From the Wikipedia entry for Taladas:
Ah…that’s right. So, I was correct in that Raistlin’s condition was completely god-free.
Care to retract anything, bandit?
-Joe
[spoiler]
Please re-read what I wrote. Nowhere did I suggest the gods did anything to Raistlin. I specifically mentioned the Council - they are just as moronic as the deities. The Council which put him up against a banshee (the Fistandantilus bit being a retcon). Making him see ruin in all things was just a random bit of additional monstrosity, and quite pointless at that. There was no slightest hint that they ever thought up any reason how this might make him “humble.” More likely it would unhinge his mind, so they could have a ruthless mad wizard.
What actually bothered me about it is that’s not neccessary. If they had really wanted to make the point, they could have shown Raistlin as believeing himself more powerful than he was and challanging some monster he really shouldn’t have. Instead, the archmages stuffed Raist into a box from which he had to win or die.[/spoiler]
As to the previous comment about it being classic, well, myth need make no sense. Out-and-out ficitonal characters should. Seriously, Why was Paladine so darn stupid he was incapable of seeing the blatantly obvious. By definition (or perhaps “deifinition”), he’s supposed to have super-human intelligence and comprehension.
That’s the only real problem with the series, though: the backstory. (And of course, that party has too many fighters 
) But I love Sturm Brightblade, Raistlin, and eventually Tanis (who becomes cool in the last book, when he grows a pair). And Kitiara, of course. Everone loves Kitiara.
You’re right, I conflated when you said this:
with the part about the council.
Still, how is what the Council does (assuming you mean the mages regarding Raistlin) a reflection on Paladine? And where do you get the idea that the gods have superhuman intelligence and comprehension? If that was the case someone (Takhisis long term, Paladine short term) would have arranged for Caramon to have had a stillborn twin.
-Joe
It’s been a part of DnD since pretty early on. And theoretically, the Gods even in Dragonlance were supposed to be a cut above “Idiot with Superpowers.” *That * role was for the players. And note I said superhuman intellect, not precognition.
Seriously, a partial list of Paladine’s 'tude:
Having a bunch of kids with his girl Takhisis, the Goddess of Evil, Betrayal, and Corruption. He then fails to check up on them for a very long time while she interacts with them, and then is surprised to find they’re all messed up.
His kids rule the earth. *Their * children are not immortal and grow old and die. Paladine agrees that the gods should send an ice age to teach his kids “the meaning of loss.” :rolleyes: Like Paladine knows anything of it.
Not posting guards on his dragons.
Blowing up all his priests.
Blowing up all his priests, and then refusing to respond to petitioner’s prayers… because they don’t use the right rituals. :rolleyes: If you don’t want to help out, just pack up and go home. Don’t moan about how they do it wrong. And every one one of the gods does this, apparently. :rolleyes:
And the list goes on.
Look, I can understand a deity of good maybe not quite understanding treachery once or twice. This was a wee bit much, although it mostly didn’t come out in the first three books.
I’m not sure which “kids” you’re refering to here but it sounds as if you mean either the humans or the Irda. According to the TSR Dragonlance Adventures book, all the mortal spirits were formed from sparks from Reorx’s hammer as he forged the universe. The gods went to war amongst one another for the right to guide the spirits and the stalemate ended with an agreement to create the world of Krynn to house them. As the spirits awoke, the elves were naturally attuned to good and the Irda to evil. Dragons were created directly by the “High God” as the lords of animals and left to choose their own alignments. Ironically, the animals are described as being neutral spirits and yet the basic Krynn world has no neutral dragons. Go figure.
Humans, when they awoke, were “most favored” by Neutrality but were given free will to choose their own alignment paths the same as the dragons.
I might as simply misunderstood you or else you’re basing your information off of some other source. With a kajillion novels, short stories, gaming modules, computer RPGs, etc I’m sure there’s plenty of contradictions.
Like jayjay said. I have the Time of the Dragon set in storage. It’s a 2nd edition set, I don’t think there’s a 3rd ed. set available