Soulless?

[CrosshairCollie]

While punching Black Paladin into Hero Designer, I noticed his Eye of Souls (Detect Souls, etc) power. So I'm wondering just what you'd need to do to be considered 'soul-less', besides being something like a robot. Would this be a perk? A disadvantage? A zero-point 'just kinda there'?

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: Soulless?

 

Well, depends.

 

Some might say "Animals (or aliens) have no souls" - which would just be a 0pt 'this is how it works' for animals (aliens).

 

OTOH, for a Human who sold their soul, it's probably a nasty DF or social limitation (if people know... eek), plus something to represent the contract.

 

But no, it's not worth points (it has few benefits inherent).

[SKJAM!]

Re: Soulless?

 

While punching Black Paladin into Hero Designer' date=' I noticed his Eye of Souls (Detect Souls, etc) power. So I'm wondering just what you'd need to do to be considered 'soul-less', besides being something like a robot. Would this be a perk? A disadvantage? A zero-point 'just kinda there'?[/quote']

 

In a mystically-oriented campaign, it would be a Distinctive Feature; depending on how the world works, it may also be a physical limitation.

[Jhamin]

Re: Soulless?

 

In Black Paladin's default setting (the Champions Universe) it's pretty much a special effect, worth no points or possibly a Dist Feature in some cases.

 

Animals (depending) have been mentioned, as have robots.

Note that some philosophies hold that Demons and Angels don't have souls, they are simply good and evil personified.

Golems, some elementals, AIs, and undead would also likely not have souls. Nor would those who sold their souls as part of a mystic pact.

 

Heck, if you want to get philosophical, do clones?

[Hex]

Re: Soulless?

 

Note that some philosophies hold that Demons and Angels don't have souls, they are simply good and evil personified.

Golems, some elementals, AIs, and undead would also likely not have souls. Nor would those who sold their souls as part of a mystic pact.

 

Heck, if you want to get philosophical, do clones?

 

*groan*

 

Jhamin! Step away from the can of worms! I repeat: step AWAY from the can of worms!

 

[Lupus]

Re: Soulless?

 

As has been seen, there are many interpretations.

 

My personal one: a soul is possessed by any living creature capable of independent action. This includes animals. Clones have no souls while they are merely copies... but the instant they develop a trait that didn't belong in the individual they're cloned from, they develop a soul. (Or is it that they gained a soul, and thus took independent action? Who knows.) Naturally, that really refers to comic-book fully-grown clones. Clones birthed naturally are natural creatures; it's only their DNA that's cloned, and souls don't depend on DNA in my settings.

 

Now, can computers have souls? Mainly, no. It's theoretically possible that I'll run a game eventually where an AI can develop to the point where it's truly idnependent of its original programming. At that point, it may gain a soul.

 

Essentially, to me, a soul is that which separates a true individual from a simple replica. (Hmm, what about hive-minds... would an ant colony have a single soul? That's a wrinkle I hadn't considered... have to think on that.)

 

Note, this isn't my opinion on what souls ACTUALLY are. I'm agnostic, and thus have no real opinion on RL stuff. It's just what I tend to put into my games.

[steriaca]

Re: Soulless?

 

Note' date=' this isn't my opinion on what souls ACTUALLY are. I'm agnostic, and thus have no real opinion on RL stuff. It's just what I tend to put into my games. [/quote']

 

My villian over at the New Circle, Lucifer Morningstar, has the DF: Souless. Yes, he basicly made the contract with Nickolas Scratch and "sold his soul". So, basicly, in therroy he would show up on "Detect Souls", but will not. His contracts might, once signed, glow faintly under Detect Souls. A demon would proably not show up under Detect Souls unless it just ate.

 

As for my religous belefes, I beleve there is a god, but it is to bussy makeing shure the universe still runs after we mess up eveything to cair about the little people. That is my opinion.