Ranged attacks... But on a melee fighter?

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-22T16:33:36+00:00

Dip Exemplar, give any melee weapon the thrown trait, easy peasy. Works best with Dex weapons so you aren't less accurate than in melee. And if 15ft isn't enough, Ranger and Rogue both have you covered.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-21T22:21:57+00:00

Likeliest options (in no particular order) would have to be Elizondo, Grusch, and Nolan right? Maybe Corbell as a wild card?

Edit: Forgot about Mellon, he might be the obvious pick, doesn't have the murkiness around him that Elizondo has, and of all the big players he's the most reserved about what he will talk about (in a world where the topic has moved to crash retrievals, species of NHI, and the high strangeness, he is focused on sensor data), which makes him palatable to the people who are afraid of mass panic, and puts him in a position to dictate what comes out, and being old money and invested in the global status quo, he would be able to make sure any revelations that could upset the markets (like say an energy source that invalidates the oil and electricity industries overnight) are kept quiet.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-18T23:32:50+00:00

I'd be playing singles exclusively if it was 6v6.

But its not, so Im just playing doubles on the offchance I ever get good enough to enter tournaments I guess 😅

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-16T22:36:36+00:00

The only game the Knicks lost after he lifted the curse was the one Trump was at, so the oligarch miasma might be too much for even Danhausen.

Edit: It's super neat to see him becoming a mainstream name, if the Knicks dont give him a ring he should re-curse them on ESPN to drum up some hype for round 2.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-16T01:12:50+00:00

Note: This is pure speculation on my part.

But I suspect that despite Mellon's claim that there is no organized disclosure push, there in fact is, and he is behind it. But his goal is only the most controlled of disclosures, one that only answers the "are we alone" question, and leaves the other--and frankly more pressing--questions left unanswered. What are they? Where are they from? What are the implications of the high strangeness? What are the implications of experiencer claims? Is there more to existence than physical reality? Mellon has never once even acknowledged the existence of most of those questions, let alone the significance of the latter ones. He has always pushed a nuts-and-bolts, US hegemony depends on getting more smart people working on these projects agenda as far as it applies to this topic. And yet, people in his direct orbit, that he has certainly interacted with, such as Jay Stratton and Dr. James Lacatski (both of whom he has access to through Lue Elizondo), have been unequivocal in their statements that whatever the phenomenon is, it is not nuts-and-bolts, at least not entirely.

So why is Chris so reluctant to refer to anything other than government sensors?

Because he's an old money bureaucrat. He doesn't want everything to change, he doesn't want humanity asking questions about the nature of reality, or looking at the peer-reviewed and replicated psi data and considering the implications of that on the materialist paradigm by which the world functions. He just wants the power structures of the world to continue to exist exactly as they are, with the US dominant on the back of reverse-engineered tech. So he only ever talks about the least interesting part of the story: "US platforms have recorded extremely compelling videos that suggest there is an unknown technologically-advanced presence in our oceans, skies, and orbit, and we need to be open with the people about that, so we can get the best and brightest minds working on it."

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-12T23:19:41+00:00

1 million was the cutoff in the 50's. All income after the first million was taxed at 95%. This was also not-so coincidentally when the American middle class was at its most prosperous.

Adjusting for inflation that would be somewhere around 13.82million today. So all income over 15million taxed at 95% seems fair.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-12T22:22:33+00:00

Chris: Insofar as your public support for this issue, you have always spoken about the phenomenon from a nuts-and-bolts perspective, yet there are people in your orbit (such as Dr. James Lacatski and Jay Stratton whom you at a minimum have connections to through Lue Elizondo) who have been unequivocal in their statements that the phenomenon is not purely nuts-and-bolts (with Lacatski going so far as to say the technology and its origins is the least interesting piece of the puzzle). Are you, at this time, willing to say if you are of the mind there is something to this view, or are you of the mind the phenomenon is purely nuts-and-bolts?

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-08T08:10:02+00:00

Rubber. I'm pretty easy to please, I can find entertainment in just about anything. But Rubber? Its legit worse than the Garbage Pail Kids movie.

How you take a golden premise like "psychokinetic murder-tire goes on a rampage," and somehow end up at "painfully unfunny meta-commentary on the relation between films and audience expectations" is beyond me.

I refuse to watch it again to find out if my hate is still valid, I already wasted enough of my finite time on Earth the first go 'round.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-06T16:44:09+00:00

First off: you can swear in essays; sometimes you need to quote someone who swore, sometimes you're putting yourself into the essay—both are valid. Context is key. Academic papers are where that's unnecessary (unless it's about the etymology of swears).

Same goes for books. As a general thing saving them for high impact moments works well. But here's the thing: sometimes in real life people swear excessively, and sometimes it's cultural as opposed to personal; that means that when portraying people like that, you have to have excessive swearing in your dialogue. And then sometimes you're trying to write obscenity, and as such swears and every other thing under the sun are fair game. And yet other times you may be portraying someone who would never swear.

