2 Major ways of enhancing hazard perception - HSEWatch
2 Major ways of enhancing hazard perception - HSEWatch
Building hazard maps with differentiated risk perception ...
Hazard perception training in young bicyclists improves ...
The Perception of Natural Hazards in Resource Management
Chapter 8 Hazard Perception and Geography - ScienceDirect
NHESS - Multi-hazard risk assessment for roads ...
(PDF) Towards a Hazard Perception Assistance System using ...
The Hazard Perception Test Explained Pass 1st Time
(PDF) Towards a Hazard Perception Assistance System using ...
Hazard perception Hazard Perception test
what classes as a hazard in hazard perception
what classes as a hazard in hazard perception - win
Investment theory and penny stocks
I've taught college-level investments classes, and I think a lot of you people would benefit from some of what we talk about in there. It's important for you to understand what exactly risk is, in the finance sense. Watch this video and think about how you would react in this scenario. The expected value (average value of all possible outcomes) of the case is $500,000.50. I have a feeling that if you sold that case on the market you'd find a market price below that; the difference between the expected value and the market price (assuming a fully liquid market) is the risk premium A central concept of finance and investments is this: the more risk you take, the more return you get. The safest thing you can do is convert your holdings to cash and stick it in your wallet, but you would get zero return (and lose purchasing power due to inflation over time). Technically, sticking money in a savings account is riskier, though interest rates on savings deposits is essentially zero these days and deposit insurance removes most of that risk. Any market play that gets you massive returns is putting a bunch of capital at risk (think about that WSB guy who put $700,000 into GME options; imagine what happens to the guy if the price doesn’t move). The reason the most common investment advice is to fire everything into low-cost index funds is because it’s low risk and low cost (active management of mutual funds rarely justifies the extra cost, but that’s a different discussion entirely). If you’re undertaking extra risk, you theoretically should be getting extra return to justify that risk. Think about a lottery ticket. If the jackpot is high enough, the expected value (the averaged return you get from all possible outcomes) of a lottery ticket is higher than the price you pay for it. However, given the limited set of outcomes that a lottery ticket gives you and the likelihood of the worst case scenario (you lose your entire investment), the risk is too high for most people to seriously invest in (and if you do “seriously” invest in the Powerball, you’re probably not having a good time). Another important consideration is liquidity. If you're selling a Stradivarius violin, you're going to have to spend a lot of time searching for a buyer who will pay full price OR you’ll have to sell it for less than it’s worth. In the market, this tends to be reflected in the bid/ask spread. We like to think about the market as a monolith, but in reality it’s just an aggregation of all the investors out there. That means liquidity isn’t a problem when it comes to most stocks on the NYSE and NASDAQ (eg. At the time of this writing the bid/ask spread on AAPL was $.01 for a price of $136.79), but when you head to OTC territory you might start seeing bid/ask spreads that can be up to 10% of the price for some of those real “no man’s land” stocks. That means that the price you pay (the ask price) and the price you can sell at (the bid price) can be wildly different. That also means that any “at current market price” order you send (especially in pre-market) may be filled at a price different than the price you think it’s going to be filled at. A third concept to think about is market efficiency. The central idea of market efficiency is that the price reflects all available information (different forms of efficiency consider private/public/historical info). A truly efficient market will react instantaneously and accurately to any new information that is created/released, eg. A firm releases earnings and beats expectations, therefore the price jumps up. If market efficiency is a product of investors discovering information and acting on it, that means your best opportunities are in places that are less visible to the aggregate investing public. That’s where pennystocks comes in. Do a search on most of the tickers listed here, and you’ll see a bunch of summary stock profiles and not much else. Do a search for any S&P 500 company and you’ll find an incredible amount of news, branding, and other information. If you’re looking for “good” penny stocks to buy up, you’re looking for an information advantage over the “average” investor. However, there is the hazard (that’s been around long before the internet) of bad or fake information. Remember that the market is an aggregate of all the investors out there, and those investors are subject to psychological biases, differences in personal attitude, and individual risk tolerance. That’s why you see some interesting reactions to events: remember when TSLA stock dropped because Elon Musk was smoking marijuana? There’s nothing about the CEO smoking marijuana that should change the fundamental value of the company, but investors collectively seemed to think this was a negative for the long term prospects of TSLA. A few common investor biases: • Losses are treated as more impactful than a gain. Think about if you buy into a stock and it immediately drops $.10. Compare this to how you react if you buy in and it immediately jumps $.10; the average investor is going to react more strongly to the former. • We all hate having made a “loser” trade. The effect is usually that investors hold on too long to a poorly performing stock in hopes that it will rebound. • Investors tend to anchor their perception of a stock’s performance based on their entry price. A $.10 drop in price hits worse if it takes you below your purchase price • Playing with “house money” (ie. your gains) is treated differently than your initial principal. In practice, this means that an investor that has done well recently is more risk-tolerant (and not always in a good way) • Investors are susceptible to "herding" behavior, where they follow what someone else is doing not because they know what that someone else is doing is good, but because they think that someone else knows something they don't. Stock prices are subject to the principles of supply and demand, ie. increased demand will raise the price, and people looking to sell more than buy will lower the price. This is especially important when it comes to momentum (the principle that an increasing stock price will continue to increase and a falling price will continue to fall). This is why you see overreactions to news items and a subsequent reversal; a news item creates a buying/selling frenzy that pushes the price until cooler heads walk in and say “maybe this price is wrong”. This is where swing traders try to profit: among other things, they look for stocks that have a drop that is unjustified in material info or in the degree of drop, buy up at “downward momentum” prices and sell after the reversal. Day traders also try to benefit by buying stocks with positive momentum and selling the second that momentum reverses. So what does this mean for us at pennystocks? A few considerations that are unique for penny stocks: 1) I already mentioned it, but liquidity is a big consideration: Bid/ask spreads may be larger than normal and many brokers either don’t let you trade below $.01 or make you pay a fee to do so. This also means that options covering penny stocks are either sparse or nonexistent. 2) Information coverage: information can be hard to find, and sifting through good and bad info can be a chore 3) Low market participation: The smaller number of traders means that it takes fewer people to influence the price in a material way. This is what makes penny stocks susceptible to pump and dump schemes: A bad actor just needs to convince a (relatively) small number to buy in to a stock to bump up the price, then the dump can crater the price leaving a bunch of bag holders in their wake. This also means that the price is subject to more psychological bias on the part of investors. 4) There are a lot of biotech firms in penny-stock land. The fortunes of these companies rest entirely on the outcomes of drug trials and/or acquisition by larger firms, which means you can see massive swings in price. This scene from The Wolf of Wall Street should be required viewing for anyone wanting to jump headfirst into penny stocks. The modernization of trading means that commissions are drastically reduced, but the lessons here still apply. I’m not saying “don’t invest” because there are some mighty gains to be had if you do it right. I’m saying “be cautious” and certainly don’t trade on emotion. Understand that what we’re doing here is speculation, and that many stocks with penny prices are trading at penny prices for a reason. Increased volatility in the penny stocks market is going to make you feel a lot of things, but it’s important to compartmentalize this emotion and trade logically. The moment you start treating it, consciously or unconsciously, like a casino, you’ll get casino-like returns (spoiler alert, the house always wins in the end) A few closing thoughts: • Like another recently popular post here said, don’t be afraid to walk away for a few days to cool off. • FOMO is the gains killer; there will always be a New Moon in terms of penny stocks. • Pay attention to the sector you’re buying in and understand how that might influence the volatility of the stock’s price. Be especially wary of anyone trying to sell you on a “sure thing” biotech firm. • MLFB to the moon! (Just kidding, don't rely on me to tell you what to buy) (EDIT: By Request 🚀🚀🚀) And finally • Do your own research! There are some legitimate DD threads on here, but you should do your own research and make sure they’re legit. Some threads here sound a lot like Jordan Belfort in the video above. Further reading: Wikipedia’s very long list of cognitive biases Efficient markets hypothesis Behavioral finance
2021 MEGATHREAD: Prospective or Incoming Student Questions (All other posts will be REMOVED)
Hello future McGillians! We know that you have lots of questions, and we're here to help answer them. To keep the subreddit orderly, all that we ask is that you restrict discussion to this megathread. All other posts will be removed. Before you comment, please read the FAQs below, and note that administrative inquires about requirements, deadlines, financial aid, etc. are best directed to Service Point. You might also try asking your question here on the McGill website. What are my chances of getting in? When will I receive a decision? We aren't admissions officers, so we can't tell you anything beyond the general rule that offers are made in waves, based on grades and test scores, until all available spaces are filled. This means that the higher you are above the minimum requirements for your program, the better your odds of acceptance, and the sooner you're likely to hear back. However, simply being above the minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission. If I don't meet the requirements for the program I want, can I get into another program and then transfer? Transferring into most programs is a lot harder than getting admitted to them in the first place, so while this is a possible route to take, it's a big risk as you would have to substantially improve your academic performance in your first year. What if I'm accepted with my predicted grades or scores, but then they go down a little? As long as you pass all of your classes and graduate from your current high school or CEGEP, you'll be fine. Is McGill better than this other university? Is a McGill degree good for jobs? Most of us haven't attended any other universities or been in the labour market for very long, so we probably can't give you an informed opinion. How hard is it to get a high GPA at McGill? I've heard there's grade deflation. It's hard—McGill will not hold your hand—but it's also perfectly possible to graduate with a high GPA if you take courses that interest you and manage your time efficiently. In other words, your perception of difficulty will vary based on your program and your academic background, such as how good the study skills you developed in high school are. Different faculties and departments have different policies when it comes to forcibly curving a class's grades down so that there's a certain average (also known as "grade deflation"). What is student life like? Lots and lots has already been said about this topic. Read through some past threads to get some ideas. Broadly speaking, being in the midst of a city as fun and affordable as Montreal, socializing tends to happen off-campus. There is a visible party culture, so if that's up your alley you will probably find it easier to make friends. However, with 27,000 undergraduates and hundreds of clubs, there is a niche for everyone. You may just have to look a little harder to find yours. Of course, a big part of life in Montreal is dealing with winter. Seasonal depression is real, so consider your ability to tolerate five months of overcast days with 4 pm sunsets, freezing temperatures (sometimes as low as -30° C with wind chill), and occasional icy sidewalks that make getting to class downright hazardous. Do I need to speak French to come to McGill? No. Montreal is a relatively bilingual city, so you can spend four years here and get by without a word of French. However, your life will be much easier and more opportunities will be available to you if you can speak—or make an effort to learn—un peu de français. I've accepted my offer! What next? Congratulations! See this page for a full guide to class registration, residences, frosh, and legal documents—including information on visas, banking, and phone plans for international students
The Fighting Pits - A way to run gladiatorial combat for your adventurers, inspired by Brennan Lee Mulligan's encounter design methods.
Intro I thought I'd do a bit of a twist on the classic fighting pits/gladiator arena trope (because my players and I love it to bits), attempting to follow the incredible Brennan Lee Mulligan's encounter design philosophy. The plan is to incorporate timed elements, environmental hazards, verticality of movement, and non-combat tasks. This is built for my group of 4 PCs who I'll be splitting into 2 teams, each of whom will fight 2 seasoned fighters who are familiar with the Pits. These can also be used for 4-on-1 gladiator fights against high-CR monsters, or adapted to work with whatever group you're DM-ing for! Feel free to give me some feedback in the comments. They're not all meant to be perfectly balanced with one another, hence the element of randomness, but I'm keen to hone all this as much as possible! The Fighting Pits The Fighting Pits' arena is 125ft long and 60ft wide with a 5ft gap bisecting it into 60ft squares. It is recessed 15ft into the floor and surrounded by enough rows of raked seats to fit 500. The arena's walls are made of polished stone and a magic shell surrounds it to prevent escape by any of the combatants. Six large doorways lead into the arena, two on each of its longer sides and one on each of its shorter ends. The Pits are rigged with an enormous pulley system which rotates platforms between 6 options like a massive water wheel. When set for combat, there is a 60ft gap between the floor of the platform in use and the underside of the one above, effectively giving the arena a height of 60ft as well. When simultaneous fights occur, huge pikes rise from the gap splitting the two halves of the field, preventing interference between the separate fights. When there is only one fight, using the entire arena, combatants can fall (on a failed DC10 athletics or acrobatics check) or be pushed into the gap, falling 5ft on to the top of the pikes and taking 1d10 piercing damage. All combatants have any magic items taken from them before they fight in the Pits. At each entrance to the arena, there are armouries equipped with non-magical versions of every kind of weapon imaginable. The ogres (or Hill Giants if you’d rather) that man the pulley system stand near the entrance to the arena and can give basic advice to new contestants, giving them clues about environmental hazards, their enemies’ weaknesses etc. There are two enormous wheels up against one of the walls behind the seats. One wheel is labelled “Terrain”, the other “Incentives”. Each wheel is spun once to determine what the conditions will be in the arena. If two simultaneous fights are happening, each side of the wheel is spun twice, determining different terrain and incentives for each side. The results for each wheel can be found below: Terrain (roll a d6) 1.Swamp As you step out into the arena, the first thing that hits you is the smell. The stench of excrement, insect larvae, and stagnant water catches in the back of your throat. The air is thick with moisture and you can already feel sweat beading on your brow. Your foot hits wood and you notice that above the marshy floor of the arena sits a series of thin wooden catwalks, casting a loose grid over the map. The arena floor under the walkways is covered in thick mud and dotted with fetid pools of brackish water.
