Doing good (exalted) things [Archive] - Wizards Community

Doing good (exalted) things [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sander_Kaa
02-26-07, 08:19 AM Hi everybody,

Last sunday my group started a new campaign. I'm playing after 2 years DM'ing. I've decided to play a VoP Druid. You'll find my background in this topic: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=785673.

Because of the fact I'm playing an exalted human character I want to give all good things to the Flaeness (Greyhawk it is we're playing in). In this topic I'' write down good thing (IMO) my character, Spink, did.

Bringing gold to the Temple of Pelor in the town Daggerfalls (near Highfolk), all collected in the battles with the forces of Iuz. I asked to give it to the people who need it most.

Casting a couple of Plant Growth spells to help local farmers to regrow their vegetables after a couple of Drow raids

We also found a couple of died Drow bodies in a dungeon entry. I insisted to bury them. Is this just stupid or is this how an exalted character should be?

thanks for reading!

Sander
Romtos
02-26-07, 01:52 PM We also found a couple of died Drow bodies in a dungeon entry. I insisted to bury them. Is this just stupid or is this how an exalted character should be?

You're exalted. You're over-the-top anyway. It's better to be a little too much exalted (which is almost impossible) than being too 'normal good'. :)
DaidojiTaidoru
02-26-07, 01:58 PM We also found a couple of died Drow bodies in a dungeon entry. I insisted to bury them. Is this just stupid or is this how an exalted character should be?

Yes.

You're Exalted. It's your duty to be dumb.

Edit: Admittedly the only reason this is stupid is because you're burying them. Cremation is definatly the correct way of handling bodies. Much harder to raise.
claypigeons
02-26-07, 02:35 PM You're Exaulted.

No s/he's not. They are exalted. Exalted.

The word as listed half a dozen times on this page, and you still managed to spell it incorrectly...
DaidojiTaidoru
02-26-07, 02:42 PM No s/he's not. They are exalted. Exalted.

The word as listed half a dozen times on this page, and you still managed to spell it incorrectly...

:pbbbtt:
claypigeons
02-26-07, 02:59 PM :pbbbtt:

:tongue:
mcnoo
02-26-07, 04:15 PM Your goodness should show no limits. At any opportunity to help the helpless or slay evildoers you should be charging in blazing with keenness and vigor.
If you find helpless evildoers, convert them, then kill them, just to be double sure you've done the right thing.
High Octane
02-26-07, 04:20 PM Exalted is annoyingly good. The type of character whose insistance on morals and acting perfect make paladins want to break their code of conduct all over them.

Insisting on burial or otherwise honoring dead people is in character for a exalted. Hell its pretty mild. An Exalted character who insisted they speak with dead, find the families of the Drow, and give them gold and other forms of charity for their loss including group hugs and therapy wouldn't be over the top for an exalted character.
mcnoo
02-26-07, 04:22 PM Speak with dead!
You monster!
They shall be left to rest in peace!
You are evil and I shall bring you to justice!

Good old exalted lunacy.
Callista
02-26-07, 04:42 PM Okay, Exalted is NOT dumb. In fact, an Exalted character should probably have at least INT 12 in order to solve the moral dilemmas that come with being Exalted.

In fact, since you're a PC, and you're Exalted, you have a great deal of power to help others. That Plant Growth spell? Very small expenditure for you--a livelihood to the people you cast it for. That sort of thing is what your character should always be looking for; and as an Exalted character, he should be rather happy that he's got opportunities like this. If he's got any Charisma score at all, he should have quite a lot of friends in quite a lot of places.

However, Exalted PCs with a tendency towards pride and the wisdom to detect that tendency may do good deeds secretly. Additionally, rogues and other chaotic types may like the challenge of doing things secretly--and then hiding, under cover of Invisibility, to see the results! (This is also an option for low-CHA Exalted folk, whose good deeds may go awry if they open their mouths at the wrong time!)

Those sorts of things--the random things you can do to make people's lives a little better--are the Exalted character's recreation, the things he does that make him feel better when the big battle against the insurmountable odds seems unwinnable. Exalted characters aren't stuck-up... plain-vanilla Good ones may be; but Exalted characters don't tend towards thinking themselves better than others, or at least actively combat those tendencies in themselves. All in all, an Exalted character allowed to help others, and successful at doing it, is a pretty happy person. That's what he lives for, what motivates him.

