DataNinja's Scintillating Digital Random Banter #231

[Mith]

Let's be honest, the entire way multiclassing worked for humans was utterly broken and ridiculous in 1st edition AD&D. So, I've spent several levels training as a fighter. I've spent years honing my skills with a weapon so it becomes an extension of my arms, moving faster than most people can see...yet, because I decided to take *one* level in Cleric or whatever, suddenly I forget how to use a sword? I can't use *any* of my neato fighter stuff until I've got to a higher level as a Cleric than I did as a fighter? But when that moment comes, wow, suddenly all that weapon knowledge I've been forgetting for the last few months suddenly comes pouring back and I can fight as a fighter again...

When we had multiclass options (I believe we had one character try and he went up in a comically large electrical explosion due to a failed check on using a magic item), we basically used the same as the modern rules, which I recall the DM's own table back in the day basically developed on the spot since they used 'Training Day' rules for leveling up anyways.

[Rater202]

Observation, I may have shared this before, but...

It's the realistic nightmares that stick with you more than the monstrous ones.

I've had bad dreams about being chased by a hoard of zombies or being eaten alive by monsters, but it's the ones where I accidentally kill my cat while playing with a walking stick or somehow break my tooth clean off across the base so I'd need out and out surgery to get the roots extracted that stick with me.

And the one where my brother came into my room early in the morning and just glared at me without a word while I couldn't physically ask what he wanted and then my eyes focused and I was alone in the room, but I think that counts as less a nightmare and more sleep paralysis.

[Peelee]

32 lbs of live crawfish procured!

[Civis Mundi]

32 lbs of live crawfish procured!

Wow, that's a lot of crawfish! You doing a seafood boil or something?

Spoiler: unrelated crawfish ruminations

Show

I went with my parents to a seafood restaurant once, and when I saw all those live crawfish in a tank just waiting to get eaten, it horrified me. My dad's a talker of the highest calibur, so he actually managed to schmooze the owner into letting us buy one and take it home alive. Of course, a crawfish is a terrible pet to have, requiring a lot of extra stuff we just didn't have, so eventually my parents convinced me to "free" it in the ocean.

Looking back, I think it's pretty clear what that "freedom" entailed. Poor crawfish. Probably would've been better off if he stayed at the restaurant. At least that would be a quicker death, and a tastier one too. Guess it goes to show what good intentions are worth without some wisdom to back it up.

[halfeye]

Given that crawfish are a freshwater species, I doubt it lasted long.

Depends which crawfish you are talking about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palinurus_elephas

Palinurus elephas is a commonly caught species of spiny lobster from the East Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its common names include European spiny lobster,[2] crayfish or cray (in Ireland), crawfish (in England), common spiny lobster,[3] Mediterranean lobster[4] and red lobster.

[Civis Mundi]

Given that crawfish are a freshwater species, I doubt it lasted long.

Yes, that's what I meant when I said, "Looking back, I think it's pretty clear what that 'freedom' entailed. Poor crawfish. Probably would've been better off if he stayed at the restaurant. At least that would be a quicker death, and a tastier one too. Guess it goes to show what good intentions are worth without some wisdom to back it up."

(And since I'm in the states, I'm assuming it was freshwater. So, dead.)

Love the crawfish chimneys, though. They really do look like they're from another world.

[Peelee]

Wow, that's a lot of crawfish! You doing a seafood boil or something?

It's either that or set up an aquarium, and eating 'em sounds like less work.

[Mith]

Given that crawfish are a freshwater species, I doubt it lasted long.

I recently spent some time in the bayous and learned that in that environment crawfish are everywhere, not just in bodies of water. They burrow down and make tunnel systems below the water table and pop up in grassy fields to build little mud smokestacks for ventilation.

Spoiler: example of crawfish chimney

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I've l seen a higher-than-average amount of the world for an American, but somehow I keep forgetting that I can go a few states over and be in just as alien of a world as I can by going to another continent.

That's freaking wild!

I know what you mean about just travel a bit (within large boarder countries that is) and you see something completely different. The badlands of Alberta are like that to me.

The approach to 'Dinosaur National Park looks like it's just a continuation of the Great Plains. Until you walk a bit and find that it's actually so flat, that you didn't see the massive canyon because there was nothing to show you that there was any drop in elevation. in the area. It's just a sudden, sheer cliff into a completely different landscape.

