drasmyr

[drasmyr]

Transitioning from 2nd Edition to 5th (Part III – continued)

Well, it’s my fourth post on this topic, so I think it’s about time to wrap things up. I’ve got a handful of other things that I have mixed feelings about with respect to switching over from 2nd Edition D&D to 5th. More Items I’m Unsure Of Expending Hit Dice In 5th Edition, characters who take a short rest can earn back lost hit points by “expending hit dice.” When I started playing 5th…

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#Fantasy #Fantasy RPG #GMing #pen and paper RPG

[drasmyr]

Thoughts and Prayers

Introduction This is something I feel obligated to address. A ways back, I remember stumbling upon a post from someone commenting on a tragedy – I think it was a school shooting or mass shooting. From what I could gather, I don’t think the person was big on religion. Nevertheless, the person left a comment, “Thoughts and prayers.” And I thought that that was a kind sentiment to express – looking…

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#Christianity #God #Jesus #morality #philosophy #politics #religion

[drasmyr]

Transitioning from 2nd Edition to 5th Edition (Part III)

And for the next post regarding 5th edition D&D and transitioning from 2nd, I’m going to discuss things I have mixed feelings about. Sometimes … they seem okay. Other times, I’m just not sure. But again, the more I play, the more used to it I get. Things I Have Mixed Feelings About Increasing Stats I have a couple issues with how they did stats. I like the idea that you can increase stats – in…

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#Fantasy #Fantasy RPG #GMing #pen and paper RPG

[drasmyr]

Human Morals vs Divine Morals

Philosophy and God Once upon a time, I was a philosophy major. Every once in a while, one of the professors would give a talk about some philosophical issue of import. And, when that happened, I and several other philosophy students, plus a bunch of philosophy professors, would gather together to hear the talk and engage in a rousing philosophical conversation. It was a blast. I remember one…

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#God #morality #philosophy #religion

[drasmyr]

Mid-May Book Promotion

Another FYI – the promo for my philosophical dialogue, A Thinker’s Guide to Truth, starts Monday, May 13th and goes to Friday, May 17th. It is available for free during that time. And it is available almost everywhere … except (ironically) Amazon. Additionally, the Smashwords promotion for my three discounted fantasy books on the Smashwords site (only) is also still going, until Friday, May 17th.…

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#God #morality #philosophy #politics #religion

[drasmyr]

Transitioning from 2nd to 5th Edition D&D(Part II)

Introduction In my last post, I discussed the things I like about 5th Edition D&D when compared to 2nd Edition D&D. Let’s move on to the things I really don’t like. Things I Don’t Like About 5th Edition Saving Throws One of my biggest issues with 5th Edition is how they did Saving Throws. It starts off okay for low-level characters, where saving throws are based on particular stats and every…

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#Fantasy RPG #GMing #pen and paper RPG

[drasmyr]

Three of My Fantasy Books Discounted on Smashwords

Just an FYI – the following three fantasy books of mine are on discount only on the Smashwords site, until Friday, May 17th. The needed coupons are listed on the corresponding book pages. Drasmyr: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/131156  (Free) The Children of Lubrochius: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/415779 ($0.99)  Prism: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/693400…

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#Drasmyr #Fantasy #fantasy novel #vampire

[drasmyr]

A Few Brief Thoughts on Reincarnation

Introduction Lots of people wonder about life after death. To me, I see four major possibilities: a spiritual afterlife, nonexistence, reincarnation, and the Catholic Church’s spiritual and bodily resurrection. In this post, I’m going to look at reincarnation. I’ve never been a big fan of reincarnation. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. I’m not a fan of karma in the context of reincarnation.…

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#Buddhism #Christianity #God #Hinduism #philosophy #Reincarnatoin #religion #science

[drasmyr]

Transitioning from 2nd Edition D&D to 5th Edition (Part I)

