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paperanddice · 6 months

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Cambiums are an unnerving looking fiend. Their body is always concealed under voluminous robes or cloaks, often with wide brimmed hats or plague doctor masks. The only part of them ever properly seen is their arms, which number over a dozen and sometimes even seem to make up their body itself below the robes. Many of these arms have multiple elbows, and all end in hands with long, needle-like claws. In fact, these claws are even hollow and can draw out blood (or other fluids) from those they impale, which the cambion is a master of using to manipulate the target's bodily humors.

Cambiums infiltrate humanoid society to gather these humors, siphoning off precise amounts for their own purposes. Whether to supplement their own body, or to mix all manner of serums and concoctions to sell as cure-alls or hellish drinks, they carefully hunt for the proper sources and curate their collection. Long term victims will experience all manner of mood swings and even addiction, becoming dependent on the cambium's treatments, until they are eventually used up and no longer useful, at which point the cambium abandons them.

Golarion

Cambiums are a member of the velstrac, Shadow Plane dwelling fiends who delve into fear, pain, and all many of surgery and magic to improve themselves. While many velstrac are more interested in transformative surgery, shaping bodies by adding or removing whole parts of the creature, cambiums explore much more limited methods of perfection. Rather than perfecting their body by remaking it, they play with the humors within, seeking perfection of mind and mood by careful manipulation. It may seem less brutal than carving off an arm to swap with another, but the effects the cambium's experiments have on its "patients" are still horrifically traumatic.

Dragon Empire

Cambiums almost seem benign compared to most demons. Rather than utter annihilation, they pick out a few particular targets and will simply perform their experiments and harvests from there, generally choosing to leave the rest of the humanoid population they encounter alive. Not that the chosen few will appreciate the attention. The Diabolist finds cambiums fascinating and a bit easier to deal with than many other demons, as she doesn't have to subtly hold them back from plans of global destruction to get what she wants. Whether they genuinely have no interest in the same war that other demons thrive on, or their goals are much longer term and they don't mind playing the Diabolist's games is not clear.

Inspired by the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Cambium Creature 14 Large Fiend Unholy Velstrac Perception +25; greater darkvision, painsight Languages Common, Infernal, Shadowtongue Skills Arcana +25, Athletics +27, Deception +26, Medicine +27, Occultism +25, Stealth +25 Str +5, Dex +3, Con +6, Int +3, Wis +3, Cha +4 Painsight (divine) A velstrac automatically knows whether a creature it sees has any of the doomed, dying, and wounded conditions, as well as the value of those conditions. AC 34; Fort +26, Ref +23, Will +25; +1 status to all saves vs. magic HP 252 (regeneration 20 (deactivated by holy or silver)); Immunities poison; Weaknesses holy 15, silver 15 Meat Before the Butcher (aura, divine, enchantment, fear, mental, visual) 30 feet. When a creature ends its turn in the aura, it must succeed on a DC 34 Will save or gain weakness 10 to the cambium's attacks for 1 round. Speed 35 feet Melee needle finger +27 (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d10+10 piercing plus Imbalance Humors Divine Innate Spells DC 34, attack +26; 7th finger of death, paralyze, plane shift (self only; to the Material Plane or Shadow Plane only),; 6th restoration; 5th harm (×3), heal (×3), humanoid form (at will); 3rd neutralize poison; 1st ray of enfeeblement (at will); cantrips (7th) stabilize Constant (3rd) levitate, (2nd) detect poison Focus Gaze [one action] (concentrate, divine, enchantment, fear, mental, visual) The cambium stares at a creature it can see within 30 feet. The creature must immediately attempt a Will save against Meat Before the Butcher. In addition, if the creature was already weak to the cambium's attacks, on a failed save it also takes a -2 status penalty to Fortitude saves against Imbalance Humors. After attempting this save, the creature is then temporarily immune until the start of the cambium's next turn. Imbalance Humors (divine, poison); Frequency once per turn; Effect when the cambium hits a creature with a needle finger attack, it can attempt to change the balance of humors in that creature. The target must attempt a DC 34 Fortitude saving throw. On a failure, the cambium chooses one of the following effects to apply to the creature: Sanguine Flux: the target can't regain hit points for 1 minute (or one hour on a critical failure). Choleric Flux: the target is confused for 1 round (or 1 minute on a critical failure. It can attempt a new save at the end of each of its turns to end the confused condition). Melancholic Flux: the target is slowed 1 for one minute (or slowed 2 on a critical failure). It can attempt a new save at the end of each of its turns to end the slowed condition. Phlegmatic Flux: the target is fatigued for 1 minute (or 1 hour on a critical failure).

13th Age

Cambium Large 7th level spoiler [demon] Initiative: +14 Needle Fingers +12 vs. AC (2 attacks) - 25 damage. First Natural Even Hit Each Turn: The target is also affected by imbalance humors (see below). R: Ray of Sickness +12 vs. PD (one nearby enemy) - 35 poison damage. Natural 14+: The target is also vulnerable to all damage (save ends). Imbalance Humors: The target suffers one of the following effects (determine randomly): Sanguine Flux: The target cannot regain hit points (save ends). Choleric Flux: The target is confused until the end of its next turn. Melancholic Flux: The target is stuck and takes a -2 penalty to all attacks (save ends). Phlegmatic Flux: The target is weakened until the end of its next turn. Fear Aura: While engaged with the cambion, enemies with 36 hp or fewer are dazed and do not add the escalation die to their attacks. Resist Poison 18+. AC 23 PD 21 MD 19 HP 200

#pathfinder 2e #13th age #homebrew #my homebrew #monster #fiend #demon #pathfinder level 14 #13th age level 7 #long post

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landofwindandthrowingshade · 3 years

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I'm really fucking tired of that post about people misinterpreting D&D spells to allow people to instantly kill enemies using low-level spells like Create and Shape Water and Enlarge/Reduce. These people talk about these "exploits" and laugh at it and talk about how they're gonna try it at their table, but these people don't actually understand the consequences of allowing everyone else to use magic that way.

The moment you allow such an exploit into your game, you have destroyed any form of combat and molded it entirely around your exploit. If you can summon water into people's lungs or teleport organs out of people's bodies, what's the point of playing anything but a cleric or druid? Hell, why even go past level 1 except to get more spell slots to create or destroy water inside someone's body? Why get attached to your characters, when the DM can instakill them by having a disguised cleric drown your knight in shining armor with a 1st-level spell? What would be different about fighting an archlich vs. some rando druid when all they need to do is get within 30 feet and instakill you (and if you call a human body an open container I genuinely cannot understand your mind)? Why wear armor when someone can just Reduce it on you (even as the spell explicitly says you can't do that to objects that are worn or carried) and crush your sternum?

Every time you decide at your table that you can do something like this, every combat involving magic users that doesn't involve the magic users killing you instantly by using that exploit is your DM nerfing themself drastically compared to what they could throw at you, and that is unfair to the DM.

And if you look at this post and think "just let people have fun!", I have to ask first how much power you think I have over random people reading this post. Second, I have bad news for you; this sort of system is never fun in the long term. Maybe for one session, everyone is having fun using their instakill spells at 1st level, but then what happens when the buzz of novelty passes? The non-casters are now nothing but meat in the way of the real damage-dealers and will be taking a backseat during every game, the casters who don't have high Dexterity or the Alert feat are useless compared to the Alert Tabaxi druid with Create or Destroy Water simply because they're perpetually second in initiative, and whenever an enemy caster gets a lucky roll goes first in initiative, whoever is closest to them is going to die from water lungs. Hell, whoever's the one doing all the instant killing is going to get bored, because there's no challenge and no sense of risk to anything that you encounter. Either that, or every single fight becomes a brutal slog where everyone is going invisible and stealthing until someone breaks cover and dies from drowning on dry land.

A good reference for why this never ends up working out is the Harry Potter series. The moment the Killing Curse was brought into the canon, it became the only spell you should ever use in a fight to the death, and it was just nonsense to use anything else. At that point, the magic system just becomes people with guns shooting green bullets at each other, and there's no point in expanding on that system except to make the spell affect more and more people. It's the most convenient option with no consequences for spamming the spell over and over again.

The end result of this sort of action is never worth it for the sake of the game. If you want to perform this kind of magic, you need to play something that isn't Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.

