the-nerd-cooperative

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Oh hi Mark,

Under the coming chagrs to combat with foundations. Can i still block with a creature and have the opportunity to sacrifice it before damage while still keeping the attacking creature blocked?

Yes.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Plane Shift: New Phyrexia Phyresis Rules 1.0

Contact with Phyrexian creatures and glistening oil can lead to phyresis, a special condition tracked in ten stages. Phyresis is not a disease, so immunity to disease cannot prevent a creature from being afflicted. Phyrexian creatures are immune to this condition.

A creature infected by phyresis experiences the effects of its current level and all those below.

Until level 5, greater restoration may remove a phyresis level from a targeted creature in addition to its other effects.

Every 24 hours, a character who has at least 1 phyresis level must roll a d20. On a roll equal to or less than their current phyresis level, they gain one level.

Phyresis Level Effects

1: No effect 2: No effect 3: Disadvantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened by Phyrexian creatures 4: No new effect 5: Phyresis can no longer be removed by greater restoration 6: No new effect 7: Phyrexian language proficiency 8: Gain one augmentation for which you meet the prerequisites (detailed in a later installment) 9: No new effect 10: Incapacitated; begin compleation saving throws (see “A Sublime Transformation”) (Below the cut)

A Sublime Transformation

Most compleated adult Phyrexians, including player characters, are capable of compleating other creatures with sufficient ichor and time. A compleated creature retains its original type and racial features but gains the Phyrexian supertype. As a general rule, spells cast using Phyrexian mana that raise a target from the dead will return them compleated, if they were not already.

Much like being raised from the dead, the process of compleation is an exhausting ordeal that saps the energy of affected creatures. A newly compleated Phyrexian takes a -3 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks. Each time the creature finishes a long rest, the penalty is reduced by 1 until it disappears.

Often, compleation is a process of optimization, reinforcing a creature's existing strengths. In that spirit, compleated player characters may increase one ability score above 20 by subtracting 2 from another ability score for each increase by 1 to the target score, to a maximum of 22. In addition, the compleated character gains one Phyrexian augmentation for which they meet the prerequisite.

Compleation is a unique opportunity for a player to re-work their character, extending to even class and subclass choices. Additionally, the mnemonic nature of glistening oil means that genetic material is not the only thing passed down from a Phyrexian to a creature they compleat. A newly compleated creature gains one skill proficiency possessed by the Phyrexian who compleated them.

Glistening oil carries the voice of Yawgmoth, who seeks to bend all to his whims. When you reach 10 phyresis levels, you must make a DC 16 Wisdom or Charisma saving throw each turn (your choice). The Phyrexian compleating you may grant you advantage on these saving throws. Successes and failures don't need to be consecutive; keep track of both until you collect three of a kind. When you roll a 1 on the d20, it counts as two failures; likewise, a 20 on the d20 counts as two successes. On your third success, you become compleated while retaining your previous memories and convictions. On your third failure, your bonds are altered to serve Phyrexia. You retain your base alignment and personality, but may suffer memory loss. Either way, you lose all phyresis levels and their effects.

Though powerful, the alteration of loyalties during compleation can be undone. Dispel magic or remove curse cast with a 7th-level slot or higher can restore one target creature to its former bonds if its mind had been altered in this way. You can target one additional creature for each slot level above 7th.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

making fun of mainstream dnd 5e play culture is very low hanging fruit i know but this post is making me go insane. "i want to know if there's a better way to explain that the rules aren't necessarily the same as baldur's gate" THE RULEBOOKS???? THE RULEBOOKS TO THE GAME YOU'RE PLAYING????? THE RULEBOOKS WHICH DND 5E HAS THAT TELL YOU WHAT THE RULES OF THE GAME ARE??? THE RULEBOOKS???????

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Do you have any concerns about the long-term impact of double faced lands and 1 mana land cyclers on the mana system? I think things are ok now, but at the rate you release sets and up power levels, it seems possible that in 5-10 years you could build a deck for modern or legacy that's impossible to mana flood/mana short thanks to those type of modal cards.

We can't hold the future hostage of the past. If older formats have issues, we'll deal with them through banning rather than not making more of a cool thing.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Suffering from success. Based on a submission from @superbly-charging-at-78-percent

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Reverse vampire. Dies when deprived of sunlight, injects people with blood instead of sucking it from them, is empowered by garlic and silver, has the most flushed red skin color instead of being deathly pale and can only enter a house if specifically told NOT to do so.

­

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Found a new language practice app!

Polygloss has you describe an image in your target language so another player can guess it. It encourages creative answers. The game works for people of all levels — you can describe simple pictures or try your hand at wordplay.

