Rat's Nest 1/ratsnest1.iso/incoming/rqkamaa.arj/RQ_SORCE

Text File | 1995-01-28 | 56KB | 1,259 lines

15797: Variant RuneQuest sorcery system
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From: [e-mail] (Michael Derry)
Subject:  Variant RuneQuest sorcery system
Keywords:  RuneQuest Glorantha RQ

I've worked up a variant sorcery system for my RuneQuest game, and decided I'd
done enough on it to post it.  I'd appreciate any comments anyone has,
especially any suggestions for improvements.  I've currently got 72 spells and
expect to write about 70 or so more before I start playtesting it.  My
campaign will be set in Dragon Pass, with the players living in Black Horse
Country under Sir Ethilrist.  The game is RuneQuest 3;  I'll probably start
people with 8-10 years of previous experience.

I'd also like to hear from anyone who's run a Gloranthan game which involved
Sir Ethilrist.  Anyway, here goes.  Please excuse any formatting errors; I
originally did this in MS Word on the Mac and had a hell of a time fixing
things in VI on my UNIX system.

Rune-Based Sorcery for RuneQuest

copyright (c) 1991 by Ken McKinney

Rune Based Sorcery is a variant set of sorcery rules for the RuneQuest fantasy
roleplaying game.  It is intended to completely replace the RuneQuest 3 sorcery
rules, but does not affect the mechanics of the other magic systems.

Rune Based Sorcery is inspired by the current crop of "advanced" magic systems
in games like Ars Magica and Torg.  When designing this system I set the
following goals:

1.    Sorcerers should be encouraged to specialize, as this will distinguish
        them from each other and make for more interesting characters.  They
    should be able to cast more powerful spells more easily in an area
    of expertise.

2.    Spontaneous magic (i.e. spells made up on the fly) should be possible,
        though often only at great personal risk.

3.    Rare and mystical ingredients should aid in both the casting of spells
        and the creation of magical artifacts.

4.    The existing hierarchy among sorcerers (student,apprentice,adept,magus)
    should be kept.  There should be a new set of criteria for admission
        to each category.

5.    There should be new rules for familiars, as well as  innate magical
        shielding and magical dueling rules.

Rune Based Sorcery

Each rune in the Gloranthan cosmology is designated as either an
empowering rune or a form rune.  Empowering runes are like verbs.  They
define an action which your spell performs.  Likewise form runes are like
nouns, and define the recipient or scope of your action.  Each combination of
empowering runes and  form runes defines a unique category of spells, and
every spell fits into exactly one category.

The Runic Skills

Each Rune in Glorantha has an associated sorcery skill.  The Runes which
sorcerers have learned to use are listed below.  All runic skills are magic
skills with a base percentage of 00%, and can only be increased through
training or research.

Manipulation Runes

These runes facilitate the manipulation of a spell's strength, duration, or
range.
They replace the skills of intensity, duration, and range.  Manipulating a spell
using the Chaos rune taints one with Chaos, so most sorcerers prefer to use
the Law rune.  Law and Chaos cannot be combined when manipulating spells;
one must use one or the other.  Some spells can only be cast using the chaos
rune;  these are spells which introduce chaos into Glorantha.

Manipulation runes can increase the affect of a spell;  this is specific to each
spell and is included in the spell description.  The duration and range of a
 spell
can also be increased, at a cost of 2 Law/Chaos pointsper step.  Duration and
range increase according to the following progression.

Duration:   There are 9 duration steps.  The first step is free on all spells.  The
cost to increase duration by additional increments varies by spell.
    10 minutes
    30 minutes
    1 hour
    until Yelm rises or Sets
    until Godday
    until Truth week
    until Sacred Time
    until Caster's Death
    Forever

Range:  Range cost  is fixed.
0    10 meters
2    50 meters
4    100 meters
6    500 meters
8     1 kilometer
10    5 kilometers
12    10 kilometers
14    50 kilometers
16    100 kilometers
18    500 kilometers
20    1000 kilometers
22    Anywhere in Glorantha

LAW
The Law rune is invoked by sorcerers who wish to manipulate their spells
without violating the laws of Glorantha or the tenets of the Invisible God.
Since Law is the underpinning of sorcery it can be used to augment or extend
the effect of sorcery spells.  Each point of Law can increase a spells range or
duration by one step, or increase its effect as specified in the spell description.

A sorcerer may put as many points of Law into a spell as his Law percentage
divided by 5.

CHAOS
The Chaos rune can be used to augment or extend the effect of a sorcery spell
through the warping effect of Chaos.  Since Chaos can violate the physical
laws of Glorantha, more powerful spell manipulations are possible than with
Law.  A sorcerer may put as many points of Chaos into a spell as twice his
Chaos percentage divided by 5.  However, use of Chaos is not without its
price.  If a spell manipulated with Chaos is not successfully cast for any
reason, the caster must roll on the Spell Fumble Table.  In addition, using the
Chaos rune to manipulate a spell permanently taints the caster with Chaos.

Example:  Sliggoth the Necromancer, a broo sorcerer, has Chaos at 40%.  He
can put 16 points of Chaos into the spell (40/5  times 2), but must roll on the
spell fumble chart if he misses his roll.  Note that a 96-00 is always a miss, so
casting spells using the chaos rune is inherently dangerous.

Some spells also use Chaos as a form rune.

Empowering Runes

These runes define what a spell does.  For example, a spell which creates
something out of nothing and then causes that thing to do something it would
not normally do requires the Infinity rune (for creation) and the Mastery rune
(for control).  The effects of the various empowering runes are listed below.

INFINITY
The Infinity rune  allows the creation of something out of nothing.  Spells
which bring objects or elements into being from nothingness use this rune.

DEATH
The Rune of Destruction.  Spells which wound or kill directly use this spell.
The target of the spell doesn't have to be living for the rune to apply;  a spell
which caused a stone wall to crumble to dust would use Death and Earth.
Conversely, a spell can kill without invoking Death.  For example, a FireBolt
spell  Mastery (to direct the bolt to a target), and Fire (the Form to be
manipulated).  While death might be the result of the spell,  it would be a
secondary effect.  As far as the spell is concerned, fire is being manipulated,
and could just as easily be shot into a pond as directed towards a living target.

