sight, provided you restrict the Pol Joni folk in the marchlands between Sartar and Prax (who are horse riding, cattle herding folk) to the areas beyond the GodTime boundary of Prax (the edge of the chaparral country where Oakfed had eaten the trees).

The necessary side effect is that, apart from those cheating Morokanth, none of the other sentient races(*) - ducks, dwarves, elves, trolls - should be able to derive sustenance from Prax either. Presumably Pavis' victory over Waha grants an exception for the city of Pavis (as defined by the area in which is cult has power), thus allowing the various denizens of the Rubble who would otherwise have been starved out.

The thing that crocks an otherwise nice idea is the effect on wildlife - birds, small mammals (the sort of things that are part of the desert scenery, as well as the things that old-time RQ2ers like myself are accustomed to being used for binding spirits into) also fall outside the Waha list of beasts (at least as I interpret it the participants are those beasts herded by the various tribes).

(*) I am prepared to expect dragonewts to be an exception to any general rule.

[...]

Sidestepping predestination

Comparing and contrasting Glorantha and the "official history" thereof, with another privately created world of similar long standing, and stature as an "official campaign world" for a published RPG (though lacking the mythic quality), with its own imposed history leads me to propose two ways of handling the dilemma posed by wanting to do your own thing and at the same time following the official material through significant historical events with widespread repurcussions. (Out of deference to those displaying delicate sensibilities, I refrain from mentioning specifics or drawing explicit parallels.)

1) Accept it and stay close to the action -

Make Argrath the NPC about whom the characters gathered; but in your world he might be little more than a figurehead when the time came for the overthrow of the Lunar yoke - convenient because of his ancestry as a token in the power game, and in whose name the actions of the characters might be remembered - and in whose name the characters might act after his safe installation on the throne.

In fact, the need to keep Argrath safe until he can be kicked upstairs into the kingship provides a neat game-mechanical way to keep the PCs in the limelight : Argrath is too valuable to take troll-hunting (or whatever), stays at home, gathers skills & POW more slowly than his entourage - perhaps doesn't ever heroquest, lacking the level of abilities required.

2) The Hero Wars are someone else's problem (though they may trigger other troubles)

How might we apply this tack to the Hero Wars?  Well, we can interpret some of the material from _King of Sartar_ quite narrowly, as referring to local (Pelorian and/or Manirian at broadest extent) disruptions - if Dragon Pass could remain shunned for centuries after the Dragonkill, so a larger area, centred on Dragon Pass might be after the fall of the Lunar Empire.  All the chroniclers named in KoS might well be from a small, isolated (perhaps by magical? Lunar? "fallout"(*)) pocket of civilsation in these shunned lands, the Illiteracy merely a local breakdown.

In this view of things, we follow the history of some other part of the world, to which the fall of some distant empire across the mountains is but a herald's rumour (**); and the passing of Argrath's entourage on his westfaring a significant episode - the characters interacting with this when their paths happen to require interaction with Lightbringer myth.  There would be other mundane effects from the movement of peoples and armies in Dragon Pass that would affect the campaign area, but the focus might be any one of the other Hero Wars period events discussed in the Glorantha/Genertela box, and which would be regarded by the peoples of that area as the _real_ Hero Wars.

(*) Lunar fallout - given the chaos taint of the Red moon, if great chunks of this material (and many smaller fragments) fell to Earth, the effects of the bombardment might well resemble that of saturation nuclear warfare, at least locally (to which the 1950s-SF style of mutant can be added, by virtue of chaotic emanations.

(**) Spot the motivation for looking at other parts of the world than the distressingly uncivilised areas of Prax and Sartar, on which there has been altogether too much emphasis.

From: pvanheus@frodo.cs.uct.ac.za (P A van Heusden)
Subject: New Sorcery system for RuneQuest (Ars Magica based)
Date: 17 Feb 93 08:51:09 GMT

The following is the new system we are going to use for sorcery.

A new magic system for RQ3

This system is intended to replace sorcery.

Magic is known as the Art, and is governed by Laws (which we will not go into here). The operations of this Art are discussed below.

The Art consists of the Five Techniques (The Five-fold ways), and the 8 greater and 5 lesser forms of being.

The Techniques are:

• Create/Destroy
• Form/Transform
• Sense/Mask
• Summon/Abjure
• Bind/Unbind

The Forms are divided into 2 greater and 1 lesser school.

In the school of the Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water

In the school of Nature:

• Animal, - The essence of animate motion
• Plant, - The essence of live
• Matter, - The essence of being
• Spirit - The essence of will

In the lesser school of the Senses: Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell, Taste

Each school is named after the field of study that first isolated the school's forms. Thus:

For the Elements: Alchemy
For Nature: Witchcraft
For the Senses: Illusioncraft

Note:
In our world, based on Earth, the following Laws hold true. (These are a subset of common real world 'laws of magic', found to be common to many cultures.

1) The spell has 3 parts: Thought, Word and Deed. (Mantra, Mudra, Mandala), or the Will and knowledge of the spell, the Word of Power to shape the spell, and the Shape (symbols, diagrams or movements/gestures) to direct the spell.

