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12:33 AM
Highlight of Rolemaster game tonight: Me fumbling my "row around the headlands, during the storm" roll.
my PC is now cold, wet and p*ssed-off!
 
I just found some duplicates
13
Q: Are cantrips gained from Pact of the Tome considered warlock spells?

PyrotechnicalThe warlock's Pact of the Tome option for the Pact Boon feature says: When you gain this feature, choose three cantrips from any class's spell list. While the book is on your person, you can cast those cantrips at will. Are these cantrips considered warlock spells for the purposes of determ...

10
Q: Do the Warlock's Pact of the Tome cantrips need their material components?

Evan MorrisI want to create a celestial warlock and I want to have Shillelagh as one of my Pact of the Tome cantrips. I also wanted wooden staff as an arcane focus so I can use melee and free up my other hand. Are the Pact of the Tome cantrips treated as warlock cantrips, which would let me use my arcan...

of this question
12
Q: Do cantrips gained through Pact of the Tome use Charisma or their default stat?

KhashirPact of the Tome gives Warlocks access to any 3 cantrips. The feature doesn't specify whether the cantrips use the default stat (my guess), or whether they use Cha (to make the feature more useful/avoid MAD). Contrast the omission with Magic Initiate, which explicitly calls out the stats, accord...

I'm about to go so do what you will. Those are definitely dupes of the last question.
The older question does need better answers though.
 
 
2 hours later…
2:23 AM
7
Q: Why is Control Weather 8th level and are there lower level analogs?

TimothyAWisemanControl Weather is useful spell for certain plot, story, and exploration purposes. It can solve problems for adventurers or whole communities. However, its utility in combat or even in exploration of the stereotypical dungeon or lair is fairly limited. Why is it an 8th level spell? And is there ...

 
Ben
DnD for kids. Open to suggestions and recommendations
 
@Ben How so?
(I've played with my own kids since they were 6-7ish, I'm running a group for 11 year-olds, I advise my high school's 20-strong club, &c.)
 
Ben
2:40 AM
I have a new friend with two young'uns, 5 and 8 I think. Could be fun to get them involved in a game.
I did find this one which looks ok.
 
@Ben Any reason for D&D rather than something else? I ask because there's a lite (microlite? Never quite sure how small it has to be to earn that descriptor) independent game that was awesome when my kids were 4-7.
 
Ben
Oh not restricted to d&d. Just using that as a label for an rpg for kids :)
 
@Ben If it is D&D, I've been perfectly happy running 5-room dungeons with them. No need to get any more complicated. My kids, at least, have tended not to have plot/outcome stick with them through the years as much as individual elements. I.e. I never hear them talking about whether they saved the minister from the assassination, but they talk about the mostly-transparent dragon with all its veins and arteries showing through until sunup.
 
2:57 AM
@MikeQ You good for this weekend? Mrs S is off visiting progeny, I am free Saturday night ... See back room.
 
Alright, Randall: you win.
I would describe my personal alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid."
3
 
3:26 AM
@KorvinStarmast To be fair, I've definitely played games (Mage for more than a year) that I never read the whole rules for. My stuff, certainly, but not the DM side.
@Ben I... recommend you search the site? rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/79/…
 
Ben
@nitsua60 My main fallback is dungeon making/adventure writing. And for kids you obviously don;t want to get too complex otherwise they'll lose interest pretty quickly.
@nitsua60 True Neutral Inception Chart
 
I prefer this inception chart:
 
BHWaaaaaaaaaaa
XD
 
Ben
3:44 AM
So I am looking for simple systems that are easy to follow, witch simple dungeons to run around in. Make it a one-off game that can get them interested
 
4:00 AM
@Ben I always feel bad recommending a game I haven't tried myself, but Roll for Shoes?
Depending on how you and their parents feel about slapstick violence, Great Ork Gods could somewhat easily be turned Bugs Bunny style.
 
8
Q: Can you use Shield as a reaction against the damage from Fire Form?

blitz thekrakenThis issue came up in a recent session: A character used Shocking Grasp against a Fire Elemental. Due to the Fire Elemental's ability Fire Form, the attacking Character took damage. Can they use Shield as a reaction against the damage from Fire Form? Pretty new to D&D5e, I've been playing 3.0/....

 
Ben
My main focus is on keeping their attention, without it getting too long, or complex.
The simpler and shorter it is, the better. Once we get the ball rolling, I can build it up to be a more regular thing, if they stay interested.
 
RFS seems like the system won't get in their way, and will reward them for doing things they like. On the other hand, it won't provide you much of a crutch.
 
