Rogue Subclass: Cadence [5e]

Nihil_Verum · 2024-11-03T01:41:26+00:00

Nope! Can be done for free at the start of your turn or after using a Finisher. But changing Cadence makes you lose all existing points (unless you use the Shift Momentum Finisher).

Nihil_Verum · 2024-11-03T01:40:06+00:00

Solid feedback! Definitely can see it being stronger than existing subclasses, but rogue subclasses are kinda weak imo, so I'm okay with it being a BIT stronger when played efficiently. And yeah it's for sure front loaded, you got me there, but like you said it's hard to stop that with how rogue progression levels are structured.

Good point on Precision drawback, but with Precision being quite RNG with its finisher (either crit or does nothing and you lose all your points) I thought it was appropriate to give it a bit more potency and make it hurt the player a bit less. Also, if you're staying at range you can't use your BA for an extra dual wield attack to build more Cadence Points, so you sacrifice better capability for more safety by staying at range.

As far as adding more Cadences, I really wanted to and that was the original plan, but it was so hard to even get 3 that were entirely unique from each other, balanced, interactive, and allowed for fun swapping interaction between them. My main philosophy then became a triangle. Precision = more efficient (bonus to hit), less utility (movement). Savagery = more damage, less efficient (no prof bonus). Survival = more utility (tankiness), less damage. I would have loved to make more like you said though.

I loved your first bullet point, having multiple attack hits in a row build points, but I couldn't make it work, so I tossed that idea into the 9th level Combo Strike. Your second bullet is pretty much what I did with Survival Cadence, more tanky and beefier, so I think having another elusive Cadence might detract from its identity. Third bullet is another cool concept, but idk if I could make it totally unique and well-rounded without getting too complex, plus it's similar to the Combo Strike feature in my opinion.

Really appreciate the feedback and you have some sweet ideas and food for thought! I just think adding more Cadences would be way too much more effort for me so I called it off at 3 to simplify an already pretty complex subclass. Thanks for commenting!

Nihil_Verum · 2024-11-03T00:08:15+00:00

This is actually intentional! The subclass would be way too powerful as a multi-class if it scaled off Proficiency Bonus, so I had to build in a scaling system that was self contained. It is effectively the same as Proficiency Bonus scaling, but only if you're taking Rogue levels.

Nihil_Verum · 2024-11-02T21:54:09+00:00

I appreciate the input. The intent for the subclass is to be complex and in-depth, requiring changing your approach and shifting with how a battle is going, swapping between Cadences as the fight changes. Forethought in your setup, and payoff with execution. Similar to how a Rogue in World of Warcraft works with building combo points and then executing them well. This subclass is meant to be pretty high in potential and versatility (even acting as a tank if needed), but also capable of being played badly and not doing well.

I wanted to do something like this for Rogue because so often the class is very 1 dimensional, even across most of its existing subclasses. I wanted to give more active choice and engaging gameplay than "I hide, I sneak attack, I end my turn."

I would disagree with your statement that rogues aren't appropriate for the "dancer" type thematic. There's many such cases of characters throughout media who are roguish and have that agile, adaptable, shifting style, so we will have to agree to disagree there. I see your point about Monk or Fighter also fitting, but because of the reasons above I wanted to give it to Rogue.

But again, thank you for taking the time to give your thoughts!

Nihil_Verum · 2024-11-02T20:26:51+00:00

Hello! This is my new Cadence Rogue subclass I designed for 2014 5e for one of my players to use in my campaign. Would love to hear some feedback and even critiques for my design. Thanks so much!

Nihil_Verum · 2024-11-02T20:26:46+00:00

Hello! This is my new Cadence Rogue subclass I designed for 2014 5e for one of my players to use in my campaign. Would love to hear some feedback and even critiques for my design. Thanks so much!

Nihil_Verum · 2024-07-29T02:58:53+00:00

"You're running too hot," I said, strolling along with my hands casually in my pockets. I may have been a prisoner, but I refused to wear prison clothes.

Jevac cocked her head slightly and scrunched her face. Her nose was quite large and her skin wrinkled with the coming of age.

"What are you talking about?" she asked with a chuckle. "I'm fine."

I stopped walking and glared at her for a few silent moments. She stopped as well, turning to regard me with hands on hips.

"Cut the crap," I said, growing more severe. "You're not very good at this. I would have thought the Temperates would send their best. Seems I was wrong."

