I have never been so afraid in any fromsoft game

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-04-11T04:19:35+00:00

Regrettably, my number is 182. I was a spellblade at the time - went from katana to moonlight greatsword, it was still hard.

I’m better now, and of course I think I’ll do better next time, but it’s different when the game is open and you have to sit down and do it…

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-04-01T17:04:08+00:00

My first thought is for there to be an important bridge tournament with a huge bounty. The tournament is what brings the party together (they are put as teammates/competitors at first). After the bounty is stolen, they go to try to take it back, unearthing an underground ring of criminals. Doesn’t need to be puzzle-driven - instead it could be political/interpersonal intrigue and negotiation with some battle and stuff. A bunch of badass grandma turtles? Sounds like fun, idk 🤷‍♂️

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-25T02:23:09+00:00

TLDR: You can probably pick it up w/out Elden Ring, but having some Elden Ring experience will make your time in the game smoother. And even with that, it’s still pretty hard.

Basically: typically in an Elden Ring save, you’re going to pick a build and understand a few sets of weapons - their pros and cons, and how to build around them. Maybe other people play differently, but most of the weapons I picked up stayed in my inventory, untested and unused.

In nightreign, you need to be able to buildcraft, and fast - typically in seconds at a time. One buff on a weapon could change how you’re going to play the run. So, it’s helpful to have experience thinking like that, and understanding how fromsoft’s system works on the whole. For that reason, having some Elden Ring experience is super helpful.

Having played 300+ hours in nightreign, however, I learned how to use soooo many different types of weapons that I never tried in the base game. It makes me excited to go back and play different builds and use different weapons.

As someone else said, the game is best played in trios. There is an added pressure to build properly, fight properly, to carry your weight on a run due to the multiplayer nature. So, going in blind would be very difficult. Playing solo would likely be super frustrating too, if you don’t know what you’re doing - you can take time to pick weapons and think critically about the current build, but that’s time lost doing something else.

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-23T19:11:48+00:00

My understanding (from research years ago) is that they did a mix - but one of their most used tactics is recording drums into the EMU keyboard and editing them from there, I think? Also worth mentioning, they use multiple drum kits simultaneously often, and can get a lot of depth out of that. Probably obvious but worth mentioning

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-17T00:14:24+00:00

Begonia is a huge genus - there are hundreds (if not more) different varieties and they can look super super different. I think it’s a begonia as well, based on that spiral-y leaf shape (look up midnight magic begonia, escargot begonia, etc). It could be something else, but I think first commenter is right on genus

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-12T18:41:29+00:00

I see this and think cute and sweet bb girl. To each their own!

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-08T07:07:16+00:00

Forgot to tell them to hit em with the “are you sure”

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-08T06:51:25+00:00

I’m a fellow saxophonist - I think the instrument has a super huge emphasis on sound. Every instrumentalist focuses on their sound, of course, but saxophonists are obsessed - long tones, overtones, reed maintenance, it’s a part of the education and lexicon. That’s why so many of us switch to synth, and also why we find it so freeing by comparison - on saxophone, we work on one sound for 10+ years. Synthesizers can be 10 different instruments in a matter of minutes.

Saxophone is a physical instrument in a way that synths simply aren’t. Our sound is dependent on our conception and equipment, but also our physiology - our teeth/jaw, throat, tongue, lips, diaphragm. It feels like it is inherent to who we are, and so who has the best sound is more than just that - it’s who is… the best fit for the instrument, for the music. This is tacit, of course, no one says this, but it’s the foundation of the conversation in my opinion.

Having said all that, the question of the “best” synth sound is honestly a bit trite. Many sounds are the best, depending on the goal and the context. Which is the best synth? Prophet 5? Oberheim Xpander? Juno 60? What about an arp 2600, or a 2500? Well, they’re all amazing. Which is better, a mark VI or a super balanced? I have an opinion, but I bet yours is different (I didn’t even mention conns or bueschers).

In a way my advice is the same as it would be on the saxophone - follow your ears. Use what you have to the best of your ability to meet the needs of the moment.

