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GoCeraf
Learned Scribe
147 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 05:01:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Nerfed2Hell
Communication? Easy, find a wizard who can cast the Tongues spell and offer to trade knowledge for an amulet or ring that has with permanent Tongues ability.
Money? Once I can communicate freely, I can get any old job until I find a way to make a profit from my 21st century earth knowledge.
Out of curiosity, how do you propose to find this wizard, impress him with your knowledge, negotiate with him, and then seal the deal -- all while being unable to communicate with him?
In the biz, we call that an "oh snap."
-VGCats |
Being sarcastic can be more telling than simply telling. |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 09:21:14
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| YEs and I would not look back |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 10:17:20
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quote:
Originally posted by dwarvenranger
So the portal opens right now, I have what 5 seconds? I'm still gone. My dog is almost always at my side, unless I'm in a store that doesn't allow dogs. I always have 40 feet of paracord , 2 folding knives and a lighter on me wherever I go. I would feel somewhat bad that my family wouldn't know what happened to me, but that's the breaks.
I chop wood now for my backyard fire pit, and no I don't run the heat in the house, I just put on more clothes or a blanket if I'm in bed. Sometimes I just camp in my backyard with what I have on me.
See I understand that yes, most people today could not handle a world like the Realms and I agree that it would be the death of many. I find it sad that we have become a race of sheep.
Stay safe in your pens folks. I understand that some of you cannot make the journey as you have an obligation to your family and I respect that. But not to go, just because it would be hard or you might die? To me those are not valid reasons. As for me, I would love to go hunt. Especially since unlike in this society the skill of a hunter would be celebrated instead of looked down upon.
That's a good answer. I believe you have the skills to cope in the Realms because, from what I read of your answer, your attitude is to be self-dependent.
Personally, I cook and bake my own food. (I don't trust pre-packaged food, plus the time spent preparing food and enjoying it at the dining table with candle-light and my family is time well-spent. Even having my daughter throw it across the room is better than eating some micro-waved stuff in front of the TV. Although, I don't watch TV anyway.) I can sew, chop wood, light a fire, fish and I know a few things about herbs. However, I don't use those skills that often. Mostly, I work as a scientist and as a lecturer so my main skill is talking in such a way as to pass on my knowledge.
If the portal sent me to a wizard's lab' or a temple. I'd be very happy because it would be a place to gain knowledge. Either a place to experiment, record and learn or a place to think, pray and also learn. In both cases they'd be places where I'd be expected to offer my learned opinion - which is similar to what I do now.
Similarly, if I was going with a group of friends and we knew what we were facing then I'd be happy too. If we building a village in new lands or something similar I'd enjoy that.
However, given the question. I picture landing in the middle of Waterdeep, unable to speak the language, wearing clothes that looked outlandish and carrying a few coins that meant nothing. (If currency means nothing people won't accept it.) Before the sun set, I'd be hungry. Then I'd have to consider begging, stealing or searching for scraps in the mud. The water I'd drink might not be potable.
Within a few days I would be dead.
If I landed in wilderness. Then I could fashion a weapon using stones to trim some wood. A decent quarter-staff might help. I could fish or snare game, and cook them over a fire. There might be roots too.
However, although I might live longer than in a city or town I still think I'd be dead.
Perhaps my only option would be to pray to a deity. Ask for their help. But here we come back to language again.
quote:
See for me the idea of being in a time and place where honor means something, where a man has the ability to take his own fortune and forge ahead has an undeniable appeal.
Honour means something here too! There are many who have been turned into idiots and slobs because of the consumerist lifestyle and a plethora of labour-saving devices.
Despite the differences between the Realms and our world, life is still a struggle. We want meaning and purpose and we want to live with people who share our morals and beliefs. |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
Edited by - Kiaransalyn on 22 Jan 2009 10:26:27 |
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 10:21:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
How bad ... would you feel if you inadvertently wiped out the folk of Shadowdale because they have no resistance to our common cold?
I'd feel even worse if their diseases resulted in my death. 
