What can change the nature of a man? *spoilers*

[Skeelo]

Does it matter what you answer to Ravel's question? I answered death.

[Mr Sleep]

I said nothing, did she say something like, always they probed me, wanting my answer...?

[Sojourner]

The only "wrong" answer I've found is telling her that you cannot answer her question.

[Skeelo]

Something else wacked...Quell talks about how huge and dangerous Ravel's mage is. Yea right! Found Ravel in like 5 mins, and those monsters in there are little wussies. Btw where do I get cloudkill and other level 5 spells?

[fable]

Ravel *is* dangerous. She almost destroyed the entire city where you spend a fair amount of your time. She is a very powerful, chaotic force.

But she is also sentimental, and smitten with the Nameless One. She pulls her punches. And she's forgotten much (as she herself admits). It actually takes the corrupted spirit of your mortality, drawing on its own extremely lengthy life, to destroy Ravel--and I have a feeling she holds back then, too, so as to help you achieve your goal. After all, if she killed your mortality, you'd be locked as you are.

[Mr Sleep]

Nice one Fable, very astute.

[Kayless]

I agree that Ravel probably didn’t use her full power against the Nameless One, but I do think he could have killed her anyway. Her line: “Powerful this incarnation is, and kill me he could of but for a few tricks I possess” demonstrates that. I also think the Transcendent One was too powerful for her to fiddle around with. In my opinion she was beaten in a square fight. When she tells the Transcendent One: “Weak Ravel may be, but a few tricks she has learned over the years and I have known you would come.” it seems to me she would rather try to keep the Nameless One safe by thwarting his mortality. She certainly doesn’t hold the Transcendent One in the same regard as her 'beloved broken man'. I believe she sees him as the trash left over. She also says that she thought being defeated by the Nameless One would ‘fulfill the requirements set long ago’. It would appear that the Transcendent One was destined to slay the Night Hag all along.

[ 05-30-2001: Message edited by: Kayless ]

[Bill]

It seems that at this point of the game it doesn't matter what answer you give. I have played this point 4 times (trying to avoid the fight) giving various answers,but the result was always the same.

Of course near the end of the game the correct answer is revealed.

[Brock Landers]

Originally posted by Bill:
<STRONG>

Of course near the end of the game the correct answer is revealed.</STRONG>

It is?

Care to share?

[Aegis]

The correct answer is...

Is 42!



A little something for those who know DNA.

[Bill]

The answer is regret. If i remember correct the good incarnation said it in his dialogue with him.

[fable]

I think at some point the NO comments that she would accept any answer from him, and none from anybody else. But the key is, as you state, regret, since this is also the primary emotion that the developers wished to conjure up in the player. They did this by gradually revealing all the slimy manipulation and paranoid murders he had committed over several lifetimes.

[Cyro]

Each incarnation is supposed to have a different answer, which is why Ravel wants to know what you think, it gives her an insight into this incarnation.

Personally, I found the answer to be the fundamental axis that the Planescape setting turns on:

Spoiler

Belief.

Everything in the Plancescape setting hinges on it. It's how Gods gain their powers. It's how Trias tricks the player. It's how Forktongue's contract bids him. It's how you aborb your other incarnations (the Practical one in particular). In metagame terms: It's how you believe your character should be.
In Planescape, Belief makes things manifest. It's the most powerful force you can have.

Belief can change the nature of a man.

[valkir]

Each incarnation is supposed to have a different answer, which is why Ravel wants to know what you think, it gives her an insight into this incarnation.

Personally, I found the answer to be the fundamental axis that the Planescape setting turns on:

Spoiler

Belief.

Everything in the Plancescape setting hinges on it. It's how Gods gain their powers. It's how Trias tricks the player. It's how Forktongue's contract bids him. It's how you aborb your other incarnations (the Practical one in particular). In metagame terms: It's how you believe your character should be.
In Planescape, Belief makes things manifest. It's the most powerful force you can have.

Belief can change the nature of a man.

You're right on the part that belief is the strongest power one can posess; with belief, you can change your ways, you can change the ways of the others, you can create and destroy. The question is, can it change the nature of a man? I don't think so.

I know it may sound silly, but I actually paid some time in order to answer this question how I really feel. And I firmly believe that nothing can change the nature of a man.

[LastDanceSaloon]

Like you, during the game I answered 'nothing' because it seemed the most logical in the situation.

The difficulty of the question lies in the term 'nature'. Without knowing the meaning or context of the use of this word it becomes very difficult to nail a correct answer.

The nature of a man? eat, breathe, sleep, love, hate etc etc etc, all pretty uniform among all males of any description regardless of any other factors and generally unchangeable.

But then, one stage deeper into someone's 'character' (as oppose to nature) and almost anything can change a man, hence the phrase 'life-changing event'. Some people even believe PST is a life-changing event!

I, for example, nearly selected 'age', as it's a known fact that the vast majority of males become less and less physically aggressive the older they get (even if their mind still believes they are as rough as they ever were) - so in this sense, their nature does change, physically at least, although their core natural instincts probably haven't.

In terms of the correct answer for the game it's quite difficult to say here as you have to make a big spoiler. Suffice to say, I think the question was intentionally vague in order for Ravel to accomplish what she wanted from the riddle.

[Time_is_short]

Nothing can change the nature of a man - that was my answer.

[Aubrey]

There has been a long time since I played the game, but I have kept some notes from the time I did. There is one of Nameless One's phrases, which points to what I consider to be the right answer:


"If there is anything I have learned in my travels across the Planes, it is that many things may change the nature of a man. Whether regret, or love, or revenge or fear - whatever you believe can change the nature of a man, can."


So, it is Belief.