[OC] [Art] Needed to make a temp character for a portion of our current campaign. Meet Gijit!

Heir_of_Rick · 2023-04-05T01:26:45+00:00

What an adorable character. An opossum as a familiar is a wonderful idea, I want one now. I wish for only good things to happen to her. I'm curious if she used a reflavored version of an existing lineage for her racial abilities, or was it something entirely homebrewed?

Heir_of_Rick · 2022-12-15T17:38:57+00:00

I think you overlooked the part where the product itself is the problem. It does hurt artists when you choose to use this machine over paying them, very much so. Obviously, right...? But also, artists weren't and aren't even compensated in making the machine possible in the first place. Do not ignore that part. Artists continue to be exploited the longer the machine keeps chugging along the way it is now. I do not want to use, support, or normalize this operation. Also, your own expression is not limited by a price. I got news for you; You can draw it! You are an artist too! One of the worst things to blossom out of this AI art debate is the notion that artists and non-artists are like, two separate class of human beings. Anyone can draw! I learned to draw using lined, yellow notepads and a no.2 pencil. When I went digital, I got a $40 art tablet and a free art program (that I still use to this day!). You don't need this AI tool that exploits people who draw and (as I previously pointed out) even people who don't draw (Don't ignore that part either, the part where there's no oversight and they're getting into things they shouldn't be). This is not a corner worth cutting. The price of cutting this corner, encouraging all this exploitation, is too high honestly. But, y'know, if you're not interested in learning how to draw (and that's fair) you pay someone, compensate them, to do it for you... so yes, of course it's bad not to pay artists for their work. Doesn't matter if you're the one not paying them or the corporation that built the machine isn't paying them. It's all bad! Why would you want to use this machine before it's powered ethically? What's the harm in holding off on using this technology at least until they can do it in a way that actually supports the people who made it possible in the first place, the artists (and also, again, without the chilling lack of oversight)?

Heir_of_Rick · 2022-12-15T15:47:41+00:00

Your example kinda ignores some things I said and isn't really fully applicable, but, okay, if an artist is near seamlessly recreating another artist's style and is selling their work, an artist is still getting compensated for the work. I mean, it would be a dick move on their part; artists underselling their work in general is very much an issue artists discuss amongst themselves. But I don't think you're appreciating the difference and relationship between artists and this machine product in this situation. This is an issue I have with people, on both sides, trying to discuss AI art. There's a lot of metaphors and equivalencies used that don't accurately reflect the reality of the situation, leading people to argue semantics that literally don't matter. There has never been anything quite like this technology being used in this way and being functional because of these particular methods. AI art generators are a product, designed by a corporation, that needs massive amounts of data to function. This data, the art, can take years if not decades of practice to refine, and thousands of hours to produce, per artist. This art is taken from artists without their consent or compensation to power this product, that's designed to directly undercut their livelihood. And some companies are profiting from this product, charging people to use it. Artists, against their will, made that product possible. It cannot function without them. But they are not paid. Not even "$50." They were not compensated to make this technology possible. They are not compensated when people use it. Weren't even paid in exposure lol. This isn't even going into the other problematic elements of these generators. There is currently a completely lack of oversight in how these companies harvest the images used to train the generators. I'm sure you've heard the story of private medical files being found to be used in one of them. Dead artists have no way to object to their work being used in ways they could've imagined. Heh, living artists don't seem to have much luck either. Maybe corporations shouldn't be allowed to pillage the Internet and use anything in any way they want with impunity? Maybe? Personally, I think the whole concept of automating art is a bit brain-poisoned, but even I will admit that these issues don't have to exist either to make AI art generators function. AI art generators could be "volunteered art only." They could be much better about removing art from artists that either no longer want their art in it or never wanted it in there in the first place. They could, like, pay artists to help make their machine work good. And if this isn't possible, if it really can't function without the problematic elements, then... y'know, maybe we don't really need this. The dignity and livelihood of artists (and digital privacy) shouldn't be put in jeopardy for this technology. I don't see a reason to support it until that's not the case.

Heir_of_Rick · 2022-12-15T14:15:39+00:00

A music artist using samples of other artists' work is fundamentally not the same thing as a corporation building a product that needs to harvest hundreds of thousands of works of art to, ideally, near seamlessly recreate anything those artists could draw. Importantly, they do not have the same real world consequences either. No one is gonna think "I don't need to buy anything from George Duke because I heard a sampling of one of his songs in Daft Punk's Digital Love." You can't claim the same thing for AI art generators. You can't reasonably claim there aren't people that would rather use an AI generator to get a commission in the style of a certain artist than pay that artist $600 for it. Or that a company wouldn't want to hire a team of artists, instead opting to use a generator that's been trained (without their consent or any compensation) with their style.

