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Author Topic: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers can attack  (Read 839 times)

Anamnesis

I am not asking for a description that is vague such as the current Lore definition but a standing description that as a follower currently of Aeridin, actually defines the creatures that are acceptable to kill, because as it currently stand, I am confused.

I have been given a guideline from some that all life would be sacred to Aeridin, that you should try to avoid killing, except those creatures such as undead that are obvious aberrations, then by some that Goblins are not worthy, and it is acceptable to kill them.

So I am asking for a finite definition of what creatures, without generalizations made, would an Aeridin be able to kill and it would not be questioned by the DM team.

Give me a list of acceptable creatures, so I can properly roll play my character.

and then I am asking that the Lore page be updated for those that wish to follow Aeridin so that they can know exactly what is and isn't acceptable, this is part of the reason I think there are so few of us because it isn't defined...

I would prefer that this answer come from Edtheket as the resident Lore Master, since his opinion is the opinion most people run to for answers anyway. Since usually he has the final word. If it has been covered on the forums, then point me to the specific thread and then make sure it is also updated on Lore. Please because I really want to make sure that this is made clear to all. (DM team included)
Elohanna Min A'Litae, Priestess of Aeridin
Breanna Shadowraven, Wizard/Rogue of Folian S'pae
Cord, Bard of Ilsare
Melaa A'nadivian, Ranger of Folian S'pae
 
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miltonyorkcastle

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2011, 03:54:14 pm »
I'm sure Ed will chime in at some point, but I can give you the answer that guides me with questions regarding deities such as Aeridin, and circumstance plays heavily into it. In short, Aeridinites respect life more than any other people. This doesn't mean that they shun death. It means they believe death has a place in life, and the taking of any life is a serious matter. Aeridinites have to eat, afterall, and even the most strict vegans among the Aeridinites still must 'kill' the plants they are eating (unless they only eat fallen leaves, dead grass, and whatever else is no longer alive nor has the potential to make life {Fruit has the potential to make life. It's like eating plant fetuses}; of course, they would be very malnourished if they were to go that far to avoid taking life). I don't envision most Aeridinites as pacifists. I envision most as being VERY selective about when and what they kill, and if they must kill, it is done because the Aeridinite believes that the death will result in the generation of at least as much life as was taken. I envision Aeridinites as the kind of ranchers and herders that take superb care of their animals, and always show sincere respect to the animal they slaughter to feed their families.

An Aeridinites main purpose is to support and foster life, individually and as a whole. And sometimes in order for life to go on, there must first be death.

Here is an Aeridinite combat guide:
Black (free to destroy): Undead, machines, constructs, unnatural or twisted creatures (such as an elf that has been surgically and magically altered to have the arms of a giant scorpion).
Gray (circumstantial): Infestations that destroy more than they give, such as diseases, over-populated vermin, or a tribe of orcs that cannot be convinced/taught to give up burning and pillaging villages. As Aeridin says, "Gentle lessons first, then a stern stance, and violence to those that defy the teachings."
White (Do not destroy): Natural creatures and beings who are not disrupting the general balance of life and the propagation of life, or who are willing, after some teaching, to show life more respect (Such as an orc tribe who you convince to give up pillaging villages after showing the tribe how to successfully grow and harvest their own food).
 

Acacea

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2011, 04:11:58 pm »
I am actually responding because I am not Ed. :) This question is always going to generate a "use common sense" response, ie never a set guideline that is being asked for, because that would imply the race of life is more important than the fact that it is living. This can be very frustrating, since things will vary from situation to situation, but trust me when I say that sometimes, even though it is hard to muddle through on our own with conflicting beliefs from other players, it is much preferable to the strict guidelines that result when the subject is forced. Some things just aren't really meant to be 100%, heh.
 

jrizz

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2011, 04:18:29 pm »
I think there is going to be a a lot of undead wandering around in the near term. So you should be very busy :)
 

Dorganath

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2011, 07:46:55 pm »
Respectfully, we have over 2000 custom creatures in-game, plus all those which may or may not be in use out of Bioware's standard collection. Granted, not all of those are unique types of creatures, but we're still talking about a grand list, and it's somewhat unrealistic to ask us to not only enumerate all of them but also then keep it up to date. I don't say this with any sort of malice, and I do intend to address the question to a degree, but it's a pretty big request you are making here, and what was said above (regarding applying common sense) will go a long way.