Introduction I’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons for around forty years or so. I remember back in the  early 80’s playing with my friends. I remember the first set of “dragon dice” I ever saw, being fascinated by the green 8-sided die. Back then, there was Dungeons and Dragons consisting entirely of three boxed sets: Basic, something set in the wilderness, and, of course, the Expert Set and…

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#dd #dnd #dungeons-and-dragons #dungeons-dragons #Fantasy #Fantasy RPG #GMing #pen and paper RPG

[drasmyr]

Jesus as Doorway to Heaven

Generally speaking, I like most of the teachings of the Christian religions. They tend to emphasize love, forgiveness, kindness, and virtue. However, there are some points with them that I do have difficulty with. Specifically, there’s that whole notion that only people who believe in Jesus will get to heaven. As for all others, most Christian teachings argue they are condemned to hell. That…

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#Christianity #eternity #heaven #hell #Jesus #philosophy #religion

[drasmyr]

A Few Brief Thoughts on Politics and Stuff

Not sure what to say about the escalating tensions in the world.  As I generally suck at politics, maybe I shouldn’t even bother commenting on the current situation(s). But I feel that maybe I should. I kind of think that most people, not involved in governments of any kind, (most, but possibly not all) would be far happier if tensions eased, war was averted, and peace prevailed. I think that…

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#God #politics #war

[drasmyr]

April Promotions for My Books

Hi all! Just a quick note that I am running promotions for the following three ebooks of mine: “Drasmyr” (free – code: ZW22R), “The Children of Lubrochius” ($1 – code: CM84L), and “A Thinker’s Guide to Truth: A Conversation on Truth, Part 1” (free). The books should be available at Smashwords and/or other retailers to which Draft2Digital/Smashwords distribute – although it may take a little time…

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#books #philosophy

[drasmyr]

Freedom is more Valuable than Money

I wrote this post several years ago. My father was alive at the time, and, I think, I was more under the influence of my antichrist issues at the time, too. Anyway, I think it is still worth reading although I’m not sure I agree with everything in it – well, I think I do, just maybe not as strongly. Anyway, read on… This post is about the Capitalism vs. Socialism debate. Back when I was in…

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#capitalism #economics #government #philosophy #politics #Socialism

[drasmyr]

To Save an Adulteress

(I wrote this some time ago. It’s worth reading, but I think it may have a few flawed notions within) A poor woman surrounded by an outraged crowd armed with rocks and prepared to exact Biblical justice. Her crime: adultery. Her sentence: death by stoning. Justice? Or excessive cruelty? Challenged by the Pharisees and confronting the mob, Jesus spoke words destined to be remembered until the end…

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#Christianity #Jesus #morality #philosophy #politics #religion

[drasmyr]

War and a Thinker's Guide to Truth

I was having a conversation with my brother a week or so ago about my recently published book, “A Thinker’s Guide To Truth” – that I have mentioned on this blog elsewhere. Anyway, part of that conversation kind of triggered the thought in my head that I’m not sure I was clear about the distinction between killing and murder. For those that don’t know, murder refers to ending someone’s life to…

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#morality #philosophy #politics

[drasmyr]

Promotion for "A Thinker's Guide to Truth"

I was going to post something about the adulteress Jesus saved from stoning in the Bible, but it’s a post I wrote a few years back and I feel I have to re-edit it a bit, and I don’t have time today. So, I’m just going to post this notice that I am running a promotion for my first philosophical dialogue, “A Thinker’s Guide to Truth.” From now until Easter (March 31st, 2024) the book will be…

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#morality #philosophy #politics #religion

[drasmyr]

What To Replace Fiends With?

Regardless of what you are worldbuilding, whether it’s for a novel or an RPG game, you often need an end-stage villain like a Fiend (demons, devils, or what-have-you). But as I’ve mentioned in prior posts, you might want to shy away from using “real-life” Fiends. You might want to avoid using “entities” that can be traced back to real world religions like Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, or…

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#Demons #Devils #Fantasy #Fantasy Creatures #Fiends #GMing #Worldbuilding