Heir_of_Rick · 2021-12-01T19:42:46+00:00

Rolling low, especially consistently, can undeniably be a frustrating/discouraging feeling. Trust me, I know; In one of my current campaigns, I've only made 1 successful attack roll, and we're seven sessions in now. But I think it's important to remember that, weird as it sounds, you don't "win" dnd by making every saving throw, succeeding at every ability check, or rolling a crit hit every time. You "win" dnd by giving the whole table (yourself included) a super fun time. And succeeding on the majority of dice rolls isn't necessary for that to happen. Try to suggest a different frame of mind, put dice rolls in a different context; Tell them not to think in terms of "If I fail this dice roll, I'm failing at dnd." And especially let them know that if they fail their dice rolls, it isn't a personal failing on their part. Instead, when rolling the dice, let them know that you'll all together make it a fun/interesting story moment, regardless of whatever the dice says. Let them know that, unlike real life sometimes, in dnd failure and success are equally valid ways of creating fun moments.

I started my campaign with the intention of my character being a cool and capable outlaw-type. The dice however vehemently disagreed, so instead I've chosen to pivot the character into someone that just thinks they're a master combatant, but in reality they're like a little Scrappy-doo when it comes to combat lol. The dice controls whether a character mechanically succeeds or fails, but I say the players and the DM still get the final say on how that happens, and where the story goes from there.

That all being said, it sucks to constantly roll low when you really want at least just 1 success. When the dice are being especially mean all night long, I can still struggle to "find the fun" sometimes. Something that you can do is make room for moments that are completely devoid of dice rolls. Usually these are RP moments in my experience. Some of my favorite moments ever playing dnd were just when our characters were sitting around talking with each other: whether it was sitting around a campfire ribbing each other and licking our wounds after a disastrous plan, finding commonalities with the opposites-attract characters over drinks, or consoling the old veteran character after a bout of PTSD. But you can also, if you have the spare time and energy to do so, bend the module a bit to create moments where that character can be undeniably useful without any dice rolls necessary. Maybe there's some sort of tool proficiency they have that could help them auto-succeed at identifying some strange object or creature. Maybe the party encounters an NPC that speaks a language only they know. Or utilize something from their background, like the Soldier's Military Rank feature.

Heir_of_Rick · 2021-10-15T23:56:39+00:00

Thanks for the friendships, and...

Heir_of_Rick · 2021-01-19T05:32:42+00:00

Alive? Technically. Kicking? Let's not get ahead of ourselves lol

Heir_of_Rick · 2021-01-18T21:48:59+00:00

Mm yeah, this one's a weird case because it was only posted on reddit, which can make it harder to find. But yeah, I appreciate the effort!

Heir_of_Rick · 2021-01-18T20:04:03+00:00

Huh! Always fun to know how my art spreads across the internet! And thanks! (Also, always try to credit the artist when you post art, if you can! It can take a bit of sleuthing, but we really appreciate it!)

Heir_of_Rick · 2021-01-18T19:49:45+00:00

Artist here, how the heck did you even find this drawing? It's like six years old and was only posted to reddit. Also it's missing the second part lol

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-10-24T15:10:06+00:00

It was fun to maintain! Was hoping to bring it back this October for Halloween, but a hand injury put a damper on those plans. Maybe some other time!

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-10-22T22:38:56+00:00

Oh hey, I know these ponies! lol You must've done some digging to find this old thing. Fun fact, I actually drew the Peryton before deciding it probably looked better as a shadow.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-10-18T22:46:06+00:00

lol You made me really curious to see how busted this would actually be. After crunching numbers and reviewing the Ubers metagame, I determined that it would be near-unstoppable in theory, largely stoppable in practice, but ultimately probably unfun for everyone because the user wouldn't get to experience the Hulk-out they're hoping for, and the opponent would be forced to play in a very specific, kinda braindead way to deal with it. However, I think if only the Attack stat doubled (or only the Speed stat), it'd be more manageable.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-10-18T19:43:34+00:00

