#rogue-deadeye

[playerkingsley]

another entry on my sporadic naddpod listening: was expecting brennan lee mulligan to guest at some point—was not expecting him coming in and explicitly citing both matt’s gunslinger class and hollow one character type

and then emily IMMEDIATELY calling shenanigans on the grit point system, and everyone calling his moves ‘some fuckery’. absolutely the Percy Brand™ I love it

[gingerfan24]

Ana watching Heinrix fail abysmally at a shooting range on the void ship: “You really couldn’t hit the broadside of a Squiggoth could you?”

[prince-of-the-comet]

Baldur's Gate 3 Builds: Deadeye

You don't need complicated multiclasses, respecs, and rare hand crossbows to make a good archer in Baldur's Gate 3. For a simple, solid, versatile, damage dealer for all occasions, look no further than the trusty Dexterity-based fighter.

(Confused by the terminology? Start here!)

Suggested Race: Any Medium. Sorry halfling and gnome-lovers: Small characters have disadvantage on attacks with heavy weapons in 5th edition, including both longbows and heavy crossbows.

Starting Class: Fighter

Final Level Distribution: Fighter 12 (Battlemaster or Champion)

Minimum Level Distribution: Fighter 5.

Recommended Statistics:

Strength: Low or higher. You're a fighter. You're going to want to wear exotic medium armor, so you're going to need to be at least strong enough to carry it. Other than that, there's enough finesse weapons around that you don't actually need to worry about it. 10 is fine, more is ok.

Dexterity: Dependent. You're an archer. Dexterity makes your build go.

Constitution: Medium or higher. No one can actually dump Constitution, but ideally you've got someone else on the frontline.

Intelligence: Dump. You're not an eldritch knight.

Wisdom: Low or higher. Your abilities don't run off of it, but it only takes one nasty dominate person to make you really wish fighters were better at Wisdom saves.

Charisma: Dump. You're not a paladin either.

Example starting stats:

Str 14, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10.

Recommended Level Progression:

1-12: Fighter.

It's simple, it's solid, it's three attacks per round, four feats, and the fighting style you need. You don't need to mess with it.

Variants:

Ranger 12 (Gloom Stalker). Ranger's really the only other class that works for this, with the Archery fighting style and Ensnaring Strike for plentiful advantage. Take Bounty Hunter early and stay a Gloomstalker for all 12 levels to get Stalker's Flurry.

A free do-over if you miss isn't quite as good as a full third attack, but it's the next best thing.

Detailed Level Progression:

1: Fighter 1. Grab the archery fighting style. You're an archer, may as well commit to the bit. Grab a light crossbow on the nautiloid - it will hold you over until you get something better. We'll go over what something better is in the next section.

4: Fighter 4. You're still a fighter. Take Sharpshooter. This is the linchpin of every archery build. Sharpshooter gives you the option to take a -5 penalty to attack and in exchange gain +10 to damage with ranged weapons. You're going to want to use this - but not all the time. Why?

Statistics Interlude (or, 10d6 isn't 60 damage)

How much damage can a level 12 rogue expect to do with Sneak Attack? Well, they've got 6d6 sneak attack. So it looks like 36 damage (6x6=36). But unless you're extraordinarily lucky, you're not going to roll all 6s. Given that you have equal probability of rolling every value on a d6, the expected result is actually (1+2+3+4+5+6)/6 = 3.5 damage. Or, more simply:

The expected roll on a die is equal to (1+die sides)/2

This also means every flat +1 to damage is equivalent to increasing your die by one size (1d6 >> 1d8, 1d8 >> 1d10, etc.)

Sharpshooter, adding a flat 10 damage, is close to 3d6. You've almost snuck 5 levels of rogue into 4 levels of fighter, a pretty impressive magic trick with just a minor snag:

A -5 penalty to attack is approximately equivalent to disadvantage.

As an example, let's take a flat DC10 roll with no bonuses. You've got a 50% chance of succeeding. (10/20)

However, if you need to roll twice and both of those rolls need to come up 10 or better, suddenly you've got just a 25% chance of succeeding (10/20 * 10/20 = 100/400 = 1/4). Just as if the check had suddenly become DC15. It's a little different at high or low values (Disadvantage on a DC5 check ends up more like DC11 than DC10), but it's close enough for a rule of thumb.

And the problem is, if we miss, we deal no damage at all.

So to calculate expected damage per attack for a weapon, we need to multiply our expected damage by the odds we hit at all (subtract -25% from those odds, if you've flipped Sharpshooter on.) If you're dealing enough damage with each hit, or if your chance to hit is bad enough, at some point, you lose more expected damage to missing than you gain by adding not-quite-3d6.

And if you're really insane, you can make it into a chart:

This is modeled on a fairly mild mid-level longbow build with some kind of damage rider (ex: Malefic Band) The more damage per attack, the higher the crossover point (where Sharpshooter starts to become worth it) actually is. Note that the Sharpshooter crossover point is higher with advantage - that -5 penalty is a much sharper opportunity cost when it applies to both rolls!

In general:

If you've got at least a 60% chance to hit with a normal attack, use Sharpshooter.

If you've got advantage, turn Sharpshooter off unless you've got at least a 75% chance to hit! Any dice-based riders you can put on will be better. Battlemasters should use maneuvers, for instance.

To offset Sharpshooter penalties, we want flat bonuses. Every +1 and +2 you can scrape up is worth it.

Ok! Statistics over. Back to leveling.

Fighter 6, 8, and 11: Things to pick up at these levels: Dexterity (consider the Athlete feat if you're at an odd Dex), Dexterity, and Extra Attack (2nd edition).

Fighter 12: You've finally got a spare feat! Good stuff includes Crossbow Master (if you're committed to that lifestyle), Alert (to decrease Time To Arrows), and Magic Initiate: Ranger or Warlock.