MASTERY
The Rune of Control.  Spells which inhibit free will or cause an element to do
something complicated or unnatural use the Mastery rune.  A spell which let
the caster direct the movements of a Troll like a marionette would use the
Mastery rune, as well as the Man and Darkness runes (Trolls are tied to both
the Man rune and the Darkness rune).  A spell which called down
Thunderbolts from stormclouds would use Mastery and Air.   Spells which
use Mastery cannot bring something new into existence;  there is no single
spell which, for example, summons up a ball of fire and hurls it at an enemy.
A mage with no fire source would have to use an Infinity spell to create the
fire, and then use a Mastery spell to direct it.

TRUTH
The Truth rune allows the perception of things.  A spell which detected magic
would use Truth and Magic.  A spell which allowed one to see in darkness
would use the Truth and Darkness runes.  Note that the Truth rune will not
create information out of thin air;  you cannot design a spell to tell you the
answer to a question that no one knows.  Even the gods are limited to what
they can perceive.

ILLUSION
The Illusion rune allows the user to alter or inhibit the perception of things.
For  example,  a spell which made all of a person's speech incomprehensible
would use the Illusion rune and the Man rune.  Illusion can also be used to
change the appearance of something.  A man could be made to look like a
troll, or a cow could be turned orange.  Note that sorcery illusions, unlike
divine magic illusions, aren't real or substantial, and cannot directly affect
things in the real world.  You can't be harmed by an illusory sword or fireball,
but you might be tricked into walking over an illusory bridge.  You can cause
a person to experience illusory pain which may temporarily incapacitate them,
but they take no damage.  In general,  Illusion spells should trick or deceive
rather than directly harm.

DISORDER
The Disorder Rune changes things from one form to another.  A spell which
changes a man to a frog would use Disorder, Man, and Beast.  A spell which
changes lead to gold would use Disorder and Earth.  All Disorder spells have
limited durations unless made permanent through enchantment.

If you change something into something unnatural to Glorantha (i.e. change a
person into a gorp, or give a person an extra arm growing out of their
forehead) you must use the Chaos rune to manipulate the spell.

Form Runes

These runes define the target or immediate effect of a spell.  For Infinity rune
spells they define the nature of the substance created.  For mastery spells they
define the target of the spell.  Disorder rune spells (spells which alter or
transform) require form runes for both the intended target of the spell and for
the nature of the transformation, though these may be the same.  A spell
which transformed a man into a frog would need the Man rune and the Beast
rune as form runes.  A spell which transformed a troll into a tree would need
man, darkness, and plant.

BEAST
The Beast rune is the rune of the children of Hykim & Mikym.  Spells which
affect or involve animals use the Beast rune.  Sometimes it is necessary to
combine the Beast rune with the Man rune, as when casting a spell which
affects ducks or lycanthropes.

MAN
The children of Grandfather Mortal possess the man rune.  Any spell which
directly affects a human being must use it.  A spell which indirectly affects a
human, such as an earth spell that buries one alive, doesn't need to use the
Man rune.  Spells which affect Trolls must use both the man rune and the
Darkness rune.

DARKNESS
Spells which involve darkness, or darkness creatures, use this rune.

Since Darkness has no fixed volume, spells which involve mastery of this
element can call forth a great amount of it from a small source, though they
are typically more difficult to cast than spells which require a large amount
to begin with.

FIRE
Spells which deal with the realm of fire must use the fire rune.  Spells which
affect Agimori must use both the Man rune and the Fire rune.

Like Darkness, Fire has no fixed volume.  Therefore spells can (and do) exist
which call forth a huge gout of flame from a single torch.

AIR
The Air rune governs the wind and storm, as well as secondary effects such
as lightning.  Since air is a common element it is rarely necessary to create
more of it, and most Air spells are Mastery spells.  Since lightning is a
secondary effect of storm, a spell which uses lightning to do the same damage
as a fire spell will be more difficult to cast than its counterpart.

WATER
Spells which deal with oceans, rivers, or aquatic creatures use the water rune.

ICE
Spells which deal with coldness.  Spells which use  Himile's Ice rune can
lower the temperature  in an area, and are also useful for dealing with ice
demons.

PLANT
Spells which deal with plants, including elves.

SPIRIT
Spells which affect spirits use this rune.  Sorcerers are on shaky ground in the
spirit world, and many Spirit spells are extremely difficult to cast.

EARTH
Spells which affect earth, including stone and metal.

MAGIC
Spells which deal with other spells, or which open gates to other realms, such
as the spirit or hero planes.

UNDEAD
Spells which deal with beings outside of the cycle of death and rebirth use the
Undead rune.

DRAGONNEWT
Spells which affect dragonnewts use this rune.  Spells using this rune cannot
duplicate dragon magic, which stems from the Dragon rune.

Hardly anyone in Glorantha knows much about this rune.  Its study was
common during the Empire of  the Wyrms Friends, but practicioners and
texts were almost completely destroyed during the Dragonkill War.

MOVEMENT
Spells which merely move things from one place to another use the
Movement rune.  It is not necessary for such spells to include the form runes
of the target.  This rune is almost always used in conjunction with the Mastery
rune.

STASIS
Spells which freeze a thing in one place.  This rune has nothing to do with
time.  Stasis spells can make an unbalanced building stay up when it should
fall, or freeze a person in place.

OTHER RUNES
Not all Gloranthan runes have been incorporated in this system.  All other
runes, if applicable at all, are form runes.  Some runes, like the Trade rune,
represent abstract concepts and don't make good form runes.   Others, like the
Dragon rune, are beyond even the knowledge of the God Learners.

Sorcery Spells

Each spell is a magic skill.  Spells have a base percentage of 0% but can be
increased by training, research, or experience. Each spell also has a difficulty
level, which reflects how difficult that spell is to cast.  Thus a spell which
causes a wound will be easier to cast than one which kills someone outright.
Difficulty levels are the primary mechanism for maintaining play balance, and
the gamemaster should take care when assigning them to new spells. The
standard duration of all sorcery is 10 minutes and the standard range is 10
meters.  Both of these values can be increased using Law or Chaos; see the
section on spell manipulation for details.

