The only thing that might be sticky with what you've said is the defending yourself while adventuring... you're ok so long as you aren't intentionally placing yourself in positions where you know you will have to defend yourself with force (ask yourself why the character would be adventuring in the first place, if you aren't going to slay undead and such).
On the question of NPCs and whether or not one should be raised by an Aeridinite...In my personal opinion, this is one question that does not have a single answer. Here's some scenarios...1) Relatively important and/or innocent NPC is killed before the party by some hostile action, or perhaps a terrible accident that may or may not have been caused by the party. Should this death have happened? Should an Aeridinite cleric just look at the body and shake his head in disappointment, but do nothing even though the body may still be warm?2) The long-dead (say 100 years) and quite inanimate remains of some prominent historical figure are discovered. This figure may be the key to unlocking some mystery, or may have had some key information, etc.Now, remember that there's an important difference between Raise Dead and Resurrection.In scenario 1, much like a modern paramedic or doctor might be able to revive a patient who has died in some way, why wouldn't an Aeridinite restore life to someone, through Raise Dead for example, who perhaps shouldn't have died in the first place? To draw the line at NPCs just seems quite the wrong perspective, in my opinion.In scenario 2, Raise Dead would have zero effect, as the limit for that spell is 1 day/caster level. Resurrection however is something like 10 years per caster level. Clearly such a resurrection would require GM intervention. Now, it is unlikely that an Aeridinte cleric would perform or sanction such an occurrence because the deceased is long, long dead, having passed on from life and into the next part of the cycle. So in such a case, an Aeridinite probably should not perform the resurrection, and he/she would likely (and probably should) protest if such a thing were discussed or done.
Basically the way I read into Aeridin(ites) is that they will not take a life unless "absolutely" necessary.
This is only one of Aeridin's bios though and the second is that basically of an undead killer.
To me the way I look at this is that necessity can be looked at many ways and although should not be "wanton" killing should not be sitting back while others get killed while they can help it.
They are there to aid others, so if there is an evil black mage in the area constantly slaughtering citizens and adventurers alike I look at it as one life taken and many lives spared would be something Aeridin would approve.
Secondly, since all life is sacred, if he was with others while out adventuring and was attacked, he would defend himself.
The way I play this is that he uses no bladed weapons so since there is not a non-lethal mode in the game if he ends up "killing" something I look at it as he just knocked them out for a long time.
So to sum it all up. All gods have different ideals, most have multiple. Each follower does not always follow everything to the letter but what they feel is right to them unless of course they were corrected by a higher order this is what I feel roleplaying one would be like. Quote Correct, however, you cannot twist anything out of proportion, as stated earlier in the thread already, find an RP Reason, not an RP Excuse.QuotePlease fell free to rip this to shreds if I am totally off, but I really would like to hear opinions and from DM's the truth on such. Thanks again.You're welcome.Then a short note on raising and resurrecting. Aeridin does allow this. However, you as the caster should think before you use it (and it is okay to not use it). If he didn't we would've disabled it
Correct, however, you cannot twist anything out of proportion, as stated earlier in the thread already, find an RP Reason, not an RP Excuse.QuotePlease fell free to rip this to shreds if I am totally off, but I really would like to hear opinions and from DM's the truth on such. Thanks again.You're welcome.Then a short note on raising and resurrecting. Aeridin does allow this. However, you as the caster should think before you use it (and it is okay to not use it). If he didn't we would've disabled it
Please fell free to rip this to shreds if I am totally off, but I really would like to hear opinions and from DM's the truth on such. Thanks again.
As much as your commentary made me smile and even chuckle, lonnarin, I do have to point out that Layo's cosmology makes defining life and death a very different animal, even from the DnD versions we're accustomed to seeing (not to mention real life scenarios). As I understand it (and please correct me if I'm wrong, Loremaster Ed), life and death are matters of "resonance." Something like energy, though mass has nothing to do with it. In that sense, if Aeridin supports "life," he is supporting a certain resonance range, or frequency range, local to the Layo prime. Death ushers a significant change of resonance, and by the same token undead function way outside the range referred to as "life" on Layo. So killing undead is not killing "life." For that matter, killing outsiders (like demons) in general is not killing "life" because they do not exist on the same frequency (resonance) Layo sentients do (also why they don't really "die" when you kill them on the Layo prime- they just return to the place that hosts their native resonance). Maintaining "natural order" on Layo is maintaining the native resonance. That can be done both through healing and letting things "pass on" or die "naturally." such is the case because to maintain Layo's native resonance, there must be a constant motion of life and death, but there is room for variance. The problem for Aeridan would be if the resonance moves too far out of the native range, essentially causing what we might call an "imbalance."So yes, Aeridan may want you to toss your life away like a candy wrapper if it maintains the "balance" or native resonance, but by the same token, he'd want you to raise back to life the army that was just slaughtered if it kept the native resonance within the preferred range.As a priest of Aeridan, you are on Layo to support "life," that is, the Layo prime version of it, the Layo resonance.
As I understand it (and please correct me if I'm wrong, Loremaster Ed), life and death are matters of "resonance." Something like energy, though mass has nothing to do with it. In that sense, if Aeridin supports "life," he is supporting a certain resonance range, or frequency range, local to the Layo prime. Death ushers a significant change of resonance, and by the same token undead function way outside the range referred to as "life" on Layo. So killing undead is not killing "life." For that matter, killing outsiders (like demons) in general is not killing "life" because they do not exist on the same frequency (resonance) Layo sentients do (also why they don't really "die" when you kill them on the Layo prime- they just return to the place that hosts their native resonance).