#vms provider

[simplifyworkforce]

How Vendor Management Software Enhances Talent Acquisition Strategy

In today’s evolving workforce landscape, organizations need more than just job boards and resumes—they need streamlined systems that bring order, speed, and insight into hiring processes. That’s where vendor management software and a modern vendor management system (VMS) come in.

These tools are no longer just for procurement—they’ve become critical to successful talent acquisition strategies, especially when dealing with staffing vendors and contingent workers.

What Is Vendor Management Software?

Vendor management software is a digital platform that helps businesses manage relationships with staffing agencies and service providers. It automates the process of:

Vendor selection and onboarding

Rate negotiation and contract management

Time tracking and invoice approval

Compliance checks and performance reporting

In short, it centralizes vendor-related tasks to reduce risk, improve efficiency, and cut costs.

The Role of a Vendor Management System (VMS) in Talent Acquisition

A Vendor Management System (VMS) is the engine behind vendor hiring operations. When integrated with HR systems, a VMS supports talent acquisition by:

Managing the entire lifecycle of external workers (contractors, freelancers, temps)

Standardizing job requisitions, approvals, and submissions across vendors

Ensuring legal compliance with labor and tax regulations

Tracking candidate quality, fill rates, and vendor performance in real time

With a VMS in place, HR and procurement teams can make smarter, faster decisions on how to source and manage talent.

How VMS Supports Better Talent Acquisition

Here’s how a vendor management solution enhances your ability to acquire top talent:

✅ 1. Improves Speed-to-Hire

Automated workflows reduce delays in vendor communication, job posting, candidate review, and onboarding.

✅ 2. Ensures Compliance

Track certifications, background checks, and documentation to avoid legal or regulatory risks when hiring external workers.

✅ 3. Centralizes Data

View all your external hiring activity in one dashboard—enabling clear visibility into vendor performance and talent quality.

✅ 4. Reduces Costs

Standardized rate cards and competitive vendor bidding prevent overcharging and rogue spending.

✅ 5. Enhances Talent Quality

Compare vendors based on KPIs like time-to-fill, candidate retention, and feedback to ensure only top-performing suppliers remain in the loop.

Why Forward-Looking Talent Teams Use Vendor Management Software

The most competitive companies treat contingent talent as a strategic asset—not a side project. They rely on vendor management software to:

Scale hiring without sacrificing quality

Engage niche or hard-to-find skills through specialized vendors

Create a seamless experience for hiring managers and candidates alike

Leverage real-time analytics to guide workforce planning

Final Thoughts

Talent acquisition is no longer just about filling open roles—it’s about building agile, high-performing teams with the best talent, from any source. Whether hiring full-time employees or contingent workers, using a vendor management system gives organizations the control, visibility, and flexibility they need to compete in a dynamic market.

By combining the power of vendor management software with a people-first strategy, businesses can transform how they source, manage, and optimize external talent.

[pinacoladamatata]

Hospitals and clinics answer the phone challenge

[techdirectarchive]

Failed to Power on with Error 'A virtual machine disk support provider for the specified file was not found

Encountering an error with the message “The application encountered an error while attempting to change the state of VM” can have various causes. How the VM was set up is required to fix this issue. In this article, I will be showing you how to fix “Failed to Power on with Error ‘A virtual machine disk support provider for the specified file was not found”. Please see The logon attempt failed for…

[illithilit]

Imo one of the literal best things about Graz is the dichotomy between being blunt to the point of being cruel sometimes, but then also being the first to willingly adjust to the v alien world of trying to take care of a child who has no one else to look after them.

[realstrap]

Help a disabled lesbian couple get groceries and get out of the negative

01/13/2024

‼️urgent needed in 24-48 hours‼️

Hey, as some of yall know already my partner and I have been urgently raising funds to secure their service dog prospect so the fact that we needed to restock groceries escaped our current list of priorities as we've had to allocate our money toward ensuring the prospect will be taken care of.

