#monk weapon spotlight

[balanceoflightanddark]

I would be curious to hear your full thoughts on Azula in the Spirit Temple

...oh boy...my full thoughts on Azula in the Spirit Temple...

Needless to say, there has been a LOT of discourse on the release of the Azula one-shot these past few days. I know cause...well, I made a post saying my fic was on hiatus till I got my head straight. So needless to say, I've been in the middle of it myself.

The thing about the one-shot though is that it's not just the comic itself but all the baggage and expectations that comes with something that we've been waiting 15 years for. This is the first time Azula has EVER gotten the focus for once. For many of us, this has sort of been a make-or-break situation. I'll get to why in a moment but needless to say, it's been a stressful week.

But having read the comic, I'm ready to give my opinions on it. Spoilers. Obviously.

By now you should know the synopsis: after a raid on a granary, Azula's Fire Warriors make a rescue attempt for one of their comrades, leaving Azula behind. After trying to track them down for their "betrayal", Azula stumbles across a temple deep within the wood home to a monk. Of course, not all is as it seems, as it becomes apparent that something dark resides within, pitting the Princess against her very own psyche.

As I mentioned before, this is Azula's first time in the spotlight. The whole comic is written from her point of view, and she is effectively the protagonist. Going in, I was both excited...and terrified. See, this is her first appearance since the Yang comics and...

...yeah. Needless to say, there's a LOT of bad blood for me going into this comic. So much so that I nearly lost it when I heard some of the spoilers going in.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

To begin, this comic does the most critical thing right: Azula is NOT portrayed as being an irredeemable monster. While she's still a villain and makes a lot of questionable choices (her treatment of the Fire Warriors is reminiscent of how she treated Mai and Ty Lee after all), she's also given a great deal of sympathy. Probably the most we've seen out of the franchise so far.

If Azula was some kind of monster, there's no way panels like this should even exist. What's more, I actually think it does something that I think wasn't handled well in the series and treated little!Azula as...well, a kid. Not a monster or "sick" as Zuko called her in "Zuko Alone". Just a talented kid who unfortunately caught the eye of Ozai for being good at firebending. Hell, that teaser image of her burning the turtleduck was actually a toy and not the real deal.

It's stuff like this that got me excited for the comic initially. This was what we've been waiting for years now. Writers actually acknowledging that Azula was a victim and not some monster.

...which is why I blew up when the previews turned out to be misleading.

See, Azula doesn't get her redemption here. She's offered one (we'll get to that in a minute), but she rejects it and ends the story as a bad guy. Granted there are hints that she's starting to change, but she's still going after the throne and is still opposed to Zuko. Which...kind of got me upset. Mainly cause I thought it was another bait-and-switch like with Yang hinting at Azula changing at the end of The Search, then going around with her crappy portrayal in Smoke and Shadows.

Course there's only so much you can do within a single one-shot, so admittedly...my hopes were too high. Like, there was a lot I wanted. I wanted the heroes to finally get called out on their bull crap. I wanted Azula to get a break. I wanted...I guess I wanted to feel validated that somebody was listening to us.

And granted there is a little bit here and there. The asylum is NOT looked on kindly by Azula or any of the Fire Warriors, with her even trying to reassure herself she's not being held there anymore.

She even calls out Ursa on abandoning her, saying that Ozai effectively conditioned her into being a weapon when she didn't have any choice in the matter. Hell, there's a heavy implication she's genuinely hurt by what Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee pulled in the past (which considering what they did in the comics, is a lot) and wants some kind of apology from them.

Again, while she's not entirely a saint here, I don't think they'd have this panels if she was entirely in the wrong.

Which then we get to the redemption offer. Basically, the Spirit offers to give her a chance to change...which she rejects.

The problem is, said chance involves her apologizing to THEM first. And I don't think that's portrayed as a good thing since the hallucination of Zuko looks eerily reminiscent of Ozai and downright monstrous. As others have pointed out, it's clear that the Spirit doesn't know Azula and the "redemption" sounds more like groveling for forgiveness. So of COURSE it's not going to work for somebody like Azula since that won't solve anything for her.

So...we come to the ending.

The Spirit calls Azula a monster, says she's squandered a chance for redemption, and she looks upon the Fire Warriors having fun together and...she leaves...

...alone...

...look. I understand that @prying-pandora666 said this was essentially a reset. Getting Azula to a post-Sozin's Comet state with a fresh start. And I get that. Particularly if the animated stuff is gonna feature her.

...but she's alone...again...

I'm okay with her not getting a redemption since I don't think she was mentally ready for one. But...

sighs

Listen, remember how I said I wanted a lot from this comic? Too much in fact? Yeah. I was so focused on what I needed as opposed to what Azula needed. A fresh slate might be what she needs. And in a vacuum, I think this comic is pretty solid.

It's just everything else is where I have problems.

15 years waiting. 15 years of Bryke/Yang's comics, ableism, and lack of empathy. 15 years of stress, of being seen as an outcast by the fandom. It's...it's a lot to hold. And there's no way a single good comic is gonna be able to rebuild those burned-down bridges. I understand that there's talk of a potential follow-up and stuff for her from Avatar Studios.

It's just...you know. You're always afraid of this being the end. Which...doesn't sit well with me. I'm just afraid they're gonna use Azula as a marketing tool to sell future comics. That they're gonna drag this out. That they're gonna keep playing this centrist field instead of committing (it's fine here, and I do think Faith does lean in towards Azula being sympathetic after all), it's just...

I'm sorry. I want to love this comic and be excited for more stuff with Azula but...15 years is a long time. And it's going to take more than a single good comic to get me back on board fully.

#azula #princess azula #azula meta #azula in the spirit temple #atla comics #atla #azula comic #long post #sorry i can't be more enthusiastic

[theunwellkingdom]

Lore Spotlight #1: Meet Our Heroes

Six strangers awakened in a dungeon cell...

Five years ago, our D&D campaign began! Learn a bit about each of the eight player characters at the forefront of our epic tale, featuring their own hand-drawn art!

Garp Garp, Goblin Bard

Played/Illustrated by Juston - he/him (uppermindink on Instagram)

Garp Garp abandoned his goblin clan when he heard the beautiful music of the Blue-Haired Bard. She taught him the power of thrash before mysteriously vanishing! Now, he uses that power to protect his friends with the help of his flaming familiar, the Level Skull! He's also dabbled into darker magic and proclaimed himself Lord of Bones!

Fable, Catfolk Cleric

Played/Illustrated by Larissa - she/her (royallydivine on Instagram)

Fable is a sweet and caring catfolk with a sneaky trickster side! She hails from the distant kingdom of Eldoris, and is constantly appalled by the terrible things that happen here in Lyrea. She calls upon the cat goddess Xalyn to bring light and healing to this unwell kingdom!

Mishka, Tiefling Fighter

Played/Illustrated by Kelsey - she/her (@kelseesi)

Mishka was once a member of the Royal Guard, but was cynical, restless, and unfulfilled. Adventure was exactly what she needed, and she thrives in the chaos of this group! Even when she ran into a trap and lost an arm, she simply kept the limb to wield as a grotesque weapon, even getting it enchanted and modified for maximum damage!

Eventually, Mishka found a calling where she least expected – training meek wizards of the Unseen Library into adept battle mages. She stayed with them after they were displaced, to help rebuild.

Gin, Human Monk

Played/Illustrated by Boon - he/him

Gin is an enigma, a wandering drunken monk who is either two steps ahead or three steps to the side. For instance, he's the only member of the original party who wasn't kidnapped... he saw the others being taken and simply hopped along for the ride, to see if he could help. He is fiercely protective of his friends, especially Garp Garp, and will make demonic pacts to prove it! He's also an avant garde brewmaster, for anyone daring enough to try his mixes.

Tourmaline, Genasi Blood Hunter

Played by quinn - they/them (quinnntastic_ on Twitter)

Tourmaline began her journey as a sweet, naïve, young genasi (an elemental daughter of human and genie) who was abandoned by her birth parents and raised by two loving dwarves. However, she quickly fell into bad company and was tricked into drinking the blood of villain Ans Fleurellian. This changed her into a blood hunter, able to pay life for power, and set her on a heavy path of learning the world's hard truths.

Tourmie was whisked away to the Indigo, a mysterious realm of the dead, but while her time traveling with the party may have come to an end, her story is far from over!

Lani, Aasimar Rogue

Played by Riley - they/them (@ratbrick)

Lani grew up in the seedy streets of Crestfall, along with a tight-knit group of other orphans. She's an aasimar, chosen for protection by a divine guardian... but hers was nowhere to be found. Her time with the party was the shortest, as her loyalties stayed with the orphans, but any time our story returns to Crestfall, she remains a stalwart ally.

Unfortunately, sometimes life gets in the way. We had to write a few characters out of the party over the years, but that was also a chance to meet some new faces!

Olly, Gnome Wizard

Played/Illustrated by Vi - they/them (vidraws on Twitter)

Olly spent most of his life studying magic at the Unseen Library, before the Grand Council sent him out to join our heroes and spy on them! He did this, reluctantly, but his travels opened his eyes to where his allegience should truly lie. By the time the party made it to the Library all together, Olly was ready to fight alongside them to the bitter end!

Kornaan, the Cobbler

Played/Illustrated by Zack - he/him (me!)

Kornaan was a half-orc cobbler in the sleepy port town of Loam who marveled at the wondrous tales from adventurers who came to repair their boots as they were passing through. He was inspired, and set off to become an adventurer himself!

Since I'm the one running the campaign, Kornaan serves as a blend of player character and NPC. He travels with the party and offers help, but he'll always take a backseat when it comes time to solve problems (sometimes I even use him to create new ones when needed!). Nevertheless, his arc over the years has brought him from bumbling wannabe to real adventurer!

#uwk #the unwell kingdom #mtg #homebrew #devlog #lore spotlight #ocs #garp garp #fable #mishka #gin #tourmaline #lani #olly #kornaan

[age-of-moonknight]

History of the Vestments (Part I)

As has been particularly emphasized in the most recent volume, Marc frames his attire as both Moon Knight and Mr. Knight as having near liturgical significance (which,,,,,something something rabbinical family background something but that might be an analysis for another post). There's the famous declaration that the seemingly impractical color has a strategic purpose, making sure opponents can see him coming yet are too shaken to aim properly, but going as far back as Moon Knight (Vol. 1/1980), #1 there's been at least some connection between the cowl and Marc's service to Khonshu,,,,so I thought it'd be fun to take a closer look at some of the designs for Moon Knight over the decades and see what we can find.

1. The OG

Cover for Marvel Spotlight (Vol. 1, 1971), #28.

First appearing in Doug Moench's and Don and Howie Perlin's Werewolf by Night (Vol. 1/1975), #32 when Moon Knight was just a mercenary hired to take down Jack Russell, this suit has some....rather distinct attributes. Namely, the cape connects to the back of the vambraces and attaches at the throat in a sort of buttoned collar kind of deal, while the hood does not yet sport the distinctive peaked shape.

Werewolf by Night (Vol. 1/1975), #32.

[A better look at how the cape attaches to the vambraces and the additional crescent details on the back of the belt from Marvel Spotlight (Vol. 1, 1971), #28.]

Nonetheless, other elements of this design, such as the truncheons being stored in boot holsters, the distinctive ring pattern on the vambraces, and the crescent details on the belt, would prove to become fairly common staples of Moon Knight designs moving forward.

