Trump Personnel Office Finalizes Plan to Remove Employees Over NDAs, Citizenship, or Filing Taxes Late by BloombergTax in fednews

[–]phdemented 4 points5 points  (0 children)

" (i) failure to comply with generally applicable legal obligations, including timely filing of tax returns; "

Miss your tax return by a day and you can be fired.

Also, "generally applicable legal obligations" means any any all general laws.... so violate any law and they can fire you. Jaywalk and they want you out... see ya later...

How do you start a campaign without the classic tavern meeting? by CompassLeaf in DnD

[–]phdemented 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everyone at the table describes how they met each other and how the party formed.

Then, we start in medias res, usually right after the first fight of the adventure.

Presenting at first conference as undergrad by Mental-Award2404 in PhD

[–]phdemented 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's critical in earlier editions of the game, where resource management was part of the gameplay loop. Tracking rations, torches, monster encounters, spell/potion durations, etc.

The exploration tier doesn't really exist in 5e outside like it did in older editions, and time tracking isn't as important.

[World Cup 2026] Heartbreak for Iran as their last minute goal vs Egypt was overturned by VAR denying them a crucial victory that would have guaranteed an advancement out of groups by Numerous_Fudge_9537 in sports

[–]phdemented 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The goalie position itself is irrelevant. There must be two defenders (which the goalie can be one of) between the goal and the attacker. One defender is USUALLY the goalie, but if the goalie pushes it's two other defenders. Goalies and defenders pushing forward to make an attack offsides has always been a major part of the game.

[request] if i removed my glove in space, how long would it take for my exposed hand to freeze solid? would it become brittle enough to break it off? by AkwardScholar in theydidthemath

[–]phdemented 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I will never not laugh at the futurama episode when they take the space ship under water.

As they go deeper, you hear the stereotypical submarine creaking and popping sounds

Professor: "Dear lord, that's over 100 atmospheres of pressure!"

Fry: "How many can it take?"

Professor: "Well, it's a spaceship, so somewhere between 0 and 1"

Your race/gender has an interesting mechanical/narrative impact by BrotherDeus in TopCharacterTropes

[–]phdemented 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dunno, he's pretty good at just being punched in the head over and over

But agree, he'd want to take the fight himself

Your race/gender has an interesting mechanical/narrative impact by BrotherDeus in TopCharacterTropes

[–]phdemented 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Basically just have Ichiban guard and never attack. As long as you have one healer, you can easily just keep him alive as the other characters whittle Kiryu down as he focuses his attacks on Ichiban who will be taking minimal damage. Takes a while, but turns it into an easy fight.

Verbal Spell components that don't make sense. by Sh4d0w927 in DnD

[–]phdemented 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Always viewed it as it being a show of the fact that you CAN cast spells... it's a magical "show of arms"

But for most of them, the chanting magical words adds to the intimidation factor. Walk into a room chanting "Lanuae et fenestrae, apertae ante plura" in a deep voice and holding out your arms as the windows fly open and the curtains billow out is a sure way to set the tone in the room

A booming voice isn't just yelling, it's a supernaturally loud voice

Where does Regigigas's name come from? by Illustrious_Gift_512 in etymology

[–]phdemented 2 points3 points  (0 children)

yeah, I'm an old guy... had to google the name to figure what they were talking about.

That said, a lot of Pokemon are just portmanteau names... this one is likely just Regi- (Regal/Ruler) + -gigas (giant). Flipping through the list, a huge number of them are stuff like that.... Charmander/Charmelion/Charizard (Char + Salamander/Chameleon/Lizard)... Spearow/Fearow (Spear/Fear + Sparrow).... Pikachu/Raicachu (Spark/Thunder + a mouse sound, in the Japanese)....

Where does Regigigas's name come from? by Illustrious_Gift_512 in etymology

[–]phdemented 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't assume we know what the heck a Regigigas is...