However, I'm not sure that the people of Shadowdale would be wiped out by my common cold as they have the advantage that some amongst them can cast Healing spells. Remove Disease should take care of the common cold, shouldn't it? |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
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Aureus
Learned Scribe
Luxembourg
125 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 11:49:15
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Perhaps, and perhaps not, everything that exists as plants or animals exists there too, I suppose you could include the diseases.
Healing spells is just for those that can pay them, a simple peasent could never ever affort any of them.
Additionally, in our world as in faerun, new versions of the same virus etc appear constanly, so even if it is gets there it shouldn´t cause more problems then any other "new" disease, and, by the way, epidemis should be relativly common (as here till the appearence of antibiotics that could be given to large parts of the population), though more local (because the disease can´t spread well in a world were the greatest parts of the popualtion almost never leaves there hometown, city, hamlet etc)
I wonder if our medecine would work there even if our gunpowder doesn´t
by the way, I hate guns, even if they worked in the realms I wouldn´t use them, they are loud, smelly and you can´t control the damage very well you do |
That is not the weirdest thing that happened to me |
Edited by - Aureus on 22 Jan 2009 11:51:11 |
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 12:23:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Aureus
Healing spells is just for those that can pay them, a simple peasent could never ever affort any of them.
I'm sure that some religions encourage their clerics and other divine casters to heal for free. I'm equally sure that evil deities would actively encourage such behaviour. After all, what better way to get converts to the faith.
"Yes sir, we all worship Bane in these here parts. It would be wrong not to after all their help with the Snot-nose. Aye," says our stereo-typical yokel, chewing a grass stalk and leaning rustically against a fence framing a perfect pastoral scene, "if it a weren't for Balthus de Bugger-Tyranny and his underlings there would be none of us left. My littlest one, she got it real bad and we were all laid up with it too. I felt like I were dying, though me wife said it were just a cold.
It all started back...hmm...it were when that stranger a-showed up. Wearing a reet fancy get-up he were. Blue trousers with holes in the knees, white shoes that didn't look like any leather and wood that neither I nor any other decent folk could recognise. He couldna do up 'is laces of 'is shoes whatever they were made of. We couldna ken any word he said. We all guessed he weren't from round these parts. All we could make out of his prating were "McDonalds." Some sort of dwarfish name, I reckon."
You're still here.
We shouldn't over-look the role that adepts could play too. With Heal as a class skill some care could be given. Add a few Cure Minor Wound spells, and taking into account what 1 hit-point would mean to a first level Commoner (1d4) and even a first level Adept could make a difference. They might not prevent many dying but they could stop a village being wiped out. It's worth bearing in mind that unlike clerics of organised religions, adepts may be quite happy being paid by barter and not by gold. Many folk in medieval society got by quite well without money. |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 12:58:17
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Well, I know language is a big deal, but if you pray to one of their gods for help they could understand you since all of them have tongues. There are clerics that also have these or similar spells and same with wizards, if they are capable. That is if they even bother to call the town cleric or mage to talk with you. If you're in the wilderness probably not going to happen. If you're in a big city looking rediculas with an ipod, laptop, pack of smokes and a coffee cup from Starbucks, you might be able to get people to barter for the watch (which people know of from Lantan and would know what a really nice watch would look like). So you could also barter that for food, shelter, or for a church to finally cast a flipping spell so people can understand you.
I'm assuming since the Realms is well known for planar beings appearing out of no where that they survived somehow. Either by someone taking them in regardless if they could understand them. Dancing with Wolves, if you ever saw the movie, is a prime example of new people meeting each other. Granted they didn't trust him at first, but who does? I think someone would eventually take pity on you either from a goodly church or a wizardly fellow just to learn where you come from. Eventually teaching you the common tongue, but here is the question I present.
If it is so hard to be understood if this happened, how is there any planar travel at all?
Not every person/being has the spell tongues casted on them and technically common for Faerun would not be common for Dragonlance, Dark Sun, Eberron, etc. So every world would have totally different languages completely alien to another world.