#dungeons and dragons #dnd #d&d #5e

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kariachi · 2 years

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Okay y’all, time for my yearly ‘Achi has a shitload of steam keys, first come first served’ post! The offer here runs out on the 1st because, well, the keys expire then, but until that point check out the list and if there’s anything you’d like then feel free to let me know and I’ll get the key out to you! Just message me on here!

~~~

12 Is Better Than 6 - “12 is Better Than 6 is a dynamic top-down shooter with stealth elements, presented in a Wild West theme. The story puts you in the shoes of escaped slave fleeing to the United States in 1873.”

20XX - “20XX is a roguelike action platformer that you can play with a friend. Jump and shoot your way through ever-changing levels, collect awesome new powers, and battle mighty bosses in the name of saving the human race maybe!”

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust - “Run, jump, and drive across vast, dreamy 3D landscapes. Shrink into surreal, 2D dungeons inside of characters' bodies. Travel the world, meet strange people, and save the world from the dangerous Nano Dust. Don't miss the follow-up to the classic game 'Anodyne'!”

Barony - “Barony is the premier first-person roguelike RPG with cooperative play. Cryptic items, brutal traps and devious monsters, like those found in classic roguelikes and CRPGs, await you. Conquer the dungeon alone, or gather a perfect party in co-op with iconic and exotic RPG classes.”

Barotrauma - “Barotrauma is a 2D co-op submarine simulator – in space, with survival horror elements. Steer your submarine, give orders, fight monsters, fix leaks, operate machinery, man the guns and craft items, and stay alert: danger in Barotrauma doesn’t announce itself!”

Boreal Blade - “Boreal Blade is a team-based melee fighting game with a focus on player vs player combat, combining reactionary and tactical gameplay with extraordinary freedom to variate your attacks and develop your unique fighting style.”

Clustertruck - “Clustertruck is a chaotic physics based truckformer. Jump your way through insane levels in a game of "the floor is lava" on top of speeding trucks driven by terrible drivers.”

Crowntakers - “Crowntakers combines turn-based strategy with RPG elements and takes you at the behest of the crown into a medieval fantasy world full of challenging encounters and epic adventures. With its randomly generated world, Crowntakers offers a varied gaming experience every time you set out to fight evil.”

Disc Room - “Are you ready to get sliced in half? The year is 2089 and a giant disc has appeared in orbit of Jupiter. Step into the oversized space suit of a brave scientist and explore this sprawling intergalactic slaughterhouse.”

Embr - “Fight fires for fun and profit in this unpredictable and frantic multiplayer game. Team up with friends, take on daily challenges and climb to the top of the corporate firefighting ladder. More than one way to become a hero!”

Empyrion: Galactic Survival - “Empyrion-Galactic Survival is a 3D open world space sandbox survival adventure. Build powerful ships, mighty space stations and vast planetary settlements to explore, conquer or exploit a variety of different planets and discover the mysteries of Empyrion!”

Farm Manager 2018 - “Manage your own farm in the game Farm Manager 2018! To expand your farm business, produce cheap and sell your products in high prices. Control the process of land cultivation, employ the best staff, buy the most appropriate farm equipment, raise livestock and process the harvested crops.”

Figment - “Figment is an action-adventure game that invites you to explore a unique surreal universe filled with music, humor and multi layered narrative. Join Dusty and his ever-optimistic friend, Piper, on an adventure through the different sides of the mind seeking to restore the courage that's been lost.”

Fling to the Finish - “Fling to the Finish is a cooperative racing game where teammates are tethered together by a stretchy elastic rope. Get up close and personal with your partner to maneuver two characters bouncing, rolling, and flinging their way to the finish line!”

Golf It! - “Golf It! is a multiplayer Minigolf game with focus on a dynamic, fun and creative multiplayer experience. One of the most exciting features is a Multiplayer Editor, where you can build and play custom maps together with your friends.”

Helheim Hassle - “Helheim Hassle is a narrative adventure game with puzzle platforming elements. Play as Bjørn, a pacifist Viking that can detach and combine limbs at will to solve challenging puzzles and get out of uncomfortable situations involving desperate Norse Gods, Goblins, Dragons, and angry skeletons.”

Jumpala - “Jumpala is a fast-paced action puzzler with heavy fighting game vibes. While the core mechanics are simple, each game is a test of skill and strategy as you try to outscore and outplay your opponents. Features both local and online play.”

Just Die Already - “Just Die Already is an old people mayhem sandbox game created by the designers of Goat Simulator. You are old and angry and you've just been kicked out of your retirement home. How will you survive in a world that wants you to Just Die Already?”

Kao the Kangaroo: Round Two - “Let’s bring back all the good memories of the incredible, brave and lovely Kao the Kangaroo. Immerse yourself in a classic 3D action-adventure platformer where Kao runs, jumps, and fights lots of enemies.”

Kind Words - “A game about writing nice letters to real people. Write and receive encouraging letters in a cozy room. Trade stickers and listen to chill music. We're all in this together. Sometimes all you need are a few kind words.”

Make Sail - “Make boats and sail them. Survive an ocean of storms and beasts to find better pieces to make your ship bigger, faster, stronger, prettier, stranger, wilder: more yours.”

Murderous Pursuits - “Murderous Pursuits is a kill-or-be-killed Victorian stealth-em-up for 1-8 players in which you must hunt and kill your quarry before your hunters do the same to you, all while avoiding witnesses.”

OCO - “Immerse yourself in the minimalist audio-visual platforming world of OCO. Solve fast-paced platforming puzzles, create and share your own designs, join the OCO community, and compete to top the global leaderboards.”

Pankapu - “Pankapu is a narrative action-platformer that takes place in the dreams of Djaha’rell, a child troubled by a tragic incident. Upgrade your skills, find new competencies, switch your Aegis in real time in order to get rid of Nightmare's invasion.”

Pathway - “Explore the strange unknown with Pathway, a strategy adventure set in the 1930s great wilderness. Unravel long-forgotten mysteries of the occult, raid ancient tombs and outwit your foes in turn-based squad combat!”

PC Building Simulator - “Build and grow your very own computer repair enterprise as you learn to diagnose, fix and build PCs. With real-world licensed components and comprehensive hardware and software simulation, you can plan and bring your ultimate PC to life.”

PictoQuest - “Logic puzzles with a light RPG twist, here comes PictoQuest!”

Project Winter - “The perfect game to back-stab your friends. Project Winter is an 8 person multiplayer game focusing on social deception and survival. Communication and teamwork is essential to the survivors’ ultimate goal of escape. Gather resources, repair structures, and brave the wilderness together.”

Samurai Gunn - “Samurai Gunn is a lightning-fast Bushido brawler for two to four players. Each samurai is armed with a sword and gunn, with only 3 bullets to a life. Strategy and quick reflexes are the key to deflecting bullets and sending your opponents’ heads rolling.”

Shift Happens - “Shift Happens is a cooperative platformer for two. You and a friend shift your mass, throw each other and puzzle your way through four stages of stylized imaginary worlds. Including the occasional backstabbing and taunting. Play with a friend on a couch, online or even special singleplayer levels.”

Tales of the Neon Sea - “Welcome to a world of intrigue and suspicion. Where humans and robots contend with escalating tensions and mutual distrust. And where gangster felines scheme their way to the top of the food chain. Welcome to the Tales of the Neon Sea!”

Ultimate Chicken Horse - “Ultimate Chicken Horse is a party platformer game where you build the level as you play, placing traps and hazards to screw your friends over, but trying not to screw yourself.”

Urban Trial Tricky - “Grab your seat and pull off the most savage tricks and combos on your motorbike. Ride freely, spin around in the air, go back and forth and let yourself be carried away by the fun, fast-paced gameplay, colorful visuals, and smooth controls.”

Valfaris - “Set in a far corner of space, Valfaris is a heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind Unity Awards finalist, Slain: Back From Hell. Brutal combat. Deadly enemies. Stunning pixel art. Savage soundtrack. Get ready to rip the galaxy a new wormhole.”

Wheels of Aurelia - “A narrative road trip game set in the roaring Italian 70s, it tells the story of Lella, a restless woman driving on the roads of the western coast of Italy, the famous “Via Aurelia”.”

Witch It - “Witch It is a multiplayer hide & seek game set in a vibrant, magical world. Brave hunters seek hidden witches that curse their villages!”

XTHRUST - “Simple Controls - Hard to Master. Fly your rocket drone in round based multiplayer races and single player challenges. Beat the best times, gain XP with spectacular flying and win races to earn coins. Race through a growing range of maps and upgrade your rocket drone.”

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hiro-gari · 3 years

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Batarou songfic - “MIRACLE” by: Little1993lamb

Hello I’m back again with more Batarou content! 🙋😉💕

This time is not exactly headcanon, but instead I recommended you a heartfelt yet also hearwarming song: “キセキ” or “Kiseki” (Miracle) by Uemura Kana.

That song is kinda fits Batarou relationship. It’s best to consider the song was from Garou’s POV when he reflected about his life with Badd since their fated meeting until they’re become together as lovers.

Also, I was inspired by recently Batarou sketch from @the-goddessfighter, as I wrote the last scene of this songfic based on the drawing: https://the-goddessfighter.tumblr.com/post/643602679242883072/

Please enjoy this little songfic! ��💕

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*The song lyrics translation:

Your eyes shine like an innocent child Before I knew it, I was chasing your smiling face all the time

I want to raise the loving feelings now like a flower that begins to bloom in my heart

I had gone up until now without knowing true warmth You were the one who taught it to me The moment I felt the love I couldn’t say, everything looked different

I looked up at the blue sky; even though I’m this close to you The closer we are, the further we get; we’ll only get separated

Now the love song flows in my heart Can you hear the sweet melody, too?

It’s not a coincidence we met then It was a miracle that we searched for You are the mirror that reflects my soul and I’m always, always looking at you

I had gone up until now without knowing true warmth You were the one who taught it to me The moment I felt the love I couldn’t say, everything changed that day

It’s not a coincidence we met It was a miracle that we searched for You are the mirror that reflects my soul I’m glad that I met you in this world

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Based off the lyrics, please listening to the song while imagining this kind of scenario..

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–🌸 Your eyes shine like an innocent child Before I knew it, I was chasing your smiling face all the time 🌸–

Garou just realized that he always Badd’s genuine tender smile and those sharp eyes full of adoration in which he showed for Garou only.

Never had thought that the delinquent hero has a very soft side that almost like an innocent child, not as a brute fighter teenager.

Before the former hero hunter knew it, he was chasing Badd’s angelic smiling face all the time. He yearned to make Badd smile for him even just for the slightest.

–🌸 I want to raise the loving feelings now like a flower that begins to bloom in my heart 🌸–

Garou wanted to convey this blooming romantic feelings for Badd, as it grows bigger throughout time the more he spends time together with the beautiful hero.

–🌸 I had gone up until now without knowing true warmth You were the one who taught it to me The moment I felt the love I couldn’t say, everything looked different 🌸–

Ever since he was a little kid until now, Garou never knowing nor receiving true warmth. Not from his absent parents, not from his friends, not even from Bang.

It was Badd who taught it to him, giving it unconditionally day by day during the time they have spent together. So patiently healing and comforting Garou’s wounded heart without fail.

The moment Garou realized he was falling in love with Badd, he couldn’t tell anything to him. He didn’t know what he supposed to say because he just experienced it for the first time in his life.

Everything looked so different once Garou tasted what first love is.

–🌸 I looked up at the blue sky; even though I’m this close to you The closer we are, the further we get; we’ll only get separated 🌸–

Back then when they were still on different sides, Garou had tried to get closer to the hero “Metal Bat” on that fated day. And he was succeeded at doing it as Garou fought him, getting as close as possible to him in a one-on-one combat.

Also for the second time of their encounter in different battlefield, where Garou showed Badd a different side of him.

But the closer they are with each other during those situations, the further they have got. They would only got separated as it became more clearer Badd and him were on two polar opposite: Garou was a monster villain and Badd was an S-Class hero. The ultimate evil vs the ultimate good.

Garou had already convinced himself that Badd was just as the same as the other S-Class heroes who mocked his defeat and wanting him perished.

But he was wrong. Badd was coming to defend him, shielding Garou from any judgemental eyes by his own wrecked and bloodied body.

And just before Garou took the chance to run away, he could see Badd’s understanding smile for him.

–🌸 Now the love song flows in my heart Can you hear the sweet melody, too? 🌸–

During the time of him being fugitive, Garou couldn’t forget of what Badd had done. He wondered if he would meet the kindhearted delinquent hero once again someday, somewhere.

Unbeknown by himself, a newfound feeling has grown in Garou’s heart, filling it with so much yearning and longing. Just like a poetic love song, Garou dedicated it to the beautiful hero.

Could Badd also heard and feel it, too?