Items of interest:

We're only really interested in two things for this build:

Increasing our flat to-hit. Every point we can get to offset the Sharpshooter penalty helps.

Big heavy ranged weapons. The bigger, the better.

Hitting Better:

The Sparkle Hands - Forest. Pairs with the Joltshooter for situational advantage against anything wearing metal armor, which is quite a few enemies. This is a rare case where advantage is worth pursuing just because it's available so early and without any action cost.

Marksmanship Hat - Moonrise Towers. Flat +1 to hit, and look dapper doing it.

Horns of the Berserker - Wyrm's Crossing. A situational +2 to hit, if you're confident in your ability to hit. Turn off Sharpshooter just long enough to draw blood, then turn it on and hit even harder.

Legacy of the Masters - Lower City. The only thing better than a flat +1 to hit is a flat +2 to hit.

Circlet of Hunting. Specific to rangers and characters with Magic Initiate, but the +1d4 is just a touch better than Horns of the Berserker, and doesn't hurt you if you roll badly.

Big Heavy Ranged Weapons:

The Joltshooter - Waukeen's Rest. This is a solid longbow for most of the game, accessible as early as level 2-3. Pairs well with the Sparkle Hands. Unless you've also got at least 14 Strength, the bursting electricity damage will be more effective than the Titanstring Bow.

Harold - Zhentarim Hideout. For a more support-oriented character, a Harold-wielding archer is the perfect counterpart to a save-or-suck caster.

The Dead Shot - Lower City. Sharpshooter's perfect match, this bow doubles your proficiency bonus, effectively granting a +4 to hit so long as you avoid having true disadvantage. This is my favorite bow to use with this build, just be prepared to drop a lot of coin to get it.

Hellfire Engine Crossbow - Steel Watch Foundry. Though once again, support-oriented or hybrid characters might prefer a big crossbow. Being able to reposition allies and enemies alike is a useful skill, particularly since creatures moved by another force don't provoke attacks of opportunity.

[nite0304]

The Deadeye class is a unique take on a martial class

It originally started as my take on a spell-less ranger, and I think it shows. In game, it plays as a mix of ranger, rogue and fighter, being able to deal high damage and attack multiple times per turn from a distance.

The class symbol on the top right corner of the first image was made by @dm-clockwork-dragon, go check her stuff out!

This class module includes:

Full Class features from levels 1 to 20

7 full subclasses

An entire new category of martial ranged weapons, Firearms

An entire system to modify ammunitions and firearms

You can get it on DMsGuild or by joining my patreon.

[it-is-i-zim]

Captain Boomerang has been spotted in Titans: Beast World Tour: Atlantis #1

In comic previews of Beast World Tour: Atlantis, Captain Boomerang has been spotted alive and well alongside Deadeye and Vixen. He still seems to have an assocation with the Rogues at this point. I'd say this means he could appear back with the Rogues some time in the future but the last time he spoke to Captain Cold over the phone was in The Flash (2016) Annual #3, where he was supposed to rejoin the Rogues but didn't make any real appearances in the Flash comics, apart from Aquaman and The Flash: Voidsong #1. So don't get your hopes up that he's really rejoining the Rogues once more.

[astarab1aze]

➥ Modern Verse Trivia

The Night family is split down the middle politically, more as a means to maximize wins and maintain their social status; Half Red Hand (and/or Sanguinarian) sympathetizers, half ordinary traditionalist nightfolk, with a handful outliers.

The widely accepted age for retirement in the nightfolk world is an even 100-years-old, or dependent on location, at which point the standard varies and will include physicals, age verification, etc. in order to recieve benefits or an AARP membership.

Nightfolk do not pay property, city, or state taxes, only federal, sales, inheritance, and county. There are certain additional taxes regarding funerary rites, which they call a death tax, but it's largely used for the maintenance of burial grounds, sanctified grounds, and the charms and barriers surrounding nightfolk population centers.

Since the Nighthouse is on the very edge of Belle Valley, sitting at a sort of crossroads, it's not terribly unlikely that a human or person otherwise unfamiliar with the nightfolk world could find it.

Of the two, Salem's Crossing is much livelier and more dangerous than Belle's Hollow, serving as a home to several high profile criminals such as Loux Garo, Deadeye, the Red Hand terrorist cell Vanguard, and more; Belle's Hollow, however, is absolutely not without its problems.

Incantations are used to assist in casting, but are not themselves what make the cast, itself a catalyst no different than a wand, grimoire, or palmseal. Magic is innate, an extension of the universe through those that possess it - some are just more efficient in making use of it than others.

Black cats are seen as good luck, to contrast directly with the human Catholic belief they're the reverse, so they're a common sight in nightfolk towns - what luck that this is true!

Blackwyrms are by and large seen as dangerous pests in the same way gators and wild boar are - by everyone. Extermination companies and the sorcier class both have special units specific to managing the blackwyrm infestation crisis.

Why is there a blackwyrm infestation crisis? Illegal breeding, egg smuggling, poaching, illegal purchase and sale, some folks releasing them into the Mirewood or sewers, etc.

Fey are the rarest of all nightfolk, followed very closely by hapries and shapeshifters, having been subject to a number of vampire-driven genocides. Survivors were enslaved, forced into experimentation and breeding programs in an effort to create vampires capable of walking in the sun.

There are effectively 0 full-blooded Fey and most shifters are only half.

There is a special kind of sunscreen for vampires that gives temporary resistance to UV light - it lasts for only half an hour depending on how much is applied.

Literally All-Purpose SaltTM was invented by the Augur of South Ocala (yes, that's what he called himself) specifically for the consumption of scarbuncle cheese, but it later became a common household seasoning sold at exactly $1.99 since 1899.

Ramona Shank is still alive, but no one knows this for certain.

