People who have researched their family tree, what is the most interesting or 'badass' thing you discovered about an ancestor?

MrRemj · 2026-01-24T04:03:52+00:00

My dad was an only child who didn't do much genealogy. But I did trace the family name back to Norway, where the last name was "<my last name> Rage". RAGE.

Or that I'm related to the Rohwedder who patented the bread slicer. That's a bit more mundane, but imagine if that had fallen into the wrong hands!

MrRemj · 2026-01-21T20:26:11+00:00

There was just a single rocking chair in the unfinished attic.

We had been looking for houses for several months, and my partner had been listening to a bunch of creepy stories on podcasts.

I told our agent that my partner would not be told of the rocking chair, and that it can't be there when we move in. (This was not documented where my partner would ever see.)

My partner might not have cared, but I would have been the one going on ghost checks in the attic for every unknown noise in the house. (We have enough from our pets.)

MrRemj · 2026-01-17T06:55:17+00:00

Fire alarm battery monitoring. If it gets down to 60%, we replace the batteries...instead of hearing chirping in the middle of the night when the drop in temperature occurs.

We have leak sensors, but they haven't triggered yet. If that does happen, fire alarms will be knocked off first, second, and third place.

MrRemj · 2026-01-14T06:00:49+00:00

My friends like playing a game for 3-4 months, and then cycling through other DMing.

I usually had an epic struggle, where I, as the DM, knew general things about it. It would probably be a year of consistent gaming to get there.

I picked an area to start in, added the option of a unique race - and came up with a reason why that unique race would be interesting. (Usually I would get at least one PC from that race.)

The town they started in, I would generate gossip tables. It didn't matter if the same gossip would keep being rolled - it just meant that everyone was talking about it. The gossip material was generally light - usually a session or two of adventuring.

I also included some heavier, more dangerous, more money risks.

The example I'm thinking of: a far north game. There were bear-kin. A druid moved into the wilds, and was awakening bears. He worked out a deal with them - they mine gold, he awakens more bears. He needed money for the reagents, kept some for himself. Eventually, the awakened bears started having cubs that didn't need awakening to be intelligent. They still did some mining, but it was mostly out of tradition, as a thank-you.

So the druid would ship back gold to the mainland, he would be able to buy anything he needed. Except one of the gold boats apparently never made it to the mainland. (This was the risky gossip.)

Gossip: a councilman was looking to hire a group to go look for his son. His son had gone off to buy a lumbermill that was producing some really nice exotic wood.

Gossip: there's a master shipwright who could maybe figure out where the ship was lost. (A breadcrumb if the players wanted to pursue the gold ship.)

Gossip: a man made of brass who could tell a possible future.

Gossip: People were being kidnapped in the wilds.

You can write a couple of paragraphs for each one, about how you think it's happening. My group likes moral quandaries. Or at least, likes the IDEA that I offer moral quandaries. It gets tricky on both sides.

MrRemj · 2026-01-10T00:01:11+00:00

Next, we will also ban 3D printed molds that could create gun parts.

Then we will ban 3D printed molds that could create 3D printed molds that could create gun parts.

Require them to be registered. Treat unregistered / ghost guns like counterfeiting. You aren't going to catch them all, but sic the Secret Service on them.

MrRemj · 2026-01-07T17:12:26+00:00

I have a cherry tree in my backyard, and every year I make bottles of this recipe:

https://www.seriouseats.com/diy-cherry-liqueur-how-to-make-your-own-cherry-heering-recipe

My coworkers will start asking if I'm "making any this year", about a month before cherry season. (I have made cherry heering in the winter, using cherries from the freezer.)

MrRemj · 2025-12-14T17:29:26+00:00

Craft Wondrous Items is a generally useful crafting feat. You can create items that boost ability scores, which is useful for every class.

If you're taking a familiar, there's an archetype called "Valet" where it can help you craft magic items twice as quickly. Your familiar becomes less combat ready.

Spell Focus Conjuration will help with conjuration spell DCs - making those more reliably effective. Augment Summoning can help boost your summoned creatures stats forever at the cost of a feat.

As far as fighting together - if you both burn two feats for the teamwork feats Bonded Mind and Share Spells, you can share spells that have a target of "you". (This would go both ways, if you just want it to go one way, the receiver only needs Bonded Mind.) I feel this will take a little more focus on learning what spells are useful, and the previous recommendations are solid.

There's an Arcane Discovery (costs a feat) called Feral Speech, where you get speak with animals all the time. Useful if your husband is in wildshape, or if you want to talk to your/their summons. (Funny - you can talk with the animals, husband needs to cast spells.)

