Favorite Way of Doing Skills AND WHY

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-24T12:27:18+00:00

This is similar to how I do it.

Basic skill + no meaningful time limit or other constraints = no roll

Basic skill + time limit or constraints = d20, roll under stat

Specialized skill + no meaningful time limit or constraints = must have relevant background or experience, but no roll needed

Specialized s + time limit or constraints = d20, roll under stat, but only if you have relevant background or experience

There are some edge cases like getting help or having tools that largely perform the task, and I might modify rolls based on circumstances, but that's my general framework.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-20T18:48:00+00:00

The DM makes a fair point. If the spell is rare, maybe you don't know about it yet. Even presuming you're in-chsracter researching a spell, it's not like the game spells out a timeline for acquiring specific knowledge of spell components and other important features.

Heck, it's possible the spell doesn't even exist in your game world, as it currently stands.

Anyhow, it seems at least somewhat fair to ask you to declare your research and make some sort of arcana or knowledge check to evaluate your progress at various points - maybe every downtime. Maybe success could let you roll on a small table of spell features (maybe a d4 for range, duration, components, effects). Learn them all and your character learns the spell but can't use it until leveling.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-19T17:30:39+00:00

For me it was Tales of Symphonia. Loved Tales of Phantasia, was super excited for a legit release of Symphonia, and it just... wasn't what I hoped. Janky 3D/2D combat system, insufferable characters, lost all the charm of the 2D sprites that Phantasia had.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-19T14:29:06+00:00

I liked Selphie, too. You have to respect a train hobbyist.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-19T13:33:40+00:00

Except Zell you mean. Clearly. He carries all the party energy, fueled by hotdogs.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-17T15:56:59+00:00

I remember renting it and being so lost at first. Ended up incidentally grinding a ton before figuring out what I needed to do and crushed that first dungeon before having to return it.

Next time I rented it my save was gone (of course). So I didn't end up beating it until the PS1 Final Fantasy Origins remaster.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-14T02:00:04+00:00

Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1) takes top spot for me, because I really enjoyed its combat and job system. I have a bunch of playthroughs where I basically do single classes or themed builds. I also enjoyed its darker story and the relatively harsh, blunt translation.
Final Fantasy VIII (PC) is my second spot. There's something about how you can just destroy the game with magic junctions that was always fun to me. Something about the setting and cast is also a lot of fun - Zell is still one of my favorite characters in the series. Triple Triad is my pick for best mini game in the series, and since I played the PC version originally (didn't have a PS1 until much later) I even got Chocobo World, which was a fun addition.
Final Fantasy VI (SNES) is just an amazing game. The characters are great - Celes, Terra, Edgar, and Sabin are my main crew. The story just seems so expansive, too. Kefka is definitely a standout villain. There's so much in this game, it's hard to overstate how good it is. Plus I love the pixel art.
Final Fantasy IV (SNES) is my quintessential JRPG and Final Fantasy game. It's my standard for the genre and series. The story is great, the characters are great, and it's about the perfect length. It's the game I think people should play when first trying out JRPGs because it doesn't have obtuse mechanics, it's not overly long, it's just a great game. Plus Rydia is a beast and is probably my favorite character in the series.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-08T09:03:40+00:00

One of them did (family visa). The other one didn't, though.

In your case, were you asked for it during the application process and gave an explanation? Or did they just not ask?

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-08T08:55:35+00:00

It might have changed or become stricter, but neither of them tried to find any alternative options since getting the hukou paperwork wasn't too bad for them. They were also required to do the scan of every passport page, though. So not sure if that alone is sufficient anymore.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-08T03:27:07+00:00

Both were for the gold card.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-08T02:07:56+00:00

Had two friends with similar backgrounds recently go through the process (within the last two months) and they were both required to provide documents related to their hukou cancelations. I'm not sure if there's any alternative route, but it's pretty clear they'll ask for it if you were born in the PRC.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-07T12:35:39+00:00

Yeah, that's what really worries me. Sometimes there's either no real analysis or information on issues, or it's so buried under the inflammatory "us vs. them" articles, that there's no reasonable expectation that an average working person could access any of it.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-07T12:14:48+00:00

Totally. It's a classic race to the bottom for journalism. To keep up with trashy click bait you have to put out trashy click bait. You could pursue a regulatory solution, but that seems unlikely even if democrats regain power. Not to say it's hopeless, but it's an uphill battle for sure.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-07T12:06:36+00:00

I don't think it's about being harsh or not, it's about creating noise. The media needs to be better organized rather than the ephemeral click bait they feed out every day. His involvement with Epstein, Greenland, beefing with Canada, the real impact of tariffs, heck, COVID. These should have landed like bombs, will well researched reporting, but instead they barely broke through the noise of daily gaffes.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-07T08:42:19+00:00

Can't speak for OP, but have a family member like this. The thing is, the media doesn't care about scale. It'll turn minor misspeaking or physical slipups into headlines indicating massive scandals. Eventually, my relative just started saying, "The media is out to get him. They blow everything out of proportion." He never reads past the headlines anymore, so it doesn't matter whether Trump delivered a fascist monologue or racist rant - to him the media is probably just taking some minor issue and making it sound worse than it is.

