AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

TormakSaber wrote:

Ðraco wrote:

Hypothetically speaking, if a human druid were to use Dragon Shape, turn into a dragon and eat a dwarf, would he have to wait several hours to digest the dwarf before turning back into a human? :twisted:

No.

What happens to the fullsize, undigested dwarf inside the now, human sized druid after he/she turns back, and what happens to the druid for that matter?

"magic".

Dark Immolation wrote:

Just remember too that a druid might use the spell more reservedly than say a cleric of Talos or destructive arcanist. As a druid, you'd not want to upset the balance of a place by bringing 7 hailstorms out of nowhere when the area doesn't generally get that many. But a Talosian acolyte wouldn't think twice of ripping up a place with as many as they feel will get the job done.

A druid being mindful of what he or she is doing when controlling weather goes without saying, doesn't it? It's like saying a Cleric needs to show respect to his god. Pretty redundant, wouldn't you say?

And no, it's not my "Druid boner," it's the truth. Check the spell description, Dark Emo. :twisted:

Not redundant, implied. Yeah, druids get bigger radius and longer duration. But by that virtue, likely means they'll use it less. It's a pretty cocky thing, changing the weather of a whole area for your personal purpose(even if on behalf a of protecting nature). A Call Lightening here, a Ice Storm there, not the same as random tornadoes and lightning strikes over a 3 mile area that you can't control or even may not be able to see completely. It's not a matter of being mindful, it's the characteristic of the spell.

And please, I know we took off the PG-13 label of Amia, but your fully exposed naturerection is just uncalled for!

A question of my own, mainly for DMs:

How similar is channeling an archon to being possessed by a fiend or demon? I assume there are varying degrees of control, ranging from subtle assistance to body-hacking. I'm looking around Book of Exalted deeds, and it has a few examples, but they're all class related. I'm talking about an archon possessing a common person, and if there are any historic examples. I figure they would be more common than truly deific possessions, you just don't hear about them as much.

Secondly, a question concerning both possession and channeling, how much "attention" does it require of the archon or demon? I'm guessing it depends both on the level of possession as well as the power of the entity. For example, a Lantern archon or Imp could channel through a single person, but the level of coalescence is very low. But an entity like Raziel or one of the Lords of Hell would have no problem fully possessing a couple of people, should they so choose.

I have some questions about how idols work on Amia.

First, are they just ordinary statues or do they somehow embody some magical force connected with the deity they represent?

Second, can idols on amia be destroyed by conventional means, or is this something that would be difficult? I assume if they are just ordinary statues that they can be created again and the destruction of one would do little harm other than just the act of defying a god.

Lastly, is there anything I'm not asking that I should know about idols on amia? I don't believe any of this information can be found in-game, and I'm not sure if this all only applies to the mechanics of this game or if it's standard lore.

The binding is just a technical game feature, the idols are not special (any moreso than holy idols in general, anyhow) or in any way essential to selecting a patron deity and worshiping IC. Whether there is a magical connection is an IC mystery and a matter of faith, I guess. But no, the idols that are connected to the deity system are not supposed to be somehow signifigant or different from other in-game statues and altars that don't have that script. Not categorically, that is. Individual idols might have special signifigance, but that's outside the scope of this topic.

I always figured they just represented a common spot a PC might have an epiphany and choose to follow a god. A rather generic one, in the absence of a plot or DM or story, but a suitable one nonetheless. I don't figure they're anything magical, unless they were ICly built by PC's and made such. The only ones I can even remotely figure as magical are the ones of Azuth and Mystra in front of the Monolith(for defense reasons) and the idol of Talos, because lightning strikes any time someone approaches it, perhaps signaling some level of awareness of the god's part. Or just a meager magical trick.

Thanks.

Dark Immolation wrote:

I always figured they just represented a common spot a PC might have an epiphany and choose to follow a god. A rather generic one, in the absence of a plot or DM or story, but a suitable one nonetheless. I don't figure they're anything magical, unless they were ICly built by PC's and made such. The only ones I can even remotely figure as magical are the ones of Azuth and Mystra in front of the Monolith(for defense reasons) and the idol of Talos, because lightning strikes any time someone approaches it, perhaps signaling some level of awareness of the god's part. Or just a meager magical trick.