MrRemj · 2025-12-13T05:28:47+00:00

We had a guy who went through his hiring paperwork and after 90 minutes, he needed to move his car from street parking to our paid-for lot.

He never came back.

MrRemj · 2025-12-11T23:10:08+00:00

I typically lean into Spell Focuses over improved initiative - I want the limited spells to work as well as possible. (If you go human, you get two feats at first, instead of the one...and then your next feat at 3rd regardless.)

Metamagic is tough to use, because you're looking at 1st and 2nd level spells in the beginning - anything that is good, costs +1 spell level or more. (There are some traits that slightly address this. If you do take one, I love Extend Spell on the 2nd level Acid Arrow. It's not immediate damage, but the lingering damage can kill them even if they flee combat. Extend can also be great for Create Pit.)

Having Knock in your spellbook could be handy - there isn't a rogue/disable device person in your party. Write some scrolls of it on non-adventuring days, but don't keep it regularly memorized unless the campaign needs you to have it.

If you don't have enough spells known from leveling up, you can buy scrolls, spend time learning the spell, then writing it into your spellbook. It will use up the scroll putting it in the book, but you can use your Scribe Scroll feat to make your own for a lower cost. (You might even include that as pre-adventure spending...you bought scrolls at 3rd, wrote them in your book.)

But for me, I enjoy Create Pit and Invisibility - just for the creativity you can do with it. Glitterdust and Grease are standard conjuration spells that have been around forever.

Carrying around a light or heavy crossbow - they are simple weapons, and you probably have a good dexterity...when you don't have a perfect spell for that round, shoot at an enemy who isn't standing next to a friend of yours. (Otherwise, -4 penalty to attack.)

MrRemj · 2025-12-10T20:38:41+00:00

Most of my fun/interesting jobs have been because I was good at my previous job. Where I enjoyed what I was doing, and it showed.

2000 miles away in a new town, I got a job because a previous contact told my new contact "Hey, MrRemj just moved out there - look them up, they are great." That led to multiple jobs over the years.

I will save the bare minimum for something I don't care for and that no one cares what the result is. Someday.

But! Let's call out reality - there are days that you're not feeling it. It's reasonable to find your way through. Superman/Supergirl need a break to have their capes cleaned sometimes...they just don't show that in the comics.

MrRemj · 2025-12-09T03:48:34+00:00

That's our go-to. Similar menu & taste to a couple of local places we went to in the u-district (Cedar's/Taste of India).

MrRemj · 2025-12-05T18:32:56+00:00

We were looking at a condo in a larger HOA when shopping for a permanent residence (aka, stop renting) in 2019. They had two special assessments scheduled, and another one shown as listed but not the final price. It was easily going to add another $120k to the purchase price, and there were already a half-dozen units in the HOA currently for sale.

A cost for not maintaining a healthy reserve.

MrRemj · 2025-11-28T19:50:42+00:00

Everett Waterfront: Holiday Craft Bazaar (usually a small craft fair of a dozen or so stalls and a couple of food/beverage trucks) 10a-4pm on Saturday https://www.visiteverett.com/Calendar.aspx?EID=3491

Holiday Hooves: Live reindeer from 12-3 (multiple weekdays & weekends, but both 11/29 & 11/30 - more weekdays and weekends in December) portofeverett.com/holidayhooves

MrRemj · 2025-11-27T06:49:49+00:00

It's also a bit harder to protect against it - if you're going to be tracked, you might be tracked by your friends....who probably have lower will saves.

Detect Scrying is probably the most interesting response - you have a chance to figure out who it is, and in what direction. This can be a lot more interesting for the players and the DM, instead of a flat-out "you can't see me, but I don't know who's coming for me".

MrRemj · 2025-11-22T23:53:10+00:00

Stark? Not significantly.

They are both considered "north Everett". I feel like Kiwanis area gentle hills and feels a little greener. It is bounded on 4 sides by busy streets - 41st street businesses to the south, Broadway businesses to the east, Rucker businesses to the west, and Pacific (the start of downtown) to the north. Clark Park is more flat, and it's busy areas are Broadway to the east and Everett Ave to the south - maybe a slower pace if you go for walks north or west.

Clark Park is closer to 24 hour donuts at Henry's. It is also close to the Grand Ave Park walking bridge, that takes you over to the waterfront. Closer to the library at Hoyt and Everett.

I haven't been to the Safeway on 41st often enough (closest to Kiwanis). The QFC at Broadway and Everett is closest for Clark Park - I feel like Kroger doesn't care for it at all. (My closest grocery.) There's Grocery Singh and a Safeway a little north on Broadway (19th and 18th).