Then one day, Garou’s wish came true. He met Badd again for the third time when Badd found him trying to do his best to blend with society by working on part-time job, paying off all of his crimes he had done in the past.

And this time, Badd offered Garou to live together with him. So Garou wont be alone and lonely anymore.

Even more, Badd also encouraged him to become what he wanted all along: a hero.

–🌸 It’s not a coincidence we met then It was a miracle that we searched for You are the mirror that reflects my soul and I’m always, always looking at you 🌸–

Garou believed that it was not a coincidence they have met then. It was a destiny, a “miracle” that allowed them to connect with each other. To understand each other despite the rough beginning. Something that Garou have been searching for after all this time. And he found it in Badd.

For him, Badd is the mirror that reflected his soul. Maybe even the perfected mirror of what Garou himself could be if he just believed in himself.

Badd is everything that Garou really wanted to be. A hero.

The brave, strong, yet very kindhearted one. Someone who doesn’t seek for a popularity and just doing what he should do to protect people he loves.

Secretly smart and have good intelligence to use it in battlefield, despite people’s misjudgement. Always choose to fight in a fair game, never being a bully. Using his strength when he was on duty only, not flaunting it in front of people to show it off.

Doesn’t afraid to show kindness and his softer side to people who need his help, treating them with so much patient and tenderness.

Protected the outcast, weaker kids, and encouraging them to reach whatever they have been dreaming for, as Badd himself was also an outcast kid back then. Doesn’t believe in absolute justice, as he believes in fairness.

An ideal hero, just like what Garou has always wanted to be. His ideal hero.

That’s why Garou will be always, always looking at Badd. He will be always looking at him with deep respect, admiration and adoration. Giving Badd all of appreciation that he definitely deserved.

As a hero, and also as a person.

–🌸 I had gone up until now without knowing true warmth You were the one who taught it to me The moment I felt the love I couldn’t say, everything changed that day 🌸–

Ever since Garou lives together with Badd, he feels so blessed by Badd’s warmth presence. No matter how damping or ruined his day, Badd has always makes sure to shower him with love, support, and comfort.

Garou, who doesn’t know how to accept genuine affections before, slowly warmed up to Badd. He learned what is love and how to reciprocate someone’s love from Badd. Learning how to trust someone who believed in him.

Badd was the one who taught Garou all of that.

–🌸 It’s not a coincidence we met It was a miracle that we searched for You are the mirror that reflects my soul I’m glad that I met you in this world 🌸–

Both Garou and Badd believed that their fated encounters were not some coincidences. Those are a “miracle” that they have been searching for their whole life.

To find, complement and complete each other. In the all of imperfectness of their own that could be filled with the other’s. So they would be perfecting each other.

To become soulmates.

They’re so different yet also very similar at the same time, like a reflection on a mirror, which revealing their souls inside; their true self.

Once Garou and Badd recognized the other’s true self after having long way of mutual pinings, they immediately embraced each other, uniting and solidifying their love in a happy confessions.

It was a miracle that Garou finally found someone who understand him and being a half part of him.

Now that they have become lovers, Garou wanted to appreciate Badd wholeheartedly. He will cherished him for the rest of his life..

–🌸 “…” 🌸–

Today is their 1st dating anniversary and he asked Badd to walk together with him, going out to watching the Magnolia trees blooming on the top of City S’ highest hill. They always go there whenever they wanted some peace or to refreshing their mind after long missions together, it eventually becomes their favorite private place.

Finally reaching the place, they stood under a huge Magnolia tree, enjoying the magnificent sight of it from below. It’s already on spring season so all of the flowering trees were already blooming, including this tree they’re currently standing under.

Badd was mesmerized by the majestic panorama around them. The spring breeze of wind made the pink Magnolia delicate flower petals falling down onto the ground.

Some of them were landing on Badd’s silky messy hair, which making Badd looked even more prettier. Garou couldn’t help but admired the angelic figure of his beloved hero beside him.

Garou wanted to tell Badd that he’s the most beautiful man Garou ever seen and made him fell in love the second he laid his eyes on Badd, a dignified person who has a great talent as a hero, has a pure and soft heart.

With tenderness, Garou approaching Badd and embraced his boyfriend tightly from behind. His arms encircled Badd’s waist protectively, as Garou gently kissed Badd’s nape and the soft flesh on his neck.

Feeling his boyfriend’s intimate loving gesture, Badd just looking at Garou behind him with loveliest smile and such adoration twinkling in his eyes.

Badd slowly put his own hands on top of Garou’s hands, enveloped the colder hands with his own warm ones. Their fingers intertwined to emphasize their intimacy in such romantic moment like this.

Then, with his rare tenderly voice, Garou whispered his deepest feeling of gratefulness he has for Badd into his ear:

– “I’m glad that I met you in this world, Badd. Thank you for having me in your life. Gonna loving you forever.. ” –

Badd was blushed at that moment Garou take a look of him with that stupidly soft grin, and whispered again that Badd looked beautiful as ever.

The young hero was chuckling lightly as an immediate response, simple yet joyful smile showed on his face. Only for Garou.

Finally, Garou kissed Badd’s cheek and caught Badd’s plushy lips for some heartfelt kisses.

They proceed to share their sweet moments together under the Magnolia tree, where noone else was around to witness them.

Celebrating their Miracle together, just two of them..

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🌻 THE END 🌻

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Notes:

So how was it? 😳✨ I’m so sorry if the songfic was so messy and mostly makes no sense, as it was only a bunch of jumbled incoherent words 😅💦

Also, I apologized if I lately didn’t write much headcanons or ficlets like before. Writer’s block combined by burnout and demotivation thoughts hits me hard nowadays 😢 But I’ll try to keep going so the Batarou fandom still have new contents, hope you guys wont get bored of me yet, ehehe 😊😆

Special thanks always being delivered for: @hiro-gari, @the-goddessfighter, @kaincuro, @guby1620, @garous-nipple, @jusqu-une-etudiante, and @lovelybutnot-ablankcanvas, also all of Batarou shippers in the fandom! 😘💖💖

By the way, to @the-goddessfighter: When I was listening to the song, I couldn’t help but thinking that the part of the lyrics on “I had gone up until now without knowing true warmth, You were the one who taught it to me” and “I’m glad that I met you in this world”, are kinda matched your super tender Batarou sketch illustration I love it so much! 😣💕💖

Thus I made this songfic based on both the song and your art! Think of this songfic as my way to cheer you up during busy weeks, hopefully you didn’t mind about it 😅🙇

Love you all, and hope you guys have many great days~ 😚😘❤💜💙💖💝🌸🌻💐

-Little1993lamb-

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~Lilia:

😭😭 Pulling at my heartstrings as always~ I LOVE IT!! These lyrics got me in my feels so much! The song describes their relationship so perfectly hnnnng 💕 Thank you for the translation and the fluffy scenario to complement it, this made my whole day!

#an addition to the batarou playlist too #hell yeah #thank you so much anon #we appreciate all your contributions so much!!#hope you are doing well <3 #sorry for the wait again #submission #anon #batarou #metal bat #garou #songfic

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strangertheory · 3 years

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Hey, here's a curiosity door to open! I know next to nothing about this since I've never played D&D but I have done some leisurely research, so: I read some stuff about the 'Great Wheel' cosmology, aka the way the different dimensional planes are organised in the Dungeons and Dragons game. Basically there's Inner Planes and Outer Planes in a 'wheel'. If we think Will has inner worlds and Mike's last name is literally 'Wheeler', well...methinks there are dots to connect somewhere...?

There are most definitely dots to connect and ways in which we can compare the different dimensions of Stranger Things to the different planes in the D&D multiverse.

Edit: I want to briefly mention that the term “internal worlds” that I use in other blogposts is an actual term that is used in referring to the mental spaces that are constructed in a DID System and within which alters can live and interact and I think comparing the concept of “inner” and “outer” planes in D&D to the internal vs external (physical) worlds that I refer to in other posts when discussing dissociative identity disorder would surely create some confusion and might risk muddling two separate complex topics, however I am excited to discuss the D&D multiverse itself because it is clearly something that Will and the Party are familiar with and that we have seen them refer to in Stranger Things already (ex. “the Vale of Shadows”) as a way to understand the mysterious happenings and creatures they encounter in Hawkins. The characters canonically understand their adventures through the lens of D&D throughout the show, and discussing the relevance of the D&D multiverse to Stranger Things seems like a very logical approach to seeking to better understand the Stranger Things universe.

Because I enjoy this curiosity door so much I’m going to first discuss the way in which the locations in Stranger Things can be compared to planes (and demiplanes!) in D&D and then I will dive into discussing the visual representation of these planes (The Great Wheel, the World Axis Cosmology, the World Tree, etc.) that have been created over the years. Since there are many different charts visualizing the planes of D&D and these charts have evolved over time, I think it might be beneficial to also take into account which ones existed in the 1980s versus what which charts were created in the 1990s and the 2000s. For fun! Thank you for this wonderful question. I enjoyed doing this research over the last few weeks and I appreciate your patience as I considered how many curiosity doors I wanted to open and as I did some research, took some notes, and put this blogpost together.

Although new D&D materials that were created in the 1990s and 2000s continued to revise, refine, and expand upon the concept of the D&D multiverse, there has been an understanding of other planes existing and that can be traced back to the 1st edition Player’s Handbook.

"There exist an infinite number of parallel universes of existence in the fantastic "multiverse" of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. All of these "worlds" exist, but how "real" each is depends entirely on the development of each campaign referee."

- page 120, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook, 1978

If I were to compare the different worlds in Stranger Things to different planes (and demiplanes!) in D&D, I would compare “The Upside Down” to Shadowfell or the Plane of Shadows and I would compare The Void to the Astral Plane. Hawkins, the world that the Party considers home, would of course be the Material Plane.

The “Upside Down”

versus Shadowfell and the Plane of Shadow

As we know, the Party compares The Upside Down to the “Vale of Shadows” which is most probably intended to be “Shadowfell” or “The Plane of Shadow” in D&D lore. Shadowfell is a dark echo of the Material Plane (just as Dustin describes the “Vale of Shadows” to be) and is a place of “decay and death.”

In season 1 the Party wonders if El might be able to “shadow walk” and cross into the Upside Down to help them find Will, and El is described as “like a wizard” by Dustin when he’s speaking with Will in his hospital bed at the end of season 1 (“more like a Yoda” Mike insisted at the time) and then she is later is referred to as their Party’s “mage” by Mike in season 2. Additionally Stranger Things fans should also know, of course, that Will Byers is often the Party’s cleric during their D&D campaigns and that Will the Wise is a wizard.

According to the Forgotten Realms fandom wiki, the 2nd edition Players Handbook (published in 1989) informs players that “Wizards could shadow walk directly to the edge of the Shadowfell and travelers could use this plane as a transitive plane to traverse many Prime Material miles/kilometers very quickly. Clerics could use the plane shift spell to travel to this plane. If any were brave enough to cross the Demiplane of Shadow, it was possible to find the borders of other planes of reality.”

Thematically, The Upside Down in Stranger Things is implied to be associated with not only death but also with fear and despair. This is also consistent with the characterization of The Shadow Plane in D&D.

Interestingly, Shadowfell / the Plane of Shadow was considered a demiplane until D&D 3e. What is a “demiplane” and how does it differ from other “planes” in D&D lore?

“"Demiplanes are minor planes, most of which are artificial. They are commonly created by demigods and extremely powerful wizards and psions. Naturally-occurring demiplanes are rare; most such demiplanes are actually fragments of other planes that have somehow split off from their parent plane. Demiplanes are often constructed to resemble the Material Plane, though a few—mostly those created by non-humans—are quite alien. Genesis, a 9th level arcane spell or psionic power, and the 9th-level arcane spell Demiplane Seed are among the few printed methods for a player character to create a demiplane."

Demiplanes often resemble the Material Plane, can be created by powerful wizards, and Shadowfell was at certain points in D&D lore considered a demiplane that became a larger? Interesting. Very interesting! (@kaypeace21 I suspect you already knew this and have quite possibly already mentioned it in your own blogposts, but I’m tagging you anyways since it’s highly relevant to your current theories.)

In the Stranger Things universe it is implied that not only is the Mindflayer reaching into Hawkins more and more but so is the Upside Down. Hopper’s investigation of the ruined pumpkin patch suggests this, among other moments in the series.

According to insight provided by D&D players discussing the history of the development of the D&D multiverse in this thread on Rpg Stack Exchange:

