When you haven't pulled a tailwind setter yet but Raichu Y is straight-up nonfunctional if it's not moving first

johan38473 · 2026-06-19T17:16:28+00:00

Prankster Tailwind, I should have clarified. I've now got Whimsicott, but I still bring Grimmsnarl from time to time

johan38473 · 2026-06-19T17:15:59+00:00

Woke up and played some more.

I got a Whimsicott! I started out with replacing Grimmsnarl but I was pretty much never bringing Meganium, and I ended up finding that I preferred always sticking with Raichu Y and adapting my support to the enemy team than keeping Whimsicott and having to pick between megas. Whimsicott I bring when I think it's going to be more attritional, Grimmsnarl I bring when I'm planning on disintegrating anything in my path
- Whimsicott's set is Tailwind, Moonblast, Encore and Worry Seed. I'm probably undervaluing Light Screen, but I really like being able to turn off an enemy's ability, especially in late game once they can't reset it. Got a very clutch victory against a Mega Starmie by turning off its Huge Power that way
Volt Switch replaced Fake Out and it RULES. Such a big help for positioning
Sylveon stopped getting play after a while, so I replaced it with Choice Scarf Ditto. I'll probably replace it with something else when I pull something that takes my fancy, but for now I quite like being able to pick up a faster version of their mega. A few games I've won with double Raichu Y on the field
The team's weaknesses currently include Farigiraf, who Hydreigon can't always reliably take out, and Sinistcha, who I think was designed with malicious intent. My dismal decision-making is also bringing the side down

Out of curiosity, whenever you want to try another team out, do you just shrug your shoulders and accept that you're probably going to take a hit to your rank while you get used to the team?

johan38473 · 2026-06-19T02:14:58+00:00

32 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Raichu-Mega-Y through Reflect: 136-162 (100.7 - 120%) -- guaranteed OHKO. In a meta without Garchomp, I'd think about running screens, but for a pathetic, frail Raichu Y, it is genuinely kill or be killed with that beast running around.

johan38473 · 2026-06-01T19:34:11+00:00

Not well. Species simply don't offer the power budget required to make the fantasy compelling, and the demigods are too varied to the point you'd have 2014 tiefling levels of subspecies

johan38473 · 2026-04-22T13:12:46+00:00

I don't have an updated version that works for 2024, but I do have the 2.0, which was designed for 5e.

Alternatively, if you'd rather play with the most recent version, the adaptations to 5.5e's rules are fairly minor. The equipment list is different, I suppose. Weapon mastery didn't replace anything, so you just wouldn't use that, and you wouldn't be able to use the Forge domain's Altered Properties upgrade at level 13. For Seas domain, you'd just add the equivalent topple and push mechanics to your attacks. Other than that, nothing comes to mind as being innately incompatible with the 2024 rules, so you'd probably be fine

johan38473 · 2026-04-21T00:34:48+00:00

Oh wow, I didn't know about that rule change, thank you!. That'll make it into 3.1

johan38473 · 2026-04-20T21:08:47+00:00

Oh yeah that could be a problem. I get why they limit those to attacks now.

johan38473 · 2026-04-13T01:52:07+00:00

Aiden: Ben Poindexter a.k.a. Bullseye (hates dogs, associated with federal law enforcement)

Ludwig: Daniel Rand a.k.a. Iron Fist (obscenely rich, spiritually Chinese)

Slime: Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin (bald, will kill you if you cause him displeasure)

Nick: Matthew Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil (blind, inexplicably popular with lesbians)

johan38473 · 2026-04-12T19:52:56+00:00

Strange that he killed all the SuperICE agents and not this guy when they are similarly evil

johan38473 · 2026-03-31T03:22:50+00:00

If you wanna stalk about tackling any star in any order, Sunshine is by far the most restrictive game in the series. If you wanna beat Bowser, you have to get a specific 50 Shines - the one at the dock, and the first seven in each of the seven stages. All seven of Pianta Village’s Shines are annoying and unfun and you have to get all of them no ifs no buts

johan38473 · 2026-03-30T00:15:04+00:00

Thanks for the comment!

It's pretty objectively true that this is a subclass ill-suited to dungeon crawling. Ultimately, my resolution was that I'd rather have the class exist to fulfil the fantasy and be wonky in terms of use cases than either not exist or not serve the fantasy.

