Ask Arkanis

[Moltrazahn]

So... Arkanis...

Whats with all the DM's suddenly having Goat avatars...

[DM Arkanis]

So... Arkanis...

Whats with all the DM's suddenly having Goat avatars...

It is our version of the zombie apocalypse... but with goats. Stay tuned.

http://cjredwine.blogspot.ca/2009/04/be ... -goat.html

[DM Arkanis]

There was a man
(There was a man)
Now please take note

(Now please take note)
There was a man
(There was a man)
Who had a goat
(Who had a goat)

He loved that goat
(He loved that goat)
Indeed he did
(Indeed he did)
He loved that goat
(He loved that goat)
Just like a kid
(Just like a kid)

One day that goat
(One day that goat)
Felt frisk and fine
(Felt frisk and fine)
Ate three red shirts
(Ate three red shirts)
Right off the line
(Right off the line)

The man, he grabbed
(The man, he grabbed)
Him by the back
(Him by the back)
And tied him to
(And tied him to)
A railroad track
(A railroad track)

Now, when that train
(Now, when that train)
Hove into sight
(Hove into sight)
That goat grew pale
(That goat grew pale)
And green with fright
(And green with fright)

He heaved a sigh
(He heaved a sigh)
As if in pain
(As if in pain)
Coughed up those shirts
(Coughed up those shirts)
And flagged the train!
(And flagged the train!)

[mireigi]

What is your favorite area on the server?


Is it true at the platupus are alien visitors?


If you were to recommend one Forgotten Realms novel that everyone should read, which one would it be?


Will a Chaotic Good PC with a Cleric / Barbarian split lose favor with his/her deity for, while enraged, killing an opponent who have surrendered?

[Hidennka]

Almighty Goat-Overlord, I had a question as to your gaming preference.

As you know, I've been playing Dragon Age: Inquisition. A discussion with a fellow player sparked curiosity over play styles and I'm interested to know on which side (if any) you yourself follow.

I, for example, am mainly focused on playing through the storyline during the first one many playthroughs. I do some side missions, pick and choose and progress the story with the intention of doing a 'proper' playthrough at some point. The 'proper' playthrough consists of and encompases my favourite choices and class (having tried them all) and completes all side missions and quests to 100%.

He, on the other hand, attempts to be a completionist from the get-go in all playthroughs.

What about you? Do you shoot through the story and go back later, or play through again to then experience it in full. . . or do you spend your time trying to do as much as possible and aim for completion that first time?

[DM Arkanis]

What is your favorite area on the server?

Is it true at the platupus are alien visitors?

If you were to recommend one Forgotten Realms novel that everyone should read, which one would it be?

Will a Chaotic Good PC with a Cleric / Barbarian split lose favor with his/her deity for, while enraged, killing an opponent who have surrendered?

1. Favourite area is a tough one as I have fond memories of partying up and fighting in lots of places. Fighting in the Illithid Mines is great (I usually get pasted) because I had to draw myself a map of how to get there from Sshamath... I also like the Naskel mines - getting all the way to the end and having the boss mosnter paste you - always fun.

2. Recommending only one FR novel is like trying to eat only one potato chip... I'd have to say "The Dark Elf Trilogy" by RA Salvatore. IknowIknow that's three books, but it is really one story in three books Why? It set a foundation for a lot of FR lore; city backrounds, epic NPC characters, etc. He oversaw the six book series, "War of the Spider Queen" in which six other FR authors each wrote one novel, and this series opened up the UD to us and showed us not only the twisted nature of the Drow society, but also how a characters alignment can truly affect the outcome of different situations.

3. Short answer is that it depends on the god that they worship, and if there are any ecclesiastical rules within their church around killing innocent/surrendered people.

[DM Arkanis]

Almighty Goat-Overlord, I had a question as to your gaming preference.

