Ask Arkanis

[Jorel]

Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca in the original series, was asked in a Reddit AMA, "Mr Mayhew. Did Han really shoot first ? You were there. You saw it first hand. The truth needs to come out !" His response was "uughghhhgh uughghhhgh huuguughghg."

LMAO lololol

[Deathgrowl]

Good shadows - here I am assuming you mean spirits/ghosts? Back a few pages in this thread I talked about spirits and shadows a little. Good spirits are generally considered to be either benign in their actions, or good-intended, i.e. like a spirit who guards a forest. "Undead" spirits or shadows are generally not tolerated much by good religious orders regarless of their intentions, and divine spirits are usually purpose driven (like angels) and focused on tasks i.e. the angel is going to protect someone.

He probably means the shadows of good aligned shadow dancers. Which aren't entirely normal shadows (they're kind of tied to the shadowdancer, shares alignment with the shadowdancer and are immune to turning).

The ghost Mirror of the Unclean, Undead, Unholy trilogy (where Szass Tam tries to become regent of Thay among other things), is often described in a very similar way to a shadow. But he's very clearly a paladin, possibly of Lathander/Amaunator (though this is never confirmed).

I really recommend those books, by the way.
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Mirror

[Hitman Hard]

So going from being a greedy smuggler with very loose mores on loyalty or duty to hero doesn't cut it for people? He needed to be a cold blooded killer? Ohh how I wish people were this open minded IG about seedy characters.

Even before Han made the shift from anti-hero to hero, he had a certain "Code" because he couldn't tolerate working as a soldier in the Empire and quit.

[Rasael]

DM Arkanis, who is the fairest of them all?

Also, lawyerz and judges did exist in feudal society. But mostly for matters of commerce and state. Criminal law was the domain of the ruler his whims. But also there was it possible to get a lawyer if you could afford it. Some very famous english cases stem from the medieval period while after williams conquest. Like the king intimidating the judges to make him heir to lapsing estates instead of a minor, because of a procedural fluke.

Rulers in faerun do the same things. And noblez and merchants use lawyers to make contracts and so on. Also to try to argue againzt the ruler because rulers dizlike appearing as hypocrits.

[DM Arkanis]

DM Arkanis, who is the fairest of them all?

Also, lawyerz and judges did exist in feudal society. But mostly for matters of commerce and state. Criminal law was the domain of the ruler his whims. But also there was it possible to get a lawyer if you could afford it. Some very famous english cases stem from the medieval period while after williams conquest. Like the king intimidating the judges to make him heir to lapsing estates instead of a minor, because of a procedural fluke.

Rulers in faerun do the same things. And noblez and merchants use lawyers to make contracts and so on. Also to try to argue againzt the ruler because rulers dizlike appearing as hypocrits.

I think you are mixing up lobbyists with lawyers. Here is a definition I found:

`A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political and social authority, and deliver justice. Working as a lawyer involves the practical application of abstract legal theories and knowledge to solve specific individualized problems, or to advance the interests of those who retain (i.e., hire) lawyers to perform legal services.`

In a feudal society where the rule of law is interpreted by the monarch, a lawyer who disagreed or challenged them would be on the proverbial thin ice. William III also took the throne in a time where there was parliamentary democracy in England - a far cry from feudal monarchy where the king or queen was the ultimate power. There is no democracy in BG and I daresay that if the Dukes summoned someone for a criminal proceeding there would be no lawyer present. As for matters of commerce and state, a lobbyist would more likely be the one who petitioned the crown on matters of commerce. Envoys of other governments/rulers would also function in this capacity for matters of state. While I agree that a modern day lawyer could also lobby her government on non-criminal matters, in feudal times lobbying had many of its own occupational hazzards... i.e. "please! don't shoot the messenger!"

[Rasael]

What black doest tell you is that law comes from a number of sources. That is written and unwritten. Like customs. Historically custom is the more important source with statute replacing it in europe only very rcently. The common law and constitution of the uk are still unwritten. Because of this the ruler was not the end all point of authority. That is an invention of modern times. Soverignty came about because monarchs wanted more power. To do that they actually had to rely on a legal doctrine allowing them to circumvrnt custom.

lawyers argued and interpreted these things before local judges and town councils. City councils etc. Because in feudL times thesr were autono.ous parts of a rulers realm. He only personally reigns over his demesne.

if a king did not adhere to local customs it led to revolts. Spain. The mightiest and largest empire at the time lost the Netherlands this way.

