#cr concepts: green

[idrawsometimes]

bonus cat recolour

[marzipanandminutiae]

snow day?

time to femme up a flannel from the thrift store!

[livvivviss]

Shifting (My opinion)

(Not for people who struggle with information overload problems)

Shifting is not the "change of reality" or "moving consciousness" (I don't mean that the concept is wrong)

• "Moving consciousness" sounds like astral travel and we know that: astral travel ≠ shifting

• Your consciousness does not move from HERE to HERE:

If not, when you shift, you are being aware of THAT reality (DR), you were always there and you will always be there just that (before shifting) you were not aware of that, And once you shift, you become aware of your DR

- Example: when you are normally dissociating, you stop being aware of your surroundings, your current reality, and you become immersed in your thoughts.

• So, that's why the "distraction method" can be very good for some people.

The methods "dissociate" you (as a way of saying), they make you stop being aware of this reality so that you can become aware of your desired reality.

•And when you become aware of your DR, it is not that here (cr) you stop existing, you continue to be there, you are just not aware, it is not that there is "a clone" left as they said a few years ago.

• And the people who "do nothing" to shift it is because it is easy for them to stop being aware of this reality (who knows why)

-Illustrated explanation 😜:

Yellow: Our conscience

Green: Things about our current reality that we perceive with our senses and of which we are aware

Red: Stop being aware of things in our current reality

The stickman alone: ​​the "void state" (as a way of saying it)

Red again: Still not being aware of the things of our DR

Blue: Things about our desire reality that we perceive with our senses and of which we are aware

(I did my best with the drawings lol 😭)

Summary: What mean is that shifting is not something external like "moving through realities" it is about you and your infinite others self's and on which you want to live as

[shmaba]

I’m going to assume that at this point you’ve all seen Critical Role’s new show Candela Obscura and at least skimmed through the Quickstart Guide (you have done all that riiiight??) So I wanted to compile all the things I’ve done that have been shown so far. Its long so read below the line!

I’m going to try to avoid spoilers. So feel free to read without worry. I’m also going to try and avoid breaking any NDA like a good professional. So I will not be doing some deep dive behind the scenes thing. Only visuals that have already been publicly shared are going to be on here

The very first thing I did on this show was the concepts for the main set. Everything is practical. Nothing is green screen or cg or whatever. Some people think it’s just good cg but nope that's all real. You could touch it! (don’t touch it, there are ghosts)

There were multiple iterations on the design, each with their own vibe and statement piece. CR narrowed it down to what you see in the show: a sort of storage hall with an odd clock contraption behind the GM. I think I called this design version the “Abyssal Hall” or something like that (I gave the different versions names to better keep track of which design was being discussed)

The company Flip This Bitch built the physical set. They turned my silly little art into a real thing. So they did all the actual magic of making this set come together in the end! They deserve a lot of the credit for it looking so good in the end.

Also that little piece of art in the bottom left of the preshow is a section from the final concept art of the set.

That contraption behind Matt is based on astrolabes and clocks. This isn’t really meant to be a literal astrolabe or a clock as we would use them in our world. Narratively this isn’t a device that measures either of the things that a traditional astrolabe or clock does. This is a special magickal tool that does a secret third thing.

Also I did concepts for the GM screen. You don't really see it besides in the fancy-shmancy preshow. There were a number of more intricate designs for it but CR went with the simpler option since the only part that would be visible on stream is the top, so that's where I put the most detail.

I should also note that I did not design the logo! It’s pretty prominent on the GM screen but I was supplied an already existing logo for this.

NEXT is the Taliesin enclosure set that you see in the trailer. This is actually meant to be like the lantern room on the top of a lighthouse, minus the big light beacon (You could say Taliesin is the beacon).

Also in the trailer you see a couple brief sketches I did for some world building concepts:

Speaking of sketches there are a number of art pieces of mine in the Quickstart guide

A lot of my art is sketches. They’re all meant to be like notes and drawings from members of Candela as they travel and notate their findings. Most of the notes on these sketches are my actually my notes when I was doing world building concepts, but they replaced my handwriting with a font because my handwriting sucks lmao (also likely for ease of future localization).

Also the cover of the Quickstart guide uses line art of a part of that astrolabe clock set piece. This line art was part of the deliverables that was sent over to Flip This Bitch for construction. They’re just using pieces of those set concepts everywhere!

As you can see I’ve done a lot of art for this project. I was part of this project when it was still early in development. It’s changed quite a bit from where we started. 

I wasn’t the only one that made all this art happen though. Other artists, writers, and designers got to add their own vision to this. It was very much a collaborative effort that took a long time to happen. It’s very exciting to see everyone’s hard work come to fruition and there is a lot more to come!

[thornybubbles]

Playing Minecraft with the Stardust Crusaders

**Note: Originally I was going to have this be a story with just Kakyoin, but I decided to add the rest of the Stardust Crusaders. Also I decided to just do headcanons instead of writing a full story. I’ve been writing a lot of dark yandere stuff and I just wanted a break. So here’s something wholesome. PS. Polnareff’s part was my favorite to write. XD **

Joseph

He may be an old man, but he’s not completely out of touch when it comes to the concept of video games. It takes him a little bit to learn how to play, but once he gets the hang of it, there’s no stopping him. Joseph’s building skills are pretty basic. He’s more interested in the survival and exploration elements of Minecraft. Once he gets his house built, he does a little mining to get a full set of iron armor, weapons, and tools and then he’s off to explore. He’s almost never seen around the main base and spends most of his time many, many blocks away, discovering cool things. He will often ask questions about things he’s unfamiliar with and you explain it to him. Sometimes he hardly speaks at all because he’s too enamored with all the stuff he’s discovering. 

Then there was the “Creeper Incident”. Joseph made the mistake of doing some exploring at night instead of going to sleep like a good little Minecrafter. 

“Hey, what’s this freaky green thing?” he asked you. 

“Freaky green thing? What kind of freaky green thing?” you said, wanting some specifics. 

“It looks like a depressed cactus,” he explained. 

Uh oh.

“Oh! That’s a cr---!” 

There was a distant explosion followed by Joseph screaming, “Oh my God! Son of a bitch!!!” 

After that, something changed in Joseph’s play style. He went from explorer to monster hunter. Angry at having been blown up and losing all his stuff, he goes on a vendetta to destroy all creepers. And why stop there? Zombies, spiders,skeletons or any other creature of the night that crosses his path were quickly dealt with. He goes deep into learning brewing, armor and weapon enchanting, and anything else he can think of to give him an edge against the hostile mobs. With Avdol’s help he builds a battle tower and protective wall around the base. He has very big dreams about taking out the Ender Dragon. 

Joseph is a bit of a jack of all trades when it comes to Minecraft. He may not be the best builder but he has a lot of creative ideas that help all of you with whatever projects you might be working on, especially when it comes to base defense and monster fighting.

Jotaro

He only ever plays when either you or one of the other Crusaders asks him to. When he first spawned in he wasn’t too impressed. He had a hard time figuring out what he wanted to do. At first, he doesn’t bother building a house or anything and just bums around his grandpa’s house. He makes a snide comment about how Joseph’s house is just a big, wooden block with one window and a door. Joseph grumbles something about how his house didn’t need to be pretty, just practical. Joseph ends up being the one to teach Jotaro how to play, while you occasionally interject to mention something Joseph may have forgotten about. Jotaro just responds with non-committal grunts and wanders around the base, checking things out. 

Eventually, he goes off on his own to explore and find somewhere nearby to build a house. He hasn’t collected any resources, has no tools, or crafted a weapon of any kind when he starts exploring. You try to warn him that he should at least get a wooden sword to defend himself with, but he ignores you. It isn’t until night comes and he is nearly killed by zombies that he finally decides to get some wood and stone and make some basic tools. He still hasn’t found a decent place to build yet, though.  

