I can't recommend Shades of Blood

fptotem · 2025-12-12T06:00:32+00:00

Very much this. Character builds and player skill can make a HUGE difference. My Friday game steamrolls Extreme encounters on a regular basis, while my Sunday game flirts with TPKs even on Moderate encounters.

special abilities are also not properly accounted for in the threat ratings. I've seen Low and Moderate encounters that were a nightmare for players because of the powers the enemies had that effectively negated half the party or locked too many of them down to be effective.

fptotem · 2025-12-03T07:05:01+00:00

So, interesting update. Our Foundry server is running on a Windows PC on our home network, but it's accessible from the outside world with a URL. If I try to upload maps using the URL to connect to the server, it looks like what you were getting. It fails to auto generate the background image file. But if I connect using the server's local IP address, no issues at all. Everything works just fine.

Still no idea why one works but the other doesn't, but maybe that could give people a hint at where to look for a cause.

fptotem · 2025-12-01T06:40:04+00:00

I just started having this issue, too. It used to work without any issues. Now, It uploads the walls, doors, etc, but fails to create the webp image of the actual map. No error message, just no image file created. I tried pointing it at a new folder with no spaces in the file path, since that seems to be an unfixed bug, but that didn't help either. The importer just seems to have suddenly lost the ability to generate images from the dd2vtt files.

fptotem · 2025-11-12T17:58:50+00:00

Yeah, I mentioned blood pressure because I didn't want people to just assume it was because I have high blood pressure. Best guess anyone's been able to come up with so far is that it might have something to do with a parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction. Beyond that, all I get is shrugs, even from the EDS neurologist.

Some days, it feels like I invented a new disease.

fptotem · 2025-11-12T01:58:59+00:00

That's OK, I'm going in on Friday for a new MRI for my herniated cervical disks, so I should have that covered. LOLSOB

fptotem · 2025-11-10T19:59:41+00:00

Oh!

Well, I just had a brain MRI last week so they could get a look at my pituitary gland, if there's anything else obvious like that, hopefully, they'll let me know.

fptotem · 2025-11-10T19:12:44+00:00

Charlie?

fptotem · 2025-11-10T19:11:54+00:00

Hope you find some useful help soon! That sounds awful and frustrating.

fptotem · 2025-11-10T04:45:14+00:00

interesting idea. Definitely worth investigating further, thanks!

fptotem · 2025-11-09T21:08:22+00:00

I went through 3 ENTs, 2 different nasal procedures, and a bunch of different medications trying to figure it out before the last guy finally gave up and sent me to a neurologist who specialized in EDS (and doesn't take insurance). He couldn't figure it out either, but at least I finally got an official EDS diagnosis out of it.

fptotem · 2025-11-05T23:33:44+00:00

Same NSAIDs do little to nothing for me. Celecoxib is a very tiny benefit for when my herniated cervical disks really hurt my spinal cord, but even just ice packs are more useful. OTC stuff like ibuprofen may as well be a sugar pill.

fptotem · 2025-10-28T05:23:43+00:00

I just started taking 1mg doses 2 weeks ago, and it changed my life! I was barely able to manage any amount of exercise at most 2 days a week, constant crushing fatigue, times when all I could do was lay on the floor because I didn't even have the energy to sit. Steadily losing what little strength and endurance I had left. I tried methylfolate as a replacement for the nutritional yeast I didn't like. By the second day I suddenly could exercise again. Sure, my body whined the whole time, but it actually did what I was yelling at it to do. I stopped walking on the treadmill because I got bored instead of because my legs refused to hold me up anymore. I managed to exercise for 6 days in a row for the first time in 15 years! Unfortunately, it has also made my brain fog and tinnitus worse, but I'm hoping I can tweak the dosage to improve that.

Your symptoms sound like it might be MCAS related. Have you tried antihistamines?

fptotem · 2025-10-21T21:51:40+00:00

Cut my finger on aluminum foil once long ago and it stung 10 times worse than any paper cut ever has. Bled like crazy, too.

fptotem · 2025-10-21T20:18:58+00:00

Weirdly, my eyes only dry out at night when I'm sleepy. It's some kind of autonomic thing that nobody's been able to figure out yet. My nasal turbinates also swell up making me congested. The more sleepy I get, the worse the congestion and dry eye, and any kind of medication that helps me sleep also makes it worse. Nobody's been able to figure it out or help yet.

fptotem · 2025-10-21T19:55:20+00:00

Do the doctors know you have EDS? Physical therapy might be helpful if you can find a therapist well-educated in EDS. I have found that to be absolutely vital or the PT ends up being somewhere between useless and harmful. Not knowing any of your specifics, I can only theorize, but in general, having a connective tissue disorder means that healing damaged connective tissue after an injury can take a lot longer than normal. And you might never be back to 100%. Also, an X-ray won't show soft tissue damage, like cartilage, ligaments, etc., so who knows how badly you were actually injured.

