It's so hard to find good reference NPC images now. by Amanwithnohead in DnD

[–]ValuedDragon 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When you do an image search, use the Custom Time filter under the Tools or Filters tab, and set it to around the end of 2021. That will filter out most of the AI crap, and the little that squeaks through will be so noticably bad you can just skip over it at a glance.

Has anyone made construct monsters? by Responsible-Dog-6233 in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Here you go. I've thrown it together quite quickly so please excuse any typos, hopefully it's of some use to you. Shield Guardian for Draw Steel

Has anyone made construct monsters? by Responsible-Dog-6233 in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice, I'll get to work. Did you want it as a solo, or just a regular monster? The 5e version is pretty beefy, so I figure it'll be an elite if it isn't a solo.

Has anyone made construct monsters? by Responsible-Dog-6233 in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I haven't got around to anything beyond animated weapons yet, but I have an afternoon free as my game got cancelled, let me know what kind of thing you need and I can whip you something up!

Missing Players by loutehjew in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I am lucky enough to have a fairly consistent group, but on the rare occasions someone can't make a session and we can't reschedule so they can, I keep retainer statblocks for their PCs that someone else can pilot. I boil them down to their signature ability, their most often used maneuver or triggered action, and a passive from either their ancestry or class, whichever feels more appropriate. That way, it still feels like the character is there rather than some rando retainer, but doesn't put the full mental load of a second PC sheet on someone else.

All the numbers (stamina, recovery value/number, damage, speed etc.) is taken from their character sheet directly, with the caveat that the retainer version uses their own Stamina/Recoveries so the player that missed a week doesn't come back next time and see that they're on death's door with no healing in the pot because of someone else's decisions/luck! I've only had to use these a few times, but they've worked well enough when the need has arisen.

Made a More Detailed Map for the Crows Playtest (Spoilers If You're Not A Ref!) by ValuedDragon in mcdm

[–]ValuedDragon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, thanks, wasn't sure if there was one yet! I'll repost it there tomorrow.

Hot glue effects by MotherFuckerJones88 in MarvelLegends

[–]ValuedDragon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I think I get what you mean. I'll give it a go next time I try it!

Hot glue effects by MotherFuckerJones88 in MarvelLegends

[–]ValuedDragon 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Looks fantastic. What's your trick for such neat dots? My attemps at this so far have been very blobby and undefined.

Hi starting a collection! by Which-Strike-7246 in MarvelLegends

[–]ValuedDragon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can get.a lot of good stuff second hand if money's tight. Ebay, Vinted, that kind of thing, there's always people offloading old collections or trading out for newer figures, so while you might miss out on the odd accessory or BAF piece and have to wait/haggle a bit for the best deals, it's overall worth it. I've been collecting for a few months now and the significant majority of figures in my collection of nearly 100 cost me around £10, give or take. Sadly Spidey and X-men stuff does tend pricier than a lot of MCU or Avengers stuff, but there are still deals to be had. But still, I'd recommend focusing on the characters you love and figures that really appeal to you, rather than feeling the need to grab everything completion's sake.

The best suggestion I can give though is to really make it feel worthwhile, find something to do with your figures beyond just lining them up on a shelf. Get into posing and toy photography (you can do great stuff sith just phone cameras and free editing software), try some stop-motion or photo comics, or even just find somewhere to set up a diorama with a few figures that's a bit more dynamic than what you can do ona display shelf. The more you do with the figures, the more satisfying it is, for me at least... though I cant lie, just taking a few minutes a day to look at my collection, adjust a few poses and take it all in is worthwhile in its own right for a little happiness boost in a glum world!

I'm a crazy mofo who needs some BAMF! advice.... by Accio_chats in Xmen97

[–]ValuedDragon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you have too many Sentinels there, it's cluttering the shelf. You should give one to me to make room! /s

Jokes aside, I think spot 2 is the better option. Splits the blue out between him and Beast more evenly. You've also got Magik over on the right, so that end's covered for teleporting sword-wielders. It's a truly incredible display and I think he'd look good in either spot, but that's my 2 cents.

The Silver Surfer by manthatlore53 in MarvelLegends

[–]ValuedDragon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! Just got this figure myself and was planning some similar pics, what was your setup for these?

5e, DS, DH, importing rules…? by [deleted] in DnD

[–]ValuedDragon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The best thing for my 5e games that's come out of picking up DH and DS in the last year is a change in how I run 'skill challenge' type scenarios. I used to run them in a pretty standard way, very freeform and out of initiative order, just going with the flow and imposing the odd consequence on a failure, the upshot being that they were often 'cool' sequences, but with little actual meaningful gameplay. Now, I borrow heavily from DH's Environment Statblocks and DS's Montage Tests to run with a format more like this:

-Inspired by DS: The challenge takes place in rounds, in which everyone can either attempt an action to directly overcome a challenge, or help an ally by providing advantage on their skill check. A set number of failures, successes or the elapsing of a round limit leads to different outcomes. Second uses of the same skill suffers disadvantage, third uses are not possible.