4:21 AM
Just found a fun site with stats for SE sites: sese.evbpc.com/Sites/…
 
Ben
4:52 AM
@Rubiksmoose So those highlighted ones are... good? Like, top 10?
 
user15026
Percentile means that x percent of people or things are below that. So in this case, 95% of the things have a worst answered rate, or what have you
 
user15026
I am not sure where the /165 comes from
 
Ben
@Ash "the things" being the rest of the "165"?
 
user15026
Oh, is the /165 the number of sites?
 
Ben
So, being 1/165 is the best, being 165/165 is the worst?
@Ash No idea. Thats my assumption at least haha
 
user15026
5:05 AM
That would make sense!
 
5:24 AM
1
Q: Can an Arcana Check be used to modify or effect a spell being cast?

SomethingSomethingIs the Arcana Skill capable of influencing or effecting actual spells being cast or other spell-centred details? For example, are you able to influence the effect or characteristics of a spell by rolling a high enough Arcana check? Or does that fall primarily within relation to magic items and no...

5
Q: Do Monsters gain Maximum HP when they gain Hit Dice?

AndrendirePlayer Characters gain hit points each time that they level up in addition to a corresponding increase in maximum health points. What about monsters though? If a monster gains hit-dice, does it also gain maximum hit points? To put it differently, are hit-dice the source of maximum HP or are the...

 
5:58 AM
@Ben that makes more sense
 
 
2 hours later…
8:24 AM
3
Q: Does a level 1 Wizard casting the Ray of Frost cantrip deal damage equal to 1d4 + spellcasting modifier?

mplsI am GMing for a Pathfinder 2e group. A player noticed that cantrips are automatically heightened to half the PC's level rounded up. They therefore believe that a level 1 wizard casting Ray of Frost should count the spell as "heightened" and therefore deal damage equal to 2d4 + spellcasting modif...

 
 
4 hours later…
12:26 PM
@JoelHarmon OMG yes. GoG as Looney Toons would be amazing.
 
1:23 PM
2
Q: How does surprise work when both sides of an encounter are attempting to surprise the other?

kutsuuI an a total noob in D&D and just started LMoP (the Starter Set adventure). We are now in a room before Klarg's cave (the Twin Pools, I think). One goblin escaped to tell Klarg that there's an attack coming. The book says Klarg, the Wolf, and the Goblins hide to prepare to ambush the PCs. Now,...

 
@HotRPGQuestions One ends up with a set of combs but too short hair to use it, one ends up with a platinum chain for a pocket watch they sold.
 
1:41 PM
@kviiri <gif: Captain America understands that reference>
 
@kviiri is this another answer to one of your archaic riddles
 
@Carcer XD here's the reference unless I'm much mistaken.
It's a very good read if you've never read it before.
 
the premise seems vaguely familiar
 
1:59 PM
It's been rehashed referenced a good number of times, certainly. My mind went to this iteration
 
2:31 PM
Everyone is so quiet today!
 
@Rubiksmoose I wonder if Monty Python ever did a version of that.
 
@doppelgreener doesn't seem like their wheelhouse, the joke is too obvious
 
IDK I could see them spoofing it with a Python twist.
 
Is there a meta or something about what makes a question a duplicate? What some of you mark as duplicate or not duplicate baffles the mind.
 
2:37 PM
iirc, there are several
 
it's what we in the trade sometimes refer to as a "contentious issue"
 
The newest question posted to 5e was marked as duplicate when it was a duplicate but worded in a way that it is just kinda related but the surprise question was clearly a duplicate but wasn't marked as duplicate.
 
12
Q: If an answer to question A can be found in question B, should we close A as duplicate of B?

enkryptorRelated: Non-duplicate question with answer in another question Should/can we change the Duplicate notification? Situation — there are two different questions Aq and Bq. Question Aq has a specific answer Aa. Question Bq has a good detailed answer, which includes points Aa, Ba and Ca. Should ...

^that's probably our best overview of it
@Eternallord66 IMO you're correct about the druid Q so I reopened it. It was marked as a dupe by the OP of the post.
 
@Carcer If by that you mean "a roiling bed of seething discontent prone to erupt into violent spasms at the slightest provocation" you are correct.
 
@JohnP is that not what I said?
 
2:43 PM
@Carcer potayto tomahto...
 
@kviiri as soon as I read that my mind went "Gift of the Magi" and I smiled. Thanks. :)
 
@Rubiksmoose Yes but what about the obvious surprise issue question duplicate?
 