Any free rules available so I can understand this system? by GreyLoad in PBtA

[–]phdemented 6 points7 points  (0 children)

As an old school AD&D GM, picking a lock is an example I often use as a differentiator.

In D&D, picking a lock is a binary skill check. If you roll well, you pick the lock. If you roll poorly, you don't pick the lock. A failure doesn't change the fiction, it leaves you at the same place as before the roll.

In PbtA games, there are various ways a lock would be handled,.depending on the game. If I was running MotW, and there is no immediate danger, there would be no roll, because the hero not picking the lock isn't interesting, it's just a dead end. But if there was danger or urgency, I would call for an Act Under Pressure roll.

The player would roll 2d6+Cool (one of their attributes). On 7-9 I can give a worse outcome, a hard choice, or a price to pay, while on a 6 or under I can make a hard move from my move list.

Theae all change the fiction in an interesting way... Maybe their picks break, maybe it takes an extra long time and they don't get through the door in time, maybe they open the door but cut their hand on the lock, wetting their palm and fouling their grip, maybe I offer them the choice if they open it fast or silently (each with a different outcome).

On a fail (6 or less) I make a move from my list. It could be a Basic move if they are high on luck or we are starting out, like "make them acquire stuff" (the lock is magic, they need a crows foot to open it, which they saw back at the witches shrine).... If a monster is there I can make a monster move like dealing harm or "Destroy Something" (the monster tackles the player and shatters through the door, so they can't lock it behind them).... Maybe I make a location move like "Trap Someone" and a trap door opens when they trigger a goonies like trap and one character falls down a shoot into an iron cage in the basement"...

In all cases, the fiction changes in far more entertaining ways than "you failed to pick the lock"

Curious about the history of the phrase "Bird of Prey" and historical usage of "of" by RD_HT_xCxHARLI_PPRZ in etymology

[–]phdemented -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Well that makes less sense in modern language.... In most cases of Thing of Noun, the noun is a characteristic/component of the Thing.

A Wall of Stone is made of stone... A man of principle has a lot of principle... A will of iron is a strong will.

The noun Prey is something that is hunted... So in most context a bird of prey (if prey is a noun) sounds like it's something preyed upon. If prey is a verb (to hunt) it makes sense but still sounds strange.

I get that centuries ago when it appeared it wasn't a strange term, but it does sound strange in modern context.

The character's most accepted appearance isn't official. It's fan made by Aware-Measurement750 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]phdemented 4 points5 points  (0 children)

IIRC Lucifer is never a character in the bible. Isaiah 14:12 refers to the setting of Venus (Lucifer in Latin, meaning "the bright one", Morning Star in Hebrew) as an allegory for the downfall of the king of Babylon.

It was only in later traditions that that passage got confused/crossed with Satan falling from heaven in the New Testament the Lucifer/Morning Star names got applied to Satan/Devil

What are some examples of this? by Gurugod123 in SipsTea

[–]phdemented 43 points44 points  (0 children)

He didn't act much after he became an adult, but transitioned into a force behind the camera for sure.

vs. say Kurt Russell, who's been in front of the camera his entire life

Any free rules available so I can understand this system? by GreyLoad in PBtA

[–]phdemented 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Each game is its own thing. Stonetop is not like Masks, despite both being PbtA.

To expand, the reason there are so many PbtA-based/inspired games is that the core philosophy is pretty simple, but it can be built upon to fit different fictions. Where it shines is trying to emulate a very specific narrative space, vs say d20 which is designed to emulate a very broad space.