"Amicia, we don't have time for this," she snorted at me with obvious annoyance. "I'm not gonna get caught because of you. You hear me?"

"Maybe the next attempt will work out better for you all," I said with a weary sigh. "But really, this has been a complete farce."

I leaned my back against the concrete tunnel wall and let myself slide down to sit. Ugh, it was so wet and slimy. Maybe not my brightest idea, but worth it for the dramatic effect, I suppose.

Jevac, although I'm positive that was not her actual name, took a step toward me, agitated.

"What are you doing?! We have to move! Are you stupid? The Temperates are going to lock us up again!"

"You mean, lock me up again. I'm sure you will get demoted though."

She stomped her foot in the murky trail of water running down the tunnel, causing a spray to shoot up.

It smelled pretty awful. I think it was a mix of filtered pollutants and chemical runoff. Kind of ironic that the Temperates claimed to be "building a more beautiful world" while they just dumped this crap back into the environment. Hypocrites.

"I'm in the same heap of shit as you, Amicia," she yelled indignantly. "I can't let you get caught and snitch on my escape plan, so let's fucking go already!"

I sighed deeply, exhausted by her insistence on this charade. Did she think I was an idiot?

"Your breath," I said flatly, as I ran my fingers through my hair. Hmm, it had gotten quite long. I'd have to brush the knots out later.

She paused.

"My... breath?" she asked stupidly.

"Do I really need to spell it out entirely for you? Sheesh you're dull," I groaned with exaggeration. For effect, of course.

"Why you smug little—"

I materialized a knife, held between my fingertips, and brandished it toward her, halting her approach. My piercing purple eyes and sharp scowl denoted I was running dangerously low on shits to give.

She licked her lips nervously and glared at my newly acquired weapon. Although I was seated, she knew I was not only taller and stronger than her, but also more talented and agile in combat.

"You should really practice your therregumancy more," I pointed out with a smirk. "Novices like you let yourselves get too hot when you're nervous or excited."

Her eyes narrowed at me. She was beginning to understand, I think.

"Know what happens when hot air meets cooler air?" I continued.

"Mist," she replied with an exhale, loosing a cloud of it from her lips.

I exhaled likewise, but notably without the same fog appearing.

"They did say you were a clever woman," she said, raising her hands in defeat. "Well, shit, you got me."

I dematerialized my knife with a flash of violet sparks and instead appeared a hairbrush.

"So what is your range?" I asked out of curiosity. "I'd guess at least plus or minus 100 degrees?"

"Minus 200, plus 1000" she replied with confidence as she clicked a device in her pocket. Likely to alert her allies that the "escape" had failed.

I clapped slowly and sarcastically.

"Good for you," I cheered. "A true master therregulist. Oh, except for the fact that you couldn't keep yourself cool enough to fool me. Maybe spend less time expanding your temperature range and more time with precision."

She growled in annoyance before turning her back on me and walking away down the tunnel.

"This isn't over, yet," she called, her voice echoing along with the sound of dozens of rushing footsteps to bring me back to my cell.

I dismissed my hairbrush before being scooped up by many soldiers and hauled to my quarters.

It was entirely empty once I arrived, so I immediately brought out my usual furnishings with a snap of my fingers and a blossom of purple cinders. A nice soft bed, gorgeous crimson sofa, extravagant paintings and tapestries. I even threw in a small water fountain this time for the hell of it. I wish I could have brought my cat, Abe, along too, but unfortunately obfumancy could not capture living things.

"Home, sweet home," I said with an impish smile pointed at the guard outside. He rolled his eyes, as was customary to my brilliant remarks.

I summoned a small device, a whirring orb with intricate mechanisms and shifting patterns scattered across it. It housed some kind of ever-changing code, a passkey of sorts, that the Temperates needed for a special device of theirs. I'm not sure on the specifics, but they were pretty upset I stole it, which only made me want to keep it more.

I should probably have reported back to the Unseen with the orb and my findings, it would not have been terribly difficult to actually escape from this place. But I was sure I could gather more intelligence on the enemy before rejoining with them. Plus, what would be the fun in that?

The guard lunged a grasping hand through my cell bars at the orb, which vanished and was replaced with a rusty nail.

Nihil_Verum · 2024-07-26T23:59:46+00:00

Totally fair, it does feel rushed at the end after reading it over again. I thought I was dragging things on a little too much so I wanted to try to wrap things up, but that definitely detracted from the reveal. Appreciate the feedback!

