This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
Topics - Shiokara
41
« on: August 18, 2009, 12:45:08 am »
I just thought I'd start this for a bit of fun discussion. The subject line provides a fair enough summary of the argument, but I'll lay it out clearer here.
Have you ever met one of those people that insists their selfless actions or the selfless actions of others are actually selfish? They usually say that the only reason some people do good things for others is because afterward they can receive praise for those actions, or feel good about themselves knowing that they did a good thing. Thus, all altruistic actions become a means of self-gratification.
In the context of D&D the concept of altruism vs. selfishness is reflected by good vs. evil. In NWN a default good character has an 85 on the good meter. This has already been discussed extensively in another thread, but not in the terms of altruism vs. selfishness. Technically these characters would perform selfless acts 85% of the time and an occasional selfish act (maybe they smoke!) 15% of the time. But is this accurate? This discussion calls the existence, or legitimacy, of the 85% into question.
So what do you think? Does altruism exist? How does it play out in your own RP? Has your chaotic good mercenary slipped into an, "I'm going to get these items because I need them" or a, "What's in it for me" mindset? Do you ever find yourself thinking in the mind of your LG character how this may benefit you? Do you, yourself, feel good when your character does good things for other people? Why is this?
So I may as well get the ball rolling. I believe altruism exists. I think it is a logical fallacy, a kind of faulty cause and effect, to assume that just because I feel good after doing a selfless act that that means I did the selfless act because I knew it would make me feel good. This is not necessarily the case. The outcome of my feeling after the selfless act (or any act), in reality, is uncertain, and so to consider all actions selfish based upon the feeling one gets from performing them seems faulty to me.
So, what do you all think?
42
« on: July 11, 2009, 01:27:03 pm »
Annoyed at having to jump for his last posting, this posting is much lower than the last. However, since it is lower than the rest it doesn't need to contend for space. As such, the shaky writing is much larger.
[SIZE=18]Ta 'oom it may concrn,
Oi got two boxes'a aloe 'aht Oi'm willin' ta let go of at say 2000 true. Lemme know if ye wanna take 'em off ma 'ands an' we cn sit up a toime real propr loike.
-Nokka (Tha ugly one wi' tha patch'n tats)[/SIZE]
43
« on: June 29, 2009, 05:15:40 pm »
A boisterous Dwarf with an eyepatch can be heard laughing at The Scamp's Mug, pounding an ale down his throat. Anyone who listens hears:
Oi so 'at Vehl's a crude town a'right. Some bloke asked me ta dig up bodies loike an' I tol' 'im where 'e could stick 'at shovel if it pleased 'im. Let tha dead res' Oi say an' tha's why Oi went down ta 'dem crypts ta put'em ta res'. Well Oi'll be damned if I didn' meet someone down there a'ready! Name was Caradas'r some such thing an' 'e was real noble loike--a real hob-nobbler all hoigh and snootin' at parties--but seems 'e run into a bit-a-trouble 'cause 'e was 'n leathers an' not loike, noblewear.
'E was a roight 'nough stand-up guy though once Oi saved his hind a couple toimes. 'E even saved moine, too. We traveled a whoile Oi'd say. After the crypts we met some shoiny mage with a funny voice loike gravel 'r somethin'. Ye shoulda seen 'is face. Caradas scoffed loike Caradas does an' said what koinda man wears a dress loike, and tha man near hit tha roof--funny thing was we was outside, so tha roof was pretty hoigh even what it bein' tha sky an' all. Anyway, 'e wen' off ta kill dragons 'r some such thing an' Caradas an' Oi met some lass wearin' some noice blue get-up but covered in bandages loike a mummy.
Caradas seemed ta 'ave a thing fer 'er, so Oi didn't werk any o' my Dwarf charm on 'er 'r nothin' loike that. *he laughs* Anyway, we hit the sewers of this 'Empstead town and killed some fish-loike things what Caradas was really s'prised at. Was a noice 'nough toime, but Oi thought 'at was a funny place fer a date an' all, y'know, fer Caradas and the lass.
Anyway, Oi tell ye Oi ain' never felt the han' a the Battle Father on ma axe han' so strong as out 'ere. Oi give a prayer, loike, 'r a shout, y'know ta wake 'im up loike, an' 'e ain' e'en angry with me 'r nothin' 'e jus' guides ma han' all pow'rful loike an' soon the enemies 'r 'll dead. 'S great!
