One more thought. In RQ, a character can really only overcome setting physics through magic, spirits, good equipment, and maybe the special abilities of a rune lord (multiple actions in a round). But that is all stuff gained in the game by devoting yourself to a god and advancing in the cult. Being able to overcome the setting physics paradoxically binds your character tighter to the setting itself.
This is especially true with those heroquesting examples I gave.
As a result, don’t worry much if your player characters become tremendously powerful. Bind them to their cults, entangle them in divine goals and rivalries, and let them become—willingly or not—the pawns of the gods in the Hero Wars.
That, after all, is the entire point of the game.
RuneQuest’s model is a paradox of entanglement: power gained through cult devotion paradoxically roots characters deeper in Glorantha, turning them into agents (or pawns) of the gods amid the Hero Wars. This creates endless, organic stakes—no need to “worry” about overpowered PCs; their might amplifies mythic conflicts and draws equally powerful foes and rivals into their path.
D&D 5e’s approach is the opposite: a liberation fantasy. Power scales dramatically via levels, eventually making PCs near-demigods who transcend the setting. Binding to deities/patrons exists for some classes, but it’s optional, contractual, and rarely punitive—gods gift or lease power without demanding total loyalty. Most progression is portable across cultures or even worlds. The “price” is logistical: DMs scramble to challenge godlike heroes with cosmic threats or politics, but without inherent world-ties, campaigns often stall or reset.