One very important rule of the Mirewood: Do NOT follow the lights. There are witchlights dotting the bayou and, should you follow them, you may be swallowed up by rogue brachio, eaten by gas adders or frogmen, killed by poachers, robbed by other criminals, or entirely cursed. It's a 1 in 1b chance you'll run into a red wolf or haint dog, so don't go looking for one.

There are sunflower seed brands that offer nightfolk-oriented flavors such as offal, leech, scarbuncle cheese, pickled eye stalk, barbamayo, salted gator paw, snap-trap, Literally All-Purpose, red kelp, and more.

Gretl's is the nightfolk equivalent to Willy Wonka and is considered The candy & snack food brand, having numerous partnerships with human companies across the globe.

Population addendum: There is closer to 250 million nightfolk, versus the prior population estimates at 100-125 million.

Vampires, witches, wizards, sorcerers, and weres are the most common nightfolk.

The last of the great gryphons, Crovita's father Ágrìfa, was killed by poachers in a vicious massacre in the 1800s.

Hearing voices and seeing things are about as stigmatized in the nightfolk realm as they are in the human, this being because all manners of vile and terrible things could be revealing themselves to you...like a Red Hand vampire or a petty goddess who wishes to lead you to your death. Still, most will refer you to a bloodweaver and leave it at that.

Tommy-knockers run the banks in tandem with the Gilde family, at least in the United States, and the partnership here is ridiculously iron-clad. Not even the government could tear the two apart, and it has tried several times to get rid of them and establish a central bank (and failed spectacularly every time).

Nightfolk drink alcohol for taste 96% of the time and have a much, much higher legal limit at 0.460.

Most of the nightfolk locations with distinctly Sunjatti names are 'tastes of home' to those who remember the Old World, and the cultures in each loosely resemble the Old World cultures.

Nightfolk ended up on earth through a magical rift caused by the first mage to ever get his hands on a Sanguine Star some 6,000 years ago, who then went on to rebuild their communities on each of the continents, steadily becoming more and more integrative isolationists into the modern era.

[rooolt]

I agree with you it's so frustrating to see Emily have to purposely hamstring herself to appease the people who don't want to see her have it too good ESPECIALLY because she gets how fun and rewarding it is to do OP stuff when you earn it. Like when you whomp the encounter while remaining strictly within the rules as established by being witty and creative and combining mechanics that are unexpected. Plus the praise Brennan got for deadeye felt a little bit undeserved bc it was a combination of assassin rogue and a homebrew gunslinger fighter that was poorly designed to begin with. Like it's hypocritical to get mad at HER for getting homebrew rules if people are gonna praise Brennan for the same.

Furthermore, Brian Murphy has demonstrated that he's a fantastic DM and he gets how to create enticing and enriching challenges for his players so even if something he created/allowed seemed like it lowered the stakes, he wouldn't let it stay in the game for long!!

This is all put so well. Like most often, everything Emily axford does is completely within the rules of the game because she’s got a great sense for the rules and is extremely clever. Some later bahumia fights are insane because she has so many spells as moonshine and knows exactly how to use all of them and they’re great. I also heavily agree with the point abt Murph, like this whole aggravation of mine was most recently sparked by Emily saying “I was kinda planning to take mounted combatant, but it’s too good so I won’t” and it would be one thing if she and Murph had a conversation where he was like “idk it seems maybe a little broken so maybe we could figure out a way to make it a little less so” but Murph didn’t say that. Emily straight up said “I’m not taking it because people will get mad at me” like that fucking sucks, it’s no one’s business but hers how she plays a GAME.

[theworldbrewery]

I was wondering if u had multiclass advice for someone playing matt mercers gunslinger fighter. Cause i was thinking of possibly going cleric

Hi! If you haven't read my post on general fighter multiclassing, you can find it here.

From that post, here's what I wrote on a fighter/cleric multiclass:

Cleric is great if you do one thing–you choose a combat-oriented Divine Domain at first level, when you first multiclass. Like bard, you should use your spell slots on bonus-action healing and out-of-combat work, but if you’re War Domain, for instance, you can Attack as a bonus action and at 2nd level use Channel Divinity to add a +10 to an attack roll. This is a great multiclass to use for damage output with a little healing on the side.

All this is advice is modified by one crucial thing: you'll be mostly working from range. Now, there are some excellent spells for clerics that have a range of 60 or more for early-level casters: Guiding Bolt, Healing Word (that bonus-action healing I mentioned above), Sacred Flame, and Toll the Dead. If you did go for the War Domain, your "Divine Favor" spell option is even better, because it causes your weapon attacks to deal additional radiant damage - and the War Priest feature at level 1 lets you make weapon attacks as a bonus action if you already used your action to attack.

Mechanically, cleric is a great option, and the War Domain is an especially strong choice. Still, clerics are an extremely flavor-rich class to take, so I also advise having a good roleplay reason to devote your character to a god's service.

If roleplaying a cleric is not your jam, I'd like to highlight a different option that's just as good at ranged play, if not better: the ever-classic fighter/rogue.

A gunslinger rogue is attacking at range, which gives you all the flexibility of a rogue's cunning actions at second level. And while the sneak attack dice will be low at first level, the Deadeye Shot option for your gunslinger gives you advantage on your target -- which equals automatic Sneak Attack, given that firearms are ranged weapons.

If your party is in want of a healer, though, and you don't really want to be a cleric but feel like you've got to do it, consider the humble bard instead. You'd really only need a one-level dip to get what you need: a couple first-level spell slots for Healing Word (60ft range), a handful of cantrips, and Bardic Inspiration to buff your allies without interrupting your Attack actions. Going further nets you Jack of All Trades, a nice non-combat utility feature, and the post-combat healing effect Song of Rest.

