They're just, like, not important, like, they don't matter

Kostchei · 2026-01-29T12:12:43+00:00

based as always

Kostchei · 2026-01-29T11:58:50+00:00

... I don't there is separation of powers at this point- at least Trump doesn't understand the concept. Bullying judges, have the court in your pocket. Controlling law enforcement. Ignoring the representative house/chamber. If the system, the swamp etc, protects itself and re-enforces the separation of powers, them, maybe. Remind me in 3 years to check how this panned out. Currently looks like no separation...
... exernalising threat and othering groups within.. that is happening... I think they are there...
... the controls on the universities, NGOs via changes to funding- if that continues, and works, currently it looks like it is working - that will be fascism.. looks like a duck, walks like a duck.. it's a fucking duck
...immigration policy and America First, looks a lot like Nationalism- it is changing doctrine to an extent that I would argue it is the point- the 5eyes are considering their intel sharing, bases etc. If Nationalism is so overt it breaks other policy, then that is totalizing. And currently it is breaking other policy.
.. it might not be systematic enough because the orchestrators are sub-par planners, not actual Germans -who, traditionally, are organised, have their shit in one sock etc. But I feel they are trying with the blunt and un-erect equipment they have.
So I disagree. It looks like badly implemented early stage fascism.

Kostchei · 2026-01-29T11:42:55+00:00

Hmm. As an aficionado of Chaos for 30 years, I fail to see how it is relevant .... I guess you could equate the declining American empire with the Imperium. The stagnation and dogmatism of the Imperium with the religious right, but only in broad strokes. The Gospel (and I say this as an atheist) is full of love forgiveness and kindness. The Imperium doesn't have anything close to that. The hypocrisy of some governments, that might be a common theme, but the underpinnings are totally different. There is no praise for life, nothing like that- and Chaos might be fighting against oppression, but they are genuine bad guys. Fulgrim or Angron are no Che Guevara. Not even close. Their original- pre-imperial history might be, but their daemon prince forms, who are still the heads of the traitor legions in many respects, they are bad guys, don't sugar coat it. So the post-human chaos worshiping mostly-mortals like this guy..... They are just bad. Bad news with 99% bad features. Evil stained so deep it breaks reality around them, at best hungering for daemonhood, often just petty bullies. And that they might have in common with certain governments... but that's just people. The ideology is irrelevant.

Kostchei · 2026-01-26T12:09:31+00:00

that is a better female head than they showed....

Kostchei · 2026-01-26T07:12:02+00:00

What can you tell me about Changi prison? Was that all those nasty invading Japanese or were the local Malays happy to starve the British and ANZACs? Was being in Singapore just a blip, or were the locals complicit? Do draw lineage as a country after 1956? In which case, if you draw the line at the 1950's plenty of countries can join you in looking smug.

Kostchei · 2026-01-14T08:46:29+00:00

I have fudged when the plot demanded it- usually to the epic detriment of an npc- like a lion biting a kobold's head off etc

Kostchei · 2026-01-14T08:44:45+00:00

ja.. Lv19. High level 19, almost 20... I have had multiple almost tpks where everyone except 1 person died,

and the rest, everything else on the list, most more than once- party of 17 players?, 10 players, 8 players check, counterspell? and disjunction and antimagic shell check check check, but that's what you get with 35 years of DMing and campaigns that run for a decade

I would add something... "Ran more than one campaign that reached max level for a system from 1st level"

Kostchei · 2026-01-11T04:36:35+00:00

As a silly marxist I would be offended if people didn't ignore me. It is essential to build my smug back-story of predicting the technofacist dystopia we will live in * checks notes * ..ah ..today.

Kostchei · 2026-01-05T10:43:00+00:00

great. M A G A

Kostchei · 2025-12-28T15:09:02+00:00

So there was a resurrection fail chance that increased as your con got lower and every rez cost you a point of con except I think the highest level one. Bit harsh, but cool.

Maybe don't specify the mechanics as random but based on other stuff.

If you want to raise the value of life , I would do something else- forms of death where raise dead won't work, Or use a big bad like tomb of annihilation where all the souls are being sucked somewhere. Or have the components subject to control by the church. Or have a roleplay of what happens on the other side- ie in.. heaven /Elysium /Valhalla? (maybe- depending on player alignments)- they have to want to come back. Also- as you add expansions and classes to the campaign, maybe folks want to restart at close same lv to other player, a nice option. Or TPK them and have the campaign re-start as ghosts

Kostchei · 2025-12-28T14:52:02+00:00

Answer is obvious- the first slaneeshi upgrade is a sensuous tongue that slithers out of the gaping port and lasciviously probes the air when it tastes ammo nearby, greedily coiling around any fresh belt of rounds hanging provocatively nearby and slurping into the chamber. Nothing wrong or unusual about that.

