Hilarious analysis of prestidigitation

 Hilarious analysis of prestidigitation by “xp to level 3” guy  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ixXjdVt4kI&t=917s

Scooby-Doo’s influence on D&D

 The influence would seem to be there overall, but it is seemingly obvious in the episode 

Hassle in the Castle, s01:e03 of Scooby-Doo Where Are You? 

• Old knight armor in haunted castles (one that is basically a trap with the axe coming down next to Shaggy’s head)
• A magic carpet
• a trap door (Daphne says “they say these old castles are full of traps” or something )
• A talking skull
• It’s in a castle!
• Finding loot (giant key clue) in an old chest
• Catacombs
• An old mummy sarcophagus in the background 
• Magic items (ok it’s just a top hat and wand but you know… )
• A ghost
• 
  

Wrath of Khan, even better on rewatch

 

So why did he (Kahn)keep his right glove on? The world may never know.Supposedly Michael Jackson started his thing two years earlier in 1979 but it became a thing a year after this movie in 1982 (which is when us youngsters saw it) … so is it related or not? Coincidence I think. https://www.reddit.com/r/startrek/comments/19bfia8/what_is_the_purpose_of_this_device_that_khan/?solution=a5815bf4a4387efba5815bf4a4387efb&js_challenge=1&token=7afd7253fec22262ff1c52b1703fe9ecff6f378825601f4c8e1634b30517e585&jsc_orig_r=

Ole Ricardo Montalban was a heck of a villain. But the Pock scene and the lines of Kirk and son afterwards were moving. Good stuff. 

Results so far, our campaign - Entrope statblock, work in progress for 5e

 G3, third level, mostly clear.  Room 8 and room 15(?). 

Wand of viscous globs… used the 5e version.  Will only last an hour… sunlight (sunsword) will destroy in one hour. Kid beat me to it, used dimension door.  Smart.  

Killed 8, aka half the drow with a level 8 spell. Rest of drow retreated.

Then uncovered… the Entrope (2e monster). For next time! I've never been compelled to use a 2e Planescape monster, but this one works for what we are doing in G3 I think. It's like the drow worshipping the elder elemental evil type stuff have caused problems/caught the attention of this thing. 

The Entrope is a fairly difficult sounding foe till you figure him out. 

• https://adnd2e.fandom.com/wiki/Entrope
• https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/entrope/
• Some 2e stats below... so think of them in 2e terms and convert.
• For 5e conversion: I'm going to add 1 die to each super attack AoE thing... hell maybe I should add two, but we'll see. 
• For 5e conversion: Maybe add a +5 per melee dmg. 
• WHAT ELSE
• 2e stats below, as I was saying...
• Intelligence: Low to average (7-10) (((doesn't talk, but understands common))). 
• Hit Dice: 11+6  --->>88+6 max HP for 2e,  so in 5e terms probably stay around that 100-150HP range. 
• Movement: 12 for 2e, that means speed 60 ft. for 5e. VERY fast. 
• Damage/Attack: (3 attacks) 1d8/1d8/1d12 for 2e, so add +5 for each for 5e. 
• And for 5e, I think allow it to do these attacks AND the super AoE attacks ... almost every round instead of every 3 rounds. Need to do some math to be sure though... maybe every 3 rounds is better (But TELL the party??? Or do the visual description... all four of its eyes are lit up, BAM, a major AoE attack, now only one eye is lit up, next round 2 eyes light up, once four are lit up again, BLAM!) . 
• XP Value: 10,000 for 2e, (that means dangerous at medium to even medium high levels maybe even in 5e).
• Dangerous tone right off the bat in description- There are holes throughout the multiverse. Call them conduits, portals or any other name, they're still holes. The Inner Planes are no exception. In fact, these planes in particular are full of tiny leaks where bits of one element seep into another plane. Some graybeards theorize that one day, in the far distant reaches of the future, the borders of the Elemental Planes will completely break down and all the elements will combine. Such a thing could signal the end of the multiverse, if it's true.
• Combat: Because the entrope can literally break down the fabric of reality, it's nothing to fool around with. Anywhere within the Inner Planes, the beast can “eat” through elermental borders, creating a small, temporary hole in space leading to any other Inner Plane. The rent results in a mass of the foreign element bursting into the plane with great power. While the entrope itself isn't harmed by this action, anyone within 25 feet is subject to the elemental explosion. The results depend on which plane the hole leads to (a decision made by the entrope):
• Air, Earth, Mineral, Ooze, Salt, Water: Matter or air explodes through the hole with great force, inflicting 3d10 points of impact damage (save versus breath weapon for half). Victims must save versus breath weapon or be knocked down and/or back 10 feet; they're also stunned for 1 round afterward.
• Ash, Dust, Smoke, Steam: Particulate matter bursts through the tear, inflicting 2d6 points of impact damage (save versus breath weapons for half). What's more, all victims must save versus poison or cough and choke for 1d6 rounds, incapacitated.
• Fire, Lightning, Positive Energy, Radiance: Raw energy gushes through the rent, inflicting 8d6 points of damage (save versus breath weapon for half).
• Ice, Magma: Energy (along with varying amounts of matter) erupts through the tear, inflicting 6d6 points of heat or cold damage (save versus breath weapon for half). Victims must save versus breath weapon or be knocked down and/or back 10 feet.
• Negative Energy: This hole sucks the life energy from all victims, draining one experience level from each. (((In 5e Terms, it'd just last a day)))
• Vacuum: Matter and energy is drawn into this rent. The implosion inflicts 3d6 points of damage (save versus breath weapon for half) on victims and requires them to make a save versus death magic to avoid being pulled into the plane of Vacuum before the hole closes. (((In 5e terms.... OMG this is scary as hell. Good thing party has some wish ring stuff.)))
• The entrope can open these holes once every three rounds. The rest of the time, it defends itself with two huge claws (1d8 points of damage each) and a gigantic tooth-filled maw (1d12 points of damage).
• 
  
• The strange creature is also immune to the effects of all elements, even ignoring impact damage from thrown boulders or similar attacks. Graybeards know of only two ways to harm an entropy[entrope they meant]: strike it with a magical weapon of +2 or greater enchantment, or subject it to nonelemental-based spells such as cause light wounds, magic missile, and so on.
• ok
• So Extras I might add for our 5e campaign - 
• maybe it can go into a hole in one spot and teleport to anywhere nearby and reappear... making a new hole. OUCH. So maybe that makes it seem gone for half a round or something? Think of it like 5e Lair Actions or something, in which case it is skipping the turn of one or two goodguys and then appearing in backlines to do dmg on casters. 
• Head or body changes
• it's head might change to be the head of a dragon for a split second when doing certain elemental attacks
• head might be more like an UNDEAD(?? or is that spacey enough) for a split second when doing a Negative Energy attack. How about... Black Void like a blackhole??
• head might be like a beholder (it already looks like one) when... 
• head split second like a fish-sea-serpent-whale when water and salt attack
• head split sec like a ... volcano(????) when doing ash, dust, smoke, steam............ maybe something better, but what..........
• If it hits with a claw, maybe it gets an auto-bite and doesn't have to roll to hit for bite? Or maybe if it hits with 1st or 2nd attack, it auto hits on just one more attack. If MISS MISS then HIT I'm rolling for 3rd attack, that's it... it'll either hit with 3rd attack or not. 
• 
  
• So in 5e Terms - 
• can say arcane type dmg would work, like magic missile or eldrich blast. I might still stick to +2 magic weapons or greater, since the party has SOME of those. 
• NOPE, they mention Radiant. Would RADIANT dmg count... that'd make the sunsword yet another counter to something so... not sure it should count. Think about it though. Radiant spells aren't super common, the warlock has them and has eldrich blast. Maybe that'd be OK since only Sunbeam would work for Druid....
• Since it is about entropy, I think a RANDOM save stat roll is appropriate for each big AoE attack. So it could be anything if I do it this way... might be Int, might be Dex, might be Con. Is that cooler/funner? 

Sidenote, what is this?! https://www.reddit.com/r/dndmonsters/comments/yl9ims/monster_manual_expanded_ii_2nd_edition_update_2/

Movie - Night of the Comet

 Better than expected. What a slice of 1980s west coast teen movie… favorite pieces so far are

• The competition around initials on arcade games… Tempest was cool. 
• After practice with a Mac-10 machinegun, it keeps jamming… the younger sister says something like “That’s the problem with these things. Daddy would have gotten us an uzi.”  This is definitely 1980s lore we all knew. 

Origins and future influence (I think)

• 28 Days Later.  Speedy zombies.  Empty city. 
• Shaun of the dead. Zombie comedy. Empty city.  

The Odyssey TV Series from 1997 is truer, more fun

 Things I'm liking:

• Christopher Lee's scene... that whole into the lava with the goat scene was great. The poetic language, great. 
• Monsters
• There was a sea serpent, very cool. 
• Scylla is freaky and scary. Looked 10 times cooler than the Aliens-Egg-Laying-tube-worm-tail looking one from the 2026 movie. 
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Main guy being of Italian heritage makes him seem a lot closer than Matt Damon being Greek. 
• And the Whirlpool monster actually exists, and is awesome. Charybdis is the name. 
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Origins (in reverse?)

• The Dance from O Brother Where Art Thou (a super loose adaptation of the Odyssey, a fun one) seems to reference this TV series about the Odyssey from 3 years before: 
  
  
  
• From O Brother'
• 
  From 1997 Miniseries, they nod exaggeratedly also and walk around in a big circle. 

Art - covers of Dragon mag in 1990s mostly

Supergood, but what IS that thing https://www.completecompendium.com/catalog/dr/Dragon172/

Dozen more https://www.completecompendium.com/catalog/dr/

Foreshortening dragon face is great https://www.completecompendium.com/catalog/dr/Dragon238/

I did have a dream not all that long ago, where an alligator in water nearby turned into a dragon (green, not purple) but this reminds me of it a tiny tiny tiny bit:

Raistlin new book mentioned... good ole Raist:

The Odyssey 2026 movie... whelp, kind of disappointing, but some good

Disappointing. I tried to like it more for the kid. It's not terrible. But it was disappointing in:

• 1. Setting. Drab as fk. Where's that cool Mediterranean cave & island world? 
• 2. Casting. Killing me in the suspension of disbelief department. 
• 3. Historical accuracy in look.  Killing me in the suspension of disbelief department. 
• 4. Modern day dialog, dear lord.  Killing me in the suspension of disbelief department. 
• 5. The monsters were not cool, they went for gross. 
• The cyclops was passable, maybe, but... I lie, I did not like the design look, a twisted face and nose with a "missing" eye, though the actor/CGI was fine (but gross). 
• Scylla... lol, you will never see a picture of it online b/c it was so.... meh. It's a damn sock puppet in the movie. I've got a picture, check below. And this picture looks "better" as a still than in motion... was a split second piece of the film, you barely saw it at all, and not in a "cool reveal" way either. 
• Charybdis the whirlpool monster was completely missing. 
• The Sea serpent sent by Poseidon was missing.
• Gods were missing. 
• 6. Body horror, yes body horror in this tale is about as weird as you would imagine. BTW,Circe in Nolan's version apparently hates men (despite her being an Earthgirls-are-Easy-type in the original poem).
• 7. Audio sucked. Whispering dialog all day, hard to hear. Then super loud terribly distorted sounds during action. 

2026 movie Scylla is darn sad. Rock skinned tube worm style. Elbow joints in its neck(s). Toothless, eyeless. Just gross, nasty, and uncool. When you first see it, it looks like a sock puppet, 100%.

And this reddit post , the first couple of paragraphs, knocks it out of the park on what it did incorrectly. Once it rants about Matt Damon's Odysseus as being too "above reproach" i disagree. I can get past that because in a MOVIE I do like a hero who is a good guy. The kids were flipping out about how in class, they taught how bad Odysseus was, etc. While, yeah, as a kid myself I was completely pissed at him for leaving his family for 10-20 years, and shacking up with the Nymph and witch, ... I hate all hero types in most stories when I think about them in a realistic way b/c they are ALWAYS screwing over their family ... when I want entertainment, I like the hero to be likeable. That's all. 

And then the post says what they did to Odysseus is "This downgrading of the moral architecture of the original work reminds me of what Guillermo del Toro did to Frankenstein." I say wrong wrong wrong, it is an UPGRADE of the moral architecture. I hate it when critics think being morally a shitbag is a better story. F*ck 'em. Well I'll excuse this b/c it is perhaps the main point of the original story, for some reason. I guess it as a story has endured for two reasons 1) supernatural coolness for my brain types and 2) shitbag morals for the gossip crowd brain types.

And this dude gives details on all the good parts of the movie, which I seem to agree with mostly (except I hate not seeing real Greece, not seeing cool monsters, etc.): by thigerlel