[hawkepockets]

BG3 CHARACTER PAGE

Jove they/any 🌩️ blue dragonborn 🌩️ paladin 🌩️ guild artisan

🌩️ multiclass: bard

Jove’s Oath of Ancients is a sacred commitment to affirm life, foster joy, be excellent to each other, and PARTY ON, DUDES!! A literally sworn optimist, they can come across as risk-happy, blasé, even callous in their dismissal of danger and negativity, but it’s also easy to get swept up in their huge dragonborn muscles and +9 rizz modifier and believe them when they say it’ll all be okay.

They used to be a gifted artisan, but don’t talk about their career or how it ended. Now they’re a paladin errant, wielding their giant glaive and ferocious positivity against the agents of despair. After losing an eye, breaking their wrist and their oath, Jove’s optimism has grown back harder and more gnarled than before, and they tend to defer to their companions for major decisions, not trusting their own judgment anymore.

Romancing Shadowheart Lae’zel. Best friends with Gale. Healer tank.

My first solo playthrough PC, abandoned at Moonrise Towers (for now).

TAG: #oc: jove

Estis she/her 🌞 gold dwarf 🌞 dream guardian

Ritika Estis was the master metallurgist who taught Jove to work with molten materials, despite their misgivings about being a blue dragonborn without fire breath or resistance. She passed away some years ago in Baldur’s Gate, but Jove’s dream guardian takes her form—whether as a cheap ploy to gain Jove’s trust, or as a genuine echo of their old mentor, they can’t be sure.

Auntie she/her ◾️ githyanki ▪️wild magic barbarian◾️ The Dark Urge

▪️ multiclass: storm sorcerer

This gith knows nothing about her life before the nautiloid, but since Lae’zel addressed her (and mocked her) like an elder relative she answers to “Auntie.” Lonely, curious, reactive. Center of a Venn diagram between “cigarette mom” and “Frankenstein’s monster.” Looks and fights like a gith, but lacks any cultural context or instincts that would make her feel like one.

Romancing Gale & Minthara.

Second playthrough, the only one I’ve completed.

TAGS: #oc: auntie, #ellie’s fucked up playthrough

Deadeye & Singer she/her 🏹 human 🏹 rogue/ranger she/her 🪕 halfling 🪕 bard

Auntie’s 2 hirelings. Deadeye was a young hunter, blinded in an accident and then given her sight back by a True Soul… just so she could watch her entire village burn, then have—her killers thought—her eyes put out and closed forever. Singer was a halfling traveling apothecary, killed for refusing to tend to Absolutists and sing for them after the massacre.

Though both women’s presences are cold and diminished and they can only speak with Withers’s vocabulary, traces of their personality remain. Deadeye was playful once, and still has the light step, deft hand, and trace of a wicked smile to prove it. Astarion swears he’s heard her coo and giggle faintly while playing with Scratch at night, long after the party’s living members are asleep. Singer was stern, matronly, and humorless with others, her face only relaxing when she was absorbed in her herbcraft or music making. Auntie gifted her Lihala’s lute, though it hurts to see a bard outlined against the campfire again, quietly picking out the notes of “The Power,” just feet away from the shadow of Alfira’s bloodstain.

Auntie doesn’t know she is a Bhaalspawn, but she feels instinctively that it’s her duty to care for murdered bodies and souls. She knows the names these revanants bore in life (Maddala and Brenna), but doesn’t use them, out of respect for these women’s vengeful echoes being different from the women themselves, and she’s as protective of them as she is of her “real” companions.

Terpsichore 🐏 she/her 🐏 satyr 🐏 rogue

She sings! She dances! She rams you with her horns!

Like Shadowheart, Terpsichore is on a holy mission for her patron goddess, armed only with her wits, blades, and the memories that her enclave—her Selûnite enclave—considered necessary for her to complete the task she’s been set: a pilgrimage to Moonrise Towers to assassinate an agent of Shar.

One second, she was crossing the Tower’s threshold (or windowsill, in the adept rogue’s case)—the next that she knew, she was being sealed in a pod aboard the nautiloid for processing. Failed. Abandoned. Godless. For now. If she doesn’t salvage this.

Terpsichore was told she’d know her target on sight, but she can’t be sure it isn’t Shadowheart—after all, while wrestling for the chance to kill each other they saw flashes of their own memories in each other’s minds, and Terpsichore feels… a lot… when she lays eyes on this particular enemy. ;-)

Romance: 3 guesses

TAG: #oc: terpsichore

[sky-whale-creations]

Thinking about gunslingers and I know I have said it before but in my setting some 300 years ago there was a whole conflict called the Gun Wars

The problem was 2 things

1: With standsrd combat, untrained nobodies had a shot at mowing down knights and such. In the real world guns are the Great Equalizer and chsnged combat forever. In the setting there was a breakdown of order. Bandits, mercenaries, militia, nations, shit got crazy cause anyone who didn't have stock was about to get fucked. Civil wars, mass discontent, crime, shit got crazy

2: Gunslingers. Basiclly every class had a gunslinging subclass. A whole new breed of destruction. Fighters who could clear out towns in an afternoon, Barbarians lugging around cannons and rocket launchers, Rogue snipers assassinating nobles in their throneroom while standing on the edge of the city wall. Artificers building all sorts of machines and never pausing to consider the ethics

It was bad, real bad. Every gunslinger was just as brutal, nasty, and lethal as Percival de Rolo gunning down his sworn enemies. Gunslingers were loud, ruthless, and often cruel

Plus some truly insane magic items came along with the gunslingers. Hellfire shot to burn people alive, lightning bullets to richochet through your organs and into your allies organs. Basiclly all of them were Arcane Archers and came equipped with some seriously nasty ammunition and weapons

The mass violence, chaos, and cruelty of that era sparked the god of humanity to assemble the worlds greatest wizards at the time to cast a spell to completly erase all knowledge of firearms and to destroy 99.9% of all firearm equipment

300 years later in the present and owning a firearm in any nation is treated as seriously as treason. Some of the last gunslingers became cosmic criminals, banished from the Prime Material Plane to live their lives elsewhere

The greatest duelist of all time, Deadeye Valentine, is a dark elf gunslinging fighter who is one of the last remaining gunslingers. She was marked a cosmic criminal and has yet to return home. Attempting to kill her was deemed too dangerous and death wouldn't take her anyways.

