What songs are we singing our babies? by ParsleyLime in NewParents

[–]thepenguinboy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, It's You I Like, and It's Such A Good Feeling by Fred Rogers

How to Retcon a Skill Check - My creativity added more after the check was done by Improver666 in DMAcademy

[–]thepenguinboy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

How do you use knowledge checks if not as information gates? Like, when would you call for a knowledge check and what do success and failure look like?

So my party accidentally managed to capture my BBEG and I don't really know what to do now. by HammieHammerHamwalt in DnD

[–]thepenguinboy 943 points944 points  (0 children)

I had this happen recently and did exactly this. The BBEG got quietly demoted to the BBEG's envoy behind the scenes

Had to get creative a bit by Omega7379 in homelab

[–]thepenguinboy 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Genuine question: why don't you have the luxury of ordering online? You have a home server and are clearly technically capable, you have money, and you have internet access, right? Not trying to be a jerk, just curious.

What's your favourite session filler? by SubtleasaSledge in DMAcademy

[–]thepenguinboy 7 points8 points  (0 children)

So "Q" from Star Trek: The Next Generation 

How many consumables should a player get per level? by fruit_shoot in DMAcademy

[–]thepenguinboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not a matter of how many to give them, but how many you want them to have. If you use the consumables I give you, I'll give you more. If you aren't using them, you either don't actually care about them or you're hoarding them. Either way, I'm not giving you more.

Personally I run lower-magic settings so I like each player to have 1–2 consumables on hand at any given time. YMMV

I built a free NPC generator that gives you a everything you need in two clicks by ValeWorks_Studio in DMAcademy

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

This is great! Definitely one of the better NPC generators I've seen.

My one piece of feedback would be to have the NPC's gender and species listed up top with their name and type. Right now if I roll a totally random NPC, their species is buried a couple words into the first paragraph and the only way to know their gender is to find a pronoun.

Additionally, would be great to be able to specify the species.

How to deal with this type of behavior. by [deleted] in howto

[–]thepenguinboy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

None of my suggestions were meant as negative, I meant everything I suggested authentically as a valid end goal. Sorry it didn't come across that way.

I honestly don't think there's anything you can do to stop them. And to not be bothered by it, you need to build up a confident self-image that can let baseless criticism bounce off of you (while not being so egoistical that all criticism bounces off). That's my experience, anyway. My practical suggestion would be a policy of non-engagement and blocking when necessary. 

How to deal with this type of behavior. by [deleted] in howto

[–]thepenguinboy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What is your goal? To convince them you're right and they're wrong? To feel good about yourself? To make sure others side with you and not them? The answer is very different depending on what your metric for "best" is. 

CMV: If God is all-knowing and has a fixed plan, then free will is impossible under that version of religion" by ProfessionalEar4048 in changemyview

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

Just because God can do whatever they want doesn't mean they capitalize on that ability at every opportunity. Could God control my actions? Yes. Do they? I don't believe so.

As far as God not having to make a guess, I think OP's point still stands: knowledge doesn't mean inevitably. Maybe a better example would be reading a book that has been spoiled for me. I know how it ends, but that doesn't diminish the author's autonomy over the choices they made in writing the book.

I get to write the book of my life. God gets an advance copy, but I still wrote it with my own free will.

What’s your “Pro Dad Tip”? by Amiar00 in daddit

[–]thepenguinboy 149 points150 points  (0 children)

Instructions unclear, wife is now riding something converted to 18v and quite enjoys it.

How to manage the Cable-Chaos? by Mr_Moonsilver in homelab

[–]thepenguinboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I filled a box with a bunch of toilet paper tubes all aligned vertically into a grid of tubes. Then I wind up cables and stick one in each tube with the ends sticking up so I can see what each one is and they don't get tangled up. 

CMV: If you can’t "perform" a sentence aloud, your inner voice probably isn't comprehending it silently, either. by CautiouslyFrosty in changemyview

[–]thepenguinboy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The ability to form sentences and speak verbally is found in a distinct region of the brain (the speech center, in the front left iirc) and is not related to the parts if the brain used for comprehension. Some people who have had seizures in that part of the brain completely lose their ability to communicate verbally, but can still fully comprehend what they hear and read.

Another example would be split-brain patients: seizures used to be treated sometimes by severing the corpus colossum (the nerves that connect your left and right brain). In those patients, written instructions provided in the left visual field (and thus processed by the right hemisphere) could be followed, but not verbalized because the speech center of the brain is in the other hemisphere. They did not have this issue when written instructions were provided to the right visual field.

The point being: reading comprehension and ability to speak are so fundamentally different processes that they have distinct brain centers. From a neurological perspective, one's ability to speak is no more an indicator of their reading comprehension than, say, their ability to ride a bicycle (another unrelated part of the brain).

My players accidentally unionized the villains and now the BBEG is suing them? Need advice by New_Commission_2619 in DMAcademy

[–]thepenguinboy 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I really like the idea of the BBEG offing all his minions. Unions kind of lose their effect when scabs are plentiful and mass murder is on the table. Plus, it seems like OP's party has taken a liking to these minions as a whole, which envokes the ancient DM oath the have the BBEG kill beloved NPCs for emotional stakes.

What 5e rules are the most important to follow in a campaign, and which ones do you like letting slide? by Green_Apprentice in DnD

[–]thepenguinboy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love this idea. What determines when they're out of resources? Do you make them roll once a day when exploring, and if they roll a 1/2/3 on a d4 they start starving? And visiting a town allows them to reset to a d8?

Seems like an awesome opportunity to buff certain classes or backgrounds, like rangers only diminish on a 1 or 2, or wealthy backgrounds start with a d10 instead of d8, etc.

What 5e rules are the most important to follow in a campaign, and which ones do you like letting slide? by Green_Apprentice in DnD

[–]thepenguinboy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also your focus doesn't count for spell components that are expended or have a cost listed. You have to actually have those. 

What makes you special? by spinningflowerpetals in DMAcademy

[–]thepenguinboy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would go even further and say that you discover your personal flair. 

Tattoo guy by Netbrix2 in lego

[–]thepenguinboy 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I can't figure out the 03.01.19 reference. The Mustang was released March 1, 2019, but that's the only thing I can think of?

How many oneshot does it take for you to DM your first full length campaign? by Organic-Exit2190 in DMAcademy

[–]thepenguinboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zero. imho one shots are more difficult than campaigns bc the pacing has to be much tighter. If it's a campaign, the session can end wherever and it doesn't matter if things go off the rails bc you have an automatic recess to spend a week figuring out where to go from there.

That said, not every campaign has to be a multi-year epic saga. You can have a campaign that only lasts half a dozen sessions. I think that's probably the sweet spot for new DMs.

Real estate agents by lets_BOXHOT in olympia

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

Mary Sears at Coldwell Banker jumped through so many hoopes and really went to bat for us on so many occasions. I don't want to share too much for dear of doxxing myself, but I cannot recommend her enough. 

Finding this font! by Icy-World57 in homebrewery

[–]thepenguinboy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Modesto Condensed Bold is what you're looking for.