#class mechanics

[theworldbrewery]

In your opinion, would a ranged battlemaster fighter work well mechanically? I'm aware that many of the Maneuvers are for melee fighting, but I've been toying around with an idea for a crossbow or gun wielding battlemaster. Tbh the only reason that I'm concerned about the "functionality" of it is because the rest of my group minmaxes like crazy and I don't want my character to die cuz it can't keep up with the rest of the group. Not to yuck their yum or say I'm not having fun in the group! I just wanna know if this is a build that will hold up.

I am pretty much constantly thinking about Battle Master maneuver strats, so you came to the right place!

A few key points:

The only Core Rulebook maneuvers that require you to be in melee when attacking are feinting attack, lunging attack, and sweeping attack (pushing attack is in a grey area; I would rule the "pushed up to 15 feet away from you" as being up to 15 feet in a direction away from your location, not that 15 is a limiting distance from your character--but another DM might not agree).

Parry and riposte involve an enemy getting into melee with you, which is possible even if you're a ranged attacker, but not necessarily ideal.

Disarming strike, distracting strike, goading attack, menacing attack, precision attack, and trip attack are all delicious options for a ranged attacker to take. (Ambush, from TCoE, is another good choice)

Basically, you should always have *some* means of melee attack if you're going to choose this subclass, because you can't guarantee that your enemies won't move around the battlefield and Get You. But in general, focusing your skillset around ranged attacks is perfectly possible.

Battlemaster mechanics are made for manipulating your enemies' and allies' options. A disarming strike gives an ally in melee a chance to steal the enemy's weapon, for example. Other options mentioned above might give your allies' attacks advantage, put the enemies at disadvantage, or impose other conditions (frightened, prone) in addition to more standard effects like dealing extra damage or boosting your own rolls.

With that in mind -- if you have a caster-heavy party and they also enjoy these types of strategic moves, you will want to choose your maneuvers with care. Nerfing an enemy will always feel cool, but with AOE effects, they can often hit multiple enemies with their effects at the same time. Assuming you're playing with people who aren't all about hogging the spotlight, though, you can just tell them this is a mechanical role you're planning to take, and they will likely not step all over your fun.

Now, as you've noted, the Battle Master isn't built with ranged combat in mind. There is another option: the Arcane Archer. It works in a similar way; you get a limited number of special effects you can apply to your ranged attacks. These effects are explicitly magical, but they are not spells. The main caveats to this proposal are as follows:

This subclass calls for a high (or at least decent) Intelligence score, since the save DCs are calculated using that ability.

You get fewer uses per short/long rest. When you take the subclass, you get two uses of the special "arcane shot" effects per short rest, instead of the 4 you start with in Battle Master.

This is likely negotiable with the right DM, but Arcane Archer is dedicated to archers specifically -- no firearms allowed, RAW.

With that information at hand, I really do recommend reviewing the list of Arcane Shot options -- they're long, so I can't recap them all here, but they tend to work more like particularly beefy cantrips with multiple damage effects and an additional, usually single-round debuff, e.g. reduced speed, banishing an enemy for a round, or limiting the enemy's field of vision.

To me, this subclass needs some reworking (a core subclass ability shouldn't be a two-and-done, IMO), but it has a charm of its own. In many ways, these two subclasses are mirrors of one another. I just think that structurally, Battle Master is more mechanically sound -- and therefore, unless you have a homebrew-minded DM, you should probably go for that one.

(Also! If you're concerned about the so-called "caster-martial divide" or other "power creep" issues, talk with your DM about it! They ostensibly want you to have a good time and not feel left behind, so if a liberal hand with martial-oriented items you can use to offset some of those power gaps.)

[haplogamingchef]

Dune Awakening Class Guide: Swordmaster to Smuggler

Introduction: Picking the Right Class in Dune Awakening

Starting your journey in Dune Awakening means choosing a class that matches your style of play. Unlike other MMOs, the class you select here shapes more than just combat—it defines how you survive, fight, and grow in the harsh desert of Arrakis. This guide covers all five classes, their strengths, signature skills, and the type of players they suit best. And yes, while you can switch classes later on, your first choice will still define your early-game experience.

