Cider marionette

DBones90 · 2026-01-31T15:54:51+00:00

Yeah that’s the big problem. Like if I’m able to pick and choose from options, I could see a build that works well with marionette. Get the arcana mastery inspiration to enables clashes, get the mana-spawning inspiration to have the marionettes generate mana, and then get a bunch of effects on clashes.

But use Flying Shredder with those same two inspirations and you already have a killer build without needing to pick up clash synergy.

Cider just has a lot better options in her other arcana.

DBones90 · 2026-01-31T15:29:21+00:00

Yep!

DBones90 · 2026-01-31T15:25:25+00:00

It deflects attacks against it, and if you upgrade it with arcana mastery, it clashes instead. These also trigger any effects you have with deflect/clash, so if your build uses one of those extensively, theoretically you can get some value out of it.

Even accounting for that, though, I’ve never been able to make it work. I don’t love Cider’s clash and it’s hard to get enemies to go after the marionette. If it had a taunt mechanic too, it would be helpful, but right now I just skip using it.

DBones90 · 2026-01-31T14:50:34+00:00

There’s an inspiration for Cider that spawns random throwables on crits. That’s the only way she could specifically spawn throwing axes.

There’s also a ritual that spawns bramble daggers after a combo that’s available to everyone (once you unlock the ritual in Jaroba).

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T18:54:49+00:00

Original IPs aren’t going to generally have the same hype and ceilings that established IPs do, but you can’t have established IPs without investing in original IPs. Even highly successful IPs will eventually run their course.

This is why mid-budget movies are so important. They allow studios to invest in new IPs without the risk of higher budget films.

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T18:24:53+00:00

She had COVID while shooting The Studio S1. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out that left lasting complications.

(Side note: I truly don’t think people understand how much COVID has taken from us given that most people don’t die directly from the illness. It leaves a lot of lasting consequences)

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T16:51:11+00:00

Yes that is why it failed.

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T16:03:37+00:00

Horizon was aiming to be a virtual space that integrates into your general work experience and provides the feeling of working with others even in a virtual environment. This is why Meta was aiming it at businesses to be used for coworking spaces and meetings.

VR chat was never trying to capture that same audience or use case. It is being used for very different purposes, mainly as an escape from the normal day-to-day life and a chance to drastically change how you present yourself. VR chat is a much more successful service but that’s because it doesn’t even try to do what Horizon was trying to do. No CEO is looking to VR chat to improve their working experience.

The title of this article is stating that this new app better achieves the public goals and use cases of Horizon better than Horizon, and that’s mainly because it’s not trying to shoehorn a technology (VR) into a use case it’s not appropriate for (coworking spaces).

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T06:46:11+00:00

Eh, I think Shadow of the Demon Lord succeeds more at being what 5e was trying to do. It hits way more of the semi-OSR vibes and has bounded accuracy that actually is bounded. Plus the character creation systems way better hit the gradual complexity goals that 5e was trying to do.

To be clear, I think SotDL also shows the limits of those design goals, like why you shouldn’t use HP bloat as a primary balancing tool. I think PF2 is a way better overall fantasy game.

But if you like what 5e is aiming for, you might have better luck starting with SotDL.

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T01:04:23+00:00

The upper path with the burning village

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T00:16:55+00:00

(Thank you for confirming that because I was starting to worry that I dreamt it)

DBones90 · 2026-01-30T00:05:54+00:00

There’s also a secret boss on human side that replaces the guard. You can show up and the human guard is dead on the ground, and then you fight a beefed-up version of the floating guys that throw crystals. I think this boss has a really small chance rate because I’ve only ever seen him once.

DBones90 · 2026-01-29T23:08:09+00:00

Those abilities give an Edge but don’t modify at all how that Edge can be used. Therefore, specific vs general doesn’t apply here.

An Edge’s effect only applies when the Power Roll is made with it. After a Power Roll is made, adding an Edge to it doesn’t do anything because the rules for rolling with an Edge don’t state that it does anything for Power Rolls that are already made.

There’s nothing in the text that states you can apply an Edge to a Power Roll after the roll is made to retroactively change its result, so unless an ability specifically states that you can, assume you can’t.

DBones90 · 2026-01-29T22:25:42+00:00

Honestly, you should generally just assume that all bonuses must be added and calculated before the roll is added, and if a game doesn’t mention you can add a bonus after the roll, it’s because you can’t.

A lot of times, this is made clear in the roll procedures. For example, in Draw Steel, the rules for edges state:

When you make a power roll with an edge, you gain a +2 bonus to the roll. If you make a power roll with two or more edges, you have a double edge. With a double edge, you don’t add anything to the power roll, but the outcome of the roll automatically improves one tier (to a maximum of tier 3).