@Eternallord66 That I'd want to look at more closely. It looks like it already has one vote on it to close.
One thing to consider is that sometimes it takes some time to get everything sorted out, especially if something was posted during a lull.
2
Q: How does surprise work when both sides of an encounter are attempting to surprise the other?

kutsuuI an a total noob in D&D and just started LMoP (the Starter Set adventure). We are now in a room before Klarg's cave (the Twin Pools, I think). One goblin escaped to tell Klarg that there's an attack coming. The book says Klarg, the Wolf, and the Goblins hide to prepare to ambush the PCs. Now,...

^The question being referenced.
 
About 15 hours ago I posed two questions as duplicates of another question and since then one has been voted as duplicate while the other hasn't. The one not closed has a very good answer but it is a duplicate of another question. The older question does need a better answer.
 
hoi
 
2:55 PM
@Eternallord66 Links?
 
Original question
12
Q: Do cantrips gained through Pact of the Tome use Charisma or their default stat?

KhashirPact of the Tome gives Warlocks access to any 3 cantrips. The feature doesn't specify whether the cantrips use the default stat (my guess), or whether they use Cha (to make the feature more useful/avoid MAD). Contrast the omission with Magic Initiate, which explicitly calls out the stats, accord...

 
@KorvinStarmast :>
 
unclosed question
10
Q: Do the Warlock's Pact of the Tome cantrips need their material components?

Evan MorrisI want to create a celestial warlock and I want to have Shillelagh as one of my Pact of the Tome cantrips. I also wanted wooden staff as an arcane focus so I can use melee and free up my other hand. Are the Pact of the Tome cantrips treated as warlock cantrips, which would let me use my arcan...

The wording in the question seems to be related but are duplicates in fact.
 
Btw, [display](link) linking works in chat too. It might be useful when linking to multiple questions to save on vertical space.
 
I don't know what you mean.
 
3:00 PM
@Eternallord66 Can you explain this? On a breif reading they seem very different. One looks to be about casting stat and the other about material components. Am I missing something?
 
@Rubiksmoose Nevermind, if you can't see it I won't bother explaining.
 
@Eternallord66 OK. I mean, just because I don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.
 
so here's the problem
you can see that in both of those questions the fundamental question underpinning is "are the cantrips learned through Pact of the Tome considered to be Warlock spells"
but that's halfway to the answer already
 
Basically the core of the questions are "are the tome cantrips counted as warlock cantrips or still from the base class cantrips".
 
but that's not what the questions are asking - they're asking which stat you use with the spells you learn or whether you can use a warlock's arcane focus when casting the spells you learn
 
3:06 PM
The older has a good answer now that it needed
 
if there was some grander question which covered all the mechanical implications of knowing a cantrip via the pact of the tome feature, those would both make sense as duplicates of that question since they would be strict subsets of it
but the questions as they are are not duplicates of each other
 
Yeah, I do agree that both questions are "circling around" the same core question ("is Shillelagh learned through Pact of the Tome a Warlock Spell?") but the essences ("do I use Charisma?"; "Do I use an Arcane Focus?") are too different to be called duplicates.
 
I get what you are saying but I guess i'm just concerned about the level of inconsistency when closing as duplicate. There have been many times I have noticed a situation like those questions with one being marked as duplicate and other times, like now, where they aren't. There have been times where the two questions are even further from being the same and one being marked as duplicate.
I have seen it done to new users and to people with many thousands of reputation
 
well, not a lot that can be said to that except that it's difficult to expect consistency on a site with a large userbase, especially when the overwhelming majority of them do not participate in meta discussions about site content
 
There can be lots of reasons for that. If you notice issues and inconsistencies, feel free to bring them up as you have. The tricky part is that duplicates are often not clear cut. We have guidlines, but they still largely rely at times on best judgement. And obviously what is best can differ from person to person.
 
3:18 PM
@Eternallord66 Well, as long as we're being indiscriminate
 
@Carcer The majority of the inconsistent people that "mark as duplicate" are usually the same few people.
 
I think I'm personally pretty consistent in whether or not I judge various things as dupes of each other, but I'm not watching the site like a hawk 24/7 and I don't go chasing down questions I wouldn't have otherwise read just to see whether or not other people judged the same way I did
 
^
 
@Carcer I have noticed that you are one of the few people that actually are consistent. I don't want to call out the inconsistent people however.
 
@Eternallord66 You are allowed, and encouraged, to question duplicate markings. When doing so, be specific: target specific closed questions and focus on the fact that they are closed, not the people who did it.
 
3:22 PM
^
 
@Someone_Evil +1
 
Bring 'em up here in chat and/or on RPG meta.
 
@Someone_Evil My point is that the majority of the people that mark the questions are inconsistent
 
mm. I also recall having discussions in comments where I have swayed the opinions of others who initially did or did not think something is a dupe.
 
