#it was fun to do a skill/arcane build

[alberichfanpage]

Some spooky shots of my Hunter, Yvain.

The hunters of Yahar'gul answer to the village's founders, the School of Mensis. Hunters in name only, these kidnappers blend into the night wearing this attire.

[cryptids-and-muses]

Post canon homestuck crew play Dungeons and Dragons

Karkat and terezi

Co dms

Unstoppable when actually working together

Terezi will get sidetracked messing with karkat

Karkat trying to write a deep and well fleshed out campaign that’s thematically resonant vs terezi’s desire for chaos and traps and trying to “trick” her players FIGHT

Terezi believes in karma and will make the world bend to this

Karkat is trying to set up romance arcs and argues about how it adds to the theming

Dave draws them fanart of their characters. Terezi loves it while karkat argues about accuracy before admitting yes he also appreciates it

Calliope also does fanart and karkat praises her skill and accuracy unlike some people

John

Arcane trickster rogue

Forest gnome

Just a goofy little guy!

Mostly just playing to have fun, starts off with a fun but simple character who develops over time

Ends up SUPER invested and taking this so so seriously

Karkat worked a dramatic reveal into the, in his words, “bare ass bones two paragraphs that a fucking wiggler could have written backstory” and John did not see it coming and loved it

Goes head to head with terezi a lot on her various traps she designs for them. She is getting more and more absurd with it. Karkat had to talk to her about breaking the world building with things she’s introducing. He is the only rogue. Send help.

Rose

Drow warlock

Tries to justify picking drow as anything other than she just thought it was cool

Nearly went old ones for patron but settled on archfey for story reasons

Has a 10 page lore document detailing her tragic past and her toxic relationship with her patron

It became 15 pages after going back and forth with karkat for a bit and adding even more

Only her and one other person are taking the romance arcs seriously and they become karkat’s favorite players

Tries playing morally ambiguous but terezi can be annoying about that and claims it’s just “the consequences of her actions”

Her and karkat both get very very into the scenes between her and her patron, the drama! The acting! Dave is uncomfortable and karkat brushes it off, it’s not like him role playing as his sister’s abusive girlfriend is weird. It’s in fact very important to the plot Dave

Has written fanfic of the campaign

Jade

Dragonborn barbarian

Path of the beast

Don’t ask me I just know

Her GLEE when she says “I’m gonna rage :D”

ANIMAL COMPANION! She nearly went ranger just for that but knew she wouldn’t have as much fun. Found a way to get one anyway.

It was harder naming her animal companion than her character

Having fun and likes the problem solving side of things, but likes breaking things with her massive strength just as much

Terezi likes to throw stuff at her, both traps and encounters, and finds it funny if she can just wreck her way through

“See John that’s how you deal with a pressure plate trap”

Takes the rp side of things very seriously

Once argued with Karkat over if her favorite npc would do that and cursed him out

Has read roses fanfic of the campaign

Dave

Plays a teifling with grey skin and orange horns

“What are you talking about karkat this is just my dude, don’t you like him?”

Hellus Jeffus

He’s a valor bard, eventually multiclasses paladin

Starts out just trying to mess with people but like John starts getting into it, though he tries to down play it

Have hellus more of himself than he realized and it’s making him face things about himself

Eventually hellus self sacrifices to save the party in this deeply intense moment. There were tears, Dave was wrecked, they went on a whole quest to revive him. It was touching and karkat is smug

Dave might have worked through some things

Jane

Halfling cleric

Her and John are small buddies!!!

Started out life but wasn’t having a lot of fun with it so with terezi’s permission switched to war or tempest with later s few levels in fighter

Her John and Jade are the biggest front liners, John’s character ends up really close with both of them as it’s easier for the rogue to bond with the person giving them sneak attack

Jade and jane’s character have an in game arm wrestling match

Took a bit to get into the rp side of things but eventually got the hang of it

Roxy

Tabaxi, easily, it’s so obvious

After much deliberation settles on glamour bard (though wizard and rogue were tempting for the joke, she wanted to branch out)

So many horny bard jokes but very little actual follow through, karkat gets frustrated by this as she’s all this talk but isn’t pursuing any of the romance options he’s giving her

She has SECRETS! She is HIDING THINGS!! Her cheery persona is a FASADE!!!

Cue complaining to karkat about how hard it is to wait to tell the others about her secrets and him threatening violence if she tells anyone before the in game reveal

She tells jake

Lots of egging on Dave and helping him with his fucking around

The BOND between her and Dave!!! They are the duo to end all duos. Team rocket type shit. There is nothing stronger than the bond between the bards of the party. My theory is it has to do with trading bardic inspiration.

Dirk

Half elf Druid circle of spores

Wildfire seemed fun to him but wasn’t as good

Wasn’t originally planning on being a Druid but after going over all the classes he liked all the customization and decisions that go into Druid like prepared spells and such

Didn’t really think about his backstory much, just improved something. He keeps improving new additions and it’s getting more and more elaborate and complicated. He has multiple hidden and long lost siblings by this point. Still doesn’t write any of this down. If he messes a detail up he justified it with more improv.

Yes his character has spiked up red hair and sunglasses. Don’t question how the Druid got sunglasses karkat.

Really likes the tactics side of things, he’s even pitched a few things to terezi she updated and later worked in

Sometimes works on plans and strategies out of game or making a million back up characters that play off the others in interesting mechanical ways

Is considering becoming a dm some time

Jake

Needed some help making his character, he just didn’t know where to start

Eventually after much discussion settles on a teifling bladesong wizard

Wanting to get away from his usual adventurer style Roxy helped with the backstory and they came up with this evil scientist raised in a cult who’s good hearted but was never taught right and wrong

He gets very into playing him and his moral struggle but can lean a little too good for his backstory, karkat points this out and Jake swears to get better at it

Dave pitched a lot of names for them and it was eventually settled on “Bernard Gunn” even though he has a sword. Jake just likes how it sounds

“Why is he blue jake?” “…..uhhh” “why is he blue?”

Calliope

SHE LOVES THIS SO MUCH

Teifling Druid with a focus on healing

Circle of shepards

Not a troll color pallet like Dave though, honestly it might get a bit trickster

Beautiful backstory that she coordinated with one of the others to make joint. The most obvious choice is Roxy but I think it was actually jade, Jane or John.

She gets so into it you guys, like so into it

Gives at least one dramatic speech completely on the fly

The other character who takes karkat’s romance arcs seriously and his other favorite player

Has also argued with terezi about world building and consistency. This may put her above rose in karkat’s eyes

Was also allowed to read rose’s fanfiction and offered full on reviews

Also considering going into doing but for the opposite reasons to Dirk

Vriska

Fairy artillerist artificer with a dip in war magic wizard

Min maxxed to hell and back

(Technically there was a better race, but fairy has its own advantages and she couldn’t resist)

An elaborate backstory too with some secrets of her own, I’m thinking full on lost princess

Yes she is That Player, you know the one

Has nearly been kicked multiple times and now won’t leave on principle

Not the best at sticking with the party and not just doing whatever she wants, but suprisingly Dirk has been able to talk her into it with his talk of tactics and playing smart

Second most effective is John who just looks at her like “vriska you’re not making this very fun :(“

Kanaya

Fire genasi ranger

Really tried to get into it but this just isn’t her thing so eventually decided to leave the group

Karkat came up with a fun story reason for her to leave and eventually brought her character back as an Npc

Did help rose make a cosplay of her character, after which John, Calliope, and Roxy wanted to make ones too

Vriska eventually tried to “manipulate” into helping her make one for her character

[stari-hun]

No Storm: Time Traveler AU

Isolde’s Normal Girl Adventures and Kakania Learning to Make Healthy Friendships

This is a bit of a world building post to my Isokania story for my janky modern au. It’s a collection of fun (and not so fun) facts about their lives 

Timeline: Isolde and Kakania start college (Isolde 18 / Kakania 19), Graduate (Isolde 20 / Kakania 21), 5 years later as their lives change (Isolde 25 / Kakania 26), Reunion (Isolde 35 / Kakania 36). 

