Glorantha Hero

[Doc Democracy]

OK. I realise that MarkDoc has done a good conversion of RQ2 to the Hero System [http://www.geocities.com/markdoc.geo/Gaming_stuff/Runequest/heroquest.htm] and that SCUBA Hero has been doing sterling work in converting RQ2 magic to the Hero System [http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7054&highlight=glorantha+hero]

 

What I want to do is set up Hero to play in Glorantha and make Hero a better system for Glorantha than RQ was. In both prior circumstances the conversions are system to system, I want to get the flavour of the setting and use the toolbox to provide a system to run in that world.

 

To that end I'd like people to chip in with what they think made Glorantha Glorantha rather than what made RQ, runequest.

 

To start I have some broad themes:

 

Magic (Sorcery/Theism/Animism/Mysticism) permeates the world, everyone has access to it and most tasks make use of specialised magic. Some magics are incompatible with others. The world revolves about dualities represented by runes.

 

Bronze age. Runic metals interfere with magic use. Iron is foreign to the world and provides a huge advantage in physical combat.

 

Adepts in magic systems can progress beyond normal physical abilities (e.g. Rune Lords)

 

Powerful beings can cross to a metaplane where reality can be altered.

 

 

When I get enough of this together I will try and put together some core rules for using the toolkit to play in Glorantha. I'll try and keep discussion on how the magic works til after I have the world basics down pat.

 

Anyone with anything else to add?

 

 

Doc

[Lightray]

Grognardism ahoy!

 

First off, get thee to http://www.glorantha.com/ and thence to http://www.lokarnos.com and read up on Glorantha. You seem to have a few, subtle differences in interpretation from Generally Accepted Glorantha (for which, see below). This won't mean much, though, other than that Your Glorantha Will Vary.

 

Also, I'd recommend choosing one small area of Glorantha and sticking to that, at least initially. With the nifty Dragon Pass sourcebook for HeroQuest now out, I kind of like that as a setting. Prax, of course, is also an area that's well-supported (although somewhat out of print).

 

As you're going to have to be statting up everything, limiting yourself to one area/culture will make it easier on you. No need to worry about Grotarons or Rokari bishops if you're playing in Prax.

 

Also, it'd make it easier to offer suggestions. And easier on your players and yourself, trying to figure out what the awakened Herd Man, Kralori merchant, and Vadeli sailor are doing together...

 

The world revolves about dualities represented by runes.

This is both a God Learnerism and a limited view of the runes.

 

The Celestial Court -- a group of entities more-or-less made up by the God Learners, and who don't even exist anymore* -- were runic beings of opposed dualities. Other runes are not so paired. For example, the elemental runes are five (or four, or six)** that are in opposition, but not paired opposition.

 

Also, there are many more runes in Glorantha now than were implied before. And some of these runes are known only to specific cultures. If you're sticking with RQ2, that's probably not an issue, though.

 

* Uleria is probably not the same being as the Uleria of the Celestial Court. And I can't recall if Ratslaff is still around, but as a Trickster I'm betting he's breaking the rules, too.

** Darkness, Sea, Earth, Sky, Storm. Except that the Dara Happans don't recognize Storm. And the Lunars add Moon. Plus there's all those funky derivative elemental runes, like Fire and Cold.

 

Iron is foreign to the world and provides a huge advantage in physical combat.

Iron isn't foreign to Glorantha, it just has a different origin than other metals (which are mined from the bones of gods killed in the Chaos Age).

 

Iron was invented by the dwarves specifically to fight Aldryami and Uz, which is why it burns both. It is also a runic metal, and as such has some specific properties -- much as other runic metals do, and the reason that they're tricky to use unless you get some help from a cult that knows how to work with that specific metal. (for example, one that knows how to fix quicksilver into aluminimum).

 

IIRC, there's also a connection between Iron and the Death rune, because the Mostali used it to make the Axe with which they chopped down the Aldryami World Tree. Mostali are supposed to be the only source of iron, although the Third Eye Blue people (and others, maybe) stole their secrets. It is apparently created alchemically, although Mostali also seem to mine iron in the Iron Mountains.

 

Adepts in magic systems can progress beyond normal physical abilities (e.g. Rune Lords)

 

Powerful beings can cross to a metaplane where reality can be altered.

You gain those unusual abilities by HeroQuesting into the Hero Plane or God Plane. And by doing so, you become a Hero (or Superhero like Harrek or Jar-eel).

 

HeroQuesting involves rituals that need the support of your community or temple or followers (better yet, all of 'em). All HeroQuests are dangerous and risky -- you "wager" your own abilities against other beings in the Hero Plane. You might win the abilties they have staked against you, or you might lose the ability you have staked. Or worse.

 

The least-risky HeroQuests are the ones where you reenact the deeds/myths of your own cult. Since your cult has knowledge about the secrets of these myths, they can tell you what you might be facing. Venturing off the myths you know -- "experimental HeroQuesting" -- is hideously dangerous and risky, since you literally don't know what you're doing.

 

When you enter a HeroQuest, the world responds as you face the challenges of the Hero Plane. Often, these opponents are your own, personal enemies, although they are filling the appropriate roles in the myth/story/quest you are enacting.

 

HeroQuests do not exactly "alter reality". They can bring back magic that has been done before (e.g., ending a drought with the Orlanth vs Aroka heroquest). Or they can verify that something is mythically "true" (e.g., the Red Goddess' battle at Castle Blue establishing her godhood).

 

*phew*

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Wow... reading that summary made me really hostalgic for our old gloranthan campaign. Dar, my Humakti, had just begun reaching heroic level when our many years old gaming group finaly broke up for good. We spent YEARS sorting through ever written bit of gloranthan literature to try and acheive the right feel and understanding of the way heroquests should play. Now that the years have rolled by and theres actual published materials on Heroquesting I should really drop the world back on my brain and see how well the current incarnation melds with my remembered gloranthan reality.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Grognardism ahoy!

 

Phew was right. Thanks for the effort in those comments.

 

First off' date=' get thee to http://www.glorantha.com/ and thence to http://www.lokarnos.com and read up on Glorantha. You seem to have a few, subtle differences in interpretation from Generally Accepted Glorantha (for which, see below). This won't mean much, though, other than that Your Glorantha Will Vary.[/quote']

 

I do have subtle differences in my Glorantha - they tend to be the bits that I liked from previous editions, mostly RQII. I've got most of the Glorantha stuff that Issaries have put out, recently I've probably run more HQ than Hero. I love the system but, ironically, I have a feeling that I might prefer superheroes using HQ and Glorantha using Hero...

