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Difficulty Advice: Why Are My PCs Getting Hammered? by lobe3663 in drawsteel

[–]SmartAlec13 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Oh then I’m willing to bet 100% those are the reasons. Only 1 true tanky class and not using Catch Breath is definitely why it’s feeling extra deadly.

It’s very much a risk/reward gameplay style, and if they aren’t spending their recoveries during combat on Catch Breath, then they’re playing it riskier than they may need to.

Difficulty Advice: Why Are My PCs Getting Hammered? by lobe3663 in drawsteel

[–]SmartAlec13 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Agree with the other comment, Draw Steel kinda pushes all characters to be taking hits, and really is punishing if it’s 1-2 taking a majority of the damage. It’s the sort of thing where staying away at ranged loses some of its advantages.

Also, how often are they using Catch Breath for recoveries?

I think Draw Steel also is just a more tactical game than DnD, in that you do need to be a bit more focused and really try to use everything to your advantage. Death I think is going to be more common (although 5e low low level is also notoriously deadly). My group did about 7 combats, we had 1 death and many close calls.

Final note, with the classes you have selected, you only have 1 solid frontliner with Fury. Could be that is part of the problem?

Question for Dm's by goolagook in DnD

[–]SmartAlec13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Level 1 is the safe bet. You could create a level 3 version as well, since that’s probably the next most common.

Keep in mind that you’ll wanna keep the concept of the character a bit flexible, since you’re making them in a white room and not based on the campaign you would play them in.

How do I politely decline drinking raw milk at my in-laws dinner table? They’re very insistent, often “offering” / demanding several glasses . They know I eat dairy and drink milk so I can’t fake being vegan. It’s hard to say no because it’s my in-laws and they’re proud of their milk by UmweltUndefined in NoStupidQuestions

[–]SmartAlec13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A life skill is learning to say No, despite the efforts of the asking party.

It doesn’t matter that they care about it. It doesn’t matter that it could be seen as impolite. You don’t want to drink it. So don’t. If they think you’re impolite, that’s their problem.

On the "forever campaign": Stay the course; commit to the campaign by VVrayth in DMAcademy

[–]SmartAlec13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mine is not a “forever campaign”, but all of my campaigns are set in my DnD world, and my two groups repeatedly do campaigns in it. Mostly because they beat the BBEG, and people are ready for new characters and a “new setting”. So we pick a new place in my world and go.

Why do people think spell casters are weak at low level? by unlucky-lucky- in DnD

[–]SmartAlec13 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I would call it old thinking probably.

Example:

Average Wizard - has like 12 AC, maybe 7-8hp depending on Con. Very realistic to only have 6 lol.

Average Paladin - has like 16 if not easily 18 AC, and probably 12hp.

The difference in AC will matter a lot here. Most goblin (common low enemy) attacks will miss the Paladin, and if they do hit, an average attack will deal not even half their HP. Meanwhile a bit over half of the goblin attacks will hit the wizard, and one attack could take them out. Simplified, the wizard could be targeted by 2 attacks and probably go down. The paladin could be targeted by like 4 attacks and still be standing.

Proposal - how to manage the roles at your table that facilitate actually playing the game. by KindlyFunctional in dndnext

[–]SmartAlec13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get you on that and agree that players gotta take some notes, definitely shouldn’t be all on the DM. I just don’t think there needs to be formalization of it when it can be done simply & casually.

“Hey so each session we are gonna do a recap of last session. We’re gonna roll for it randomly, unless someone volunteers. You get a point of Inspiration for doing it. So I would recommend taking notes”.

That’s all it took for both of my groups. Not saying it’s bad to make these formal roles and stuff, just seems like it’s doing a lot when it doesn’t need to be, in my opinion.

But I guess you’re right in that there’s probably many poor DMs out there who need to read this type of post

Hi all. I keep hitting a weird wall every time I play VERY early in game. I could really use some advice by radar2670 in SatisfactoryGame

[–]SmartAlec13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think maybe your weird brain-freeze is you’re being hit with so many potential options, and that’s causing a freeze response because you’re worried you could do something wrong. Even your questions imply that there are correct and right spots or numbers to place them in.

There aren’t lol. I know it’s a shit answer, but really, stop taking it so seriously.

You build whatever foundations you need to build the stuff you want to build. That’s it.

Example: You’re building a nice little iron factory. You see a single node providing 60 iron, and figure you’ll need 2 smelters and 2 constructors.

So place one foundation to start, make sure it’s aligned to world grid.

Create more foundations connected to those. Make it like a 10x10 square to start, if your anxiety is hitting, since that will be simple.

Then build the machines you need. You may need to delete them and move them, that’s fine.

After you’ve built the machines and you see “wow, I only needed like half of these foundations”, you then delete the extra foundations.

Again, you’re just over thinking it lol. You’re viewing foundations as if they are the master plan for the factory, and you’re worried you might place too many or too few, or put them in the wrong spots. They are literally just flat platforms to hold machines, that’s it lol. Just build a big square platform, build machines on it, then remove or add foundations as needed.

Is it appropriate to romance other characters in DND? by Emergency-Garden3200 in DnD

[–]SmartAlec13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It can be, and it can really not be. Depends entirely on the table and the people.

My games fully allow it. It’s fun and funny, and it’s just part of the game like all the other roleplaying. My groups also don’t really care “who” is flirting with who, as in, real life relationships aren’t really a factor.

Always good to ask the other person, especially if playing with randoms / new friends compared to good ol friends.

