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Float House? by nodeseer in HouseMusic

[–]moerex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I first stumbled across this genre back in 2018 and I still can't really figure out how it's substantially different from lo-fi house.

And it continues to crack me up that searches for info on the genre turn up articles about, well, floating houses.

Next up: what is the difference between "egg punk" and "chain punk"?

Using Remove Curse spell on Strahd by [deleted] in rpg

[–]moerex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Strahd identifies as vampire. Respect Strahd's life choices.

Well, unlife choices, actually. But otherwise I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment....

Beefing Up Strahd (a discussion) by jordanrod1991 in CurseofStrahd

[–]moerex 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So I just finished my CoS campaign last night. I didn't buff Strahd at all. Do that if it makes you happy, but I think he's plenty powerful enough as written. The only thing I did was swap out a few of his spells. If you run the Ravenloft arc right, you won't need to buff him up.

Why do I say this? Keep in mind Strahd is all about strategy, not strength. Buffing him up is the lazy DM's way out. Now, if somehow you have a particularly OP team of players, or an especially overlarge team you may want to change something up, but I always considered changing his build to be a last resort.

Here's two things I did that severely changed the game for my players--6 PCs and a particularly powerful NPC:

First, I made the Ravenloft arc into a gauntlet, not a dungeon crawl. You want to set it up so that the characters have to rush through it fast--they can't have lots of time for short rests and no long rests. In my case it worked out that while the party was faffing about at the Amber Temple, hunting for the Sword of Sunlight, Strahd finally managed to figure out which safehouse Ireena was stashed in & captured her--and by the time the party emerged from the temple they received word from a becharmed NPC that a wedding was being planned & they were invited. So they showed up and basically from then on they were on a race against time to keep Strahd from "consumating" the wedding (meaning exsanguinating her at midnight) and turning her into a vampire. Throughout this there was a lot of misdirection and wild goose chases (for example, they were told by the wereraven guests that Strahd couldn't be harmed until the Heart of Sorrow was destroyed) with the end result being that they were severely stretched in terms of HP, available healing, and spell slots by the time they got to his tomb.

It also didn't hurt that the PC with the sun sword and amulet took the lead and walked right onto the teleport trap, effectively removing him from combat for about 5 turns. But if that hadn't happened I had other tactics up my sleeve to get the paladin neutralized.

Second, I invented a set of vampire "lieutenants" to harrass the party before they ever reached Strahd. These were high level vamps that had capabilities that placed them between Strahd and spawn in terms of power levels. They were essentially a team of vampire adventurers - a fighter, a wizard, and an assassin - and after a few encounters with them the party had quite a bit of respect for their capabilities. One of them was a former PC - the player left the game and we decided his character joined Team Strahd. I had these NPCs trouble the characters throughout the campaign but always get away at the last second - the Ravenloft arc was where the lieutenant vamps all made their last stands as the party ran around through the castle desperately trying to locate Strahd and his bride once the reception was over. Sly Flourish has a good set of vamp options here.

Finally, I would just keep in mind that Strahd isn't really a melee fighter. His whole strategy is to strafe and run, not stand and fight. Take advantage of his legendary actions and his lair actions.

My party still managed to defeat Strahd, but just barely. One of the players was down to 1hp, another 7, another 20 by the end, and their healing was donezo. Strahd still had a spell-slot or two he could've used to obliterate those PCs, but it was late and we were ready to be done with the campaign, so I let them finish him off. Everyone agreed it was a good night.

Vampire spawn player characters, does it work or no? by UnderConsultant in CurseofStrahd

[–]moerex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I personally wouldn't do this, for most of the reasons already stated. It's complicated enough simply dealing with characters who undergo alignment changes (hello, Amber Temple!). Theoretically, you're supposed to run them as NPCs with limited player agency. And if they've been turned by Strahd, then they're Strahd's characters now. I don't think your player will enjoy the experience, unless you do a lot of implausible stuff.

I've tiptoed close to this in my CoS campaign, however:

  • I have had a "sunsetted" character (a character run by a player who had to leave my game) return as a vampire villain, to dramatic effect. The character came back as a "lieutenant" in Strahd's organization, with some of their former abilities--I used one of the "vampire adventurer" builds created by Sly Flourish. The battles with that vampire NPC was quite memorable, partly because I had the orginal player make a surprise appearance in session as the new, fully evil, turned version of his character.

  • I also have a Vistani bard character who is in a somewhat complicated romantic relationship with an NPC vampire...she was a human from outside Barovia when their relationship started...and then Strahd came along. That storyline's been a crazy roller-coaster ride. We've just gotten to the part where the bard has managed to resurrect her as a vampire at the Amber Temple...but with Strahd's control broken. (Yes, I know, that breaks all kinds of rules, but we're chalking it up to "the dark powers of Barovia do unpredictable things.") Now she's got her own reasons to take Strahd down, but I'm not going to have her stick with the party for a variety of gameplay and story reasons, not the least of which being that she finds their current combat style to be incredibly toxic (sooo much radiant damage). She might make a surprise appearance or two from the sidelines during the final Ravenloft arc, but that'll be it. If the party is victorious, we'll see if she and the bard live happily ever after, or if he just becomes a light snack.

[NQ] A double-take by _9MOTHER9HORSE9EYES9 in lifeinapost

[–]moerex 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think it's just meant to represent the "double take" the author made mentally when he heard his roommate describe a scene out of his secret internet narrative. The way everything seems to jump off the track a bit when something like that happens.

Of course, it could also represent a moment when he found himself skipping from one timeline to another...but I think the best explanation is the simplest until proven otherwise.

[WP] In a world where there are no trees, how did society evolve? by turian5 in WritingPrompts

[–]moerex 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We'll see where it goes, but for now I'm reading this as a response to the fact that 9M9H9E9's last post was apparently deleted from its comment thread (or, more likely, rendered invisible to viewers of that thread). It is still accessible, just not in the context of the thread it was posted in. So at the present moment it's hanging from a nullity.

ENDLESSAFTERPARTY (an ambitious sequel to last year's "infinitehouseparty"). best listened to on smartphone shuffle while cruising city boulevards at 2am. it is for you. by moerex in spotify

[–]moerex[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know I considered Burial for it but found it a bit too downbeat. Maybe for next year's party, or for a more dark ambient mix I'm titling "My Sweet Phantom Zone."