@Carcer +1
 
3:23 PM
that makes me curious about the mechanics of close vote/dupe marking now though
if 3 people think something is a duplicate and two people vote to close as unclear, does that go down as a duplicate crediting all 5 of them?
 
I'm usually on the stack at work, so as carcer said, I'm not constantly reading every question.


And I certainly don't search for keywords on every question, so it's "do I remember this?" from any questions I happen to read.
If I think a question is a dupe, I always mark it.
@Carcer yes
and I think, even if 3 people mark a question as unclear, and a mod comes in and super closes it as a dupe, it's a dupe from all 4 (but I'm less sure on that)
 
@goodguy5 okay, so if you are watching individual people and they seem inconsistent the system misleadingly reporting their actions might be a factor
 
could be
 
@goodguy5 Maybe post in the comments where you think it is a dupe if you are not completely sure and let those that can be sure make the decision.
 
@Eternallord66 I do ;)
sometimes, I even say "I'm pretty sure this is a dupe, but I can't find it"
 
3:29 PM
I believe people jump to the close as dupe button way too fast without getting enough information on it.
 
12
Q: How does the system determine which one close reason should be displayed on a closed question, given the close votes?

Sonic the Anonymous HedgehogWhen voting to close a question, it's possible for users to vote for any close reason, even if others have voted for different reasons. However, in the end, once the question reaches five close votes for any reason, only one of those reasons can be displayed. How does the system determine which ...

 
I know when I first started I asked a question and within minutes it was marked as duplicate and I eventually got it repealed because it wasn't a dupe. For new users that can be discouraging and can make them leave the stack. It would be better to close in another way where the poster can see it may be temporary.
 
@Eternallord66 It's generally held that closing as fast as possible is useful. If it turns out the question was actually different, any answers to it would have been incorrect aswell. Having to reopen a question after edits is way better for the stack that answers having to be reworked.
 
@goodguy5 And yes. Mod close reasons supersede others.
 
And the first person to mark as a dupe auto generates a comment with a link to the question
 
3:33 PM
@Someone_Evil I agree with you, but the reason for close is what I am talking about.
 
I think the stack model disagrees.

It's better to refine a question before it gets answers, rather than to guess about and draw in answers from other guessers.
 
@goodguy5 This
 
Marking as dupe seems to be a death sentence for the question while the other close reasons don't.
 
It's off putting for sure, and I think there have been multiple metas about broaching (sp?) such topics.
 
broaching is correct
 
3:34 PM
@Eternallord66 which is part of the reason we changed some of our close reasons to "needs focus" and the like
 
@goodguy5 I agree it should be closed before it gets answers. I'm not arguing on that.
@goodguy5 More users need to use those other options then.
 
@Eternallord66 Well they certainly aren't aiming to be inconsistent. It seems possible that they might just have a different way of thinking about it. It doesn't mean people aren't being inconsistent necessarily, but I think I would be hesitant in assuming that.
 
The Stack cannot grow if new users get immediately discouraged and leave the Stack. The Stack will just get stale.
 
My answer on that "can shield block Firm Form" question is drawing WAY more upvotes than I expected
 
I'm not sure if it can be done but maybe have instead of "close as duplicate", have it as "close as possible duplicate" and then with enough information it can be reopened or marked as a true duplicate. That would help with not discouraging people and close the question before answers are made.
 
3:41 PM
@Eternallord66 Not something we can do here, that would have to be a change that SE engineers make.
 
That would bring the question up to the mods that can talk to the OP and get it sorted out.
 
@Rubiksmoose i.e. it'll never happen, it makes closing considerably more complicated
@Eternallord66 we definitely would not want a system which requires the local diamonds to intervene in every possible duplicate question
that'd be untenable
 
@Carcer Correct. Additionally, the moderators aren't the ones that should be solely responsible for doing that. We're there to be exception handlers and guidance, but the community should be responsible for moderating themselves day to day.
(which, BTW, I think we do a very good job of here)
 
Ok then the "close as needs details or clarity" seems to be the better option. It can be reverted or made a duplicate after all the information is gathered.
 
exception handlers, and duplicate questions are not inherently so exceptionable they should need that
 
3:45 PM
@Eternallord66 I think this is already the way we do things. I only ever close as a duplicate if I'm sure I know what the question is asking and I'm also confident it is the exact same as another question.
If I'm not sure about the former, closing as unclear is the natural option.
 
@Rubiksmoose well, you do, but their point is that they perceive that other users will close as a duplicate on much lesser grounds
 
My goal is to help with not discouraging people because of quick fingers saying that a question is the same as another when it really isn't. Sometimes it truly is a duplicate and many times it isn't.
 