You can challenge death to a competition to claim your soul. Death has the skills of everyone who has ever lived, so to beat death, you must be the greatest to have ever lived. She challenged her grim reaper to a duel and won, killing the unkillable. Rather than risk containing her, and knowing execution was not an option, they opted to banish ger out into the Astral Sea where she remains as a sort of boogeyman to this very day

Aaaand that's the deal with guns in my setting <3

Players can have a gun but 1: its hella rare and a little op and 2: you'll be a wanted criminal everywhere you go

[tsaomengde]

Ran a oneshot yesterday set in the Cyberpunk universe by Mike Pondsmith, using The Sprawl PBTA role-playing system instead of the actual Cyberpunk system because The Sprawl is much more accessible and has specific in-system scaffolding for elaborate heists. Dramatis personae:

Rachel - Prophet Nine, she/her, Pusher, a former Scientologist who upon reaching a certain auditing level remembered a past life in which she was a Child of Xenu, who is actually a benevolent figure unlike what is preached in Scientology.  Founded the cult, Children of Xenu, and has a small but loyal following

Nox - James, he/him, Driver, a no-nonsense professional who has a big fucking car which he's very good at driving

Em - Transistor, she/her, Tech, a wunderkind jack-of-all-trades with a diplomat's soul and multidisciplinary expertise

Ashley - Deadeye Sarah, she/her, Killer, has a big fucking gun and enjoys using it

Trevor - Big Scoop, he/him, Reporter, late arrival to the party, is trying to break a big story and spent the first 2 hours of the session tied up in a basement (Trevor arrived an hour in and I hooked his character in at a narratively appropriate time)

The setup: it's 2075, everyone but Big Scoop has been an edgerunner in Night City for a number of years already.  They were on a job together recently that went south in a big way.  Their planner, Jimmy, who tended to lead from the front, missed a crucial detail, the job went sideways, and he took a high-velocity round in the face trying to fix it.  The end result was disastrous and public enough that Prophet Nine, James, Transistor, and Deadeye Sarah were pretty much out of the game, their reputations in tatters despite their overall competence.

The session opens with them getting a call from Rogue Amendiares, Night City's #1 Fixer.  She brings them to her club, the Afterlife, and explains that she has a job specifically for them.  Arasaka, the biggest megacorporation in the world, was running a convoy through the badlands outside Night City.  It got hit by the Aldecaldos, a nomad tribe, and the cargo taken. The hit was quick, clean, and surgical, clearly an inside job.  But the Aledecaldos, while taking the cargo - a big, nondescript, sealed crate - to the drop point inside Night City, got hit by an opportunistic group of Tyger Claw gangsters in Japantown who took the truck with the crate in it.  Now Rogue's client wants the crate taken from the Tyger Claws quickly and with a minimum of public fuss.  Rogue calls the PCs in because she knows they're competent, but no one will be watching them because their reps are in tatters, and she knows they'll take the job, because the client is paying a lot and she's their only way back into the game.

The crew accepts the job and Rogue gives them their initial payment and the drop site once they have the package, an abandoned warehouse in Watsontown.  The crew begins the Legwork Phase - determining where the crate ended up getting taken, by whom, and how they're going to extract it.  Transistor hacks the security cameras of a net cafe on the street corner of the intersection where the Tyger Claws hit the truck with the crate, finds footage of the truck being taken, and starts the process of figuring out where it went. 

Prophet Nine calls on some of her Children of Xenu followers to help.  One of them, Charlie X, runs a chopshop where the truck actually ended up being taken.  He gives her the truck's info and his own security footage of the four Tyger Claws that brought it.

James goes to Wakako Oda, the Fixer for Japantown and de facto leader of the Tyger Claws, and after a little tense negotiation, gets out of her that there are rogue elements within the Tygers who saw an opportunity to take the truck and make some money on their own.  She gives him some names, two of whom she has already "interviewed," as well as a two-block area with eight buildings in it that she suspects the rogue Claws are using for their own operations.

With this additional info, Transistor successfully tracks the truck to one of the eight buildings in the given area.  Using this info, Deadeye Sarah poses as a pizza delivery person to the building. She is unconvincing, but fortunately she has an armored coat and dermal plating that makes her basically immune to small arms fire, which is all the Claws are packing.  A shootout ensues in which she kills eight Claws by herself. She finds a foolishly-placed incriminating billboard of the area with notes on which buildings are used as fronts for which operations, takes a picture of it, and gets out.  The team successfully determines that the only place with enough storage is the building in the center of the area, a nightclub-slash-drug-den that has extensive basement storage the Claws use for storing drugs, guns, and other stolen goods.

Prophet Nine visits The Dragon, the ripperdoc in Japantown who is known to supply the Tyger Claws with their cybernetic augmentations.  Using some truly excellent fast talk and flattery, as well as a hefty bribe, she convinces him to break doctor-patient confidentiality and give her the access codes to the Claws' cybernetics.  Transistor then uses these codes to hack the cybereyes of the nightclub staff, getting a perfect map of the building as well as intel on how many Claws are in the building, the precise location of the box, and the fact that there is a reporter tied up in the basement.

The team decides to move to the Action Phase.  They decide their best approach is to show up at the club near closing time and sell the Claws a line about how they have been sold out.  They talk their way past the bouncer and meet with the leader of the rogue Claws faction, Kintaro.  James displays some excellent hardball negotiation skills when he tells Kintaro that they know what's in the basement, and if he knows, so does Arasaka.  He reminds Kintaro about the fact that Adam Smasher, one of the most terrifying men in the world, works for Arasaka, and offers $50k to make the problem go away.

