<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><feedxmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><generatoruri="https://jekyllrb.com/"version="4.3.3">Jekyll</generator><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/feed.xml"rel="self"type="application/atom+xml"/><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/"rel="alternate"type="text/html"/><updated>2024-08-20T11:05:53-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/feed.xml</id><titletype="html">The Internet Vagabond</title><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><entry><titletype="html">Automatic Backups with RClone, systemd, and Backblaze</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2023/05/07/rclone-backups.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Automatic Backups with RClone, systemd, and Backblaze"/><published>2023-05-07T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2023-05-07T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2023/05/07/rclone-backups</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2023/05/07/rclone-backups.html"><![CDATA[<h1 id="automatic-backups-with-rclone-systemd-and-backblaze">Automatic Backups with RClone, systemd, and Backblaze</h1>
# Run every hour, sometime between the 15 minute and 45 minute mark
OnCalendar=*-*-* *:15:00
AccuracySec=30min
RandomizedDelaySec=5min
# The %i is whatever value is after the "@" for the configured unit. For
# example, rclone-backup@Books.timer will run the rclone-backup@Books.service
Unit=rclone-backup@%i.service
[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Then I can <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">enable</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">start</code> a timer for each directory to backup. To
minimize configuration, I also setup the service file to be a template. This
requires a bit of inflexible coordination: the directory name must match to a
<p>The <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">--config</code> option allows us to specify the configuration in the <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/etc</code>
directory. I include <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">-v</code> to have some additional output in the journal.
Again, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">--fast-list</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">--transfers</code> are used to speed up the process and keep
costs lower. Then I <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">--filter-from</code> the “default.filter” file.</p>
<p>Place each of these files (<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">rclone-backup@.timer</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">rclone-backup@.service</code>)
into <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/etc/systemd/system</code>. For each directory, enable and start the timer
unit; <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemctl enable rclone-backup@Example.timer</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemctl start
rclone-backup@Example.timer</code> will backup <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/path/to/Example/</code> to the
<p>I would like to get some sort of metrics and dashboards setup to track backup
status and statistics. It could be very useful to be notified if a backup ever
fails.</p>
<p>Eventually, I’ll upload this to a repository somewhere for ease of access and
backup. When I do, I’ll update this post.</p>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Automatic Backups with RClone, systemd, and Backblaze]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Funkwhale on Linode with Object Storage</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2022/09/27/linode_funkwhale.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Funkwhale on Linode with Object Storage"/><published>2022-09-27T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2022-09-27T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2022/09/27/linode_funkwhale</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2022/09/27/linode_funkwhale.html"><![CDATA[<h1 id="funkwhale-on-linode-with-object-storage">Funkwhale on Linode with Object Storage</h1>
<h2id="funkwhale-setup">Funkwhale Setup</h2>
<p><ahref="https://funkwhale.audio/">Funkwhale</a> is a decentralized music service,
connecting to the <ahref="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse">fediverse</a> using the
ActivityPub protocol. It is a web-based application, allowing users to upload,
listen, and share music and podcasts. I think it’s a cool project, and I can
self-host it, so I did. For a while, Funkwhale offered an all-in-one Docker
container, but they shifted focus to a multi-container approach. I had delayed
my transition from all-in-one to multi-container, but finally this past weekend
I found myself with time and motivation to get it done. The installation of
Funkwhale using Docker is very straight forward. The community has developed a
series of templates that can be fetched, modified, and used to get started very