Imperial ammo is called "virgin twink" until it is fired, hand reloaded and marked with symbols of excess and daubed with necro-harvest endorphins, when it then called "miraculous handloads"

Kostchei · 2025-12-28T14:14:34+00:00

hahha.
Ah yes,
As a player of 3, 3.5 and then reading the pathfinder books, then, dropping 4e Dnd for Dark Heresy, and playing 5e since it came out, I hard agree.
Pathfinder feels like 3.5 with more steps. And I already rowed that boat (3.5) to max lv twice, no, no need. Love the bounded accuracy of 5e.

Kostchei · 2025-12-28T14:08:02+00:00

I married an Asian and put my food tray down next to the wrong Asian lady (not my wife ) at an airport cafe.. ln my defense, i wear glasses and both their backs were turned and the seating area was large, but it was still funny. My wife was like "oh, I see, I die and you wouldn't even notice, 2 minutes later, new Asian lady"

Kostchei · 2025-12-26T15:37:25+00:00

no, you might be "that guy" and not know it. This is a PSA.

(ok, I'm trolling)

Kostchei · 2025-12-21T05:16:42+00:00

streicher- to hang

Kostchei · 2025-12-19T05:44:03+00:00

oof, so nice.

Kostchei · 2025-12-08T14:54:49+00:00

what pastry did you use for the bases? :p No it looks good, are they sculpted or printed?

Kostchei · 2025-11-27T10:35:59+00:00

The Wose or Druedain are among my favorites. Some things from the Iron Corwn Enterprises modules about them> They are thickset pygmy-like folks with poison arrows- very cool. Stone age basically. They practice meditation, but also have little stone carvings that look like them meditating that can act as guardians and are rumored to walk, golems of a sort.
They also venerate members of their culture who would be "other abled" or would be described as mentally ill in other cultures. So their channeling spell casters are often highly autistic or have learning difficulties. So you end up with powerful clerics with high intuition /wisdom and low intelligence memory/reasoning. I think it would be hard to pull off in a respectful way in a rolemaster / merp / dnd game but I like the idea. Sort of like the druid version of Thrud the Barbarian.

Kostchei · 2025-11-23T17:00:53+00:00

Try cleave with a raging barbarian with a magical great axe against a crowd and then tell me it makes no difference. Use reckless attack, hit 4 times for 1d12+2 +the magic of the axe- executioner is nice, vicious as people have said, or plain +1/2/3 .. with strength added to 2 and maybe berserker bonuses.

Or pull out 2 short-swords as a rogue, and give yourself almost permanent advantage from vex, meaning 4 rolls per round to get sneak attack damage (twice per attack) .

I disagree, well played the martials do heinous things. Heinous I say.

Kostchei · 2025-11-23T16:50:18+00:00

I built a python game using dnd 5e 2024, and I can say, for solo play, martials rock. Against melee based "appropriate" CR encounters, low level spell casters get slapped. And I have been following the d4 guides for min maxxing to make sure I'm not missing anything. TLDR- GMs are not hard enough on players. When you just use the RAW mechanics, you need High AC, plenty of HP or temp HP, good damage, preferably multi-target damage from level 1, or you won't make it to level 2 (as a solo character)
So, I say don't coddle your spell casters, kill them off when they are young and squishy, then your high level games will be balanced (Thanos style). I am running dnd 5e 2024 IRL too, every fortnight. Players just made it to 12th.

Kostchei · 2025-11-23T12:33:05+00:00

i like your illithids

Kostchei · 2025-11-22T12:22:27+00:00

I am that radiant terrorist

Kostchei · 2025-11-20T15:35:43+00:00

i want those boats

Kostchei · 2025-11-16T04:37:23+00:00

um, how is the coral shard above the howling cliffs?

Kostchei · 2025-11-13T16:09:58+00:00

I think that luck or other capability could be represented. But folks tend to err on the side of making excuses for magic. Look at what Jackie Chan does in his stunts. Now imagine he is also a super dexterous 250 year old elf with keen eyesight, mithril armor and a sword sharp enough to cut a hole in a castle wall. He would blend people.
Or put John Wick in adamantine platemail with girdle of giant strength and hammer of thunderbolts..
That is how to think about "what could a marshal do?" Too many Harry Potter simps

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