The marshy floor underneath the walkways is considered difficult terrain
A creature that starts or ends its turn in one of the pools around the arena must succeed on a DC13 CON save or take 2d6 Poison damage and become poisoned. The creature can repeat their saving throw at the end of each of their turns. Once a creature has become poisoned in this way, they cannot be poisoned again for the length of the combat, but can still take the 2d6 Poison damage if they start or end their turn in one of the pools.
2.Dungeon You take a step out onto a cobblestone floor, splattered in dried blood, with moss creeping out from between the stones. You shiver, a damp cold hanging in the air around you. Some walls jut out of the floor, seemingly at random, across parts of the arena, but there are no roofs above and any corridors created are open at both ends.
Spike traps (5ft by 5ft squares dotted across the floor) = DC15 Investigation or Perception check to notice, DC13 DEX save or take 2d6 piercing damage and fall 10ft.
Tripwires (between walls 10ft apart, especially at bottlenecks) = DC15 Investigation or Perception check to notice, DC13 DEX save or take 2d6 bludgeoning damage from a battering ram emerging from the wall and smashing you against the opposite one.
If incentives 1, 2, or 3 are rolled, the incentive is located in a small room with walls on 3 sides and an open doorway that spans the width of the room. If incentive 4 is rolled, there is instead a pouch of 200GP in this room.
At the entrance to that room is a pressure plate (DC15 Investigation or Perception check [free action] to notice). If a character steps on the pressure plate, pikes will erupt from the floor in the doorway behind them, sealing the entrance to the room and preventing the creature’s exit.
On the wall behind the incentive are three lit torches. On a successful DC15 Investigation check (free action), the character knows which one to pull to open the door behind them and can take a bonus action to do so. On a failure, they can try at random, each attempt taking a bonus action (can use their action as well if they want to try twice in one turn). When they haven’t tried any of the torches, they succeed by rolling a 5-6 on a d6. If they’ve pulled one wrong torch, they succeed by rolling a 4-6 on a d6. When only 1 torch remains, they automatically pull the right one.
A creature inside has half cover from ranged attacks from outside, and vice versa. Any creature can choose a point through the pikes as the centre of a spell though.
3.Desert The ground is thick with soft sand and your feet sink just below the surface as you take your first step into the arena. Hot wind picks up some of the sand and the grit scratches across your face, making you squint slightly to protect your eyes. Tall sandstone pillars jut out from the sand vertically and diagonally, creating a broken latticework of safe ground across the arena.
Quicksand (10ft x 10ft circle on ground in middle of battlefield) = DC 13 STR save to exit. If you fail you get sucked deeper. 3 failures and you get sucked under. If you don’t struggle, you can remain in the sand but your movement is reduced to 0.
Every turn on initiative 20, roll a d4. On a 4, a sandstorm obscures the battlefield for the round. Creatures can spend a bonus action to shield their eyes from the sand, otherwise they are blinded until the storm ends.
All sand is difficult terrain. The pillars are far enough apart but requiring jumps between them (DC10 Acrobatics or Athletics check if they have sufficient long jump). One pillar stands vertically, 5ft away from the quicksand.
4.Labyrinth All you can see after you step out is polished stone. Walls rise up 10ft into the air forming one large maze of 5ft and 10ft wide corridors, complete with dead ends and false shortcuts.
One or more minotaurs (depending on the power and number of the combattants) are loose on the map and will attack any creature they come across. (DM can choose which direction the minotaur takes at each branch at random by rolling on a d6 (splitting possible directions among the numbers on the die e.g. at a T-intersection, 1-3 = left, 4-6 = right)
If incentives 1, 2, or 3 are rolled, the incentive is located in a small room with walls on 3 sides and an open doorway that spans the width of the room. If incentive 4 is rolled, there is instead a pouch of 100GP in this room.
At the entrance to that room is a pressure plate (DC15 Investigation or Perception check [free action] to notice). If a character steps on the pressure plate, pikes will erupt from the floor in the doorway behind them, sealing the entrance to the room and preventing the creature’s exit.
On the wall behind the incentive are three lit torches. On a successful DC15 Investigation or Perception check (free action), the character knows which one to pull to open the door behind them and can take a bonus action to do so. On a failure, they can try at random, each attempt taking a bonus action (can use their action as well if they want to try twice in one turn). When they haven’t tried any of the torches, they succeed by rolling a 5-6 on a d6. If they’ve pulled one wrong torch, they succeed by rolling a 4-6 on a d6. When only 1 torch remains, they automatically pull the right one.
A creature inside has half cover from ranged attacks from outside, and vice versa. Any creature can choose a point through the pikes as the centre of a spell though.
5.Underwater On the other side of the doorway is a perfect wall of bright blue water. No foam disturbs its surface, but tiny waves lap vertically. A thin layer of sand covers the bottom of the arena, with large chunks of brain coral protruding from the floor and two giant, dark purple sea urchins to each side of the whirlpool. In the centre, you see a large whirlpool draggin water down from the ceiling above. In the corners of the arena, you see smaller columns of water shooting upwards with great force. As you push your foot, then shin through the doorway, you feel the pull of gravity on your lower leg weaken as the warm water cradles it. Across the way, you see one of your enemies swig from a glass vial, then both dive horizontally into the water, kicking their legs and waving their arms to keep themselves in place, bubbles emitting from only one of their mouths.
Half the combattants (rounded down) on each side are given potions of water breathing. If the combat features a group of humanoid creatures against non-humanoids, half the humanoid combatants are given potions of water breathing and the other creatures get none.
If a creature succeeds on a shove action underwater, they can choose to push their target 10ft instead of 5ft, however the successful creature will also need to move 5ft in the opposite direction.
The lumps of brain coral on the ocean floor (5ft x 5ft) deal 1d6 slashing damage to any creature pushed into them.
The giant sea urchins are extremely dangerous. Any creature that touches them takes 1d6 piercing damage and any creature pushed into them takes 2d6 piercing damage. In either case, the creature must succeed on a DC13 CON saving throw or take an additional 1d6 poison damage and become poisoned.
Water spouts (5ft x 5ft) occupy each corner of the arena. A creature can voluntarily enter them to travel up to the ceiling only using 5ft of movement, but must succeed on a DC13 DEX saving throw to exit the spout without being crushed against the ceiling and taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage. A creature which wishes to move through a water spout without being thrust upwards must succeed on a DC13 STR saving throw. Otherwise, they will be pushed to the ceiling and will have to take the DC13 DEX saving throw to avoid being crushed as above.
A large whirlpool (10ft x 10ft) sits at the centre of the arena. Any creature who voluntarily enters or is pushed into the whirlpool will be dragged to the bottom of the arena. To exit the whirlpool, a creature must succeed on a DC13 STR saving throw, or be grappled. The creature can repeat the DC13 STR saving throw at the beginning of each of its turns to escape the grapple. Any creature who wishes to cross the whirlpool without being dragged down must also succeed on a DC 13 STR save, or be sucked to the bottom of the arena and grappled by the whirlpool as above.
6.Underdark As the doorway clears in front of you, you find yourself squinting instinctively. The entire arena is covered in magical shadow, save for a few spots of bright orange, bioluminescent algae across the floor, and your nose is filled with the scent of damp and decay. The outlines of enormous toadstools, the size of trees, can be made out, thrusting up from the arena floor. One sits in the centre and two in opposite corners. Half-lit by nearby algae, you also make out some large, colourful mushrooms, blue, green, and yellow. Around each of them you see a haze of spores floating in the air, caught by the light from the algae like dust motes in a sunbeam.
Partial magical darkness meaning everything is in dim light (disadvantage on Perception checks and -5 to Passive Perception).
Big toadstools (10ft x 10ft) to hide behind or climb up to get the higher ground. One right in the middle of the arena and two in opposite corners.
3 types of large (5ft x 5ft) mushroom across the battlefield (2 of each). If you start your turn within 5ft of one of them you are subjected to the following effects:
Yellow = DC13 Wisdom saving throw or become afraid of all foes you can see. Lasts until you next take damage
Blue = DC13 Intelligence saving throw or you become stupefied and lose your turn, only taking your turn after you next take damage. This changes your place in the initiative order. If you do not take damage before your next turn, you lose your turn entirely.
Green = DC13 Charisma saving throw or have emotions calmed, such that you do not commit any act of violence until you next take damage. Can still heal your co-combattants, but don’t see your competition as enemies.
If you start your turn within 5ft of multiple mushrooms, you must roll to save against both of their effects.
Incentives (roll a d4) 1.Wealth A bag containing 500GP is chained to the roof, starting 10ft in the air. It cannot be opened until the end of combat.
Every 6 seconds it rises an additional 5ft off the ground. Requires sufficient jump height, a free hand, and a DC 13 Athletics or Sleight of Hand check to get it off the chain (takes an action)
If a creature has the bag, it can stow it away using their bonus action. Another creature can use their action to attempt to take the bag from them, triggering a contested Athletics or Sleight of Hand check (each creature’s choice). If the bag is stowed, the creature attempting to take the bag rolls with disadvantage.
2.Treasures All valuables have been taken off the combatants (gold, magic items, etc). One valuable taken from each opposing team has been placed inside a large, magically locked puzzle box near the middle of the field.
Opening the box requires a DC 13 Arcana check, then a DC13 Sleight of Hand check, one after the other.
If a creature has already succeeded on the Arcana check, another can attempt the Sleight of Hand check, opening the box on a success.
If a creature fails on the Arcana check, they take 1d6 lightning damage. If they fail on the Sleight of Hand check, they take 1d6 poison damage.
The magical field surrounding the arena also casts the Identify spell for any creature that takes items from the box. Attunement is not required when the items are used within the arena, meaning a creature can use them immediately as long as they satisfy any race, class, and alignment requirements of the items. If a creature keeps a new item after the combat, they will need to attune to it to use it to its full capacity.
Whoever holds the items at the end of the combat keeps them. If nobody has any at the end, the items are returned to their owners.
The box also has an AC of 20, 20HP, and is resistant to all damage except bludgeoning by a magical weapon. If the box is reduced to 0HP, it is destroyed, along with the items within.
3.Servants There is a large (15ft x 15ft) cage in the middle of the battlefield. Its bars are made of obsidian with thin, dark purple rivulets cut into the stone. These veins pulse every 6 seconds, turning from the dark, almost-black purple, to a lighter shade of violet. On inspection, the horizontal cross-bars at the top of the cage are etched with a message in Infernal: “My nourishment is your gain”
If you are within 15ft of the cage, you can choose to use your action to burn a spell slot (of any level), a number of ki points, a number of bardic inspiration dice, or 10HP to be fed to the cage.
When the cage is fed, a number of imps appear inside, corresponding to how many of each resource have been contributed (e.g. if you burn a lvl 3 spell slot, 3 imps appear. If you burn 2 ki points, 2 imps appear. If you sacrifice 40HP, 4 imps appear etc.). The DM may re-balance or add to these resources based on the combattants involved.
If within 5ft of the cage, a creature can spend an action to attempt to break it open with a DC12 Arcana or Sleight of Hand check. The DC for this check increases by 1 for every imp contained within. Once the imps have been released, the cage closes again and spell slots can be given to it again.
The cage also has an AC of 20, 20HP, and is resistant to all damage except bludgeoning by a magical weapon. If subjected to the dispel magic spell, the cage will cease to work, all contained spell slots will be wasted, and all imps contained within will be returned to the Nine Hells.
The imps will be loyal to whoever released them, attacking their enemies. The imps do not have their Shapechanger ability, or the Invisibility action. All imps disappear at the end of the combat.
4.King of the Pits A volunteer audience member is transported from their seat to a crystal sphere above the middle of the arena and asked what they most want to see in the fight (roll on a d4, options listed below). They watch the battle and on initiative count 1 (losing ties), decide which individual combatant has best fulfilled their desire. That creature gains inspiration (advantage on one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check of their choice, decided before they roll) which expires at the end of combat. If one creature gains this inspiration more than once, they stack.
Blood (whoever deals the most damage during the round)
Magic (whoever casts the most levels worth of spells or uses the most special abilities [DM's discretion as to what counts as a special ability, e.g. extra attack probably doesn't count, bardic inspiration might])
Resilience (whoever takes the most damage during the round)
Perspicacity (whoever attempts to use environmental elements to their advantage most)
After a year of running a homebrew campaign with no prior experience, here are the lessons I've learned and my advice on how to be a better DM!