“The biggest change within the Great Wheel cosmology is the Plane of Shadow. Originally, in 2e, this was a demiplane, but in 3e it had become a plane of its own, and a massive one, similar in scope to the Astral and Ethereal. This was described as an actual change that occurred historically within Planescape, not as a retcon; something about the confluence of the inner planes triggering the demiplane’s growth”

The era in which these changes in D&D lore were made does not correspond with the 1980s timeline of Stranger Things since D&D 3rd edition was not released until the year 2000. Nevertheless, the knowledge that a D&D demiplane can become a larger plane of its own through its interaction with other planes still seems like a relevant concept if we are comparing the Stranger Things universe to the D&D multiverse.

Could the Upside Down expand or even merge with Hawkins? How very ominous.

“The Void”

versus the Astral Plane

We might consider comparing “The Void” that El explores in Stranger Things to the Astral Plane in Dungeons & Dragons.

“It is the space between everything.

It is the road that goes everywhere.

It is where you are when you aren't anywhere else.”

— description of the Astral Plane from Manual of the Planes 3rd edition, 2001

Although the specific natures of the Upper Planes in D&D weren’t especially developed in the 1980s, the concept of the Astral Plane seems to have been one of the earlier planes discussed and developed in official D&D lore based on my research.

Dragon, one of two official D&D print publications that historically provided new content and materials to players, was a monthly magazine that replaced The Strategic Review in 1976 and continues today as a digital publication. In Dragon #67, which was published in November of 1982, Roger E. Moore wrote about The Astral Plane.

James Malizewski discusses on his blog Grognardia his experience as a 13 year old D&D player that read and used Roger E. Moore’s “The Astral Plane” in the 80s. According to Malizewski The Astral Plane "included discussions of astral encounters, astral travel, the Psychic Wind, movement, combat, and alterations to spells and magic items." Malizewski seems to have been both inspired by the materials that “The Astral Plane” offered while also recognizing their limitations. The Astral Plane appears to have been a bit of a wasteland with not a lot for adventurers to do (yet) compared to the Material Plane. Despite describing the Astral Plane itself as “deadly dull” and as a less appealing location than one might expect, Malizewski expresses that he appreciates the concept that other planes have different laws than the Prime Material (Plane) and that this idea was established and reinforced by the many specific rules for players traveling to the Astral Plane that Roger Moore provided.

Visually Representing the Multiverse:

Dungeons & Dragons vs. Stranger Things

It seems that the Great Wheel is the oldest comprehensive visual representation of the many different planes in D&D. When the World Tree model was introduced in D&D 3rd edition (released in 2000) it created a little bit of complexity since it referenced planes that already existed on the Great Wheel but also new outer plane locations without explanation. This confused some players, but according to the Forgotten Realms Wiki: “many of the planes and godly realms [in the World Tree] closely resembled those of Great Wheel cosmology, leading some fans to consider the World Tree an alternative representation of the planar arrangement."

Then in 4th edition (2008) the multiverse was organized in a new way yet again in the World Axis cosmology.

I believe that it would be best to reference the Great Wheel cosmology when discussing what the characters in Stranger Things would be the most familiar with since it is the older model. The writers behind Stranger Things might have been inspired by materials that were developed for D&D much later as well, but for the sake of clarity and to keep the length of this blogpost relatively short (ha) I’m going to discuss the Wheel illustrations that existed earlier in D&D lore during the 1980s and provide a few reference images for your enjoyment based on those, and then provide you with an updated modern example of the Great Wheel cosmology for comparison.

In this early D&D planes model we can consider the Prime Material plane to be Hawkins, the Negative Material Plane to be the “Upside Down”, and the Astral Plane to be Stranger Things’s “Void.” You can see that the elemental planes existed early on in D&D lore too, and this may or may not also be relevant to the elements as they are used in Stranger Things. I’m sure that I could do an entire separate blogpost about the four elements and how they are each associated with certain characters and scenarios in Stranger Things, but I’m going to force myself to remain focused on the broader picture so I don’t go off into a million different tangents.

Today, in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (5th edition) the planes are organized in the Great Wheel as shown in the diagram below:

The most important difference between the D&D multiverse as it was known in the 1980s and the multiverse that players are familiar with today is the breadth of material that was available then versus now.

According to the product listing for Manual of the Planes 1st edition that is provided at drivethrurpg.com:

"Roger E. Moore wrote about "The Astral Plane" for Dragon #67 (November 1982), then Ed Greenwood covered "The Nine Hells" in Dragon #75 (July 1983) and #76 (August 1983). Despite their in-depth coverage, these major pieces on the Planes were very piecemeal; there was no overarching plan for the planes of D&D [at this point in time] other than a few increasingly old drawings.”

“Manual of the Planes [1st edition, which was first available in 1986] was mainly a location book, describing the various planes, delineating how spells work, and - in the style of the Survival Guides of 1986 - talking about how to survive there."

Later, Planescape Campaign Setting (for AD&D 2nd edition) was published in 1994 and encouraged players to actively explore the multiverse in a much more engaged way.

“Discover the multiverse! Enter infinite universes of infinite variety, worlds beyond the prime-material settings of the AD&D game. Explore Sigil, the City of Doors, filled with portals to every layer of every plane. All you need is the right key [...] Until now, only the most powerful wizards could peek into the magnificent multiverse, but no longer!”

But to return to what the Party in Stranger Things would have had access to in the 1980s rather than going too far into their future: they might have had an early illustration of the Great Wheel cosmology (like the one I shared earlier in this post) and they may have enjoyed reading issues of Dragon magazine which could have given them officially published materials that provided insight into planes such as “The Astral Plane” (Dragon issue #67, 1982) and “the Nine Hells” (Dragon issues #75 and #76 published in 1983) but I believe based on my research that very few other formal guides to the planes would have existed beyond players’ own innovations until the Manual of the Planes was published in 1986.

Speaking of The Nine Hells! To indulge in a slight tangent, I found an online .pdf of Dragon #75 and it has a nice illustration and quote introducing “The Nine Hells” that reminded me just a tiny bit of our heroes’ encounters with the Demogorgon and The Mindflayer since the most effective way they’ve found to deal with both of those monsters has been with fire. In this illustration (below) from Dragon #75 you can see two mustachioed heroes standing over a burning devil. If Will subscribed to Dragon magazine I imagine that he would have enjoyed not only the new game materials and lore but also the detailed illustrations like this one:

The quote overlaying the illustration reads:

“A devil . . . thought the adventurer. Now there is a fitting foe! Moreover, his lands would not be safe until it was no more, and so he set about tracking it. And a little later . . . There are more where that one came from, he thought to himself, standing over its smoldering remains. "They could well come again," he said

aloud. “Yes," agreed the paladin who had fought at his side. "You have joined an endless battle, my lord. But if you weary of fighting it here, amid that which you hold dear, then come with me—I ride on the hells tomorrow."

In conclusion

Most players three friends that I’ve spoken to about the many different D&D multiverse models seem to agree that since D&D is inherently a creative game that depends on the innovation of its players, anyone planning a D&D campaign can ultimately choose to refer to whichever charts and materials suit their campaign best and disregard any information that would be irrelevant to the game that they have planned. Not all players are sticklers for using exclusively “official” materials, and I myself have only played D&D with friends that love creative writing and storytelling and so I have never played a pre-made D&D campaign setting before even though there are many out there for players to enjoy. Particularly adventurous players might even create their own cosmologies if they decide they don’t like any of the pre-existing ones. Is it possible that the Party has created their own multiverse inspired by the D&D materials that they have available to them? Perhaps. I look forward to seeing what happens next in seasons 4 and 5 and whether we might explore other parallel worlds in the Stranger Things universe that we haven’t visited yet.

Thank you for this Ask! I had a lot of fun learning more about the history of the D&D multiverse and although I’m sure I have only touched on a very small part of what lies behind this “curiosity door,” I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading my response.

Although I have played D&D, I am not an experienced expert on the history of the development of the D&D multiverse or its use in gameplay (since I’ve played many custom campaigns that ignored established D&D lore) and there are surely much better and more comprehensive resources elsewhere that address the nature of the D&D multiverse with more depth and accuracy than this blogpost. The information I’ve mentioned in this blogpost is simply what I was able to learn in my spare time by poking around the internet during the last few weeks. Nonetheless, I hope you found this blogpost enjoyable and that anyone that reads this might be inspired to learn more about D&D and open a few new curiosity doors of their own.

#stranger things #stranger things analysis #stranger things theories #the upside down #the void #I hope I didn't make too many typos or errors in information in this post #gave it my best shot #stranger things theory #hawkins indiana

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nintendowife · 3 years

Photo

The year is nearly over and it's time for my personal game of the year picks again. Finished a record amount of games this year (53, full list of games at the end of the post). COVID-19 pandemic didn't really cause an increase in my gaming, the main contributing factor was Xbox Game Pass for PC which allows me to easily pick up and try out a variety of games. As a "blast from the past" I finally beat a Nintendo 64 game Blast Corps together with husbando, a game I had been stuck in in the 90s. Like usual, I didn't play many games released in the current year so most of my picks are older games. But without further ado, here are the best of the best.

1st place: Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC, also available on PS4, Xbox One)

Thrilling and serious crime drama featuring the legendary ex-yakuza Kiryu who finds himself in absurdly hilarious situations at every turn. This is a game you don't want to miss, but playing Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami prior to this is recommended.

+ Amazing story with various charismatic and memorable characters + Some incredibly funny side quests and entertaining minigames + Gorgeously detailed environments in 4K + Cool soundtrack and superb voice acting + Majima Saga is a nice continuation to events of Yakuza 0 + Well-made PC port with no issues besides occasional amusing ragdolling - Lack of different fighting styles make battles a bit repetitive - No Ansel support

See my posts about Yakuza Kiwami 2

2nd place: Octopath Traveler (Switch, also available on PC)

Classic JRPG of modern times with quality of life improvements and gorgeous presentation. Each characters' stories, the game's engaging turn-based battle system and mechanics kept me glued to the screen for over 125 hours.

+ Fun and rewarding battle system with a good amount of team customization and strategy with subclasses and skills + Beautiful visuals mixing old-school sprite graphics with modern lighting effects + Splendid soundtrack, dual audio option and great Japanese voice acting + Likeable characters with their own individual stories and engrossing overarching story that lets you find the connections of the characters + Quality localization with rich language. I learned many new words and H'aanit's old manner of speaking added a new layer of immersion. + Nice quality of life features like fast travel and seemingly unlimited inventory space - Random encounters (they didn't actually bother me much in this game as the battle system was engaging) - Sudden crazy difficulty spike when encountering the real final boss

See my posts about Octopath Traveler

3rd place: Portal 2 (PC, also available on PS3, Xbox 360)

Immersive sci-fi first-person puzzle game with fascinating game mechanics and tons of great humor. Portal 2 lives up to the universal praise it has gotten.

+ Interesting premise and great writing + Well designed physics-based puzzles + Difficulty is just right, not too hard and not too easy + Super good voice acting and soundtrack that fits the environments spot on + Great humor right from the starting tutorial + The first-person camera immersed me into the game - Some issues like autosaving at unfortunate moments

See my posts about Portal 2

Honorable mention: Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Sci-fi action JRPG with a surprising twist in its story and a peculiar setting where the player isn't really the protagonist. Battle system is fun and rewarding once you get a hang of it.

+ Impressive world that made me go "woah!" and "ooohh!" + Cool sci-fi story + Great use of Wii U GamePad + Skells (flying mech suits) make traversing the vast world pleasant + Online multiplayer is still active - Tedious fetch quests (wiki/guide recommended) - Soundtrack isn't consistently good

See my posts about Xenoblade Chronicles X

Honorable mention: Ruiner (PS4 & Switch, also available on PC, Xbox One)

I'm in love with this game. I've played it on 4 platforms already and I'm waiting for my Switch physical copy. Ruiner was in my top 3 games last year so I'll just give it a honorable mention now.