We're out of a lot of essentials (produce, milk, eggs, bread etc) and have been having to depend on raising money for takeout, this is not sustainable and we're the only ones providing for ourselves so this is very urgent, if we don't raise this we don't eat, we're both disabled with low inconsistent income so anything helps !!

We need a total of $280 to get out of the negative and restock groceries to be good for a while, with everything going on in our lives this is VITAL to give us at least some peace of mind!!

CA: $lezsalt or $sleepyhen

VM: wildwotko

Dm for p@y pal

$0/280

[patopq]

its so wild to think that with some bad rolls MOLLY could have met VOX MACHINA? and actually join them?? (provided they didnt kill him first, i mean.. "the terrible tinkerer of tal'dorei"? you mean their JUST dead friend? you're straight up asking for war, tal)

like i genuinely struggle to think how would that have been like?? to think about molly with anyone except the nein just feels wrongg. molly would not match VM style at ALL

[utilitycaster]

ok the way Fjord and (maybe???) Nott are the ONLY people acting good-aligned early on...unpopular opinion but I remain an "alignment is a useful tool in robust character building provided you remember it can and sometimes should change through your later actions" person and VM and the Nein really showed its value as a character creation tool

[locust-valley]

Help a trans couple flee hostile red states

Our city's trans community is going to be receiving a trans lesbian couple fleeing from a state not safe for trans people. Our community is pooling what we can but we could use help providing food and shelter to our sisters while they look for income and a place to rent. Any amount at all would be greatly appreciated. Sharing this post if you can't help financially still helps!

VM: @harleyjane87

[aspiringsophrosyne]

What’s this season’s theme? They weren’t subtle about it. When the group asks her about Dohla, Allura almost literally turns to the camera and says: “Let’s just say being in dangerous situations with someone you’re close to can lead to friction.”

The show’s CRew drew considerable attention to this idea through Kima and Allura’s old friend, flashbacks to their adventuring days, Zerxus’ telling of the fall of Avalir, Scanlan’s failure to be fully present for either his daughter or Vox Machina, and the group splintering. On paper, this idea is fine, but in practice, its implementation is flawed.

Because what comes of all this setup? Scanlan steps away for Kaylie; what are the repercussions of that? While Keyleth and the twins break off from the rest, are they gone long? Does this season have a capstone with a potency similar to Bard’s Lament?

(For the record, I am neutral on having Bard’s Lament in Season 3, but excluding that eliminates one hefty bit of dramatic payoff. )

What’s interesting in hindsight is the unintentional, surprisingly substantial, and consistent theme that emerges. One that isn’t the Breaking of the Fellowship.

The twins exact their revenge on Thordak. Keyleth gets revenge on Raishan after Raishan gets hers on first the Ashari, then Thordak when he doesn’t provide her with her cure. Last season, Kaylie sought revenge but rejected it in the end, and now the Shorthalts are uncertain of where they stand. Percy wants to abandon vengeance, but Ripley forces his hand. After her fatal confrontation with Percy, the twins avenge him.

Noticing a pattern?

The script tells us this season’s heart is internal strife, but the action repeatedly shows us a revenge tale. With a strong through-line, marked thematic consistency, and multiple clear payoffs. Ironically, these elements develop organically, akin to mushrooms in the dark, shielded from the narrative heavy-handedness the spotlight would impose upon them.

With only a few tweaks, they could’ve had this plot laced up tighter than a 19th-century corset. Let the twins learn the identity of their mother’s murderer earlier, and let them get the last strikes on him. Give us the group HDYWTDT on Ripley. Let the anger Keyleth feels at Raishan initially block her from passing her earth trial—setting her up as a parallel to Percy; they both let go and walk out of this season alive—and you’ve cooked a full-course meal.