After he’s wandered around for about 4 in-game days, he comes across a village. Jotaro watches the villagers run around, doing their thing, and is bemused at their silly appearance and sounds. But when nighttime comes and zombies start attacking them, Jotaro feels he’s found his purpose in the game. Somebody has to protect these dumb looking guys and it may as well be him. He teams up with Avdol and Joseph (who is a little miffed that someone found a village before he did) to form a “Village Security Team”. While Avdol fixes the village up by patching holes in walkways, correcting poorly spawned buildings, and starting work on building a monster proof wall around the village, Jotaro and Joseph stay up at night to fight off the monsters. 

Eventually, Jotaro builds a massive fortress near the village and Avdol attaches the wall to it. This fortress serves as Jotaro’s home and the village becomes the secondary base for you guys. Joseph jokingly calls him “King JoJo” and “Your Highness” which usually has Jotaro grumbling under his breath. He spends most of his days decorating or improving either the fortress or the village itself. When he’s not doing that, he’s usually tagging along on one of his Grandfather’s adventures. 

Kakyoin

The redstone wizard of the group. Noriaki’s beaten the game a few times already, but only recently started messing around with redstone contraptions. He set up an automated farm that both harvests and replants crops as well as a huge mineshaft with minecarts set up so that they returned to the surface to be unloaded whenever players filled them up with resources.

As innovative as he is, though, he often uses his redstone skills to be an absolute troll. And usually, his victim is you. That’s not to say that he hasn’t pranked any of the others yet, it’s just that you’re his favorite target. It’s kinda your fault though. It started back when you first started playing Minecraft together and you might have, possibly, sorta, kinda, completely un-accidentally pilfered a diamond or two from one of his chests. He knew you were the culprit because there wasn’t anyone else in the game at the time but the two of you. He didn’t call you out on it, though, assuming that you would replace the diamonds as soon as you got a chance. You never did. While you actually did have every intention of returning the diamonds to him, you just forgot about it. It didn’t help that you later developed a habit of helping yourself to whatever you found in his chests instead of going out and getting the resources for yourself. Hey, it was easier and it saved time!

Nori never said a word about it, instead opting to quietly plan his revenge. One day you went down into his storage basement to grab some cobblestone from one of his chests. You were only going to grab a stack or two and make a mental note (for the hundredth time) to replace whatever you took, but knowing that you’d probably forget. When you opened the chest, though, you didn’t find any cobblestone. Instead you found yourself staring into the sullen face of a creeper, its warning hiss in your ears. You let out a shriek of terror and braced yourself for the inevitable explosion, but it never came. You examined the “creeper” again only to see that it was nothing more than an armor stand wearing a creeper head and green dyed leather armor. It was inside of a minecart that was cleverly hidden behind the chest. You just stared at it as your brain slowly came to the conclusion that you’d just been pranked. 

“Ah, I see you found my theft deterrent.” Noriaki said, amusement clear in his voice. “It’s a nifty little project I found online called the ‘creeper in a box’ prank.” 

You can’t even say anything. He got you good and you know it. You made it a point to stay out of his storage basement from then on. 

It doesn’t stop there though. That one little incident unleashed Noriaki’s inner troll and you’re the one who gets to suffer for it. From filling your house with dirt blocks to slowly rearranging your decorations over time to see how long it would take for you to notice, Noriaki just seems to love messing with you. You have to admit that while his pranks are annoying, they are pretty funny and too clever for you to really get mad at. Your “favorite” was when he hid a bunch of note blocks under your house and arranged them to play a certain song when you opened the front door. 

“Nori, why is my house Rick Rolling me?” you demand of him, annoyed but admittedly amused. 

“Why are you asking me?” he says, playing dumb. 

He knows what he did. 

You eventually do give him his diamonds back in hopes that will appease him. It does… for a little while at least. 

Avdol

The master builder. Before being invited to play Minecraft with you guys, he’d never really played a video game before. But there was something about the building mechanics of the game that awakened something within him, possibly nostalgia for those calm times with building blocks when he was a little kid. Whatever the case, Avdol takes to building like a pro and all without any YouTube tutorials, too. You want a medieval style bakery? You got one. Want a modern bungalow? He’ll do it. Giant fire breathing demon chicken to put in the middle of the base? You can envision the weird looks he wants to give you, but he’ll make one of those, no problem. His best projects are the ones he does on his own, though, with no guidance and with minimal suggestions. 

Due to his building skills, he finds himself constantly busy within the game as someone always has some kind of building project they want help with. He even offered to improve Joseph’s plain block house. The old man told him to do whatever he pleased and then went off to go treasure hunting with Jotaro and Kakyoin. When Joseph came back he found his simple home had been converted into a deceptively cute cabin. While Joseph was impressed enough with how cozy it looked, Avdol revealed that the cabin had a secret, a well hidden secret chamber that appealed to Joseph's inner superhero fanboy. He had his very own secret lair now (yeah, it’s not really a secret if everybody on the server knows about it, but let the old man dream)!

Over time, Avdol has added things here and there to the base to keep things from looking so plain. He’s added a decorated pond for fishing and just a place to hang out. There’s also a meeting area for when the whole gang gets together right before going on an adventure (brings back bittersweet memories. At least this time there’s no danger of anyone actually dying.). 

And yes, he even added that giant fire breathing demon chicken statue you wanted so badly. Your odd tastes aside, Avdol managed to make the abomination of a statue look rather cool and stylized. Kakyoin wants it to be the mascot for your group. It ends up being put on any and all banners for the base, much to Avdol’s chagrin. 

Every time he gets online with you guys he is either working on a project or starting another one. He never seems to run out of things to do. Surprisingly, his own home is rather quaint. Just a regular old farm house, but it’s very pretty. And yes, he has a chicken farm. 

Polnareff

Chaos incarnate. This man got into the game and immediately started doing everything WRONG! Digging straight down, forgetting to sleep at least once to ward off phantoms, forgetting to crouch when standing at the edge of great heights, you name it he’s messed it up. So basically just Polnareff being Polnareff. He always manages to find danger or danger finds him. Every monster in the area seems to target him specifically. On one mining trip you actually watched around five zombies shamble right past you and head straight for a very startled Polnareff. They completely ignored you! He’s died so many times that you actually put in the “keep inventory” cheat so that at the very least he stops losing all of his hard earned resources. 

Speaking of resources, when it comes to mining it’s the one thing that Jean Pierre is really, really lucky at. To the point that it makes everyone else jealous. He was the first to find diamonds and emeralds and the first to manage to get full stacks of both. You never even thought it possible to find 64 emeralds naturally, but Polnareff managed to pull it off. Joseph is quick to accuse him of cheating which results in a very childish argument between the two until you step in and explain that you were with Polnareff the whole time and he just finds diamonds and emeralds by chance. Joseph apologizes but grumbles when Polnareff laughs. Ever since then, whenever he comes across diamonds, or anything even remotely interesting, he is very obnoxious about it. 

“HEY GUYS!!! GUESS WHO FOUND EVEN MORE DIAMONDS?!!” he’ll shout in an annoying sing-song voice.

