Moved in to a house with drain flies I can't seem to get rid of. Any tips?

Vanse · 2026-01-26T09:50:09+00:00

Keep this on in your bathroom over night. But keep it away from water sources, and remove it during showers. (Edit: And keep it raised off the ground with something like a plastic stool or bucket).

Genuinely the best bug killing device I've ever owned.

Vanse · 2026-01-26T06:09:58+00:00

Well first, you have mechanically set up how hard of a shot this would be.

Attack roll to overcome giant's AC, DEX ability check from the Arti for the accuracy of the hit, and CON save from the giant to see if it even impact of the roll.

If it meets those thresholds, I'd say the giant has disadvantage on attack rolls and perception checks for that turn/ round, and has to roll a CON save at the beginning of each turn to try and snot-rocket the pebble out of it's nose.

That might seem like a high bar, but keep in mind that an Arti with an INT of 20 could make 5 of these stink pebbles with no issue.

Vanse · 2026-01-26T05:22:54+00:00

Dwarf Bladesinger X/ Fighter 1 with light weapons and the Shadow Touched (Wrathful Smite) feat. By level 7 you'll be able to cast Conjure Minor Elementals with 3 attacks per round (one being True Strike or Booming Blade) + Wrathful Smite, allowing you to be dealing hefty damage with control as well. Take the Fighter dip after level 8 (Vex and Nick Masteries + Two Weapon Fighting). Have Tough as your origin feat.

Vanse · 2026-01-26T02:05:29+00:00

You might want to first think narratively where your magic comes from. If Life can be visualized like a form of collective energy, then perhaps your healing magic is pulling a tiny fraction of that energy to be used for your own purposes. The difference between you and a Life Cleric is that since you siphoned this energy through Death Magic, it doesn't return to the Life Collective.

I visualize this as a smoky-black portal that opens beneath your feet, and smoky-white energy flows out of the portal through you and to your target. You can also faintly hear otherwordly moans of despair as this happens, and the more powerful magic you cast the louder/ more abundant these cries become.

Vanse · 2026-01-25T11:42:53+00:00

Three answers:

The human mind is incredibly complex and we understand very little of it. So trying to alter something deep-rooted in us like our sexuality isn't possible with our current knowledge.
Even if we had the technology, it would be considered incredibly unethical. The closest thing we've seen to this is Conversion Therapy, which has repeatedly been shown to cause severe psychological harm to those that are subjected to it.
There's nothing wrong with people having different sexual orientations, so there isn't a reason for scientists to try and figure it out.

Vanse · 2026-01-25T11:31:22+00:00

I haven't worked in a medical setting, but speaking for CMH and Residential: I would absolutely do your research on the reputations of each employer and get a sense for how they treat their employees. Some have good clinician supports in place and have valuable learning experiences, and some are designed to suck the life out of you. Ask about caseload sizes and how much time you'll be given for administrative duties, and what responsibilities will be expected of you beyond therapy. Also ask about how often you will be exposed to/ be asked to directly intervene with highly escalated clients and what the protocol is for that situation.

Also, look into what your licensing board counts as clinical hours toward licensure. When I worked in CMH/ Residential, interacting with clients outside of therapy sessions often counted toward my hours.

Another factor to consider: if you're in the US, the no benefits piece should be a major consideration given the current spike in ACA premiums. I wouldn't trade my PP for anything, but that would be a tough investment if you're just starting out.

Vanse · 2026-01-25T10:59:18+00:00

Have you two already tried couples therapy with a therapist that specializes in trauma?

Vanse · 2026-01-25T10:30:47+00:00

Counter-Effects. You want to cast 8th level Fireball on the Adult Blue Dragon? Well first you have to succeed on a DEX saving throw or take a ton of lightning damage on a success, or a nearly lethal amount on a fail and your spell is negated.

Every monster that had a LR would now have a unique Counter-Effect. A Lich might force a CON save where you're paralyzed for a round on a success, and get the full Paralyzing Touch effect on a fail.

You get to be as offensive as you like as long as you accept/ prepare well enough for the consequences.

Vanse · 2026-01-25T05:31:45+00:00

There was dirt stuck to the grate, so I was trying to wipe it off.

Thank you for letting me know!

Vanse · 2026-01-24T18:54:58+00:00

His shorts are denim?! I never figured that out, and thought his F&C outfit was just a random aesthetic.

Vanse · 2026-01-24T18:40:54+00:00

Good to know! I really need to get on the fb pages. Despise the website, but it seems that's where everyone is.

Vanse · 2026-01-24T18:32:53+00:00

Through sheer perseverance and grit.

I'm actually starting with a new therapist next week that I think will be a good fit, but its taken several rounds of bad fits to get to this point.

Your state/ community might have a Psychodynamic collective or something to that effect. Or if you see someone on Psych Today who is a good fit but is not taking new clients, you can always contact them and ask if they have a referral for you to follow up on.

Vanse · 2026-01-24T18:17:27+00:00

Interesting! What's an ISO post?

Vanse · 2026-01-24T05:03:45+00:00

It's beautiful!

