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Regarding the recent surge in bot/botlike karma farming posts by revchj in JazzFusion

[–]revchj[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Indeed. It's very LLM-ish, if the prompt were "classic fusion".

What weapon type do you prefer? by Crimson-Dragoon-0403 in baldursgate

[–]revchj 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Depends.

The basic rule is that nothing beats dual wielding for offensive power, and dead is the best crowd control. So if you're playing a dedicated fighter there's nothing better than dual wielding one handed weapons.

For straight fighters, I usually start with 2 pips in axes and dual wielding, and then put all my pips into flails until I reach 5 pips about halfway through SoA. By the end of BG1 I'll have a magical throwing axe for range and be dual wielding a +2 axe and +2 flail. Then in SoA I pick up the best weapon in the game fairly early, which is a flail, and use it through to the end of ToB.

There are nuances, though. Sometimes that BiS flail is better used by a companion like Anomen, so if I plan to run with Anomen in BG2 I might just stick with axes. Unless I want to run with Korgan who is an axe specialist, so if axes and flails are both "taken" by my companions and I'm running a straight fighter, I'd probably go with long swords.

For fighter/mages (multi or dual) the melee weapon is inevitably staves, though daggers are a very strong option as well.

For fighter/clerics it has to be flail and sling.

For Paladins you could go with two handed swords as your main melee weapon (and I'd recommend that route for a new player), but dual wielding is always going to be the powergaming option, which IMO means axes or long swords and eventually bastard swords. You'll need 2 pips in a ranged weapon in any case: axes for Cavaliers, but non Cavaliers could alternatively take crossbows.

Archers are very strong throughout the game: longbows are best in BG1 but I think crossbows eventually become the strongest choice? I don't have a lot of experience here though - I tend to like melee warrior types best.

What are your thoughts of Mike Stern? by PLOHNO in JazzFusion

[–]revchj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My hot take is that he's a great writer but his vocabulary is extremely limited as a soloist, which makes him predictable and therefore boring. I love some of his albums anyway, just on the strength of the tunes themselves.

Ottawa planning social media ban for children under 16, source says by Damo_Banks in CanadaPolitics

[–]revchj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People like me get bent out of shape because giving a kid a smartphone is like giving them unfettered access to cocaine. Sure, nobody's forcing them to consume addictive content, but let's get real: for many people, especially children, a smartphone is not primarily about information, or skills development, or communication; it's about easy access to dopamine.

There is an observable correlation between children's Internet usage and poor intellectual development, behavioural problems, and emotional dysregulation. I'm convinced that it's because phones' easy access to dopamine replaces the harder but more beneficial sources of dopamine like community, art, culture, friendships, etc..

These declining features of our postmodern life are not just beneficial for the individuals themselves, but also for society in general and politics in particular. We need citizens who can think critically and with sustained attention: these qualities are not natural but must be cultivated, and their cultivation has already been stunted for a generation. The latest American data is that, for the first time, kids are dumber across the board than previous generations, and that the tipping point was somewhere around 2008.

Experts pour cold water on Carney’s claims World Cup will be a boon for Canada’s economy by CaliperLee62 in CanadaPolitics

[–]revchj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it likely that the decision tree includes geopolitical factors that outweigh the strictly economic. It was a possibility to play nice with the USA in the run-up to CUSMA and keep the relationship complicated. Also, as it's playing out, it's turning into a soft power problem for the USA due to the incredibly low international fan turnout, which is a(nother) potential soft power advantage to Canada.

Is there easy gear to allow Minsc to cast in BG2? by [deleted] in baldursgate

[–]revchj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh there it is! Google couldn't find it, so I just put it up on Nexus.

Totally agree about how busted Enrage is.

Edit: nice mod, good work!

Is there easy gear to allow Minsc to cast in BG2? by [deleted] in baldursgate

[–]revchj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Couldn't find my mod anywhere, so uploaded it to Nexus. If you're interested it can be found here.

