mastodon 4.7.3I'm a simple man: I like my beer cold, my music loud, and my swords laser. I write TTRPG stuff & design nerdy t-shirts. (he/him/anh/anh ấy)
Some people don't like monks in #dnd because they think the Shaolin style doesn't mesh with the European style of most of the rest of it. But think of the kung fu styles that could be invented in a D&D world!
"Your Owlbear style is no match for my Displacer Beast style!"
"Your Displacer Beast style may have defeated my brothers, but I have mastered the Blink Dog's Hidden Fangs technique. Your Displacer Beast style cannot defend against it! Prepare to die!"
I went to my son's back to school night to see what his teachers have planned. It was ok until English language arts. The teacher said they'll have to do an essay in MLA format.
MLA format.
"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane starts playing.
Extreme close-up on my eye. My eye dilates but sees nothing.
An essay in MLA format.
It is 1994. I have to do an essay. MLA format. I don't know what to write. My copy of "Funk & Wagnall's Elements of Style" is heavy in my hands.
MLA style...
From the point of view of the xenomorph, "Alien" is the same story as "Die Hard".
From the point of view of the Wet Bandits, "Home Alone" is the same story as "Predator".
The English suffix "-ard" (as in "drunkard", "laggard", "braggard", and "sluggard") is used to make adjectives into deprecating nouns.
"He's drunk" is just a description.
"He's a drunkard" is a moral judgment that finds the subject lacking.
The same process turned "he's wise" into "he's a wizard".
"Wizard" was the medieval equivalent of "smartass".
I just updated the blog with my notes on some of the gods of the Moon Shadows #ttrpg #dnd setting. This entry covers the primordial triad (Wellspring , Weaver, and Worm), the old pagan faith that worships them, and the Source, the mystical flow of energy that flows through them and vitalizes the world. Plus an odd world building tangent about jingle bells and wind chimes. Also, what's the deal with Druids anyway? I mean, there's no Ireland or Gaul anywhere... What gives?
We're closer to the next summer of '69 than the one that the song of the same name is about.
I have a new addition to my list of tragic cinematic could've beens:
1. Tim Burton's "Batman" had briefly cast Willem Dafoe as Bruce Wayne & Robin Williams as Joker.
2. "Big Trouble in Little China" was supposed to be a Western but they made it contemporary because period sets were too costly.
And now...
3. "Army of Darkness" should have been named "Evil Dead 3: Medieval Dead" and now I'm so mad they missed that opportunity. I don't even like puns, but come on!
It's been on my mind lately as I internally debate whether to finish writing up the dwarves or do something else for "Moon Shadows", so I decided to just ramble a bit about it on the blog. Why aren't Moon Shadows dwarves like Gimli? The ones I've already published on itch.io (Sun Dwarf, Shadow Dwarf, and Iron Dwarf) all have magic runes, but Gimli was just a dude with an ax and an attitude. What's with all the magic powers?
After a couple months of working with pen & paper, I've finally sat down at the computer to do another couple of pages for Moon Shadows.
The Iron Dwarves of the Red Moon are master smiths who use rune magic and alchemy in their forging. Alchemy is more than just brewing potions. After all, metallurgy is just alchemy with molten metal.
If we divided California into two states, should it be divided between North and South or West and East?
This is a friendly reminder.
Relax your shoulders.
Unclench your jaw.
Drink some water.
Open your third eye.
Sing the ancient voidsong that calls for the end of this crude flesh.
Floss.
Oops. After my blog post about the 3 Primordial gods of the Moon Shadows #ttrpg setting, I wrote one about the gods of light but forgot to hit the "publish" button. Here's Morrow, Verath, and Saphyra, the gods of Hope, Truth, and Love (sort of, and respectively).
Light isn't "good" or "nice" but it's the best we got.