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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Some Dude" data-source="post: 7840555" data-attributes="member: 6980080">CHAPTER 10: GRIMOIRE (CONTINUED)Whew, been a while. Thanks for waiting. When we left off, I had just scratched the surface of Chapter 10. We had gotten an overview of Magick, and an explanation of how Arcane Spellcasters use it to affect the world around them.Next, we get a view of Divine Magick, the kind practiced by Priests, Shamans, and even Druids. Divine Magick springs from the same well as Arcane Magick, that is, the Aetherial Winds that blow from the Abyss across the Aetherial Veil. But unlike Arcane Magick, Divine Magick is granted to its practitioners by the Gods themselves.Just as there are ten directions of the Aetherial Winds (not counting Malkiuth), there are ten dieties in the pantheon of Zweihander. Or at least in the core Rulebook. Briefly, they are:The Crouching One: god of assassinations, blood and crueltyThe Custodian: lord of death, dreams and the afterlifeThe Demiurge: hermaphroditic god of nature, animals, earth and fertilityThe God-Emperor: the big one, lord of civilization, courage and humanity, ruler of even the other godsThe Learner: god of knowledge, justice and historyThe Leviathan: goddess of the sea and stormsThe Martyr: lady of healing, mercy and childbirthThe Nightfather: lord of good fortune and commerce, also patron of thievesThe Steward; god of soldiers, strategists and warfareThe Winter King: god of winter, wolves and battleAs with Arcane Magick, long-term practice may have physical and psychological effects. These do not seem to be as common in in Divine Magick as they are in Arcane Magick, however.There follow a few paragraphs about Faith & Worship. We are told that each god has different ceremonies and customs. Where the God-Emperor's faithful adherents might gather weekly in large and ornate churches, followers of The Demiurge are more likely to be found gathering in forests during certain seasonal events.There is a fine and often blurry line between superstition and religion in Zweihander, and the one hand often washed the other. In a world where literacy is not the norm, the common man will rely on signs, superstitions and customs to reinforce his religious beliefs, whereas the rich may read holy books or study religious languages. The lowly superstitions bind the poor to the more wealthy and learned gentry in a way that would not be likely without the common thread of religious belief.The organization of religions in general are briefly covered. For example, some religions may have militant and scholarly branches in addition to clerical ones.Here, too, we are made aware that any religion may be taken to dangerous and fanatical extremes, sometimes requiring an Inquisitor to quell zealotry that has become barbarous or perverted. Inquisitors will more often be needed to dispatch those who have cast their lot with demons or other abyssal creatures (for there are powers other than Aetherial Winds or even gods).This section is a pretty good encapsulation of Zweihander's approach in a nutshell. There is an implied setting of sorts here, despite the author's claims to the contrary. And while the need to maintain a safe distance from the established IP of other games may be seen by some as a hindrance, I find it to be one of Zweihander's strengths.There is an actual framework here. It is solid and substantial enough to build on, yet it has enough empty space that it allows, even invites, players and GMs alike to use it as a canvas upon which to leave their personal statement, without feeling as though anything is being controverted.I find this to be a nice middle ground. It my not be to everyone's taste, however. I'm lazy, and I don't really like to do a ton of "world building". But I also like to be able to run adventures without having to read and absorb a ton of lore. Zweihander satisifies me on both counts. And unlike a lot of "setting neutral" games that give only the barest descriptions of the in-game world, Zweihander creates a fairly palpable and inhabitable setting. I would be just as comfortable running my own homebrews as I would using Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay adventures. In fact, I am currently adapting an adventure from the cult classic game Maelstrom (a game which has some similarity to the subsequently published WFRP).Next, I will go over the rules for actually casting spells, and take a look at the actual spells themselves.TO BE CONTINUED...</blockquote>

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