✰. General Facts About The Two

Isolde is a morning person. She dislikes fluorescent lights and she hates the warm glow of candles even more, so she’d rather just wake up early morning and use natural daylight.

Isolde is the type to randomly drop trauma out of nowhere. While she doesn’t think of it as incredibly traumatic, her friends taught her to air out her thoughts instead of letting people never get to know her. 

✰.

Kakania is a midday person. She dislikes early mornings, but also late nights. She’d rather get the most out of any day, but she doesn’t function well waking up at dawn or staying up super late.

While Kakania had much more freedom than Isolde in her childhood, she still didn’t know a lot about sexuality until far later. It took a lot of talks with Blonney and Jessica after graduation, and once she had started her job, that there was more to it than just liking the same or opposite gender. 

Many people in Kakania’s family have had cataracts later in life, so it’s one of her biggest fears. Once she reached her 30s though, she stopped worrying as much over it because of her health insurance and good eye health. 

✰. Friend Group Content: 

Despite using it as an example, cats are wary of Isolde because of her arcane energy. Dogs are downright terrified of her. Jiu has a picture on her phone of a cat purring with Vila and following her around before it realized Isolde was next to her. 

Isolde is impossible to startle by jumpscares in movies or even the tension from psych horrors, but she can still get scared. She struggles a lot when she thinks about the time she lost as a child to possession.

Tooth Fairy was initially going to be the one to teach Isolde to drive, but after Windsong and Vila saw the way she drove. It was quickly decided Windsong would teach her.

Medicine Pocket, Mesmer Jr, and Vertin aren’t scared of Isolde or unnerved at her at all. It gave her a false sense that children weren’t as afraid of her as animals are. She learned of the misunderstanding when Vila asked her to be her TA during a midterm assignment to do a mock lesson with children. They ended up having to reshoot twice before Matilda is able to keep her eyes off of Isolde. 

Once she got used to her however, Matilda had the chance to teach Isolde some divination skills. In turn, Isolde taught Matilda an arcane spell to do with insight which had been passed down in her family. (It has a VERY low chance of working, but in turn it’s the only completely safe arcanum the Dittarsdorf’s preserved.) 

During the time she lived with Tooth Fairy, Isolde worked at Jiu’s tavern because she she had enough knowledge on alcohol from her studies as a Dittarsdorf. 

For a few months, Jiu became really obsessed with spicy food, and the entire group would eat a lot of the hot foods she’d make in the tavern. While Windsong was her biggest challenger in their quest to see who had the best spice tolerance. Isolde ended up winning overall. Even though she hates when food is too spicy to taste, her ability to keep her cool made her seem like the winner before an hour had passed and Tooth ended up giving her 3 fairies to stop the pain.

Isolde is friends with Desert Flannel but only online. They met through Windsong when she was showing Isolde how to navigate the internet properly and upload videos, and Desert Flannel has a side hustle with indie music editing. 

Isolde has met Tooth Fairy’s parents before during Thanksgiving. Isolde, Jiu, Windsong, and Vila went together after being invited by Tooth Fairy’s parents through her. 

Kakania saw the Film Crew around quite a bit during her first year and even in her second, but she never interacted with them because a situation never came up. She never saw Jessica either until after spring break of their second year. It’s one of the few things Blonney is grateful towards Kakania’s insensitivity for. 

Kakania’s first real mutual bond with the film crew was from the fact that she doesn’t scare easily. She grew up with her best friend being in a long line of mediums, so ghosts don’t scare her. She would also get into danger on her excursions, so she was fully aware of how to handle a dangerous situation with both ghosts and humans. An-An and Horropedia spent a solid month before they found a movie that startled her.

Blonney and An-An Lee took Kakania to Jiu's tavern once, but Jiu didn't really recognize her, and Kakania didn't drink. So it wasn't an eventful incident enough for any of them to remember.

Shortly after graduation, Blonney got into marathon running. Jessica, Blonney, and Kakania completed a few runs over the years until Blonney began working as a director, and Jessica as an actor. But Kakania kept up running even after they stopped marathon prepping, she’s even won first place in a few runs in London. 

Kakania started a therapist twice a month after starting her work at the SPDM. They frequently scold her for ignoring her own signs of stress and the way she hurts herself by exhaustion when she feels frustrated. Whenever Kakania feels like she’s made a huge mistake, she jumps into helping people as much as possible, even when it's hurting her, until the episode has passed.

Vila and Kakania have run into each other on occasion from Kakania being the children in her classes' therapist. Even though she had been on somewhat friendly terms with Tooth Fairy as a coworker, Vila had no plans of making the same kind of friendly truce between her.

Kakania has heard of how Isolde is doing, just without her knowledge and not from Tooth Fairy. An-An Lee got really interested in Isolde for a good amount of time after she did an interview for a news station on what it was like being a Dittarsdorf and around ghosts all the time. An An took it as a good learning opportunity and even kept up with her for a while when she’d answer questions on social media. 

✰. Already Settled into their Lives Apart 

By the time Isolde was 25, she had started having wards sewn into all of her custom clothing in order to ward off possession after a particular episode revealed to her therapist her habit of using it to cope. She’s powerful enough either way that if she was in a serious amount of danger to need possession, she could drag a ghost into her past the wards, but they’d still give her more control over the possession than she’d have without. 

✰. Bonus ! 

At one point after their reunion, Kakania and Isolde go back to Vienna together, and Kakania realizes that nostalgia is what had made the Austrian food in New York taste good.

[thvanatos]

arcane predictions!!! but mostly kaz's unintelligible rambles

no like now that we're done with act 1 i kinda wanted to get in on the fun of like guessing esp because i KNEW the enforcer act would backfire immediately spoilers duhhhhh

isha or maddie is gonna die bc like. the tropes are right there.

someone said that ambessa is gonna be the final boss villain and idk if thats league lore im missing out on, someone pls enlighten me

loving ambessa btw the reveal that she was behind the 'attack' during the memorial fucking GENIUS

bc it was kind of a breaking point of the dark caitlyn arc!!

vi pitfighting arc next which im sad about bc like wdym i gotta watch my girl going THRU it

i mean this is a stretch but heimerdinger,,, bro defo has a bigger part to play right

yk like all of this has got me thinking abt the ending bc it cant be something like and they band together and live happily ever after!!! its gotta have some major casualty

so im kinda expecting it ... either vi... or jinx...

i love the vi is caitlyns weakness trope - it happened in s1 and remember how ambessa exiled mel bc she weakened her think THAT and cait being ambessas target and cait cutting off vi... would love to see it more in play.

jinx doing smth sacrificial bc girl has zero self preservation skills

SPEAKING OF JINX

i love the shift in perspective bc s1 felt like we were watching it from jinx first person pov and rn it feels like jinx third person and also her saying 'its so quiet now'

her character arc seems to be taking the hero's path which is so cool!!!!!!!!!!

that guy... yk the enforcer guy who left when cait was declared leader... who tf is that guy

ALSO WHO IS WARWICK SORRY I DONT KNOW LEAGUE LORE SOMEONE EXPLAIN BC WHAT IM SEEING IS... WORRYING...

ekko badass moment

i have NO idea whats gonna happen w viktor but jayvik nation i extend my condolences

yk idk how theyre gonna add more lore - if theyre gonna add more lore bc act 1 lays down the foundation, sets the scene, everything else builds up from here na. just fascinated on where its going frfr.

okay yeah i know this is not very predictions but wtv wtv i just wanted to say ik people say the pacing felt off but it felt perfect to me tbh - keeping in mind i finished my s1 rewatch last night - it felt like elements sorta clicking into piece, yk? the cogs of a machine taking their places.

thats all i can think of for now, lmk ur thoughts!!!!!111

[robby-bobby-tommy]

I haven't watched purgatory streams cuz I am too busy rn, but here's some hcs

- Only emotionally charged scars stay on the body. Like both Phil and Fit have their scars because they felt so betrayed. The other wounds heal with respawn.