Swordmaster: Melee Expert and Frontline Leader

If close-range combat and fast-paced action sound like your thing, the Swordmaster might be your best bet. Trained in precision and agility, Swordmasters rely on skillful timing and quick reflexes instead of brute force or tech.

Starting Ability: Deflection – lets you block incoming projectiles and counter with a swift strike.

Playstyle: Great for aggressive players who love diving into battles and outmaneuvering enemies with fast dodges.

Strengths: High damage, fast mobility, excellent for solo and frontline play.

Advanced Skills: Unlock stamina-based combos, movement boosts, and elemental melee techniques later in the game.

Recommended for: Players who want fast, fluid combat and don’t mind a bit of a learning curve.

Bene Gesserit: Tactical Manipulator with Mind-Control Skills

The Bene Gesserit class is all about psychological warfare and subtle influence. These aren’t brawlers, but they can absolutely control the flow of a fight.

Starting Ability: Voice Compel – forces enemies to follow your verbal commands, like walking out of cover or into danger.

Playstyle: Ideal for those who prefer tactics and control over brute strength.

Strengths: Unique mind-control mechanics, great dodging, and excellent in duels or missions involving deception.

Advanced Skills: Unlock enhanced recognition, advanced dodges, and environmental resistances.

Recommended for: Players who enjoy manipulation, stealthy gameplay, and outsmarting their opponents.

Mentat: The Strategic Genius and Battlefield Support

Mentats are the brains of the battlefield. They process info faster than most computers and play more of a support or tactical role.

Starting Ability: Mark Weakness – highlights enemy vulnerabilities so they take more damage from all sources.

Playstyle: Support-focused but not helpless. These are the players who always know what’s coming next.

Strengths: Battlefield scanning, drone deployment, enemy tracking, and environmental prediction.

Advanced Skills: Tech-based support, hacking, surveillance, and even weather forecasting.

Recommended for: Strategic players who love planning ahead, analyzing combat, and giving their team the edge.

Fremen Survivalist: The Master of the Desert

For players who love exploration and survival, the Fremen Survivalist is unmatched. These desert dwellers are tuned into the terrain and thrive where others struggle.

Starting Ability: Sand Walk – lets you move quietly across the desert without drawing sandworms.

Playstyle: Balanced between survival, mobility, and long-range ambush tactics.

Strengths: Heat resistance, environmental adaptation, and terrain-based combat tricks.

Advanced Skills: Trap setting, desert creature summoning, terrain camouflage.

Recommended for: Players focused on open-world exploration, gathering, and living off the land.

Smuggler: The Independent All-Rounder

If freedom is what you’re after, the Smuggler lets you play your own way. They’re not tied to factions and offer a mix of stealth, ranged combat, and economic advantage.

Starting Ability: Smoke Screen – deploys cover that breaks line-of-sight for sneaky escapes or ambushes.

Playstyle: Flexible. Smugglers are ideal for solo play, trade, stealth, or sabotage.

Strengths: Trade routes, rare blueprints, black market access, and trap-based skills.

Advanced Skills: Black market dealings, vehicle mods, contraband runs, and infiltration.

Recommended for: Players who like sandbox freedom, want to profit from gameplay, or enjoy operating outside the rules.

Quick Comparison of All Dune Awakening Classes

ClassFocusIdeal ForStarting SkillSwordmasterMelee, AgilityHigh-damage combatDeflectionBene GesseritControl, ManipulationTactical and stealthy gameplayVoice CompelMentatStrategy, Team SupportPlayers who like planningMark WeaknessFremen SurvivalistExploration, SurvivalDesert navigation & resource useSand WalkSmugglerVersatility, TradeSolo or stealth-based playersSmoke Screen

Which Class Should You Choose First?

While you can eventually switch classes in Dune Awakening, your first pick really matters during early gameplay. Here's a cheat sheet to help:

Pick Swordmaster if you want to jump into the action and lead fights.