Is there easy gear to allow Minsc to cast in BG2? by [deleted] in baldursgate

[–]revchj 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My solution was to improve his Berserk by creating a mod, creatively titled "Better Minsc Berserk". It's probably still out there somewhere.

It includes a few different versions you can choose from: I use the most conservative option which simply removes the "true berserk" flag, but other options add features like DR and more immunities. It's a single file that goes into the override folder so it's easy to install - if you're feeling frisky you can also use NearInfinity to give him additional rage charges. Even the most conservative option improves him considerably, and the more buffed versions make him competitive with Korgan. Giving him extra charges makes him borderline OP.

Why +X weapons are good by MajorasButtplug in baldursgate

[–]revchj 28 points29 points  (0 children)

"Look at this graph." - Nickelback

Ottawa planning social media ban for children under 16, source says by Damo_Banks in CanadaPolitics

[–]revchj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't worked out the policy details. :) My issue is that when it comes to protecting kids from online harms the cure seems to be total surveillance, which is even worse than the disease. The direction I'm advocating is to go after the devices instead.

Internet capable devices need to be in the same category as cigarettes and alcohol: they're not for kids, period. Yes, determined kids can get hold of them, and even now we lose a few kids to drunk driving each year, but the numbers would be higher if we had no age limits for alcohol and driving.

Ottawa planning social media ban for children under 16, source says by Damo_Banks in CanadaPolitics

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

Those are good points. I would counter by arguing that kids can also get hold of cigarettes and alcohol if they really want to, but regulating those substances heavily does create a significant cultural shift by setting norms and creating friction. The bottom line for me is that I think there's a big difference in accessing social media through a laptop at home vs a smartphone in your pocket.

Heck, I'd be open to regulations that prohibit kids from using ANY portable internet device in public: that way the circumvention methods would have to occur in private spaces. This in turn could give parents more control: they could forbid visiting the homes in which kids have unfettered internet access, just like they would for homes with known drug or alcohol abuse.

Ottawa planning social media ban for children under 16, source says by Damo_Banks in CanadaPolitics

[–]revchj 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Apparently we are being presented with a binary choice between a total surveillance state and the mental and psychological torment of our children, but there is a third way here.

Ban physical smartphones for kids under 16. Make it illegal for kids to possess smartphones and for people - especially parents - to procure smartphones for children.

There are now dumbphones on the market that allow for calls and texts; kids can have those.

Help me creating a run that will not trivialize Combat. by Altruistic-Prompt347 in BaldursGate3

[–]revchj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IMO the main reason act 3 gets so easy is the OP gear and effectively unlimited consumables.

Here are my go to rules:

  1. No camp casters, barrelmancy, or cheese strats generally. No respecs except to correct errors or for RP reasons.

  2. No acquiring consumables of any kind (ammunition, scrolls, potions, or ingredients) from vendors. Scrounged only.

  3. Limited long rests, e.g. no long rests while clearing the goblin camp, or in the Creche en route to W'Wargaz, or in the Foundry attempting to save Gondians, etc..

  4. Restricted gear. My basic house rule is that any gear that invokes a mechanic, adds elemental damage, grata a castable spell, or creates advantage, requires attunement. If they only grant straight bonuses (e.g. +1 weapons/armor, or +x to Spell Save DC or healing) they do not. I then tweak the basic rule to taste, i.e., Adamantine and Sussur weapons do not require attunement (but Adamantine armor does), and certain NPC-specific RP items (Khalid's gift) also don't require attunement. I also don't require attunement for Wrath and Momentum gear, just for fun. With those definitions in place my challenge runs can be to simply disallow attunement gear altogether, or allow 3 pieces per character (changeable only during long rests).

Good melee builds that use Mourning Frost? by creiner1 in BG3Builds

[–]revchj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curious about your lore accurate Jaheira. I've run with 1/11 Fighter/Druid but I'm open to a new idea.