 

Also' date=' I'd recommend choosing one small area of Glorantha and sticking to that, at least initially. With the nifty [i']Dragon Pass[/i] sourcebook for HeroQuest now out, I kind of like that as a setting. Prax, of course, is also an area that's well-supported (although somewhat out of print).

 

As you're going to have to be statting up everything, limiting yourself to one area/culture will make it easier on you. No need to worry about Grotarons or Rokari bishops if you're playing in Prax.

 

Yeah. I think that Prax is actually the area I want to stick to - there's been plenty of stuff brought out recently (Ian Thompson's stuff in the Pavis and Big Rubble Companions complement the fairly recent compendium). It means I can stick to Storm, Lunar and Solars and kind of ignore the West and Eastern mystics. I think I'll need to put some work into the animism though - the Praxian nomads need to feel significantly different to the theist stuff.

 

This is both a God Learnerism and a limited view of the runes.

 

It was something I picked out of the Unfinished Work on Heroquesting. I like the multiplicity of dualities - I didn't mean to say that they were all represented through the runes. The whole Hero Wars contest where the main contests are highlighted throughout the HQ rules are part of what I like about Glorantha - it isn't just good versus evil, there are contests between men and the elder races, between factions of the elder races, light and dark, life and chaos, storm and lunar etc etc

 

Iron isn't foreign to Glorantha, it just has a different origin than other metals (which are mined from the bones of gods killed in the Chaos Age).

 

Iron was invented by the dwarves specifically to fight Aldryami and Uz, which is why it burns both. It is also a runic metal, and as such has some specific properties -- much as other runic metals do, and the reason that they're tricky to use unless you get some help from a cult that knows how to work with that specific metal. (for example, one that knows how to fix quicksilver into aluminimum).

 

Hmmm. I always had it in my head it was foreign and thus so inimical to some of the elder races and disruptive to the magic that is intrinsic to everything else. I've also never seen it written as a runic metal and in my Glorantha it wont be!

 

You gain those unusual abilities by HeroQuesting into the Hero Plane or God Plane. And by doing so, you become a Hero (or Superhero like Harrek or Jar-eel).

 

HeroQuesting involves rituals that need the support of your community or temple or followers (better yet, all of 'em). All HeroQuests are dangerous and risky -- you "wager" your own abilities against other beings in the Hero Plane. You might win the abilties they have staked against you, or you might lose the ability you have staked. Or worse.

 

The least-risky HeroQuests are the ones where you reenact the deeds/myths of your own cult. Since your cult has knowledge about the secrets of these myths, they can tell you what you might be facing. Venturing off the myths you know -- "experimental HeroQuesting" -- is hideously dangerous and risky, since you literally don't know what you're doing.

 

When you enter a HeroQuest, the world responds as you face the challenges of the Hero Plane. Often, these opponents are your own, personal enemies, although they are filling the appropriate roles in the myth/story/quest you are enacting.

 

All useful stuff here. The role of relationships and community is huge in HQ and I think it would have to be in Glorantha Hero. I'll have to see what mechanisms I can use for this.

 

HeroQuests do not exactly "alter reality". They can bring back magic that has been done before (e.g.' date=' ending a drought with the Orlanth vs Aroka heroquest). Or they can verify that something is mythically "true" (e.g., the Red Goddess' battle at Castle Blue establishing her godhood).[/quote']

 

My biggest thought on altering reality was the introduction of the Red Moon to the Sky. The Glowline is also an altered reality that was probably accomplished via Heroquesting. The growing of corn I think was accomplished via Heroquest to infiltrate Dragon Pass with a Solar crop.

 

However you are entirely correct IMO as to the usual uses of Heroquesting (I'll have to finish that book I'm reading jst now - it was that that made me decide to do this).

 

Thanks again - such learned work will be most welcome on this humble thread.

 

 

Doc

[Lightray]

Prax: If you're thinking of running Prax, do yourself a favor and pick up the Gloranthan Classics book that reprints Cults of Prax and Cults of Terror. IMO, they're the best RQ Gloranthan books ever published.

 

However, the rune cults in Cults of Prax seem very theistic to me nowadays, not so much animistic. For Fantasy Hero, I'd actually recommend trying something like the summoning rules from the Valdorian Age to model animism, even though it doesn't really match what goes on in HeroQuest, either.

 

Iron: Best source on Iron is from the Secrets Book from the RQ Elder Secrets boxed set. Basically, enchanted iron is tempered to steel (basically half again the armor points of bronze). Unenchanted iron is equivalent to bronze, but hinders magic (hindrance proportional to the weight of iron carried).

 

It also notes that iron damages certain elder races (mostly elves and trolls), and damages creatures otherwise immune to normal weapons.

 

Community in Heroquests: In Hero, I'd either run it as an Aid effect that the community or temple adds to the hero via ritual, or I'd simply make it into a new Perk similar to the Equipment perk from Dark Champions (where the hero'd spend points to have a pool of heroquest help available to him from the temple, instead of a pool of equipment).

 

I'd definately require the hero to take Contacts for his heroband, community, and temple, though. With the adders for being an Organization and for the amount of help he can get.

 

Heroquesting: The point I wanted to make was that you can't Heroquest to change history, which is a common fallacy. You can seriously screw things up for yourself if you go back before History, particularly into the Green Age. Arcane Lore talks about this.

 

Most of the examples you used, however, are merely heroquests that reenact something natural.

 

The Red Moon rising into the sky wasn't a new thing -- there were a series of moons before the Great Darkness. Rufelza's heroquest simply put herself back into the sky where she belonged.

 

The Glowline appears to be a really big magical spell, and is essentially Yara Aranis' web stretched over the Lunar Empire. It may or may not be similar to Arachne Solara's web, Time, stretched over Glorantha. Anyway, the "web" thing is why, if you take out one of the Reaching Moon Temples (i.e., an anchorpoint), the Glowline retreats (the web comes unanchored there).

 

The corn rituals that Hon-eel brought from the Kingdom of Ignorance have always been used up there. The soil is so poor in the KoI that they needed the blood sacrifices to make them productive. For the Lunar Empire, they can grow corn just fine without the blood, but they need the superabundance to feed the poor, so they use the blood rites.

 

Most of the heroquests we know of (e.g., the Hill of Gold, the Kalikos Icebreaker quest, the Westfaring, etc.) simply duplicate things that the gods did in the God Time. Even Arkat's experimental heroquesting was essentially the same (especially since he seems to have inserted himself into the God Time, performing the myths he experimentally heroquested, and hence becoming a god himself).

