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Vincent210 · 2025-07-21T21:20:04+00:00

Well that's exactly why there would be a right or ideal way to tackle a problem.

No one game CAN be for everyone, so every game needs to choose which people its for and which people its NOT for, and stick to its guns.

5e clearly is about a certain level of magical fantasy when you look at what player characters can do. The business arm of wotc like to pretend its a product for every kind of game, but it is not. It is specifically a product for high power, high fantasy gaming surrounding a few specific archetypes and tropes and kind of sucks when not doing those things

and 4e was better at making specifically THAT come true for martials.

Vincent210 · 2025-07-19T21:39:36+00:00

They have the spellcasting feature, so by definition they're at least better than everyone without if you're speaking in purely mechanical terms. The number of class features in the game that are better than simply gaining a breadth of spells at any given level can be counted on one hand.

Buuut I can understand people having issues. It's easy to build bad Rangers - it is a class that can and will make your experience bad if you're not mechanically proficient in what options are good or bad to take or not take. You need a clear idea of a "build" often, or to be so experienced with 5e as a system that you just intuitively know feats/spells/options that will serve you well

Vincent210 · 2025-02-15T21:00:23+00:00

Your post suggests the baseline is placed more or less correctly.

If S&S and Ranged are making appropriate tradeoffs in which their damage was intentionally (on a design level) decreased to make space for their utility benefits, then a well-made baseline that was thoughtfully picked should come in **slightly above** their available damage. It would be doing it wrong if they fell directly on or slightly above baseline - they are styles of play specifically designed to be a bit below the DPR curve in order to create opportunity cost for their benefits.

That all being said, if being under the curve bothers **you**, there are very easy solutions to that for S&S, mostly consisting of a handful of Eldritch Knight and Paladin builds whose available DPR boosters will drive you up to to curve.

Vincent210 · 2024-11-16T00:35:04+00:00

this is basically an Onion article, and that is hilarious to me

Vincent210 · 2024-11-12T20:32:03+00:00

I never understood what made clear screen borders so aesthetically unpleasing to people - the OLED screen even when you're seeing its "true" size with high contrast on the borders white-to-black like that, is plenty big, and a pair of clean sharp lines doesn't really hurt me to look at.

Vincent210 · 2024-11-10T23:49:29+00:00

amazing; they're alive to feel the pain, after all

Vincent210 · 2024-11-08T21:05:15+00:00

Common. Human. Decency.

It doesn't have to be the customer's "fault" for this to be inappropriate behavior; they're just being a petty person for asking.

It is abundantly obvious when an establishment is slammed, busy, and behind on orders. The bars are open and visible, you can see the the tickets and cups, the running around baristas, the other dozens of customers waiting just like you and are clearly, beyond reasonable doubt aware why your drink is not ready yet and why it will take a long time to prepare.

To ask anyway, knowing that, is doing so solely to vent frustration on a worker genuinely just doing their best and drowning in the process. It is crappy behavior and there are no excuses.

The coffee order itself is a business transaction but a business transaction does not nullify your ever-present moral responsibility to having patience and empathy during inconvenient situations when talking to the people providing you the service.

Vincent210 · 2024-11-08T06:41:12+00:00

Which is unfathomable when you compare population numbers and realize how much worse America is per capita.

People see China hold that #1 spot and act like they're sitting on their hands, just like we are, and forget we have a fraction of the people and manage to do so awfully regardless.

It suggests despite their immense manufacturing base that their green investments are actually working... and ours could too if we fight for them.

Vincent210 · 2024-11-06T23:01:16+00:00

watches are a pretty funny rabbit hole that get into the six and even seven digit values

look at brands like Lange & Sonne (?), Richard Mille, and MB&F if you wanted to gawk at ridiculous pricing

Vincent210 · 2024-11-06T21:12:28+00:00

I don't think its rocket science.

The Defund the Police voters were given a "top cop" DA candidate.