2) Law of Similarity - "Like produces Like"

3) Law of Contagion - "Once together, always together"

4) Law of Disjunction - "Iron is death" - Good 'ol anti-magickal iron :)

A spell may be cast in two ways: Spontaneously, or from a Formula.

Spontaneous Magic

Spontaneous magic is the caster's use of his knowledge of the Art and the Laws to cast a spell 'off the cuff'. It takes the syntax 'Technique + Form' with the mage's percent skill in the technique being multiplied by his skill in the form to give a base percentile chance of success. To this is added the mage's magical skills bonus, and penalties and bonuses for other factors, ie. conditions, materials, etc. As per Sorcery, the spell's success chance is the lowest of his chance at the spell or any magical skills used. (ie. intensity, range, etc) (Free INT is replaced by the system designed, I think, by Andrew Bell, where each point of magical skill drops the chance in that skill by 5%).

Finally, after all this has been calculated, the spell is cast. As per Sorcery, it takes MP cost strike ranks to cast as spell. If the spell fails, the spell misbehaves, with effects up to the DM (a spell failure chart is included). If the spell fumbles, the magic points dissipate. In the case of a success, the caster gets spell gain rolls in the skill which constituted the lowest chance of success in the spell (ie. a spell skill, eg. intensity, or if the lowest chance was the chance to cast the spell, skill gain rolls are made for all techniques and forms used.). If a critical success is rolled, all skills used in casting the spell get a skill gain roll, and the caster can try and make a formula spell from the spell cast.

Magic Point cost is up to the DM. Suggested is 1 MP for a moderate effect eg. lighting a fire uses Create and Fire, costing 1 MP. This allows the casting of minor spells using fractional MPs. (Discussed later.)

Formal Magic

The magic most of the world knows is the elaborate recitation of formulae, from memory or from a magical tome. This is called Formal Magic, and is a more structured and more certain version of magic than Spontaneous Magic.

The spell formula tightly defines the limits of a spell, and whilst that spell can still be altered using magical manipulation skills, its form must stay the same. Thus, one could have a spell called Create Fire, and use this to create a Fireball by pumping in lots of intensity, and this is the preferred way of creating Fireballs, or one could do the same using Spontaneous Magic (a rather insane thing to do). However, one cannot use Create Fire (the formula spell) to create a wall of fire, since fire doesn't naturally expand into walls.

The system of casting formulaic spells is similar to the current Sorcery system. (And all Sorcery spells are maintained as formulaic spells, at the DM's discretion) The chance to cast is the lowest of the magical skills and the chance to cast the spell (magical skills handled as per spontaneous magic). If the roll fails, the magic points dissipate. If a critical failure is rolled, the spell goes out of control. In the case of success, a spell gain roll for the spell or the magical skill (whichever is lower) is gained. In all cases, the spell gain roll for the skill is rolled as if the skill were at normal player level (since the player will only get to process this knowledge when he is calm and collected, not on the spur of the moment when the skill was lower). Any notes on the skills learnt during casting take 10 minutes per added % to write down. If the notes are not written down within a day or so after the skill was learnt, the experience is lost. If the notes on a particular spell are lost, and the spell is not in the magician's memory, the caster must write down the spell again, as if creating it, and his chance to cast is 1/2 of what it was previously.

Not any formulaic spell may be cast, the spell must reside in memory (or be available for easy reference eg. on a scroll or in a book). Each spell that the Magician memorises lowers the chance of casting other formulaic spells by 5%. No more spells than the Magician has INT may be memorized, and it takes 1 hr per minimum MP of spell to memorise a spell. It takes 1 minute per minimum MP of spell to forget the spell.

Formula Spell Acquisition and Usage

A new and unique spell can be created when a Magician casts a Spontaneous Spell and gets a critical success. This process takes 1 hr per MP used in the minimum casting of the spell. (Some spells cannot be cast below a number of MPs greater than 1) Suitable materials and conditions are also needed. This process must take place immediately after the spell is cast. (So, casting spells for research makes sense.) The resulting spell can be used by the mage, and the resulting base chance of casting is the same as if the spell was cast spontaneously without any magical skills being involved. (Ie. Technique * Form + Magic Skill bonus)

Using Other's Formulae

A spell formula is not a simple analytical text, such as eg. a chemical formula is. It can best be compared to a poem, or a work of art - something where the meaning is not entirely contained in the symbols on the page, but rather in their application and action. Thus, understanding and using another magician's formula is a difficult task.

One can cast another's formulae directly from their spellbook or scroll (or a GOOD copy thereof), but the initial skill is only 1d6% + magical skill bonus. Success doesn't bring increased skill, and while the formula can be copied, it cannot be memorized. Critical success is required to 'understand' the spell, ie. the caster gets a 1d6% chance of casting the spell, can memorise it, and improve it, as if it were his own.

An exception to this requirement for critical success is the magical bond between Master and Apprentice. This bond allows the master to convey his understanding of a formulae to the student with a increased chance of success. Indeed, the spell of bonding is a variation of Form Spirit, since the Apprentice's mind is formed into a similar cognitive alignment as the Master's. This explains the close similarity of Magi of any particular school of magic. The teaching requires 1-6 hrs of teaching, and an INT check. The Apprentice gains the 1d6% casting chance, and the chance to memorise and improve the spell. This magical teaching is similar to that undergone when a supernatural being (eg. a spell spirit) 'teaches' the mage a spell - this is why a POW sacrifice is normally needed.