Hi guys. This subreddit has helped me out a lot, so I wanted to share what I’ve learned the last year after DMing about 20-30 sessions total. When I first started, I’d never even played a game of D&D before. I decided to DM out of the gate because I knew it was the only way I’d ever get some of my friends to give the game a shot. Something went right, because we’ve been playing about twice a month since! First, I wanted to share three re-occurring issues that kept gumming up my performance as a DM. I worked hard to fix these problems, and I think through a lot of trial-and-error, I found what works really well for me. 1) Ineffective Dungeon Maps After several disappointments, I came to the conclusion that large dungeon maps were like pacing quicksand for my party. I would give them an awesome, fully drawn-out dungeon map like THIS and they went from playing DND to playing a “don’t step on the lava” 5 feet at a time slog fest, complete with gamer-inspired “must clear all the fog of war!” tendencies.
My solution was to stop providing these maps. Instead of dungeon maps, I have started using a method known as point crawls. Point crawls are an abstracted way of organizing dungeons that provides the players with descriptions of key points, and ways forward depending on what they discover via perception/investigation. Traversal between these points is narrated briefly. I find that this theatre of the mind works INFINITELY better for exploration in 5E, though I still use smaller Battle Maps like this for actual encounters. Because they’re cool, and because combat mechanics really need them.
2) Unorganized Notes Not being able to find information on the fly was a huge reoccurring problem. Cycling through different apps/pages/tabs to find a name, room description, or monster ability would often just straight up kill the tension at the table and make everything last longer than it should have.
For organizing my notes, I eventually settled on just two programs: Miro and OneNote. Point Crawl style dungeons fit like a glove into Miro. Here’s an example of how I laid out my most recent session. Each node can be clicked and opened up to show a room description like this. Next to the rooms, I put monster stat blocks. The entire session is framed inside the dark blue square, and the next session will begin next to it, sharing the node where they left off. Non-dungeon sessions work just fine as well, but you have to, of course, be more open to things going a bit off the rails. But IMO, you should always have a general idea of what your party wants to do, and can plan accordingly. I try to structure the narrative so that they have X rationale options to choose from instead of infinite choices to achieve a goal. Miro's structure is not only great for opening things in a flash, the "node to node" way of structuring the story really just caused the flow of our table to improve dramatically. I use OneNote to keep useful d100 charts, as well as notes about my world’s history or quests/story hooks that I’ve yet to use. I can also pop it open to jot down any important things I need to remember from the session.
3) Music Organization I'm big on music/ambience, but I was spending an exorbitant amount of time finding the “right music” for a session, and then having trouble playing it exactly when I need it at the table.
I still have issues with this, but it’s improving. I have a folder of hundreds of files that I have labeled with tags like this and this, that I am able to search for using Windows Explorer. That helps a lot in finding music I want to use for the game, which I then copy-paste onto my desktop. Ideally, Miro would let you link mp3 files! Maybe someday.
Those three things were my big improvements, but here’s some various random tidbits and advice!
I have made a lot of mistakes with mechanic rulings, as have my players. Not once has it been a problem or affected our table's fun! When we do find a mistake, we figure it out and adjust moving forward, but never recon.
I fudged rolls a lot at the beginning, because I wasn’t confident that my encounters were fair. As I’ve gotten more confident, I’ve felt better about sticking to the rolls I make. I still sometimes tweak health on the fly, but for dramatic/pacing purposes, not balance. I used to think that fudging rolls was totally fine, but a year in, I really do think that should be used as sparingly as possible.
CR Ratings are pretty awful, and you really do need to run a few scenarios in your head when you plan encounters. How rested up your characters are also has a HUGE affect on the outcome of a battle -- if they have all their skills, a Deadly CR Rating drops down in difficulty significantly.
Music/Ambient tracks are THE move to up your game’s tension and immersion. If I have a single piece of advice besides “use Point Crawls”, it’s “use music!”
Keep track of the time of day somewhere in your notes. I ALWAYS forget, between sessions, what time of day it was.
Limit your players’ ability to take Long Rests. Once I stopped letting them nuke every encounter and forced them to conserve resources, battle became so much more fun for all of us.
Consider giving your classes who only refresh on long rests some sort of homebrew consumable item that lets them refresh something on a short rest. My cleric has a “votive candle” with X charges that allows him to restore his spell slots on a short rest by using his Hit Dice, for example.
Make long-distance travel at low levels an adventure in and of itself. Using Point Crawls, you can approach it very much like an outdoor dungeon. When they are a higher level and have the means to bypass travel on foot, it’ll feel so much more rewarding.
I originally was very generous with low-powered Magic Items, but I’ve reeled back a bit. Not because it’s unbalanced, but because they now have an inventory of quirky stuff so large that it’s impossible for them to use what they have effectively. Less is more?
Providing Ability/Spell cards for your players can be a huge help if they are also new to the game. We started using cards for items as well, which gives them a physical reminder that they have those items. So often, they were forgetting stuff when it was just scribbled down on a line in an inventory sheet.
"Quantum Ogre" game design can be helpful for saving time, and perfectly valid, but make sure that it makes sense. A player would probably expect that a "high climb up and over a mountain" has more environment hazards than combat encounters, while a "shortcut through the mountain" would be shorter but filled with more dangerous foes. If you put the ogre wherever they end up going, (even if you re-flavor it), that will subvert expectations in a not good way.
Enforcing RAW action economy for drawing/sheathing weapons, IMO, helps with combat depth. So do a lot of the other forgettable mechanics, like auto-critting on incapacitated players, stabilization requiring a Medicine DC check, and cover rules.
I used to think encounters should ONLY be used to push forward the narrative, and that random encounters were an absolute waste of time. Well, I've changed my mind a bit. A random encounter CAN help the narrative, by importing to the players that an area is dangerous and inhabited by many different creatures. Even a minor encounter can help build the world in some small way. Furthermore, it will help to widdle down the players so that they aren't 100% Nuking Machines when the important encounters come.
I hope this wasn't overly presumptuous! I know I'm still a beginner in a sea of pros with decades under their belt, but I hope this can help someone just starting out! Thanks for reading!
Flatten the Curve. Part 75. Let's talk once more about Aliens. And training for Underground Warfare. And Riot Control. And unexplained drones. And did you know that they had reported the smell of sulfur with UFO's? Real or Fake, this may just be in our New Normal future.
Previous Post Here Welcome back earthlings. Let's take another look at Terra Firma and our present chances of First Contact, shall we?
Flatten the Curve
I first started writing this series because I noticed inconsistencies and over looked current events, namely, the world wide reports of a distinct sulfur smell around the world. These reports aren't easy to find in search engines, and it took me a number of weeks before I convinced myself that something was happening worldwide that was being kept hidden from us. Flatten the Curve post on sulfur. Source Here Back then I became convinced that this was part of an ELE that we were going to face in the future. And while the odds remain firmly with that explanation, another possibility has entered into the scenario. What's the possibility?Whelp, hold on to your tinfoil hats;
UFO's
Hold up, back up, this isn't normal New Normal stuff. And you're right, it isn't. Not at all. And trust me, even I'm in disbelief over what I've seen. But maybe I shouldn't have been. Why? Because of some strangeness that happened after the first sulfur post. Because after that post, I received a few strange comments or private messages. I can't remember which it was, but I think it was comments, so if you're interested to verify, go back and check (if those comments are still up, because I had an unusually high number of deleted comments back then, and maybe I still do, but I don't know and I don't care.) So what were the comments about? They pointed out to me that a high number of UFO sightings also happened to coincide with the smell of sulfur. Which I thought was nuts. I had read books about UFO sightings as a little kid. A lot of books. And I didn't remember reading that once. And I thought that I would have.
I was wrong
Now, I don't know who sent me that first UFO and sulfur hint. But I will say, that was strange. Very strange. And I should have looked into it. But I didn't. Why? Because that wasn't what I thought was happening, that's why. Despite the tic tac video. And then that report came out about the not of this world material. And I ignored it. And then I started seeing more and more UFO reports, and I finally decided to search sulfur + UFO, and surprise, surprise, nothing. So I kept searching, and guess what, it was exactly like my experience trying to find the sulfur reports; the info is there, but you have to dig to find it. Now I don't have a lot of information, mainly because there are more pressing issues to write about, but I will keep looking in my spare time. So for now, let's start at the sulfur reports. (Seriously, I'm still wondering what on earth has happened to Normal, because I'm not a fan of this movie script)
Aliens Stink Like Uranus
Get it? Becaue Uranus has hydrogen sulfide...
FalconLake Then there was the smell. "When I walked into the bedroom there was a huge stink in the room, like a real horrible aroma of sulphur and burnt motor. It was all around and it was coming out of his pores. It was bad," said Michalak, who co-authored the book When They Appeared with Winnipeg UFO researcher Chris Rutkowski. Believing it to be a secret U.S.military experimental craft, Stefan sat back and sketched it over the next half hour. Then he decided to approach, later recalling the warm air and smell of sulphur as he got closer, as well as a whirring sound of motors and a hissing of air. Source Here
Did you notice the sulfur smell? Now let's go on and take another look at the East coast of Canada. Then there was Shag Harbor Source Here And now onto Cussac.
On Aug. 29, 1967, a 13-year-old boy and his 9-year-old sister told local police they were watching cows in a field and saw "four small black beings about 47 inches tall" who appeared to rise in the air and enter "a round spaceship, about 15 feet in diameter" that was hovering over the field. The police noted "sulfur odor and the dried grass" at the place where the sphere was alleged to have taken off. Source Here
And West Virginia.
On a steep hillside, a bevy of youngsters drawn away from a game of sandlot football, along with some adults, were shaken out of their shoes by the spectacle of a 12-foot, metallic object that emanated a pungent odor of sulfur and made sounds that reminded one witness of bacon sizzling in a fry pan. Source Here
And the last one is perhaps the strangest.
Bender’s message did not go over well. His rooms continued to fill with the smell of sulphur and he was telepathically ordered to cease delving into matters that were not his concern. A yellow mist gathered in the attic. Undeterred, Bender announced that the July issue of Space Review would hold a “startling revelation.” It never appeared in print. In July 1953 Albert Bender was visited at his home by three men. Bender stated “All of them were dressed in black clothes. They looked like clergymen but wore hats similar to [the]Homburg style.” The notorious Men In Black, always in threes, made it clear to Bender that he was to immediately halt all UFO work. They communicated telepathically: “Stop publishing.” Before departing, the MIB confiscated copies of Space Review and in their wake a yellow fog materialized in the upstairs rooms of 784 Broad Street. Again, the vile odor of sulphur wafted through the attic. Unnerved by their other-worldly presence Albert shuddered that he was “scared to death” and was unable to eat for days. The 32 year-old timekeeper would be the recipient of repeated MIB visits. The telepathic messages, headaches, his being stalked, and of course the surreal warnings by authoritarians in black suits, compelled Albert to shut down the International Flying Saucer Bureau. A year and a half after founding the IFSB the final issue of Space Review was released in October, 1953. It included a cryptic message, and warning: “The mystery of the flying saucers is no longer a mystery. The source is already known but any information about this is being withheld by orders from a higher source. We would like to print the full story in Space Review but because of the nature of the information we have been advised in the negative. We advise those engaged in saucer work to be very cautious. Source Here
Out of this admittedly small collection, there are a couple points that I noticed. They all happened years ago, and a couple incidents are near water. Now that's not a big deal, and because of my limited examples, I can't make a big deal out of it. But.
Do we have Extraterrestrials under water?
The Tic Tac video. That sure got...barely any attention. Strange, right? Almost like everyone is being conditioned to accept news like that as normal. As though our natural born instincts are being dulled. Because real or not, come on, this is a modern day spotting a sabretooth tiger moment, and we don't think it's a big enough declaration to have it on our radar? Really? Ok. Sure. But. If very few people are talking about that incident, they are really not talking about something else Farvor said.
“They reverse the winch and the diver’s thinking, ‘What the hell is going on?’ And all of a sudden he said the torpedo just got sucked down underwater, and the object just descended back down into the depths. They never recovered it.” The helicopter pilot swears the torpedo didn’t sink, per Fravor—and that pilot even told the Times about the incident back in 2017, but the paper never reported it. We’re guessing the editors would reconsider today. As the pilot picked up the BQM, he was apparently at a loss for words. “He’s looking at this thing going, ‘What the hell is that?’ And then it just goes back down underwater. Once they pull the kid and the BQM out of the water, this object descends back into the depths.” One dark mass coming up from the depths is weird enough. Two is officially cause for concern. A few months later, the helicopter pilot saw the exact same thing.
“He’s out picking up a torpedo, they hook the diver up on the winch, and as they’re lowering him down, he sees this big mass. He goes, ‘It’s not a submarine’. He’s seen submarines before. Once you’ve seen a submarine you can’t confuse it with something else. This big object, kind of circular, is coming up from the depths and he starts screaming through the intercom system to tell them to pull the diver up, and the diver’s only a few feet from the water. Source Here
It's a little more common knowledge now, but it definitely wasn't back then. And if we go over to the Russians (apparently, thanks New Normal Fake News for the constant barrage of disinformation) and what they released.
2009 • Russian Navy Declassifies Cold War Close Encounters. Great catch by Phil Ewing at Navy Times‘ Scoop Deck blog: the Russian navy has just declassified its records of Cold War UFO sightings. Turns out “50 percent of UFO encounters are connected with oceans. Fifteen [percent] more — with lakes. So UFOs tend to stick to the water,” one Russian officer explained. Source Here
So now we have Russia and the USA reporting about UFO sightings. And the wall fell just a few short years after Gorbachev and Reagan decided to talk about UFO's and world peace in 1985. So now let's go back to 1984.
