As far as I can tell and remember, all of the following was one stretch of dream, though I don't remember how the first part transitioned to the rest. There was something before what I have written here that led into it, but I can't remember enough details to mention it.
====
On an alien planet with Anita, Elvendrums, and some of the Next Generation crew of the Enterprise, it's cold, and I use my cloak to keep people covered and warm, making reference to the fact that I'd used it to keep Anita and myself warm in KC at the renfaire, so it was good enough to keep everyone warm here.
In a school, not because I'm one of the students but to "register" my proficiency with blunt weaponry, such as warhammers. Either by myself, or only with Anita now. One of the students accidentally jabs me in the shoulder near the neck instead of on the upper arm when trying to do a "friendly punch" greeting. I get irritated, possibly moreso because he didn't apologize before going off into a classroom. One of the teachers nearby asks what happened, and I explain but more or less brush it off.
At a park, with swingset. There's some sort of water toy there, too. Someone I know, possibly one of the teachers at the school but a friendly figure regardless, asks if I can go get her and the person she's with (and presumably myself as well) some drinks, fruit punch. I start walking off (by myself) towards where I thought was a nearby place to purchase them, but it doesn't look right, so I turn around, head other way, still isn't right, so I stop, look around, head off in the direction it should be. Entering buildings which I thought had multiple eateries, end up having only one, they don't sell what I'm looking for (first asked for fruit soda, then pink lemonade, before remembering it was fruit punch). The restaurant has some kind of odd promotion/gimmick going where there's a $20 bill laying on the steps, and someone asks over intercom who dropped it there, but no one is claiming it - had the thought in-dream that maybe the longer it stayed there, the larger some payout would be. I went down the stairs, which are wide and rather opulent, to leave the restaurant (floating/sliding down rather than walking). I'm having trouble remembering, now, whether there were other stairs on my way in or through.
Leaving restaurant, still trying to find place with fruit punch. Looks like an old-town shopping district, but larger, maybe similar to HP Diagon Alley. I make the comment that I need to find the right alley to reach the main street. My mind makes the connection that this place is like a labyrinth when a spectral image of Jareth appears in the next "aisle," which I hadn't noticed existed (when I entered my "aisle" it had been an alleyway between two buildings). I start to address the spectral image, something which my dream-self thinks Jareth may not have expected - maybe I wasn't supposed to be able to see him. He claims that this is his dream, which I reject. As I'm walking back to round the "alley" into the next aisle, I state instead that it is our dream. "You opened your gates to me, Jareth. I call you." At which point he solidifies, stating. "I am here."
I ask him why he is preventing/impeding my progress. He makes some remark about my purpose here being to seek the Holy Grail, and starts taunting to the effect of, "You don't actually think it's a cup, do you?" I respond, "As if." (Post-dream, as I'm writing this, realize that I had actually been seeking drinks in the dream, which would have been in cups.) We start talking about what the grail actually is, and I make some clarifying remark about some early Christians knowing the truth despite modern ones believing otherwise. Jareth asks me to explain the nature of intellect and belief (not sure if "belief" was the actual word, may have been "spirituality" or something else). I quip, "That's kind of a fuzzy topic. So I imagine it's rather hairy." This earns a laugh. Then I continue with "I think that the intellect and (belief) are what (go/we lose) when we... die. I think they comprise the soul. At least, that's what I believe."
The aisles we've been walking down, I've noticed, have shelves, like a thrift store. Jareth picks something up from one of the shelves, it looks like a couple pieces of fried chicken (one was definitely a leg) and a container for it of some sort (cone-shaped?) which may have had the Popeye's logo, and makes a comment about it being a shame (possibly that someone dropped or didn't finish it) before offering it to me. I think I politely declined, or was about to, when I woke up. Post-dream, it occurs to me that the items on the shelves may have been a correlation to the soul-items from A Dirty Job, in which case was Jareth offering me a soul or was he offering a receptacle which would hold mine? I got the feeling that the reason the chicken had been (at least mostly) untouched is because the person who had it before died, and that's why I was reluctant to take it.
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Methods of Improvement
I already had a system in place that would allow a character's Faith score to be malleable through the course of normal play, changing the score based on exceptional success or exceptional failure with Turning checks. Just today I wrote down and implemented a similar idea for the Luck stat, where the Luck would alter with exceptional critical hits (consecutive natural 20s), or exceptional critical fumbles (consecutive natural 1s).