<p>The downside of Funkwhale’s S3-compatible object storage integration lies in how
files are uploaded. One cannot simply <del>walk into</del> upload files to the bucket;
music must be uploaded through Funkwhale’s API (via web or other means), and
then Funkwhale stores it accordingly (like for local uploads). I have a lot of
music, and I can’t be asked to manually upload it all. That’s, like, 2 hours of
half-hearted work. No, instead, the obvious solution is to build a script that
can automatically upload any new music from my local music directory to
Funkwhale automatically. What I’m considering now is how I want to do that. I
could leverage systemd to watch my local music directory, and run the upload
script whenever new music is uploaded. Could even expand it to remove music
whenever I delete it locally, though that seems a bit odd. I could instead setup
a cron or systemd-timer to run at a set interval, and check for any new files
since the last run, and upload them. Regardless of the trigger, the upload
functionality should ideally avoid duplicates, run in a non-blocking fashion,
maybe batch upload files, and be low impact on my desktop. So that’s next.</p>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Funkwhale on Linode with Object Storage]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Setting up Syncthing on the Steam Deck (Updated!)</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2022/07/04/steam_deck_syncthing.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Setting up Syncthing on the Steam Deck (Updated!)"/><published>2022-07-04T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2022-07-04T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2022/07/04/steam_deck_syncthing</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2022/07/04/steam_deck_syncthing.html"><![CDATA[<h1 id="syncthing-on-the-steam-deck-updated">Syncthing on the Steam Deck (Updated!)</h1>
<h2id="update">Update</h2>
<p>Turns out, when you update the SteamOS, it completely over-writes the operating
system. All of the setup I had originally written was great, if I never update,
which is unacceptable. Not all is lost; the quest simply gets harder. If I can’t
rely on system-wide services, then I rely on user services.</p>
<p>My first attempt was to setup Syncthing as a system-wide service managed by
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemd</code>, installed via <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">pacman</code>. There are several problems with this. First,
it requires disabling the read-only file-system. Next, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">pacman</code> is not setup nor
reliable, since every SteamOS update will over-write any changes I make to any
of the read-only file-system, including the directories that <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">pacman</code> relies on.
Related, the update will also erase the Syncthing package. This means I either
never update (inadvisable, and unacceptable), or I setup Syncthing not in the
read-only file-system.</p>
<h3id="the-right-way-user-services">The Right Way: User Services</h3>
<p>systemd allows for non-root-based services, called user services. The Arch Wiki
<li>No root privileges are required. No modifying the read-only file-system</li>
</ul>
<h2id="syncthing">Syncthing</h2>
<p>Syncthing is incredible. I’ve <ahref="2020/07/19/syncthing-part-1.html">written about it
before</a>, but the setup here is a bit more
involved. The Steam Deck runs Arch Linux (and have I told you yet today that I
do too?), so the Arch Wiki <ahref="https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Syncthing">article on
Syncthing</a> gives some good insight.
When I initially started this process, I installed the SyncthingGTK application
from the Discover Store. This means it is a Flatpak application, and so doesn’t
require elevated user privileges. I also tried the Syncthingy application, which
explicitly calls out Steam Deck users. However, both require running the Flatpak
in the background (like some users do for Discord or Spotify). I don’t like
this, it feels off, and thus I sought a different approach.</p>
<h2id="sshd-still-incredibly-useful">SSHD: Still Incredibly Useful</h2>
<p>I got real tired real quick of using the on-screen keyboard. After
complaining, a friend recommended I enable <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sshd</code> and just remote in to the
device. Doing so was a breeze, and I recommend to others who don’t have a
physical keyboard they can plug into their device. Drop to desktop mode
(hold the power button for a few seconds, and select the option), and start a
terminal (default is Konsole). Before remotely accessing the device, or using
elevated privileges via <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sudo</code>, I need to set a password for the default user,
<em>deck</em>. In the terminal, type <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">passwd</code> and set it (and then put it in your
password vault so you don’t forget. You <em>do</em> have a password vault, right?).
Start the service, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sudo systemctl start sshd</code>, and optionally enable it to have
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sshd</code> automatically started on each boot (<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sudo systemctl enable sshd</code>). Get
the device IP with <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">ip addr list</code>, from my desktop run <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">ssh deck@ip-address</code>,
type in the password, and now I’m a grade-A Hackermans.</p>
<p>This setting is not reset on SteamOS updates, that I can tell. Once enabled,
this will always start at boot, and always be on until explicitly turned off. Be
mindful of that if you decide to wander away from your home network; maybe turn
it off in public if you don’t need it.</p>
<h2id="setup">Setup</h2>
<p>There are 2 things required: a systemd service file, and the <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">syncthing</code>
binary. Syncthing is written in Go, and a compiled binary can be downloaded that
has no dependencies or installation requirements. It can be downloaded from
the <ahref="https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/releases/tag/v1.20.3">Syncthing
Releases</a> page for
many platforms and architectures. The Steam Deck is a Linux platform, using the
AMD64 architecture (or x86_64), so I grab that one. I’ll note here, since I have
SSH access, I do all the editing and downloading on my desktop, and then
transfer the files using <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">scp</code> to the Deck. All of these steps can be done on
the Deck itself, without SSH access. Once the proper tarball has been
downloaded, extract it, and within will be the <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">syncthing</code> binary, ready to
rock. I copy/move the binary to <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.local/bin/syncthing</code> on the Deck. The exact
location is less important than ensuring the binary is within my home directory
on the Deck.</p>
<p>The systemd serivce file can also be taken from the extracted tarball, but
requires modification. In the tarball, it is
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">etc/linux-systemd/user/syncthing.service</code>. Copy this file to
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.config/systemd/user</code> on the Deck, and edit the “ExecStart” line in the
<p>Now, on my local machine I can open one tab to <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">localhost:8384</code>, to show
Syncthing on my local machine, and another tab to <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">localhost:31337</code> to show
Syncthing on my Deck. From here, I add my local machine as a device on my Deck,
and begin sharing folders.</p>
<h2id="closing-thoughts">Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>I’ve been using this setup for about a week now. I’ve synced almost 20GB of
files, including configurations and saves for Retroarch. It works after
restarts, OS and client upgrades, and waking the device from sleep. It sits
quietly in the background, without having to start up applications. The biggest
problem is that it doesn’t automatically update to the newest version of
Syncthing. It’s also a bit involved to setup. To that end, I’ve written a tool
to help with setup: <ahref="https://codeberg.org/VagabondAzulien/steam-deck-syncthing">Steam Deck Syncthing
Setup</a>. I’m still
finishing it up, but I intend to make use of it to keep my version of Syncthing
up-to-date. If you use it, let me know!</p>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Syncthing on the Steam Deck (Updated!)]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Oblivion on Linux, with Mods! Part 2 - Mods</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2021/12/09/oblivion-linux-2.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Oblivion on Linux, with Mods! Part 2 - Mods"/><published>2021-12-09T00:00:00-06:00</published><updated>2021-12-09T00:00:00-06:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2021/12/09/oblivion-linux-2</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2021/12/09/oblivion-linux-2.html"><![CDATA[<p>Every player’s mod list is different. Some will focus on visuals, making the
game as graphically impressive and pretty as possible. Others care primarily
about additional content. I tend towards the later, with a preference for
additional survival or realism mods. I recommend starting with the “Core Mods”
section in the <ahref="https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49898">Oblivion Comprehensive Modding Guide by
Dispensation</a> which will cover
some essential performance and enhancement mods.</p>
<p>Below are some specific mods I would like to highlight, and which I enjoy.</p>
<h2id="survival-related">Survival Related</h2>
<h3id="basic-primary-needs--personal-hygiene">Basic Primary Needs & Personal Hygiene</h3>
<ul>
<li><ahref="https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37088">Nexus Link - Basic Primary Needs</a></li>
<li><ahref="https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/42038_">Nexus Link - Basic Personal Hygiene</a></li>
</ul>
<p>These two mods cover most of the survival aspects of my mod pack. “Basic Primary
Needs” adds hunger, thirst, and fatigue, while “Basic Personal Hygiene” adds
cleanliness. Managing these will feel tedious to some, but I really like having
to eat and drink, and visiting a bath house after a long time adventuring.</p>
