Ask Arkanis

[DM Arkanis]

Been having some discussions lately on what is considered "canon lore" for the purposes of precedent/rulings on things/insuring consistency.

I cleaned out my Cupboard Under the Stairs, and I found a box full of old, "Dragon" magazines and have been rifling through them and reminiscing.

For me they are the really-old-lore-tomes of my pen and paper game time, and I've found some great articles. The best part, I must say, are the comics at the back, especially, "Snarf Quest."

Snarf: What is your name?
Aveeare: I am a VR-X9-4-M2 Galactic Probe, Government Issue Robot, code named, "The Wizard."
Snarf: YOU is a wizard?

Pretty funny stuff, at least for an old guy like me.

What would you consider to be a source of lore-knowledge, and why?

Arkanis

[professiondude]

*throws a pebble on the mountain of pebbles much like the main character of Happy Feet did in the movie to ask the other penguin a question.*

"Dm Arkanis of the holy Dm team. I ask a question that troubles me.

The Appraise button directly conflicts with an old ancient rule that promoted RP...Will we see the removal of a rule or a removal of the Appraise button that destroys RP in finding out who is behind the mask?

Appraise button VS this rule:


Characters outfitted in a way that completely hides their identifying features require the aggressor to apply normal PvP rules, regardless of which side the disguised character is from. The disguise must be complete and hoods by themselves do not count. Patterns of speech, accents, body language, and other distinctive qualities are discerned only through roleplay over time, and details such as "a funny-sounding name" or the size of the character alone do not count for the purposes of identification.

Will we be throwing away quality RP to further promote metagaming with a single button?
is it not true that in dialogue we can't force another player to roll a skill for bluff without a DM present but with this button we can bypass the need of a DM and force a hidden skill roll of our disguised player ? this roll potentially meaning a player can outright attack another player without DM consent at a hidden roll, thus making the dead player attacked feel horribly cheated and all without a single RP word spoken before he lie dead in the dirt like the dog he is?

[DM Arkanis]

*throws a pebble on the mountain of pebbles much like the main character of Happy Feet did in the movie to ask the other penguin a question.*

"Dm Arkanis of the holy Dm team. I ask a question that troubles me.

The Appraise button directly conflicts with an old ancient rule that promoted RP...Will we see the removal of a rule or a removal of the Appraise button that destroys RP in finding out who is behind the mask?

Appraise button VS this rule:


Characters outfitted in a way that completely hides their identifying features require the aggressor to apply normal PvP rules, regardless of which side the disguised character is from. The disguise must be complete and hoods by themselves do not count. Patterns of speech, accents, body language, and other distinctive qualities are discerned only through roleplay over time, and details such as "a funny-sounding name" or the size of the character alone do not count for the purposes of identification.

Will we be throwing away quality RP to further promote metagaming with a single button?
is it not true that in dialogue we can't force another player to roll a skill for bluff without a DM present but with this button we can bypass the need of a DM and force a hidden skill roll of our disguised player ? this roll potentially meaning a player can outright attack another player without DM consent at a hidden roll, thus making the dead player attacked feel horribly cheated and all without a single RP word spoken before he lie dead in the dirt like the dog he is?

Well, certainly an interesting question. I don't speak for the DM team in this forum and to quote Jimmy Buffet, you are "looking for answers to question that bother you so" it seems. I can offer you some of my own personal feelings and insights but nothing in the way of a DM ruling. Concerns about rules should always be sent to the entire DM team via PM so that we can discuss and give you and answer that way.

That said, I personally have never used the "Appraise Creature" button, so I went in game player side and tried it out. I appraised about thirty or so other characters and got very generic replies from the button. "You see what appears to be a female elf." or "You see what appears to be a male hin." or even, "You see what appears to be a male or a female." When I walked by and got a closer look at the characters, I got way more from their appearance than I got with the Appraise Creature button.

I really don't see any cause for alarm or any metagaming by using this button. If your character walks up to someone heavily covered up, they might naturally be suspicious of that person. Similarly, we have a disguise system that changes the name of the one wearing the disguise as a way to actually be disguised rather than having to rely on a DM to enforce RP rules on the spot.

