Complete "Sage Advice" from Dragon Magazines

[TarionzCousin]

I didn't see this posted here yet.

The complete "Sage Advice" questions and answers from the printed Dragon magazines.



Edit: I think this is only through AD&D, maybe 2E.

 

[Dandu]

There's a good reason it hasn't been brought up before.

 

[Starbuck_II]

It is fun to laugh at how they nerfed certain things in the answers:
Elves have no soul
Paladins have to be deputies (follow all laws of land).
Gods have no power over Druids (they are too weak to turn you into one).
Changing Alignment meant you are are level 1 again
Lycantrophe isn't a disease so Paladins can suck it (actual answer).
Surprise attacks = Chaotic evil?
But when asked a second time:
Wait, didn't you just say surprise - Chaotic evil (now it is okay?)?
But Coup de Grac = isn't aligned at least.

 

[krupintupple]

It is fun to laugh at how they nerfed certain things in the answers:
Elves have no soul
Paladins have to be deputies (follow all laws of land).
Gods have no power over Druids (they are too weak to turn you into one).
Changing Alignment meant you are are level 1 again
Lycantrophe isn't a disease so Paladins can suck it (actual answer).
Surprise attacks = Chaotic evil?
But when asked a second time:
Wait, didn't you just say surprise - Chaotic evil (now it is okay?)?
But Coup de Grac = isn't aligned at least.

could i get a citation for any (or all!) of this? not that i don't believe you, or are trying to somehow defend the sage, but i really and desperately NEED to see such silliness actually put to paper, as it were.

 

[TanisFrey]

This file is 1ed AD&D only.

 

[Starbuck_II]

could i get a citation for any (or all!) of this? not that i don't believe you, or are trying to somehow defend the sage, but i really and desperately NEED to see such silliness actually put to paper, as it were.

In order:
[Sblock]
1. No, they [elves] cannot. They do not have souls, and therefore a wish must be used to bring them back.

2. Inform the paladin he isn’t one any more. His new alignment is now lawful evil. Paladins tend to frown upon torture of any kind for any reason and would not let it be done in their presence, let alone do it themselves. Good and the process of law must be followed. Everything a paladin does must obey laws of good and thereby insure that all are treated fairly and just. Granted, a lot of cruel and heartless things have been done in the name of religion, but that doesn’t mean that it was good or right. Men have always done strange things for even stranger reasons. For the paladin to have tortured the orc was an evil act, and therefore he has given up the right to be a paladin. I suggest that he not be allowed to regain it, either, but if you decide to let him, make sure the quest is long, hard, and nearly impossible to accomplish.

3. No. A god or goddess can grant the ability for an elf to be his or her priest or priestess, but he can’t bestow upon an elf druidical powers. Druids get their powers from nature. Now, a god who might take pity on your elf may change him or her into a human, but I doubt it. You might also find a wish that will let you change into a human, but other than that your elf is never going to be able to be a druid.

4.

5. Lycanthropy is not a disease, but it is often called one. To become a lycanthrope you must contract it like a disease even though it is a curse. If it were a real disease, a Remove Curse would not work on it, and a Cure Disease would not have a three-day time limit on it. Lycanthropy is very complicated, and paladins are not exempt from it. Paladins already have it pretty good; we can’t let them have everything rosy.

6. The act of killing a victim without knowing if he/she is truly an enemy (in other words, killing a complete stranger without knowing if he/she presents a threat) is a chaotic act. The act of killing an opponent with the knowledge that there is some other way to overcome him/her is an evil act. It would seem permissible for the Lawful Neutral Monk (or any other similarly aligned being) to attack a known enemy from the back, when circumstances make it necessary to kill that foe.

7. The act of torturing is basically “ungood,” and even in the case of extreme hatred for another race or creature type a good character will not perform such an act. But there might be times when it is justified, if the end result is good and it cannot be achieved any other way. A character who can justify his actions (to the DM) in such a manner might expect to be able to torture an enemy without changing his alignment status. The “clean” slaying of helpless opponents is acceptable, if those opponents had previously presented a challenge to the character and his party and had attempted to harm the chaotic good character. The act of back stabbing by a chaotic good character is acceptable when it is performed on an enemy of the character and his party — but turning on other party members in the middle of an adventure is not a good act.
[/Sblock]

To sum up: he Flip flops back than about backstab.

 

[TarionzCousin]

There's a good reason it hasn't been brought up before.

Perhaps, but this is part of D&D's history. I'm not ashamed of how ludicrous it occasionally used to be.

 

[DumbPaladin]

Perhaps, but this is part of D&D's history. I'm not ashamed of how ludicrous it occasionally used to be.

But it's so summarily bad on the whole now, for 3.5 questions, that it is a good idea to ignore it in its entirety. It probably didn't help that it was never just 1 person submitting answers ... or that the people weren't necessarily rules experts in any way, shape, or form.

But there's been some baaaad things written as "official" rules. Starbuck_II's list is only a couple of brushstrokes, I'm sure. Best to avoid the entire opus.

 

[TarionzCousin]

The flip-flopping, stupid questions, and strange answers are the entertainment. Sure, I wondered why the Sage would print a question about a female character getting pregnant and not knowing what to do. But obviously this answer NEEDED TO BE TOLD.

I don’t really want to answer this question now, but since your letter is not the only one presenting me with this problem, I will say this much. Stop fighting, practicing magic and doing other things that cause stress. The chances of losing the child are great, and you don’t need to add more to it. During this time period, medicine was still progressing and it still wasn’t too great. Most of it was old wives’ tales. After you have given birth, it will be months before you can even begin to get back into shape and practice your skills.

Female characters who find themselves with child soon find themselves retired. This is an occupational hazard that should be avoided. Don’t fool around and chance of gaining at all that experience you could be getting because you are with child or just had one. It is not fair, but that is life. The reason I don’t want to say more is because I am working on an article for The Dragon about women in D&D and some of the problems they face. I also intend to cover pregnancy in the different races and how to handle it.

 

[Jhaelen]

But it's so summarily bad on the whole now, for 3.5 questions, that it is a good idea to ignore it in its entirety.

Well, this is the Legacy forum. It's for every edition of D&D except the current one (i.e. currently 4e).