HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 14:03:05 GMT

In <kf_xhXK00awSM1Q5RU@andrew.cmu.edu> "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:


>>>My psionicist would think you were very funny.  You simply can't
>>>threaten to kill a 6th level psionicist.  If the situation looks
>>>unpleasant (poof!), he's gone.  It's not a spell so you can't
>>
>>I thought the idea was that he had been captured and the question was
>>how do you hold him.
>I don't understand.  You state that he's been captured but you can't
>hold him (?).  Exactly how does this occur?  If you can't hold him,
>how the hell did you capture him?  If he's conscious (and he has to be
>to read the sigil) he should just teleport away.  

The only way I can see capturing a Psion and the Psion living is when he
has run out of points.  You now have captured him because at this moment
he can't teleport away!

Joe Carl
--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
From: adair@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Jonathan Edward Adair)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 14 Dec 1992 15:43:11 GMT
Organization: Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow
NNTP-Posting-Host: hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu
Keywords: ectoplasmic form

In article <581@blue.cis.pitt.edu> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
>	Of course, most intelligent psionicists don't let people KNOW
>what they are or what they can do, unless they are people that the Psi
>KNOWS he can trust... or can MAKE trustworthy. And anyone who finds
>out more than they should know... forgets. Or dies.
>

Heh.  I remember our first psionicist.  My gnome Illusionist/Thief
just assumed he was a mage.  When we unexpectedly encounted the
head of an assassin's guild (I thought we were going to meet some
lowly member), and things got out of hand, I turned to the psionicist
and said, "You're a mage--Blast Him!"  Unfortunately, the assassin
heard this and proceeded to massacre our poor psionicist.  He never
forgave me...  

The point is, what can a psionicist pass himself/herself off as,
other than a mage?  A (wink-wink) armorless fighter?  At best,
maybe a thief.  [Note: maybe psionicists can wear armor. ours
never did, and I never bothered to read the handbook, much less
line TSR's pockets for it.]

--
Jonathan E. Adair  -  Programmer at Large                          /\
adair@gnu.ai.mit.edu             <-  Best choice                  /<>\
adair@eggo.csee.usf.edu          <-  Almost as good              /    \
adair@cfrrisc1.cfr.usf.edu       <-  Works for now              /______\
adair@psycho.fidonet.org         <-  Read yearly             The Illuminati
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cannell@churchill.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Eric.Cannell)
Subject: Re: Level limits
Keywords: four-way balance
Organization: NCR Corp., Columbia SC
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 92 14:46:12 GMT

In article <1992Dec18.061531.11632@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov writes:
>more resistant to poison and disease, etc.  But if long-lived non-human
>races are "allowed" to progress to unlimited levels, the process of
>natural selection would quickly have them overrun the planet.  Face
>it:  being an adventurer is a heck of an evolutionary advantage.  If
>you can survive to 5th level or so, you are basically immune to every
>single minor incident which normally kills people.  A house fire, a

The key phrase is "if you can survive". What proportion of adventurers make
it to fifth level? Not many I bet. Also, evolution is more a statistical
concept rather than a numerical "what race has the higher level people". 

You have not
proved your point that 2-3 30th level elves walking around will improve
the survival rate of elves on a whole.

Feadin
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jwolf@nyx.cs.du.edu (The WolF)
Subject: Re: simple AD&D 2nd Ed. Qn's.
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 16:25:06 GMT

<1992Dec15.111249.1@cc.newcastle.edu.au> stcak@cc.newcastle.edu.au writes:
>I have a query regarding AD&D second Ed.

>Can a short bow fire Sheaf arrows? Why or why not?

Nope.  They're too heavy (and possibly too long) for the short bow.
(Besides, its in the rules!  :)

>Are any characters assumed to be proficient with a dagger automatically?

The only weapon a character is automatically proficient with is his fists.
Though, some to get free weapons proficiencies and/or are required to
take specific proficiencies.

>Thanks,
>Craig.

No problem!

