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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WizWrm" data-source="post: 1233901" data-attributes="member: 13568">Male Human Psychic Warrior 5Height: 5'8"; Weight: 140 lbs.; Skin: Bronze; Hair: Black; Eyes: Brown; Age: 28Alignment: True NeutralFaction: Sign of the OneStrength: 16 (+3) [8 points, +1 level]Dexterity: 12 (+1) [4 points]Constitution: 12 (+1) [4 points]Intelligence: 14 (+2) [6 points]Wisdom: 14 (+2) [6 points]Charisma: 12 (+1) [4 points]HD: 5d8+5; HP: 37Initiative:: +1 (+1 Dex)Speed: 40 ftBase Attack Bonus: +3Melee Attacks: +7 greatsword (2d6+5, 19-20/x2)Ranged Attacks: +4 noneArmor Class: 17 (+1 Dex, +6 inertial armor)Fortitude: +5; Reflex: +2; Will: +3Skills: (40 points; max 8/4) Autohypnosis +10 (8 ranks), Concentration +7 (6 ranks), Control +6 (4 ranks), Jump +13 (8 ranks, 2 synergy), Planar Expertise +5 (6 ranks), Tumble +11 (8 ranks, 2 synergy)Feats: Harness Divinity (cure light wounds 3/day), Inertial Armor (reserve 1), <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/psi/psi20020927c" target="_blank">Improved Inertial Armor</a> (reserve 3), Mental Leap (reserve 3), Speed of Thought (reserve 1), Stand Still (reserve 1)Abilities: Extra feat, extra skill points, favored class (any), psionic combat modes (ego whip, mind thrust, mental barrier)Languages: Common, Planar Trade, InfernalPsionics:Power Points per Day: 8Talents per Day: 7Powers Known: (0th) burst, daze, detect psionics, (1st) biofeedback, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030829a" target="_blank">call item</a>, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/psi/psi20010928a" target="_blank">ectogoo</a>, (2nd) <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/psi/psi20020525b" target="_blank">vim</a>Equipment: explorer's outfit, +1 greatsword [2000gp], four potions of cure light wounds, potion of lesser restoration, silversheen [total potion cost 750gp], bag of holding [2500gp], dust of appearance [1800gp], dust of dryness [850gp], brainlock pearl [1000gp], 150gpBackground & Personality: "Belief is power." Heard that often enough, haventcha? Just about every philosopher on the streets (and most of them do end up on the streets, eh?) finds fit to gush it out their word-hole, once'a sermon, if not of greater frequency. But (heard that word enough too, I bet) is it something they understand? Hm. Perhaps if I put it somewhat differently. Do you understand?Oh, ya-do, do you? If you did, you wouldn't be sitting in this tavern, askin' me for my opinion, eh? All right, cutter, let me tell you what I think. It all starts in the beginning. That chair a bit uncomfortable, berk? No? Then stop shifting around.I found myself thrust into wailing consciousness (and this is important; I'll get to it a bit later, though) in a little corner of the Outlands called Greater Ajadan. Fairly regular place, if I do say, though a most irregular name. So I doubt you're interested in my childhood, however happy it was, and this tavern only extends so much credit, so I'll cut it a bit forward. I reached the age of majority to find myself in inheritance of a rather large chunk of property. Looking ahead to the future, I saw myself: satisifed, successful, and utterly bored. Well, not so much bored - but boring. As in, a boring person, ya-see. I possess no pseudomagical prescience, but I'm pretty sure the path I was taking would have led me to a happy life, like many others, whereupon I would grow to a healthy age and end up gasping my last on some cotton bed, surrounded by my children, respected and revered by the townsfolk (a pretty small corner, if I do say - 'Greater' was a clever move on the mayor's part, eh? But I digress) and considered in all aspects to be a success, eventually fading into serene memory as my name faded from the pages of the dead-book.Paints a pretty picture, maybe? Oh, not your cup of tea? Maybe not - but there are many who would be pleased with such a life. I dropped it faster than a Xaos drops a modron, and kipped up with an ascetic order. I spent a half-dozen years there; not wasted years, certainly: they taught me some pretty useful stuff. But even hours of meditation and reflection couldn't make me understand why I'd been so repulsed by that vision of success. Paying attention? Excellent, cause here's where it gets good.So like I said, plenty of time for reflection, eh? Certainly reflection on personal achievement, good points and flaws in yourself, etcetera etcetera. But soon enough, you get bored with some of that, and start thinking into the area where