#its not really dnd since a lot of us are new so were playing a simpler version of it but e

[fatcowboys]

yall no im on team fuck wotc so i wanna plug a ttrpg ive played that is decently similar to dnd and id recommend as a cool one to check out if looking for a new system! 

13TH AGE

13th age is a ttrpg system built for a high fantasy setting similar to d&d. its got a lot of similarities to dnd (in fact i believe many of the folks who worked on it worked on older editions of dnd) like a d20 based, class based system, but with a lot of streamlining done to combat as well as fun mechanics to tie your character into the world and game.

some specific details i really enjoyed:

one unique thing: something i enjoy about this that lends itself to character creation well is that every character has ‘one unique thing.’ most of your characters probably already have that, but this is a one or two word sentence that just summarizes that. this is great for both players who get too complicated in their backstories and helps them have a core unique thing (me cough) or characters who don’t super care about backstories come up with something unique even if its not a full shakespearean tragedy of a background

backgrounds: instead of your backgrounds giving you proficiency in certain things, characters have backgrounds with certain modifiers based on the importance to the character. this then lets you use the modifier for things that relate to your background. for example, my character spent years as a thief before the campaign, so she cat burglar +4. any time i picked a lock or did sneaky thief things, i could use my thief +4. another character had a background as librarian, so she got bonuses to speed reading, finding a book in complicated libraries, etc. iirc this character also had a background as a spoken word poet which. while less widely applicable. led to some fun shenanigans with charisma checks for a character who isn’t usually super persuasive. i will note some GMs don’t love this because some players will try to use these backgrounds too broadly and it can slow stuff down since its less spelled out, so be warned, but if you have a good group, its a lot of fun.

no grid based combat: this was the main reason my GM looked into 13th age. she hated grid combat, and in 13th age, rather than specific measurements and distances for spells and moves, everything is either engaged, nearby, or far. i will say there was a bit of a learning curve for the players in this group who were used to having exact distances spelled out, but honestly it was really fun not having to worry so much about exact distances and counting out squares and such.

escalation die: this was something i loved as someone who had a hard time focusing on longer combats. 13th age uses an escalation system to speed up combat - at the end of every round of combat, the escalation die gets a +1 that keeps increasing every round and adds to your attack rolls and damage. this represents the natural tire and fatigue in combat and keeps things moving. after six rounds have passed, it maxes out at +6

there are some other cool things as well such as icons that represent powerful figures in the world, unique abilities and skills that have a similar feel of d&d but fresh and new if youve played d&d to death, but TLDR: check out 13th age if you want a system that feels similar to D&D, but hate grid based and super long combats and want more mechanical weight to your characters history. also its been a few years since ive played so. apologies if i misremembered anything but! 13th age is super fun especially if you want something that feels similar to d&d but with some cool unique features

#this has been a draft for so long bc i was gonna do a post w multiple games similar to jd's post i reblogged #but i keep forgetting and also this is long enough to be its own post so i present to you. 13th age. #as someone who played it for a few years two or three years ago #ttrpgs

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Could you do a Part 2 of this where you starts to avoid Eddie and he notices that you are distancing from him

(Ask and you shall receive)

After that night, you did your best to distance yourself from Eddie. He had a girlfriend now, after all. He didn’t need to be spending so much time with you anyways. You tried to see the best of the situation. Without Eddie, you had more time for yourself. Less chaos and more peace. Sure, you missed him talking about his campaigns and watching him struggle to write new songs. Sure, you missed his daily Lord of the Rings quotes and the way he liked to doodle on your arms when he was supposed to be studying instead.

Fuck. You really missed Eddie.

But it’s fine. This is fine. You finally get to really explore who you are and what you like as a person, a person without Eddie Munson attached to your side all the time.

________________________________________________

Eddie was scribbling into his notebook more campaign ideas. A blunt rested beside him on the coffee table. Julie sat beside Eddie with a bored expression on her face.

“Baby, why don’t we go out? Take a break from that dumb game and let’s go party or something.”

Eddie scoffed, “Dumb game? Julie, Dungeons and Dragons isn’t dumb! It’s life! It’s adventure and problem solving and-“

“Okay, okay! No need to have a nerd freak out on me!” She got up from her couch and headed to the kitchen.

It’s been five months of them dating. At first everything was all fine and dandy. Eddie believed Julie to be the person he always dreamed of. She was a metalhead, hated the idea of conforming to society, loved to just chill out and let life take its course. But then he started realizing that maybe she wasn’t all who he expected her to be. She didn’t understand his love for DND and his club. She called him “a bit of a loser” for having a club dedicated to a “board game”. She always wanted him to play her some songs or try to write music. He was starting to feel like she was using him for something.

Eddie also realized how little he’s seen you since that big gig of his. He’d called you up a few times, inviting you out, and you’ve denied him every time. He’d show up at the diner to see you, only for one of your coworkers to take care of his orders instead. It was driving him crazy! You were his best friend and he’s felt like he hasn’t really been around you in a long time.

He sighs and closes his notebook. He pulls on his leather jacket and gathers his things, “I’m heading out,” he mumbled to Julie.

“Seriously?” She asked with a scoff.

“Can we please not do this?” He asked, “I forgot my Uncle Wayne asked me to take care of some shit, so I need to do that before he gets home.”

“Whatever,” Julie mumbled, plopping back on the couch and taking Eddie’s blunt.

Eddie saw himself out and got into his car. He left Julie’s apartment, heading back to his. He drove past Family Video to see you getting out of your car and heading inside the shop. He immediately stopped and swerved back around into the parking lot.

He entered the shop and stopped in the doorway to see you smiling and laughing Steve Harrington. What. The. Fuck.

His eyes narrowed as Steve grinned, leaning closer to you to murmur something in your ear. You laughed again and, for some reason, Eddie saw red, “What the fuck is going on?”

You jumped back when you heard Eddie’s voice. You cleared your throat and smiled at Steve, “Well thanks for holding this for me. I’ll see you around. Tell Robin I said ‘hi’!”

Steve waved at you, “See ya!”

Eddie watched as you walked passed him, “Faerie-“

“I have somewhere to be, Eddie.”

He continues to follow you to your car, “So you and Harrington are all buddy-buddy now?”

“Perhaps. Why does it matter?”

“Thought you didn’t have friends besides me.”

That made you stop and glare at him, “Fuck you, Eddie,” you murmured before unlocking your car door.

“Wait! That-I didn’t mean it like that! Faerie, please! Listen to me!” He called for you as you slammed the door shut and sped out of the parking lot.

Eddie doesn’t know how things went so terribly wrong between you two.

Part 3

#eddie munson x reader

[ncat]

Hi there, I've been thinking lately about a D&D 3.5 class and how I would create it in 5e, and since you're my "bringing cool stuff from 3.5 to 5e" mutual, I was wondering if I could ask for advice/for your help.

Specifically, the beguiler from the Player's Handbook II.

The basic concept of the class is being a skill monkey arcane spellcaster, who is limited almost exclusively to enchantment and illusion, and who benefits from being sneaky while casting spells.

The main feature that I enjoyed about playing this class is that it's a spontaneous caster who has access to their entire spell list. So even though the spell list is limited, the character still has more options than any other caster in terms of spells known/prepared.

The problem with the class is how to make it unique. Other than having access to the whole spell list, the main mechanic of the Beguiler is basically the 5e Arcane Trickster ability Magical Ambush, and there are already a number of classes that can fill the niche of an enchantment and illusion caster, such as enchantment wizard, bards in general, and fey warlock.

I have some ideas, but I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on the matter?

Ooh absolutely happy to help a mutual, and to talk dnd 3.5 stuff!

Well, lets see. I tend to start with focusing in on a specific mechanic and building from there, and with the beguiler, I think we can focus in on Cloaked Casting and Surprise Casting.

Beguiler in the way its designed is, actually kinda close to a 3.5 Rogue. They're similiar in the way of them getting a boost when an enemy is denied a dex bonus to AC, though the Beguiler especially wants the player to lean in on Bluff

In that case, I'd try to mechanically do something similiar to a modern rogue. Give it an equivilent of cunning action, (Maybe with Dash replaced with instead something more equivilent to a bluff (Feint) check?) and giving their spells a boost in that circumstance. How i'd mechanically write that idk, something like "If you'd have advantage on attack rolls against a creature due to being hidden or feinting, that creature has disadvantage on its save", something like Arcane Trickster - Magical Ambush, though more open to allow other means of generating advantage.

And from there I think that creates an interesting game loop, where its similiar to rogues and how they're constantly trying to position themselves correctly to apply sneak attack, you are instead using your positioning and bonus action to make your spells more likely to hit.

As for making it a full class or bard subclass, I'm not too sure.

It could do reasonably well as a bard subclass at a glance? Though I worry having it be so bonus action dependent would cause it to conflict with bardic inspiration, that and I'm unsure how to feel about them being forced into being Charisma casters, rather than being Int casters.