Jon WolF - Je tape, donc je suis.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 14:38:09 GMT

In <1992Dec15.191604.24939@caeco.mentorg.com> phatch@solstice.slc.mentorg.com (Phill Hatch (CONTRACTOR Documentation)) writes:

>As a counterpoint, I CAN NOT wear hats.  They give me phenomenal headaches.
>Ski hats usually do.  Ear Bands occasionally, bandanas never.  But I can 

You probably were your hats too tight!  Constrict the flow of blood to
your head.  No joke, right behind your ears, where eye glasses rest is probably
were it's to tight.  You probably just don't were headphones long enough to be
a problem

But what a great opening for a Flame

--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: rsm58307@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ron)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 19:38:44 GMT

Two methods come to mind.  A Disclaimer: I have never played a psionicist
and have very little understanding of their funky powers.

A stronger psionicist. Maybe he could edit their memory so that they forget
their own powers, or something like that.

If its a world of psionicists, couldn't they have some sort of drug that
inhibits psionics?  This seems to be a way to curb their power, which everybody
seems to complain about at one point or another.  Archers might put this
gunk on their arrows... etc.  Or mages could have spells designed to
enfeeble their minds for a time.  The most powerful facet of being a 
psionicist, I'd imagine, is that nobody knows what you can do till you do
it.  In a psion rich world this wouldn't be as much of a threat, perhaps.

Third method:

If they're using dimension door to escape and their captor knows of this
possibility, the jail could be somewhat more fearsome than a normal one.
Like putting it deep in the earth (mage scoped it out with the help of
wizard's eye and a friendly earth elemental, then made a small chamber,
then sealed it all back up).  If magic doesn't affect psionics and psionics
doesn't affect magic, seal the entire thing in a force bubble (like wall
of force, or force cage, but spherical).  If the psionicist tries getting
out with a dimension door spell they'll step into solid rock.

Or put it deep under water.  Or on an elemental plane.  Come on, they're
not gods, as long as the bad guys have a working intelligence service.

	- Ron
From: dshaffer@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Donald A Shaffer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Specialty Priests and Paladins
Date: 11 Dec 92 20:42:47 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

>     After reading the thread on specialty priests versus clerics and 
>beginning work on my own pantheon, I have a question.  If their are no 
>clerics in a campaign (all specialty priests) what about paladins.  Do 
>they have to choose a god?  If so, are their spells limited to the 
>relevant spheres?  Do the paladins worship all the gods?

Well, Ive always considered the paladin as a specialty priest og a LG god of 
war.  For example, if you have the legend Lore book, look at the priests of 
Horus. i think thats him anyways.  His priests are basically CG paladins that 
are stronger with spells and weaker with turning.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd,rec.games.frp.misc
From: pjk39593@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jud Kenney)
Subject: Winter War 20 RPG events needed...
Summary: Winter War 20 RPG events needed...
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 20:53:00 GMT
Keywords: events, Winter War

Winter War 20, held at the Foreign Languages Building on the campus of the 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, from January 8 through 10, is 
looking for more RPG events and GMs willing to run them...

Winter War 20 is sponsored by the Conflict Simulation Society of the University
of Illinois.

Registration information for Winter War 20 will be posted to rec.games.frp.announce when available...

If you are interested in running an event at Winter War 20, please call either
Don McKinney (RPG events, 351-9194) or Alan Conrad (all events, 359-8317).

[I am posting this for Don McKinney, who doesn't have net access... :]

-- 
The opinions stated here are my own, and not endorsed by or supported by
the University of Illinois.

pjk39593@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu			Jud Kenney, Student-at-Large
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: praxis@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Laura L Perkinson)
Subject: Re: Class' power (was Re: how to imprison a psionicist)
Organization: HAC - Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 17:54:04 GMT

In article <1992Dec19.004627.17120@sfu.ca> akostur@fraser.sfu.ca (Andre John Kostur) writes:
>In article <1992Dec18.150828.1@ulkyvx.louisville.edu> tfpayn01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu writes:
>>	And that's if he's DAMNED lucky!
>>	Folks! One point we all FORGOT (especially me! Shame!)
>>	Psi-heds start out with a MAX POSSIBLE of 25 PSPs.  Then they can gain
>>a MAX POSSIBLE of 14 PSPs per level!  It never gets any bigger than that!
>Where did you get this number from? (I just don't remember coming across it).

