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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Death_Jester" data-source="post: 1537514" data-attributes="member: 2156">From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Main Entry: he·ro Pronunciation: 'hir-(")O, 'hE-(")rO Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural heroes Etymology: Latin heros, from Greek hErOs 1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b : an illustrious warrior c : a (person) admired for (their) achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage. 2 a : the principal character in a literary or dramatic work b : the central figure in an event, period, or movement 3 plural usually heros : SUBMARINE 2 4 : an object of extreme admiration and devotion : IDOL What makes a hero heroic? I ask this question in the context of a Fantasy midlevel setting, specifically the Dungeons and Dragons Universe. Not that this is the only place someone would find heroes but I think there is where we would find the most idealized and or romanticized version of the hero. If you feel differently please tell me what you think. Is it something left over from the war game heritage that the genre is based on or is it something deeper in our psyche? Dungeons and Dragons at its heart is a power game intended to allow a single character to face off against a hoard of creatures and come out the victor. Now I ask you is this the bases of the hero or is there something deeper to it? Is the ability to slaughter mass amounts of creatures the sole bases we build the heroic Icon upon? If that is the case then is the hero nothing more then definitions 2 a-b? I would like to focus on definitions 1 b-d, but not exclusively, we can ignore 1a completely. As I don’t intend for any of my players to be of divine birth anywhere soon. I chose those definitions specifically to consider them apart from the others because they have more importance to I am looking for. I wanted to open this discussion on the general board to get the members thoughts about what makes a hero. Since this is part of what we want out of the games we play. Not only the psychology behind the person but the heart and soul of what it means to be a hero. There is more to being a hero then just some psychological stresses that create a willingness to follow the rules. Many people follow the rules because they fear the repercussions of getting caught. Following the rules is not enough to be a hero in that context it takes something more. What I would ask you (the person reading this) is what are those other things that make up a hero. Thanks for your time in advance.</blockquote>

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