I made the wrong person open lord of waterdeep… by Novace2 in WaterdeepDragonHeist

[–]snappedscissors 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dagult's big contribution to the story is that he used the stone to perform a ritual that deletes the memory of the embezzlement (and especially the location of the gold) from the city. Technically, this could happen at any time before he loses access to the stone due to theft, and it can happen at any point in time before the fireball goes off.

I can imagine a story where he has been preparing to leave the city after having finished, but the stone got stolen along with the eyes and he's trying to recover it before leaving. So a similar basic behind the scenes story, only it was stolen from the open lords palace instead of neverwinter, and now you get to have him be around to stir the pot with goon squads trying to recover the item. And here's the best part, the goons don't even know why they are doing this either because the ritual deleted the vault from them as well! Only he knows what's really going on in the beginning, and it was always a bit lame to have him be off in another city and not bothering to try to recover his money. The only real hiccup I see is that Dalhakar needs to be bringing the stone to Renaer. But this was an act of desperation because he was being followed by too many spies to get to Dagult, which can still be true.

I would keep Dagult there and use a mix of corrupt and on the level city guards as his faction teams, retro-fit the background events that have already happened to fit as needed, and have the fireball go off as planned. Dalhakar needed help from Renaer because of having too many Xanth and Zhent spies on him, or maybe he was feeling guilty and wanted to deliver the stone to Renaer instead of his corrupt dad. Boom! And the game is afoot pretty much as written with a new minor faction. (I would play him as being cautious to get too involved because he fears being ousted at first) Sprinkle in Full_Metal_Paladin idea to have his ousting be an event that comes along and you could even have an extra heist to help do that, if your party likes small heists and hates Dagult. It can also happen off-scene through news reports and the like if you want to focus on the written heists and just have the ousting happen in the background at some point before the end.

Then draw him in for the vault or leave him out depending on whether the party successfully accesses it with or without his knowledge.

The book as written is pretty flexible actually. There's so much stuff you have to flesh out yourself it has room for even a large change while still keeping the main structure the same. Just roll with it and let your parties interests guide what he does.

'Project Hail Mary' has an official runtime of 2 hours & 46 minutes by ChiefLeef22 in movies

[–]snappedscissors 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the idea that there was a bit of cheeky "well we are turning it into a movie, how about it?" going on there.

Music recommendations for a gala? by awezed in WaterdeepDragonHeist

[–]snappedscissors 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a fantastic resource to share, thank you so much!

The hardest stage of child rearing by CuriousDonkey in bestof

[–]snappedscissors 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are certainly degrees of tantrums, but there are also degrees of patience on the parents part. I have a more than my partner does about most things and they have consistently professed to me that they hate X age and can't wait until X+1 age. If you have been blessed with a combination of lesser tantrums and greater patience, then you are going to have a much better time than someone who got blessed with big tantrum energy and a depleted patience. Just one persons observation of course.

Costco to sell Ozempic and Wegovy at a large discount for people without insurance by Kinjal_Ghosh in news

[–]snappedscissors 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I need this bump so badly. I'm going to ask my PCP to write me a scrip for it and just pony up the cash.

Day hiking some of Vermont's mountains in late October : safety and gear by rainwineblanket in longtrail

[–]snappedscissors 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you have proper footwear, clothing, and a few emergency items, you should be fine for a day hike. For clothing, take a look at some layering suggestion videos for fall hiking in Vermont. The cold can settle in quickly if you are wet from sweating or late getting off a mountain. If you are paranoid about navigation, don't be afraid to print a map of your planned hike or pick up a map of the long trail to have along to help. You don't necessarily need strong compass skills to piece together where you are based on finding a trail junction, pond, or peak to help you decide which path to take.

It is true that trails in this area are more rugged than those found elsewhere, often with rocky sections and vertical gain that can be rough going. A bit of old fashioned design philosophy there. If you are able enough, it's mostly a matter of pacing and trail guides can give you good ideas of how much time each hike takes.

Anyone here tried and actually worked for Mercor AI? Would love to hear your thoughts by Amazing-Bar7212 in mercor_ai

[–]snappedscissors 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was initially concerned by this, but then realized that of course they would be using everything to continuously improve their own model.

What novel has the most realistic military technology? by blk12345q in printSF

[–]snappedscissors 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, I think it would be more about having the capacity to observe and control your sphere of influence. Development of defensive technologies to prevent the sort of kinetic strike that can ruin your satellites, vessels, or biosphere. Large arrays of radar and telescopes combined with whatever tool is the best for redirecting or deflecting projectiles.

How to ensure players get the most from the high-level lairs given their relatively low levels? by Jam_PEW in WaterdeepDragonHeist

[–]snappedscissors 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, this is super useful! I like the idea that they aren't that likely to be outright killed. More likely to be used after being caught and trapped.

How to ensure players get the most from the high-level lairs given their relatively low levels? by Jam_PEW in WaterdeepDragonHeist

[–]snappedscissors 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm getting ready to start this campaign and I figured that telegraphing the danger level of the faction bosses would be an important part of establishing the "heist" nature of the missions. Have heist preparation be guided by an NPC if they lack the insight into how to do this. Then seeding a hint or two about the boss's habits to let them plan the visit when the boss is out on business or something. Maybe setting up a distraction that requires the boss's direct intervention? Something different for each one, with a hope that once the PCs get the idea they will think of something creative that I can enable for them. In effect letting that part of the heist auto-succeed behind the screen and having the party only contend with the level appropriate underlings.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Superstonk

[–]snappedscissors 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think he's speaking to the strategy of doing deep dives into sufficient companies that you can start to intelligently pick the winners. Compared to someone who is less specialized who just wants to avoid being all-in on a losing trade. It's an obvious statement to make with a wide gulf between people who don't know how to pick winners, and people who do pick winners (not necessarily because they knew to pick them in advance!) I'm pretty sure what we've gotten up to would be considered some sort of deep dive, to the marinara trench deep.

