As A D&D Character...

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Fighter/Wizard (3rd/2nd Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-13

Dexterity-16

Constitution-11

Intelligence-16

Wisdom-15

Charisma-13


Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Primary Class:
Fighters can be many things, from soldiers to criminal enforcers. Some see adventure as a way to get rich, while others use their skills to protect the innocent. Fighters have the best all-around fighting capabilities of the PC classes, and they are trained to use all standard weapons and armor. A fighter's rigorous martial training grants him many bonus feats as he progresses, and high-level fighters have access to special melee maneuvers and exotic weapons not available to any other character.


Secondary Class:
Wizards are arcane spellcasters who depend on intensive study to create their magic. To wizards, magic is not a talent but a difficult, rewarding art. When they are prepared for battle, wizards can use their spells to devastating effect. When caught by surprise, they are vulnerable. The wizard's strength is her spells, everything else is secondary. She learns new spells as she experiments and grows in experience, and she can also learn them from other wizards. In addition, over time a wizard learns to manipulate her spells so they go farther, work better, or are improved in some other way. A wizard can call a familiar- a small, magical, animal companion that serves her. With a high Intelligence, wizards are capable of casting very high levels of spells.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

A Cake That Will Exterminate You!

This is an incredible cake made by a Whovian:

For more pictures and video, see: Daleks and Birthdays

Does Anyone Else See A Conflict Here?

I saw this at Wal-Mart today:

Go ahead! You ARE the birthday boy. Beat the crap out of Elmo!

If You Live in LA...

I suggest seeing this. It looks tremendously twisted.



Playing at the New Beverly theater Aug. 19-25 (6:30 pm and 9 pm showings.)

Smile for the Day

This could be trouble!

It's a Wonderful Strife

This is a brilliant short film by Fry & Laurie, spoofing Rupert Murdoch with Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."

I post it here as a warning to those who have read about Murdoch's recent "reticent" admissions about his papers.

(found via Roger Ebert's Sun Times blog)

Heaven, Hell and Working Together

I hate spam. And as spam, I mean any unwanted email - from ads for Viagra to jokes with "FW: FW: FW:..." in the subject line.* I tend to click "DELETE" first thing before looking through my legitimate mail. 

But last week, I happened to open this one from my parents:

A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,  "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like." The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew,  which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, "You have seen Hell." They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here all the people were well-nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand." "It is simple," said the Lord. "It requires but one skill. "You see, they have learned to feed each other. The greedy think only of themselves."

It's a simple tale about working together for the common good of man framed in a religious context of a wise man speaking to God. And it makes me think of Republicans - the party most associated with Christian values - and their stance on entitlement and social programs which assist the poor and elderly.

They want to stand behind the "teachings" of the Bible when it comes to restricting other people (like in the case of marriage equality) but can't seem to remember the lessons Jesus taught about helping to take care of their fellow man (when it comes to issues like healthcare.)  

Whenever I think of this, I'm reminded of one of my favorite scenes from Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing" where President Bartlet confronts a Conservative talk show host:

What do you think, America?

Isn't it about time to stop hand-picking philosophies to follow that only benefit ourselves and start doing the right thing for everyone?

* A recent report from Symantec stated 90 percent of email is spam and causes a good portion of Internet bandwidth usage (i.e. slowdown.)