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[The Lycaeum Forums]

 The Lycaeum Forums » Integrate » Spirituality and Philosophy (Moderators: psilocyborg, Narkissos)Topic:
 Can Dungeons & Dragons be a Religion?

[OctopusRex]

I visited the Temple to Oghma.
And I faught for the Throne of Bhaal.

By the Gods! Is Baldur's Gate an abyzmal gate...

To something far more terrible than anyone thought?

[OctopusRex]

This question is so bloody important to me... Nobody has anything to say!

Look, I like my life thinking myself to be chaotic good. This is something that one Earns through work. That means, my actions follow a code, a reason.

Because of D&D. I try to think as a Druid, a Gnome and a Bard. This makes sense to me in a world where morality is based on who has more bucks to spend on their peculiar preacher (who probably spends those bucks on cheap whores or nuclear missles).

Then there's mantras-Baldur's gate-yantras. Stuff to make your life easier. With a little chuzpta from magic of everyday life.

Increases as you study more into it. Really does, but.. I dobut the owners of the original TSR game knew this. Fact is, D&D is a Religious Soup.

To understand this, you need only look at the Dieties & Demigods tome, which includes Krsna. (in the form of Visnu). AND Kali.

In Kaliyuga, this is not so badly done. I'd say they rolled a natural d20. My only complaint is that they should return to original rules. I mean, the earliest, the Basic.

3rd Edition sucks.

[Ki Boy]

Well, why not?
RELIGION,n. 2.The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognizes the existence of a superhuman power of powers. 3. An objective persued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

Religion can be usefull as a tool,to get you through the night, so to speak.

It is not the Tao though.  

[OctopusRex]

Ki Boy...

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

So, the Church of Dungeons & Dragons is officially opened. I declare myself sole Dunegon Master (a role equivalent to Pope!) of the Church. Worship includes, pizza, lots of huzzas and neato dice and little pewter figures!

Garry Gyrax move over!

[OctopusRex]

Ki... I know you are tao and this is zen, but... would you mind being my first D&D altar boy?  

[King (of the jungle)]

so I guess one could have more than one religion, if only these people in the middle east could get this concept. I think of my base religion as a mixture of religions, some aspects of western and some of eastern, I truely believe Jesus Christ was the son of God, but aren't we all the sons of God? Buddah's teachings are just as useful and not as arrogant than the christian teachings, Maybe because the eastern teachings have been less tainted throughout time where as the christian teachings were wared over so much it's hard to say what the original word is.

[Kosmo]

"It is not the Tao though  "

You had to do it, didn't you Ki Boy.
You had to throw in the towel ..., I mean the Tao!  

[Daath]

Nice! O illustrious pope and great Dungeon Master of Most Holy Dungeons&Dragons, I wish to join. Can I be Bishop of Very High Levels (26+)? Later I will start a heresy, of course.

If accepted, I will throw around weirdly shaped dices that glow in different colours to celebrate. I also promise to eat a pizza in a mood of worship. Funny thing is, I met couple of my friends a little time ago by accident, and they were on their way to play nothing other than D&D.

[Ki Boy]

quote:Originally posted by OctopusRex:
Ki... I know you are tao and this is zen, but... would you mind being my first D&D altar boy?  

Please send naked photo for evaluation.

 

[WeeDie]

Very interesting. I need to check this D&D thing out. I see no reason why Archetypes in fantasy wouldn't hold the same, if not more, value then that of heavy oldschool religion. They originate from eachother in the first place don't they?

I want to be a Wizard. But I know of no keen name for such   What do I have to read?

earthking: hardly less tainted. But when east study west, and west study east - a different perspective might arrive.

[psilocyborg]

Can D&D be a religion?  Sure, if you don't mind being the biggest nerd ever ever.  

[Marau]

I too, would consider myself chaotic good!
I play sorcerer. That is the most powerful class, afterall  

Comparing oneself realistically would be much easier to a character from Fallout 2, though.

As for your question Octo, I wouldn't say D&D can be a religion. The religion created inside of the realms? Sure.
I find it interesting how the realms gods are integrated into one global religion, even though the drow and Suldanessalar elves believe in different gods.

I think that is good ironic satire referencing real life arguments of religious peace believes, RPB, many religions - one god (usually) vs. (here, the realms) one religion - many gods.

[OctopusRex]

D&D as the glue to hold religions together. I love it. Thank you all... You are all drafted.

Since I play a chaotic good character, I can draft you onto my holy war and make you mindful slaves of religous unity through acceptance of Lolth as supreme ruler... I was thinking Timat, but Lolth is PURELY fantastic, so she is closer to the ideals of D&D as a mythic being.

Why an evil Goddess? Because evil is underrepresented in religious beleifs worldwide. Consider the need for evil as a unifying force! Lolth cold very well satisfy this need.

Of course, it would be my luck that Kali Ma is really Lolth... Just playing Sith mindtricks with me!