(Not that Exalted characters can't be depressed or broody or downright suicidal.... the chaotics, especially, can easly react this way to failure at defeating the bad guys, or being unable to prevent something evil. Lawfuls tend to break rather than bend... crusade for a long time, then all the pent-up anger and disappointment comes out in a rather sudden breakdown. This is why your Exalted character needs the 'therapy' of doing small Good things--it keeps him sane!)

Burying bodies of enemies? Yes, that would be fine for any exalted character. It's more of a Lawful than a Good thing; but your character, being very Good-aligned, probably also counts the distress of whoever finds the bodies, the chance of undead being created from unburied dead (either "naturally" or by someone who happens to find the dead), possible distress from family or friends of the dead upon finding them half-rotted on a battleground. Little things like that, an exalted character would think about.

However, it's not necessary that your Exalted character buries the dead. Chaotics, being of the opinion that the body isn't the person, might see no need to perpetrate the myth of the body's importance. (Druids, especially, might want the bodies to go back to nature, unburied.) A cleric or paladin (or another religious type of character) might simply say a prayer over the bodies, so that the spirits find peace. A mage might incinerate the bodies rather than bury them.

On the other hand, an Exalted character with a more retributive spirit might believe that evil enemies should be left as they are, to serve as a warning to anyone else who might follow their ways. He might actually use a spell such as Flesh to Stone to preserve the bodies.

Many Exalted characters, if they had a reason to believe the enemy had family or friends (if the enemy belonged to a social species for example), would not remove identifying items from the bodies, such as a unique piece of jewelry or a signet ring. Not knowing the fate of a loved one, even an evil loved one, could cause distress.
Callista
02-26-07, 05:41 PM Double post. Last one was long enough anyway.

OK, I just read your character post. Interesting. Your backstory doesn't tell me he's any more than TN, though; I guess being Good aligned comes naturally to him. Flesh out the backstory a bit--how come he cares so much about doing good, rather than caring primarily about nature, as most druids do? Who taught him, and what are they like? (I know some people like to start with basic backstories and let their DMs fill them in, or else see where the character goes and then put more bits of history into the backstory.)

Seriously, read your Druid's spell list... a great number of those can be put to great use for your basic farmer or hunter or whoever else you happen to encounter. Also, I see you have VoP--what's to keep you from sponsoring a farming community or ten with the profit you're making as an adventurer? Of course your DM will attack the community; but then there's a plot hook in it for you.

Also, if you're the scholarly type, you can sponsor a college of biology or animal husbandry, maybe even genetics, for breeding, hybridization... magical farming methods... basically a place where you can learn to be an Expert in farming. Eventually new methods, technology, and magic should come out of the place, making the farmers' lives easier in general. Whether that's something you do now, or wait 'til retirement to do, is up to you.
freeholder
02-26-07, 07:12 PM Would killing other exalted characters to rid the other PCs of them be acceptable.
High Octane
02-27-07, 02:57 AM Would killing other exalted characters to rid the other PCs of them be acceptable.

Only after you give them the oppurtunity to show how annoying they can be.
Sander_Kaa
02-27-07, 04:23 AM At first I want to say "Thank you"!" for all your replies.

Speak with dead/ bury/ cremation: I definately don't want to disturb the dead ones. So speak with dead is not the first option I would do. Only when I tend to know the dead person knows information which I need for the good sake. I wanted to bury them to honor them, I now see this might be more lawful.

Prisoners: When I find neutral drow I definately try to redeem them. Evil ones will be killed I have to admit, but not if helpless or if they surrender. Making an arrangement with a temple about taking prisoners sounds good. Thanks for the hint!

Sponsoring: I've choosen Vow of Poverty indeed! In the first session my character was introduces as an old, skinny man with a wagon full of stuff. All the stuff (about 8.000 goldpieces and various expensive armors, weapons etc. wich I collected after some battles with forces of Iuz) I donated to Pelor. But instead donating it to a community, scholarship or whatever sounds awesome!

Intelligence/ Charisma: My INT is 12, my CHA 10. To help with moral dilemma's and stuff I have choose the spell "Path of the Exalted". My god will help me with deciding things. I will use this spell daily to stay on the "path". Because I'm not that charismatic I do good thing in secret. For example: I used the spell Plant growth during the early early morning, assuring nobody saw me. I'm not proud to be Exalted, it's just normal to donate all I earn to the ones who need it most. Furthermore, my PC is not too selfconfident (as a result happening earlier in my life, see character background link).