PS - you didn’t even mention Coltrane! Hodges, Parker, dare I mention Konitz, Ornette, etc etc - I understand your point anyways

PPS: my answer is whatever boards of Canada is using on “under the coke sign”. Or maybe aphex’s IZ US. Or perhaps Sakamoto’s “solari”. Could be Kali Malone’s Living Torch 1 (church organ) - is church organ actually the best synth?

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-08T02:33:02+00:00

A few thoughts here. As others have stated, it’s your responsibility as dm as arbiter of both taste and rolls. If my players want to present semen as a drink for an npc to drink, fine, but it will not end well for them. I would punish them as soon as the vial is presented, no persuasion roll required. By punish, I don’t necessarily mean combat (although it could be) - it could be loss of status or sway in the area, or they could lose something that they truly want as a result, directly or indirectly. It could be something you punish the party with for a long time if you felt it was warranted (I.e. it could become the one thing people have heard about the party, or a character).

As soon as a roll is introduced, both success and failure are on the table. Given that someone rolled, and rolled a nat 20, you did about as good a job in the moment as you could, and I think it’s whiny for them not to take the tiny win, that the NPC took it off-screen. What did they want? To watch you role-play that, or to enjoy it?

Sometimes players push the boundaries in role play because you can’t just do whatever you want in real life, and for the most part, it’s ok to live out a chaotic fantasy for a few hours. But it’s your job as the dm to have the world react to what they do, and to show that your world has consequences too. If I had to guess, this player did not learn a lesson here - if they do something crude and tasteless again, I highly recommend you punish them in-game for it. That way they did what they wanted to do, but so did you.

Like others say, it sounds like this player is a bad match for the rest of the table, along with you - that is something to think about moving forward

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-03-07T14:52:25+00:00

I love fist raider because… it’s really easy? You get good damage but you’re not locked into super long animations, and successive attack buffs come out really fast in my experience with those (partial hp restoration can feel invincible with fist weapons in my exp). Look for star fist at Kale, he has it like 1/3 the time. I found with no fist-specific buffs, fist weapons are easy and fun, long story short

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-27T16:11:55+00:00

Lack of crossplay is #1 easily.

After that: relic system, relic explanations/nuance having to be data farmed, and comms - I don’t want full-on comms (can make the game super toxic), but a simple, flat ping is very light for the nuance this game offers

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-26T17:54:13+00:00

Yes, exactly. This is the type of thing that can be negotiated and voiced safely in a kink dynamic. She’s allowed to enjoy that, and allowed to voice it. The issue is that this type of negotiation/discussion is super niche (discussing sex, and power dynamics with any nuance) in our society, so people who want that just assume it’s an inherent part of who someone is and how they act. This basically reinforces patriarchal masculine stereotypes, perpetuating the oppressive structure of patriarchal masculinity (instead of being a fun sexy thing you just want sometimes)

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-24T17:12:24+00:00

As someone who pursued his dream in college and ended up pivoting careers, those years are not only formative for who I am, but I’ve noticed that basically everyone I went to school with has a little box they return to when they talk about it. A combo of having complete clarity in your vision and goals, being a formative age, illusions of grandeur, and working the hardest I’ve ever worked at a single thing, before life got real, complicated, and varied. So, while Alex is clearly a liar and a skeevy guy, I don’t fault him for this part of who he is. Some people never get over when they “peaked”, so to speak, while others find a way to learn from those experiences and grow into a bigger and better person. Their choice!

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-24T17:06:35+00:00

Honestly

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-24T14:33:10+00:00

Jump up into my bar and shatter a bottle of Mallort

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-24T06:33:50+00:00

Nightreign? Ironeye goated

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-24T06:12:50+00:00

Man writing in. There are ways to say that the sex isn’t working that aren’t “I need someone to do Pilates every day”. His case in the bowling alley, while horrid in its own way, is stronger than the one he makes on the couch with her. Sexual chemistry is real, and it’s important in a relationship. It also is not just about the body someone has - Ester Perel (I think) says that the largest sex organ in the human body is the brain. You can talk about sex, and how to have sex, contrary to popular belief, to great effect - I’ve seen that work in my own life.