So just to clarify how vast custom actually was. There was no unified code of law in the medieval period. We actually fell back on old roman law codes if there were gaps in local custom. Kings did not make many laws replacing and abolishing custom until well into the renaissance when people started embracing the idea of comitas or sovereignty. Which is the development of a unified code of law.

most nations in faerun do not have such codes. They Re expensive and require a lot of expertise to create and keep updated. Baldurs gate presumably uses custom and statute both. It might use more statute since it was founded relatively rexently. But that statute may Aldo become custom as it ages. Which makes it hard for the dukes to gdy rid of. Its an established right.

lawyers were perfectly allowed to arvue such things because for kings it meant they wouldnt face revolts. Not to mention that many kings simply didnt know most customs in their realm. There were so many. So they needed lawyers. Its also about legitimacy.

[Reckeo]

The thing I don't understand about the controversy concerning 'Han shot first', is how, in any circumstance, Han shooting first could possibly be considered cold blood murder. Greedo was making threats and had a gun pointed at Han's face. It's unreasonable to assume at any point that even with a messy blaster at that range, that Greedo could possibly miss. Thus, Han had no choice BUT to shoot. Even as he's unholstering his blaster under the table he says the line "Do you think I had a choice?". Granted it was part of a different conversation, but really, what choice does Han have but to do what he's about to do, lest he be shot and killed by Greedo?

To me, it was a grey-area, not cold blooded murder. There is no reason to digitally implant some sort of fabricated 'greedo shot first' scene in order to exonerate Han of being considered a 'cold blooded murder'. If anything, it was a much more raw depiction of the galaxy, without the overlying emphasis on the force. It's not until the later movies where the force becomes much more of a presence in the viewers of the film. At this point in the story arc, there was only a little background to indicate any sort of space-priest peace program like the Jedi. Even Obiwan chopped off an alien's arm when they pulled a gun on Luke. All things considered, the depiction of Han shooting Greedo came minutes after the scene with Obi-wan and the bloody arm.

This was to show the contrast between the characters, yet startling similarities. Neither are one's you really wanna mess with. Han was a character that had to fight for what he had in a time of galactic imperial empires, alien bounty hunters, and smuggling. Who cares if he kills some gun-happy bounty hunting wannabe in some shady space port cantina, anymore than Obi-wan chopping off the arm of some bar-tough's trying to make a move on the young and impressionable Luke?

[kleomenes]

England is a poor example in this regard! While Western European countries had 'professional' lawyers from late 13th century (who swore oaths on conduct), England also had abrogated from the 'divine right of kings' principle in absolute terms- the Magna Carta. They were mainly active in the ecclesiastical courts but also elsewhere. Lawyers hoping for fees were what helped phase out trial by combat 'you will do better appointing me to speak rather than appointing your champion'

It was understood that the king was the guardian of law and had to behave in a lawful manner. The next 400 years are basically about how much the king was indeed subject. So much ground is gained on this point that James I loses cases in court! Before his own judges!

England is unusual as much of England's day to day law was the 'common' law of the people, which was devised out of local laws by Henry II, not from Royal edict

I suspect a better model for Baldurs gate though is a late medieval, early renaissance city state (the period republics died in the face of Duke's!). The power of government in Baldurs gate is likely to be the result of a balancing act- these are not established dynasties, right? Which means care about abuse of power

[calvinus]

Is throwing a jar full of hornets at someone something that would cause a paladin to fall?

[Selande]

Is a chicken immune to Mass Fowl?

[DM Arkanis]

Is throwing a jar full of hornets at someone something that would cause a paladin to fall?

I would say it would depend on the paladin's intent, reason for throwing said jar, who it was thrown at, and reaction of the victim.

[DM Arkanis]

Is a chicken immune to Mass Fowl?

"This spell transforms hostile creatures of Medium size or small in the area into chickens. Targets are allowed a Fortitude save (DC +5) to negate the effects of the spell. The transformation is permanent, sufficiently powerful creatures are unaffected by this spell. "

I think the key word here is "hostile." Unless the chicken in question was attacking it wouldn't be affected, and if it was, and failed a FORT save, I think the spell would indeed work, you just wouldn't see any changes. Although I'd imagine that the chicken would...

[DM Arkanis]

Hey BG - I'm back from sunny Cuba where the weather was a balmy 32C, the water blue, the food and beverages fantastic, and the people very friendly. Came home to a pile of things to do at work, but I'm back in the land of the living, er, virtual land of the living here. Keep the questions coming, and I'll see all y'all in game.

[calvinus]

Is throwing a jar full of hornets at someone something that would cause a paladin to fall?

I would say it would depend on the paladin's intent, reason for throwing said jar, who it was thrown at, and reaction of the victim.

If it is thrown at an evil arcane caster that attacked first, how would this affect your answer?

[Hoihe]