Oh yeah, a common spot of ephiphany sounds good. I forgot to say, but I think they shouldn't all be considered idols IC. There are gods who specifically don't have humanoid statues made of them, and we shouldn't change that lore simply because using the same placeable for every god was convenient.

Yep. Just like how one might convert to Islam at the Kaaba or find their calling to Judaism at the Waling Wall. It's not required that you convert there, nor is it specifically a place for conversion, but you can imagine quote a few people may have had their respective realizations there.

Anyone have any insight to my channeling and possession questions? I flipped through Warriors of Heaven but still haven't found anything specific to those things.

DI, do you have access to a Book of Vile Darkness? There's a fairly elaborate writeup on demon-possession on pp. 23-26 of that book.

Ah, thanks that was really helpful. Apparently no matter the power of the creature, possession is a big deal and requires full commitment from the fiend. No wonder Lords of Hell never are really known to use it, it leaves their body inert and susceptible to attack. Certainly any Demon Lord would be loath to do this. The second they leave their body unattended, any lower demons gunning for their spot would take advantage of it. Unless they managed to hide their body, I suppose.

I can only guess how the rules for channeling work in light of the info on possession. I'd say it requires just as much a commitment as possession does(functioning like Possession's Ally type), and would leave their body in a state of suspended animation as well. But that's a little confusing within itself. Supposedly an Outsider's soul and body are one and the same, but for the sake of smoothness I guess it's okay to say they're projecting some form of their consciousness through the Etheral plane or something.

Okay I totally have to ask this question.

Has anyone heard of or read of:
Half-Dwarves
Hin-dwarf?
Gnome-hin?
Half gnomes?
Dworcs?
Gnorcs?
and Halfling orcs?

Now mind I've heard of Half elves, half-orcs, half drow, orclings(orc-elf....er drow actually too) and even elfings...but none of the above. Why?
I mean...can they exist?

Orcs and elves cannot breed.

Why?

They're too different. Remember that elves and orcs are the antithesis of each other in mindset, behaviour, outlook and society. It's the same in genetics, too. It'd be like trying to breed a cat and a dog.

Comeon. With a touch of magic and force, You can do anything!

And seriously - they stole the whole orcs = Anti-Elves from Lotr.

PaladinOfSune wrote:

They're too different. Remember that elves and orcs are the antithesis of each other in mindset, behaviour, outlook and society. It's the same in genetics, too. It'd be like trying to breed a cat and a dog.

But a human can breed with both. Can't be that different.

Yup.

In that pairing, the human would be the mystical catdog that could breed with both, sitting quite comfortably in the middle of the two completely separate genetic trees.

Humans are the mystical catdogs in alot of genetic trees. I think about the only thing that can breed with more things is dragons. I've personally seen half-dwarves being present in FR, or at least the novels. There's also some chart I've seen somewhere (might be in the FR setting book) that shows what can breed with what.

Are the Whispers of Anger, Spite, Doubt, etc in Khem supposed to be undead? Or are they some sort of other manifestation?

Also, half humans half dwarves are known as Mul and are present in settings like Dark Sun, I know. They're just incredibly, incredibly hard to make happen. I mean, it's easy to see why, though. In our own FR setting, dwarves are having so much trouble with fertility that their pantheon has even stepped in to try to make them more fertile and keep them from dying out. It makes sense as hard enough a time they have making babies between their own, it would be extremely hard to make it with a human, even though it's genetically be possible.

In the case of the other hybrids, yeah, they're just not genetically possible. And the whole "magic" thing doesn't really apply here. Genetics are the things that happen without magic, naturally and whatnot. Hell, if Owlbears were made through magic, there's probably nothing you couldn't force into existence. But again, that doesn't mean it genetically possible, nor does it mean you have truly created an "Elf-Orc", should you succeed. It means that magic allows you to create anything, from a 3-legged worm that sneezes fire out of its vestigial genitalia shaped like the state of Texas, or a hypothetical union between two races(that only exists in the sense that it was fabricated).

