Beware of engineers and their practical jokes.
My question: How much did these two idiots spend on this over the years? They claimed they were keeping it cheap, but you don’t encase objects in gigantic blocks of cement and have said mass of cement delivered for Chrismas without putting out some money.
You know what made this a great Christmas? As I began to put my presents away, I realized that you could put all of my stuff in a pile, and aside from the size of the clothes and the disposable razors, there was nothing to indicate this stuff was for an adult.
When I was young I dreaded the day when I became so old that I would be thrilled to get mundane items with no entertainment value. I’m relieved that at 34 it still hasn’t happened. I managed to score some great toys (I collect stainless steel kinetic / magnetic desk toys) some Spider-Man stuff (can’t get enough Spider-Man, I’m telling you) a comic book (Penny Arcade, which is about four dollars of funny for $0.25) and various other diversions and amusements. I also got some cash, which I hope to employ in further attempts to stave off adulthood.
Other highlights include seeing my sister (who is way cooler than your sister) who is in from Philly, some unbelieveable food, and the thrill of seeing my kids bury the excitement-o-meter over and over again as each group of relatives gathered to do the give-and-recieve thing.
What fun. Hope you enjoyed your Christmas.
We’re not playing over the holidays.
Hope you have a blessed Christmas.
This is an artifact found in our current campaign. This object is of major significance to the plot. Skeeve is the current owner, and has researched all of the properties (see below). This object is a sort of puzzle: How can they defeat the Lich without unleashing the various spells upon the populace of the island?
The properties listed at the bottom of the page (they look a bit like magic cards) were actual printouts I gave to Dan as his character (Skeeve) uncovered the various secrets of the orb.
| Description: |
An orb of polished stone with many strange runes engraved into it. | ||||||||
| Weight: |
7bs |
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| Restrictions: |
Lawful Good and Lawful Evil characters may not use or study this item. |
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| Effects: |
-3 HP, +3MP is “granted” to the owner of this object. |
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This object is the phylactery for Mordan the Lich King. Normally this is the container of the Lich’s life force. As long as a lich’s phylactery reamins intact, they will rise again after being defeated. However, this orb seems to have a number of (sometimes conflicting) enchantments which suggest it is more than a “normal” phylactery. The surface of the orb is covered in many arcane runes and symbols. They are in draconic, infernal, and celestial. Words and phrases intersect in complex ways to form layers of spells and secrets. The orb seems to drain a bit of life from the owner, resulting in -3HP, while at the same time placing them more in tune to the world of magic. This results in +3MP while they remain the owner of the object. This only applies to users of arcane magic (Wizards, Sorcerers) and not clerics.
The runes and spells contain a great deal of knowldege. It must be studied to learn more. When examining the orb, it is clear there are four categories of study that are possible:
At the outset, it will take only 1 hour of study to attempt to gain a level (and thus earn some knowledge) in a particular area. If you succeed, it will take 2 hours of time to attempt again in the same area of study. So, the length of time required for each attempt is the current level x 1 hour. To study the orb:
Each level of study will become more difficult as you progress. |
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Eomer and Thu’fir arrive back at the entry hall where the others are waiting. Once their eyes adjust to normal light they begin to relay the details of their meeting with the Queen.
While they are still talking, another servant comes out and rings her bell. She speaks a single name, “Thordek Earthguard.”
Thordek follows the same path of darkness that Eomer and Thu’fir traveled. His keen Dwarven eyes allow him to navigate more easily than they did in the darkness. At last he arrives alone at the throne room of Queen Allidia.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Session 9, Part 3”
They stand in the open hallway for some time. The Citadel is silent. The only sounds come from the open market outside.
At last, a young woman with a dark veil over her eyes enters the room and rings a small handbell. “Eomer and Thu’fir”, she announces.
Eomer and Thu’fir step forward. A heavy iron door opens on its own, and they enter.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Session 9, Part 2”
-Shamus
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Session 9, Part 1”
I'm not surprised a fighting game has an absurd story. I just can't figure out why they bothered with the story at all.
The Thieves Guild quest in Skyrim is a vortex of disjointed plot-holes, contrivances, and nonsense.
When the source code for Doom 3 was released, we got a look at some of the style conventions used by the developers. Here I analyze this style and explain what it all means.
You know how videogames sometimes do that thing where it's preposterously hard to go through a simple door? This one is really bad.
Here are four games that could have been much better with just a little more work.
An attempt to make a good looking cityscape with nothing but simple tricks and a few rectangles of light.
Computers keep getting more powerful. So why do the population caps for massively multiplayer games stay about the same?
For one of the most popular casual games in existence, Match 3 is actually really broken. Until one developer fixed it.
So what happens when a SOFTWARE engineer tries to review hardware? This. This happens.
Two minutes of fun at the expense of a badly-run theme park.
T w e n t y S i d e d