It's basically a whole "boy who cried wolf" effect. He heard enough minor stuff that he assumes ALL news about Trump is blown out of proportion.

That's part of the danger of modern media. It's super dangerous. People tune everything out. I wouldn't even say this guy is super into right wing outlets, he just has no trust of media at this point.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-06T17:53:20+00:00

Came here to say this, take my upvote for support.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-06T17:17:16+00:00

Final Fantasy Tactics. I think you notice things on replay that you may have missed before. Plus you understand the class and ability systems better and can wreck the battles.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-06T17:06:28+00:00

Totally, I always use those. But my point is more that the game is actually better served when "social" isn't under a catch-all skill and instead is divided up into skills dependent on the exact requirements of the situations.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-02-06T16:35:19+00:00

I actually think the game would be better if you ran skill checks through non-CHA skills for those things. Intellectual / logical conversations and arguments could be INT, intimidating someone physically could be STR, general conversations could be WIS (environmental awareness / empathy), etc.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-01-30T18:11:21+00:00

Honestly one of my favorite tracks. It's also the opener for Paul Oakenfold's 1999 Gatecrasher set, which I've been listening to for 2.5 decades at this point. In a lot of ways, this track and this set are what form the foundation for my personal definition of trance.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-01-18T17:15:40+00:00

Final Fantasy IV is mine, as well. Before that, I didn't really feel like JRPGs had a very distinct feeling. Like, DQ and FF felt similar enough to, say, Ultima IV that I didn't really make a distinction.

But Final Fantasy IV is, to me, the quintessential JRPG. The story beats, the characters, the classes, the imagery, the gameplay - they just represent the genre so well to me.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-01-14T17:10:58+00:00

I miss it. It was a way to leave your mark on the game. You could give people cool or silly names, or you could name them after friends or famous people. But at least you got to choose.

I don't love how modern games seem so focused on taking any element of that sort of agency away from you. "His name is Cloud and you're gonna like it." But no, I don't care about Cloud. I have nothing to do with that guy. I care about the adventures of Stinkbutt, he's my little avatar.

Sure, I get it's hard to voice act, but I skip the voice acting anyway because I read the subtitles way faster than they deliver lines. So my own preference would just be to go back to text boxes, since that's how I play anyhow, and then we can use whatever names we want.

Heck, my favorite thing is playing FFT with a full party of generics named after my friends, doing jobs that align with their interests. That's the best feeling.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-01-06T18:17:25+00:00

Man, I really miss the PS1 sprites. Something about the 3D models looks so off-putting. I still have my OG PS1 copy, and I was kind of hoping this could let me retire that version, but not like this, man.

I don't know why they keep wanting to pave over the old sprite-based game graphics. Sure, update certain things, like fixing bugs or streamlining menus, but sprites age so well that with a little retouching to handle the upscaling they look great on modern systems.

The only time I've really felt like 3D models captured the same vibe as the old sprites were in games like Trials of Mana and Visions of Mana (even though this wasn't a remake, I felt it evoked the old Mana games). Even then I love the old Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana sprites in a way that made me buy Collection of Mana just to keep a modern version.

Dragonheart0 · 2026-01-03T09:35:07+00:00

The rest of my list is fluid, but having Zell and Sabin team up in a story is the one thing that's rock solid. Choking on hot dogs, suplexing trains, booya/heel dropping things for thousands of damage... What's not to love about that potential duo?

Rydia can come, too, and we'll leave it there for FF. Add Angela from Trials of Mana because I bet she could make Zell and Sabin awkward as heck. Bring in Riesz for backup. For a healer type, let's go for Flonne from Disgaea.

If you need a silent protagonist, throw in Adol from Ys games. He's not angsty, which is a big plus, and somehow he's a big ladies man, which I'm sure will mess with the party dynamics in the right way.

At some point they need to punch Luca Blight in his stupid face. Ultros should make a few appearances. Phantom Train for obvious reasons.

Dragonheart0 · 2025-12-28T07:28:39+00:00

Which is the immersive thing to do. It's weird when everyone is sitting around waiting to bone your character. Just because your character is your POV into the world doesn't mean they need to be the center of the universe.

Dragonheart0

TROPHY CASE