Choose Bene Gesserit if you prefer clever play and manipulating outcomes.

Go Mentat for support and battlefield control roles.

Try Fremen Survivalist if exploring and surviving in harsh zones appeals to you.

Select Smuggler for freedom, trade, and stealth-based versatility.

And yes—hybrid builds are possible later on. Mix and match skills from different paths to create your own playstyle. For example, a Swordmaster with desert movement from the Fremen path, or a Bene Gesserit who dabbles in smuggling tech.

Conclusion: Shape Your Destiny in Dune Awakening

The class system in Dune Awakening offers flexibility and depth. Whether you want to brawl on the frontlines, outwit your enemies, dominate the economy, or simply survive the sands, there’s a class that fits. Don’t stress too much—your starting class is just the beginning. The world of Arrakis rewards creativity and exploration, so dive in and start experimenting.

FAQs

Q1: Can you change your class in Dune Awakening? Yes, while your initial class affects early gameplay, you can switch classes later in the game by learning from mentors.

Q2: What is the best solo class in Dune Awakening? The Smuggler is ideal for solo players due to its stealth abilities, economic perks, and independent playstyle.

Q3: Which class is best for beginners? The Swordmaster is beginner-friendly if you enjoy direct combat. Its simple but rewarding melee mechanics are easy to pick up.

Q4: Are hybrid class builds possible? Yes, Dune Awakening allows players to mix abilities from multiple classes as they progress, creating flexible hybrid builds.

Q5: Do classes affect exploration in Dune Awakening? Yes. For example, the Fremen Survivalist excels in exploration due to terrain skills and resistance to desert hazards.

Q6: What class is best for PvP? Swordmasters and Bene Gesserits both shine in PvP—Swordmasters for raw power, Bene Gesserits for manipulation and control.

Q7: Are there crafting-focused classes? Yes. Smugglers and Mentats offer access to advanced crafting, trade routes, and tech-based tools that enhance economic gameplay.

🎮 Meet Haplo Gaming Chef 🍳

Level 99 Kitchen Warrior here! I'm on a quest to transform your gaming sessions into epic culinary adventures. When I'm not farming rare ingredients in MMOs, I'm crafting real-world recipes inspired by your favorite video games.

Specializing in: • Game-inspired recipe creation • Cooking quest guides • Power-up snacks for gaming sessions • Achievement-worthy meal prep

Join my party as we explore the delicious intersection of pixels and plates. Whether you're a casual foodie or a hardcore gamer, there's always room at my crafting table! #Gaming #GamingGuides #GamingChef #HaploGamingChef For More Visit: https://haplogamingchef.blogspot.com/

[ghostember]

heres some gouache sardines

[sleepnoises]

i enjoyed looking at this extravagantly gay house

[synelven]

my take on an arcane university au (jinx and ekko are top of the class)

[steelheart-redux]

2-63

FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT

[deadbirdstudios]

Haunted by this man even in class... smh

Featuring Harleys of @harleysawyerlover and @ajoure . my beloveds

[kayime]

so apparently 'd He brothers' have preference for a partner

[usinguntiligetmyaccountback-blog]

Me hearing someone in my Arthurian lit class ask if they can write about “a concept album” instead of movie adaptation of Arthurian myth for the extra credit project

[attyrocious]

ive been playing ragnarok again

[southern--downpour]

who's this asshole

[incorrect-green-lantern-quotes]

A Brief Introduction to Planet Oa

Nestled in the very heart of the cosmos, at the center of Sector 0, the planet of Oa serves as both the homeworld of the Green Lantern Corps and a symbol of order for the universe at large.

Oa is one of the oldest planets in existence. Its parent star, Sto-Oa ("Light of Oa" in the Maltusian language) is a red hypergiant that formed shortly after the Big Bang. There are eleven planets in the star system (five terrestrial, three gas giants and four ice giants) most of which serve as farmland and resource mines.