First of all, I ask the community as a whole to not spread untruths or assumptions about such a thing and also do not take it upon yourselves to critique the way another person is RPing their faith, class or alignment. If you have a concern, bring it to a GM. Too many people have hurt too many feelings by poking their noses into someone else's business, only to end up being wrong or at least not completely right.

Also...I am not Ed either, but I do have access to at least most of the same information.

First off, the obvious:

Undead are always fair game for an Aeridinite. They are not life. they are unlife. They are corruptions of the natural cycle of life, and they may be destroyed with as much or as little prejudice as one sees fit.

Quote
Undeath is the most blatant aberration to the sanctity and purity of life. Put them to rest by any means necessary so that their souls may reach their homes. Use the gift of the Caring Light to bring brightness to the darkest of places. Never succumb to dark temptations for they only bring a taint upon the spirit.


Constructs
are not life. They are a collection of inanimate objects (though some may have been from living creatures at one point) given animation through some process, whether mechanical, magical or both. As there is no life, there is no death, so destroying of a construct bears no concerns to the Aeridinite. That said, unless said construct is also destroying life or created from something(s) that were once alive, then there may be no motivation to destroy a construct either.

Abberations are not natural. They were either changed through some process from what they were or the aberrant form became a race unto itself.

Quote
Promote health and the well-being of the mind and body before anything else. Any extension, transformation, alteration, or corruption to the natural forms and shapes of beings is an affront against the sanctity and purity of life and should be confronted at first with gentle lessons and benevolent teaching, and if such ways do not work, with a stern and firm stance instead. Violence is the last option; use it only on those who defy these teachings.
There are some standard creature races that fall into the latter category, and these are taken from part of the lore that we have developed for the MMO:

Orcs: Corruptions of the human form
Trolls: Corruptions of the human form
Goblins: Corruptions of the halfling form

There's more, but they don't and probably won't appear in NWN.

So yes, this means also that Aeridinites can in fact legitimately display animosity and other negative feelings (even name-calling!) toward PC Orcs, Half-orcs and goblins....and even milty's GM avatar.

There's also the Myr'Drach of course, which are also corrupted humans.

In the course of writing this, the question came up about Elementals and Pit Dwellers.  Elementals are the manifestation of some natural entity, usually from another frequency or one of the elemental "planes".  What exactly this means will have to wait, as I don't know how much Ed wants let out at this time, but I think it's safe to say that Elementals are natural, if alien. That said, to put an Aeridinite mind at ease, destroying an elemental manifestation does not actually kill the natural entity that formed it. Stopping here....Spoilers! *winks*

Pit Dwellers are difficult to categorize.  They are absolutely alien. Some bear resemblance to things native to Layonara. Some are horrific creatures.  They are, not unlike creatures native to Layonara, products of their environments, be they harsh or pastoral.  Pit Dwellers, however, can feed upon and grow larger/more powerful by consuming souls. This ability alone doesn't necessarily make them fair game for Aeridinites, but of course if they are engaged in such an activity, then they are probably destroying life in the process....at least if the Pit Dweller is on Layonara.

Aeridinites can be, but do not have to be, pacifists, vegans or members of PETA.  As was noted above, they have to eat, and plants are life too! They have respect for life and death alike, and if a creature is killed for food, an Aeridinite would make an effort to be sure the creature was used in full and its remains were not disrespected.