As you know, I've been playing Dragon Age: Inquisition. A discussion with a fellow player sparked curiosity over play styles and I'm interested to know on which side (if any) you yourself follow.

I, for example, am mainly focused on playing through the storyline during the first one many playthroughs. I do some side missions, pick and choose and progress the story with the intention of doing a 'proper' playthrough at some point. The 'proper' playthrough consists of and encompases my favourite choices and class (having tried them all) and completes all side missions and quests to 100%.

He, on the other hand, attempts to be a completionist from the get-go in all playthroughs.

What about you? Do you shoot through the story and go back later, or play through again to then experience it in full. . . or do you spend your time trying to do as much as possible and aim for completion that first time?

I tend to be like your friend - get to the end first, then go back and pick up all the little things along the way. I almost always skip the narratives too when I can. This drives my buddy Al nuts because he likes to dot all his i's and cross all his t's so to speak, and when I'm at his place, unless he has already completed an area himself, I have to go through everything or I get chastized, "oh man you missed a great thing back there" and I go back, push over a rock, and there is a bag with two rags, 4GP, and a spoon in it... -_-

[Calodan]

Been trying to do some research on a Paladin of Hoar. I have found some great things but I am having issues justifying how it can exist on this server. The server lore supports Lawful Good in one context but from my view the Dogma of Hoar would greatly conflict with that as his portfolio is leaned in the direction of vigilante justice. Yet a person who follows this dogma would be a holy warrior or "Paladin" as they are following the "Law" of their god and would most certainly be granted divine power.

With that said. My question is how do you see this working and how would you RP the character of this style build?

When I go over and over my RP up to this point I find in my mind that my character would already lean this direction and has been forging this path over the better part of two years. I think it fits but would just like to hear a educated opinion from a person of power on this server. Thanks and Peace be the journey!

[DM Arkanis]

Been trying to do some research on a Paladin of Hoar. I have found some great things but I am having issues justifying how it can exist on this server. The server lore supports Lawful Good in one context but from my view the Dogma of Hoar would greatly conflict with that as his portfolio is leaned in the direction of vigilante justice. Yet a person who follows this dogma would be a holy warrior or "Paladin" as they are following the "Law" of their god and would most certainly be granted divine power.

With that said. My question is how do you see this working and how would you RP the character of this style build?

When I go over and over my RP up to this point I find in my mind that my character would already lean this direction and has been forging this path over the better part of two years. I think it fits but would just like to hear a educated opinion from a person of power on this server. Thanks and Peace be the journey!

There has and always will be discussions in this game about alignment definitions - "What does it mean to be LG?" will get you five different answers from five different people. Paladin's whose focus and purpose is limited or constrained like the ones for Hoar are challenged to stick to the confines of their beliefs and the interpretation of the beliefs will depend on the player's perspective. If it is RPed properly, the character will be single minded and unwavering in their purose - in this case the Pally would be looking for people who had been wronged and seek retribution for them (some of my research indicates for a fee as well.)
They are loners by nature which means they don't have anyone but themselves to decide what is "just" and what isn't. A Paladin of Hoar might use the word "justice" in place of "retribution" in terms of how they see themselves, their purpose, and what the divine will of their god is. As long as the seeking of retribution is not done for personal gain or motivated for personal reasons, the paladin of Hoar is "just" in the eyes of their god for their actions, thus the paladin "status." You have to be open-minded with respect to defining the word "paladin" when it comes to this class because again, a LG Pally of Hoar would a) not see themselves as evil, b) not necessarily walk around angry all of the time, c) could RP their "vengence" in broad strokes, i.e. vengence upon the Orcs as a race (this also allows the Paladin of Hoar to grind )d) they could be the life-of-the-party easy going, good natured person by day, and hunt down "evil doers" by night. The RP options really are endless. Don't get caught up in the semantics of a definition of LG too - I bet many people IRL would consider themselves LG - they obey the laws of the land/their religion, they pay their taxes, they contribute to society, they give to charities, they don't hurt other people, etc. In the game we have taken the alignment to be uber-heroic - you are not truly LG unless you are totally committed to serving others, give away all of your possessions, fight monsters, protect the weak, etc. which I think is inaccurate and narrow in its definition. What I would suggest is that you take a look at your character and your RP to-date and come up with your own code of ethics that fits the toon to the god's bio and your RP. I think that you will be able to come up with a convincing back story as to how you got to where you are today, and enable yourself to move forward knowing you have some set guidelines that your character needs to follow. Remember, you don't have to save the world - make your goals and ethics reasonable in terms of your RP. You can always modify them - small adjustments, as you play as well. I believe this will help you out of the moral conundrum you feel that you are in ATM and enable you to continue with the toon within the confines of the server, and FR and server lore. Cool be the runnings, brother.