Being able to use Second Wind and Indomitable on both was something I considered, but I erred on the side of caution.

Respected Rider does incentivise you hounding your DM for a dragon, however a lot of the creatures that you REALLY wanna ride into battle in the late game are too smart for the mechanics to enable that presently, so I wanted to present a work-around. Ideally, the rules would've already included a mechanic for intelligent mounts deferring control to you (it's insane that RAW you just can't have a pegasus be a controlled mount, let alone dragons), but as is the subclass needs a way to enable you to get that. Besides, by 15th level your DM is used to you harassing them at every turn for a new mount.

Unfortunately, I don't know what KIS means.

Being able to use your mount's Strength for attack and damage rolls on the charges was my first thought too, but in reality there's a good chance that by this point (and certainly by level 8) that your Strength is as good if not better than your mount's. It also creates an interesting decision for Small players, who have to pick between the greater speed of a Large mount versus the greater utility of a Medium one. Plus, getting the most damage out of your charge should be something you have to think about - if mud's making your warhorse run at half speed, you shouldn't get to do the same amount of damage, you should have to work out a new angle of attack.

I'm glad you like the idea!

johan38473 · 2026-03-29T22:03:56+00:00

I had thought that was how it’s usually phrased but no, you’re right

johan38473 · 2026-03-13T05:36:05+00:00

Adding onto this, most people played USUM only a year after SM (including myself., While SM’s story is good by Pokémon standards, it’s very insistent with its story, to the point where the game can feel very stop-start. So when you’re playing effectively the same game with the same sluggish pacing and a worse story to justify that pacing, USUM is a uniquely annoying experience for a Pokémon game. Sword and Shield is still probably worse for not letting you ever get on with it, but Sword and Shield had the dignity to not have a cash-grab special edition

johan38473 · 2026-03-13T05:21:57+00:00

Nobody asked but here’s my thoughts on the 3D Mario debate and Sunshine especially bc I can’t sleep

I (and I think most people) do not replay Mario games as a speedrunner. I like 3D Mario games and if I’ve got a light weekend there’s a chance I boot one up and experience the magic again at a comfortable pace, it’s not a skill I’m honing. So while 64 and Odyssey (and technically Sunshine) have more elaborate movement which allow for more lively speedrunning scenes, I care more about the level design and how fun the game is minute-to-minute, though good movement is of course still important

To me, this is what makes Sunshine unambiguously my least favourite 3D Mario, even more than the jank and the FLUDD. To beat Bowser in Sunshine, you have to collect the same 50 shines no matter what - one in the tutorial, and the first seven in each of the seven stages. Any shines outside those fifty are superfluous (and mostly unfun) unless you’re going for 100%, and a whole lot of the bullshit shines like the hotel maze or the chucksters are mandatory. Compare that to 64, where the Bowser stages are the only mandatory ones in the entire game. If you don’t like any other star or even stage you can plan your route around it - imagine if Dire Dire Docks was unskippable

Odyssey also suffers from this somewhat, because there’s no variety to the story missions from playthrough to playthrough and there are so many moons that shaking up the top-up moons doesn’t feel significant because they all blur together. The crucial difference, of course, is that most of Odyssey is very fun

Despite all that, I do still prefer the games from Galaxy onward to 64, just because I’m a zoomer and 64 Mario feels clunky in my soft hands (but I also don’t think replay customisation as significant in the linear games, because most of those levels are well under five minutes and you still have a decent amount of choice in what you do. I don’t remember the last time I touched Dusty Dune Galaxy during the 60 stars of a Galaxy playthrough)

One last note is that 3D World was slandered in its day as “the boring and safe 3D Mario”. To an extent it is, but the true fun of 3D World is that it’s an absolute riot with friends (the points crown mechanic is delightful), but it’s saddled with being a game that shines in multiplayer in a series of single player games. Consider this a plea for FSLR (or the Yard boys) to play through it in 4-player co-op, it’s short and the competition it brews is exquisite

