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Cake day: June 13th, 2024

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  • And below was my prompt, took me appx 5 minutes to write from my phone. I like that the AI thought that Elias would recall secret passages from his youth, which I’m thinking could help the adventures bypass some of the guard. I definitely would want to workshop that highwaymen twist, I mean what kind of party would be willing to return a relic of shadows back when they perceive a ruler as being corrupt? It needs something a bit more convincing.

    ——

    Provide me a framework for a DND campaign that will contain the following story arcs. A lord of a small fiefdom seeks a group of traveling adventures to return a relic (you choose the relic, it must have magical powers) that was stolen from him by a group of highwaymen. The story must include a twist about the highwaymen. When returned, the lord becomes corrupted and throws the party in a far off dungeon. The adventures must work their way back to the lord and seek their revenge, with the assistance of a self exiled hermit who formerly knew the lord in his youth that they encounter along the way. If the hermit dies, the party loses insight into the lord’s intentions and it makes it much more challenging to win the campaign.


  • For those interested, I just asked it to generate a campaign with a quick prompt and this is what it spit out. Not perfect, but a good basis to build from:

    Campaign Framework: The Relic of Shadows Introduction: The Call to Adventure Setting: The campaign begins in the small, picturesque fiefdom of Ravenwood, ruled by the benevolent Lord Alaric. Known for his wisdom and kindness, Lord Alaric’s peace is shattered when a relic of immense power, the Amulet of Shadows, is stolen by a band of notorious highwaymen. Hook: Lord Alaric seeks the help of the adventurers, promising wealth and favor in return for the retrieval of the Amulet of Shadows. The relic is said to possess the ability to manipulate shadows, providing its bearer with unparalleled stealth and the power to traverse through the Shadow Realm. Act 1: The Journey Begins Initial Quest: The adventurers set off to track down the highwaymen, following clues and engaging in minor skirmishes along the way. They learn that the highwaymen are more than simple thieves—they are a fragmented faction of former soldiers who turned to banditry after being betrayed by a corrupt noble. Twist: Upon confronting the highwaymen, the adventurers discover that Lord Alaric had once wronged them in his past. The highwaymen had stolen the Amulet of Shadows not out of greed, but to prevent Alaric from using its dark powers. They reveal that Alaric’s benevolent facade hides his darker ambitions. Act 2: The Corrupted Lord Return and Betrayal: Despite the highwaymen’s revelations, the adventurers decide to return the Amulet of Shadows to Lord Alaric, hoping to resolve the situation peacefully. However, upon returning the relic, Lord Alaric’s true nature is revealed. Corrupted by the power of the amulet, he becomes malevolent and orders the adventurers imprisoned in a distant, forgotten dungeon. Dungeon Escape: The adventurers must navigate the treacherous dungeon, facing traps, monsters, and puzzles. During their imprisonment, they encounter an exiled hermit named Elias, a former friend of Lord Alaric who was cast out due to discovering the lord’s dark ambitions. Act 3: The Path of Vengeance The Hermit’s Guidance: Elias offers to guide the adventurers back to Ravenwood and reveals crucial insights into Lord Alaric’s plans. He explains that Alaric seeks to use the Amulet of Shadows to control the Shadow Realm and extend his dominion. Elias knows secret paths and hidden truths that can aid the adventurers. Critical Choice: The adventurers must protect Elias throughout their journey. If Elias perishes, they lose his valuable knowledge, making their mission significantly harder. Without Elias, they will face additional challenges and must uncover Alaric’s weaknesses through other means. Act 4: The Final Confrontation Return to Ravenwood: The adventurers, now armed with the knowledge provided by Elias (or through their own investigations if Elias is lost), must confront Lord Alaric. They rally allies, face Alaric’s corrupted forces, and uncover the hidden vulnerabilities in Alaric’s plans. Climactic Battle: The campaign culminates in an epic showdown with Lord Alaric in his fortified castle. The adventurers must disable the Amulet of Shadows, overcome Alaric’s dark magic, and ultimately restore peace to Ravenwood. Resolution Victory or Defeat: Depending on the adventurers’ actions, they may emerge victorious, freeing Ravenwood from Alaric’s tyrannical grasp, or they might succumb to the shadows, leaving the fiefdom to its dark fate. Their choices throughout the campaign will determine the final outcome and the legacy they leave behind. Feel free to add or adjust details to fit your players’ preferences and playstyle! This framework should give you a solid foundation for a thrilling and complex campaign. Happy adventuring! 🐉⚔️







  • I disagree with your having kids sentiment. I didn’t find the right woman until I was 33 and didn’t have kids til 39. I worked hard, got promoted and accumulated wealth before then. I started from nearly nothing. Now, my kid (hopefully) won’t have to struggle as much as I did.