[Hidennka]

Arkanis! Is it really your birthday . . . or is the forum lying to me? If it is, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
How did you spend it and did you get spoilt?

[DM Arkanis]

Arkanis! Is it really your birthday . . . or is the forum lying to me? If it is, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
How did you spend it and did you get spoilt?

Yes Dec 24th is indeed my birthday. I spent last evening with friends playing a variety of games inlucding, but not lmited to: Cards Against Humanity, Zombie Dice, Pandemic, Prophecy, euchre, and of course Assassins Creed Insurrection. I had a fantastic meal of roast ham, scalloped potatoes, and lemon cake for dessert and there may have been a large bottle of Crown Royal consumed. Played guitars and stayed up until the wee small hours of the morning after that watching some freaking stuff David Blaine can do (he calls himself an illusionist but I think he is more W20 maybe a little necromancer in there, I dunno...) Fantastic day and evening and Home For A Rest now. Thank you for the birthday wishes.

Old(er) Ark

[Tsidkenu]

How is Corellon Larethian's role as the Elven deity of magic different to Mystra's role as the goddess of all magic?

[Bassman]

Happy Birthday Old Man! And welcome to the Geriatic 50 Club, we have been expecting you and have been holding your place at the table. As you look down the table you will see many familiar faces, But remember, First rule of geriatic club, What happens in Geriatic 50 Stays in Geriatic 50!
And no one, but No One really knows our true age!

Happy Birthday!
Bassman

[DM Arkanis]

How is Corellon Larethian's role as the Elven deity of magic different to Mystra's role as the goddess of all magic?

"Corellon desires to protect and preserve the elven race, return to his people their lost artistic heritage, and to thwart the schemes of the drow and the orcs. This also means guarding against the corruption within that resulted in the creation of the drow. Corellon advises his faithful to guard against stagnation as well, continually seeking out new experiences. They seek to bring out beauty through art, craft, and magic."

"She is the Mistress of Magic and Mother of Mysteries who guides the Weave of magic that envelops the world. She tends to the weave constantly, making possible all the miracles and mysteries wrought by magic and users of magic. She is believed to be the embodiment of the Weave and of magic herself, her veins the ley lines, her breath the mists and her body the pulsing, thrumming earth."

Corellon 's primary purpose from what I am reading is the creation and preservation of the elven race whereas Mystra is the embodiment of magic. Corellon would have considerable knowledge and use of the Weave, but Mystra IS the weave.

[DM Arkanis]

Happy Birthday Old Man! And welcome to the Geriatic 50 Club, we have been expecting you and have been holding your place at the table. As you look down the table you will see many familiar faces, But remember, First rule of geriatic club, What happens in Geriatic 50 Stays in Geriatic 50!
And no one, but No One really knows our true age!

Happy Birthday!
Bassman

As many of you whom I've RPed with here know 21h00 is my bed time usually. I stayed up well into the wee hours last night and I'm paying for it dearly today. Yes, getting old is no fun at all. Thanks for the best wishes, I'm going to polish my bifocals and get my walker and head off to bed....