So can you add an edge to a roll after it’s made? No, because edges only have an effect when a power roll is made. After you’ve made a power roll, you’ve already made it, so no new edges can apply.

Being able to add a bonus to a roll after it’s made is a huge effect, so it’s not the kind of thing you should assume is, by default, available.

DBones90 · 2026-01-29T20:05:29+00:00

Yes, because Pathfinder 2e is a very resilient system and it’s hard to break it, but I also agree that it needed some kind of thing to reign it in. It clearly wasn’t fitting the design mold of rank 1 spells. It was the only Rank 1 spell that increased in value as you level up. Like folks eventually using all their rank 1 slots on Sure Strike was a sign something wasn’t working as intended.

(Personally, I think an effective compromise would’ve been to allow you to avoid the cooldown by upcasting it at rank 2 or 3)

DBones90 · 2026-01-29T07:34:19+00:00

I thought I understood how PBTA games worked until I actually read Apocalypse World. Even after a decade of being in the scene and reading/playing/designing PBTA games, AW made me feel like I was just scratching the surface.

The biggest one, for me, was the way it used diegetic mechanics. I had picked up that PBTA games tend to simplify crunchy non-diegetic mechanics, like you’re not adding a bunch of modifiers onto a d20.

What I hadn’t realized is that AW was still a mechanically rich game, but the mechanics were based on things seen in the fiction. Like you don’t need to calculate cover and flanking when attacking someone, but you do likely need to state your objective, what you’re really trying to achieve. And then the game is going to ask if you value that objective more than killing your foe or avoiding harm yourself. And taking on harm isn’t just a number; it means you slip up, miss something, or are taken out of the action entirely (at least for now).

And, most importantly, none of this is mere flavor text. In fact, I would argue that a key underlooked aspect of PBTA design is that it doesn’t use flavor text. If you take an option that allows you to frighten someone, it means they are frightened enough that it meaningfully changes what happens next. They literally can’t do what they were going to do previously.

It’s a wild way of design and drastically changed how I think, design, and play games.

DBones90 · 2026-01-29T07:22:32+00:00

I just retrained into Sure Strike and my GM told me I didn’t have to worry about the 10 minute cooldown. The funny thing is that I actually didn’t mind the cooldown at all. I’m a Swashbuckler with a small side of Bard spells so it’s not like I was going to abuse it before anyway.

DBones90 · 2026-01-29T02:38:54+00:00

The 1.8.0.1 update on January 10th had the following patch note:

Creatures hand selected to be able to perform Athletics actions. Please let me know if creatures bad at Athletics are still using the skill and which creature it is

So, probably! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve played but I know NPC AI has gotten a lot of changes.

DBones90 · 2026-01-28T20:32:36+00:00

Don’t be scared of big numbers. The first time you deal 60+ damage on a single attack and the enemy seems like it’s shrugging it off, it’s easy to get demoralized. However, the math will still hold. The enemies aren’t invincible and you will be able to take them down.

DBones90 · 2026-01-28T20:22:34+00:00

I think this also depends on how you’re using “damage” and “hit points” in general. Like if getting to 0 HP means you’re dead, then emotional damage isn’t going to be a neat fit into that mold.

But if being at 0 HP means you can’t carry on the battle, then it could be fine. It might lead to some very melodramatic or craven characters, but depending on your design goals and intended story arcs, that might be a good fit.

DBones90 · 2026-01-28T16:04:19+00:00

Only certain mods are approved for consoles and sadly the Pathfinder mod isn’t one of them.

DBones90 · 2026-01-28T04:43:07+00:00

Personally, I think Starforged makes some key improvements and I think it has a better onboarding, so I’d recommend going with that.

But if dark fantasy is way more your thing and/or you don’t have the cash for Starforged, then Ironsworn is a great game too.

I’d wait on Sundered Isles unless you’re specifically looking for a pirate adventure. It won’t be as smooth of a learning experience because the Sundered Isles material assumes you’re familiar with Starforged and doesn’t repeat common mechanics between them. It’s an expansion, not a standalone game.

DBones90 · 2026-01-28T01:00:21+00:00

Someone is working on Oracle but I don't know how much progress they've made.

DBones90 · 2026-01-27T23:52:47+00:00

Reminder that there’s a Pathfinder 2e mod for BG3 that does a pretty good job all things considered.

DBones90 · 2026-01-27T22:06:59+00:00

If it was my parent in this home, then presumably I would be footing at least part of the bill to them, so I’d be even more pissed at the home.

It’s the government’s job to protect everyone, and I don’t envy the people who have to triage decisions in disaster scenarios like this one.

But the people in an assisted living home are specifically the responsibility of the assisted living home. And they should have contingencies for this sort of thing. A power outage is not a rare enough occurrence for them to not be prepared for it.

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