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caseyscraftycorner · 2 months

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wanted to ramble about why i like pf2e's caster classes so much but not derail another post so here y'all go i guess

in pathfinder second edition, which is my combat-focused d20 game of choice, they have designed a game that gently pushes you to pick certain mechanical things for certain play styles. This is different from, say, dnd 3.5/pf1e in that it doesn't push you off a relevancy cliff if you don't make the most optimal decision, and different from dnd 5e because you can't just play any class any way you want. Instead, classes have Things They Do Better and Things They Do Worse.

Some classes are hyper focused on doing one thing great, but fail when they can't do that thing, and some classes have strength in their versatility, their ability to do things well-enough and generally be useful no matter the circumstances. one is not better than the other in this game. let me repeat: one is not better than the other in this game. In fact, since it is stronger to have a good party composition than it is to be strong as a character, it's harder for a group of just specialists or just generalists to do well -- they will both encounter situations that they cannot handle.

but how does this relate to spellcasting? i'm so glad you asked! Spellcasting is not done with class-specific spell lists, but with 4 traditions: Arcane, Primal, Occult, and Divine, and while some classes don't get to choose what tradition they have at all, some classes get their spell list based on their subclass. And, while casters are, generally speaking, on the more generalist side of things, each spell list has things they're good at and things they're bad at.

I'll try to go through this quickly.

Arcane is the premier utility spell tradition, and good for debuffs, aoe, and blasting, but can't heal at all and has very limited buff options.

Primal is the premier blasting spell tradition, and has a good amount of aoe and some healing, but can't really buff or debuff and has very limited utility.

Occult is the premier debuff spell tradition, and has some good aoes, buffs and utility, but can't really heal much and isn't good at blasting.

Divine is the premier healing spell tradition, and has a lot of buffs, but their debuff selection is somewhat limited, and their blasting and aoe selection is super limited (and sometimes god-dependent).

Since only some classes are tied down to a spell tradition, this means that if you, for example, want to play a really really good blaster, you could play a Druid, or you could play a witch or sorcerer. If you want to play someone who does a lot of buffing and debuffing, you could play a Bard, or you could play a witch or sorcerer. If you want to play a healer and buffer, you could play a cleric, or you could play a witch or sorcerer.

As a bonus, if you, for example, don't like prepared casting, and you want the arcane, divine, or primal tradition, then you can always play a sorcerer with that spell tradition instead, and you'll even get some special, unique-to-you abilities! And if you don't like spontaneous casting, but you want the occult spell list, you can always play an occult witch, and you'll even get some special, unique-to-you abilities!

Since some classes are tied down to a spell list, and the classes that aren't have extra mechanics and generally specific-to-that-subclass abilities, it's actively difficult to build a caster that steps on another caster's toes and playing a druid always feels different from playing a primal sorcerer, and playing a sorcerer always feels different than playing a witch. But also, since you can get any tradition with any type of spell casting, you can always play the character you want to play!

it enables player choice, while also making sure each class maintains its identity and its niche in the system. and i think that's neat.

#pathfinder #pathfinder 2e #ttrpg #casey rambles #here i go writing essays about fuckin ttrpgs again #sorry not sorry lol

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gregrulzok · 1 month

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Hello...Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

Hi !!

I wouldn't say I necessarily have a straightforward top 10 list as such ... But I'm not one to pass up and opportunity to infodump on anyone who'll indulge me !

I hope this is what you're looking for and, uh, buckle up. I'll include a TL;DR with each character to make your life easier, because knowing me, this is gonna get LONG.

Also potential spoilers for: Dungeon Meshi, Night in the Woods, Berserk, Devilman Crybaby, Arcane, Jujutsu Kaisen, Dimension 20: Fantasy High, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind.

Also note that Berserk and Devilman Crybaby are both NSFW sources. I don't mention anything explicit here, but be mindful when looking into it.

Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi)

TL;DR: Excellent neurodivergent representation, complex and unique in how interesting he is, also just me IRL

I'll be honest in saying he isn't actually my favourite Dungeon Meshi character (that's probably Chilchuck), but he IS the one I think about the most.

