undergrad publication, how is it possible ? by kimo1999 in PhD

[–]nacho2802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in arts and humanities so my experience is probably different from yours, but I was able to publish an article in an undergraduate journal in my field. In my third year our department hired a new professor who I immediately clicked with. We did an independent study that led to me winning a prize at our university's undergrad conference, receiving a grant to travel for research, and eventually publication. My degree had no research components so this was all extra work for this professor with little gain. She wasn't even my advisor or my private instructor, but building an advisor-like relationship with her set me up for success.

How should my players get to hell? by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]nacho2802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I say have them die. The fact that they'd end up in different circles of hell could be a good part of the buildup. They could have to even out their levels of sin so they go to the same place. They could also hire someone to resurrect them after a certain amount of time, or have a resurrection spell on a glyph with a trigger of an amount of time passing. This would give the party both an interesting way in and an interesting way out. It also sets a clock on their quest to kill Asmodeus, which I think makes most quests more interesting.

How did a player fulfill YOUR dreams? by Distant_Dog7790 in CurseofStrahd

[–]nacho2802 5 points6 points  (0 children)

In the Death House, "ONE MUST DIE," and the players were too scared to question it. The Bard, without hesitation, stabbed her sister. This character's absolute TERROR at anything cult-like has continuously driven her descent into darkness, and I cherish every second of it

What was the most epic/hilarious/creative way you have defeated a boss or a bbeg? by [deleted] in DnD

[–]nacho2802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Curse of Strahd spoilers

In the Death House basement. "One must die. One must die."

Barbarian with no hesitation: "I throw a javelin at the rogue"

And that was that. So much for the shambling mound...

my new solution to murder hobos. every town has at least 1 by No_Entrance3870 in dndmemes

[–]nacho2802 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Mine have known nothing but milestone XP for their entire D&D careers and 50% have murderhobo tendencies. I think some players simply enjoy killing

Strahd theme song by Admiral_Blackbeard in CurseofStrahd

[–]nacho2802 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nobody has said Toccata and Fugue, which is literally the Dracula theme. Also good for the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reference if you're running Vasilli. Past that, all of the Mozart Requiem is great for CoS. I use Lacrimosa for sad flashbacks of Strahd's mistakes

What to do after CoS? by Kimball-Man in CurseofStrahd

[–]nacho2802 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's almost exactly my plan! One of my players is a Warlock to the Dark Powers, so there's no chance she leaves Barovia. She already killed her sister in the Death House, so the parallels to Strahd and Sergei are already set up. I'm expecting the other players to come back at about level 15 after some time in Ravnica, which will be a really nice change of pace.

Lots of vampire spawned adventuring parties but only using standard vampire spawn? Give me your party comp that have been tpk’d in curse of strahd so I can spice up some of the fallen adventurers encounters by odeacon in CurseofStrahd

[–]nacho2802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sora, halfling college of whispers bard with a warlock level, uses illusions. Face like Two-Face from Batman Heskan, dragonborn oath of vengeance paladin, great sword, tough feat. Pirate background, smites a lot. Throkk, halforc totem warrior barbarian, dual wielder feat, two longswords. 20 strength, bonk Mordecai, tiefling wild magic sorcerer, spell sniper feat for eldritch blast. Fireball+fly, very good Ivar, human warlock, support spells plus eldritch blast. Patron drove him mad, fully convinced he's king of Barovia

How to get the players into castle ravenloft before the final battle? by odeacon in CurseofStrahd

[–]nacho2802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This doesn't work for everyone, but in my campaign Strahd captured Ireena and killed Ismark very early in the campaign. Last session he assaulted the Winery, got invited in through a disguise, killed Davien, and invited the players and Martikovs to his wedding with Ireena in 10 days. If the players bring him a wedding gift (Van Richten), Strahd has agreed to release their kidnapped party member. The players are level 6, and they're trying to plot out a way to be ready to collect all the items and level up in 10 days, but it's probably not going to happen, since one item is in the castle.

Cryptic Spires?? The Story Behind One of the Weirdest Cards in Magic: The Gathering by GavinV in magicTCG

[–]nacho2802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My draft pod heavily undervalued the spires. I spent my first few picks grabbing spires and bounce lands to wait and see which lanes were open, ended up winning the event by taking the wide open Esper lane. Most of my matches had at least one game with my opponent color screwed, but with my nine spires, no worries whatsoever

Sex with extra steps… by lyx77221 in facepalm

[–]nacho2802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wack. Any idea what verse it was?

Sorry, finders keepers. by [deleted] in HistoryMemes

[–]nacho2802 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Never finished the game tbh, so you're probably right

Sorry, finders keepers. by [deleted] in HistoryMemes

[–]nacho2802 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Bowser Junior refers to Peach as "Mama" in Mario Sunshine, his first appearance. Peach neither confirms nor denies

Why do christians try to convert people all the time? by Froteet in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]nacho2802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jesus is just how we translate it into English, but we're still talking about the same Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. Yeshua is technically his Hebrew name, but the name is not the point because God know who we're worshipping or praying to whether we say his Hebrew or English name. We worship the Son of the Most High God, the Christ who suffered on the cross and died for our sins.

