(Discussion) General Part IV

[Uriel]

How about you just tell them to include all non stat-block information as an attachment (.doc or notepad format)

That sounds fine. Shall we make it official?
Votes Yes

 

[Dungannon]

Speaking of the Character thread, is there any way someone can go in and edit the posts using code? Some of them are in need of some extra Return characters so they stop making the thread so w i d e.

 

[Uriel]

Speaking of the Character thread, is there any way someone can go in and edit the posts using code? Some of them are in need of some extra Return characters so they stop making the thread so w i d e.

Well, that would be solved if everyone changed to the Format that we agreed upon some time back. Most of the characters on page one have. If we move background text to attachments, then that problem should disappear.

 

[garyh]

That sounds fine. Shall we make it official?
Votes Yes

Yes from me as well.

 

[WizWrm]

I have three questions for the judges:

1. Is Leadership permitted in Living EN World? If so, how is it treated, especially in regards to followers, and recruiting a cohort?
2. Is the Mind's Eye material allowed in the game? It's a source other than the SRD, but is readily available to everyone.
3. The Dragon Disciple PrC grants claws and a bite attack at 2nd level. These don't particularly fit my image for Velbrik, although I could easily adapt if needed. However, would the judges be amenable to an alternate ability at that level?

 

[Thels]

Not a judge, but I could tell some info for earlier decisions (And to prevent further needless discussion, no, I'm not deciding these things or making them as a rule. I'm just recalling some older info and yes, Judges could think about this different now.)

1) The idea was not to draw followers from a feat, but to gain followers by creating some kind of niche for yourself on the world storywise, adding to the creation of the world. How this applies to cohorts is currently unknown.

2) It might be public available, but it's not core and not even WotC material. Though there might be good stuff in it, just saying yes to everything could end up really bad. You might want to consider posting specific details.

3) Even if you have a claw and bite attack, you can still wield weapons, so it's not a penalty, just an ability you're not using. If all unused abilities from all characters need to be replaced, that'll take up quite a while.

Kahuna Burger is MIA and Zoe, Rinaldo and Persephone are stuck in her(his?) game. Any ideas on solving this?

As for the character sheets, if a mod would put the returns in place, it would be a lot better readable.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

3. The Dragon Disciple PrC grants claws and a bite attack at 2nd level. These don't particularly fit my image for Velbrik, although I could easily adapt if needed. However, would the judges be amenable to an alternate ability at that level?

They could always be retractable fangs (like many snakes) and claws (like cats).

 

[WizWrm]

I had thought of that, but figured that since dragons don't have retractable claws (or do they? anyone have Draconomicon?), then disciples wouldn't get them either. But I could go for that - sort of a back-up weapon, like a medieval hold-out pistol or something that Velbrik would find very handy without having to look like a monster all the time (since he's a bard and relies on being a "friendly face"). Though the DD does get wings, by that point he'll be level 14+ and probably a famous hero of renown (Uriel: Or a rotting corpse in the ground!), so it won't affect his social skills too badly; it'll just make him stand out a bit more and be that much more recognizable.

Personally, I think that abilities granted to PrCs are different from, say, heavy armor proficiency that a fighter may not use because he has a high Dex. They're supposed to be tangible, flavor-oriented things (rather than a stack of bonus feats or a generic spell list, OR alternatively being an "option" like armor proficiency wherein certain characters will choose different, equally valid choices*), and if the character doesn't use them, they're not really adding much to flavor.

Here's to hoping KB will return. I was hoping she'd write up the Mortalists.

*That's why I don't think every unused ability needs to be replaced. For example: Two fighters, one with Dex 20 and one with Dex 10. The first fighter uses studded leather with max Dex +5, for an AC of 18, whereas the second uses full plate for an AC of 18. Giving, for example, a bonus feat to the first fighter "in exchange" for heavy armor proficiency just because he doesn't use it would be unbalancing, since now he not only has the same AC, but also has one more feat than fighter #2.