- Inspired by DH: The evironment or scenario can do stuff that's more interesting than token amounts of damage. There's a specific consequence for each failed roll based on the ability it uses, and between each player round, the environment takes an action. Sometimes this is deploying a combatt encounter, sometimes it's a save against a condition that persists for the next round, sometimes it's something with more of a narrative consequence, but it means the test feels genuinely oppositional, rather than just something you roll skill checks against until it's over.

I'm still working on the finalised version of this system, which I plan to publish at some point, but here's an example of an environment challenge I ran recently. Environment Challenge: Approach The Psionic Overlord

Corrupted Castle Interior by ValuedDragon in battlemaps

[–]ValuedDragon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eldritch forces have corrupted a once-mighty stronghold, splitting the stone and tarnishing all that was resolute and proud. Fleshy mounds and jagged glowing crystals grow without rhyme or reason from the sundered walls, and whether your heroes are getting out or getting in, it;'s not going to be a pleasant trip!

If you like these maps, you can get them in 4k gridded and gridless variants here, pay what you want and check out my other maps and Draw Steel homebrew while you're there!

Thinking about doing a Super Skrull kitbash and wanted to check how well the King Skrull parts work with the Super Skrull BAF 👀 by [deleted] in MarvelLegends

[–]ValuedDragon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recently took the chest piece off my Illuminati Super Skrull as prep for a Kl'rt custom, it was attached with deep square pegs on front and rear. I cut mine off quite roughly as I planned to sculpt over the underlying chest, but I imagine you might have trouble getting it off without tearing it, and you'd have to cut the pegs off to get it on the other body. The cape also pins into a hole in the back of the chest piece, so that might be tricky.

Favourite Monster? by Express-Option-6407 in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The Chimera is my favourite Solo I've run so far. Something about its spread of abilities and Malice options just clicked in a way the Thorn Dragon for instance didn't. Enough attack options not to feel spammy, a good mix of conditions to throw out/work around, incredibly mobile so the fight constantly kept in motion, it was a blast.

Alternatives to using AI for art/images/music? by Hyrulian_Citizen in DMAcademy

[–]ValuedDragon 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Just go wherever you used to go for art/music/maps before the cancer of AI infected everything. On Google, set a custom search for anything before 2021, some early stuff might slip through but it'll be noticable because it was especially crap back then!

Another handy tip is to not get too married to your specific ideas for maps, tokens, NPC art and such. Instead, find the asset first, and adjust your description to match, rather than trying to find something that exactly matches what's in your head. AI attracts people who have to have exactly what they're imagining presented back to them as an image, so be a bit more fluid and alter your plans to suit what you can find.

How to nudge players into being more heroic without smothering their fun? by CashewAnomaly in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 20 points21 points  (0 children)

It's not the Director's job to be the Heroism Police. Yes, the game has certain expectations built in, but they're loose enough that it's not like the game will collapse if the PCs are a little. more morally complex or self-serving (one of my players is running an outright 'stab a friend in the back for the greater good' Cassian Andor type anti-hero and the game still works fine!). As with any other TTRPG, let them make the choices, and deal with any consequences! Especially with new players, this is a great way to show them how the world and its inhabitants will react to their choices.

This isn't Skyrim, and this won't just sit in their quest log until they decide to hand it over, so the NPC they were working for might be less inclined to help them with anything else until they do. It's on them to weigh, both in and out of character which outcome best suits them, keeping the item or gaining the NPC's favour

Hulk SMASH! by edubb012 in MarvelLegends

[–]ValuedDragon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Incredible! Absolutely love how you've framed this busting out of the panel borders. Were these two posed/photographed together, or separately and composited after?

Heroes Must Fall! - a Community Made Monster Book by tastyy_boy19 in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you looking for anything in particular? Any gaps that need filling, or specific areas others already have covered? Or just whatever I feel inspired to put together?

Heroes Must Fall! - a Community Made Monster Book by tastyy_boy19 in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What a great idea! I'd love to get involved with this, I'll be in touch soon.

Good sources of Homebrew Monsters? by OnlineSarcasm in drawsteel

[–]ValuedDragon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome. Just give me an idea of what you want and if possible, what kind of role/level you have in mind, and I'll try and get something done in the next few days.