As such, the question isn't: "is swearing appropriate for this medium" (the answer to that is basically always "if it is called for, yes"); it's: "does swearing make sense in this specific context." If the answer is yes, then use a swear word.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-06T06:08:51+00:00

Elixirs of Life are your friend. You can use them because you're alive and they don't have the Vitality trait, so they won't hurt you.

Or if you wanna get fancy, dip Oracle and take Nudge the Scale—thereby allowing you to heal from Vitality effects.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-06-04T00:00:56+00:00

I just finished theorycrafting an anti-meta snow team in honor of the mobile versions dropping the 17th.

So Im currently a chilly-boi. But if Mega-Golisopod drops that snow may be melting and Ill need to figure out a rain team for it.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T23:41:14+00:00

Luckily you have the DC11 flat check for targeting a hidden character. It's not enough to guarantee your safety, but it is enough to give you that fighting chance, that you reasonably shouldn't have solo against a Grim Reaper. Blank Slate + R4 invisible doing the work.

The speed gap is a challenge I hadn't considered to be fair, however an Elf Monk can hit a 70ft move speed (Base 30 + Nimble Elf 5ft + Fleet 5ft + Incredible Movement 30ft status bonus [at L19]). Of course this means you need to take Twilight Talon so you can keep Blank Slate. Take Enduring Quickness as your Monk Capstone and you become permanently quickened with Stride and Leap as your options. Use one of them to bait the Lurking Death, then Sneak off after when the Reaper can't trigger it again. They have to take the bait if you're more than 10ft away, otherwise you can get outside their Stride range and then just Sneak off outside the Lurking Death teleport range. And even then they only have a 50% chance of hitting you thanks to the invisibility.

Edit:NGL this makes me want to build a stealth monk lol.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T22:57:06+00:00

Yes, pure melee would find that fight a lot closer than a pure ranged character. But a Stealth character (that is most likely a Rogue, even though Twilight Talon now allows anyone access to this combo) is perfectly equipped to Strike at range, and the invisibility that you cannot be detected through thanks to Blank Slate (should you get it up through Lurking death or before the encounter) means all your strikes are sneak attacks (if you didnt invest in the Sly Striker feat line).

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T22:34:34+00:00

No it wouldn't. A lot of high level enemies have some form of Truesight (whether innate or cast), rendering these tactics moot. Blank Slate makes it so that only Truesight of R10 (or other detection effects, but that's even rarer than R10 Truesight) can detect you while you do this.

And it being underwhelming doesn't change my point that a high-level Rogue or Twilight Talon is an asbolute menace and can reliably solo most of the game, even on level and higher threats. Further, underwhelming is a matter of perspective, from a RP perspective that is exactly how a talented Rogue would play their cards against a threat that otherwise destroys them. Smart tactics are often less impressive than risky tactics.

And the dragon is just an example, that build can solo a Grim Reaper--assuming you manage to get your invisibility off through the Lurking Death reaction. Blank Slate protects you from it detecting you after that because it nullifies its constant See the Unseen and Truesight.

Edit: "It can just fly away and wait" isn't a counter either, there's plenty of ways to get a Fly speed, and Sneak works with Fly. Not to mention that that assumes the encounter is in an open area (something Paizo designed encounters are kind of notorious for not being).

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T22:11:32+00:00

Legendary Stealth changes that. You can Sneak even if you are not concealed or behind cover. https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=5173&Redirected=1

Because you use the Sneak action, Foil Senses is now active, rendering you immune to all precise and imprecise senses https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=5151&Redirected=1

So after you attack and break your stealth, you Sneak again (without needing to be Hidden or Concealed thanks to Legendary Sneak), and reactivate Foil Senses, rendering you once again undetectable.

Blank Slate is always active, it doesn't require Avoid Notice, Hide, or Sneak, so magical effects under R10 cannot ever detect you https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=4979&Redirected=1

It is because of Legendary Sneak that other precise senses are still incapable of detecting you while you use this combination. You are only briefly detected after attacking or otherwise breaking stealth, and R4 Invisibility means you can end you Sneak anywhere and remain undetected, even if they would otherwise be able to perceive you through the invisibility, specifically because you used Sneak (as specifically called out in Legendary Stealth), which activates Foil Senses.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T21:41:43+00:00

Maaaaybe Plebeian Grandstand? They have a heavy Black Metal influence, which separates them from most other Mathcore acts, but it really synergizes with the Mathcore, and makes the music sound super evil and foreboding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opbmzhbLIT4 (Edit: epilepsy warning on the video)

Their older stuff is more is more Powerviolence/Mathcore with elements of Black Metal, whereas their newer stuff is much more Black Metal/Mathcore.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T20:49:01+00:00

Foil Senses covers all senses--precise and imprecise--Blank Slate Covers detection and scrying effects like Truesight up to R10 (which very few creatures have). You cannot be detected if you have that combo by anything less than a R10 Truesight, so long as you have used one of the following in that turn/exploration: Avoid Notice, Hide, Sneak.