As a full class, I'm unsure either, I wonder if there is enough width in the flavor to give them a good range of subclasses? Thats the annoying downside to subclass based design in 5e, is that it forces each class you make to need to be broadly applicable enough to make a lot of subclasses (Which is why stuff like Cleric gets a lot of subclasses, cuz its easy, and something like ranger doesnt, with some mechanical repeats in that too like Drakewarden/Beastmaster ig?)

But if you've got enough thoughts for it to work as a full class, go for it. I'd say if its at least 3 you can make, and a handful more outside of that you can conceptualize and leave to do later (Or then do them too if they're really fun!) then its good enough to be class material.

In my own personal hands if it were my thing I was writing, i'd probably write it as one of my alternate classes (Creating a new class and putting an existing classes subclasses on it), most likely on a rogue? That could be neat actually, seeing how a rogues subclasses work on a full caster. (Though, arcane trickster would neat some clauses adjusting it in its entirety since it entirely would conflict with the base class features?),

But thats a way to start with subclasses, the way rogue does them. Same way rogue has Inquisitors, Swashbucklers, and A-Tricksters who have unique and additional ways to generate sneak attack, you could have those apply to this, or if you write it as a class, have that be the core concept you design the subclasses with.

When it comes to writing new classes and subclasses, creating a template for features is a great way to go. The Conduit which I wrote earlier has this method of design very blatantly on purpose to make it easier to work with its multi subclass nature, but even the base game classes work this way, such as the Cleric and how its features work.

Ah! And if its a class, it has got to get its gish equivilent subclass. i.e. Valor Bard.

I think, if you go for a class route, giving it the Expert type features rogues and bards get is a good way to go. Expertise is important, as is a good range of skills, and even the option to have 3 starting skills unlike other classes which start at 2. I also think giving it its charisma focused spellcasting, but intelligence based casting, it should have a way to use its intelligence to boost other skills. Maybe some sort of self bless, or ability to substitute int for a different skill a handful of times per day (Which can be really cool, i.e., walking up to an arm wrestle and just, sherlocking your way to victory? Could also go really cool if this could be used on weapon attack rolls too?)

As for its spell list, I think a set spell list is a pretty cool way to go about it. I thought it was a cool mechanic in 3.5, and seeing it make a return could be nice. If you run it similiarly to 3.5, its funky because you get the upside of having a lot more spells at hand compared to other casters, though these spells will all be in theme.

The only downside to this approach is that it does stop the players from having as many choices in character building, and players being given options as they progress is pretty important in my opinion, especially for spellcaster players, since picking your spells is part of the fun.

Though, this isnt entirely a downside. I know some people who dont really want to bother with spellcasters, since the trouble of building up an entire spell list, or list of prepared spells in a day is a hassle. In a way, a set spell list is perfect for these kinds of players, it lets them get to spellcasting without that.

So, I'd say theres two things that come to mind here:

Limited outside of spell list bonus spells, like bardic inspiration. The upside is it gives people a way to customize their spell list, but I dont think its the best option of the two, since it both breaks the fun in the set spell list design, and makes the choice of spells unintentionally even more important since you get so few, and all people will do is most likely choose really high value chase spells like say, shield.

My preferred option is to instead give them points where they can choose their own class features. Comparable to a Hunter Ranger, Fighter Fighting Style, or a Warlock Pact, or even something like 3.5 rogues Special Abilities that they get to pick 4 of. Gives the upsides of customizability without expanding the spell list.

And lastly, as for a spellcaster that focuses on enchantment, I think it should be fine? I mean, sure, there definitely is overlap with the Bard, but the wizard has overlap with the sorcerer, and those still have distinct identities, even when their spell list is similiar. Heck, if you want to make it more distinct from the bard list, give them access to spells bards wouldnt usually get. Theres a bunch of them, and a handful of them are already in the Illusion/Enchantment spell list.

Lastly, when it comes to the spell list, it needs to be versatile enough. I think the hardest part of designing this class will be the spell list. My immediate core points in designing it would probably be

List size. The list should give enough spells at each level that it feels fair. Too few viable spells at each level and the player ponders why not take a different spellcaster, too many and they will be to strong.

Spell versatility and potency. The player should have the right spells available that they should feel like they are able to interact with the world magically, but not enough that they can solve every problem on their own. Its the right mix of having a wide range of spells for different purposes, both utility and combat.

Spell Potency. Its also important to be choosing the correct power level of spell. For instance, they might want some sort of aoe spell, which spellcasters get. Fireball would be too potent and out of their focus, and is designed with the idea its hard to get, being limited to wizards, sorcerer, and choice subclasses. In contrasts, bards get the AoE spell Shatter, which does less damage for the same spell slot, but is balanced against bards getting more potent class features than a wizard or sorcerer.

So yeah, thats my thoughts Ig?

TLDR: Could go well as a Subclass, Class, or Variant class. I think it might work best as a class, using something similiar to rogues Cunning Action gameplay loop but for a spellcaster rather than a martial. Make sure its spell list is carefully curated and balanced.

I'd love to hear more developments on the class if you have any and want to tell me them ! <3

#dnd homebrew

[vexxandra]

intuitive messages from your person (really specific so probably not gonna resonate lol)

first time doing this! a bit of practice, since im not good with listening to my intuition. but were trying new things this new year. lool lets get started :D

m tellin u its like super SUPER specific ;D

pile one:

things that could have significance : genshin, but more specifically, wishing, debate clubs, when you wish upon a star, steven universe end credits (love like you), lavender or mint, milk, the name sofia?, sweaters or oversized clothes,  telephone (the song or the object), dial/tone, closet

hello dear. have i been away for too long? apologies, work is very hard nowadays and i find that ive been losing myself more and more. but ive been thinking about you quite a lot. especially at night. dreaming of you. ive been irresponsable, not answering your calls quickly enough and leaving things to pile up between the two of us. but please know that im working very hard and trying the best i can. you must be furious with me, and i can understand that. give me more time, and i promise i wont let you down. id never let you down. i love you too much to ever be able to do that. ive been losing sleep, and thats tiring because i get to see you when i sleep so i find that ive been taking meds more often to help with that. thats stupid, and id know you tell me the same. god, i wish you were next to me right now. then id fall asleep quicker than a light flicks off. music. ill speak to you through our favorite songs, and ill listen for things you say to me in yours as well. its time for me to say good bye though. know that nothing has changed between us, and i care for you as much as ever before.

signed, yours.

pile two:

things that could have significance: grocery stores at night, denki kaminari vibes honestly!!, mixtapes (like old cassette ones), guitar, dog or pets, crescent, artic monkeys, blasting music super loud, summertime, you get me so high - the neighbourhood, electric (or electric love)

gee, its really been a while since we’ve talked last. you’re my best friend, ill love you forever, yknow that? you’re super cool. cooler than popsicles on a summer day. cooler than penguins in the north pole. wait-- penguins live in the south pole? no one told me that?! hey! its not my fault, i never knew that. jeez... still teasing as ever, huh? sometimes i wonder how it would have been if i hadn’t moved away/transferred schools. we’d be tightknit! and we already are. there are so many stupid pictures of us in my camera roll that i jsut scroll through them when i feel like i miss you. nahh im just playing! i always miss you! we should totally hang out sometime soon! lets race grocery carts!

see ya! - your best friend

pile three:

things that could have significance: notebooks, preppy or academia aesthetic, fandom or into dnd, pearls or pearly whites, ‘shade’ colors (white, grey, black-- but emphasis on grey), 505 by artic monkeys, classroom, bunch of school imagery

dear you

why do you have to be so perfect? ive always been top of my class, such an overachiever, but with you, its like all of my accomplishments are suddenly fade away. you’re awesome like that, you know. stop letting your parents control your life. you’re a super smart person, dont let anyone EVER tell you otherwise. oh, and you can let your hair down too. im not gonna judge you, and plus, i think you look nice without your hair all tight like that. meet me at our spot. the spot that’s only ours. a place where we can just be ourselves. what? stop playing around, trying to get me to tell you again. what if someone sees this letter?! its just something between you and me, and i know i can trust you. id trust you with my life, pile three. im serious. stay the way you are. dont become a product of society. you’re absolutely perfect the way you are.

from, yours

pile four TW: Harsh truth! Please don’t read unless you’re ready and willing

things that could have significance: floating, or sinking(into a mattress, or in water), bath/bathing, milky way or space in general, being loved by a ghost, anxiety/confusion, salt or minerals. lots of comparisons here, so that could be something too. also francis forever - mitski and last words of a shooting star -mitski

this person didn’t have a letter to write to you. they were very blocky and choppy and took long pauses in between of answering. also, these are just sentences, so everytime there’s a period, its a sentence ending, and a new idea beginning

i dont need you. i have everything i need. so why are you here? what am i missing? what do i not understand? stop getting into my head. ive been thinking of you. you look nice. (dont) call me. please trust me, i can keep my promises. that, i can swear. bandaids cant heal my scars. sometimes i just want to fall asleep for a long time, and you cant stop or save me. they mean more to me than you. forever. i still care about you. they lied. im getting bored. you used to be the sun. what dont you understand? i still loved you. goodbye. (bonus message: they wont last)

#pac #intuitive messages #pick a pile #tarot #tarot messages #psychic messages #i really dont know if this will resonate #hopefully it does! #have a lovely day #or night #either way #dont lose ur light <3

[idkfitememate]

Fey wilds????