- Fit thought that Pac not only helped to kill him, but also agreed to be a bait to lure 2b2t veteran in a trap. After this "betrayal" Fit's eyes change.

- as a dumbahh who watched arcane, I really like the idea of eye changing with emotional stability. Like powder — blue/grey eyes, Jinx — pink eyes. So I have a HC that after the incident Fit's usually brown eyes change to almost toxic green eyes.

- Fit has severe PTSD about 2b2t. The betrayal triggered it and now he doesn't trust people.

- also Fit has 2b2t gravured in his prosthetic arm/gauntlet.

- every time étoiles kills someone, they have a star shaped scar.

- Phil has star shaped scar. Also the majority of his scars from nightmare and code fight. Also some from earth smp.

- Phil had a very speedy, flying oriented battle type. Now he has a different fighting skills, but likes to attack from above (using paraglider)

- Fit's battle skills are way more grounded, he puts way more force in his punches and swings. He also used to fight with only gauntlets/bare hands, so he's a master of hand-to-hand combat.

- Étoiles is just a goat, but he's something in between. He's also very grounded, but is jumpy.

- Roier is a funny but quiet kid, when it comes to battles. Nobody expects it, but he's a pro. He's super good at breaking through shields and at unarming opponent.

- Fit and Phil train together, and it's fun. But sometimes when crowza accidentally triggers PTSD, Fits fighting style suddenly changes. He now doesn't fight to better his skills, he fights to survive. His punches become more chaotic and heavy. They both apologize later.

- Jaiden is literally "I'm a helpless little girl. And j set the building on fire by accident, tooootaly by accident. Also I brought this dynamite. Goodbye:)" And then everything blows up. She's the epitome of "act weak when you're strong".

- Pol (i sadly haven't watched any of his streams cuz of language barrier, but I think he deserves more recognition) only pretends being oblivious and indifferent towards federation. Like he's the first person from all frozen members to remember his past and cooperate with cucurucho.

- I kinda feel like Rubius is one of the old residents of the island.

- Aypierre is Ayanami Rei (/j but I honestly don't understand his lore. I use Tumblr as a news channel and I still don't know what happened to Pierre. Is he ayrobot? Do they now share a body???)

- after the nether Forevers hair go to shoulders.

- Rubius once was just a man. He was an original old resident. After a few years of working with people on the server he was promoted to an angel/devil entity. For it was funny at first, but soon enough it became boring, cuz he wasn't allowed to interact with people apart giving them quests. So he disguised himself as a man and left the island. Later he came back on train with everyone. For escaping and messing with people, giving them illegal stuff ect he was demoted and "fell from heaven". (This HC has literally no reasons, but I like it.

- Carre likes to stretch like a cat.

- team bollas sleep close to each other, but don't go under blankets, cuz in their base there's literal lava above the celling.

- Fit is severely touch starved but he doesn't always trusts enough. During qsmp he became more affectionate, and started to initiate touching. He always puts his hand of someone's shoulder to comfort them (baby steps). I don't feel like after purgatory this stays like that.

- it's not my headcanon, but I adore when people draw Bagi muscular. Like, I dunno why. But I love it so much.

- Missa is a real skeleton, so when death duo reunited for the first time, Phil literally detached wet cat's skull from the neck, yelling "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN"

- Some people have things that represent their close ones. Phil has skull, trinket (is it how it called?) of his kids on his back, flowers from forever, star keychain from étoiles and a bomb from Fit. Fit has Philza's feather, a necklace with a pacman on it, a bolt from Tubbo, and Ramon modifies his arm a lot. Ect ect.

- waaaay back when Slime went on a rampage after Juana's death, Fit called him to a tête-à-tête dialogue. At first he pushed Slime to the tree and put elbow on his neck, but during Charlie's monologue he let his guard down and even wanted to place his hand on the shoulder. Yet before that they were interrupted by Roier. (Also Charlie asking advice and trusting Fit all this time was quite sweet. Like, he even asked advice when dead eggs came back)

- during purgatory Phil balances himself with weapons.

- Charlie always suspected CodeFlippa wasn't the real one, but he deliberately chose to ignore that. Ignorance is a blessing.

- gladiator by Jann but Étoiles, you see what I see???

- Phil and Fit are terrible sleep bros. When they went to adventures with kids and had to sleep in the open, Fit couldn't sleep, listening to players steps, and Phil tried to figure out mobs. Also they play footsie (they said it on one stream, this is cannon. I really dunno are they besties or homos anymore)

- one of the ways to know if an avian on the server is sick is to see how their feathers react to water. If I'm correct, irl birds have a special stuff on them to not get wet. Only birds with sickness appear to be wet (mb not all birds are like that, I don't remember)

- just "are we still sisters?" Dialogue from arcane but Bagi and Cellbit

- everyone has bags under the eyes

That's all for now.

[noirandchocolate]

*sipping banana whiskey on a Wednesday night*

What if…guys what if. The Yiga Clan’s Blademaster exam historically wasn’t really that easy. What if Tears of the Kingdom simplified it (Doylist explanation) or the Clan changed and simplified it over the 100 years since the start of the Calamity for some reason (Watsonian explanation)?

Because. It just feels too easy. Even if the person attempting it isn’t Link, with access to fast-travel points and sky islands to drop from. The guy at the Blademaster Station who’s apparently in charge of administering the test even marks the locations of the frog statues on Link’s map! Come on. That’s too easy. And has nothing to do with swordsmanship either! It can’t be that simple.

*pours another shot*

Yeah I think…. There’s got to be more to it. Or there was. Way back when. (My primary headcanon focus is always on AoC timeline anyway.) I think! The banana offerings are just the first part. And the statues are placed new for every candidate. And you have to journey about to find them yourself. It’s meant to test your scouting, perception, and overall survival skills, to make sure you’ll be useful on missions outside the Valley. Can you spot the statues? Climb/teleport up the cliffs? Be in the harsh wilderness of the Highlands and desert for a period of time? (Don’t worry, there’s always (more or less) someone around monitoring you, you (probably) won’t die, they’ll grab you and you’ll just fail the test attempt.)

But then if you can do it, that’s not all. I think! The exam has also got to include tests with the two-handed weapons Blademasters traditionally wield: the windcleaver and eightfold longblade. Tests on technique and form, performing certain strokes, draw speed, things like that. There would also be tests on the arcane arts like the Earthwake technique.

And then—!

You have a match with the Right Hand! Who’s the lead Blademaster teacher/mentor. You don’t have to beat them of course (and in the case of Sooga, you probably wouldn’t), you have to impress them. Hold your own. Get a hit in where you can. Show off everything you know, against the person who probably taught you a lot of it.

Oh and then if you manage to succeed at that?

You fight Master Kohga. And try to do the same. Imagine! Having to try countering all that magic, all that power! It’s a true test, to make absolutely sure you’re good enough for one of the elite martial positions in the Clan!

Afterward, the Master and Right Hand confer and make the final decision whether you pass and become a Blademaster or not. And then you get given your official blade (either type, your choice) and a lil’ feast/party to celebrate you joining the ranks.

*downs the rest of the drink*

Anyway that’s what I think.

(I also think it would’ve been fun in TotK if passing the exam earned you not just a pristine eightfold longblade (easily breakable and lost) but info on the locations of more Clan branches you could travel to to get the pieces of an actual Blademaster armor. Like you could do some kinda additional lil’ quests to get them, to make it more interesting/worthwhile. The Footsoldier-style armor gives you stealth and a set bonus nighttime speed boost for that light fast build. Maybe the Blademaster one could give stealth but the set bonus is proficiency with two-handed weapons? Either letting you swing them faster or they all get a little attack+ bonus?)

*waves glass on my way to bed* ANYWAY THAT’S WHAT I THINK.

[sanctus-ingenium]

Idk if you play DnD, but if you do, how would you build Finbarr and Olivier?

