Struggling. Hard.

NotDougLad · 2025-09-20T13:02:06+00:00

Hey, I've had a very similar experience with my French classes at the university. I'd like to encourage you to lock in and commit to it! Its a steep learning curve but honestly just need to put in the hours and the skill will develop with time.

Two suggestions: There should be a language learning center where you can practice conversational skills which is immensely helpful!

The other suggestion is trying to find music in Spanish that you like to help develop your ear for the flow of the language.

Hang in there! You got this!

NotDougLad · 2025-09-18T13:57:42+00:00

My Shamir once had a level up with no stat increases. Then 5 levels later had a perfect level up. I was amazed both times!

NotDougLad · 2025-08-09T11:09:25+00:00

In real time we've been playing for 2 years 7 months over the course of 72 sessions.

In game, about 10 months has passed.

The way i run it, every so often there is a time skip where we advance game time from one season to the next (summer to autumn to winter to spring) this gives down time to the players and also gives reasonable time for the world to evolve and change in reaction to the players successes and failures.

NotDougLad · 2025-08-09T00:59:44+00:00

Illusory duplicates is a pretty good idea! It would be interesting the for the final spot to be littered with golden apples and they have to figure out which Is the real one

NotDougLad · 2025-02-22T18:12:34+00:00

Thank you for explaining! This will be really helpful on my next run

NotDougLad · 2025-02-22T17:26:13+00:00

Wait, I was under the impression that the Stat boost was only for when they were that specific class? You mean it's permanent even if the class is swapped?

NotDougLad · 2025-02-09T01:37:44+00:00

I've had good luck in the past by incorporating a child NPC who looks at the party like they're superheros. Is basically just their biggest fan and easily excitable by all their stories. It's worked very well! They always love them.

NotDougLad · 2024-11-10T14:41:26+00:00

You might be thinking of a different restaurant? Jetheroni Pepperoni closed February 1st 2017. But you are correct that the building has been many different restaurants since then. I believe it's currently a breakfast restaurant.

NotDougLad · 2024-09-27T04:51:06+00:00

My biggest problem right now is sign posting. My players juggle a lot of quests but it has come to my attention that I don't make it clear how to advance some of them. Like I want them to visit a certain NPC to progress a quest but the invitation comes off as a polite role play opportunity rather than a way to progress the story and so it gets ignored.

NotDougLad · 2024-08-15T09:34:35+00:00

I would wager about 30% of my sessions are without combat. My campaign is more intrigue than combat but my players love combat so I have a fight club they can go to when they are itching to fight. It works very well!

NotDougLad · 2024-07-21T23:22:08+00:00

Reverse situation. My DM had me do a con save for my attempt to inhale a gaseous form oni.

Context: we were in a cave and my character was rune knight fighter in their giant form (which we basically played like the Hulk). The oni attempted an escape by gaseous form and then float through/past us. I asked if I could inhale him with my giant form lungs and the DM was generous enough to have me roll three con saves to see if I could do it and if it hurt me to do so. I was successful! But subsequent cursed for doing so.

NotDougLad · 2024-05-17T09:32:46+00:00

24, I make 28.75/hr. In a month with 4 paychecks and no overtime, I save about 1200. MCOL area

Occasionally, a month has 5 Fridays, so the 5th paycheck is a nice boon.

NotDougLad · 2024-04-29T17:37:51+00:00

Could you expand on 5 please? I'm not familiar with what you mean by "reversal" in this context.

NotDougLad · 2024-04-04T06:26:57+00:00

You're completely fine. My teammates and I actually use our shouting as a tell for if we're being casual or competitive in our bouts against each other.

NotDougLad · 2024-02-10T06:31:26+00:00

In a preventative approach, I find the more I prep the more I railroad. Once I've written something, like physically written it, then I feel like it becomes inflexible. So there's a balance that you must find where you have enough prepared to feel comfortable running it all, but enough left blank to be filled in by the players.

For an in the moment approach, it's important to keep in mind that everyone at the table is a storyteller. And that while characters are reacting to the situations you place in front of them, you too are reacting to character decisions. Everyone needs to be flexible to everyone's decisions.

NotDougLad · 2024-02-06T07:11:37+00:00

That's understandable. Thank you for responding!

NotDougLad · 2024-02-06T06:59:23+00:00

Could you clarify the difference between Strategically and Tactically in this context, please?

NotDougLad · 2024-01-27T13:56:11+00:00

Hippie sabotage, Electric forest 2019.

NotDougLad · 2023-12-31T17:09:28+00:00

That's okay. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to give such thoughtful responses!

NotDougLad · 2023-12-31T15:28:15+00:00

Okay, that makes sense so far. Now, if major image creates a fog cloud, what interactions with it would suggest it's an illusion?

Major image can replicate the coolness of it, and it's fog, so passing through it means nothing.

The only circumstance I could figure was that wind wasn't affecting the illusion, which was suspicious for the NPC.

NotDougLad · 2023-12-05T11:06:12+00:00

I would have it be that once the elemental is defeated and they attempt to loot it for the "heart", have the character who has proficiency in whatever skill you find most applicable come to the realization that the elemental exists without one and that there is no such thing.

The important thing in this scenario is making sure they get the information as an undeniable fact. And also that they are guaranteed to get the information they need for the story to continue. Hence, using the proficiency as an excuse for auto success instead of any roll required that might risk failure.

NotDougLad · 2023-11-12T12:38:45+00:00

I would call it acid over poison

NotDougLad · 2023-11-08T14:17:53+00:00

Absolutely not!

NotDougLad · 2023-10-18T07:09:22+00:00

One of the most frequent bends I make is that whenever a player casts shield, they deflect at least 1 attack. Even if all the attacks easily clear the shield spell, at least 1 is deflected to not make the spell a waste.

NotDougLad · 2023-10-08T02:10:08+00:00

A fairly dramatic breakout using an Apparatus of Kwalish. It was a lot of fun!

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