I would think that even if the Appraise Creature button gave more than the extremely vague information that I was getting, it does not give anyone carte blanche to engage in PvP without following the established PvP rules. My interpretation of using this button is that it does not bypass any other rules, give anyone the upper-hand when dealing with another character who is trying to be deceitful in their appearance, and certainly does not convey kill-on-sight privileges to anyone who uses it to examine other characters. It is simply another way of looking at things, and I believe that the vast majority of the players on the server who choose to use it understand this and the limitations the button really has.

In my belief, if you are playing your character sheet, and if you are following all of the rules with respect to class/race/area on the map, etc. that using the button and finding out that someone, "appears to be a male human" really doesn't do much for you at all. The rules and conventions that we have established do not prohibit characters from lying to each other, deceiving each other, and trying to keep facts from each other - it's practically the nature of the game in many ways. I do not see how this button gives any unfair advantage to anyone, or how it in any way circumvents role play.

Again, if you still have concerns and can provide more detailed or specific instances of how this could be abused, please send it to the entire DM team.

Arkanis

[CrystallineFae]

Does this mean that appraise is an OOC action, as well as the information gained? If so, why was it added? Thanks.

[Mausman]

Dear Grandmaster Arkanis,


My name is Mausman, and I write to you to ask a question.

A certain dastardly person, might have quite the interesting plot in mind that involves a character and a deceased character.

The question is:

Is it, at all, lore accurately, possible, to trap and "unbind" a soul from a body, to make another soul "bound" to said body and enter it to live life again in another vessel?

Many thanks in advance for your answer!

[DM Arkanis]

Does this mean that appraise is an OOC action, as well as the information gained? If so, why was it added? Thanks.

Apologies for the tardy response I have been on holiday somewhere warm for a few weeks.

Appraise like any other check, is a tool you as a player use to guide actions of your character. There is always some information available to you as a player that your character would not generally know, and using these kind of tools will assist players in deciding how their character should/would react in different situations. Again, I'll stress that everyone needs to play their character sheets, and while you can roll checks when interacting with other characters, their players don't necessarily have to respond IC if they don't want to, unless they are directed by a DM to do so.

If there are specific examples, or situations that you have questions on, please send it to the DM team and we will be happy to help.

Arkanis

[DM Arkanis]

Dear Grandmaster Arkanis,


My name is Mausman, and I write to you to ask a question.

A certain dastardly person, might have quite the interesting plot in mind that involves a character and a deceased character.

The question is:

Is it, at all, lore accurately, possible, to trap and "unbind" a soul from a body, to make another soul "bound" to said body and enter it to live life again in another vessel?

Many thanks in advance for your answer!

Apologies to you as well for leaving your question unanswered for so long. I initially wrote out a reply to you in Spanish and then deleted it and am rewriting it now as I realized it was lyric to songs by the Buena Vista Social Club... I didn't realize that I was fluent in Caribbean Spanish song lyrics, but I guess more went on when I was on holiday than I realized... but amigo, I digress...

What you have described looks to me a whole lot like what a Lich does to become a Lich. They trap their life energy in a phylactery/vessel, and then use it to inhabit other dead bodies. If your villainous malfeasance were to possess an already dead body, this would be the way to do it, as the soul of the dead body is already departed.

There are pen and paper game mechanics to trap another's soul in a living body (I am thinking of the spell, Magic Jar) and then having the empty and catatonic body to possess. There is also a spell called Possession (school of necromancy) where you can try and force your soul into another body. I don't play a ton of necromancers game-side but I am pretty sure anything like this wouldn't have much in the way of game mechanics behind it, so it would have to be a DM approved event, and then role played out... somehow...

In any case, just my opinion and general read on it... remind me to stay away from you in game... muwahahaha!

Arkanis

[DM Arkanis]

I have a regular pen and paper game that I DM with old friends on the weekends. We play v3.5 rules but we also have "house rules" that I impose on my poor players which involve MORE RP and less dice/rule books.