I also allow stats to be built up using Combat Proficiencies (my term for Weapon Proficiencies, Non-Weapon Proficiencies, or Feats, depending on your chosen version. I don't know what the 4th Ed. equivalent is, but I don't care), but since I have these two stats as potentially variable I was wondering if there were other stats that people thought should be so quickly alterable. I know that physical stats such as Strength should not be so quickly or easily changed, but maybe Charisma might be affected by apparent wealth, or the Charisma scores of the people you're with?
Probably not, since it's a bit trickier than the systems I have in place for Faith and Luck. As it stands, Faith is really only important to one class, or anyone who wants to Turn or Rebuke undead. Luck is a bit more universally useful, since it affects saving throws, but there are two classes in particular that are majorly helped by having Luck as a primary stat. I like having these two stats alterable on-the-fly because I think it reflects the concept behind them well, but I don't know that any of the others really lend themselves to such.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
This is what happens when I have time to re-think...
So, I have the schools of magic separated into Arcane and Divine schools. Under the Divine heading, currently, I have Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, and Necromancy. Arcane has Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, and Transmutation.
Last night, I decided it made more sense to have Necromancy draw from Constitution for mana instead of Faith. I also began asking the question, again, of whether it should be an Arcane school instead. There are arguments both ways, since it was established pretty soundly that in order to be a "true" Necromancer, you'd have to take both Cleric and Wizard in 3rd Edition. Evil Clerics could Rebuke and Command undead, and got some undead creation and manipulation, including the Cause X Wounds spells, which heal their created and controlled minions. Wizards, despite being able to specialize in Necromancy and having access to various negative energy spells such as Vampiric Touch, didn't have much that would allow them to build and control an undead army. Since I've put everything together into the different schools, though, a Necromancer in my game would have (what I think) all the abilities a Necromancer should have access to.
But that still doesn't tell me whether it should be Arcane or Divine in origin.
If I were to make it Arcane, that would mean I had 3 Divine and 5 Arcane schools, instead of 4 of each. I don't know if that would truly be an issue, for balance or other reasons. I had moved Abjuration to Divine only somewhat recently, in order to make the number even, since it made sense that the school dealing with shielding and protection would be more Divine-based (although I guess that depends both on your view of the gods and the views of your god). I could move it back, since the two groups would be asymmetrical anyway, which would give Mage Armor back to Arcane casters, or I could move another Arcane group to Divine instead.
The Arcane schools that I could most easily see becoming Divine (aside from Necromancy) are Enchantment and Transmutation. Enchantment holds most of the iconic benediction spells, such as Bless, but then every school has spells that were originally divine, including Evocation (Flame Strike). Transmutation, though it does have some very iconic Arcane/Wizard spells, is primarily based around enhancement spells at low levels.
Or, I could scrap this whole Divine/Arcane debate entirely. Several campaign settings have already decided that ALL magic comes from the gods, in one way or another. I could simply state that there is no appreciable difference between them.
Any input on this would be appreciated.
Last night, I decided it made more sense to have Necromancy draw from Constitution for mana instead of Faith. I also began asking the question, again, of whether it should be an Arcane school instead. There are arguments both ways, since it was established pretty soundly that in order to be a "true" Necromancer, you'd have to take both Cleric and Wizard in 3rd Edition. Evil Clerics could Rebuke and Command undead, and got some undead creation and manipulation, including the Cause X Wounds spells, which heal their created and controlled minions. Wizards, despite being able to specialize in Necromancy and having access to various negative energy spells such as Vampiric Touch, didn't have much that would allow them to build and control an undead army. Since I've put everything together into the different schools, though, a Necromancer in my game would have (what I think) all the abilities a Necromancer should have access to.
But that still doesn't tell me whether it should be Arcane or Divine in origin.
If I were to make it Arcane, that would mean I had 3 Divine and 5 Arcane schools, instead of 4 of each. I don't know if that would truly be an issue, for balance or other reasons. I had moved Abjuration to Divine only somewhat recently, in order to make the number even, since it made sense that the school dealing with shielding and protection would be more Divine-based (although I guess that depends both on your view of the gods and the views of your god). I could move it back, since the two groups would be asymmetrical anyway, which would give Mage Armor back to Arcane casters, or I could move another Arcane group to Divine instead.
The Arcane schools that I could most easily see becoming Divine (aside from Necromancy) are Enchantment and Transmutation. Enchantment holds most of the iconic benediction spells, such as Bless, but then every school has spells that were originally divine, including Evocation (Flame Strike). Transmutation, though it does have some very iconic Arcane/Wizard spells, is primarily based around enhancement spells at low levels.
Or, I could scrap this whole Divine/Arcane debate entirely. Several campaign settings have already decided that ALL magic comes from the gods, in one way or another. I could simply state that there is no appreciable difference between them.