Alignment: I'm neutral good indeed. Besides needing it for VoP he is GOOD! I agree my background sounds a bit true neutral. I need some ideas to become it more neutral good.

Regards,
Sander

p.s. If you need some more info about my character I can post it.
Sander_Kaa
03-06-07, 04:18 AM The second session with my new character has been completed yesterday and DAMN I've been trying to be good, well actually GOOD! ;)

Things I did:
- moved into the caves with party to search for drow raiding party who (villagers said) destroyed farms and killed innocent farmers.
- battled a Roper, who managed to almost drain the entire party from strength. I killed it with a flame strike (one of the two direct damage spells I prepared).
- healing/lesser restoration on my party members. Skylla (another PC), cleric of Pelor, helped me. Well, actually I helped her (a first aid kit she is really! :eek: )
- battled (in bearform) a zombie-like monster who attacked the party together with some ghouls. He was not willing to talk to me or surrender at all. We killed him after a long battle (the guy was tough and we still don't know what is is). I cremated him outside the cave together with the dead Drow. Giving them a proper burial together with Skylla (some praises and stuff).
- Brought some loot we found in the cave to the temple of Pelor

After all, I feeled like I did some good things but not truly exalted. I still miss some things like sacrifice, mercy and forgiveness.Maybe next session will bring me new opportunities!

Thanx for reading!
Sander
Andorxor
03-06-07, 05:03 AM You should watch what the temple do with the gold.If the only use it to buy new expensive decorations for the church i would stop giving them money.
Sander_Kaa
03-06-07, 08:39 AM That's right, I agreed with the temple-father the money will be used to rebuild the raided farms. I've seen they are rebuilding it.
Ninja_Sensei
03-06-07, 09:39 AM Speak with dead/ bury/ cremation: I definately don't want to disturb the dead ones. So speak with dead is not the first option I would do. Only when I tend to know the dead person knows information which I need for the good sake. I wanted to bury them to honor them, I now see this might be more lawful.

I don't see a problem with a druid returning the bodies of the dead to the earth. It could be seen as providing a continuation of the natural cycle. "Worm food" may be a bit too crass for this discussion, but the bodies would provide nutrients to the earth, nearby plants, etc.

