jrrt@hogpd.UUCP (10/04/83)
Re: whether Chaotics can make oaths, and other vital questions:
I agree with Laura somewhat. "Chaotic" does not mean "Anarchistic." A chaotic
character doesn't necessarily lie at every opportunity, and in fact may never
lie at all. Therefore, a chaotic individual may exhibit some apparently Lawful
characteristics, without really betraying his/her/its underlying alignment.
Consistency does not necessarily mean Lawfulness.
In Greek mythology, swearing an oath on the river Styx was considered so
binding that even the gods never reneged on such oaths. I like that idea, and
have a similar concept for the non-dieties in my multiverse. Anyone may swear
an oath on their diety, and such an oath *will* be carried out ("Thou shalt not
take thy Lord's name in vain."). Agnostics (characters who prefer not to have
patron dieties) have been exempt from this, but don't dare swear such serious
oaths anyway. Dieties swear by Fate, which is the only force superior to them.
If Orcus could be made to swear on Fate, he would consider his oath binding.
Of course, there are a few caveats when dickering with him. With his Chaotic
nature, powerful magic, etc, there are ways of making you *think* he made such
an oath, without doing so. In addition, once the oath was made, beware of his
interpreting it differently than you had intended.
As far as whether I can present "a consistent system of magic where an Oath is
not binding," to paraphrase Laura, I won't try but I don't see why not.
Cosmologies tend to reflect their creator's values, if indirectly. *I* like
the flavor added to my multiverse by having some ultimate "authority" to handle
Oaths and such. Other DMs whom I like and trust think otherwise, and would
cheerfully let Orcus lie through his fangs, then zap the PCs. Different
strokes...
Side note #1: About posting NPCs to the net; what do people want to see?
Relatively low level types, such as Steven Maurer's Amarie, or higher level
types (e.g. a 13th level fighter named Purdah Three-Fingered who runs the
militia in a major city). I have a few favorites in these and other categories
(non-demihuman/human/humanoid, characters from SF and fantasy literature, etc.)
Send me mail if you have a preference; if I get enough responses I'll post a
summary to the net.
Side note #2: To Laura. Sorry to use the net, but my note explains why. I
can't seem to send mail to you; any suggestions? Your mail comes in fine.