+ Amazing world-building and atmosphere + Great soundtrack + Fast-paced action gameplay that stays fun even after multiple playthroughs - Some glitches in PS4 version, Switch version aiming doesn't feel as accurate as on other platforms

See my posts about Ruiner

Honorable mention: Death Coming (PC, also available on PS4, Switch, mobile)

Kind of like a point and click isometric Hitman game. Humorous game where you need to figure out how to reap as many souls as possible, causing fatal accidents with the environments.

+ Fun assassination gameplay with well-designed, wildly imaginative levels + Charming graphics and presentation + Hilarious ways to kill targets - More levels would have been welcome

Nominees for my personal Game of the Year 2020

Only games I have finished in 2020 have been included.

A Plague Tale: Innocence (PC) ACA NeoGeo: Metal Slug X (PC) Bayonetta (PC) Blast Corps (N64) Carrion (PC) Cat Quest (Switch) Costume Quest + Grubbins on Ice DLC (PC) Death Coming (PC) Doki Doki Literature Club (PC) Etrian Mystery Dungeon (3DS) Final Fantasy XV + DLC episodes (PC) Gears 5 (PC) Gris (PC) Helltaker (PC) Her Story (PC) Hypnospace Outlaw (PC) Katana Zero (PC) Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS) Lonely Mountains: Downhill (PC) Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (PC) Mr. DRILLER DrillLand (Switch) My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3DS) Observation (PC) Octopath Traveler (Switch) Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch) Pikmin 3 (Wii U) PictoQuest: The Cursed Grids (Switch) Pikuniku (PC) Pokémon Shield (Switch) Portal 2 (PC) Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (3DS) Rainy Season (PC) Ruiner (PS4) Ruiner (Switch) Star Fox 64 3D (3DS) Stella Glow (3DS) Streets of Rage 4 (PC) Super Bomberman R (Switch) Super Mario 64 (N64) Super Mario 64 (Switch) Super Mario Sunshine (Switch) Tacoma (PC) Tetris Effect: Connected (PC) The Gardens Between (PC) The Messenger (PC) The Touryst (PC) Thimbleweed Park (PC) Watch_Dogs 2 (PC) Wilmot's Warehouse (PC) Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) Yakuza Kiwami (PC) Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC)

Wishing you all a safe journey to a brave new year 2021! May it be blessed with plenty of quality gaming.

#game of the year #goty #yakuza kiwami 2 #octopath traveler #portal 2 #xenoblade chronicles x #ruiner #death coming #pc #nintendo switch #wii u #ps4 #nintendo 3ds #nintendo 64 #n64

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yuexuan · 3 years

Text

Fic Tag Guide

I’m not the most conscientious when it comes to providing warnings and basic information in my fic recs. So I thought I’ll create a guide about the common tags used for CN fiction summaries/tag systems.

Disclaimer: This is not all-encompassing and most of them are drawn from my reading of danmei novels (although tag application may extend beyond the danmei circle). I tried grouping them under similar tags, but know that these groupings are not set in stone. Feel free to let me know if I’ve missed anything!

Additionally, please check out Link 1 and Link 2 who have also done similar posts.

🌸 🌸 🌸

古代/古风 (Gǔdài/Gǔfēng) “ancient times/ancient style” - Stories set in historical timeline or contain historical elements

武侠 (Wǔxiá) “martial heroes” - Heroic stories focus on martial arts; may or may not integrate more fantastical elements.

仙侠 (Xiānxiá) “immortal heroes” - Fics falling under the xianxia genre typically draw heavily from Chinese mythology/folklore, Taoism, Buddhism, mixed with some martial arts. The concept of ‘cultivation’ (修仙 Xiūxiān) to achieve immortality is central to this genre. Fics are usually set in historical periods.

民国 (Minguo) “Republic of China” - Fics with backgrounds set in the time period of the Republic of China/Minguo Era (~1912-1949). Stories under this category tend to include a lot of tragedies, wars, complicated politics, and anti-Japanese sentiments. I tend to avoid minguo fics, but of the few ones I read, the trope of a military officer (军官 Jūnguān) falling in love with an opera actor (sometimes derogatorily referred to as 戏子 Xìzi) is quite popular.

宫廷 (Gōngtíng) “imperial court” - Fics focused on imperial court drama.

玄幻 (Xuánhuàn) “fantasy” - Stories with elements of Chinese mythology/folklore. Note that xuanhuan novels are NOT limited to historical settings.

魔幻 (Móhuàn) “magical realism” - A genre of novels incorporating ‘magical realism’ (think Lord of the Rings). Alternatively, another term 奇幻 (Qíhuàn) is also commonly employed.

西幻 (Xī huàn) ‘Western fantasy’ - This is sometimes used interchangeably with Móhuàn, but can also refer to general stories with Western-fantasy/folklore elements (e.g. vampires/werewolves). Alternatively, the term 欧风 (Ōufēng) - ‘European style’ may be used.

🌸 🌸 🌸

现代/都市情缘 (Xiàndài/dūshì qíngyuán) “modern day/urban love” - Fics set in the contemporary era/within urban setting.

豪门 (Háomén) “wealthy elite” - Featuring one or more characters originating from wealth. A common trope is the ‘Cinderella’-esque dynamic where a commoner gets noticed by a rich dude and is embroiled into the conflicts of the rich.

娱乐圈/演艺圈 (Yúlè quān/yǎnyì quān) “entertainment/showbiz” - Stories where the characters are actors/celebrities. A common trope is the ‘Cinderella’ dynamic where an unpopular artist (e.g. 十八线艺人 ‘18th-line artist’) gets into a relationship with a top-tier celebrity (e.g. 影帝/一线明星 ‘1st-line celebrity’)

网络/网游/网配 (Wǎngluò/wǎngyóu/wǎng pèi) “Internet/online games/online matching” - Characters in the fic develop their relationship through the web. Entails a lot of chat-speak and web memes. A common trope involves the main pairing meeting each other online and in real life, but not knowing their alternative web ego until the Big Reveal.

军文/军旅生涯 (Jūn wén/jūnlǚ shēngyá) “military adventures/life” - Characters are part of the military, usually involves power couple dynamics.

职场 (Zhíchǎng) “workplace” - Office-setting fics. A related category is 霸道总裁 (Bàdào zǒngcái) “domineering CEO” featuring the popular trope of a possessive, rich, and popular CEO with his partner

校园 (Xiàoyuán) “campus” - Romantic slice of life stories set on campuses.

🌸 🌸 🌸

未来世界 (Wèilái shìjiè) “future world” - Fics set in futuristic timeline

末日/末世 (Mòrì/mòshì) “doomsday” - Fics with apocalyptic-settings; usually contain survival-focused plots

丧尸 (Sàngshī) “zombies” - Usually survival-oriented fics with zombies

星际 (Xīngjì) “interstellar” - Fics set in outer space and alien planets. A common plot features the conflicts between the ‘Federation’ (i.e. 联邦 Liánbāng) vs. the ‘Empire’ (i.e. 帝国 Dìguó). May or may not include a third party: the ‘worm/insect species’ (虫族 Chóngzú).

机甲 (Jījiǎ) “mecha” - Futuristic fics where mecha with virtual personalities are prominent features.

🌸 🌸 🌸

盗墓 (Dàomù) “tomb-raiding” - A specific genre dealing with tomb-raiding adventures and hauntings.

灵异 (Língyì) “supernatural” - Self-explanatory

悬疑推理 (Xuányí tuīlǐ) “mystery” - Suspense and mystery

探险 (Tànxiǎn) “adventure” - Self-explanatory

无限流 (Wúxiàn liú) “Infinite flow/style” - This genre of fics is all inclusive; i.e. including elements from sci-fi, history, religion, myth, game, animation etc. where characters enter into different settings. A common example is where the characters are forced into a game in which they have to pass through multiple levels/settings in order to survive. For more details on this genre and their sub-division, please see here.

🌸 🌸 🌸

重生穿越 (Chóngshēng chuānyuè) “rebirth and transmigration” - The main protagonist died and is transmigrated either back in time or into another dimension or timeline. Alternative/related tags that you might see include:

穿书/快穿/系统 (Chuān shū/kuài chuān/xìtǒng) “book transmigration/quick transmigration/system” - System specifically refers to the transmigrator having an internal system that interacts with them in their new body. Think RPG style games lol

金手指 (Jīn shǒuzhǐ) “golden finger(s)” - A common trope in transmigration novels where the transmigrator is gifted with talents/powers that allow them to thrive in the new world.

前世今生 (Qiánshì jīnshēng) ‘past and present” - Characters continuing their relationships from their past lives.

破镜重圆 (Pòjìng chóngyuán) lit. translated as “re-rounding the broken mirror” - Fix-it reunion stories

异能 (Yì néng) “special abilities” - Characters with special abilities/superpowers/mutants

🌸 🌸 🌸

甜文 (Tián wén) “sweet fic” - Fics that are filled with fluff and tooth-rotting sweetness.

种田 (Zhòngtián) “farming” - Piece of life, fluffy stories featuring the main couple; often takes place in rural areas (hence the whole farm image lol)

爽文 (Shuǎng wén) “satisfactory or feel-good fic” - The whole point of this type of fic is that the readers feel good after reading it. A common trope is a revenge style plot where the main protagonist regains what they lost through taking revenge on those who had wronged them.

沙雕文 (Shādiāo wén) “silly fic/crack” - Homonym for ‘傻屌’ (Shǎ diǎo; silly/stupid); these fics are not intended to be serious

美食文 (Měishí wén) “food fic” - As the tag suggest, don't read this type of fic on an empty stomach lol

虐文 (Nüè wén) “angst fic” - Self-explanatory

🌸 🌸 🌸

ABO “alpha/beta/omega” - Self-explanatory; you can read the fanlore here

哨兵向导 (Shàobīng xiàngdǎo) “sentinel-Guides” - Based on the original Sentinel fandom (see fanlore here).

兽人 (Shòurén) “beast/anthros” - Similar to abo. Males (雄兽 Xióng shòu) are capable of transforming between an animal and a human, whereas “females” (雌兽 Cí shòu) retain the human form and can get pregnant. There may also be the beta, in this case referred to as 亚兽 (Yà shòu) who can neither transform nor get pregnant/difficult to impregnate. Usually set in some prehistoric era and entails the protagonist transmigrating into this world as a “female”. In the same vein, for the interstellar insect species, some fics developed the male, female, and sub-insects trope.

哥儿 (Gē er) - A ge er is similar to an omega, basically men who can get pregnant and are marked by a flower shaped pattern on the forehead. I’ve only come across 3-4 fics with this trope and all of them are set in the historical era where the ge er tends to be very feminine. If anyone has any more info on this trope, let me know!

🌸 🌸 🌸

攻宠受 (Gōng chǒng shòu) “top pampering the bottom” - The top in the relationship will care very well for the bottom. The opposite would be 受宠攻 (Shòu chǒng gōng) “bottom pampering the top”. Alternatively, the writer might just mark it as 宠文 (Chǒng wén) “pampering fic” in general.

年下 (Nián xia) - Younger top and older bottom; one common phrase you might encounter describing the younger top is 小狼狗 (Xiǎo lánggǒu) or “little German Shepherd”, referring to handsome and domineering young man.

On the note of dogs, you might also see 小奶狗 (Xiǎo nǎi gǒu) “unweaned puppies) referring to cute and soft young men, and 二哈 (Èr hā) “dumb husky” referring to silly characters

年上 (Nián shàng) - Older top and younger bottom

As a warning, age gaps in these types of fics can sometimes be large depending on the context, and could overlap with more controversial, dubcon genres

师生 (Shī shēng) “teacher-student” - Fics featuring the relationship between teacher and student

师徒 (Shī tú) “master-disciple” - Fics featuring the relationship between the master in a martial/cultivation sect and their disciple

#fic tags #danmei #reference

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zirrrbrews · 4 years

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House Rule 01: DROPPING TO ZERO (and getting back)

The Rule: whenever you’re brought back from unconsciousness you gain a level of exhaustion

The Reasoning: 5e combat almost necessitates yo-yoing from near-death expirience to battle to near-death expirience, all the time, without any consequence and it’s kinda lame.

People play DnD in all manner of ways, but I tend to focus my games around dramatic moments. We aren’t in high-RP mode all the time, but it pops up regularly. I think everyone in our group is a forum rp connoisseur, or an artist with dozens of characters, or a fanfic writer...

Why I say this is to establish that these people *love* character drama. But yet I found that even they simply get desensitized and taken out of the moment by the notion that 2 members of the party have Healing Word, so it wouldn’t even get to death saves. And it wouldn’t exactly be helpful to explicitly be like “please take this seriously, your life is in danger” when the rules clearly demonstrate it’s not.

In my expirience some unsaid things have great effect on the presumed rules of engagement at the table.

Dramatically ramping up the difficulty of encounters and purposefully building them around the party’s weaknesses to make the encounter “feel more dangerous” is a very risky thing. Not only can you (and very likely at that) end up with a near TPK from a couple un/lucky rolls, you send a message.

The difference between:

1) the 4th encounter in a row, all entirely unrelated to each other, all attacking the group with an obscure type of damage that is the only type of damage no one has resistance to;

2) the understanding that going beyound your limit is physically taxing;

it is felt by the players. If all of their big guns are most of the time useless (by the dm’s design!) it brings a lot of animosity to the game and frankly, discourages from trying. We play this game to feel badass and have fun.

Another thing I like about it is that it starts slow, but you’re aware the upper levels are there, looming. As opposed to danger coming in a form of a crit on a special attack that just suddenly wipes everyone out (and let’s face it, 'but what if it crits’ is rarely on our minds, it’s like a 5% chance, pfff), this builds suspense.

Now, I know that death yo-yo is a known problem with 5e. However, all the solutions to it that I heard of are often surface level. Like, for example - curbing healing word.

Healing word is a bonus action, 60f range, 1st lv spell. If you have at least one PC who has it, core rules as is, it does function a bit like a game breaker. If you were to try and get the fallen PC back up with a healing potion you would need:

1) to get to them, likely inviting opportunity attacks on your character;

2) sacrifice your action to feed them the potion;

3) and maybe most importantly, get that potion in advance! On lower levels that stuff is *expensive* and you probably only have 1 or 2 at most.

There’s planning, danger and sacrifice involved there. (Most of it also aplies to Cure Wounds, Healing Hands and the like)

Now look at Healing Word. You can get someone up often at no cost to your turn because bonus action abilities for most spellcasters are few and far between. But I still feel like banning healing word or making it a higher level spell just makes the situation... more annoying and not better?

Not to mention that at some point 2nd lv spells will become insignificant to your PCs too, and we have the same problem again.

(Someday I’ll write an equally long post on the ‘challenging vs bothersome difficulty’, but for now...)