Free Int

Sorcerers no longer need Free Int to manipulate their spells.  They cannot,
however, manipulate their spells with more points of Law than their Law skill
divided by 5 or more points of Chaos than their (Chaos skill divided by 5)
times  2.   Remember that any unsuccessful casting of a Chaos manipulated
spell requires a roll on the Spell Fumble table!  Each spell a sorcerer has
memorized takes 1 point of Free Int.

Learning Spells

There are 3 ways to learn a spell.  The best way is to learn from another
sorcerer.  It takes 1 week (50 hours) to learn a spell from a teacher.  At the
end of this time, a roll of INT times 3 must be made to learn the spell
correctly.
The second way to learn a spell is via a written text containing the spell.  It
takes two weeks and an INT times 3 roll to learn a spell from a text.
The third way is to research the spell yourself.  To do this, you must  possess
all runic skills associated with the spell at a level as high as the difficulty
of the spell.  After a season of work, roll your INT times 3.  If you succeed,
you have created the spell, and automatically get a percentage in it equal to
5% plus your magic bonus.  If you fail,  you have pursued a wild goose chase.
If you fumble, you have had a lab accident; roll on the spell fumble table.

Spell Difficulty

Each spell has a difficulty which can be as low as zero and has no upper limit.
This difficulty is a gauge of the power of the spell; more difficult spells are
harder to cast.  When recording a spell on your character sheet put its
difficulty in parentheses after the spell name and before your percentage.  The
spell difficulty subtracts directly from your chance to cast the spell.

Casting Spells

When casting spells roll percentile dice.  If the total is equal or less than
the following formula, the spell has been successfully cast.

( Least of runic skills) + (skill in spell) - (skill difficulty) -(encumberance)

Ceremony can be used to increase this roll.  A 96-00  is always a failure.
Fumbles require a roll on the Spell Fumble Table, as do any unsuccessful
castings when using the Chaos rune.

Casting Multiple Spells at Once

Normally a sorcerer casts one spell at a time.  A spell takes as many strike
ranks to cast and costs as many magic points as the number of Law/Chaos
points in the spell.  After spending the strike ranks, percentile dice are
rolled to see if the spell is successfully cast.  If the roll is a critical
success, the spell costs no magic points.  On a failure, only one magi point
is spent and the spell fails (unless using Chaos to manipulate the spell,
in which case a failure  is treated as a fumble.  On a fumble, consult the
spel fumble table, making adjustments for the appropriate manipulation rune
(Law or Chaos)

It is possible for a sorcerer to cast multiple spells at once.  For each
additional spell to be cast after the first, the chance to cast all spells
is reduced by 25%.
Each spell is rolled separately,  so some may succeed while others fail.  The
spells all go off on the strike rank of the spell which costs the most magic
points.  Spells may be targetted at multiple targets, and multiple spells may be
targetted at the same person,  with each spell being treated separately for the
purpose of overcoming magical defenses and armor.

Improvised Spells

You do not have to know a spell to cast it.  You can cast any spell in the book
at a percentage chance equal to your lowest applicable rune percentage minus
the difficulty level of the spell.  But if your chance to cast is zero or
negative, you have no chance at all of success; this is an exception to the
rule that 01-05 is an automatic success.

If you achieve a critical success when casting an improvised spell, you gain an
immediate percentage in that spell equal to 5% plus your magic bonus.

The Spell Fumble Table

Sorcery spells cause an (often small) change in the nature of Glorantha.  Time
and the Compromise naturally resist this change.  When a spell is fumbled,
the forces involved in the spell go out of control.  Sometimes the spell is
warped or reflected on the caster, and sometimes a backlash of mystical
energy occurs.  Chaotic spells are more likely to cause this, and typically
cause worse effects.

The following table is consulted whenever a spell is fumbled (and whenever a
simple failure occurs, when the Chaos rune is being used to manipulate the
spell) .  If Chaos is only used as a form rune, normal failures do not result in
a roll on the Spell Fumble Table.

Note that the table is numbered from -9 to 110.  If the spell in question used
Chaos for manipulation or as a form rune, add 10 to the roll.  Otherwise,
subtract 10.

Dice        Result

-9 to -5    How fortunate! You control the backlash of the spell with only
        minimal effects.  Lose 5 Fatigue points and 1 personal Magic
        point.

-4 to 0            You suffer a minor backlash.  Lose 10 Fatigue points and 2
        personal Magic points.

01 to 05    As -4 to 0, but lose 15 Fatigue points and 3 personal Magic
        points.

06  to 10    As -4 to 0, but lose 20 Fatigue points and 4 personal Magic
        points.

11 to 21    You fail to cast the spell and immediately pay its full cost in
        Magic points, which may be taken from any available source.

22 to 28    As 11 to 21 but lose twice the spell's Magic point cost.

29 to 32    As 11 to 21, but lose 3 times the spell's Magic point cost.

33 to 34    As 11 to 21, but lose 4 times the spell's Magic point cost.

35        As 11 to 21, but lose 5 times the spell's Magic point cost.

36 to 45    If the spell was targetted on  someone else, it affects you
                instead.
        You get no POW roll to resist it.  If it was targetted on you,
                it affects an enemy if one is nearby or a random person if no
        enemies are near.  You pay normal MP cost for the spell.

46 to 55    As 36 to 45 but pay twice the normal MP cost for the spell.

56 to 60    Your spell affects a nearby friend instead of its intended
                target.
        Pay normal MP cost for the spell.

61 to 65    as 56 to 60 but double the Law points in the spell, increasing
        the spell effect if possible and otherwise increasing the spell
        duration.  Caster pays for this double cost if he has the Magic
        points.

66 to 70    Spell fails and sucks all personal magic points from a nearby
        friend of the caster (roll randomly)

71 to 75     Caster loses all personal and stored Magic points.