This usually results in annoyed huffs from Avdol and Kakyoin, disgruntled “Good griefs” from Jotaro, not-so-humble requests for him to stop bragging like an asshole from Joseph, and a threat or two from you that if he didn’t stop rubbing your faces in it, you would shove him into the nearest lava pit. This always earns a mischievous giggle or two from him. He’s so full of himself about it. He does make up for it though, when he crafts full sets of diamond armor for you all. For all his arrogant bragging, he’s really rather generous with his finds. If any of you need diamonds or emeralds he’s the first to offer up his stash. After all, he has so many, why shouldn’t he share? ~ ❤

Whenever he goes mining, you usually tag along. You say that it’s so you can help him carry his loot, but actually it’s because you’re his self appointed babysitter. Just like in real life, it just isn’t a good idea for him to run off by himself. You never say that out loud though because you know how sensitive he is about being danger-prone. Besides he likes having you along and the two of you end up as mining buddies almost every time you play. Sometimes Kakyoin joins you as he’s always in need of redstone and other materials for his contraptions (it’s important to note that Polnareff is Kakyoin’s second favorite trolling victim and it always makes you nervous whenever he tags along because you never know if he’s up to something or just genuinely wants to collect resources.). 

Whenever you and Polnareff go off on your own to do anything, the rest of the Crusaders server prepares their poor ears for the inevitable screaming and swearing that will follow. Something happens to you whenever you pair up with Polnareff. Your brain power seems to get cut in half and the two of you end up becoming an unintentional comedy duo that has everyone else either laughing or, in Jotaro’s case, muting you for being “too damn loud”. 

There was one time that Polnereff was digging a strip mine that ended up leading right into the Deep Dark and the Warden’s territory. You can probably guess what happened. Before you could warn him, Polnareff’s antics end up summoning the Warden and the monster kills you both before either of you have a chance to panic. This results in Polnareff seeking revenge (or trying to) and going all the way back to the Deep Dark to fight the Warden again (and dragging you along each time), and (both of you) dying again. This happens about three more times before he actually manages to defeat the Warden only to find out that he doesn’t get any kind of reward for it (other than bragging rights, which believe me, he takes advantage of). 

On a minor note, Polnareff’s inventory is always extremely unorganized. Whether referring to his personal inventory or his storage chests his inventory is in shambles. There’s no rhyme or reason for where he places things in his hotbar and sometimes he’ll end up hitting monsters with a stick or block of glass rather than his sword. He also has a bad habit of using the wrong tool for certain jobs, such as using his pickaxe on dirt instead of his shovel and it drives more organized players like Kakyoin and Avdol insane. 

BONUS:

Iggy

(We’re assuming that the little gremlin lives with you) While he can’t exactly play video games for obvious reasons, he does kinda like watching you play, but that’s only if he’s not trying to take a nap (you’re kinda noisy). Most of the time he just plops down in his comfy spot and watches you struggle to survive in what he mentally calls the “stupid human block game”. He is really amused whenever you and Polnareff team up because watching you two together is comedy gold. Sometimes, when you’re playing alone, he’ll wait for you to be exploring a dark, creepy cave and suddenly bark very loudly for no reason, causing you to very nearly jump out of your skin. 

Iggy: “BARK!”

You scream, swear, and jump back so hard that your headset falls off. Your mouse has been practically thrown across the room. You turn around and glare at the little brat. 

“IGGY!” you shout accusingly. 

The cheeky little doggo runs out of the room making sounds that can be interpreted as the canine equivalent of snickering.

[bambimanifests]

~ manifesting & shifting

so i don’t know what are other people takes on shifting & manifesting, but i think the two concepts are very intertwined.

let’s say you’re manifesting a different eye color, you have brown eyes and you’re manifesting you always had green eyes — you’re revising the past, so in my opinion you’re not changing a reality you’re in, but rather by affirming, you’re shifting to a reality you always had green eyes in? does that make sense?

same for SPs, let’s say your SP is an ass, not the type to commit etc. while i do believe you can affect a person and remain in the same reality, i do think often times we shift to an alternative reality where our SP is loving and caring, while the reality where he’s an ass continues to exist, but it’s not the one we’re experiencing, it’s not the one we are aware of.

when you manifest something like an SP you focus on what you want, so you focus on loving SP instead of asshole SP, the reality you focus on in your head, the reality you’re aware of in 4d becomes the one around you, because you shift.

when you’re shifting you focus on your DR, on your DR-self, DR life, you become aware of your DR, you shift there, the only difference is most people shift back (some don’t as they shift to a better CR or just permashift).

REMINDER!!

this is simply my opinion, something i’ve been thinking about lately, not stating this as a fact, but i do believe in the multiverse and that we shift when we manifest, i am open to hearing others opinions on this as well !!

[thecreaturecodex]

Slig

Concept art by Steven Olds, © Oddworld Inhabitants. Accessed at the Oddworld Wiki here

[Sponsored by @martyslittleusedblog. They're been trying to get me interested in monsters from platforming games for a while, and this is what hooked me. Partially because I remember Oddworld and Abe's Odyssee for the PS1. My cousin was the one with the Playstation, and he didn't like the game, but I remember poring over the manual and delighting in the concepts and the art. A dystopian game where a low level employee at a meat packing plant fights a corporate empire and becomes a reluctant Chosen One? Yes please!

The sligs are the main grunt force of said corporate empire, the Magog Cartel. Imagine if koopas carried shotguns. Apparently a slig slave revolt is a plot point in one of the later games. Good for them. If you're super worried about game balance, this is another monster, like the watchuka, that has a lot of treasure for its CR because guns and other ranged weapons are very expensive in Pathfinder 1e.]

Slig CR 4 NE Aberration This green skinned creature has a squid-like head with five finger-like feelers surrounding its mouth. It has large muscular arms and metal legs. It wears a set of red-tinted goggles and carries a large gun.

Sligs are eusocial mollusk-like creatures native to the swamps of the planet Mudos. They are most commonly found elsewhere as grunts, soldiers and assassins, as their queens have gladly sold the entire species to the Magog Cartel, a massive industrial empire. In exchange for unquestioning service, the Cartel provides sligs with greater mobility. A slig is born with strong forelimbs and stunted hind limbs, perfectly serviceable for pulling themselves between bodies of water, but good for little else. A slig in slig pants, however, can walk, jump and use its arms for carrying weapons; typically guns. Sligs love guns. Most sligs also wear goggles on a regular basis, both to protect their eyes (they are naturally nocturnal and live in foggy swamps) and because higher ups in the Magog Cartel find their beady eyes aesthetically displeasing.

Few sligs are very bright, but most of them are very cruel. Unlike many other eusocial sapient species but more similar to bumblebees and paper wasps, there is frequent infighting among sligs as they jockey for rank. The Cartel has managed to channel that into organized contests like kill counts, employee of the month bonuses and frequent games. Another privilege is the use of names—all sligs have a name, but using it publicly instead of a number and rank has to be earned by service to the Cartel. Sligs off duty are often found playing card games or sports, and those not playing are usually betting their spare income on such matches.

A slig stands about five feet tall. They are short lived, and considered adults by 2 years and ancient by 20.

Variant Sligs Sligs are naturally morphologically plastic, as they respond quickly to changes in hormone levels. In addition, different sligs may have different abilities due to different equipment and cybernetics bestowed on them by the Magog Cartel.  For example, Big Bro sligs are Large sligs who have to be equipped with special four-legged slig pants to support their weight, and are often given automatic weapons. Some sligs are given flying harnesses instead of pants—they have a fly speed of 40 feet (perfect), but no land speed. Other sligs, especially with class levels, may be equipped with heavier armor, flamethrowers, or rocket launchers.  