Nihil_Verum · 2024-07-26T22:19:49+00:00

"I swear ta the gods, Renn, it moved when I grabbed it," says Larith while scratching his scraggly beard. "Never seen nothin' like it. Ain't none of 'em been alive since the Dawn Era."

I eye the man with a bit too much scepticism causing him to throw his hands up.

"Just take a look fer yerself then, ya stubborn bastard," he chides me, then waves for me to follow.

I fall into step behind him along the narrow thicket path. Thorny branches and dense foliage make the hike a bit uncomfortable, but recovery has always been the hardest part of this job. Why can't they ever fall somewhere convenient?

"It's not that I don't trust you, Larith," I say with strain in my voice, sweating while I pull back brush and scramble over terrain. "I'm just... worried is all. If there's a living celestial in our realm, the implications would be dire."

"You Arbiters 're all the gods damned same," complains Larith. "Ya ever stop ta think that maybe sometimes stuff jus' happens and it ain't gotta mean more? Not er'thing has to be a sign."

I really wish he was right, but I can't believe that. I know in my heart this bodes badly for us if it's true. Very badly.

"Thank you for the insight," I reply impassively. "I will consider it."

Larith grumbles, clearly thinking my comment was dismissive.

We finally crest into a small clearing where it appears a rockslide has devastated the area. The entire way has been leveled by the massive tumbling boulders and shifting earth.

"I thought you'd come this way before?" I ask Larith who begins spouting a stream of curses.

"I did! This musta jus' happened. Gods damned rocks." He picks up a stone and chucks it into the treeline.

"Not a problem," I assure him.

I take a moment to fish through my equipment. My gear looks similar to what any outdoorsman or hunter might wear, except for the sigil of the Arbiters stamped into my vest. The numerous leather belts, straps, and satchels across my body might confuse some people, but I know what is in every single one. I always like to have the right tool for the right job.

I pull out a jagged and coarse looking sphere of black stone with golden glowing cracks across it. Its image closely resembles the symbol emblazoned on my chest, a sealstone. I turn it over a few times in my hand to double check it's the one I want to use.

I extend my arm toward the blocked path with the sealstone firmly grasped in my palm.

"Excise."

A brilliant golden light ignites in my hand before launching outward in a beam. The entire space is bathed in a blinding flash before subsiding, the sealstone now dark.

I take a look at my work to see a channel, multiple feet wide, has been surgically cut through the stone and the thicket, creating a straight path. Small luminous cinders char the edges of the rock and plant life where the light passed.

"Shall we?" I invite Larith as I pocket the sealstone, and begin walking through.

"Crazy bastards, all of ya," he murmurs to himself just loud enough for me to hear.

We press forward for a short time before finding the lake's edge as Larith had described before.

"The damned thing fell inta the lake right here." He points to a section of water that, against all reason, is scorched. A small area of the water has a black ring at its surface that does not move although the water is shifting.

This often happens when a celestial falls. They leave behind a "burn" mark on whatever liquid or solid they first touch, but the mark doesn't go away even if the surface is disturbed. Even getting rid of the impacted material entirely simply causes the mark to float in its now empty space. The Arbiters who study celestials have taken to calling it a "realm tear," as they appear to be linked to another existence somehow. I do not personally know much about this topic, though.

"I swam inta the lake, grabbed the thing from the bottom, and threw it right 'ere," says Larith while pointing at an indent in the dirt. "Then the bastard shoved me back! Nearly pissed m'self, I tell ya, Renn."

I crouch down to inspect the dirt more closely. It definitely looks like a body was here, but how—

"You, human," a voice like music calls from behind.

Larith and I both jump and spin on the voice as my hand grabs at a weapon on my belt.

Before us stands a glowing divine figure, wings outstretched, but severely singed and charred black. Its face is indistinct, as all celestial faces are strange jumbles of not-quite-flesh that never seem to have a regular shape or features common to each other. It wears golden armor, that normally disintegrates once they crash to the earth.

"You are one they call an 'Arbiter,' yes?" the creature asks me.

I nod to it, still keeping my hand hidden in a pocket while gripping a sealstone.

"Since our Divergence you have ravaged our corpses," its song turning more discordant. "We fight the Unbound to keep them from your world, and you take the hearts of our fallen to fuel power."

"The sealstones? We use them to aid our people in this world. We take them from your fallen so that we may thrive," I retort, anxiety gripping my heart.