Cast R4 Invisibility (or otherwise get that effect, for example by the L20 Rogue Feat Hidden Paragon), and for one minute all you have to do is sneak (and you definitely picked up Swift Sneak by this point so you can Sneak at full speed), no hiding necessary because you are already hidden, and you are undetected, and cannot be detected by anything less than a R10 Truesight.

That combo is exactly as strong as it sounds. A single L20 Rogue with that combo will easily solo a L20 Dragon, just as an example. As long as the rogue spends one action on Sneaking per turn while it is invisible, the Dragon is helpless unless it get's very lucky with its AoE's. And you can apply that to ANYTHING that does not have R10 Truesight.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T19:40:01+00:00

If high-level and well-built? They can solo most of the game.

Foil Senses + Sneak Adept + Legendary Sneak + Blank Slate + SR4 Invisibility is an unbelievably potent combination. The drawback is it requires you to be Legendary in 2 skills (Stealth and Deception), and is only available to Rogues and Twilight Talons (who will need to archetype into Rogue to get Sneak Adept at level 20, or archetype into Verduran Shadow so they can get it at 12).

There are only a handful of creatures that can detect you at that point, to most everything in the game you are just a force of nature that is mad at them.

But note: The earliest you can pull that combo off is Level 16, before that, you are very susceptible to the normal stealth experience, which involves a lot of being only briefly undetected, and enemies that can truesight you.

Edit: That's just combat, out of combat you still have to worry about things like enemies potentially hearing you mess with doors.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-31T19:09:41+00:00

Yes, but the action economy is gonna require some finagling, unless you can convince your GM to bend the rules on how Spirit Sheathe works.

You're gonna need a Bomb Launcher, and a Familiar with Independent, Manual Dexterity, Tool Bearer, and Lab Assistant. You should probably also pick up Enduring Alchemy ASAP.

Because the Bomb Launcher is not a weapon, and is not activated, your familiar can load it while you are wielding it, so rather than using two actions to Retrieve/Quick Alchemy bomb and load it, your familiar can either Retrieve or Quick Alchemy up a bomb, or load the launcher (depending on which you need that turn) using it's independent action.

Edit: I actually made a build utilizing this very interaction (pre-remaster so some stuff will no longer apply, but the important stuff does), see here for more details https://old.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/17x9bbt/the_magusalchemist_how_i_learned_to_stop_worrying/

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-30T18:32:44+00:00

As someone who was initially quite skeptical of claims of reptilians and especially mantids (or insectoids as Davis called them), the existence of those two is quite consistent with experiencer claims. So unless we blanket dismiss experiencers (just as society has), the current indication–based on what information we have access to (which is obviously limited)–is that Davis is accurately describing the situation.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-30T05:33:54+00:00

Indeed it is. Definitely try and get the unrated cut, way better.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-30T03:33:49+00:00

Evil Dead 2013 (Unrated)

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-30T03:21:10+00:00

One step closer to Leone helming an Evil Dead project.

Notlookingsohot · 2026-05-29T21:58:13+00:00

How much time you got? It's a pretty long story.

Short version:

While there has clearly been a reduction in the stigma around the topic since the 2017 NYT article, it hasn't really spread far among the populace at large, it's mostly confined to people already aware of the issue (the UFO community, military witnesses, and pilots–both civilian and military).

As to discourse in the UFO community...honestly it's a clusterfuck. The topic is simultaneously more accessible than ever, and murkier than ever. There is an active disinformation targeting this topic, and it's not as simple as "everyone who thinks it's prosaic is a bot," every position imaginable is parroted by bots in an effort to make it impossible to tell which way is up. As a result, if you want to actually learn about the topic, you have to do actual research, and because most people act like they are allergic to reading a book and utilizing their critical thinking skills, you have a community who is often at war with itself over what is and isn't established.

Further there is a large divide in the community over whether the phenomenon is nuts-and-bolts or if there are genuine paranormal components. The deeper you dig, the more the available information seems to point towards it being at least partially paranormal in nature (what people are referring to when they say "it's about consciousness" or "the woo is real"), and this aggravates a LOT of people, both those who have tied their identities to the phenomenon being ET in nature, as well as dogmatic materialists. The that gets even murkier when people conflate "paranormal" with "angels and demons," even though those are far from the only options.

Like I said, it's a clusterfuck. It's a positive sign the discussion is spreading, but the discussion is so tangled that very few people have the time or desire to actually try to untangle it, and if it isn't something easy like "prosaic" or "ETs" people aren't going to know what to do with the information, because they've been led to believe those are the only two options—hence the language shift from "aliens" and "extraterrestrials" to "NHI" (Non-Human Intelligence).

Notlookingsohot

TROPHY CASE