Slig          CR 4 XP 1,200 NE Medium aberration (aquatic) Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +6 Defense AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15(+2 Dex, +3 natural, +2 armor) hp 47 (5d8+25) Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +4 Weakness light blindness Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 20 ft. Melee 2 slams +4 (1d6+1) or heavy mace +4 (1d8+1) Ranged masterwork shotgun +6 (1d8) Statistics Str 13, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 11 Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 16 Feats Deadly Aim, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) (B), Gunsmithing (B), Point Blank Shot, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +8 (+12 when jumping), Craft (firearms) +2, Knowledge (engineering) +5, Perception +6, Survival +6 Languages Common, Slig SQ amphibious, slig pants, uplifted Ecology Environment any land Organization solitary, pair, squad (3-8), troop (9-24) or army (25-100) Treasure standard (veemod goggles with brown veemod, 2 batteries, masterwork shotgun with 10 pellet cartridges and 10 slug cartridges, heavy mace, other treasure) Special Abilities Slig Pants (Ex) Most sligs encountered wear slig pants, a set of robotic lower legs designed for a slig to sit in and control. These pants grant the slig a 30 foot land speed, a +2 armor bonus to AC (that doesn’t stack with worn armor) and a +4 racial bonus to Acrobatics checks. A slig without its pants on has a land speed of only 5 feet, and cannot use manufactured weapons as it needs its hands to move. A slig without pants is a CR 3 creature. A slig’s pants are destroyed when the creature is slain (and cannot be worn by anything besides a slig regardless). Uplifted (Ex) A slig gains Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) and Gunsmithing as bonus feats.

[utilitycaster]

(this might be a silly question, and please take this in the best possible faith, i don't mean it to be any kind of a gotcha or a trap, okay now that that's out of the way) i'm a cr fan who hasn't started c3 yet (still trucking through c2 and loving it) but i've been a quiet observer to whatever tf has been happening in the tumblr tags for it and have enjoyed your takes/opinions. so, asking this as someone without context who's not trying to comment on any recent ship developments (don't worry about spoilers though, not trying to avoid any), are there parts of c3, either characters or plot or backstories or whatever, that you do really enjoy/find compelling? (you might have already answered this, i've only been following you for like. a week and a half.) thank you!

Hi anon!

Yes, there definitely are! I completely get where you're coming from for this question, too, but I appreciate the context because I have gotten questions before where I feel like someone is trying to corner me and say CAN'T YOU BE POSITIVE??? Anyway, more on that at the end because I want to get to the things I do like, because there are, in fact, a lot. Also, because you've been vaguely following stuff this is chock full of spoilers just FYI.

Ashton, Chetney, and Fearne are all great characters. There is a lot of thought put into all three by the cast members who play them, I find their backstories and their inner lives rich and interesting, I am actually pretty patient with the Hishari plotline because Ashton has so much else going on that while I'm curious, I don't feel deprived. Chetney is just a great concept (for real people need to play older adventurers more often) and Travis is perhaps an unparalleled generator of interesting plot hooks, and Fearne constantly surprises me with her emotional depth and mischief - after two campaigns of Ashley playing characters who were often more, if not subdued, restrained or thoughtful, it's wonderful watching her let loose and be chaotic and cause problems.

Imogen is tricky because she's a character archetype I love, but her closest relationship does nothing for me. I would really love to see Laura lean into the darkness and moral ambiguity more. With that said her relationships with most of the rest of the party are great and I'd like more of them, and her family dynamics are also fascinating. With Imogen...I do want payoff but there has consistently been enough to keep me going.

Orym and FCG are interesting cases because I always liked Orym well enough but he was extremely Just A Guy - he delivered consistently but never wowed me - and I could not stand FCG earlier on. However, Orym's current arc is phenomenal. Liam's style doesn't always work for me but when it does, it really does, and the past few episodes have been top-tier Orym content. Similarly, after FCG learned of their history and met Dancer, they have been on an upswing that has not ended. I have never before turned around on a character to this degree but I love what Sam is doing. So if you're early on and FCG pisses you off: valid, but he gets good around episode 31 and then keeps being good.

The party split arcs are great. I love Uthodurn, I love Molaesmyr, I love getting to see some of Issylra, there's some great combat, the guests are all fantastic, it's a standout Laudna arc (quite literally part of why I've been recently frustrated with Laudna is because it's like every scrap of character development vanishes when she's within 15 feet of Imogen, like the dumbest paladin aura, but episodes 59-63 Laudna you will always be famous.

Earlier on, everything while Dorian is there is a fun time. Eshteross is precisely up my alley as are the Green Seekers. I also love the Twilight Mirror Museum heist.

The Bassuras arc is rough because there's a lot of good stuff going on but the plot is all weird and slow and I did not enjoy the guest arc. That said: some great interpersonal conversations, and also the Deathwish Run is a fun time if, like me, you love combat.

Yios casino episode, also a good time. The best way I can put it for someone watching through is that like...episodes 1-23 are typical finding one's characters/figuring out what's going on early campaign stuff, enjoyable overall, and the flaws within them can be attributed to that. 24-38 have plenty of bright spots within them (some of which I talked about) but it's a real slog at times. 39-42 are great. 43-45 are nonstop lore dump time, which isn't to say they are bad - there's some good stuff in there - but after 24-38 being lore dump and weird setup city it's a bit exhausting. Once the party goes to the feywild in 46 things get good and stay good. Like, for all the current romance isn't doing anything for me it's also, at this point, literally 2 minutes in an episode that otherwise fucking rules.

So just to get back on the bit about positivity: I tend to talk a lot more about what isn't working than what is. Some of this is because I firmly believe complaining is an art and a skill and is more fun to write. Some if it is also because I think if I like something, I just...like it! I can probably figure out why I like it if I want, but there's something very enjoyable about, well, just enjoying something. But if I don't like something, it's important for me to try to tease out why. Sometimes it's just that it doesn't work for me. There have been past CR characters who, while I can talk through the things I find I don't like about them, in the end it really comes down to "I think this personality is annoying, and that's valid and also a personal opinion." But sometimes I can frame it in terms of lack of narrative weight or momentum, or mechanically suboptimal builds that don't fit in with the character, or what have you, and I think it's valuable to be able to say that instead of just "wow this sucks." Like, there's meta to be had in why I don't care for something, whereas, for example, Fearne's incredibly clutch moves in the most recent episode were things I called out in my liveblogging but I don't have much to say other than "Ashley made some baller combat choices."

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Operation Containment

After his tango with Shalian in More than One Universe, OMT!Tails was warped into a factory-life environment where Shalian and CR!Corrupt banged on glass chambers, wanting out.

OMT!Tails: Alright, you two! Calm down!

He yelped as OMT!Robotnik touched his shoulder, not at all chuffed.

OMT!Robotnik: Be careful what you wish for, Tails.

Shalian: Let me out of here!

OMT!Tails: Can you please explain to me what's going on?

OMT!Robotnik: That little device you botched where you wanted to open gateways to every known sadistic evil, well, it started pulling every sadistic evil that had conflicts to anyone related to Mobius, from EVERY universe, into this one.

OMT!Tails: From every universe? (offended) Also, how is the whole evil thing MY fault?!

Shalian: What's the idea, omelette-breath?! Where are we?!

OMT!Robotnik: I think it's better not to engage with them because frankly, the multiverse, NOT just other Mobiuses, is a concept of the world in which we know FRIGHTENINGLY little of... This shouldn't even be possible...

OMT!Tails: I thought you turned off your device before it blew up.

OMT!Robotnik: I didn't turn it off. I contained what's inside it, but apparently, a few of them squeaked through. After you left, my radar detected an otherworldly presence, so I got myself into a cave where I found (pointing to CR!Corrupt) THAT... dark hedgehog looking son of an egg...

Shalian: Device? Like, a portal-creator? What is this, a birthday party for bad guys? What is this madness?!

OMT!Robotnik: Watch this. (to Shalian) Do you know an Eggman from your universe?

Shalian: Yes.

OMT!Robotnik: Did he look like this?

Shalian: Er, no.

OMT!Robotnik: See?

Tails scratched his head, trying to figure this out.

OMT!Robotnik: Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. I don’t know how many of these… visitors we’ve got-.