Do you play DND? :o

I'd love to hear more!

I do play D&D! I’m play a Half-Orc Bard Named Morc the Orc™️©️! (The trademark and copyright are on the birth certificate)

૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა˖⁺‧₊˚

Any since you asked for more here we go!:

The Fae Wilds are a domain connected to Mond filled with - you guessed it - Fae! Though they are… less than friendly.

I took a lot of inspiration from German folk tales and legends, as well as a few others from regions surrounding it! I didn’t directly copy any, as I wanted to create my own (though in the end I may end up keeping a few, or at least making nods to them)

The fae wilds aren’t fully developed but they are getting there!

A few of the legends are as follows:

“The Weeping Woman” : A tale of a woman who was engaged to the love of her life, her wedding day came round and her husband died of a mysterious illness. This left her to weep for days on end. She wandered the grassy landscape surrounding Mondstadt, calling out to her dead lover. One day, the pain and anguish became too great and as such, she there herself off the top of StarSnatch Cliff. They say that you can hear her sobs around the cliffs of the Fae Realm. Those who head her call are sent barreling down a cliff into rock waters below. For children, they may be snatched up a stolen away, forever bound to her by watery chains, to be the children she could never have with her fiancée.

The only way to dispel her is to show her your true love (she could never knowingly separate lovers), show her a picture of herself before she died (she will get distracted and begin fixing her appearance for her love), or a picture of her fiancée (she will be distracted and give you enough time to run)

“The Dancer”: A teen boy who adored dancing for the people of Mondstadt. He would dance day in and day out. That was, until his father told him that his dancing was lackluster at best. He forced himself to continue dancing, and dancing, and dancing until he fell dead in a useless attempt to gain his father’s love and respect. The Fae Wilds took him not long after. Now if you hear old Mondstadtian music flowing on the winds on a particularly cold night, you will be met by him. In which he will beg and plead for a dance. Should you dance with him, however, he will attempt to steal your legs in order to replace his own, so he may dance better to appease his father.

How to dispel his is to either introduce him to a new dance (he will grow obsessed with learning it, only downside is that when he does learn it, you can no longer use that dance as an excuse) or to quite simply tell him you can’t dance. He may be pushy, but if you continue to say you can’t, he will eventually leave you be.

“Army of Death”: A literal army of undead churls. Hili, mita and lawachurls who have been brought back via the wild magics of the Fae, filled with an unending need for bloodshed. They cannot die. They cannot rest. Should you head the battle horn of churl camp? Run.

There is no known way to dispel them. Best you can do is throw a few (or many) pieces of meat and prey.

“The Shop”: Just a little shop on the outskirts of the Wilds!~… Why is that bottle filled with the skin of my relatives :)?

Really nothing you can do. Either you buy something or get out! Of course, they sell anything your heart desires, from ores to fake visions! You can find it all in the shop!

The Fae Wilds are filled with legend after legend, most passed down through families. A few manage to slip through the border that is guarded by Detleif (centaur OC), and that’s why there are rules/quick fixes for meeting them! The duty of keeping the majority of the Fae in the wilds falls on the High Priest. He should spend the most of his week in the Wilds ensuring they don’t pass, keeping the more dangerous Fae in the wilds.

For context about the history really quick: The Wilds were once intertwined with Mondstadt, and there were a few human settlements inside its borders. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean either we’re on good terms, but it was enough to not be constantly fighting. Eventually Celestia decided to be the bitch it is, and try to be rid of it, not seeing the purpose of its existence. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and they only ended up corrupting the realm. Fae attacks weren’t that common before, but after that it was a daily occurrence. Nearly every hour really.

The unfortunate thing? Ludwig lived in one of these settlements, and his whole family ended up dying around him. This turned their angered souls into Fae, but now he spends his days killing his family over and over and over and over and over and over…

Beyond that, I don’t have too much else to add about the Fae Wilds. As I said, it’s still a bit underdeveloped, but I work on it daily!

☆૮꒰ˊᗜˋ* ꒱ა

Thank you for the ask! I love talking about my baby <3 ૮꒰⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა

#anon <3 #personal Genshin impact au #original character #oc #genshin impact au #૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა thank you!!

[angry-geese]

Lost and Losing It

Eddie Munson x Reader

Warnings: none! Sfw. Angst with a happy ending, first kiss, friends to lovers, probably some secondhand embarrassment. Gn!reader

Word count: 1.8k

Synopsis:

"what the hell are you still doing in Hawkins?" Eddie asks.

"we were supposed to get out of here, remember?" You ask. "You and I were gonna go to California to make it big. But you're still in school and I'm still stuck working the same shitty warehouse job!"

He recalls how eerily similar your conversation sounds to an argument you had months back. That ended badly. You didn't talk to him for a week. Even after you made up, things weren't ever quite the same. You buried yourself in work. And Eddie...

Perhaps you've changed a lot. Perhaps Eddie hasn't changed at all.

When Eddie hears a car pulling up the gravel road to his uncle’s trailer, he writes it off as one of his neighbors. The microwave dings, signaling his Cup O Noodles is ready. The first time he hears a knock at the door, he ignores it. It must be Mrs. Morgan asking for salt again. Whoever it is at the door must be in a hurry, he thinks, because a moment later they knock again. This time it's far louder. 

Muttering a few choice expletives, he abandons his ramen for the door. He figures whichever door to door salesman it is, will go away the moment he answers. One of the last people he expects to see standing on his doorstep, is you.

You’re still dressed in your work uniform: black Carhartts, a long sleeve shirt under a red polo with the company name sewn into the sleeve. There's a book in your hands: Dungeon Masters Guide. You offer it to him sheepishly. Several yellow post-its stick out of the book. He catches a glimpse of your neat handwriting on one.

“I wasn't feeling well so Mr. Matthews let me leave work a bit early.” You say. “I came by to drop off your book.”

A pencil sticks out from behind his ear. His hair is tied back. He has a safety pin in the piercing you once did years ago. The top few buttons of his shirt have come undone, revealing a new tattoo. It's fresh. The skin around it is still red, and irritated.

“Do you want to come hang for a bit?” He asks. “It's just… it's been awhile since I last saw you.”

You wring your hands. “I'm sorry.” You say. “I've been so busy with work. And my dad—he's sick again. The doctors are saying it's pneumonia this time.”

You look tired, he notes. Really tired.

It's as if the span of a few months has aged you ten years. You're no longer the same person he saw at school all those years ago. You've changed. Perhaps he hasn't changed at all.

“I get it.” He says. “Sometimes I forget you’ve technically got bills and stuff now.”

You laugh. “Yeah. I guess I’m supposed to be a responsible adult now.”

“Want a beer?” He asks. Light floods the kitchen as he cracks the door to the fridge open.

“Sure.” You say. “I can't drink too much, though. I drove here and my dad will have my ass if he catches me coming home plastered again.”

The bottles clink together as he holds them both in one hand. Using a lighter, he pries the caps off. “How’s he doing?” Eddie asks. “Your dad, I mean.”

“I dunno,” you say. “He's not getting worse but… he keeps talking about some malaria medication they gave him before he left for the war. He's saying that's what made him sick,

“It's just… not like him,” you continue. “I don't think he's lying, but it sounds so absurd.”

“It's not like that's the first, or last time the US government has experimented on its citizens.” He says. “Just look at MK Ultra.”

“That's not comforting at all.” You say, laughing softly.

The cushion beside you dips as he sits. He frees the pencil from behind his ear, tossing it aside. Your eyes fall to the rack of mugs hung above the counter. Such a familiar place, and yet you feel like a stranger here. You can hardly count all the evenings you've spent here, playing dnd, and being a general terror to the neighborhood. The countless summers you’d swim in the quarry, drunk, half naked, and freezing to death come sunset.

The silence that settles over the room isn't one you can call comfortable. Eddie twists one of his rings between his forefinger and thumb. His knee bounces anxiously. You bring the beer to your lips and take a sip. It feels as if you have to swallow twice for it to finally go down.

“Rick’s back?” You ask. “Thought he was still in jail.”

“He's on parole right now.” Eddie says. “Why? You looking to buy something?”

“Not really,” you say. “Just bein’ nosy.”

Your weak attempt at small talk has fallen flat on its face. He seems to take a sudden interest in picking at his nails. The black polish on them is badly chipped. They look to have been bitten down to the nail beds. 

"What the hell are you still doing in Hawkins?" Eddie asks.