Finbarr is a kind of shrinking violet/heartless killing machine guy (in the least cool way possible- no, worse than that), I think he'd make an awful player character in dnd lmao but I think if his pact with esk can be used creatively it could be fun. so:

human, folk hero, ranger (fey wanderer) x warlock (archfey), sharpshooter feat. all skill points into dex and con, absolutely nothing in cha (multiclass was against his will), and equipped with 'silvered' arrows.

Olivier, who famously ate his own father's still beating heart as a way to take control of their sect & claim it imbued him with enough Male Energy that he was no longer considered a woman, would be an amazing character to play imo because he's so intense about everything. Physically beefy but his main talent is charisma and a magnetic personality

shifter/werewolf, gladiator, paladin (oath of conquest) x bard (college of eloquence), inspiring leader feat. he'd be a cha & str beast

I made those up on the spot but in case u were wondering about other characters, behold their actual character sheets I have made: (and played) in dnd. They were antagonist npcs so were allowed to be kind of broken lmao

He was a ranger (hunter conclave) x fighter (arcane archer) and because Bowman is technically a bow and a man, he gets two sets of saving throw proficiencies - esk got int and wis, bman got the other three, and nobody got cha because the version of him in dnd was set up to be kind of a loser (even moreso than usual!!). he got two extra attacks (one for being a ranger, one for being a fighter) and, if sufficiently buffed by his party, could make a stealth roll of 35 lmao

his two pals were more basic cleric & warlock/druid builds

Erica was a secondary player character for a while, originally I wanted him to have a more interesting class but to be perfectly honest, thief is so badly broken at high levels that anything else would be a downgrade and i wanted him to be good at what he does

[dicebound]

Striker D&D 5e Build

My Stolas post is making the rounds again, so I thought I'd build Striker for funsies. 1. Lineage - Tiefling (Fierna) Being an imp, Tiefling is an obvious choice for Striker. What sub-lineage you choose varies on what class you end up picking for him. Zariel or Standard Tiefling is the most fitting in my eyes, followed by Fierna Tiefling for the charm and suggestion angles. If you wanted to play up the rattlesnake aspect of Striker's character, you could also go with Yuan-ti.

2. Background - Urban Bounty Hunter So here's the thing, we don't know much about where Striker comes from and why he's the way he is. He seems to be from the Wrath Ring, given his cowboy theming, and has a strong dislike of Nobles. He also takes jobs from just about anyone to do just about anything. I'd say Criminal/Spy, Urban Bounty Hunter or Outlander are your primary thematic options for him given what information we have at this time. I could also see Faction Agent with a specific tie to the Zhentarim in a Forgotten Realms game.

3. Class - Vengeance Paladin So Class is fun, as Striker can do a little bit of everything. He's a highly capable contract killer with a charismatic flair. He fights with guns and whips, rides hell steeds with ease, and even plays the guitar. He also seems to struggle to keep his cool under pressure as of his second and third outings. Because Striker has such a wide array of talents, he could realistically be many classes. Bard, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Paladin or Warlock all fit him to one degree or another. I feel stronger about the Martial Classes than I do the spellcasting ones, given we haven't really seen Striker use magic. SO let's break it down. A) Bard Striker is sexy and charming and Bard is the class most known for it's Charisma shenanigans. Their skill monkey nature fits Striker's wide range of capabilities. However, Striker isn't much of a spellcaster and no Bard subclass currently enhances ranged combat. If you want to go this route, go College of Whispers or College of Valor. B) Fighter If your DM allows Guns and Critical Role content from DDB, then Gunslinger Fighter is an easy answer. You really couldn't go wrong with it. If not, Arcane Archer or Battle Master Fighter could also do the trick. Arcane Archer more for it's focus on flashy ranged attacks and Battle Master for being just fucking good. Also Chevalier may be good to represent his ropin' and riding.

C) Ranger So Cowboys just *are* Rangers. They spend time out in nature alongside trusty steeds and stocks of steer. That being said, it's not a popular class in 5e and only Hunter really fits Striker as a character. I also don't know if I'd represent Striker as especially Wise, given his demeanor. D) Rogue He's a criminal who takes jobs with the mafia and assassination contracts against nobles, he's got Rogue energy for sure. Skill monkey also fits well with his wide range of talents. Assassin is a given but also consider Swashbuckler and Scout as subclass options. Swashbuckler for it's Charisma focus and stylin' on the enemy and Scout for it's ranger, outdoorsy flavor. You really can't go wrong with Rogue. E) Paladin This might seem way off base, but I think Paladin has some great potential to represent Striker really well. Charisma based martial class with limited holy power (angelic weapons anyone?). While we don't know the full scope of it, Striker seems to have an ideology that he's intent on carrying out and holds against others. Oath of Conquest, Oath of Vengeance, or Oathbreaker are the stand-outs to me. My only grip is Smite doesn't work on Ranged attacks (though One D&D may fix that) Conquest's battlefield control really fits the fantasy of fighting and winning against multiple people at once, while Vengeance seems to fit his anti-noble ideology.

F) Warlock Finally, we need to pay some lip service to Warlock. Striker is a demon, he usually works for a greater evil (Crimson or Stella for example), and Hexblade may be too good to pass up. Also hey, Eldritch Smite is a thing. I don't see Striker being anything other than Pact of the Blade for this though and He hasn't been shown doing any real spellcasting. It's one of the weaker options in terms of accuracy to the character.

For my purposes, I'm gonna go with Vengeance Paladin but really Assassin Rogue, Hunter Ranger, and Gunslinger Fighter are all excellent options.

4. Stats With +2 Dexterity and +1 Charisma from Tiefling (Origins) and using point buy I would distribute his stats as follows: Str - 14 Dex - 16 Con - 12 Int - 10 Wis - 10 Cha - 14 If not for the Strength requirement of Paladin (minimum 13) I may not have it so high. You could variably give him higher Intelligence or Wisdom but Striker has some butt monkey tendencies after his first outing that make me happy with how I've spread his stats. Alternatively, you swap his Dex and Charisma scores around as well.

5. Skills Skills that make sense for Striker are Athletics, Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion, Stealth, Animal Handling, Survival and Perception. You could also grab Performance for funsies. For my build, I grabbed Athletics and Intimidation from Paladin and Persuasion and Deception from Urban Bounty Hunter.

He also gets some tool proficencies from his background so I grabbed Thieves Tools and a Lute (sweet victory!).

6. Spells In my build, he's still a partial spellcaster. Most of his spell slots will go to Smite, but let's take a look anyway. Can't go wrong with the Smite Spells, Bane or Bless, and Heroism or Divine Favor could all be great. He debuffs his enemies or buffs himself and hits you where it hurts. Find Steed/Find Greater Steed seems like a must once you reach high enough level to take it.

7. Feats (Optional) - Skilled (Survival, Animal Handling, Perception) Most people use feats and feats at first level, but they're technically optional. That being said you have a lot of good options. Infernal Constitution from Tiefling could be nice to make Striker just hardier (he takes a lot of punishment in the show). Dual Wielder, Crossbow Expert/Gunner and Sharpshooter/Firearms Specialist are no brainers for a ranged focus character like Striker (varies if you use guns or not). Skilled / Skill Expert to show just how much more talented he is than you. Alert, Mobile, Tough, and War Caster are all easy choices with no real downsides. Mounted Combatant could be fun if you want to focus more on the ropin' and ridin' aspect of Striker's character.

[cheemken]

Greetings! What would be the outcome of the au? A bad end where everyone is defeated by the Timekeeper? Vertin sacrifices themself to protect everyone or do the suitcase fam capture her and attempt to free her ? this au is kinda stuck in my head now lol, like the idea of arcana revealing herself like the geto scene with the brain if u seen jjk.

