How To Nerf An Overpowered D&D Magic Item
And finally starting The Cartographer, and Bridgerton string quartet music!
Hello, friends! I am gradually recovering from a migraine while running around doing errands with my kids after their last day of school today, so will try to make this a quick one so I can go lie down before my dinner plans.
My creative life has mostly been taken over by work and the Hugo Awards, but I did manage to fit in running another session of Ghosts Of Saltmarsh this past weekend. Despite two of my players unexpectedly being called away, we still did quite well with a barbarian, bard, sorcerer and warlock, the latter of whom was definitely our MVP that day. I really enjoyed detailing the magic battle between her and the pirate wizard, especially the somatic components and the spell effects, as I stood at one end of the gaming table, gesticulating the way the wizard would. I’m an actor, lol, what can I say?
I also figured out how to (temporarily) nerf the magic item my PCs somehow managed to get their hands on. There’s no way in heck I would let this party of Level 2 adventurers keep a Tentacle Rod as written, so I had the Quartermaster of Iuz they hired identify it as a Tentacle Rod of Dominion. Basically, I changed it so that the attack bonus is now the wielder’s Wisdom modifier instead of a flat +9(!), with damage of 1d6+Wisdom modifier and the target needing to make a Wis saving throw as well if all three tentacles hit. But I also had it so that if a tentacle missed, it would rear back and strike the wielder instead: not that big a deal once you advance several levels but potentially lethal for L2s. I was also a little worried that I was giving my adventurers too much stuff, but they showed little interest in the wooden crab automaton that showed up, so I let my Gen Alpha mermaid take off with it instead, phew.
I also started Lonely Joker’s The Cartographer, finally, ahead of potentially backing their next game project, The Master Of Keys. There was definitely a learning curve at the very beginning, but the game got much easier after I figured out the first card. I haven’t finished the entire game yet because I don’t have the time, but I’m hoping to be able to complete it in the coming weeks.
I did get a chance to try out some new symphony stuff with my quartet last night! My violist especially is very interested in doing a Bridgerton-inspired concert, lol. We tried out the string quartet arrangements of Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams and Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy, and they were both a lot of fun. The biggest challenge seems to be getting the timing down, but Wildest Dreams, especially, put me in mind of playing bass in my college rock band once more.
Reading-wise, I really enjoyed Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous this week. The title refers to a 12-step program for recovering killers, and details the lengths one former assassin will have to go to in order to figure out who’s targeting him and how to make them stop. It’s fast, furious, funny and surprisingly thoughtful, really delving into the psychology of killing. I’ve been a fan of the author’s since the brilliant The Warehouse, but this may be his best work yet.
I also adored Akimitsu Takagi’s The Noh Mask Murder, translated from the original Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood. For being written in 1950s Japan, it presents a surprisingly progressive view of both mental health and sex. Even more impressively, its found document structure and narrative sleights of hand put modern writers to shame. I love when authors play with form — to the surprise of no one, my favorite short story nominee for the 2024 Hugo Awards is Baoshu’s Tasting The Future Delicacy Three Times, followed closely by Rachael K Jones’ The Sound Of Children Screaming — so this easily hurdled onto my list of Best Books of 2024. I do recommend reading Dame Agatha Christie’s The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd first tho, if you haven’t, as the book pretty much starts out with a spoiler of that classic. Reading them both in quick succession is a guaranteed treat for classic mystery fans.
Alright, I need to go close my eyes for a little while, and try not to think about my mountains of reading. See you in seven, friends!
Currently Playing (Music): Vivaldi’s Concerto #7; Mozart’s String Quartet #1; Corelli’s Christmas Concerto; my Declan Rice playlist; Miranda Lambert’s Wildcard; Chappell Roan’s The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess.
Currently Playing (Games): The Light In The Mist puzzletale, Enigmas by David Kwong & Co, The Wild Beyond The Witchlight, Metazooa by Trainwreck Labs, Learned League trivia, NYT Connections, The Cartographer.
Currently Reading/Writing (Games): Camp Elementa by me! Ghosts Of Saltmarsh.
Currently Reading or Just Read (Books): Stamped by Ibram X Kendi & Joel Christian Gill; Tell Me Who You Are by Louisa Luna; Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart; The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi; Hugo Awards 2024 Short Story Nominees; A Twinkle Of Trouble by Daryl Wood Gerber.