Instead of a retread, frame this story as an extension and escalation of the Briarwood arc—which established how self-destructive the old eye-for-an-eye can be—but this time for the villains: Thordak must be thwarted, and Ripley’s and Raishan’s respective revenge quests draw Vox Machina’s ire and ensure their downfall.

Because sometimes, one person’s vengeance is another person’s karma.

And if desired, you could build upon this idea even further in future seasons when the enemies waiting in the wings move to center stage. Some of them might be interested in payback.

The fact this secondary focus emerges so well and so naturally proves that this show's material is good enough that it doesn’t need bells and whistles or excessive exposition to establish and justify itself. Less-to-no spoon-feeding, keeping and bolstering what was great about the source material, and leaning into this revenge theme would’ve given us not just a much sounder narrative thread this season but a subtler and uncontrived one. And it wouldn’t have needed any extra time. It might’ve needed less if Ripley wasn't around as long.

This season didn't need an underdeveloped central theme that couldn't hold together for lack of payoff shoe-horned into it. It's a worse version of a problem season 2 had, where the idea of VM learning to not run from their problems made little sense in context and didn't really go anywhere for anyone except Scanlan.

All in all, it might be better to prioritize capturing what was great about the source material before adding to the story. Otherwise, you run the risk of throwing something in the stew that clashes with its other ingredients, and there'll be significant potential and several opportunities that could end up going to waste.

[milkweedman]

Fiber Sale (need money for moving; also trying to destash) !! Only shipping to the US. All prices include shipping.

Would also really appreciate donations if you want to help support me but can't buy something for whatever reason.

Check the original post to see what's been sold and what hasn't (I will cross out sold items). First come first serve.

https://ko-fi.com/kolyenka

Prepared Fiber--all of this is prepared by me :) the following 4 are cheaper as I can ship them in normal envelopes

A: 0.14 oz, combed top. Blend of bfl, tencel, tussah silk, corriedale, merino. Very soft and shiny. $8.

B: 0.11 oz, combed top. Blend of tussah silk (black) and mohair locks (green). $8

C: 0.22 oz, combed top. Same blend as A, just a lot more of it and in different combos. Distinct gradient from one end to the other. $10

D: 0.4 oz, rolag (made on blending board). Tussah silk, mohair, and bfl. Very squishy and fine. $13

E: 0.29 oz. Rolag, wool and cotton blend. Even more stripes of color under the surface. $13

F: 0.51 oz. Rolag, wool blend with some Angelina. Purple underneath. $15

G: 4.75 ounces. Rolags (many many rolags). Blend of various wools; some fibers are not quite next to skin soft, but overall it's a soft blend. Mix of red, orange, white, purple, and black. $45

H: 1 ounce. Washed longwool fleece (breed unknown). Dyed by myself with onion skin. $10

I: 1.2 ounces. Southdown flax blend, predrafted from rolags. Could potentially make up to 6 ounces total of this. $18

FLEECE

J: 6 ounces. Washed jacob lambsfleece. Very soft for a jacob, large bits of vm (was able to get it out with hand cards). $20

K: 5.5 ounces. Hampshire with 2+ years growth, washed fleece. Definitely an odd fleece, not like your usual down breed. Has vm; washed it multiple times but still looks gross--I've found its almost impossible to get totally clean before it's yarn. Recommend combing, spinning, then washing. Nice and soft. $25

L: 7.5 ounces BFL cross. Very soft and with good luster. Some vm, was able to remove with hand cards. $25

M: 4.75 oz. Jacob x Border Leicester. Good luster, warm brown tips. Nicely soft. $20

SPINDLES:

1: thin spindle (7 inches long). Good for cobweb weight but can achieve thinner and thicker. Birch wood with woodburning. $80

2: thick spindle (7 inches long). Good for laceweight but can achieve thinner and thicker. Wood type unknown (some sort of fruit tree iirc). No woodburning due to lots of wormholes and spalting which provide their own visual interest (they don't cause problems spinning don't worry). $60

