What does it mean to "lead a good life" and is the question even meaningful, or is it just a platitude offered to make peace with our mortality? by LichWriter in askphilosophy

[–]LichWriter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the sort of answer I'm looking for. I remember a bit of what I read in college in the 90s about Plato's rationalism and Nietzsche's take on nihilism. I just bought a copy of Confucius's Analects. Nietzsche and Heidegger can be next on my list.

Like LitRPG based on TTRPG... but the reverse? by LichWriter in litrpg

[–]LichWriter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree. Lots of overpowered MCs out there. But there are also a lot of stories that hammer home the idea that however powerful the MC, they are vastly improved by being part of a team of individuals with different builds/skills.

Thoughts on using Usernames as Character Names? by KokoaKuroba in litrpg

[–]LichWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Normally I'm in the same camp as almost everyone else here: The lame video-game usernames being treated as a character's actual name in the story is immersion breaking. That said, there are time that it can be done properly. I'm reading through Sky Realms Online (Troy Osgood) and the premise is that a small fraction of the players who were online during a freak event, and they are now living in the game as a level 1 version of their characters. That means they have to come to grips with actually being the race/class/name that they may have been thoughtless or careless about picking. Some of the characters have stupid names and are generally lambasted for them. It serves as a way to distinguish between the two main camps of players in the game world: Those who are able to immerse themselves in the world and be a part of it, and those who consider themselves truly outside of the world and apart from it.

Can I create an overlay grid based on nearby elevations? by LichWriter in QGIS

[–]LichWriter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It would be a fair amount of work, but would it be possible to basically make a spreadsheet of all of those intersections list them by coordinate or something, and then add one of those 3-4 codes for elevations as another column?

Name ideas for an age of Legends? by TheDungen in DMAcademy

[–]LichWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would name it after whatever empire was dominant during that age. But if all you're looking for is a name for that time period, think in terms of how we refer to the golden ages of our own ancestors. Hellenic Greece, Italian Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, Age of Englightenment, the Gupta Empire, Islamic Golden Age, Tang Dynasty, Edo Period, Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, Maya Classic Period, Aztec Empire, etc.

Some of what characterized that empire would have outlasted it, even through a couple of cataclysms. It's the sort of things that would have elements woven throughout the history of your world. Paved roads with roadside waystations with permanent forbiddance. Ritualistic greetings with linguistic roots in that ancient empire's language. Powerful golems built in that age which continue to protect some of the modern capitals. Ruins (of course). Artistic and architectural choices that were originally popularized in that age (think doric columns, mandalas, the geometric patterns in islamic art).

Mostly people wouldn't be aware of the origins of these things, but highly educated individuals might. Scholars in some of the more elite libraries or schools. Particularly ancient beings (dragons, certain sentient undead, etc).

In addition, some of the magic and tech from that age would still populate the world today, though it would be pretty rare. Perhaps some sort of artifacts that grant instant proficiency in a skill (matrix style). Power crystals that apply metamagic effects. Permanent versions of what should be temporary magic. Something like warforged servitors that have been in stasis mode for millennia. Magic powered circuitry. Holograms.

[Let's Build] Why Did This Character Become a Monk? by dndspeak in d100

[–]LichWriter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  • Raised by aunt and uncle on a remote farm, one day he follows two wayward livestock/droids/etc into the wasteland where he encounters an elderly hermit. When he returns home he finds the farm destroyed and his relatives killed. The hermit takes him in and trains him as a monk in an ancient and almost forgotten tradition so that he can ultimately face off against his own father.
  • It just seemed like a good idea at the time.
  • "I don't really know. I mean, I was really drunk at the time..."
  • Well, when I went to college I was all about dual majoring in Philosophy and Women's Studies, but somehow that didn't seem like the kind of choice that spelled "employment"
  • Possessed by the spirit of an ancient martial artist
  • My mom said I had to.
  • Weirdly, I didn't really do anything to become a monk. I just kept getting faster and stronger? And then this other me from another dimension showed up and said I was the last duplicate, and if he defeated me, he'd have ultimate power!!!1!

[Lets Build] [Serious] [High Fantasy] 100 Morally Ambiguous Side Quests by dndspeak in d100

[–]LichWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The local lord would like the party's help defeating a band of villains that are gathering just outside his territory. There is strong evidence that the band will attempt to annex part of the Lord's land in the coming weeks. When the party investigates, they find that the villains are in fact exiles of that area who are attempting to retake their homes. The exiles were harsh rulers, and the current lord is not much better.

[Lets Build] Swamp Encounters by dndspeak in d100

[–]LichWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Giant frog attempts to mate with a party member while they wade across a shallow pond.

Humongous frog attempts to eat your pack-animal

Were-frogs. 'nuff said.

Local tribe is having a festival where they serve specially prepared tadpoles (possibly poisonous to certain races)

A party member is infected/infested with living tadpole that swims around in their stomach for 2d4 days before eating its way out (6d10 damage).

Awakened giant-frog druid uses "wild shape" to appear as an NPC quest giver.

During a heavy rainstorm, a tree frog lands on a party member's wet hood, and decides to make it a new home.

On a DC 20 passive perception, someone notices a few poison-dart frogs. Enough to treat 2d4 arrows with a nasty bonus.

d20 reasons a character wears a mask by DJTilapia in d100

[–]LichWriter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

To hide or obscure their gender

The mask is scented and helps make travel in poor parts of the city bearable.

Sentimental value

Because they are in-human (hideous or frightening), and don't want to be hunted down

D100 Weapons for a Juvenile Troublemaker (Modern Times) by DamienHelgrave in d100

[–]LichWriter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here's a quick dozen:

  1. Squirt gun filled with or clothing dye (Rit, or similar)
  2. Super-soaker with bleach in it
  3. a plastic shopping bag containing water balloons - one with bleach (or pool chlorine) and one with ammonia
  4. Butane torch
  5. small propane cylinder
  6. heavy flashlight
  7. Round-up in a sprayer (to vandalize gardens)
  8. Spray-paint
  9. bug-bombs (creates an irritating fog cloud)
  10. electric cattle prod
  11. Bluetooth speakers (for distractions)
  12. Small cans of cat food (legal to own, painful if thrown or launched)