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LibraryOgre
2011-02-05, 10:57 AM
I wrote an article called "Corpses and Caches", regarding the metaphysical whys of burial traditions in D&D. It's edition-neutral, but I'd appreciate some feedback on it.

Corpses and Caches (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1reWwHZ1ZLy7_vGtCm6NG5IqqJQn44497whaCiXhog/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMLJh90H)

Dimers
2011-02-05, 11:36 AM
Found a few grammatical errors, if you're interested in hearing about those. Your presentation of the topic is well-reasoned and properly divided into subtopics. I was a little thrown off by the instances of humor -- I went in with my usual set of assumptions for a scholarly essay. But that's just my limitation, not something you've done incorrectly.

I love the part about misdirecting a soul by dedicating its body or death to the 'wrong' diety. It follows logically, and it's very flavorful. Sounds like it'd be fun to RP an incident of deliberate misdirection.

Why are the factors additive rather than multiplicative?

Chilingsworth
2011-02-05, 12:38 PM
One problem: In D&D canon Hell (the Nine Hells) and the other lower Planes (though perhaps to a slightly lesser extent), souls are traded and consumed outright. This process definately strengthens the entities that consume the souls, but the souls themselves are utterly destroyed. I'm not sure this can be reconciled with your theories.

However, for non-evil Planes, your theories seem quite coherent and plausible.

LibraryOgre
2011-02-05, 12:40 PM
Found a few grammatical errors, if you're interested in hearing about those.

PM me the grammatical errors, please. I didn't do much editing, but I also tend to be horrible at spotting my own.


Your presentation of the topic is well-reasoned and properly divided into subtopics. I was a little thrown off by the instances of humor -- I went in with my usual set of assumptions for a scholarly essay. But that's just my limitation, not something you've done incorrectly.

My ex used to jump on me about tone; I tend to have what she termed a "sitting down in your living room" tone to most everything I write, unless I suppress it.


I love the part about misdirecting a soul by dedicating its body or death to the 'wrong' diety. It follows logically, and it's very flavorful. Sounds like it'd be fun to RP an incident of deliberate misdirection.

Thanks.


Why are the factors additive rather than multiplicative?

Largely because it avoids even more numbers. :smallbiggrin: Basically, doing X thing pushes your value higher. Doing Y thing pushes your value lower. It's simpler to work with X = 1000 and Y = 10 so X - Y = 990 than a series of multiplicative factors. Since I'm not playing with concrete numbers in the system, it may well be that there are multiplicative factors (ordaining, for example, could be multiplicative)... but they're simply not worth delineating unless you want to start playing Demigods and Demons.


One problem: In D&D canon Hell (the Nine Hells) and the other lower Planes (though perhaps to a slightly lesser extent), souls are traded and consumed outright. This process definately strengthens the entities that consume the souls, but the souls themselves are utterly destroyed. I'm not sure this can be reconciled with your theories.

However, for non-evil Planes, your theories seem quite coherent and plausible.

I think it still works just fine. Selling your soul sends it to the owner upon death... in many ways, it's what people do with deities. Those lesser souls that are bought, sold, and consumed can be thought of as slaves or livestock. I can buy a cow from a vendor. I can sell my cow to other people who want it. Or I can eat my cow, providing me power, but killing the cow.

Now, if I'm the cow in this situation, I don't want to get killed and eaten, so my goal is to find a way to make myself useful. My grave goods can do that; as can my skills and abilities. If I'm useful to the demon who owns me, he's less likely to kill me; if we're on the more lawful end of the ring, I may even have a contract that protects me.