<p>Each mod can make use of <ahref="https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/34905">additional HUD Status
<p>Rounding out the trio is a magic overhaul. Supreme Magicka approaches magic in
Oblivion in a similar way to Vanilla Combat Enhanced with combat: it seeks to
improve and expand, without replacing. To continue similarities, this mod is one
I haven’t sank my teeth into as much. The characters I’ve been playing most
recently haven’t achieved very powerful magical capabilities yet. An alternative
to this mod is <ahref="https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49096">Av Latta
Magicka</a>.</p>
<h2id="next-steps">Next Steps</h2>
<p>In the last part of this series, I want to walk through a complete install of
Oblivion from scratch.</p>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Every player’s mod list is different. Some will focus on visuals, making the game as graphically impressive and pretty as possible. Others care primarily about additional content. I tend towards the later, with a preference for additional survival or realism mods. I recommend starting with the “Core Mods” section in the Oblivion Comprehensive Modding Guide by Dispensation which will cover some essential performance and enhancement mods.]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Oblivion on Linux, with Mods! Part 1 - Tools</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2021/11/20/oblivion-linux.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Oblivion on Linux, with Mods! Part 1 - Tools"/><published>2021-11-20T00:00:00-06:00</published><updated>2021-11-20T00:00:00-06:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2021/11/20/oblivion-linux</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2021/11/20/oblivion-linux.html"><![CDATA[<p>Oblivion holds a special place in my heart. I remember spending a summer in the
town I went to college in, and playing Oblivion almost every day while listening
to Dream Theater’s <em>Systematic Chaos</em>. Back then, I wasn’t aware of modding, so
it was literally just vanilla Oblivion for hours upon hours. I also used
Windows, so the game would run fine. Now, things have changed. The easier issue
to deal with is playing Oblivion on Linux. Thanks to Valve, Oblivion runs
excellent with Proton out of the box. The more challenging issue is mods, and
that’s what this write-up is all about!</p>
<h1id="vanilla-oblivion">Vanilla Oblivion</h1>
<p>Starting from the beginning, Oblivion is available on many platforms, but my
experiences here will assume the Steam installation. The primary difference will
be with respect to how the tools used to mod Oblivion are run. I’ve got the
Game of the Year edition, which is Steam ID <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">22330</code>.</p>
<h1id="modding-tools">Modding Tools</h1>
<p>Much of modding Oblivion is done with the help of additional tools. A mod
manager is used for installing and configuring the mods. There are several
options for Oblivion, and the one I’ve been suggested and use is called <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Wrye
Bash</code>. Mod load order is also important, and the tool I’m using to help with
that is <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">LOOT</code>. Finally, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">TES4Edit</code>, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">TES4LODGen</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">BethINI</code> each helps with
performance and configuration.</p>
<p>I have the following directory structure setup for my mods:</p>
/path/to/proton/proton run /path/to/OblivionMods/Tools/Mopy/Wrye\ Bash.exe'
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Additionally, I copy the <em>Mopy/bash_default.ini</em> file to <em>Mopy/bash.ini</em> and set
the <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sOblivionMods</code> to “Z:\path\to\OblivionMods\WryeBash”, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sBashModData</code> to
“Z:\path\to\OblivionMods\WryeBash\Bash Mod Data”, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sInstallersData</code> to
“Z:\path\to\OblivionMods\WryeBash\Bash Installers”, and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sOblivionPath</code> to
“Z:\path\to\steam\steamapps\common\Oblivion”. In Wine, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Z:</code> references your
local file system. Theoretically, because Wine is awesome, you may be able to
use Linux file system paths in the configuration, but I went with this.</p>
<h3id="usage">Usage</h3>
<p>The guides above provide a very thorough explanation of use. Of note: <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Wrye
Bash</code> in Wine does not like drag-and-drop actions, so don’t do them. I don’t do
anything special with my usage of <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Wrye Bash</code>: run the alias, install mods from
the Installers tab, enable or disable mods from the Mods tab. I generally don’t
<p><codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">TES4Edit</code> is the Oblivion version of <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">xEdit</code>, which is an incredible tool. All
I use it for is to clean dirty mods. <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">LOOT</code> provides a link to the <ahref="https://tes5edit.github.io/docs/7-mod-cleaning-and-error-checking.html#ThreeEasyStepstocleanMods">quick cleaning
guide</a>,
which gives us exactly the steps required.</p>
<h3id="setup-2">Setup</h3>
<p>Download the latest build from GitHub, and extract it to <em>OblivionMods/Tools</em>.