TLDR: getting exhaustion from supernaturally bringing yourself back from the brink is intuitive, it’s an underused mechanic, it ramps up slowly but is still dangerous, costly to get rid of (long rest or potentially several 3rd lv Restorations), and can eventually kill you if you’re reckless enough. All of which adds appropriate narrative weight and danger that can be planned for.

Should’ve been part of the core rules, honestly.

#dungeons and dragons #d&d #DnD #dnd 5e homebrew #zirrrbrew #house rule #i’m talking here a lot about rp and player emotions but i still think it checks out in the tactical balance sense too #mechanics

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gamesunow217 · 3 years

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How to add additonal hdd for inspiron 7000 gaming laptiop

Of Wolf's Gaming Blog

It is time to recognize the ideal gaming blogs of the year. EDIT:I employed to watch the Feedback video over at G4 every week, but it really is gone down hill the last couple of times I watched it and now that Adam Sessler is not on it and they have that girl from IGN that everybody hates in each episode I just cannot be bothered to watch it any extra. Nonetheless worth going back and watching some of the older ones even though. Klepic employed to be on that show and back then in the early days was when it was the greatest. Back when they basically talked about gaming news with some semblance of intellect rather of just gushing about whatever game they are told is cool this week.

Green Man Gaming , a international e-commerce technologies company in the video games market, right now announced that gaming market veteran, Paul Eibeler, has joined the corporation as Board Advisor. Paul brings a wealth of understanding to Green Man Gaming via his experience of working at top game publishers, distributors and platforms in the interactive games market.

IGN (Visualize Games Network) has emerged as the hot preferred game website on a international level. Launched 21 years ago, IGN is mostly focused on video game & entertainment enthusiast markets. The game website is 1 stop on the web location for gaming, motion pictures, Tv Shows, Comics and almost everything https://www.guao.site/ you can believe of. You can come across not too long ago launched video game news, testimonials, videos, gaming details, recommendations, and so substantially much more.

Today is the day! I will be steadily releasing the names of the prime ten gaming blogs of 2014. Hunting over this list, I am positively blown away. So quite a few awesome posts this year! If you were disappointed by the Ennies… if you consider that the true deep thinkers in gaming commentary never get the attention they deserve… properly, folks, we are going to fix that.

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You Can Thank Us Later - 3 Reasons To Stop Thinking About GAMING

The theme is best for gaming editorials and reports as nicely as blogs as it has an inbuilt infinite loading feature. In addition, with its integration with Ajax, you can conveniently generate a properly paged and sorted blog immediately. The theme also gives creative web-site section creation tools, custom widgets, lightbox galleries, social sharing and a lot more.

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The future of gaming is a globe where you are empowered to play the games you want, with the individuals you want, whenever you want, wherever you are, and on any device of your picking. Our vision for the evolution of gaming is comparable to music and movies — entertainment need to be readily available on demand and accessible from any screen. Right now, I am excited to share with you 1 of our key projects that will take us on an accelerated journey to that future world: Project xCloud.

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majeregaming232 · 3 years

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How to upload to your corsair gaming mouse

50 Best Gaming Web-sites To Check out In 2017

Twitter is exactly where game publishers, the gaming media, well-known game streamers and entertainers, esports leagues, teams, players and commentators interact with their most engaged fans and with 1 another. On line gaming holds immense prospective for developers as nicely as investors. The above list makes it apparent that on the internet gaming has emerged as a main segment of the entertainment market. With mobile games, pay-to-play games, and absolutely free-to-play (F2P) games becoming even a lot more creative, it is expected that the international online gaming market will develop at an immense price.

The near future promises a bunch of new opportunities for Pc and mobile games. It implies we will appreciate higher quality gaming content material no matter what device is utilized. Hey guys! I am looking for indie gaming blogs out there that are truly superior. There's an endless supply of gaming sources online if you know where to appear or who to make contact with.

The gaming business saw a number of fascinating developments in 2016 touching on distinct elements of the sector. Gaming technologies is establishing in very fascinating techniques. The lengthy promised revolution of virtual and augmented reality moved closer to realization. The mania about Pokémon GO with its mass market place appeal and utilization of mobile phones introduced untold millions to the possible of augmented reality. With its launch in India and South Asia it has turn out to be the poster child for the possible of mobile games given its advanced technologies and the huge international smartphone penetration.

Now is the day! I will be progressively releasing the names of the top rated ten gaming blogs of 2014. Hunting over this list, I am positively blown away. So lots of great posts this year! If you had been disappointed by the Ennies… if you consider that the real deep thinkers in gaming commentary do not get the consideration they deserve… effectively, folks, we are going to fix that.

Facebook Gaming has offered their developer API's so we can make streaming games to your favorite social media platform much more easy than ever ahead of. A gaming blog alongside your gaming channel can only increase your exposure if you do it correctly and high excellent content material. But Netflix subscriptions beat Blu-ray sales, and Spotify customers outnumber vinyl geeks. Games, as the less established and a lot more technologically demanding medium, are just taking a bit longer to make the jump. All the signs point to cloud gaming becoming the new normal - and there is anything to play for.

The Truth About ENTERTAINMENT In 3 Minutes

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Blogs listed really should be either primarily about board games, or consist of enough relevant content material to be thought of a 'gaming blog'. Tech Guided is a technology and gaming community web site that publishes articles on the most effective Pc, CPU, video game cards and other helpful gadget evaluations that is necessary for a smooth gaming expertise.

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The future of gaming is a globe where you are empowered to play the games you want, with the persons you want, anytime you want, wherever you are, and on any device of your picking. Our vision for the evolution of gaming is similar to music and movies — entertainment must be obtainable on demand and accessible from any screen. Nowadays, I am excited to share with you 1 of our crucial projects that will take us on an accelerated journey to that future globe: Project xCloud.

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phoenotopia · 4 years

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2019 December Update

The game is officially playable from beginning to end!

That battle has concluded...

Soon begins the war! But first, a brief reprieve for the holidays.

And I must throw in the usual caveats. We're still playtesting, we're still polishing, we still gotta get age ratings, more red tape, etc etc. And most importantly, we need to figure out the launch strategy. Think Megaman, charging his shot for 5 and a half years... We're not allowed to miss at this point. It has to HIT.

Luckily, we're in a relatively stable position where we don't have to rush the game out immediately. It's not LAUNCH or STARVE - it's... take some time to aim a little. We don't want to launch in the shadow of a bigger behemoth game, and we don't want to launch completely unknown either. We have to build up the game's media presence, which has been neglected so far. I know it's annoying to have to continue to wait... but please bear with us a little longer!

Here's what we've been doing for the past couple months.

---------- THE SCRIPT ----------

The script sits at over 80,000 words. I didn't realize the significance until a teammate told me that that's actually as long as a novel! I looked it up, and sure enough, it's a little longer than the first Harry Potter. But unlike Harry Potter, hardly any of these words are wasted on, pffft, narration. It's all juicy dialogue!

(Some of the game's golden nuggets of dialogue)

There was actually a lot of mundanity getting to the end. Pirate, acting as my editor, caught tons of errors and inconsistencies. One of the most recurring issues had to do with capitalization. I like to capitalize things, often inconsistently. Some common questions that arose:

Why is this text highlighted yellow, and this one highlighted blue?

Why is this monster name capitalized, but this monster not?

Why is this item capitalized, and this one not?

... and so on!

All very mundane issues, but all very necessary to tackle. And there was a TON of 'em. (em vs 'em was another thing we had to make consistent). I actually did some research to see what capitalization rules Zelda had. From what I could tell, when it comes to animals and monsters in the Zelda universe:

All monsters are capitalized

All regular animals are not capitalized

The Cuccos are special, and ARE capitalized

(a collage of Zelda pictures I assembled to study)

In the Zelda universe, all regular items are lowercase, but highlighted blue when mentioned in a quest context (e.g. "butter", "hylian wheat"). Items can be uppercase, if they are special named items (e.g. "Sheikah Slate"). We adopted similar rules as Zelda in some cases, and deviated in others. For instance, in the Phoenotopia universe, there isn't a clear distinction between animals and monsters - that fish monster is really just an animal that happens to be the alpha predator in its natural habitat. So most entities are lowercase, but "big deal" entities can be uppercase.

(we made a formal document to consult whenever a question regarding capitalization arises)

---------- A SAMPLING of QUEST AND CHARACTERS ----------

A lot of new quests have arisen in our great writing effort extending over the past several months. And with it, new characters, big and small. I'll tease a sampling of some of them here (warning: some light spoilers ahead):

My favorite new quest is undoubtedly our game's new "Trading Quest". This one takes inspiration from the Zelda series - the trading quest similarly has you roaming the world and its towns in search of needy people who desire a particular item. Deliver them the item they desire, and get a new item. Do this 10 times, and the ultimate weapon awaits you at the end.

I tried some things to vary up the formula. Some NPCs don't reveal what they need right away - steps have to be taken to get them there. It's also possible to go down the wrong route in the sequence, and have to double-back. We try to keep it interesting.

---------- LOOT PLACEMENTS & GAME BALANCING ----------

A great effort was also spent towards balancing the game this past 2 months. Because even one good healing item, easily obtained, can throw the game's whole difficulty off-kilter. And this same principle applies to other areas, like the money economy and player powerup options. Altogether, they form a very delicate ecosystem for enjoyment.

One of the recent things I did for this game was put down exactly where each heart ruby, energy gem, and moonstone could be found. And this was actually a rather involved process because you have a limited number of rewards to distribute (you wouldn't want the final max HP count to be a weird number like 297). Put too many rewards in the beginning, and the late dungeons would have no rewards to offer. Put too much in the end, and the inverse happens.

I found myself going back into earlier areas and plundering their rewards to fill the later areas. And then to ensure a relatively even spread of rewards within each area themselves, I drew crude maps of the dungeons & their reward spots, so that they could be studied from a bird's eye perspective.

But it was still not enough. With NPC quests and towns also taking up their own allotment of the rewards, I found myself running low on things to distribute. So I went back to the books and upped the number of rewards across the board. Before there were 44 Heart Rubies to collect - there are now 55. Before each Heart Ruby boosted your max HP by 5, but now each one now boosts your max HP by 4, so your final max HP count would still end up the same. It's kinda similar to what happened with Twilight Princess, where they broke with tradition and made 5 heart containers required to gain a new heart instead of the usual 4. Overall, the final tally for treasure to find is:

55 heart pieces

30 energy gems

108 moon stones

Who's crazy enough to collect them all?

---------- BADGES / ACHIEVEMENTS ----------

As one of the game's finishing touches, there's a menu for BADGES - they're this game's version of achievements. This is an ongoing task that we hope to stamp out this December. A few favorites of mine from the original flash game will return ("Pillow Connoisseur" is among them).

(The menu looks like this before any badges are earned)

I allocated slots for just 33 badges, so we're selecting the badges very carefully. We got rid of most of the fluffy ones that appeared in the flash game - we wanted to reduce the number of badges that you would earn automatically for just playing the game (so no more "1st boss", "2nd boss", "3rd boss" achievements). We're aiming for a healthy mix of easily earned badges, hard earned badges, collectathon badges, secret fun badges, and so on.

The badges have another twist - they bear miniaturized portraits of characters from the game! In the initial brainstorm mockup phase, I wasn't really fond of the badge designs. You got a medal of a heart because you collected some hearts, and you got the medal of a moonstone for collecting moonstones, etc. It just seemed so... expected.

(various badge mockups)

How could we engage the players on a more fun and deep level? The idea came - what if we attached pictures of the people you meet on your journey? And these people's stories and character would have a connection with the achievement? That could keep the player guessing which character would come attached with an achievement, or even reveal a hidden detail about the character you didn't know.