BTW. I think Roddenberry and Lucas should be made into Demigods.

[OctopusRex]

The Drow Rule Supreme!

[OctopusRex]

Daath... I'm still working through IWD II and my characters haven't even reached 20th. But sure. My goal is to make a 33rd level enchanter to cross through all the Black Isle titles without killing ANYBODY to win the title of 'lord of murder'.

[OctopusRex]

But dice and peweter beat the shit outta computerized D&D anyday! Nothing like that human touch.

[GoldenRatio]

We should have a Lyc/D&D party at Octo's. I am Phi, the half-Elf.

[psilocyborg]

I am Lothar, of the the Hill People!

[Ki Boy]

I am dingle the berry picker.  

[OctopusRex]

I should avise all new players that as a DM, I tend to award experience for creatures NOT killed...

[OctopusRex]

Lovely, your adventure has just begun, gentlemen. Your DM suddenly wakes up to the potential of the Lycaeum as a D&D engine, especially if you happen to work for Oswald Fiddlebender.

Your adventure begins in the mythical castle of King Grumps, a dwarf hero of numerous multidimentional wars.

The Good King has summoned you from your place of origin thorugh the powerful magics of the tiwns, Elon and Elonia, the elfin rulers of Shadow-world, the infinite space of the mind of your DM. Although mortals at first, the twins have become as Gods to shadow world, and they have set up the King to rule in their stead.

Your adenture begins in the Hall of Heroes, the reception room of the King's Castle. You are all welcomed into the hall, as heroes, mighty warriors who will certanly decide the fate of the multiuniverse for all lesser beings.

You see roughly 300 beings of various species and races, all known to you from the worlds of Faerun, Krynn and others. You see the twins and King Grumps greet you first. The Twins are albinos, identical, and wearing nothing but pink t-shirts and nothing underneath, as all other assembled beings, except for the King, who wears his field plate-mail and a gold crown.. Among the various beings, you spot Ilitids, Beholders, drow, goblins and various other cratures which you all know to be 'evil'. But they do not seem agressive, on the contrary, they seem perfectly friendly.

Amongst much fanfare and music, the King welcomes you to his world...

What do you do?

[OctopusRex]

The beings summoned:

Daath, a 26th Level Bishop. (please send stats)...

Phi - Half Elf... Plis send stats..

Lother of the Hill People (send stats plis)

Ding - beery picker (send stats plis)

and Flare a 1st Level Elf Sorcerer...

Flare... I got YOUR stats already..

[Daath]

Mwa ha ha, yes! I did find my old D&D rule books after all. You'll have my stats soon enough.

*

Summoned by mighty magics, accompanied by a flash of lightning and a sweet, pungent smell, an old human appears into Hall of Heroes. Age has left his skin wrinkled, took his hair and turned his long beard gray, but his blue eyes are bright and his stature noble. His black, unadorned silk robe is finely made; likewise his walking staff seems almost ordinary with first glance, yet those magically inclined feel the subtle and powerful aura emanating from it.

There is also a smoking bong in his hand, also emanating magical energies. The old man looks baffled by his sudden transition, coughs out a vast cloud of white smoke and then glares angrily at beholder to his left.

"Just what are *you* staring at? It's a religious sacrament! They don't call me Bishop of High Levels for nothing, you know."

The old man pockets the bong, secure in the knowledge that it is enchanced enough not to spill any water on his robes.

"Ignorant pagan fools", he mutters into his beard. "Nobody understands the responsibilities of spiritual authority these days. It wasn't like this when I was young."

He then regains his composure and bows respectfully to King and Twins, introducing himself as Bishop Daath Chativa of Sigilian Godsmen. Leaning against his staff and smiling wryly, he awaits the arrival of others.

[OctopusRex]

He then regains his composure and bows respectfully to King and Twins, introducing himself as Bishop Daath Chativa of Sigilian Godsmen. Leaning against his staff and smiling wryly, he awaits the arrival of others.

--------------------

King Grumps, an ancient dwarf, with a beard so long that he wraps it around himself a few times bows politely to Bishop.

"Your Holiness, please feel welcomed to my home, these creatures are here in friendship, and I apologize for any offence taken. I belive we are all here on a common cause, as you will soon see, and I pray to all the Oldest Gods that peace will rein in my hall. Since nobody else seems to be albe to respond my summons, I will address myself to you two days from hence, when the rest of my summoned guests arrive, or to give time to any other adventurers who might be scriving this summons to answer it. On the mean time, please make yourself at home. I shall place a Fallen Deva, a Gienie and an ancient Demon to your service so they might provide you with any wish you might have, until we can meet again, in the precense of any other heroes answering my summons

[psilocyborg]

*with a swirl of snow, a brilliant flash of light and a bewildered yawp, a grizzly, unshorn brute of a man materializes in the room, cloaked in stained and tattered elk furs and clutching a crimson-spattered falchion.  His heavily browed eyes dart nervously around the room, finally settling on the legendary King Grumps.  The man gracelessly falls to one knee and, his hands resting upon the hilt of his wide blade, bows his head.  Speaking in hushed reverence, his dialect is thick and difficult to decipher*

"Your Highness, it is a great honor to be here, in this most prodigous of Halls, in Your presence.  I beseech you: please excuse my rude and unkempt arrival, for you have unexpectedly whisked me away from the ritual of the hunt.  But while my duties to my clan are momentous indeed, my commitment to my King takes precedence.  I, Lothar, of the Hill People, am here to do thy bidding."

