Ragitsu

^ It is the price one pays when marketing to the LCD.

One welcome consequence of all this searching: the discovery of new music.

I was wandering through what looked to be an outdoors dirt prison camp that was - among other things - partitioned into sections separated by massive vertical timbers lashed together (actually, those "timbers" may have simply been entire trees chopped down with both bark and branches removed). Eventually, I teamed up with an Asian fellow for a martial arts display being observed by some official-looking men sitting nearby. There were these large rectangular ice blocks themselves stacked (with gaps between each block) in a rectangle and, for whatever reason, I was dual-wielding shortened serving spoons. Suddenly, I hurled both utensils simultaneously and managed to shatter all the blocks. The judges were suitably impressed; this demonstration of skill and strength earned me a release. What's even weirder? There is a good chance I turned out to be an infiltrator.

My present definition of torture: remembering scant details of a song I once enjoyed, making attempts on various lyrics search engines to find the title of said song and receiving a ton of results. I can hear the low and slow, primarily instrumental song with a soft female voice occasionally singing "In the garden." (she stretches out the "ar" portion of "garden"). I am reasonably certain the song originates from either 1995 to 2009 (at the latest) or 2000 to 2009 (again, at the latest).

Obviously, there are limits to scientific/technological progress as it relates to the Average Joe; not all knowledge can be freely promulgated and access to certain resources is either severely restricted or outright banned.

Later editions, yes (e.g., spells that are increasingly limited by numbers, powers refreshing after "short" rests, the blast-happy Sorcerer, the nigh-infinite font of scratch damage known as the Warlock, et cetera); it's a consequence of WOTC consciously competing with video games/MMORPGs. Early editions feature magic that is potent yet limited (Mages receive a wide pool of potential options, but their spellcasting endurance takes time to deepen and spell components are a factor; Clerics must abide by theological strictures and/or Alignment); granted, it's still not as free-form as some would prefer, but at least there wasn't an incessant push for "balance".

Nirifel Meldarin, Travelling Bard AC 2 (elven chain, Dex 17); MV 9; B10; hp 39; THACO 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6 + 2 (short sword of quickness); Str 12, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16; SA heroic inspiration; SD -3 to reactions; AL N (NG). Thief skills: CW 70, DN 80, PP 25, RL 95. Spells (wizard): 3 1st, 3 2nd, 2 3rd, 1 4th (typically: charm person, detect magic, sleep; blur, hypnotic pattern, improved phantasmal force; invisibility 10' radius, protection from evil 10' radius; dimension door). Magical items: ring of protection +1, short sword of quickness, elven cloak, ring of chameleon power. Nirifel is a young half-elf, only 37 years old (looking to be in her late teens in human terms). She is 5' 6" tall, weighs 132 lbs., and has coppery red hair and light brown eyes. Hailing from the Gnarley Forest, as a child of Clan Meldarin, she came to spend time around Gnarley rangers. She lived for three years at Corustaith, where bard friends of the rangers saw her potential talent early. She lives half of her life in the Gnarley now, but she is always curious to travel abroad. She's seen Veluna, Furyondy, Nyrond, Urnst, Ulek and Celene, and she's currently itching to set off for Ket and beyond—or is it the lands of the far-distant Barbarians whose skalds she has heard of? She's currently a little low on resources, though, so she'll sing for her supper a few more times before she sets off. Nirifel is quite naive and has a reputation for being fey, but she is a good and capable planner. Nirifel has inexhaustible good spirits. She's always able to find something good in everything (regardless how severe adversity seems): an unexpected finding of a new friend, or surprising resourcefulness in one she already knows. She's quite steely and determined under pressure; "that's the human in her," a ranger would say (but he's likely to be biased). The elf in her is more to the fore when she travels deep within the Gnarley, visiting swanmays, dryads, or faerie folk, hoping for a new tale or song they might have for her. Nirifel is young and freewheeling, but nobody's fool. She wants fair payment for her skills if she goes adventuring, or a clean room and good food if she sings to entertain. She carries her own lute, but she can pick a good tune on almost anything, and has a fine singing voice in addition. She prefers the company of elves, half-elves, or gnomes, but her prejudices against dwarves were dealt a blow by her visit to Dumadan. There, she heard a recitation of The Forge of Worlds by a dwarven choir, which left her shaking for hours. One day, she wishes to return there, hoping to be allowed to listen and learn for much longer than she was allowed on her first visit. As an adventurer, Nirifel is a classic jack-of-all trades, singing for supper, charming the odd vendor or supplier of equipment, scrounging what she needs when she can, preferring talk to combat. She wanders widely in Greyhawk's lands (though not in the Wild Coast), and might be encountered almost anywhere.

GURPS has an optional magic system called "Syntactic Magic"; in it, instead of having highly specific spells as Skills with Skill levels (as is the case with the default magic system...Ignite Fire-14 or Fireball-12 are rolled against 3d6 the same as Fast-Talk or Knife), there are magical words as Skills such as "Fire" that cost much more than regular spells yet are broader in scope. "Fire-15" would cover not only literal exothermic reactions such as that localized burning (i.e., Ignite Fire) and spherical projectile (i.e., Fireball), but thematically-related concepts such as a person's "fire"/passion (so you could - with the right argument to the GM - roll against Fire-15 to make someone feel full of ardor) as well. Although this alternative can be greatly unbalancing (therefore requiring more ad-hoc approvals from the GM), it does makes the process of spellcasting more poetic.

Despite my markedly different personality (in reality), the opportunity to play a Cleric/Priest brings much enjoyment. I like being the core support for a group; this role may not snag as much glory, but it's still appreciated in its own way and it sidesteps certain burdens that the other classes must shoulder. The Specialty Priests of AD&D 2e's Forgotten Realms (i.e., my stomping ground of choice) help in this regard because... 1. They quickly break any association between the Cleric and the Abrahamic faiths (a strong influence on the D&D class); there are only a handful of gods that come close (thematically speaking). 2. There is a ton of background to go with each religion. Rarely am I hurting for details or inspiration. 3. Not all of them share the default Cleric's ability to wear the heaviest armors, use similar weapons, repel/destroy Undead, raise the dead or even - in rare instances - the ability to cast the most potent curative magics! There are real tradeoffs to take into consideration.

An extremely old color photo -> Some things never change.

lam·bent /ˈlambənt/ adjective LITERARY (of light or fire) glowing, gleaming, or flickering with a soft radiance. "the magical, lambent light of the north"