Kintaro is successfully scared shitless, but his younger gang members, who don't know Smasher's reputation, are unconvinced.  An argument over their private links ensues.  Transistor gets the crew access to their private comms using the codes Prophet Nine got from The Dragon, as well as sneakily disabling all their combat cyberware like their mantis blades.  In the basement, Big Scoop realizes no one has come for the usual 15-minute patrol, breaks out of his bonds, grabs an LMG, and starts heading upstairs.

The argument among the Claws is getting heated.  Deadeye Sarah, who is getting frustrated with Kintaro's inability to command his people, starts threatening one of the more uppity members of the gang.  Things boil over and a massive shootout ensues, with Deadeye Sarah losing a (cyber)leg in the firefight.  However, Transistor comes in with a clutch move, turning off all of the Claws' eyes and rendering them blind.  The crew kills all of them but Kintaro, who they leave lying in a pool of his own shame as they go to retrieve the crate.  Big Scoop gets upstairs, sees what's going on, and drops his LMG so they won't shoot him.  They recognize that he's not part of the Claws and agree to help get him out, too.

The crew loads the crate onto a dolley they've brought, since it is large and weighs 250kg.  At this point I have Nox roll 2d6 plus his car's Power to see if the crate fits in the trunk.  A 5 says it does not, so we got an amusing scene of them trying and failing to close the trunk, then just bungie-cording it as closed as possible. Transistor takes one of the seats out of the back of the car to try to use as makeshift cushioning-slash-armor for the crate, which ultimately proves unsuccessful.  Big Scoop logs on to Future Twitter to ask his followers if there's anything trending about Japantown, at which point he sees a video taken from an apartment window of thirty-odd Tyger Claws on motorcycles heading in their direction.  James puts the pedal to the metal, following a route suggested by Big Scoop, and manages to lose most of them.

However, the six most badass bikers manage to stay on their tail, and a thrilling car chase slash gunfight ensues.  The crew and the bikers trade fire, with Deadeye Sarah killing most of them but Prophet Nine also getting a few hits in.  Transistor spends most of the car chase trying to hold onto Big Scoop's ankles, as he tries to hold onto the crate, which is starting to come loose from the trunk.  At the conclusion of the chase, James kills the final biker by putting on his e-brake and forcing him into a rear-end collision; the crate goes flying out of the trunk and crashes face-first into the asphalt.  There is now a large crack in the crate.

While the edgerunners argue over what to do, Big Scoop looks inside with his enhanced cybereyes and sees a sleeping Japanese man, one that looks suspiciously like a much younger Saburo Arasaka, CEO of Arasaka Corporation and the most powerful man in the world.  He shares this information with the crew, who are concerned, but ultimately stick to their current course of action, which is to re-load the crate into the trunk and flee to Charlie X's chop shop, where the car will get repainted. 

They go to repair the crate, but find that the crack broke a hermetic seal and that the man inside is waking up.  Reluctantly, the crew agrees that they should open it, because if nothing else, a human will be easier to transport than a huge, heavy crate.  Freed from the crate, the man inside tells them an incredible story: he *is* Saburo Arasaka - or, rather, a clone of Saburo Arasaka, one with all of his "real" counterpart's memories because of a program he calls "Soulkiller," an incredibly sophisticated piece of software written by the late Alt Cunningham which can scan and translate a human being's brainwaves into a digital personality engram.  Because he knows everything the "real" Saburo knows, he also knows that he was created for the eventual purpose of Saburo downloading himself into this new, young, cloned body, the personality merge being expedited by the shared brainwaves.

Clone!Saburo says that he suspects Old!Saburo is not aware of the Aldecaldo theft of the crate, and that an Arasaka executive associated with the program is trying to conceal their failure from the higher-ups by getting Clone!Saburo back on the sly - hence why Rogue has been hired as an intermediary and why Arasaka simply didn't take the crate back with their own security forces.  He offers the crew his word as a samurai that if they can get him to Arasaka Tower in Corpo Plaza, he will begin the process of seizing control of "his" company from Old!Saburo and will make sure the crew isn't cleaned up as loose ends, which is what he suspects will happen to them if they stick to the job as outlined and deliver him to their client in Watsontown. The crew agrees with his assessment and decides to take him on his word - Prophet Nine specifically soliciting his help taking on Scientology if he succeeds, which Clone!Saburo is happy to agree to because fuck Scientology.

The only way by car to Arasaka Tower is a road through Memorial Park in Corpo Plaza.  Knowing that their client is aware that they are being double-crossed, since the crew is now headed in the wrong direction, James guns it hard and makes it all the way to Memorial Park before their unknown client's forces manage to intercept them.  Three incredibly dangerous, full-borg Arasaka ninjas attack the car as it enters Memorial Park, one landing on the hood and cutting the engine block in half with a monomolecular katana.  Big Scoop starts live streaming, specifically using a move from his playbook called "Live and On the Air."  Trevor rolls and hits an 8, which means he needs to pick a downside to the story going live.  He picks the option that reads, "Your rushed narrative is misinterpreted by the public with unintended narrative consequences."

The fight between the crew and the ninjas is furious, but brief.  Transistor kills the one on the trunk by hotwiring the car's lithium battery to explode; the crew jump out of the car and avoid the inferno.  Prophet Nine tries to shoot one of the two remaining ninjas, but fails and gets a near-fatal bullet in her chest for her trouble, which knocks her unconscious.  Deadeye Sarah takes off that ninja's head with a monomolecular whip, while James body-checks the last one into the flaming ruin of his car. The last threat defeated, the crew and Clone!Saburo make it to the steps of Arasaka Tower, with Transistor carrying the injured and bleeding Prophet Nine on her shoulders.