 

[Macbeth]

Yes from me as well.

Sounds like its already approved, but let me add in another Yes

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Here's to hoping KB will return. I was hoping she'd write up the Mortalists.

geez, I get married, go away for turkeyday and get buried under two feet of snow and everyone gets antsy.... (comeon, thels, I'm no Uriel, but I keep up better than some of my DMs...)

I did write up the mortalists... now where did I put them....

hrmm... it was in one of the other general discussion threads....



nevermind, here : The Mortalists.

Across Enworld, there are many people who dedicate their lives to a god. Clerics and paladins are the most obvious examples, but many individuals who do not personally wield divine power still place great importance on the worship of a particular deity. There are others who follow the religion they were born to out of habit and also those who give equal respect to any deity they are told of. And then there are the Mortalists. Mortalists' individual views of gods differ (see below) but they are bound by the belief that gods, if they exist at all, will not improve the lot of the mortal races and that the world is in the hands of its inhabitants. They also believe, by and large, that divine magic is just as personally generated as arcane and that gods do not grant their followers any special abilities.

Mortalism is generally a personal philosophy, and proselytizing Mortalists are rare. The few exceptions tend to be from among the many mortalist clerics who, having found that their own "Divine" gifts flow just as easily from personal meditation as devout prayer, try to open the eyes of other clerics to the "true source" of their powers. The vast majority of Mortalists, however, are inspired by their philosophy to attempt to better the world they live in by hard work, knowing that no miracle can accomplish that which the sentient races will not.

There are several rough categories of Mortalists.
PERSONAL MORTALISTS are not devoted to any particular god, though they may follow the non-spiritual teachings of the religion in which they were raised. They are generally accepting of whatever non violent religion others choose to practice, and rarely self identify as Mortalists unless the land they live in attempts to impose religion on them. Some personal Mortalists believe in the existence of the various gods but simply do not include gods in their lives. Personal Mortalists may be of any class but rarely include clerics or paladins.
SOFT MORTALISTS are usually agnostic on the existence of gods, and tend to believe that if any of the enwordian gods do exist, they are involved in their own godly concerns and do not effect the lives of mortals for good or ill. They focus strongly on the positive aspects of Mortalism, including personal responsibility and the obligation to change the world for the better. Though they will defend their philosophy if it is challenged, they tend to get along well with the religious. In regions of religious contention, they like to describe themselves as simply "impartial", and attempt to lead by example to guide others out of the conflict. Arcane spellcasters, druids and paladins tend to form the bulk of soft Mortalists, though some clerics of religions which encourage learning and questioning may evolve into soft Mortalists through their studies.
HARD MORTALISTS are firmly convinced of the non-existence of gods as they are usually conceived of. They believe that divine magic is purely self-generated in nature and that religions are simply a drain on the potential of the sentient races. Some of the hard mortalist philosophers have even posited the existence of powerful extraplaner beings who have learned to tap into the worshipping energy of religious groups, thus inverting the usual assumptions of divine connection. While only some hard Mortalists will actively proselytize against religion, none shy from identifying themselves and they will often wear the unofficial symbol of the mortalist philosophy, a lighted candle. (Based on the words of one of the first recorded mortalist philosophers, who stated that it was better for the sentient races to light a candle than hope that gods would end their darkness.) The majority of hard Mortalists are clerics, though other spell casters are common as well.

Mortalists are almost always good and tend towards the chaotic end of the spectrum, though neutral good Mortalists are common as well. Mortalist clerics tend to take either the Magic or Knowledge domain with the second reflecting their work in life (healing or protection are common, followed by strength or war for those in regions of conflict.) In situations where a "favored weapon" is necessary, they tend to use a weapon based on a tool of the common folk of their region - sickles and scythes being common in agrarian societies, nets among fisher folk, etc.
*****

That hasn't been edited lately but is pretty complete... Kirin (currently trying to save a monestary) is a hard mortalists, but fairly easygoing and gets along well with religious types if they don't start anything.

Kahuna burger