Something akin to anger flares up in your chest. You recall how eerily similar this conversation is to an argument you had months back. That ended badly. You didn't talk to him for a week. Even after you made up, things weren't ever quite the same. You buried yourself in work. And Eddie…

“We were supposed to get out of here, remember?” You ask. “You and I were gonna go to California to make it big. I'd be a published author and your band was supposed to be making it big out West. But you're still in school, and I'm still stuck working the same shitty warehouse job!”

Perhaps you’ve changed a lot. Perhaps Eddie hasn't changed at all.

“86 is gonna be my year.” He says.

“That's what you said last year.” You say. “You were supposed to walk with me at graduation. And we were supposed to flip Principal Higgins the bird as we walked on that stage!”

“You still flipped him off.” Eddie says. His face is close enough to yours that you can feel his breath against your skin. He smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

“God you should have seen the look on his face,” you say. “What are they gonna do though, suspend me? I left that shithole behind,

“I do miss Hellfire, though. We should run another campaign this summer.”

Your dad always figured you were fine playing dnd. He thought you may run into some real weirdos while playing it, but he wasn't opposed to you doing so.

You suppose he wasn't entirely wrong about the weirdos part. Not that you mind. You find them to be plenty better company than most people.

“I don't care if I have to wait another year,” you say. “We’re getting out of here.”

“Trust me, I am army crawling my way to a passing grade in Econ.” He says.

Eddie Munson is not dumb. You always figured that if things were different—if even a little—that he would be out of there by now. He's bright. Christ—he reads more than you—more than most people you know. He’s a talented DM, and an even better storyteller. 

Sometimes you think things aren't made for people like him. Or you, for that matter.

The first year and a half of highschool went well. After spring break of sophomore year, everything went to shit. You're not certain why it did. Maybe people are right when they say Hawkins is cursed. But you’re not religious, nor are you superstitious. And all those stories about something being buried beneath this town are just that: stories.

Eddie was always there to remind you that things didn't have to suck. And when you were around him, they didn't. 

Eddie thinks he should pinch himself. He's dreaming. He must be dreaming. You… in his house… with his uncle at work. It's just too… perfect. 

Getting you alone was always difficult to do, especially as you got older. Hellfire wasn't the place for it. Class wasn't. And after you graduated, most of your free time was spent working. The few times he tried to stop by your house, he didn't get any further than talking with your father. Usually you were at work. When you weren't, the conversations you had were often brief, and one sided.

Eddie has thought long and hard about how this conversation would go. How he would apologize, or maybe you would. Maybe you were still mad at him. Or maybe time had simply pushed you two apart, creating a rift that would never truly heal.

Your hand presses against his knee to prevent it from bouncing. Eddie hadn't even realized he was doing it.

His heart leaps into his throat. Eddie’s hand wraps around yours, as if to move it, yet simply stops there.

“Sorry you were just… I was…” You stammer out a few more fragments of a sentence before finally saying: “wanna watch a movie?”

“Yeah,” he says, “sure, sure.” Although his head is turned away, you can see the redness that creeps up his cheeks.

You fumble for the remote, switching the TV on. Nightmare on Elm Street. The movie looks to be about halfway over.

“I missed hanging out with you.” He says quietly.

“I missed you too—hanging you with you, I mean.” You say. “God it's been so weird without you around. Even my dad has been asking where you were and he…”

“Can't stand me?”

“Nah,” you say. “I think you’ve grown on him.”

Eddie has finally noticed how close your faces have gotten. Your free hand has moved to cover his, and he prays you won't notice how badly his palms are sweating.

“Can I… do you want to…” You pause for a moment, seemingly collecting yourself. “Can I kiss you?”

“You can.” He says, with no hesitation. His pointer finger and thumb dig into the flesh of his arm, and he feels the sharp sting of it. He’s not dreaming…

Your lips press against his gently, but with a certain neediness behind them. You taste faintly like coffee, and his stubble scratches your skin. Something burns in his chest, and it's not from the alcohol. 

Eddie thinks that if he died now, he would die a happy man. 

Your lips part from his with a soft smack. His eyes don't open until your hands move to cup his cheeks, guiding him to look at you.

“Kiss me again,” you say. “Please.” 

You must not know how long he’s been waiting to hear those words.

This time, he leans in first. His hair tickles your neck as he nips at your bottom lip. You are expecting his hands to find your waist; you aren't expecting his tongue to enter your mouth.

The front door slides open and in steps Wayne Munson. He kicks the toe of his boot against the front step, knocking the dirt off them, before discarding his Georgia Loggers at the door.

“Mr. Munson,” you say, shuffling away from Eddie. “You’re home early!”

Wayne greets you with a nod, and a grunt, before settling into his recliner. He gets up once to grab the remote, switching to the nightly news. Within a matter of minutes, Eddie’s uncle goes from wide awake, to dozing off, occasionally waking himself up with his own snores.

“Why don't we go hang out in your room?” You ask.

“Sounds like a good idea.” He says.

#eddie munson x gender neutral reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #ehh im not really that active in this fandom so im not 100% sure how people tag thing #eddie stranger things #eddie st4 #OSHA compliant #fluff #stranger things fluff #probably not canon complint but oh well lol

[inkofamethyst]

March 13, 2024

Happy covid-iversary, yay. "Two weeks to stop the spread," is a saying that will haunt me my entire life, I think.

I didn't actually journal on March 13 which is a shame in hindsight, but I remember not doing much. I lounged around my house because classes were cancelled, I picked my sister up from school, and we went to get ice cream. A lot of other people from my/her high school had the same idea, so the line was long, and I was too awkward to say hi to the people I kinda knew (but I always thought they were cooler than me (I genuinely think most people are cooler than me... which might be a problem in some respects, but I'll deal with that later.)).

Anyway I coded for 5 hours straight and got a working encounter system, a working character creator, and a working opponent set generator. There's still a lot to move from my note to the script, but, the game works, and everything I've written runs as intended. Is it fun? Well, right now, it's all the same. Name yourself, fight one-fight two-fight three (each only requiring one or two inputs), game ends. It was exciting the first couple of times, but now I want to add more for more variety, of course.

[edit: wrote the above a couple days ago and after a break it has returned to being kind of fun. I've also learned that instantaneousness kills all tension, so I wrote a few basic functions to delay and separate lines in various ways. Anyway I'm going to hold off on doing much more transcribing/coding from my pseudocode, since I don't want to get too far ahead of the final project timeline, and I don't even really know what the expectations are, so I could be way outside of bounds here and I just wouldn't know.]

[edit 2, next day: New plan. Going to write more detailed pseudo/update poorly-detailed pseudo, do some story planning for the secret ending that I don't intend to get to but hey yaneverknow, and try to balance mechanics/come up with items/do a bunch of the little things that sap a surprising amount of creativity.]

I also binged She-Hulk, and I loved it?! I thought it was going to be awful and cringey the way people online (dudes?) talked about it, but it was genuine, and meta, and actually had me laughing at times. I mean, that last episode? Come on!!! Sure, some of the vfx were just alright, but it's a show, and after six-odd years of AOS, I'm used to it. I'm glad they leaned into the unseriousness. Also,,,, Matt Murdock is such a hottie. The quips, the law banter, the violence, ahhhh. My dnd-friend strongly endorses Daredevil, but I've held off because I was afraid of the violence, honestly. But I'm a big girl, and I'm very good at closing my eyes.

Today I'm thankful for a successful antiquing run!!!! Early last semester I heard about this antique market, and I finally put in the effort to get there today, and it was amazing!!! I was looking for shared housewares (found the specific item I was looking for!) and unique vintagey jewelry. Didn't quite manage to find anything truly vintage, but I got a darling piece of simple costume jewelry and the most fantastic mug that's shaped like a head of lettuce (this description does not do its beauty justice). The necklace will be perfect for when I finally make my way to the opera, and the mug is like something a fairy would drink from. I stayed within my budget which means I have just a little bit left in my allowance to thrift for clothes, maybe on Friday or Saturday (since I'll be in lab all day tomorrow).

By the way, the antique store was amazing. It has at least five floors (I got tired after three and a half) and is filled to the brim with some of the most eclectic stuff you could ever find, with old-timey radios playing music from various eras throughout. Magical. I could waste a lot of money there.

Oh wait, before I go, yesterday was such a busy day that I didn't even journal but I:

Met up with a lab/classmate and their partner for a lunch and a stroll in the city which was fantastic. My original plan was to go see Dune and also to pick up some (red, short, block) heels I'd ordered, but I didn't end up liking the heels on me very much, and I was enjoying the pair's company too much to cut the time short with a three-hour movie.

Went to a paint night through a diversity org I'm in which was also fantastic. I painted a cute little mushroom scene! I don’t really consider myself a visual artist and I’m not a huge fan of acrylic but it was very relaxing so I’d love to try watercolor sometime. Also like,, because this isn’t my "preferred medium" it was SO nice to not be stressed about perfection and just go for it.