I'm firmly of the opinion that Laios is intentionally written to be neurodivergent-coded, and I say this because he's incredibly nuanced and interesting in the way he portrays symptoms and signs of autism. Most canon autistic representation I see can be boiled down to "slightly quirky" with a dash of the same 3 symptoms, and the background of that, Laios is a breath of fresh air. He's socially inept, but not at all cold or inexpressive - quite the opposite, he's open and enthusiastic and optimistic. He's obsessive, not in a quirky jokey way, nor in the way of being a savant that knows everything off the top of his head - he genuinely feels like he's learning about his interest and ENJOYS learning about it, rather than being robotic in his hyperfixation. On top of that, the thing he's hyperfixated on is EXTREMELY realistic for a neurodivergent person - many of us do find interest in animals, in cryptids, in other living beings that are, well, other, because we spend our whole lives being alienated and separate from our peers and we seek that comfort in other places. Monsters are straightforward, they don't play mindgames. They are powerful, they don't let others push them around (Laios, mind, is also powerful - but he's a human, so his strength alone has never been enough to protect him). And after all, humans already hate him, they already treat him as an unwanted freak. Why shouldn't he find solace in creatures that are treated the same way he is?

I could go on and on about how amazing he is, but honestly a lot of what I have to say could be posts of their own and we'd be here all day. I'll say also that he's just ... Plain and honest relatable. I have not projected so hard onto a character in a long time.

Angus DeLaney (Night in the Woods)

TL;DR: Comfort Character Extraordinare

If Laios is good to my brain because he reminds me of myself, Angus is good to my brain because he reminds me of my boyfriend. This, I cannot deny.

He isn't the most complex character in the world, nor even in NitW - yet I think there's more to him than people give him credit for. I think he's excellent in filling the role he's given - a friend-of-a-friend, a near-stranger, the person in the friend group our protagonist is in, someone she knows, and yet doesn't, likes, and yet doesn't really vibe with. He's nuanced and deep, has a life of his own, and honestly I'm almost glad they didn't explore it fully. By having Mae only get a tiny glimpse into his life, after knowing him for so long and yet never really spending time with him, we get the sense that people are people whether or not they're in Mae's life. It gives a greater sense of depth to the world offered to us by the game. Mae's close friends she knows well aren't the only ones going through tough things, everyone has their own story, and sometimes she only gets a tiny hint of that, and sometimes she gets none at all. I think it's very true to life, and very smart.

As for Angus specifically, well. He's smart, warm, kind. He doesn't let his cynicism get in the way of his friends fun, nor does he let it stop him from taking their worries seriously. He shows affection through cooking, he makes dumb nerdy jokes, he's canonically more charismatic than you'd think, he wants to take care of everyone and doesn't know how to take care of himself, and he has a fantastic ass.

He reminds me of my boyfriend. What more can I ask for.

Griffith (Berserk) & Ryo Asuka (Devilman Crybaby)

TL;DR: Incredibly nuanced villains that I want to put on a little dish and dissect. Themes of light and purity as something evil, of good intentions (Griffith) and love (Ryo) as something horrifying.

I figure I could just combine these two, given how much they've impacted each-other's writing.

Griffith AND Ryo are both infinitely nuanced characters, in ways that are complimentary and yet still different enough.

I've made a few posts about Griffith (if only because I recently finished Berserk), and my opinion on him can be summarised as such: I think he's the best villain in fiction, in that he is afforded nuance and complexity, without having to take away his teeth and make him ultimately pathetic, unintimidating, or a sexyman. I think the most interesting part of Griffith is his politics, his drive to change the world, his willingness to sacrifice everything to the greater good to the point where it becomes apocalyptic. It's fascinating to watch a character be so wrapped in genuine and honest good intentions, to the point of destroying everything.

I don't think I've talked much about Ryo (I should rewatch Crybaby), which is really a shame because he's no less interesting. He takes an aspect of Griffith that I haven't talked much about (rather, Griffith takes an aspect of Ryo) - obsessive love and devotion to the point of destruction - and amps it up to an infinite degree. Unlike Griffith, who pushes aside his love for his political motivation, Ryo destroys everything and anything in his path to the one he loves - including that very person. He's possessive and obsessive, in a way that does end up feeling genuine, and his entire humanity is concentrated on his feelings to this one person.

Together, these characters represent a trope that I personally love - purity, beauty and light as something evil, something vile, something overwhelming and possessive (as contrasted by something dirty, something crude, something rough being real and human and kind).

I just find them fascinating.

Ekko (Arcane)

TL;DR: mmmm community centric anarchist punk king.

This is possibly the most self indulgent one. Arcane is a wonderful show entirely full of fascinating characters I love, and each one of them deserves an amount of words that even I don't possess to describe their greatness.

Ekko is no less cool and interesting for having less screen time, but if we're just being honest here for a second ...

I just love his vibe.