OMT!Tails: I saw another one back at the bridge. He was like a... like a flying green haired man.

OMT!Robotnik: Well, he sounds jolly! Why don't we start with him? Now, I need you to capture them while I figure out how to send them back, before they destroy the fabric of the multiverse, or worse, someone else finds out...

OMT!Tails: Uhh... Doctor Robotnik?

OMT!Robotnik: What?

OMT!Tails: Me and Cream just got a second shot at getting into a science graduation, but if Bumper High School sees me fighting these... crazy monsters-!

Shalian: Hey, watch it, kiddo!

OMT!Tails: Sorry.

OMT!Robotnik: Seriously? Still thinking about the science class?

He charged up a device on his wrist.

OMT!Tails: Hey, what did you just do?

OMT!Robotnik: This!

He warped Tails into one of the chambers as a demonstration.

Shalian: How did you do that?

OMT!Robotnik: Lots of birthday parties...

He opened Tails's chamber before passing him the device.

OMT!Robotnik: One shot, send them here, move on, you’re welcome, now get to work…

OMT!Tails: Uh... sir?

OMT!Robotnik (slightly annoyed): Urgh... NOW what?

OMT!Tails: I know I have part of the responsibility in this mess, and I swear to you I'll get it fixed, but I'm gonna need a good amount of help to get it done! And not just from my friends here... you know what I mean, right?

A few minutes later, OMT!Mina and Mini Sonic came through, each wearing multidimensional watches now.

Mini Sonic: Woah! I can’t believe we’re at your Dr. Robotnik’s Gimme Shelter!

OMT!Robotnik: Me neither...

OMT!Mina: Tails! Hey!

She and Tails shared a hug.

OMT!Tails: It's so good to see you! I'm sorry for dragging you in this. You just gotta help me track down these guys...

Mini Sonic: So how did these guys you talked about get here?

OMT!Robotnik: Your little friend screwed up my device whilst trying to get himself and his sister into science class-.

OMT!Tails: No, that was afterwards. Let's just focus on the good news, okay?

OMT!Robotnik: No, let's just focus on the bad news! So far, you have detected ZERO multiversal trespassers, so... pack up your phones, scour on the internet and... Scooby-Doo this crap!

OMT!Mina: Hehe, you know, you're telling us what to do even though it was your device that got screwed up, so all of this is kinda your mess. I know a couple of magic words myself starting with the word, please~.

OMT!Robotnik: ... Please... Scooby-Doo this crap.

OMT!Tails: That's better. (Gosh, he's no fun...)

OMT!Robotnik: You can work inside my abandoned Wing Fortress.

OMT!Tails: You guys go ahead. I'll contact Knuckles and the others to get there, and I've got something else to get too.

Mini Sonic: Let’s catch some multiverse men!

Inside the fortress, the lights went on. Shalian and CR!Corrupt were also stuck there. Tails soon arrived with the others, holding something behind his back.

OMT!Tails: Guys, listen. About the whole device thing-.

OMT!Mina: No, it’s fine.

OMT!Tails: Wait, really?

OMT!Mina: Yeah, since you've gotten badly sick and other problematic stuff, you were just trying to fix things. But maybe just… run it by us next time, whenever you're gonna do something that could… break the universe, you know.

OMT!Tails: Heh, deal.

Mina noticed Tails’s position.

OMT!Mina: What’s up with your arm, Tails?

OMT!Tails: Oh, I…

He held out the bouquet he wanted to give her.

OMT!Tails: I, well... got these for you for when you happened to return.

OMT!Mina (happy): Aww, thanks! I'll gladly keep them with me! S-So, anyway, you zap them, Dr. Robotnik will send them back, and we will be having more fun together! Eating donuts, making devices... my treat!

OMT!Tails: A-Also. Y-Yeah, I developed a bit of a crush on you since we met.

Tails blushed shyly, and Mina did the same after hearing his confession.

OMT!Mina: G-Gosh, Tails… I, uh-

Mini Sonic: I said it once, I’ll say it again! Let’s catch some multiverse men!

The two captured villains were nearby.

Shalian: Hey! Who are those two with you?!

OMT!Tails: Oh, these are my other-worldly friends, Mina and Mini Sonic.

Mini Sonic: Hello.

OMT!Tails: I’m sorry, what was your name again?

Shalian: Name's Toxinfect, kid.

The three couldn't help but giggle in amusement at the name.

OMT!Tails: T-Toxiwhat?!

Mini Sonic: T-That's just d-dumb! Hahaha!

Shalian: Excuse me?

OMT!Tails: No seriously, what's your actual name?

Mini Sonic: Hey! What’s that black hedgehog-looking guy?

CR!Corrupt looked at them but didn’t respond, looking unamused. Some scenes play out with the gang getting ready to go find the rogue evils. While Tails is washing a top, he’s also on the phone with Sally at the same time.

OMT!Sally (on the other end): If the paint won’t come off, bring it to the shelter and I’ll get it out.

OMT!Tails: No, no, not yet, Sally. We’ve still gotta round up those otherworldly evils.

He lifted the shirt out, still covered in paint handprints.

OMT!Sally: Well, finish what you need to with the others and then come on by.

Mini Sonic: Guys, look!

OMT!Tails: Oh, sorry! Gotta go!

OMT!Sally: Okay! Love you, little bro! Bye!

Mina and Tails went to Mini Sonic, who had news to share.

OMT!Tails: What did you find?

Mini Sonic: The press had found reports of a few school deaths, most of which were school bullies, but a few were innocents… A survivor claims she saw a monster flying around the scene.

OMT!Tails: That's gotta be the guy I saw back at the bridge, right?

Shalian: That’s impossible.

Tails went closer to Shalian’s chamber.

OMT!Tails: You know him, don't you? On the bridge, you said his name.

Shalian: Richard Ambersilve. Brilliant young kid, well known for having the highest PHD, vengeful spirit after death. But the bullies that killed him weren't enough. He even killed innocents… even his own girlfriend. He was too hateful… blind… misguided…

OMT!Tails: What happened to him?

Shalian: I TIRE OF YOUR QUESTIONS, FOX!!

OMT!Tails: O-Okay… Alright, where do we go?

Shalian: It can't be him…

The group looked at him.

OMT!Tails: W-Why…?

Shalian: Because Richard truly died years ago. So either we saw someone else, or you're flying out into the darkness, to fight a ghost…

[gemsbuild]

Diamond And White Sapphire: Unveiling April's Dazzling Birthstones

By Gems Build

April birthstones are known for their stunning beauty and rich symbolism. From the mesmerizing diamond to the ethereal opal, these birthstones have captivated hearts for centuries. In this blog, we will delve into the history, characteristics, origin, and benefits of the April birthstones, shedding light on these precious gems that hold profound meaning for those born in this month. 

History of April Birthstones: Diamond and White Sapphire

The concept of birthstones can be traced back to ancient times, with evidence of their existence in various cultures and civilizations. The idea of associating specific gemstones with each month of the year has evolved over time, with different cultures adopting their own sets of birthstones.

The modern list of birthstones has been standardized by the American National Association of Jewelers (AGTA) and the Jewelers of America (JA). According to this list, the primary birthstone for April is the diamond, with the opal as an alternative birthstone.  

Diamond - Characteristics and Symbolism 

The diamond, the primary birthstone for April, is the epitome of elegance and resilience. The Greek word "adamas," which meaning invincible, is where its name originates. Known as the hardest natural substance on Earth, the diamond signifies eternal love, strength, and clarity. It is no wonder that it has become one of the most desired gemstones worldwide. 

Diamonds come in a wide range of colors, including white, yellow, brown, blue, green, and pink. The colorless or white diamond is the most popular and valuable variety. The brilliance and fire displayed by diamonds are a result of their exceptional optical properties, including high refractive index and dispersion. 