2. The Cape Upgrade (i.e. Marlene proves to be invaluable once again)

Starting in Hulk! (Vol. 1/1978), #12 by Mr. Moench, Keith Pollard, Frank Giacola, and Mike Esposito, even Marc comments on the impracticality of having showgirl wings a cape attached to one's wrists.

The result is the cape that we all know and (I at the very least) love.

And Mr. Pollard, Mr. Giacola, and Mr. Esposito, wasting absolutely no time, made a point to emphasize the fun crescent shape of the new cape in that very same issue of Hulk! (Vol. 1/1978), #12.

2b. Adding the peaked hood!

Fascinatingly, it isn't until the next issue with art by Bill Sienkiewicz that Moon Knight's quintessential peaked hood is introduced. Furthermore, we also get some helpful trivia about Moon Knight's armaments at this point, including how the crescent details on his belt are actually where he stores his crescent darts.

Hulk! (Vol. 1/1978) #13.

[A closer look at that hood from Hulk! (Vol. 1/1978) #13]

3. The "Actual Origin"

Interestingly enough, it isn't until five years after his introduction in Werewolf by Night that Moon Knight's origin is revealed in Moon Knight (Vol. 1/1980), #1, which also happens to introduce the beginnings of Marc's complex relationship with Khonshu as well as the ties between Marc's cowl and Khonshu, Marc having taken his first cowl off of the idol that oversaw his resurrection.

(....dare I say.....Iconic....)

and from that issues for the entirety of the first volume, you have the "classic" Moon Knight design: nearly all white, minimal detail, with the number of rings around the vambraces or the presence of crescent darts on Marc's belt varying depending upon the the issue.

Cover for Moon Knight (Vol. 1/1980) #3.

4. Hawkeye's Ice

At the beginning of Moon Knight (Fist of Khonshu) (Vol. 2/1985), Marc is pulled back into crimefighting and service to Khonshu by a bunch of Khonshu monks who vanish, but not before giving Marc some new bling/weapons (which were actually designed by Hawkeye????).

Moon Knight (Fist of Khonshu) (Vol. 2/1985), #1.

Moon Knight (Fist of Khonshu) (Vol. 2/1985), #1 (featuring some classic Marc "?????"-ing).

This look is present throughout Moon Knight's tenure with the West Coast Avengers, as well.

West Coast Avengers (vol. 2/1985), #21.

It's also around this time that Marc starts carrying a tactical fannypack that he keeps hidden under his cloak and with which I am unfortunately obsessed.

West Coast Avengers (vol. 2/1985), #29.

Solo Avengers (Vol. 1/1987) #3.

5. Armor Jello Mold

By the beginning of Marc Spector: Moon Knight, the gold accents had been dropped for a more "back-to-basics" design with even the belt being less ornate than in previous designs (although this is the first run that I noticed the rings around the tops of Marc's boots being consistently drawn, which I've used to identify Marc during over-crowded cross-over events hahaha)

Cover for Marc Spector: Moon Knight (vol. 1/1989), #1 the art for which was done by Sal Velluto and Mark Farmer.

One interesting point of design divergence in Marc Spector: Moon Knight, however, is that after fighting Randall (again) who had obtained an armored version of what Marc wore as Moon Knight, starting around Marc Spector: Moon Knight (Vol. 1/1989), #38 with art by Ron Garney and Tom Palmer, Marc began wearing more armor plates as well.

Funnily enough, this adoption of armor occurred right about the time Marc started melting into goo due to cellular mutation/degeneration (gosh I love comics), so, as per several doctors' orders, Marc was advised to not remove his armor until he had fully recovered or else ???? he might melt???? for real

6. Post-Goo Armor

Even after Marc's goo crisis had passed, however, artists such as Dave Hoover and James Fry still depicted Marc as wearing more noticeable armor plating across his chest, bulkier vambraces, and a chunkier belt until the end of Marc Spector: Moon Knight (the post-Liefeld 90's, amiright?)

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (vol. 1/1989), #51.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (vol. 1/1989), #52.

7. The Late-90's Course Correction

In what I can only imagine to be a....I don't want to say backlash, but perhaps "response" is appropriate, to the noticeably bulky armor of early and mid-90's comics, the Moon Knight designs of the late 90's were remarkably more "conventional," with the art of Moon Knight (Vol. 3/1998) by Tommy Lee Edwards and Robert Campanella being almost abstract in their use of shape and shadow (and which I personally think fits well tonally with some of the more mysterious elements of this volume), while still including recognizable details such as the rings around the vambraces and the crescent details on the belt.

Moon Knight (Vol. 3/1998), #4.

And while not necessarily the first artists to do so, this is the first time that an entire volume featured Moon Knight's eyes glowing red instead of white (due to the purposeful inclusion of red tinted lenses in a black mask) and personally I just think they look cool.

Moon Knight (Vol. 3/1998), #1.

Moon Knight (Vol. 3/1998), #3.

Moon Knight (Vol. 3/1998), #3.

This "back-to-basics" push is reiterated with Mark Texeira's work in Moon Knight (Vol. 4/1999).

Moon Knight (Vol. 4/1999), #1.

8. Precursor to Vol. 7's Black and White Suit???

The last suit I wanted to cover in this post is a bit of an oddity in that, from what I've gathered so far, it has only appeared in Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 3/2004). As you may have noticed in this post alone, various pencilers, inkers, and colorists have inventively used shadow to make Moon Knight's stark whites appear almost black in certain lighting; consequently, I am unsure if Scot Kolins was purposefully trying to employ the same effect, if this was an ongoing coloring mistake by colorist "Studio F," or if this is a sort of precursor to the more famous look in volume 7, but in any case, I'm obsessed.

Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 3/2004), #7.

Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 3/2004), #10.

And that brings us up to ‘round about volume 5, so stay tuned for another one (or two) of these posts. Oh! And let me know if I missed anything hahaha

#History of the Vestments #Moon Knight comics #Moon Knight #Marc Spector #I'll definitely be getting to the crashed vehicles post next #but someday I think I might do a post about Moon Knight's incredibly diverse array of weapons #because !!!! as much as he loves his truncheons he sure can produce/procure some rather exotic weaponry when necessary hahaha #And??? I’m not sure if this is another one of those projects where I’d typically get back the response ‘too much detail!’ #and if this is comprehensible to anyone else but I had fun xD #long post

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #292: Himiko

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re building Chaldea’s next top idol in D&D 5e, Himiko! hi-miko himiko, himihimiko!

but yeah, she’s a Sun Soul Monk to shine a spotlight on her enemies, and a Circle of the Stars Druid to become an oracle like she’s supposed to. wild how this is the third time we’ve used this subclass, but the first time we actually care about all the future-y stuff, huh?

check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

next up: I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING, PROVOKING BLACK CLOUDS IN ISOLATION

Race and Background

Himiko is a Human, but we need some extra goodies to make this build work so we’re giving her a Mark of Passage, which gives her Courier’s Speed for an extra 5’ of movement, Intuitive Motion for a d4 on any acrobatics or land vehicle check, and Magical Passage through mirrors, letting you cast misty step once a long rest, teleporting up to 30’ as a bonus action.

Finally, your Spells of the Mark get added to your spell list, so once you take some druid levels you can prepare them like any other spell! This includes Expeditious Retreat and Jump at 1st level, Misty Step and Pass Without Trace at 2nd level, then Blink and Phantom Steed, Dimension Door and Freedom of Movement, and finally Teleportation Circle. we’re here mostly for Misty Step, but any kind of mobility is going to go well on a monk.

We’re also making you an Acolyte. I know she’s also a ruler, but she’s isolated and speaks through seers, that sounds more acolyte-ish. Since we’re getting religion from your class anyway, you’ll get Insight and Performance here. Yeah we had to make at least one joke about the song, sorry.

Ability Scores

Your Wisdom should be as high as possible. You’re so good at seeing you can see… the future. That’s how divination works, right? After that is Dexterity. Ya don’t wear much, and you hit like a goddamn train. Speaking of, your Strength is next. We don’t really “need” it, but you hit like a goddamn train. Your Constitution is also pretty good, though we’re kind of banking on your Ruler defenses picking up the slack here a bit. This means your Charisma and Intelligence are going to be pretty low, mostly because they’re the stats you can do without the most. sorry.

Class Levels

1. Monk 1: we’re starting off as a monk pretty much entire because of your Unarmored Defense, since we can’t do much else if you die at level 1. This gives you an AC based on your dexterity and wisdom, as long as you aren’t wearing armor or using a shield. That probably won’t be an issue for this build. You also come out swinging with Martial Arts, which comes with all kinds of goodies. You can use dexterity to punch things. make an extra attack as a bonus action, and you even get a sweet, sweet d4 as a damage die for hitting stuff. That’ll get bigger as we level up, but it’s still better than a flat 1. Technically you can use this on any monk weapon, but Himiko’s a big fan of the hands.

You also get proficiency in Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as Athletics to shore up your strength and Religion, as promised.

2. Monk 2: second level monks get Ki Points equal to their level per short rest, which you can use to do cool oracle stuff like dash, dodge, attack twice, or disengage as a bonus action. you only get one bonus action per turn, but variety is the spice of afterlife. You also get Unarmored Movement, making you faster than the average bear and getting even faster as you level up.

3. Monk 3: Third level monks can Deflect Missiles as a reaction, reducing the damage of incoming arrows and even throwing it back if you reduce it to 0 damage by spending a ki point. After all, they were aiming at your afterimage! I guess!

The real boon here is setting you down the Way of the Sun Soul, letting you make ranged radiant attacks as part of your attack action, using your dexterity to attack with it. this move is also affected by your martial arts die increasing, and you can even use it in the place of your flurry of blows if you a) made the attack action with a radiant sun bolt in it this turn and b) spend 1 ki point.

It’s not a powerful laser beam, but it sure is cheap!

4. Monk 4: At fourth level, we’re going to spend your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Wisdom for stronger spells and a higher AC. You can also Slow Fall as a reaction, reducing your fall damage.

5. Druid 1: In order to have stronger spells, first you need Spells. You can get those from your first level of druid, which lets you prepare and cast spells using your Wisdom! Pick up Druidcraft for your first taste of the oracle life, and Mending to keep your mirrors in one piece. 7 years of bad luck is a hefty price to pay when it can take weeks for a campaign to progress a few days.

As for your first level spells, being able to swap them out each day means you can pick whatever tickles your fancy, though I would suggest focusing on divination spells and anything you pick up that deals radiant damage. Those are both going to be throughlines this build.

you also learn Druidic. It’s a language!

6. Druid 2: Speaking of divination spells, you might have noticed we skipped over a cantrip that would fit right in. Thankfully, we get the ability to cast Guidance from your first feature from the Circle of the Stars, the Star Map.  As long as you’re holding the tiny object (like. say, a set of mirrors) you can cast guidance for an extra d4 on the target’s next skill check, and you can cast Guiding Bolt as though you prepared it. It’s another radiant attack, and while it uses a spell slot and can’t be used multiple times in one action, it’s pretty sweet. It does plenty of damage, and the next attack against that creature has advantage thanks to your future sight shenanigans. That being said you can also cast guiding bolt without using a spell slot proficiency times per day.