Any input on this would be appreciated.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
This post brought to you by the numbers 7 and 15
Now, I'm flattered Cap'n, but I'm sorry. I just can't accept this award. Not because I feel I'm outclassed by the company it keeps, but because I just simply don't know fifteen other bloggers. That means I can't follow the rules of the award, and so I must refuse. That, and I'm pretty sure the ones I do know have already been tapped for it, so I'm actually preventing an infinite loop that could crash the internet... or not, since Demotivational Posters have already divided by zero.
But, I will go ahead and tell seven things about myself:
1) I do not have a PhD in Horribleness. I am working on a BA in Sociology, though. Working on semester two of my first year, through online courses, and I made the Dean's List last semester, so go me.
I do have a pretty good evil laugh, though.
2) I get really, really focused. If I'm working on something, I will try to hammer out each and every bit of minutiae I can long past the point at which it really matters, and react poorly when interrupted, even by the call of nature.
2a) I absolutely love and adore and cherish my wife, and am grateful for her patience with me.
3) My favorite X-Man is Nightcrawler, and has been since I was a little kid. I may not have a lot in common with him from a religious standpoint, but I've never been one to let religious differences stand in the way of a good friendship.
Blue or not, the man has skills and looks great in tights.
4) I used to be a Final Fantasy Fanatic. I own every Final Fantasy game released in the US, up to X-2, but I only ever finished one of them (X, so that I'd know where X-2 was picking up from). I'm convinced that this is because I didn't want the game to end, because that meant the fantasy was over. I didn't get into Final Fantasy XI Online because I didn't really have a disposable income and was, at least at that point, very against the idea of paying subscription fees for games, especially since I was already heavily involved in a free-to-play MUD. By the time FFXII came out, October 11 of 2006, I was busy starting a fantasy of my own, making arrangements for my wedding at the end of the month. I don't even know how many they've made since then. Take that, LegendaryFrog.
5) I am better at carpentry than the previous owners of my house, who apparently (according to a sign left in the shed when we moved in) ran a contracting business. I've learned more about power tools, floor supports, and fitting square boards into not-square rooms in the past few years than I ever did in high school. Guess I should have taken shop class after all. Maybe the vocational aptitude test I took back in elementary school was right when it said I was most suited to become an interior decorator.
6) I know more about computer troubleshooting than my best friend, who was trained as a CAD Technician by ITT. Seriously. I've debugged his computers multiple times, and even installed a new power supply for him because, while he may know how to use CAD programs, he has no clue when it comes to opening up the case of his tower. And here I thought I only really knew enough to get myself into trouble.
7) I play guitar. Acoustic, not electric, and not what I would consider well, but better than I can play the piano (which isn't that hard, since I know about 3 tunes on the piano and they're all from video games). I picked it up in high school, and have mostly used it as a means of enhancing my vocal performances with a few chords thrown in. Somewhat recently, though, my limited guitar skills landed me a position in an established group that travels the Renaissance Faire circuit (and other venues). Again, go me.
And that's my seven factoids. We now return you to your regularly scheduled, non-updating blog.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ability Scores and Casting - Wisdom
Continuing from my last topic, it's quite apparent that Wisdom within the confines of the D&D system is inappropriately termed. While great wisdom would certainly be appreciated and desired in someone entering a faith-based profession, it seems to make little actual sense to base spellcasting ability on the Wisdom stat rather than, say, a stat called Faith. After all, what about all those evil clerics worshiping their dark gods? Are we supposed to gloss over the fact that they, too, have a high wisdom? And if wisdom is used to make good choices, why are they serving Bob the Unholy Terror instead of Bill the Nice Guy? Seems to me that as soon as it was pointed out they were on the Evil side of the fence, they'd immediately jump over to the hero's team.
Let's not forget, either, the typical image of Men of Faith. On the Good team, we have meek, pious men and women, selfless to a fault, who may or may not be the most beautiful, strong, intelligent, or even wise people, but who are devoted fully to worship and serving their god or ideal of choice. On the Evil team, we have something of a dichotomy, as there are two "typical" images that come to mind. One is the haughty, domineering priest who is as likely to gain converts by a show of power as through subtlety, trying to gain further power from the deity du jour by cajoling or even outright threats. The other is the sly, conniving sort, hiding in the background or posing as a member of a more reputable faith to slowly guide new souls to the Truth of Bob the Terror.