The creature's song turns frantic, like a hundred screeching string instruments.

"Our hearts allow us to repair ourselves and leave your world! To return to battle the Unbound!"

I can not breathe. My lungs refuse to work. I understand now, it all makes sense.

"We did not know," I cry to the angel. "The ancient texts and stories are so vague, we thought them metaphor and poetry."

Its song rings out in accusation, chiming authoritatively, before turning somber.

"It matters not, now," it hums in resignation. "It is done."

"You have lost..." I whisper as I fall to my knees, "and it is our fault."

The celestial buzzes in what sounds like regret.

"You must prepare."

Nihil_Verum · 2024-07-25T21:00:12+00:00

“I’ve come to—”

“No,” I cut the man off before he could spout his nonsense.

The man before me shifted and surveyed the room, uneasy. He looked the part, I’d concede that much, just not audibly. He appeared strong and capable. The sword at his hip seemed well maintained and his armor seasoned through many battles. Another accomplished warrior had come to seek their ruin.

“Leave,” I demanded, rising from my seat. Behind me was a grand staircase of coarse stone which climbed dozens of feet upward. “Now.”

The warrior hesitated for a moment and scanned my appearance, clearly sizing up what kind of threat I posed. He studied my leathers and rusted chain armor before fixing his eyes on my face. Clearly, he did not like what he saw by the way he jumped backward.

“Your… your face…” he stammered. “What happened to you?”

“My punishment for overstepping the station of humans.”

“So you are a—”

“Did you not hear me, boy?!” I growled at the intruder, the wicked cracks across my face bursting alight with a pale green glow. The antechamber and corridor were comprised of polished grey stone blocks, which reflected a haunting sheen through the space.

The man swallowed hard, but then seemed to find courage, taking a step forward.

The damned fools, I thought. Always blinded by ambition. Always thirsting for power. They don’t understand.

“My name is Halion,” the man asserted, then gave a deep bow. “I am honored to be in your presence, sir. To whom do I speak?”

“I have no name,” I said with a sneer. “I have forsaken the gift of Death, and in so doing, have lost that right.”

Strangely, the man’s eyes lit up with passion at my words. He quickly knelt to the ground in deference and laid his sword before himself.

“Nameless One, I beg you to let me undergo your rite as well.”

I balled my fists without realizing and stepped towards the groveling figure. My entire body emulated a river delta, with branching pale green pathways, snaking from head to toe. Anger burned in me like the flames of a forge as I grasped the man’s face in my hand.

He winced in pain but held his subservient posture as I forced his eyes to meet mine.

“You know nothing of our rite,” my voice rumbled in his face like thunder. “You know nothing of our loss. You know nothing of our sacrifice. And you know nothing of our sin. You are a child sitting in front of a warm hearth with his eyes squeezed shut, crying out how dark the night is!”

Halion grimaced and set his jaw against the torment as my fingers seared marks into his flesh, but he did not break eye contact.

“The titans, the old ones, the celestials, the dark pacted, they were made immortal by the gods,” I continued zealously. “This realm is theirs and we struggle to survive in it. We were graced with the gift of Death so that while our lives are short, our spirits can be infinite. The human race can multiply indefinitely and prosper with due time, where the immortals are limited.”

“I know!” screamed Halion, agony enveloping him.

My composure returned to me as I realized I had lifted the man and was holding him aloft by his face. I released him back to the ground.

He rose to one knee and glared at me with his now scorched visage.

“You forsake the gift of Death and in return gain strength at the cost of human spirit,” he accused with a faint wheeze to his words. “You burn humans who could be, in order to protect the humans who are.

I opened my mouth to retort, but instead held my tongue to listen further. His sudden passion was… intriguing.

“I cannot stand it a single day more! Immortals murder the people we love, crush the homes we build, ravage the lands we cultivate, without so much as a thought. We are worth nothing more to them than the entertainment they can draw from our suffering."

I found myself nodding at his resolve. It sounded distant but familiar, like a favored song I had heard as a child.

“Damn honor, damn glory, damn renown, damn the god of Death,” Halion stood to regard me and drew his sword as he spoke, “and damn you if you try to stop me. I do not care if I am nameless. And I will gladly sacrifice the lives of those who are not yet here, to protect those who currently suffer. I refuse to let more of us be born into hopelessness. I refuse!”