You can also use Wild Shape twice per short rest, though it’ll be slightly more in-character to use a Starry Form instead. Both use the same resource, but starry form always lasts 10 minutes and makes you all shiny. When you use the starry form, you can pick one of three constellations. the Archer lets you make another kind of radiant beam attack using your wisdom as a bonus action each turn. the Chalice lets you heal more while healing. the Dragon gives you assurance on intelligence and wisdom checks, as well as concentration saves, so if you roll lower than a 10 it’ll count as a ten. The archer is the best option here, but the dragon’s nice too. It’s great to be able to concentrate on something. I assume, anyway.

7. Druid 3: At third level you can cast second level spells like Misty Step! It’s another bonus action, but dammit teleporting through mirrors is so cool. You can also use an Augury to figure out what the future’s gonna be like- ask your DM a question about an action you’re taking, and how it’ll affect you in the next 30 minutes. if they say weal it’s probably good. woe means it’s probably bad. weal & woe means it’s a mixed bag, and while they can technically just give you a coy response it’s kind of a dick move.

8. Monk 5: Fifth level monks get an Extra Attack- I mean. another extra attack. This one’s on your action. You can also turn any unarmed attack into a Stunning Strike, letting you force a constitution save on your target or they get stunned for a round. Great for cheesing bosses! You can even use focused aim to spend ki points to increase your attack roll, turning a miss into a hit. maybe.

9. Monk 6: As a sixth level monk your Ki-Empowered Strikes lets you consider your fists magical in terms of overcoming resistance, which makes sense given your anti-demon skills. You can also let out a Searing Arc Strike as a bonus action if you attacked with your action, spending at least 2 ki points to cast burning hands to deal a little fire damage. for each ki point spent above 2 (up to half your monk level) the spell’s level increases by 1.

10. Monk 7: Seventh level monks get Evasion and Stillness of Mind, letting you shrug off fireballs and charming/frightening effects respectively. The former is automatic and makes all your dexterity saves better, while the latter takes an action to remove those effects with no save required.

11. Druid 4: At fourth level of druid you get a Wild Shape Improvement, letting you turn into creatures of a higher CR as well as ones who can swim! You also pick up the Crusher feat from this ASI, rounding up your strength and powering up your fists. once a turn, if you hit a creature with bludgeoning damage, you can push them 5’ in any direction to an empty space as long as they’re not more than one size larger than you. also, any critical hit you score that deals bludgeoning damage gives advantage to all attacks against that creature for a round. It doesn’t increase damage, but punching someone across a room is cool as hell.

You can also Produce Flame, mostly because there aren’t more fitting cantrips to grab this level.

12. Druid 5: Fifth level druids get third level spells like… actually there aren’t many we want this level. Daylight’s cool though, shine your mirror all over the place, dispel magical darkness, it’s nice.

13. Druid 6: A sixth level stars druid can receive a Cosmic Omen proficiency times per long rest. When you finish one, roll a die. On evens, your omens for the day let you react to add a d6 to a creature’s attack roll, save, or check. On odds, the opposite happens, and you can subtract a d6 from those rolls instead.

14. Druid 7: At seventh level you can use 4th level spells like Divination to get answers directly from the gods themselves, all for only 25 GP! Like most futury spells, this decreases in accuracy the more you use it in a single day, but it’s still pretty neat.

15. Druid 8: Eighth level druids get another ASI, so bump up your Dexterity to actually have stronger punches. You also get another Wild Shape Improvement, so now you can fly. But that’s (probably?) not in character.

16. Druid 9: Ninth level druids get fifth level spells, so now you can Commune with Nature and engage in Scrying, so you can see things that aren’t even in the future! Seeing the present doesn’t sound quite as impressive, but it’s a lot more useful.

17. Monk 8: Use your last ASI to max out your Wisdom for the strongest visions and lasers. It’ll also increase your AC, which is nice since we’re still kind of in the middle of summer.

18. Monk 9: Ninth level monks get an Unarmored Movement Improvement, letting you run up walls and over water, as long as you end your turn somewhere solid. FGO battles don’t move around much, but it’s a nice flex.

19. Monk 10: At tenth level, your Purity of Body makes you immune to disease and poison. You’re so old, modern diseases just don’t know what to do with you. That makes sense, right? Eh, good enough.

20. Monk 11: Your final level of sun soul monk lets you make a Searing Sunburst as an action, creating an exploding ball of sunlight in a 20’ radius, forcing a constitution save on anything in the area and dealing radiant damage. The base sphere is free and deals 2d6, but you can spend up to 3 ki points to increase it by another 2d6. Your lights are usually more beamy, but you’ve got a ton of mirrors to work with. Just totally spies it and arrange them so they’re all shining outwards, and boom! Lightsplosion.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Monks are naturally fast, and with your bonus speed and teleportation from your mark so have some insane Mobility options. And of course being able to run up walls and over water doesn’t hurt either. Chase people down, or stay away from them. Either way you’ve got a good shot at doing it.

Even if some is faster than you, or they can fly, you come packed with a ton of Ranged Options you can freely spam to keep them under pressure. Your monk features are free to use normally, and you get a bunch of free casts of guiding bolt too, giving your friends a better shot at taking your enemy down as well!

While I know it’s not really in character, mixing wild shape with monk powers is super fun. You get extra speed, extra AC, and you arguably can shoot lasers even while a squirrel. I mean it’s just as impossible as a human shooting lasers out their hands, anyway.

Cons:

While you can get away without using ki points that much as a sun soul, you’ll still be using ki points aplenty, and with only 11 per short rest to work with, it’s a lot less than a full monk.

As a sun soul you also don’t deal much damage, at least not in one go. If you need to deal burst damage, you’ll have to rely on your spells or your ki points, both of which are in short supply.

Despite your melee options, your low HP means you probably shouldn’t run into combat headlong. At least, not without backup.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Himiko #Druid #Monk

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

EQUAL PARTS HARD SCIENTIST & DARK SORCERER -- "NOW YOU FACE DOOM!!"

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on character art of Doctor Victor von Doom from the crossover fighting video arcade game "Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes" (2000), published & developed by Capcom. Artwork by Naoto "Bengus" Kuroshima.

Resolution at 1204x1513 & 659x835.

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Powerful Sorcerer. Mastery over sorcery allows (among other things) mystical blasts, force fields, teleportation, mind transference, and summoning of demonic creatures/invoking entities.

Nuclear-powered, computer-assisted titanium battle armor magically forged by Tibetan monks.

Vast array of weapons and technology concealed in his armor (rivaling that of Iron Man's).

Super-Genius level intellect.

Diplomatic Immunity, making it illegal for him to be arrested.

Army of Doombots and Latverian soldiers at his command.

Carries a totally normal Mauser C96 (aka Broomhandle) pistol to dispatch foes unworthy of his other skills.

Sources: https://kobayashisdomain.blogspot.com/2015/01/el-arte-de-marvel-vs-capcom-2-new-age.html & https://marvelvscapcom.fandom.com/wiki/Doctor_Doom.

#DoctorDoom #DoctorVictorvonDoom #Dr.Doom #Dr.VictorvonDoom #DOOM #TrueDOOM #NaotoBengusKuroshima #VonDoom #MarvelVillains #Bengus #MarvelUniverse #Marvel #Gaming #Supervillains #Videogames #MVSC2 #FantasticFour #Marvelvs.Capcom2 #Marvelvs.Capcom2:NewAgeofHeroes #NewAgeofHeroes #MarvelComics #Marvelvs.CapcomVideoGameSeries #CrossoverFightingGames #Latveria #VictorvonDoom #FightingGames

[we-are-monk]

Monk Weapons: Jian

You’re not going to think of this one as a monk weapon and that’s okay. The jian is the Gentleman of weapons, as they say, an elegant weapon from a more civilized age. It is a very slender one handed sword, equivalent to an arming sword in its use, but not unlike the rapier in its cultural purpose. That is to say, the jian is a weapon for refined sorts, worn for defense or duels Unlike the heavier, more battlefield-oriented dao sword, the jian favors precise cuts targeting the wrist or vitals and thrusts that take advantage of the weapon’s speed and the user’s grace and flexibility. Though, as a truly ancient weapon dating back millennia, thicker-bladed jian were not unseen on the battlefield, they still are associated more with officers than infantry. Definitely a dexterity sort of weapon. Jian users fence, bending down to attack from low angles and making small cuts at the face or throat, flowing from parries into thrusts, overwhelming more brutish opponents with subtle swordplay, and doing so without spilling their tea. Some say the brightly colored tassel on the end of a jian distracts the eye from the weapon’s movements, though that sounds unlikely.

A character who uses the jian cannot help but look elegant. Example characters include the lead characters of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, who battle over the legendary Green Destiny jian, Xianghua from Soul Calibur, and Master Piandao from Avatar, who teaches Sokka the weapon (Sokka isn’t quite the refined gentleman sort that his master is, but even he shows a grace he usually didn’t before he trained in the jian. The way Obi-wan handles his lightsaber in the prequels feels a bit reminiscent of one as well.

Unfortunately, unless you want to fluff it as a shortsword in 5e or as a temple sword in Pathfinder, the jian is a difficult weapon for a standard monk to use, despite it being one of the principal four weapons of wushu (along with the staff, spear, and the dao saber.) Try taking a kensei or sohei subclass/archetype if you really want to use a sword, and try either the longsword (which resembles the jian in form and length) or perhaps refluffing a rapier (to give you a thrusting type weapon with Finesse. 

A character who uses a jian, unless playing very much against type or featuring in a very Chinese setting with a lot of weapons about, is usually refined, a scholar or noble with an air of class. As it is a “dress” sword, a jian user might also be the combative sword, ready to resolve personal disputes with steel. 

#monk weapons #monk weapon spotlight #jian #sword #china #wushu #Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon #atla #soul calibur

[caltropspress]

FEEDBACK LOOP #6: Cargo Cults’ “Rammellzee”

Since these symbols and all symbols are drawn, infinity’s separation from all symbols must be shown through drawing. The only proof of such a separation of the infinity would be the understanding by the majority of the planetary peers. There is no other way.

—from IONIC TREATISE GOTHIC FUTURISM ASSASSIN KNOWLEDGES OF THE REMANIPULATED SQUARE POINT’S ONE TO 720° TO 1440° THE RAMM-ΣLL-ZΣΣ (1979, 2003)

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.

—from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

Riding among an exhausted busful of Negroes going on to graveyard shifts all over the city, she saw scratched on the back of a seat, shining for her in the brilliant smoky interior, the post horn with the legend DEATH. But unlike WASTE, somebody had troubled to write in, in pencil: DON’T EVER ANTAGONIZE THE HORN.

—from Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49

1.  I walk down the street and people look at me and say, “Who the hell are you?”

Cargo Cults (Alaska and Zilla Rocca) begin their track “Rammellzee” with the voice of the some-16 billion-years-old being himself. The song is an ode, an invocation. The organ sample provides a bizarre ride: a carousel of colors. We immediately plummet—into a well, a subway tunnel, a cosmos of linguistics. Not a nonchalant That’s deep, but a depth of knowledge where “cipher” means code, means Supreme Mathematics, means gathering with your rapfolk outside the Nuyorican Poets Cafe or in Washington Square Park: a deep connection. Mimicking Rammellzee, Alaska presents the listener with “swirling pages / forming mazes of [his] formulations” and subsequently “break[s] them down into a form that’s shapeless.”