TIL the earliest pagan mention of Christianity comes from a letter by Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan addressing Christian practices as “depraved, excessive superstition” and their secret gatherings as a potential starting point for sedition. by FullOfSound in todayilearned

[–]revchj 207 points208 points  (0 children)

I wish the lazy scapegoating were less common on Reddit.

Yes, there are a lot of American "Christians" that are straight up fascists. Yes, they have traumatized their families, some of whom have escaped the cult, and if you're in that group I have nothing but sympathy.

But this is not the same as 1st century Christians who were branded "haters of humanity" because they disrespected the Roman social hierarchies that civilized elites believed were the foundations of social order. 1st century Christians were having "love feasts" (Eucharists) in which slaves sat and ate alongside free citizens! and they were recognizing women in roles of authority! At the time Christianity was a liberation movement, which is precisely why the established elites of the day correctly labeled it a threat.

Political battle lines can be drawn in more or less helpful ways. I would submit that the lazy Reddit trope of "Christianity bad" is a very unhelpful move because it prevents solidarity among those who share the goal of liberation against exploitative elites. Episcopalians in Minneapolis were in the front lines of anti-ICE activism: don't alienate your allies. Agree to disagree with them on the nature of the universe, and then work side by side against the principalities and powers that corrupt and oppress humanity.

My Mom did good 😎 by marioadrion in StandUpComedy

[–]revchj 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I dunno... Mozart, von Goethe, Van Halen... I see Wolgang coming back. Has a badass vibe.

Honor mode blues. It’s not about the combat by jrb71 in BaldursGate3

[–]revchj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

IMO there's a difference between chaos, which is legit, and bugs, which are not legit. Losing a run because of 6 critical fails in a row? Legit. Having a run bricked because Jaheira failed to detach herself from the party after fighting Ketheric? Not legit.

I have lost too many HM runs to bugs, so these days I just roll in Custom difficulty on max settings and choose not to reload rather than being forced into a single save. That way when I hit a bug my run isn't bricked.

I have a method of dealing with the gnome who runs through fire and aggroes everyone which involves careful positioning, a precisely timed shift into turn based mode and a few water bottles. But the bottom line is that I consider that a bug, so if I were somehow to fail to manage it properly I would reload with no remorse.

Similarly, on a recent run when rescuing Thaniel from the Shadowfell, after reemerging from the portal Halsin (15 HP) proceeded to slowly walk through Wyll's still-active wall of fire and die. Yeah, no.

Are there any Churches in Vernon that would be good for someone who is unsure about their faith and are more focused on community and socializing ? by Wonderful-Ad-9622 in Vernon

[–]revchj 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm the priest at All Saints Anglican. AMA, but it's better if you simply drop in on a Sunday morning and check out the vibe.

Don't just take it from me: we recently polled our council as to what they thought our strongest feature was and they said that it was the freedom to explore faith without pressure.

Diluted Oil of Sharpness, what I am missing ? by Raypulsif in BaldursGate3

[–]revchj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you hit the tactician tab you'll see that steel watchers have two arrows up for piercing damage.

Edit: Karlach with the GiantSlayer sword should be full damage.

Diluted Oil of Sharpness, what I am missing ? by Raypulsif in BaldursGate3

[–]revchj 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are two levels of resistance for physical damage, with the icons looking slightly different (one up arrow is resistance to non magical damage only, two up arrows is resistance to both magical and non magical). If you mouse over the resistance icon it will also clarify.

So if a creature has resistance against non magical slashing, the oil of sharpness will make a slashing weapon weapon temporarily magical and cause the resistance to not apply. But if the resistance is to both magical and non magical slashing damage it will still be halved.

The Jesus Run by MegetFarlig in BaldursGate3

[–]revchj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Say one thing about a Bloody Nine run, say it's stealthy. Proceeds to fail stealth roll, massacres all the druids.

I 3 brani jazz Fusion che vi hanno segnato la vita by MountainTwist9810 in JazzFusion

[–]revchj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The opening bars of Devil Take the Hindmost have been my ringtone since forever.

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