Hi hey, I'm so glad you're interested in my au hahaha

Idk much abt jjk tho like idk what scene that is but that sounds cool hahah

Anyways

My initial concept is that Vertin came back yeah, and a few starts to notice, I think it'd come to the point where Sonetto and Regulus confronts her?? Bc there's clearly smth wrong w Vertin

Ofc, Arcana plays her part well, and as Vertin, she deflects, saying she's fine, just tired and still a bit shaken after escaping from Manus Vindictae. It was a miracle how she escaped, she thought she'd die then and there

But they know there's more to that. It'd be funny tho but also on brand if Regulus herself knew smth was amiss bc ofc, Vertin using her wand more and more, but the thing that set Regulus off was the fact that Vertin was using her left hand, she's right handed as far as Regulus knows, and ofc, how she uses her tuning arcane skill, how it's like a seasoned magician

And it got to the point that while they're still in the Foundation, Vertin kept her distance, always wandering off by herself, wandering the halls like a ghost, everyone was starting to get worried

And until one night, where Vertin was there in the courtyard, well,, Madam Z and Tooth Fairy tried to talk to her, to go back inside, it's dark out already, and hey c'mon, she's their daughter at that point, and they just got her back from Manus, so seeing Vertin like this, it worried them

Imagine as they try to approach her, Z just stops dead in her tracks, grabbing Tooth Fairy's arm, stopping her, as they both hear Vertin chuckle darkly, slowly turning towards them, and as she did, Arcana's wand formed at either sides of Vertin's head, and her silver eyes turned pale yellow, and she smiles ay them, the same godforsaken smile Arcana always has on her face

And ofc, that lil drawing comes to play, the strings on Vertin, it would be so so fun if like,, w those, and w the influence of Arcana's magic, she managed to take control of a few arcanists too. Like can you imagine her just attaching the strings on the arcanists Vertin had saved, and taking control of them like puppets, that'd be so cool and bc ofc in c2, wasn't there a part titled Puppet, and bc if I remember right, Arcana also called Vertin her puppet

Like that'd be such a cool concept, Arcana using Vertin as a puppet, and w Vertin's hands she uses other arcanists as her puppets too

But also the mental image of all of the arcanists in Vertin's suitcase just fights off Manus followers on each floor of the Foundation buildings, look, I have a concept, I wanna write it, I just don't know how to execute it well, it has Schneider in it, Arcana brought her back or smth to make it hurt more, and the Schneider and Sonetto fight is just cbmxnd ough

But yeah, her defeat, idk, I want it to be some temporary defeat, ofc me being biased, as Sonetto was fighting off Schneider, Regulus rushes to where Vertin is, and ofc, she and Arcana fight lmfao

But do you see my vision when I say Arcana uses Regulus' line against her, y'know the thing Regulus says before her ult right

Imagine Arcana using that, just having Regulus pinned, one hand on her neck, the other on her cheek, her thumb trailing upward to her lower eyelid, pressing down hard, as she whispers in Vertin's voice, "are you ready... To be blinded?"

And Regulus spats out, "are you?" And uses her ult on both of them

Look look it's good on paper and it's a good mental image I can't just execute it well here but I hope you see the vision cbsmnd

But yeah, after that, and more psychological mindscape stuff of Regulus trying to save Vertin, Vertin was saved! That's a good thing right? Arcana was gone, so were the Manus followers, but it was so sudden, it shouldn't be that easy, right

Ofc it's not, Vertin wasn't saved, she never will be. Arcana's wand was still w her, lying dormant, waiting to be called out again, waiting till it finally corrupts their precious little Timekeeper.

[conretewings]

The Paths We Cross

-Viktor, needing a part for his newest invention, seeks assistance from a shop of good reputation.

-Set a couple decades before the events of Arcane season one, a young Viktor and my oc Rosemary meet. Just a fun idea I had bouncing around in my head and decided to write for fun and as a gift to the lovely @grumpyoutlaw ❤️

Sticking close to the buildings for safety and an easy escape into a shop if needed was an essential lesson and skill Viktor had learned long ago, one that he was using again this day as he wove his way through the crowded, dank and damp streets. All around vendors hawked their wares from stalls, carts, or even from bulging bags, people milled in front of bars, brothels, or hurried on their way to whatever business they had and everywhere teemed the chaos of the Undercity.

Pausing to re-shoulder his bag to a more comfortable angle across his hip, one where it's weight helped steady his limping gait instead of worsening it, Viktor glanced up at a couple landmarks to note his location and which street to turn down next toward his own destination.

"Let's see...it was-"

Feeling a couple rapid taps on his shoulder, he instinctively clutched his bag and rotated his hand to grip his cane at the perfect angle to defend himself if need be; it wouldn't be the first time.

Whipping his head around at the same moment, he found himself face-to-face with a squat little man in patchwork garb and a seemingly friendly, yet too friendly, grin so wide his crooked teeth poked out. A well-worn bag nearly his size and adorned with various items was strapped to his back, and in his grubby hands something was concealed.

"Greetings, yes most welcome greetings this day young man!" he started in a likely well rehearsed speech, "Tell me yes, tell me, are you hungry? Does your stomach yearn for a tasty morsel? Yearn no more! I have here the solution yes! For a mere two coin I offer the finest fruit one can find!"

With a flourish he opened his hands to reveal an apple clearly past it's prime, brownish soft spots dotting it's surface. Viktor had his suspicions that it likely also housed an insect or two and not wanting to either waste his money, nor evict any possible tenants, he shook his head, managing a polite half smile.

"Thank you sir, but I already ate..."

The man's eye twitched, but maintained his salesman smile, "Goodness my boy but you're thin as that stick you're using yes, poor thing, so thin! Wouldn't a bit of extra food do you well yes? It's such a good deal! A bit of lunch!"

'I'm sure it is, if one wanted to lose their lunch' Viktor thought sarcastically, but carefully started to move away as he said again, "No, thank you, but I wish you luck..."

His smile finally dropping into a sour pout, and grumbling about how he's 'missing out' the man shoved the sad fruit into a pocket and turned to shuffle off. Releasing a sigh of relief, the man's words about his weight nonetheless echoed in Viktor's mind until he bitterly shoved them away and gripping his cane, felt a renewed sense of resolve to find the place he sought and finish the project currently residing in his bag. To that end he stood as tall as possible and went on his way.

A young woman leaned on a heavy, paper-strewn wooden counter with a gnawing sense of boredom, absentmindedly tapping a pencil as she stared at a broken clock she'd been planning to fix sitting next to her. It seemed to reflect and even mock her feeling that time was, in fact, at a standstill. Normally she was proud to be in charge of her family's business, yet today, all she wanted was escape. Looking around the rest of the packed shop with it's shelving and cases of mishmashed parts, half-finished mechanical items, and antiques, nothing sparked her interest. Perhaps she'd dig through the trash again for parts to weld together. That was usually fun. Usually...

Turning her head she shouted, "Dad! Can I shove off early?"

"Absolutely not!" came a bellowed reply from far behind a curtain that served as a divider between the shop and their living quarters, "Your brother has his shift 'n so do you!"

"But I just wanna scrounge up some parts-"

"Birdie, I really need ya to mind the shop. Ya can run about with your friends 'n that beau of yours later! Now lemme finish fixin' the stove please."

She exhaled in exasperation and lowered her head, wishing something, anything would happen. As if by some divine miracle, a few moments later she heard the creak of the heavy door mixed with the musical chime of the bell attached to it. Instantly she snapped into professional mode, standing up tall and putting on a welcoming grin.

"Good day! Wares and Repairs! You break it we can probably fix it! What can we help ya with?"

Using his shoulder to hold the door open while he awkwardly made his way through it, a teen who looked to be around fourteen, though with his prominent limp and slight build it was difficult to tell, let the door shut behind him as he paused to gaze around.

Viktor gaped at the sheer number and amount of items stuffed into the large room which, somehow, was clearly organized in it's own way. Yes, this was certainly the place he'd been told about. The corner of his mouth twitched into a half-smile, feeling a sense of hope and even excitement at the prospects; surely somewhere the treasure he sought lay waiting. So absorbed was he it took a moment for the greeting he'd received to register, and he snapped his attention back to the woman behind the counter.

"Ah, yes, hello," he started, shifting his bag again and approaching, "I've been told this place can fix anything and sells almost anything as well..." planting his good foot for leverage he carefully heaved the bag onto the counter, wincing when a dull metallic thud sounded, "So I would like to know if I could ask for some assistance with this."