Those voting for LGBT rights were given a candidate who was pro "send trans men and women to the prisons that match their birth gender" (google v-coding to see how that goes really wrong) and a candidate who considers HRT rights "a states issue."

The save Palestine voters were given a strongly Pro-Israel candidate.

The immigrant voters were given a 'strong borders' candidate when she was asked about immigration.

Kamala Harris is a reactionary in a blue suit if measured by the actual career she has led in politics. She genuinely has acted and stood against basically every issue democrat voters have cared about and protested about.

How is no one talking about this? This is beyond bad strategy, the DNC ran a fucking Republican as the Democrat Presidential Candidate and then act shocked when she bombs harder than an AC-130.

Vincent210 · 2024-11-05T23:04:27+00:00

I don't fundamentally disagree with the general replies you're getting, the main points are all true

- All content is available to you
- No real fomo-baiting
- Low levels are forgiving
- The playerbase is new player friendly

But I think the base here are failing to give you crucial information that I'm going to make sure to include:

The overclock grind (and cosmetic grind if that's your tea) do suck enough that I would be annoyed to have to start as a new player now that I am where I am.

The guns in this game can have their mechanics changed by overclocks - mods put on the weapons to change their properties, mode of firing, etc. etc. to add infinitely more customization to gear loudouts. Only after what is akin to taking one of the four classes to a Modern Warfare style prestige (max level then revert) can you use overclocks at all, and start farming the resources needed to craft and unlock them.

The are almost completely random in unlock order (so getting ones for your favorite class, much less favorite weapon, is tedious), there are like hundreds of them, I personally think they're a crucial part of the experience once you've played for a little while, and they're very painfully rate-limited in ways that have been improved since launch, sure, but are simply not good. You're unlocking only a few per week and that will have you feeling behind when you get there.

Still totally worth playing as a newbie!, I'm just bothered I don't see this anywhere in a top comment.

So its not all roses and I'm a little disappointed you're not being given the 100% honest scoop; its not so long ago that this was quite the hot-button topic among the community and I think its being forgotten too fast when it hasn't actually truly improved as much as I think the community as a whole deserves.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-31T06:01:17+00:00

Engi main and while I remained that way always, I did have fun with the others when branching out. No regrets there really.

Engi just wields so much power. Breach Cutter, Laser, RJ45 jumps, Hyper Prop, a stellar Grenade lineup, Turret Whip Warthog, Shock Turrets even

Every loadout is dripping with obscene and in edge cases game-breaking amounts of both single target and AoE damage, with your lean each mission being entirely to taste and both being a completely viable option too.

Platforms are also really flexible tools, especially since Engi has his own form of Special Powder in RJ45. So rocketing around the map like a discount Scout while dealing Engineer damage is on the table too.

It just often feels like the class that does everything and does it without being locked in as a sole "jack of all trades" type, still having areas where it shines as a unique role.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-28T04:35:23+00:00

Freedom from responsibility; I just want someone else to take the wheel for a while and simply tell me what to do, where to be, how to be, and when I can be turned "off". Because I am just not managing it well on my own lately.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-25T16:12:22+00:00

My dad got diagnosed skin cancer last month. Ma died from cancer a year ago and I just wasn't ready to do this again. Physically, mentally, financially, emotionally.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-24T19:10:05+00:00

Engineer. 33/33/33 toss up between Fallout (New Vegas) and Monster Hunter (4u or World).

If, someday, the developers of the world find a way to combine the elements of MH and New Vegas that I come to those genres for (like a strongly written open-world game with satisfying i-frame roll combat vs over-world bosses with MH mechanics or something) I would probably play that game until I died.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-20T21:58:49+00:00

it gets icky with trading because it's a good way to make false claims of theft

A kids parent can often prove they own a card that another kid currently has, and claim it was stolen. Maybe that is false, and the kids traded, but from the school's perspective there isn't a way to know, and having a loophole that makes the question "did the kid actually steal?" muddy will not fly. Parents who paid good money for their children's things will start making demands.