    And I chase that kid for 30 minutes until she gets worn out.

    My advice, in your 20s: travel, make friends, make mistakes.

    Get a job that has growth potential or become a rockstar in a small pond.

    Find some hobbies, work out. Even better, find a hobby that also is a workout. Sock away 5% of your income towards retirement if you can handle it. Volunteer. Habits are formative in your 20s, you’ll find them easier to maintain (or avoid) in your 40s.

    Don’t spend all of your time chasing tail or trying to find a mate. That’s a trap. instead, open yourself up to experiences, events and places where those things can naturally happen. And make memories along the way so you have fun things to share with that person when you do find them.

    Get out of your comfort zone, get off of your comfort phone. Read a bit, learn to weld or sculpt or play an instrument. Take a dancing class, even if you go alone, there are usually people around to partner up.

    Learn 5 or 10 jokes. Don’t be embarrassed to tell them often. Anyone from politicians to public speakers to hey, even comedians, will tell the same jokes over and over and over.

    Get an Education, even if it’s a community college or a few professional certifications. It will demonstrate that you can learn. Absorb as much as you can while you’re young, because it’s true, learning does get harder as you age.

    Take a course or two in psychology. Avoid people who bring you down, find people who build you up but are honest enough to keep you grounded when you need it.

    Don’t live for anyone else, live for you. That isn’t to say be selfish, you’ll need people in your corner. But know that, no one else can experience how can experience. No one else lives through your eyes; no one else loves through your heart; no one else dreams how you dream. We have so few precious years on this tiny rock, so make them tell the story of you.





  • I think it’s that PayPal was one of the firsts to provide a method for collecting credit card transactions electronically.

    Before PayPal, you’d often have to visit a website, then call the phone number for the seller to collect payment.

    eBay needed paypal because their sellers were often not businesses, just people yardsaling stuff online.

    Coincidentally, I interned at a PayPal competitor in 1998 that went under during the bust. We had an electronic interface through MS access, but it was a still a human entering in the CC number into one of those dial pads on our side and then confirming the transaction. I’m sure with all of the concerns around security nowadays that you can understand why that was a terrible long term business model.



  • I mean, I think there’s a time and a place for crying and it’s not usually in public, but if you are among a support network, then by all means.

    That said, after a devastating breakup for me, I have cried in public, at a party, among strangers, and it sucked.

    What I would like to see is just more camaraderie in general. Not bro culture per se, just more, social events. Kinda like the beer halls of yesteryear in Germany or the Shriners clubs. I feel like a lot of these rotaries, lions, etc, just have kind of fallen away in most towns, particularly for young people, and I really think we are losing a piece of our community because of it.

    Meetups used to fill some of that gap for me, but it’s been way too long (and two moves) since I’ve been to one. And I’m not the type to go to church (believe me, I tried - the whole women lesser than men thing around here really turned me off).

    I’m one of those weirdos, 50/50 introvert extrovert. And now with a family, it’s tougher than ever.




  • Usual one first: back in 2010 a friend and I rented a car from NC to NJ last minute to catch another buddy’s wedding. Rental agency gave me an odd look when I declined the insurance and I got one of those chilling epiphanies where something seemed wrong. Anyway, we’re coming back from NJ going 80 on the freeway in middle of nowhere Virginia and my friend was driving, me in the passenger seat. Guardrails on both sides of the road in a forest. 5 pointer comes casually walking into our lane from the one on the right. My friend saw it too late. Honestly a good thing, he only had enough reaction time to jostle the steering wheel slightly to the left, not even brake. We dodged that bucker by inches. Car insurance be damned, it would have probably ended me.

    More bizarre ones:

    • The handlebar on my motorcycle broke off, and I went down quick on a freshly plowed road, 18 wheeler behind me was barely able to stop in time. He helped me up and then chucked my bike into a snowbank like it was nothing.
    • Saw a semi get blown over by a gust of wind on 81 in western VA
    • about 2 months ago I saw an entire desk fly off of the back of a junkers trailer on I-40 just west of Asheville. I thought for sure it was gonna hit the car in front of me but the desk did this brilliant upright spin off into the shoulder. The lady driving the junker was none the wiser. Secure your loads y’all.
    • not a freeway, but I was turning left from this mountain backroad as a semi turned right onto the road I was on. The shoulder on that side had a drop off and the guy misjudged the turn. I got to see the whole cab lift into the air right beside me in my peripheral, freaked me the fuck out and I barreled to the right shoulder quick. When all was done and it seemed safe enough, I got out and checked on the guys then called highway patrol. The driver and his buddy were a bit in shock from the whole situation but otherwise OK.