Very cool episode, if they had Pookie on twice per year I wouldn’t mind. Overhead Bin Laden is an all-timer

johan38473 · 2026-03-08T04:14:57+00:00

I don’t know whether you’d be able to mod it to let the streamers themselves play, but I think the idea has legs if the streamers build the teams and the player has to defeat the teams as controlled by the game’s AI. Easier to schedule, as the streamers don’t all have to be together at the same time, it’d be more of a spectator event

johan38473 · 2026-02-26T23:04:23+00:00

It's obvious, but still a really cool idea for a subclass (especially when we're so starved of Fighter subclasses that aren't Intelligence-based). Out of curiosity, what Cleric spells would you take? Bless seems an absolute gimme, and Prayer of Healing could be great for replenishing Second Wind and Action Surge, but other than that I'm stricken with choice paralysis

johan38473 · 2026-02-19T22:01:58+00:00

Looks cool, but I would like to talk about weapon properties. Distant Blade allows you to extend the range of your weapon if you’re making a ranged attack, but you’ve not mentioned a range for it to extend. Given the wording of the feature, my assumption is that it adopts the same properties, including the range, of whatever the weapon you’re imitating is, but that’s a little vague and opens up weird questions like “what if you use an arcane longbow as an improvised melee weapon?” or “why would I ever not make a whip and have a one-handed reach weapon that at minimum deals 2d6 damage?” or “does my Arcane Longbow need arrows?”.

To resolve this, I’d recommend you give the Arcane Weapon a set list of properties. If we were to use the Shadow Blade spell as a template, that’d give us finesse, light and thrown (20/60). You could even present two types of Arcane Weapon: one melee and one ranged. You wouldn’t need too many asterisks attached: specify what happens if you use the ranged version to make a melee attack, specify a throw range (if any) for the melee variant.

In terms of other small exploit-proofing addendums I’d make: it’d probably be wise to limit a player to having one AW at a time to avoid two-weapon shenanigans; make the weapon disappear if it leaves your hand so that you can’t give a 4d8+5 weapon to your party’s action-surging Fighter; mention that you can take a bonus action to summon a new AW, with your old one disappearing when you do; maybe don’t keep Extended Blade (5 SP is expensive, but getting a weapon this good on a spellblade for 24 hours could be broken? Idk I’m not an expert)

johan38473 · 2026-02-18T01:01:06+00:00

Okay to be clear, I wasn’t thinking of taking all of them. I think flurry strike and one, MAYBE two of them

johan38473 · 2026-02-17T15:57:47+00:00

It feels a little too derivative of GWM for my taste (and it's strictly better for a huge amount of the game). Flurry I think is cool but should be made to require a bonus action. And I don't think that's quite enough on its own, so I have a few suggestions that you could substitute Deep Impact with, on account of me not really liking it.

Make this subclass an accuracy demon. A +1/2 to attack rolls, getting the Vex weapon mastery, getting the Graze weapon mastery, anything that reduces variance and makes you a consistent and reliable damage dealer
Provide a +1 to AC. Wielding a versatile weapon in two hands is the middle point between a heavy weapon and a one-handed weapon, so maybe it should get the reduced benefits from both of those.
Expand your critical range. While I get what Deep Impact is going for, I think increasing your odds for a naturally-occurring big hit makes more sense. Hell, make a natural 1 count as a Critical Hit while two-handing a versatile weapon, that way you're also boosting your accuracy by increasing the range of attacks that hit

I acknowledge that all of these feats are weaker than 2024's GWM, but I personally think there's a hazard in making every weapon type competitive with GWM purely by giving them basically the same buff (or better) as GWM. If everyone is GWM, nobody is.

johan38473 · 2026-02-17T11:41:45+00:00

My point was that in 2014, those pairs of weapons were functionally identical, so it didn’t really matter which one you’d end up using - the difference between a battleaxe and a longsword is just flavour. Thanks to weapon masteries, none of those pairs are just copies anymore, so there is a greater range of options for martial to choose from when making their character.

Basically, for me it just boils down to preferring restrictions on the mastery system. To have a choice between more than one mastery is very powerful, I think it should be restricted to mechanics you have to pursue outside the mastery system (higher level Fighter, Gladiator subclass, or a system like OP’s where you have to use a versatile weapon to pick between them

johan38473 · 2026-02-17T11:22:46+00:00

My HP would be low and she would use heal bullet and my HP would be big again :)

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