I love that he was a rowdy, shitty little kid that antagonised everyone he could. I love that as he grew, he got more serious, took on an air of responsibility, but he didn't lose his friendliness, his humour, his artistry. I love that he prioritizes fun and growth and community, not just survival. I love that he has authority as a leader, not through fear but through confidence, through respect. I love his scene with Vi, where he bites back at her for the first time, I love their hug, I love their bond. I love his fight with Jinx, I love that for a moment they're just kids playing a game, I love seeing the reality crash over him like a wave. I love the little tidbits we get of him as a kid, playing dumb pranks, practicing his punches.

And to be completely clear: HE IS THE ONLY CHARACTER THAT WAS CORRECT.

Heimerdinger, Jayce, Silco, Vander, Mel, every single leader in this show is either too preoccupied trying to preserve broken pieces of the past or they're speeding towards a future they don't understand.

Ekko says NONE OF THAT SHIT, takes up the punk anarchist mantel, and says "I am going to take care of the injured, the indisposed, the homeless, the sick, the children, because blind ideals mean nothing in the face of real poverty and struggle".

...Which is why I say it's self indulgent on my part. It's just because I fully agree with his ideologies.

Geto Suguru (Jujutsu Kaisen)

TL;DR: Another villain I absolutely love analyzing and dissecting. Beautifully written ideology and motivation that is fully understandable even if it's something any sane human would viscerally disagree with.

I've written post upon post on Geto, so I won't get too into it, but I still wanted to mention him. Another reason I won't talk too much here is because I've ultimately fallen out of love with JJK - sad, but true. In my opinion, the most interesting part of the show was, in fact, Geto.

Geto's ideology is incredibly well written. So, so many little details end up playing into it, it's set up so carefully and expertly that in the end it's incredibly easy to see how he ended up in the place he did. The death of his friends, the responsibility of Mimiko and Nanako, the way he's treated, the way his best friend is treated... Some of these things are big, some more subtle, but they all lay a brick in the foundation of one of the best villain arcs I can name. And if you can't tell, I'm a big fan of villains that genuinely believe what they preach. There's an air of sincerity about him, despite being a manipulative asshole, he isn't a selfish one.

I just think he's fascinating.

Fabian Aramais Seacaster (Dimension 20: Fantasy High)

TL;DR: Incredibly entertaining, and has informed the way I play my TTRPG characters.

A bit of a random one, and a more light-hearted one - I just love this silly little man.

Fabian is so unabashedly loud, silly, over the top. He makes such obvious, catastrophic mistakes, often after delivering such confident speeches about how awesome he is. And then he's allowed to have quiet moments - he can be somber, soft, sad, tragic. He loves his friends, but he can't bring himself to be obvious about it, but he wants so badly to express it. He has repressed trauma that we don't really get told - instead it's expressed through every desperate cry for attention and every subsequent moment of quiet reflection.

I've been playing TTRPGs for a little while now, but Fabian has fundamentally inspired me to be more confident, more nuanced, to take up more space at my table, and to not be scared to change the way my characters act based on the scene and mood and circumstance.

I just think he's neat !

Panacotta Fugo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind + Purple Haze Feedback)

TL;DR: An underrated character that showcases burnout, gifted kid syndrome, and abandonment issues in a way I find particularly painful.

God. Where do I even start.

Fugo speaks very deeply to some of my own trauma. The gutteral, albeit brief depiction of gifted child syndrome and the subsequent burnout that follows it felt incredibly, palpably real not only in the episodes we see his backstory in, but also in his general behaviour. In the way he still tries to act proper and composed, in the barely-restrained rage that bubbles over once in a while, in the severe guilt felt through these outbursts. Pretty much any time Fugo is on screen is a testament to his pain and his sheer desire to overcome it, which (as amazing this show is) I can't exactly say for most JJBA characters.

The abandonment issues are more personal to me than I'd like to get too deeply into - suffice it to say, being left behind without a thought, looking at people you came to think of as your family turn their backs on you and walk away, and realising for the first time that you weren't, in fact, a needed and cherished presence in their lives, but rather something easily parted with ... That shit hurts, and it hurts me very personally.

Araki has gone on record stating that he fell in love with Fugo as a character and came to see him as a personal friend. I believe him, if the genuine and subtle care poured into every crevice of his character is anything to go by.

Purple Haze Feedback isn't canon, but it is Araki-approved, and its the exact amount and type of Fugo content I was starving for after his extremely undercut role in part 5.

And I think that's it!

Was that 10? Who knows.

Either way sorry if this isn't what you were looking for - i think one look at my blog will tell you that I'm very prone to infodumping especially as it pertains to character analysis.

And if you read it this far... Holy shit, thank you !!

