Once again with 'has anyone ever done this'?

[Doyce]

I don't mean to flood the board with cries for various religions/wizard schools/whatever writeups, but it seems like there are a few major gaps in the presented magic lists in the HQ book, and I continue to need the stuff that is not provided.

(I mean, there's fourteen different kinds of plains-based magical Powers/Spirits/Gods in two different types of magic... but only TWO schools of wizardry?  WTF, over?)  Anyway.

This time, I'm looking for disciplines (doesn't really matter to me if it's theism, animism, or whatever) for nature-based magic that ISN'T for the middle of the plains.   Ideally, an example of the Aldryami Spirit Tradition (mentioned once, under Dryad) would rock.  I've cobbled together enough for one character to start as a Practitioner, but I'm sick to death of wondering if I got it right (and animism is an easy one to get wrong, IMO), or if I'm reinventing the wheel.  

It seems pretty straightforward, but there just doesn't seem to be anything out there -- the human clans of Heroquest seem to have a pathological fear of forests that can only be matched by the ancient Greeks and the cast of The Blair Witch Project.

(minor rant :P)
I know that Glorantha is supposed to have a wide and strong fan-base... that's surely true, but HQ itself ... no.  (Which is weird, because it's dead simple to DO.)  I mean, I can't swing a dead virtual cat without hitting another "elven spell-blade Prestige Class" for d20 on some fanboy site, but I've found exactly one new HQ Occupation Keyword out on the Intarnetweb in the last two weeks.  Is my Google-fu is that weak?

Okay, I'm done whining.  Any pointing in the right direction much appreciated.

[Donald]

I don't mean to flood the board with cries for various religions/wizard schools/whatever writeups, but it seems like there are a few major gaps in the presented magic lists in the HQ book, and I continue to need the stuff that is not provided.

Welcome to Glorantha, it's always been like this and probably always will be.

This time, I'm looking for disciplines (doesn't really matter to me if it's theism, animism, or whatever) for nature-based magic that ISN'T for the middle of the plains.   Ideally, an example of the Aldryami Spirit Tradition (mentioned once, under Dryad) would rock.  I've cobbled together enough for one character to start as a Practitioner, but I'm sick to death of wondering if I got it right (and animism is an easy one to get wrong, IMO), or if I'm reinventing the wheel.  

It seems pretty straightforward, but there just doesn't seem to be anything out there -- the human clans of Heroquest seem to have a pathological fear of forests that can only be matched by the ancient Greeks and the cast of The Blair Witch Project.

The problem with elves in Glorantha is that few people know where to start with them. They're not the standard fantasy elf but a plant sharing a communal existance with the rest of wild plant life. I don't think anyone is going to stick their neck out on the subject until Issaries publishes something.

(minor rant :P)
I know that Glorantha is supposed to have a wide and strong fan-base... that's surely true, but HQ itself ... no.  (Which is weird, because it's dead simple to DO.)  I mean, I can't swing a dead virtual cat without hitting another "elven spell-blade Prestige Class" for d20 on some fanboy site, but I've found exactly one new HQ Occupation Keyword out on the Intarnetweb in the last two weeks.  Is my Google-fu is that weak?

The reason new occupation keywords aren't common is that they are only used for starting players and the HQ rulebook covers the majority that are needed. It's not like d20 where the class constrains the player and inventing a new class gives the player something, they're just a shortcut to creating characters. I'd much rather spend time writing up an interesting NPC or a bit of story than trying to standardise occupations across Glorantha.

For example the absense of a specific knight occupation is because such starting characters are Petty Nobles, Cavalry Soldiers or Warriors depending on the individual's background. Similarly the herder is a minor variation on farmer which probably emphasies the crop growing aspect a bit too much - to my way of thinking they're one and the same.

[Mike Holmes]

I said something different, Donald, to Doyce in a different venue. Basically the extant occupations cover a whole lot of territory. Often all you need to do is alter one or two abilities if you want a whole new occupation.

Occasionally that's not true, however, and somebody comes up with an occupation that's really not covered hardly at all. Like in my game were somebody came up with Dung Collector as an occupation. Didn't somebody do Beggar somewhere?

Anyhow, sometimes an occupation is just a slant on a type. For example, at first it seems like "spy" might be a suitable occupation. But when you look at it, realistically, there's really not much traininig for being a spy, and most spies come from "real" occupations. Even James Bond is a military officer to start with. In a "medieval" or fantasy environment, I think this is even more likely. Spying is something you do, not what you are in terms of skills. I mean, anyone can eavesdrop.

But if you want, of course, you can create the "pro" spy. I can even see such a thing existing in the Lunar court in Glorantha. Even then, I'd be tempted to at the very least leave the character with a "cover" occupation, unless he's known as a full-time spook.

Always important is to keep in mind that occupations are about the character's identity in his culture. That is, it answers, "What place do I have in my culture that's valued by them so that I do not starve." I tend to think of the occupation as how the character gets his base community support. As such, agrarian societies don't leave a lot of room for variation.


Magic Keywords, OTOH, are simply a matter of people not having gotten to them yet. They are, far and away, the most difficult keywords to design for a number of reasons. Generally, people tend to modify off what's generally known, so it's no surprise that we've seen more of the Heortling keywords, and those of the cultures that surround them. Very simply, Wizardry is more "western" than the locality where the game starts supports.

But, I suspect that this will change over time, and sooner rather than later. I think at a certain point, the "how to do it" of making religion keywords will become more accessible to people, and they'll start enumerating more of them (and no, not just because I'm writing my next article on just that subject).

Mike

[ddunham]

There's another wizardry school in Men of the Sea, as well as revised & new keywords. Plus more religion keywords.