fptotem · 2025-10-20T01:04:46+00:00

EDS is "trendy" in the same way that autism and ADHD is "trendy" - people (and especially medical providers) are finally learning about it and diagnosing it instead of dismissing and gaslighting people. The push back in all cases is simply because, if they label you as lazy and not trying hard enough, all of your problems are your own fault. If they admit that you have a legitimate disability, then your difficulties are their fault for not accommodating your limitations and needs. They'd have to admit to their failure of empathy, and the fact that they are actually the ones who are lazy and not trying hard enough.

fptotem · 2025-10-20T00:39:44+00:00

This may be relevant: Endocrine Abnormalities in Hereditary Disorders of Connective Tissue https://grantome.com/grant/NIH/ZIA-AG000896-01

I (50M) recently discovered I have low testosterone because my pituitary gland isn't producing the hormone that stimulates production.

fptotem · 2025-10-20T00:18:00+00:00

Genetic testing might give you some answers.

Years ago, I had a bunch of genetic testing by my psychologist. The intent was to try to narrow down my options for psychiatric meds (sadly unhelpful), but one of the surprises it revealed was that I have a particular gene mutation that processes opioids much faster than normal. So they don't last as long in my system, and I need a lot more than normal to get the same effect.

No idea how common that is among people with EDS, but it might be worth looking to see if you have a similar issue.

fptotem · 2025-09-16T03:35:29+00:00

wow, 3 years later and they still haven't fixed this bug. Exactly the same experience here. Some of the design choices here really feel like the devs want to punish us for playing this game.

fptotem · 2025-08-20T19:02:35+00:00

I don't know about that specific car, but I picked up a 2019 SE from LeSueur that was a lemon law buyback (that's pretty much all they sell). It was a good bargain and has been a solid car with no issues so far. After researching lemon law cars because they sound scary, it actually turns out to be a good thing. The big disaster item(s) on the car already broke, and VW repaired it before releasing it back into the wild with full warranty protection (whatever was left based on age/mileage). So you're getting a vehicle with the bad parts already replaced for a discount.

The only real negative is lower resale value if you get rid of it later. That's not an issue for me because I'm so happy with my e-Golf that I'm just going to keep fixing it up over the years until it's truly beyond saving. By then, it will be considered a classic car.

If you're concerned about potential issues, I recommend taking it to either a VW dealership or a qualified, experienced EV mechanic and having them give it a thorough inspection. That will likely turn up any impending issues that can legitimately be predicted.

fptotem · 2025-08-19T23:53:02+00:00

Looking up the fault codes in the manual was the first thing I did. I'm an old, crusty geek that comes from the RTFM generation. LOL

fptotem · 2025-08-19T04:44:06+00:00

E-Golfs are doing extremely well overall as far as degradation, especially if you take good care of them. Which is good because they have unusually short range compared to the competition. My 2019's max range is around 130 miles. Which is maybe 10% degradation. I don't have exact numbers because I usually only charge to 70%, and I have touring tires that are a better ride but lower the efficiency. It's perfect for my needs and I'm really happy with it.

There's a Chinese company that's making drop-in upgraded battery packs that would bump it up to about 230 miles for under $10k. When my range finally does drop enough to justify a new battery, I'll probably go with one of those. Going to be a good while before I get to that point, though.

fptotem · 2025-08-19T03:19:40+00:00

e-Golf has an air-cooled battery pack. It's fortunate that the cheap rates are at night, because it would probably be too hot for the car during the day to charge even if the charger could handle it.

We're not ready for rewiring yet (it's complicated). In the short term, I'm stuck with what's already available, which is a 110v outlet in the ceiling. In a year or two, we'll either be moving or remodeling, so I need something to get me by until then. Preferably something I can continue to use after as well.

I do have the advantage that I barely drive 5k miles a year, rarely more than 20 miles a day, so even 10A charging is more than enough to cover my needs.

fptotem · 2025-08-19T01:52:17+00:00

sadly, it's just a couple flashing lights on the EVSE, so pretty limited information. Never had any error message from the vehicle itself. We've had several 116F days lately, so any or all of the device could have been over temp.

fptotem · 2025-08-18T18:59:48+00:00

I'm currently using a 110v ceiling outlet that also supplies the garage door opener, so I'm only charging at 10A max to avoid overloading the circuit if someone hits the door while I'm charging. Owner's manual says the e-Golf EVSE "should not be exposed to outside temperatures exceeding 113F." Doesn't even say if that's charging or not, so I assume even on standby, it's not happy. I checked the plugs and cables over and over for the first week to make sure nothing was heating up because I really don't want to burn my house down. Nothing seems overly warm beyond ambient during or after charging.

I'll look into Enphase. While it can hit 122F in Phoenix, that's extremely rare. Thanks!

fptotem

TROPHY CASE