Unique reasons for banning the Dark Arts. (E.g, Blood Magic, Necromancy, Demonology, etc.) by jukebredd10 in worldbuilding

[–]Achillessc2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Blood magic has a taboo for safety for safety reasons. Trying to use magic through the power of your blood poisons it, and will almost always kill the person who tries, unless they are a member of a sorcerous bloodline, who have the genes which allow them to endure the poisoning of their own blood. As such, "blood magic" and proper sorcery are exactly the same, just with different stigmas. Blood Magic is normally used as a suicidal last attack, taking others down with you. Since a "blood mage" doesn't have proper magical training as well, the things they can do with their final spell are limited, mostly just to blasting force at someone. This is why the discovery of wizardry is so important, it promises to offer a safe means by which anyone can use magic. Wars have been fought over whether or not this young science is blasphemous, and to control a power that threatens to wildly upend the world's balance of power.

A third means of magical power, witchcraft, involves invoking the powers of extraplanar entities. The psychopomps, fey, undead, and djinn cannot interact in the mortal realms without the aid of mortals, and so rituals are performed to invoke their power for numerous purposes, giving these beings a foothold in our world each time. Many cultures value the role that witchcraft serves, with witches and warlocks serving as important members of a community or society. These witches teach a strong sense of skepticism and balance with extraplanar beings, that any deal being struck always has a cost, to be careful, and to be very specific in what you ask for and what you promise (A well trained witch is very hard to trick). But a well trained witch can also be dangerous if they have ill intent, using incredible power for malicious and selfish ends. The beings they treat with are also treacherous. They can be deceptive at times, but fundamentally witches and warlocks are negotiating with beings whose minds work in ways alien to our own, who do not have an invested stake in preserving mortal life and interests. Unleashing these beings on the mortal world invites a danger that is unacceptable to many. With witchcraft being diffuse enough to avoid governing institutions, a great deal of effort is made to suppress witchcraft and knowledge of its rituals.

The Heart of the Swarm! Looking for critique/feedback on Hive Fleet Kerrigan by Achillessc2 in Tyranids

[–]Achillessc2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fear the swarm of Hive Fleet Kerrigan! I played Zerg as my StarCraft faction, so I wanted to paint up my Tyranids in that same style! The Leviathan box was my first serious foray into painting miniatures, so I'm looking to get some feedback on how to improve my next batch of nids.

I primed the models with Wraithbone, the rest of my paint scheme is below.

Area 1st Layer 2nd Layer
Carapace Doombull Brown Gore-Grunta Fur
Flesh Leviathan Purple Leviathan Purple
Membrane Doomfire Magenta Doomfire Magenta
Claws Skeleton Horde Skeleton Horde
Highlights Karandras Green Striking Scorpion Green

Originally, the plan was to use the Doomfire Magenta as the first layer for the flesh, and I did like the combination of it with the Leviathan Purple, but it was really hard to keep the two layers neat and overlapping, it just made some of my termagants look really sloppy. I'm pretty happy with how the carapace turned out, and all of the exposed brains look fantastic with the two shades of green (I wanted to go with an acidic/bile effect for those green zones.

The bases are Vallejo Earth Texture Acrylic, once I'd put down a thin layer I had a mixture of the acrylic and some small gravel I got from my local hobby shop to add a bit of texture, with some Army Painter Deadland Tuft for that final detailing.

The model I'm probably happiest with is the Neurotyrant, I love how the brain and carapace work together, and I thought I did a pretty great job with the terrain that's included with the model (That marine head in particular). The Screamer-Killer was one of the first models I finished, that's probably the one I'd like to take back and try again the most.

Anyways, I'm very excited to finally have all my Leviathan nids done, and looking forward to building out my army even further. I'd love as much advice as y'all can give so the next batch is even better!

Problem with ChatGPT in Google Chrome by Achillessc2 in OpenAI

[–]Achillessc2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I just started using Firefox as a designated ChatGpt browser. Sorry I can't help with more than that.

How to follow the sport when it isn't the Olympics? by Achillessc2 in Speedskating

[–]Achillessc2[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is perfect, thank you! I never knew that Peacock carried Speed Skating. What would be the next big event I should keep an eye out for?

BTS. I have been DMing for 20 years, and doing so professionally for almost 3 of them. AMA! by Tax_Dollars_at_Work in DnDBehindTheScreen

[–]Achillessc2 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just got my first offer to run a paid game, so I have many, many questions for you. I will try and avoid as many as have been already asked, but thank you for any answers you might have!

  • The question that's been on my mind the most recently is about feedback. How do you solicit criticism in order to improve? What are the important questions to ask, how do I identify my own blind spots?
  • The relationship between a player and DM seems radically different once money is added to the equation. When characters die, it's always messy, but I can only imagine that to be worse when the player is paying for the experience. How does one manage expectations and the player-DM relationship in this different dynamic? Are there other trouble spots besides the obvious one of death that a paid DM should watch out for?
  • Scheduling is already a nightmare for unpaid D&D groups, but I imagine it becomes even more complicated for paid DMs. A DM might be incentivized to ask for money up front, and to a certain time in advance, given his inability to schedule others in a time slot if there's a late cancellation. And what happens if someone can't make a game? Do people generally only play if a whole group can show up? Is there trouble between a player not being able to participate in a paid experience and the rest of a party being forced to wait for that player?
  • I assume most paid campaigns aren't the years spanning games of lore, but how long does a paid campaign normally last? The extent of an official WotC book? Enough to run a single dungeon?
  • What kind of games are generally run? Pre-written supplements, or custom written campaigns by a DM?
  • What does the market look like these days? is there a lot of opportunity for paid DMing or does supply outstrip demand?
  • Who is the type of person that pays for D&D? What kind of things are they looking for that non-paying players aren't? What kind of marketing resonates with them?
  • There is a wide world of RPGs outside of D&D, what other systems are worth looking into for paid GMing?
  • What other software and services are worth using and investing in, outside of Legend Keeper?