76 to 80    Magic points in spell are converted to poison, which is matched
        versus the caster's con for half or full damage to total hit
                points.

81        Caster goes blind for 1d10 weeks.

82        Caster goes blind for 2d10 weeks

83         Caster goes blind for 3d10 weeks

84        Caster goes mute for 1d10 weeks, and cannot cast sorcery.

85        Caster loses half his personal magic points;  they do not
        regenerate for 1d10 weeks.

86        Caster goes catatonic for 1d10 weeks

87        As 86 but permanently lose 10% from the spell percentage in
        question.

88        As 87 but also lose 10% from Law Rune percentage

89        As 88 but also lose 10% from each Form Rune involved.

90        As 89 but also lose 10% from Empowering Rune.  Roll
        POW times 5 or die on the spot.

(note: 91 to 110 are effects that can only happen from Chaos spells)

91 - 95            Spell fails, and caster gains an immediate permanent Chaos
        Feature ( 75% curse of Thed, 25% chaos feature chart).  Caster
        increases his Chaos percentage by 1d10 points.

96        Spell fails and caster gains immediate Curse of Thed feature.
        Caster increases his Chaos percentage by 2d10 points.

97        Caster affected by the Pochargno Corruption spell, which caster
        may not resist.  Caster increases his Chaos percentage by 3d10
        points.

98        Caster opens permanent Chaos void in area;  void is 3d6 meters
        across and 1d6 chaos horrors emerge from it each day until it is
        magically sealed or until the next Sacred Time.  Caster and all
        persons nearby must make POW times 5 rolls or be destroyed
        by its appearance.

99        Caster loses 1d6 POW

00        Caster loses all POW, and becomes a vampire, but without the
        entrancement ability or the ability to turn into mist.

101        Caster permanently loses all skill in the spell in question.

102        Caster permanently loses all skill in the  Empowering rune of
                the spell fumbled.

103        Caster permanently loses all skill in all form runes used in the
        spell, except for the Chaos rune.

104        Caster permanently loses any skill in the Law rune.

105        Caster permanently loses all sorcery skills.

106        Caster transformed into a   gorp of equivalent size.  Caster
                retains INT and POW, but probably goes insane.

107        Caster transformed into a broo.  If already a broo, caster
        transformed into a gorp instead.  See 106.

108        Caster explodes, doing 4d6 damage to all within 3 meters.

109        Caster affected both by the Pochargno Corruption spell and by
        5 Curse of Thed features. Increase Chaos percentage by 5d10
        points.

110        Caster totally obliterated by Chaos.  Even the memory of
        him/her is erased from the world.

An Example

Let's look at an example.  We'll create the skills of Tim the Enchanter, a
PyroMancer.  Tim would need 4 sorcery skills (Intensity, Duration, Range,
and Multispell) in standard RQ3 sorcery.  With this system he needs at least
3, and will need more if he wants to be anything but a very narrow specialist.

Tim the Enchanter
Encumberance:  12 enc

Runic Skills                Spells

Law 60%                Tim's Circle of Fire(60) 65%
Mastery 40%            (Difficulty 60%)
Infinity 60%            Empowering:  Mastery.  Form: Fire.
Fire 75%            This spell creates a circle of flames around
                the caster, who  has to possess a source of
                fire.  The flames are1 meter wide, 3
                meters high and do 1 point of damage to
                anything passing through them.  Each point
                of Law can increase the damage by 1 point
                or increase the diameter of the circle by 1
                meter.  This damage works like a
                salamander's fire; the total is matched against
                the victim's  best armor on the resistance
                table and  half or full damage is taken.

Tim's chance to cast circle of Fire would be
( Least of runic skills) + (skill in spell) -(skill difficulty) - (encumberance)
 (40) + (65) - (60) - (12) = 33%.

Since his Law skill is 60%, he could make the flames do up to 12 points of
damage, or make the circle 12 meters wide, or do any combination of these
things.  He could also use some of these 12 points to extend the duration of
the spell past the standard 10 minute duration fo Sorcery spells.

Note that Tim's chance to cast the spell would be 20% greater if he learned the
Mastery skill to 60%.  Also, any increases he makes in his spell percentage
directly increase his chance to cast.  If Tim were casting a simpler spell, say
Tim's Ring of Oily Smoke (Difficulty 20%) his chance to cast would be 73%.

Obviously, the two things that balance  spellcasting are the Spell Difficulty
and the number of Runes associated with the spell.  Spells with more runes
are harder to master since you need more runic skills.  Likewise the more
powerful the spell, the more difficult it should be.  Tim's Spell of Instant
Immolation  should have a difficulty of at least 90;  you want a sorcerer to
have to master both the appropriate runes and the spell to have a good chance
of casting.  An easier spell, like Tim's Spell of the Guiding Light (a simple
light spell )might have a difficulty of around 10,making it easy to cast for
anyone with a reasonable amount of skill.  If Tim knows this spell at 40% (he
doesn't practice it much) , his chance will be (assume the spell uses only
infinity and fire)   60 + 40 - 10  =  90%.


Spell Descriptions

Infinity Spells

Infinity / Beast

Infinity/Beast spells create creatures connected to the Beast rune.The creation
spell does not impart any loyalty on the part of the created;  Animals created
will need to be controlled with appropriate Mastery/Beast spells.In general, it
is easier to create a dead animal than a live one,  a small animal than a large
one, and much easier to create a non-magical animal than a magical one.  Note
that some creatures have multiple runic associations, and all must be used in
the creation spell.

All creatures created with the infinity rune die when the spell  expires.
When this happens the body magically rots away within minutes.  Magically
created creatures are sterile. Some creation spells have a duration of Instant;
their effects are permanent.

Create <type of animal pelt> (10)
Law Points : Avg SIZ of animal /5
Duration cost : 2
This spell creates an animal pelt.   It will last until the spell's duration
expires.

Create <mundane beast> (50)  Infinity,Beast,Spirit
Duration cost : 2
This spell creates a creature of the appropriate type.The caster must supply as
many law points as the creatures SIZ divided by two.