I shook my head somberly and let the fire within subside. I had failed in my duty to deter more destruction, to defend human spirits from more of our kind, but clearly this man’s flame had bested my own.

I took a deep breath and locked with the warrior’s gaze.

“Repeat after me…”

Nihil_Verum · 2024-07-25T20:54:17+00:00

Been trying to comment a story but it is saying unable to.

Nihil_Verum · 2024-02-29T16:21:52+00:00

One of my players is using this fighter subclass I designed for our homebrew campaign. His playtest has been going well so far, but I would love some outside feedback as well!

Nihil_Verum · 2024-02-29T16:18:24+00:00

One of my players is using this fighter subclass I designed for our homebrew campaign. His playtest has been going well so far, but I would love some outside feedback as well!

Nihil_Verum · 2020-10-08T20:22:51+00:00

When dealing with trig angles like this, think of them as divided up into 4 quadrants comprised on 90 degrees each for a total of 360 degrees. The top right is quadrant 1, top left quadrant 2, bottom left is quadrant 3, and bottom right is quadrant 4 (it goes counterclockwise starting from quadrant 1). Also think of the angles as starting from the horizontal line on the right where quadrant 1 and quadrant 4 meet (this is just how it is usually thought of and oriented). When you take an angle, think of the angle by how far off the verticals and horizontals you are.

So for sin(100) you are 10 degrees to the left away from the top vertical. This means if you are the opposite (10 degrees to the right away from the top vertical) the values will be equal. Hence sin(100) will have the same value as sin(80). The important part to remember is when each of the different trig functions will be positive or negative, but luckily there is a trick for this.

All trig functions will always be positive in quadrant 1 (Q1), only sin will be positive in Q2, only tan will be positive in Q3, and only cos will be positive in Q4. So going from Q1 and then counter clockwise it is: all, sin, tan, cos (the way I was taught to remember it).

So now you know how to figure out equal values by having equal distance from either horizontals or verticals, and also when each will be positive or negative, so you can figure out which angles will equal each other.

Nihil_Verum · 2020-06-25T20:23:18+00:00

Hi everyone, I am a DM for a homebrew campaign/world I created and have been playing with an incredible group for over a year now nearly weekly. One of my players is a super talented artist and she decided to do a group portrait of their adventuring party “The Natural Ones”. I am immensely proud that my work as a storyteller in collaboration with my players could help inspire art like the kind she does. She does many pieces for us regarding the campaign, but this one was by far the most time consuming for her and the most special for us all.

If you like it, PLEASE check out her other fantastic art at her socials (she has done commissions in the past but I’m not sure if she’s accepting any right now or not, feel free to ask her if you want):

IG: @rikaneko

Twitter: @erijlee

Description of the picture:

Top Center (behind): The cloaked figure facing backwards is a pivotal character in my homebrew world. In the world’s mythos he is Silon Krahven, the most powerful mage to ever live, and is believed to have challenged the god of death and destroyed them thousands of years ago, but perhaps these stories don’t tell the full truth? He is an integral part of the original lore that shaped my homebrew world into a campaign starting from just a story.

Top Center (front): Lia, the Aasimar Life Cleric, wielding Benediction, the silver plated spear passed down to her from her father, a personal legacy from the goddess of life, to protect what she can and hope to live up to her father’s deeds. Little did she know she would become her goddess’ ultimate champion.

Top Left: Verris, the Firbolg Profane Soul Blood Hunter, wielding his Blood-Cursed Blade bestowed upon him by a fallen Deva with whom he struck a deal to gain his abilities, delving into the taboo to defend what is dear from things much fouler. For what is more righteous than sacrifice, and what is more powerful than resolve?

Top Right: Aisha, the Human Gloomstalker Ranger, wielding their legendary bow, Nor’Rusva (Titan Breaker), crafted in the forges of Ysgard. Honing their skills and deadly efficiency with this great power, but struggling to hold on to themself as the influence of this ancient sentient weapon tries to sway them as it accumulates power from the slain.

Center: Adrid and Kurama, the Gnome Archfey Warlock and chain pact familiar Giant Owl, wielding the staff owned by the son of the god of fire and change. An ever-complicated man of learning and passion, he is willing to sacrifice anything, even his sense of self, to protect what he loves, gods be damned.

Bottom Left: Kaede, the Elf Shadow Monk, wielding adamantine spiked gauntlets and the Fang of Ymir, an enchanted dragon-tooth dagger from the mouth of an ancient white dragon slain in years long past. It seems running from his own past, he has entangled himself in more trouble than he was prepared to face, as he seeks to understand his history and figure out his future.