 

What the God Learners got up to with heroquesting is apparently not possible anymore, so that's not an issue.

[SKJAM!]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

"Typical" Broo

 

Player: n/a

 

Val Char Cost

13 STR 3

11 DEX 3

15 CON 10

10 BODY 0

8 INT -2

10 EGO 0

10 PRE 0

6 COM -2

 

4 PD 1

4 ED 1

3 SPD 9

6 REC 0

30 END 0

25 STUN 0

 

6" RUN 0

2" SWIM 0

2 1/2" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 23

 

Cost Power

6 Horns: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1/2d6 (1d6+1 w/STR) (10 Active Points); Restrainable (Horns are on top of head; -1/2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4)

25 Life Support (Immunity: All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Immunity: All magical diseases and biowarfare agents), Inherent (+1/4) (25 Active Points)

Powers Cost: 31

 

 

Cost Skill

2 AK: Chaos Lands 11-

2 KS: Broo Customs & Religion 11-

0 Language: Chaos Speech (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)

1 Language: Tradetongue (basic conversation)

2 Navigation (Land) 11-

2 Survival (chaos lands) (Temperate/Subtropical) 11-

3 Tracking 11-

4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons

Skills Cost: 16

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 70

 

Pts. Disadvantage

20 Psychological Limitation: Hates all "natural" races (Very Common, Strong)

20 Reputation: Evil disease-carrying monster, 14- (Extreme)

10 Distinctive Features: Triggers "Detect Chaos" senses (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses)

Disadvantage Points: 50

Base Points: 50

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

APPEARANCE

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Yellow

Height: 1.83 m

Weight: 82.00 kg

Description:

The "typical" broo looks like an anthropomorphized goat. They dress in filthy rags and bits of armor, and stink to the skies.

 

BACKGROUND

This is what I imagine a "typical" broo might look of, stripped of all variable enhancements or skill sets.

 

For those unfamiliar with Glorantha, a broo (or "goat-man", after their most common appearance) is a thing of Chaos, a race that exists primarily to propagate itself and destroy all others. They have been blessed by Mallia, the goddess of disease, with a complete immunity to diseases of all kinds. Their mother-goddess, Thed, allows broo to propagate by inserting their young into beings of other species, which then are devoured from the inside by the nascent broo. While all right-thinking sentients exterminate broo wherever they are found, the broo propagate quickly and thrive in the Chaos Lands. Roving bands of broo are a familiar threat to anyone who wanders away from civilization.

 

PERSONALITY

Broo consider life to be a painful and brutal joke at their expense; they know they were created to be a weapon against the so-called "natural" races, and want to kill as many of them as possible before returning to the formless void of Chaos. The self-centeredness and surliness of most broo make it difficult for them to have a stable government, and any gathering above a small tribe is rare. In raiding parties, there's usually a pecking order based on physical prowess. Broo will, however, cooperate with other chaos creatures in the short term.

 

The broo sense of humor is crude and scatological. Female broo are extremely rare, and the nature of their reproductive cycle ensures most do not live long.

 

QUOTE

"Wanna see my spear?"

 

POWERS/TACTICS

All broo are inherently immune to disease of any kind. This does not stop them from carrying said diseases, and they often deliberately infect themselves. They also befoul all their weapons and equipment in hopes of infecting wounds and punishing anyone foolish enough to dig through their belongings. Most broo have some sort of horns, and a head butt is a favorite tactic against unarmed foes.

 

Broo prefer to attack smaller or weaker looking groups, and understand the concept of support magic. Beyond that, they're not normally given to clever tactics.

 

Note that I have not statted out the reproductive system. This should never actually happen in play, though the threat of it might.

 

CAMPAIGN USE

In general, broo are the "enemy race." They're the one thing Praxian nomads, Heortling steadholders, mechanistic Dwarfs, elitist Sorcerors, leafy Elves and omnivorous Trolls all will put aside their differences to wipe out. They also work as metaphors for disease and rape.

 

Ramping up a broo's threat level is easy and done in numerous ways.

 

Fighting Skills: Longer-lived broo learn combat techniques quickly, by the simple expedient of trying them in combat. If they find an interesting but exotic weapon, they'll learn how to use it.

 

Equipment: Most broo do not have the patience to learn advanced manufacturing techniques, and thus carry only the crudest weapons and armor. But successful broo can scavenge better equipment from fallen foes, so it's not unusal to see a good piece of equipment, especially on the leader. Any magic items they find that can be used in combat, they will. Truly powerful broo might even have custom-made equipment.

 

Disease: As noted above, many broo deliberately make themselves carriers of nasty diseases.

 

Magic: Broo tend towards animistic (Shamanic) or deistic (God-worship) magics. Most don't have the patience or literacy for the more scholarly styles of magic. They are especially fond of disease spirits. Broo shamans and priests tend also to be pretty good warriors, as they had to stay alive long enough to find out they were good at magic.

 

Chaos Features: Living too close to Chaos means that you take on some of its nature. This can manifest either positively (Feature) or negatively (Flaw). A Feature can be anything from slightly higher stats, through Talents, to full-blown Powers. Usually, this gives the broo a Distinctive Feature related to the power. (for example, a high INT might result in a grotesquely swollen head.) Chaos Flaws, conversely, are usually Disadvantages, and also give Distinctive Features. The broo have a ritual for adding more Chaos to an individual, but the effects are somewhat random and therefore dangerous.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Prax: If you're thinking of running Prax' date=' do yourself a favor and pick up the Gloranthan Classics book that reprints [i']Cults of Prax[/i] and Cults of Terror. IMO, they're the best RQ Gloranthan books ever published.

 

I still have my RQII copies but the reprint is fantastic for the extras that it has - recommended to anyone.

 

However' date=' the rune cults in [i']Cults of Prax[/i] seem very theistic to me nowadays, not so much animistic. For Fantasy Hero, I'd actually recommend trying something like the summoning rules from the Valdorian Age to model animism, even though it doesn't really match what goes on in HeroQuest, either.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I haven't given a great deal of thought in how to make the different magics different. I guess that animism is based around the use of captured spirits etc. Theism is using powers that your Deity once displayed. HQ doesn't do a great job of differentiating these. I think it would be far more obvious using Hero.

 

Iron: Best source on Iron is from the Secrets Book from the RQ Elder Secrets boxed set. Basically, enchanted iron is tempered to steel (basically half again the armor points of bronze). Unenchanted iron is equivalent to bronze, but hinders magic (hindrance proportional to the weight of iron carried).