This is the alias I use, which runs the “Quick Auto Clean” function; replace
/path/to/proton/proton run /path/to/OblivionMods/Tools/BethINI/BethINI.exe'
</code></pre></div></div>
<h3id="usage-4">Usage</h3>
<p>Just like the rest, run the alias and answer the questions. <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">BethINI</code> will make
backups of the modified INI files before over-writing them.</p>
<h1id="next-steps">Next Steps</h1>
<p>Once all the tools are assembled, and usable, the next step is mods! In my next
post, I’ll cover some of my favorite mods. The third part will then be a
complete walk-thru of my installation of my full mod list.</p>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Oblivion holds a special place in my heart. I remember spending a summer in the town I went to college in, and playing Oblivion almost every day while listening to Dream Theater’s Systematic Chaos. Back then, I wasn’t aware of modding, so it was literally just vanilla Oblivion for hours upon hours. I also used Windows, so the game would run fine. Now, things have changed. The easier issue to deal with is playing Oblivion on Linux. Thanks to Valve, Oblivion runs excellent with Proton out of the box. The more challenging issue is mods, and that’s what this write-up is all about!]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Character Write-up: Dabbledop Humblebumple</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/10/23/gnome-cleric-wizard.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Character Write-up: Dabbledop Humblebumple"/><published>2020-10-23T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2020-10-23T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/10/23/gnome-cleric-wizard</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/10/23/gnome-cleric-wizard.html"><![CDATA[<p>Gnomes are interesting. I can’t help but play them as small frantic stressballs.
Like hobbits from <em>Lord of the Rings</em>, dialed up to 11, minus the extra
breakfasts, and plus ceaseless banter. Gnomes are fun. This write up was for a
character for the same campaign as <ahref="/2018/01/27/halvar.html">Halvar</a>, when he had
to step away for a bit.</p>
<h2id="backstory">Backstory</h2>
<p>Nothing is more tiresome than midweek afternoon service. All the candles, and
the verses, and the never-ending procession. Odin’s great and all, but I don’t
think he cares about this. Of course, I mention that one time to the head priest
and it’s latrine duty for the week! I guess now it doesn’t matter. All these
acolyte duties were from many years ago. It was pure fate, the day my current
teacher Maell’ezharon wandered into our village. He needed certain gemstones,
which my family was renowned for, and which I was responsible for that day. I
just happened to bring exactly the number he needed with me to the church that
day. That’s a habit I have. The priests say I’m “blessed by foresight.”</p>
<p>Anyway, Maell’ezharon wanders in, and finds me, and I tell him I know he’s
looking for these gemstones, and he’s a bit surprised, but mentions that he
hadn’t had his serious anti-divination protections up, since he figured no one
would care. I told him I didn’t know what that meant. The priest chimed in that
I was blessed by foresight. Maell’ezharon said that was shit. I was blown away.
The priest huffed and wandered off, and I just stared at this elf who seemed
completely unphased by an ability the priests couldn’t stop fawning over me for.
So I push him a bit on it, and he says that divination is mighty common, and
that if I wanted to learn more he could teach me, and he’d be willing to give me
a discount on his services if I gave him a discount on the gems!</p>
<p>And man temples are booooring! So yeah, I just packed up some stuff and told the
priests I had to go because “foresight told me I had to!” and caught up with
Maell’ezharon and off we went! I brought some extra gems, and a few extra
sandwiches (which he seemed off-put by, which I account to his dainty elf ways,
which meant more for me!).</p>
<p>For the most part, it was kind of boring - but not as boring as the temple!
Nothing is as boring as that. Trust me. Just routine travel along “safe and
well-known roads” (says Maell’ezharon) to “respectable and trustworthy
merchants” (says Maell’ezharon) for “law-abiding and fair trade deals.” (says
Maell’ezharon). I was a bit surprised to find myself still saying a prayer here
and there but old habits die hard. The more we travelled, the more Maell’ezharon
would teach me. First he helped me refine my portent abilities, and got me a
spellbook, and let me copy some of his spells into it. Then, in each town we
went to, we would combine our powers to get the best deals possible. I would
call upon my divine powers to aid him, and he would wheel-and-deal his way
through trade deals and contracts. He insisted, time and again, that we do
things “legally and fair” (his words) which was fine by me.</p>
<p>Then, the event happened. And magic suddenly left, and Maell’ezharon… did not
take that well. I should say, this was probably 5 or so years into his
mentorship. He had taught me many things, and I was developing into “quite the
capable wizard, if I do say so myself” (Maell’ezharon said that). We had
travelled all over the place, and eventually Maell’ezharon decided he’d like to
“invest in real estate since it’s like free money” so he bought a tower and did
the whole typical wizard thing: magic plants, and a few animated objects as
guards, and what not. I helped with that too, which was really fun. Anyway when
the event happened, we were trading and suddenly I just felt this… emptiness.