[foxtriestobiteandmaimandkilland]

ok so like despite spending years being constantly online and looking at the words Dungeons and Dragons, i am at a loss as to understanding what d&d is 😭😭😭 and i like ik you love jrwi so like... care to explain maybe??? i really wanna know fhdgdfkgk 😭😭

OH MY GID HM YMG SO MHYH GMYMDOG HI SAPPHO THANK YOU SI MCUH FOR ASKING ME HJS I AM GOING TO EXPLODE OKAY SO.

As a premise i have played dnd but with a group of my friends for like 3 oneshots where i had no idea what was going on really and the dm was pretty inexperienced SO i am going 2 go off of all ive picked up from jrwi mostly since thats where ive learnt like. Everythin abt dnd. SO I MAY BE WRONG ABT SOME STUFF BUT IM EXPLAINING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS LEARNT EVERYRHING LIKE THIRD HAND.

BUT. so dnd is. Fuck iidk what term u use to explain it but its basically exactly like playing pretend as an 8 year old except with more rules and its fantasy instead of like lego ninjago or whatever The Council of 8 year olds has decided 2 play today.

Im gonna relate EVERYTHING back 2 riptide btw forrrr ease of access SO YEAH OKAY.

In dnd, there r basically 2 roles u can be. Either the dm (the dungeon master) or a player. Simply these r basically like the narrator and the characters sorta. The players each have their own player characters (pc) that they play and they very rarely change who they play in a campaign. They might get a new pc if their old one dies or smth happens to them where they arent around for a while. The dm however, plays pretty much every single other npc in the campaign (and grizzly, the dm of riptide jrwi, does it so fucking well and he has a unique voice for like 80 different characters or smth hes insane). The dm also tells the story and presents the players w the situations they need to get past. The players then decide what they do. The entire thing however is a LOT of yes anding. For example, the dm might be like "so you step into this tavern and around you you see [description of tavern bla bla bla] and sitting at the tables r groups of people, many of them bald, [bla bla bla more description of everything happening round them]. And then with that the players might decide their characters talk to each other a bit and then slap each bald man, resulting in the dm then later creating a combat with the players fighting against a group of bald men. For example. But yea thats the dm n the players basically n yea

However beyond just usual roleplay of like characters interacting and chilling, theres the whole thing w ROLLING. Bc like. Just ROLL with it. Bc like any rpg every character, pc or npc or enemy or anything. Has stats in a few different skills. Since i barely remember playing dnd myself bc that was like almost 2 years ago or smth fuck if i remember, im just gonna list of what i do remember from hearin shit in riptide. So these skills r shit like charisma and strength and wisdom n acrobatics n whatever yknow and i dont actuallyyy remember but ITS FINE. and then there r 2 ways ppl can roll these things. Either checks, or saves. Its sorta difficult to explain the difference between a check and a save because in terms of technicality i dont actually know the difference. But usually checks are for if youve decided to just do an action, but saves are for if youre trying to negate a negative effect or. Whatever. For example, if youre trying to pick up something very heavy, youd make a strength check. But if you were like trying to. Fuck wait i cant think of an example of a strength save. Errr. Ok fuck it im switching 2 charisma examples. A charisma check would be if ur tryna like idk win someone over, but usually ud make a persuasion check or a deception check fuck wait er idk the difference. OKAY IGNORE ME HERE BC IDK THE TECHNICALITIES OF DND THAT WELL BC I HAVENT PLAYED IT IN A WHILE AND I ONLY DID A COUPLE VERY MESSY ONESHOTS. but a saving throw would be for smth likeee lets say someones tryna possess u and u dont want em to. U would make a wisdom saving throw to try to like Resist the possession. If u win the save, u dont get possessed. If u fail it, u get possessed. And the way u determine if something fails or wins, is with dcs. I do not know what dc stands for but its basically whatever number u have to roll higher than to pass.

ANYWAYS. With rolling n shit, with checks n saves, u roll on a d20 (a dice with 20 sides) and then add or subtract ur modifier in that ability. For example, gillion in jrwi has like a -4 to dexterity or smth absurd bc hes not dexterous at all. This means that if he rolls like a 15 on the d20, thatd become an 11 instead. If it is actually a -4 idk the exact number. Altho, chip jrwi has like a +11 to persuasion because hes fucking insane. So then if he rolls a 15 persuasion check thst becomes a fucking 26. Also, rolling a natural 20 or a natural 1 r like. Sorta big things as they r the highest and lowest u can roll. So like, rolling a nat20 is almost always an immediate success UNLESS whatever ur trying to beat has an insanely high dc. For example, at one point gillion had to make a constitution save with like a dc 35 because he had done some crazy shit. He rolled a natural 18, and with all his spells and all his modifiers to give him some kinda buff, he only made it to like a 32 USING ALMOST ALL HIS AND HIS FRIENDS SPELLS. So in this case he wouldve had to roll a nat20, but without the spells and buffs, that wouldnt have succeeded because it wouldve still been below the 35. Anyways.

Theres also a thing called rolling w advantage or disadvantage which is from whst ive seen, just rolling twice and taking whichevwr roll is best. So if u have like an advantage to a perception check bc like lets sayyy someones also looking with you so theyve given you advantage, you could roll twice and keep whichever roll ends up higher. And then vice versa w disadvantage.

Anyways theres a lotta mechanics i cant rlly fully explain bc i dont fully understand lol BUT smth i can explain to the best of my ability is COMBAT. so with combat, you begin with everything that is going to be fighting rolling initiative. This means player characters who r in the fight, enemies in the fight, and anyone who is going to join the fight later. The initiative rolls the decide the turn order, with the highest initiative going first, then down the turn order to the lowest initiative. Each turn, the character can do a buncha shit which i dont fully know BUT. I do know that everyone gets an action for their turn, so with that they could likee go to attack whatever theyre fighting, or use their movement to get away, or cast a spell to help themselves or their friends out or WHATEVER it can literally be like idk fuckin anything. Ur action could b shootin the bad guy in the face or it could b pullin down the pants of ur enemies. But then, some ppl also get a bonus action or maybe everyone or maybe idk i dont know the logistics but theres a number of Things u can do on ur turn until u decide that ur done doing things or if ur out of actions. Also tho bc its still very roleplayed, anyone can like talk to each other, regardless of turn. So like a character during their turn might shout to their ally, who can talk back instead of being locked in a stasis of Not Their Turn. However the person replying cant act on anything until it is their turn. Which leads 4 some kinds funny dialogue ig. Like 4 example it might be like. "Hey, ally, throw the Object over here !!" "I cant !" "Why not ????" "Its not my turn im stuck in my idle animation for the next 6 seconds !" Or whatevwr the fuck. But then they could throw The Object their next turn. Ummm and yeah. Also w combat p much most attacks have to pass the victims AC which is their armour class. So like, if one person wants to stab someone else, the dm will b like okay roll 2 hit. N if the other persons ac is sayyy a 15 (if they remember 2 put on their leather armour and dont forget to equip it for like 50 episodes) then that roll to hit has to end up above a 15, or itll miss. Or however thwy want to flavour it. Sometimes the miss will be flavoured as hitting armour and just clinking off of it, sometimes itll be the victim dodging, sometimes itll be just a complete fuck up, whatever rlly. And then yeah also in combat, if someones hp is reduced to 0, they do not automatically die unless theyre reduced to under double their max hp i think ? Idk the exact thing but no hit so far in riptide has instakilled i dont think other than one that was like crazy insane but that one was like crazy insane dc104 strength save holy fuck kinda blow. Actually i think its different when it comes 2 enemies bc the pcs have plot armour or smth idk man. But if someones hp is reduced to 0 they dont die, theyre knocked unconscious. And then, they remain unconscious until somebody heals them to above 1 hp, and for each round or smth they arent bsck, they make death saves. Idk if the dcs always the same or if its different for different ppl, it seems to just be a dc10 but idk. But if in total the character fails 3 death saves, they r just straight up dead. But if a character succeeds the death saves, theyre still unconscious, but not dead. If theu roll a nat1, thats automatically 2 failed saves in one. But if they roll a nat20, they recover a singular hitpoint and come back up.