Big Scoop's live-streaming worked: the fight with the ninjas in the park has gone viral, with more than a billion views, and thousands of people in Night City have gathered at the base of Arasaka Tower - including all of Prophet Nine's Children of Xenu. Prophet Nine wakes up, rises, bloody, from Transistor's shoulders, and hails her followers, who begin chanting, "PRAISE XENU!"  The entire crowd goes feral and begins chanting it too.  The unintended narrative consequences have arrived.

We have our epilogue: Clone!Saburo is good as his word, getting the crew's names off of Arasaka hit-lists when he seizes power.  All the characters receive a fat payout, enough to let them retire.  James gets a new car.  He and Deadeye Sarah both continue edgerunning, since they're not the retiring kind.  Transistor, as the unsung hero of the crew, becomes famous within tech circles and finds a community of like-minded people in which she is a minor celebrity.  Big Scoop, as the reporter at ground zero of the Clone!Saburo story, becomes a properly Famous Journalist, a la Hunter S. Thompson.

Prophet Nine's Children of Xenu cult explodes to become the second most popular religion in the world, after Judaism.  Scientology is toppled, following the unexplained deaths of many of its top members, including Tom Cruise.  The Children of Xenu's only real religious precepts are "cyberware is good because if you have less meat there is less of you for Thetans to attach to" and "don't be a dick," so on the whole the religion does more good than harm, though cyberpsychosis cases do rise sharply because of its focus on cyborgization.

Fin

[vh-rp]

Rogue - Ranger

Warriors of the wilderness, rangers learn to track their quarry as a predator does, equally as capable of moving stealthily through the wilds as the city, and skilled at hiding themselves in both brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes.

Foci: Beast Bound Beast Bound are rangers who have poured their focus, interest, and training into their partnership with an animal companion. Often bonded with a creature, the two act as one, both in battle and out. The Beast Bound rogue may only bond with one creature at a time, but they also have limited connectivity with others of that same species, and they employ that connection against their foes to deadly effect.

Within this foci fall the following abilities:

Animal Bond: The beast bound has partnered with a particular creature.

Two as One: Partners for life, the rogue and their animal companion fight in tandem, taking direction and cues from one another.

Summon Creature: The rogue is able to summon additional allies of the same type as their animal companion for the duration of a battle or quest.

Animal Empathy: The beast bound is in tune with their companion, and is able to communicate with them in a rudimentary way.

Enhanced Senses: Their bond with their companion has made the rogue a bit more beastlike themselves. Their eyesight, hearing, and scent detection are more sensitive than normal.

Foci: Archer These rogues fight from a distance, using their bow, crossbow, or even darts or slings. They are nimble footed and lightly armored, the better to remain mobile on the battlefield. Known for their unerring accuracy, skilled archers are dextrous and nimble, dodging danger even as they exploit their enemies’ weak points.

Within this foci fall the following abilities:

Rain of Arrows: Archers are able to knock several arrows at once for double, or even triple the damage without sacrificing accuracy.

Deadeye: By sacrificing speed these Archers take the time line up their shot. These arrows hit with deadly accuracy.

Rapid Reload: Don’t expect much reprieve when an Archer is reloading their weapon. Experts can empty their quivers within seconds and not miss their targets once.

Piercing Shot: Armor means nothing to the most expert of Archers. Either with armor piercing arrows or simply by finding the weak spots, they can find the tiniest of gaps.

Enhanced Arrows: An arrow for every occasion; fire, poison, reinforced. Archers know the right arrow for the right situation.

Foci: Hunter The Hunter has been wronged by something - a beast, a monster, or a type of person - and now employs all of their skills in fighting against them. They are specifically trained and highly motivated killers, researching their enemies to the point of expertise. Their grudge typically takes them to far-flung places, as they travel the world to rid Thedas of their enemies’ influence.

Within this foci fall the following abilities:

Enmity: The rogue is almost unstoppable when they face their preferred quarry. They receive a bonus to their power and energy when against their chosen enemy, motivated to finish them off at all costs.

Hunter’s Mark: With sharp instincts, they always know where their marked quarry resides, and if any are nearby. They can track their enemies on any type of terrain.

Trapper: Hunters know their quarries well enough to determine the best way to trap them, using their weaknesses against them and staking out the most promising ambush sites.

Tenacity: Woe betide anyone who has the Hunter’s sights set on them. With reserves of strength and stamina the Hunter does not need to stop and rest as often as others, and can survive on far less sleep.

Camouflage: The hunter is adept at camouflage, able to blend into their surroundings at a moment’s notice…all the better to sneak up on their prey.

Foci: Scout Dungeon delvers and explorers of the highest caliber, the Scout is a rogue that has taken their skills on the road. They are frontiersmen first and foremost, outriders and travelers who are adept at mapping out unknown territories and seeking the richest treasures. Scouts are adept at navigating, and are at home in any terrain. They use this to their advantage in battle, luring opponents into ambushes and using their surroundings against them.

Within this foci fall the following abilities:

Solid Footing: The Scout is alert to the feel of the ground beneath their feet. They receive a bonus to maintain their footing against attacks that might otherwise knock them prone.

Mapping: Experienced explorers, the Scout can easily extrapolate the blank spaces on their map, navigating even wholly unknown dungeons with ease.

Secret Sense: The Scout has an eye for this sort of thing. They are always on the look out for secret doors or hidden mechanisms, and tend to spot them more easily.

Internal Compass: Their sense of direction is unparalleled. A Scout is never truly lost.

Ambush Tactics: The scout uses their familiarity with their location to give themselves the advantage in battle.

