CHA4036 RuneQuest Weapons and Equipment Q&A

Official Answers from Chaosium

A Bronze Age World (pages 11-20)

Gloranthan Metals (page 11)

Enchanting Bronze?

Gloranthan Cults with the Enchant (metal) Spell

Gustbran has all of the Enchant (metal) Spells, so he has Enchant (Bronze)?

No, excluding Enchant (Bronze).

Difference between an Enchantment and a Spell Matrix

If bronze cannot be ‘enchanted’, then what is the difference between an ‘enchantment’ and ‘having a spell matrix’?

An enchantment makes a permanent change in the world, and involves a permanent loss that is usually POW. See RQG, Enchantment, page 249.

A spell matrix is an enchantment (either Spell Matrix Enchantment or Matrix Creation) permanently makes an accessible spell part of something, costing a permanent POW loss.

Is it the presence of a powering spirit for the matrices?

• With Spell Matrix Enchantment, Magic points are usually supplied by the user of the enchantment.
• With Matrix Creation, Rune points are supplied by the enchantment.

It is possible to supply magic points using Link Magic Point Conditions (RQG, page 250), but from magic point storage. There is currently no usual way to use a bound spirit, but someone likely knows this Enchanting Condition (my money is on the dwarfs).

Orlanth and Enchant Silver

Orlanth has ‘Enchant Iron’ and ‘Enchant Silver’. Is this correct?

Yes. Note that silver has the special property that it can damage creatures normally affected only by magic, and is Uleria’s metal.

Enchanted Iron

In RQG Weapons and Equipment pages 12-14 it says:

So does that mean only unenchanted iron gives the -5% penalty to magic and enchanted iron does not? I recall reading somewhere that iron gear can be attuned to the wearer to negate the -5%, is that referring to enchanting it with the Enchant Iron spell? Also if the penalty is removed does it remove both the penalty to use magic and also the penalty to be affected by magic?

Yes, both penalties are removed. Unenchanted iron gives -5% per ENC to casting and being successfully targeted by a spell (usually POW vs POW), and attuning = enchanting.

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Common Goods (pages 18-35)

Locks

Thieves’ tools include lockpicks, and there is a price for a lock hasp but there’s nothing for locks themselves – what kind of locks would there be in the bronze age, would some be more complex/difficult to pick than others?

Most will be the wooden pin lock kind, which consist of a bolt, door fixture or attachment, and key. When the key was inserted, pins within the fixture were lifted out of drilled holes within the bolt, allowing it to move. When the key was removed, the pins fell part-way into the bolt, preventing movement. The lock pick allows the pins to be lifted. See

https://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsc09b.htm

The next kind is the sliding bolt lock:

https://www.historicallocks.com/en/site/h/articles/locks-of-wood-and-iron/sliding-bolt-locks/

and the warded lock, these will generally be the most expensive, made of bronze (not iron). The early roman types would exist, see: https://www.historicallocks.com/en/site/h/Articles/The-history-of-padlocks/Roman-Era-500-BC300-AD/

Finally, the Dwarfs make the best locks. A Dwarf made lock could be of any (including modern) mechanical design, material and complexity, and rare outside of dwarf complexes.

Don’t forget the Issaries spell of lock (RQG 333) makes a very good magical lock, and is available to all Orlanth initiates too.

Tools

What might smithing tools weigh and cost?

Smiths usually make their own tools as part of their apprenticeship.

Tools, metal working: A basic collection of tools including hammers, chisels, sets, punches and tongs. This does not include an anvil, casting materials, fuel or the forge itself. Weight: 13 kg. Price: 30 L.

You may find this a useful resource: https://www.fao.org/3/ah637e/AH637E00.htm

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Beasts (pages 36-46)

Awakened Beasts (pages 44)

Can awakened animals, with full INT, POW, and CHA statistics initiate into cults?

Yes. 

If awaked animals join cults, there is a necessity for some spells to be devised for animal members of the cult. Cat’s Claw [Yinkin Rune spell] doesn’t do a alynx a whole lot of good?

When an Alynx joins Yinkin, likewise a bear joining Odayla, it’s as an Ancestor worship cult (Daka Fal is an associate cult). 

Awakened Snake (page 45)

Awakened Tiny Animal (page 46)

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Weapons (pages 58-76)

Melee Weapons (pages 59-69)

Illustrations (page 61)

There is a picture of both a ‘Maul’ and a ‘Troll Maul’. I presume they have identical stats and the two visuals are merely stylistic choices?

On page 61 there is a picture of both a Maul’ and a ‘Troll-made Maul. Other than manufacturing process they’re identical.

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Armor (pages 77-89)

Rhino Hide

Why does the hauberk gives a lower penalty than even just one location (skirt)? Is that correct?

Yes, per Rhino Hide (page 79), rhino hide armor maintains a little flexibility, allowing for comfort. This flexibility comes at the cost of stealth, for it not only creaks… A Hauberk’s scales are much less flexible and so cause little noise, the skirt covers the most flexible body area and so moves much more, so more noise. Look at the armor types on page 81.

Also, Rhino Hide Skirt (Abdomen) only has 4AP, whereas all the other Rhino Hide items are 5AP. Correct?

It’s scraped down to be more flexible at the cost of AP, but still unwieldy with an ENC of 3.

More flexible, so why does it have double the Move Quietly penalty of a tougher piece of armour that covers two locations for the same ENC?

Its flexibility, and cover of the Lower abdomen, hips, and thighs means it creaks more. A hauberk has hide sewn onto a base so it not only moves less, it’s individual pieces of hide.

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Travel (pages 90-98)

Chariots table (page 94)

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Training (pages 113-118)

Characteristic Improvement

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Exotic items (pages 119-126)

Crystal Type table (page 119)

Binding a Spirit (page 120)

Note that if the spirit is not quickly rebound, it may slip away (escape).

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Minor Enchantments (pages 121-126)

Common Enchantments Table (page 124)

The 9th item in the table is “A charm that gives +5% Dodge and -10% to Climb”.  Was that what was intended or should it be +10% to Climb?  It seems to me that a charm that affected two Dexterity-linked skills would improve both rather than worsen one.

It is correct. The item demonstrates a magical trade off. Look at the Typical Item and you should see why.

Lodestone (page 126)

Related Pages

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Page Last updated: 2023-09-18 10:28:36