@Eternallord66 I get that. It's a good goal. I wonder how often that happens. I could probably get some data on that.
 
so fundamentally your issue here is ironically a duplicate of one that's come up many times in the past, which is to say that - the systems of stack exchange are intrinsically hostile to new users, closing/holding questions for any reason is very discouraging to people who are not used to stack exchange
 
EG # of questions closed as duplicate later reopened. Though it likely won't be granular enough since there are many other reasons that the question could be reopened.
 
3:48 PM
@Eternallord66 Personally I'd switch sometimes and many times in that last sentence. Don't get me wrong, I think you are on to something, but I think it is smaller than your wording makes it out to be. Rubik's data should shed light on the scale of it.
 
were BESW about I'm sure he could pull up chat logs going back years about that subject
 
@Someone_Evil My intuition is that you are correct as well. I'd say a majority of dupe closures end up sticking. Especially if you exclude questions that were edited later to not be dupes and reopened.
@Eternallord66 No matter what though I really do appreciate you bringing up your concerns here. We can't know about issues unless people talk about them.
 
I get that. I guess my issue is that marking as duplicate seems to be final to some new users while closing for other reasons can seem to be temporary. Some people just word things incorrectly for this site for whatever reason. English may be a second language or maybe grammar is not a strong point for them.
 
And every one gives us a potential chance to improve.
 
@Eternallord66 nope, since there are plenty of reopened "dupe" questions.
 
3:55 PM
Closing until the OP can shed light on what they really mean is great but some may not bother if it is called a duplicate.
 
@Eternallord66 I will say that I would appreciate being told if someone thought I were inconsistently applying my powers to the site. I suspect I'm not alone in that--most people who spend lots of curation/moderation time on site I suspect would be very glad for feedback. So please take this as an explicit invitation to help educate me, and if there's someone else who particularly catches your eye in a worrying way please feel free to use a flag to make sure the mods' eyes see your concern.
 
@KorvinStarmast Yes, but I have noticed that some new users don't log back in after it was reopened.
 
@Carcer +5
 
@nitsua60 Same!
 
@nitsua60 I don't want to call anyone out like that. You give permission but others might not.
 
3:57 PM
@Eternallord66 Well you have at least explicit permission from two users. ;-)
 
@Eternallord66 Right. I'm just saying that if you, for hypothetical example, were thinking "man, Korvin just seems all over the map with dupes" that a flag to the mods would be a way to get some other eyes on your concern without calling out anyone publicly.
 
@Eternallord66 And as Nitsua said, another thing you could do with others is raise a custom flag on a post and ask us to look into the close history and see if there's an issue.
 
(Korvin in no way endorses or coordinates with this message.)
 
@nitsua60 Do flags work that way?
 
(Please stop taking Korvin if you notice blurred vision.)
 
3:58 PM
@nitsua60 C'mon Korvin! Step it up! :-P
 
@Eternallord66 Yeah--they come to a separate dashboard that only the mods (and SE staff) see.
 
@Eternallord66 If you recall, I posted a meta in which I made clear my frustration with the treatment of new users on RPGSE, and SE in general, which was before SE/SO woke the heck up and realized that "hostility to new users, which was sort of OK when it was mostly an expert coder's site, could (finally) use an adjustment in assumptions"
 
@KorvinStarmast I don't recall that
 
@Eternallord66 Flag as "in need of moderator intervention" which gives you a text box to type in.
 
> in other words, please don't tell your grandma how to suck eggs. ;-)
 
4:00 PM
Before I was elected I once or twice dropped a flag to the effect of "I know <blank> has contributed a lot to the site, but their last dozen answers were pretty rude to newer querents." I don't know if anything came of those, but I can say (from this side of the UI) that the message did get to them the elected moderators behind the scenes.
 
@Someone_Evil I don't believe I have ever made more that one flag
 
@nitsua60 I tell you what, <blank> is easily the worst user on this site. ;-)
 
@Rubiksmoose I dunno. User<rand(10000,99999)> is all over the map, too.
Maybe not worst, but certainly inconsistent =)
 
@nitsua60 They act like their 99999 different people!
 
@Eternallord66 Your user profile says you have made two. Don't worry, there are a lot of users who don't make a lot, but they have their use
 
4:04 PM
@Someone_Evil Two? hmm I wonder what they were for.
 
@Eternallord66 Well, semaphores use two flags.
 
@Yuuki What?
 
Flag semaphore (from the Greek σῆμα, sema, meaning sign and φέρω, phero, meaning to bear; altogether the sign-bearer) is the telegraphy system conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position. Semaphores were adopted and widely used (with hand-held flags replacing the mechanical arms of shutter semaphores) in the maritime world in the 19th century. It is still used during underway replenishment at sea...
 