Conspiracy theorists believe that the closing ceremony from the 1984 Olympic Games ‘prepared the world for an alien invasion’ The bizarre closing ceremony at the Los Angeles Games raised eyebrows at the time, but alien enthusiasts still claim that the Olympic event had a more sinister purpose. Source Here
Whelp. What. Was. That? Seriously? And then we had the music from Space Odyssey 2001 playing. Kind of coincidental with all of our current Monoliths and signals from Jupiter, isn't it? Flatten the Curve. Part [Source Here]( And here's the crazy aspect, I found that 1984 Olympics clip after noticing our current events invoking themes from the movie.
1984 NY Times • The public hearing was plodding along routinely at the Town Hall one night last month. ''All of a sudden, a cop burst in yelling: 'The U.F.O.'s here! The U.F.O.'s here!' '' said Peter A. Brandenberg, a 43-year-old real-estate developer. ''Everyone jumped up and jolted out. We went flying down the stairs to see this thing, just staring at it.'' On a night before that, William A. Pollard was driving along Interstate 84 near Brewster. 'Whoa! Wait a Minute Here' ''My neighbors said they had seen something,'' said Mr. Pollard, 29, the manager of an automobile service center. ''I said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' I never believed in that stuff. But off in a field I saw this gigantic triangle with lights, about 30 feet off the ground - hovering. Then it turned off its lights and shot straight up - straight up. That's when I said, 'Whoa! Wait a minute here.' '' Throughout northern Westchester County, Dutchess and Putnam Counties and western Connecticut this summer, thousands of residents have reported strange objects in the sky - each usually in a V-shape or a circle, about the size of a football field, absolutely noiseless and outlined in brilliant lights of white, red or green. Source Here
And there are more prominent UFO reports in 1984. So let's get this straight. We have major sightings in 1984 and then we have a UFO show at the 1984 Olympics. Ok. But then we have Jimmy Carter in 1976.
During the 1976 presidential campaign, Carter pledged that, if elected, he would encourage the government to make public “every piece of information” about UFOs. Once in office, however, he said releasing some of this information could have adverse “defense implications” and pose a threat to national security. Source Here
And then next year we have Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977. And then Spielberg goes on to direct ET in 1982. My point? There seems to be a previous attempt to make Aliens look pretty benign and altruistic. That was followed up by the Summer Olympics UFO show, which honestly makes no sense at all. In the slightest. Not back then. Because unlike now, only crackpots and Conspiracy theorists believed in Aliens. So why the show? Was this a coordinated attempt to get us ready or to deceive us, because I find it hard to believe that the President of the United States in 1985 just blurted out UFO in 1985 as a metaphor. Let's keep digging and see if we can find more water.
Missing 411
What is that doing in here when we're talking about UFO's? Good question, let me show you.
They are clustered in certain areas, particularly around bodies of water and in national parks. If the people are found alive, they often have memory loss. If they are found dead, the cause of death is hard to determine. The people are sometimes found in an area it seems they could not have reached by foot, or they are found in a location that has already been thoroughly searched. Source Here
Memory loss. Bodies of water. The authorities don't keep a tally of missing people. Dive into it, because something strange is going on, and ot sounds just like an alien abduction would. Are the 411 cases dealing with extraterrestrial incidents? Food for thought, because we're about to go off the deep end. Ready?
Enders Game and the Three Body Problem
A while back I shared a photo of Rita Wilson that caught my attention. It was a picture of her reading, Enders Game. Source Here And Enders game just so happens to be a novel about humanity waging a war with Aliens. And the picture was oddly getting a lot of traction, HEY LOOK AT THIS PICTURE! Now let's go into the Dark Forest.
What are some of those books? It’s interesting, the stuff I read just to escape ends up being a mix of things — some science fiction. For a while, there was a three-volume science-fiction novel, the “Three-Body Problem” series — Oh, Liu Cixin, who won the Hugo Award. — which was just wildly imaginative, really interesting. It wasn’t so much sort of character studies as it was just this sweeping — It’s really about the fate of the universe. Exactly. The scope of it was immense. So that was fun to read, partly because my day-to-day problems with Congress seem fairly petty — not something to worry about. Aliens are about to invade. [Laughter] Source Here
When Aliens are about to invade. Ha. Ha. Ha. Pretty funny. Right. But then it gets stranger, because it's not just Obama, but our other favorite alien, Mark Zuckerberg.
When Obama and Zuckerberg are your fan boys: On Cixin Liu’s ‘Remembrance of Earth’s Past’ Trilogy
In his Remembrance of Earth’s Past series, Liu doesn’t value this idea enough to even pay it lip service. Organizing earth for a centuries-long project of developing the tools to fight a coming invasion is, in his telling, work exclusively reserved for large planning committees of technical experts given global mandates and staggering resources. In short, it’s a job only properly suited for the nascent technocratic class that has held increasing sway in our world in the last ~30–40 years (and which Liu himself, as a computer engineer in China, is tacitly a part of). The humanity presented within these books is a humanity of government conferences, scientific laboratories and U.N. resolutions. It’s a humanity that is contained and constrained utterly within a world of technical and logistical problem solving. In short, the humanity presented in these books is purely that of a technocratic elite.We live in an age in which the gap between those with technical skills and those without is widening. Our ideas of affluence and upward mobility are increasingly colored not simply by who possesses wealth, but also by who possesses specific types of knowledge and skills. Cixin Liu has written a remarkable science fiction epic which also, perhaps unknowingly, serves as a warning. A world in which a globally empowered technocratic class controls everything is a world that can achieve remarkable outcomes. But it is, by its very nature, a sterile world; one in which the overwhelming majority of human life and experience is a mere afterthought in a plenary session. Source Here
Take note of two things; The title of the series and the theme of the Technocrats saving humanity. Now. Here are some Stanger Things that I've noticed. One • Tom and Rita Wilson, Zuckerbuffon, and Obama love to have their picture taken in the water. As in, they we're all prominently featured recently. Zuckerberg Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Obama Could they all just be innocent photos. Yes. Are they? More than likely, yes. But, what if they're signals for people who understand? After all, you don't want that kind of information written down, do you? But why Tom Hanks? Fracked if I know! But his appearance in all this crap just doesn't stop. Now he's appearing with Biden at the inauguration? Really? I mean Zuckerberg looks alien, so maybe Tom is too! Just joking (I think). I honestly have no idea why the Bosom Buddy is right into this New Normal. But.
Darkforest is a computer go program developed by Facebook, based on deep learning techniques using a convolutional neural network. Its updated version Darkfores2 combines the techniques of its predecessor with Monte Carlo tree search. The MCTS effectively takes tree search methods commonly seen in computer chess programs and randomizes them. With the update, the system is known as Darkfmcts3. Source Here
Ok. We know that Zuckerdork loves the novel. Sure. But he loves it enough to name his AI computer after the book? Words matter. A lot. And while this is all just probably a coincidence, what if it isn't? All the reports about underwater objects. All the photos of the three of them in the ocean. Facebook’s AI being called the Dark Forest. The monoliths that are striking me as more than a natural occurrence. The UFO around the sun during the 2012 solar flare? The sudden surge to protect the energy grid? The sulfur reports and the early reports of smell around UFO activity? All the recent reports about drones being casually dismissed as nothing.
Observations of mysterious drones spotted in northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska were first reported in December 2019.[1] The drones were described as having blinking lights and a wingspan of about six feet (1.8 m). According to the Denver Post, the drones flew in groups of six to 10 and were usually seen between 7 and 10 pm. The sheriff of Phillips County, Colorado described the formation as "a grid search" and stated that the size and number of drones makes it unlikely that they are being operated by hobbyists. One witness in Palisade, Nebraska counted 19 drones at one time, some hovering and others flying in formations in small groups. Source Here
Look. Something is going on these days. Something big. What? Now that's the big question, isn’t it? Could all the posturing about war be about moving military units around? What about the environmental catastrophe they keep moving closer, not to mention the amount of prominent scientists who claim the numbers aren't adding up for them, including Freeman Dyson.
Freeman Dyson was a physics professor known for his work in the area of electrodynamics. Dyson formerly worked as a professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He passed away at 96 years old in February 2020. According to Dyson's profile at the Institute for Advanced Study, “His most useful contribution to science was the unification of the three versions of quantum electrodynamics invented by Feynman, Schwinger and Tomonaga. Cornell University made him a professor without bothering about his lack of Ph.D.” Source Here
You know, the guy who came up with the concept of the Dyson sphere. So if the numbers aren't adding up, but the military is making operational strategy changes to cope with abrupt climate change, something is obviously happening, isn't it? The military doesn't just institute changes for nothing. So is the environment being manipulated bu outside entities? Is that why they're suddenly worried about the power grid? And what about the by now obvious Covid-19 deaths that are predominantly among seniors. Is it to clean out the hospitals for the upcoming encounter? Before you say no, just remember that a no regrets strategy was actually proposed in a military scenario paper on abrupt climate change. Here's the definition:
No-Regrets" Approach: "No-regrets" actions are actions by households, communities, and local/national/international institutions that can be justified from economic, and social, and environmental perspectives whether natural hazard events or climate change (or other hazards) take place or not. "No-regrets" actions increase resilience, which is the ability of a "system" to deal with different types of hazards in a timely, efficient, and equitable manner. Increasing resilience is the basis for sustainable growth in a world of multiple hazards (see Heltberg, Siegel, Jorgensen, 2009; UNDP, 2010).
If you would like to read the paper, I do have it linked on Flatten the Curve under Peter Schwartz. Is this what were seeing? A no regrets approach in action in anticipation of first contact? Is this what they mean by the New Normal? Is this why they're trying to establish a one world government? So we can work together to get ready? Is this why there's an overflow of informational leaks like Moloch worshipers, or Russian Fake News, and on and on. Is it to keep us off balance from the real threat? And could they be so advanced that they're attempting to circumvent our progress through manipulating our planet? Is this why we have so many nukes? Is this why they want to weaponize space? I'm not saying that my running hypothesis has changed, but I am saying that looking at events from a different perspective can only help. And seriously, right now, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I would be relieved if they weren't a bunch of psychopathic greedy AI loving nutjobs. Which I still think they are, because even if Mars Attacks, or we have War of the Worlds, or Independence Day, I'll still have to see them face to face. Why. One word. Deepfake. So let's consider a few points before I sign off. We have sulfur reports. Early reports linking sulfur to the UFO phenomenon. An increase in UFO reports. The government disclosing incident reports. Warnings about a possible grid failure through cyberattack or solar flare. Abrupt Climate Change. A No Regrets Strategy for Climate Change. A virus that seems to hit those who would be the biggest burden on the health care system. A worldwide hum and Sky Trumpets. The Pentagon commissioning reports about riot control and then funding training into underground warfare. And we have reports about underwater UFO's and older Conspiracy theories about Aliens living underground. So, real or fake, I don't think we should discount the possibility that something may occur that could just knock the world's perception of reality. And trust me, I still don't believe this is likely. Why? Well I find it pretty coincidental that H.G. Wells not only wrote War of the Worlds, but he also wrote a book called New World Order. And he also collaborated with Julian S. Huxley, a known eugenics supporter and brother of Aldous Huxley of a Brave New World fame. Alright, long story short, I'm not saying it's aliens, but it's....yeah. Buckle up and just be ready, because if our New Normal is based on a No Regrets Strategy, our strategy has to become a No Trust Strategy. Heads up and eyes open. Talk soon.
I Like Big Bosses and I Cannot Lie: Tips for Building Better Boss Fights
Note: My holiday one-shot, Once Upon a Winter's Eve is pay-what-you-want through the end of the year! Check it out if you're looking for something to play over the holidays :) Anyway, back to the post. Everything comes down to this: the final showdown. The BBEG. The villain that's been taunting your players since Level 1. The monologue finishes, initiative is rolled, you look sadly at your dice and the players maul it before it gets a turn. I've gotten really focused on boss fights over the last few months as I've delved headfirst into adventure writing (see the top of the post). Epic centerpiece battles are a necessity for any good one-shot, and really for any good adventure arc. Now, common wisdom holds that 5e does boss monsters really poorly. And that has some truth to it: for the majority of monsters, Challenge Rating is extremely fickle. Throw a single CR8 monster at a party of level 5 characters, and you might see them blow the monster out of the water before it gets a second turn. Of course, it's equally possible you'll overtune the battle and give the boss enough damage to one-shot characters (looking at you, Klarg the Bugbear). The source of this problem is, obviously, the Action Economy. As the numerical advantage of one side (i.e. number of actions) increases, the chance of winning the fight grows exponentially. An 8th-level party of four can be overwhelmed by two dozen goblins--just as they're likely to overwhelm a single CR10 Froghemoth. 5e has accounted for this with Legendary Actions--a pool of extra actions that can be taken at the end of other creatures' turns--and Lair Actions, which automatically occur in the creature's lair and take place at initiative count 20. And, spoiler alert: this is going to end with me wholeheartedly embracing the system. The problem, of course, is that these actions are limited to high-CR monsters in published books, and there's very little general understanding for using them in design. This post seeks to make the whole process a little clearer, working from the bottom-up. To start, let's talk about game design.