	Check out the psionics hanbook, page 13. Tho actually, the max
starting PSP's is 35 (assumes 18 in wis, con + int; eek!). And the max
gain per level is 13, not 14.

>A DarkSun Halfling psionicist could conceivibly come out with 43 PSP to 
>start plus 17 per level (that's a 22WIS, 19CON, and 20INT.  Not likely...)

	Yeah, well, that's Dark Sun for ya ;)

	So to whoever pointed out a psionicists ability to permanently
Dominate someone with Psychic Surgery:
	1)Note that you have to first make Contact permanent (ie, the
whole process takes at least 2 turns, it's not some oh, just do it thing)
	2)You have to maintain the power you're cementing for the 10
rounds it takes to use Psychic surgery. So to Dominate someone of level
6-10, you need at least 170 PSP's. That's doable by level 11 or 12,
assuming the psi has the 18/18/18 stats. Otherwise, 14 or 15 is a more
reasonable estimate. If the victim of Dominate is 11-15, jack up the
total PSP's needed to 270, which is out of reach for most.
	3)Hey, the DM might still decide that forcing the victim to do
something against his nature ("paladin, go slaughter those orphans")
gives a chance for another save that breaks the Dominate.

	Dominating your enemies sucks. A much better use of Psychic Surgery
is to permanently Mindlink with your friends. It's great, and requires
only 90 PSP's.

		"Before you fuck with any of us, remember that help is
just a thought away..."
		-Praxis, on Sway's "Mindnet"
From: laruedm@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (David Larue)
Subject: Re: Items From the Vault
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 18:17:00 GMT

 -=> I'm planning to complete my list of magical items in the near future
 -=> (as soon as the Christmas exams are over).  However, I don't know if
 -=> there's enough call for them to post them to the newsgroup.  If you
 -=> would like a copy of the upcoming additions to the lists, please mail
 -=> me, and I will mail you additions as I complete them.  If enough
 -=> people ask, I'll post, because I'm lazy by nature.


Sounds good, but post them to rec.games.frp.archives instead...Also put me
on your mailing list...thanx

-= Justin =-

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: joverton@csws20.ic.sunysb.edu (Jeremiah Overton)
Subject: Re: Forging a Glass Sword
Organization: State University of New York at Stony Brook
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 20:17:02 GMT

In article <456@blue.cis.pitt.edu> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
>In article <1992Dec9.220927.4631@spcvxb.spc.edu> 6anthony_m@spcvxb.spc.edu writes:
>>
>>Ok, I have a question for you guys.  Since I am not a glassmake, and do not
>>know much about it.  I was wondering how hard it would be to make swords
>>made of glass that would be the same size, shape etc of a real sword,
>>to be later enchanted by the glassteel spell.  I have a high level Mage
>
>	About one day. First get a real sword, preferably a very high
>quality one. Make a mold, very carefully, from the real sword. Fill mold
>with high-quality molten glass. Let cool. Voila!

Serve with toppings of your choice.  Makes 8-12 servings.


>
>
>                                 Sea Wasp
>                                   /^\
>                                   ;;;


-- 
------------------------------------------------------------
Jeremiah Overton   joverton@ic.sunysb.edu
		   joverton@ccsinc.sunysb.edu
If all else bounces:
	 	   jeremiah@pharm.sunysb.edu

"I seek PEZ!!!" 
		- the TICK
From: ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Priests and Spellcasting
Keywords: Preists
Date: 19 Dec 92 06:00:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <BzFHs1.L0u@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> slip@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Doolie) writes:

>Sumac Loggerson, the Preist whos been:
>Drained to level -1
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Petrified
>Polymorphed into a barn owl
>and engaged to a lovely Princess.....All by 5th level.  