@Eternallord66 User profile>activity tab> impact box has the stat. Click on the "N helpful flags" which gets you to your flag summary
 
giant siphonophore?
 
4:06 PM
@Yuuki I wasn't that part of the Navy lol
 
GcL
@Xirema have you ever run a principal component analysis over monster stat blocks?
 
@Eternallord66 I was, and once was able to send short messages in semaphore, but that's 40 years ago and if you don't use it you lose it. (Well, I did) I have also lost my proficiency in visual/blinking light morse code ....
@Eternallord66 here is a 2014 era (before Korvin's time) meta on the new user treatment problem, and here's my meta that I referred to up there
 
@GcL I don't know what a Principal Component Analysis is. 😋
 
@GcL Do you want something like this series of posts?
 
GcL
@Xirema You're probably better off for it.
 
4:19 PM
@Yuuki I feel like I should flag that post...
 
@JohnP Well, you'd need two flags.
Semaphores do bring up a perennial question I have in my mind about how much culture and technological progress is shaped by the written language.
 
Quick poll: Who all is some kind of engineer/Software engineer/Coder etc.
 
+1
 
GcL
@Sdjz Good find. 2d slices of multidimensional data sets are good at lying to the viewer... or at least misleading them.
Figures without axis labels... a sin for sure.
@Eternallord66 +1 etc.
 
If the majority of you are then that could be a possible reason for the discrepancies I have been talking about. People in those professions, generally, have a different way of understanding things and writing.
 
4:22 PM
@Eternallord66 +1
 
@Eternallord66 +1
 
@Eternallord66 +1 Engineer/physicist.
 
GcL
Well, "Senior Associate Et Cetera" I'll make "Intermediate Et Cetera" sometime this year. Hopefully will be an "Lead Assistant Et Ceteral to the First Et Alia" by 2025
 
Things like semaphores and printing presses are a lot more viable when dealing with a written language that is alphabetic or syllabic in nature where words are composed of a smaller subset of repeated syllables or letters. Printing presses were actually first invented in China, IIRC, but little progress was made afterwards because the rudimentary technology didn't really work well with the nature of the Chinese written language.
 
GcL
I feel like the replies should have been ++ or +=1
 
4:25 PM
I sysadmin, so instead of code/software I write horrendous shell scripts.
 
@GcL I thought about it, but I didn't want to set the standard and make people follow it without having a meeting first with the BA and PO and rest of the team
@Carcer horrendous shell scripts are still code!
 
I bet the majority of the new users that leave do not have any background in coding or software and then they are not understood and just leave.
 
@goodguy5 code implies they have meaning
 
implies, but not requires
technically correct is the best kind!
 
@Carcer You have just proven my point on you thinking differently. I was talking about anything working with computers and software and you respond like that.
SMH coders/scripters, can't live with them and can't live without them.
 
GcL
4:29 PM
@Eternallord66 Does recycling them count?
 
I'm disparaging the quality of my own scripts
 
@GcL No, not unless you are hacking into them or rewriting the codes before they are recycled.
 
"I keep randomly shouting out 'Broccoli' and 'Cauliflower' - I think I might have florets".
That's pretty good, I agree with top prize. :p
 
GcL
@Eternallord66 "bow saw" is code for the "hack saw" and if they show up in the loading dock, I'd say the writing is on the wall for them.
 
I don't write code at all if that is what Engineer was supposed to mean in the question.
Besides hacking together some VBA when I need excel to do something for me.
 
4:34 PM
@Rubiksmoose I think that a physical/electrical engineer would suffice.
 
grrr, dndbeyond search!
I naively assumed that this query should turn up all the monsters that can swallow things, but it doesn't - it only lists things that have actions/special properties called Swallow
 
@Carcer Naturally.
 
@Rubiksmoose Engineering as a whole as well as the coding stuff is what I was talking about
 
I'm not sure if what I write could even be charitably called "code".
 
purple worms can swallow things but it's only given as a rider on the Bite instead of being separately listed so it doesn't find
gawsh dangit that's annoying
 
4:36 PM
@Eternallord66 cool cool.
 
GcL
@Rubiksmoose Which always reminds me of pivot tables which reminds me of Friends
 
More like "flaming piles of wreckage with strategically placed pockets of gasoline".
 
@GcL Grrr. Work blocking giphy
 
GcL
@Carcer There's 7 monsters with swallow in the MM. Giant Toad and Giant Frog don't have escape damage
 
@Rubiksmoose I don't think you need to see it, you either get the reference or you don't
 
4:38 PM
@GcL I have used both hack saws and bow saws. While they are similar they are still different saws.
 