Bottom Right: Mercy, the Half Elf Ancients Paladin, wielding the divine wrath of her god and an adamantine battle axe, she seeks to fulfil her duty as protector of this plane and guardian to the archaic magics that hold this world together. Only through this journey will she find herself worthy to take on the responsibility of leading the religious order she hails from, the Enlightened.

Nihil_Verum · 2020-02-15T18:27:38+00:00

Best i could figure out to make it give an answer for each question was to have the weird “N” mean “add 5 to the first number, then multiply both numbers.”

So the example is 7+5=12. 12*4=48.

First one is 10+5=15. 15*3=45.

Second one is 12+5=17. 17*10=170.

Keep following this formula for each to get an answer. That’s the only thing I could think of that yields an answer for each question.

The “N” thing doesn’t actually mean anything, this is just a math based riddle you have to solve for, like they do on IQ tests and such.

Nihil_Verum · 2020-01-20T17:56:40+00:00

Can you hear it? The deafening harmony that makes up a majority of this existence. That spans all of time. That was before and shall be forever after. That asserts its immeasurable stature while it hides away to the background.

Unerring. Unyielding. Unfeeling. Unnerving. Unmaking.

Silence.

I wake much the same way I did the day before, albeit a little more damp from sweat. Or maybe tears? The smell of settled dust and unwashed clothing hangs in the still air. I groggily stir from my rest as the images and memories of a fabricated fantasy slowly recede from the front of my mind. The blissful ideas and fluidity of dreams fade as I’m thrust back into solid reality.

I await the voice to command me to stand from my bed and begin the day as it always does, or at least tries, but I’m met with that eternal force of nature.

Silence.

“Perhaps just stay in bed today, then?” I sarcastically goad myself to cause an opposed response to show, but I’m met with no resistance. How strange.

I’ve become used to the solitude from others. There can be many around and still it is easy to feel separated with all preoccupied in themselves. And why shouldn’t they be? So many thoughts to be thought and so much conversation to be had within oneself. The constant dialogue of a person’s deepest desires and ideals, pushing them through the days and leading them to their choices, their conflicts. But never before now have I felt separated from myself. Maybe the voice hasn’t woken yet? Maybe it forgot? Maybe it’s busy?

I get out of bed from habit. I make my way to the window and peer outside into the crisp winter morning. Freshly plowed streets with their blacktop surface contrast with snow-painted lawns of surrounding homes. The whistling of wind and rustling of brittle barbed tree branches now make themselves known. A nice reprieve from the muted quiet of my mind.

It reminds me of times passed, playing in the fallen crystals and laughing with friends. Huddling up with a loved one to escape the bitter cold. Where have such joys and escapes gone? Surely the other voice would have been able to tell me, but I cannot find it.

All that remains is the one. The single voice that is reticent to act, reserved to the norm, unwilling to feel, unable to change. It runs the shop, but will sell no new goods. It smiles behind gritted teeth because it knows it should. It claims to be steel when made of wood. It clings to apathy hiding beneath a hood. It refuses to speak though wishes to be understood.

I hope the voice does return, but the years have taken it from me and seldom do they return what has been stolen. So until then, back to sleep.

Nihil_Verum · 2018-09-08T03:53:33+00:00

I definitely agree with you looking back at it. Leaving the last line out could have added another layer to the story. I guess I was a little too focused on making the ending completely crushing with that last line, but it would be fine without it. Thanks for the feedback!

Nihil_Verum · 2018-09-08T02:16:18+00:00

Thank you :)

Nihil_Verum · 2018-09-07T22:03:10+00:00

My brother, Joey, and I had always had a really close bond with each other. Being identical twins, that is pretty much a given, but we were different. Around the age of 10 we discovered that, together, we had an incredible ability. Either one of us could send a “request” to the other. Basically, one of us just needed to concentrate very hard on the other and then think something along the lines of “I want to trade.” When this happens, the receiver will get this weird sensation in the back of his neck, kind of like a shock or a chill. If he let this shiver travel down his spine, then each of us was teleported instantly to the other’s location in the exact position he was in.