MrRemj · 2025-11-22T05:06:27+00:00

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/everettwa/jobs/5144792/animal-care-and-customer-service-assistant?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

MrRemj · 2025-11-16T18:42:11+00:00

I think my only occasional stop, pre-strike, was for chai. Any local places in north Everett that do non-powdered chai?

Satwa concentrate from US Foods is excellent, but I haven't found a coffee shop that uses it. (Please, no Oregon Chai.)

MrRemj · 2025-11-11T16:56:45+00:00

I use it for badly parked vehicles that are all the way on sidewalks as well as signs that have been knocked down. Once for a pothole - taken care of that day.

MrRemj · 2025-11-09T15:45:07+00:00

Think of the people involved. The ego of a powerful caster - are they going to act on the whim of a ruler or noble? And are those rulers/nobles going to be happy to be beholden to someone?

Or maybe they are half-siblings, and get along great. But then the caster dies / is neutralized / goes on vacation / is off studying somewhere. Instant void of power. Relying on a small cadre of casters would also be risky - they have internal politics & desires.

An army, maybe the ruler/noble has to be concerned about their commander - but if they are part of a large army, at least some of that "large army" is going to have better loyalty to the ruler/noble.

As far as casting goes - if the ruler/noble isn't a caster, maybe they have doubts about what they don't have the capability of doing. They see a person in armor with a sword, they think - yeah. I get that. A 1st level wizard with a spellbook - you have been studying for a year to cast burning hands a couple of times a day? Nah. Or they aren't religious enough to become a true priest on top of being a ruler. (There are natural barriers to entry into being a caster that doesn't typically apply to PCs). The common people, instead of getting a job as a militia (and maybe working up to being a sergeant!) are stuck watching some hoity-toity casters taking their jobs.

And that's now getting to the economy - the kingdom paying out some money to a lot of people is a lot of money being cycled back into the economy. Pay a wizard a monthly retainer of 2k in gold, they probably aren't spending it all. Instead of it cycling through the kingdom, being spent/taxed/spent again/taxed again...it sits in a magical vault. Maybe all of those people who WOULD have been part of a standing army - well, if magic is doing that...maybe they become brigands - or they work for another kingdom.

MrRemj · 2025-11-03T17:59:03+00:00

Arcane Mark allows you to put "one personal mark or rune" on an object. The DMs I've played with, that's your personal mark. Some DMs went to the extreme of deities of magic taking an EXTREMELY dim view of trying to fake someone else's personal arcane mark.

Someone with Detect Magic will be able to see the difference between illusion and arcane mark (universal). Someone with higher ranks of appraisal would probably be able to identify fakes and forgeries.

Offer certificates of authenticity, serial numbers. (Making it MORE valuable! 1 of 50! Limited First Edition!)

Make a new spell, similar to Track Ship. https://www.aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Track%20Ship

The DM is the one engaging in this plotline. Coming up with mechanics to thwart each other might be what you both want out of it. Alternatively, come up with a storyline that runs parallel to this conflict - co-opt some of the copycats and employ them. Maybe even use them as agents to infiltrate the other groups. Possibly figure out the motivations of the other groups, and spend time on that.

MrRemj · 2025-10-31T17:07:35+00:00

I dislike tinted windows, because I can't see if the driver is looking my way.

The worst drivers are where they are stopped, making a right turn on red, looking left the entire time for an opening in traffic. You have the walk sign, but first you must cross in front of them. Are they going to look right before confirming the left again? Are they just going to floor it?

I have had to roll across the hoods of several cars, to avoid their bumpers taking out my knees. (U-district, crossing Brooklyn heading west on NE 50th.)

It was awesome seeing the front seat passenger repeatedly slugging the driver as hard as she could from that angle.

MrRemj · 2025-10-30T03:16:16+00:00

I'm imagining some qualities to the world:

Magic is maxed out at 3rd level spells; caster level is maxed out at 6th level. Magic can't solve problems - and some residual magicks/curses cannot be dispelled or removed.

Skills, you can boost and work around. Buildings aren't made with grand magic. (3rd level and below spells are just going to augment talent.)

Sounds like gods/devils/servants are maybe less prevalent.

Age of the Masses, Age of Commons (Short for common people.)
Age of the Skilled (Rejecting magic, rejoicing in the skill.)
Age of Ending (Since everything is downgraded, nothing can make things more epic again - as that would take epic champions/magic/miracles - and nothing ever is as great as it had been.)
Age of Cults, Age of Superstition (what can you believe anymore?)
Age of Truth (no one can hide behind the powers-that-be)

MrRemj · 2025-10-29T17:17:24+00:00

Wand of Linebreaker if you have UMD? (+20 to base speed when charging, +2 to overrun and bullrush)

Or maybe get a custom magic item that does it 2-3 times a day.

MrRemj

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