As for I wanting to go to a flithy world with wierd alien gods, more then many creatures capable of enslaving or killing me (or both), and people with the power of magic that can do god knows what to me, I think I'll have to pass. I'd rather live in a world where the greatest chance of something wiping out a whole city in the blink of an eye is a nuke, not a group of intellectuals having a bad day (or just crazy). |
Edited by - Ghost King on 22 Jan 2009 12:59:48 |
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Zapato
Acolyte
Netherlands
38 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 13:16:57
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There are just a lot of things you'd need to take into account...First of all physical/mental power is mutch more important there then it is here (instead of education/character). I'd figure that I'll get eaten alive within a week 
Plus that the idea of good and evil is kinda black and white in a lot of cases in the realms...like the idea of people going to hell for eternity etc. So I'm not sure if I agree on that...
But if a portal DID open up in front of me I'd take the shot. Who knows...I might become a mighty and powerfull hero  |
"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women."
-Conan the barbarian on what is best in life |
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Bakra
Senior Scribe
628 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 13:29:58
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Kiaransalyn, I agree with Ghost King about deities ignoring the language barrier. The only problem I see is they might respond. ;)
Now would I go? Would my sense of adventure override my sense of survival? I would Hope for the best & be prepared for the worse, then step through the portal.
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I hope Candlekeep continues to be the friendly forum of fellow Realms-lovers that it has always been, as we all go through this together. If you don’t want to move to the “new” Realms, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either you or the “old” Realms. Goodness knows Candlekeep, and the hearts of its scribes, are both big enough to accommodate both. If we want them to be.
(Strikes dramatic pose, raises sword to gleam in the sunset, and hopes breeches won’t fall down.)
Enough for now. The Realms lives! I have spoken! Ale and light wines half price, served by a smiling Storm Silverhand fetchingly clad in thigh-high boots and naught else! Ahem . .
So saith Ed. <snip>
love to all,
THO
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 13:30:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Ghost King
Well, I know language is a big deal, but if you pray to one of their gods for help they could understand you since all of them have tongues.
Assuming you said their names or one of their titles correctly. I could pray to Kiaransalee but what if the consonants in her name were actually voiced, and the folks in the Realms pray to Giaranzalee. A real word example is the difference between Xocolatl and chocolate.
Deities will only notice you if you say their names or their titles correctly.
quote:
Originally posted by Ghost King
Dancing with Wolves, if you ever saw the movie, is a prime example of new people meeting each other. Granted they didn't trust him at first, but who does? I think someone would eventually take pity on you either from a goodly church or a wizardly fellow just to learn where you come from.
That's a good example. however, in Dances with Wolves, Kevin Costner's character was capable of fending for himself. Although he met a new culture and in time they understood one another he wasn't suddenly thrust through, or chose to jump through, a portal to a whole new world.
If I fly to Japan tomorrow, I wouldn't understand the writing or the language but knowing I was going to Japan I would take Yen. And even if I had only Euros I could still stand a good chance of getting by. Of course, I'd probably just use a card.
However, if I stayed where I was but travelled back in time a thousand years I would probably be in trouble. My money wouldn't work and the language would be different. Hopefully the pictures used on the signs hanging on buildings would actually correspond to the business that went on inside. Then again just because a house has a sign of a cat doesn't mean it sells an effective solution for rodents.
I think the main problem is that the culture of the Realms is based on medieval Europe. So the question is how would we cope in medieval Europe. Although the Realms have magic and powerful characters these people are rare. The vast majority of people in medieval England would never have seen high-ranking nobility or clergy. |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
Edited by - Kiaransalyn on 22 Jan 2009 13:33:11 |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 13:42:18
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| I wouldn't cause I wrestle,a nd in our world, wrestling is fake. In the realms, I would get mauled by a Minotaur in a gladiator arena. |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Apex
Learned Scribe
USA
229 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 13:54:23
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Interesting question. The easy answer is no, I have a wife and toddler and would never even think of leaving them. Also, I wear contacts, which would be a huge issue (even assuming I had my glasses on, still a big problem).