*Lothar rises and ambles to the concession table where he begins popping orderves into his mouth, three and four at a time, swallowing noisily, pulling occasional gulps of wine straight from the bottle*

[OctopusRex]

King Grumps smiles at the table manners of his new guest, Lothar, bids Bishop and Lothar to try his new cannabish fetuccini, a local delicacy of Shadoworld.

^Honorable Woodsman, Honorable Lord Daath,^ says the King...

^I thank you for answering my summons. The fate of many rest upon us, and we must prepare... But we still have one more day to rest, so eat and drink to your heart's content, and when you are finished, do join me in the harem-room, I have much to show you, and I will be needing your advice. But for now, I wish you to enjoy the refresments. I have hundreds of courtesans of every age, species, race and gender you might require.. Tomorrow, we shall speak of the reason I summoned you here... Today, enjoy my hospitality... I have the best drugs in the 3 worlds, and if you desire a psychotropic, do check in with Oswald Fiddlebender, our Royal Dealer. He has everything from Afghani Opium Paste to Crack (for the lost souls among us)... Just ask, if he doesn`t have it, he will dispatch an imp to go buy it anywhere in the multiuniverse...

Tomorrow we will speak of many things, great and small, and you will see clearly the great need for which I have summoned you.

[OctopusRex]

Lord Lothar, Lord Daath... Being the only two who answered the summons...

A fairy dragon arrives in your guest rooms to bid your presence in the warrom. King Grumps expects you.

[psilocyborg]

*wearing only a pair of tube socks and a belt of whipped cream, Lothar plus a half-dozen giggling geishas are startled from a steamy game of Twister by a fairy dragon creature with a peculiar brand of New England accent*
"Ye Gods, knock next time!" whoops Lothar as he reaches for a throw pillow to cover his quickly fading manhood.
"Oh shush yer mouth," the creature pipes through a mouthful of thoroughly masticated Bubbleyum. Pointing between Lothar's legs, she says, "You've got nothing down there I haven't seen a million times before."
Lothar blinks, incredulous.
"What?!  You ain't never seen a reptilian hooker before?  Let me tell you, this body," she says with a sultry gesture, "could turn tricks like you've never seen!  Oh, but my heyday is long over.  I'm just a lowly messenger now.  Which, by the way, is why I'm here: the King will see you now, so get washed up, get some clothes on, and get your ass downstairs.  The fate of the Multiverse hangs in the balance!"
And just as abrubtly as she entered, the fairy vixen is gone, leaving Lothar shaking his head.
"Ladies," says Lothar a moment later, "it's been a real treat, but it looks like my King needs me."  And upon waving the geishas through the door, Lothar heads to his washroom.  Moments later, he is bouncing down the stairs, garbed in fresh furs and enthusiastically humming the chorus to "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"

[OctopusRex]

The King's Warroom is a smallish chamber in a dark dungeon under the castle. The walls are made of handomely cut rock forming murals on all sides depicting terrible battle scenes from a variety of worlds. King Grumps himself is portrayed in each scene, always destroying some incredibly powerful adversary.

In the center of the chamber sits the King himself, watching a floating world, of the size of a large table. The world looks strangely like Terra, a smallish type E planet on the Milky Way, home to a pesky form of humans and various other endangered species.

Lothar sits by the King and watches the globe turn.

[Daath]

The nameless Fallen Deva enters the War Room, carrying in its arms widely smiling and apparently sleeping Bishop Daath. The former celestial being looks exasperated as it stops at the doorway.

"I'm sorry for this delay,  O Mighty King, but this guest of yours insisted on sampling every single chemical in your drug arsenal, which, as we all very well know, has both quality and quantity in gargantuan measure."

"By the Thousand and One Dark Gods", sputters a mind flayer guarding the door. "Is the fool even alive?"

At that, the old man blinks his eyes. They look as if they're seeing everything and nothing.

"It was... all. Done. In the name of science. Now... lemme down you feathery tart!"

"Not only alive, but conscious", says the Deva with an admiring smile. "A true professional."

It puts Bishop down, bows to King with celestial elegance and leaves the War Room. With considerable difficulty and hugging of his staff, Daath manages to keep a vaguely upright posture. Swaying around, he listens to King's explanations with a rapturous smile on his face, looking as if all the secrets of multiverse are being made clear to him.