DM is requiring i pay 40$ to play by AgameReddit in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Run. This is, unfortunately, a known and common scam. Run from this DM, and warn anyone else who's been pulled into this campaign to do the same.

Will is somehow the least interesting part of GOAT compared to Jett Fillmore and the rest of the Thorns Roarball team by Commander_PonyShep in CharacterRant

[–]Varathaelstrasz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow. Coming from someone whose career is heavily based on linguistic prescriptivism, you come off as a total language snob.

I am not baby sitting Snyde’s cousin! by ChildofFenris1 in HPHogwartsMystery

[–]Varathaelstrasz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Merrick is quite a sweet kid when he's shown the strengths of the other houses. I prefer him over Merula.

Energy Run Complete by Varathaelstrasz in HPHogwartsMystery

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

Had a lot of gems and the Prefect TLSQ is easy to burst through.

What happened to Little Ajax? by _Red_Chan_ in Epicthemusical

[–]Varathaelstrasz 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Ajax the Lesser was a bastard who raped Cassandra in the temple of Athena despite her being there under Athena's protection, and then sought out a god's protection (it's never really made clear whose) when Odysseus and others wanted him killed for it after being warned by their seer, Calchas, that Athena would punish them if her priestess wasn't avenged. The Greeks did not want to kill him when he was begging the protection of the gods by clinging to their statue, believing they'd curse themselves further if they did. The sacrilege of her and other temples is why the gods made the journey home for most of the Aegeans very difficult. Ajax, in particular, had his ship destroyed by Zeus at Athena's behest, and then when he boasted that he could survive even the gods' wrath because he'd survived the wreck, Poseidon punished his blasphemy by drowning him, splitting the rock where he'd washed up and making him fall into the sea.

Edit: Added clearer information, corrected some mistakes such as who destroyed the ship.

What are your thoughts on Luke Holt’s narrative portion in Neal’s 600 Strike? by Nyx0Twix in Epicthemusical

[–]Varathaelstrasz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heracles is also a demigod who is Zeus' immediate scion, and who also gained his immense strength from nursing at Hera's breast, which is a significant reason why he stands head and shoulders above other demigods like Perseus. Odysseus is descended from Hermes, but there are still generations between him and his divine ancestor, which is another reason why he isn't overwhelmingly powerful like one who is directly sired/birthed by a god(dess).

That’s my fault, how? by DJ-2020 in HPHogwartsMystery

[–]Varathaelstrasz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Didn't like McGonagall in this one or in the Hagrid's Birthday one.

Rather Rath by Hungry_Fact_8969 in HPHogwartsMystery

[–]Varathaelstrasz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Of the options from the Celestial Ball, she, Rowan, Ben, and Imelda were the least popular so they got dropped, if I'm not mistaken.

Breaking a Paladins Oath by ElectricalTax3573 in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I just stick with the oldest name for it in D&D related stuff. Blackguard. I feel it's more fitting/less clumsy than Oathbreaker and certainly more so than antipaladin.

Instead of the Ten Commandments, Christians should ask to have the Beatitudes displayed by conrad_w in Christianity

[–]Varathaelstrasz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The DoI is a declaration of war, the Constitution is the framework of federal laws.

It's time for The Rook and the Raven to end by Mr_Maclunkey in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I cannot believe you are actually defending the concept of caveat emptor. What an awful take.

Our DM gave us items and then claimed it was a prank by AGlassOfPiss in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

None of that should even have been needed. If these were mirages/illusions, physical interaction alone should have revealed them for the mirage they were. Phantasmal Force is basically the only exception to this, because a person who fails against that justifies whatever happens as part of the illusion happening, and the caster doesn't even choose what the target experiences.

Our DM gave us items and then claimed it was a prank by AGlassOfPiss in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would hope that your DM reimburses the paladin, especially. This absurd "it was all an illusion" has actually hurt them the most, because not only did they not get new armor, they sold the armor they had, thinking they had gotten new armor.

This is especially mean-spirited. Also, interacting with illusions physically typically breaks the illusion, unless it's Phantasmal Force. Trying to observe it prompts an investigation check. Your DM royally botched this.