Symbolically, diamonds are associated with purity, commitment, and everlasting love. They have been used throughout history to symbolize wealth, power, and social status. From engagement rings to royal crown jewels, diamonds have always been a symbol of luxury and prestige. 

Diamond - Origins and Mining 

Under intense heat and pressure, deep under the Earth's mantle, diamonds are created. Volcanic explosions then raise them to the surface. Many diamonds are believed to have formed between 1 billion and 3.3 billion years ago. 

Diamonds are found in various parts of the world, including Africa, Australia, Russia, Canada, and Brazil. South Africa has been a significant source of diamonds since the late 1800s, while Russia is known for producing high-quality diamonds. The mining process involves extracting diamond-bearing ore from the earth and then processing it to separate the diamonds from the surrounding material. 

Diamond - Benefits and Healing Properties 

Beyond their beauty and symbolism, diamonds are believed to possess healing properties and provide several benefits to the wearer. It is said that diamonds can enhance one's energy, promote mental clarity, and provide protection against negative energies. They are also believed to boost confidence, increase inner strength, and promote harmony in relationships. 

Diamonds are often associated with the crown chakra, which is believed to be the highest energy center in the body. It is said that wearing a diamond can help align this chakra, leading to spiritual awakening and a deeper connection with one's higher self. 

Diamond - Famous April Birthstone 

Several famous diamonds have become legendary for their size, color, and historical significance. Among them is the Hope Diamond, a rare blue diamond with a fascinating history. This 45.52-carat diamond has been associated with a curse and has passed through the hands of various owners, including kings, queens, and socialites. 

Another famous diamond is the Koh-I-Noor, which means "Mountain of Light" in Persian. This 105.6-carat diamond has a long and storied history, having been possessed by various rulers over the centuries. It is currently part of the British Crown Jewels and is displayed in the Tower of London. 

White Sapphire - Characteristics and Symbolism 

Alongside the diamond, the opal also holds a significant place among April birthstones. With its kaleidoscope of colors and unique patterns, opal is believed to bring good luck and inspiration to its wearers. This gemstone is associated with creativity, hope, and emotional healing. 

White sapphires, a popular alternative to diamonds, are also considered April birthstones. These gemstones are a variety of the mineral corundum, which is the same mineral that forms rubies. White sapphires are valued for their brilliance and durability, making them an attractive choice for those seeking a diamond-like appearance at a more affordable price. 

Symbolically, white sapphires are associated with purity, wisdom, and spiritual growth. They are said to enhance intuition, promote mental clarity, and bring balance to one's life. White sapphires are often used in engagement rings and other pieces of jewelry to symbolize love and commitment. 

White Sapphire - Origins and Mining 

White sapphires are found in various parts of the world, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), and Madagascar. Sri Lanka has been a significant source of sapphires for centuries and is known for producing high-quality stones. The mining process for sapphires involves extracting gem-bearing gravel from the earth and then sorting and cutting the rough stones to reveal their beauty. 

White Sapphire - Benefits and Healing Properties 

White sapphires are believed to possess several healing properties and provide various benefits to the wearer. It is said that they can stimulate the mind, enhance focus, and promote mental clarity. White sapphires are also believed to bring peace, calmness, and harmony to one's life. 

In terms of physical healing, white sapphires are said to have a positive impact on the eyes, helping to improve vision and alleviate eye-related issues. They are also believed to strengthen the immune system and promote overall well-being. 

White Sapphire - Famous April Birthstone 

While white sapphires may not have as many famous names associated with them as diamonds, they have gained popularity as an alternative to traditional diamond engagement rings. Many couples are choosing white sapphires for their beauty, durability, and affordability. 

Conclusion:

April birthstones, including the diamond and the opal, offer a dazzling array of beauty, symbolism, and benefits. These precious gemstones have stood the test of time, captivating hearts and inspiring awe. Whether you choose the timeless elegance of a diamond or the enchanting allure of an opal, April birthstones bring a touch of magic and meaning to those who wear them. Discover the secrets and allure behind these gems that continue to enchant and adorn individuals throughout their lives. 

Remember, diamonds and white sapphires are not only stones of beauty but also bearers of symbolism and energy. Embrace the power and grace of your birthstone and let it enhance your life in ways you never imagined.

Unveil the wonders of birthstone magic! Explore the intense vigor of garnet, the tranquil calm of amethyst, and the shimmering hope of aquamarine. Harness strength through diamond, affection through emerald, and enchantment through alexandrite. Stir passion with ruby, seek solace in peridot, and attain wisdom through sapphire. Embrace the vibrant energy of tourmaline, the comforting glow of topaz, and allow either tanzanite or turquoise to illuminate your path.

[idrawsometimes]

Linktober Day 20: Fire/Lava/Heat

Red doesn't get out much. Let them have this.

[chuwush]

Initial concept work, fun fact Vill's arms / torso is based off an Oc I've had for several years named Starling. They have a few similarities in that department but otherwise are nothing alike. Maybe I'll show you her sometime :o).

Pass two¡ Very close to the Vill that we have now. Also the beginning of his freckles which later turn into moles¡

Character exploration of who he is personality and such also the first art pieces with his moles, then freckles still.

Original concept on how Vill and Evie met, it has sense been altered as Evie has been altered. Also the first pass on Vill's knee high boots.

Second pass on Evie and first pass on Cross who was just a concept at the time. Also second pass on Vill's boots. Also Evie's original last name which was Evergarden.

first colored image of Vill and Cross. Also Cross is still in beta here but he looks way different, if you want to see all his concept work then I'll be happy to show you but there's a lot less on him. Even less with Evie.

more character exploration and concept work to continue to get the feel for the character and to explain how he works. Basic character concept stuff. Wasn't finished because he looked off I'll probably redo this later.

Unfinished Vill and Evie character interactions to explore how they'd interact with each other. Also showing an Evie close to the final.

More character exploration and concepts for Evie and Cross before final. Cross freaked Vill out a lot when they first met and he still scares him at times as Cross is light on his feet and isn't the most talkative.

More Evie concept / Beta and Vill interactions. Also was going to explain why Vill is a cyborg and if he regrets it or not.

Height chart for scale Cross and Megagram are about the same height. Also Vill just has big hair so look a little closely. Anyhow you see Final Cross and Almost final Evie. She's just about there. Her antenna switch between being under her hat and not.

Cross and Vill interactions shown in a video I posted. Again Cross kinda freaks Vill out, mostly because Cross towers over everyone and Vill knows a lot about his specific model and make. As Vill was a lieutenant and often assisted a friend with older bots. Note Cross was in active Duty for Three years before Vill joined.

And some final poor Vill character sketches. I Don't know how well I express his personality. But I hope it comes off how I mean it too-

The reason Vill has the most character related sketches and concepts compared to Evie and Cross is because they were originally just going to be supporting characters in his overall story.

And Evie has the least as her age was changed and her story was muddled with abit so after about two passes she got her final desgin.

There's some stuff relating to Vill that still needs to be drawn out that will come out later. such as his moms and what he looked like pre-cyborg. Also his eyes started off completely normal then he just became perpetually traumatized-

His color scheme is oddly enough mostly my favorite colors. My favorite color my whole life being Purple. Which the main complementary being Orange. Green scar wounds, though the community gave Formies blue blood, green appears nicer with the rest of the pallet. I have drawn Formies with blue blood before or at least the implications of such. Will his scar colors change¿ We'll see. His eyes are yellow and yellow compliments purple nicely. Also hearts because I like hearts. The moles are left over from when he had freckles.