Create Basilisk (100) Infinity,Beast,Death,Spirit
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 2
Chaos Points: 20

This spell requires a rooster's egg.  It creates a basilisk with stats as listed
in the RuneQuest creatures book, with a death glance which acts as a 3 point
divine spell.  Since a Basilisk is a chaotic creature, the Chaos rune must be
used to manipulate this spell.  When the spell's duration expires, the basilisk
dies and rots.

Create Man(150) Infinity,Man,Spirit
Touch, Passive, Instant
Law Points: 40

This spell creates a full grown human being.  Stats are rolled randomly.  The
newly created person has no memories and has skills as per a character with
no previous experience.  Note that the duration of this spell is instant.

Mastery/Beast

Control  Mundane Beast (50) Mastery,Beast
Ranged,passive,temporal
Duration Cost : 2

This spell allows the caster to control the actions of a mundane animal.  The
spell must have as many Law points as the creatures SIZ divided by two, and
the spell must overcome the POW of the beast.

Control Magical Beast (70)  Mastery, Beast
Ranged, Passive, Temporal
Duration Cost : 3

This spell is the same as Control Mundane Beast, but works on magical
beasts.

Transform Man to Pig (70) Disorder, Beast, Man
Ranged, Passive, Temporal
Duration Cost: 2

This spell transforms an adult human being to a large sow, or a child to a
piglet.  The spell must have as many Law points  as the POW of the person
effected, and the person's magic points must be overcome.  Transformed
beings retain their own minds and may still use divine magic, though it may
be difficult to regain it as a pig.  Spirit magic use will be difficult because of
the need for focuses, and sorcery is impossible.  Accounterments of the target
can be transformed  if the appropriate runes for them (usually earth and plant)
are use as well.

Transform <species> to <species>  (70) Disorder,<all involved runes>
Ranged Passive, Temporal
Duration Cost : 2

Transform Man to Pig is a specific instance of this spell.  Other variations
(say transform troll to tree, which requires the man, darkness, and plant
runes) are possible.  Any such spell which involves a chaotic creature on
either side of the transformation requires the use of the Chaos rune.  Chaotic
features possessed by a target remain in the new form.

Attract <mundane beast> (20) Mastery, Beast
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 1
Law Points : 3

This spell will call a beast of the named species to the caster, if one is in range.
The animal will move towards the caster for the duration of the spell.  When
the animal comes within 5 meters of the caster, the spell ends.

Befriend <mundane beast> (20) Mastery,Beast
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 1
Law Points : 3

This spell will cause a single beast to befriend the caster.The animal will not
act against its nature, but will travel with and aid the caster for the Spell's
duration. If the animal is mistreated, it will flee or attack, depending on the
situation.

Eyes of the Cat (50) Disorder,Beast,<forms of caster>
Caster Only,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 2
This spell transforms the eyes of the caster, which become catlike with slitted
pupils.  The caster can see in any available light, as per the Yelmalio Catseye
RuneSpell.  The caster is color blind for the duration of the spell.

Plague of Locusts (80) Disorder,Beast
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3
Law Points : 10 / square mile of farmland

This horrible spell transforms all of the insects in an area into locusts, which
will swarm and destroy nearby crops.  The duration of the spell must be at
least one hour for the crops in the areas affected to be destroyed.  If the
duration is increased, the locusts will spread to nearby farms and devour the
crops their as well.  When the spell's duration expires, the insects revert to
their original form.

Rain of Beasts (100) Disorder,Wind,Beast
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3
Law Points : 10 / Square mile affected

This spell can only be cast during a rain storm.  It causes rain droplets to
transform into cats and dogs, some only partially formed, as they hit the
ground.   The animals flop around, run around, howl, whine, and cause
confusion in the area.  Anyone trying to fight or travel during the storm must
roll DEX times five each round or fall.  Anyone trying to dodge must roll
DEX times 4 each round to avoid tripping.  The animals dissappear when the
spell's duration expires.  Thanks to David Nalle's Ysgarth system for the idea
for this spell.

Rain of Gorp (100) Disorder,Wind,Chaos
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3
Chaos Points : 20 / Square mile affected.

This spell can only be cast using the chaos rune, during a storm.  It causes
some of the rain droplets to transform into small gorps as they fall.  Anyone
exposed to the rain will be hit by 1-3 miniature gorps per round.  A hit does 1
point of acid damage to a random location.  The gorps are not very mobile
once they hit the ground and can be avoided if the terrain doesn't conceal
them.  Note that the Chaos rune is also used as a form rune in this spell.

Curse Herd (70) Death, Beast
Ranged, Instant
Law Points : 15

This spell will cause all of the pregnant beasts in a herd to miscarry.

Infinity/Fire

Notes on Fire Damage:  Fire spells do not need to overcome the target's
power to be effective unless otherwise specified.  Armour protects against fire
damage from a given spell for the first round only, after which it it is no
longer effective.  Since most attack spells are instant, fire protects against
them normally.  Anyone hit by a fire spell must roll a luck roll or be set on
fire in a random location, taking 1d6 damage there per round until it is put out.

Ignite Torch or Lantern (10) Infinity,Fire
Ranged,Passive,Instant
This spell will ignite a torch or other small flammable object.

Create Fire (20) Infinity,Fire
Ranged,Passive,Instant
This spell creates  1 cubic meter of non-magical fire  which burns for 1d6
damage per round..  Each Law pont spent manipulating the spell will increase
the size by 1 cubic meter;  Each 5 points will increase the damage done by the
fire by 1d6.  This spell cannot be targeted on a living being.  The fire will go
out in one round if there is no fuel to feed it.

Create Magical Fire (60) Infinity,Fire
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 2
This spell functions like Create Fire but no fuel is necessary.  The fire will last
until the spell's duration expires.

Immolation (80) Infinity,Fire,(Runes of Target)
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : special
This spell Immolates a living target, whose runes must be incorporated into
the spell as form runes.  For example, if targetting a human being the runes
would be Infinity,Fire, Man.  If the spell gets through defensive magic, the
spellcaster overcomes the power of the target, and the spell has as many
points of Law devoted to intensity as the SIZ of the target, the target will
begin to smoulder and burn from the inside out, taking 1d6 damage the first
round, 2d6 the 2nd round,3d6 the third round directly to total hit points until
the spell expires.  The spell will last for 1 round plus one round for each Law
point devoted to extending the spells duration.If the spell is dispelled before
the duration expires no more damage will be taken.