Now, let's assume that this happened before I met the wife and that I had already had lasik (and that this was the 2nd edition realms). The answer then becomes a little more complicated. While I would worry about disease and what not (I think we would have to assume you knew where the gate was going to take you, as I doubt anyone here would step through into the middle of Anauroch or the Great Glacier), I think my knowledge set could quickly prove very valuable (and I am talking real knowledge, not Realmslore). Here's a quick list of what most of us could bring:
1) crop rotation/cross pollinating to increase yields/fertilizer (this is simply stuff that would instantly turn any farm very profitable)
2) simple engineering (ie water towers/plumbing/steam power/concrete/and if I had 10 minutes I could print off instructions on how to make electricity from hydro or wind)
3) Production techniques (assembly line/scientific management/logistics)
4) health/safety (sanitary food preparation/washing hands and
stuff/water purification/strength training/etc)
5) General product improvements (rubber tires/shocks/oil distillation/bows with pulleys/insulation/fire safety/finance and banking (fractional reserve lending)/etc)
I think those things alone would make someone in the right situation (entering into a city and being able to converse) very valuable almost immediately. Throw in person specific knowledge (think auto mechanic, civil engineer, chemist, doctor, etc) and you could be very successful indeed. Still though, I think with magic being too much of a factor (and realistically you aren't going to learn it quickly), I would still stay home. |
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Oriac
Acolyte
22 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 15:25:01
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| Is the blue fire gone? I wouldn't want to get consumed in a freakish accident as soon as I arrived. |
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Bakra
Senior Scribe
628 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 16:22:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Oriac
Is the blue fire gone? I wouldn't want to get consumed in a freakish accident as soon as I arrived.
I’m sure it would a be a safe arrival into the Realms. What happens a few hours after you arrive are another matter entirely; but’ I’m sure it would be adventurous and not a total disaster. Let’s go back to the original question , “If a portal opened-up in front of you, and you could just step through into the Realms... would you?” This portal specifically opened up in front of you and you KNOW it goes into the Realms. He didn’t say the portal opens in front of you and on the other side you see a familiar sight (Selune in the night sky or the city of Waterdeep looking like it does on the book) Nor did it state a portal opens in front of you and it can take you anywhere in the Multiverse, and you can choose the Realms or stay at home.
I’m not a sage on planar mechanics, but I am quite sure if a strange portal pops up near a average person the destination is usually Unknown. Most planar travelers would have to do research in order to find the correct key that goes to a particular portal which happens to take them where they would want to go. This one targets a person who is aware of the world of Toril and portals either through gaming or the novels. And once open, gives the person the knowledge that they will arrive in the Realms.
Anybody want to change their answers now?
I have waaay too much time at work at the moment.
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I hope Candlekeep continues to be the friendly forum of fellow Realms-lovers that it has always been, as we all go through this together. If you don’t want to move to the “new” Realms, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either you or the “old” Realms. Goodness knows Candlekeep, and the hearts of its scribes, are both big enough to accommodate both. If we want them to be.
(Strikes dramatic pose, raises sword to gleam in the sunset, and hopes breeches won’t fall down.)
Enough for now. The Realms lives! I have spoken! Ale and light wines half price, served by a smiling Storm Silverhand fetchingly clad in thigh-high boots and naught else! Ahem . .
So saith Ed. <snip>
love to all,
THO
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 16:58:04
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Since you word it that way you could also have the hypothesis that you will be understood or were chosen for a purpose to go to the Realms. Which in point would be given some sort of means to survive at least the first day. Question would be is it a benevolent or malevolent power bringing you to the Realms? If of course, it is the way Bakura has brought up that the portal is designed to bring people through that know of it. Otherwise why design a portal to bring someone to the Realms just to watch you bumble around like an idiot for a couple of hours for chuckles. Of course if it is a trickster deity doing it I could see that happening. :-P
Anyways, if the portal opened, I knew it was the Realms, knew on the other side I'd be able to at least speak with most people, and I'd have a reasonable chance of survival--then yes I would walk through. Just to see what it was like and probably after running for my life on numerous occassions would wonder what the hell I was thinking when I walked through a portal to the Realms. ;) |
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Oriac
Acolyte
22 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 17:27:55
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| I think I would, especially if I had time to devote myself to a deity because some of their afterlifes sound not too shabby, because I would probably end up dying very swiftly. |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
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malchor7
Seeker
62 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 18:18:15
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The preceeding discussion seems to assume that going to the Realms would be just you--as you are--without any new abilities that are *awakened*.