2.  Hip-hop is ageist….In blues, you ain’t official until you fifty. (Ka, Red Bull Music Academy interview with Jeff Mao, 2016)

The phrase …of a certain age has, historically, been used euphemistically to describe someone (typically a woman) who has existed for a “shameful” tally of years. Society is still undoing the stigma, but rappers have made strides.

In Adult Rappers, a 2015 documentary directed by Paul Iannacchino (Hangar 18’s DJ paWL), Alaska is [accidentally?] presented twice in the closing credits—like a double, a separate persona—which calls to mind the multiple personalities of Rammellzee: Crux the Monk, Chaser the Eraser, Gash/Olear, et cetera. Age allows for maturation, for building, for bettering. In Rammellzee’s case—and I’d argue Alaska’s—it allows for complexity to emerge organically through wisdom. It allows for reinvention, for many versions of one’s self. Age and development is how an aerosol can with a fat cap can graduate to customized deodorant roll-ons and shoe polish canisters.

It begins with jerry-rigging a nozzle and ends in diagramming a “harpoonic whip launcher/pulsating extendor” to illustrate the deconstruction of letter-formations in the English alphabet. The spirit of experience pervades the Nihilist Millennial album. As anyone who has ever sat on the couch knows, communication can also improve with age.

3.

Artists and rappers like Rammellzee and Alaska rely on wild-styles, a self-made world that warps quantum physics and disregards notions of dimensionality. It’s dream-vision. It’s liberation. It simultaneously celebrates and critiques communication: like the image of a muted horn.

“Communication is the key,” cried Nefastis. “The Demon passes his data on to the sensitive, and the sensitive must reply in kind. There are untold billions of molecules in that box. The Demon collects data on each and every one. At some deep psychic level he must get through…”

“Help,” said Oedipa, “you’re not reaching me.”

“Entropy is a figure of speech, then,” sighed Nefastis, “a metaphor. It connects the world of thermodynamics to the world of information flow. The Machine uses both. The Demon makes the metaphor not only verbally graceful, but also objectively true.”

[…]

Nefastis smiled; impenetrable, calm, a believer.

The wordplay seems just that: play—that is, until you find the thread. Alaska cobbles together words like rubbish, W.A.S.T.E. Words appear daisy-chained together—flowery, ornate, and strung together by their stems: “fatalism, Fela Kuti, razor thin” / “smash the superstitions with acid tabs and some Sufi visions” / “deep dive Sonny Liston” / “Walt Whitman.”

The track reads like a codex. Something crafted in a scriptorium. His words are warfare—double-tracked/double-barreled—and he slips into braggadocio to prove it. It’s an authoritative posture of experience. Having started atomically small—from Breaking Atoms bedroom listening, to Atoms Family—Alaska’s flow presents nuclear now: maximum damage.

There’s a refinement to what this duo is doing: “Me and Zilla well-established with a lavish vision. / Both hands crusty with Ikonklastic Panzerism.” The boasts rely on royal diction: Camelot, palace doors, Prince Paul. Each man a king, a God, and each one should teach one. Mentor texts for the masses.

4.  

Rammellzee is an equation, And simply stated it’s the way of life I’m chasing. That’s why I praise the future-Gothic future-prophet. Gotta rock it, don’t stop it, Gotta rock it, don’t stop.

You find diversions on the song, exits into familiar chambers. GZA quotations (“I was the thrilla in the Ali-Frazier Manila”) and allusions to Main Source. Large Professor rapped “Dead is my antonym,” and if that’s to be proven true, money needs to be removed from the equation. The refrain of “Gotta rock it” not only calls to mind “Beat Bop,” Herbie Hancock, and Grand Mixer DS.T (or his later incarnation, DXT), but rockets—Afrofuturist angles, future shocks (Bill Laswell [Material], friend to Rammellzee, had a hand in all this). It’s not so much a “future-prophet” as a “future profit.” “Freedom in the process” means creativity without expectation, without the constraints of market value.

Alaska gives it to us straight: “I don’t care if you don’t like it, and I don’t care if you don’t buy it / ’Cause I find freedom in the process.” Despite becoming increasingly complex in his visual approach—like a heap of garbage that loses the definition of its component parts over the ages—Rammellzee understood time equals clarity of vision. A wasted world becomes a meaningful one. Of course, we got to pay rent, so money connects, but ownership of one’s art is about empowerment. “Selling out” is the opposite—an evisceration of one’s self and spirit. “We lost control from the second we sold the art,” Alaska raps. “We sold our future….We should be seeking enlightenment.”

The moment arrives, epiphanically: “I find freedom in the process so I’m grateful, / And that’s my main source: it’s my friendly game of baseball.” For Alaska and Zilla Rocca, it’s not a job—it’s a passion, a pastime.

5.  Nascent imagination deep inside a battle station.

Post-9/11 meant luxury apartments displaced Rammellzee’s Battle Station loft, his living museum. But the art has been excavated and exists posthumously. His Gothic Futurism and Ikonoklast Panzerism seem at home archived on the internet—a network that appears more like a chaos cloud. Rammellzee deconstructed and transcended language—junk monk scripts and calligraphic cut-ups of consumerism. His art is the empowerment a recycling arrow-triangle could only hope to be. Recycle is also rebirth. Rammellzee’s career path is circuitous, deep-tunneled (subway-esque), eternal.

Similarly, Alaska’s multisyllabic patterns are an endless barrage, like weaponized letters tilted sideways, like bottle rockets angled into a bottle’s neck: “Armament / Now my names are built like a BattleBot / Locked inside an ad hoc Camelot, I rather not / Tangle with a rabid lot, hop inside a rabbit hole.”

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice “without pictures or conversations?”

Boredom can make trouble, but boredom can also breed creativity. Alaska rather not spar with trolls under ISP bridges—though he’s equipped to. Instead, he channels his energies into material.

6.  Our culture is done. We lived it.

Near the end, Alaska paraphrases Rammellzee: “I’m not the first or the last to don the mask. / I see it as a title, I’m monastic with these raps.”

Living a life of art—making it regardless of accolade or monetary payment—is the highest form of creativity. Live the art and die by it, like Stan Brakhage, poisoning himself at a slow pace as he applied toxic dyes to celluloid film. Like Rammellzee executing graffiti pieces maskless, huffing the carcinogenic fumes.

MF DOOM (née Zev Love X)—a Rammellzee descendant—taught us how to revel in anonymity, the importance of not spotlighting yourself, but instead seeking out the shade, secret passageways, and the trapdoor in the stage floor. Not all of us heed the advice, but some do, and they feel the throb of real success, not the sort that shows up in bank statements and 401(k) plans.

Images:

“Beat Bop” test pressing, Rammellzee and K-Rob, art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1983 (detail) | Rammellzee black-and-white portrait photograph (unknown) | Ikonoklast Panzerism diagram from IONIC TREATISE GOTHIC FUTURISM ASSASSIN KNOWLEDGES OF THE REMANIPULATED SQUARE POINT’S ONE TO 720° TO 1440° THE RAMM-ΣLL-ZΣΣ (1979, 2003) | Page 34 (muted post horn) in Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, Bantam Books edition (1966) | “A scribe at work,” from an illuminated manuscript from the Estoire del Saint Graal, France (Royal MS 14 E III c. 1315-1325 AD) | Herbie Hancock, Future Shock cassette cover (1983) | Grand Mixer D.ST comic book image (unknown) | Stan Brahage at chalkboard (unknown) | Stan Brakhage, Mothlight celluloid (1963) | “Beat Bop” test pressing, Rammellzee and K-Rob, art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1983 (detail)

[characterclasses]

Classing the Umbrella Academy

Keep in mind that I’m going based only on the show here, as some of the characters in the comics have wildly different personalities and motivations. That being said, let’s get started!

1. Luther Hargreeves 

Luther is one of those characters who seem like a simple class build on the surface, but end up surprising you. Looking at this hulking, emotionally repressed man, one might immediately think that barbarian would be a good fit, but in my opinion you have to go deeper. Barbarians are defined by their rage after all, and Luther only really loses control once he gets high. Otherwise he’s generally very aware, even seemingly frightened, of his raw power (and the form that goes with it). The next obvious choice then, is fighter, as Luther is obviously well-versed in combat. While Luther does have the raw physicality of the Champion subclass, this isn’t quite right either. Unlike Diego, Luther relies solely on his physical strength and the mastery he has over it to get through fights, preferring not to use weapons other than his fists. 

It is for that reason that I finally settled on Luther as a monk, specifically the Way of the Open Hand subclass. These monks are the masters of unarmed combat, and literally pack quite a punch in a way that no other class does. Luther fits other aspects of the monk, too. Way of the open hand monks have abilities relating to meditation and tranquility. Luther spent years in isolation on the moon - just look at the shot of him from the very first scene in episode one, sitting on the moon watching the planet, and tell me that wasn’t the epitome of a meditative state. 

2. Diego Hargreeves 

In contrast to Luther, Diego is pretty easy to class. Everything about him, from the knives to the wardrobe, seem to scream rogue. And Diego is a rogue, no doubt about that. He’s most comfortable with his knives in hand, operating under the cover of darkness. His subclass is an easy one, too. Unlike rogues such as Patch, who is an Inquisitive archetype, Diego was trained to use his abilities in order to take out targets as efficiently as possible. Diego was trained as an Assassin, and despite his hero/antihero framing, has been using those deadly skills ever since. 

3. Allison Hargreeves 

Based on Allison’s powerset, it seems a little reductive to class her as a bard, but here we are. Allison’s not just a bard because of her rumors though. More than any other character, Allison inspires her siblings, from drawing Vanya out of her shell, to rallying the others to work together and take action to stop the apocalypse. More than even Luther, Allison knows what it is to be a team player. 

Which isn’t to say that she doesn’t love the spotlight! As a bard from the College of Glamour, Allison is all about giving enthralling, enchanting performances both on screen and in the field. Her rumors let her take center stage and ensure that everyone is paying attention. 

4. Klaus Hargreeves 

Okay, it’s obvious that Klaus is some sort of necromancer, let’s get that out of the way. I don’t think that he’s a wizard though; wizards study and work for every scrap of knowledge they have, but Klaus actively tries to drown out his ability with any sort of drug he can find. Klaus is a character intimately acquainted with life, death, and higher powers, and makes for a wonderfully reluctant cleric. Hell, the guy’s even spoken directly to God (though she didn’t really like him). As a Grave cleric, Klaus has a special relationship with the boundaries of life and death, including seemingly having the ability to manipulate souls. 

5. Five Hargreeves 

Five is...a complicated class build, which makes sense as he probably has the most complex character arc in the show. Five is a relatively new class build, one that debuted in Matt Mercer’s Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount. To put it simply, Five is a wizard, specifically a chronurgist. This is a type of mage that specializes in the probability of time magic, focusing in small moments in time and letting the consequences of the changes ripple out into the wider world. Sound familiar? Five certainly has the intellect for a wizard, and the single-minded focus needed to learn new spells (or in his case, figure out the equations needed to stop the apocalypse). Plus, that guy sure loves to cast Blink. 

But Five isn’t just a wizard, not after living the life that he did. Five spent decades surviving alone in the apocalypse, giving him the skills needed to multiclass into ranger. These skills are honed and eventually put into use as a Horizon Walker, a subclass of ranger that guards the world from threats coming from outside the plane - or outside of time. 