Aeridinites can defend themselves and others, if needed, regardless of the attacker.  This does not however give an Aeridinite license to run into the middle of a spawn and destroy them, claiming self-defense. We all know how things work mechanically.  Don't do it, if you can avoid it (i.e. you aren't ambushed).

Aeridinites can take action against an individual or group who is engaged in the destruction and/or perversion of life. Of course, they have start with less violent means, and subdue if possible, leaving deadly violence as an absolute last resort.  This again applies regardless of the nature of the individual or group in question.

Lastly, an experienced Aeridinite, especially clerics, would have a fairly good sense about what is and is not an aberration/corruption, especially upon some examination.  That doesn't necessarily mean that you the player would automatically know, but by all means, if you have a question about a particular type of creature, ask a GM.  If we don't know, we can find out. In the absence of someone to ask in the heat of adventure, err on the side of caution.

Incidentally, Elohanna did a decent job of things on the quest Sunday night. She wasn't right about the Goblins, but it's better to be careful then go the other way.  Live and learn, right?  All good lessons, I hope, and I hope no one has given you OOC grief about her RP during the quest.

So as I said, I am not making an exhaustive list, and I would guess that Ed isn't either. It's nothing personal; I won't be compiling such a list for you...myself...anyone.

Not even Ed.
 

Masterjack

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2011, 08:21:22 pm »
Can we get a summary of this added to the LORE under Aerindin? I think it will help those that may be interested in making a character that follows him.
 

Rowana

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2011, 09:06:37 pm »
The summery is already posted under Aeridin. It's found here, pertinent information is:

"Preserve and protect life.  The gift to  exist is not one to be taken lightly; thus, one must lead an exemplary  life devoted to benevolence and care. Tend to those who ail, and offer  your gift of healing to make their stay in the mortal realm a wholesome  experience. Yet once death has taken its toll, respect the passing and  enjoy the fond memories of their life. Do not dwell on or mourn too long  those who pass. Death is sadness — but without understanding sorrow,  one can not understand happiness.

Promote health and the well-being of  the mind and body before anything else. Any extension, transformation,  alteration, or corruption to the natural forms and shapes of beings is  an affront against the sanctity and purity of life and should be  confronted at first with gentle lessons and benevolent teaching, and if  such ways do not work, with a stern and firm stance instead. Violence is  the last option; use it only on those who defy these teachings.

Undeath  is the most blatant aberration to the sanctity and purity of life. Put  them to rest by any means necessary so that their souls may reach their  homes. Use the gift of the Caring Light to bring brightness to the darkest of places. Never succumb to dark temptations for they only bring a taint upon the spirit."

Really doesn't need to be more defined than that. The issue that blocks the definition any further is that all characters have different backgrounds and perspectives and Aeridin accepts many different interpretations of His Dogma. As long as his basic precepts are followed, there's a lot of flex.

Case in point, the situation that I -presume- brought this up from Anamnesis is an event that occurred on a recent quest where I pointed out something to her about 'general Aeridites' and her case with Elohanna and the goblins. She told me that Elohanna would have a problem with what was going on and I was happy to accept that answer. I -am- a little confused what precipitated this post when it seemed like we were both on the same page. Since we need to discuss this in a public setting (with words that come off a bit combative I might add), perhaps a little more detail would be beneficial. We certainly don't want to breed misinformation and we certainly don't want to confuse anyone but we are ALL human and thus prone to error.

It stinks when we confuse players by accident so if a big huge clarification is needed let us have out the specific instance and clear things up so that we are all on the same page. It will take FAR less time than compiling a list such as was requested and the to great lengths we'd have to go to bribe Dorganath to do.

~row
 

Anamnesis

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2011, 09:49:57 pm »
I did not mean to come off as combative Rowana but to rather clarify for my sake and that of others who play here what is acceptable for an Aeridinite that would not fall into a situation of being questioned. I am thankful that you brought it to my attention because I have never been one to get into intricacies of the behind the scenes of PnP D&D. I quite honestly play for fun, only now taking on this new aspect of my own character and I have to question everything.