Like, a part of my body was suddenly missing. I looked at Maell’ezharon and he
was pale as bone. He just stared at his hands, then looked at the merchant and
told him he had to go, and he just left. He didn’t even get his things, he just
stumbled out of the shop. I grabbed anything that was ours, and walked outside
and saw him just standing there, waving his arms and trying to say the words,
and his eyes were a bit crazy-like, and he was sweating. After about 20 minutes,
he just sat down and stared. It took me almost 4 hours to finally get him up and
to an inn. The next day we went back to the tower, and it was really quite a sad
sight. The plants had all died (and not because I forgot to water them I always
watered them I am responsible), the guards were piles of rubble. I helped him
in, to his room, to his favorite chair, where he just slumped down and stared
into the empty, cold fireplace. For a few weeks I tended to him, making sure he
at least ate. And I kept up the place, cleaning as best I could. But after a
while, I started worrying about my family, and so I hired a local farm boy to
take care of Maell’ezharon while I was gone (feed him twice a day, make sure he
uses the loo, and don’t let him hurt himself).</p>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Gnomes are interesting. I can’t help but play them as small frantic stressballs. Like hobbits from Lord of the Rings, dialed up to 11, minus the extra breakfasts, and plus ceaseless banter. Gnomes are fun. This write up was for a character for the same campaign as Halvar, when he had to step away for a bit.]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Pathfinder Characters: Eldritch Knight</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/09/27/pathfinder-eldritch-knight.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Pathfinder Characters: Eldritch Knight"/><published>2020-09-27T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2020-09-27T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/09/27/pathfinder-eldritch-knight</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/09/27/pathfinder-eldritch-knight.html"><![CDATA[<h1 id="building-my-eldritch-knight">Building My Eldritch Knight</h1>
<p>Pathfinder has been the tabletop game of choice for my longest-running group.
One of my favorite activities is creating characters. I love theory crafting,
pouring through source material, and setting limits. My favorite archetype of
characters are those that take the combat focus of a warrior and supplement it
with magic. The druid, which I <ahref="/2020/09/06/pathfinder-druid.html">already touched
on</a>, is a class that
has this built in. This blending of magic and metal is often called a
<p>Wizards have the option of taking a school, and it makes a lot of sense for
a melee combatant to focus on buffing itself. Thus, I went for a Transmutation
school, and specifically for the Enchantment school. For opposed schools, I
opted for Evocation and Necromancy. I lose out on some nice spells, certainly,
but considering our focus, we wouldn’t be using many blasting spells. Not to
mention, our spell penetration will be relatively weak by comparison to more
spell-focused builds. Obviously, open to alternatives, but I would advise
against choosing Illusion, since it has some of the better non-transmutation
buffs in the game.</p>
<p>Wizards also have to choose an arcane bond, which is either a familiar or an
item. Familiars are incredibly useful, but for this build I really liked the
idea of having my arcane bond be my weapon. This can be <strong>very dangerous!</strong> If
your bonded item is taken from you, or destroyed, you will have a <em>very
difficult time</em> casting spells.</p>
<h2id="traits">Traits</h2>
<p>In our Pathfinder group, we don’t <em>really</em> use traits, but I use traits.
