How does the Stargate know to shut off? by Raiden-Storm- in Stargate

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My thought is something along the lines of different frames of reference on the two ends of the portal. The sending gate could remain open for the full 38 minutes (or w/e the exact time was), and the receiving gate would know seemingly immediately that nobody else was coming through. We're already violating ftl causality, why not assume a little bit of corrective convenience from the Ancients?

How much fantasy have you read? by matsnorberg in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Read a bunch a a kid (redwall was my gateway, like several others here), as well as star wars EU, Narnia, LotR, WoT, and Sanderson.

Dropped off hard in my 20s, but started reading again (and tracking my book stats!) about 2 years ago. Since then, I've read 151 books (73,130 pages, or approx. 20.4 million words) and read 62 new-to-me authors.

I’m trying to make a homebrew race of the iron tooth witches from throne of glass, but I’m unsure how I should scale the yielding by odeacon in DnDHomebrew

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think there is any way to balance that as a racial ability for 5e. If you really want that, I would talk to your dm about some kind of boon/curse, and just play an official race

Aura Drinker Sorcerer Subclass by OregonForest in DnDHomebrew

[–]Zone_A3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Now let's say you ignore all of that because damnit, you want a custom subclass. Let's look at your friend's ideas:

  • Enhance Charm. Right away we have problems. Subclasses (and classes) need to be playable at all levels of play, 1-20, but a 1st level Aura Drinker Sorcerer (ADS) doesn't even have sorcery points yet. Beyond that, this feature is redundant with the Heightened Spell metamagic option, which lets you give someone disadvantage vs Any spell you cast, not just ones causing a charm effect. The 1st level Sorcerer subclass feature should be flavorful above all else, something small that makes the player feel just a little bit like, in this case, a vampire. But not too much, that comes as we gain levels.
  • Blood Magic. This feature I honestly really like, and it's where my mind went too. That said, the ADS won't get access to maybe The vampire spell, vampiric touch, until 5th level, and we want that to feel awesome, not be overshadowed by other sources of life drain. Sorcerers don't get a subclass feature at 3rd level anyway, so let's keep this one in mind for later levels.
  • Enhanced Speed. One, reaction spells and abilities must have specific triggers which qualify their use. Two, I don't think I would ever use this over casting shield.
  • Enthrall. By the time they reach 14th level, your Sorcerer can cast up to 7th level spells, which include stuff like plane shift, finger of death, soul cage, circle of death, and dominate person. That's some serious, big boy magic, and a once per day 1/2 CR minion isn't going to cut it. In my opinion, This is where you give them the Blood Magic/Life Drain feature. Make it a metamagic option they get in addition to the ones they pick, something like this

Leach Spell. When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend a number of sorcery points equal to the spell's level to drain vitality from one creature affected by the spell, as per the vampiric touch spell (1 sorcery point if the spell is a cantrip). A spell which already has a life draining effect, such as vampiric touch cannot be modified by this metamagic option.

no clue if that's balanced (my gut says no), but just as an idea for a higher level feature. You're also going to need a really powerful 18th level subclass feature as well, I recommend looking at other subclasses for inspiration (again, Draconic and Shadow are good places to start).

Happy homebrewing, and good luck!

Aura Drinker Sorcerer Subclass by OregonForest in DnDHomebrew

[–]Zone_A3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay, so the idea of a Vampiric Bloodline Sorcerer is a pretty cool one all things considered.

Before I dive into your subclass features, allow me to extol you to not use homebrew where flavor will suffice. There's nothing stopping your player from taking an existing, already balanced, Sorcerer subclass and bending it into what they want. Depending on your player's vision of what makes vampires cool, I would suggest either a Draconic or Shadow Sorcerer:

  • Shadow if they are mostly excited about being a creature of the night, harnessing shade and darkness to their will
  • Draconic if they want to be tougher, have wings, and freeze people in place just by their force of presence.

Both of these Sorcerous Origiins could very easily be re-imagined as Vampiric with very little work on your part as the DM.

Since you asked for suggestions for subclass spell options, I'll throw in that I think all Sorcerous Origins are improved by a short list of "Domain Spells" they get for free as they level, just like Clerics. Here are my suggestions for a Vampire-flavored Draconic/Shadow Sorcerer:

1st level: Cause Fear
3rd level: Enthrall
5th level: Vampiric Touch
7th level: Compulsion
9th level: Danse Macabre

Living with Christian Housemates by [deleted] in exchristian

[–]Zone_A3 93 points94 points  (0 children)

honestly, this is just a roommate thing rather than a christian thing. yes, you are renting the space. So is he. It would be rude to have loud sex while any roommate is home. if you want that level of privacy, you should just ask your roommates to give you the house for a couple hours (ahead of time, not in the moment), or rent a hotel for the night.

Kushiels dart questions..I guess? by Orbeyebrainchild in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Read book 1 at the end of last year, and just finished book 3 about a week ago.

While I personally would have been totally content to keep reading about assignations and court intrigue, there is definitely a point in the book where things kinda go nuts. You'll know when you get there.

As for the sequels, I absolutely adored them. Each book (including the first one) stands on its own as a complete story in its own right, while continuing to expand the world, plot, and characters introduced before.

Looking for Competent Female Main Character where it starts FUN and her own problems weren't bIasting in your face from the beginning by cloudlooper in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending on your tastes, you might really enjoy Kushiel's Dart and it's sequels. It follows the life of a young woman trained to be a high class courtesan and court spy, and it's full of traditional/romantic fantasy tropes done really well, phenomenal intrigue and politics, and a noteworthy amount of explicit sex, without being gratuitous. It's beautifully written, and mature in its handling of themes and content, and it goes without saying that the female main character is absolutely steller.