What's to say that you aren't a powerful sorcerer right now, but your powers don't work in our world--in much the same way guns cease functioning when you step into Realmspace?
What if--the instant you step through that gate--your power comes back and you're slinging spells with the best of 'em?
Of course, that makes you a target for all the big baddies who wouldn't have noticed you otherwise (Zhents, Thay, Shades, etc). But no nevermind. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 18:50:48
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quote:
Originally posted by dwarvenranger
First, Markus you don't know me so to call me a liar is uncalled for. I know it was not intended to be an insult, but I meant what I said, when I said I'd go.
Okay, I'm sorry if you took affront to that.
MOST normal folks have friends and family they wouldn't just leave behind for a life of adventure. I didn't realize we had both a survivalist and a loner on these boards - my apologies.
No insult intended - I too am a fan of Thoreau and Emerson, and I too feel the 'trappings' of the modern world are a form of socially degenerative disease, but I'm also a realist who knows he wouldn't stand a chance living in the Realms (or even the RW dark Ages, for that matter). I like buying my groceries from the supermarket - crap though they may be - and even though I have an extensive garden myself. If I were forced to live in the Realms, I'd probably become a Druid - THAT is my nature (and I'm not a Greenpeace activist or anything - I tend not to be an extremist in any of my beliefs).
I don't like guns, but I can shoot one okay... but that would be of NO help anyway. I'm damned good with a bow, but I still could never hunt - I refuse to kill ANYTHING - Yes... I'm the type of guy who 'shoes' bees out windows rather then squashing them. Obviously, living in a world where you had to to live by your sword isn't for me. However, I can become violent when necessary (defending my own), so I'm no slouch either - there is a time and place when physical confontation does unfortunately become the only option (and on those rare occassions, I've aquited myself rather well, IMHO).
Plus, I would never leave my kids. I would consider shoving my ex-wife through, though. 
Edit: just realized religion would also become a major snafu... I don't think I could handle gods walking around (plus it would wreak havoc with many of my own beliefs). |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 22 Jan 2009 18:54:06 |
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Aureus
Learned Scribe
Luxembourg
125 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 19:19:34
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I'm ready to assume the portal opens somewhere on the prime material and that I can see through it and thus know if I could survive in the new environment, if walking through it something like instant death (or in a few days), it wouldn't make sense to walk through (you can't adventure when you are dead)
But if the portal would leave me close to waterdeep, silverymoon or somethink alike, I'd take my chances
And, by the wy, Faerun isn't really more dangerous than Earth if I think about how many times I nearly died here (I'm not joking, I had 3 motorcycle accidents, the other smaller things are not even worth mentioning and I'm not activly looking for danger, you know) |
That is not the weirdest thing that happened to me |
Edited by - Aureus on 22 Jan 2009 21:28:24 |
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ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
Learned Scribe
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 19:26:17
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Alright, just for the sake of speculation, if leaving my friends and family were not an issue, I still don't think I would feel completely ready to handle going to Toril. I am studying to be a doctor right now, but I'm only a college freshman, so I only know the basics. It would still be useful information, but not enough for me to make a living off of it. If I were to appear in the wilderness, I would probably be okay with finding shelter and avoiding hazards, but I would have a hard time getting food. The language issue has been pretty well explored at this point, and I would probably have a hard time communicating. My only problem with religion would be being torn between my love of knowledge and my love for nature. I would have a difficult time deciding whether I would want to join the druids or the clergy of Oghma or Deneir.
