Angstspawn's page

Dear Liz,

I just saw you locked a thread because it's "advocating for violence against people and religious groups has no place on Paizo's forums".

It's true, it could be advocated that this thread was about using violence against people and a religious group. Lets be even more precise, that thread was for some posts arguing about killing human being belonging to DAESH; DAESH masquerading itself as a Muslim, therefore as a religious, group.

I do agree writing about killing humans is, at least, bad if not evil. And therefore can't be tolerated. I've no doubt you think you do your job right, but were you understanding what this thread was really about? I don't say were you reading it, I'm sure you did, I'm saying understanding.

DAESH is a group that define itself as religious. A group that (besides occasional international terrorist acts) is abducting an killing minorities, selling people as slaves (boys & girls age 1 to 9 yo for $165), harvesting organs from people they kill to sell them, raping and transforming women not sharing their belief in sex-slaves and supporting the wedding with 13 yo girls. I won't mention burning war prisoners alive, mass executions and beheadings.
Even Al-Qaida (an organization well-known for its kind heart and gentleness) consider them too extreme!

A religious group? It depends on what you consider a religion is. Muslim? Not if you consider the Muslim world and scholars see them as an abomination. And most probably now, because of them Muslims are shunned when not discriminated all over the world.

Of course it's not to Paizo to solve DAESH problem and, definitely your everyday's life is not much disturbed by them. I've no doubt you do your job and, can't do anything against it. I could be ironical mentioning the people driving the Jews to extermination camps were arguing the same, but it'd be mean.

So, back to my introduction words, I do agree that wishing people death is bad and ugly. But I'm telling you, I wish these people dead, and the thread you locked was just about how appropriate or inappropriate various reactions could be as a real and definitive solution. And people were offering a broad range of solutions, not only bombings.
As you read, I wished DAESH eradication. As you do you job well I've no doubt you will inform the competent authorities that someone in your forum is supporting not only violence against terrorists but their death. If your justice wants to hear about it, I will surrender myself. It'll be my pride!

Now, you know that many people (men, women, children) you never heard about suffer everyday a hell they don't deserve. What is your message to them, "Please don't scream to loud, you're disturbing my work?"
There's another way to support evil, without doing anything, it's closing your eyes or sometime closing threads.

Best regards,
Guy

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Killing minorities:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/19/iraq-isis-abducting-killing-expelling-m inorities)
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Extortion:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/19/world/middleeast/isis-finance s.html?_r=1
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Slavery:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-03/sex-slaves-sold-by-islami c-state-the-younger-the-better
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Organs harvesting:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2958220/UN-urged-investigate-ISIS-s -bloody-trade-human-organs-Iraqi-ambassador-reveals-doctors-executed-not-ha rvesting-body-parts.html

Lets assume a ruling LG decides to end the world and take to heaven most souls. Forbidding suicide in his ethos he gave to his most faithful followers and paladins the order to kill all the population, especially the sinless ones.

1. How should paladins of that deity react?
2. Accepting the order, would paladins keep their status and alignment?
3. If some paladins refuse, can they still be paladin?
4. If paladins refusing loose their status, what should be their new alignment?

I find quite interesting to compare the film ratings given to the movie 50 Shades of Grey according to the countries it was released in, as it might underline how culturally different we are inside "Western world".
Not discussing the quality of books or adaptation, I observe this (very) soft erotica movie is restricted to 17+ yo in the US, to 15+ in Australia, to 18+ in the UK, to 18+ in Canada (but to 16+ in Quebec), and to 12+ in France!

Quite often people use religion to explain prudishness but I'm surprised to observe that you could paint nude bodies on churches walls five hundred years ago while you can't post the same on Facebook today.
So is it really a matter of religion? Is Quebec so culturally different from Ontario to justify a difference? Is our body representations so different depending on our passport?

Like many people all around the world I saw images of police violence, I heard or read about American policemen shooting teenagers or children, and I'm puzzled. I don't judge but try to understand.

From abroad it seems to me some policemen act like an occupation army's soldiers: "I identify a potential threat in a hostile zone, being the most likely target in the area, no caring much as these people are not mine (if not openly my enemy), I shot. If I was right I saved my life, if I was wrong this violent behavior will intimidate locals. Last but not least, as I'm in a warzone I'm protected and won't be prosecuted as long as I'm not committing a war crime (rape, mass slaughter, etc...)".

On the other hand I always thought the job of police was to bring suspects to justice or die trying. Which means you can be killed because you don't shoot first.
It's more difficult (and sometime more dangerous) but the main difference with the soldier is that you operate in your own country and, logically, among the people you create a nation with.
Besides, if you're afraid to be the target of criminals, you can always choose another profession.

To those who know American police and policemen I've the following questions:
- Why it seems the few policemen using excessive violence are covered and not sanctioned (even "just" fired)?
- Why policemen shoot so quickly? Considering only force will solve the problem.
- Is it that these policemen are fearful or that they want to enforce a morale or a concept of society of their own?
- Does killing someone as a policeman improves your image among your colleagues?

Like many I saw the official trailer of the upcoming Star Wars movie, like many I have (too) high expectations and I'm afraid to revive the awful experience of Episode I...

In the trailer everything seems great, everything but this new lightsaber concept. J. J. Abrams is very creative but sometimes "less is more" and I'm afraid this new lightsaber is much too much.
I know you have to trust the movie director the way you trust your DM, but I'm afraid that J. J. Abrams will fail the Sith the same way he failed Khan, making them more visual while removing all substance from them.

I wish I'm wrong, I wish you'll convince me, I wish I won't be disappointed next year by Episode VII.

Pathfinder rulebook was released in 2009, so what about a revised edition in 2014??
Offering full compatibility with already existing products, I don't think there'll be a need for big changes but definitely some improvement would be useful.

IT MIGHT INCLUDE:
- a better balance between the classical races (10RP for all, no less no more);
- keeping only Good, Neutral and Evil for alignment (getting, officially, rid of Lawful and Chaotic);
- introducing synergy bonus for skills;
- redefining and adding a few more skills to replace the blurry Profession skill;
- development of craft and masterwork items (to "create" a broad category in between normal and magical items);
- rethinking the concept of exotic weapons (removing from that category, but not from rules, any weapon offering nothing significantly better than an existing martial weapon could);
- introducing a few new rules improvement like "the ultimatum" (as developed on Paizo forum);

- some new illustrations (in addition or instead of existing ones);
- a book also available as a leather bound collector edition,

Anything else??...

Would it be possible to have a nicely designed, detailed, expanded and balanced supplement about races from a player perspective? I'd say a book offering a lot of new races, with for each a presentation (including size and age generation; quite like in the rulebook) and customization options (like in the Advanced Player's) including the possibility to generate half-breeds.

Maybe some environmental feats, specific prestige classes and equipment pieces would complete it perfectly...
This would definitely offer more options to players and a little help to GM to handle it.