To be honest as I've fallen out of fandom spaces it's become incredibly hard to come up with characters I actually like, rather than ones I've projected my own stories onto and changed fundamentally.

Playing DND has NOT been helpful, it's increasingly difficult not to spend four hours talking about a PC I made that I really love instead of any actual character haha.

Either way thank you for the ask !! Like I said I love a good opportunity to infodump.

#laios touden #dungeon meshi #angus delaney #night in the woods #griffith #berserk #ryo asuka #devilman crybaby #ekko #arcane #geto suguru #jujutsu kaisen #fabian seacaster #fantasy high #panacotta fugo #jjba gold experience

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k1nky-fool · 11 months

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I think you should answer 💘💫🤲💎🧿

Answers to this ask game, feel free to send in more!

💘 is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

I really wanna rework the first half of Devil of the Crossroads. I can't help but feel like it hot a very slow start and I don't have nearly enough flirting in there that I gotta ramp up for the next chapters. I feel like I could have a more entertaining fix if I work more of it together.

💫 what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

My favorite is the play-by-play. My favorite thing in the world is when someone types out a reaction to everything they're reading, and their comment list of comments us a play-by-play of their reaction reading it. I absolutely adore every second of it.

🤲 what do YOU get out of writing?

I'm here to make characters and make them kiss the characters I like, mostly. But I also just like a good story. I get to make something that I would want to read; I'm just glad other people like reading it too.

💎 why is writing important to you?

I like creating, but I also like putting meaning into that creation. I use my writing as a way to process my real life problems, and I feel restored when I can give those problems meaning. Trust issues, trauma recovery, violence, and abandonment are all real life problems that I have experience with and are featured in my writing pretty consistently. I'm happy to be able to process those through characters that I write to overcome those issues. If I can write how to work though my problem, then maybe I actually can work through it. And I hope those reading feel like they can work through those problems too.

🧿 what steps do you take to not take things personally if a fic doesn't do well, or if your writing/posting/sharing experience isn't going how you'd like it to?

I write stories I would like to read. I don't really take it personally if I'm the only person that wants to read it. I know why I start writing something, and my decision to publish/post something is truly dependent on if I think anyone else would want to read it.

There are some that I post because I think people would like the character or the story, but there are also some I post because I know there's not much in that genre that I know people are looking for, so might as well post mine so it comes up in the search results.

But regardless of who reads my work once I've posted it, I wrote it because I wanted to. And that's enough for me to keep writing, but motivation to post more comes from comments. I'm going to keep writing no matter what. If people want more posted, they tell me in the comments, reblogs, or in my inbox.

(secret addition because im nice)

💌 share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

(From upcoming Arcane Fanfic: Tooth and Nail)

"It's gonna take a while to get that train to run again." Pepper mentioned. "I'd like to suggest me and Sevi goin' around and finding out what Finn wants."

Silco shook his head. "I think Vale will be more than happy to take a job for those purposes. I'll be needing you for more important work."

Pepper scoffed. "Sugar, I sure hope that sittin' around the Drop with my thumb up my ass ain't considered more important work."

"I wouldn't dream of it, darling." He assured. “When the time comes I’ll need you to be ready enough to finish this for me. Whether I like it or not, I don’t have the skills necessary to make Finn see reason.”

“Then I don’t want Vale to leave me in the dark.” Pepper argued. “If you’re hiring him, then I want in.”

Silco slowly stepped closer to her, and she instinctively placed her hands on his chest as he looped his arms around her waist. “I think I can agree to that.”

“Good, ‘cause I wasn’t asking.” She hummed, earning a small laugh from Silco. "We have another problem by the way."

"The eavesdropper hear anything I should be worried about?" He asked.

"No, but I've learned that Jinx's favorite Firelight was trained by our favorite mercenary." Pepper said.

Silco was surprised enough to pull away to get a look at her face. "Minute has an apprentice?"

Pepper nodded, "You shoulda seen the way she held Vale hostage. Might as well been looking through your eyes seven years ago."

"Five years of nothing, and suddenly, there's an apprentice in the picture?"

"You and I both know she's been plenty busy for those five years." She argued. "I think Minute's been building a network for the Firelights. If I can catch her, then they fall apart."

"Because you've had such great luck hunting her in the past." Silco deadpanned. "I have faith in your skills, darling, but you and I know that you've met your match with Minute."

"I know she's a ghost, but she can’t hide forever.” Pepper said, “If you ain’t gonna put me on Finn, then let me do something useful.”

#fanfic ask game #arcane x oc #arcane #arcane fanfic #oc sketch #oc pepper

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