And I don't think there would be too many gods walking around unless you teleported in during the ToT. It seems to me that, except for certain exceptional people in Faerun, the gods are nearly as elusive as any of the gods worshipped on our world. |
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Nerfed2Hell
Senior Scribe
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 19:55:26
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quote:
Originally posted by GoCeraf
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Nerfed2Hell
Communication? Easy, find a wizard who can cast the Tongues spell and offer to trade knowledge for an amulet or ring that has with permanent Tongues ability.
Money? Once I can communicate freely, I can get any old job until I find a way to make a profit from my 21st century earth knowledge.
Out of curiosity, how do you propose to find this wizard, impress him with your knowledge, negotiate with him, and then seal the deal -- all while being unable to communicate with him?
In the biz, we call that an "oh snap."
-VGCats
Pffft. Allow me the opportunity to snap back.
While I'm not especially knowledgable of magic, I can demonstrate advanced knowledge without using language. Its just a matter of finding someone who looks like he can help me back... knowing what I do of the Realms, I think I could identify a wizard. Failing that, though, I would seek out anyone (or place) bearing the mark of Denier... and then start drawing symbols in the dirt with a stick, words at first (presumably in letters they've never seen before) asking for help and then mathmatical equations to show I'm not some mere simpleton.
It might look like nonsense at first glance, but a learned individual would take an interest. All it takes is one willing to use comprehend languages to get me started. Once I can get communicating, I can start explaining who I am, where I come from, and what I have to offer (in knowledge) to trade for some magical assistance. Compared to a typical native of Faerun, I'm full of practical knowledge and skills. |
Some people are like a slinky... not good for much, but when you push them down the stairs, it makes you smile. |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 21:14:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Nerfed2Hell
and then mathmatical equations to show I'm not some mere simpleton.
Your mathematical equations would look like chicken scratch to people who don't use Arabic numerals or the same mathematical symbols we use.
There are ways you could get around that, I suppose. If you put four dots in one group, drew a plus sign, three dots, an equal sign, and then four dots, an educated person would probably be able to grasp what you meant by the plus and the equal sign. Would he conclude from your mastery of basic arithmetic that you were someone to whom he should listen? Or would he call the watch to have you arrested? Do powerful people in any world allow themselves to be accosted in the street by strangers babbling in a strange tongue?
The whole thought experiment is pretty fanciful, but I think the people who say they would go are being very optimistic and relying rather heavily on luck to keep them alive.
Before I get transported anywhere, I want to know that I will have at least the same chance as a first level PC. I'd also like to know who's DMing.
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Erskine Fincher
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/index.php |
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Aureus
Learned Scribe
Luxembourg
125 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 21:31:54
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| Hopfully Ed |
That is not the weirdest thing that happened to me |
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ErskineF
Learned Scribe
USA
330 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 22:08:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Aureus
Hopfully Ed
So there would be scads of sexually aggressive women, and a kindly wizard to pull my fat out of the fire when I get into trouble?
Forget the kids, I'm gone.
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Erskine Fincher
http://forgotten-realms.wandering-dwarf.com/index.php |
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Aureus
Learned Scribe
Luxembourg
125 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 22:30:34
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| I'm in, definatly, I'm in |
That is not the weirdest thing that happened to me |
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GoCeraf
Learned Scribe
147 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 23:27:20
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quote:
Originally posted by ErskineF
quote:
Originally posted by Nerfed2Hell
and then mathmatical equations to show I'm not some mere simpleton.
Your mathematical equations would look like chicken scratch to people who don't use Arabic numerals or the same mathematical symbols we use.
There are ways you could get around that, I suppose. If you put four dots in one group, drew a plus sign, three dots, an equal sign, and then four dots, an educated person would probably be able to grasp what you meant by the plus and the equal sign. Would he conclude from your mastery of basic arithmetic that you were someone to whom he should listen? Or would he call the watch to have you arrested? Do powerful people in any world allow themselves to be accosted in the street by strangers babbling in a strange tongue?
The whole thought experiment is pretty fanciful, but I think the people who say they would go are being very optimistic and relying rather heavily on luck to keep them alive.