Oa is the fourth closest to the star, and it takes approximately 574 Earth days to complete one revolution around its star. The planet is actually tidally locked in its orbit, meaning that it does not have a natural day-night cycle.

However, the Guardians of the Universe have constructed a massive ring of solar arrays that slowly revolves around the planet. The shadow cast by this megastructure simulates "night" by blocking out Oa's parent star from the hemisphere that it shines upon, while simultaneously refracting Sto-Oa's light to the far side to create an artificial "day."

(Would it have been more practical to simply force Oa to spin in its orbit? The Guardians are certainly powerful enough to induce planetary rotation. When asked why they chose this as a solution instead, they declined to comment.)

The Guardians chose to set the length of Oa's "day" equal to their ancestral home's, exactly twenty-and-a-half Earth hours. There are no seasons or months, as the planet does not have any natural moons and only has an axial tilt of about 3°, so the Oan year's subdivisions are almost entirely arbitrary and exist purely for the purpose of timekeeping.

It takes 672 Oan days for the planet to complete one orbit around Sto-Oa. The Oan year is based off the old Maltusian calendar and consists of eight months, each of which is twelve weeks long. Coincidentally, the Maltusians also had seven days in a week.

(That the Oan/Maltusian week has the same number of days as Earth's does is merely coincidence, not an indication of any shared cultural history.)

Oa was a barren rock before the Guardians came and terraformed it into a lush oasis with four oceans and nine continents that host a variety of biomes, ranging from polar to tropical to downright toxic for most life-forms. It has the most varied environments of any world, again thanks to the Guardians’ technology. They engineered Oa's biosphere in this way because the planet also serves as a safe haven for species from all across the universe.

(The Green Lanterns seek to preserve every inhabited world, or failing that, evacuate the populations to safety. But they do not always succeed.)

This myriad of environments on Oa is what allowed Appa Ali Apsa to create the Mosaic World. Even in the throes of his insanity, he was able to utilize the extant biomes to house the cities he kidnapped. In most cases however, those who are brought to Oa are refugees who only live on the planet temporarily until the Green Lanterns find a new home for them.

Consequently, the only permanent settlement on Oa is the Emerald Citadel, which is located directly at the center of the starside hemisphere. It's a grand city consisting of enormous skyscrapers that are built to varying scales to accommodate the many body shapes and sizes of the Green Lanterns- as well as any diplomats who come to seek an audience with the Corps or the Guardians. The Central Battery of the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians' Council Chambers are located here.

Oa has been attacked and even destroyed on multiple occasions. The Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians of the Universe have had many powerful enemies over the centuries, such as the Empire of Tears, the Reach, and various other Lantern groups. Some have questioned the wisdom of maintaining a static headquarters in a known location, even with all the power that the Guardians can bring to bear.

But the value of Oa extends beyond the mere strategic. It is not the nature of the Green Lanterns to hide in the shadows. Their light is as symbolic as it is functional. For all that the Guardians have their skeletons in the closet, the Green Lanterns are the defenders of justice and peace for the universe at large. No evil shall escape their sight, and in turn they will not hide themselves from the sight of those they protect.

Of course their homeworld is the shining jewel at the center of the cosmos.

[midnigtartist]

In this essay I will talk about how molly and lucien are the same person and why that doesnt matter because its intention that makes you who you are

[purplemoonfox]

Ramblings on the Senate Building in Clone Wars vs Andor and aesthetics IRL...and a tiny aside about the security presence there

Some spoilers for the end of s2 of Andor

I might be late to the party with this (I've never been super involved in fandom, I'm a lurker, so I'm usually on the outs) but oh well.

I cannot watch any scene in the Senate Building in Andor without wincing—and not because the show is bad.

Andor is so good it beggars my ability to describe how much it's what I've been begging for for years and knew Star Wars could potentially be. I cry a lot while watching it though. I’ve got my issues with Bix’s ending (what exactly did the generic baby ending add to the story or to her already crippled agency) but I can deal.