Action-Oriented Monsters: Thinking Like a Designer
Matt Colville is a very, very smart guy. I can't link his video on Action-Oriented Monsters without AutoMod getting on my ass, but it's worth watching at least once. With a single video (wow, more than a year ago now), Matt launched a wave of innovative monster-building (a lot of which is collected over on /mattcolville), with a strong focus on creating unique boss monsters with thematic abilities. The main thrust of the Action-Oriented Monster is to simplify design and focus on what's cool. Rather than complicated spell lists and overflowing lists of options, Action-Oriented Monsters only really have stats when they're relevant, as well as unique "Villain Actions"--similar to Legendary Actions, except a different one occurs every round and often the wording is a lot looser. The design laser-focuses on the actions that the monster can perform during its 2-5 turn shelf life before it's wiped off the face of Faerun. In general, I like the Action-Oriented Monser video because of Colville's fundamental philosophy:
"...[H]ere's the trick: this is my homebrew nonsense. This isn't a published ruleset; I don't have to worry about how the action is worded. I only need to know how it works. And I already know how it works. He shouts "Get In Here," and another goblin arrives. Done."
For most readers, this will do the job. You're not writing for an audience and you don't need to track monster abilities to an exact level. Still, though, it seems like the Action-Oriented movement has died down lately. While it's possible that it's just gotten quieter as a year has passed and the hype has died down, I think there might be a deeper reason for it: it doesn't really gel with 5e. While I love Colville's approach to game philosophy, his actual mechanics have always felt grafted onto the 5e system--handling things in a way that the system wasn't precisely designed for. But as someone who's also writing 5e content for a wide audience (and with far, far less experience, independence, and sheer street cred than Colville), it strikes me that there might be better ways to do this. The philosophy is excellent, but can we apply it to Legendary and Lair Actions? (Yes). Bottom line: Action-Oriented philosophy is always important to remember. Try to keep boss monsters fresh, fun, and easy to use. Most importantly, make sure you know how to run them for their very limited shelf life.
Theme and Mechanics
Above all, good boss monster design--like any good design, period--comes down to theme. Once you have a strong idea for the monster's theme, you can brainstorm abilities and actions to aid in expressing that theme. I can't really help with that in this post, but there's plenty of inspiration out there, written both by me and by other excellent writers on this sub. At the same time, mechanics play a significant role in achieving this theme. D&D (as most of us play it) is a fairly rules-heavy game. In more rules-lite games, mechanical design is less important, because you can achieve the means through more abstract decisions. But with D&D, the monster's mechanical design makes all the difference in keeping it from becoming a sack of hit points that occasionally deals damage.
Tips for a Mechanically Fun Fight
So we've talked about the rough philosophy of designing monsters: Use theme to inform mechanical abilities. There are, however, certain mechanical factors that make a fight inherently fun, balanced, and exciting.
Action economy comes first. If a boss monster can have minions, give it minions. If it can't, then give it legendary actions. Every good fight needs some give-and-take in the turn order, both for balance and to keep the conditions changing.
Motion is key. Always give the battle a sense of momentum. While you can achieve some of this in narration, fights can get stale quickly if everybody moves into position on the first few turns and then just stands there until it's over.
Use conditions, but don't take away actions. Status conditions are a great alternative to damage to make fights feel impactful (after all, HP only matters to a PC when they don't have any). However, avoid conditions that take away actions from the players.
Use the territory. Don't let your fights take place in a white room. Difficult terrain, environmental hazards, and lair actions can be used to make the battlefield itself feel dynamic--forcing players to react to a unique situation.
And, wherever possible: Steal Statblocks. The more you know monsters in D&D, the easier it'll be to find the monster you want to use as the basis for your boss. Start swapping around abilities and playing with numbers, or just throw some legendary & lair actions onto an appropriate existing statblock.
Action Economy Comes First
Minions are fantastic and don't require a ton of explanation. If you have the chance, give your monster a large number of weak followers (to a maximum of 6, I'd say, before running them becomes an absolute pain in the rear). Large hordes of weak monsters are perfect for baiting out Fireballs and other AoE spells. Yes, it kills the minions, but it feels badass while doing so. If not minions, the Legendary Actions are the way to go. Typically a monster gets 2-3 Legendary Actions per round, granting it the ability to take one of the actions at the end of another creature's turn. You can get pretty creative and powerful with the Legendary Actions if you want, but there's a simplified version I like to throw onto just about any boss monster regardless of Challenge Rating:
Monster can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Monster regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
Attack. The monster makes one of its attacks (e.g. Bite, Shortsword, Tentacle).
Move. The monster moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Spell/Special Ability (Costs 2 Actions). The monster uses its special ability (e.g. Cast a Spell, Teleport, Wing Attack).
That formula is really all you need to turn a regular monster into a boss monster. Movement, as discussed, is incredibly important to keep the momentum of the battle. An Attack gives the creature the ability to deal consistent damage, mimicking minions. Finally, the high-cost special ability gives it an option for extra oomph, but limits the opportunity to use it. Again, keep in mind the Action-Oriented philosophy. That "Special Ability" could easily be one of Colville's Villain Actions; something to give your boss a unique edge in combat.
Motion is Key
This is my BIGGEST TIP for literally any monster design. My biggest issue with 5e combat is the tendency for everybody to rush up to the boss and then make attacks until one side dies. Awful. On the flip side, almost every cool action moment--whether in D&D or media--has an element of motion to it. Picture Indiana Jones sliding under the door or outrunning the ball or falling out of a plane on an inflatable raft. Or, y'know, other, non-Indy examples, like John McClane's roof jump or any of the Mission: Impossible setpieces. One of my favorite D&D memories is a one-shot in which we brought an Awakened Giant Crocodile up against an Adult Black Dragon. My Warlock cast Fly on myself and the Crocodile, which flew into the air and grappled the dragon. When concentration on the spell dropped, the two giant lizards crashed to the ground together in an epic grapple to the death (Incidentally, that fight also included my warlock Misty Stepping onto a mid-air Wyvern and Eldritch Smiting it into the ground. Again: awesome). So the key is to keep things moving. One of the easiest ways to do that is to include a Legendary Action that allows the monster to move up to its speed without provoking attacks of opportunity, as discussed above. Forcing characters to reposition--even if it doesn't change their plans--gives the fight a sense of momentum. Also, don't be shy with abilities that knock characters prone, grapple them, or push them around! Forced movement is a great alternative to damage when you want to make a monster feel powerful. A giant werewolf could do additional damage, but it could also attempt to smack the target over like a bowling pin (e.g. force a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone).
Use Conditions, But Don't Take Away Actions
This one is actually pretty simple. Damage in D&D is great, but it's an abstraction. A character at 100 hit points can take the same actions as a character at 1, so raw damage doesn't actually change the battlefield until someone hits zero. Condition effects such as charming, deafening, frightening, restraining, grappling, and knocking prone can be great ways to make battles feel more dynamic and consequential. At the same time, some conditions are more debilitating than others. Here's the thing: actions are fun. You, as DM, get many of them. Your players only get one turn roughly every 10-30 minutes. Conditions that prevent characters from acting--such as being paralyzed, stunned, or incapacitated--or certain variants of charm and frighten effects, can be exceedingly unfun if abused. For that reason, I really like the conditions I mentioned above: Grappled. Prone. Forced movement. Make players feel like things are happening to them without taking away their ability to respond. Sometimes, this can't be avoided. At the end of this post, for example, we'll talk about a fey creature called the Winter Queen. She can innately cast Hold Person on one target--quite literally freezing them. But there are several mitigating factors: For one, she can only attempt it a maximum of twice per turn, at the expense of other actions. Second, she can only target one creature, and the spell is concentration, so it's unlikely to last. Other monsters have charm, stun, and poison-type effects that rely on saves at the end of each turn. Sometimes, that's a risk that players will have to take. But I recommend trying to work around those types of effects, if only in the name of keeping things engaging, moving, and fun.
Use the Territory
Friends don't let friends have boss fights in white rooms. The territory is one of your strongest allies in creating a fun, dynamic fight. For the purposes of this discussion, we'll talk about boss Lairs, though obviously there are other uses for terrain in all situations. Terrain is great because it helps express the mechanical considerations above--forced movement, status conditions, extra damage if needed--and it also expresses theme (what does this lair say about the monster? A red dragon might live in a volcano while a mad scientist might be working on an unstable machine. In the Winter Queen example, her lair is a Winter Ballroom where ice sculptures are waltzing alongside her). Terrain breaks down into Environmental Hazards and Lair Actions. Environmental hazards are the objects and locations in a lair that can be used to either side's benefit. Patches of lava, unstable ground that serves as difficult terrain, scattered barrels and crates--all of these are objects that can be used creatively by PCs or enemies. Lair Actions allow the monster to take an active role in shaping their lair. Sometimes they can be damaging, but when you're dealing with lower-CR bosses, you may not want to overwhelm your players with damage. The Winter Queen, for example, has three Lair Actions, though none of them deal damage. The first turns the ballroom into a slip-and-slide any time a character moves--a weird mechanic in 5e, but c'mon. The second creates a small blizzard that has the chance to blind characters. The final one is a simple winter wind, forcing characters to make a Strength saving throw or be pushed in one direction. In creating these Lair Actions, I haven't significantly changed the Challenge Rating of the monster--just given them extra options to make players feel like the fight is more against them.
Khione, the Winter Queen
Alright, time to shill. Below is the statblock for Khione, the big bad of my Christmas Adventure, Once Upon a Winter's Eve (pay-what-you-want, link at the top and bottom of this post). Theme: Khione is a Winter fey focused on graceful movement and the art of dance. Unable to speak, characters finally battle her in the middle of the Winter Ballroom, her crystalline castle where a bunch of ice sculptures are waltzing endlessly.
Khione, the Winter Queen
Medium fey, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 104 (16d8+32)
Speed 30 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
11 (+0)
19 (+4)
14 (+2)
13 (+1)
14 (+2)
18 (+4)
Saving Throws DEX +7, CON +5 Skills Perception +5, Performance +10 Damage Immunities Cold Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Exhausted Senses Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 15 Languages Understands Common, Elvish, and Sylvan but cannot speak Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Ice Dancer. Khione can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost her extra movement. Light-Footed. Khione’s long jump is up to 20 feet and her high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start. Innate Spellcasting. Khione's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: gust of wind, hold person 1/day: ice storm
Actions
Multiattack. Khione makes two Icicle attacks. Icicle.Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 4 (1d6) cold damage. Flash Freeze (Recharge 6). Khione sharply drops the temperature of all air in a 30-foot radius around her. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 14 (3d8) cold damage and have its speed halved. On a success, the creature takes half as much damage and is not slowed. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature also cannot take reactions. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Legendary Actions
Khione can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Khione regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn. Icicle. Khione makes one icicle attack. Dance. Khione can move up to her speed without provoking attacks of opportunity. Freeze (Costs 2 Actions). Khione casts hold person.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Khione can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; she can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
The ground in the ballroom becomes slick ice. The effect lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. When a creature starts its turn in the area, it must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, falling prone on a failed save. On a successful save, a creature does not fall prone. Any time a creature other than Khione or her allies moves, it slides 60 feet across the ice, and it can only move in one direction unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Acrobatics check to change direction.
Khione creatures a blizzard in a 40-foot-high, 10-foot radius cylinder centered on a point she can see. The effect lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. The blizzard lightly obscures every creature and object in the area for the duration. A creature that enters the blizzard for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until initiative count 20 on the next round.
A gust of wind blows through the ballroom in a direction of Khione's choice. All creatures other than Khione must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pushed 20 feet in that direction.
Thanks for reading, and I hope this is helpful for your games! If you liked this boss monster and you're looking for a Christmas one-shot, check out Once Upon a Winter's Eve which is pay-what-you-want through the end of the year. If you enjoy the adventure, feel free to leave a rating or drop some coin (anything over $0.20 helps push it closer to bestseller status), but don't feel obligated to do anything. If you liked this and want to keep updated on the other stuff I’m working on, check out /aravar27! There's some very fun Nine Hells content I've been brewing for several months that I'm excited to eventually share.
New deaths by county: 59 F Adair, 63 F Ballard, 85 F Bell, 29 F Boone, 79 M Boone, 82 F Boyle, 93 M Boyle, 93 M Breathitt, 72 M Calloway, 72 M Calloway, 51 M Campbell, 82 M Campbell, 87 F Carter, 60 M Casey, 75 F Fayette, 53 M Fayette, 86 M Fayette, 90 F Fleming, 68 M Franklin, 94 M Franklin, 53 M Gallatin, 62 M Gallatin, 85 F Hardin, 88 F Hardin, 81 M Hardin, 89 M Hart, 69 F Hopkins, 86 F Hopkins, 80 F Jefferson, 81 F Jefferson, 80 M Jefferson, 96 M Jefferson, 100 M Jefferson, 79 F Kenton, 77 F Laurel, 54 F McCracken, 65 M McCracken, 69 M McCracken, 63 F Marshall, 77 F Marshall, 71 M Meade, 80 M Meade, 64 F Mercer, 53 M Montgomery, 75 M Nicholas, 90 F Ohio, 88 M Trigg, 93 M Washington, 88 M Wayne, 87 F Whitley, 89 M Whitley
Good News.
