Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

Magic Systems III

Posted on October 25, 2023

The main magic systems in RuneQuest are: Rune magic (wielding a fraction of the power of the gods), Spirit magic (communication with the spirits that reside in the natural energy currents of the world), and sorcery (manipulation of magical energy through known patterns and laws). The first two are the most common, the third is practiced by a handful of cults (including the Invisible God cult).

But of course these are not the only magic systems in RuneQuest. Here are a few others:

Dwarf sorcery: This is the magic of Mostal. It is conceptually similar to sorcery (and some theorize that it may have inspired Malkioni sorcery), but it follows different rules. To the best of my knowledge, no human culture has mastered this.

Illumination: it is perhaps odd to think of Illumination as a magic system, but it opens possibilities in other magic systems ordinarily impossible. It also dangerously makes possible working with Chaos without some of the repercussions. It is perhaps a magic system that alters how one interacts with the other systems.

Lunar magic: This magic requires both Illumination and mastery of Rune magic to use. Ironically it allows the user to radically twist Spirit magic, extending its duration, effect, etc. All Lunar magic is affected by the phase of the Red Moon – which suggests that perhaps all Lunar magic is really part of another magic system that just looks like the others.

Dragon magic: This magic enables powerful reality transforming effects, but seems to require a certain mastery of one’s own psychology in order to perform – and its practitioners seem reluctant to use it. Used by the dragonewts, some Kralorelan mystics (and such figures as the Exarchs and the Dragon Emperor), and by the leaders of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends.

Chaotic magic: Chaos enables the impossible. Any magic tainted with the Chaos rune might contradict what are otherwise the established rules and limits of a magic system. There are a few Chaotic phenomena that cannot even be rationalized as one of the other magic systems (such as the notorious Chaotic Feature).

See also

Magic Systems I
Magic Systems II

Note that experimental heroquesting is not on this list as it is an effort to go to the source. I don’t consider it a “system” more the source of systems.

And this is something I cannot emphasise enough – the approach towards heroquesting taken in King of Dragon Pass (and in Heroquest for that matter) misses the point. Heroquesting lets us directly interact with the world of gods and spirits to gain magic – it is the ultimate Source. The various systems represent the easily repeatable known paths – and we know what they provide in the form of spells and effects. That stuff is so predictable that we largely abstract it away as rules mechanics.

But experimental heroquesting – that’s where we get new stuff. Stuff outside of the rules and the cults books. But it is unpredictable in the same manner that a scenario is unpredictable. You never know exactly what you are going to come back with.

Now Dragon Magic and Illumination often get lumped together under the rubric of Mysticism (or even Illumination). In fact, Illumination often seems to happen where we have Dragon Magic (Kralorela, but also historically Dragon Pass). So much so that the God Learners claimed that Illumination was necessary for humans to wield Dragon magic…

If true, this is something very worth contemplating the ramifications of. Is it possible that Nysalorean illumination (or something very close to it) made it possible to talk with the True Dragons – and if so, do the Pelorian illuminates close connection to the Red Goddess blind them to this possibility?


Jeff Richard

Next
Previous
Chaos magic, Dragon Magic, Dwarf sorcery, Illumination, Lunar magic

Sections

  • Search Tips
  • Current RuneQuest Glorantha Publications
  • RuneQuest Glorantha Corrections and Q&A
  • Catalogue
  • References for Glorantha
    • Gloranthan Canon
  • Gloranthan Documents
  • RPG Systems & Versions
  • Gallery
  • About This Site
  • Get involved!

Latest Posts

  • The Grasslands of Prax

    Something to keep in mind about Prax. The grasslands of …
  • Praxian Kinship Groups

    Praxian tribes are divided into smaller kinship groups or clans, …
  • Lunar Resettlement of Tarsh after 1460 ST

    After 1460, large sections of Peloria (especially east of the …
  • The Spread of the Lunar Way

    In the Lunar Provinces, about 26% of the total population …
  • Gods of Fire and Sky and the Lunar Way

    The Gods of Fire and Sky co-exist alongside the Lunar …
  • How Much Land is a Hide?

    So in RQ, a “hide” is a unit of accounting …
  • Agricultural Data for RuneQuest

    Back in the late 70s and early 80s, Greg‘s only …
  • Farming in Dara Happa

    In anticipation of the Fire/Sky Book, here’s a few notes …
  • Farming in the Big Rubble

    There are some 1600 humans in the Big Rubble, with …

Links

  • Chaosium
  • Chaosium’s RuneQuest RPG Wiki
  • Glorantha on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on Discord
  • Prince of Sartar Webcomic
  • Glorantha G+ Archives on Tapatalk
  • Search mailing list archive

Latest from BRP Central

  • A possible suggestion for sorcery
  • Out now on Jonstown Compendium: RuneQuest without a Gamemaster, a guide to playing RuneQuest solo or co-operatively with a group
  • Are there any official RQ scenarios regarding Mostali?
  • RuneQuest GM Screen Pack
  • Why does Orlanth have the Mastery Rune?
  • Cults books - state of completion, undocumented cults
  • Jeff Kyer's Blood Over Gold
  • Gagarth's steed
  • Does Issaries have a magical language?
  • How the Rebel Storm Set Me Free

Popular Tags

Boldhome (large city) Chaosium Colymar (Sartar tribe) Contents Cult demographics Cults of Runequest (preview) Ernalda Esrolia (homeland) FRA Furthest (large city) G+ post Gods Wall Greg Stafford Guide to Glorantha (preview) Humakt Jar-eel Lunar Empire Lunar Pantheon Magazine Malkioni pantheon Map Michael O’Brien Mongoose MRQ1 New Pavis (small city) Old Glorantha Q&A Orlanth Orlanthi pantheon Photo reference Population demographics Prax (homeland) RQ3 RQG Sandy Petersen Sartar (homeland) Spirit Cult Star Subcult Tapatalk post Tarsh (homeland & Lunar province) Troll Pantheon Yelm Yelmalio Yelm Pantheon Youtube

Recently added or updated

  • VASSAL

  • The Grasslands of Prax

  • The Guardian Hills

  • The Guardian Hills, near Swenstown or Toena

  • Quivin Mountains and Guardian Hills

  • Praxian Kinship Groups

  • Working on the Darkness Book

  • Vrimak

  • Sun Hawk

  • Red Goddess

  • Oslira

  • Nysalor

  • Hyalor Horsebreaker

  • Grain Goddesses

  • Ernalda

  • Entekos

  • Chalana Arroy

  • Buserian

  • Aldrya

  • Cult Writeups from the Distribution Tables

©2025 The Well of Daliath | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme