Posts (page 2)

SOUL CALIBUR IV!!!!!!!

Jul 30, 2008
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So. Much. AWESOME.

All my favorite characters are there. One of the new characters (Hilde) has a new fighting style that's really fun to play. The solo modes on Normal play like Normal, not Normal-Except-For-The-Final-Uber-Boss-Who-Kills-You-Over-And-Over. The stages are lovely (although still not as magnificent as DOA4). The new character-creation mechanic is deep and engaging.

I may actually pick up a book for this one. There's the new Skills mechanic, the "hidden rewards" in Tower mode, and the extensive move lists...I could use a couch-side reference. Usually I just reference the guides on various Web sites, but a book might be handier for this much material.

FMUT FTW

Jul 25, 2008
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T his post from alas got my geek wheels a-churning today. The old-school Fighter/Magic-User/Thief - the one man army. As alas points out, "thief" in 4e is pretty different from AD&D. The main reasons for putting the "T" in "FMUT" were sneak attack and skills like Open Lock or Move Silently. Thievery and Stealth are accessible to many classes now and abilities like Curse and Hunter's Quarry provide the extra damage dice.

The FMUT was pretty much a fighter with add-ons, and alas built his updated version on this principle. I wondered what was possible if the sorcery came to the fore - a MUFT, if you will. Warlocks have an advantage over Wizards in this archetype because Thievery is a class skill and leather armor is permitted, so I started there.

I quickly found that a MU-based character doesn't really come into its own until 4th level, when the odd-numbered ability scores can be evened out and some of the armor- and weapon-based feats come into play. AC is a real problem, but it's mitigated somewhat by the warlock's Shadow Walk ability.

Tiefling Warlock (fey pact) 1

Str13 Con14 Dex15 Int12 Wis10 Cha16

26 hp, bloodied 12, surge 6, surges/day 8

AC 14 (leather armor), Fort 12, Ref 13, Will 15

Feat: Warrior of the Wild (taking Stealth)

Trained skills: Bluff +10, Insight +5, Streetwise +8, Thievery +7, Stealth +8

At-Will: Eldritch Blast, Eyebite

Encounter: Witchfire, Hunter's Quarry, Infernal Wrath

Daily: Curse of the Dark Dream

Melee +3 vs AC, d10+1 (morningstar)

Ranged +3 vs Reflex, d10+3 (Eldritch Blast)

At 2nd level, he can upgrade his armor to Hide; at 4th level, he bumps Str and Dex for better melee and AC, and can bump either his AC (with light shield proficiency) or damage (with Weapon Focus). Not too shabby, but not as durable as I'd like.

So I kept thinking - I like that big damage output, but I want better versatility. Maybe magic isn't the right way to go as the primary class. Of the fighter classes, I think the ranger is best equipped for the archetype - he has all the right weapon and armor proficiencies right off the bat, his skill list is good, and he hits hard.

Eladrin Ranger 1

Str15 Con14 Dex15 Int14 Wis13 Cha10

26 hp, bloodied 12, surge 6, surges/day 8

AC 15 (hide armor), Fort 13, Ref 13, Will 12

Feat: Arcane Initiate (scorching burst)

Trained skills: Dungeoneering +6, Stealth +6, Acrobatics +6, Perception +6, Heal +6, Thievery +6

Fighting style: Two-blade

At-Will: Hit & Run, Twin Strike

Encounter: Two-Fanged Strike, Fey Step

Daily: Jaws of the Wolf

Melee +5 vs AC, d8+2 (longsword)

Ranged +4 vs AC, d10 (longbow)

At 2nd level, Two-Weapon Fighting gives him an additional +1 to damage with the longswords, and at 4th he can power-swap his 3rd-level encounter power with the wizard's Fire Shroud for better crowd control. He also bumps Str and Dex at that point for better melee, ranged, and AC values.

I think this build would be a lot of fun to play in a smaller party, where the 4th ed "four combat roles" model isn't necessarily going to work. It's got nice damage output and good flexibility.

Oh yeah, and it was a nice brain-bender to think about. :^)

I whack the weasel!

Jul 24, 2008
2 comments

I'm DMing a 4th ed D&D game for four 13-year-old boys: my friend Gryphon (who I have known since he was detectable) and three of his buddies from school. For a jaded old gamer like me, it's a refreshing reminder of why I got so deep into D&D in the first place. It's all about describing exactly what noise that warhammer makes when it crushes that kobold's skull, and trying to loot bodies in the middle of combat while fire beetles are immolating your friends, and making jokes about boobs because one guy is playing a girl character.

They unwittingly say things like, "Is the weasel still up? OK, I whack the weasel!" and I have to not burst out laughing.

These kids are a hoot - they get all wired up and spazzy for like the first two hours, and then they settle in for some serious ass-kicking for another two hours(ish) before they finally reach the end of their attention span and go play Call of Duty 4. They are just getting a handle on tactics and teamwork. I love watching them learn what each other's characters' strengths are and using that knowledge to watch each other's backs.

Also, they have just learned how to say "f*ck" and so are gleefully punctuating every other sentence with that magnificent word or one of its derivatives. When G was a baby, I used to have to put a quarter in a jar every time I swore around him. After the game last night, I told Jake (his mom) that I want my 30 bucks back.

Vox Hunt: Recent Purchase

Jul 23, 2008
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Funny...I was going to post about this anyway. Timely Vox Hunt.

Esp
Just got a new ESP Viper 400. EMG 85 at the neck, 81 at the bridge. It's about half the weight of my old guitar (a Gretsch Electromatic Jet Pro) and the neck is a lot more comfortable. Slightly wider string spacing for my big ol' fingers but not as bulky front-to-back. The EMG 81 doesn't sound all that different than the Duncan humbucker in the Gretsch, but the 85 is just beautiful - warm and round, without much of a humbucker twang. Grover tuners, too, which are a big step up.
I'm also replacing my ancient (in music technology years) Pod Pro with Native Instruments' Guitar Rig. Amp modeling technology has come a long way in the last six years. Hooray for good guitar tone!

These things come in cycles

Jul 22, 2008
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Two years later, I'm suddenly compelled to send some bits out into blogland again. Why? I don't know. These things come in cycles.

I have a different house, which is built entirely of 1950s Midcentury Modern Awesome. Moxie (nee Tigerlily) is 2 years old now, very sweet, and dumb as a bag of hammers. I'm crazy about her. I'm working on a new record. My MacBook killed 2 hard drives within a year of each other so now I have a MacBook Pro 15 and I dig it.

So much for the recap.

SF Bay Area Derby Girls rocked the Sacred City Rollergirls this weekend, 99-84. Came down to the last jam with 1:47 on the clock - whoever got Lead Jammer was going to win it, and Kitt Turbo delivered. It was a nail-biting bout with some brutal blocking by both sides...well worth the 90m drive to Sac. (B.A.D. Girls Website)

Also, I am doing my best to absorb a crapload of research about mixing, engineering, and production. I think it's paying off in the tracks I'm working on, but since I'm wearing all the hats (songwriter, performer, engineer, and producer) it's hard for me to tell.

Hot side hot, cool side cool

Jul 13, 2006
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Good homeowner day, take three! Dudes are putting new windows in my house right this very moment.

Window installer, installing windows

(picture taken with the MacBook camera)

Double-paned vinyl bliss - here I come.

Good music day

Jul 9, 2006
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The Sufferer and the Witness

Been listening to the new Rise Against record. I liked Siren Song of the Counter-Culture a lot so I picked up S&W on iTunes right after it came out last week. I dig it. The melodic hooks that made SSCC such a great record are present in full force, the energy is there, and the musicianship is more accomplished all the way around. Yay new music!

PS happy birthday to Mr. The Slider.

What a way to start the day!

Jul 4, 2006
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Happy Independence Day, everyone. Please be sure to read the Declaration amidst all your partying today. It really is a beautiful and inspiring document, one of the few things that makes me feel good about my country nowadays. It's also one of the few things that gives me any hope at all about the future of "this great nation." Strong, courageous people believed in these principles deeply enough to create a new nation. If they did it once, we can do it again.

Martini time!

Jun 28, 2006
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Well, it's almost 10am now, but last night was martini time. The home theater is done done DONE. It took four days of work, but holy crap do I like it now that it's finished. I swept up the last bit of dust last night about 6.30pm, tweaked the last subwoofer setting with Nina at 7.30, and collapsed on the couch with martini in hand at 7.33.

DOA4 in full surround on a 42" LCD is an experience and a half, even if the AI is stupidly overpowered.

Who doesn't love Salinger?

Jun 28, 2006
1 comment

Franny and Zooey was my first (and most fundamental) existential crisis-inducing piece of literature. I still read it every couple of years for the peculiar altered state it puts me into.