6. Ben Hargreeves 

For poor, doomed Ben I will be kind of reductive, just because at this point we really know so little about him. Ben is a warlock, in control of forces beyond understanding - or are they in control of him? In any case, the Horror that used Ben’s chest as a portal into our plane of existence definitely seems to resemble a Great Old One. I’ll also say that Ben has/had a Pact of the Tome, as why else would a ghost be casually reading a book? I know this class build is based entirely on stereotypes and first impressions, but now that Ben’s officially a main character as of season 2 I may revisit his class later as he develops. 

7. Vanya Hargreeves 

Vanya is a character with a mysterious, untameable, raw power - in other words, she’s definitely a sorcerer. As a Wild Magic sorcerer, Vanya’s power is explosive and unpredictable, and even she doesn’t yet know its limits or how to control it. Her unconscious surges of power can do anything from shatter glass, to make people enjoy her music, to blowing up the moon and ending life on Earth. Like many sorcerers, Vanya’s power is found to be threatening by those around her, and attempts by outside parties to suppress or control it tend to go very badly. 

#dnd #dnd 5e #umbrella acedmy #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #dnd classes

[gritsandbrits]

I talk a lot about Jo and Kendrix but I don't really talk about my other B10 & Cartoon Network OCs so here they are!

Slight T.W. for attempted suicide

Ginger T. Glass: A Gullah-Geechee Earth elemental from South Carolina. During the original 2005 series of Ben 10, she and her friend Patti were a pop duo who mainly used their powers for effects at their concerts. Later on they decide to become superheroes after having grown fed up with being in the public spotlight and was inspired by Jo to use their powers to help people. Ginger is very refined but also has a fragility to her. She can shatter windows, use glass shards as defensive weapons, and create some sort of stain glass shields. She can also manipulate sand, which is a stronger skill as she's basically harnessing unrefined glass. In terms of singing she is a soprano. Her name is a pun on ginger tea and tea glass.

Pattibelle: Jo's cousin and Ginger's best friend, and a fire elemental. She's the loud and obnoxious type and always flirts with guys. She has an interest in motorcycles and racing, and always finds the time to flaunt and show off. She thinks Ben is ugly and very overrated which is why she always try to upstage him. But during her stint as a superhero she learns to take it more seriously and starts to realise her own potential in being a role model. In terms of singing she's an alto. Her name comes from OUR QUEEN PATTIE LA BELLE!!

Emily Lewis and Alessandro Clarke: Two reptilian folks who are possibly descended from dragons and might be of Celtic descent, they oppose the Forever Knights and make sure that magical artifacts don't fall under their or anyone else's hands. Emily is kinda a mither figure to Kai Green and Sandy works as a street magician (using fake magic so his real magic wouldn't be traced). They initially showed up as seemingly potential antagonists but it's revealed that they're actually good people simply pissed off at their kind being exploited by greedy assholes. Sandy is sleek, sardonic, and wily, and has long whitish/blond hair and gold eyes. Emily is more serious minded and motherly, and has auburn hair and ruby eyes. Haven't made designs for them yet but their real forms are reptilian, with Sandy's form more snakelike and Emily's being an alligator. Named after Lewis and Clark (whom Emily doesn't even like lol). Kinda good friends of Jo's since they all bonded over being outcasts.

Azura: A geeky yet very snarky intern working. for the Saturdays. She's Afro-Latina and wears a lot of blues to compliment the Satrudays' iconic orange outfirs. She has a crush on Doyle but had been burned once by an ex and so she refused to make her feelings known. At first she was scared of cryptids but came to love them. Usually keeps tabs on public sightings of cryptids without actually tracking them down herself.

Gospelle: A shy African American woman desperately seeking a purpose in life who can really belt out a tune. One day she was singing to herself which ends up attracting the attention of resident God of Rock Valhallen. She doesn't like the attention at first but decides to give it a chance and pursued a singing career, and later kinda gets a crush on him. But she wants their relationship to involve other things and not because she has a beautiful voice. She's kinda based on Storm, and is petite and has long hair.

C.J.: Not the same character as the cloud, her name is short for Columbia Junior. She's Lady Columbia basically and Major Glory's younger sister. She's far more mature than her brother and hates how overprotective he is so she tries to prove her own strength. She's a pastiche of Wonder Woman only if Wondy speaks in a typical Valley Girl accent. She isn't interested in settling down so stop asking if she has a boyfriend Uncle Sam.

Jill: The Japanese-American/Scottish descendant of Samurai Jack she is kinda irresponsible and lazy but ended up inheriting his sword anyways. Since Jack is obviously long gone he appears as a spirit and tries to mentor his wayward successor. Jill originally lived in Townsville before leaving for another city and became CJ's roommate. She's also best pals with the Krunk and established to be aroace. She's based on Sailor Moon. Also one of her older relatives (possibly a grand or great grandparent) is related to THE SCOTSMAN however she doesn't particularly obsess over culture and lineage and wants to do her own thing.

Princess Ashi: SHE'S NOT ASHI but named after her. She was Jack's daughter and started a school for aspiring swordsmen. Her mother was the noblewoman. Jill's Japanese side of the family can be traced back from her I'd like to think one of her later descendants married into the Scotsman's family.

The Noblewoman: Her name is a placeholder but she Jack's technically second wife and Princess Ashi's mother. She came from a noble family who was slaughtered and taken over by a rival clan. Filled with despair she attempted suicide but Jack intervened. It is through her travels her mental health improved and she gained the strength to take back her family lands. Her story goes along with the message of dealing with grief and healing as well as evil doesn't have to come from magical deities. Sometimes humanity is capable of evil without science or magic. Also no she's not a reincarnated Ashi or anything as bringing her back would make her sacrifice pointless imo.

Arusi: The Xiaolin Dragon of Darkness/Shadows, she's a goth girl from East Africa who started out as a street performing puppet master who was scouted out by a monk. She didn't want to leave her town but her grandmother convinced her under the wish of giving her a better opportunity. So Arusi studied to the temple in Northern Africa and trained and later moved to the temple in China to join the canon young monks. She's the foil for Chase's apprentice Shadow and Raimundo's love interest. Arusi is tall and wispy, has deep brown skin and very short hair. She tends to wear long black dresses and simple yet intricate jewellery.

Cleo: An outgoing, headstrong and sassy girl, she has the power to activate cat based Egyptian armor but with the downsides of turning into a cat at random times. I want Irwin to have a tried and true friend as well as someone to match the Egyptian powers/motif without a love interest attachment. Also one of the few people to not be scared of Mandy, mainly because she doesn't care what she nor anyone else thinks of her. However Cleo can be too rebellious. Cleo is agile, has dark olive to light brown skin, black hair in a bobcut, and always wears her necklace in case she needed to transform.

Those are all my OCs for now. I just give them backstory and personality as I go along! 😂

#major glory #valhallen #cartoon network #CN City #fusionfall #warner brothers #Samurai jack #ppg #underfist #ben 10 #secret saturdays #the grim adventures of billy and mandy #Xiaolin showdown #Oc #fan characters #cn oc #cartoon network oc #dexter's laboratory #Ben 10 oc #ppg oc #xiaolin showdown oc #Samurai jack oc #Oc x canon #platonic oc x canon #Romantic oc x canon #Tw attempted suicide

[sjrresearch]

Horrifying History: Historical Games to Play for Halloween

(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)

As we approach the midway point of October, scary season is in full swing, which only means one thing for gamers: horror games. Horror has always been a popular genre, from the iconic Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises to more recent hits like Outlast and Until Dawn. Fans of horror have plenty of new releases to look forward to this year, with titles such as Amnesia: Rebirth right around the corner.

But anyone can go on about the best or upcoming horror games. How about those based around historical events and in historical settings? There are a handful of great picks in that category we’d love to shine the proverbial spotlight on. For history buffs that want to get spooked this Halloween, here are some video games that you absolutely want to check out.

Zombie Army Series

Because we can never quite get enough World War II shooters in our library, Zombie Army Series sends us to an alternate 1940s. One where Hitler didn’t just overtake Europe. He did so with a swarming horde of the undead. Grizzly fiends pile onto players from all corners, ripped straight from the hands of Hell to devour the world and spread the Nazi plague.

The Zombie Army series spans four titles, each one more horrifyingly ridiculous than the last. As a resistance fighter, players mow down the undead across a decayed and dilapidated world. The series features period-specific weapons, which are useful implements in downing zombies. Though there’s underlying humor to the series, the atmosphere tends to be gloomier and a bit more fitting of the survival horror genre.

Zombie Army is a spin-off of the Sniper Elite series and even features some of those game’s delightful quirks like the brutally entertaining bullet camera.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

If there’s anything that we’ve learned in the year 2020, it’s that there are few scarier things in this world than widespread, infectious disease. A Plague Tale: Innocence is set in 14th century France, and the player takes on the role of 15-year-old Amicia de Rune, who must protect her little brother Hugo as they evade Inquisition soldiers while also faced with the deadliest disease known to man: The Bubonic Plague. 

The story takes itself into scary and dark places, telling a compelling tale of a girl and her brother. Part of what makes A Plague Tale so scary is the fact that you, a young woman, are nearly defenseless in a world filled with dangers at every corner, from terrorizing soldiers to ravenous, infectious rats. While not 100% historically accurate, A Plague Tale offers players a look at an interesting period of European history that has rarely been touched upon in video games.

Bloodrayne

Players step into the shoes of Rayne, a half-human, half-vampire in this hack-and-slash action game set in the 1930s. First beginning in 1933, BloodRayne takes the player through a warped version of Nazi Germany and other interesting locations in this unique blend of world history and vampiric lore.

The game certainly features some creepy monsters and enemies, from giant spiders to bats and straight-up demons. BloodRayne is an exciting, alternative take on German history that’s sure to offer a bloody good time for fans of fast-paced hack-and-slash games.

Call of Duty - Nazi Zombies

The Call of Duty franchise has covered many different periods of world history, from World War II in the original trilogy to the war against Afghanistan in the Modern Warfare games and the Cold War in the Black Ops series. But one of the most interesting aspects of many Call of Duty games has to be the series’ classic Nazi Zombies mode.

First seen in Call of Duty: World at War, this survival horror side mode pits up to four players against the living dead, who attack in endless waves. In a somewhat humorous and ridiculous fashion, the mode depicts Nazi soldiers reanimated as the living dead. The mode also offers many different playable characters and usable weapons that vary in their levels of historical accuracy.

While it isn’t the scariest historical game to play this Halloween season, it certainly is one of the most fun. It may not be the best place to score an education on world history, but Nazi Zombies can certainly be a delightful trip into a bloody, rotting version of the past.

Nocturne

Originally launched exclusively on PC in 1999, Nocturne is set in the late 1920s and early 1930s and follows a character simply known as The Stranger, an operative of a fictional secret American Government organization known as “Spookhouse.” Through the course of the game, The Stranger investigates several different cases where he must fight off various classic monsters such as zombies, vampires, and werewolves in locations like the jazzy streets of the Windy City.