Specifically, I always use 1 trait when it is applicable, because I believe
without this trait, any Gish build that relies on multiple classes is severely
penalized: Magical Knack. This trait will allow me to up my caster level for
Wizard by up to +2, up to my maximum hit dice. This doesn’t give me more spells
per day, but it does affect spell details such as duration, or saving throw DC,
that rely on caster level. Conveniently, for this build, we have exactly two
levels that do not give a bonus to wizard caster level: the 1 level of fighter
we take, and the first level of eldritch knight.</p>
<p>If two traits are allowed, solid choices are <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Reactionary</code> for a bonus to
initiative; <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Deft Dodger</code> for an improved reflex save; <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Eyes and Ears of the
City</code> for a bonus on perception and to add it as a class skill; or <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Armor
Expert</code> to reduce all armor check penalties by 1.</p>
<p>I also like to drop a single point in <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Climb</code>, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Swim</code>, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Ride</code>, and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Fly</code>, if I
can afford to. Getting the trained bonus, combined with our generally good
strength and dexterity, means we can accomplish the basics. As a wizard, we can
further supplement these with spells. Unfortunately, we do not get perception as
a class skill, and so using a trait for that would make sense.</p>
<h2id="feats">Feats</h2>
<p>It is very easy to get lost in feats. Like most aspects of Pathfinder, there are
an excess of options. To narrow down my focus, I tried to consider what the
character’s options were: warrior focused on melee combat; wizard focused on
buffing and crowd control. Being in melee means I’ll be wearing armor, and that
brings the <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Arcane Armor Training</code> feats into relevance. There’s also the
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Arcane Strike</code> feat, which is perfect for arcane gish builds. Initiative is the
king of combat, and as a wizard I’ll want to try going first as often as
possible. I also don’t have the most hit points, due to those 5 levels of
wizard. <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Improved Initiative</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Toughness</code> make sense. Considering the
possibility of being in combat when buffing, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Combat Casting</code> makes sense. I’ll
probably focus on a specific weapon, so <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Weapon Focus</code> makes sense, and as a
fighter/eldritch knight, those levels will stack for feat requirements. That
means, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Weapon Specialization</code> is a possibility in the future.</p>
<p>While I’m sure there are some crazy feats in other books, all these feats come
from the Core Rulebook. That excites me for some reason. Thus far, the only
non-core rulebook thing we’ve done is traits, and for this build we can live
without those if absolutely necessary. Again, this limit isn’t necessary, but it
was something I wanted to adhere to for this build.</p>
<p>The number of feats laid out above is very quickly growing. Conveniently, I’m
entering the game with 3: one for level 1, a bonus for human, and a bonus for
fighter. That’s <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Improved Initiative</code>, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Toughness</code>, and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Weapon Focus</code>. Any
two-handed weapon will do, though I’m partial to the good ol’ greatsword. Using
a sword-and-board will severely restrict my casting abilities, because both
Arcane Armor Training (Eldritch Knight bonus combat feat)
Power Attack (Level 7)
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>The wizard gets a bonus feat at level 5, which is limited to an arcane crafting
feat, a metamagic feat, Spell Mastery, or an arcane discovery. I opted for
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Craft Wonderous Items</code> because I like the options it opens up. There are some
good metamagic options I considered though: <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Extend Spell</code> makes sense for
buffing; <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Still Spell</code> makes sense since we’re in armor; <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Toppling Spell</code> can
give Magic Missile and other force damage spells some crowd-control. Since
evocation is one of my opposed schools, though, it wouldn’t work for me.</p>
<p>Wizards at first level also get <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Scribe Scroll</code> as a bonus feat. Scrolls are
great for situational spells.</p>
<h2id="gear">Gear</h2>
<p>There’s only one piece of gear that is unusual here, and it’s the armor. Kikko
armor is from Ultimate Equipment, and specifically is a type of eastern setting
armor. It provides a +5 armor bonus, allows for a dexterity bonus of +4, incurs
a -3 armor check penalty, and has 20% arcane spell failure. However, it is
primarily made of metal, and thus can be made from mithral. A mithral suit of
kikko armor provides +5 armor bonus, allows for a dexterity bonus of 6, incurs
no armor check penalty, and has a 10% arcane spell failure. Those numbers are
fantastic. No armor check penalty is great for the odd <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Climb</code> or <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Swim</code> check,
and for when I can <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Fly</code>. The 10% arcane spell failure chance is lowered to 0%
by <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Arcane Armor Training</code>, allowing me to safely cast in armor when I so
choose. If limited to the core rule book, the next best bet will be either a
breastplate, or hide armor.</p>
<p>As for the weapon, I went with a greatsword. You could go with a falchion, and
“crit-fish,” but I’d rather have the raw damage. Numbered enchantment bonuses
are good, but there is one specific enchantment I would highly suggest: called.