@Carcer I'd fall into the latter. I've never watched Friends!
 
@Carcer why not this query then?
 
@Rubiksmoose Are you saying that no one's told you life was gonna be this way?
 
clap clap clap clap
 
@Rubiksmoose well, if you're curious, the reference is to a scene where they're trying to get a new couch up the stairs to an apartment, and it gets stuck on a corner with one of the characters repeatedly yelling at the other to "PIVOT! PIVOT!"
 
4:39 PM
@Yuuki ... another reference?
 
GcL
@Eternallord66 Yeah. Which is why it's a code. We all know it's not a bow saw, but when someone says it, we direct them to the hack saw.
 
@Rubiksmoose It's the theme/opening song.
 
Gotcha XD
It's one of those touchstones that I missed completely.
 
@Sdjz AAAAH
 
4:40 PM
it's not fuzzing it
 
@Rubiksmoose not watching Friends is one thing, and likely best for you, but you've never heard the theme song?!
 
NOW that makes sense
 
GcL
@Carcer behir, kraken, purple worm, ramaraz, tarasque, giant frog, giant toad.
 
wait, the regular sized frog can't swallow things whole?
 
GcL
@goodguy5 I think they're like the cockatrice where it's just described as them eating any insect they can swallow whole.
 
4:42 PM
Well, huh. I guess it can't.
Though, that could be because there's no diminutive size anymore
 
GcL
@goodguy5 Probably under the "pedantic minutia" size category of conversations. However, that might just be part of the rpg.se rules /S
 
Does anyone else get hair-splinters from their beard?
 
@goodguy5 yes
 
thank God.
 
GcL
We all know who the tree ents in the chat are.
 
4:45 PM
I actually bought a pair of decent tweezers to keep at work
 
not as a matter of routine, but it has happened
you must be especially bristly
 
I guess so. I only have a goatee and I keep it less than an inch long
but it happens often enough... I'd say 1/week?
 
5:00 PM
I really need to add a function to my probability calculator to handle the Bonus-Action attack from Great Weapon Mastery, because I keep needing that to be handled and it's always a pain to figure out.
 
5:28 PM
in your opinion, which land druid type is closer to ocean, coast or swamp?
 
huh, by name alone... coast?
i don't know the spell-lists by heart though
 
@goodguy5 - You do any powershell programming?
 
no. I don't like most things microsoft makes or buys
 
@goodguy5 "Ramrirez was an effete snob and he died on his knees!"
 
@JohnP what did I stumble into?
 
5:31 PM
@goodguy5 coast
 
@JohnP that is a heluva scene to reference
And one of the worst characters in anything (in terms of alignment, not character quality)
 
@goodguy5 Eh, wasn't really referencing the character, but it was the only snob quote I could think of. :)
 
is hating on corporations snob? xD
 
and it's not an elitism thing. I hate Apple more.
 
@Helwar Somewhat, but it limits your options. Most large corps have a mix of OS and languages.
 
5:34 PM
I'm just saying that microsoft has whatever the opposite of Midas touch is.
 
kinda like EA
(although I hate on Open Software a lot and i loathe apple so I use windows :P)
 
@goodguy5 I would reference the Golgothan from Dogma, but that isn't really PG13 suitable.
 
XD
 
@goodguy5 Whatever you touch turns you to gold?
 
@Yuuki whatever you touch turns to poop
 
5:38 PM
oof
 
whatever you touch turns to glod
 
I was super worried when they bought Minecraft, but it's been good so far
@ThePuzzlerThree I don't think that question is stackable in its current verbiage
 
@goodguy5 They pretty much left the Java Minecraft team alone, for the most part.
 
I'd ditch the last section and focus on the fact that (assuming accurate) the book says you can get rid of him, but doesn't offer guidance on how to do so.
but the words "Does anyone have a good idea" are usually an instant close
 
@Rubiksmoose I applaud your comment on the new closed question. Comments like that are great to see for when a new user gets a question closed.
That would alleviate a lot of what I was saying earlier.
 
5:50 PM
The adaptive controller is pretty good though.
And I appreciate the advances they've been making for accessibility on that front.
 
@ThePuzzlerThree Have you tried what it suggests in the motley crew section?
 
6:18 PM
I got a notification to Blitz TheKraken's comment "Thanks, very new -- just learning the system", though there was nothing there @'ing me (link). Anybody know why?
 
but also, maybe an edit/deletion
 
Oh and it happened again.
Hmm...
 
Oh it's because you were the only one who commented before
 
The most likely explanation, as always, is because of ghosts
 
47
A: When exactly do I get comment notifications?

Kevin On a question, you will receive notifications automatically for comments on the question only, not the answers. One exception is auto generated comments, like closing as duplicate: you will not get notified of such comments. On an answer, you will receive notifications automatically for comm...