suddenly the philosophers start babbling in more directions than a marilith's fingers. That is, existence. Look around you, berk. What made those people? What made you?Bleh. Not the powers, berk. If so, what made them? Stop glancing around, no one in this bar will smite you for questioning the almighty 'gods.' Half of 'em are bleeding Athar anyway.I think the reason you failed to answer that question is because you're not sure what I'm asking for. It's simple, really. See that street cat? Compare your mental faculties with that cat.Sit down. I'm not trying to insult you. You asked for understanding, and that's what I'm giving you. But answer my question: what's different?Good. You're correct. It doesn't recognize itself. Ever wonder why cats don't give themselves names? No? Well, many a well-trained druid has met that frustration. Animals have no sense of self. But - people do. And by 'people,' I refer to the sentient inhabitants of the planes, by definition, ya-see. That includes the powers. People understand that they exist. Ever wonder about that?So, maybe the powers did create some of us, maybe directly, maybe indirectly. But it doesn't matter. Who brought the powers themselves into being? What consciousness created the self-aware powers?Good, you caught me. If a consciousness created powers, what created the consciousness? It can't go on forever - there's got to be a top level somewhere. A primal urge. If that's true, then, intelligence must have sprung out of unintelligence. Of course, that in itself is a fallacy, for two reasons. One: there can be no creative urge without intelligence. A cat has no desire to craft a sculpture. Two: unintelligence cannot grant a spark of sentience in a place where there is none; otherwise the unintelligent urge would itself already possess that spark of sentience, and by definition already be conscious.Sentience must always come from sentience. Ergo, there can logically be no 'first sentience.' Here's a simple question for you - and this one is actually simple this time. Name a geometric figure with no boundaries; no beginning and end. A circle, right? See, that's how existence works. Sentient beings create ourselves so we can mature to the point where we are able to create ourselves. Time doesn't work in that manner, eh? Ah, but time is as malleable a dimension as the two dimensions used to create that circle. Powerful magic can alter it, just as powerful magic can create a cube of matter out of nothing.Now define magic: it's a force which we do not fully understand, yet may still manipulate in a limited fashion to our desires. What's the path to ultimate enlightenment and power? Remember that circle? Using a quill and a bit of ink, you can shape it, mold it to your desires. That's the point, see. Understand the circle, move beyond the limitations of the circle, and have power over the circle.I'm going to leave that for a moment, but you'll see where I come back to it. You've been here long enough to be familiar with the factions, of course? They all believe in different things - they see the multiverse following a different set of rules. True Death for the Dusties, a Great Unknown for the Athar, the Source for the Godsmen, a natural state of entropy for the Doomguard, a universal set of laws for the Guvners. They even have directly opposing views. Remember how I said that belief is power? See how they all draw power through their paradigm; the way they see the world. What they believe in is true, for them. So it works - for them. Don't let them catch you saying it, though. Each in their own way has found that circle of existence. They 'understand,' in different ways, that there is a fundamental logic underneath the multiverse, and use that logic to manipulate the world as they see it. Sounds like Guvner reasoning, eh? They're closer to the truth than many. For me, I just cut to the chase and skip all that. I imagine the multiverse as it exists and then exert my power of imagination to alter it.How much power do we have over our existence? Think about it. At one point in the circle, only a single consciousness is left to recreate its own multiverse. At that point, it has complete control over all existence. A single consciousness. Imagine yourself: made of a single consciousness, right? Guess how much potential you have. Everyone has it. The problem is reaching that potential. Do you understand, now, why I gave up my life on the Outlands? Do you understand why I gave up life in a monastery?So go out there and do it.</blockquote>

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