 

It also notes that iron damages certain elder races (mostly elves and trolls), and damages creatures otherwise immune to normal weapons.

 

I'll have a look at what it says. I think that in my Glorantha that I'm likely to have iron as a foreign substance that the dwarves have learned to work. Iron arms and armour will provide the obvious combat benefits but I'm inclined to make it a real problem for people trying to work magic near it. I guess in this endeavour I should stick close to Gloranthan norms.

 

 

Community in Heroquests: In Hero' date=' I'd either run it as an Aid effect that the community or temple adds to the hero via ritual, or I'd simply make it into a new Perk similar to the Equipment perk from [i']Dark Champions[/i] (where the hero'd spend points to have a pool of heroquest help available to him from the temple, instead of a pool of equipment).

 

I'd definately require the hero to take Contacts for his heroband, community, and temple, though. With the adders for being an Organization and for the amount of help he can get.

 

In Hero you tend to be defined by your network of contacts as much as anything else. I think that the contacts will be highly used in Glorantha Hero even up to your relationship with your God (or spirits) that provide your magic.

 

Heroquesting: The point I wanted to make was that you can't Heroquest to change history' date=' which is a common fallacy. You can seriously screw things up for yourself if you go back [i']before History[/i], particularly into the Green Age. Arcane Lore talks about this.

 

Most of the examples you used, however, are merely heroquests that reenact something natural.

 

The Red Moon rising into the sky wasn't a new thing -- there were a series of moons before the Great Darkness. Rufelza's heroquest simply put herself back into the sky where she belonged.

 

I guess the emphasis I should put is alter reality rather than change history. A moon was there and then it wasn't and then was again - at some point reality was altered! :-)

 

What the God Learners got up to with heroquesting is apparently not possible anymore' date=' so that's not an issue.[/quote']

 

Unless the current Hero Wars make that possible again. Not that King of Dragon Pass indicates that as the result.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

"Typical" Broo

 

 

Kudos.

 

I'm not sure what I'll convert and what I wont but Broo are a must for any Praxian campaign.

 

The actual mechanics I'll eventually use will depend on how I set up the system but you can consider the majority of this to be stolen! Thanks

 

 

 

Doc

[SKJAM!]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Kudos.

 

I'm not sure what I'll convert and what I wont but Broo are a must for any Praxian campaign.

 

The actual mechanics I'll eventually use will depend on how I set up the system but you can consider the majority of this to be stolen! Thanks

 

Doc

 

Thanks! The as-yet-uncertain mechanics is why I stripped the "Typical" Broo down to the absolute essentials--you'll note he has thirty unspent points just waiting for the customization.

 

Hmm...I'll have to see if I can find that conversion I did for the Chaos Features/Flaws randomization chart.

 

 

SKJAM!

[Lightray]

"Typical" Broo

Well, there's a particular trait of the broo that seems to be missing... that broo propagation should probably be a Transform (with Gestures and Extra Time, maybe Concentration?). It'd probably be quite expensive, too. It might be interesting to try modeling it as a Summon, with Side Effects and Delayed Effect, though.

 

And I'd give them a small Bite attack of some kind -- they do chew their way out of "mother", after all...

 

Thed worship is definately animistic, although only "socialized" broo would have any magic at all. Most animalistic or wild broo probably survive on the basis of their chaos traits. Broo who've somehow gained some kind of primitive learning would be animists, with their shaman dealing with spirits of Thed, Malia, and other Chaos spirits. Particularly in Prax.

 

And speaking of Broo near Prax, don't forget to toss in an encounter with the Wild Healer: a broo baby raised by priests of Chalana Arroy, and a pacifist priest of that goddess himself. Drives Storm Bullies nuts, it does. (not that this is a difficult thing, mind you)

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Well, there's a particular trait of the broo that seems to be missing... that broo propagation should probably be a Transform (with Gestures and Extra Time, maybe Concentration?). It'd probably be quite expensive, too. It might be interesting to try modeling it as a Summon, with Side Effects and Delayed Effect, though.

 

And I'd give them a small Bite attack of some kind -- they do chew their way out of "mother", after all...)

 

I might be inclined to model that as a killing attack, the pain and death are just 'delayed' a bit and might be avoided given some unusual healing magic. Just as another option...

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

I stole the Broo's reproductive weirdness for as a main source for "monsters" in my FH campaign, and while I can't find my writeup at the moment I know I did it as a Summon with a linked time delay killing attack. The reasoning behind actually making it a power is that it really is useful in the long run... I remember Broo's sneaking into territories and impregnating the livestock as a long term terror tactic, as well as raiding to kidnap women and steal herd animals and keeping them as breeding stock. This sounds like an active power rather than a special effect to me. Being able to rapidly breed new warriors in almost any situatiojn, that have a very short gestation time and a rapid maturation rate is potentially very very nasty. I did the numbers for my game and a fairly small warband could infect an damn BIG area in short order.

 

This is one of the plot devices that led to my Adult themes thread. The general mindset among the cultures of my world , and would well fit with Broo fighters as well, is that it's better to suicide or kill ones loved ones than let them be captured by these foes. It'd be a potential plot point with any female characters, but like Skjam it's almost certainly never going to be more than a threat/ offstage with NPC kind of occurance... the idea is plenty horrible on its own, thanks very much, I don't think it needs to be carried out "on camera". A captured female PC's fate would certainly look grim, but I'd come up with a way to stop the action, depending on how the PC's play it out. If they were to utterly screw up and neither come up with a rescue nor even a halfassed attempt to escape then I'd probably make it a bad-to-worse damsel in distress situation.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

A captured female PC's fate would certainly look grim' date=' but I'd come up with a way to stop the action, depending on how the PC's play it out. If they were to utterly screw up and neither come up with a rescue nor even a halfassed attempt to escape then I'd probably make it a bad-to-worse damsel in distress situation.[/quote']

 

And there you have a difference. In my Glorantha it didn't matter whether the rape was made on a male or female character, the larva was implanted and will be born.

 

It actually made the horror of the broo that much worse...

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Thed worship is definately animistic' date=' although only "socialized" broo would have any magic at all. Most animalistic or wild broo probably survive on the basis of their chaos traits. Broo who've somehow gained some kind of primitive learning would be animists, with their shaman dealing with spirits of Thed, Malia, and other Chaos spirits. Particularly in Prax.[/quote']

 

I remember soon after acquiring my Cults of Terror in the midst of my RQII campaign my players encountered a broo.

 

They were terrified as there was just _a_ broo. Treasure factor stuf indicated that there should be about 20 of the beasts but there was only one. They never expected to find a broo with a magic and a mastery rune tattooed on its forehead...