---------- MUSIC ----------

Will has just one more task to do. And that's to recut the song for the trailer. One of our other goals for this December is to make a really good trailer... again. There's actually 2 other trailers we cut and never made public for reasons. Maybe I'll talk about them one day in the post-mortem.

Since this may be the last conventional update, we wondered with which song to best leave the audience. And we decided that the most suitable song is "Sanctuary". It's a song that the player will often encounter often when they happen upon a quiet resting place in the world.

There's a little story behind this song. Two and a half years ago, I linked Will the Earthbound song, "Buzz buzz's prophecy", and told him, make a song like that!

In response, Will made "Sanctuary".

Give it a listen HERE. What do you think? Did Will hit close to the greats?

---------- FAN ART ----------

Three fan arts have come in the last couple months. I display them here proudly:

Another submission by Cody G! Gale looking shy as she flashes the V sign for the camera. I like how Cody G's art is continually evolving. Note the additional detail on her eye, and how her hair is drawn extra fluffy. Very nice!

Shafiyahh is another consistent contributor, and made one in the spirit of Halloween. I really like their costumes! Gale as an angel, and Lisa as a demon, fittingly captures their relationship, since Gale is the responsible one and Lisa is the troublemaker. So cute!

A contribution from a new artist, Negativus Core! Wow, Gale looks so bada-- here! We often forget about Gale's tough side due to the cutesy graphics. This is probably how her enemies see her. And the gummy (slime) is a cute touch!

---------- FINAL NOTES ----------

Similar to last year, this will be the last update for a while. If things run too slow, I'll post a status update come end of February 2020.

It's possible, and this is a BIG IF, that something notable happens sooner than expected - like we're going to a con or we have reason to drop the trailer sooner than later. If so, this blog will update earlier than expected. BIG IF. Otherwise, it's end of February till next you hear of us.

The game's development has reached a new uncharted territory. We're going to take the time and figure out exactly what our next steps are. In addition, we'll still be doing some playtesting and script polishing. And we'll be taking a break too. It is the holiday season, things move kind of slow around this time of year. We'll enjoy the company of our family and friends.

Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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justafewocprompts · 4 years

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Here's a whole post of October Prompts made by one of the Moderators of the OC Central Server, Syd :-)

All prompts include all 31 Days of October! You can also see the themes each day follows! Prompts under the cut so we don't flood your dashboard with a whole huge post! Here as well is a link to the OC Central Discord :-3c

(Sorry it’s kinda late, lol, but it’s ALWAYS spooky time)

OC Creation Prompts:

Create a Monster OC

Create a Witch OC

Create a Vampire OC

Create a friendly Ghost OC

Create a Pumpkin OC

Create a halloween costume for one of your OCs

Create a Supernatural OC

Create an Undead/Zombie OC

Create a Fae-like creature

Create a video game OC

Create a character you would find wide awake at 2am, creature perhaps?

Create a haunted doll OC

Create a mirror creature

Create a hero and villain

Create an oc based off of Tarot Cards!

Create an OC with a Fall aesthetic

Create an idol OC

Create a very tired monster OC

Create a shape shifter OC

Create a superstar OC

Create a candy inspired OC

Create a halloween costume for one of your OCs part 2!

Create an OC based off of a phobia

Create a character from an anime

Create an OC that would fit into Wonderland

Design a haunted house

Create an OC for an RPG class (like mage, warrior, etc.)

Create a Clown OC

Create a creature based off of an illness

Create a werewolf OC

Create an oc in the Spirit of Halloween!

OC Writing Prompts:

Write about your OC(s) decorating for Halloween

Write about your OC(s) meeting a witch

Write about your OC(s) meeting a vampire and their reactions

Write about an encounter with a ghost

Write about your OC(s) pumpkin carving

Write about your OC(s) preparing their costumes

Write about an encounter with a supernatural creature

Write about an encounter with a zombie

Write about an encounter with a fae

Write about an encounter with a haunted video game

Write an encounter with a mysterious stranger at 2am

Write an encounter with a haunted doll

Write an encounter with a spooky mirror

Write an encounter with a superhero/villain

Write an encounter with a Tarot Card user

Write about a fun fall day

Write about a concert

Write about your OC(s) doing an all nighter

Body Swap Story

Write about your OC(s) in cosplay

Write about a sugar overdose

Write about costume shopping

Write about a very scary moment in your OC(s) life

Write about an anime binge watch with your OC(s)

Write about an OC in Wonderland

Write a visit to a Haunted House

Write about a fight in an RPG style

Write about a clown encounter

Write about a new illness in the land

Write an encounter with a werewolf

Write your OC(s) trick or treating

OC Questionnaire:

How does your OC feel about Halloween?

Does your OC know magic? What kind?

How does your OC feel about blood?

Does your OC believe in ghosts?

Does your OC like the taste of pumpkins? If so, what kind? (Pumpkin on its own, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice latte, etc.)

What is your OC wearing for halloween?

Which, out of all of your OCs, is most like you? (No sonas allowed)

Does your OC believe in the supernatural?

Are your OCs afraid of the undead/zombies?

Do your OCs have any haunted items?

Does your OC like nighttime? If so, why?

Is your OC scared of dolls?

Do you have an OC thats scared of their reflection?

Whats your OCs favorite superhero/villain?

Does your OC know how tarot cards work? Do they even believe in them in the first place?

Does your OC like fall?

Does your OC have an idol?

Whats the latest an OC has gone to bed?

Outfit swap two of your OCs! Do they like their new look?

Do any of your OCs like to wear cosplay? If so, of who?

Whats your OCs favorite candy?

What's your OCs halloween costumes this year?

What are your OCs fears?

What are your OCs favorite animes?

Would your OC stay at Mad Hatters tea party?

Would your OC visit a Haunted House?

What RPG class is your OC in?

Which of your OCs is a Clown?

Which OC gets sick more often than everyone else?

Which OC is a werewolf?

Are your OCs trick or treating this year?

OC Drawing Prompts:

Draw your OC(s) on September 30th vs October 1st

Draw your OC(s) as a witch

Draw your OC(s) as a vampire

Draw your OC(s) as a ghost

Draw your OC(s) pumpkin carving

Draw your OC(s) in their halloween costumes

Draw your OC(s) with your favorite cryptid

Draw your OC(s) in a graveyard

Draw your OC(s) as a fairy

Dress your OC(s) up in a video game costume

Draw your OC(s) having a walk late at night

Draw your OC(s) with some Friends (: (haunted doll(s))

Draw your OC(s) looking into a spooky mirror

Draw your OC(s) as a superhero/villain

Draw your OC(s) as one of the Tarot Cards

Draw your OC(s) playing in fallen leaves

Draw your OC(s) as an Idol

Draw your OC(s) being oh so very tired

Draw two of your OC(s) outfits swapped!

Draw your OC(s) in cosplay

Draw your OC(s) eating their favorite candy

Draw your OC(s) scared

Draw your OC(s) dressed as an anime character

Draw your OC(s) in a Wonderland-like outfit

Draw your OC(s) in a haunted house

Draw your OC(s) as an RPG class

Draw your OC(s) as clowns

Draw your OC(s) sick

Draw your OC(s) as a werewolf

Draw your OC(s) trick or treating

General Story Questions:

Is there halloween in your world? If so, describe it if its different to ours!

Does magic play a major role at all in your story?

What's the blood like in your story? Same as ours? Or......different?

What are ghosts like in your story, if changed from ours.

How is Fall like in your story?

Do people dress up for halloween?

Is there any supernatural in your world?

Is there undead in your world?

Are their fairy tales in your world? If so, how true are they?

Do ghosts haunt items?

Whats nighttime like in your story?

Are dolls considered scary by vast majority?

Are there monsters in the mirror?

Are there superhero/villains in your story?

Are there Tarot Cards in your world?

What is fall like in your world?

Who are the idols in your world?

Whats the bedtime in your world?

Are there any shapeshifters in your world? If so, how accepted are they?

Are there cosplay conventions in your world?

What candies are there in your world?

What do people dress up as during halloween?

Whats the scariest thing in your world?

Is there anime in your world?

Are tea parties a common thing in your world?

Are there any haunted houses in your world?

What RPG style classes are there in your world?

Are there any clowns in your story? (I mean besides the main characters)

What kinds of sicknesses are there in your world?

Are there werewolves in your story?

Do people trick or treat on halloween?

OC AU Prompts:

Redesign an OC into a monster! Show the before an after comparison too!

Nightmare Before Christmas AU

What role would your OC play in a zombie apocalypse? Like medic, supplies, brawn, brains, engineer, the hapless idiot that somehow survives, or the one that dies first?

Did someone say Ghost Busters AU?

QUICK--everyone has a Fall color scheme!

Clown/Circus AU?

Supernatural Creature AU

Zombie AU

Fairy Tale AU

Ghost AU

Give one of ur OCs a nighttime theme, like nighttime colors and things

Trapped in a mirror AU

Hero and Villain AU

Fortune Teller AU

Fall Aesthetic AU

Idol AU

Dream AU

Body Swap AU

Superstar AU

Candy Inspired Aesthetic AU

Everyone has a mask AU

Phobia AU

Anime AU

Wonderland AU

Haunted House AU

RPG AU

Clown AU

Everyone is Sick AU

Werewolf AU

Halloween AU

#oc #prompts #character development #questions #oc prompts #original character #oc questions #character questions #character prompts

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cyberkevvideo · 4 years

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My Changes to “Way of the Wicked“, Extras 3: Extraplanar Hunters

I kind of had the first one in the back of my mind for a while, but always forgot to put it down on paper, but thanks to vlogger Dungeon Dad converting a bunch of old 3.5 and Pathfinder 1e monsters to 5e, I was reminded that these creatures were very different in 3.5 compared to Pathfinder, and why I had originally considering at least the inevitable for this adventure path.

As always, for space reasons, I’ll be cropping the encounter build.

I do not have a Patreon or a Kickstarter, but I do have a Ko-Fi page (linked) for those who would like to support my work. There is no pressure or obligation to do so, however, but a like and a share would definitely be appreciated. Of this and my older work.

Just before get to it, I hope everyone’s staying safe right now.

There are three sets of stats this time around, and two of them are actually one NPC; a hound archon and his dragon mount. More on that later, including a description regarding how the concept exists. This is what I was talking in the last entry regarding this being something that was skipped over in the Pathfinder bestiary from its 3.5 version.

I’ll say for starters, I didn’t give the NPCs any traits. Those are for PCs, more often than not, but admittedly that was a staple of Gary’s builds to try make the NPCs able to stand up to the villains more. It also felt like an in-joke that the NPCs were the heroic PCs all along. If you want to give them one trait, that’s fine, but for these ones, I didn’t feel it was overly necessary to do so. The only one I even considered was the hound archon, and only to give him armor expert to negate the final armor check penalty to skills.

For starters, inevitables are the very definition of law. Each one has a specific mandate for how things should or shouldn’t be, and how everything interacts with the multiverse.

For starters, we have a zelekhuts are defined as “ bounty hunters and executioners all rolled into one.” The PCs were supposed to die or at least be judged and sent to the salt mines. They escaped. That needs to be rectified. By all means, you can use the standard CR 9 version and have it appear during Book 2, but mine is slightly different. More so because in Book 2, unless you’re doing this incredibly early, the villains may have already amassed a literal army, if only undead. A CR 9 inevitable isn’t going to cut it. My version would appear much later, and it’s also a little different from your regular zelekhut.

I’ll say now, that the reason Judiceye is a variant is because most zelekhuts would just arrive and rain down lawful smiting on their chosen to die. But this one is more crafty. Mitra has seen what the villains can do, and how devious they are, not to mention how large their ever growing army has become. This particular zelekhut’s duty is to show up at the end of Book 3, during the winter months, free any and all prisoners as best as it can, and cause in-fighting among the bugbears and other riffraff that have joined the 9th Knot. If it can take out some unwanted undead, all the better. The PCs are supposed to lose a portion of their troops at the end of winter anyhow due to them running away and leaving their minions high and dry, so this just furthers that plot line all the while putting the PCs on edge. There’s either a traitor among them or maybe the villains just can’t control their people, showing just how unfit they are. And if they start executing their own men for not listening when it’s really just the zelekhut? All the better to use as kindling to create riots and arguments, and really give the villains a run for their money. It’d make for a long winter indeed. And right before the king shows up, or whenever the time is right in the GM’s mind, and the Knot is near their breaking point (possibly when there’s the most confusion), the zelekhut can start a major brawl and try its luck in taking out the PCs. Even better, with its greater hat of disguise, it can change itself to look like whomever it needs to. Just needs Intel first. It can be a PC, a bugbear, a vampire, the medusa half-fiend, or whoever. Doesn’t matter. Because it start a fight, then leave, and turn into someone else. Whatever needs to be done to take down the PCs.

I will not that the DD for the elemental combat style is from the Pathfinder Disciple's Doctrine. Normally I would go OGL and Core, but this time I need some extra damage, and this was about the only way to pull it off. Also, the reason the hat’s trapped is because these things aren’t supposed to normally have treasure. This will destroy the treasure and maybe do some damage to the PCs at the same time.