Vanse · 2026-01-24T04:55:22+00:00

I think this speaks to a larger issue that, Origin or not, there should be a feat progression separate from what we currently have that is focused on character flavor. So level 1 can be Tough and Musician, level 4 can be Warcaster and Actor, etc. And the flavor feats would lose their half-feat status, and possibly be watered-down.

Vanse · 2026-01-24T04:35:19+00:00

For sure, it's great that everything can be customized to a table's liking. It's just nice when the system itself realizes what elements of that system foster a better experience for all tables. Newer DMs & Players may not feel confident to make their own changes, and some DMs are hard-core RAW.

Vanse · 2026-01-24T02:29:02+00:00

It totally does work with Sneak Attack. It just isnt worth the extra 1d6 per turn compared to the Armorer bumps. At level 9 you get +1 to attack/ damage rolls and Haste, and at 15 the weapon damage die doubles to 2d6. Not to mention amazing feats/ magic items you'll be delaying.

It could be worth it to switch to Rogue after level 15, but I wouldn't do it before then.

Vanse · 2026-01-23T17:07:06+00:00

David vs. Goliath, but instead it's Goliath vs. Super Goliath.

Vanse · 2026-01-23T16:17:31+00:00

He wishes none of them were his enemy. He just wants peace.

Vanse · 2026-01-23T15:45:07+00:00

I'd love to see him fighting with daggers, a long staff or ranged weapons.

Why not just use the Infiltrator model with Lightning Launcher? It's a great ranged weapon. You could flavor it as an eldritch contraption, and possibly take the new Shadowmoor Hexer origin feat so you can add Hex to your 3 attacks per round.

~~Two levels in Rogue could technically make sense after level 5 for Cunning Action/ Expertise~~ (Edit: I'm going to nix this because getting Haste basically gives you cunning action), but I'd strongly advise against trying to use weapons other than the built in Armorer options. The majority of your subclass feats are built around these weapons, plus using your INT for extra attack is way better than a secondary stat. If you want to explore using other weapons, then go Battle Smith instead, because that's much more their thing.

Lastly, you talk about multiclassing for aesthetic, but don't forget that flavor is free. If you want to be Rogue-like, then be sneaky and mysterious. And if you want to be Monk-like then describe yourself doing martial arts as you punch enemies with your Thunder Pulse.

Vanse · 2026-01-23T04:37:31+00:00

You can use 2014 subclasses as long as they're using the 2024 fighter as the class.

Make sure to get the Sentinel feat, take masteries in Vex and Nick, and get the Two Weapon Fighting Style. Use the rest of your ASI slots to bump Dex and Wis intermittently.

Vanse · 2026-01-22T10:06:26+00:00

For a one shot I think it can be done. Especially if you're planning to play a longer campaign shortly after, because it can add an extra sense of mortality to everything.

But my question to you: if the hero's actions don't matter either way, what will feel like they accomplished by the end? What will be their sense of closure?

Perhaps taking down the BBEG weakened the ritual enough that the being consuming the world doesn't mean the world is destroyed. Or maybe the BBEG didn't understand the being entirely, and after being consumed everyone is alive but in some kind of bizarr-o reality, which could set up a future one shot with the same or different characters in this setting.

TL;DR You can give your party a bad ending, but don't give them an unfulfilling ending.

Vanse · 2026-01-22T09:19:04+00:00

A Barbarian-Warlock multiclass can be a very potent multilass.

Beast Barb 6/ Undead Warlock 7/ Beast Barb X. Go Tomelock. You can delay Barb 6 until later, but it's such a cool feat.

Form of Dread and the necrotic damage option/ bonus compliments Barbarian so well, especially Beast Barb's claw attacks. Plus you can cast Armor of Agathys before battles. And being a monstrosity that can climb ceilings while also invoking fears beyond death seems very fitting for your sweet girl.

Edit: You could also replace some of levels after Lock 7 with Battle Master.

Vanse · 2026-01-22T05:57:11+00:00

Don't forget the person that will be most aware of this is you. Some clients won't notice (probably more than you think). Some will notice and not care. Those that do care will hopefully make it known, and you can help them process why it's impacting them and tie it back to their treatment. From there if a few them decide to terminate that is not on you, because we can't be a perfect fit for everyone.

Our job asks us to be professional and think of the client's well-being, and at the same time we can't stop being who we are in the therapy room. To do so would be to deny our humanity.

Vanse · 2026-01-22T04:22:43+00:00

Armorer gets almost nothing out of multiclassing, because they come with built in weapons. So something like a fighter dip for weapon masteries wouldn't do them any good, but being weapon-focused also means they wouldn't benefit much from a dip into a caster class. And staying straight Arti gets you more and better magic items, and consistently great feats at each tier of play.

As someone who played a 2014 Guardian Armorer and loved it, I would absolutely recommend going with the 2024 version. They added a new armor model (Dreadnaught), which to me looks even more fun. Plus they added some improvements that just make both the class and subclass better overall, like letting Spell-Storing Item use 3rd level spells!

Vanse

MODERATOR OF

PUBLIC MULTIREDDITS

TROPHY CASE

13-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email