 

They decided to start thinking about their foray into Dorastor a bit more seriously after that.

 

 

Doc

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

We always figured it required at least basic female reproductive organs, as I believe they mentioned it at one point (I want to say in Borderlands). It ties in with it being a gift to the race from their creator, who is their Fertility Goddess.

I thought about the implanted larvae approach, but it came across as a little to sci fi for my tastes. Not to say that Broo's woudn't take the same liberties with a male prisoner, but it wouldn't end in a little Broo. A male prisoner might actually be in more dire straits as the Broos would have no reason to keep him in descent shape... his dying would be long and painful, most likely.

 

Dar, my Humakti, made his name in our campaign defending Stone Cross and the environs against a horde of Broos out the Chaos Woods. We delved pretty deep into how evil they can be. It pretty much shifted during that time from a farily lighthearted campaign to a very intense and dark "no quarter sought or given" kind of story arc and led to my first and only very minor Heroquest.

[Lightray]

I believe it's canonical that a broo can "impregnate" anything -- female or male. With the proper chaos features, some really freaky broolings could show up. I seem to recall mosquito-broos mentioned somewhere...

 

Broos will probably go for the female critters of preference, but Thed is the goddess of rape, so anything that can be raped is going to be tried. Which is why I'm not sure that the female broo (in Lords of Terror, maybe?) is generally accepted anymore.

 

Of course, in Prax, the threat is that broos get into the herds, and a few weeks later you have bison broo (or rhino broo) on your hands.

 

They decided to start thinking about their foray into Dorastor a bit more seriously after that.

I can't imagine not taking Dorastor seriously. Especially with Ralzakark the unicorn broo superhero and his broo Humakti castrati...

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

I can't imagine not taking Dorastor seriously. Especially with Ralzakark the unicorn broo superhero and his broo Humakti castrati...

 

 

I think they'd just never considered that there would be super-powerful individuals in there. It was early in our gaming life and they were still naive. _I_ had read Cults of Terror and had my innocence stripped away from me!

 

[AlHazred]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

I started to do a Glorantha Hero adaptation some years ago. I got through the trolls, then started on the magic and got bogged down. For Glorantha, I really like the narrative magic systems in the new HeroQuest book more than the old Rune Magic system. I think it fits much better with the feel of Glorantha. Unfortunately, it's also highly adaptable with a wide variety of powers; I got stymied trying to come up with an elegant solution in Hero. I should probably get back to it one of these days and see if the little grey cells have loosened up any.

 

Anyway, on to the trolls. Please note, I estimated that the basic campaign standard in Glorantha should be about 75+75, due to the large amount of magic that each character will need to buy. I've scaled these writeups accordingly.

[AlHazred]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Troll, Dark

 

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

16 STR 6 12- Lift 229.7kg; 3d6 [2]

10 DEX 0 11- OCV: 3/DCV: 3

10 CON 0 11-

12 BODY 4 11-

10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3

10 PRE 0 11- PRE Attack: 2d6

10 COM 0 11-

 

4 PD 1 Total: 4 PD (1 rPD)

3 ED 1 Total: 3 ED (1 rED)

2 SPD 0 Phases: 6, 12

5 REC 0

20 END 0

25 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 11

 

Movement:

Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 3"/6"

Swimming: 1"/2"

 

 

Cost Powers END

10 Bite: HKA 1d6-1 (1d6+1 w/STR) 1

5 Darksense: Active Sonar (Detect Limited Class of Physical Objects) 11- (Hearing Group)

20 Sensitive Ears: Targeting with Hearing Group

1 Tough Skin: Damage Resistance (1 PD/1 ED)

0 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity All ingested terrestrial poisons); Extra Time (20 Minutes, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power, -1 1/4), OIF (stones; -1/2)

Skills

3 Concealment 11-

1 KS: Troll Lore 8-

0 Language: Darktongue (idiomatic)

3 Stealth 11-

1 WF: Axes, Maces, Hammers, and Picks

 

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 44

Total Cost: 55

 

75+ Disadvantages

15 Physical Limitation: Poor Eyesight (suffers -2 to all Sight PER Rolls) (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN from Iron (Common)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY from Iron (Common)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 55

 

 

 

Background/History: Dark trolls (styganthropus uzko) are a degenerate species, born well-adapted to the surface world. Capable of easily digesting more kinds of animal and plant flesh than their mistress race forebears, they are the ultimate scavengers. They have better eyesight than the mistress race, but are still better adapted to darkness than daylight.

 

Personality/Motivation: The dark trolls are the common stock of troll-kind. Although trollkin are far more common in troll lands, they are also not considered adults in troll society; the dark trolls occupy almost all of the common niches of troll society -- as craftsmen, warriors, priests, and lower bureaucrats and laborers.

 

Quote:

 

Powers/Tactics: Dark trolls are stronger and tougher than humans. Nevertheless, they shy away from straight-up fights preferring to strike from ambush at night. They have somewhat better eyesight than their forebears, although farsighted and seeing only black, white, shades of grey, and red.

 

Campaign Use: Dark trolls represent about 30% of all troll types now in existence. They are the trolls most commonly encountered by humans.

 

My favorite fantasy race is probably the Gloranthan trolls. They are definitely the most original race developed for an RPG; rather than being a rip-off of any other Tolkienesque race, they are an original creation of Greg Stafford and Sandy Peterson. Savage, cannibalistic and alien, they make a great addition to any fantasy setting.

 

As an everyman skill, give all trolls the following ability:

 

1 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity: All ingested terrestrial poisons) (5 Character Points); Extra Time (20 Minutes; -2 1/2), OIF stones (-1/2) 0

 

This represents the fact that they can digest most poisons, if they know poison is present in a meal, by passing it through their rock stomachs, i.e. by eating rocks at the same time as the poison. This isn't really a useful ability for them, since they have to know the poison is present, they don't derive as much nourishment from the meal since the rock stomach has more powerful acids, and it doesn't protect against insinuated or inhaled poisons, two of the most common types. I leave it as an interesting ability they have that doesn't get used much. As such, it's a perfect candidate for an everyman ability for trolls.

 

Another item of note is the fact that trolls are far more sensitive to sunlight than most species. They sunburn more easily, and wear voluminous clothes and medical balms to protect their sensitive skin. For most troll species, this is nothing more than an annoyance, and therefore not worth any points.

 

Appearance: Dark trolls stand almost seven feet tall. Not as massive as the mistress race or great trolls, they are still more powerful than most humans. Their snouts are used to house the sonar apparatus, as well as a sense of smell superior to the mistress race.