...That you are not allowed to climb around in both for concerns of damaging the plant life and because it's the home of the few actually venomous animals in Canada.

I get and appreciate the reasons behind the rules. But hoodoos look so climbable.

[Peelee]

Crawfish update: only one dead one in the bunch!

[Astral Avenger]

Just aced an online midterm in half the allotted time. Feels good to have my weekend of non-stop studying validated.

@Peelee Are you raising those crayfish as pets or to eat? Got any good recipe suggestions?

Hope everyone that sees this has a good day!

Edit: Just saw the first couple posts about the crayfish.

[Civis Mundi]

I get and appreciate the reasons behind the rules. But hoodoos look so climbable.

I just looked up hoodoos (first time I've heard the word in this context) and that's some Martian-looking landscape. Kind of reminds me of Morrowind actually, since they look kind of like giant mushrooms.

[Mith]

I just looked up hoodoos (first time I've heard the word in this context) and that's some Martian-looking landscape. Kind of reminds me of Morrowind actually, since they look kind of like giant mushrooms.

Good point. That wasn't well thought of me to drop a word with out an example.

Spoiler: Image

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[Civis Mundi]

Good point. That wasn't well thought of me to drop a word with out an example.

Spoiler: Image

Show

Pretty asterisk-ing incredible.

Also, flumph solidarity.

[DataNinja]

For the curious, the reason they're like that is because of the differing resistances of the stones to erosion. The hard stone on top protects from rain and whatnot, while the soft land around gets worn away. But the soft sands of the sides will slowly get worn inwards, faster than the rock 'hats'.

[Peelee]

@Peelee Are you raising those crayfish as pets or to eat? Got any good recipe suggestions?

Step 1: get a Korean mother-in-law who learned Cajun cooking.

[Rater202]

Despite what a certain musical would have you believe, there are only 525948.76 repeating minutes in an ordinary year.

That's not as easy to work into a song though.

---

I like the idea of my own private moon base or space station but it would be so impractical to manage...

Logistics ruins all fantasies. Except for the one where I steal a bunch of alien goo out of the spines of comic book characters to become a dragon and/or God. If I actually had the opportunity to do that we'd have bigger problems than the logistics of pulling it off.

[Rockphed]

Despite what a certain musical would have you believe, there are only 525948.76 repeating minutes in an ordinary year.

No, the musical about bohemian deadbeats is correct about the number of minutes in an ordinary calendar year (being 365 days of 24 hours of 60 minutes). What you have there is the number of minutes in a solar year (i.e. the time between vernal equinoxes). And the more I find out about that musical, the less I have any desire to find out more.

[LaZodiac]

No, the musical about bohemian deadbeats is correct about the number of minutes in an ordinary calendar year (being 365 days of 24 hours of 60 minutes). What you have there is the number of minutes in a solar year (i.e. the time between vernal equinoxes). And the more I find out about that musical, the less I have any desire to find out more.

This is, by all accounts, a very correct thought. Rent is real bad.

[Qwertystop]

This is, by all accounts, a very correct thought. Rent is real bad.

And so's the musical!

[LaZodiac]

And so's the musical!

Oh that got a good laugh out of me. Solid "badumtis" line. Thank you.

[Form]

I find myself now both feeling a need to google this musical about bohemian deadbeats to learn more whilst also getting the sense that, perhaps, I should not. I'm uncertain as to which impulse will win.

[Fyraltari]

I find myself now both feeling a need to google this musical about bohemian deadbeats to learn more whilst also getting the sense that, perhaps, I should not. I'm uncertain as to which impulse will win.

May I recommend Lindsay Ellis's video on the matter?

[Peelee]

All I remember is that I didn't enjoy it and it had Detective Green in it.

[Civis Mundi]

All I remember is that I didn't enjoy it and it had Detective Green in it.

You're a lucky dragon. As a musical theater kid in a past life, there are songs from this show that are burned into my memory, even though I always hated it.

[Peelee]

You're a lucky dragon. As a musical theater kid in a past life, there are songs from this show that are burned into my memory, even though I always hated it.

Quick and dirty rule to burn at least some part of something into my memory: include one of the characters/actors I loved from the OG Law & Order. Briscoe and McCoy are the obvious giants, but every detective until Curtis was gold and they were still mostly solid after that (and it's downright criminal that Bernard and Lupo got so few seasons, both were great individually and they made an amazing team). Feel bad for Cutter, though. Probably would have liked him if he didn't have unfillable shoes to fill. Even Stone couldn't have captured me like he did if he had gone after McCoy. Sam Waterston is an American treasure, I tells ya!