1. The agency just reported today that the state's recordable non-fatal occupational injury and illness rate has fallen to the lowest point on record. The total recordable incident rate for all industries has fallen to the lowest level since the US Bureau of Labor Statistics began recording the data in 1996, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Program Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report. So for 2020, based on 2019 BLS data, we were at 3.2 cases per 100 full time equivalent workers, for comparison that was 8.4 in 1996. What this means is this was the safest year, even in the midst of a pandemic, to be a worker in Kentucky.
3. Today we've announced the reopening of all Kentucky State Police post locations to the public to assist in the fight against the drug epidemic, through the Angel Initiative. KSP’s Angel Initiative is a proactive program designed to help people battle addiction, and it's available throughout the state. Anyone suffering from substance use disorder can visit a KSP post to be paired with a local officer who will assist them locating an appropriate treatment program. <...> KSP posts are open to the public Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm and COVID-19 guidelines must be followed. In addition to seeking treatment, individuals may go to any KSP post to safely dispose of any drugs or contraband they may have in their possession without threat of arrest.
Vaccines: So what you see here is we will begin reporting, and updating on a daily basis, how many unique people have been vaccinated in Kentucky. That, we will show next to the total number of doses, first doses, of vaccine allocated to the state, and then you'll see a utilization percentage there. So the goal here is to show you for all the vaccine we receive, what percentage has been administered as a first dose to Kentuckians.<...> So, in this top chart you can see we've broken down the state program, those are all the allocations that came to us at the state level, and then we distributed out, or allocated out, to hospitals and local health departments predominantly to administer to Kentuckians. <...> Please remember, even though you hear that the quantities have been increased and the federal government said 16% last week, and an additional 5% this week, those are wonderful developments to have more vaccine. However, the doses we're getting are still 68,000 or so doses a week, it's gonna take a while to reach everyone who wants to be immunized. <...> So please, I know when you go to these sites, you make the phone calls, it feels like you're not able to get through. It's probably accurate for many of you, it's because we're only getting so much vaccine and the demand is so great. So please know they are vaccinating, they're using everything they're getting as quickly as they can. It's a matter of needing more vaccine to fulfill the demand right now, which is very large.
What made the state change the requirements to make sure only Kentucky residents are receiving the vaccine? -- We had people who lived and worked in other states coming over and trying to get in priority groups in our state that they didn't qualify for in their state.
Senator Robbie Mills today spoke to the very frustrations that you have mentioned that his constituents in Hopkins and Daviess county saying there's just no vaccines available, but he also said that they have a perception that Indiana is doing better than Kentucky, and that they're very frustrated by that. He also spoke to the need, what he perceived the need to be, more and better communication about vaccine availability from your administration. So I just would like for you to sort of speak to that perception that other states are doing better than us and also to his call for better communication. -- Well, we're a top 10 state for vaccinations, the last four weeks we vaccinated more people than we've received doses. If you go over 100% I think that's pretty good. I think in most statistics, we're ahead of Indiana, but I want Indiana to do well too. [...] And we've been communicating about supply, supply, and supply every day, you all have seen it. On our website we show exactly how many doses we get in and how many go out. Their providers have their amount, which is a public when they receive it, and they put it out. So we're getting it out as fast as we can. It's gone out, we believe, equitably across the state. In fact, in the beginning, rural Kentucky got more than urban Kentucky as we were directing it out towards healthcare workers. I think that there are multiple providers in the area that would say that they think that they are being treated fairly. But listen unfortunately a speech on the senate or house floor right now is in the silly season. I don't think they're going to get up and say anything positive. It's unfortunate but that's where we are but you know this is also a body that I hope will be more thoughtful, moving forward, on what they pass. You know, we had to go to court today to challenge three bills, one I'll give you an example was House Bill 1. It basically said no more the Governor's executive orders, “CDC guidance” is now the law. They didn't say which guidance, there are 174 CDC guidance documents. <brings up a stack of documents to the podium> Now, I guess every business would have to look through all 174 of these, which multiple ones will apply to them and try to figure out what they do or do not have to do. I mean we can't defeat a vaccine with this . What should you do to keep people safe? This . We’ve got to have clear consistent rules, and that's what the Supreme Court said, you know, just a couple months ago. So, whether or not people want to pull authority for me, let's be smart and how we address the virus and not say to our businesses “It's on you now here's all the paperwork”
Good afternoon everybody, good afternoon Rachel. It's four o'clock, on Wednesday, that time we come together to remember that we're gonna get through this, and we're gonna get through it together. I'll start by thanking everybody for allowing me to move yesterday to today, we all struggle at times through this pandemic, and admittedly I just needed a day. But I am back at it, I’m ready, and we are going to defeat this thing together. We have a light at the end of the tunnel, it's a big, bright light, it's going to take us time to get there so continue to mask up, continue to do all those things that protect people and as you'll see, our numbers continue to look better and better with the exception of those that we are losing, which are result of that dramatic increase we experienced.
Let's start with good news, we need good news in our world and let's remember we can, rightfully so, we get caught up thinking all day long about the pandemic but there's still lots of good things going on.
First is worker safety. So I speak often about the importance of Kentucky's workforce, which is the backbone of the middle class, the glue that binds most of our communities together. It's also so many of you, our families, how you put food on the table. My administration is committed to providing well paying opportunities for growth and retirements marked by dignity and security. Above all, we treat all honest work as worthwhile, and we treat our workers with respect. The hard working folks at the Kentucky Labor Cabinet have played a major role in ensuring we're living these values during the pandemic. Most often, I talk about unemployment insurance or those who play a role in keeping us safe by investigating reports of non-compliance to the Kentucky safer hotline. But the cabinet is also responsible for enforcing Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHA) at workplaces throughout the Commonwealth. Those are the standards that are supposed to keep us safe, that identify unsafe hazardous or unhealthy environments, that stops practices that pose dangers. And when companies don't live up to those standards, cite them, and help them, and provide them the incentive to ultimately get things right, to make sure all of our Kentuckians are safe on the job. So today we’ve got some really good news to share on that front. The agency just reported today that the state's recordable non-fatal occupational injury and illness rate has fallen to the lowest point on record. The total recordable incident rate for all industries has fallen to the lowest level since the US Bureau of Labor Statistics began recording the data in 1996, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Program fiscal year 2020 annual report. So for 2020, based on 2019 BLS data, we were at 3.2 cases per 100 full time equivalent workers, for comparison that was 8.4 in 1996. What this means is this was the safest year, even in the midst of a pandemic, to be a worker in Kentucky. It means that our labor cabinet is doing it right but it means so many of you all are doing it right too. This is what happens when we enforce standards. when we create the right framework to ensure that our folks show up and they're productive, they're enthusiastic, and that they are also safe. So, 2020, having the lowest injury rate since it's been recorded, in 1996, is some pretty good news. It means a lot more people made it home at night to their families, and a lot more people made it home happy and healthy, and that's what we want every day here in the Commonwealth. We have seen a steady decline over time and let's keep it up. Let's get to the point where our workplaces are so safe that no one is ever injured. That sounds like it may be a tough task but I believe both our people and our employers are up for that challenge.
Second piece of good news. The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet today is awarding more than $2M in grant funding from the Federal Violence Against Women Act STOP Formula Grant Program to 28 agencies across our state. This federal funding allows our state to better support the insurmountable work provided by victim advocacy services, law enforcement agencies, and local units of government to victims of violent crime. Funds are received from the Office on Violence Against Women, a component of the United States Department of Justice. The Office on Violence Against Women require state administrative agencies allocate 25% for law enforcement, 25% for prosecutors, 30% for victim services, 5% for state and local courts, and 15% for discretionary distribution. The funding should be used for projects that serve or focus on adults and youth who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Some of the programs funded by the grant include, and these are a bunch of great organizations that I had a chance to work with as attorney general, and the work they do is so appreciated and here supported. Chrysalis House has been awarded $51,830 to continue funding a domestic violence therapist to ensure physical and emotional safety is established, prior to treatment for women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Merryman House Domestic Crisis Centers has been awarded $56,264 to increase safety of domestic violence survivors in the Purchase Area Development District by sustaining and improving collaboration efforts with local law enforcement and prosecution. The Nest Center for Women, Children, and Families has been awarded $116,780 which will allow it to continue to hire contract attorneys who will provide legal services at no charge to families, obtaining an order of protection against their perpetrator in 18 different counties. We’ve got to work together to stop the scourge that is domestic violence, to make sure that our people are safe. The long term ramifications go far beyond just the partner, the physical and emotional scars that it leaves on our children is something we all ought to be committed to stopping. I believe in a world without domestic violence, without sexual abuse, without child abuse, and it should be attainable, just takes all of us continuing to work every day. And these $2 million to organizations that earn the money are going to help us to get there.
Alright, one other piece of good news, which is our Kentucky State Police Angel Initiative. Today we've announced the reopening of all Kentucky State Police post locations to the public to assist in the fight against the drug epidemic, through the Angel Initiative. KSP’s Angel Initiative is a proactive program designed to help people battle addiction, and it's available throughout the state. Anyone suffering from substance use disorder can visit a KSP post to be paired with a local officer who will assist them locating an appropriate treatment program. KSP launched the Angel Initiative in 2016, this was done by the previous administration, through funding from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. I committed that when I became governor we do the right things, and the right programs we build on. We wouldn't simply eliminate things or take action out of spite and we've lived up to that promise. The Angel Initiative was a good initiative created by our last commissioner of the state police and by our last governor. Reopening it to the public is the right thing to do and it's going to help people. KSP posts are open to the public Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm and COVID-19 guidelines must be followed. In addition to seeking treatment, individuals may go to any KSP post to safely dispose of any drugs or contraband they may have in their possession without threat of arrest. One more program we can use to help those who are suffering.
So that's all good news. Aside from what we deal with every day in the pandemic there are lots of beacons of light out there, lots of people continuing to do good work even in challenging circumstances, and there's lots of people doing good work in working to defeat this virus. Our vaccination efforts right now are exciting to see. You walk into one of our vaccination centers and you see a workforce that is inspired and is moving. You see people clearly walking around with purpose. You see faith in action, and protecting other people. And you see people who've worked long shifts who are still smiling when that next person sits down because they're going to get their vaccine. We’ve got a short video here that recaps yesterday's opening of our first regional vaccination site at the Kentucky horse park, outside of Lexington and Scott County. Take a look, it's pretty special.
<VIDEO> This is an exciting day for Kentucky. Through this new and growing partnership with Kroger health, we will be able to vaccinate more Kentuckians as we received more supply from the federal government. We are here inside the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena in Lexington, where Kroger health is launching the first regional vaccination site in the state. Across the Commonwealth we are seeing efficiency pick up and pick up every single week. We are getting better and better at vaccinating people, which means for every Kentucky in your time is coming sooner rather than later. The last four weeks we've vaccinated more people than we've received doses from the federal government, meaning our only limitation at this point is supply supply and supply. But we can't simply sit back, we have to continue to grow our capacity so when we have those additional vaccines, when the manufacturing picks up, when we have a flood of these life saving shots of hope, that we are ready to get them out there and get them in people's arms as quickly as humanly possible. So let's continue to mask up, let's continue to engage in social distancing, and when it's your turn and your time, let's roll up our sleeves and get this shot of hope.
The individual you saw getting vaccinated there is one of our veterans. He has several health conditions, but wanted to step up and to be an example. We were all excited, we were all moved to see him get that vaccine. On vaccines, today we've got Dr Stack, he's going to talk through how we're gonna change our reporting, what you see online, each and every day to be a better indicator of how quickly we are getting the vaccine to new people, because that's really what we want to focus on. Some look at doses out there but when you get a second dose it's got to go to a specific person. What we are focused on is how quickly we can get people that first part of their vaccination as efficiency. Now, I will remind you that we get these doses primarily on Tuesday-ish, late Monday, early Tuesday. So, Tuesday, Wednesday, there's always going to be the biggest difference between our supply and how many people were vaccinated. But what you'll see from the reporting is by the time we get through that next Monday, seven days after it, we're vaccinating more people every week of the past four weeks, then we get supply. We're not gonna be able to do that much longer, it's from extra from the first couple of weeks as we were ramping up and that is very quickly being used up. Thankfully, we're gonna receive, or we're now receiving, about 21-22% more vaccine. This next week will be the first week we reached that full increase since the new administration took over in Washington. Dr Stack?
You can all relate to this, this is a video conference world-- I had three screens open and I couldn't get to it. So Governor, thank you very much. I have two topics that the governor would like me to speak about tonight. And then I'll walk us through that.