Finally his full name is Vilcrom Capra, so his full title is Lieutenant Vilcrom Capra. But he prefers to be called Vill and hardly if ever brings up rank.

Name pronunciation Vill-Cr-rum, Cap-prrrA.

Thanks for reading my big old thing here. I like character desgin a lot if you can't tell. If you guys want to see what I have for Cross and Evie I'd be happy to show you. Also there isn't any concept of Vill's moms or Evie's Parents at this moment of time but the process for them has started.

Thank you again for anyone who actually went through this, with my warm thanks.

-Chuwush (Chu-wush)

Ps. If anyone's wondering why the pronouncation thing there it's mostly for my own sanity I know my username isn't easy to pronounce my real name isn't either. But mispronounceation doesn't bother me just a more peace of mind that no one has to stress about saying my name wrong.

[the-wizard-challenge]

The Wizard Challenge

If you're like me and you have both an unquenchable thirst for roleplaying games and executive dysfunction, then you might also find yourself in a similar headspace of getting distracted and not tackling tasks that are necessary for the average functional civilian.

So, I decided to use my favorite pastime (coming up with D&D characters that I'll never use) as a way to help me motivate myself and trick myself into adopting better habits and routines in the coming year.

I didn't make any major new years resolutions for 2023 other than "do the the damn thing," and generally get around to all the things I should get done. My mental illness often inhibits me from getting into the correct state of mind where I feel motivated enough to start something, much less finish it.

And then I got to thinking, what if I could give myself XP for actually finishing tasks I set out to do? What If I could fuel my motivation with my inherent desire for escapism?

As a millennial with mental illness, I've seen motivational plans and tips like this a hundred times before, and have always felt pretty meh about them or fallen off early. Since I thought of this concept, however, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Might as well give it a shot!

I first turned to D&D 5e, the TTRPG system I'm most familiar with. It's easy to grasp, and there's tons of materials available online.

Then I started going down the rabbit hole that is creating a character concept, which is my favorite part of starting any game. But I also had to think of how I would apply my task management and routine-building.

I decided to pick a Wizard for my class. Because one of my general goals is to read more often, Wizard felt like a good option; any time I finish a book, I can treat it as a spell and add it to my wizard's spellbook.

I've been playing a lot of Potionomics and I adore the design for Luna, a moth girl with a talent for marketing. I picked Fairy for my wizard's ancestry, and got to work designing a moth-ish Wizard baby. Her name is Phalena, she enjoys green tea, and I'm aiming for her subclass to be Order of Scribes.

Then I sat down to think over how certain tasks and goals should be calculated in terms of experience. I didn't want to make things too easy on myself, so I factored in the idea that most D&D groups are about 4-6 players on average. I looked up some basic enemy stats for 5e (specifically, low CR enemies) and used that to build up my own system.

Basically, everyday tasks like doing laundry, washing dishes, or picking up groceries are equal to low-level monsters like zombies and skeletons (challenge rating 1/4). These are things that must be done, but can still be difficult to accomplish.

The total experience points awarded for defeating a zombie is 50 xp. As I said, though, you'll typically be playing D&D with at least 2 other people. Taking into account a 5-person party, that 50 xp is divided into 10 xp each.

Considering that the average time to actually start and finish one of these tasks is relatively low (15 to 30 minutes being the range), the trick that made the most sense to me was to take the total time in minutes it took to finish something and multiply it by 2 to get my total xp.

The original idea was to just multiply the minutes by 10, which would get me roughly around the average amount of xp in an encounter. For example, washing the dishes would be 150 xp. But if I'm trying to keep my numbers more in line with regular D&D sessions, that number would have to be split 5 ways to account for companions that I would surely need to overcome these encounters.

I mean, we all know how squishy wizards are. Let's be realistic.

So, the system became # of minutes a task takes to start and finish x 2. This also accounts for more arduous and draining tasks like studying or a workout session, which take longer, to have a proportional reward.

I'll be real right now: I haven't ironed out absolutely everything yet. I already have lots of ideas for other things I want to try. For example, I'm currently studying for specific certification that is in my field of work. Rather than just tallying up all experience points from studying sessions and taking the test, I also want to treat it like a side quest for a magic item - maybe a flying broomstick or an upgraded spellbook.

I also have thoughts about how rests should be treated, if I should think of those as self care activities. Maybe activities that I like that should be more moderated like playing video games can be seen as spell slots or once-per-long-rest abilities.

There's a lot of mechanics in 5e I could potentially incorporate other than just xp and new spells, but I feel like this is a good foundation for what I'm trying to do.

I also wanted to share this on Tumblr because I know there are others like me who may or may not find this interesting, and also 2023 is the year of the wizard as I understand it.

I want to be able to sketch my wizard and share her soon, but in the mean time I've already racked up some xp in the past couple days that I'm itchin to log.

[pathfinderunlocked]

Forest Temple Keeper - CR4 Fey Shaman

A Gathlain NPC based on Saria from Ocarina of Time.

Artwork by Jasqreate on DeviantArt and Rachel Kiernan at WordPress, ineptly combined by me.

Gathlain always seemed a lot like Kokiri to me, just with wings.  They’re forest fey who look like children their whole lives, and even grow from seeds that fall from a great tree.  The concept behind this NPC is a gathlain who serves as the guardian of a nature temple deep in the forest.  The NPC isn’t particularly combat-adept, but its ability to fly helps it find cover in the trees, and it is friends with many of the woodland animals and fey creatures in the surrounding forest.

Those forest creatures are likely to come to the forest temple keeper’s aid in battle, and will need to if you intend to use it as an enemy encounter.  The forest temple keeper’s ability to speak with trees might inform it when creatures have entered the forest or temple, giving it a chance at a surprise round.  It uses smoke bullets, thunderstones, tanglefoot bags, and support spells to disable enemies and buff allies.  Without help, this creature and its familiar are more like CR 3.  It’s perhaps better suited as a friendly NPC who guides the players and can heal them if needed.

This NPC has an improved familiar, a sprite with a couple of tiny wands.  Aside from yelling “Hey! Listen!” and “Watch out!”, the sprite flies around the battlefield and attempts to use the wands to heal allies or trip enemies.  Keep in mind that its reach is so bad that it has to share a space with someone in order to heal them, and it only has a 40% chance of successfully using either wand.  It tries to heal allies if it can do so without entering melee; otherwise it uses the wand of Stumble Gap.

The forest temple keeper has Tailwind pre-cast on its entire party (including its familiar), pointed in whatever direction makes it easier for them to get away from enemies.  This NPC gains proficiency with longbows from a trait, which it buys off with the Lonely drawback.

I’ve included the text of relevant class abilities, leaving out a few useless ones.

If you want to support this blog, now there’s an easy way to do so through my Ko-Fi page!  https://ko-fi.com/lockez  

Forest Temple Keeper - CR 4

The young-looking green-haired child watching over the temple entrance is clad in the leaves of the forest, and a small glowing fairy buzzes around her.  Her wooden wings must be what she used to reach the high tree branch she’s sitting on, from which she’s aiming an arrow down at you.