"Oh? And what is this?" the woman inquired, her hazel eyes alight with an eager, inquisitive sparkle that somehow set Viktor more at ease. She looked to be somewhere in her mid twenties, with thick chocolate brown hair and clad in well-worn but sturdy looking work overalls, arms covered in bandage wrappings with canvas gloves. Something about her looked very familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Undoing the snaps on the bag, Viktor carefully slid a metal box onto the counter in front of her, a gesture which only seemed to fan her curiosity's flame, as she leaned forward a degree. He turned it around and opened a lid to reveal a carefully painted bird made of tiny pieces of metal and wood atop a wire 'branch'. A hollow area in the center was lined with a worn but still soft piece of velvet.

"A music box!" she inhaled with delight, looking from it to Viktor, "It's lovely! Where did ya get it?"

He cracked another, more proud smile and stood a little straighter, "I made it. It's for my mother, but it's not working yet. Something's off with the gears, and the sound mechanism-"

The woman gaped at him, leaning closer, making to touch it but quickly pulled her hand back, "You-made it?! Freakin' hell lad! This is some sophisticated work!"

The angle at which she was now stooped over the counter accidentally gave Viktor the perfect view of her ample cleavage, an effect that in her enthusiasm she was evidently unaware of. Out of respect and to stop the threat of his cheeks growing warm he quickly flicked his gaze to her face, "Th-thank you. I was hoping you might have the parts and tools I need to complete it."

Grinning she stood, planted her hands on her hips and flicked a stray chunk of hair aside, "If we don't have what ya need, no one does! We've got this ummm," she tilted her head, "Sorry kid what's your name?"

"It's Viktor." he replied with another smile, her energy rubbing off a little, "And you?"

"Name's Rosemary! Now let's get this train movin'!"

It may have been mere minutes, it may have been hours that flew by, neither could truly say nor did they care as they worked together to tear through the shop's extensive collection. Gears and bits and bobs were selected then discarded, or placed on the counter for further inspection until they had a generous pile to work with as they carefully undid the music box's inner mechanisms to test them out.

As they worked they chatted, mostly about their mutual interests in creating or fixing things and experimentation. Rosemary told him the story of her family's business, how her great-grandfather had started it and, proudly, how eventually it would belong to her and her brother. Viktor shared his dreams of scientific discovery, of building new and innovative things to better people's lives.

"I guess we have that in common." said Rosemary softly during a slight lull in conversation.

Viktor lowered the screwdriver he held, "Hmm?"

She gently touched the tiny mechanical bird, "We want to make things better."

Eventually, after a generous amount of trial and error, Rosemary crossed her fingers as Viktor carefully opened the lid-and the bird came to life, spinning and making tinny 'chirping' sounds.

He grinned happily as she cheered with a loud 'woo hoo!' They watched it until the spring-loaded mechanism ran out of tension and the bird's movement ceased.

"Thank you so much for all your trouble," he paused, "And for talking with me. It...means a lot."

"Ya kiddin' me? I've been havin' a great time Viktor!" she chuckled, picking up tools and parts to start putting them away, "I love workin' on stuff! Plus, not everyday I meet someone clever as you!"

He gave a small, unsure laugh as he carefully slipped the box back into his bag and dug into a small coin pouch, counting out what he hoped would be adequate, "I suppose my projects aren't too bad."

Watching Rosemary practically dance about the room with graceful movements and singing softly, that familiarity he'd felt earlier came back, burning at the front of his brain but he still couldn't quite recall where he'd seen her. Shaking his head to focus he held out a hand to her, "Here is my payment. I realize we never discussed it, but this should be enough."

She took the coins, nodding as she counted, "Aye, this'll do..." then cleared her throat, "Actually, I'm not so sure."

Viktor clutched his bag and felt his stomach drop; surely it was adequate for what he'd needed! Was she really not as kind as he'd thought? He didn't really have any more to spare, what about the food he was supposed to pick up on the way home? What about-

Abruptly she snorted, clapping a hand over her mouth, "Ah no I-I was only messin' with ya! It was a joke this is fine! I'm so sorry oh your face lad you're pale as a ghost!"

Releasing the breath he'd been holding in a loud, shaking sigh, he dryly replied, "Yes, yes. Hilarious."

"Tell ya what. I'll make it up to ya; swing by anytime you're workin' on another project and I'll help...and give ya a steep discount. Deal?"

Viktor met her gaze, and seeing the remorse and sincerity there, cracked a slight smile again, "Deal."

"Well, in that case," Rosemary swept an arm around, gesturing to the room, "We thank you for visiting Wares and Repairs and I hope you'll visit us again for your fixin' needs! No guarantees."

He gave a brief laugh, "I'll keep that in mind. Farewell, and thank you again, Rosemary." Securing his bag and adjusting his cane to a more comfortable grip, he headed to the door, and was reaching for the handle-when it unexpectedly flew open, a mountain of a man taking up the entire doorway.

"Oy Rosie! I-oop!"

He skidded to a halt, having just about run smack into Viktor, who gasped sharply, moving quickly but ungracefully to one side before cautiously glancing up. The larger man, who seemed to be about the same age as Rosemary, was looking at him curiously but not unkindly with steel-blue eyes and his thick, muscular arm still held the heavy door open with no apparent effort. He also looked very familiar, but again Viktor couldn't quite place him.

He jerked his head in a 'go ahead' gesture, and Viktor mumbled thanks before quickly starting to walk out. The man was so tall Viktor passed easily under his raised arm.

Pausing in the doorway to readjust his load after that mishap, he watched Rosemary's face light up as the man strode up to her where she had retreated behind the counter and leaned an elbow on it opposite her, the pair engaging in rapid, hushed conversation.

Abruptly he realized where he'd seen the man before; a gathered crowd, indignant shouts, calls for change...and at the center, standing on a pile of crates and junk, there he was. He raised his fist high as his deep voice boomed off the surrounding buildings, two other men at his side. He spoke of pushing back, of standing up for themselves, of a more independent city. Viktor had paused briefly to watch and listen before his father had encouraged him to keep moving. As they left, Viktor heard applause and cheering before the noise faded entirely.

Unexpectedly he felt a seething, burning knot of jealous anger twisting in his gut; this man, with his sheer size and confident charm, probably didn't have to worry about constantly watching his back. He didn't have to hobble around, seeing everyone run about with ease while he was constantly left behind. He probably had lots of friends. He didn't have to hear the whispers, the cruel laughs, the insults. Viktor gripped his cane so hard he thought it may break and spun to leave.

Walking as fast as he could manage, the anger slowly petered out until he only felt a cold numbness where the rage had been, like a lead weight in his stomach. He paused to breathe, finding a relatively safe spot to do so as he gathered his thoughts and tried to calm himself. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair...

Self-pity was not something he normally indulged in, finding it pointless and unproductive, but for a miserable few minutes couldn't stop the racing thoughts. Why was he like this? Why couldn't he run and jump like others? Why was he always sick? Why had fate pointed it's cruel finger at him?

Looking up, he saw in the distance and high above, the proud spires of Piltover's Academy, the late afternoon sun shining off their facades. Slowly, the anger morphed into steely determination and he made a vow to himself-

Someday, somehow, despite his abilities, despite his origins, he would be in those rooms, gazing out over the city and feeling this same sunlight warming his face as he worked toward his dreams...

[ncat]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So yeah, thats my thoughts Ig?

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

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

[alberichfanpage]

That wraps up my second playthrough! The bloodtinge hunter, Evelyn, takes Gehrman's place and the Hunt never ends.

I really, really enjoyed this Skill/Bloodtinge build with a focus on parrying. The Reiterpallasch is really fun to bait out parries and the Chikage is great for damage output. The DLC really enhanced the Bloodborne experience and... well... I think this game has changed my brain chemistry a little bit.

I definitely want to platinum the game with my first playthrough Yvain, the Skill/Arcane build, by doing all the chalice dungeons. Wish me luck on that.