"If you are the only user to comment on a post, and its author posts a comment without an @notification, you will be notified."
Naturally these are all lies to prevent you from discovering the ghosts
 
6:26 PM
Oh huh, I've somehow never encountered that
 
> One exception is auto generated comments, like closing as duplicate: you will not get notified of such comments.
 
Oh.
 
That sounds useful to keep in mind
 
6:41 PM
oohh... I just noticed that I have enough score (but not enough answers) to get the gold 5e badge
 
Better start answering (or avoid answering)
 
I'm just going to find 90 5e questions I haven't answered and post whatever comes to mind /s
 
Okay, I dumped a math problem over in the Elemental Plane of Math: chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/53147431#53147431
 
I like... math
 
@goodguy5 Or ask 90 new [dnd-5e] questions and then self-answer all of them
 
6:45 PM
oooh, I like the way you think
 
Self answer them twice
 
@Xirema boo for not linking in your comment
 
What about 1 question, 90 self-answers
 
 
Might as well make it a nice 100 answers
 
6:54 PM
@Yuuki Substitute "The Barbarian PC" with "Any player who wants a campaign with RP, intrigue, and complex moral dilemmas"
 
@MikeQ The classic "I know vegetables are good for me but chicken tenders are soooooo tasty".
 
There should be a fifth panel for "Attending sessions"
 
Political intrigue and deep involved plots are no match against the devilry of Father Time.
 
@MikeQ That would defeat the purpose of the meme.
 
7:16 PM
@Eternallord66 How much XP do I get for defeating the meme?
 
Well, dolphins are apparently CR 1/2, so 100 EXP?
 
11
Q: Is there a way to counterspell a level 20 druid?

TheikAt level 20, Druids get access to the following feature: Archdruid At 20th level, you can use your Wild Shape an unlimited number of times. Additionally, you can ignore the verbal and somatic components of your druid spells, as well as any material components that lack a cost and ar...

 
7:31 PM
@MikeQ none, they are a social interaction with no CR value. evil grin
 
7:55 PM
@MikeQ Memes are basically elementals, right?
 
8:44 PM
@HotRPGQuestions I feel like casting detect thoughts first works. anyone else?
 
@goodguy5 I think there might be action economy issues there depending.
 
Well, sure
But, in general, if a druid you suspect to be high level shape shifts, could you cast detect thoughts to get around not being able to hear them cast?
 
@HotRPGQuestions Depends. If the druid is female, you can count 'er spell pretty easily.
 
get out, yuuki
greetings user 12666295
 
@goodguy5 hmmm RAW probably not, but it seems like one of those niche fun things to allow at least.
Since "see" is specifically called out.
 
8:51 PM
see uh... with your mind?
fair
 
@goodguy5 ah, population control
@goodguy5 one man enters, one man leaves
 
9:23 PM
lol
 
9:37 PM
Star Wars Betrayal by Wadabadah. A tabletop rpg game set during the First Jedi Purge. In Star Wars Betrayal you will find the essentials to play your own adventure across the galaxy as a Force user in the exile during one year before the events of Star Wars Knights of the Republic II: The Sith Lords.
It uses the Cthulhu Dark engine! And it's free!
Kickstarter: Libreté: an RPG of Lost Children by GMDK. A macabre tabletop RPG about children trying to survive in a haunted, abandoned city. The city is dead. The grown-ups are gone. And the rain never, ever stops. free quickstart guide here
 
@BESW yoink!
 
10:18 PM
carcer@ryoko:/data/carcer/www/rpg.se/162468$ zopflipng-in-place anydice1.png Optimising anydice1.png Initial: 52302 bytes Final: 7163 bytes Change: 45139 bytes
delicious
 
@Carcer ?
 
@Someone_Evil optimising images for make benefit smaller filesize
I find it very pleasing when I get a very good compression ratio on something
 
Fair enough, there was just a lot in there that did not explain itself to me
 
the original output had line breaks that might have made it more legible
but zopflipng is basically the best png compression you can possibly get, and zopflipng-in-place is just a wrapper script I wrote around that to optimise files in place and produce a little output on the resulting change in filesize
 
10:34 PM
Currently there is a prompt "Show 1 more comment" below this answer and even when logging out and back in it is still there. Is it there for anybody else?
 
@Medix2 It's a known bug. I see it too
 
@BESW KOTOR II was fairly cool. Bit weird though that one of the cogent viewpoints in the narrative came from a deeply deceptive individual who you absolutely shouldn't trust nor listen to.
 
@Medix2 yeah that happens sometimes
 

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