None of the above people are necessarily wise, but generally speaking they are all faithful, pious, or at least diligent in their servitude even if they do secretly plot to take over the deity's domain someday. Faith or pious diligence, then, makes more sense to base casting off of, rather than Wisdom. Even the ability to Turn or Rebuke would make sense to be related to Faith, as it is the belief in the symbol and the deity it represents which provides the power. Yet 3rd Edition has this ascribed to Charisma, I suppose to represent one's self-confidence and ability to strike fear into the unbeating hearts of the undead. Again, however, that seems to make very little sense, as it is faith in the god, not faith in oneself, which is the catalyst. Remember, practically every deity-based religion is about extolling the virtues of the god, and abasing your unworthy self to its perfect divine grace.
To be fair, most religious texts contain a great deal of wisdom, from day-to-day living to more profound concepts. Someone who is pious and diligent in reading their scriptures is likely to have something rub off, but it's no secret that memorizing directions doesn't make you able to follow them. Even if they retain the words, understanding them is different, knowing when to appropriately say them to sound wise is yet another matter, and actually living by them is something else entirely. Yet again, it is the diligently pious person who is most likely to achieve all of this, so that they may serve better, rather than the person who is naturally wise but faithless.
Another problem I have with Wisdom in D&D is 3rd Edition's use of it for the Spot and Listen skills. I understand that a wise person may be more intuitive, and have a greater perception of people's motives, understanding the nature of mortals. Yet I do not understand how this suddenly makes them more likely to see a trap, or hear a cat padding through a nearby room. Once again, it seems like a separate ability score is needed to measure a person's external perceptiveness, rather than the internal.
I don't have a problem with keeping Wisdom as a determination of the character's wisdom, as it can be a useful thing to know when trying to properly roleplay a character. And I'm certainly not trying to bash D&D - it was a wonderful game, and it's come a long way in its efforts to allow infinite customization and provide more realism in the gameplay. Since I'm actually working on a home-brewed system, however, it behooves me to figure out what it is I do and don't like about what is hands-down the most successful game of its type.
Next up - Intelligence
Let's not forget, either, the typical image of Men of Faith. On the Good team, we have meek, pious men and women, selfless to a fault, who may or may not be the most beautiful, strong, intelligent, or even wise people, but who are devoted fully to worship and serving their god or ideal of choice. On the Evil team, we have something of a dichotomy, as there are two "typical" images that come to mind. One is the haughty, domineering priest who is as likely to gain converts by a show of power as through subtlety, trying to gain further power from the deity du jour by cajoling or even outright threats. The other is the sly, conniving sort, hiding in the background or posing as a member of a more reputable faith to slowly guide new souls to the Truth of Bob the Terror.
None of the above people are necessarily wise, but generally speaking they are all faithful, pious, or at least diligent in their servitude even if they do secretly plot to take over the deity's domain someday. Faith or pious diligence, then, makes more sense to base casting off of, rather than Wisdom. Even the ability to Turn or Rebuke would make sense to be related to Faith, as it is the belief in the symbol and the deity it represents which provides the power. Yet 3rd Edition has this ascribed to Charisma, I suppose to represent one's self-confidence and ability to strike fear into the unbeating hearts of the undead. Again, however, that seems to make very little sense, as it is faith in the god, not faith in oneself, which is the catalyst. Remember, practically every deity-based religion is about extolling the virtues of the god, and abasing your unworthy self to its perfect divine grace.
To be fair, most religious texts contain a great deal of wisdom, from day-to-day living to more profound concepts. Someone who is pious and diligent in reading their scriptures is likely to have something rub off, but it's no secret that memorizing directions doesn't make you able to follow them. Even if they retain the words, understanding them is different, knowing when to appropriately say them to sound wise is yet another matter, and actually living by them is something else entirely. Yet again, it is the diligently pious person who is most likely to achieve all of this, so that they may serve better, rather than the person who is naturally wise but faithless.
Another problem I have with Wisdom in D&D is 3rd Edition's use of it for the Spot and Listen skills. I understand that a wise person may be more intuitive, and have a greater perception of people's motives, understanding the nature of mortals. Yet I do not understand how this suddenly makes them more likely to see a trap, or hear a cat padding through a nearby room. Once again, it seems like a separate ability score is needed to measure a person's external perceptiveness, rather than the internal.
I don't have a problem with keeping Wisdom as a determination of the character's wisdom, as it can be a useful thing to know when trying to properly roleplay a character. And I'm certainly not trying to bash D&D - it was a wonderful game, and it's come a long way in its efforts to allow infinite customization and provide more realism in the gameplay. Since I'm actually working on a home-brewed system, however, it behooves me to figure out what it is I do and don't like about what is hands-down the most successful game of its type.
Next up - Intelligence
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