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Showing posts from October, 2011

The Lich's Phylactery

Paragon Artifact (Head Slot) This small crystal skull contains the immortal soul of the lichdrow Asterlix. Property: You gain +2 to Arcana and Dungeoneering. Property: You gain +2 to Perception and Insight checks made against undead. Property: You gain resist 10 necrotic. Property: Utility Power (STD Action) * Daily  ----- Effect: Until your next extended rest, Asterlix can answer up to 3 questions as if you had used the Consult Oracle ritual.  You can spread these questions out over the course of the day. Background In life, Asterlix was a minor mage of House Despana, a minor noble house in the famed drow city Menzonbarrenzan.  Dissatisfied with his lot in life, Asterlix sold his soul to Asmodeus, the King of Hell, for vast arcane powers.  But though Asterlix received the power that Asmodeus promised, he cheated the King of Hell by transforming himself into a lich, thus preventing his soul from ever passing into Hell so long as his phylactery remains intact.  Upon his defeat in batt

Trying to Get Back on Track: NPR’s Top 100 Sci Fi & Fantasy Novels

Wow.  I’ve been way busy.  Busy at work, busy at home, busy with my game  The Sellswords of Luskan .  I broke the cardinal rule and split the party—5 ways!—for a series of vignettes, and managing that has taken all of whatever time I usually have for posting to this blog.  So, while I’ve been meaning to write a full Race Report for the Hartford Half-Marathon, I just haven’t been able to find the time, and at this point, the race is starting to feel like old news.  It was a good race, I’m glad I ran it, and I feel like I ran well, but by now we’re now almost a full week into a planned two-week hiatus, and I feel like I’m not only mostly recovered from the year’s training, I’m actually itching to get back out there.  Weird, I know. In past years, I’ve just loved this time of the season not only because it’s nice to rest but also because it’s nice to reconnect with my family.  But this year is different.  The kids are a little older and more independent this year, I ran my last race as

Little Tipsy

Half-Marathon + Day out with the Kids + 2 Beers + 1 very nice Pinot Noir, albeit one from California.  I'm a little tipsy.  *sigh*

Hartford Half-Marathon

I'm not gonna write a full-on Race Report today, but Sally and I ran the Hartford Half this morning, and I think we both did very well.  I know I was certainly pleased.  I finished in 1:57:45, which works out to be just under 9:00/mile.  My goal was to go under 2-hours, so... hooray! Sally came in at 2:01.  That's easily a PR for her at this distance, and that's totally awesome. And now it's the off-season.  That is also awesome.  Yeah, us!

Weekend Update--A Few Days Late

I’ve scheduled vacation days in any number of different ways these past few years, but this year was a little more challenging because I had to use so many of my days early due to my mother’s hospitalization and passing in the spring.  I nevertheless managed to squirrel away enough time for a week’s outing on Green Lake in Maine, but after that I was pretty much done.  But then we had Hurricane Irene, and my company obliged me by calling me in on a crappy Sunday afternoon and keeping me around for three days straight.  So I wound up with an unexpected bonus-day in lieu of a day spent housebound during a hurricane.  I took that day on Friday, making this past weekend a four-day weekend. If you’re wondering, I’d thought about waiting to take that last day around Christmas but decided to go ahead and take it now because, bottom line, the weather in Connecticut is usually crappy at Christmas time, and more to the point, Christmas is a fine time to be in the office.  No one else is around.

Ugh!

What a game.  I can't believe I was so fired up for that... ass-kicking.  This game came out exactly the way I was afraid it would.  The Titans' defense has had no answer for the Steelers' offense all day, and the Steelers' defense has been very effective in all phases.  The Titans did manage to bring it to within two scores with about 3-minutes to play, but save for Matt Hasslebeck, the Titans look like a team that's wanted to quit since early on in the game.

Titans vs. Steeler today... on my TV!

In theory, the Titans should win.  They have the better record, the better quarterback, and the better defense, and the Steelers are way banged up right now. But.  The game is in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers' backs are to the wall.  Moreover, though the Steelers are 2-2, they've played 3 games on the road.  It's easy to imagine the Steelers coming out hot and playing well, even against all expectations. Anyway, to get you ready for the game, here's the NFL Films summary of the 2002 Titans/Steelers playoff game.  An Eddie George/Steve McNair/Frank Wycheck classic.  A buddy posted it over at Music City Miracles, and I watched it yesterday with my girls to start warming them up for the big game today. GO TITANS!

Beer O'Clock

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I bought my wife some Golden Monkey a few weeks ago.  Turns out it's 9% alcohol by volume.  She just had the first one. Needless to say, Sal's a little loopy.

Welcome to Danno's Lair!

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I've been thinking for months now that the name Storyteller's Playbook is probably not a real great name for my blog.  I started that blog as a concept blog about storytelling for online gaming.  But I got bored with writing about that one topic over time, and moreover, what few readers I had seemed to prefer my writing about my family life, triathlon training, and whatever else crossed my mind.  And if I'm being honest, that kind of writing is easier, anyway. So.  As of today, this here is a NEW blog, Danno's Lair !  The name is a nod to the origins of Storyteller's Playbook--i.e. my love for rpg gaming--via a reference to my favorite all-time video game.  But hopefully the name is also generic enough to encompass the whole of my interests without confusion, which was, I think, a serious problem with the old blog. At any rate, here we are.  I hope you--whoever you are--enjoy the new site.  It won't be much different from the old site, but I'll