 

TrollDark.hdt

[AlHazred]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Troll, Great

 

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

26 STR 16 14- Lift 919.0kg; 5d6 [5]

10 DEX 0 11- OCV: 3/DCV: 3

19 CON 18 13-

18 BODY 16 13-

7 INT -3 10- PER Roll 10-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3

15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

8 COM -1 11-

 

10 PD 5 Total: 10 PD (3 rPD)

7 ED 3 Total: 7 ED (3 rED)

2 SPD 0 Phases: 6, 12

9 REC 0

40 END 1

45 STUN 4 Total Characteristic Cost: 63

 

Movement:

Running: 7"/14"

Leaping: 5"/10"

Swimming: 1"/2"

 

 

Cost Powers END

10 Bite: HKA 1d6-1 (1d6+1 w/STR) 1

5 Darksense: Active Sonar (Detect Limited Class of Physical Objects) 10- (Hearing Group)

4 Large: Knockback Resistance -2"

2 Large: Running +1" (7" total) 1

20 Sensitive Ears: Targeting Sense for Hearing Sense Group 2

3 Tough Skin: Damage Resistance (3 PD/3 ED)

1 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity All ingested terrestrial poisons); Extra Time (20 Minutes, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power, -1 1/4), OIF (stones; -1/2)

Skills

5 +1 with HTH Combat

3 +1 with Block, Move By, and Strike

 

3 Concealment 10-

1 KS: Troll Lore 8-

0 Language: Dark Tongue (native)

3 Stealth 11-

2 WF: Axes, Maces, Hammers, and Picks, Sling

 

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 62

Total Cost: 125

 

75+ Disadvantages

5 Physical Limitation: Large (almost 3m tall; -1 DCV, +1 to others' PER Rolls to perceive) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

10 Physical Limitation: Poor Eyesight (suffers -2 to all Sight PER Rolls) (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

15 Psychological Limitation: Short-Tempered (Common, Strong)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN from Iron (Common)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY from Iron (Common)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 125

 

 

 

Background/History: Great trolls (styganthropus uzko var. uzdo) are the result of a magical attempt to increase the fertility of the troll race and break the Curse of Kin which causes trolls to give birth to the stunted trollkin. Large, strong, and tough, they lack intelligence and drive. Typically, they function as guards or laborers for their dark or mistress race troll masters.

 

Most great trolls are male, and about half of them are apparently sterile. The other half almost never bear great trolls, usually bear dark trolls, and occasionally bear trollkin.

 

Personality/Motivation: Great trolls are considered useful members of troll society. Their great strength and physical power is seen as an advantage by many, but their limited intellects restrict their advancement into society's higher levels. Some few find advancement as powerful warlords or members of war-cults, but many remain enslaved, working at menial tasks as guards or manual laborers.

 

Quote:

 

Powers/Tactics: Great trolls use their great size and strength to assault their foes, attempting to overpower them. Typically afflicted with short tempers or blood-lust, great trolls rarely use any sort of tactics in their combats.

 

Campaign Use: Great trolls are found in most troll settlements, but are far less common than dark trolls. They form elite military units, or the preferred bodyguards for important troll dignitaries.

 

My favorite fantasy race is probably the Gloranthan trolls. They are definitely the most original race developed for an RPG; rather than being a rip-off of any other Tolkienesque race, they are an original creation of Greg Stafford and Sandy Peterson. Savage, cannibalistic and alien, they make a great addition to any fantasy setting.

 

As an everyman skill, give all trolls the following ability:

 

1 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity: All ingested terrestrial poisons) (5); Extra Time (20 Minutes; Only to Activate Constant or Persistant Power; -1 1/4), OIF stones (-1/2) 0

 

This represents the fact that they can digest most poisons, if they know poison is present in a meal, by passing it through their rock stomachs, i.e. by eating rocks at the same time as the poison. This isn't really a useful ability for them, since they have to know the poison is present, they don't derive as much nourishment from the meal since the rock stomach has more powerful acids, and it doesn't protect against insinuated or inhaled poisons, two of the most common types. I leave it as an interesting ability they have that doesn't get used much. As such, it's a perfect candidate for an everyman ability for trolls.

 

Another item of note is the fact that trolls are far more sensitive to sunlight than most species. They sunburn more easily, and wear voluminous clothes and medical balms to protect their sensitive skin. For most troll species, this is nothing more than an annoyance, and therefore not worth any points.

 

Appearance: Great trolls are huge, standing between eight and nine feet tall. Powerfully built, they usually appear leaner than mistress race or dark trolls. Their snouts resemble those of dark trolls, as opposed to the more potent ones of the mistress race.

 

TrollGreat.hdt

[AlHazred]

Re: Glorantha HeroTrollkinVal Char Cost Roll Notes9 STR -1 11- Lift 87.1kg; 1 1/2d6 [2]13 DEX 9 12- OCV: 4/DCV: 49 CON -2 11-8 BODY -4 11-9 INT -1 11- PER Roll 11-7 EGO -6 10- ECV: 28 PRE -2 11- PRE Attack: 1 1/2d66 COM -2 10-2 PD 0 Total: 2 PD (0 rPD)2 ED 0 Total: 2 ED (0 rED)2 SPD 0 Phases: 6, 124 REC 018 END 018 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: -14Movement: Running: 4"/8" Leaping: 1"/2" Swimming: 1"/2"Cost Powers END15 Darksense: Active Sonar (Hearing Group)0 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity All ingested terrestrial poisons); Extra Time (20 Minutes, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power, -1 1/4), OIF (stones; -1/2)Skills10 Hard To Hit: +2 with DCV 3 Concealment 11-3 Easily Hidden: +2 with Concealment; Self Only (-1/2)1 KS: Troll Lore 8-0 Language: Dark Tongue (native)7 Stealth 14-Total Powers & Skill Cost: 39Total Cost: 2575+ Disadvantages5 Physical Limitation: Small (about 1m tall; +3" to KB) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)20 Psychological Limitation: Aversion To Sunlight (Common, Total)10 Psychological Limitation: Timid (Common, Moderate)10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN from Iron (Common)10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY from Iron (Common)Total Disadvantage Points: 25Background/History: Trollkin (styganthropus uzko var. enlo) are degenerate, stunted offspring that occur due to the Curse of Kin, a vile curse cast upon the troll race by a chaos god. Small and twisted, they are considered by many trolls to be a sign of the troubled future. All are used as food or slaves, unless they escape to the wild where they live in feral squalor as scavengers.Personality/Motivation: Trollkin are naturally subservient and submissive, a result of the Curse. They lack motivation, and seem content to live in the shadows, eking out meager existence until some larger troll comes by and eats them. Some few display somewhat higher intelligence and willpower, but they remain shackled by their slave status; these so-called "superior trollkin" are treated exactly the same as their duller kin unless they can break away from troll society into the wider world.Quote: Powers/Tactics: Trollkin have no advantages save small size and speed; they always attempt to attack their foes from surprise, but only if they must attack. They never initiate combat, preferring to sneak away from any confrontation.The sole exception is when a group of trollkin becomes too large and begins to overburden the local food supply. At this time, the trollkin will rise up as a horde and devour everything in their path in an orgy of gluttony. Afterwards, they will turn on themselves, only stopping when they go unconscious from satiation, or when they are killed.Campaign Use: Trollkin form 70% of the current troll race. As such they are endemic in troll lands, and some areas are wastelands due to the deprivations of wild trollkin. In other areas they form the main backbone of the slave force.My favorite fantasy race is probably the Gloranthan trolls. They are definitely the most original race developed for an RPG; rather than being a rip-off of any other Tolkienesque race, they are an original creation of Greg Stafford and Sandy Peterson. Savage, cannibalistic and alien, they make a great addition to any fantasy setting.

