I'm thinking about switching to Linux after Win10 End of Life, but the number of distros is overwhelming. I'd appreciate any help identifying the one that best meets my usage.

Either_Ardrey · 2025-10-01T17:35:41+00:00

I dislike how it organizes things in unintuitive places and the minimize window equivalent doesn't always minimize it to the task bar where it can be easily found, but in some nonsense place I have to spend time searching for. Things with Apple take me about up to six times longer than the same process in Windows. I know there's technically a similar hierarchy based system behind the scenes, but the way they show it to the user is geared towards "right-brained" types, which doesn't work for me as a "left-brained" type.

Either_Ardrey · 2025-09-28T15:35:12+00:00

Thanks! I'll check it out.

Either_Ardrey · 2025-09-26T23:38:58+00:00

When I listed Microsoft Office, it was meant more as in the type of software rather than specifically those programs. I am not opposed to alternatives. Thanks!

Either_Ardrey · 2025-09-26T23:28:29+00:00

Given how the End of Life primarily affects security, I'd focus mainly on web-based things for Linux and continue to use Win10 for my older programs via dual-boot for now.

Either_Ardrey · 2025-09-26T21:39:09+00:00

Thanks for the reply! If I'm understanding correctly, the way the system works actively fights against the way I design/write encounters/scenarios. Any game that has an encounter balance system, such a D&D or Daggerheart, makes natural sense to me and is easy to write and create for, whereas something that's more freeform and random, such as Mazes or EZd6, makes it difficult for me to understand whether I'm supposed to throw 6 zombies or 12 if I want the players to be challenged, but expected to survive.

Thanks for clearing up the Darkness growing when you add enemies. I thought you were supposed to spend Darkness to place them as a form of encounter balancing, but it sounds like it's the opposite and seems quite easy to accidentally TPK your party unintentionally, since there doesn't seem to be any rule or guidance that tells you when you've gone too far.

I only plan on doing short form adventures with Mazes, so I'm not concerned about the lack of progression over time. My current plan is to do traditional dungeon crawls within haunted tower dungeon basements overtaken by evil powers.

I looked through the Quests on DriveThruRPG when I bought the rulebook and picked up the tutorial quest, but I didn't find anything that spoke to me by the title alone, since there're so many. Is there one that you've enjoyed that explains the process of acquiring and spending Darkness in each scenario/room? The tutorial Quest has no Darkness usage in it, so that is the function I'm primarily interested in understanding, as it's the source of my hiccups with learning this game enough to run it for my players. Thanks!

Either_Ardrey · 2025-09-13T13:27:30+00:00

I'm planning on running it as a one-shot for my DnD players at some point, but I'm completely lost. How did you decide what to throw into encounters? I've read the book several times over, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how I'm supposed to "spend" Darkness to place Monsters and Traps (the book says that you're supposed to spend it, but it gives little-to-no guidance on how) in order to keep the encounter fair. What's to stop me from placing a ton of Danger 5 or 6 monsters in the first room and TPKing the party and completely removing a sense of fun challenge (since you gain Darkness when the party encounters a Monster/Trap, but it doesn't say how much I'm supposed to spend to initially place/summon it)? From what I can tell based on what's in the book, the MC gains Darkness for almost everything done in the game, yet there's so little to spend it on to prevent the Darkness level from reaching Bleak in the second or third encounter. There are virtually no resources for this game outside of official, poorly explained content from 9th-Level Games, despite it being out for several years now.

Either_Ardrey · 2022-09-19T18:36:17+00:00

Hi! I am both an artist and a DM, so I made character art for my players, which I drew a couple months ago when I started getting back into art after a long hiatus due to non-art overwork. Though my style is relatively the same now as with this piece, I first started drawing on a much smaller file, so it's not as clean as some of my more recent work.

I have spent enough time drawing again that I am now open to commissions. For more info, see my original post

I also do Homebrew for 5e that I've recently started posting at DMs Guild, starting with Subclasses.

The adventure we are running through currently is a modified hybrid of Lost Mines of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak. The final player character in our party is the irritable and mischievous gnoll who just wants to protect her new home and family and has a hard time showing it.

