New Legendary Abilities for RuneQuest (MRQ)

By Dan Zappone January 30, 2008 5 Min Read

After they have become bored with the core set of character types players turn to more unusual ones. There are only so many permeations on the fighter and priest, sooner or later everyone starts looking further a field for characters to play.

In order to encourage this kind of rut breaking and stereotype flying in the face of we humbly offer this small collection of new legendary abilities. Singers, healers, and hunters deserve a little more super power glamour.

Amongst the first choices are bards, minstrels, and other types of performing characters. Below are several new abilities for highly skilled professionals and performance based religions.

Perfect Pitch
Requirements: Pow 15+, Sing skill or Influence skill 75%+
Hero Points: 8

Characters voice is unusually appealing and perfectly controlled even when shouted. The pleasing tone of your voice lends credibility to your claims and adds charm to your songs. Beyond simply assuring your fame you also gain the following abilities.

Any penalty to your Sing or Influence skill is reduced by 20%.

By substituting the skill Play Instrument for Sing and the ability can be easy applied to any musician.

Prestidigitation
Requirements: Dex 15+, Sleight skill 90+
Hero Points: 8

Your sleight of hand tricks are simply amazing. They can be used to either wow the crowd at carnival or improve you luck at games of chance. You are allowed to perform the following improvements on the Sleight skill.

Any penalty to your Sleight skill is reduced by 20%.

You may perform two separate sleights at the same time with no penalty. For example, while performing a disappearing coin trick to distract a rube while performing a second Sleight to take his worldly goods.

Any time you play a game of chance in which you are allowed to handle the betting device, ie dice or cards, you may reduce any penalties by 20% or enjoy that same bonus gambling skills are compared.

Everybody loves the healers. Without them fantasy adventuring as we understand could not exist. They sacrifice the glory of front line fighting and the exotic glamour of flashy offensive magic to keep the party fit and on its collective feet. In tribute to these selfless players below are a few Legendary Abilities just for them.

Bedside Manner
Requirements: Cha +15, Healing skill 90%+
Hero Points: 8

Your profound understanding of your trade, reassuring demeanor, and reputation positively affect the health of others. Patients trust your decisions and have supreme confidence in your abilities. By simply bathing fevered brows and administering placebos you double normal healing rates, and time spent recovering from disease.

Even in the case of serious illness requiring specific or even unique cures you can maintain the victims condition and prevent them from dieing with regular first aid rolls.

Sympathetic Healing
Requirements: Pow +15, Healing or First Aid skill 90%+
Hero Points: 10

Your healing powers have reached a level where you no longer need even be present before the injured to cast healing magic on them. Through contact with an item associated with the injury the healer may transfer their magical abilities over any distance. The specific item needed to perform Sympathetic Healing is left to the GM but a piece of their bloody clothing or even the weapon inflicting the wound are good examples.

The advantage to this is that it will not require the seriously injured patient to undertake a possibly life threatening trip to the healer. Their friends, assuming they have any, can undertake it for them.

There lurks in many players the desire to prove that a outdoorsy, stealthy hunter type of character is both fun to play and of great utility to party of adventurers. It’s a thankless task mostly because unless you are hot on the trail it is almost never possible to track anybody and it is difficult to put your sneaking around the woods skills when you’re always hanging around with berserkers and ivory tower magicians.

Don’t give up; keep insisting that following the creature to its lair might be a better and more profitable idea than pouncing on it right away. Try to get off on your own some for a little reconnaissance now and then.

Unshakeable Tail
Requirements: Int +15, Tracking skill 90%+
Hero Points: 10

Your tracking skills, intuition, and steely resolve allow you to get on or stay on the trail of a creature long after others could not. By reading the subtlest of signs and careful contemplation of your prey you gain the following improvements to your Track skill.

Any penalties, including those related to the amount of time that has passed since the tracked creature has passed or lighting conditions, to your skill roll are reduced by 20%.