From: lowell@locus.com (Lowell Morrison)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Role Playing
Date: 5 Nov 92 18:29:28 GMT
Article-I.D.: locus.1992Nov05.182928.0227100
Organization: Locus Computing Corp, Los Angeles

In article <4NOV199219311463@venus.tamu.edu> tap2368@venus.tamu.edu (Saufferin) writes:
>  I would like to know what role-playing is like, just once! Every campaign
>I have been in, with the exception of a short lived Robotech campaign, has 
>been nothing more than, "you see 30 orcs backed up by 40 hill giants in front
>of you. what do you do?"  Every one else replies,"kill them"  Is there a single
>campaign out there that actually involves role-playing?  Are there any DMs out
>there who have figured out what _role-playing_ is?
>  Just curious and sick of hack and slash.
>
>
Yes, regretably inexperienced or immature DM often make this mistake.

"Hello Sirah, call me Terra Springleaf, Elf at your service, I would like
join you party for a while.  I will follow your directives, help obtain 
your goals and will leave before I become a danger to your party without
it endangering your projects.  Ah, I have powerful enemies and become a
danger to those I am around if'n I stay too long."

You see standing before you an elf of above average height, nearly a giant
in fact (5' 10") dressed in fine quality leathers, and armed with a
sabre at his left hip and a long sword over his right sholder.

"Ah will admit to having some experience as a fighter and a few spells 
at Mah call."

He didn't mention his third class as a theif.  What he also did not mention
is that his families enemy is Orcus, that he as well as a number of others
in his extended family grouping don't age, can't be killed, are alergic
to such things as angelica, vervain and other herbs commonly associated with
defense against evil, can perform the clerical "bless" and "Concecration"
spell and the list goes on.

The point is that he is constrained against using all of his power against
anything less than a major demon, and must always tell the truth (though
not nescessaraly the whole truth).  He is quite adapt at misleading by 
telling the truth.  His purpose in life is to forment revolutions and
overthrow evil governments with as little bloodshed as possible.  His
whole purpose in life (as mandated by the gods of three panthions who
amolorated Orcus's Curse) might be summed up as conspiracy.  He is often
like Moses in that he can't stay around for long, and must use agents
to lead the people to the promised land.  The one time he tried to 
go the whole distance agents of Orcus caused the thing to become a 
real disaster with over 20,000 lives lost.  So he flits here and there
trying to decide which governments need overthrowing (ah yes, I forgot
to mention that he has probablity travel, shape change, cell adjustment,
and body equalibrium, he can travel to other prime material planes
to affect his gease) while letting others direct his operations.  And
seldom being at the actual overthrow.

With a 6th level party, he acts like a 6th leveler.  He is tripple 16th
level, has no stat under 16 and has to be roll played like crazy just
to play without blowing up any campeign.  As it is he is welcome in 
several. 

Of course if he fails to hold high standards he becomes N'terralan,
a Barog in Orcuses Service, where he will be in torment far worse
than he is already in.  And is slated to go wreck all of the work
he has ever done.  <grin>

"Ah shall never give up, Ah will do as Ah must as the ghods mandate."
 

And that is what real roll playing entails.

Now, lets go hack up a joint and have dinner.  More wine wench!