Seeking those well versed in D&D Lore

[Timber Loftis]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] You would not have been the first person I've seen go off like that for real. I'll see you next argument.

[SixOfSpades]

Wow! Thanks a bunch, Indemaijini! I agree--I hate the "Necromancy = Evil" stereotype, so I made Gordon be every bit as honorable and respectable as Keldorn. I think I'll have him argue some of the points that you presented, and not be shy about it, either--instead of making excuses for Necromancy's dark side, he's going to actively defend it.

One question, though--When a Wizard or Priest casts Animate Dead, who chooses which souls are Animated? The caster? Kelemvor? Is it just random chance--whichever humanoid corpses are nearest?

[Indemaijinj]

The corpse that you have at hand chooses what you will animate. It will be the spirit who possessed the body when it was still living that will power the animation.

That Animate Dead in BG2 just functions as a summoning spells is just a way to make the game run smoothly.

[AzRaeL StoRmBlaDe]

1. I believe they are allowed to use sharp instruments and the like as long as they are not used in combat, and some religions w/in D&D allow their clerics to use swords and other like weapons.

2. yes duegar are dark dwarves and they have darker skin and hair than do most dwarves I will post a completely accurate description here later once, I am able to get home and grab my monstrous manual.

3. i believe kara turan.

4&5 good necromancers seek to use their art to learn more about death and life beyond death, not through religious means, but through magical means. not only could necromancy potentially take life/souls from its victims, but the lighter side of the art is restoration of such things. Its just another way of looking at the same thing.

[Indemaijinj]

I D&D 3rd ed they overhauled the concept of cleric weapon limitations making them quite individual for each religion.

So a cleric of the norse god Odin can wield a spear for example. Clerics are generally disallowed from using martial weapons unless they are worshipping a diety of war.

I remember from an AD&D sourcebook that there was an orcish diety who only allowed his clerics to use bare hands or gauntlets. And that was before they invented the monk class.

The original clerical ban on sharp weapons among their own ranks was inspired by medieval christianity. Originally clerics were not supposed to be combatants so they had a general rule saying that they could not possess any bloodletting devices. The church grew and several times it wanted to enforce it's rule with forceful measures of it's own. Thus the rule was bended so clerics were able to use clubs, maces, morningstars and such because they weren't technically bloodletting devices. They might crush and mangle a body, but they did not gash it open.

In the D&D mythology the weapon restriction is quite without any context and thus absurd, since D&D clerics have always been viewed upon as a fighting force.

[TaSSaDaR]

Timber Loftis, I have read the book, "I, Strahd" and it was magnificient! It made me interest in Rl world.

We here do not have even a mediocre-sized book-store, and all sources left are exchanging books with friends and downloading them from the Internet, if available. And, if our stores got a book or two from WotC, they would surely be a translation, and I hate 'em, because it would be not an original version, means corrupt original idea, corrupt language and such.

So I need book requisites (author, name) to perform a search in a couple of WWW libraries I have access to. If you can list the major books of the series, or drop a link, I will be most grateful!

[Timber Loftis]

TaSSaDaR:
check out:

http://www.wizards.com/catalog/index..._cat,ravenloft

This does not list older, other RL books, most of which I have not read. I can tell you that Tales of Dread is a compilation or RL short stories by various authors that you might be able to check for at Amazon.com.

HTH

[Terevok Candlehar]

Ok I think I can help here.

1.Clerics can use tools loke anyone else but not in combat. Clerics of deities with the war domain who select it s a domain get free proficiency in their deities weapon of choice. In DnD clerics can use daggers(a simple weapon) in fact they can use all simple weapons.

2.Duergar (deep dwarf, gray dwarf) were captured by mindflayers and bred as slaves (they were from clan duergar) over time the duergars ees became all white, they lost all hair on top of their heads including females, and all had beards including females. They eventually rebelled and killed millions of mind flayers preventing the mind flayers from completely conquering Faerun.

3. People from Kara-Tur are called Kara-Turans. (i think)

4 and 5. Jergal and Kelemvor believe that death is a part of life and the dead should be honored and protected. they animate dead to do combat against those that would defile graves and bring dishonor to the dead, and yes undead draw power from the negative plane and thus you can destroy them by severing their link to the negative plane. There are no souls in skeletons and zombies they are just negative energy and thus their minds can not be affected by spells and they are only capable of following simple commands.

I hope I helped!!!

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Terevok Candlehar: Ok I think I can help here. 1.Clerics can use tools loke anyone else but not in combat. Clerics of deities with the war domain who select it s a domain get free proficiency in their deities weapon of choice. In DnD clerics can use daggers(a simple weapon) in fact they can use all simple weapons. 2.Duergar (deep dwarf, gray dwarf) were captured by mindflayers and bred as slaves (they were from clan duergar) over time the duergars ees became all white, they lost all hair on top of their heads including females, and all had beards including females. They eventually rebelled and killed millions of mind flayers preventing the mind flayers from completely conquering Faerun.

If Duergar are all white, then you are reading a different fiction that most AD&D background, including all FR background.

If you are talking simple weapons, you are talking AD&D 3d Ed., and BG2 is governed by the AD&D 2d ed. rules.

[Vedran]

Another question. What's the deal with greek and viking gods in Forgotten Realms? I thought FR has a different pantheon.