So, on our website we're going to change, and this should be updated tonight, we're going to change how we report the vaccines that are administered. Remember the single most important metric is how many people have been vaccinated, how many unique people have been vaccinated, because those are the persons who are on the road to protection from the vaccine. So what you see here is we will begin reporting, and updating on a daily basis, how many unique people have been vaccinated in Kentucky. That, we will show next to the total number of doses, first doses, of vaccine allocated to the state, and then you'll see a utilization percentage there. So the goal here is to show you for all the vaccine we receive, what percentage has been administered as a first dose to Kentuckians. Now, the other way to do this is to show all the doses, which include first dose and second dose, but we're committed to giving the second dose to everyone who gets the first dose-- that should happen as a matter of routine course. So the most important metric is who has started this journey, and received a first dose, which means they will be part of a two-dose immunization program and when they complete that they'll have the full benefit of the protection from the vaccine. And remember, if the third vaccine gets approved, if the Johnson and Johnson vaccine gets approved, and we're all cautiously hopeful that will happen later this month, that is only a one-dose vaccine. So again, in this paradigm that will be the metric that matters the most, is how many people have received their first dose, and therefore are on the path towards protective immunity from this disease. So, in this top chart you can see we've broken down the state program, those are all the allocations that came to us at the state level, and then we distributed out, or allocated out, to hospitals and local health departments predominantly to administer to Kentuckians. There's also the federal Long Term Care program, and so that's listed here is the LTCF Program, that was the partnership between the federal government and CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate licensed long term care facilities and assisted living facilities. Now, in this, you'll see 80,925 first doses, we had recaptured 13 trays of Pfizer, about 12,675 doses, back to the state program and reallocated it. And you’ll see the remaining doses in that program, they are working to do their second doses, and we'll go back for a third visit to finish up all of those nursing homes, and then they will use the remaining inventory to reach other populations and use up all of that. So, eventually, that will reach 100%, and then it will all be the state program going forward. You can also see in the lower table there that we will report to you on a week by week basis how many new vaccines we were allocated and how many unique persons were immunized that week. And the governor has already drawn attention to this, if you look down there at the week of January 12th, you can see we immunized 143% relative to the first doses. What that means is that backlog, that inventory that we did not use the first few weeks of the program in December, we used up very quickly once we swung into increased productivity in the month of January. Remember, I've said for a while, December was always going to be a challenge for a number of reasons. January was about bringing order to disorder. And now February is moving solidly into consistent, effective production and administration of vaccine and building a system that gives you confidence that you can sign up and get some clarity about when you may be able to be vaccinated, and then have certainty you will be vaccinated in a phased manner, which is what is necessary because of the quantities of vaccines we receive.
Please remember, even though you hear that the quantities have been increased and the federal government said 16% last week, and an additional 5% this week, those are wonderful developments to have more vaccine. However, the doses we're getting are still 68,000 or so doses a week, it's gonna take a while to reach everyone who wants to be immunized. And we have plenty of stories now, when health departments or vaccine sites turn on their scheduling, we find that, for example in one of the regions in the first hour that their phone lines were open they had 51,000 phone calls trying to schedule for the 700 doses they were given. In the first two and a half hours their phone lines were open 110,000 phone calls came in to try to access that 700 vaccines. So please, I know when you go to these sites, you make the phone calls, it feels like you're not able to get through. It's probably accurate for many of you, it's because we're only getting so much vaccine and the demand is so great. So please know they are vaccinating, they're using everything they're getting as quickly as they can. It's a matter of needing more vaccine to fulfill the demand right now, which is very large. And then I hope those who are maybe hesitant to receive the vaccine see how effective it is and how the others tolerate the vaccine so well, that other people will also want to follow along in the months ahead.
Last topic I want to talk about, . There's a small sporting event happening this weekend, the Chiefs and the Bucks should be playing with each other on the football field. Well you enjoy that game, for those of you who will enjoy, I need to ask you, please, please, please this is just like any other holiday or social event. You have to practice social distancing, you have to wear your masks, please. When people get together in private residences, in close proximity, that is one of the single most effective ways to spread this disease. We can't afford to have the disease spread now. With these mutations and these variants, every time we allow it to infect more people, it gives the virus the opportunity to mutate. It gives the virus the opportunity to learn how to defeat the antibodies that our bodies are forming based on the vaccines, or the natural infection. We just can't afford to have that. It dangers us all and could undermine the success we're also optimistic we're going to see in the months ahead as more people get vaccinated. So please don't hold any large gatherings.
Remember the current guideline was two households max and eight people or less. That was the current recommendation for the recent holidays and that still holds true now. It's good advice and I'd ask you to please follow it.
Six feet of distance or more between people.
Wear your masks at all times. It's difficult when you have parties because people eat and drink and you take your mask off and that's exactly what makes the infection easily spread. Please don't do that.
Have virtual Super Bowl parties. Enjoy the Super Bowl in the privacy of your own home. We're hopefully getting to the light at the end of the tunnel for this pandemic but if we take our eye off the ball, we can have more super spreader events and have more problems with more of these mutations and more spread of the disease.
So enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend. I'm not going to tell you who I would prefer to win, you can have your own favorites in that, but enjoy the game and do it safely. And please, there's a lot of wonderful stories out there. What I hear from folks go into these vaccine sites, there are smiles, there is clear, just unbridled happiness, in a way, perhaps, people haven't seen in a while because I think people feel empowered. They feel like they're able to take action, rather than feel like they're a passive victim of this disease, and that they're taking a positive step to bring it to an end. That's what we want to celebrate on and focus on-- is the optimism, the hope, the caring, and the kindness to all the good things about humanity. We could focus on all the negative sides too but ultimately, it doesn't help advance our cause and it doesn't help us rally together as a state, and as a community. So please, be good to each other, be kind, and we're working as hard as we can to get you vaccinated, and we'll do so as quickly as the vaccine qualities allow us. Governor, back to you. Thank you.
Thanks to Dr Stack, and everybody tune in tomorrow where we'll be announcing additional regional centers across Kentucky, building out our map as we go. We'll also be talking about local health departments, all of which are going to be getting a consistent supply for at least the next three weeks. Though that supply, remember, is limited and it's going to be dwarfed by the amount of calls, and interest. Again, that is a good thing. It means that we don't have the level of vaccine hesitancy we were worried about. We do have it in certain populations and we're going to work on that as we go in real time.
Positive cases today: 2,592 - That was about 100 cases more than this time last week, but significantly less than the two weeks before. Again, that is positive, in that we have significantly less virus than three weeks ago and we hope that this will be the first time by the end of this week that we have had four straight weeks, one month, of declining cases. Right now it looks possible at the very worst we think it will be close to what we had last week.
Probable cases: 861
Total confirmed cases: 369,519
Children Under 18: 416
We only have 106 red counties. Right now that's the fewest we've had in a while. We obviously need to decrease that.
Total tests conducted: 4,111,126 (PCR: 3,635,689, Serology: 108,611)
Positivity Rate: 8.53% - Shows you that this is real, it's not just a result of how many tests there are, we're seeing a decrease in the virus
Our hospitalization, ICU, and ventilator numbers are all really stable too. One’s up five, one’s down five, but again, we were able to take the steps we needed to, at a time when our healthcare capacity could have been overrun, like happened in so many other states-- we avoided that and now we've seen decrease.
Total hospitalized: 17,010
Currently hospitalized: 1,340
Total in ICU: 3,618
Currently in ICU: 368
On a ventilator: 171
Total recovered: 44,073
New deaths today: 51 - But the tough part about our days right now is the number of deaths. January was rough, it was our worst month, and February is going to be tough too. Today we're announcing 51 new deaths related to COVID-19, seven, or individuals 60 years or younger.
Total Deaths: 3,863
New deaths by county: 59 F Adair, 63 F Ballard, 85 F Bell, 29 F Boone, 79 M Boone, 82 F Boyle, 93 M Boyle, 93 M Breathitt, 72 M Calloway, 72 M Calloway, 51 M Campbell, 82 M Campbell, 87 F Carter, 60 M Casey, 75 F Fayette, 53 M Fayette, 86 M Fayette, 90 F Fleming, 68 M Franklin, 94 M Franklin, 53 M Gallatin, 62 M Gallatin, 85 F Hardin, 88 F Hardin, 81 M Hardin, 89 M Hart, 69 F Hopkins, 86 F Hopkins, 80 F Jefferson, 81 F Jefferson, 80 M Jefferson, 96 M Jefferson, 100 M Jefferson, 79 F Kenton, 77 F Laurel, 54 F McCracken, 65 M McCracken, 69 M McCracken, 63 F Marshall, 77 F Marshall, 71 M Meade, 80 M Meade, 64 F Mercer, 53 M Montgomery, 75 M Nicholas, 90 F Ohio, 88 M Trigg, 93 M Washington, 88 M Wayne, 87 F Whitley, 89 M Whitley
All losses are a loss for Kentucky. Let’s light those houses up green and let’s ring those bells at 10am. This is a reminder that we are thinking of the Kentuckians we’ve lost, their families, and their communities. It’s the color of compassion and renewal as their souls move from their bodies to a better place.
Racial breakdown of all cases: 85% White, 8.5% Black, 5% Multiracial, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander
Ethnicity breakdown of all cases: 94.3% Non-Hispanic, 5.7% Hispanic
Racial breakdown of all deaths: 87.9% White, 8.7% Black, 2.7% Multiracial, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% American Indian
Ethnicity breakdown of all deaths: 98.1% Non-Hispanic, 1.9% Hispanic
U.S.S. Origa, T6 MMRE Science DPS build, looking for a lot of help.
U.S.S. Origa
T6 Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Explorer
The MMRE is a gorgeous ship. So I am trying to get a good build out of it. I'm chasing DPS, but not expecting to get anywhere near the high levels; I just want to be useful in a team. There's a lot that needs to be upgraded, so there's very clearly room to grow. Right now the big issue is survival, since this thing drops so much AOE I end up aggroing entire groups and getting my face blown off.
Player Information
Player Info
--------------
Captain Name
Yvette-Regine
Captain Faction
Federation
Captain Race
Alien
Captain Profession
Science
Primary Specialization
Temporal
Secondary Specialization
Commando
Intended Role
Science DPS / Theme Build
Captain Outfit
[ No peeking! ]( "Image Link here" )
Skill Tree
Engineering
Science
Tactical
Lieutenant
Advanced Energy Weapon Training
Advanced Projectile Weapon Training
Lieutenant Commander
EPS Flow
Impulse Expertise
Improved Control Expertise
Improved Drain Expertise
Advanced Targeting Expertise
5 Points
Full Impulse Energy Shunt
Control Amplification
Drain Infection
Commander
Hull Plating
Advanced Weapon Amplification
Advanced Weapon specialization'
15 Points
Captain
Defensive Subsystem Tuning
Offensive Subsystem Tuning
Advanced Exotic Particle Generator
Advanced Long Range Targeting
Advanced Hull Penetration
Advanced Shield Penetration
25 Points
Admiral
Warp Core Potential
Coordination Protocols
Improved Tactical Readiness
35 Points
Defensive Coordination
Warp Core Efficency
Offensive Coordination
Total of 46 of 46 Points
Engineering Points:
8
Science Points:
12
Tactical Points:
26
Skill Tree Unlocks
Points to unlock
Engineering Unlocks
Science Unlocks
Tactical Unlocks
Unlocks After 2
Training Manual: Hazard Emitters III
Training Manual: Science Team III
Training Manual: Tachyon Beam III
Unlocks After 5
Hanger Health
Sector Space Travel Speed
Hangar Weaponry
Unlocks After 7
Training Manual: Feedback Pulse III
Training Manual: Photonic Shockwave III
Training Manual: Jam Sensors
Unlocks After 10
Maximum Shield Capacity
Projectile Critical Chance
Unlocks After 12
Unlocks After 15
Energy Critical Chance
Unlocks After 17
Training Manual: Viral Matrix III
Unlocks After 20
Accuracy
--------------
--------------
--------------
--------------
Unlocks After 24 (Ultimate)
Focused Frenzy
Unlocks After 25 (Ultimate)
Team Frenzy
Unlocks After 26 (Ultimate)
Frenzied Assault
Unlocks After 27 (Ultimate)
Skill Tree Information
Not a lot to say. Straightforward tac ult build, though I went with power options over extra HP or DR. I may reconsider this as I tend to die horribly and quickly as soon as I gain aggro, but the diminishing returns for DR may mean I wouldn't benefit enough compared to the power loss feeding anomalies.
Build Description
It's supposed to generate anomalies and crush enemies with sci powers. Having entangled matrices pumping Aux DHCs and the Gravimetric Torpedo is nice for the extra rifts that form, even if they don't generate SIA shockwaves. Right now I'm focused on maximizing what I can get out of SIA and the science DPS powers, but I'm willing to try extra things for making it more survivable. Can't DPS when you're dead, and all.