3: thick spindle (6.5 in long). Good for laceweight, can spin thicker and thinner. No clue on wood type. Woodburned on most of the surface, the rest has wormholes again. $90

BAGS

4: handblended handspun handknit drawstring project bag, 20 inch circumference. Cord is handspun flax. It's folded in half in the bigger picture. $90

5: handblended handspun handknit pouch. Don't remember the circumference but you can compare to the other bag. Body is entirely southdown babydoll wool. Handle is handspun icord. $75

HANDSPUN YARN

6: 4 oz, 325 yards. Hand blended and handspun. Alpaca, wool, silk, silk noil, angelina. 2 ply fingering weight. Very textured. $65

7: 5.75 oz, 572 yds. Merino and silk blend, 2 ply, dk weight. Blended for a triangle shawl, stripes get longer as you go. Very soft, shines very beautiful in the light. $115

Please DM if you're interested--first come first serve. I take payment via ko-fi.

[strawberryteabunny]

Frederick’s 30 Days Day 6: Are there popular lolita things you tend to dislike for your own style?

So this might be really controversial but… petticoats ><

A) I travel a lot and I’m a lifestyle lolita; on average I’m out of town at least once a month. I also live in a big city and don’t own a car so I’m on the bus or train everywhere. Trying to pack a petticoat in a suitcase or on public transportation is REALLY annoying so I started skipping it and it turns out I find it a lot more comfortable without!

B) A lot of classic and oldschool styles are either very low or no petti in the first place (or have built in petticoats in the dresses)- so an OTT level cupcake petticoat doesn’t work for most of my coords anyway. I do wear a petticoat on occasion for dresses that look really flat without it…

C) … but tbh no one’s ever called me out on it or said my dresses/skirts look flat/bad. Maybe everyone’s just really nice and keeps this thought to themselves, but imo it’s not very distracting/bad looking and in photos it’s easy to hide if a dress isn’t poofy enough. Who knows, maybe I’ve been posted to cgl over it or would’ve been on BTB but I feel like people care less these days, especially other lifestylers or people who do more casual coords.

Oldschool/classic styles were often a lot more casual about wearing a petticoat or even a blouse- these are all pre-2003 iirc, from GLB’s via lolitahistory. The last one is an ad for Victorian Maiden- a summer coord with no blouse, petti, bloomers, or long socks! (Disclaimer that some of these coords may have petticoats but some clearly don’t, and it’s not always crystal clear which is which)

I’m not wearing a petticoat in any of these pictures (and I tried specifically to look for photos where I’m not holding my skirt out)- would you have been able to tell the difference if I hadn’t told you?

I do want to wear more underskirts though- a lot of dresses are short on me and I just like the added detail. Somewhere in my project bin is an underskirt that I’m hoping will provide a nice amount of length and volume for my dresses and will therefore double as a ‘pettiskirt’- adding some volume but not an overwhelming/uncomfortable amount of fabric. I’ve also been really into a VM underdress I bought recently that I’ve been wearing in my classic coords to lengthen/add some volume to my skirts.

I do want to add that I think a key part of the lolita fashion is the silhouette, which has a poofy knee-length skirt as the ‘platonic ideal’. Skipping a petti absolutely can lead to your coords looking bad and there’s definitely some dresses where I always wear a petti because they need one to look right. But just like longer skirts can still be lolita and are more common in gothic and classic lolita, I think lower volume can be a thing in oldschool or classic coords sometimes too.

On a much less controversial note, I’m also not a huge fan of KC’s and wristcuffs. I’ve really fallen in love with rectangle headdresses and KC’s are a lot more ‘sweet’ to me, so if I wear a head bow it’s usually on the back of the head not on the top. Wristcuffs- I’ve just never liked the feeling of something on my wrist! I don’t wear bracelets or watches either 🤷‍♀️

[simplifyworkforce]

Balancing Agility and Control: How to Optimize Contingent Workforce Staffing with Smart Vendor and Direct Hire Strategies

In today’s competitive talent landscape, companies are rethinking the way they hire. The rise of contingent workforce staffing—temporary workers, freelancers, consultants, and independent contractors—has introduced a more flexible approach to fulfilling talent needs. Whether you’re scaling fast, managing seasonal spikes, or accessing specialized skills, contingent workers offer agility without the long-term commitment.