I think it's a very natural way to deal with the issue.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sander_Kaa 02-26-07, 08:19 AM	Hi everybody, Last sunday my group started a new campaign. I'm playing after 2 years DM'ing. I've decided to play a VoP Druid. You'll find my background in this topic: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=785673. Because of the fact I'm playing an exalted human character I want to give all good things to the Flaeness (Greyhawk it is we're playing in). In this topic I'' write down good thing (IMO) my character, Spink, did. Bringing gold to the Temple of Pelor in the town Daggerfalls (near Highfolk), all collected in the battles with the forces of Iuz. I asked to give it to the people who need it most. Casting a couple of Plant Growth spells to help local farmers to regrow their vegetables after a couple of Drow raids We also found a couple of died Drow bodies in a dungeon entry. I insisted to bury them. Is this just stupid or is this how an exalted character should be? thanks for reading! Sander
Romtos 02-26-07, 01:52 PM	We also found a couple of died Drow bodies in a dungeon entry. I insisted to bury them. Is this just stupid or is this how an exalted character should be? You're exalted. You're over-the-top anyway. It's better to be a little too much exalted (which is almost impossible) than being too 'normal good'. :)
DaidojiTaidoru 02-26-07, 01:58 PM	We also found a couple of died Drow bodies in a dungeon entry. I insisted to bury them. Is this just stupid or is this how an exalted character should be? Yes. You're Exalted. It's your duty to be dumb. Edit: Admittedly the only reason this is stupid is because you're burying them. Cremation is definatly the correct way of handling bodies. Much harder to raise.
claypigeons 02-26-07, 02:35 PM	You're Exaulted. No s/he's not. They are exalted. Exalted. The word as listed half a dozen times on this page, and you still managed to spell it incorrectly...
DaidojiTaidoru 02-26-07, 02:42 PM	No s/he's not. They are exalted. Exalted. The word as listed half a dozen times on this page, and you still managed to spell it incorrectly... :pbbbtt:
claypigeons 02-26-07, 02:59 PM	:pbbbtt: :tongue:
mcnoo 02-26-07, 04:15 PM	Your goodness should show no limits. At any opportunity to help the helpless or slay evildoers you should be charging in blazing with keenness and vigor. If you find helpless evildoers, convert them, then kill them, just to be double sure you've done the right thing.
High Octane 02-26-07, 04:20 PM	Exalted is annoyingly good. The type of character whose insistance on morals and acting perfect make paladins want to break their code of conduct all over them. Insisting on burial or otherwise honoring dead people is in character for a exalted. Hell its pretty mild. An Exalted character who insisted they speak with dead, find the families of the Drow, and give them gold and other forms of charity for their loss including group hugs and therapy wouldn't be over the top for an exalted character.
mcnoo 02-26-07, 04:22 PM	Speak with dead! You monster! They shall be left to rest in peace! You are evil and I shall bring you to justice! Good old exalted lunacy.
Callista 02-26-07, 04:42 PM	Okay, Exalted is NOT dumb. In fact, an Exalted character should probably have at least INT 12 in order to solve the moral dilemmas that come with being Exalted. In fact, since you're a PC, and you're Exalted, you have a great deal of power to help others. That Plant Growth spell? Very small expenditure for you--a livelihood to the people you cast it for. That sort of thing is what your character should always be looking for; and as an Exalted character, he should be rather happy that he's got opportunities like this. If he's got any Charisma score at all, he should have quite a lot of friends in quite a lot of places. However, Exalted PCs with a tendency towards pride and the wisdom to detect that tendency may do good deeds secretly. Additionally, rogues and other chaotic types may like the challenge of doing things secretly--and then hiding, under cover of Invisibility, to see the results! (This is also an option for low-CHA Exalted folk, whose good deeds may go awry if they open their mouths at the wrong time!) Those sorts of things--the random things you can do to make people's lives a little better--are the Exalted character's recreation, the things he does that make him feel better when the big battle against the insurmountable odds seems unwinnable. Exalted characters aren't stuck-up... plain-vanilla Good ones may be; but Exalted characters don't tend towards thinking themselves better than others, or at least actively combat those tendencies in themselves. All in all, an Exalted character allowed to help others, and successful at doing it, is a pretty happy person. That's what he lives for, what motivates him. (Not that Exalted characters can't be depressed or broody or downright suicidal.... the chaotics, especially, can easly react this way to failure at defeating the bad guys, or being unable to prevent something evil. Lawfuls tend to break rather than bend... crusade for a long time, then all the pent-up anger and disappointment comes out in a rather sudden breakdown. This is why your Exalted character needs the 'therapy' of doing small Good things--it keeps him sane!) Burying bodies of enemies? Yes, that would be fine for any exalted character. It's more of a Lawful than a Good thing; but your character, being very Good-aligned, probably also counts the distress of whoever finds the bodies, the chance of undead being created from unburied dead (either "naturally" or by someone who happens to find the dead), possible distress from family or friends of the dead upon finding them half-rotted on a battleground. Little things like that, an exalted character would think about. However, it's not necessary that your Exalted character buries the dead. Chaotics, being of the opinion that the body isn't the person, might see no need to perpetrate the myth of the body's importance. (Druids, especially, might want the bodies to go back to nature, unburied.) A cleric or paladin (or another religious type of character) might simply say a prayer over the bodies, so that the spirits find peace. A mage might incinerate the bodies rather than bury them. On the other hand, an Exalted character with a more retributive spirit might believe that evil enemies should be left as they are, to serve as a warning to anyone else who might follow their ways. He might actually use a spell such as Flesh to Stone to preserve the bodies. Many Exalted characters, if they had a reason to believe the enemy had family or friends (if the enemy belonged to a social species for example), would not remove identifying items from the bodies, such as a unique piece of jewelry or a signet ring. Not knowing the fate of a loved one, even an evil loved one, could cause distress.