Anyways thats all the mechanics shit out the way i do not understand it that well and a lot of it involves maths that im too scared to find out more abt BUT. in dnd as well there r races and classes. The race is like. Ur species. For example in riptide bc i love my examples, chip and jay r just humans, whereas gillion id a triton, so like. A fish guyyy. But with legs hes not a merman. And he is amphibious. Other races in dnd tho include tieflings and orcs and genasi and dragonborne and goliaths and That One Thing My Friend Was In Our Oneshot I Forgor and tabaxis and halflings and elves and a fuckkk ton of different races dude theres a lot. All of them r fantasy tho other than like. Humans. And also pets if there r any. Sometimes the pets r fantasy too. Like on the crew there was a bluebird called apple and she was just a normal bluebird. Well she had some shit going on but tbat wasnt important bc what was important was that her race was at that time just a normal bluebird. Altho theres also the most specialist girl in the whole wide world called pretzel and shes a frogtopus and she has the head of a frog and rhe body of an octopus but frogtopi dont exist irl but yea.

anyways, classes r different to races in that theyre less to do w genetics n more 2 do w abilities. For example, in riptide once again, chip is a rogue (i think hes taken like 2 levels in sorcery ? But hes primarily a rogue), jay is a hunter/ranger i forgot which one and an artificer, and gillion is a paladin and a sorcerer. These classes affect the abilities these ppl r good at and the things they can do, and if theyre magic, the spells they have and also the beliefs they hold. I thinkkk paladins r known 4 bein v like religious n shit bc a lot of the time the other players have been like Yeah Trust A Paladin To Thank God For Us Saving His Life or smth like that. But other classes include things likeee fighters and bards and warlocks and barbarians andddd i forgot any others becauseeeee yeahhhhhh awesomeeee but yeah!

Andddd yea honestly i think thats all the dnd stuff explained theres a few like other stuff ive probably missed out and ive probably got a buncha this shit wrong BUT this is enough 2 understand riptide atleast. I think. Basically, tldr, dnd is roleplay with more rules and fighting and fantasy and the dm is like god to ur players but like also god of the gods. The end.

#day thoughts #asks #long post #my thumbs hate me so much for typign this all #but thank u so much sappho for asking this i have been waiting to get an opportunity to go crazy abt this shit #and like one final time i am a dumb baby loser who doesnt knoe if everything ive said is completely accurate but its the best i can do rn #and if u wanna lesrn more search up stuff abt dnd 5th edition bc thats the version theyre playing i think #also some of their stuff i think its homebrewed idk

[deer-knight]

Hello &! This may be a bit odd, and no need to answer if you choose not to. I've been playing DnD for a while now, and I absolutely love my character. They are primarily a rogue, but I multi class as a ranger a well. Anyway, I guess I'm just curious if you know any ways to be a real life, modern rogue. In any and all senses really. Style, attitude, practices, mindset, anything. I'd like to get into better shape and be more acrobatic, but I have chronic pain that makes that difficult. I'm not sure what else to try. Thanks for any insight!!

- 🦊

hey anon! this is such a fun ask. i would class myself as a ranger as opposed to a rogue, but depending on the book you go by they can be pretty similar. since rangers are closer to my own experience, i'll speak to that. i have a suspicion this will be a fairly long response, so i'll put it all under the cut.

style: now, i style myself the way i do for a lot of reasons, but the big two are: it's functional for my year-round outdoor job and lifestyle, and i like it. lol. so it's a lot of workwear, durable materials like canvas and leather, and natural fiber like linen, cotton, and wool. dark green is my favorite color, so a lot (and i mean a LOT) of my wardrobe is green and brown and black. this also means everything i own already matches and i don't have to know anything about fashion (or making choices related to fashion). but, obviously those earth tones also aid the ranger vibes. also, i don't buy any clothing new (underwear exempt), and i do a lot of repair and mending when i wear through stuff, which happens all the time. support your local secondhand shops, and take good care of the stuff you have so it lasts as long as possible.

attitude/mindset: these are similar so i'll group them. this one's pretty simple i think. having respect for the earth, and being part of its preservation and conservation is really important. that also means being aware of and knowledgeable about the history of the land, indigenous people, plants, and animals, and practicing good stewardship where you live. (i mean, i think everyone should do this, but especially if you want to style yourself as a ranger). get to know your local flora/fauna. even in urban environments, obviously there are native plants and animals that still live there. practice kindness. patience. work hard, and know your limits. especially with chronic pain. it's great to feel accomplished, but don't sacrifice your health for it. be resourceful - use what you have.

practices/skills: i'm adding skills in here. because i think rangers are generally skilled in the realm of wilderness knowledge. fire skills, tracking skills, camping, foraging, etc etc. are all important things i think rangers should be at least familiar with. these are all skills that take a long time to develop though. practice and persistence and experience will yield results. hunting skills would be excellent, and not something i've had an opportunity to explore yet. but archery is something i've done for over a decade now. a very good ranger skill. in the end, i think modern rangers are folks who are close to the earth and care about keeping it safe. restoration, indigenous rights and sovereignty, and conservation are priorities in doing so. living in ways that limit our footprint. being resourceful and resilient. knowing the land we live on. having wilderness skills. i think these are the foundations.

im not sure if this is what you were looking for, but it's what i've got. cheers! &

[ferdydurke]

Could you write something about your dnd character/s? Love hearing about other people's ocs!

hehe i finally have a moment to answer >:3c this is gonna be long so im gonna get a read more involved

my only character thats actually from dnd (my online group plays other ttrpgs) and "active" (we played two sessions 3 months ago ;w; but! might play again) Is Yeshe :3

Its a mdzs inspired campaign... im pretty sure, i havent watched it... so i based her off of tibetan folk clothes and ofc off of a pallas cat. She hadnt had time to shine as a character yet and her backstory and motivations are bit murky =w= but the gist is that she takes care of her magically gifted little sibling (another player character, my sketch attached), they were raised in a remote commune and are now going to the big city.

Now, the character from a finished campaign of City Of Mist (really cool system!!!) thats been on my mind a lot recently is my beloved Theooooooo

He was originally an oc completely detached from any specific setting, then I put him with my beloved Rochelle (in the blue dress, she started out as a dnd character but got only like 2 sessions back in 2020 :'3) in my own version of feywild (ill get to it later).

And then!!! I decided to play him in that CoM game and it was the best decision everrrrrrrrrr he was so so so so sos ososoosososos fun :3. CoM is urban fantasy where people become "rifts" for mythical beings and are able to use their power.

Theo was a Detective and a Fey and i really enjoyed playing an absolutely devious, controlling and charming guy =w=. His main motivation was power, he thought most people (except for his wife rochelle altough they have a tomshiv thing going on) are beneath him and mostly there for him to order around like chess pieces. And something that made this campaign insanely fun for me was that in order to get more powerful he had to do a task for the fey queen - kidnap and deliver a singer to her. A singer which also happened to be the person we had to protect during our investigation... dm and me kept it secret.

It was so insanely fun to walk into every scene thinking of how to find an opportunity to do that... in the end I managed to, in a very tense scene (the greyscale sketch at the top, the girl smiling behind theo is one of the fey messangers). The other PCs didnt stop him because they had some trust in him... got away with it completely :3. Tho I agreed not to play him in the next campaign (even tho id love to >_<) bc his jig was kinda up. Great character tho, and thanks to my dm i finally get warlocks, i might play one sometime!

Now, still in the city of mist im playing Valerie :3

Her mythos is "Vampire" but she refuses to drink blood... she gets all sorts of issues bc of that, has trouble keeping down frineds and jobs ect... Still very early in the campaign but shes pretty fun :3 tho i prefer chracters who are a bit more commanding, i made her more of a follower to let my group breathe after theo but i kinda naturally fell back into organising the party again last session so i think i just need to stick to making charismatic characters next time sidugfsd. shes a nice change of pace tho, im excited for whats in store for her.

My feywild!!! It's a setting ive had in my head ever since i made Rochelle, Its sort of an early modern france mixed with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which sounds pretty lame and ig it is isudgfsd.

Theres a lot of ideas and a lot of characters that i dont really have time to develop and am prolly gonna rework a million times =w= but its fun, and its fun to make plalists for random archfey.

Last character I'll mention =w= even tho i never got to play him because the campaign fell apart before the fist session, as they often do, I really love Byk and I wanna show you guys...

Tadeusz Byk born in 1880 in Poland, Emigrated to the usa (boston then moved near new york) with his mother and grandma when he was 13... Operates a temporary house for immigrants that his mother started. Now 40, works as a tailor and sells moonshine on the side. Depressed, repressed and with a big heart... hope i get to dust him off for something someday...

#barking #ask #I bet this is very unpleasant to read forgive me ive dyslexia and had to write it without autocorrect #if you guys are curious about any of em feel free to ask ^_^ also i have a million more ttrpg ocs so if you wanna see some more lemme know #i tried to stick to some relevant to dnd ones sdugsd #except for byk i just know you guys like old man yaoi #he got that hat from a childhood friend he had a thing for... all very tragic

[koalammas]

Tagged by @rochastocade

1. Are you named after anyone?

Not that I know of. Had i been amab, mom would have named me after the man she believed should have been her soulmate (but wasn't my dad). They met in Italy while she was interrailing and her wristwatch died when he introduced himself. (His name was Alex)

2. When was the last time you cried?

Around and after April 19, after hearing the news of Moon Bin's passing.

3. Do you have kids?

No, but I would love to have someday. I'm just not in a situation where it would be wise for me to raise a child, I feel.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

No, that's not really my speed.