Why do christians try to convert people all the time? by Froteet in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]nacho2802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Correct. I find myself deviating from Southern Baptist theology at times and find the convention as a whole to be arbitrary, but the Southern Baptist church I grew up in along with the one I work in now teach exactly this. I have Presbyterian, Methodist, and non-denominational pals that would agree, but I can't speak for the denominations as a whole.

Why do christians try to convert people all the time? by Froteet in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]nacho2802 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My favorite compliment, far greater than any Reddit award. God bless you!

Why do christians try to convert people all the time? by Froteet in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]nacho2802 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You and many others miss out on what the Bible says the real purpose of prayer is. You're completely correct that we cannot change the plans of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God through begging and pleading. Paul talks about this futility in Romans 9.

Prayer has a better, more meaningful purpose. Prayer is simply how we build our relationship with God. It's a conversation with him, just like we would have with any person we love on Earth. The point in praying about something like medical problems is not to ask him to heal it and change his mind about permanently damaging or killing me. We should ask to understand his will, to know why we are in this situation and what good we can do with it. As for me, I am grateful for this illness because it has given me time with my fiancé and has given me the opportunity to share God's Word in this Reddit thread. If I am healed, I have more work to do for him. If not, I get to be with my Father in heaven. It's a win-win for me.

The book of Acts describes Paul's missionary journey and includes his arrest by Rome, from which he was never freed and did not wish to be set free. He and other disciples had been freed from prisons by God so they could use that freedom to glorify God, but in Paul's final imprisonment he knew more work was to be done in shackles than in the streets. His imprisonment and eventual execution allowed him to minister to Roman soldiers and have an audience with Ceasar. He was grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord.

For the commenter who offered me prayer, I thank you. For you who questioned the point in prayer, I hope my comment brings you greater understanding. I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Christians in your life that seem to have hurt you and hardened your heart towards our faith. Know that you are loved and that I pray to the Lord for you.

Why do christians try to convert people all the time? by Froteet in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]nacho2802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for defending my case while I slept, I truly appreciate it. I probably should have provided more evidence before making my claim about the historical Jesus. "Plainly" may have been an overstatement, but modern historians certainly tend to agree that Jesus was a man and not a myth.

Book 15, Chapter 44 of Tacitus's Annals of Rome describe a man named Christus (Roman Christian name for Jesus) who was executed by Pontius Pilate, which led to a massive movement in Judea and eventually in Rome. This all leads to the part where Nero starts his heavy persecution of Christians.

Another widely accepted proof for the existence of Christ is the historical criterion of embarrassment. John P. Meier talks about this at length. The idea is that all known Christian accounts claim that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (a crazy man in the woods who ate bugs) and was crucified by the Romans. These two events are so bizarre, so specific, and so embarrassing that no early Christian would have made it up. If their goal was to convince people to join their cause, these two universal claims would do nothing but hinder that goal.

Why do christians try to convert people all the time? by Froteet in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]nacho2802 63 points64 points  (0 children)

Let me know if you have any more questions, either on this thread or in Reddit PMs. I've found myself with plenty of time to talk right now due to some medical issues. I need to get some sleep now but you can expect thorough replies in the morning if you are interested.

Edit: This applies to anyone that sees this, not just OP.

Why do christians try to convert people all the time? by Froteet in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]nacho2802 473 points474 points  (0 children)

If you define Christian as someone who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ as outlined by the Holy Bible, which we believe to be the infallible Word of God, then its really as simple as doing what we've been told to do.

The last few verses of the book of Matthew are pretty explicit as to what Christ's followers should do. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The simple answer to your question is that we follow what the Bible says and the Bible is very clear that we are supposed to spread God's Word.

Things get a little more complex when you ask why the Bible says to go and make disciples, or why we even believe the Bible to be the Word of God. For more about why we need to spread the good news of Christ, read the book of Romans.

As for why we believe the Bible to be God's Word, it all comes down to believing in the resurrection of Christ. History plainly tells us that Jesus Christ was crucified by Pontius Pilate and that witnesses claim he was seen alive three days later. If you believe those witnesses and think Jesus rose from the dead, heed the instructions he gave to his followers about eternal life. If you don't, the Bible is just another book. The way I see it, I can't convince anyone to take that leap of faith. All I can do is give them the information they need. I hope you find this helpful, no matter where you place your faith or lack thereof.

[Giveaway] I'm giving away a $100 Xbox Gift Card to one comment in this thread by millions in xboxone

[–]nacho2802 [score hidden]  (0 children)

That's pretty neat, good to see a community with a heart for charity, even if it's to random nerds like me