As an everyman skill, give all trolls the following ability:1 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity: All ingested terrestrial poisons) (5); Extra Time (20 Minutes; -2 1/2), OIF stones (-1/2) 0This represents the fact that they can digest most poisons, if they know poison is present in a meal, by passing it through their rock stomachs, i.e. by eating rocks at the same time as the poison. This isn't really a useful ability for them, since they have to know the poison is present, they don't derive as much nourishment from the meal since the rock stomach has more powerful acids, and it doesn't protect against insinuated or inhaled poisons, two of the most common types. I leave it as an interesting ability they have that doesn't get used much. As such, it's a perfect candidate for an everyman ability for trolls.Another item of note is the fact that trolls are far more sensitive to sunlight than most species. They sunburn more easily, and wear voluminous clothes and medical balms to protect their sensitive skin. Trollkin, with their large eyes, are especially sensitive to the sunlight, and suffer a racial aversion to it. Some trollkin are able to learn to tolerate it to a limited extent (in game terms, they are able to buy down their Psychological Limitation). When subject to their Aversion (i.e. exposed to sunlight and failing and EGO roll if a roll is even allowed), trollkin suffer -2 to their CV, and prefer flight over fight, no matter how well they have been disciplined.Appearance: Trollkin typically stand between three and four feet high, with compact physiques. Due to the preponderance of mutations among them, there really is no standard for trollkin; some display some feature that the trolls find useful, and these are selected to be "Value" trollkin, a dubious honor.Trollkin.hdt

[AlHazred]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Trollkin, Superior

 

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

9 STR -1 11- Lift 87.1kg; 1 1/2d6 [2]

13 DEX 9 12- OCV: 4/DCV: 4

9 CON -2 11-

8 BODY -4 11-

10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3

10 PRE 0 11- PRE Attack: 2d6

6 COM -2 10-

 

2 PD 0 Total: 2 PD (0 rPD)

2 ED 0 Total: 2 ED (0 rED)

2 SPD 0 Phases: 6, 12

4 REC 0

18 END 0

18 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: -5

 

Movement:

Running: 4"/8"

Leaping: 1"/2"

Swimming: 1"/2"

 

 

Cost Powers END

15 Darksense: Active Sonar (Hearing Group)

0 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity All ingested terrestrial poisons); Extra Time (20 Minutes, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power, -1 1/4), OIF (stones; -1/2)

Skills

10 Hard To Hit: +2 with DCV

 

3 Concealment 11-

3 Easily Hidden: +2 with Concealment; Self Only (-1/2)

1 KS: Troll Lore 8-

0 Language: Dark Tongue (native)

7 Stealth 14-

 

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 39

Total Cost: 34

 

75+ Disadvantages

5 Physical Limitation: Small (about 1m tall; +3" to KB) (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

20 Psychological Limitation: Aversion To Sunlight (Common, Total)

10 Psychological Limitation: Timid (Common, Moderate)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN from Iron (Common)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY from Iron (Common)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 34

 

 

 

Background/History: Trollkin (styganthropus uzko var. enlo) are degenerate, stunted offspring that occur due to the Curse of Kin, a vile curse cast upon the troll race by a chaos god. Small and twisted, they are considered by many trolls to be a sign of the troubled future. All are used as food or slaves, unless they escape to the wild where they live in feral squalor as scavengers.

 

Personality/Motivation: Trollkin are naturally subservient and submissive, a result of the Curse. They lack motivation, and seem content to live in the shadows, eking out meager existence until some larger troll comes by and eats them. Some few display somewhat higher intelligence and willpower, but they remain shackled by their slave status; these so-called "superior trollkin" are treated exactly the same as their duller kin unless they can break away from troll society into the wider world.

 

Quote:

 

Powers/Tactics: Trollkin have no advantages save small size and speed; they always attempt to attack their foes from surprise, but only if they must attack. They never initiate combat, preferring to sneak away from any confrontation.

 

The sole exception is when a group of trollkin becomes too large and begins to overburden the local food supply. At this time, the trollkin will rise up as a horde and devour everything in their path in an orgy of gluttony. Afterwards, they will turn on themselves, only stopping when they go unconscious from satiation, or when they are killed.

 

Campaign Use: Trollkin form 70% of the current troll race. As such they are endemic in troll lands, and some areas are wastelands due to the deprivations of wild trollkin. In other areas they form the main backbone of the slave force.

 

My favorite fantasy race is probably the Gloranthan trolls. They are definitely the most original race developed for an RPG; rather than being a rip-off of any other Tolkienesque race, they are an original creation of Greg Stafford and Sandy Peterson. Savage, cannibalistic and alien, they make a great addition to any fantasy setting.

 

As an everyman skill, give all trolls the following ability:

 

1 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity: All ingested terrestrial poisons) (5); Extra Time (20 Minutes; -2 1/2), OIF stones (-1/2) 0

 

This represents the fact that they can digest most poisons, if they know poison is present in a meal, by passing it through their rock stomachs, i.e. by eating rocks at the same time as the poison. This isn't really a useful ability for them, since they have to know the poison is present, they don't derive as much nourishment from the meal since the rock stomach has more powerful acids, and it doesn't protect against insinuated or inhaled poisons, two of the most common types. I leave it as an interesting ability they have that doesn't get used much. As such, it's a perfect candidate for an everyman ability for trolls.