Um, I'm curious.  How did your character survive this one?  Other than
a wish, what can be used to bring back a character that's been drained
to level -1?  Shouldn't you have come back as one of whatever killed you?

-- 
Jorge Diaz                       | "I want you to remember, Clark... in all
Georgia Institute of Technology  |  the years to come, in your most private
Office of Information Technology |  moments...my hand at your throat.  I want
ccoprdj@prism.gatech.edu         |  you to remember the one man who beat you."
From: young@spinifex.dg.oz (Philip Young)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: How to Imprison a Psionicist, and Majic Jar
Date: 15 Dec 92 02:02:24 GMT
Organization: Data General Australia

Majic Jar should take care of the sucker nicely.  Hard to teleport when
you don't have control or possession of your body, I'd imagine.

{Two threads into one, amazing 8^}
 
-- 
Philip R. Young                   | Sir Lloyne ... the kind of guy you'd
Data General Australia Pty. Ltd.  | like to meet.
From: young@spinifex.dg.oz (Philip Young)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Sports
Date: 18 Dec 92 00:29:50 GMT
Organization: Data General Australia

Human + elf -> elf/2.  Human + depravity + orc -> orc/2.
Does this imply the possibility of bestial elf + orc -> elf-orc hybrid?
Dwarves, halflings and gnomes, being lower life forms 8^}, presumably
can't interbreed with humans, elves and orcs, but I don't see why a
creative mage, or maybe standing on a milk crate, couldn't fix this.
What about low-life combinations (gnarves? dwomes?).
 
Such offspring could have intriguing characteristics.  Has anybody
ever experimented along these lines? 
 
-- 
Philip R. Young                   | Ham it up all you want, but it's
Data General Australia Pty. Ltd.  | Sir Lloyne who'll bring home the bacon
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee)
Subject: Re: PC vs. Player INT
Organization: Johns Hopkins University CS Dept.
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 22:41:20 GMT

In article <780@blue.cis.pitt.edu> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
>	But to the meat of your question, if you feel that the character
>could solve it, you can
>	1) give the player little hints, until he finally gets it,
>	2) give a simple roll versus intelligence and give them the 
>solution
>	3) combinations of the above (roll for a hint...)

4) give the player extra time to solve the puzzle if the character has to
solve it in a certain amount of time and the player is not as smart as the
character.
5) allow the entire party, including the 6 INT fighters, to help with the
puzzle.  (This also corrects for the opposite problem of a character who is
too _dumb_ to solve a puzzle)  Just say that in game terms, it's the mage
who solves the puzzle, even if one of the other _players_ comes up with the
solution.
--
"the bogosity in a field equals the bogosity imported from related areas, plus
the bogosity generated internally, minus the bogosity expelled or otherwise
disposed of."  -- K. Eric Drexler

Ken Arromdee (arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu, arromdee@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu)
From: reza@magellan.ae.utexas.edu (Alireza Vali)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: More Wishes!
Date: 14 Dec 92 08:18:12 GMT
Organization: Center for Space Research Imaging Lab, University of Texas at Austin

In article <1992Dec10.173444.387@spock.UUCP> bane@spock.uucp (Cameron Huang) writes:
>
>Anyway, we were around third or fourth level, and on Ravenloft. Anyway, one
>character had a Luck Blade, and we were getting screwed by a vampire and a
>pack of about 15 wolfweres (no joke!).  Well, far from winning, we decided
>to expend all three wishes from the Luck Blade. We wished that each person
>in the party (about 4 of us) would have a powerful weapon that is most suited
>to the personality of that person, and that that person would be able to use 
>the weapon that he/she got. We also sacrificed all of the magical items
>that we had at the time (not many). Well, of course, our DM totally screwed us
>on the wish, and the party was killed. Here's what happened: He gave us the 
>weapons, but they wouldn't come out of the sheaths, and our hands wouldn't 
>come off of the weapons. While we were fumbling around with our useless 
>weapons, the wolfweres and the vampire had a mass slaughter.

