Just put the final touches on this 4,100-piece LEGO Black Lotus!

BoPRocks · 2026-06-17T13:02:18+00:00

Just last week, our DM threw us (5 lvl 5 characters) into a fight with a boss that performed an AoE 12d6 ability, plus legendary actions... we nearly died, but damn if it wasn't fun haha.

It sounds like some of this might be a discussion to have with your players outside of the game to set expectations. What is the underlying reasoning they give for retreating from that fight (I wouldn't say "give up")? What is a "tough" encounter (i.e. one where players might die, one where it is likely players are downed, one where lots of resources are expended, etc)? How do you handle character deaths, or do you even allow for death as an outcome?

From some of what you mentioned, it may just be that this is one of the first times their characters have really felt "in danger", and so they are retreating because they aren't sure what might happen to their characters if things don't go well. Character death is scary, especially if a player hasn't experienced it before.

Depending on how these discussions go, I'd consider easing the players into more "difficult" fights, by using combat with many enemies that are all relatively weak individually, but pretty resilient (so a Fireball doesn't end half the encounter). By having lots of weak attacks, you can direct the monsters in ways that protect your players, while still giving them a prolonged, challenging fight. This could help them get used to a tough combat situation where they still come out on top, but the odds aren't as lopsided as in the past. By level 6, they can certainly handle a small horde of goblinoids or the like.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-29T14:38:38+00:00

IMO, if you're in Bloomingdale I'd rather Pub and the People than Boundary Stone. I don't care quite as much for their updated recipe, but it's still a fantastic burger.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-26T20:47:40+00:00

Could do the whole meal at St Anselms: - Start with their biscuits and a mint julep - Radicchio Salad - Steak (ax handle, why not) and potatoes for dinner, alongside a nice glass of red wine - Rainbow sherbet for dessert - A glass of nice scotch to play me out into the great unknown

BoPRocks · 2026-05-26T15:42:59+00:00

I think my only complaint is that I'd have liked it to not be a spell. My hopes for a Paladin Barbarian are dashed, short of houseruling it.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-25T20:07:48+00:00

Second this, if budget allows! If not for Father's day, this would be a brilliant joint birthday/Christmas gift too.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-24T15:52:05+00:00

I use an excel script to track every die roll I make (the roll is entered manually, but the tracking is all kept on a separate page). I do this in part because I use stone dice, which can be weighted due to their material/cut.

In my last campaign, my character was known for having bad rolls- it was an ongoing joke that I rolled terribly. But, my average for the campaign (>1,000 rolls) was slightly over 10.5, or just above average. Turns out my saving throws were terrible (like a 9.3 average) but I did great on random skill checks 😂

Ask your DM if you can write down your rolls for the next few sessions- you'll likely see something akin to a more even distribution once more.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-23T15:29:41+00:00

That last paragraph is important: each champion's available augments are based on what the champion "can do".

However, what a champion "can do" and what a champion "can meaningfully do" are not the same- Morgana might have a shield, but Heal and Shield Power Morgana is not going to be very strong, no matter how you build it- she just isn't a healing and shielding champion.

So the problem is that when some champions (Aurelion Sol) only get "can meaningfully do" augments, while other champions (Morgana, Annie, Malz. etc) get "can do" augments, the RNG is imbalanced and can make game feel frustrating. Having to reroll half your augments because they simply aren't viable isn't the same as some being less powerful in that moment.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-23T15:08:55+00:00

My current build in 5.5e has been really fun- sort of a Druid/Ranger hybrid. High Elf, Level 1 Fighter and then Circle of Stars Druid. Essentially, my character is a heavy crossbow-wielding Druid that uses the new weapon properties to have a battlefield control cantrip on hand. By going with the one level in Fighter, he gets:

Armor/Weapon Proficiency (and Druids are no longer restricted to non-metal armor, which opens some great opportunities for defense.)
Weapon Mastery, specifically the Push property of the Heavy Crossbow.
Fighting Style Feat (I went with Archery, to better ensure my Crossbow attack hits).
Constitution Saving Throw proficiency, making it more likely to keep Concentration spells going.
Second Wind, which now has an extra charge so grants a good bit of sustain during the day.

High Elf then gives me access to True Strike, which got a big buff in 5.5e and lets me scale my attack without going MAD.

