HQ2 – Daka Fal Help (2012)

aelarsen on Sat, 20/10/2012 – 18:37

I’m in the process of converting my Praxian campaign from RQ to HQ2.  This is a bit challenging, since there’s no published write-up for any of the Praxian spirit traditions yet, but I can fake most of it based on the model of Kolat in The Sartar Companion, but Daka Fal proves much trickier.  To judge from Kolat, each spirit society has a set of spirits that it can draw on, like Kolat’s Seven Wind Spirits, which each spirit offering a specific type of charm (charms to control the wind, charms to create cold weather, etc). But Daka Fal worship is ancestor worship, and therefore the range of spirits is going to differ enormously based on one’s ancestors.  So what does this look like mechanically?

1) The player simply defines 5 ancestors and acquires a charm from each? (Grandpa Hates-Impalas offers me the Smite Impala charm.)2) The player defines 5 ancestors and selects a keyword or breakout for each? (Grandpa Hates-Imapalas was a great warrior.  He gives me a +2 Kill Impala Tribe breakout on my Deadly Spear keyword)3) Do I define functional categories of ancestor and the player defines a charm for each one? (For my Fighting Ancestor, I select Grandpa Hates-Impalas and he gives me the Smite Impala charm.  For my Magic Ancestor I select Great-granny Walks-Too-Fast and she gives me the Run Fast charm.  For my Knowledge ancestor…)Anyone have any thoughts? 

Praxian Spirits

Submitted by Herve on Wed, 31/10/2012 – 15:45.

I like both of your suggestions about praxian ancestors, and David’s reminder to link them with Rune Powers.

DAKA FAL has the SPIRIT rune. His shamans can call on almost any spirit, whatever its runes, as long as they are their ancestors. Any aspect of praxian like/knowledge can thus be known.

WAHA has BEAST and DEATH runes. It’s all about fighting (especially chaos) and raising cattle. Some members have the MASTERY Rune; they have the Blood of Waha in them and access to Authority Spirits.

EIRITHA has EARTH, BEAST and LIFE runes. As usual the female is more powerful and versatile than the male. She has Cow Spirits (Bless/Control/Speak with / Heal Herd Beast, Find Food, Find Lost Calf, etc.) and Protectress Spirits (Hide in Earth, Heal Warrior, Dodge Blows, Heal Child, Save Child, Commande Earth Spirit, etc.)

STORM BULL has his own Rune and DEATH. You know what he does.

Since all characters have three Runes, your praxian might call / ally with any spirit that shares one with him. For instance, most praxians with the AIR Rune go for the Thunder Bird totem, while those with ILLUSION go for Raven (trickster) totem.

HEROQUEST 1 rule/sourcebook had a quite detailed presentation of the Praxian Traditions (pp 145-146). I know it’s not cannon anymore but it’s still useful.

Keeping it simple

Submitted by David on Wed, 31/10/2012 – 17:20.

I’ve kept the runes of the tradition and its spirit societies simple (from my point of view)

  • The Praxian tradition : Beast & Man
    • Waha : Death & Mastery
    • Eiritha: Life & Beast
    • Storm Bull: Storm & Eternal Battle 
    • Daka Fal: Man & Spirit

I’ve another eight commonly encountered societies as well. Three with twos runes and five with a single rune.

I treat Praxian personal runes more strictly as well:

  • 1st is the Tribal element (mostly)
  • 2nd is the Spirit rune (mostly)
  • 3rd is anything you like, but not another element.

—–

David Scott

My take on it

Submitted by David on Thu, 25/10/2012 – 12:06.

In my HQ2 Praxian campaign, Daka Fal is one of the spirit societies of the Praxian tradition. Daka Fal’s society teaches contact with hero’s ancestors who are present in the Great Herd and the Wastelands. Unlike any other of the societies, heroes can get charms with any rune that is part of the Praxian tradition from their ancestors.

If players want their heroes to have a charm from outside the tradition(!), it is possible, but must create a good back story to allow it. It is possible to fail in doing this and in an extreme situation meet malevolent spirits, or get not quite what you asked for, but that’s part of the MGF. Examples that have come up include going to a cave to meet an ancestor who was an Asrelia follower to get a Luck rune charm (and playing it through) and getting a Dragonewt rune charm from an ancestral spirit near the Iron forts. Who know what your ancestors got up to!

Characters start with 5 charms as per the HQ2 rules. Most men and Women join the Waha and Eiritha spirit societies respectively, so most charms come from them, the tradition itself, any secondary societies they join, and the spirit associated with saving their ancestors in the Great Darkness.

Players haven’t yet defined their specific ancestors in charms, concentrating more on what it’s in (masks, personal items, etc) and the charm’s taboo.

Using your examples:

Smite Impala – Death rune (from a Waha or Foundchild ancestor)

Run Fast – Movement rune (not part of the tradition, so from maybe an Orlanth following ancestor. The air rune is part of the tradition, the movement rune not. You could make it easier and have Run Like the Wind)

For a knowledge based charm, Waha’s Mastery rune covers most of how to live in the Wastelands – so a Waha ancestor could give you Know Lineage or Right Action, a rare ancestor with the Truth rune could have Do Writing or Marks on Barks, but everyone would just laugh at you…

—–

David Scott

I think it best if the

Submitted by metcalph on Sun, 21/10/2012 – 03:14.

I think it best if the ancestors were charms at the beginning.  Later you may boost one or more ancestors to become allies.  Daka Fal is a pretty free-wheeling dude so I don’t see the necessity for functional ancestral categories.

Remember also that Praxians

Submitted by boztakang on Fri, 26/10/2012 – 01:10.

Remember also that Praxians are a spirit-cult society, rather than a primarily Theist one. Their access to spirits will be a bit easier and more natural than is described for Orlanthi in the Kolating spirit society.

More a matter of degree than functionality, but something to keep in mind when translating between the two.

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