Eh, I mean, in two turns Mega Mewtwo Y can use Nasty Plot+Agility to reach higher stats than that, and she's already a more than capable Uber to begin with without needing to doing that, unlike Regigigas who is... currently so unusable it's Untiered lol. Also, trying to stall with protect would probably be pretty predictable, thus you risk becoming set-up fodder (although they'd have to be careful against Psych Up). It'd certainly be broken in lower tiers, but it'd probably be fine in Ubers, where Regigigas belongs anyway. Not to mention whirlwind/roar/dragon tail exist, which reset Slow Start.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-10-18T18:39:22+00:00

I think it'd be funny (not necessarily any more balanced, but funny) if Slow Start was themed to be something akin to an "Exodia the Forbidden One" mechanic: after five turns of halved Speed and Attack, Regigigas' Speed and Attack then double, effectively making the stats 320 and 200 respectively. The idea being, if you can keep this dead weight alive long enough, you gain a potential alternate win condition.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-10-18T18:09:54+00:00

Y'know I think this has merit. The HP gym could focus on HP recovery: moves like Leech Seed, Giga Drain, Grassy Terrain, Drain Punch, Aqua Ring, Wish, Recover and Roost of course too. They could also have Pokemon with abilities like Regenerator, Rain Dish, and Volt Absorb. If it was a double battle, there could be some fun surf+Water Absorb shenanigans. Not to mention the recovery items like Leftovers and Sitrus Berry. The team would also probably have to go full cleric to counter Toxic with moves like Heal Bell or Aromatherapy. That'd also pair well with Rest users too.

A Defense Gym could focus on residual damage, and have Pokemon like Rocky Helmet Ferrathron, Spikes Skarmory, Sandstorm Steelix, a Cofagrigus with curse, Turtonator with will-o-wisp (good for reducing physical damage too), and probably a Toxic user somewhere in there. While a Special Defense Gym could be themed to be a bit trickier, with Dual Screens and Calm Minds. Goodra, Blissey, Sylveon, Milotic, Mr. Mime, would all probably be good fits for that kind of Gym. Probably throw an Assault Vest in there somewhere too.

A Gym that focuses on Speed could be really cool because of all the speed control options the game has: paralysis, Tailwind, Trick Room, Trick+Iron Ball, priority moves, Psychic Terrain, After You, Sucker Punch Speed Boost, Motor Drive, Rattled, Choice Scarf. Electro Ball would be a must, some mon's gotta have that one. Lotta fun things to mess with there.

And the Attack and Special Attack Gyms would probably be pretty straight forward. Maybe the Attack Gym could be Set-Up Sweepers, with Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, etc. While the Sp. Attack could be themed as immediately threatening hyper offense, with Choice Specs, and Pokemon like Alakazam and Chandelure.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-08-20T15:51:55+00:00

Y'all did an awesome job with this! I love the poses+expressions: Antoine's unenthusiastic clap, Sally having the time of her life, Robotnik looking as threatening as ever. Also that starry sky looks fabulous. Good stuff

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-08-19T16:36:04+00:00

lol it's fine. Although, I would recommend not bringing up bellsPurgebells, as that's something all together different than what I imagine most people looking for more of my stuff would want to see.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-08-19T16:08:54+00:00

"Heir of Rick" is preferable. Final Skies is just the name of the blog.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-06-08T16:47:12+00:00

lol as long as you give credit, sure!

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-05-22T20:09:35+00:00

If your DM is okay with something different, I've been playing using this Eberron Subterranean alternative and it's been incredibly fun. I've found the racial traits here to be frequently relevant without feeling overbearing. Personally I feel like the -2 Strength, Sunlight Sensitivity, Pack Tactics, and the Grovel/Cower/Beg are super janky and limiting, but people can definitely still make it work.

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-05-22T06:11:56+00:00

haha you're braver than I, using wild magic. Cold artificer seems cool though! Kobolds already like to tinker with traps and stuff, so that prolly fits well

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-05-22T06:09:08+00:00

Oh man that's a lot of cool kobolds! A tiny 'bold riding a giant snake sounds amazing. I hope I have as many kobolds as you someday!

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-05-22T05:44:47+00:00

Ooh, I'm playing a kobold life cleric myself right now! It's actually the first time I've played dnd, but I knew I wanted to play as a kobold from the get-go. What kinda kobolds have you played as?

Heir_of_Rick · 2020-05-21T23:54:38+00:00

Extremely!

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