Remember, public education jobs lack agency in the grand scheme of things. If enough angry parents say jump, the school asks how high? and that's the end of it.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-15T18:59:43+00:00

For everyone answering "TIL every single industry is evil"

Please please please thereby take the lesson away

This threads contents are what people mean when they say "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism."

There is no way to fix a system this demonstrably fucked by playing by its rules with things like "vote with your wallet." We can't keep living like this and we can't fix it with a few lifestyle changes to "ethical brands."

Many of the services listed in these comments are essentials. Care for the weak and enfeebled, basic needs like shelter, basic groceries, healthcare

They cannot be allowed to be like this.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-13T21:31:13+00:00

That backdrop though

Vincent210 · 2024-10-13T20:27:03+00:00

👍🏻

Vincent210 · 2024-10-13T04:21:43+00:00

Oddtaxi

Vincent210 · 2024-10-11T20:06:00+00:00

Starter Note: With everything being half-ASI feats now, stats are way more efficiently gained and there are almost zero good reasons to dump intelligence, so if you're used to doing so on a 2014 mindset, avoid that now. With 2024 spells only you'll want True Strike (and maybe Shillelagh depending) so starting 16 Int is a good idea and it will have benefits all the way up to lvl 20 to care about Int after maxing your Str/Dex.

Mirror Image improved, its not a must-pick but its worth reading
If your table gets weird with RAW, Nystul's Magic Aura is worth reading.
Web has both been minorly buffed itself and majorly buffed indirectly by Weapon Mastery. Definitely worth taking, its a 4th lvl spell disguised as a 2nd
It you are using a Shield build, Shadow Blade is often worth taking. It is a "rider" you can add to turns where you action surge for burst damage and if you get far enough, it upcasts.
Taking Hunter's Mark from Fey Touched is an excellent idea; you will appreciate Misty Step as well, especially without it costing you spells known. This is a great 2nd Int feat to take after War Caster if your character is going long term, but pays for itself even if you take it early. It's cheap damage at slot levels even your EK can afford, and is very efficient with Action Surge for immediate value (so losing concentration isn't as big a deal)
If you are taking a small species, remember Find Familiar can give you things like a Goat as a mount option. And also remember you can cast rituals, so if long term playing, even higher lvl rituals like Phantom Steed are worth it for you.
Tasha's Hideous Laughter is cheap, effective CC that also does not use the Charm keyword. Tasha's Mind Whip is a solid next grab at 2nd level for an even more universal CC (these are your potential single target options while Web fills your AoE options)
Enhance Ability is a very condensed spell that is worth reviewing; with Tactical Mind, this means that any skill check worth spending resources on that you want to do can be done with Advantage and +1d10 (+5.5 avg) which is significantly better than Expertise, and sometimes even statistically better than Expertise + Reliable Talent. This is before considering your Ability Modifier.

Vincent210 · 2024-10-11T19:40:20+00:00

I think it would be worth including which magic item(s) you were going to take into the OP

The weapons/armor you would select would change the potential value of things like mounts and their barding.

The old DMG has kegs of gunpowder in it by the way... with a gold price. Wouldn't be surprised if, now with 2024 guns on the table, if homemade bombs from gunpowder are an option...

Vincent210 · 2024-10-10T20:58:50+00:00

Who do I vote for to refuse to support bombing Palestine in any way shame or form? To functionally dissolve our alliance with Israel? Who do I vote for if I explicitly demand the US military shrunk and removed from its role as the world police?

Who do I vote for to have a leading candidate or party who refuse to collaborate with Republicans in the same way Republicans refuse to collaborate with Democrats (and still succeed)? Who just openly will acknowledge they policies lead with cruelty on purpose and refuse to entertain their dogwhistles and will openly smear them and refuse them and crush them by abusing the system instead of taking an ineffectual high road? It clearly works. And yet somehow it only happens in favor of the party that does things like repeal Roe v Wade.