XP 1,200 Gathlain shaman 5 CG Small fey Init +3 Senses low-light vision; Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 12 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 natural, +1 size) hp 26 (5d8) Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +9; -2 vs. charm

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor) Melee unarmed +0 (1d2–2) Ranged longbow +8 (1d6/x3 plus thistle arrows) or sling +7 touch (smoke bullets) Special Attacks monstrous insight, swamp’s grasp

Shaman Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +9)    3rd—blindness/deafness (DC 17), tailwind    2nd—wood shape, summon nature’s ally II, forest friend    1st—entangle (DC 15), entangle (DC 15), bless, hide from animals (DC 15), sleep (DC 15)    0th—create water, detect magic, know direction, mending

Spontaneous Shaman Spellcasting (CL 5th; concentration +9)    3rd (1/day)—locate object, minor creation (wood only)    2nd (1/day)—barkskin, tongues    1st (1/day)—identify, shellelagh

Spell-like Abilities (CL 5th, concentration +5)     1/day—speak with plants (trees only)

STATISTICS

Str 7, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 10 Base Atk +3; CMB +0; CMD 13 Feats Improved Familiar (sprite), Small But Deadly, Weapon Focus (longbow) Traits Heirloom Weapon (longbow, weapon proficiency), Lonely Skills Fly +5, Handle Animal +4, Heal +8, Linguistics +1, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (religion) +4, Survival +11, Perception +5 (+3 to see through disguises) (+7 when familiar is within arm’s reach), Sense Motive +3 (+5 when familiar is within arm’s reach), Spellcraft +4, Use Magic Device +5 Languages Celestial, Common, Sylvan SQ spirit (wood), wandering spirit (lore), tree dialect, whispering leaves Gear small longbow, small sling, thistle arrows x30, smoke bullets x10, thunderstone x3, tanglefoot bag x3, hooded lantern, small +1 spellsink chainmail

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Thistle Arrows (Ex) A forest temple keeper fires thistle arrows from its longbow.  These arrows deal normal damage but then become embedded in the wound and deal an additional 1 point of damage each round for 1d6 rounds from their irritating sap.  Creatures immune to poison are immune to this extra damage.  A creature can remove an embedded thistle arrow as a move action without provoking attacks of opportunity, but doing so deals an additional 1d3 points of damage as the thorny barbs are pulled free.  A DC 12 Heal check (made as a standard action) can pull free a thistle arrow’s head without dealing any additional damage.

Smoke Bullets (Ex) A forest temple keeper fires smoke bullets from its sling.  Smoke bullets require only a successful touch attack to release the smoke.  When they strike a target, they burst, releasing a cloud of noxious gas that requires the creature struck to attempt a DC 13 Fortitude save.  If the save fails, the target is nauseated for 2 rounds.

Spellsink Chainmail (Su) A forest temple keeper wears a magical suit of spellsink chainmail.  A suit of armor or a shield with this ability can absorb and neutralize magical effects, albeit on a limited basis.  Once per day as an immediate action, the forest temple keeper can command the armor to absorb a magical ability created by a magic item, a spell, or a spell-like ability that specifically targets only the forest temple keeper.  The armor cannot absorb spells, spell-like abilities, or item effects that target an area or multiple targets.  The attacker creating the magical effect to be absorbed must succeed at a DC 14 Will saving throw or the armor absorbs and neutralizes the effect.

Monstrous Insight (Su) Three times per day, a forest temple keeper can identify a creature and gain insight into its strengths and weaknesses.  As a standard action, the forest temple keeper can attempt a Knowledge skill check to identify a creature and its abilities (using the appropriate skill for the monster’s type) with a +5 insight bonus.  Whether or not the check is successful, the forest temple keeper also gains a +2 insight bonus for 1 minute on attack rolls made against that creature and a +2 insight bonus to AC against attacks made by that creature.  These bonuses last for 1 minute.

Swamp’s Grasp (Su) As a standard action, a forest temple keeper can summon an entangling quagmire to fill an area.  Five 10-foot squares within 90 feet become difficult terrain for 7 rounds.  If the shaman uses this hex again before the duration of the previous use has expired, the effects of the previous use of this hex end immediately.

Whispering Leaves (Su) Whenever the forest temple keeper is within 10 feet of a tree or undergrowth, it can cast Whispering Wind as a spell-like ability (caster level 5).  The targeted area must also contain trees or undergrowth, which relay the message in a gentle, rustling voice.

Forest Temple Guardian’s Sprite Spirit Familiar

CN Diminutive fey Init +3 Senses detect evil, detect good, low-light vision; Perception +6

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +3 natural, +4 size) hp 13 (5d6) (half of master’s hp) Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +4 DR 2/cold iron Defensive Abilities improved evasion

OFFENSE

Speed 15 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect) Melee shortsword +3 (1d2-4/19-20) Ranged shortbow +10 (1d2-4) Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +5)    Constant—detect evil, detect good    At will—dancing lights, daze (DC 10)    1/day—color spray (DC 11)

STATISTICS

Str 3, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 10 Base Atk +5; CMB +4; CMD 10 Feats Alertness Skills Escape Artist +15, Fly +21, Handle Animal +1, Heal +1, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (religion) +0, Linguistics +0, Perception +6, Sense Motive +2, Stealth +19, Swim +0, Use Magic Device +8 Languages Auran, Common, Sylvan SQ luminous Gear diminutive wand of cure light wounds (30 charges), diminutive wand of stumble gap (13 charges)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Luminous (Su) A sprite naturally sheds light equal to that provided by a torch.  A sprite can control the color and intensity of the light as a swift action, reducing it to the dimness of a candle or even extinguishing its luminosity entirely if it wishes.

Spirit Animal Camoflauge (Su) The forest temple guardian’s sprite spirit familiar looks like a wooden figurine or a vaguely fairy-shaped tree branch when it is motionless.  The spirit familiar gains freeze as per the universal monster rule.  The spirit familiar can take 20 on its Stealth check to hide in plain sight as this kind of inanimate object.

Improved Evasion (Ex) When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Familiar Alertness (Ex) While its spirit familiar is within arm’s reach, the forest temple guardian gains the Alertness feat.

Empathic Link (Ex) The forest temple guardian has an empathic link with its spirit familiar to a 1 mile distance.  The master can communicate empathically with the familiar, but cannot see through its eyes.  Because of the link’s limited nature, only general emotions can be shared.  The master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.

Speak with Master (Ex) When the forest temple guardian and its spirit familiar communicate verbally, they can choose to do in such a way that other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.

[fernrisulfr]

Hobble

Crazy idea I had but felt I’d never actually use for one reason or another. I’m going to preface this, because people are going to make a lot of assumptions, I made this concept before I had any idea who Nott the Brave was. I had however recently watched the CR All Goblin Pathfinder One-shot. 

Hobble - Artificer (Armorer) - Haunted One/Soldier - Goblin - Chaotic/Neutral -

Backstory Concept: Once a Hobgoblin of noticeable military rank and achievement, trained in an unrevealed melee class (Fighter, Barbarian, or Paladin.), life as they knew it came to an end after the defeat of a magic caster or intelligent magical creature. From this battle they took a trophy from their fallen foe in the form of a small bauble it had been wearing around it's neck. When they touched it however, it drained from them their knowledge, their experience, their very strength. When there was no more to take from him but life itself, they found themselves a Hobgoblin no more, but a diminutive and sickly looking Goblin. A husk of their former self. Has trouble remembering most details about their previous self (hence why their previous class is unrevealed. They don't remember it clearly.). When they forgot their own name, they renamed themself "Hobberth", Hob Birth, in an attempt to at least remember that they were not always a mere Goblin. Responds to, and has accepted that, many refer to him as "Hobble", as he does truly believe he has been hobbled by his transformation. Still has the Bauble which did this to him, though it hasn't done anything since. Believes that the Bauble talks to him, whether this is true or all in his head is uncertain. Due to the combination of memory loss and trauma from his experiences, has a tenuous grip on his sanity and a somewhat eccentric form of logic. Real name "Grem'Shal". 

Appearance: Jaw is crooked and set to one side, with one particularly large canine jutting out upward from it; used to cut into his lip, but has scarred to the extent there is now enough space to pass over it cleanly. Sort of green-brown skin colour. Mostly bald. One eye appears larger than the other because one eye is always squinting. Under his armor is wearing nothing but tatter overalls and work gloves. 

[gardenreviewus]

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