Fire Bolt (60) Mastery,Fire
Ranged,Instant

This spell causes a bolt of flame to spring from a nearby fire source towards a
target. The fire source must be within 3m of the caster, but can be as small as
a lit candle, and cannot be enclosed.  The bolt does 1d6 damage per 5 Law
points to a random missile/spell location.  Armour in the affected location
protects normally, as do any spells which block damage.  Countermagic or
similar spells have no effect.  The target must make a luck roll or have his
clothing catch fire, doing additional damage.  Targets which are on fire take
1d6  additional damage each round, until they spend a round doing nothing
but putting the fire out.

Fire Ball (100) Mastery, Fire
Ranged, Instant

This spell causes a flaming ball of fire to spring from a fire source towards
the targetted area.  The ball explodes, doing 1d6 damage to every hit location
of all within the radius for every 8 Law points in the spell.  Armour protects
normally against this damage.  Flammable objects in the area will catch on
fire and be consumed unless the flames are doused.  The spell affects an area
with a 3m diameter;  each Law point devoted to increasing the diameter does
so by an additional meter.

Eyes of the Fire (50)  Truth,Fire,Movement
Ranged,Passive,Temporal

This spell lets the caster project his vision out of any fire within the range of
the spell.  When doing so, he can see normally from the perspective of the fire
and can rotate his vision 360 degrees, but cannot hear or use other senses.  He
can switch randomly from fire to fire once per round, and can choose any fire
he knows of to be his vantage point.  While the spell is in effect small fires
can be seen burning in the caster's pupils, and anyone being spied on who
makes a critical scan roll will see red eyes in the middle of the flames.

Extinguish (10) Death,Fire
Ranged,Instant

This spell extinguishes fires.It takes 1 Law point to extinguish a torch,two to
extinguish a campfire, and three to put out a bonfire.  Larger fires or magical
fires are not affected.

FlameBane (80) Death,Fire
Ranged,Instant
Law Points: 10/square kilometer

This spell puts out all fire in a large area.For every 10 Law points put into a
spell, all fires in a 1 kilometer area will go out.

Douse Salamander (60) Death,Fire
Ranged,Instant

This spell only affects salamanders.  It does 1d6 damage per 2 Law points
directly to the hit points of the salamander, whose POW does not need to be
overcome.

FlameBlade (40) Disorder,Fire,Earth
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3

This spell causes the blade of a metal weapon to burn.  Each 5 Law points
increase the damage done by the weapon by 1d6.  If this spell is used on a
weapon with a wooden haft, the weapon will char and be useless in 1 round.
The wielder of the weapon must wear heavy gauntlets or take 1d3 damage to
his arm(s) from the heat each round.  The blade is not consumed by the spell.

Ward against Fire (100) Mastery,Fire
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3

The target of this spell will be protected from fire.  Each round roll 1d6 for
each 5 Law points in the spell.  This is the number of points of fire damage
the spell will absorb that round in every hit location.  Small fires within 1
meter of the caster will be put out by the spell.

Hide Fire (50) Illusion,Fire
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 2

This spell makes a fire invisible.  Each 5 Law points in the spell will make 1
cubic meter of fire invisible.  The fire's fuel will still be consumed as normal,
and the fire will still give off heat, though it will cast no light.

Infinity/Darkness

Create  Magical Darkness (40) Infinity,Darkness
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 2
This spell creates an area of magical darkness which will persist in the
presence of a light source.  each  5 points of Law will create a 3m by 3m cube
of  darkness, which will remain fixed in location until the duration of the spell
expires.  Light sources which enter the darkness can be seen but will
illuminate nothing.   Normal vision will not function in this darkness, though
POW auras of creatures can be discerned with second sight or soul sight.
Darksense is not affected.

Create Icy Darkness (60) Infinity,Darkness,Ice
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 3
This spell creates an area of darkness with the same attributes as that of the
Create Magical Darkness spell.  In addition, the Darkened area is ice cold.
Each person in the darkened area takes 1 point of damage to a random
location each round per  1 Law points devoted to that purpose.  For example,
a spell with 12 Law points could create a 3m by 3m area of darkness which
did 7 points of damage per round to a random location of anyone trapped in it,
or a 6m by 3m by 3m area of darkness which did 2 points of damage per
round to its occupants.  Non-metal armour (including natural armour) protects
against this damage, which occurs on strike rank 10 of each round after the
round in which the spell is cast, but metal armour does not.

Affix Darkness (70) Mastery,Darkness,(Runes of Target)
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 3
This spell centers an area of darkness around an object or person.  If the
object/person is moved, the darkness moves with it.  The spell must have 1
Law point in it for each 5 siz or 30 Enc of the target. Each point of Law
devoted to increasing the radius of the darkness does so by 1 meter.

Destroy Shade (60) Death,Darkness
Ranged,Instant

This spell does damage to Shades and other darkness elementals.  The spell
does 1d6 damage to the shade for every 2 Law points put into it, and doesn't
need to overcome the shade's POW.

Infinity/Air

Skin of Life (40) Infinity,Air,(Runes of Target)
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 3

This spell provides air to a living creature, which must be capable of breathing
normally.  It will allow the target to breathe in hostile environments
(underwater, in smoke, in poison gas clouds, etc.  The target breathes through
its mouth while holding its mouth shut.  The spell must have 1 Law point for
every 5 SIZ possessed by the creature.

Create Air (10) Infinity,Air
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 1
This spell creates air.  Each Law point will create enough fresh air to sustain
one person for one day.  Since the air dissappears after the spell's duration
expires, spellcasters commonly increase the duration of this spell.

Infinity/Water

Create Marine Creature - as per the create beast spells, but with the water rune.

Create Water (30) Infinity,Water
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 1

This spell creates water.  Each Law point will create 4 liters of water.

