[Tavern] Tower's Shard 2011

[MetaVoid]

OOC: It's not different then playing pure controller. My invoker's damage will never match Bellegons output, but oh, boy, between stuns dazes and punishments for staying close, you really can make enemies sad As long as you're having fun frustrating DM and controlling the board rather then being glorified killer, all's well That's why I have (in LEB and L4W: drow darklock, wrath runepriest, bear shaman, centered breath monk and deva invoker - for every type of play something - now if I could only get them on adventures With all current feats and items enhancing normal leaders, I do think pacifist is overkill. It's either healing heroic character from death to full on one surge or giving very little in terms of HP to high paragon and epic characters for which fixed bonus of 2d6 means very little (not really sure if it scales?)

 

[FourMonos]

"Apparently you don't understand the concept of a question. Very well I shall exemplify, as usual: I do not serve. And that conflict merited not my time. By those days I was forging and training an army to defeat the Dreaming Dark." Hilkalas frowns, then his face relaxes, contemplative. "Those were dark days."

The change in body position indicates you have the full attention of the swordsman. He turns to face Marshal Hilkalas, his eyes turned to slits. He motions brews for two more of the hard liquor drinks and slides one toward the kalashtar.

His conversation changes to telepathic, "Then you have my respect, Marshal Hilkalas. The Dreaming Dark is a fathomless enemy. In my own way, I too have fought them. I lost... a friend... to their end. My name is Rikkert. Marshal is the title of my position as a lawman. We are neutral enforcers of the laws allowed to operate in all the nations." He raises his glass and speaks, "A toast. To lost battles, comrades and friends."

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Ah, I see you like this more advanced communication method, good. Truly a relentless enemy to be fought. I've lost many men to it, merely got away with my life. For now." Hilkalas takes the drink. "To lost battles, and to victories to come."

A wave of thoughts intrudes in the conversation between the cleric and the drow. "Pain doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things. In all, it hardens, steels you. Pain is good, to deliver discipline, orders. Pain is better remembered, as a silent whip. Leave the cleric with his healing, in the field of battle, he will have his place, even if he doesn't even lift a weapon. He is much a tool, like your knife; the "killing" not even done by those such as yourself, you are the dagger, again, a tool. At any rate, the killing is done by those directing and coordinating your moves in the battlefield to achieve a goal. Someone like me, or perhaps a king, or a lord, who send you out to some gods forsaken place to retrieve something. Everyone sitting here is a mere tool, waiting in the workshop, this smelly establishment, for someone to pick it up and use it."

 

[CrimsonFlameWielder]

OOC: It's not different then playing pure controller. My invoker's damage will never match Bellegons output, but oh, boy, between stuns dazes and punishments for staying close, you really can make enemies sad As long as you're having fun frustrating DM and controlling the board rather then being glorified killer, all's well That's why I have (in LEB and L4W: drow darklock, wrath runepriest, bear shaman, centered breath monk and deva invoker - for every type of play something - now if I could only get them on adventures With all current feats and items enhancing normal leaders, I do think pacifist is overkill. It's either healing heroic character from death to full on one surge or giving very little in terms of HP to high paragon and epic characters for which fixed bonus of 2d6 means very little (not really sure if it scales?)

OOC: It's not the mechanical aspect that I am rethinking. I don't need high dmg numbers to be happy. In fact, my inner gamer is squealing with delight at the thought of taking a solo and nova debuffing him to useless defenses, and watching as my companions then nova the crap outta him because they practically can't miss... and then laughing more when that solo can't hit me or my allies for beans. It's the RP aspect of pacifist philosophy that I'm having a hard time with. With so many people who would have exactly the same kind of argument that Bellegon has, how can a pacifist say that they belong on the battlefield along with the others? All night after reading Bellegon's argument I was thinking about how Rava would counter that argument and I'm having a really, really hard time coming up with a justification for it. Yeah, Rava has her reasons what with watching her family get obliterated because of the senseless violence of The Last War (remember, all Cyrans "know" what caused the Day of Mourning event... and Rava attributes it to the evil violence of the many waring factions). I tried to think up some kind of "It's not just about healing, its also about preventing my allies from getting hurt and thwarting my enemies without resorting to violent measures, blah blah", but I just couldn't think of how to word it in a way that Bellegon could not just thwart it again. Gotta say, you had Bellegon make one really well-thought-out argument. =P

 

[FourMonos]

OOC: I have one word (for the pacifist): faith. Faith that the path her deity put her on would not be easy, but have purpose. staying true to the path has reason, even if it isn't immediately visible. violence isn't always the way to affect change (see Ghandi). That said, if you want an in-your-face cleric, maybe the battle cleric (one million and one builds) is for you then I had a thought, maybe Bellegon and his smooth words is a test of faith for the deva

 

[CrimsonFlameWielder]

OOC: Why thank you, [MENTION=88601]FourMonos[/MENTION]! Thank you very very much! I'll have to chew on that for a bit... *Faith in RP reasons for playing Rava restored*!!

 

[MetaVoid]

OOC: then I had a thought, maybe Bellegon and his smooth words is a test of faith for the deva

OOC: Words of a true priest/shaman/spiritual leader Yes, Bellegon is really evil incarnate, tempter of souls and seducers of the naive.

Waiting for deva's answer drow sips his wine.

As the thoughts enter his mind Bellegon flinches visibly going for his weapons.
"Illithid!" is the first response and then heavy clampdown on throughs and emotions, quick and efficient, trained to battle such foes.

A moment later he relaxes a bit.
"Sorry about that. I may be a tool of umbragen, but then, so are you. You may lead few more men given authority, but so can some schuck of the streets. It's your own prowess that is tested on retrieval of secrets, not your strategy over some boards while others do the killing and dying. Do not presume to put your self above me, psion. Your kind would be first to be dominated in our battles."

 

[Voda Vosa]

"It seems I perturbed you so much that you didn't grasp nor understand what I said. Recapitulate, and think what I said. Then reply again. Also, I am no undead; I lost my immortality the time I merged my spirit with those of the monks."

 

[FourMonos]

OOC: Right, SoM made an revenant 'deathless' elf barbarian, not VV's kalashtar

 

[MetaVoid]

OOC: LOL, my mistake. But Voda Vosa still speaks as if quory is separate entity not merged personality which would make him one of the evil ones (inspired?), not kalashtar. Kalashtar are not dominated by their spirits, they are coexistant and essentialy one personality. At least nothing I read indicates otherwise this is from wiki: quory are incorporeal entities... yadda yadda...merged with human bodies and spirits to form a distinct species. I edited the post above: changed undead to psion