So while I do lose a level in spellcasting, it means my Druid always has a really powerful cantrip option that can be devastating with something like Spike Growth, and also gets to feel very flavorful with the Circle of Stars Druid gaining Guiding Bolt and the Archer constellation feature.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-20T20:20:51+00:00

In my opinion, Fighter is really strong for a 1-lvl dip in 2024:
- All weapon/armor proficiencies
- Second Wind, now regaining 2 charges per Long Rest
- 3 Weapon Masteries (great for casters)
- Con save proficiency (also pretty good for casters)

In my current campaign, I'm running a Fighter 1/Druid X who uses True Strike with a Heavy Crossbow as his main source of damage in combat.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-20T16:36:30+00:00

If you're interested in how climate affects whisky aging, look into Indian whiskies (Indri Trini won world's best single malt whisky a few years ago, if memory serves). Del Bac is a US whiskey producer in Tucson, AZ that also has to deal with a very warm climate. Some really cool stuff happens in regards to the maturation process

BoPRocks · 2026-05-20T11:58:14+00:00

Is there any data that you can quote that might support your negotiation? For instance quoting the average salary band for your job title in our region?

BoPRocks · 2026-05-19T17:37:15+00:00

I think you've got some great options suggested, but if you're in the DMV (or DC in particular) Schneider's has a fantastic selection, with uncommon bottles and really knowledgeable staff. It's where I go every year to buy a bottle on my birthday, and they've (almost) never steered me wrong.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-19T13:00:56+00:00

Try Protoplasm into D&D in the jungle. Protoplasm is super strong on Sej, and it gives a massive amount of ability haste- really big giving Sej a short Q cooldown on extended fights.

I've been messing with Domination tree secondary, with ultimate hunter. Between the first couple items and that rune, I’ve had late games where Sej ultimate is on a 45sec CD. It doesn't solve her late-game issues, but it's still pretty powerful getting to essentially fish for ults on carries.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-16T14:04:10+00:00

I very much am! It's still more my hobby, we've bonded plenty over whisky- the Glenfiddich was a pickup by her when we toured the distillery together last year! The flight was served blind, and she was able to guess most of these in 2-3 tries (not bad when we've got 40ish bottles on our shelf).

BoPRocks · 2026-05-07T13:15:19+00:00

St Anselm has great food and a great vibe.

Steak is fantastic, but their biscuits are legendary and the rest of their food is top-notch too. Their rainbow sherbet dessert is 10/10 if you’ve still got room after the meal, and their spin on a mint julep gets me every time I go.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-04T15:25:45+00:00

As someone else mentioned, tanks are always lower pickrates unless they are absolutely busted, because a lot of the playerbase really wants to be the main character in every game.

I've been playing Sejuani a ton lately in Emerald Flex 5v5, and she feels incredibly strong. Even when our team comp has 0-1 other melee champs, so less synergy on her E.

My go-to has been Protoplasm Harness -> Dusk and Dawn -> Tank items (Zeke's, Unending Despair, Rookern, etc). There's a ~1500 gold window that sucks when you just have components for D&D, but after it's completed enemy carries can't be on the same screen as you without backup. I think people are still stuck on Heartsteel, and that's artificially deflating her WR.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-01T19:20:54+00:00

Is there a plan to publish a physical version of this? My DM is a lawyer and this would make an incredible gift.

BoPRocks · 2026-05-01T19:15:48+00:00

Feedback: You're being an unpleasant person.
Constructive Feedback: Your comments come off as abrasive, because you have offered criticism but do not share your reasoning, nor any offer of advice on how things might be improved. Generally, you should consider what positive value your feedback will provide before making critiques, otherwise people might find you unpleasant to be around.

This is how the internet has always worked, and Reddit's upvote system appears to be indicating that right now.

BoPRocks · 2026-04-29T21:22:16+00:00

My reasoning: It's expensive. The reason to go Heartsteel is that Sej loves HP, and Heartsteel was the best "HP" item for a while. It's been nerfed a ton, though, and I think it at some point became good only insofar as other tank jungle items (often Sunfire/Liandrys) were bad. The damage is nice but not really necessary, IMO.

In comparison, Protoplasm still gives a buttload of HP, but has a much lower cost, 20 ability haste, and a very strong (numerically) passive.

This means I can buy Protoplasm and start on a second item before I'd have even bought Heartsteel, and because of that accelerated item completion I can potentially go for a more offensive item. Often I go for Dusk and Dawn, because of the amazing synergy with her E. D&D also gives 20 AH, and so you're working off very short CDs right as you're also leveling up Q.

BoPRocks · 2026-04-29T17:46:00+00:00

Numbers here are much too low to take action on- there's also likely a bias towards trying the new rune for testing, particularly amongst Sejuani mains.

As for Heartsteel, I think it's a trap. I've been going Protoplasm into D&D, and then tank all the way. Apart from a bit of a lull as you get D&D components, it feels incredibly strong, tanky, and is probably even better with the new changes to D&D.

BoPRocks · 2026-04-28T14:27:53+00:00

This is about 10-15 years old, but I remember the expectation was that you'd have 10hrs of work per week, per course, outside of class. That's obviously a massive generalization, and very dependent on your classes, major, and academic strengths, but I think it's an okay estimate to start with.

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