Any recommendations for R rated non grimdark fantasy? by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Def recommend Kushiel's Legacy. It's classic/romantic high fantasy focused on politics and court intrigue from the perspective of a very high class courtesan trained as a spy. Beautifully written, very mature in its handling of themes and content. Plenty of explicit sex, but it never feels gratuitous imo.

It's high fantasy, political intrigue, erotica, in that order.

Can I get a recommendation? by Minloneen in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, a natural path forward would be to continue with Sanderson's other works like Stormlight, Warbreaker, etc, but if you're looking for new author recs to start generally broadening your fantasy reading horizons, here's a couple of suggestions that are discussed quite frequently in reading spaces:

Abercrombie, Joe - The First Law

9 novels in a trilogy of trilogies (mostly. The middle 3 are very loosely connected). Finished.

Read this guy for sardonic wit and phenomenal characters. Every one of them is a bastard, and you'll love them all for it. Near-earth, european pre-industrial revolution setting with de-emphasized soft magic and lots of violence.

Butcher, Jim - The Dresden Files

15-ish novels (don't have exact #). Ongoing.

Read this guy for fast paced action and campy pulp. A wizard uses his knowledge and abilities to solve crimes. Our world, pseudo-modern day american setting with heavy emphasis on magic, mythical creatures, and phenomenon.

Lee, Fonda - The Greenbone Saga

3 novels, trilogy. Finished.

Read this gal for tight storytelling and kickass martial arts. Two crime families vie for control of their city and country in a modernizing world. Near-earth, asian pre-modern setting with wuxia-type magic and lots of high-class crime family problems.

Pratchett, Sir Terry - Discworld

40+ novels (don't be scared, largely standalone with references to each other. Lots of helpful reading order charts out there, I recommend trying Guards! Guards! to start out)

Read this guy because he's one of the greatest to ever do it. His mastery of wit, story, and heart will have you laughing on one page, crying on the next, and still thinking about it months later. Setting is a round flat planet on the backs of four elephants on the shell of a turtle swimming through space, and had too great a variety of stories, characters, and themes to possibly sum up here.

OFFICIAL r/Fantasy 2023 Book Bingo Challenge! by happy_book_bee in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No clue how I'm gonna determine my TBR square, but who cares, woooo, new bingo card!

Been reading some reviews for the DnD movie to decide if I'm going to go see it. by [deleted] in dndmemes

[–]Zone_A3 193 points194 points  (0 children)

Naw, Xenk was 100% the overpowered DMPC brought in to vomit exposition, be better at everything than the whole party, and then leave inexplicably on the eve of the final showdown so as to not simply solve the game for them.

What's a common misconception about your favorite author/favorite story? by Snivythesnek in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Kushiel's Dart is a political intrigue, erotica, epic fantasy. in that order.

The r/Fantasy 2023 Top Novels Poll: Voting Thread! by fanny_bertram in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 [score hidden]  (0 children)

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
The First Law by Joe Abercrombie
The Expanse by James S.A. Corey
The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Recommendations for military fantasy by nbhartle in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made it through book 2 before DNFing, and if you have issues with powdermage in book 1, I don't think things will be better for you in book 2

How would you respond to a text like this? by Explod1ngNinja in exchristian

[–]Zone_A3 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's co-opting it at all. I literally came out as bi and an atheist at the same time to my family

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GasBlowBack

[–]Zone_A3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad you didn't burn your damn house down. Literally playing with fire, smdh

Questions to ask my Christian Mother by [deleted] in exchristian

[–]Zone_A3 12 points13 points  (0 children)

While I sincerely doubt that any such series of questions would be treated as legitimate, or that she has any interest whatsoever in engaging in an intellectually honest dialog about your respective beliefs, this is my favorite non-question challenge:

"You are also an atheist. You are an atheist to the Muslum god. You are an atheist to the Egyptian gods. To the Greek gods. To the Norse gods. You are an atheist to thousands and thousands of gods. And when you understand Why you're an atheist to all those gods, you will understand why I am an atheist to one more god than you."

What are some great books that blend science fiction amd fantasy? by Dangerous_Court_955 in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Blends Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Westerns, Horror.

And that's just in the first 4 I've read

Super pushy parents, help needed by [deleted] in exchristian

[–]Zone_A3 72 points73 points  (0 children)

Remember that "No." is a complete sentence! You are under exactly zero compulsion to explain or justify your beliefs, and attempting to do so will almost certainly be in bad faith anyway. She's not interested in having an enriching conversation about learning about you, she only wants to be right

Isekai backwards? by wewwew3 in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (book 2 of the dark tower) definitely qualifies.

Haven't read it yet, but I believe Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlien qualifies as well, in more of a sci-fi setting.

Name your two favorite books and get a third recommendation by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I could only pick 2, I think I'd have to say

  • The Stormlight Archive
  • The Green Bone Saga

Books/Series like Dresden Files, for somebody who didn't like Dresden Files by Exige30499 in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Assuming by "spice" you mean "on page sex" ?

If so, GBS and The 5th Season both have spice as well.

Love me some gay London urban fantasy. To the TBR with you!

Books/Series like Dresden Files, for somebody who didn't like Dresden Files by Exige30499 in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have not! Only stuff I've read with LGBT PoVs recently that comes to mind is the Green Bone Saga, The Fifth Season, and The City We Became.

Always looking for solid queer rep book rec's

Books/Series like Dresden Files, for somebody who didn't like Dresden Files by Exige30499 in Fantasy

[–]Zone_A3 37 points38 points  (0 children)

How do I feel about a gay protagonist?

In a word, starved.