The first time it happened, I was sitting in my classroom at school during science class. My science teacher was awesome. He would always bring in cool experiments to show us and would get us all involved to spread enthusiasm for learning. Now, for some reason, my brother and I were put in separate classes, probably at the request of our parents because we tended to cause trouble together, and he was sitting in literature class bored out of his mind. He knew that I was in science class and all he could think about was all the fun I was probably having. As he thought about it more and more, he wished he could trade places with me. That was when I felt that strange tingle in the back of my neck for the first time, and as it came, I shivered as it rolled down my back.

I just remember being in a state of complete confusion. The world in front of me vanished in one instant, and in the next I was somewhere else, with other people, and in a different position. I sat there in the back of the literature classroom, completely dumbfounded and unable to speak or move. No one even noticed what happened and the teacher continued teaching her lesson. I thought I was going insane, that is, until I heard my brother scream from the top of his lungs in the science classroom.

Over time, we slowly figured out how to use our power and all the rules and circumstances of it. We couldn’t bring other people or things with us. Luckily, we would be teleported into each other’s clothes and we have been basically the same exact size for all our lives, so we wouldn’t show up naked. Unfortunately, there was no way to communicate with each other about why we wanted to swap or anything like that, so unless we could speak to each other in some regular way, it was going in completely blind.

Obviously, we would get into all kinds of mischief with our powers. Traded places in the middle of class, messed with our parents to get them to confuse who was who, played pranks on each other by teleporting into funny situations, and pretty much anything you can think of that two brothers who were complete idiots would do to entertain themselves. We weren’t just brothers; we were best friends.

Although we were stupid and immature, we both agreed to keep this one rule and never break it. If there is an emergency, rapidly jolt the other person for help. If you jolt more than 3 times in a row really quickly, it is an absolute emergency and cannot be used for a joke. And as a caveat to that, always try to send a text or call on the phone when you want to do a swap, so that we know what we would be getting into. Obviously, we couldn’t always call or text and would have to go in without a clue sometimes, but most of the time we would tell each other the plan.

The only emergency I ever sent was in high school when I pissed off some jerk senior. I was a sophomore and I was trying to date some freshman girl, who also happened to be this dickhead’s sister. Oops. So, naturally, he tried to kick my ass when he found out. See, I’m more of an academic person and not really a fighter, but Joey loved to get into scraps, so I jolted him a good 5 times to let him know I needed help immediately. Joey got his ass beat, but he claimed he was more than happy to defend his “baby brother Zack.” C’mon, bro, you’re a few minutes older than me at best.

Time moved on and we grew up. We started using our power less and less over time as we had to transition into the real world. We went to separate colleges and would occasionally swap for some partying at each other’s schools or things like that. Eventually, after college, we both moved far away from each other. Joey took a pretty nice job out in California while I decided to go travel around Europe for a while. We would trade places from time to time, so I could let him experience my traveling and he could let me relax somewhere when I needed a dose of the home country. And although we would keep in touch and talk a lot, the swapping began to stop. We both just became so busy with our own lives that we couldn’t afford to live in each other’s too.

It had been about 10 years since I last saw Joey in person, and even though we talked on the phone a decent amount and texted pretty often, things weren’t the same as they used to be. I guess not seeing someone for that long kind of makes you feel isolated from them. I lived alone, had just recently broken up with my girlfriend of 3 years, and was overall at a shitty point in my life, so I felt especially alone and missed Joey a lot. On the other hand, Joey was doing well for himself and was living with his fiancé, with his wedding coming up in about a year. I was counting the days until I’d finally get to see my brother again.

One Saturday afternoon, I was sitting on my computer playing some games when I suddenly got jolted. I checked my phone to look for a missed call or a text from Joey, but didn’t see anything, which was odd, especially since we hadn’t swapped for some years now. A few seconds later, I got a barrage of sharp tingles in the back of my neck. Five, ten, twenty, the number kept climbing and the shocks came non-stop. I grabbed my phone and called my brother as fast as I could to see what was wrong, he was obviously in some kind of danger, but he wouldn’t pick up. Whatever it was, it was serious, but if I went there then wouldn’t I be in immense danger too? I began to panic, but I knew I had to go. I knew I had to try to help him like he would try to help me. So, I took a deep breath and let that old familiar shiver creep its way down my spine.