JUDICEYE (CR 16; XP 76,800) Variant advanced zelekhut ranger (guildbreakerUI) 7 LN Large outsider (extraplanar, inevitable, lawful) Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, true seeing; Perception +25 DEFENSE AC 31, touch 17, flat-footed 23 (+1 armor, +7 Dex, +1 dodge, +13 natural, –1 size) hp 236 (21d10+121); regeneration 5 (chaotic) Fort +18, Ref +16, Will +15 Defensive Abilities constructed; DR 10/chaotic, DR 3/— (small ranged piercing weapons); SR 27 OFFENSE Speed 50 ft., fly 60 ft. (average) Melee 2 chains +31 (3d6+10/19–20 plus 1d6 electricity and trip) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks favored enemy (goblinoids +2), favored organization (Knots of Asmodeus +4) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +18) Constant—true seeing At will—clairaudience/clairvoyance, dimensional anchor, dispel magic, fear (W-DC 18), hold person (W-DC 17), locate creature 3/day—hold monster (W-DC 19), mark of justice 1/week—lesser geas (W-DC 17) Ranger Spells Prepared (CL 4th; concentration +8) 2nd—chameleon stride 1st—lead blades, resist energy STATISTICS Str 30, Dex 24, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 18 Base Atk +21; CMB +32; CMD 50 (54 vs. trip) Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, EnduranceB, Improved Critical (chains), Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (chains), Improved Vital Strike, Inner FlameARG, Mobility, Power Attack, Scorching WeaponsARG, Step Up, Weapon Focus (chain), Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +25 (+33 jump), Bluff +15, Disguise +15, Diplomacy +17, Fly +19, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (planes) +13, Perception +25, Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +11, Stealth +21, Survival +17; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Sense Motive Languages truespeech SQ chains, combat style (elementalDD), crowd stride, deep cover, favored terrain (urban +2), read the cityUI, track +3 Gear quilted clothUE, greater hat of disguise (trapped: maximized fireball; 60 fire damage, R-DC 19) SPECIAL ABILITIES Chains (Ex) A zelekhut’s arms end in long lengths of barbed metal. These chains deal slashing damage and 1d6 points of electricity damage with each hit. Constructed (Ex) Although inevitables are living outsiders, their bodies are constructed of physical components, and in many ways they function as constructs. For the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type (such as a ranger’s favored enemy and bane weapons), inevitables count as both outsiders and constructs. They are immune to death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep, stun, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless). Inevitables are not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. They are not at risk of death from massive damage. They have bonus hit points as constructs of their size.

Catching up on a few posts from GMs and players who are going through “Way of the Wicked”, most groups are having no issue whatsoever with the AP because they have a necromancer and a cleric who are creating epic armies of undead. That said, there have been one or two groups that have found themselves struggling, if only because they never rescued Grumblejack, or he died on them back during Branderscar because they all bailed and abandoned the ogre. As such, they’re finding that as the game is progressing, they’re having issues. I’ve got something to help potentially counteract that, if only for one part of the book.

It’s a Book 5 add-on that I thought of. Marut inevitables go after those who artificially extend their life. Namely, lichdom. Now, depending on the PCs, this could be yet another encounter for them too. If they’re using the feat tree that turns them into a vampire or lich, or they all became vampires in the alternate version of the story where Thorn’s a vampire, this thing’s coming after them. There’s just no way around that. However, my initial thought for this, so as to help parties that are having troubles, is the marut came to take down the now ex-Cardinal Thorn, but was dominated and sent after the party. This encounter would take place on the main floor, probably as soon as the PCs entered the cathedral. If the PCs have the means, they could break the control and have it join them in the final battle against Thorn. But you’re asking, “how can Thorn use that spell? It’s not a cleric spell and it’s 9th level.” It’s also a 6th level summoner spell, so miracle would work to cast it. This would reduce Thorn’s 9th level spells by 1, and hopefully that’s enough for the PCs who are struggling. After that though, the marut would leave, its mission completed.

Finally, my last inevitable add-on, and this would be for whenever someone in the party broke a contract (or someone attached to the party, etc). It can even be someone the party is dealing with, who broke a contract, and they summon one to go after that person/creature. The kolyarut is all about negotiating bargains, and they don’t like it when contracts and negotiations break down. They punish all oath-breakers. As stated: “They care little for the terms of the agreements in question, only that promises are fulfilled, debts are paid, and balance is maintained.“ They are definitely someone that the PCs want on their side. Pit fiends and contract devils are great, but they don’t necessarily like to get their hands dirty. They just want souls and payment. Kolyaruts, on the other hand, will always make the time.

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And now, the ultimate combo that’s just bonkers. I even did a small feat sink on this one despite it actually being something in the original edition that happens for free, and just adds to the CR.

As for where you would encounter this one, there’s any number of ways. 1) Could be a fight not long after they finish Book 3. Mitra might send the archon as an avenger for what happened. 2) Could right after Spring arrives and the villains are fleeing from the king and his army. This could either be an air battle or the very second they land, but before Tiadora arrives. 3) They could arrive with any other encounter, boosting the over all combat and aiding whomever else decides to attack the villains. You could even hold out until Book 6 with this one, if you really wanted to.

The monster info on this variant hound archon reads as thus:

Hound Archon Hero Mounts

In the course of their adventures, many hound archon heroes befriend bronze dragons, which may come to serve as their mounts. The relationship between these mounts and their celestial riders goes beyond even the special bond between paladin and mount. The dragon and the archon are naturally allies and friends, as can be expected of two powerful servants of cosmic justice. The juvenile bronze dragon mount gains 2 additional HD, 4 points of Strength, an additional 4 points of natural armor, improved evasion, and +10 feet to speed in all its movement forms. The dragon cannot, however, command other creatures of its type as other kinds of paladin mounts can.

Note: Under normal circumstances the Draconic Companion from the Dragon Companion Handbook would give you a dragon and have it go up as an animal companion, with the Dragon Companion Mastery feat giving you their full power. Hound Archon Heroes already get an equivalent ability for free so I’m revising the feat to instead give: frightful presence 1/day, +2 Dex instead of +2 Str (which is a swap option you can choose), SR 5 + paladin level, share spells, empathic link, and two of the four bonus dragon feats. However, I’m ignoring the other two bonus feats the dragon would normally gain, additional bonuses to Str/Con/natural armor, and standard ability score increases every 4 Hit Die. The trade off being that a standard bronze dragon has higher mental stats and spells, so it easily balances out.

Overall, this not all that different from the 3.5 Monster Manual version, and should be considered a difficult CR 16 encounter. Also, their wealth is for a CR 16 NPC. Bartel shares it with his dragon mount.

BARTEL, THE HOUND ARCHON HERO (CR 16; XP 76,800) Male Advanced variant hound archon paladin 11 LG Medium outsider (archon, extraplanar, good, lawful) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, low-light vision, scent; Perception +18 Aura courage (10 ft.), justice (10 ft.), menace (20 ft.; W-DC 21), magic circle against evil, resolve (10 ft.) DEFENSE AC 33, touch 12, flat-footed 31 (+9 armor, +2 Dex, +12 natural); +2 deflection vs. evil hp 229 (19 HD; 19d10+125) Fort +24, Ref +16, Will +21; +4 vs. poison, +2 resistance vs. evil DR 10/evil; Immune charm, disease, electricity, fear, petrification; SR 27 OFFENSE Speed 40 ft. Melee +2 cold iron greatsword +29/+24/+19/+14 (2d6+12/17–20), bite +22 (1d8+4) or bite +27 (1d8+8), slam +27 (1d4+4) Special Attacks channel energy (W-DC 20, 6d6), smite evil 4/day (+5 atk & AC, +11 dmg) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +11) Constant—detect evil, magic circle against evil At will—aid, continual flame, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), message Paladin Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +16) At will—detect evil Paladin Spells Prepared (CL 8th; concentration +13) 3rd—heal mount 2nd—bull’s strength, eagle’s splendor, resist energy 1st—divine favor, hero’s defianceAPG, protection from evil, shield of fortificationACG STATISTICS Str 24, Dex 14, Con 22, Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 20 Base Atk +19; CMB +26; CMD 38; +2 vs. evil Feats Blind-Fight, Draconic CompanionDCH, Improved Critical (greatsword), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-by Attack, Weapon Focus (greatsword), Word of HealingUM Skills Acrobatics +14, Diplomacy +19, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Intimidate +15, Perception +18, Ride +18, Sense Motive +19, Spellcraft +10, Stealth +14, Survival +18; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth, +4 Survival; ACP –1 Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; truespeech SQ aura (overwhelming good), code of conduct, change shape (beast shape II), divine bond (dragon mount; Arlakaida), lay on hands (5d6, 7/day), mercies (cursed, dazed, fatigued) Combat Gear wand of cure light wounds (15 charges), holy water (2); Other Gear +3 mithral breastplate, +2 cold iron greatsword, amulet of mighty fists +1, belt of mighty constitution +2 SPECIAL ABILITIES Aura of Menace (Su) A righteous aura surrounds archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a –2 penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the archon that generated the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s aura for 24 hours. Change Shape (Su) A hound archon can assume any canine form of Small to Large size, as if using beast shape II. While in canine form, the hound archon loses its bite, slam, and greatsword attacks, but gains the bite attack of the form it chooses. For the purposes of this ability, canines include any dog-like or wolf-like creature of the animal type.

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ARLAKAIDA THE BRONZE (CR —; XP —) Female juvenile bronze dragon LG Large dragon (water) Init +6; Senses dragon senses; Perception +25 Aura frightful presence 1/day (90 ft.; targets are shaken for 14 rounds; W-DC 21) DEFENSE AC 36, touch 13, flat-footed 33 (+5 armor, +2 Dex, +2 deflection, +18 natural, –1 size) hp 161 (14d12+70) Fort +16, Ref +13, Will +15 Defensive Abilities improved evasion; Immune electricity, paralysis, sleep; SR 16 OFFENSE Speed 50 ft., fly 130 ft. (poor), swim 60 ft. Melee bite +25 (2d6+15), 2 claws +24 (1d8+11), tail slap +22 (1d8+15), 2 wings +22 (1d6+6) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite) Special Attacks breath weapon (80-ft. line, R-DC 24, 12d6 electricity), repulsion breath Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +18) At will—create food and water, speak with animals Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 4th; concentration +8) 2nd (4/day)—mirror image 1st (7/day)—alarm, obscuring mist, true strike 0 (at will)—detect magic, light, mage hand, message, prestidigitation, resistance STATISTICS Str 29, Dex 14, Con 21, Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 18 Base Atk +14; CMB +26; CMD 40 (44 vs. trip) Feats Ability Focus (breath weapon), Alertness, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Powerful BreathB, Quick Breath WeaponB, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Diplomacy +19, Fly +12, Handle Animal +16, Heal +16, Intimidate +19, Knowledge (arcana) +19, Perception +25, Sense Motive +25, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +14, Swim +29; Racial Modifiers +8 Swim Languages Aquan, Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnome SQ empathic link, change shape (animal or humanoid, polymorph), share spells, water breathing, wave mastery (40 mins) Gear +2 studded leather barding, amulet of mighty fists +2, belt of physical perfection +2, cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2 SPECIAL ABILITIES Dragon Senses (Ex) Dragons have darkvision 120 ft. and blindsense 60 ft. They see four times as well as a human in dim light and twice as well in normal light. Frightful Presence (Ex) This special quality makes a dragon’s very presence unsettling to foes. Activating this ability is a free action that is usually part of an attack or charge. This ability affects only opponents with fewer Hit Dice than the dragon’s. An opponent that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to the dragon’s frightful presence for 24 hours. Multiple uses of a dragon’s presence don’t stack. This ability is a mind-affecting aura. Paladin Mount (Ex) Arlakaida cannot command other creatures of its type (bronze dragons) as other kinds of paladin mounts can. Quick Breath Weapon (Ex) Arlakaida is able to unleash her breath weapon and deliver an attack before her opponent is the wiser. On her turn, Arlakaida can choose to use her breath weapon in place of her bite or one of her claw attacks. Repulsion Breath (Su) Instead of a line of electricity, a bronze dragon can breathe a cone of repulsion gas. Targets must make a Will save or be compelled to do nothing but move away from the dragon for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per age category. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. Water Breathing (Ex) A bronze dragon breathes water and can use its breath weapon, spells, and abilities underwater. Wave Mastery (Su) For up to 10 minutes per age category per day, a juvenile bronze dragon, along with creatures or vessels within 50 feet, can move at twice its normal speed in water. ------------------------------------------------------------

And that’s everything. I don’t know that I’ll ever have more to add to this particular adventure path, but maybe I will. Just depends on how inspired I get.

In the meantime, I hope everyone who is running or playing “Way of the Wicked” is having a fantastic time.

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