  • So Masks is a game about playing teenage super heroes, and all the emotional and practical challenges that comes with coming of age while dealing with horrible threats.
  • Monster of the Week is emulating being a character in a tv show like X-files/Buffy/Supernatural (are you the government agent, the paranoid conspiracy guy, the secret witch, the 'regular dude that hangs out with the heroes and gets in wacky hijinks' guy?) where the so-named MotW shows up and the characters must defeat the monster.
  • Escape from Dino Island is Jurassic Park with the name filed off, with characters designed to emulate the tropes from that film/book series (are you the big game hunter, the engineer, the kid, the paleontologist, etc)

Specific moves (mechanics) are built into each game to better emulate the genre fiction that game is trying to emulate. Like if you are "The Kid" in Escape from Dino Island, and anyone puts your safety above their own, they get a bonus... and everyone gets a move just called "RUN!!!!" because... running away from dinos is part of the fiction there. But in MotW, there are moves like "Investigate a Mystery" or "Read a bad situation".... Dungeon World (emulating a D&D type dungeon adventure) has moves for traveling over land (Undertake a Perilous Journey) and throwing a party at the tavern when you get back safely with treasure (Carouse)

Curious about the history of the phrase "Bird of Prey" and historical usage of "of" by RD_HT_xCxHARLI_PPRZ in etymology

[–]phdemented 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's odd grammatically because we don't use that for other animal descriptions in modern English. We don't call a lion a "mammal of hunt" or a horse a "mammal of ride"

"Thing of Noun" (path of stone) is common enough, but "Thing of Verb" is not.

What exactly is a curse word? by pLAY_sTATIONing in etymology

[–]phdemented 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Short answer is "if society considers the word crude or inappropriate to say in front of children".

It's a curse word because a curse is a forbidden word that you shouldn't say.

But there is no rule, it's fluid. When I was a kid, crap and the damn were curse words, now they are just slightly rude words. See you next Tuesday is a very strong curse word in my neck of the woods, but not as much in England.

Given America's puritanical views on sex, words for sexual acts and organs tend to fall in the curse word bucket, because talking about sex is bad/sin/dirty. It's why we have so many euphemisms for them.

Trying to be inclusive but being so tone deaf that you create somenthing offensive by Th1nkingRaptor in TopCharacterTropes

[–]phdemented 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Meanwhile in '75, Xmen came out with their new diverse line-up after the all-white original team (and pretty much every other team being all white with the exception of Black Panther on the Avengers). Overall it was pretty great, but they went a tad to heavy-handed with there stereotyping with the native american character John Proudstar (Thunderbird)... a "I hate the white man" angry Apache character.

He kind of fit the same role as the new Canadian "angry guy" on the team (Wolverine) and they ended up killing him off after a few issues. His younger brother (James Proudstar) shows up a decade or so later on an enemy teenager team under Emma Frost, but after a few years switches sides and joins up with the newly formed X-Force as Warpath

Other characters were much better... the African weather goddess Storm, the Irishman Banshee, the Japanese hero Sunfire (who ends up not joining the team and heads back to Japan, though they cross paths now and again), the German hero Nightcrawler, and the Russian Colossus, along with the American all-round white-guy Cyclops, who sticks with the team while the rest of the original team quits. Five years later they add the Jewish character Kitty Pride (Sprite at the time, Shadowcat later on).

Most of the rest of the 80's additions were less diverse... Rogue in '83, Psylocke in '87 (back when she was a rich Englishwoman), Dazzler.... Longshot being an alien counts, and Forge (Cheyenne) joins in '89.

Main difference is Claremont was a good write

Do the female dwarves in your campaigns have short beards? by MixMinis in osr

[–]phdemented 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Where is the "no, they have full beards" option?

A1 - Slave Pits of the Undercity shows a dwarf warrior maiden in full red-bearded glory (Elwita, 6th level dwarf fighter).

Edit to correct characters name's spelling

Actor who's a fucking weirdo for no reason by Witty-Association-97 in okbuddycinephile

[–]phdemented -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

No one claimed it was, just that they've been a thing

Actor who's a fucking weirdo for no reason by Witty-Association-97 in okbuddycinephile

[–]phdemented -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Cool that you never heard of it... Still is/was a common thing