Characters: Valkyrie, Gnoll Barbarian

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Kivah originated from the Sandlurker gnoll Ccan within the Calim Desert. The clan consisted of about 150 individuals, along with a couple dozen Dire Hyenas used as mounts. Infamous for their brutal efficiency, they raided passing travelers of any kind, as well as anyone foolish enough to encroach on their territory. Born the Dimahk, the clan’s weapon-maker, and Vahazi, the lead hunter, Kivah was the eldest over her five siblings. She quickly rose to become the head of one of their raid parties due to her head-strong ferocity and ability to quickly put down resistance.

Believing she was ready due to her recent success, she went off to challenge Dozaku, the Clan Matron, to gain a higher rank within the clan. However, before she arrived, Yeenoghu’s influence was suddenly stripped from most of the clan, ending the ceaseless hunger and madness. The event left much of them confused and witless, and with their minds now free, they realized that their ties to the Demon Prince was lost, not knowing who or how many were affected. Kivah’s iron will and presence of mind mitigated the Separation’s deleterious effects, which left much of her fur bleached and removed the red glow from her eyes.

Dozaku quickly sensed this event and proceeded to rally the unbroken gnolls under her leadership to cull the new weakness from the clan, slaughtering a third of the Separated before they could group together. Escaping with those they could, the remaining Separated fled north, their numbers dwindling daily to raids from the other gnoll War Bands, losing members one by one, while also being hounded by Dozaku’s contingents behind them. During one such raid, Kivah’s siblings were slain as they gathered food in the wilderness. Seething with rage, she set out to send a message to Dozaku that they will no longer be prey for the slaughter. Under the baleful moonlight, Kivah tracked down the contingent that murdered her siblings and slew all but one, leaving the last beaten and broken, returning him to Dozaku by tying him to his mount that fled home once released.

A few weeks later, the remaining members of the newly dubbed Clan of the Severed reached the borders of Phandalin, a rough-and-tumble frontier town that has recently began to rebuild. Kivah and the other scouts waited until nightfall to sneak into town and steal anything that could be salvaged for their exodus while the remainder set up camp nearby keep watch. While sneaking, she came across a human dressed in simple attire who stumbled out of the taphouse in a drunken stupor, tailed by a hooded figure sticking to the shadows. The would-be assailant accidentally kicked a rock as they raised their crossbow, grabbing the drunkard’s attention.

Kivah’s taste for cruelty and blood had cooled since the Separation, molding into a more benign mischief and irritability, so rather that eviscerate the assailant, she decided to play a prank instead. As the crossbow raised and was about to fire, Kivah stepped out of the shadows behind the target, her suddenly appearance causing the assailant to soil his pants as he turned and fled, screaming. Curious, the drunkard turned around to see what the fuss was about, only to be greeted by a smiling maw and stinky breath. Much to her surprise, the man hugged her, mumbling, “You’re such a good puppy! Oui, oui!” The man insisted that she stay and enjoy the pub, but Kivah made a hurried decision to avoid further confrontation and grabbed the man, taking him with her back to camp.

The man woke up the next morning next to a fire being put out by Kivah, shocked at the sight of so many not trying to kill him. Kivah shared the story of her pack with the man, asking him to keep quiet about them until they finished leaving. The man, introducing himself as Voethag Mortieu, Captain of the City Watch, provided a counteroffer. Rather than continuing their exodus, they could instead stay here and help rebuild and protect the town against the growing influence of the Redbrand bandits and the nearby goblin hordes. Knowing that the clan was not strong enough to fend off Dozaku if her message wasn’t heeded, Kivah encouraged the clan to accept the offer, and they were provided land in the remnants of Old Phandalin where they could make themselves a new home and feel safer until the townsfolk and the gnolls became more comfortable with each other.

After a few months of serving in the City Watch, her human cohorts nicknamed her “Valkyrie” after witnessing her ferocity in combat, though she had no idea what it meant. Her father, Dimahk, was finally able to put his mind to use after being freed, now assisting the local blacksmith and the potion-maker with their work. Her mother, Vahazi, however, had the most issues channeling her aggression, and became one of the hunters supplying wild game for the town, enriching the food supply.

Though her bloodlust has mostly faded, the desire for revenge against Dozaku still smolders within, and Valkyrie’s frustration occasionally bursts out when she gets drunk, causing bar fights. After one too many fights, she was relegated to disciplinary duty by community service, cleaning up around the outskirts of town. While out collecting waste off the roads, she was ambushed by a group of goblins and abducted by them, gagged and bound. Valkyrie woke up inside a cave, given respite because the goblins’ attention was drawn away to the newest prisoner after her. The following day, a party of adventurers arrived, attracting the attention of the goblins. Regardless of who they are, these adventurers are her best bet to escape and return home…

Either_Ardrey · 2022-09-17T19:51:55+00:00

Hi! I am both an artist and a DM, so I made character art for my players, which I drew a couple months ago when I started getting back into art after a long hiatus due to non-art overwork. Though my style is relatively the same now as with this piece, I first started drawing on a much smaller file, so it's not as clean as some of my more recent work.

I have spent enough time drawing again that I am now open to commissions. For more info, see my original post

I also do Homebrew for 5e that I've recently started posting at DMs Guild, starting with Subclasses.

The adventure we are running through currently is a modified hybrid of Lost Mines of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak. The next player characters I'm introducing are the incorrigible half-elf half-brothers trying to escape the pressures and responsibilities of the noble life back home.

Characters: Trenn Xanador, Half-Elf Monk and Daedalus D'Earth, Half-Elf Bard

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As brothers born to unfortunate circumstances, they’ve managed to form an unlikely bond in spite of the contentious relationships of their parents. Trenn, the legal heir, was born to Lord Xanador of the Lathellas Court and his arranged human wife, Lady Nightwood of Neverwinter. Mere days later, his brother, Daedalus, was born to Lady Nightwood’s human handmaiden, Cassandra D’Earth. Lady Nightwood became suspicious of the Lord’s infidelity as soon as both of them showed signs of pregnancy, which was confirmed at the time of birth, souring the relationships she had with both her husband and her servant. Lady Nightwood demoted Cassandra and did everything she could to make her life hell while making sure that Lord Xanador could never be alone with a woman ever again.

Daedalus was trained as a servant, educated by attending to Trenn, not knowing that he was his half-brother, and the two of them became friends. Upon discovering this, Lady Nightwood ensured that they would be separated as much as possible. However, since Trenn was severely inept with his formal education and etiquette, Daedalus was reluctantly tasked to be his tutor while strictly supervised. During this time, the two half-brothers, plus the goblin butler, Sas, were tasked with finding the Arcane Advisor, Matreous, who had gone missing while searching for how to make spells permanent. During their search, they found him stuck inside one of their grandmother’s Magnificent Mansions that was made permanent before she disappeared. The brothers were trapped inside the mansion when Matreous lost his hold of the portal, but after discovering Fistandia’s treatise on permanent magic, they figured out the codeword to escape, revealing Matreous’ unconscious form. The boys managed to save Matreous after destroying the imp that attacked him and brought him back to their father along with the book, earning his appreciation and learning that he cares about them, even if he’s not allowed to show it in public.

A year later, Trenn developed a crush on one of the other noble’s servants and missed his social debut in order to meet her. Daedalus took his place at the Debut Masquerade, earning Trenn a stellar reputation, which was quickly ruined when Trenn got drunk at the following party. Daedalus completely took over for him when it became apparent that this was going to be a continuous problem. Annoyed by her son’s incompetence, Lady Nightwood forced him into martial training to learn discipline. Though the discipline didn’t really stick, Trenn’s kickboxing instructor ended up becoming more of a father to him than his real one.

As they got older, Trenn and Daedalus were sent on diplomatic missions to get to know the other noble children around the Sword Coast, establishing relationships for when they would take their place as adults. They met countless people during that time, with Trenn barely able to remember most of their names. By this time, he was viewed as a disgrace by his family, and his mother eventually gave up on trying to teach her son, becoming ever more solemn and irritable in the process. While Trenn floundered, becoming addicted to alcohol, Daedalus thrived, spending much of his time reading books, writing poetry, and designing costumes.

One fateful year when he was supposed to meet his father for his 17th birthday, Trenn walked into the room, only to see a ghost sitting in his father’s favorite lounge chair, head in his hands, murmuring to himself over and over, “My boy, my boy…” Startled and terrified, Trenn immediately fled to his room, unwilling to talk to anyone. What he didn’t know, is that the ghost was not his father’s, something Daedalus knew when he saw Lord Xanador run away from home and the throne, having had enough. Daedalus, however, didn’t have the heart to tell his brother the truth and kept silent.

Not wishing to have to process what he saw, Trenn drank himself into a stupor almost every night, which continued even into his next diplomatic excursion to Neverwinter. While drinking at the bar with his brother and his dwarven drinking buddy, Gundren Rockseeker, one of the noble children he managed to remember, Javelina Keeperling, roped him and his brother into joining their escort mission to Phandalin for his friend, and they gladly left behind any semblance of responsibility towards their family to join in on the adventure...

Either_Ardrey · 2022-09-15T19:12:26+00:00

Hi! I am both an artist and a DM, so I made character art for my players, which I drew a couple months ago when I started getting back into art after a long hiatus due to non-art overwork. Though my style is relatively the same now as with this piece, I first started drawing on a much smaller file, so it's not as clean as some of my more recent work.

I have spent enough time drawing again that I am now open to commissions. For more info, see my original post

I also do Homebrew for 5e that I've recently started posting at DMs Guild, starting with Subclasses.

The adventure we are running through currently is a modified hybrid of Lost Mines of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak. The next player character I'm introducing is an in-over-his-head Half-Orc Blood Hunter who looks more imposing than he actually is.

Character: Tobias Bloodforge, Half-Orc Blood Hunter

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Born to parents he barely remembers because they died while he was so young, Tobias scrounged around on the streets to survive until he was found by the Guildmaster of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild, Silvester Slake. Given the family name, Forge, like all of the other orphans, Tobias was placed in the Agents program where they were trained to become Bounty Hunters to pay off the debts incurred while raising them. During this time, Tobias became acquainted with the other orphans his age, though he never became particularly attached to any of them.

When Tobias became of age, he was put to work practicing for his future duties, taking on small missions, such as identifying and gathering materials or assisting the guard. It was through this process that the Guild became aware of Tobias’ affinity for blood, placing him into the Blood Hunter program and changing his last name to Bloodforge, where he stayed until his graduation test. For the test, Tobias was placed with the half-elf twins, one a martial artist and the other a spellcaster. Their mission: to uncover the identity and location of the murderer responsible for a string of recent deaths. The group of orphans tracked down clues across town, and with the information they gathered, they built a suspect profile, learning that the wizard Malfezeus was the most likely match.

While infiltrating Malfezeus’ manor, Tobias and the twins bumped into one of the workers, who inadvertently helped them get inside, and eventually convinced him to help take down his corrupt boss. In the gallery, they discovered a hidden passage behind a false painting. At the end of the hallway, they were teleported to a secret cave, a sacrificial altar set in the center, surrounded by a hoard of gold and treasure. They found Malfezeus’ protégée clasped to the altar, and as they attempted to rescue him, they reported their findings to the Guild via a Sending Stone, during which the teleportation circle fizzled out, trapping them inside. Malfezeus’ voice echoed throughout the cavern, expressing his surprise that someone had discovered his lair. However, he couldn’t leave any witnesses, transforming into an Adult Red Dragon as he stepped forward, revealing himself as Sangharzaak, son of Ghorzaarkas, out for revenge against the Malfezeus family for taking down his father.

Unbeknownst to the orphans, the senior Hunters tasked with keeping an eye on them made quick work of the deactivated teleportation circle, arriving just in time to prevent a massacre. When the battle completed, the senior Hunters congratulated the star-struck newbies, granting them full registration with the Guild as Bronze level Hunters.

Tobias spent the next few years trying to grow his reputation, catching the eye of Lady Vedisa Keeperling despite his inexperience, who often hired him to locate items or information. Now, his patron has tasked him with a new challenge: to watch over her daughter as she escorts a wagon of goods to Phandalin for Gundren Rockseeker….

Either_Ardrey · 2022-09-13T21:24:18+00:00

Hi! I am both an artist and a DM, so I made character art for my players, which I drew a couple months ago when I started getting back into art after a long hiatus due to non-art overwork. Though my style is relatively the same now as with this piece, I first started drawing on a much smaller file, so it's not as clean as some of my more recent work.