I can work within limitations if they are defined, but the definition in Lore which was asked of me to look at is not. It is very generalized and I am not a D & D god, for that matter d & d would define a goblin as a natural race, so does the Lore of Layonara, but now I am told they are a halfling aberration of Layo, where that is not spelled out in the Lore of Layonara. Only the mechanical aspect behind Layo mentions anything about halfling.

This is where I have to ask the questions for my own sake, because as a player I am trying my best to understand, so I can define my own character within acceptable parameters set forth in the game. To my mind. They are not clear in what is currently thought to be clear by your standards.

Which is why I am grateful for Dorgs reply.

To my character with her new direction all life is sacred, so would those of the cultists members, aside from those of the aberration they have created of the Myr Drachs...which from my own understanding were at one point people, but poisoned by the cultists, which Elly would have some compassion for, especially after the events in Hlint, and seeing what their poison can do and live through, but to keep from getting side tracked from my original intent..

I wish only to understand, more clearly. I had asked this questions before and thought it cleared up, and with Elly I had full intentions to keep her away from causing harm to other creatures, but what I am hearing through various voices, is that all things are acceptable depending on the intent behind it, and if Row, you were questioning my RP, it made me as well, and it may mean others have questions as well that simply need to be answered. I posted this publicly so all could more clearly understand why I RP Elly as I do.

Its easy to build a character and fight everything because it is acceptable and no one really questions why you are fighting things but to play an Aeridinite who has fought for a great deal of her life on Layo and turn her away from that mentality has not been an easy road but it is a road I want to travel with her and know I am doing so correctly, and that her emotions are valid if not understood by all.

I don't know if that is clear to anyone but me or not but I hope so.
Elohanna Min A'Litae, Priestess of Aeridin
Breanna Shadowraven, Wizard/Rogue of Folian S'pae
Cord, Bard of Ilsare
Melaa A'nadivian, Ranger of Folian S'pae
 

Dorganath

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2011, 10:02:01 pm »
Quote from: Anamnesis
I can work within limitations if they are defined, but the definition in Lore which was asked of me to look at is not. It is very generalized and I am not a D & D god, for that matter d & d would define a goblin as a natural race, so does the Lore of Layonara, but now I am told they are a halfling aberration of Layo, where that is not spelled out in the Lore of Layonara. Only the mechanical aspect behind Layo mentions anything about halfling.

I'm only responding to this because it's worthwhile, as often when things like this come up, there is much grumbling.

First off, we didn't expect anyone to know this, so believe me when I say that we would not have penalized anyone about the Goblin issue, one way or the other.  Second, this and a myriad of other facts are, yes, unreleased lore that will eventually filter out, but much of it is incomplete and...there's lots of it.  Again, there is no penalty for not knowing this. It was offered to you the other night to enhance your knowledge, and I mention it here to enhance everyone's.

So yes, in the end, it is far better to ask the question or, if it is not convenient or possible to do so at any given moment, err on the side of caution. In the case of the quest the other night, Elohanna didn't really have a "wrong" response to the Goblins attacking the party.

Anyway, beyond this comment, I'm not saying anything more on this.  I'll let Ed either agree with me, add to my information or tell me what I've said wrong.
 

lonnarin

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2011, 11:48:31 pm »
Anything that attacks you outright is fair game.  Whether it be a bear, a goblin, an orc or a child with a spit sharpened candy cane.  If it seeks to end life, then it is a foe of Aeriden.  Now if a goblin came to you peacefully, accept the olive branch while you can.  Pinkskins are tasty porkthings.

Undead however, do not heed their woeful cries of mercy.  The only true mercy you can show them is eradicating their corrupted forms from the face of the earth.  

Oh and if goblins are corruptions of halflings, please add GREMLINS as corruptions of gnomes!  Malevolent tinkering saboteurs have their place in Shadon's heart too!  And in the deepest, darkest rage of Goran's.
 