Before I get transported anywhere, I want to know that I will have at least the same chance as a first level PC. I'd also like to know who's DMing.
4 + 3 = 4...
They might get confused.
I dunno. I've got good friends on this side. I've got a good life, I'm getting a good education, and I'm pretty smart even for an Earthling (no bragging intended).
I'd have a good bit going for me if I went, though. I'd probably be a rogue, maybe a fighter, to metagame the situation. The language barrier would be a pain, but Realms dwellers deal with that barrier all the time. I can point at myself and say "Wolfram," and gesture to someone to get their name, perhaps.
I suspect that I'm in a better state of health than the average Toril commoner. Better teeth, too.
Ooh, that's where I draw the line. They don't mention it in the novels, but I bet most Realms dwellers have nappy grills. Maybe not, then. That, and I'm a little on the smallish side. Orc hordes, nasties of every shade, I doubt I'd make it through.
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Being sarcastic can be more telling than simply telling. |
Edited by - GoCeraf on 22 Jan 2009 23:29:08 |
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Ghost King
Learned Scribe
USA
253 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 23:29:05
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quote:
Originally posted by ErskineF
Perhaps the reason the portal appeared is because someone cast a Summon Monster spell.
*Chuckles* Very true. Instead of a celestial badger it hiccuped in a wild magic zone and there you go.
quote:
Originally posted by ErskineF
quote:
Originally posted by Aureus
Hopfully Ed
So there would be scads of sexually aggressive women, and a kindly wizard to pull my fat out of the fire when I get into trouble?
Forget the kids, I'm gone.
I second this. With a second helping of sexually aggressive women and a third...fourth...(you get the idea). |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 23:54:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Nerfed2Hell
Pffft. Allow me the opportunity to snap back.
While I'm not especially knowledgable of magic, I can demonstrate advanced knowledge without using language. Its just a matter of finding someone who looks like he can help me back... knowing what I do of the Realms, I think I could identify a wizard. Failing that, though, I would seek out anyone (or place) bearing the mark of Denier... and then start drawing symbols in the dirt with a stick, words at first (presumably in letters they've never seen before) asking for help and then mathmatical equations to show I'm not some mere simpleton.
It might look like nonsense at first glance, but a learned individual would take an interest. All it takes is one willing to use comprehend languages to get me started. Once I can get communicating, I can start explaining who I am, where I come from, and what I have to offer (in knowledge) to trade for some magical assistance. Compared to a typical native of Faerun, I'm full of practical knowledge and skills.
How would you identify a wizard, if there weren't any wandering around in robes? What if you were in a small town with no wizards, or at least none friendly? What if you popped up in Thay or Zhentil Keep?
And honestly, what if writing down math didn't do it, or there weren't any Deneirans handy? I know I'm not going to be impressed if someone walks up to me and starts doing math, even if it's something I don't know like vector calculus, and I'm certainly not going to interpret it as an attempt to track down someone else... |
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Afetbinttuzani
Senior Scribe
Canada
434 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2009 : 23:55:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
How bad ... would you feel if you inadvertently wiped out the folk of Shadowdale because they have no resistance to our common cold?
I'd feel even worse if their diseases resulted in my death.
However, I'm not sure that the people of Shadowdale would be wiped out by my common cold as they have the advantage that some amongst them can cast Healing spells. Remove Disease should take care of the common cold, shouldn't it?
Actually, their principle advantage would be genetic. If Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies, is to be believed, people in the Realms would not be terribly vulnerable to disease because of many centuries of living with large animals. If you add to this the constant interaction and even cross-breading between many different races and species, chances are that they would be far hardier than us. We would be likely be the ones catching some nasty disease and dying in a few short days or weeks. |
Afet bint Tuzaní
"As the good Archmage often admonishes me, I ought not to let my mind wander, as it's too small to go off by itself."
- Danilo Thann in Elfsong by Elaine Cunningham |
Edited by - Afetbinttuzani on 23 Jan 2009 00:23:23 |
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Would you go to the Realms if you could?