I also want to do a strength playthrough and play with a more aggressive playstyle. I think it could be a lot of fun instead of something so parry-focused.

[huggingtentacles]

“Dumb questions are encouraged”

Alright Bet.

How do I like. Start!????

How much vigour is recommended? Whats the bare minimum if I’m intentionally playing a glass cannon?

Will people get mad at me if I use Madness (inescapable frenzy n all that. I genuinely just love the whole maddeningly gazing into each other’s eyes routine, The one-shot potential is secondary. but I know that doesn’t matter and even if it did it’s not like I can Communicate that.)

How do I communicate that I’m literally just a silly little guy still figuring things out and to please be patient with me because I’m just trying to have fun

And finally. How do I get over The Fear.

Took me a while to reply because this might be a very important post to a lot of people.

How to start Elden Ring Invasions:

Building your character

Start by making a good build. In all honesty, any build that has 60 vigor (at levels higher than 110) will be at least capable of something no matter how the rest of your stats are spread. If you're a glass canon, always sacrifice your health last. Stamina, mind and unnecessary damage stats can go.

A good build consists of 2 components:

Damage Attributes and Utility Attributes.

Damage Attributes are: Dexterity, Strength, Faith, Intelligence and Arcane

Utility Attributes are: Vigor, Endurance and Mind

A good build has one damage stat if you're going for a pure build, or two damage stats if you're going for a hybrid. 60 vigor is almost obligatory on most builds that are at level 125 and higher. Then you have just enough endurance to carry your armour without fat rolling. The rest is damage stats. If you cast spells you also level some mind.

If you ever need advice with your build, ask away in my DMs!

Will people get mad at me if I invade?

Most won't. Some will. The truth is that as an invader, you are the opposing force in someone's playthrough. You're engaging in competitive multiplayer where you fight another player. And some people just can't take a loss. Your madness build might certainly not please everyone, but let me tell you something: it doesn't matter! Play what is fun for you. Most people are normal about video game encounters, so don't worry about upsetting someone.

How to be silly

Generally, fromsoft players have a sense of humour. They appreciate a funny username and silly fashion. They also understand the importance of improvement.

I remember learning how to play sniper back in Team Fortress 2. To not upset anyone, I just named myself as "I'm practicing sniper" And everyone just understood that I'm aware that I'm not doing well. "Trying my best" is a good name for the character you're going to be invading on. But maybe some jokes are more to your liking. Cosplay builds are all over this game, and they're very memorable encounters!

Do gestures (from a safe distance!) have a silly name, and do your best.

How do I get over The Fear?

Fear of underperforming and dying embarrassingly?

Nobody is judging your performance as an invader.

Fear of upsetting someone?

Dying in Elden Ring is inconsequential, the worst that can happen is a minor loss of runes that are easily found. Don't worry about it. Despite what Redditors will have you believe, most people enjoy getting invaded.

Fear of not being good?

Everyone is bad when they start, it takes a bit of time before you get the hang of it.

Fear in general?

Sleep well, eat well, have a shower, hydrate, have a clean and neat gaming space. It noticeably reduces all negative emotions while gaming, and very noticeably improves your gaming skills. Your physical form affects you more than you think!

If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask!

[basingstokemercury]

Thought experiment for when you need to clean out your brain:

Those Bonanza Boys playing DnD. What sorts of characters do they build? What are their play styles? Who DMs? Who should ABSOLUTELY NOT ever DM again?

This should be fun! Let's see...

Ben isn't too keen on the idea at first, but the boys convince him they need another player and he warms up to it. My own character based on him is a dwarf druid, and I think that's likely close to what he'd play; a cleric or maybe paladin, with personality and motivations similar to his own. I think of dwarven characters' connection to the earth as including land and therefore agriculture, so my reasoning for choosing the race might not make sense to others but it's become inextricable in my mind at this point. In play, he also tries to assume the role of the sensible, protective one - to his sons' annoyance at times, as they do enjoy some chaos to varying degrees. Of course, that just makes it more fun when he does pull a wacky but successful gambit. Which he definitely does every so often.

Adam... Well, Adam is a paladin. He just is. But he's playing a game here, and I'm not a loyal soldier, cagey spy, or percipient cowgirl, am I? He'd probably be drawn to the artificer class: the most complicated to play, and the one based around engineering and mechanics (except for the alchemist subclass). It's also the only official class not in the PHB, so he gets to buy more sourcebooks and be extra nerdy. I think I get high elf vibes from him? In play, he's all about the puzzles and strategy. I tend to zip through puzzles while the other players are still putting things together (my area of skill, of course we have all kinds of playstyles at the table), and I imagine Adam would be the same. He's solved the riddle, but Joe already burst in with a wild guess and set the trap off (again true story, why table communication is important). Oh well, time to show the kids how it's done. He never trusts NPCs. Just as a matter of course. Insight checks everywhere and a Wisdom score far higher than his class really needs. It doesn't particularly matter because the others keep walking into ambushes anyway. And, of course, he loves figuring out sneaky ways to cause trouble for the rest of the party when there's nothing serious at stake.

Druid feels like the obvious choice for Hoss (horse Wild Shape, anyone?), but I'll go creative and say bard could be his thing too. He could have fun as a centaur for the bit, or just plain human and rely on other things to make his character distinctive. He doesn't really have a specific style of play aside from trying to keep the group good-aligned (JOSEPH FRANCIS CARTWRIGHT, ARSON IS NOT THE ANSWER), preferring to go with however things are progressing and have as much fun as possible along the way.

Joe is a rogue. Specifically Arcane Trickster, for maximum troublemaking potential.

Adam: You should be a halfling. Joe: Why? Adam: Well, it just seems to make sense, Little Joe. Joe: I'm 5'9! If you guys were normal height- Hoss: Yeah. He's puny. Joe: Just for that, I'll play a goliath.

(I'm 5'1 playing a 6'5 yuan-ti. Height envy is not fun.) As a player, Joe is chaos incarnate, stopped only by the DM forcing consequences on him and other players getting fed up. He'll find the most creative solutions in combat, somehow bypass puzzles without anyone being quite sure how, and flirt with every remotely interesting/interested NPC. Yes, including the very obvious femme fatale who the DM never expected anyone to actually trust.

As for DMing... I think Ben wouldn't be interested, finding it enough work to wrangle his sons in the real world. Adam is a meticulous planner, setting up intricate traps and fights that require perfect use of environment and abilities for top performance. He keeps making attractive young woman NPCs who are definitely up to no good, just to see if Joe keeps falling for it (he does. nobody's sure if he's doing a bit or really that naive.). Where he struggles is when things go off-script, dealing with improvisation and players who mess around for the sake of it. Which means that while I'd love to have him as a DM, his style ends up just not suiting the rest of the group. Hoss is the best DM. Five stars, knows how to set up a story and keep it flexible enough for player agency. He misses being on the player side though. Joe comes up with just about everything half an hour before the session, turning up with a page of half-developed ideas and adapting them on the fly. He does it fairly well, but it's a hard thing to keep up. After a few weeks of "PLEASE JUST PLAN YOUR CAMPAIGN AHEAD OF TIME YOU'RE MAKING IT HARDER ON YOURSELF", they mutually agree that maybe it's not the best role for him.

[beatthegame]

I just beat the shit out of Elden Ring! It's the least I could do after the game crushed my soul on my first two attempts. But this time, it was personal! Despite being a critically acclaimed gaming masterpiece, I hated it! Grinding for hundreds of hours building your character. one. point. at. a. time. Enduring through frustrating boss encounters. Getting killed by broken enemies clipping through solid surfaces. Collecting a wide assortment of useless items and magic spells. Immersed in a vast, enchanted world with zero context. On paper, Elden Ring checked off all the boxes necessary to enjoy an epic open world adventure. Yet, the game fails in so many different ways, it's overwhelming. Elden Ring was an absolute nightmare. And yet, despite all of the nonsense, I COULD NOT STOP PLAYING! LMFAO!