Hellblazer

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #10 on: June 08, 2011, 03:45:04 am »
Personally Dorg, topping my hat. I think it's a very good thing that this was answered as it will finally place a good deal of the unknown to rest. Getting different information from players and GMs alike can be very confusing at times and this should help settle the matter. So thank you. This should help everybody be on the same page.

EdTheKet

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2011, 03:51:39 pm »
Quote from: Dorganath
Respectfully, we have over 2000 custom creatures in-game, plus all those which may or may not be in use out of Bioware's standard collection. Granted, not all of those are unique types of creatures, but we're still talking about a grand list, and it's somewhat unrealistic to ask us to not only enumerate all of them but also then keep it up to date. I don't say this with any sort of malice, and I do intend to address the question to a degree, but it's a pretty big request you are making here, and what was said above (regarding applying common sense) will go a long way.

First of all, I ask the community as a whole to not spread untruths or assumptions about such a thing and also do not take it upon yourselves to critique the way another person is RPing their faith, class or alignment. If you have a concern, bring it to a GM. Too many people have hurt too many feelings by poking their noses into someone else's business, only to end up being wrong or at least not completely right.

Also...I am not Ed either, but I do have access to at least most of the same information.

First off, the obvious:

Undead are always fair game for an Aeridinite. They are not life. they are unlife. They are corruptions of the natural cycle of life, and they may be destroyed with as much or as little prejudice as one sees fit.



Constructs
are not life. They are a collection of inanimate objects (though some may have been from living creatures at one point) given animation through some process, whether mechanical, magical or both. As there is no life, there is no death, so destroying of a construct bears no concerns to the Aeridinite. That said, unless said construct is also destroying life or created from something(s) that were once alive, then there may be no motivation to destroy a construct either.

Abberations are not natural. They were either changed through some process from what they were or the aberrant form became a race unto itself.

There are some standard creature races that fall into the latter category, and these are taken from part of the lore that we have developed for the MMO:

Orcs: Corruptions of the human form
Trolls: Corruptions of the human form
Goblins: Corruptions of the halfling form

There's more, but they don't and probably won't appear in NWN.

So yes, this means also that Aeridinites can in fact legitimately display animosity and other negative feelings (even name-calling!) toward PC Orcs, Half-orcs and goblins....and even milty's GM avatar.

There's also the Myr'Drach of course, which are also corrupted humans.

In the course of writing this, the question came up about Elementals and Pit Dwellers.  Elementals are the manifestation of some natural entity, usually from another frequency or one of the elemental "planes".  What exactly this means will have to wait, as I don't know how much Ed wants let out at this time, but I think it's safe to say that Elementals are natural, if alien. That said, to put an Aeridinite mind at ease, destroying an elemental manifestation does not actually kill the natural entity that formed it. Stopping here....Spoilers! *winks*

Pit Dwellers are difficult to categorize.  They are absolutely alien. Some bear resemblance to things native to Layonara. Some are horrific creatures.  They are, not unlike creatures native to Layonara, products of their environments, be they harsh or pastoral.  Pit Dwellers, however, can feed upon and grow larger/more powerful by consuming souls. This ability alone doesn't necessarily make them fair game for Aeridinites, but of course if they are engaged in such an activity, then they are probably destroying life in the process....at least if the Pit Dweller is on Layonara.

Aeridinites can be, but do not have to be, pacifists, vegans or members of PETA.  As was noted above, they have to eat, and plants are life too! They have respect for life and death alike, and if a creature is killed for food, an Aeridinite would make an effort to be sure the creature was used in full and its remains were not disrespected.

Aeridinites can defend themselves and others, if needed, regardless of the attacker.  This does not however give an Aeridinite license to run into the middle of a spawn and destroy them, claiming self-defense. We all know how things work mechanically.  Don't do it, if you can avoid it (i.e. you aren't ambushed).

