Ragitsu

AD&D 2e. Yes: all of it.

"Of all your muscles, your tongue is always the last to tire." "And yet, my fearsome friend, that piece of pink prized by pedlars, priestesses and princesses across the land has done more to lift you out of danger than thy terrific thews."

The real power of the friends spell is in the area of effect and the fact that there is no limit on number of creatures affected. This is great for suddenly finding yourself surrounded by a large number of humanoids. Most of them have a terrible save versus magic to begin with, and low intelligence creatures have a wisdom range of 2-8 which gives them a penalty against mind-affecting magic. If a few of them make their saves--even better. This introduces the possibility of intra-monster fighting. The greatly impressed, desire to help and all that supercedes any existing reaction roll. It's an automatic positive. The additional charisma points help with their reactions to ideas. proposals, or suggestions made by the caster after having cast the spell.

purl /pərl/ LITERARY verb verb: purl; 3rd person present: purls; past tense: purled; past participle: purled; gerund or present participle: purling (of a stream or river) flow with a swirling motion and babbling sound. "large stones stood blackly in the water, making it purl as it rolled around them"

Let's say I'm in the mood for Italian. I can head to my kitchen and throw something together with available ingredients; whatever I cook will be fully under my control. Of course, I'm not exactly a master of the culinary arts and a substantial investment of time plus effort is required. Alternatively, when I am craving a particular style of Italian cuisine, I can visit a chef; I may - on occasion - have to put up with his eccentricities (e.g., adding a pinch of salt or removing a vegetable), but at least I know what to expect.

Hatred is a well of naught but seawater, from which one may always draw yet never be slaked.

Magic swords may captivate audiences, but sling bullets win the war.

Magic swords may captivate audiences, but sling bullets win the war.

Unexpected automobile impact, a bit of lead in the water, cookie-cutter art, "I'm on the internet! Get off the phone!"... Definitely a coin flip.

DIED?!

A few theories come to mind. 1. Developer's mistake: put simply, they forgot to account for an integer (5,000 -> 5,000 -> 500). 2. Game balance: maybe five K a pop of that filthy Amnian lucre is too advantageous for low level parties? 3. In-setting economics: with the Iron Crisis affecting the region, luxury goods become less desirable. Is that right? I would think the value would increase, if anything. 4. Underhanded commerce: the proprietor in Naskhel is pocketing a MASSIVE profit while fleecing the party from their rightly-deserved fair market value. 5. Hidden genius: as noted, the pelt must be in good condition. Riddling a Winter Wolf with arrows or roasting one with a Fireball (which are tactics utilized by quite a few players, I'd imagine) ought to mar their hide. Furthermore, unless one is a Ranger, Druid/woodland priest or anyone with substantial hunting experience, skinning a beast may result in a serviceable but not striking specimen.

For whatever reason, I was wearing a vacuum suit and performing repairs/maintenance on a facility located on another planet (Mars?).

The gaming term is "kiting". Attacking and then retreating to draw an enemy into an ambush is a technique used with great success by the Mongols (whereby they acquired the most extensive land empire in history). "Cheesy"? Tell it to Genghis Khan.