44
« on: June 29, 2009, 04:58:51 am »
*a note is posted slightly sideways and a little below eye level. It looks kind of unsecured, almost as if the person had to jump to post it. The writing is a little shaky*
Roight! Oi got two good boxes o' Skeleton Knuckles fer anyone 'oo wants 'em. Way I see it is ye post a proice Oi loike 'ere an' Oi'll get 'em ta ye all quick loike. Jes' tell me where ta meet ye. I reckon they'd make a noice necklace fer ye missus if ye want ta show 'er 'ow strong ye are 'r some such thing.
~ Agmundr Nokkadrumbaer
P.S. Oi put ma full name ta sound official loike, but if'n ye plan ta use it Oi'll 'ave yer toes, Oi will. Ye can call me Nokka, or Noks. Oi'll be tha ugly fella with tha patch an' tha tattoos loike.
45
« on: June 22, 2009, 04:13:35 am »
Hey. I know I can't submit for a chaotic neutral character until I have four months under my belt, but I have already had an idea for one and have written a character bio and everything for him.
Would it be possible for someone to take a look at it whenever they want, as casually as they like, just so I can work anything I have to out, so I can make the character approval go smoothly?
46
« on: June 14, 2009, 01:40:51 pm »
The town's gossips all know what the hottest story in town is. Rumors of Elastic (or Ellipsis, or was it Ephasia?), a fire-headed girl, sprout up in streets, inns, and dinner-table discussions of good, decent Hlint folk.
*overheard in the streets between two women talking at market*
"Did you hear the latest about Elastic?"
"No, what?"
"I heard she was spotted in town, twice! You wouldn't believe who she was askin' fer."
"Who?"
"A Duchess-"
"What?"
"She's lookin' fer a Duchess, I said."
"A Duchess, here?"
"That's what I said."
"Well, what's she lookin' round here for a Duchess for? A Duchess 's royalty! Ain't been no royalty 'round here a while. Must be mental."
"Mus' be. 'S sad really."
*In the Wild Surge Inn between old friends*
"You 'ear 'bout Ephasia?"
"Who? Oh!-you mean Ellipsis?"
"No, no. Ephasia, small lass, red hiar, walkin' 'round askin' for food an coin?"
"What, like a beggar?"
"Well no, 'cause if'n ya answer no, I hear she'll fight ya fer it."
"What a lil' girl? Ha-"
"Don't laugh, she'd fix you right on the floor!"
"Reckon she won't, I-"
"Beat a dwarf-"
"What? I never beat no dwarf!"
"She did, she-"
"She what?"
"-boxed him but good I hear."
"Tha's no beggar, 's a bandit! But she a girl you say? Young?"
"Yeah, yeah, real short-like, a kid."
"Well 'en no worries! Can't bother me in here! Barkeep, another round!"
*the men laugh*
"But s'r'ously," one says as he puts down his mug, "What's'is world comin' to, little girl gotta beat up dwarfs for food!"
*two farmers walking along a wall, repairing it when it needs repairing*
"You hear about that girl up yer way, yet?"
"What girl?"
"Elastic'r somethin' like that."
"Oh yeah, her? My wife been tellin' me 'bout her."
"Yeah, 'parently she likes fire."
"Fire, you say?" One man says, looking at his fields, then back to work, "There's a hole there."
"My side," the other says automatically, putting the stones back in place, "She's talkin' 'bout fire 'n balance 'n what not an' boy what a temper."
The other man pauses, "Sure, fire's good fer balance, let's me clear a land easier, an' scorchin' a field can actually help it grow, but it's only so good if yer usin' it fer somethin'."
"'S true, but she says fire's it. Tha's the best'r somethin'."
*The farmers get to the end of the line where the corners turn, finishing their work*
"Well she can stay away from my fields come harvest time."
"Mine, too. Should send her up Jenkins's way, he's got a real nutter, too."
"Oh yeah, heard about him. So, same time next month?"
"Oh sure, but-"
"Good fences make good neighbors, neighbor," says one farmer as he's walking the other way. The statement causes the other farmer to stop and look back.