First and foremost, why in the world would a DM give a Luck Blade to a
3rd or 4th level character?  Of all the characters I've ever played,
the most fortunate one at 4th level managed to get a flail +1.  Our DM
doesn't even consider dishing out even +2 weapons/armor until around 6th
level or so, much less something as incredibly powerful as the Luck Blade.

Second, it is obscene to have a 3rd/4th level party up against so many
undead (and powerful ones at that) in an encounter.  That being the case,
you really didn't need to expend the wishes in that manner.  You could have
tried something like "I wish to turn these foul undead monsters" or some-
thing along that line.  Even with that, this DM would have probably
perverted that as well.

>Here's my question: After reading that account, do you think that the DM
>should have completely screwed us like that? All answers are appreciated, but
>PLEASE post them and don't E-mail.

Sounds like you folks need to find yourself a better DM.  There is no such
thing as the "perfect" DM, but even the most sadistic DM gives the party
at least a fighting chance.  Our group rarely has a session where the DM
doesn't do something unpopular with the rest of the gang, but never some-
thing like this.  Perhaps this person is trying to get rid of one or more
players, or didn't like the characters you had in the party.

-- 
Ali R. Vali - reza@magellan.ae.utexas.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: fes9s@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Frank Erick Sellin)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 04:38:19 GMT

Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: University of Virginia
Keywords: ectoplasmic form

Here's one way I'm surprised I haven't seen here yet:

In Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels, a Healer stumbles across a
way to reach inside another Deryni's mind and turn his powers
off. Completely gone.  When the subject snaps out of the trance,
he's completely blind (psychically speaking, that is) and
psi-powerless.  (As for role-playing, it scared the hell out
of the folks in the novels who had been used to the psi-powers
all their lives).  It could be turned back on by the psi who
did it, and I _think_ by another psi as well, although the
latter was extremely tough, because it took a very indepth
reading (i.e., not your typical telepathic scan) to determine
that the subject was a psi, as opposed to a normal human.
Turned out to be a good way to hide Deryni-types from human
inspired genocide (witch hunt, anyone??)

Anyway, they wrote it up as a power back in the days of
AD&D1, stuck it in Dragon #78 as "Severance", a Grand Art
and all that other version 1 trappings of psionics.  
Dragon didn't explicitly mention the ability of being
able to turn a blind psi back to his normal state, but
seeing as how that was in the books where they got it from,
it should be just as possible.   Dragon did go the extra
mile though, suggesting it affected spell-users, too,
costing a certain amount of points per the spell level
you were trying to block--this is after a cursory reading
of it, I guess you could only block 1 spell level at a
time and keep someone from using, say, 5th level spells,
then if you had more time, 4th level or whatever and
keep going as long as you had psi-points. (PSPs these
days, I know...)

So, if you've got a problem with that psi, turn his powers off
and let him think he's a normal human having to choose a
vastly different career for himself, let alone deal with the
shock of losing his powers just like that...our problematic
psi just _may_ go insane... >=^)

Frank Sellin, fes9s@virginia.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: stud02@cc4.kuleuven.ac.be (Kris Van Hees)
Distribution: world
Date: Monday, 14 Dec 1992 19:19:05 +01
Reply-To: stud02@cc4.kuleuven.ac.be
Organization: K.U.Leuven - Academic Computing Center
Subject: Small query on multiple mages in a party...

Hello,

I have a party in which we have a human mage and an elven thief/magic-user.
The mages would like to learn spells from eachother.  Because they have
different spells in their spellbooks, it is their hope to be able to learn
spells which are listed in the other's spellbook.  I do not see any objection
to this, really, as it looks the same as learning a spell from a scroll.  Yet,
when learning a spell from a scroll the scroll is destroyed.  Would this be
likely to happen to the page the spell is written on in the spellbook?

Any ideas, comments, suggestions on this?

Kris Van Hees, DM.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd