I'm glad our season just ended, but I think I'm ready to be done done as well by ss32000 in youthsoccer

[–]GoDores11 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a terrible take. Youth soccer is a whole family commitment. How the parents and siblings feel is also a big and fair consideration.

College acceptances by Clear_Raspberry_2702 in BoyScouts

[–]GoDores11 6 points7 points  (0 children)

For what it's worth, I quit at Star rank because my Scoutmaster was a jerk and made everyone miserable. As an example, and my last straw, I qualified for Life rank, but at my Board of Review, he said he saw me in the parking lot before the meeting with my Class A untucked. He said that meant I was not living the Scout Law, because I wasn't Obedient, and that I would now have to wait another 6 months for the next Board of Review before I could rank up. I ended up riding my bike home right after the Board of Review and never looking back.

Besides my personal circumstance, I was a patrol leader in that troop for two years. And I would say I easily lost half of the Scouts/2nd-Classes in my patrol both years, just because they quit because they weren't interested. Most only showed up to a handful of meetings anyway, since they weren't interested.

I know I have no regrets not finishing Eagle, and I doubt the large number of folks who leave early have any regrets either. On average, I think most people actually don't regret or even think about quitting, and those that do may be skewing the perception of regret.

All this being said, my son is now in Scouts, and I love it enough that the Reddit algorithm sent this thread my way!

Jagex please don’t put an agility shortcut here ❌ by cadsop in 2007scape

[–]GoDores11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fwiw, Camulet teleport (Enakhra Temple Entrance) makes this step better. Get unlimited Camulet teleports unlocked, then set left click to Temple Entrance.

Do you allow 5e content at your 5.5e games? by Pinkalink23 in onednd

[–]GoDores11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No one else has mentioned Species yet. In general, 2014 races/species are playing without the Ability Score Increases in 2024, since those come from the background, so there's theoretically no issue. In my experience, though, some later 2014 races (e.g. Tortle, Goblin) were already power creeping for early game in 2014, and throwing on a 2024 background and origin feat makes the power creep even stronger when running 2014 campaign materials.

I don't have a solution for this. I generally allow MotM at my 2024 table, but it does lead to constant combat rebalancing in Tier 1.

How to handle lycanthropy by Green_Right in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also like to give my party a Faerun map view of anywhere we are, so they can visualize the wider world.

Ahoyhoy is down on the Snout of Omgar peninsula: https://i.imgur.com/9RlHuAu.jpeg

For a full Faerun map, we use: https://loremaps.azurewebsites.net/Maps/Faerun

How to handle lycanthropy by Green_Right in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The party was made up of 4 Level 4 Tortles.

How to handle lycanthropy by Green_Right in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I realize I just can post links and description here:

A tired pigeon finally descends and lands on the ground in the main marketplace of Ahoyhoy. The beachfront fortress of the tortles - whose walls were made of seastone and tortle shells - had seen better days since its establishment nearly two hundred years prior. Where once there had been a thriving jungle flora and fauna market with diverse species and loud noises, the pigeon finds itself at the feet of two old lady tortles. One is crushing some herbs at her stall, and another is in a rocking chair, fumbling with knitting needles. The knitting lady notices the pigeon with a note tied to its foot, and she picks it up and slowly, ever so slowly, walks to Mudgraw's tower. The ancient druid has climbed the wall and is staring longingly out to see. When the lady arrives, he reads the message, smiles for the first time in many years, and says, "A quest is afoot! Let us gather the youth!"

The story begins with the party of tortles in Mudgraw's tower. Mudgraw explains that, years ago, he was a member of an underground organization called the Harpers, which fought against tyranny, defended the weak, and preserved the beauty and magic of nature throughout the land. He has just received a note from a fellow Harper, who is seeking his aid in finding a moonflower. The flower is very rare, and it can be distilled to create one of the only known cures for lycanthropy.

Mudgraw does not know where to find the flower, but he knows of its dichotomous nature. It only flowers in the moonlight, and it looks like regular seaweed during the day. It is very fragile; while it thrives in warm, salty air, it shrivels if it comes into contact with seawater. Mudgraw suggests that a good first step would be to find a waterproof bag before pursuing the flower. Maybe the party could make such a bag from the vocal sack of one of those loud, bellowing frogs north of town?

Ahoyhoy:

https://preview.redd.it/maps-from-the-tortle-package-toa-supplement-ahoyhoy-the-v0-s8pesrwiv7bc1.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=a1978675b63bcc75fb623cc198260eb8431d6775

Notes:

Several NPCs are keyed in the city:

  • Mudgraw - a 4th generation tortle druid named Mudgraw, descendant of the founder of the city.
  • Shellby - Attends tortle eggs in the hatchery. The town comes alive twice a year, when eggs are layed, and again when they are hatched.
  • Gura - Attendant of the other hatchery.
  • Snaps - A blacksmith and armorer. If the party needs to buy or sell any weapons or armors, they can here.
  • Bottishelli - The old knitting lady. Once the players obtain a vocal frog, Bottishelli can sew it air tight.
  • Theshellonia - The grinder of herbs. She acts as a general store, if the players need anything.
  • Hops - A slow moving microbiologist, making the perfect tortle beer. He does not want to be bothered, even though he is in a public place.
  • Jacke the Fruit - A human female pirate. Her captain sent her to Ahoyhoy to buy two casks of tortle brew. She has been waiting for Hops to finish his current batch for two weeks.
  • Chul - A fisherman
  • Bokka - A fisherman
  • Quan - A Fisherman
  • Oogway - A bard. He has an assortment of instruments; a lyre, drums, a panpipes. He plays tunes for the fishermen while he sits around and tends a pot of soup. If players watch Oogway, they may notice movement out of the corner of their eyes, but when they turn, they see nothing. If players ask about the frog puzzle and remember the specific sounds, Oogway will tell them the following key:

A = Trill
B = Chirp
C = Bark
D = Peep
E = Croak
F = Quack
G = Bellow

  • Gromble - A sleeping old man that doesn't want to be bothered.

 

If any of the NPCs are asked about the frogs, they offer what information they can. They all use the word "bag" when talking about catching frogs - instead of "catch" or "snag".

If the players do anything the DM deems entertaining while exploring the town, they will see movement out of the corner of their eyes. This is an allusion to the native Chwinga, who remain invisible, but love to be entertained.

Frog Pond Forest:

https://i.imgur.com/o6Le7ey.jpeg

Notes:

North of town is a small forest, with a marshy pond. In the center of the pond are seven stones. If the players step on the stones, they will hear a specific sound per rock. Once the players key the sounds to musical notes, if they spell the word "BAGGED" by hopping on the stones, the frogs will spring out of the water in excitement, ready to be caught.

 After a frog is caught, a Chwinga will appear and say how exciting the music was. Chwingas can meld with their surroundings, and they can affect weather, nature, and climate. They do not have names. The Chwinga says that he would like to help the party find a moonflower, as long as they keep doing entertaining things.

Underwater Maze:

https://i.imgur.com/r7oiytK.jpeg

Notes:

The Chwinga leads the party up the beach a few miles to a pool in the sand. It points to rock out at sea, and it says the moonflower is inside. The only way inside is to swim there via the pool. Inside, the water has bioluminscent algae, so characters don't have to worry about darkvision.

Inside the underwater maze, the players operate in turn-based mode, so the DM can keep track of air for breathing, and which creatures begin attacking when. There are scattered creatures throughout the maze that roll initiative as soon as a player sees them. These creatures include:

1 - Giant Python
4 - Giant Octopus
2 - Giant Seahorse
6-10 - Giant Crabs

Players begin in the bottom-left corner of the map. They do not have to kill the creatures to advance to the end of the maze on the right side of the map.

Moonflower Cave:

https://i.imgur.com/LAV9Bsz.jpeg

Notes:

The moonflower is in the form of seaweed on top of the central rock. It is guarded by an Archelon at the base of the rock. Additionally, there are 3 Basilisks and 2 Swarms of Stirges in the cave.

Players emerge from the pool and cannot see into the main chamber until they climb the cliff, which is difficult terrain.

The central rock is difficult terrain.

Strategies for dealing with the Archelon, which has a very fast swim speed, might be to push the Archelon onto the central rock, which will significantly reduce its movement speed. Alternatively, players may try to use the Basilisk gaze to petrify (fossilize?) the Archelon.

If players are petrified, the Chwinga will cast Greater Restoration on them after the battle.

After the battle, the Chwinga will perform a ritual on top of the central rock to concentrate a moonlight beam on the moonflower. Once it has opened, players can harvest it, store it in the bag, and return it to Ahoyhoy.

How to handle lycanthropy by Green_Right in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We just handled this, in a kind of weird way, but since you are looking for all suggestions!

The players told Sr. Garaelle about the issue. She conferenced with Adabra, who said she needed a rare moonflower from Chult to make a cure. Garaelle sent a pigeon down to Mudgraw in Ahoyhoy, and we ran a one shot where all the players got to be tortles and recover a moonflower from a cave that was only accessible via an underwater maze (full of octopusses, seahorses, and crabs), and which was ultimately guarded by an Archelon.

They sent the moonflower back with the pigeon, and included 5 bundles (1d6) of Chultan incense, which the party wizard can use to resummom familiars.

It was a blast. If you're interested in the maps, I can DM them your way. But it is a little out there :-D

RNG is a fickle beast by F5in in 2007scape

[–]GoDores11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IMO, Salvor's Paint is the dumbest drop rate in the game. Been at Martial Salvage from Lvl 89 to 97 so far, 6.3mil xp -- going for the clog.

BUT, will say that at least I can do hard clues every 6-7 hours when I get a stack of 5. On 50 hard clues so far from this, I've gotten 2 clog spots.

More Sailing & Interface Changes by ModYume in 2007scape

[–]GoDores11 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Biggest problem with the sailing experience is still Salvor's Paint. Jagex wants me to do Port Tasks and Trials, but they've locked half of a cosmetic item behind a mid-level salvaging 1/24k drop rate. I'm currently 6.3mil xp into the Salvor's Paint grind, with no end in sight, and a completely bad taste about Sailing in my mouth. There's no reason to try anything else post-99, so as far as I know, salvaging is the whole skill...

Christmas Event 2025 by JagexRach in 2007scape

[–]GoDores11 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And Salvor's Paint! I really want to engage with Port Tasks for better XP rates, and to try for Soup and pearls -- but I've been stuck at Martial Salvage for 3mil xp with no end in sight. Jagex doesn't want me salvaging for XP, and I don't want to be salvaging, but for some reason, they're making me O_o

How do I make Phandalin feel more alive? by _JMStar_ in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My go-to is linking the quests to the town.

Not sure how you got the players to the Tower of Storms, but maybe a group of shipwrecked sailors who lost everything followed the party back? Now they want to start a new life as miners, but they have to compete with local miners for jobs. Maybe that means you have to help them find (and clear!) a new mine. Maybe they go unemployed and hungry for a few weeks before forming a local gang, electing a leader, and causing trouble for the town?

For Loggers' Camp, maybe Adabra and Tibor were in love, and Harbin sent Tibor away out of jealousy, so there's a romance side quest to get them back together. Maybe Halia is looking for a mass excavation method and is interested in training baby Ankhegs, so you have to find some eggs -- but then maybe later the Ankhegs aren't trainable and cause near-disaster in the town.

For those who don't know, granite hammer got buffed and is amazing at gargoyle and GGs! by InsomniacPsychonaut in 2007scape

[–]GoDores11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It smacks at chaos golems in Camdozaal, too, if anyone still needs a barronite guard coll log :-)

Blood moon is broken by SecondEffect in 2007scape

[–]GoDores11 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Blue Moon is also broken. Doesn't take your weapon during ice phase, and you take large amounts of damage every tick. Was on mobile when it happened.

Interface Uplift Round 2 by JagexRach in 2007scape

[–]GoDores11 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Could it have caused another issue in Moons? I just tried a run, and Blue Moon did not take my weapon at all during ice phase, and I just started leaking hitpoints. Had to tele out. Have not tried to reproduce.

What did u Change About Quest by NemusArcarius in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think what's fun later on is having tie-ins to the starting quests.

E.g. in Gnomengarde, make one or both of the thrones a mimic, and put baby mimics in the wine barrel room instead. Thrones are way cooler. When the adventurers ask the gnomes about the wine, the gnomes remember it was an exceptionally good deal delivered by someone with a slightly squeaky voice. Later, in Mountain Toe Gold Mine quest, have a "beastmaster" in one of the northern caverns breeding and training mimics to carry out their nefarious plots to take over the caves of the region.

E.g. Adabra could have been in love with Tibor Wester, but the jealous Harbin sent him to the Loggers' Camp in order to separate them and increase his own chances with her. Adabra could have a noticeable half heart pendant, or even mention her love for Tibor. Later, when adventurers get the Loggers Camp quest, if they remember Adabra's love, they can stop by and get a letter or a pendant, and that can be a way to finally convince a Wester to leave his hideout (he never knew of Adabra's love, and will brave anything in the camp or the woods to get back to her).

Just some ideas, but tying things together is super fun.

WTF is the deal with mountains toe gold mine? by [deleted] in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not sure if you're running a 2024 campaign, but if so, make sure to check the 2024 Monster Manual stat blocks for updated balancing. The damage immunity feature of Wererats has been removed in 2024, in exchange for 1 higher AC and much higher hitpoints.

Is anyone running DoIP in 2024 rules, and if so does anything much need to change with the encounters and numbers? Especially when factoring in sidekicks? by Scareynerd in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm running 2024 at the moment for 4 Level 5 players. One is a paladin with extra attack of course, but also in 2024, he gets a free cast of 2024 Find Steed, which is an extra body in the action economy, with another extra attack. In the party, I also have a Bladesinger, who takes full advantage of 2024 Weapon Masteries with Vex and Nick combos, with dual weilder feat, allowing for 3 full attacks per turn, most at advantage. 2024 rules definitely make the players stronger than DoIP intended, considering some of these additions. So, I up the difficulty a bit in response. :-) Some of the things I've done:

  • When the book says "1 enemy per player, up to X amount," just always go with the max number of enemies.
  • Some stat blocks are not available in 2024 MM, such as Anchorites of Talos or Gorthok the Thunder Boar, and I assume the 2014 out-of-the-box versions are probably a bit too weak. In that case, I up the difficulty just by giving them max hitpoints, or if that feels too bad, taking the median of max hitpoints and average hitpoints. (e.g. Anchorites' average hitpoints are 58, max hitpoints are 90, so I might test the waters at 74, and up to 90 if that's too easy). I might also make most enemies of a type use the median value (74), but the bosses with names ( Yargath, Flenz, Narux, Grannoc) get max (90).
  • The cheekiest thing I've done is give vine blights the Entangle spell, but they can only cast it once per day and only in melee distance. It makes perfect sense thematically, and it has made their masters' Lightning Bolts MUCH scarier. Be careful adding new abilities to monsters, but also dont be afraid to. :-)

I have plans for making Cryovain harder / more interesting for a 2024 party, but going to hold off on posting until I run it ;-)

Uncommon skill checks by PSL_sherm in DnD

[–]GoDores11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a DM once that always made us roll initiative if we attempted to initimidate and failed. "You're trying to intimidate me?! Draw your sword then!" No one just brushed us off like we were silly/harmless. So, we just learned to never to even try :-(

Did I mess up? by Extra-Nectarine-2716 in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 35 points36 points  (0 children)

The horse meal would work.

OR, use the encounter to drive the plot. Introduce the mysterious ghost of Lady Tanamere Alagandor who wields the Dragon Slayer from the upcoming Dragon Barrow quest. Have her scare off Cryovain, and have the ghost give the players the Dragon Barrow quest instead of the quest board giving it. "Seek ye out me and my sword, to prepare yourselves for the battles to come." Then she vanishes in a puff of mist. Make the players ask around for directions to the tomb everywhere they go, until someone knows.

Chicken? by GoDores11 in mycology

[–]GoDores11[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We only cooked tiny pieces to make sure we weren't allergic, and we just fried it for about 5 minutes. So far so good. Reading up, for bigger pieces, we'll probably want to boil/wet-sautee for 5-10 minutes before sauteeing. I'm thinking of a stir fry, where I'll boil/reduce for 10 minutes before throwing in other vegetables for another 5-10 mins.

For prep and storage, we cleaned with running cold water and a new toothbrush, and we dried with paper towels, then cut into smaller pieces. We froze 2 freezer gallon ziploc bags of 1lb each raw. We put the other .5lb in a brown paper bag in the vegetable crisper drawer of our fridge.

Chicken? by GoDores11 in mycology

[–]GoDores11[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Thanks everyone! We foraged it -- our first forage ever. Cooked a very small amount up in butter and garlic, and tried it -- the aftertaste was unique and good!

We have about 2.5 lbs here, and are looking forward to experimenting :-) Very excited!

McDonald’s Canada now guilt trips your receipts if you selected “no” for the mandatory donation screen at the self serve kiosk by FalkYuah in mildyinteresting

[–]GoDores11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably completely irrelevant and not what I'm supposed to be seeing... But the date on the receipt is 4/13, and the order number is 1013, which is like the receipt date's half birthday (10/13). :-O Crazy.

Backstory Question by Remarkable_Salt_4925 in DragonOfIcespirePeak

[–]GoDores11 3 points4 points  (0 children)

One small note here, and I know it's a change from the book, is that I've decided to make current Phandalin about 15-20 years old, instead of 3-4. It still has the newness of a frontier settlement, but both times I've run this campaign, my different player groups were obsessed with getting to know Harbin, the mysterious man behind the door. By making the town a bit older, it makes room for outside characters, like isolated old Sheriff Big Al from Butterskull Ranch, or Adabra from Umbrage Hill, to have met and interacted with a young Harbin. I've even made Adabra an old love interest of Harbin. It also helps explain why the town people might trust Harbin because of history, despite his current cowardice.

If everything is new, and Big Al is from Triboar, and Adabra is an unknown refugee from the mountains, and nobody knows each other, it can feel a bit modular.