213374U

OMGWTFBBQ!!!1! IT TEH APOCOLYPSE!!!!1

Funny you would say that, considering that I don't see your point in that post, nor how does any of that patronising have anything to do with the discussion. You're just proving that you were merely taking a shot at me and what I was saying, and that your actual interest in the conversation is marginal. But hey, I guess that derailing discussions and making them personal is a lesson that I'll learn as I get older, too.

Yeah, all that stuff about Mary being a virgin, right? I wasn't arguing Protestant tenets, or the spiritual reasons of the schism, or any of that crap. The bottom line is that if the German princes hadn't taken up Protestantism as their chance to piss off the Pope and his disturbingly hegemonic allies, Protestantism would now be just a footnote in some theology manual, if anything. Next time you're going to take a shot at what I'm saying, don't let yourself get carried away with the excitation, and pay attention.

I was just making an example. Right, the Pope isn't exactly the paradigm of what Christ supposedly taught, but it doesn't matter. Look at the Caliphs. Look at Henry VIII. They all used (organized) religion for their own purposes. You say you're protestant, but even protestantism was in origin nothing but an excuse for standing against the Pope and his allies. So, whatever. Oh? I guess that getting involved in world politics is just a way of "perpetuating" the cult, then. I guess that no religion could survive without a corporate-like layout. I guess that African animist traditions aren't really a religion, just like Eastern ancestry worshipping philosophies aren't, either. I guess that religion needs my money to survive, because I'm not worthy of teaching it myself to my sons. And yeah, I have no problem with your faith. I just hate when people tries to use it to influence the way I think. Again, if religion (as you seem to understand it) fills such a fundamental slot of your basic needs, how come you can't do it on your own? Do you need people to chew your food for you, too? EDIT: Also, why the hell am I getting involved in yet another discussion about this? I thought I already said it's pointless. I must be getting stupider with each post.

Good point, I guess. But a (pleasure?) whipping also falls under the "mostly worthless" category, just like the rest of the luxury commodities. I don't think anyone has ever died because they went too long without being whipped, just like people doesn't die because they can't attend the sermon. And those who do die, have clinically diagnosable mental disorders.

Nah, it doesn't. Either you're happy, or you're not. And for most people, religion can't make them happy once their base needs are covered. Sure. That's why the Pope has a country of his own, dresses made with gold, and some other "unimportant" material crap. Yup, selflessness 4tw. In absence of a laic moral and civic education, sure. But then again, it's not the spiritual part of religion you're talking about, but the mundane one. And isn't the mundane supposed to be rather irrelevant, while religion promotes spirituality? So if the benefits come from the mundane part of religion, what's the spirituality good for? Organized religion is actually a masterwork tool for control of the masses. You provide a moral framework so people don't go around murdering each other merrily, and then you provide the means to mess with people's consciences so you can control them easily. Sorry, I fail to see the need for an intermediary between me and God, assuming that such a thing exists.

I'm an agnostic, buddy. You tell me.

You can't eat it, it doesn't protect you from cold, it can't take you to places (no, hell & heaven don't count), and for the majority, it's not enough to be happy. Mostly worthless.

40% Apparently building my own computer has nothing to do with it being cheaper, but more with being a nerd. And I have no idea who that guy was.

I see lots of folks here hurling quotes from the Bible at each other to back their arguments. Funny thing is, I don't think any of you have actually read the damn thing. Meaning you don't have all the pieces, and you are only arguing from what you have read elsewhere, written by people with an agenda. It gets even better when that lack of knowledge about religion is coupled with ignorance of historical facts. Religion is like money. It's an artificial invention that's mostly worthless, but has great value for a lot of people. Following this crappy analogy, it's neither intrinsically bad nor good, it simply depends on what you do with it. Carry on with your pointless discussions. And I say pointless because it's obvious no one is going to convince anyone.

I'd say it's a Pit Fiend. The demon with flaming wings and a vorpal sword from NWN was the Balor. EDIT: after consulting my monster manual, the one from the pic is almost a carbon copy of the Balor drawing there, except it's lacking the sword and whip. EDIT2: (Balor from the Monster Manual)

You are wrong.

Coop?

I think Gabs is spam advertising ebaumsworld.com, whatever the hell that is. Spam advertising is against the forum guidelines.

More moderation ≠ better moderation. Welcome to the arena, btw...

You are Jodo. It's a statistical impossibility that two persons that inane can coexist in a given time period.

OMG! It's Jodo! JODO!!! HAA-HAA!! *points* :D DL :'( :'( *runs away* I hereby rechristen you Jodo Kast 6.

Yeah. Like Starforce, right?

Serves 'em right. "Pirate now, it's safer!"

Yeah, and it's not like anyone would want to do that anymore, after they put that crap in their CDs. I meanl, this idiocy makes me smile. Do they really think they are going to stop piracy this way? People will just stop buying CDs for fear of damaging their hardware, and illegal internet downloads will increase or, at best, stay the same. At any rate, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to install software in your computer without your consent, let alone your knowledge. I really hope they get sued to hell for this.

A question for you DM types, that has a 10+ page discussion dedicated to it over at the NWN2 boards. How do you handle HPs per level? Do you allow to reroll 1s? Half max HPs or dice roll, whichever is higher (a la NWN)? Always max HPs? Max HPs at 1st level? Do you adjust creature HPs accordingly? I ask this because one of the most common arguments is that allowing for completely random HPs per level adds variety, but I don't really see how. It's the only character variable that's still random, and it's one of the instances where a bad roll can really affect the game (think a barbarian that rolls 1,2,1), while the rest are all tabulated and follow a supposedly balanced progression. This is a PnP question, I don't care about the CRPG concerns. And while in PnP a 5th level barbarian with 24 HP might survive, there are IMO plenty of other instances where luck plays a role without permanently conditioning the player's game and restricting their options. Thoughts?

I don't like to generate mistrust between the players. And considering that D&D is strongly party-oriented, PvP fights are usually bloody and short, and hence somewhat anticlimactic, especially if one of the characters had a chance to prepare and the other(s) didn't. Definitely not something I'd recommend for a starting group.

Some things off the top of my head: You might want to keep your Paladins/Jedi in check, as sometimes those might appoint themselves as undisputed leaders of the party, even to the extent of restricting the roleplaying of the rest, especially if it's not very experienced players you're dealing with. Splitting the party is a Bad Thing.* Pitting the players against one another is a Bad Thing. Allowing any of those to happen even if it's not your doing is a Bad Thing. *Unless your intention is to create an abduction/rescue scenario, and even then, don't overdo it. Don't be afraid to use your own rules for situations you didn't expect. The system is quite flexible and lends itself well to this. Know the ruleset, but don't be a rules lawyer. Don't allow your players to bully you. Be reasonable, and they will not have a reason to question your every decision, but keep in mind that you are the ultimate authority in the game. Keep metagaming to a minimum. Don't allow your players to use OOC knowledge to gain an advantage IC. Otherwise, the carefully planned balance you created could easily be blown to hell. Also, it prevents a game in which the players know more about the setting than you do from becoming a total nightmare. Err... I think that's it...

Sure you will. The question is, will you do it with that account?

Yes, it may also force mods to be coherent and restrict their power, as well as keep whimsical moderation decisions to a minimum. And we sure as hell wouldn't want that. " "