The game feels very classic survival horror, in a similar vein to Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark with fixed camera angles and some rather wonky controls when compared to modern standards. With that said, Nocturne was considered very ahead of its time when released and is now considered a cult classic that’s been shrouded in obscurity.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

Released on the Nintendo GameCube back in 2002, this cult classic is perhaps one of the scariest psychological horror games of all time. With about half of the story set in modern-day, the other half takes place during multiple different periods of world history.

Playable characters include Pious Augustus, a Roman Centurion from Ancient Rome; Paul Luther, a Franciscan monk from 1485 AD; Peter Jacob, an English journalist covering the events of World War I; Dr. Maximillian Roivas, a wealthy doctor living in colonial Rhode Island in 1760 AD; and many more. Nearly every playable character comes from a different period, with the game spanning over 2000 years of world history.

The game plays very similarly to the Resident Evil series, with fixed camera angles and zombie-like enemies but with many unique gameplay elements, such as magic spell-casting abilities as well as a sanity meter that can affect the game in unpredictable ways. Eternal Darkness tested players with trickery that some would consider cruel, such as a “blue screen of death” error and a particularly nasty fakeout that appears to delete all save files.

With so many great choices, it looks like history buffs should have no shortage of scary games to play this Halloween season.

--

At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

#gaming #horror #history

[secret-engima]

I really love your Trio of WoL's cause they're all great. I'm just here to tell you that.

hgfdgh thank you. I’m not sure what to do with them yet because I know so little of FFXIV and Noctis being in the AU makes it ... easy to accidentally take away their spotlight in my head, but I still love them and can’t wait to play around with them in drabbles and stuff. XD

More random HCs about them for lols:

-Arasen is a pickpocket. Who knows where he picked up the skill but he did and he loves using it to prank people. If you’re a jerk you’ll probably magically lose whatever valuables are in your pockets/on your person. If you’re poor, or just a really nice person, random nice things from candies to shiny things will magically appear in your pockets.

-Will climb the nearest available high surface at the earliest opportunity because he is Smol and he likes being able to see.

-Not afraid to sic Cotota on people.

-Cotota will eventually be both a White Mage and a Monk. For these reasons, no one knows how or why she has the random collection of weapon that she has. She has no training in them. Cotota. Cotota why do you need that giant sword. Cotota where did you get a Japanese war fan the size of Arasen (think Madara’s war fan from Naruto). Cotota no put that down. (She will not put it down, she will gleefully smack you over the head with anything in her collection because her staff is for channeling magic, not cracking skulls, and she’s tired of washing blood off her shoes from kicking people).

-Is actually a Really Good Singer. Very nice voice. Only willingly sings for her siblings and Trusted People tho. That epic opening song of Realm Reborn? Answers? Yeah she could totally be the one singing that if you ever somehow bribed her into being onstage and Loud.

-Is still debating on whether or not she should kiss Thancred or kick him through a wall. Why those extremes? Because Cotota Logic™ says that if you really love someone you cuddle them because large amounts of physical contact indicates trust. If you only LIKE them then you perform minimal contact. Lips are small. Ergo, kissing. Unless you aren’t trustworthy, in which case a foot to the gut that sends you through a wall is still a relatively small area of physical contact and is Very Good at making her point for her.

-She thinks Y’shtola is Cool™.

-Temulun likes girly things. Doesn’t indulge in them often, but she really likes girly things. She is also the only person who can get Cotota to consent to a pretty bow tied around one of her ears (or anywhere near her person in general Cotota has an Image™ to maintain).

-Probably has a crush on Thancred. Does not act on it because she can tell he’s a flirt and she doesn’t quite trust that, and also because she likes Thancred and doesn’t want him to be murdered via Overprotective Siblings.

-As both an Archanist (I think that’s the right class) and later a Summoner, she loves her Carbuncles. Dotes on them. Pretty bbys. So fluffy.

-Never let this girl unsupervised in a library. If you do, don’t expect to see her again for another 48 hours, and even then its only because you’ve tracked her down and found her Fortress of Books that she’s huddled inside, slowly working her way through each one with a Carbuncle in her lap.

#SE asks #blackcherrybombbomb asks #Troublesome Trio #Secret Engima Rambles #Breathe (the Dawn Rises) verse #Cotota (OC) #Arasen (OC) #Temulun (OC) #ffxiv

[nealflitherland]

For some reason the whole first paragraph shows up in the preview... but anyway, you get the idea! If you like my take on Nightwing, go check him out!

#gaming #RPG #Pathfinder #character conversion #Vocal #Neal Litherland #Nightwing #Batman #Gotham #DC Comics

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #173: Sherlock Holmes

Yes we’re going out of order, but I have a very good reason for this! ...Well, not really. We were already in the geniuses section, and any excuse to not think about summer while it’s still 40 degrees out is one I’m going to take.

Anyway, today we’re making the man famous for discombobulation, Sherlock Holmes! Track down mysteries, show up everyone else in the party, and kick ass with Baritsu. Easy stuff.

Check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: Chaldea’s other resident genius.

Race and Background

There are some theories about Sherlock’s race, but for simplicity’s sake we’ll call you a Variant Human, giving you +1 Dexterity and Wisdom. You also get Sleight of Hand proficiency for some close-up detective work, and the Keen Mind feat, giving you +1 Wisdom, the ability to always point north, perfect time telling, and the ability to recall anything from the last month in-game, a.k.a. the DM’s nightmare.

You know a lot yourself, but you also know how to build and maintain an archive, so the closest background to match would be the Cloistered Scholar background, giving you proficiency in Nature and Religion. Arcana and history would suit you better, but I’ve got something in mind for that, and good things come to those who wait.

Ability Scores

As you’d probably expect, your Wisdom and Intelligence are pretty freaking high. You are Sherlock Holmes after all. You’re pretty strong, but the reason you’re so scary in a fight is because of your technique, so we’re going with Dexterity here instead. You snort cocaine like it’s going out of style, so your Constitution has to be able to keep up. This does mean your Strength is a bit low, but you’re practically an anime protagonist, there are some things we just can’t get in a balanced build. Finally, dump Charisma. Half the reason you drag Guda along on your cases is to talk people out of thinking you’re the murderer, honestly it’s kind of embarrassing.

Class Levels

1. Rogue 1: You’re a skilled guy, and rogues get skills for days. You get proficiencies in Dexterity and Intelligence saves, as well as four skills- Deception for disguises, and Insight, Investigation, and Perception for cases and clue-catching. You also get Expertise in two skills, doubling their proficiency bonus. Right off the bat I’d suggest Insight and Investigation so you can hopefully get to the bottom of things quickly. Foiling a plan at the last second is thrilling and all, but utterly shutting down a villain is so satisfying.

To help with that, you can use a Sneak Attack once per turn if you’re using a ranged or finesse weapon and either have advantage against a target or a friend within 5′ of them. You also learn Thieves’ Cant, it’s a language that will be especially helpful when you have to navigate the criminal underbelly of a city.

2. Monk 1:None of that was Baritsu though, so we’re bouncing over to monk for some Martial Arts. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength on monk weapons (this does not make them finesse), and spending an action to attack with one also lets you make an unarmed attack as a bonus action. Your unarmed and monk weapon attacks also do at least a 1d4 of damage.

You also get Unarmored Defense, making your AC 10 plus your dexterity modifier plus your wisdom modifier. I don’t care how hot it looks, that corset isn’t armor.

3. Cleric 1: Last multiclass, I swear. Since you can literally make clues appear like magic, we kinda need a bit of magic. Clerics get Spells that they cast and prepare using their Wisdom, which you might have noticed is becoming a pretty important ability for you.

If you want clues, you’ll need knowledge, at least enough to know that the Knowledge domain can help with that. At first level you gain the Blessings of Knowledge, making you proficient in History and Arcana and doubling those proficiencies as well (hey, see what I said about waiting?).

You get three cantrips for joining the clergy, Light gives you some of those cool magnifying spotlights you carry around, Thaumaturgy for some parlor tricks, and Guidance for when you really have to focus.

For first level spells, Command gives you a basic command spell, and Identify teaches you all about the magic affecting an item or creature. Normally that would be more of a research montage, but some times you’re in a hurry. 

As far as actually prepared spells go, anything with “Detect” in the name is a good pick.

4. Rogue 2: Now that we’ve got our spread, let’s build some of these classes up. Second level rogues can make Cunning Actions, Dashing, Disengaging, or Hiding as a bonus action. If you already spent your action rifling through someone’s files and they’re about to burst into the room, you’ll thank me.

5. Rogue 3: There’s really only two possible picks for your subclass, and we’re saving the Mastermind for Moriarty. As an Inquisitive, you have an Ear for Deceit, giving your Insight rolls a minimum of 8 on the die. On top of that, your Eye for Detail lets you make Perception and Investigation checks as a bonus action, further speeding up the process. On top of that, your Insightful Fighting uses your bonus action to make an Insight check versus a creature’s Deception check. On a success, you don’t need advantage to make sneak attacks against that creature for up to a minute. Finally, your Steady Aim uses your bonus action to get advantage on an attack if you don’t move that turn. I’d just use your insightful fighting, but your rival might push you to your limit.

This is a lot of stuff to do on your bonus action, and it’s only going to get worse from here.

6. Monk 2: Back at the school of Baritsu, you gain Ki Points that you can spend to make two unarmed attacks, dodge, disengage, or dash as a bonus action. Doing either of the latter two also doubles your jump distance for the turn. You also gain Unarmored Movement, increasing your movement speed by 10 feet while not wearing armor.

7. Monk 3: We need the most technique in the fewest levels, so that means we’re turning to the Way of the Open Hand once more. Your Open Hand Technique gives extra benefits to your flurry of blows. On each hit, the creature either can’t take reactions for a round, must succeed on a dexterity save or be knocked prone, or must make a strength save or be pushed 15′ away.

You can also Deflect Missiles as your reaction, catching an incoming attack and reducing its damage, possibly sending it back at the enemy if you bring it down to 0.

8. Monk 4: Our first Ability Score Improvement will instead be used to make you Observant, bumping up your Wisdom by 1, giving you +5 to passive perception and investigation, and allowing you to read lips. You can also Slow Fall as a reaction to take less fall damage. Hey, any help to survive the Reichenbach is well appreciated.

9. Rogue 4: Back in rogue now, your second ASI is going towards your Dexterity for stronger and more effective attacks, as well as a higher AC. 17′s pretty good for a corset.

10. Rogue 5: Fifth level rogues get an Uncanny Dodge, allowing you to react to an incoming attack and halve the damage. 

11. Cleric 2: You didn’t think we forgot about this one, did you? Knowledge clerics get two Channel Divinity options each short rest. Turn Undead is your bog standard option, or you can gain the Knowledge of the Ages, spending an action to gain proficiency in one skill or tool for 10 minutes. Protagonist powers, activate!

12. Cleric 3: Third level cleric, second level spells. Suggestion is a more open ended command spell, and Augury is more “telling the future” than deduction. That being said, you do get Calm Emotions to keep your cool, as well as Find Traps, Locate Object, and Zone of Truth. 

13. Rogue 6: You know I’m a sucker for quadrupling things, so for this round of Expertise double up on History and Perception. You’re good at everything, but especially current events.

14. Rogue 7: At this level you get the powerful Evasion feature, turning your failed dexterity saves to avoid damage into successes and successes into no damage at all.

15. Rogue 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Intelligence. It’s a shame we had to wait this long for it, but better late than never.