Basic Information
Data
Ship Name
U.S.S. Origa
Ship Class
Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Explorer (T6-X)
Ship Model
Mixed
Deflector Visuals
Standard
Engine Visuals
Standard
Shield Visuals
Alliance Vanity Shield
[ Starship Beautyshot ]( Insert Image Link here )
Some other time
Basic Information
Component
Notes
Fore Weapons: 3
Aux Phaser Dual Heavy Cannons Mk XV
Gold, but garbage mods, I need more salvage
Gravimetric Photon Torpedo Mk XV
DMGx4 mod, not yet epic. 1/2 set
Aux Phaser Dual Heavy Cannons Mk XV
See above
--------------
--------------
--------------
Aft Weapons: 3
Sensor-Linked Phaser Turret Mk XV
VR quality. Placeholder for some cannon damage, replaceable.
Dyson Proton Weapon Mk XIII
2/2 set bonus for 3% CRTH.
Quantum Mine Launcher Mk XV
[Pen] mines, possibly replaced with Enhanced Bio-Molecular Photon Mines for the [Radius] mods on GW enemies. Taking suggestions.
--------------
--------------
--------------
Experimental Weapon
Deflector
Elite Fleet Intervention Protomatter Deflector Array Mk XV
[ColCrit] [CtrlX]x2 [EPG] [Hullcap/ShldHeal] - working on re-engineering this to [CtrlX/EPG]
Temporal Defense Initiative Impulse Engines Mk XIII
[Spd] (1/2)
Warp Core
Temporal Defense Initiative Overcharged Warp Core Mk XIII
[AMP] (2/2)
Shields
Regenerative Crystal Shield Matrix Mk XIV
[Cap]x3 - this is mostly for the auto-leveling of shields for when Tactical Team is on cooldown and I'm taking fire.
Devices
Red Matter Capacitor
Duh.
Beacon of Kahless
--------------
--------------
--------------
Engineering Consoles: 2
Ordnance Accelerator Mk XIII
it feeds the DHCs and torpedo, and pumps mines out faster.
Dynamic Power Redistributor Module
Should I just be playing the Atlas instead?
--------------
--------------
--------------
Science Consoles: 5
Exotic Particle Focuser Mk XII [CtrlX] [EPG]
So
Exotic Particle Focuser Mk XII [CtrlX] [EPG]
Many
Exotic Particle Focuser Mk XII [CtrlX] [EPG]
Things
Exotic Particle Focuser Mk XII [CtrlX] [EPG]
To
Exotic Particle Focuser Mk XII [CtrlX] [EPG]
Upgrade
--------------
--------------
--------------
Tactical Consoles: 4
Delphic Tear Generator
Bonus % damage buffs show a larger increase over the tooltips
Retrofitted Assimilator
Like a seventh Particle Focuser
Constriction Anchor
See above re Bonus %
Lorca's Custom Fire Controls Mk XIII
It's there for the Crit buff, though shield pen is nice.
--------------
--------------
--------------
Universal Consoles: 1
Exotic Particle Field Exciter Mk XII
[CtrlX] was far far cheaper than [EPG].
--------------
--------------
--------------
Hangars: 1
To'Duj Fighter Squadron
To be replaced with Elite ones eventually. I blew all my FC on traits.
Officers and Crew
Bridge Officer Information
Power
Notes
Officer 1: Lt. Commander ( Sci/Temporal )
Science Team I
1273.2 tooltip
Trait: [name]
Hazard Emitters II
10802.9 tooltip
Chronometric Inversion Field I
Generates SIA. 1753.8/sec tooltip.
Officer 2: Ensign ( Engineering )
Structural Integrity Collapse I
Mostly for big targets. 1099.7/sec tooltip.
Trait: [name]
Officer 3: Lt. Commander ( Tactical )
Tactical Team I
Trait: Superior Romulan Operative
Torpedo Spread II
Procs the below on Entwined Tactical Matrices
Cannon Scatter Volley II
Procs the above on Entwined Tactical Matrices
Officer 4: Lieutenant ( Engineering )
Endothermic Inhibitor Beam I
Goes with SIC. Another 1099.7/sec tooltip.
Trait: [name]
Auxiliary to Structural Integrity Field I
Heal on spacebar. 3038.3 tooltip
Officer 5: Commander ( Science )
Tachyon Beam I
Procs Drain Infection and SIA. 1028.4 tooltip.
Trait: Pirate
Destabilizing Resonance Beam
Procs SIA. Blinds teammates. 2080.4 tooltip.
Subspace Vortex III
Generates SIA. 4061.6 tooltip.
Gravity Well III
Generates SIA. 10.3km radius. 2611.1 tooltip.
Officer 6: [rank] ( [profession] )
Trait: [name]
Duty Officer Information
Power
Notes
1
Projectile Weapons Officer
Obviously, it's Law.
2
Projectile Weapons Officer
Adet'Pa. Tactical Team CD, +10 Weapon Specialization
3
Security Officer
Brad Boimler. 20% Toxic Cloud on Torpedo hit. 858.7 tooltip.
4
Assault Squad Officer
Beckett Mariner. 20% 5635 Secondary Shields on Tac Team. Blast shield!
5
Gravimetric Scientist
Gravity Well aftershock.
6
Character, Reputation, and Starship Traits
Personal Space Traits
Description
Notes
Astrophysicist
+10 Exotic Particle Generator (Improves Exotic Damage) +10 Drain Expertise (Improves Shield Drain & Energy Drain / Resistance to Same) +10 Starship Perception (Improves Defection of Cloaked Ships)
Cannon Training
+5% Cannon Weapon Damage
Conservation of Energy
Gain 10% bonus damage on Exotic damage powers when struck by Energy damage. Stacks up to 3 times.
Fleet Coordinator
+2% All Damage per Team member (Self included), up to 10%
Hot Pursuit
Chase distance for all Mines increased by 100%.
Inspirational Leader
10% chance: Activating any Bridge Officer Ability grants +10 to Most Starship Skills for 15 seconds (may stack up to 3 times).
Invasive Control Programming
Invasive Control Programming: When you use certain Control powers, also cause a random Subsystem Disable for 4 sec
Particle Manipulator
Gain .2% Critical Chance and .1% Critical Severity for Exotic Damage abilities, per point you have in the Starship Exotic Particle Generator skill. The Critical Chance bonus gained from this Trait is capped at +50% (attained by having 250 Particle Generators skill), but there is no cap on the Critical Severity bonus. +% Critical Hit Chance for Exotic Damage Abilities +% Critical Hit Severity for Exotic Damage Abilities
Positive Feedback Loop
+10% Exotic Damage, after using a Hull or Shield Heal ability +10% Hull and Shield Heal effectiveness, after using an exotic damage ability
Increases your damage with Torpedoes. Your Descructible Torpedoes, such as High-Yield Plasma Torpedoes, fly faster. +33% Destructible Torpedo Flight Speed +12.5% Torpedo Damage
T2 Terran
Starship Traits
Description
Notes
Checkmate
Activating a control Bridge Officer ability will provide a boost to your Exotic Damage and Projectile Weapon damage for a short time.
Entwined Tactical Matrices
Links Energy and Torpedo firing modes together.
This trait needs to be added to the spreadsheet.
Improved Gravity Well
While this trait is slotted, your Gravity Well anomalies last twice as long, and recharge much faster. Additionally, the primary foe targeted by your Gravity Well activation will have their damage resistance rating reduced for the duration of the anomaly. Duration of Gravity Well increased from 20 sec to 40 sec Recharge time of Gravity Well reduced by 20 sec Primary Target of Gravity Well suffers -20 All Damage Resistance Rating for 40 sec
Spore-Infused Anomalies
Whenever you activate a Science or Intelligence Bridge Officer Ability: To foes within 5km of your anomalies: deal Electrical Damage and drain from all of the targets Power Levels for 20 sec
Super Charged Weapons
Firing a torpedo will provide a stack of the Super Charged buff. This buff provides a boost to directed energy weapon damage, critical hit chance and critical severity for a short time. This buff stacks up to 3 times.
Withering Barrage
While this trait is equipped, the duration of your Cannon: Scatter Volley is increased by 4 seconds.
Other Information
Subsystem Power Settings
Value (Target/Display)
Notes
Weapons
15 / 67
Only feeding the turret, really.
Shields
45 / 60
Engines
40 / 56
Auxiliary
100 / 117
Set Name
Set parts: # of #
Effects
Notes
Temporal Defense Initiative Starship Technologies
2/3
Predictive Decay Algorithms
25% damage over time
Protonic Arsenal
2/3
Arsenal Synergy
28.5% Photon damage, 3% CRTH
3
#
4
#
5
#
Ship Stats
Value
Notes
Hull
53945
Shields
14239
Global Critical Chance
18.9
Global Critical Severity
93
EPS/Power Transfer Rate
160% / 8/sec
Hull Regeneration Rate
58%/min
Turn Rate
24.8 deg/s
Flight Speed
29.99
Concluding Remarks
I'm saving up for the Mirror Engle for SAD to buff the fighters, and eventually getting Elite To'Duj since Peregrine Squadrons aren't a thing yet. Revolutionary space set is not available, I missed that event. If it comes up in a Phoenix box I'll strongly consider using it. I can work to save up most anything else. I want to keep the Aux DHCs as ETM and WB will keep them at near 100% uptime. Right now it parses ISA pugs at around 30-40K, with two deaths each time. Suggestions, name calling, bad ideas, color commentary all welcome. Not really sure where to go with this build from here, so I'll just say "Help I do more gooder boomings and no get die."
what classes as a hazard in hazard perception video
Hazard detection results broken down to major side-entering hazard classes.Indexed Hazards Detector Results Hazard description Time duration Time detected Response time start end (sec) (sec) (sec) Video segment 1 merge in front from right 2.96 11.75 2.80 -0.16 merge in front from right 21.60 32.00 24.39 +2.79 car turns out from left 49.72 55.96 51.91 +2.19 pedestrians crossing road 140.84 157 ... Mitchell (1984) judges the major successes in hazard perception research over two decades as: (1) investigating a large set of research techniques, (2) investigating major theoretical proposals from psychology, including cognitive dissonance and locus of control theory, (3) identifying systematic mechanisms of perceptual bias, (4) introducing the concept of perception to a wide audience of hazards researchers in the English-speaking world, and (5) bringing insights in perception ... Hazard detection results broken do wn to major side-entering hazard classes. hazard rather than side-entering when they initially enter view. All such hazards. were still detected within the ... Hazard perception test is same for all driving licence classes, but the amount of video clips and pass mark differs in each licence classes. How the hazard perception test works? At first, you'll be shown a short clip about how it works; Then you will see 14 CGI hazard clips (computer generated imagery CGI) Each hazard test video clip contains usually 1 developing hazard, but there is one clip which contains 2 hazards In scenario II, 63 buildings were classified in the very high hazard class, which increased to 71 in scenario III. Similarly, 22 buildings belonged to both moderate and high hazard classes, and shifting to scenario III, the number increased to 33 and 38 in the moderate and high classes respectively. tions in the perception of natural hazard, and to suggest some ways in which it affects the management of resource use. In so doing we are extending the notion that resources are best regarded for management purposes as culturally defined variables, by consideration of the cultural appraisal of natural hazard. It may be argued that the uncertainties of natural hazards in resource man-agement ... The Hazard Perception test (HPtest) is based on a modified version of the hazard perception test for bicyclists of Zeuwts et al. (2017). Because of low image quality or poor sensitivity in the original version, five clips were replaced by new improved clips. The HPtest therefore consisted of 14 film clips (with a duration of approximately 30 Hazard perception is an act of being aware of a hazard through observation, it determines response. It can be said to be the way we see things. If something is not perceived to be hazardous, there will be no response accompanying the act, situation or condition. A good level of hazard perception is required of a Health and Safety Professional and workers. This is what helps in hazard ... Knowing what counts as a hazard in hazard perception kind of hazards to expect can really help when it comes to the hazard perception test. If you’ve already had a few driving lessons or practice driving sessions, draw upon your on-road experiences. If you know what a potential hazard could be and can recognise when it’s developing, you’ll already be halfway there to passing the hazard ... 2) as a sum of all hazard types over all object classes and scenarios – under the assumption that the occurrence of the individual hazards is independent of each other – was expressed in monetary terms per year as a prognostic value. R C is therefore defined as the expected annual damage caused by certain hazards and is frequently used as a risk indicator (Merz et al., 2009; Špačková et ...
The McGill Hazard Perception Driving Training Tool - YouTube
How to spot hazards in the hazards perception test, this video shows you an example of when you should have clicked to say you've seen the hazard - the red c... Hi, I'm Richard the Manager of the Melbourne Driving School. I'd like to welcome you to the Melbourne Driving School series of videos in relation to learni... For access to our full online theory course please visitwww.drivingtheoryworkshop.co.ukAre you struggling to score highly on the hazard perception part of th... A hazard means anything that can cause the driver to change the speed, direction or stop the vehicle they are driving. In hazard perception test exam you will need to identify the hazard which ... McGill University Hazard Perception Driving Training Tool (MUHP DTT) Marie-Pier Lynch Pérusse, Alyssa Morellato, Jessica Nadeau, and Chidy iNgadi FREE THEORY TEST PRACTICE GURANTEED PASS DRIVING TESThttps://test4theory.co.ukhow to pass hazard perception test first timevisit our website you can also pra... About Video:To make a safe workplace it is important to control the hazards. To control, you need to understand WHAT IS HAZARD. So this video speaks about Ha...