One of these days I'm going to get off my ass and think about the juxtaposition of culture as an active source of community and strength vis a vis Luthen Rael selling other peoples' provenance to rich consumers who keep things on sterile podiums. Maybe tie in that he doesn’t get along with the wider Rebellion somehow idk.

This is going to meander a little, please bear with me. Summary at the very end because I absolutely like to go on.

It’s not that the portrayal of the Senate building in Andor is in any way bad; it’s that it's so white it’s blinding. It's sterile, like a hospital room. And like everything else in Andor, that must be a deeply intentional choice apologies to Valencia, Spain for this entire post, your building seems like it would be very nice when it's not the home base of a shit ton of complacent fat cats content to do nothing until it affects them directly.

Coruscant in general also reflects this...cleansing, as we see in season one when Syril Karn goes back to live with his mother (is this purely a Topside thing?). In the prequels we see so many non-humans, whereas in Andor, 90% of everyone we see are human. Coruscant (and we only see Topside, tbf) is more colorful at a ground level in the prequels and TCW than it ever is in Andor. Hell, it even seemed to me like Coruscant's air traffic had been cut down by at least half, as well.

For comparison, here is a still from TCW of a concourse:

Note the dark, rich colors. Other areas are similar in theme and illumination.

Here's one from AOTC, and I believe this one is in the Senate building, not the Executive building:

Now here's Andor:

That is excruciating. I need sunglasses, my eyes are shit enough. Also, blue, like the Madonna, Mon? Fucking classic <3. Yes i know blue and orange are the Rebellion's colors but my limited familiarity with art history won't be ignored lol.

The thing about conservative bends is that conservatives tend to prefer "clean," modest aesthetics because they tend to look towards a mythical past where people "did an honest day's labor" and humbly didn't have even the desire for fancy stuff (haha so very false people have always liked nice things you just literally can't get nice shit if you're a subsistence laborer unable to go anywhere else because you're legally bound to the land and are one bad harvest away from starving to death while your God-ordained feudal landlord is a dick who deserves more because God said he's a better breed of person...no seriously the Brits still deal with class issues this many centuries later for a reason, and there's also a reason that in some shows somebody has the ONE somewhat pretty hair pin they pull out of an otherwise destitute hovel...although that being said the image of impoverished peasantry was definitely a tax evasion scheme in some cases so like...it's complicated LOL).

Famously, Shitler didn't like women wearing red lipstick, or any makeup really. These days, the "clean girl" aesthetic is apparently popular because men can't tell the difference between a sick person and a woman not wearing any makeup, so no makeup isn't an option.

It also plays into something I like to call "light is not always good, dark is not always bad." Light can be piercing, even blinding; dark can evoke rich and fertile soil. I'd be more inclined to describe the Clone Wars-era Senate building as less fertile and more antediluvian and decomposing, and really lived in like an old house, but there is meaning in gutting it and making it all bright white and almost airy, with no shadows.

Makes it a lot easier to keep an eye on everyone, for instance.

It's in the same vein that "clean aesthetics" creates a narrower definition of what constitutes an acceptable appearance, and makes it a lot easier to catch out and target any divergence from the expected norm. It makes even something as mundane as being sick that day stand out.

The Senate complex etc.

I tried very hard to find some pictures of anything outside the Senate building in Clone Wars, but it seems like that's relatively limited to establishing shots. But note the difference between these two; the below being in Andor:

This is what's between the two in Andor:

This area is, I believe, where Kloris waited for Mon Mothma, and Cassian took off from--and the landing pad images I can find from the prequels are located in the Executive building/Senate office building (when Anakin saw Padme after getting off the shuttle post battle of Coruscant in ROTS, and earlier where Cad Bane landed in TCW).

