Extra Runes

[Bohemond]

In HQG, p.45, it says the characters can get new runes through initiation and heroquests, but it does not say if these are replaces for runes they already have, or in addition to those runes. Would it be possible to acquire a 4th rune through a hero quest?

[Peter Metcalfe]

It depends on the nature of the rune quest. For the Moon Rune, the new rune replaces an existing rune. For an Orlanthi Crown Test, the Mastery Rune is in addition to existing runes.

[David Scott]

The problem with runes beyond three in HQG is that they cost! It’s 2pts to raise a keyword. If you get a new rune it’s going to start 13. For character development your going to have to spread your precious Hero Points thinner. Swapping is the best route. For the crown test, I allow a swap to the same value as the lost rune – you’d loose any breakouts of the previous rune unless they fitted or you could move them to other keywords. This is a far better solution than adding a new rune in game point terms. Swapping presents potentially cool MGF, your traits will change abruptly – the heroquest changes your personality rather than muddying it with more traits.

[Steve Hammatt]

I like that swapping idea, David, showing how the hero returns dramatically changed from the heroquest. Nice one.

[Harald Smith]

I’ve had two players in my current campaign with runes swapped out. In one case, a skald with an Air rune decided to conduct a shadow puppet show in the midst of a sacred ceremony, effectively summoning up Darkness powers into the ritual (luckily for him and the community they were relatively benign ones). But that set him onto a vision dreamquest where he was given the choice to embrace or reject Darkness. As he embraced the Darkness, his rune changed from Air rune to Darkness rune. The next morning when the ceremony continued, Orlanth’s Flint Slingers showed up and stripped him of all magic associated with the Air rune.

[Charles]

If you get a new Rune in a HeroQuest Challenge, then the Rune could start much higher – at the lower of the two staked abilities. However, David’s point about the cost still stands – trying to raise multiple Runes is pretty much limited to +1 on only 1 Rune per session – however one defines a session for Hero Points purposes.

[Clay]

Our Issaries-initiated but Trickster-ish low-entertainer-storyteller staked his entire “entertainer” keyword on a HeroQuest challenge and came back with a Moon rune at 7W.

[Author]

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