Aeridinites can take action against an individual or group who is engaged in the destruction and/or perversion of life. Of course, they have start with less violent means, and subdue if possible, leaving deadly violence as an absolute last resort.  This again applies regardless of the nature of the individual or group in question.

Lastly, an experienced Aeridinite, especially clerics, would have a fairly good sense about what is and is not an aberration/corruption, especially upon some examination.  That doesn't necessarily mean that you the player would automatically know, but by all means, if you have a question about a particular type of creature, ask a GM.  If we don't know, we can find out. In the absence of someone to ask in the heat of adventure, err on the side of caution.

Incidentally, Elohanna did a decent job of things on the quest Sunday night. She wasn't right about the Goblins, but it's better to be careful then go the other way.  Live and learn, right?  All good lessons, I hope, and I hope no one has given you OOC grief about her RP during the quest.

So as I said, I am not making an exhaustive list, and I would guess that Ed isn't either. It's nothing personal; I won't be compiling such a list for you...myself...anyone.

Not even Ed.

Agreed with what Dorg said here.

I had intentionally not released the MMO definitions of Orcs and Trolls being corrupted Humans, and Goblins being corrupted halflings.
Based on D&D as NWN-layonara is, I thought it would be better to keep it stock D&D and not confuse people in making these races Corrupted forms.

Also, one could argue that even though they were corrupted in the past, trolls, orcs and goblins are races in and of themselves now, being perfectly able to procreate. So while the original first Orcs, Trolls and Goblins were corrupted humans or halflings (see timeline when the first races started to appear), the present day ones do have orc/troll/golblin parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so on. So they are not humans or halfings taken from their home and recently transformed.

There is also no way to turn them back into human or halfling form. Or at least, not without Aeridin losing control of the Astral Locks.

So Aeridinites can (and will) argue that you cannot actually hold on to them being corruptions, because the ones that are alive now never were anything else.

So while there would be Aeridinites who look down onto orcs, trolls, goblins, or call them names, they would not go out and actively kill them. And the majority would see them as life worth preserving and protecting.

I'm currently thinking if we actually should be implementing this MMO definition, or leave it as D&D in this incarnation of Layonara. I may lean towards leaving it as is actually, but will have a chat with Leanthar.

And as for
Quote from: lonnarin
Anything that attacks you outright is fair game.  Whether it be a bear, a  goblin, an orc or a child with a spit sharpened candy cane.  If it  seeks to end life, then it is a foe of Aeriden.  
I disagree. First because of what Dorg already said about mechanics. You do not have the license to run into a spawn, kill everything and then claim self defense.
Second, even if somebody attacks you, the first words of the dogma are "Preserve and protect life".

And yes, I am totally aware that in a combat based game, it is extremely difficult to play an Aeridinite. But the Pantheon is not designed to keep allow equal opportunity to level in a combat based game.

It is designed to accommodate many beliefs, which are sometimes opposing and sometimes incompatible with a combat based game.


Quote from: Hellblazer
Getting different information from players and GMs alike can be very confusing at times
May I then ask for any confusing matter or of conflicting information (even, and maybe especially, for conflicting information from GMs) to bring this to the Ask a Gamemaster forum, or even to the appropriate Ask the Loremaster thread. That's what they're for :)
 

drakogear

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2012, 04:42:50 am »
After reading this thread I'm beginning to Think about my Life/Death character I've tried to get approved long ago. So, Aeridenites aren't as pacifistic as I thought... interesting. :)

Quote
Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by lonnarin
Anything that attacks you outright is fair game. Whether it be a bear, a goblin, an orc or a child with a spit sharpened candy cane. If it seeks to end life, then it is a foe of Aeriden.

I disagree. First because of what Dorg already said about mechanics. You do not have the license to run into a spawn, kill everything and then claim self defense.
Second, even if somebody attacks you, the first words of the dogma are "Preserve and protect life".