With architecture like in Andor, it's easy to keep people out in the open on predictable, observable paths (can't walk on water, you'll walk on the pathways around it, and the Empire’s apparent love of reflection pools as a repeated choice of external decoration, as seen outside the ISB too, deserves its own post), and elevated in a way that the amount of stuff between the two buildings does not make possible in the prequels; this is the Executive building in AOTC (also known as the Senate Office building, where Palpatine and the Senators have their offices, and I believe based on building placement that this is not from the side that faces the Senate building, so the Senate building would be hidden behind it):

I looked hard for landing bays for Senators/visitors to use attached to the Senate building itself but it seems like the Executive building is where the landing pad is (which, how the fuck they get between the two in the prequels, I'm still not sure, but in Andor it looks like they can walk). Mon Mothma mentions the loading bay in Andor when they're making their escape, which is in the Senate building, but that's it. If I am wrong, please correct me.

I'm reminded of the difference between Medieval cities and those that came after (and before, really, if we're being honest, as the Romans loved urban planning...they also loved conquest and control): Medieval cities were close, organic, warren-like, and hard to navigate for anyone but those from that area or very familiar with it. Later cities would be constructed with wide, grid plans because...well, aside from being a lot more navigable to an outsider, it's a lot easier to move around on wide avenues and keep your population under control. There is a lot less local knowledge and a lot more power politics in play.

And then irl there's the whole diminishing of the Commons and the ceding of the road to automobiles (it was not a given that cars should take precedent), and...anyway. I digress. I do that a lot.

The ultimate point is, the Empire seems to have done a thorough job of making it impossible for anyone to be out of sight in the Senate. There are no more shadows or warm colors, or columns to talk to your secret wife behind, just stark white to contrast against, on an elevated walkway. The architecture is structural, whereas in the prequels there are organic-looking statues and a lot less of a bottleneck (although I can't easily tell which side this plaza is supposed to be on, to be fair):

Apparently, this, the above Senate Plaza contained an Avenue of the Core Founders which was by the time of the Clone Wars subject to criticism for not being representative of the multi-species Republic, as it was basically of all humanoid peoples, who formed the Republic in the Core Worlds way back when--I think this place still exists during the Empire but as of 5 years into the Empire they were planning to put a statue of Palpatine in it instead, so maybe by the time Andor happens the multitude of statues in this area have been replaced by a statue of the Emperor.

In a rather literal sense by the time the events of Andor happen it seems the Senate has been put on a pedestal in a way that keeps them in the open, observable, and also effectively cut off from the rest of the populace of Coruscant, and differentiated and deprioritized rel. the Emperor can't imagine he wants too many visitors, he wants them squabbling on the floor.

Side note

Also where the abject fuck are my goddamn Corries. Last known sighting of Corries in red paint besides seeing how they held on to the red in TBB is of shock troopers in the comics in 14BBY. Mon Mothma's speech in the Senate happened like twelve years after the comic appearance, and the Stormtroopers we see pursuing Mon Mothma and Cassian aren't wearing any red paint.

There's also no Senate Guards in their Roman-esque armor. The blue-uniformed fuckers with shitty breastplates are probably what's meant to have become of them. Shitty riot gear (also seen when they stormed the safe house) seems to be a mainstay in any security force that isn't the Imperial military itself. In my mind, if the Coruscant Guard still exists at all, it was probably just stripped of of its paint and had its ranks filled with conscripts, even though the Guard evidently managed to hold on to theirs longer than most.

That is very much a choice as well; by stripping the Senate Guard itself of effective armor and stripping the troopers assigned to the Senate (they showed up hella fast if they weren't) of any distinguishing marks, and not even having the Guards on the floor as visibly as they were shown in TCW or the prequels, it essentially keeps all the aesthetic...uniqueness? On the Emperor, and keeps the main source of any actually effective security in the hands of an indistinguishable Imperial military.

In short the flattening of aesthetics is likely meant to emphasize the Emperor's position and importance and erases the diversity of the species within the Empire.

Summary:

The Senate building and attendant security forces' aesthetic changes between the prequel era and Andor could reflect a desire to expose and control the Senate, and emphasize the preeminence of the Emperor while also downplaying individual elements of the Empire.

Oh shit I actually managed to make that a short one

[drzibs]

say the thing. bitsy. hey bitsy say the thing

[ohwaitihaveamemeforthat]