Create Acid (80) Infinity,Water,Earth
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 2

This spell fills a glass container with acid.  It takes 2 Law points per potency
level.  The spell requires a vial large enough to hold 1 dose of acid created.

Create Poison (40) Infinity,Water,Plant
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 2

This spell fills a glass container with systemic poison.  It takes 1 Law point
per potency level.  The spell requires a glass container large enough for 1 dose
of poison.

Infinity/Ice

Freeze (60) Infinity,Ice, (Runes of Target)
Ranged,Instant

This spell causes a random hit location to freeze.  The spell does 1d6 freezing
damage per 5 Law points in the spell.  If there are more Law points in the
spell than hit points in the affected location, the location is frozen solid and
immobilized.  Immobilized limbs take 10 minutes to thaw and cannot be
healed until they do so.  Frozen hit locations do not suffer blood loss.  The
caster must overcome the POW of the target for the spell to take effect.

Summer Snow (80) Infinity,Ice,Air
Ranged,Passive,Instant
20 Law points
This spell creates clouds which then snow over  an area 5 kilometers in
diameter.  3 inches of snow will fall, plus 3 more inches for every 5 Law
points used after the first 20.  The area's temperature is not affected and the
snow will melt if it would normally do so.

Freeze Pond (80) Infinity,Ice,Water
Ranged,Passive,Instant
16 Law points
This spell freezes a medium-sized pond solid.  Anything big enough to be
called a "lake", "marsh", etc. is too large to be affected.   The pond will melt
normally if the temperature is not cold enough to keep it frozen.

Chill Drink (5) Infinity,Ice
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 1
This spell chills liquid.  it takes 1 Law point to chill a flagon, and 5 Law points
to chill a cask.  Anything larger is too big to be affected.  The liquid will be
very cold (but not cold enough to freeze) for the duration of the spell.

Infinity/Plant

Sprout (20) Infinity,Plant
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 1
2 Law points
This spell causes a small bush to sprout up from the earth at the caster's
fingertips.  The caster has no control over what type of plant he gets;  the spell
creates plants local to the terrain in which it is used.

Grow Tree (60) Infinity,Plant
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration cost : 1

This spell causes a sapling to spring forth from the ground and grow 6" in
diameter.  The type of tree created depends on the locale.

Create Healberry Bush(70) Infinity,Plant
Touch,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 1

This spell causes a magic bush to sprout and grow to maturity, yielding magic
berries.  The bush will have 1 berry for each Law point thus spent.  When the
duration of the spell expires, the bush will die and any unused berries will die.
Each berry will heal 1 point of  damage to a hit location if smeared on the hurt
location, or one point of total hit point damage if ingested.

Infinity/Spirit

Release Intelligence (80) Infinity,Spirit,Beast
Touch,Passive,Instant
Law Points : 25

This spell replaces a creature's fixed INT with normal INT.  The creature is no
longer ruled by (and no longer has access to) instinct.  If the creature's fixed
INT was 5 or more, it gets a nonfixed INT of 3d6.  If the fixed INT was 4 or
less, it's new INT will be 2d6.  Any offspring the creature bears will have
fixed INT.  A version of this spell which allowed the creature to breed true
would be difficulty 150. and would require 40 Law points.  The caster must
overcome the POW of the creature if it is unwilling (this will almost always
be the case).

Fix Intelligence (80) Infinity,Spirit,Beast
Touch,Passive,Instant
Law Points : 25

This spell fixes the INT of a creature.  The creature is now a beast and cannot
use any knowledge skills, magic skills,or spells.It gains instinct and can live
off of the land. If the creatures INT was 3d6 or better, it gets a fixed INT of
7.  If it was less than 3d6, it gets a fixed INT of  4.

Transform POW to INT (80) Disorder,Spirit
Self,Instant
Law Points :  25

This spell transforms the caster's POW into INT.  Each casting of this spell
reduces the POW of the caster by 3 and increases his INT by 1.

Enhance Species Max Pow (100) Disorder,Spirit
Self,Instant
Law Points : 30

This spell increases the caster's POW species maximum.  Each casting of the
spell decreases the caster's POW by 3 and increases his species maximum
POW by 1.  Increasing one's species maximum POW makes it easier to
make a POW check and makes it possible for one's POW to climb to the new
level.

Destroy INT (80) Death,Spirit
Touch,Instant
Law Points : 20

This spell destroys the INT of the target, whose POW must be overcome by
the caster.  each casting of this spell  destroys 1d6 of the target's INT.

Tap  POW (80) Disorder,Spirit
Touch,Passive,Instant/Temporal
Chaos Points : 25 + 5/d6 POW
Duration Cost : 1

This spell transforms the target's POW into magic points or fatigue points,
which are added to the caster's totals.  The POW loss is Instant, but the magic
point gain is only Temporal.  Magic points are added to the caster's personal
magic points and can go as high as twice the caster's POW.  Fatigue points
can go twice as high as the caster's normal fatigue.This spell can only be cast
using the Chaos rune.

Tap INT (80) Disorder,Spirit
Touch,Passive,Instant/Temporal
Chaos Points : 25 + 5/d6 POW
Duration Cost : 1

This spell works exactly like Tap POW, except that it affects the target's INT.

Telepathy (40) Infinity,Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 2

This spell creates a mental link between the caster and one or more people,
allowing them to hold mental conversations with each other.  One person
besides the caster can be in the link for each point of Law devoted to the spell
for that purpose.  If multiple people are in the link, everyone in the link can
hear what everyone else says over it.

Mind Meld (80) Infinity,Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 2

This spell creates a mental and spiritual link between the caster and one other
person.  The effects vary with the number of Law points put into the spell
(not including Law points devoted to duration and range).  At 10 Law points,
both participants in the meld can use each other's personal magic points.  At
15 Law points, both participants can use each other's spells.  At 20 Law
points,both participants can use each other's bound spirits and familiars as if
they were in direct contact with them. Other skills do not transfer. All effects
are cumulative.  Spells which target the mind of a participant in a mind meld
affect both participants and bypass any defensive magic the secondary
participant possesses, though both targets get to resist with their current magic
points.  Participants in a mind meld can communicate telepathically and read
each other's surface thoughts.  Anyone participating in more than one mind
meld at once must roll INT times 3 when it ends or go insane for 1d10
weeks, losing  1-3 points of INT permanently.