But flexibility shouldn’t come at the cost of control.

To manage a blended workforce effectively, organizations are turning to robust vendor management solutions and direct hire strategies that bring structure, visibility, and speed to the hiring process.

Why Contingent Workforce Staffing Is on the Rise

Businesses increasingly rely on contingent talent for:

Cost-effective scalability

Faster hiring for urgent projects

Specialized skills not available in-house

Reduced overhead and employment risk

But managing this flexible talent layer without the right systems can lead to inefficiencies, compliance challenges, and missed opportunities.

The Role of a Vendor Management Solution

A vendor management solution (VMS) is designed to streamline how organizations engage, onboard, and manage staffing vendors and contingent workers. It acts as a centralized platform for tracking vendor performance, labor costs, worker compliance, and more.

Benefits of using a vendor management solution:

Centralized vendor tracking and communication

Automated onboarding and offboarding workflows

Real-time reporting on cost, performance, and headcount

Compliance management to reduce legal risks

Vendor scorecards and SLA tracking

With the right VMS, companies can gain full visibility into their contingent workforce operations and drive better outcomes with fewer administrative headaches.

Integrating Direct Hire into Your Talent Strategy

While contingent staffing is critical for short-term needs, direct hire remains essential for building long-term organizational strength. By hiring employees directly—without third-party agency involvement—companies save on fees and strengthen employer branding.

Benefits of a direct hire model include:

Lower cost-per-hire compared to agency models

Stronger employee engagement and cultural fit

Greater control over the candidate experience

Scalable pipelines for future workforce planning

A strong direct hire strategy complements contingent staffing by ensuring you’re building a permanent talent foundation while maintaining the flexibility of on-demand labor.

The Ideal Talent Model: Blending Contingent Staffing, Vendor Management, and Direct Hiring

The most agile and future-ready companies are those that successfully blend contingent staffing with direct hiring—using a vendor management solution to tie it all together.

Here’s how it works:

Use contingent staffing for project-based roles and seasonal demand

Build internal talent pools for direct hires through employer branding and referrals

Use a VMS to monitor vendor performance, compliance, and total workforce spend

Optimize decisions with data insights from your staffing ecosystem

Platforms like hireHQ make it possible to manage all these channels in one place—giving HR and procurement teams the tools they need to scale fast without losing control.

Final Thoughts

The future of hiring isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s hybrid, strategic, and tech-enabled. By leveraging contingent workforce staffing, implementing a smart vendor management solution, and building a proactive direct hire pipeline, businesses can gain the flexibility to adapt—and the foundation to grow.

Work smarter. Hire faster. Build better.

[startrekmemequeen]

This week i watched Critical Role live for the first time ever. I don't watch C3 so i know the plot only from tumblr posts but i still wanted to watch the return of Vox Machina cause i'm invested as fuck. And this week i finally woke up early enough to watch at least the second half of the episode (because of time difference their Thursday night is VERY EARLY Friday morning for me)

And like... it was certainly An Experience

I'm feeling so many feelings

Spoilers under the cut

I hava finished C1 in July so it hasn't been as long for me but i still missed Vax so badly

I teared up when i heard "dagger dagger dagger"...

And Vax's story is so tragic and i understand the importance of it, and how it works in-universe BUT personally i would be very happy if he came back permanently. I understand that it's highly unlikely and it upsets me. Whatever happens, i will still watch and LOVE critical role and especially vox machina story... i just miss him so damn much and i think he deserves a happy ending. All of them do.