It has plenty of options and will let you add any language you’d like — tho it’ll probably be more difficult to find people to play with.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Could suitable un-cards get eternal "un-reprints"? That is, using a new name but identical abilities, like was the plan for Tammy, Power Gamer, and using a variant on Universes Within's "=SLD" label to mark that the cards are equivalent for casual games despite having different tournament legality. Would that be viable?

We clearly can make the same cards with a new name (if the card works within the rules). I’m more skeptical we’d use the Universe’s Within “same card�� tech.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

I'm so fascinated by languages with different levels of formality built in because it immediately introduces such complex social dynamics. The social distance between people is palpable when it's built right into the language, in a way it's not really palpable in English.

So for example. I speak Spanish, and i was taught to address everyone formally unless specifically invited otherwise. People explained to me that "usted" was formal, for use with strangers, bosses, and other people you respect or are distant from, while "tú" is used most often between family and good friends.

That's pretty straightforward, but it gets interesting when you see people using "tú" as a form of address for flirting with strangers, or for picking a fight or intimidating someone. In other languages I've sometimes heard people switch to formal address with partners, friends or family to show when they are upset. That's just so interesting! You're indicating social and emotional space and hierarchy just in the words you choose to address the other person as "you"!!

Not to mention the "what form of address should I use for you...?" conversation which, idk how other people feel about it, but to me it always felt awkward as heck, like a DTR but with someone you're only just becoming comfortable with. "You can use tú with me" always felt... Weirdly intimate? Like, i am comfortable around you, i consider you a friend. Like what a vulnerable thing to say to a person. (That's probably also just a function of how i was strictly told to use formal address when i was learning. Maybe others don't feel so weird about it?)

And if you aren't going to have a conversation about it and you're just going to switch, how do you know when? If you switch too soon it might feel overly familiar and pushy but if you don't switch soon enough you might seem cold??? It's so interesting.

Anyway. As an English-speaking American (even if i can speak a bit of Spanish), i feel like i just don't have a sense for social distance and hierarchy, really, simply because there isn't really language for it in my mother tongue. The fact that others can be keenly aware of that all the time just because they have words to describe it blows my mind!

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Hello fellow authors! ✍️

Just a quick reminder: WRITE WHAT YOU WANT

Don’t let the opinions of others dim your creativity or dictate your writing. Embrace your ideas, no matter how wild or unconventional they may seem.

Some of the greatest works came from breaking the rules.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Was wishing there was a positivity post for original fiction writers since I see so many about how fanfic writers are doing so much for their communities even when they're not actively writing, and then I thought:

Be the change you want to see in the world.

So this is a positivity post for the writers out here who are working very hard on stories with no established community. Who can't talk about their blorbos and plot lines and brainstorming to anyone and expect them to know what any of it means. Who don't have much to share publicly, but are hoping they will one day.

You're doing a lot of hard work, and I recognize and appreciate what you're putting into the world, even when you're resting.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Spark Double

Artist: Eric Deschamps TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Cryptic Pursuit

Artist: Marc Simonetti TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[the-nerd-cooperative]

Got my hands on tales of the Valiant today (Kobold Press's d&d successor) and while most of it is largely just a better version of 5e (better layouts, some class restructuring, spells codified into 4 lists ala pathfinder) the most interesting mechanical change is their modification to Inspiration

To put it briefly, inspiration has been replaced with luck, which is a stacking resource you get whenever you fail a roll in addition to all the ways you'd normally gain inspiration. You can spend luck to boost rolls on a 1:1 basis, or spend 3 to reroll any d20 you'd roll (so it can't quite cancel out disadvantage). To encourage you to spend Luck any time you have more than 5 , you have to roll a d4 and can only keep that many.

I think it's a very interesting tool to put in player's hands, as for a while I've been considering how to keep forward momentum when the players suffer a run of bad rolls.

I might merge it with some of my other inspiration hacks, such as acting upon your backstory/character concept (inspired by bg3) or engaging with the piety system.

[the-nerd-cooperative]

For aro/ace writers:

- you don't have to write sex scenes. Tolkien didn't

- you don't have to write romance. Lewis didn't

- you can write very close friendships that have nothing romantic nor sexual in them. Scott Lynch did

- you can write sexual relationships that don't involve romance. Sapkowski did

- you can write romantic relationships that don't involve sex. Pratchett and Gaiman did

Don't let anyone tell you that some kinds of relationships are impossible or that a story must contain some themes. It's your story, write it the way you want

[the-nerd-cooperative]

the funniest thing about ttrpgs is that you can create a guy and say "his name is blorbo bleebus. he sucks severely. i hope that many misfortunes befall blorbo bleebus. he does not deserve to be happy." and at least one of your friends will immediately jump in to say "noooo... don't bully blorbo bleebus... i love blorbo bleebus..."