The Nerdist Way_ How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) - Chris Hardwick [9]
On the top left corner of the first page of your open graph notebook, write your name (or whatever snazzy alias you want your inner self to be called). I once drew myself as a wizard and called him Blavidane, a flip-flopped name of gravitas stunt magician and fellow attention-slut David Blaine. If you really want an über-Nerd fantasy-sounding name but can’t think of one, Wizards of the Coast (owners of the D&D franchise) has a great name generator at nerdi.st/NameGenerator. I went on just now and got the name Varolin Quifflock. I know, you’re jealous. Or horny.
Underneath that, write out these six attributes next to a cell where you will fill in a value from 1 to 5:
Intelligence: Pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think, Genius Bar?
Charisma: How magnetic or influential are you over other life-forms?
Strength: Can you do a sit-up? What kind of shape are you in?
Wisdom: Different from intelligence; you may be smart, but do you make healthy decisions?
Will: Can you commit to things even when you don’t feel like doing them?
Confidence: Are you comfortable in your skin? Are your decisions accompanied by conviction?
Since you will probably be the only person who sees this (that may be best, anyway), be honest in your assessment of yourself. The cool thing about these numbers is that they are not set for life. As you gain experience points through making choices in your life and learning from your successes and mistakes, you might feel periodically inclined to adjust these numbers. Seeing a numerical value on your Will, por esample, may very well encourage you to commit to tasks better if only for the pure joy of being able to raise that number a point.
CHOOSE YOUR ALIGNMENT
According to part-time truth seeker Wikipedia, “Alignment is a categorisation [sic] of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters.” In other words, what do you stand for? Knowing which way your moral wiener points can be very helpful when faced with tough decisions.
The official position on alignment1 comes from Wizards of the Coast (Wizards.com):
Alignment is central to a D&D character’s personality. D&D uses two measures to determine a specific character’s ethical and moral attitudes and behavior.
The moral axis has three positions: good, neutral, and evil. Good characters generally care about the welfare of others. Neutral people generally care about their own welfare. Evil people generally seek to harm the others’ welfare.
The ethical axis has three positions as well: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. Lawful people generally follow the social rules as they understand them. Neutral people follow those rules [they] find convenient or obviously necessary. And chaotic people seek to upset the social order and either institute change, or simply create anarchy.
ALIGNMENTS
LAWFUL GOOD, “CRUSADER”
The Boy Scout! Lawful Good people are saintly do-gooders who tend to get boners for honor and duty to a higher authority. EXAMPLES: Batman, Dick Tracy, and Indiana Jones.
NEUTRAL GOOD, “BENEFACTOR”
Whereas Lawfuls follow a third-party code, Neutrals are bound by their own conscience. They will act altruistically, whether or not their actions are technically “legal.” EXAMPLES: Zorro and Spider-Man. I’d pitch The Doctor in this pile, but some Nerds would shout that he’s more the next one down, Chaotic Good.
CHAOTIC GOOD, “REBEL”
My personal favorite alignment, Chaotic Good, is synonymous with “the lovable rebel.” The characters are drawn toward a greater good, but have little care for any political authority unless it gibes with their own agenda. In fact, they may tend to buck authority just because they don’t like the idea of being under