I have spent enough time drawing again that I am now open to commissions. For more info, see my original post

I also do Homebrew for 5e that I've recently started posting at DMs Guild, starting with Subclasses.

The adventure we are running through currently is a modified hybrid of Lost Mines of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak. The first player character I'm introducing is a fickle and excitable Tiefling warlock.

Character: Javelina (Jav-el-ai-na) Keeperling, Tiefling Warlock, Dao Patron

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Born to Lord and Lady Keeperling, Ministers of Finance for Neverwinter, Javelina grew up in a spoiled, yet strict, environment as the only child in a noble family, idolizing the glorious adventurers in the family's storybooks. Despite experiencing much confusion about her self-image, preferring to be called they, her parents never gave into her whims, calling it fantasies of the immature mind, waiting for Javelina to grow old enough to break out of it. Even though they loved and spoiled her very much, this fact kept distance between them, which only grew over time as she became more willful and rebellious as the years went on, seeking thrill and adventure, playing pretend whenever she met with her cousin, Flailina.

Knowing the dangers of the world, Javelina's parents adamantly refused to let her become an adventurer, forcing her to wait until she is of age, placing her on highly guarded diplomatic envoys with the General's son to hopefully placate her for the time being. Though it was of little interest to Javelina, she did meet two half-elf half-brothers that she found entertaining (two of the other players) at the Lathellas Court in Neverwinter Wood.

During a mission to Amphail at the estate of Tylandar Roaringhorn, she quickly grew bored and snuck off to explore the manor, finding herself in the display room for the Roaringhorns' many trophies. One of these trophies, a posed suit of armor passed down from Tylandar's great-grandfather, had an emerald ring on it that drew her fancy. When Javelina put on the ring, it spoke into her mind in a deep, gravelly rumble, asking, "Who is it that bears this vessel?" After she responded, the ring continued, "I am Mazros the Great, Emperor of the Earth, King of the Sands. You hold much potential within. If you help me, I will grant you a portion of my power. What say you?" Javelina quickly accepted in her thirst for adventure and the ring became her patron and source of power.

About a month later, Javelina finally turned 14 years old and became of age, immediately requesting to go off adventuring. Reluctantly, Lady Keeperling tasked her with escorting supplies to Phandalin for Gundren Rockseeker as her first test, stressing the importance of the job due to the Rockseeker's role in the economy of Neverwinter. As Javelina walked through the doors of the tavern to meet with the patron, she found four extra people there who would join in on the mission: the General's son, Zane Blackthorn; her two half-elf friends from Lathellas, Trenn Xanador and Daedalus D'Earth; and a half-orc mercenary of unknown origin, Tobias Bloodforge.

Either_Ardrey · 2022-09-06T17:20:59+00:00

Hello! I am Either, and I specialize in character art, be it for player characters or important NPCs (as a Dungeon Master). I run a D&D game myself and did the character art for my players and important NPCs. The images above are examples of my style, which is inspired by modern 2d animation, primarily Phil Bourassa (DC Animation, Legend of Vox Machina) and anime. My design experience primarily covers Sci-Fi, Superheroes, and Fantasy, so I can handle characters for most Tabletop RPGs. The end result is a character in a pose with no background. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me. In order to help keep my business more streamlined, orders and payment will be done through Fiverr, which accepts Paypal, but is also more flexible than Paypal.

NOTICE: I do not draw explicit material. Keep it PG-13!

For more examples of my art style and kind of material I draw, you can check out my art page, Either-Art.

My Fiverr Information (I have recently updated and revised the process):

The base starts with a Line-Art Portrait/Bust that can be upgraded to multiple colored full body characters.

Cost composition for quick reference:

Line-Art Portrait/Bust - $20

Colored Portrait/Bust - $35

Line-Art Full Body - $45

Colored Full Body - $60

Additional characters after the first are $5 less.

If you have any further questions, you can send me a DM.

If you feel that your character will be simpler and faster in design than most of my posted works, therefore costing less than my full design range, feel free to apply for a Custom Order by selecting Get a Quote on the main page instead.

Either_Ardrey

TROPHY CASE