Callista 02-26-07, 05:41 PM	Double post. Last one was long enough anyway. OK, I just read your character post. Interesting. Your backstory doesn't tell me he's any more than TN, though; I guess being Good aligned comes naturally to him. Flesh out the backstory a bit--how come he cares so much about doing good, rather than caring primarily about nature, as most druids do? Who taught him, and what are they like? (I know some people like to start with basic backstories and let their DMs fill them in, or else see where the character goes and then put more bits of history into the backstory.) Seriously, read your Druid's spell list... a great number of those can be put to great use for your basic farmer or hunter or whoever else you happen to encounter. Also, I see you have VoP--what's to keep you from sponsoring a farming community or ten with the profit you're making as an adventurer? Of course your DM will attack the community; but then there's a plot hook in it for you. Also, if you're the scholarly type, you can sponsor a college of biology or animal husbandry, maybe even genetics, for breeding, hybridization... magical farming methods... basically a place where you can learn to be an Expert in farming. Eventually new methods, technology, and magic should come out of the place, making the farmers' lives easier in general. Whether that's something you do now, or wait 'til retirement to do, is up to you.
freeholder 02-26-07, 07:12 PM	Would killing other exalted characters to rid the other PCs of them be acceptable.
High Octane 02-27-07, 02:57 AM	Would killing other exalted characters to rid the other PCs of them be acceptable. Only after you give them the oppurtunity to show how annoying they can be.
Sander_Kaa 02-27-07, 04:23 AM	At first I want to say "Thank you"!" for all your replies. Speak with dead/ bury/ cremation: I definately don't want to disturb the dead ones. So speak with dead is not the first option I would do. Only when I tend to know the dead person knows information which I need for the good sake. I wanted to bury them to honor them, I now see this might be more lawful. Prisoners: When I find neutral drow I definately try to redeem them. Evil ones will be killed I have to admit, but not if helpless or if they surrender. Making an arrangement with a temple about taking prisoners sounds good. Thanks for the hint! Sponsoring: I've choosen Vow of Poverty indeed! In the first session my character was introduces as an old, skinny man with a wagon full of stuff. All the stuff (about 8.000 goldpieces and various expensive armors, weapons etc. wich I collected after some battles with forces of Iuz) I donated to Pelor. But instead donating it to a community, scholarship or whatever sounds awesome! Intelligence/ Charisma: My INT is 12, my CHA 10. To help with moral dilemma's and stuff I have choose the spell "Path of the Exalted". My god will help me with deciding things. I will use this spell daily to stay on the "path". Because I'm not that charismatic I do good thing in secret. For example: I used the spell Plant growth during the early early morning, assuring nobody saw me. I'm not proud to be Exalted, it's just normal to donate all I earn to the ones who need it most. Furthermore, my PC is not too selfconfident (as a result happening earlier in my life, see character background link). Alignment: I'm neutral good indeed. Besides needing it for VoP he is GOOD! I agree my background sounds a bit true neutral. I need some ideas to become it more neutral good. Regards, Sander p.s. If you need some more info about my character I can post it.
Sander_Kaa 03-06-07, 04:18 AM	The second session with my new character has been completed yesterday and DAMN I've been trying to be good, well actually GOOD! ;) Things I did: - moved into the caves with party to search for drow raiding party who (villagers said) destroyed farms and killed innocent farmers. - battled a Roper, who managed to almost drain the entire party from strength. I killed it with a flame strike (one of the two direct damage spells I prepared). - healing/lesser restoration on my party members. Skylla (another PC), cleric of Pelor, helped me. Well, actually I helped her (a first aid kit she is really! :eek: ) - battled (in bearform) a zombie-like monster who attacked the party together with some ghouls. He was not willing to talk to me or surrender at all. We killed him after a long battle (the guy was tough and we still don't know what is is). I cremated him outside the cave together with the dead Drow. Giving them a proper burial together with Skylla (some praises and stuff). - Brought some loot we found in the cave to the temple of Pelor After all, I feeled like I did some good things but not truly exalted. I still miss some things like sacrifice, mercy and forgiveness.Maybe next session will bring me new opportunities! Thanx for reading! Sander
Andorxor 03-06-07, 05:03 AM	You should watch what the temple do with the gold.If the only use it to buy new expensive decorations for the church i would stop giving them money.
Sander_Kaa 03-06-07, 08:39 AM	That's right, I agreed with the temple-father the money will be used to rebuild the raided farms. I've seen they are rebuilding it.
Ninja_Sensei 03-06-07, 09:39 AM	Speak with dead/ bury/ cremation: I definately don't want to disturb the dead ones. So speak with dead is not the first option I would do. Only when I tend to know the dead person knows information which I need for the good sake. I wanted to bury them to honor them, I now see this might be more lawful. I don't see a problem with a druid returning the bodies of the dead to the earth. It could be seen as providing a continuation of the natural cycle. "Worm food" may be a bit too crass for this discussion, but the bodies would provide nutrients to the earth, nearby plants, etc. I think it's a very natural way to deal with the issue.