"Elves."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing."
Other rumors are coming in from the caravans. They speak of curious activity around the goblin caves, as if the goblins had suddenly taken to farming. They report seeing unusual amounts of chickens pecking near the Red Light Caverns. Similarly, there are many strange reports of birds in the area that "look like they're wearing suits". No one is sure why, but one thing is for sure, it seems the adventurers are trying to stop the goblins as the chickens are never seen when there are adventurers around.
47
« on: June 07, 2009, 06:11:32 pm »
//Lore States, "An annual meeting is held on each of the six major locations on Layonara. During that meeting druids are shifted from position to position or dismissed entirely. From this annual meeting another meeting is held on Dregar for the East and West branches to plan and socialize. After that meeting the two leaders of each branch then travel to the Great Oak to meet and update the Hierophant."
And before that, "Besides their connection to nature, the one thing that unifies this diverse population is the complex, and highly secretive, druidic political order. Each druid has a place within this order, and this place is negotiated and re-established at annual meetings somewhere on Dregar and in more frequent local gatherings. It is said that there is an Arch-Druid, a sort of druidic administrator, who serves as the central unifying agency. His presence in a druid’s life is far less tangible than a High-Druid, who may be the representative of a local grove or forest. These posts are more formal in nature than functional, however, as the connectivity between druids and all living things is the true source of all druidic organizing."
I've interested myself with this topic, but I realized something recently. 1 year on the Layonara calendar according to the Time Conversion page is 22 days, 9 hours, and 36 minutes.
I understand this meeting to be one of the important factors in organizing the druid hierarchy, something I've been considering doing lately, but meeting once every 22 real-life days seems a little too often to me, especially since one can only propose a CDQ once every three months.
How can we evaluate the positions of each druid within the hierarchy if there is not even enough time to further develop one's character from the last meeting? Indeed, it seems there can be cases where even two or three druidic meetings will occur before one can continue to make noticeable changes in the world.
I have to admit, I would like to start making these meetings Player initiated events with DM involvement (that way everyone gets a say in who's moving where in the hierarchy as it appears to me the Druid commune works), but I could never expect such a thing to be set up once every 22 days.
This is an attempt to help bring the druid community to life, in a sense. Right now, it would appear that these meetings where "druids are shifted from position to position or dismissed entirely" are shadowy affairs that none of us are really involved in. I feel like an opportunity is being missed here.
The easiest fix, in my opinion, would be to reduce the frequency of the druidic meetings to say once every three or four years.
Another possible fix would be to change the times in such a way that Layonara time is only slightly closer to our time. This would be very problematic, however, as I seem to recall past concerns about being able to walk huge distances in a short amount of time, and this second fix would only increase that issue.
48
« on: June 01, 2009, 04:49:28 pm »
Zahid Al Safi is stuck in the Battlehelm Moors. Game crashed while I was exploring there. I've tried logging in several times since on two different machines, but every time the screen is about to load the game crashes again. Any ideas on a fix? Thanks. 
49
« on: April 14, 2009, 04:08:36 pm »
Port Hempstead - This one did not approve. Darthirâe tells this one Port Hempstead is a termite hill--natural. Lord Keel tells this one Port Hempstead exists for at least 700 years. He tells this one kobolds come not before the Dark Ages. This one is satisfied. If Port Hempstead termite hill exists for so long, perhaps it has become nature?
50
« on: April 06, 2009, 07:42:27 pm »
How's it going? I decided to check this game out after Shiff has been in my ear about it for months. My game is on its way and I've been reading up on it here, but I just have a quick question about submission.
I'm writing a biography/description for a Druid submission and while I have read the restrictions, druid information, and general druid tab I wasn't actually able to find any information regarding this.
If I remember correctly there are three ways druids come into their power: through natural affinity/birth, through encouragement from Druid or similar-minded parents, and through traumatic events/realizations. What I want to know is what happens once one discovers these abilities? Is it that the potential druid is sensed by others and thus inducted, officially, into the hierarchy, or does the potential druid have to search for others like himself? I'm just not sure how the actual process of being acknowledged as a druid occurs--any clarifications much appreciated. ^^
I look forward to playing with you all.
|
Forums
Show Posts