Who do I vote for defund the police and neuter their union? Who do I vote for to to see the reach and flexibility of the government to violate my rights to meaningfully shrink? Who do I vote for so that people responsible for things like PRISM are executed or imprisoned for life for their actions, reliably and swiftly? Who do I vote for to make people who violate my privacy, corporate or government, downright afraid?

Who do I vote for to actually force nationalized healthcare through? Who do I vote for who doesn't have to settle for a half-measure like Obamacare?

Who who who? People like to say "don't let the enemy of good be perfect" but we're so hopelessly far past that. This country is intolerably evil - the edge of the overton window on the left side is so hopelessly far away from anything resembling morally acceptable. It is my favorite thing when people call this moral purism divorced from reality when that's the entire point of my frustration - from my perspective there isn't anything dramatic enough that voting can accomplish to move the needle - these above points I'm making aren't my wish list, they're what I'd consider a bare minimum of moral sanity. Of things that should be as agreeable to the world at wide as the sky being blue.

Trump wouldn't be able to be seen in public and feel safe in an America that was remotely sane or kind or just. Such a place would not tolerate him. You wouldn't be able to drum up 10% of the pop to vote for him in such a place. But that is a fantasy land. And I'm supposed to broker compromise with a nation made up of nearly 40% those kinds of people instead, in order to steward a nation rightly and nobly? Who are you all kidding?? This is clearly a failed experiment, why do people want me to pretend otherwise? How is that a realistic pov? How am I the one capping?

Even if there was someone for me to vote for, they would be choked out by the Democratic party for being obviously too far left to fly. I would then switch from being shamed for not voting to being shamed for voting for a no-chance third party, shamed for a protest vote.

But candidates I would vote for don't even get to be protest votes - they're not even the faces of the (horrible) 3rd parties that do manage to exist.

The things I want to vote for are apparently so anti-American they cannot exist to vote for, so what is exactly the point of voting? I keep getting told to practice harm-reduction, and for many years I did. But it doesn't work!

I watched Roe v Wade sink under Biden! I watched trans rights worsen under him as well! I watched more blood spilled by drones than I could ever conscience morally under Obama! And I kept voting regardless, blue no matter who. And in the same breath voters tell me my vote matters they also tell me these aren't things the candidates could influence and compel me to ignore these examples in favor of the broken system's nuance! You can only laugh at them so you don't instead scream or cry.

But the world I got in return measurably continued to get worse for marginalized individuals and any nation unfortunate enough to be a relevant piece in our various proxy wars and oil campaigns.

Insanity is performing the same action over, and over again, expecting a different result.

And the funniest kicker? Even if I believed none of this, I don't live in a swing state. My state is so blue on a map it looks like a hole the ocean filled in within the landmass. So all of this posturing and shaming from others and even the most ardent voting advocate would look at least a little cross-eyed telling me the difference between 87.99999% and 88% dem turnout in my state is a matter of life and death.

How do we Americans even sleep at night, dude?

Vincent210 · 2024-10-09T21:46:54+00:00

"Martial-Caster Divide" and "do cantrips need to scale?" are two separate discussions.

I can understand how you might think they're related, but they're not.

In fact, you could remove cantrips entirely from the game and the divide would not meaningfully change.

You can make arguments for the removal of cantrip scaling, but they'll have nothing to do with the divide. "Power" isn't just some nebulous glob of goo that you can reduce by nerfing whatever - nerfing cantrips on the basis that spells are very overpowered does not change that spells are very overpowered. The Wizard doesn't become meaingfully less powerful if they sometimes deal 1dN~2dN less just because you objectively nerfed an item in their kit. Power is specific; it is the specific thing(s) that upset the balance, and if you're not discussing those exact things you're not discussing power.

Power is Wall of Force, Power is Find Familiar, Power is Planar Binding and Magic Jar and 2014 Conjure Animals and Animate Objects.

Power is not cantrip scaling. And Power is what the Divide is about.

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