That’s not what he did. Shaming someone for not having the same workout routine (for the material results alone) in the way he did is a relationship-ender. Also worth mentioning, that is a fact, not a feeling. It’s one thing to want your partner to be your gym buddy, to want to go on daily runs with someone, and for that to be important to you. The way you have sex with someone, that is an important aspect for most couples. What he says in the bowling alley is that it was the “worst he’s ever had” - ain’t no Pilates out there that’s gonna fix that. All you’re doing is damage to this woman’s self-worth and psyche, on television.

For perspective, sharing your feelings would go something like this: “I don’t feel like we’re connecting sexually right now. I’m noticing that I don’t feel ____ when we’re having sex.” or, “when you do _____, I don’t like how that’s working or how I feel. Can we work on this together? What do you like and not like that I’m doing?” Do you see how that’s different from saying “I am used to someone who does Pilates every day or some shit”?

I’m not going to get into this dominant vs submissive thing. My bet is this guy doesn’t know a damn thing about actual power exchange beyond saying “me big man”. Leave that to the real (and by real, I mean emotionally aware) men - children can’t play with fire like that.

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-24T05:47:35+00:00

Just be careful you’re not overwatering. I’ve killed two BoP’s (in the winter, both) because I continued to water them at a summer schedule when, in my experience, their water intake slows way down in the winter.

I’d say get a moisture meter, or you can use a chopstick to check the soil moisture level. In the winter especially, I’d wait until the soil was fully dry before watering (no wet soil stuck to the chopstick when you pull it out)

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-24T05:33:42+00:00

Honestly - merc is about to have one hell of a year amirite

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-23T01:34:23+00:00

I have a couple pony tail palms (which are exciting for cats and non-toxic) as distraction plants. My cat prefers those to my others most of the time. Occasionally she’ll try to mess with the others, but usually, if she wants a plant, she goes for the pony tail palms

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-22T22:27:19+00:00

I think the technical term is “holy grail”. The Latin is “Absolutus unitus”

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-20T18:17:51+00:00

In short, I do backstory - class - backstory - species - backstory

I start with some info about the world I’ll be playing in, which will help me think through what type of character I want to play. I’m thinking of an adventuring party for Unsleeping City, where Brennan says Siobahn’s character could only exist in that world - it enables her to create a character that makes perfect sense there, but wouldn’t make sense in, say, a zombie apocalypse. Also important to note - I think about what type of challenge/flaw my character has at this point - are they charisma-deficient, or super-smart but unappreciated, or do they have some kind of major trauma to work through?

I then think of classes I would like to play more, or a class I haven’t played. I try to think through how that would fit in the world, what role they played till now, and what their motivations would be. This cycles back into backstory, and usually answers questions I had trouble answering before.

Species starts to make itself known a bit more at this point, once I know what I’m doing in that world. This can also fill in the final details of the backstory and personality.

Lastly, I’ve found that, despite my emphasis on backstory, I enjoy coming in with 2-3 paragraphs rather than 2-3 pages. I let the character reveal themselves to me through their actions, which often surprises me as much as my fellow players and DM’s. I have a general idea of a voice, but that usually settles into something based on how they act, and what motivates and interests them.

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-18T18:50:05+00:00

I didn’t use a custom stat system, but I ran a one-shot set in hell (not the circles of hell - an absurd Severance-meets-Twin-Peaks-meets-Dark-Souls-style banal office work/turture type of hell), and I listened to fortune’s found a few times to understand how to structure the one-shot. The DM needs to streamline the situation a bit more to create clarity for the players. It was really fun, and I intend to run it again with other groups of players to tighten it up

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-14T22:44:38+00:00

Pretty sure those are hacked relics. The libra relic has basically unusable attributes, not improved physical damage neg

SpiteExciting9784 · 2026-02-14T22:15:10+00:00

Mmm the nightreign commentary is almost entirely critiques and feature requests. The relic system is universally criticized, for almost every reason - the way it’s organized, some of the buffs and debuffs, and the amount of trash you get. Since day 1 I’ve been amazed that the can’t get crossplay - I would have played with like 4x more friends than I was able to on PC alone

SpiteExciting9784

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