It would also be cool if, provided that he remains Raven Queen's champion, he could visit the mortal plane once in a while. Imagine that. Maybe one day once in a couple months. Or even once a year. He'd be like that relative who lives very far away and rarely comes to visit, but they still come and they're welcome

All the tragedy aside, i love VM so much and seeing them all back together was like coming home after being away from it for a long time.

[zhellers]

Now you've got to do Vox Machina to complete the set 😅

Love seeing all of these, you're providing some great inspiration!

oh god see i'll try but i really don't draw VM often enough so these might change. These are all for their young self not present

Percy gets mainly Otto Seppalainen and a bit of Lucky Blue Smith, just some handsome boys with blond hair. Just add some sideburns and bushier brows

Vax gets a bit of Aaron Bernards in there. The important things to me is that he has a prominent bone structure. I also want him to look vaguely Indigenous.

Vex Is obviously gonna have similar traits to Vax. Strong bone structure and vaguely native looking. Julia Jones works pretty well for her, with maybe a less square jaw.

For Keyleth I see her having very soft features, nothing that sticks out much. Something between Sherouk Fahid and Gio Scotti.

Nothing specific for Grog, I just need him to be broad, bald and square. Using Kratos from God of War as a base works well since Travis was clearly inspired by him.

Pike would have a rounder face and big eyes with a lot of lid space, maybe a bit of a butt chin. I look at French women for inspo

Scanlan is like Grim Krause but add a moustache, sideburns and a big ol berret.

Finally Taryon! Truly i have no clue, i've never drawn him. Maybe some Neel Visser but with a pointier chin? If you add a goatee to him I think it can work plus the eyes feel right.

[danwhobrowses]

5 Underrated Things or Tactics That May Aid Bell's Hells to Victory

Spoilers up to Campaign 3 Episode 116 below

Well Critters, it all comes down to this.

Vox Machina dismantled the Malleus Keep, killed Ozo (the Bozo) Kruft, and freed the Champion of Ravens which removed the tidal lock on Ruidus, and now the Mighty Nein have disintegrated the Weave Mind, completing essentially a full dismantling of the Kreviris Imperium, all of which quicker than I anticipated. All that's left is the Hallowed Cage, where Ludinus Da'leth and his inner circle are using his harness to try and fully destroy Liliana Temult. Bell's Hells begin a race against time to save her, but also a race to defeat Ludinus before he unleashes his intentions unto Exandria and its Pantheon with Predathos, and then decide for themselves what they do with the God Eater.

Suffice to say, and I dunno about everyone else but, I am terrified. I believe they can win but Ludinus is not to be underestimated, this second harness means he may be stronger - and he was already the strongest wizard alive - and have access to more powers compared to his simulacra, plus Predathos may come during or after this battle, which can put the Hells in a weakened state. Matt has likely prepared his best and worst for this final battle too, but the Hells aren't Lv. 20 combatants like the other groups; there's no 9th level spells, no Divine Intervention, and the group lost their cleric ~20 episodes back, so even though VM and the Nein were ultimately successful within 1-2 episodes having to use both of their auto-succeed Divine Interventions from their two clerics in the process, this is the battle. And with that is a ridiculous amount of tension for Ludinus and for what comes after. For all we know, the cast may've already recorded ahead enough to have finished the final fight, maybe even finished the campaign (though I hope not, partly because I don't want it to end yet but also I feel like the dawn of the new era should be explored regardless of what choice the Hells make, plus some characters could use a bit more resolution after the big fight and the pressure of stakes and time sensitivity have been alleviated) but for us it's a nervous wait, and a wonder of what can be done to win and what choice will be made to determine the future of Exandria, Ruidus, their faith and their people. So, this is my indulging into that first part, 5 lower-key things or tactics that might not have been initially thought of that could make things easier to defeat Ludinus.