5. What is the first thing you notice about a person?

Outfit and overall expression of self. The manner in which they treat me. (I mostly meet customers. You can tell instantly which ones are nice)

6. What’s your eye color?

Green. The type of annoying green that ya authors wax poetic abt lol you know what I mean

7. Scary movie or happy ending?

These two are not mutually exclusive. A satisfying ending is more important, but I would prefer if its also a happy one. I'm trying to watch more scary things.

8. Any special talents?

I can pop most of my joints. I love organising and categorising things for myself and for others. It's pretty difficult to deter me.

9. Where were you born?

Ivalo, northern Finland. I have not lived there since I was a toddler

10. What are your hobbies?

Gardening, bullet journaling, digital drawing. Tabletop rpgs (starfinder and dnd, we used to play pathfinder). Reading and trying to be more active in watching different movies. Id love to say video games but ive only really played The Sims 4 and Acnh lately. Running when the weather allows it.

11. Do you have any pets?

Not anymore, but I used to have an older gentleman miniature poodle who was too tall to actually fit the miniature category. I love him dearly. One day I would like to get another dog, probably another poodle. I love how particular they are about things.

12. What sports do you/have you played?

I used to compete in swimming until I started high school. I've also danced a wide variety of genres from ages 7 to 19, and attended a couple of national competitions for modern dance. I had to quit because my joints got too fucked up and I fell out of friendship with my back then bestie. Now I just run and do home youtube workouts because I don't like going to the gym.

13. How tall are you?

161 cm ish I think? Which is like... 5'3 or sth

14. Favourite subject in school?

I've always loved languages, and had incredibly supportive teachers both in finnish and English as a foreign language. Swedish as well, but I never quite clicked with those teachers on the same level hence why my Swedish is more ..so-so. Art obv. Honestly? Everything else except for maths, physics and chemistry I found enjoyable. Oh and .. social economics? Probably would have liked the subject but I hated the teacher. Aside from those, learning new things has always been a joy.

15. Dream job?

Honestly? Something that won't drain me and actually leaves me with savings and a will to live.

Bonus: any significance to your blog's name: its the finnish version of my main blog's url, koalamb. Literally just a mashup of two fun little guys who are both known to be .. not the smartest cookies out there.

Tagging @varsbaby @moviestarmijoo @zeesqueere @seekingthestars @sapphicshawol @alexanderfuckingwept @phoradendron if you're up for it, but honestly if you see this and want to do it you can say I tagged you xoxo. Feel free to ignore, but I'd love to learn more abt mine moots

#tag games #liinatalk

[utilitycaster]

Hi! I have a build question for you, if you're willing to answer. I play a cleric in a homebrew campaign that strongly values non-combat, non-spellcasting abilities. The setting is very low combat and has strict rules about the circumstances and kinds of magic that are permissible to use without in-game repercussions, so I can't use a lot of the spells on the cleric spell list without causing more problems for the party than I'd solve. I also rolled very average stats in a party with much better stat rolls overall and lots of expertise (we have a rogue, a bard, and a ranger), and I've been told by other players that I shouldn't make skill checks someone else is proficient in to keep from failing checks and ruining opportunities in the game for everyone else. I can't even cast guidance to help my party members very often, since public magic use is a no-go in this setting. Do you have any ideas for feats or other build choices that might make my character more useful in this setting? Thank you in advance for your advice. This is my first dnd campaign and I'm really struggling to figure things out, lol.

Hi anon,

In the words of Brian Murphy of Dimension 20 and NADDPod: get better friends.

Nothing here is your fault. You are at a table with stupid rules and obnoxious people. Like, we're talking "do you live within an hour's drive of where I live because I will fight your DM in a parking lot" bad. If you have a local gaming shop - and unless you're truly out in the sticks, if you live in the US, you probably do - see if they have any D&D games going that are newcomer friendly and run far from this group, because they suck.

It is possible to have a D&D game that is largely low-combat, though it's not personally to my taste. It's also possible to have a D&D game that is low magic, though that is also not personally to my taste. If you are doing a game that is both, you should probably play in a game system that isn't designed around combat and magic. And, if for whatever reason, someone has decided to run a low-combat, low-magic game in D&D, instead of using Powered by the Apocalypse or something that actually makes sense, the way to deal with this is to not permit someone to play a full caster. [FYI I'm going to make a post just about this after and it's not just about this question - it's something I do think about a lot.]

There is no solution, because the main thing clerics do is magic. If your DM wasn't an utter moron...well, they wouldn't have put these rules in place originally, but if they were just sort of a moron they'd have at least steered you towards, say, a monk or another class with a skillset that fits a game without magic. Sure, you could take feats that up the number of skills, or you could take ASIs to increase your stats, but it's going to be a bandaid because you are playing one of the most powerful classes in the game and your fucking idiot of DM has told you that you can't use any of its abilities. Fuck that.

Also: fuck your party members. No, it is not rude to make checks other people are proficient in. A reasonable DM, which you unfortunately do not really have, will sometimes say who is allowed to make certain knowledge checks (ie, the INT 8 fighter is not permitted to try to roll for arcana, because there is no conceivable way they will know), but failure is an inherent part of the game, and like, sure, the face of the group will often be the one to take the lead in social situations, but it's boring for them to always do it. And in general? If you're not a raging dickhead, and there's a new player at the table, and you're playing in the stupidest game premise known to people of any gender that has ever existed, you just...don't do that? You encourage them to make some checks! These people suck!

In short: everyone at your table is, and I cannot stress this enough, both stupid and an asshole. Flip the table, flip them off, leave, and find a better group. You deserve so much better.

#for real though tell your DM to turn on their location #i just want to talk and throw a rock at their car windshield #d&d mechanics

[emetkoto]

So what about Astarion drew you in? Were you spoiled at all for anything about him? Because that's how I was, unfortunately. I don't have all the details yet, but I have Just enough to feel atrocious for him and want to bodyblock him from The Horrors. Did you go in intending to make everyone's favorite little meow meow for your tav, or was it just who you felt would fit at the time? Give me the details I'm so curious about how exactly Kotostarion came to be behind the scenes 👀

For once in my life, I actually wasn't spoiled ahead of time (well with the exception of him being a vampire but I clocked that immediately anyway and its like the second thing you learn about him so I don't count it)! I got the game pretty quick after launch and I didn't know too many ppl who had played EA so I got to experience Astarion fresh :) it was a nice change! I was initially drawn in by his looks and all the like. smug murderous bastard vampire vibes, he was just very attractive to me overall and ticked so many boxes….I could never have imagined how deeply sad and traumatized and tragic he was, they really caught me off guard with that one :sob: I would do anything to make him feel safe and happy!!!!!

I kinda knew from before I started I was gonna make K'oto bc idk I just thought he'd have fun in a little DnD fantasy adventure with lots of handsome men around to potentially kiss….at first I wasn't sure if I was actually gonna like. ENJOY the game on my own? Sure I planned to at least play it through once with the friends who bought it for me but I wasn't 100% sold on it being smth I'd play on my own time so I also kinda defaulted to K'oto in a "no use coming up with a whole new original character for this thing I don't even know I'll like yet" way, kinda the same way I ended up making him in XIV (he was originally just an alt to play with irls who had just started and was never meant to have lore or personality or a story of his own until he decided he wanted to be a real boy and took the wheel from me)! Since I had no info on Astarion going in I initially kinda went "oh wow. This is kinda Emetkotocore." but now obviously I am aware they are. Not at ALL the same thing even a LITTLE and as I played they just kinda morphed into their own thing and thus, Kotostarion <3 It was completely unplanned as it always is jsgklisflslkd

#words of mimi

[that-slurmp-individual]

It's been a while since I've written something neat on here Not a lot of fun stuff going on this year so far. Well to write about that is. I'm so close to finishing the Hyperion Cantos. I'm currently taking a break from that series to avoid burnout but during said break I started listening to the audiobook of Stephen King's the Dark Tower series, starting with The Gunslinger. I fell in love instantly, the box set is on its way now. So yeah reading has been fun. I've gotten addicted to Diablo 2 Resurrected to prepare for Diablo 4. I'm very excited about that. I've played the new "souls like" on the block: Wo Long. It's interesting and fun but it didn't catch me like Nioh did. Still very good, so games have been fun I suppose. I've started a new DND campaign with friends from work which is fun. Any readers of this can dm me ideas for items or characters or names of anything if they would like cause as a dm that's the part I have trouble with the most.

I could have written about the trainwreck in Ohio. I wanted to actually but decided against that. I am not an environmental expert. Nor am I an economics expert. To an outsider non-expert like me it really seems that that situation does delve in both areas. In case you, possible reader, were wondering anyways here's my take. It's fucked up and the us government sucks. That's about where my cynical mindview goes nowadays. It's easy AND accurate to say that.