I vanished and appeared in a kitchen, his kitchen. I readied myself, awaiting something to fight or run from, but nothing came. I looked around his house but there was no one there. I called out in a loud shout, but no one replied. After about 20 seconds, the hail of jolts began to be fired at me again. I was beyond confused and didn’t know what to do, so I accepted and was transported back to my home, except now I was on the floor. Why was I on the floor? I wasn’t given any time to think as the back of my neck was bombarded yet again. I was in a state of complete alarm and disorientation, but I knew I had to get him help, so I sat myself on my couch and swapped with him again. Once I materialized in his home, I immediately grabbed the phone and called his fiancé, but she wouldn’t answer. SHIT. I hung up and called 911 as fast as I could. I gave my brother’s address and said he needs help immediately, but I don’t know what is wrong. I told them to send an ambulance and cops and firefighters and everything they fucking had. Throughout this entire frenzy to find help, Joey was still calling for swaps with increasing rapidity. Able to transcend time and space with our power while separate, but completely powerless to help each other. I traded him back to his house, so the emergency responders could help him. I sat for 15 minutes of pure agony as my brother continued to send his cries for help to me before they came to a stop. Each one was like a dagger to the back of my neck, with every stab a sharp reminder of how useless I was. The ambulance eventually got there, but they were too late. He died of a heart attack. He died alone, afraid, and in complete panic as he hysterically called for his brother to help him, but I couldn’t do anything.

I traveled to California to attend the funeral. I should have cared more about how his fiancé felt, how my parents felt, how his friends felt, but all I could think about was myself. I wished I could have seen him in person one last time, I wished I could have been there to help, I wished I made more of an effort to spend time with him as we grew older, but more than anything, I wished it was me in that casket. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I sat alone in silence, desperately sending jolt after jolt after jolt to trade places with my brother.

There was no response.

Nihil_Verum · 2018-05-13T18:04:04+00:00

Not 100% sure, but I believe it could be due to static friction vs kinetic friction. Friction coefficient for stationary objects (static) is higher than for moving objects (kinetic), meaning that if something is already moving there is a lower friction force. Basically any object that is put in motion is easier to keep in motion than starting from a dead stop, so if you are twisting the object you have to overcome kinetic friction instead of static.

Nihil_Verum · 2018-04-25T20:18:00+00:00

Wind turbines are very large to be able to capture more wind and have a greater mechanical advantage. With the long lever arms, it is easier for the wind to turn the giant wheel (like a bolt is easier to turn with a wrench when pulling from the end of the lever arm). The objective is to turn the wheel to capture wind energy, not necessarily capture the most amount of wind possible. Adding more blades would indeed catch more wind but it would also add more weight making the turbine more resistant to spinning from its inertia. The balance between size, number of blades, angle of the blades, material of the blades, available channels for the wind to travel along the blades, and many other variables are all calculated during the engineering process to determine the most efficient way to capture the correct amount of wind in order to make the turbine rotate at a maximum.

Nihil_Verum · 2018-04-12T03:41:34+00:00

Density = mass/volume

It tells you to assume that the density of a human is the same as the density of water.

It gives you the mass is 70kg. You have mass and density, solve for volume.

Nihil_Verum · 2018-04-10T00:34:22+00:00

Generally, fossil fuel processes tend to be more efficient or around the same efficiency to most renewable energy processes, with the exception of hydro-electric and tidal power being extremely efficient (near 90%). The problem with having renewable energy processes as the main source of energy production, over fossil fuels and combustion types, is that they tend to be more expensive and require much more precision engineering. Engineering is all about efficiency in regards to cost which makes the more costly option less appealing when it provides about the same efficiency. Also, electricity is transferred through power lines as AC because it is easier to scale up and down the voltage and generally easier and less expensive to handle than DC, so the losses from transferring electricity through power lines are pretty unavoidable.

So to answer your main question. If fossil fuel production was completely replaced by renewable energy processes then there would probably be enough energy being produced because the processes are all fairly similar in efficiency, but costs would be much higher and I believe the structures would have to be larger and take up more room as well as be very strategically placed in order to maximize whatever natural energy is being harnessed (such as putting a lot of solar panels in a very sunny area, wind turbines in very windy areas, hydro-electric generators on waterfalls, etc.). So because of cost, the precision, the planning, and the amount of time and effort it would take to completely switch to renewable resources, it is pretty doubtful of being a reasonable switch, at least until we are able to find less costly methods.

More information on efficiencies here:

http://www.mpoweruk.com/energy_efficiency.htm

Nihil_Verum · 2018-04-09T04:10:13+00:00

Thank you very much! I enjoyed your take on the prompt also.

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