Half-dwarves exist for certain, yeah. I see no reason why other civilized demihumans couldn't crossbreed. We know elves and humans can, and elves and halflings can. Gnomes and halflings or humans and halflings isn't a stretch, it's more like common sense IMO. I don't want to go into the monster part, that's probably up to the DM in each case.

Actually Elves and Orcs can breed....they're called Orclings....and there was even an Orcling in the Lady Penitent series who could shapeshift into a spider.

He was a half drow/half orc follower of Elistrae, so that one was listed under already known combinations, I wanna see a pint sized Orc(Dworc).
What would they call and human/halfling hybrid? A half-halfling?

By the way Orcling should be a subrace...that is all

Then either drow is somehow an exception, or it's the fact D&D novels are inconsistent as shit with lore.

I recall the character you mean Booboo, but I'm pretty sure he was a bogstandard half-orc who just happened to worship Eilistraee. I don't recall him being half-drow/orc or half elf/orc.

That also might explain it!

SPOILER ALERT

Nah, I remember distinctly he was an Orcling(half drow half orc), because he had the elves pointed ears but also had mini tusks in his bottom jaw.

I also remember a dragon sees him and says, "I see you little orcling"...after which the dragons pulls the orcling out of hiding, takes a deep breath and spewges hot acid breath on the poor fellow...and poof, melted orcling

I don't see the need to make any absolute statements anyhow. Anything could happen and probably has happened once or twice, by some freak chance. It's not really a practical problem because you'd have to request to play something like that anyway.

What's Amia's policy on coining words in different languages? For example:

There are only so many words that are published in FR dictionaries and whatnot in different languages(elven, dwarven, etc, etc), so a player might take it upon themselves to say that "X" means "Victory" in a certain humanoid/creature dialect. Where do DM's stand on this? Is it okay to say it is what we would like it to be IC, or if we actually want a character's name to be respected as "Certain Victory" to others of his race(NPC's specifically), would we have to run it by you guys or what?

I have better thing to do than babysit you because you want to use a translator for every word you say and speak a mangled mix of engluish and fantasy language.

.... So is that's the Tormakish way of saying yes, I suppose. Thanks. I'm just tired of typing [Celestial] "Victory!" every time I want my PC to give her battlecry. Now off to fabricate a word.

Any insight on the Whisper creatures? Bless Weapon doesn't hurt them, so I'm not sure if it was an oversight or they are something else entirely. All their bio says is "It's here to haunt you", as well... which is a bit confusing, frankly, if they aren't undead.

No, it wasn't my way of saying yes. It was my way of saying exactly what I posted.

Dark Immolation wrote:

.... So is that's the Tormakish way of saying yes, I suppose. Thanks. I'm just tired of typing [Celestial] "Victory!" every time I want my PC to give her battlecry. Now off to fabricate a word.

You could, perhaps, quickslot it?

Naivatkal wrote:

Dark Immolation wrote:

.... So is that's the Tormakish way of saying yes, I suppose. Thanks. I'm just tired of typing [Celestial] "Victory!" every time I want my PC to give her battlecry. Now off to fabricate a word.

You could, perhaps, quickslot it?

Yes, but that still looks a bit more forced than simply finding a word to mean it, and explaining it IC as thus when it is asked. Strangely the RP of "Hmm, what did you say" gets skipped when people see [Language] EnglishEnglish English.

And Tormak, what you said there is as close to a yes as I can imagine coming from you. So I took it as one. You're not going to call us out for doing it, you're not going to advocate it either, so essentially it's all the same. And that's what I needed to know. If I get to go "Gloriam Perpetua" and claim it means what I say it means, and you guys upstairs aren't going to get mad, or even care, I think we're both at a happy medium. I wasn't asking if I could do the half english/half fantasy language thing, anyway, specific words and names were the issue. Not translators.

You're a little behind the times. I've been fabricating words in other languages on Amia for five years.

Personal example
I took the liberty of memorizing and writing down a number of arabic words so i could randomly insert them wherever i felt it appropriate. It works splendid and gives the character more depth. Instead of being a random foreigner you can now cleverly figure out exactly where he is from!

But you have to be smart. You can't just stuff the random words without any context, you have to do it properly.

