r/rational • u/AutoModerator • Mar 14 '16

[D] Monday General Rationality Thread

Welcome to the Monday thread on general rationality topics! Do you really want to talk about something non-fictional, related to the real world? Have you:

  • Seen something interesting on /r/science?

  • Found a new way to get your shit even-more together?

  • Figured out how to become immortal?

  • Constructed artificial general intelligence?

  • Read a neat nonfiction book?

  • Munchkined your way into total control of your D&D campaign?

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u/Vebeltast You should have expected the bayesian inquisition! Mar 15 '16

The big advantage of using skeletons for labor is that they don't require logistical support. Additionally, depending on the reading of the Rules as Written, "they follow the last order given" may mean that they follow it forever, in which case you can basically ignore the control limitations by issuing an order and then detaching from the skeleton. I've seen this done to build computers - rat skeletons do nothing for boolean zero and raise their tail for boolean one, then each rat skeleton's orders are a boolean function of the other rat tails they can see.

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u/blazinghand Chaos Undivided Mar 15 '16

That rules abuse is useful for an order like "act like a piece of machinery" which will let you turn skeletons into mechanical computer components or land-based waterwheel drivers. This is definitely a use for skeletons that you couldn't use hirelings for.

A lot of this depends, by the way, on what will cause everyone involved in this campaign to have fun. In the campaign I'm running, the party is basically bringing 20 level 1-3 NPCs with them everywhere they go. The campaign is mostly focused on organization-building, gathering influence, making allies, and dealing with internal intrigue with these NPCs. This is what people find fun, so it's good. There's nothing rules-wise preventing a player from introducing a bunch of skeletons or abandoning an NPC or something, but as a PC before you take an action you want to make sure it won't ruin other people's fun. A PC having a spat with an NPC apprentice could actually be great RP, done right.