Though now this has got to to wander about something. What if... you wander about solo and come to close to a hostile NPC? If there first thing to do is preserve life then they can not fight back and kill it. So does he try running away? Oops, game mechanic problem, "This guy won't stop chasing me! Can't kill him but also can't let him kill me... Must... keep... running... must... preserve... lives...". Can't quite stop the guy and talk to him. Whats the Aeridinite to do then? Can't go running into a town, one of the people there might kill him or he might kill one of the people.
 

Masterjack

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2012, 07:19:35 am »
Quote from: drakogear
After reading this thread I'm beginning to Think about my Life/Death character I've tried to get approved long ago. So, Aeridenites aren't as pacifistic as I thought... interesting. :)



Though now this has got to to wander about something. What if... you wander about solo and come to close to a hostile NPC? If there first thing to do is preserve life then they can not fight back and kill it. So does he try running away? Oops, game mechanic problem, "This guy won't stop chasing me! Can't kill him but also can't let him kill me... Must... keep... running... must... preserve... lives...". Can't quite stop the guy and talk to him. Whats the Aeridinite to do then? Can't go running into a town, one of the people there might kill him or he might kill one of the people.


To kill something in self defense is okay for anyone in this situation. Now if someone was doing an illegal activity and got caught by a NPC in authority and killed in self defense that is different. Sometimes one does not get a chance to bring peace to a situation. This has to deal with mechanics and the mechanics of NWN are not perfect for what we are trying to accomplish here in Layo. Now if we had a GM controlling the hostile NPC then this would be a different outcome.
 

Alatriel

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2012, 09:58:35 am »
Quote from: drakogear

Though now this has got to to wander about something. What if... you wander about solo and come to close to a hostile NPC? If there first thing to do is preserve life then they can not fight back and kill it. So does he try running away? Oops, game mechanic problem, "This guy won't stop chasing me! Can't kill him but also can't let him kill me... Must... keep... running... must... preserve... lives...". Can't quite stop the guy and talk to him. Whats the Aeridinite to do then? Can't go running into a town, one of the people there might kill him or he might kill one of the people.


This also doesn't mean that it's justifying going out into the goblin wastelands so that you can say "Hey!  They attacked me!"  This is one of those places that you need to use your judgment.  If it feels like you might be abusing mechanics, you probably are.
 

darkstorme

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #15 on: January 21, 2012, 03:41:17 pm »
To reinforce what Alatriel said, a devout Aeridinite would deliberately not wander into areas where they suspected they would likely encounter someone/something that would leave them no option but to employ violence.  So it wouldn't simply be abusing the mechanics to go into the goblin wastelands, but actively out of character.
 

Dezza

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2012, 04:15:36 pm »
On the other hand there is no reason why an Aeridinite couldnt attach themselves to a group going there to provide for their safety and care during the ensuing battles. :)
 

Tanman

Re: Please Define the Acceptable Creatures Aeridin's Followers c
« Reply #17 on: January 23, 2012, 07:56:00 pm »
Another personal perspective when I play Aeridinite sorcerer who is an elf.
 I do not go actively looking for a fight as eluded to above.
 If he is by himself I try to minimize the amount of times that I cause bloodshed.
 There are some exceptions. He will go into the Goblin Caves to get greenstone to create healing potions. He will try to minimize the things that he has to fend there.
 
 However nowadays he will try and buy them.
 
 Dezza is right. No reason why Aeridinite cannot attach themselves to groups
 When my character is with groups and adventurers he listens very carefully to what what their intentions are.
 
 If he hears them just saying that they are going to kill and maim for their purpose, he brings that up as a topic to contend or sometimes he will just refuse. It depends on who he is going with.
 
 This brings a lot of opportunity for RP which is really great. I remember there was a group of us and in the aftermath of bringing pirates to justice my Aeridinite wasn't too pleased with the outcome and a lot of beliefs and thoughts were expressed ic.
 
 An Aeridinite cleric maybe more zealous about the whole thing.This is just my perspective. I hope it may help for some.
 

 

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