Fear (40) Mastery,Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3

This spell causes intense fear in the target.  The spell must have 1 Law point
for every 3 full points of POW that the target possesses.  If the caster
overcomes the target's magic points with his own, the victim is affected as per
the Shade Fearshock Table.

Demoralize (20)  Mastery,Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3

This spell demoralizes the target.  The spell must have 1 Law point for every
5 full points of POW that the target possesses.  If the caster overcomes the
target's magic points with his own, the victim is Demoralized as per the spirit
spell.

Stupefy (60) Mastery,Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3

This spell causes the target to sit in a dreamlike state until the spell's duration
expires.  The spell must have 1 Law point for every 2 full points of POW that
the target possesses.If the caster overcomes the target's magic points with his
own, the victim is Stupefied for the duration of the spell.  This spell has no
effect on fixed-int creatures.

Dominate <Creature> (80) Mastery,Spirit,<forms of target>
Ranged,Active/Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 3

This spell must be learned separately for each creature type.  It allows the
caster to completely control the actions of the target. Simple directions (ie.
attack all trolls on sight, attack that thing, etc. can be given and will be carried
out without the active concentration of the caster but more complex actions
must be actively controlled by the caster, who can do nothing else.
Dominated creatures talk in a dead tone when speaking and their eyes become
glazed over.  Dominated creatures have no access to their own knowledge or
magic skills, and cannot enter into mindlink/telepathy type spells with other
beings.  As is always the case with Spirit spells, the caster must overcome the
target's magic points with his own for the spell to take effect.

Mind Blast (80) Death, Spirit
Ranged, Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 2

This spell drives the target completely insane (i.e. catatonic) for the duration of
the spell.  The spell must have as many Law points as the target's INT.  This
spell has no effect on fixed INT creatures

Mind Blast (60) Lunar, Death, Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost: 2

This spell is identical to the previous Mind Blast spell but requires the Lunar
rune as a Form rune.

Madness (70) Death,Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 2

This spell forces the target to role on the Lune Madness table.  The spell must
have as many Law points as the targets INT divided by two, rounded down.

Madness ( 50) Lunar,Death,Spirit
Ranged,Passive,Temporal
Duration Cost : 2

This spell is identical to the previous Madness spell but requires the Lunar
rune as a form rune.

Infinity/Earth

Infinity/Magic

Infinity/Undead

Infinity/Movement

Infinity/Stasis

Previous Experience for Sorcerers

This section replaces the previous experience charts for sorcerers, which are
not compatible with this system.  The GM should exercise control over which
form and empowering runes a sorcerer may study, since this learning is
dependent on the availability of sorcery texts and the knowledge of his fellow
sorcerers.

Brithini Zzabur (Arolanit)
The Zzaburs are sorcerers and religious functionaries.  They are the only
Brithini caste which can use sorcery.  Many have lived since before time and
are among the most powerful sorcerers in Glorantha.

Skills:  Any Lore (Sorcerer's choice) x6, Read/Write Own Language x3,
Ceremony x4, Enchant x3, Summon x3, Law  Rune x5, 1 Empowering Rune
x4, 2 Form Runes x4, and Spells x10

Magic:  1d4 sorcery spells plus a 1 point increase in POW per year.

Apprentice Sorcerer, Civilized

Acceptance:  Western cultural restrictions take precedence over these
acceptance criteria when applicable.
1.    Have a magic skills modifier of at least 10 percentiles
2.    Know Read Own Language, World Lore, and Law  Runeat 25% or
    more.
3.    Cast all Divine magic spells, if any.
4.    Roll d100 equal to or lower than the characters POW x 3.
5.    Sacrifice 1 point of POW to the applicant's master or familiar.

Skills:  Throw x1, Orate x2, Speak Other Language x1, Craft a specific
substance x1, any 1 Lore x3 or any 1 Ritual skill x3,  Read/Write Own
Language x3, Devise x2, Law  Rune x4, 1 Empowering Rune x3, 1 Form
Rune x3, Spells x10 (divide as desired), Dagger attack x1, 1H Weapon Parry
or Shield Parry or Dodge x1.  Magic: (Sorcery) 3 spells upon acceptance.
All apprentices receive 1 sorcery spell per year, chosen w/ regard to the runes
they know well.

Adept Sorcerer, Civilized

Acceptance:  An apprentice qualifies to become an Adept if he/she has a
minimum 75% ability in  the Law Rune  1 Empowering Rune, 1 Form Rune,
and 2 Spells.

Skills:  Fast Talk x2, Orate x2, Speak Other Language x2, Evaluate x1,  Any
1 Ritual or Any 1 Lore x3, Read/Write Own Language x2, Devise x2, Law
Rune x2, Any 2 Form or Empowering Runes x 4,  Spells x10, 1H Weapon
attack x1, 1H Weapon Parry or Shield Parry or Dodge x2.  Magic: (Sorcery)
1d3 spells and a 1 point increase in POW per year.

Becoming a Magus

While any sorcerer who dares to can call him/herself Magus, in the West
more formal distinctions apply.  An Adept who publicly proclaims
him/herself a Magus may, for a period of 1 year and 1 day, be challenged
freely by any other Sorcerer  to Wizard's Duel.  (See rules for Wizard's Duel).
Any Sorcerer who bests the self-proclaimed  Magus at Wizard's Duel may, at
his or her discretion, strip the bested Sorcerer of the title of Magus and
require a year of service from the beaten Sorcerer.  Powerful Magi will often
allow a beaten Sorcerer to retain the title of Magus if they feel it is
deserved, and in such cases no debt of service is incurred.  If the challengee
wins the Wizard's Duel, the loser owes no debt of service.

Typically a candidate for Magus knows Law and at least 4 other Runes, at
100% or more.

Well that's all I've got for now.