16. Rogue 9: Your Steady Eye gives you advantage on perception and investigation checks as long as you’re moving at half speed. Unless your DM’s really keen on mapping out rp situations, this is pretty much permanent advantage.

17. Rogue 10: Another ASI, another bump to Intelligence. Does it really do anything? Probably not, but you can feel smug about it regardless.

18. Rogue 11: Your Reliable Talent means you skill rolls are always 10 or greater on checks you’re proficient with. And thanks to your knowledge of the ages, you can be proficient in just about anything.

19. Rogue 12: Use your last ASI to max out your Wisdom for more AC, stronger spells, and more skilled Baritsu.

20. Rogue 13: Your capstone ability is your Unerring Eye, an action to sense illusions, shapechangers, and the like around you. You can sense something’s off, but will have to investigate yourself. You can use this a number of times per long rest equal to your wisdom modifier.

Pros

Your minimum rolls in Insight and Investigation are 27 and 26 respectively, making you an ace detective. Your ability to root out lies, plus your photographic memory, will make any mystery you play through a breeze. (You the player still have to connect the dots, though.) Also, literally being able to see through illusions is a big plus.

Maxed out wisdom also means your open hand techniques are as strong as possible, giving you a good amount of battlefield control to beat down enemies and push them around.

Knowledge of the Ages plus Reliable Talent equals you being really good at everything when you need to be, and you’re much faster a switching things up than Hundred Personas. 

Cons

Since we only splashed into monk, your baritsu isn’t that great an option for damage. It also comes with the caveat that you can’t use your sneak attack unarmed, so you will have to carry the murder weapon around with you.

Despite being a melee fighter, your hp is pretty low, making straight confrontations a bad idea.

We really wanted Unerring Eye, but as a consequence we could only get a couple levels of the other classes. This means your ki points and spell slots are rather limited. But I mean, you’re Sherlock freaking Holmes, you’ll know when you need to use them and when you don’t.

#Fate Grand Order #fgo #D&D 5e #Sherlock Holmes #Fate and Phantasms #Rogue #Monk #Cleric

[5eforgemaster]

Conversion Kit: The Assassin

Continuing my Conversion Kit series of articles, we discuss the Assassin subclass! Turn any character into a master of ambushes and terribly efficient killer with just three levels of Rogue.

Below the readmore, you can find Additional Support for this kit, as well as Pitfalls and Character Suggestions.

Kit Overview

Investment Type: Multiclass Dip

Minimum Investment: Take 3 Levels of Rogue, selecting the Assassin archetype at level 3.

Overall Impact: Your character now has the mechanical backing to follow through on clever schemes with lethal force.

Investment

Much like our last conversion kit, once you select the Assassin subclass, you can immediately set off to do what assassins do best. Once again, you'll need to satisfy the multiclassing requirement- just a score of 13 in Dexterity, plus a score of 13 in whatever attribute your other class of choice requires.

You don't necessarily need a Dexterity higher than this, but remember that your bonus to Stealth rolls keys off of it. You can mitigate the problems of a low Dexterity score by taking proficiency in Stealth and using the Rogue's Expertise feature to double your proficiency bonus.

Truth be told, you can abandon Stealth entirely if it doesn't fit your concept. However,  you'll want to keep in mind that the assassin's primary feature requires Surprise. While by the Rules as Written, Stealth is the only way to gain surprise, many GMs will allow betrayals or sudden strikes to grant surprise.

Perhaps you can take advantage of Deception or Persuasion to lure your target into a false sense of security, or use a spell like Dimension Door or Invisibility to suddenly appear behind (or even before) a foe and strike them down.

All that said, regardless of the method you'd like to use, you're very likely to want stealth proficiency. It's the least reliant on GM interpretation and applies to the greatest variety of situations.

Narrative Impact

Though the most apparent Narrative for a character using this kit is that of a professional murderer, it is by no means the only route you can take.   Your character is now mechanically incredibly reliant on first strikes. Hunters-turned-warriors (such as most rangers) gravitate to this approach to combat by default, but characters lacking the stomach for battle might turn to this path to end fights quickly. Elite warriors might prefer ambush tactics, and even certain paladins may find a swift death to be all that their foes deserve. In truth, you could utterly ignore this kit's narrative impact and carry on as if you had never taken a single level in another class. However, I'm inclined to see that as something of a wasted opportunity to set your character apart- where did your character learn to fight dirty? Do they see it as a necessary evil and regret their actions, or do they believe they're justified as there's no justice on the battlefield?

Mechanical Impact

From a mechanical perspective, the Assassin offers lethal first-strikes. Whatever your method of attack- a greatsword, a spell, thrown dagger- your Assassinate feature guarantees you a Critical Hit, as long as the attack hits a surprised target.

I cannot emphasize enough how unbelievably good a Guaranteed Critical Hit is in Fifth Edition D&D, and believe me, if I had a way to highlight that bolded, italicized, underlined phrase I would use it. I thought about including a gif of someone slapping a desk. I need you to see those words and realize what they mean.

A critical hit multiplies all of your damage dice. If you can find bonus dice, you're going to hit incredibly hard. If you have multiple attacks, they will all be critical hits. A critical hit on a Paladin's Smite or Rogue's sneak attack is a lucky break. A full round's worth of critical hits on a Fighter's attack routine or a Wizard's Scorching Ray is a dream. Get the drop on an enemy, and that dream is your reality.

The simple truth is, the Assassinate feature alone is enough to enable ambushes as a tactic.

Kit Support

There are several feats you can take advantage of to make this kit more effective. However, even if feats aren't allowed in your game, or all of yours are already accounted for, you're not out of luck. If you keep some rules of thumb in mind, you'll find yourself faring better than someone who approached their build haphazardly.

This list is in no particular order. This is not an optimization guide, and I don't want to commit to the math necessary to rank these options, nor do I want to limit your creativity. That said, as an Assassin, you want to look for:

More attacks. These are easy enough to get: engage in two weapon fighting, pick a class that has the Extra Attack feature, or find a way to get Haste applied to you.

Extra dice for your attacks: Smite and Sneak Attack are good examples. If you have your eyes on a higher level Rogue feature, the extra sneak attack dice will help with this (if you're using an appropriate weapon).

Similarly, spells that grant multiple attack rolls such as Eldritch Blast or spells that have large dice counts like Chaos Bolt. Both of those can be picked up by classes that can't normally access them using the Magic Initiate feat.

You might also consider certain feats, depending on your build and game:

Alert gives you a large bonus to initiative. Depending on how your GM runs Surprise, you may need to win initiative to take advantage of Assassinate- Alert all but guarantees that you'll move first, especially if your Dexterity is already high.

Lucky adds some reliability to your assassination attempts by letting you try again when you roll poorly. Lucky is good to the point of being considered 'cheese' by the community, and many games ban it, but there is objectively no better way to ensure you don't ruin your big moment.

Skulker is somewhat similar to Lucky for ranged characters, though not as effective. If you're a ranged Assassin, this keeps your position from being revealed. You'd be hard pressed to convince your DM that the enemy is still surprised, but maybe you can retreat and try again. The other miscellaneous stealth bonuses are a nice plus.

Spell Sniper doubles your range for attack roll based spells- it'll be easier to surprise foes from a couple of hundred feat away. As a bonus, you ignore all but total cover and even get access to an attack roll based cantrip if you didn't have one already.

Actor might improve your odds of pulling off a social skill based assassin, just check with your GM to make sure they'll rule in your favor before you invest too heavily in the approach.

Pitfalls

There's not a whole lot you can do as a player to make this kit go wrong. Your biggest obstacles are overspecialization and, potentially, your DM.

In the first case, there will be times when Assassinate will fail you. Perhaps the situation isn't right, perhaps you missed your attack, maybe the enemy got the drop on you. None of that matters though- just keep in mind when making choices about your character that not everything needs to improve their critical damage. Dealing hundreds of points of damage with your first strike only matters if you pull it off.

In the second case, some DMs are combative. You might have a DM that feels as though you're somehow "cheating" by assassinating big threats and coaxing your party towards ambush tactics. Some DMs will simply grumble about it and you may need to back off somewhat.

Others will attempt to sabotage you, either by presenting scenarios that make assassinations difficult or impossible, overwhelmingly pitting you against foes that are impossible to surprise or are immune to critical hits, or, in the most egregious cases, abusing their power and arbitrarily depriving you of surprise when you should have it.

The best thing you can do here is keep a level head and talk to your DM. They likely don't actively want to ruin the game for you, and perhaps they have a reasonable motive- maybe you're taking the spotlight away from other players or even making the game less fun for the DM themselves (believe it or not, this is a reasonable concern for the DM- they should have simply been honest with you in the first place, but berating them now won't help either of you).

Whatever your DM's reasons, you can likely compromise if they're honest with you. If your DM gives you any variation of "this is your fault for picking a specialized feature" or "it's just the way it is", you may need to ask if you can rebuild, as they're unlikely to sympathize with your position. Ultimately, your playstyle may just not align with the DM's or group's. There are hundreds of articles about conflict resolution, some specifically tailored for D&D groups, so for the moment I'll table the specifics and perhaps update this article with a link to a quality one at a later date.

A Few Suggestions

I don't want to leave this article on a low note, so I'll close with some classes you can combine with the Assassin subclass for some exciting (if somewhat obvious) character concepts:

Way of Shadow Monk: This monk path offers several supernatural abilities relating to darkness, silence, and hiding- not the least of which is the ability to teleport between patches of shadow. If that doesn't scream "ninja" to you, I don't know what will. The monk also has access to Flurry of Blows, which can make your assassinations quite potent.

Oath of Vengeance Paladin: The Paladin's Smite might be the easiest on-demand way to take advantage of your Assassinate feature. Very few of this Archetype's features synergize with this kit, but access to Haste and Hunter's Mark doesn't hurt, and the narrative of an avenger fits well with the style of combat you'll be employing. If you liked Pathfinder's inquisitor class, this may be for you.

Fiend Patron Warlock: Eldritch Blast is always good, but you have an extra edge with it. Honestly, there's not much too this other than having an easy on-demand ranged damage option, but something about being a contract killer for your Patron seems like an exciting narrative. Works just as well for other patrons, but the fiend seems most likely to employ contract killers. You can take the Blade Pact Boon and Eldritch Smite invocations if you want to step on the Paladin's turf.

With some examples out of the way, I'll take my leave. There's near limitless potential for this kit, as there's some synergy to be had with nearly every class, so you can experiment with confidence.

#rogue #rogue archetype #roguish archetype #dnd #dnd 5e #d&d #d&d 5e #5e #dungeons and dragons #dungeons & dragons #conversion kit #assassin #multiclass #fifth edition #5th edition

[airanke]

10 for taz and mothan?

10. “staring at the other’s lips, trying not to kiss them, before giving in”

I cut the start of this one out because it’s a lot of unnecessary exposition. Hope you enjoy! 

@blueriveas-horde

Mothan sighed, letting his feet go where they pleased once he reformed. Dalaran had become an unfortunate familiarity to the assassin, and by now, Mothan knew the layout like the back of his hand.

The stables came into view soon enough, and when he stopped at the door, one of his feet tapped impatiently.

Tazari was busily tending to a yak in the far left corner, brushing out its fur. There was a pair of large scissors hanging from her finger, and as Mothan walked in, Tazari swung the shears up into her hand, and began trimming some of the fur over the yak’s eyes.