"There's no Greece in the movie because it's not about Greece. It uses Odysseus's journey to talk about the 20th Century, which is also why there' s the Bronze Age line. By coming up with the Horse, Odysseus breaks the implicit mythical trust humanity had on each other, a la Pandora or Eve unleashing sin. The veterans of Troy become the Sea People, who spread arround genocide in Troy, pillaging in other islands, rape if Cercei hadn't been prepared. Odysseus isn't curious in this version because he's guilty, and his delay in getting home is reframed as him having become so twisted he can't look at his old family in the eyes again. He listens to the sirens not because he's full of whimsy, but to suffer for all that he's done.  He created an atomic bomb, there's no putting it back in the box, and their civilization will crumble until another one rises that will forget their mistakes and repeat them (us). It's an origin story for our current affairs. Odysseus is certainly a story teller. The structure of the film is less about him being passive and more about him orally narrating events to Calypso just as the story was originally spread around. In fact, there are no fantastical elements in the movie; creatures only appear in stories told to other characters. The landscapes in these tales often lack delineation, becoming surreal, endless beaches reminiscent of the Freudian sea of the unconscious as Odysseus's tale is nothing but a way for him to work though his feelings. Athena, who seems the most tangible mythical element, is revealed to be the face of the child Odysseus caused to be beheaded in Troy, just Odysseus's conscience. The actors look modern and the armors look out of place because it's a story about all time periods, extending into the future perpetually (they still look like shit)"

History medieval Europe

 Greatly done by an Irishman, no bloddy ai crap  

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kVEldvGXg4w&t=337s

Free pdf Dolmenwood module

 The Weaver and the Redcaps. On the official website of anecrotic gnome. 

Old Star Wars concept art paintings

 Are the best  this yt has more than ive ever seen

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Eepb2B4z3uE

Ettercap, Ettercop, Cobweb, Spiderweb

 These things are all related. Check out the whole Wordsmith entry for it:

This week’s theme
Words with hidden animals

This week’s words
auspicate
ettercap

The Crying Spider, 1881

Art: Odilon Redon

ettercap or attercop

PRONUNCIATION:

(ET-uhr-kap or AT-uhr-kop)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A bad-tempered or spiteful person.
2. A spider.

 

ETYMOLOGY:

A variant of attercop, from Old English attorcoppa, from ator (poison, venom) + coppa (spider). It’s the same element that shows up in cobweb, literally spider’s web. Earliest documented use: before 1525.

NOTES:

If you know someone who is always spinning webs of gossip or ready to bite your head off, this is the perfect label for them. The form attercop got a modern boost from J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins uses it to taunt the giant, venomous spiders of Mirkwood, and the insult works. No spider, Tolkien tells us, has ever liked being called attercop.

USAGE:

“At least we can see the auld ettercap into the ground now, Christ be praised.”
Pat McIntosh; The Counterfeit Madam; Constable; 2011.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead. -Ernest Hemingway, author and journalist, Nobel laureate (21 Jul 1899-1961)

Sound of fantasy horn (real) - Carnyx horn, Iron Age.

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=68Hds0OYrbg&ra=m

Time 8:27

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/06/06/the-carnyx-a-long-curved-instrument-used-by-the-celts-during-the-iron-age/ says -- Prior to 2004, fragments of only five such instruments had been preserved, from Germany, Switzerland, France, Scotland, and Romania, but in November 2004 archaeologists discovered more than 500 fragments of unique military and religious objects in a Gallo-Roman site at Tintignac, in southern France. These objects, all made of iron and bronze, included 10 helmets, a dozen swords and scabbards, iron spearheads, a shield, two animal heads, one foreleg, a cauldron, and seven carnyces. Once one of the carnyces was restored, it proved to be the most complete carnyx ever found.

wikiped -- Six of the carnyces had boar's heads, while the seventh appears to be a serpent-like monster. 

-- The carnyx (pl.: carnyces; /kɑːnɪks/, KAR-nicks) is a wind instrument that was common in Celtic cultures during the Iron Age, between c. 200 BC and c. 200 AD. It is a type of trumpet made of bronze with an elongated S shape, held so that the long straight central portion was vertical and the short mouthpiece end section and the much wider bell were horizontal in opposed directions. The bell was styled in the shape of the head of an open-mouthed boar or other animal.

The Celts used the carnyx in warfare, probably to incite troops to battle and to intimidate opponents, as Polybius recounts.[1] The instrument's significant height—typically around 1.8 metres (6 feet), standing as tall as its player—allowed it to be heard over the heads of the participants in battles or ceremonies.[2] The carnyx was not only used by the Celts but also by the Dacians in modern Romania, and depictions have even been found on a Buddhist sculpture in India, attesting to the far-flung connections of the Iron Age world.[3]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/10dvmb3/a_nearly_complete_1st_century_bce_carnyx_found_in/ says -- A nearly complete 1st century BCE carnyx found in 2004 at Tintignac, France (the one in the left picture, with a reconstruction in the right). Fashioned as a snarling boar, the carnyx was a war horn used by the Iron Age Celts between c. 200 BCE and c. 200 CE