[trendagon]

Unlocking the Richness of Companions in Baldur's Gate 3: Your Adventure, Your Party

One of the best parts of playing Dungeons & Dragons is embarking on epic adventures with a diverse group of companions, and Baldur's Gate 3 delivers this experience flawlessly with a wide array of companions available for recruitment. In this article, we'll delve into the world of companions in Baldur's Gate 3, highlighting the richness they bring to the game.

A Diverse Cast of Companions

Baldur's Gate 3 offers players a diverse cast of companions to choose from, each with intricate backstories and fully fleshed-out personalities. These companions encompass various classes, ensuring that you can customize your party to suit your preferred playstyle. Whether you're into spellcasting, melee combat, or sneaky tactics, Baldur's Gate 3 has a companion that fits your needs.

1. Zenith Feur'sel: The Healing Expert

When it comes to clerics in Baldur's Gate 3, Shadowheart might be your first Origin companion but don't overlook Zenith Feur'sel. This high elf cleric of Selûne brings exceptional healing capabilities to the table. Unlike Shadowheart, who specializes in the Trickery domain, Zenith is a Life domain cleric, known for its powerful healing buffs that become even more potent as the game progresses. Moreover, considering the twists and turns of Shadowheart's questline, there's a chance she might leave your party or meet an untimely end. In such cases, Zenith Feur'sel can be an invaluable replacement for just 100 gold.

2. Maddala Deadeye: The Rogue with a Heart

While Asterion is a tempting choice for a rogue character, he's not always the best fit for lawful good playthroughs and can meet a grim fate during his quest line. Enter Maddala Deadeye, a fully customizable rogue companion who won't judge your actions and is always ready to help. Maddala provides a refreshing alternative to the enigmatic vampire, making her an excellent addition to your party.

3. Ver'yll Wenkiir: The Ranged Martial Artist

Early in the game, Baldur's Gate 3 lacks ranged martial companions until you meet Minsc in Act Three. Thankfully, Ver'yll Wenkiir fills this void with grace and style. Beyond just looking cool, Baldur's Gate 3 has addressed some of the issues plaguing DnD fifth edition rangers, making them a valuable addition to your party and an enjoyable class to play.

4. Kerz: The Versatile Paladin

In most playthroughs of Baldur's Gate 3, you'll find yourself lacking a paladin companion unless you're on an evil path to recruit Minthara. Paladins are formidable fighters capable of fulfilling multiple roles in your party, and Kerz, the half-orc paladin hireling, embodies this versatility. With a commanding appearance, Kerz can tank, heal, and deal damage all in one, making him an invaluable asset.

5. Jaheira: The Returning Druid

Returning from previous Baldur's Gate installments, Jaheira is a half-elf druid with a rich backstory and her motivations. While recruiting her may require some effort at the end of Act Two, it's well worth it to have this High Harper join your team. Jaheira adds a dry sense of humor and insightful commentary about your party's actions. Additionally, her history ties her to the city and its true forces, leading to extra dialogue in certain areas.

Wanna Know more companions Click Here

[it-is-i-zim]

Yet again Suicide Squad Excludes Titular Members, Captain Boomerang and Deadshot

Suicide Squad: Dream Team, written by Nicole Maines, releases March 12th, 2024 and it appears a frequent member has been completed excluded from the team once again. While this so called "Dream Team" includes members who've been on the Squad prior to this comic, such as Clock King, Harley Quinn, and Deadeye, who seems to have joined the team recently. Bizarro is also included within this comic, and while not necessarily a Suicide Squad member, he has previously teamed up with the Suicide Squad within Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016), issues 16 and 17. Another member will be joining the group and her name is Black Alice, who has not previously been associated with the Suicide Squad.

As a fan of the Suicide Squad I find this lineup somewhat... Odd. I understand members like Harley Quinn, and the return of Clock King isn't unwelcome, but I do not understand the other members with little to no association with the Suicide Squad whatsoever. Bizarro makes the most sense of these new recruits, having a prior team up with the Squad, though without actually being part of Task Force X. But Deadeye and Black Alice? From the looks of it Deadeye will appear alongside members from the 1987 Suicide Squad run, Captain Boomerang and Vixen in Titans: Beast World Tour: Atlantis #1, which releases January 2nd. Black Alice has more of an association with the Birds of Prey from my brief research of her. She should not be on the Suicide Squad at all. Why is she here?

As previously mentioned, Captain Boomerang will show up in Beast World Tour: Atlantis, but what happens between then and Suicide Squad: Dream Team? Why put even set him up in the first place if they're just going to remove him? Will he die in Breast World Tour: Atlantis? Are they going to unceremoniously kill him off again for absolutely no reason? Or does he actually manage to join back with the Rogues for once?

And with Dawn of DC technically being a new timeline, I feel like being able to bring back Deadshot would be a better solution than using whoever this Deadeye character even is. Deadshot by himself is a popular character and his return would be a good selling point. Why exclude a popular character who's actively associated with the Suicide Squad ever since it got a revamp in 1987 to become the team we know them as now?

On top of that, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's main cast consists of Deadshot and Captain Boomerang, as well as Harley Quinn. It makes little to no sense to completely exclude at the very least Deadshot and Boomerang, especially with them being core members of the team, as well their appearance in the game launching February 2nd. Even more interesting is that this date happens to fall between the release of both Beast World Tour: Atlantis and Suicide Squad: Dream Team.

[brxxdyelf-blog]

@rogue-deadeye

“So... question, if you don’t mind”. The elf inquired from the fellow Rogue, seemingly inspecting his sidearm; but notably in a novice manner. He looked up from his current assignment and to the sharpshooter, proceeding to ask his question: “How often should I clean my gun? Do I need to clean it after every time I shoot it? ...I’m the first one of my family to ever think to pick up a gun, and you appear to be a gunslinger; so you no doubt know more than I”.

[a-punk-and-her-horror]

((Inktober day 18, and some b-day art for @rogue-deadeye.))