“‘Ello, spearmint,” Mothan chirped, hiding his exhaustion behind a broad grin. Tazari didn’t look at him, but her eyes were wide, nose scrunched, and cheeks dark with blush.

“I be busy, licorice!” she whined, glancing at him while brushing more of the yak’s fur, “don’ you be comin’ in here, bein’ all distractin’!!”

“Tazari I literally just be sayin’ hi,” he teased, chuckling when she jabbed him in the chest with her elbow, “careful dere~”

She pouted deeply, “go– go sit down!! Ovah dere, till I’m done!”

“Okay, okay~” Mothan walked over to the bench she had pointed out, smiling to himself. He sat, and settled for watching her go about her remaining tasks.

His mind replayed the moments of the day. Since early that morning, to little over thirty minutes ago. Mothan tried to focus on something else - anything else - but his thoughts were determined to twist and stretch every event, trying to decide if he could have done something better.

Truthfully, he could have. He was nothing like Trigon: not as intimidating, nowhere near as confrontational, and valued compromise over absolution. Trigon got results. If he wanted something changed, it would be changed, but Mothan didn’t have that sort of confidence.

That, and Azeroth’s issues - as Trigon had told him - weren’t Ether’s problems. They were here to route the Bane, nothing more, nothing less. Mothan sighed; Tazari moved on to a bat.

For a split second, he hyper focused on her. She was slim, but well built. Her soft musculature implied that she spent her days doing heavy labor, and while many wouldn’t immediately assume that stable work was “heavy labor”, stable master did more than just take in animals. They had to clean up after a variety of beasts, prepare a variety of food for different diets, feed those animals, groom the animals, and in some cases, care for animals in their care that wound up sick.

Quickly, Mothan averted his gaze. His thoughts reeled before settling back on meticulously deconstructing his way versus his brother’s way.

Mothan nudged, Trigon forced. Mothan was gentle, Trigon was harsh. Mothan chose safety, Trigon took risks.

He leaned forward against his knees, staring at his hands.

Mothan has always been better at killing. Za’hal always told him he’d make an excellent monk, especially given his natural inclination toward balance; toward mediation, but that would put the troll in the spotlight. Mothan chose to be an assassin so he could hide in the shadows.

But here he was, with that monk that Za’hal had seen in him rearing his head. He should have listened to Trigon. He should have gone with his brother to hunt down the Bane commanders, and their portals. He should have been with them because Trigon had twisted not only Jaina’s arm, but Khadgar’s, and Aethas’. The ultimatum was either they come help Trigon, or Azeroth would have another invasion on their hands, and this time, it wouldn’t be the Burning Legion. In Mothan’s experience, the Bane was a hundred times worse than the Legion, because at least the worst the Legion would throw at the Horde, and Alliance was the twisted spirits of the dead. They could free those dead, let them finally find peace.

The Bane threw civilians - children, mothers, fathers, the elderly, the lame. When the United had first realized it, they’d lost many, many of their soldiers. How could a tranied, honorable combatant fight someone that didn’t know the sharp end of the spear from the harmless butt of the spear? And the thought had always been lurking in the back of their minds, that the most heavily armored, largest soldiers were not properly trained - given their sluggish movements and incapability to use their huge weapons - but never once had any of them imagined that children were inside.

The Horde, and the Alliance would never be able to deal with that; both sides were too honorable in their own ways. Mothan doubted that even the supposed ruthless forsaken would be able to pose much of a threat. The Bane Commanders were ridiculously powerful in their own right, and the Elites were nothing to sniff at either. Based on the knowledge he had, Mothan could confidently say that only a handful of the leaders from both sides would even stand a remote chance against an Elite, and only a couple could stand toe-to-toe with a Commander.

Then again, both of those factors depended solely on who the Commander was, because–

“Mothan?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you be awake?”

“Mmm.”

Tazari was quiet. The hum in Mothan’s mind stalled at her voice.

He didn’t want to admit that she was the type of distraction he needed, just so he could stop thinking. He knew it when he hyper focused on her. He should have just kept watching her, it would have stopped him from thinking of how bad the situation on Azeroth could get if the Etherians didn’t do something.

A snort of laughter left him when Tazari tried to pick him up. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hefted, huffing in his ear. It flicked.

“I be up,” he said softly, standing. Tazari’s face was pressed against his chest. She kept her arms around him.

“You um…” she tilted her head up to look at him, “you be lookin’ distressed…”

“Do I?”

“Yeah…”

“Mmm,” he wasn’t sure what to do. Should he hold her? His arms hung down by his sides, lifeless. He tired to think about the meetings again, but once again he found himself hyper focused on Tazari.

“Do you… do you be wantin’ to come over?” she asked, “I mean… it be a long day, for me, and looks like it be a long day for you… I can make you–”

“Okay, but only if I be getting to help.”

“But I can cook for you,” she grumbled, and Mothan wrapped his arms around her. She blushed.

“I don’t be doubting that, but your work be way more physically demandin’ than what I be doing,” he gave her a crooked smile, “so~ Let me be helping~”

Supper was easy. Tazari’s home in Dalaran was quaint and comfortable, and now the two sat on the one couch in her living room.

She told him how she’d grown accustomed to how the humans, and elves in Dalaran liked their homes, though sometimes she would still sleep on the floor. He couldn’t say he knew the feeling, because the reason why he disliked plush beds and furniture had nothing to do with how he was raised.

Mothan opted to change the topic of conversation before they could get into the more gruesome details of his childhood.

“So? How be your day?” he asked, grateful that he’d all but forgotten every thought that had been plaguing him just an hour before. Tazari tapped a finger to her lips.

“Hmm… not too bad. I be up since six, started with cleanin’ out the stables. We had a lotta’ birds in this week, so I had to be doin’ a loooot of scrubbin’. I didn’t be finishin’ that until nine, then one of the others be needin’ my help with a nervous warp stalker. Tryin’ to corner a warp stalker be hard, mon!” she exclaimed, waving her arms around animatedly, “he kept on warpin’ here, then warpin’ there, and so I had to be gettin’ another warp stalker to be helpin’ us get the nervous warp stalker!”

Mothan chuckled, “those ones be sounding like a handful.”

“They be!” Tazari huffed, sitting up more on the couch while Mothan shifted to lean his side against the back cushions. He kept his eyes on her face while she continued: she’d had to groom more yaks than she wanted to count, clipped the claws on several large cats, filed the claws on wolves, brushed so many different kinds of animal teeth that she had tried to brush a macaw’s beak, and spent the better half of her afternoon ferrying hooves on hippogryphs.

At some point during the conversation, Mothan’s eyes slid to her lips. Her voice became a lullaby in the background. She was telling him about one hippogryph in particular - a rare arcane one, brilliant purple in color, overflowing with such raw magical power she wondered how difficult it had been to tame. Shed hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to the hunter about his beast, because he’d come and left faster than she could say ‘good evening’.

And then, she stopped. His eyes noticed first, ears second. He continued to stare at her lips for several more seconds, in case she continued, but when she didn’t, Mothan refocused his gaze on her eyes.

Which were staring down at his mouth rather intently.

“Tazari?” he asked, unsure of why his voice was so soft, or why he sounded unsure. He didn’t know why he processed her movements so slowly either, and before he could react, Tazari slipped between his tusks and pressed her lips against his.

Out of reflex - when his mind finally processed what was happening - he leaned back. She followed, lips just shy of his, and Mothan was putting his weight against his arms seconds later. Tazari kissed him again, and again, and he raised one shaking hand to sweep into her hair.

Too soon - or perhaps, at the perfect moment? - Tazari pulled back. She looked dazed, and Mothan could hardly see through the golden haze that seemed to settle in his vision.

Thank the Great One his Vice was wrath, and not lust.

Tazari bit her lip, looking off to the side. A shade of guilt came to her face - and Mothan wasn’t sure why, he had never made it explicitly clear that he had an aversion to more romantic displays of affection.

Then again, Tazari was a stable master. Like him, she had to be able to understand body language, and Mothan didn’t doubt that Tazari perhaps understood it far better than he did.

‘In that case, I be supposing that I be makin’ it obvious.’

So he pulled her back in before she could say anything. He closed his eyes. Allowed himself the chance to enjoy it.

“I forgot,” Mothan mumbled against Tazari’s lips, “how much I enjoyed this.”

Tazari sighed contently, raising her hands to cup his face. The kisses never went past lips; Mothan was fine with that. He recalled lying down at some point. Tazari was on top of him. Her hair fell like a curtain around his face. It was nice not to think about anything, except her.

Thinking about her was lovely.

#WoW #World of Warcraft #Champions #Mothan #Tazari #Air writes #writing prompt #prompts

[we-are-monk]

Monk Weapons

Monks are famous for their use of exotic weapons. While historically, warrior monks like the Shaolin or Japan’s sohei were often proficient in the same swords and spears that secular warriors used, the Shaolin in particular were also known for a variety of complex and strange implements. Because the Shaolin and their incarnations in classic kung-fu movies are the backbone of the Monk fantasy class, one of the mechanical niches of the class, along with unarmed attacks, mobility, light/no armor, and qi/ki, is the exotic weapon. One of the few things I really like about the 5e monk is the Martial Arts feature that allows them to deal the same damage with a weapon as with their unarmed progression. In older editions, you can use an exotic weapon alongside your fists in a flurry to switch up the combat maneuvers, reach, or damage types you do. An exotic weapon is usually a weapon considered too complex, too foreign by the standards of a pan-European medieval fantasy, or too fantastic (read: made up by game developers and not historical) to be usable by the average warrior. This includes many of the weapons of Eastern martial arts that are not universal (like the spear.) When you train in weapons a bit you quickly develop a feel for whether or not an exotic weapon is that way because it’s hard, because it’s too Asian, or because it’s garbage and the game developer didn’t think it through (looking at you, dire flail.) In Chinese martial arts as well as some other comprehensive traditions, like the Indian ones, a warrior begins with the bare hands. The first weapon they are taught is the staff. The movements for the staff translate to the spear, of course, but also any type of sword or polearm or flexible weapon. Think of it as an unlock tree in a game - skill ranks for barehand or staff unlock weapons or better techniques in later weapons. A warrior using a flashy, exotic weapon like the chainwhip or guandao is, then a warrior who has mastered other more common weapons. 

Consider, if you are playing a character who uses an exotic weapon that they should not be a beginner and that it should not be the only weapon they know. When using a character or NPC wielding an exotic weapon, you can play up the variety of their training. Perhaps they got bored with the spear and wanted a challenge, or perhaps they ran into a foe their sword could not match and got creative (this scene happens in the 36 Chambers of Shaolin where the protagonist invents the three section staff to defeat an opponent he cannot overcome.) For a less serious NPC you can subvert the idea of comprehensive training: perhaps they use the emei piercers because they were trained wrong and don’t know how to use unarmed flurry?

In summary: Monks are strongly associated with the weapons too strange for Fighters. This is because they’re part of a training program that includes a wide variety of sometimes specialized weapons. I’m going to do a series of posts highlighting the various weapons of the Monk class, their uses and what makes them special.

Edit: I’ve added a tag, #monk weapon spotlight to better help people find my monk weapon posts.

#monk #game advice #monk weapons #dnd #pathfinder #dnd 5e #wushu #monk weapon spotlight