When I was in college I DMed a regular group and I was constantly challenged by the players, "that's not in the rules!" or, "how can you do that?" who would get upset because they didn't level up each and every time we played, or they didn't get the best +5 loot. I tried to balance my game with enough hack-and-slash vs. think-this-though type events - we played with the rule books to help out with spell duration, damage, etc. but not without imagination. Forty years of playing the game, I can still have conversations with childhood and college friends alike who fondly remember our characters and our campaigns.

I have introduced my current group to the idea that D&D is not played like a card game (sorry v5 lovers) where you pick a card, the DM rules, you pick another card, the DM rules... but rather, the game is driven by the players' imagination - where would you like to go? is how I start each campaign. There are NPC's in the party who help, and NPC's in the game who they interact with, and there is always a starting point and a defined end-point, but the party is allowed to steer their own way there. I am ALL about the RP - the Dwarf has a Scottish accent, the Priestess of Sune speaks in breathy tones, the paladin talks like he is a stuffy nobleman, the Halfling is always looking for treasure... my players all play their character sheets, but they are characters they devised, developed, and have played to a certain point of refinement.

In the end, there is a certain trust that I am not going to kill anyone unless they do something stupid - no alcohol allowed IRL while we game! And my players know that I try to play the NPC's and monsters with intelligence, in a deliberate way where they have a role to play, and they have a character sheet to play. We actually "debrief" and talk back and forth throughout the week between sessions, and I find that even though we all lead busy lives, we have common ground around our game, and there is that hope that even if last week went badly, that next week there will be a shot at redemption.

Here we have a medium/high RP level server and I have run around with many excellent players grinding, or doing quests, or in a DM event, and 99% of the time I have a great time doing it. So, I guess in all of this I am trying to say that if it's your first day on the server or your 1,001st day I hope you are having a great time - we certainly have a great community.

ps beware the Death Chicken and the Giant Woodpecker

pps if you have heard "Demonic Voice" speak you owe me a soul... just saying... muwahahahaha

Old Arkanis

[Hoihe]

What happens to offerings to a deity?

e.g.: You put a mace on an altar for a war god or something like that.

[DM Arkanis]

What happens to offerings to a deity?

e.g.: You put a mace on an altar for a war god or something like that.

Well in my opinion, it would greatly depend on many things:

1. Is it common practice in the religion of this particular god to accept/demand tributes in the form of sacrifices?
2. How does that god determine what a "sacrifice" should be?
3. Does the god have a prescribed religious list of what can and should be sacrificed and how often?
4. Is sacrifice a regular practice or something only done for atonement, or to curry the god's favour?
5. Do you need to be a follower of the particular god, in order to make a sacrifice to them?

Evil aligned gods may be associated with blood sacrifices in rituals while good aligned gods may be more interested in a sacrifice of abstinence: fasting, prayer, wearing of certain garments, etc.
A casual worshiper of Waukeen for example, may leave a coin on an altar to that god asking for her blessings; one of Tymora might make a food donation to the church for a bad storm not wiping out their food crop. In both of these cases the "sacrifice" IMHO would be used to support that local church building, staff, and clergy, or go to one of their designated charities, or agencies that they support, whereas a blood sacrifice might be consumed by divine fire.

It not only depends on the gods' own ethos but the reason the petitioner is giving the sacrifice as well - was it demanded by the god, or was it simply offered by the person giving it? Is the person a devout worshiper or the god, or a casual follower?

Many things could go into a possible answer. I think it would be best role-played out with some background information, and DM supervision.

Arkanis

[LISA100595]

I am currently thinking of building a building an epic level dungeon beneath the Misty Forest but I need to know which monsters are lore appropriate for the server's current year 1353/4 or right around there? Particularly underground or cave dwelling?

[DM Arkanis]

I am currently thinking of building a building an epic level dungeon beneath the Misty Forest but I need to know which monsters are lore appropriate for the server's current year 1353/4 or right around there? Particularly underground or cave dwelling?