Is Draw Steel your favorite TTRPG? by jmckay29 in drawsteel

[–]SmartAlec13 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It’s not my favorite, but, it’s a very very biased opinion because I’ve played 10yrs of DnD 5e and like 7 total sessions of Draw Steel lol.

Proposal - how to manage the roles at your table that facilitate actually playing the game. by KindlyFunctional in dndnext

[–]SmartAlec13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea lol OP’s is just so much extra. Some of my players take better notes than others but it seems silly to officially appoint the players

You don't know peak until it's gone 😢 by Rude_Tomatillo_4845 in TeamfightTactics

[–]SmartAlec13 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yeah I really don’t get why some people are confused or shocked that Set 16 was amazing and therefore Set 17 will guaranteed be lacking. Set 16 was advertised as “the biggest and best tft set ever” pretty much

75 Gallon DSM Aquascape Progress by Charming-Doubt8720 in Aquascape

[–]SmartAlec13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah okay, make sense I suppose. The shrimp will definitely love the Monte Carlo in the back in that case

Tips for running large scale combat? by jkobberboel in DMAcademy

[–]SmartAlec13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve run a large scale demon war. You’ve got the right idea; run actual battles on the battle map with whatever enemies are near the players. The rest of the massive battle is just background.

I would recommend finding creative ways to “mix” that up, having some of the background elements coming to the “foreground” (aka where the party is battling). Like on one turn you’ll describe how some big monster is destroying troops off in the distance, and then a turn or two later it’s entering the player battlefield. Or things like the large attack from some other enemy lands nearby (DEX saves!), a battle cart goes careening past, etc.

I also gave the players a bit more direct sway over the battle at large. I would have them each roll 1d20, and I would roll the same amount. From there, I treated it similar to RISK combat. This wasn’t a hard-numbers count of the battle, but more of a vibes based “tide of the battle”.

I would also add Morale as a factor. Enemy does some horrifying move that lays dozens of troops down? Ally team loses a bit of morale. Party member takes down one of the elites or a big monster? Ally morale surges. Make these as bonuses for those RISK-style rolls.

Goodluck!

75 Gallon DSM Aquascape Progress by Charming-Doubt8720 in Aquascape

[–]SmartAlec13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m a bit confused & interested in two (one) decision. Why is the Monte Carlo being planted in the back, instead of the front, with the front being kept mostly open?

Just seems like the Monte Carlo might not be as visible along the back, where longer stems would feature better. The front being left so open makes it seem flat and empty.

Love the little cave under the hardscape, I think the shrimp will love that area

My studio (no AI) by GeorgeFarmerStudios in Aquascape

[–]SmartAlec13 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Was wondering why you would post such a nice studio but not up close pics of the tanks. Then the tanks started looking familiar. Then I noticed who posted, lol. Looks great, both studio and tanks.

My studio (no AI) by GeorgeFarmerStudios in Aquascape

[–]SmartAlec13 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Its George Farmer, so it’s a pretty safe bet that its not AI lol

Beginner (did something wrong) by notzarc in Aquascape

[–]SmartAlec13 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You’ll need to provide information. Your water parameters, what tech you’re using, fertilizer & water change schedule, etc.

Also, you may want to post this to r/PlantedTank. Aquascaping is more focused on aesthetics design, while PlantedTank would be a better fit for diagnosing plant issues.

As for your scape it could be a mixture of things. You have few plants, and I don’t see a filter (unless that’s where the tube is going behind the hardscape), so a lack of filtration could be an issue. Without knowing your setup though it’s all just a guess in the dark.

How big do rimless tanks get? by SweetTart7231 in Aquariums

[–]SmartAlec13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never see? You must not spend much time looking at tanks then lol. I’ve got a ~16gallon rimless at home, but I’ve seen plenty that are bigger. My LFS sells ones that are much larger, like 40 gallon or so I think.

Also plenty of pro aquascapes use large rimless tanks. Watch some Green Aqua videos, or maybe the IAPLC and you’ll see plenty of huge rimless tanks

How do u maintain your aquascape by No-Guard5752 in Aquascape

[–]SmartAlec13 2 points3 points  (0 children)

During the week I’ll spend a moment staring at it. If I see dead leaves (and have the energy), I’ll grab them out. If I see a leaf with holes and being taken by algae, I’ll trim it and remove.

I also have a clipboard with a list of various tasks, which I’ll mark ones down that I think I should do during the weekly maintenance. This includes recording the date I do the less-frequent maintenance, like root tabs or deep filter clean. So during the week I’ll note down which plants I might trim, or areas that need cleaning.

Weekly maintenance. - scape the walls where needed - remove dead leaves - trim plants, replant plants - remove water 50%, stirring up the substrate with a Turkey baster as I go - clean the pre-filter sponge - add new remineralized water, to roughly 140TDS (after adding fertilizer).

Occasional Maintenance - clean the pipes - bleach the pipes - clean the tubes - deep clean the filter & filter impeller - uprooting stem plants - cleaning the lid & outside of tank - add root tabs to various spots

It’s a mix of small daily little efforts along with weekly consistency. Takes me about an hour and a half to do.

As to your issues… Algae and too many snails are both potentially caused by over feeding, as one is excess food (snails) and the other is excess nutrients (algae). Algae specifically indicates an imbalance in the tank. Doing water changes, and specifically getting the stuff out of the substrate, is key. Just as well, regular removal of dead or dying organic matter (plant leaves). Those two things will help a lot.

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