Liliana, the Inner Circle, and the Arcane Battery Provided that the Hells make it in time to stop Liliana from being totally destroyed by the harness (which is very possible since Laudna does have that tracking spell on him since Aeor, it's all about speed and not running into enemies) she will still be without her magic to fight. Ludinus' inner circle holding her down is comprised of Reilorans but also other Ruidusborns, and that's something the Hells can expose. Liliana cannot fight, but Ruidusborns can take spell slots from each other, so Liliana and any KO'd Ruidusborns from the inner circle can be used as spell slot fuel for Imogen and Fearne. Ludinus also gave a 9-slot fully-charged Arcane Battery to the Hells in order to trigger Delilah within Laudna for his escape, the battery can help recharge Laudna's slots too which makes this tactic handy for the witches of the group.

Dunamancy One of Ludinus' most important tools for his plan has been Luxon Beacons, a device able to unravel even divine magic, but much like the Harness it can prove his undoing. Dunamancy hasn't been touched upon as much as early C3 hinted it could have, but for lack of a better phrase, the possibilities are still endless. The Hells have multiple Potions of Possibility at their disposal to aid with rolls, but they also were given a Sphere of Dunamantic Restoration by the Kryn, which will trigger the effects of a Short Rest and a health and spell slot recharge - which can be handy in a pinch and to reuse some once per short rest abilities. Ashton is the key factor though, I've mentioned it a few times already but we don't know if these items will behave differently with them, via their own internal dunamancy abilities. Given the unknown factor, that's why it's not deemed as much of a tactic as it is a Hail Mary, but it is one that could lead to Ludinus' own magic unraveling, and maybe even Predathos' too

The Whirling Dervish & Conditional Advantages In Vassalheim, Dorian received his family sword: Gambolcleft, the Vortex Blade. One of its yet to be used abilities involves a once a day repetitive use of striking an enemy, similar to how Ozo killed Vex, provided that they attack with Disadvantage. Dorian is already looking at a high attack roll given Gambolcleft's +3 to attack and hit rolls, and Master's Flourish means he doesn't have to use a Bardic Inspiration to stack a Blade Flourish (Defensive Flourish is probably best, the damage is also doubled by Gambolcleft), the only quibble is the disadvantage. Fortunately, most of the Hells have skills that can force Ludinus into conditions where attacks would do advantage on him: stunning and rendering him prone being most likely, but paralysis is possible if a Hold Person is successful. It would of course require his Legendary Resistances to be used up first, but if Ludinus gets stunned or knocked prone within Dorian's range, Gambolcleft could easily carve its way through him with continual hits, stacked potentially by Bless and Mark of the Messy End, for perpetual damage and make Dorian himself impossible to hit on his next turn. Stunning or Proning Ludinus also leaves Ludinus at the vicious mercy of the martial players, especially for conditions that auto-crit when hit.

The Hole (or the Bag of Holding) Occam's Razor. An old but gold tactic of the Hells could very easily be used against Ludinus too. The portable hole or the bag of holding are devoid of air, left in one long enough with it sealed would mean suffocation as have been the fate of many of the Hells' past opponents that they didn't have time to deal with. The Hole's downside is that a Strength check can lead to a creature forcing their way out, but the Hells do have plenty of skills that can impose disadvantage on Strength rolls and the aforementioned conditions could help that, Ashton's Hammer may also make it more difficult to unfold the Hole if its Immovable Rod is propped atop of it - but that'd be down to Matt's discretion. The Bag of Holding doesn't have the strength save, but it is smaller so it may not be able to fit him in it. I'm not sure if Ludinus can use Gate to escape either, dunno if that leads to the whole extradimensional rip thing that happens if you open one while in the other, but if he does it's a concentration spell so the Hells could just keep knocking him back from the other side, a bigger group of enemies in either also reduces the time needed before they suffocate.

