Today I Learned:
I thought I knew my favorite spell in all of Dungeons and Dragons Edition 3.5, but I was wrong. I now, however, can confidently assert my favorite spell: Silver Beard. Paladins, the guardians of law, justice, and peace, when they reach 4th level gain the potential to cast this spell. When cast, your character either has its existing beard augmented, growing thicker and longer, OR you suddenly grow a very nice beard. This applies to even people not typically capable of growing beards, such as elves and females. This magical beard is no ordinary beard however; it is a beard that acts as armor, making you harder to hit while making you super fly. Truly, there is not a spell more powerful than one that can give an elf a manly beard. (As an amusing end note, the magical beard makes Dwarves like you more.)
Golem is a Jewish word, basically meaning unshaped substance and thus used in the Bible when discussing incomplete works, such as in Psalms 139:16. The Mishnah uses the word in reference to an uncultured, immature person, and it is used in Yiddish as a slang insult for a slow, clumsy person. In Jewish mythology, it means an anthromorphic clay figure, usually created by a holy man and given a semblence of life through his power. The most famous story regarding them is about a Prague Rabbi who created one to defend the Jews from persecution in their ghetto. In this classical sense they were always made of mud; some Jewish texts refer to Adam as a Golem until he got the ultimate Breath of Life. Up until the late 20th century this was the only real association for the Golem, until Dungeons and Dragons came around. They introduced the idea of Golems made with many materials, and due to the game's influence on Role Playing Games, Fantasy, and popular culture the modern broader definition was born.
--Flynn (ha ha. HA HA HA. Ha ha HA ha ha.)
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