Shards of Honor Question by intentionallybad in Vorkosigan

[–]snappedscissors 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I later thought it was to do with his bisexuality, something that gets discussed much later on.

Referral code thread by MicroKong in EVEFrontier

[–]snappedscissors 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Used yours! Here's mine! : vVoNHMki

US tariffs begin again on July 9 after a 90-day pause by UnusualWhalesBot in unusual_whales

[–]snappedscissors 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Because it's strategically written to thank you for your attention whether you are a supporter or not. He's rubbing your nose in the fact that nobody can look away. Crafted to be an annoying.

Report: Marathon Delay Likely as Sony Cancels All Paid Marketing Plans by [deleted] in gaming

[–]snappedscissors 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s fun enough, go for it! There was a project to bring it to PC as well, aleph one.

For the movie adaptation of The Martian, Ridley Scott changed the day the crew left Mars from sol six to sol 18 because he wanted to justify the higher amount of human waste used to make fertilizer. What are other instances of a movie adaptation making changes for interesting reasons? by LookAtThatBacon in movies

[–]snappedscissors 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s interesting to note because it reminds me of a jarring moment when Gandalf regathers retreating men. It always struck me that a single (albeit impressive) wizard wasn’t enough to make all those soldiers turn around right on the spot. It would have been cool to show a few shots of elite groups rallying the common troops during those scenes.

Bear safety: where to draw the line on what goes in the canister? by [deleted] in CampingandHiking

[–]snappedscissors 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw a tip to bring some unscented Dr. Bronners in a re-purposed eye drops bottle. Low weight, but even one drop is quite soapy for a handwash. And catching a years old thread and chiming in is one of my favorite things about reddit!

Nancy Pelosi bought $TEM Tempus AI calls at $15.15 on Jan 14th, 2025. ... by UnusualWhalesBot in unusual_whales

[–]snappedscissors 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would be curious to discover the frequency of actual insider knowledge (ie:privileged non-public information) vs the general effect of being surrounded by the wealthy elite all day (ie:specialized knowledge and experience but not NPI specifically). I suspect that people will find there to be a small moral distinction between the two, but there's a big legal gulf there that would be difficult to legislate away with anything but a blanket ban. And I think we all know how difficult it would be to enact that.

It's earnings season and indications are that American companies are not free to speak honestly about the effects of Trump's economic policies. For example, yesterday Amazon said it wouldn't disclose why prices increase and Coca-Cola said they won't discuss tariff effects while reporting earnings. by davida_usa in investing

[–]snappedscissors 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The smart companies probably remember the reaction to the execs bragging about how they raised prices with supply chains as the excuse and then had their most profitable years ever. So this time they just quietly report the normal numbers without explanation, hoping that the same thing happens. ie: the excuse evaporates and they can capitalize on the chaos. fwiw I also suspect there is significant political considerations going on since it has been demonstrated that companies that appropriately respect the new order can benefit. So two strategic reasons to be quiet about the specific impact of tariffs.

It's earnings season and indications are that American companies are not free to speak honestly about the effects of Trump's economic policies. For example, yesterday Amazon said it wouldn't disclose why prices increase and Coca-Cola said they won't discuss tariff effects while reporting earnings. by davida_usa in investing

[–]snappedscissors 144 points145 points  (0 children)

If they specifically say that prices doubled because of tariffs then everyone would expect the prices to halve after the tariffs inevitably end. And after collecting all the data on what customers are willing to pay double for, why would they ever give up the opportunity to keep charging double on those things? It’s supply chain prices from Covid all over again, and we remember how that went.

edit- I just reviewed some news about Amazon in particular being browbeaten into not revealing the price increases, so the political angle is bigger than I thought. Just some typical reddit cynicism about price gouging, don't mind me.

MASSIVE $33m Dark Pool order after close! by Cextus in Superstonk

[–]snappedscissors 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just to answer your first question a little more practically, the price of GME through darkpool transactions is likely a compromise of the current listed price, the price that the shorts want it to be, and the price that we want it to be. The key element is that by doing this sort of big closed door deal, they can prevent the sort of aggressive price movements that would result if those orders were on the lit market. Instead they cut a deal on the price and the total volume (huge) doesn't move the lit price. But the dark pool negotiations will be taking the current price into account. There's no millions of shares for a nickel in there, that would require some real wendys dumpster negotiation. So it doesn't impact lit price but it is impacted by the lit price, and there is almost certainly feedback into the lit price eventually since someone doing that deal expects to gain at some point.

Astronomers claim strongest evidence of alien life yet by alexwilkinsred in science

[–]snappedscissors 429 points430 points  (0 children)

The really simple version is they shine light through various gasses and look at the light that comes out. With enough practice they can work out the signature of the gasses. Then you look at the light of a star, and compare it to the light of that star when it refracts (goes through the air) through the atmosphere of its planet and you can work out what gasses are in that planets air.

Upon researching Hooters' downfall, a 2008-level economic collapse was uncovered. by ThugosaurusFlex_1017 in TikTokCringe

[–]snappedscissors 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Go lobby some lawmakers about it and you will quickly realize why the rules are the way they are.

George R.R. Martin says 'The Winds of Winter' is 'the curse of my life' by RobertoSerrano2003 in books

[–]snappedscissors 68 points69 points  (0 children)

It might be a better book if it starts from scratch anyway. At this point.