The Harness and the One-Chance Polymorph Right now Ludinus is using a harness to destroy Liliana, comparing it to the one in Moleasmyr it'll potentially take about an hour to finish the process providing that this factor wasn't improved upon. However, removing magic within a being for a whole day only required a minute of contact in the Hells' one and maybe Ludinus', thus his creation and reason for long life and power can also be the key to his downfall. Holding Ludinus down for a minute is of course not as easy as it sounds but that's where Polymorph can come in. Polymorph lasts at most an hour, so as long as Ludinus is changed into a creature that can easily be restrained they can use the harness on it and remove Ludinus of his entire arsenal in order to finish him off without the risk of his high level spells. The tricky part is getting Polymorph to succeed; Wisdom is after all a Wizard's bread and butter, but there is a single gambit that could make it work. It requires all Legendary Resistances to be gone of course, and for Laudna and Braius to be conscious; Braius has a once per long rest ability to change a Wisdom saving throw to a Charisma one, which he used to allow Dorian to succeed in making the Dominox dance in the live show, Laudna's Void Puppet can force disadvantage on saves to those within 5ft of it, which will negate his magical resistance to just a clean roll. Orym can also use Hex to impose a disadvantage, which may be able to stack, but this would also hinge on Ludinus' charisma not being super high and if the Polymorph fails once it will likely not be able to be tried again.

The fight won't be easy, but there are avenues that can make it less dangerous, a strategy is very much required for such a foe. All the while my strategy remains keeping up the prayer circle. Deep breaths everyone.

[cyberstudious]

A Beginner's Guide to Learning Cybersecurity

I created this post for the Studyblr Masterpost Jam, check out the tag for more cool masterposts from folks in the studyblr community!

(Side note: this post is aimed towards the technical side of security, rather than the governance/management side, because the tech stuff is what I'm familiar with.)

Where do I start?

Cybersecurity is a specialization of general tech & therefore builds on some concepts that you'll need to know before you can dive deep into security. It's good to have a background in and understand:

how computers & operating systems work

how to use Linux

computer networking & basic protocols

If you're serious about learning cybersecurity, it can be helpful to look at certifications. Even if you don't want to get certified or take the exam (they can get expensive), they provide you with a list of topics that you can use to guide your self-study. And if you want to find a job, a certification is practically required for getting your foot in the door.

I personally recommend the CompTIA series of certifications, because they're well-recognized and I think they expose you to a good breadth and depth of material to get you started. Start with the A+ certification if you have zero tech background. Start with the Network+ certification if you've never taken a networking course. Once you get your basic computer and networking knowledge down, then you can jump into security. The Security+ is a good starting point.

Do I need to know how to code?

No, but it would be really really helpful. You don't have to be a skilled software engineer, but understanding the basics and being able to write small scripts will give you a solid foundation.

From Daniel Miessler's post How to Build a Cybersecurity Career:

You can get a job without being a programmer. You can even get a good job. And you can even get promoted to management. But you won’t ever hit the elite levels of infosec if you cannot build things. Websites. Tools. Proofs of concept. Etc. If you can’t code, you’ll always be dependent on those who can.

How do I gain skills?

Play Capture the Flag (CTF) games.

Stay up to date with security news via an RSS reader, podcasts, or whatever works for you. Research terms that you're unfamiliar with.

Watch conference talks that get uploaded to YouTube.

Spin up a VM to practice working with tools and experiment on your own computer.

There are lots of brilliant, generous people in cybersecurity who share their knowledge and advice for free. Find their blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels. Look for local meetups in your area.

I'm still relatively new to the field, but I have a general knowledge of lots of different things, so feel free to send me an ask and I can probably help point you to some resources. We're all in this together!

Previous Cybersecurity Masterposts

An Introduction to Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Book Masterpost

Free Cybersecurity Learning Resources Masterpost

Masterpost of Study Tips for Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Tools Masterpost

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the #StudyblrMasterpostJam this week! It was wonderful to see what other studyblr folks are passionate about. The jam technically ends today but there are no official rules, so if you've been thinking about writing a masterpost, this is your sign!