It's also easy and accurate to say that congress is fucking greedy. Here's the meat and potatoes of today's post cause I just wanted to weigh my opinions on today's socio-political fuck up. If you haven't heard, congress is trying to ban the app known as tik tok. To protect Americans data from the CCP. The thing is, they very clearly aren't. I am not here to give you all the info on this, you can IRONICALLY go to tik tok for that. It is the only place I have seen any other opinions and coverage on these congressional hearings. No, the reality is, these hearings and dictations are a backdoor to limit Americans free speech and do competitive research for other social media companies. And, I don't have to show you how it's obvious just Google search who the congressmen and women who drilled the CEO of tik tok invest in.

It's frustrating to watch. They didn't let his answer. They asked him the most bs prewritten questions of all time. They asked him things that the lobbyist obviously asked them to ask. It honestly made the us government and Congress come off as xenophobic and ignorant of evidence and fact. It's embarrassing and overall it's gross and all I can say, is, that congress is greedy and fucked up.

[magnetocerebro]

15 questions, however many people

Tagged by @constantvigilante, and since my son is awake at four this morning, I’ve got time ;)

1. are you named after anyone? Yes! My first name is actually my great-uncle’s, but my mom saw a movie where it was used as a girl’s name, and she fell in love. My middle name is my grandmother’s first name.

2. when was the last time you cried? I literally just finished watching EXU: Calamity on Monday, and that was a solid, solid cry.

3. do you have kids? Yes! I have a little girl and a little boy.

4. do you use sarcasm? I used it way too much when I was a teenager, but I barely use it now that I’m a mom. Being a mom changed a lot of the way I communicate.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people? I am always very aware of whether people are smiling. Living in the South, I’m used to people being friendly, but sometimes overly so, and eye contact with a big smile means they want to talk to me when I’m busy 🤣

6. what’s your eye color? Green

7. scary movies or happy endings? Listen, I get nightmares just from having accidentally seen a TRAILER from a horror movie.

8. any special talents? Shameless plug time! I write books for a living, and I am super proud of my Scaleshifter series.

9. where were you born? Utah, but we moved before I was old enough to remember living there, so I call Georgia home.

10. what are your hobbies? I love gaming in all its forms: board games, video games… I got to DM a DND game over Christmas and it was so fun!

11. do you have any pets? I’m horrifically afraid of dogs, and my sisters are allergic to cats, so I don’t have pets and probably never will.

12. what sports do you play/have played? I used to be really good at soccer but dropped out once I got to high school and it stopped being fun and started being only about winning.

13. how tall are you? 5′3

14. favorite subject in school? I liked my English classes when they were focused on language and writing (literature was meh… there were some genuinely disturbing assigned readings that made me dread class sometimes), but my real jam was history and government classes. I ended up majoring in political science because I love it so much!

15. dream job? I’m living it! I finally make enough from book royalties that I don’t need to freelance to cover bills (though I do work as a fact checker for the news on an extremely part-time basis). So I get to be in politics, write books, and be a stay-at-home mom. I love it!

Not tagging anyone specifically, but if you see this and wanna do it, go forth!

[supercantaloupe]

hello! would you be willing to talk about the flaws in d20? what did you mean by structural/cultural flaws?

sure. disclaimer up front that these are just my own opinions and that i don't want them being taken as fact or being taken up with the creators of d20 directly by anyone on my behalf.

i found that the longer d20 went on/the more seasons they produce that the structure and (some of) the content get less and less appealing to me. content wise this is really very subjective; for example i'm not interested in dating sim-type stories, so Shriek Week was never going to be my thing. but even seasons with premises/gimmicks that i like on paper (like anthro characters in Mice & Murder and space sci fi in Starstruck Odyssey) i found to lose my attention as they went on. love the concepts, but the execution was lacking a little bit for me.

but i think my issues with the show structurally are my larger criticisms, and i don't think my personal taste issues with the content are entirely divorced from the structural elements. anyway, what initially hooked me to d20 with fantasy high is the fact that, unlike any other actual play show i'd come across at that point, it had several structural elements in place that grabbed my attention and held it: 1. the episodes were relatively short (between 1-2 hours); 2. the seasons were relatively short (18 episodes or fewer); and 3. the visual aspects of sets and minis were engaging and helped sort out the action but were not NECESSARY to following along. i don't have the free time or attention span to get invested in an audio-only 100-episode campaign where every episode is like 4 hours long; d20's earliest seasons were very attractive to me for this reason (plus the inventive-for-the-actual-play-genre settings and plots, but this is one thing at least that i do not think d20 has faltered in with its later seasons. the creativity and originality is still great in this regard).

so it became an issue for me, starting around Crown of Candy, when episodes started creeping longer and longer. and then seasons crept longer and longer, like The Seven (sidequests used to be an easily digestible 6 episodes and i liked that). even worse than episodes consistently being over 2.5 hours long i think was that episodes were not a consistent length: the last two episodes of Starstruck Odyssey are under 1.5 and over 3 hours respectively. i understand that a lot of this has to do with the loose and unscripted nature of the storytelling medium, and the cast/editors don't want to break up the flow of the show in inconvenient places. but from my perspective as a viewer, it's kind of exhausting not knowing week to week how much time and energy in advance i'm going to need to dedicate to a new episode of my favorite dnd show to relax and rewind. i'm someone who just does not have the patience to dedicate to anything that long without forewarning, nor do i have the schedule to accommodate that without advanced budgeting of my time and workload. and since one of d20's existing strengths imo is its serialized weekly episode release (increasingly rare in this age of streaming and bingewatching), part of the fun of d20 is watching the brand new episode when it drops every week and reacting to it with everyone else doing the same thing at the same time. when a 3 hour episode drops on a wedesnday night and i have too much shit to do to watch it, and thus i have to wait til the weekend or later to catch up, i can see exactly what i'm missing out on when i watch all my friends on discord or tumblr or whatever watching and reacting to it without me.

i also really miss the structure of the rp-battle-rp-battle episode format, particularly for the mainquest seasons. i think this was an even bigger loss for the show due to covid than the physical minis and sets (which i missed, certainly, during the pandemic seasons, but i think they worked around their absence well enough that it didn't bother me). i'm sure also the more freeform nature of Sophomore Year contributed to this change too but since that was the only full season thus far that was ACTUALLY improvised live to an audience as opposed to being completely shot and edited prior to release, i don't hold it to the same standards of scrutiny as i do the other seasons. anyway, i once again think it comes down largely to a predictability thing for me: you knew, when there was such a pattern to the episodes, exactly what you were getting into in any given week, whether it'd be battle or roleplay. moreover, you knew that each episode was going to wrap itself up in a satisfying way (not necessarily a complete way, but in a satisfying way) that prepped for the next week's episode, which also promised to have a different tone and goal. that variety was important to me, and the predictability. battles and roleplay both get exhausting and difficult to follow (or worse, boring) after too long without the other to break it up. i miss the structure of this pattern (i think started to depart from this format with TUC2 iirc, which is also the first season i watched as it was airing and got the feeling that it was becoming a bit of a slog to watch all the way through).

all of this is criticism, of course, pretty ironic considering that Sophomore Year is still probably my favorite season. but again, livestreamed. they still (mostly) kept their episode length consistent around 2-2.5 hours (finales notwithstanding lol), there was more internal variety within episodes (one 2.5 hour episode wasn't necessarily 2.5 hours straight of just rp or just battle), the gang got split up a lot more which allowed for more variety in storytelling within an episode or an arc, etc. and on top of it, i think that plotwise, they followed up Fantasy High extremely well, introducing/continuing/expanding lore without it feeling out-of-place or retcon-y. i think it having been made still mostly pre-pandemic before a lot of these changes i've been complaining about were fully implemented does link it more closely still with the style of the early seasons i liked so much, but regardless i think Sophomore Year does demonstrate that some of these traits that i don't like about newer seasons, on their own, are not bad. i just don't think they're implemented very well in recent seasons, or at least not well enough to hold my attention and excitement anymore. long episodes aren't inherently bad, but inconsistently long episodes are hard to work around in my life. a lack of a regular rp-battle episode pattern isn't inherently bad, but there needs to be more internal variety to each episode and a satisfying wrap-up to each episode (which may mean simply wrapping up each episode sooner, or it may not).

none of this is even to get into the execution of content in each season. obviously ymmv with personal taste for whether you like any given season's premise or plot beats or whatever, but i remember the many (valid) criticisms emerging surrounding unbalanced character focus and especially racial insensitivity (from the show and from the fans) with certain seasons like TUC2 and Misfits & Magic. not even to mention my own problems with the inclusion of judaism (or lack thereof)/antisemitism in the show, but i have to get to class soon, and don't have time to elaborate on that right now. this post is long enough already, and my issues with the structural elements of the show are just as strong as my criticisms of its representation issues or whatever, plus i think structural elements are easier to understand if you haven't watched every single season because they apply broadly to many seasons, while issues of representation or bad plot/character balance or whatever are only relevant to specific seasons.

#i mean if someone wanted me to elaborate on more plot/character/season/culturally specific criticisms i could #but like. in another post. if someone asked for it #and another time. cause. i have things to do today #sasha speaks #sasha reviews #dimension 20