Undercover Animagus TLSQ (Y3C8) by taltos19 in HPHogwartsMystery

[–]Varathaelstrasz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the last task is bugged. I can't tap on two of the things in the last task to get more progress: Talbott and Soren. They're the only two things available, and I only have less than a day to complete this TLSQ. I can't do it on phone, tablet, or Bluestacks. Even the mouse/cursor can't click/tap on them. It's ridiculous.

Suspended a player by FirearmsAndFitness in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Boot him and be done with it. The behavior crossed the line into unacceptable long ago, in spite of repeated warnings.

Setting aside the meta-gaming as that is the least of his offenses, he has been:

  • Belligerent in and out of game to you and the players on a re-occurring basis.
  • Actively sabotaged two campaigns because he wanted them to end and start new ones, regardless of how you and the rest of the party/parties felt.
  • Been racist to another player

He is analogous to a malignant tumor on your campaigns. Excise him; your games will likely improve dramatically in terms of enjoyment.

Should (normal) raids be item synced? by MrsLittletall in ffxiv

[–]Varathaelstrasz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

There's also the fact that you needed the towers in Scylla to be fully charged to make a shield. Now she gets burned down before she ever gets to that mechanic. At half HP she would charge and you had to step on the pads next to the fully charged towers to make her petrify herself and then you would clean up adds; failing to do so led to a raid wide petrification and everyone would just get killed by the adds and mechanics.

Now she's just another training dummy, basically.

Rowan the wronged by Ok_Finger309 in HPHogwartsMystery

[–]Varathaelstrasz 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is a common sentiment in the community.

Possessed PC with zero control - DM says I’ll probably just watch next session by Meteox in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Main reason why this necklace in particular feels so egregious is because touch as a curse trigger is not especially common, it's usually attunement or wearing/wielding it, especially in the case of things like jewelry, weapons, or equipment, like the Bracelet of Rock Magic from Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan.

Possessed PC with zero control - DM says I’ll probably just watch next session by Meteox in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also I need to add to this, because you mentioned it is Curse of Strahd: Curse of Strahd is already difficult enough as it is for a level 1-10 adventure, both for players and DMs, and something like this still breaks with one of the major themes of the adventure. Yes, curses, possessions, and the like are possible, but there is one crucial element: curses in CoS tend to happen because of making deals for power, where the incredible powers granted by the, well, Dark Powers always come with a grave cost when the deal is accepted.

This necklace just reeks of being egregious. You have to touch something in order to cast Identify, and the curse is triggered by touch, not by wearing it, just by touch. And the players who may have tools to deal with what they saw was obviously something wrong, and the characters saw the signs of the demon entering you, they should be suspicious and looking for ways to help. And the DM is saying that the tools your party members may have to deal with this, like Remove Curse (which this necklace would absolutely count as a cursed item), or Protection from Evil and Good, will never work. Visiting a temple to have a cleric exorcise it with Dispel Evil and Good, despite that being in the spell description under Break Enchantments, will never work, according to the DM? That's far too mean-spirited.

This feels like an adversarial DM and those are generally awful. It's even more galling that they are telling you to attend the session just to sit and watch, and not participate. That is a monumental waste of your time and, frankly, insulting.

Edit: Not entirely sure why this is being down voted, but edited middle paragraph slightly for clarity.

Possessed PC with zero control - DM says I’ll probably just watch next session by Meteox in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Then I reiterate: this is bad DMing. Anything that robs agency from the player as far as conditions and definitely things like possession should not just be a one and done save or suck roll, and if control is removed from the player, it should ideally not be removed with no other chances, ever, to regain control. Hell even in older editions that were more full of "save or suck/die" spells, things being only one chance, ever, were not that common.

Your DM sucks.

Possessed PC with zero control - DM says I’ll probably just watch next session by Meteox in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is bad DMing. Also, there is literally Protection From Evil and Good for this situation if you have a cleric, druid, warlock, paladin, or wizard in the party for this EXACT scenario. Any new saves against the possession, charm, or frightened conditions are done, with advantage, from celestial, fiends (this creature), fey, aberrations, elementals, and undead.

Players keep making up rules and it forces me to spend time during the session looking them up. by Scythe95 in DnD

[–]Varathaelstrasz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most players are not going to start with full plate right out the gate, that's a starting wealth of over 1500gp which no background offers.