 

Another item of note is the fact that trolls are far more sensitive to sunlight than most species. They sunburn more easily, and wear voluminous clothes and medical balms to protect their sensitive skin. Trollkin, with their large eyes, are especially sensitive to the sunlight, and suffer a racial aversion to it. Some trollkin are able to learn to tolerate it to a limited extent (in game terms, they are able to buy down their Psychological Limitation). When subject to their Aversion (i.e. exposed to sunlight and failing and EGO roll if a roll is even allowed), trollkin suffer -2 to their CV, and prefer flight over fight, no matter how well they have been disciplined.

 

Appearance: Trollkin typically stand between three and four feet high, with compact physiques. Due to the preponderance of mutations among them, there really is no standard for trollkin; some display some feature that the trolls find useful, and these are selected to be "Value" trollkin, a dubious honor.

 

TrollkinSuperior.hdt

[AlHazred]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

Troll, Mistress Race

 

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

20 STR 10 13- Lift 400.0kg; 4d6 [2]

13 DEX 9 12- OCV: 4/DCV: 4

13 CON 6 12-

15 BODY 10 12-

15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12-/17-

14 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5

15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

14 COM 2 12-

 

6 PD 2 Total: 6 PD (2 rPD)

4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (2 rED)

3 SPD 7 Phases: 4, 8, 12

7 REC 0

30 END 2

35 STUN 3 Total Characteristic Cost: 70

 

Movement:

Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 4"/8"

Swimming: 2"/4"

 

 

Cost Powers END

10 Bite: HKA 1d6-1 (1d6+1 w/STR) 1

5 Longevity: Life Support (Longevity: Immortal)

10 Sensitive Ears: +5 PER with Hearing Group

5 Sensitive Ears: Increased Arc Of Perception (240 Degrees) with Hearing Group

20 Sensitive Ears: Targeting with Hearing Group

3 Sensitive Ears: Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group)

10 Darksense: Hypersensitive Sonar (Radar) (Detect Physical Objects [10 Character Points]) 12- (Hearing Group)

10 Superior Darksense: +14 versus Range Modifier for Sonar

2 Tough Skin: Damage Resistance (2 PD/2 ED)

0 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity All ingested terrestrial poisons); Extra Time (20 Minutes, Only to Activate Constant or Persistent Power, -1 1/4), OIF (stones; -1/2)

Perks

5 Fringe Benefit: Member of the Aristocracy/Higher Nobility

4 Reputation: Mistress Race Troll (all trolls) 14-, +2/+2d6

Skills

3 Concealment 12-

1 High Society 8-

5 KS: Troll Lore 14-

1 Language: Darktongue (idiomatic; literate)

3 Oratory 12-

3 Stealth 12-

3 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Sling

 

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 103

Total Cost: 173

 

75+ Disadvantages

15 Physical Limitation: Nearly Blind (can make out large shapes and differentiate between intensities of light) (All the Time, Slightly Impairing)

15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence (Very Common, Moderate)

5 Reputation: Mistress Race Troll, 8- (Extreme; Known Only To A Small Group)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN from Iron (Common)

10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY from Iron (Common)

43 Experience Points

(7 points unspent)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 173

 

 

 

Background/History: Mistress race trolls (styganthropus vorax) are the natural-born rulers and priests of the troll race. They are atavisms, throwbacks to the original semi-mythical troll root race as it existed in the Underworld before Time began. They are genetically superior to the modern dark trolls that form the bulk of the race. Adapted completely to darkness, they have only rudimentary visual senses but their superior Darksense more than makes up for this lack.

 

Mistress race trolls have the normal two sexes and reproduce through normal means, though rarely. It is said the birth of a mistress race troll is heralded with signs and portents of great, dark days to come.

 

Personality/Motivation: The mistress race trolls are the masters of the troll lands, and they know it. Their plans are long-term and devious, often showing a diabolical disregard for any but the mistress race troll. Cruel, cunning and patient, the mistress race trolls are dedicated to the continued survival of the troll race, the expansion of troll territory at the expense of neighbors, and triumph over their mythological enemies, which include chaos and the Sun.

 

Quote:

 

Powers/Tactics: Mistress race trolls are usually magically powerful and always have the best equipment their communities can provide them. They use cunning tactics which make the most of their natural advantages, preferring attacks at night from surprise.

 

Campaign Use: Mistress race trolls are the unseen powers behind any troll community. Their influence should be subtle, but when their interests are threatened, they react with vicious and extreme prejudice.

 

The statistics block give only the base statistics and abilities of a very young member of the race.

 

My favorite fantasy race is probably the Gloranthan trolls. They are definitely the most original race developed for an RPG; rather than being a rip-off of any other Tolkienesque race, they are an original creation of Greg Stafford and Sandy Peterson. Savage, cannibalistic and alien, they make a great addition to any fantasy setting.

 

As an everyman skill, give all trolls the following ability:

 

1 Complex Stomach: Life Support (Immunity: All ingested terrestrial poisons) (5); Extra Time (20 Minutes; -2 1/2), OIF stones (-1/2) 0

 

This represents the fact that they can digest most poisons, if they know poison is present in a meal, by passing it through their rock stomachs, i.e. by eating rocks at the same time as the poison. This isn't really a useful ability for them, since they have to know the poison is present, they don't derive as much nourishment from the meal since the rock stomach has more powerful acids, and it doesn't protect against insinuated or inhaled poisons, two of the most common types. I leave it as an interesting ability they have that doesn't get used much. As such, it's a perfect candidate for an everyman ability for trolls.

 

Another item of note is the fact that trolls are far more sensitive to sunlight than most species. They sunburn more easily, and wear voluminous clothes and medical balms to protect their sensitive skin. For most troll species, this is nothing more than an annoyance, and therefore not worth any points.

 

Appearance: Mistress race trolls average about seven and a half feet tall, with massively muscled torsos, fat bellies, and dense flesh; the most ancient of them may have stone bones. Their skin is tough and hairless, with a thick layer of fat underneath. Their tiny eyes sit high up on their long, broad snouts; their snouts are primarily used to house the sonar apparatus. Their ears are large and highly mobile. Their mouths are filled with a large variety of strong, sharp teeth.

 

TrollMistressRace.hdt

[Lightray]

This Hero TrollPak will only be complete if you post a Kyger Litor writeup five times, you know.

[AlHazred]

Re: Glorantha Hero

 

This Hero TrollPak will only be complete if you post a Kyger Litor writeup five times' date=' you know.[/quote']

Only five?