Ah, a question about the game! Woohoo!

ok... I'm better now

I cannot find anything that shows specific monsters for Misty Forest dungeons. That said...

A great resource is, "Monsters of Faerun" and the v3.5 update

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/ ... df-lskiorg

So, I would categorize your request based on what type of monsters you'd like in your dungeon.

1. Undead monster crawl - Banedead and Baneguard, Chosen One, Dread Warrior
2. Pseudo underdark - Chitine, Choldrith, Yochlol, Half-Fiend Draegloth
3. Your-Standard-Dungeon - Cloaker Lord, Deepspawn, Shadow Dragon, Sharn

These are a great start, and depending on the CR level of your dungeon will depend on the type on monsters... if you are thinking about doing multiple levels, I would suppose that things get more difficult as you go down.
One of my favourite dungeon-types is a random, rough hewn dungeon, that morphs/leads in to something else. The Misty Forest is known for Elves... maybe the goblins dug into an ancient elven burial chamber... you could merge different types of dungeons, all in one location.

I'd say, the possibilities are endless.

That, and I can hardly wait to run through your dungeon.

Arkanis the Architect

[Lockonnow]

I like to know if malchor harpell is bold or not from the books or games or anything?

[DM Arkanis]

I like to know if malchor harpell is bold or not from the books or games or anything?

Good question. There isn't a ton of source material on him:

He was neutral good.
"Malchor was Khelben Arunsun's second-most powerful follower, other than Laeral Silverhand,"

Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 76. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.

"He could be somewhat brusque and arrogant, but he also had a sense of humor."

Philip Athans (2008). A Reader's Guide to R. A. Salvatore's the Legend of Drizzt. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 93. ISBN 0-7869-4915-5.

He appeared in the following novels:

The Halfling's Gem
The Shadowmask
The Sentinels
Blackstaff (mentioned)
Blackstaff Tower (mentioned)
Spellstorm

and he is cited as being competitive.
In Chapter 4 Alastra refers to him as, "the kindest adventuring wizard she'd ever met.

Spellstorm. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 978-0786965717.

As to whether or not he was "bold" I think that I would depend on how you use the word.

I believe that he was a powerful wizard, and in and of that itself would suggest a measure of "boldness." He was also competitive so he was not timid. With his AL, his description as being kind, and his association with the Harpers, I would say that he was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in, but was tolerant of others (to a point.)

This is of course and as always, all just my opinion from what I have read, and I did not delve too deeply in the NPC of Malchor used in the BG2 video game.

Arkanis

[Tsidkenu]

I've got a multifaceted one for you, Arkie, all about clerics!

1. Clerical magic does not require the complicated somatic components like arcane magic does. From what I've read from FR novels, the core somatic component for clerical magic is simply the act of grasping one's deity's holy symbol with the hand. So, questions:

• Does a cleric actually have to grasp the Holy Symbol in a prominent way to cast spells, or can they grab at it through a garment or place they have it hidden on their person?
• If a cleric has prepared Still metamagic spells, does this mean they do not need a physical connection to their deity's holy symbol as the somatic component for those prepared Stilled spells?

2. Again, from what I've read in some of the FR novels, divine magic is usually cast by directly invoking the name, or title, of the cleric's deity aloud, followed by the prayer or spell they want to cast.

• Does a cleric have to utter their deity's name and/or title before every spell cast?
• Can a cleric murmur their spells beneath their breath and it be adequate to cover the vocal spell component (I saw this in one particular novel)? Does it have to be announced aloud for it to suffice the vocal spell component?
• If a cleric has silent metamagic spells prepared, do those spells utterly negate the need to invoke their deity's name/title to cast them?
• Would a stilled & silent divine spell allow the cleric to ignore both the verbal invocation to the deity & physical connection to the deity's holy symbol while casting said spell?

3. Evil Clerics pretending to be other (good/neutral/evil) clerics: how much can a cleric get away with while they are under cover? Can they cast spells in the name of their true deity whilst using coded-phrases of the deity/clergy they are impersonating?

Thanks!