[Civis Mundi]

Quick and dirty rule to burn at least some part of something into my memory: include one of the characters/actors I loved from the OG Law & Order. Briscoe and McCoy are the obvious giants, but every detective until Curtis was gold and they were still mostly solid after that (and it's downright criminal that Bernard and Lupo got so few seasons, both were great individually and they made an amazing team). Feel bad for Cutter, though. Probably would have liked him if he didn't have unfillable shoes to fill. Even Stone couldn't have captured me like he did if he had gone after McCoy. Sam Waterston is an American treasure, I tells ya!

Sam Waterston is a treasure, but really, he belongs to the world. Make him a UNESCO heritage site or something.

(I admit, haven't seen the original L&O though. I'm not huge on police procedurals.)

Now do you have any tips for unburning things from your memory? That's the part I struggle with. If I get rid of some of that old useless trivia, maybe I can make room for some new useless trivia.

[Peelee]

Sam Waterston is a treasure, but really, he belongs to the world. Make him a UNESCO heritage site or something.

I'm good with that.

(I admit, haven't seen the original L&O though. I'm not huge on police procedurals.)

Its actually half cop show, half law show. One of my common complaints about all the L&O spinoffs* is they are almost pure cop show and deviate significantly from the original format. The first episode was rough, since the legal portions had very unsteady footing (way too much laughter in the galley), but it found its footing very quickly. Greevy played super well off Logan on the detective portion while Stone and Robinette absolutely shined as prosecutors. Season 5 has two of the best detectives - Logan (Chris Noth) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) with Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) coming in as EADA, so I love that one a lot. It's also still got Schiff as the DA - not as good as Brandt, but not far behind, and still the second best of the three (McCoy doesn't count, he was too legendary as EADA to pit the DAs against him. Though he did a damned good job in the finale). Also, apropos of nothing, but Rubirosa should have been EADA in the end times.

If you're interested, I could do a deep dive and find my favorite specific episodes so you could try one at some point to see if it interests you enough to watch more. I promise you, that would not put me out at all, but you may not be interested to start with, which I'd understand.

*except L&O UK, which was fantastic and basically just a British version of the show. Your time in this world was too short L&O UK.

Now do you have any tips for unburning things from my memory? That's the part I struggle with. If I get rid of some of that old useful trivia, maybe I can make room for some new useless trivia.

Yes but it involves a comically large mallet and ideally you would be a very hungry coyote or a duck with a lisp or something similar.

[Civis Mundi]

If you're interested, I could do a deep dive and find my favorite specific episodes so you could try one at some point to see if it interests you enough to watch more. I promise you, that would not put me out at all, but you may not be interested to start with, which I'd understand.

*except L&O UK, which was fantastic and basically just a British version of the show. Your time in this world was too short L&O UK.

You know, if you'd enjoy a deep dive, I don't think I'd mind that at all. You sold the show well, and I'm grasipng for media that can actually hold my attention these days -- my brain is so frazzled from stress recovery, it's like opening a packed fridge and seeing nothing you want to eat or have the energy to cook.

I'd also be very interested in any L&O UK episodes you recommend. If I can lob a recommendation back at you, have you ever seen the show Yes, Minister? It's as relevant now as it's ever been, and it's hilarious to boot.

Yes but it involves a comically large mallet and ideally you would be a very hungry coyote or a duck with a lisp or something similar.

I'm hard up for brain cells these days, so I'll just have to live with all the lyrics to "Seasons of Love."

[Fyraltari]

I'm hard up for brain cells these days, so I'll just have to live with all the lyrics to "Seasons of Love."

I had a music teacher who had us learn this song back in highschool. When you only have a rudimentary grasp of English the words "bridges he burned" paint a rather different picture than what the writers were going for, I think.

That remains my only actual encounter with that show.

Edit: that song is a bloody earworm.

[Civis Mundi]

I had a music teacher who had us learn this song back in highschool. When you only have a rudimentary grasp of English the words "bridges he burned" paint a rather different picture than what the writers were going for, I think.

The thing about literally burning bridges is it tends to figuratively burn some bridges for you as well. So, you know. You weren't totally wrong?

Edit: that song is a bloody earworm.

Yeah, it's stuck in my head pretty firmly at this point. I kind of played myself.