-"I went to see my daughter in law today. 'Heyya'(she) have grown up to be a sparkling gem."
The sentence is easy to translate since you've allready been given hints of what the word may be. Alternatively you could assume 'Heyya' is a female name, which is almost as accurate. [/i]

Do you have an Amian word for "coup"?

if not please make one Yoss.

Amia doesn't have a regional or racial language. The primary tongue is Common. And in Common, the word for coup is coup.

That was easy.

are animal companions lives extended?..i mean for elves it would seem they would have to change them out ever year or so ..seeing as they see time pas faster..unless ofcause they all have giant turtles as companions..

It could be assumed that they gain an extended life like familiars I suppose. They become stronger than their regular counterparts just like familiars do, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that life is also one of the boons. I'd cite Drizz't and his panther as such a case, but technically the panther just happens to be an animal that is his companion, I think. It's really instead summoned from a statue and has somesuch or another special about it. I can't remember, I stopped reading Salvitore after... well after I started reading Salvitore.

Drizzt is actually a bad example. There are tons of "exceptions" they make for him. In this case, his companion is of the Astral Plane and not a true animal and Druids and Rangers can't have companions that aren't real animals. No outsiders, no beasts, only animals, only true animals. So Salv-I'm-a-horrible-novelist makes the "mighty Drizzt" cooler than other Rangers and Druids. Kinda dumb, if you ask me. His animal companion also works very differently, mechanically. But yeah, technically, his "animal companion" isn't an animal at all.

As for an animal companions life span, I'm not sure. I would imagine they may have normal life spans though, but I really don't know. I've never read anything that elaborated on their life spans.

I know Drizzt is a bad example. That's why I didn't actually say he was a good one. Christ on a cracker, Gunz. >_>

Aren't Dire animals supposed to have longer lifespans as well? Some stories say dire creatures are older, ancient versions of creatures that either come from the Beastlands or just resided hidden in nature(as opposed to the Dire Curse theory). Those "big ones" that got away.

I like to think of them like the leader animals from Princess Mononoke. The natural "paragon" creatures that arise in nature and live over centuries. If Dire creatures actually do function in that way, then we can at least say that Dire companions last a bit longer.

But in the end, there's really nothing to -has- to say they last forever anyway. You're a druid or ranger. You know nature like the back of your hand. I'm sure you can feed and care for your companion in a way that makes it have the absolute lifetime possibly conferred to an animal of its type, which may be beyond what most people could figure.

Would a Druid ever cast a Hellball, or are they against that? I'd imagine they are against it due to the devastation it causes, but I'm not sure.

If they can get it, they would use it. In D&D there's always tension between lore and mechanics, and it's a fine line to walk. But I think we should always be allowed to take for granted that if the game clearly gives you something, it's meant to be used. Otherwise it would be redundant garbage and poor game design. (This is not a perfect guideline, but you should be able to play it by ear.)

However, how, when, and to what end a druid would use the spell is another matter. Just understand your character, his faith and the potential consequences of your actions, and make the call.

Thats another case of how the druid would use hellball that would matter most

or a case about Disarm, and if it should be used against players!

looking for information on the hin "Ghost Wars"... any sources around?

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, page 196. Races Of Faerûn will have a little more, but it points you to the aforementioned FRCS page in the racial history section.

From memory: the Ghostwise got possessed by a demon or corrupted by Malar worship or something, and the hin started butchering eachother. A Strongheart hero defeated them, and the curse was lifted. Ghostwise were ashamed and went into the Chondalwood and swore never to speak again, as penance (or maybe it was imposed on them; probably a bit of both), Stronghearts were victorious and remained settled in Luiren, while Lightfoots were horrified by what they'd done and the blood-tainted soil of Luiren and therefore decided to leave for a nomadic life. No idea when this happened. Don't quote me on this, could be wrong. Buy or download the book, it's a really good read in any case. Or ask for details, I suppose.

Ill check the campaign setting and races of Faerun... where did you get the later info? Thats what I am actually looking for... not hard facts but more fluff about the war like the crownwars... there is plenty of writings about the crownwars right or wrong... true or not its just a very good read.

The Lore Question Thread

Who is online