In a nutshell: Even after enduring 300 plus hours, I still don't know what this game is about? I know that you play as a "tarnished soul" caught up in a war between gods over this magic ring, right? Your very existence is a revenge plot from the slain goddess Marika to wipe out all the demigods in "The Lands Between" and become the new Elden Lord. Although there is no explanation why anyone would want to do something like that? Like, what's wrong with the old elden lord? Why do I want to take his job? What's so great about being elden lord anyway? Aside from sitting on a sweet chair at the end? Bottom line: the game is simply about challenging boss fights and collecting treasure. If that's all you want, then this game delivers.

The Good: Easily one of the most visually stunning games available on any video game console. Kudos to the FromSoftware art direction team for building all of the visual assets in this game. The amount of detail put into everything is really admirable. From the customizable character building to the intricate weapon, enemy and environmental designs. A majority of the visuals are pure nightmare fuel! Which built a consistent sense of dread wandering through the world. Add the fact that you can't pause the game, able to get killed in a myriad of ways, including the threat of permanently losing experience points established an unsolicited level of anxiety between encounters. Not exactly a good thing? But it's a unique gameplay element that stands apart from other titles. While a majority of the fights were incredibly frustrating by design. You can't deny how INTENSE a lot of these fights were! My heart was pounding through my chest during a lot of these boss fights. Notably the Godskin Fights, Crucible Knights, Gargoyles, that Lake of Rot Tree Cunt. But the sense of relief after defeating one of these frustrating fucks was electrifying! Slowly but surely, you get stronger and the fights become less of a burden. Like, there IS an easy mode available in Elden Ring. But you have to earn it!

I also like the versatility of the character classes depending on how you allocate your skill points. Although I decided to focus on Strength, Endurance and Dexterity. You have the option to lean towards Arcane & Intellegence for magician builds. Or perhaps you'd want to build on defense and ranged attacks to kill enemies from a distance? It is appreciated how the game flow will drastically change depending on the style of play you choose to advance with. And a huge thanks to our trustworthy horse/yak companion Torrent. Traveling the surface world was a lot more pleasant thanks to you.

The Bad: I already stated how much I hate this game. Pointing out all the flaws again is exhausting. However, you have to give credit that it took several gameplay attempts to realize that there is a gem underneath all the layers of dung that initially made the game unplayable.

Overall: I really wanted to love this game. It took effort but in the end, it truly was a unique experience. Just like high school! It was a fun, traumatic experience. Glad that it's over. Would NOT want to do it again, but it was a gnarly time. Too many flaws to be perfect, but waaaaay above average. Elden Ring is a real bitch, but loveable once you get to know her.

A Minus - Class

PS: Malenia was not as bad as other players made her out to be. Don't believe the hype. Maliketh, on the other hand, was a real motherfucker lol!

[invaders-cookbook]

Invader's Cookbook #1: Your first Invasion Build

Invading is hard to get into due to the amount of preparation you need to succeed. You need quite a bit of practice to be really good, but you don't always have to be good to be successful at invasions. Your build determines your options. In the first part of Invader's Cookbook you will learn how to make your first build for invading.

Your attributes and Upgrade Level

For your first build, I will suggest a Lightning Dexterity Build for Rune Level 60. It has good all-around damage and survivability, and gives you plenty of options in most situations. The amount of available weapons also makes this build very fun to play!

Start as Vagabond and distribute your attributes like this:

Vigor -> 35

Mind -> 10

Endurance -> 24

Strength -> 15

Dexterity -> 30

Intelligence -> 9

Faith -> 9

Arcane -> 7

It is very important that during your playthrough you do not upgrade any weapon further than +12 or +5 Somber! Matchmaking is based on your level, as well as your weapon upgrade! If you upgrade even one weapon over the +12/+5 Somber threshold, you won't find any matches!

Your Talismans

Your Talismans are necessary additions to your build. There will be 3 talismans that are the most useful for this build and I highly recommend to wear them at all times. These are: Radagon's Soreseal, Great Jar's Talisman and Bullgoat's Talisman.

Your last talisman slot is free for you to choose. You can swap them mid-fight situationally, or wear something like Millicent's Prosthesis for a permanent buff. It's up to you to decide. Useful Situational talismans are: Green Turtle Talisman, Two Fingers Talisman, Shard of Alexander, Arrow's Sting Talisman and Blessed Dew Talisman.

Situational swapping requires thought and some skills, but it's much stronger than not doing it at all.

Use Bullgoat's Talisman to hit at the very least 75 poise. The fashion is up to you!

Weapons

Your arsenal is your most important asset. As an invader, you must swap weapons to adapt to any situation. Don't just carry them in your additional slots, they take up your equip load which can be used to wear heavier armour for better defences and poise!

Dual-wielded Noble Slender Swords will be your main damage-dealing tool. I recommend Endure and Storm Stomp ashes of war on them. Endure helps you trade blows and escape dangerous situations, while Storm Stomp gives you a combo option to deal damage.

Cleanrot Knight Sword with Thunderbolt is a great tool to finish off enemies that are far away, as well as just a good overall weapon that is effective both in the main hand and the offhand.

Antspur Rapier with Bloodhound's Step serves two purposes: Scarlet Rot application and escaping from unpleasant situations. Scarlet Rot is incredibly effective against opponents with high latency. Use Keen affinity to be able to use Rot Grease on the weapon to increase status build-up.

Cold Nagakiba is a an amazing trick that allows you to deal massive damage and apply frostbite using Spinning Slash Ash of War.

Bolt of Gransax is an amazing spear that allows you to shoot a very powerful projectile on high distances. It's most effective when your opponents haven't noticed you yet or are fighting something else. The drawback is high FP cost, but it can also be strengthened by Shard of Alexander talisman

Godskin Stitcher is a great chase-down weapon for those who are running away, as well as a powerful head-to-head combat tool! Most ashes of war are very useful, though I heavily prefer using Piercing Fang or Lightning Strike, Hey, wanna improve at playing Heavy Thrusting Swords? Check out this video!

Grave Scythe is a head-to-head combat weapon that is also great at punishing shield users for installing Elden Ring on their gaming device! Use Sword Dance ash of war for big damage, or Quickstep for powerful combos and dodges!

Claymore is a very reliable weapon that is useful in most situations. Use Piercing Fang, Impaling Thrust or my personal favourite: Storm Stomp. The latter allows you to land a quick and powerful R2 attack on an opponent you land it on.

Stormhawk Axe is a nuclear option that deals significant damage over a big area. Use it sparingly, for it leaves you at great risk of getting hit if you miss. Use for ambushes and sudden turn-and-burns when your opponents least expect it!

Don't forget that this is not a full list of available weapons or ashes of war. You can experiment with any weapon you find interesting or useful! My personal inventory stretches multiple pages at this point. Dexterity Builds are incredibly versatile! Anything that can be infused with Lightning or has Dexterity scaling can be used effectively, even heavier weapons like the Zweihander!

Miscellaneous

Physick Flask

Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear is mandatory for this build. It will buff your damage significantly, making your build the most powerful for your level.

The remaining physick slot is up to you. My personal choice lies between Crimsonburst Cracked Tear, Crimson Bubbletear and Opaline Hardtear.

Consumables

Your best case scenario is the one where you have 14 fully upgraded healing flasks, 20 Cracked Pots, 10 Ritual Pots, 10 Perfume Bottles, and as many various boluses as you can gather. For crafting materials see my post on Crafting Materials, Consumables and Community Assistance

How to decrease the downtime between invasions!

Invading is famously time consuming and we simply do not have time to sit around and wait for a suitable world to be found. These two tips will dramatically improve your chances of invading:

Tip #1: Visit as many areas as possible. This will increase the pool of areas you can invade in. Visit every cave, catacomb or secluded area you can find. Note that you don't have to complete them, you just have to visit them once.

Tip #2: Acquire both the Bloody Finger and the Recusant Finger. Use them one after another in succession untill the invasion starts. The way invasions select players to invade is painfully slow without this method, as it scans the pool of available players once every 20 seconds. With this method you can cut it down to 5!