Another approach to the use of another's formula is to use it as a guideline in creating your own spontaneous spell. 10 minutes study of a formula, and having it open in front of the caster trying to replicate its effects, will give a +25% bonus to the casting of the spontaneous spell. Of course, critical success is needed for the caster to write his own version of the spell, as usual. Having the original creator of the spell to instruct the caster in creating the new spontaneous spell gives an additional +25% chance.

Spontaneous Spells and Visualisation

A spontaneous spell is an imposition of the caster's Will upon the World (the process envisioned is rather like Crowley's). Thus, the more specific and clearly focussed the Will, the tighter controlled and more exact the spell effect. In game terms, the player describes to the DM what he is trying to do, and how he visualises this taking effect. The DM estimate the required power, by comparison with other spells, and the describes what actually occurs (of course depending on the rolls). Note that more subtle spells are harder to visualise, and thus more difficult and time consuming.

Losing Control

Critical failure of formula spells, and normal failure of spontaneous spells, causes a loss of control of the spell. The amount failed by, and the power used in the spell modify the mishap roll.

Here is a table of effects [entirely optional]. As always, the DMs word is final.

Roll percentile, add MPs used, and subtract caster's magical skill bonus [option: add amount failed by]

01-05     spell delayed 1-6 strike ranks
06-10     spell works but requires 1 more MP
11-20     spell appears to work, but actually just uses the MPs to no effect
21-50     MP's used, nothing happens
51-75     spell takes effect, but the targeting fails. Choose random target
76-90     spell works correctly, but requires double MPs
91-95     spell reverses effect (if possible)
96-98     spell internalised, could be nasty
99           spell behaves bizzarely, DM can be creative.... :)
100+       spell forgotten, or spell text destroyed. MPs used, no effect (if
spontaneous spell, see 99)

Magical Rituals

Most Rituals work by normal RQIII system. Enchantment rituals fall away till we have a useful enchantment system in place.

Summoning rituals follow the rule that it is easiest to summon the more concrete things. So, the easiest to summon are the Natural Forms: (Animal, Plant, Matter, Spirit), the next easiests the Elements (Air, Water, Earth, Fire), and everything in DM designated order after that. The exception to the rule are demons. They are easy to summon (they want to come) but difficult to control.

Also, note: Magic does not work on iron in our world (-75% modifier), and both gold and lead have -50% modifiers. Silver, on the other hand, is helpful in the working of magic, with a +10% modifier, and copper has a +5% modifier. All other metals are neutral. Of course, this will have no relation to Glorantha.

Fractional Magic Points and Minor Magics

Magic Points can be broken down into 10ths, for minor magical effects. These small magics (cantrips) are easy to perform, and less prone to uncontrollability. They are often taught to Apprentices to ease their chores and practice their skills. Both formula and spontaneous magics are possible, using from 1/10th to 9/10ths of a MP. The success chance equals the normal success chance of the spell multiplied by 1/(the fractional MP cost). Also note that fractional MPs will be regained rapidly, so such minor magics can be used freely. Useful application include Create Fire to light candles, requiring 2/10ths of a MP to light 1 candle, and Abjure Earth, requiring 1/10th of a MP to remove 1/10 of a SIZ of dirt from clothes, etc. Power increases rapidly, eg. 1MP of Abjure Earth could remove 1 SIZ of stone.

Minor magics take 1 strike rank to cast, and only 1 per strike rank can be cast. Magical skills cannot be used in conjunction with such cantrips.

Fractional magic points are also used if a mage doesn't have enough power for the spell attempted. A spell will always consume its full number of magic points if the mage has them, but failing that it will 1) attempt to use hits instead (make a POWx5 check, failure means 1HP = 1MP - check seperately for each HP) or, if the initial POW check is successful, fractional MPs will be used, resulting in an unstable spell. Multiply the success chance of the spell by the % of MPs needed available, ie. if 90% of the MPs were available, multiply by 90%.

This can be dangerous when forced to cast spontaneous magic at low levels of power. Many a magician has died by overexerting his powers. [Also note that for each MP spent, a Fatigue Point (or Wind Point if you use Paul Heinz's system from the RuneQuest Digest Vol 6 no 4) is spent.]

Conclusion

Well, that's all folks. The above is a mishmash of a system written by Andrew Sturman (asturman@casper.cs.uct.ac.za) for his Byzantine campaign (which is now going to be run in Ars Magica), which I modified into a magic system I'm going to try using this week for a demo game. I'll report how it worked in practice then. Any comments to me at pvanheus@frodo.cs.uct.ac.za or to the Daily Digest. I also have available a list of most RQIII sorcery spells converted into this system, email me for a copy.

Peter van Heusden

From: tzunder@cix.compulink.co.uk (Tom Zunder)
Subject: Karse
Date: 18 Feb 93 22:35:00 GMT