A called weapon can be teleported to the wielder’s hand as a swift action.
Considering our greatsword is our arcane focus, we’ll want that in our
possession at all times, and this greatly increases the chances of that. Keen
wouldn’t be too bad; increasing the critical threat range to 17-20. Spell
storing obviously makes a lot of sense, too.</p>
<p>I’m a spell caster, so I picked up a few <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Pearls of Power</code>, a few wands (<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Cure
Light Wounds</code>, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Protection from Evil</code>, and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Expeditious Retreat</code>), and a bunch
of potions of <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Lead Blades</code>. The reason for the potions and not scrolls or a
wand is to avoid <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Use Magic Device</code> checks.</p>
<p>I have a collection of mundane items, including things like a bedroll, rope,
sewing needles, chalk, and a handful of alchemical items, that I like to carry
in a <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Handy Haversack</code>.</p>
<p>Beyond all this, I went with the remainder of the “Big 6”: a <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Cloak of
Resistance</code>, a <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Ring of Protection</code>, a <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Headband of Intellect</code>, and a <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Belt of
Strength</code>.</p>
<p>With any left over funds, investing in additional spells known, scrolls, copies
of your spellbook, and cheaper wonderous items is always nice.</p>
<h2id="spells">Spells</h2>
<p>I’m a wizard (Harry), with the most versatile spell list in the game, and a book
(or books) that can get them all! Aside from the opposed school (but even then,
there are some worth getting, such as <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">False Life</code>), I went for every spell that
I even remotely thought I would use. On my sheet, that’s 62 spells across levels
1 to 3. I won’t mark them all here, but there are some which I wouldn’t want to
- Magic Missile (despite being opposed, a solid fall-back)
- Mount
- Protection from Alignment (generally, evil and chaos make the most sense)
- Shield
- Vanish
Level 2
- False Life
- Glitterdust
- Invisibility
- Mirror Image
- Resist Energy
- Rope Trick
Level 3
- Ablative Barrier
- Fly
- Haste
- Phantom Steed
- Sleet Storm
- Versatile Weapon
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>At character level 9, we get access to 4th level wizard spells. Some spells on
my wishlist include great crowd-control like <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Acid Pit</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Black Tentacles</code>;
self-buffs like <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Stoneskin</code> and <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Greater Invisibility</code>; and utility like
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Dimension Door</code>, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Stone Shape</code>, and even <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Wall of Fire</code> or <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Wall of Ice</code>,
despite them being from an opposed school.</p>
<p>Also, as a wizard I got <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Scribe Scroll</code> at first level. Many spells in my
spellbook are almost only there so I can make scrolls of them. Examples include
<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Identify</code>, the various ability enhancements (<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Cats Grace</code>, etc..), and so on.</p>
<h2id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<p>I’ve actually played this build 3 times. The first time, as the human shown
here. The second time, as this build but with the zombie lord template added.
And a third time, but with the skeleton champion template added. Needless to
say, those templates make this build <em>incredibly powerful</em>. However, I made some
poor play decisions, thinking I was a bit more resistant that I actually was,
and so all of these characters died rather unfortunate and avoidable deaths.</p>
<p>What I’ve learned through all three characters is to be patient! This build is
very capable, with many options. It can wade into combat and deal some
significant damage, even before buffs. Out of combat, it has the flexibility
that a well-filled spell book can provide, and a good coverage of knowledge
skills.</p>
<p>When engaging in combat, I always try to make sure I have the following
self-buffs up, or ready to be up:</p>
<ul>
<li><codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Protection from Alignment</code></li>
<p>For damage, there’s a ranger spell called <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Lead Blades</code> which is so good it
should almost be considered essential. <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Versatile Weapon</code> can help with damage
resistance which is overcome with special materials.</p>
<p>As for party buffs, few options beat <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Haste</code>.</p>
<p>For crowd-control, I’ll tend towards a <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Glitterdust</code>, <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Pyrotechnics</code>, or <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Sleet
Storm</code>.</p>
<p>In combat, get buffed to a point you feel capable. This may take 2 or 3 rounds.
That’s OK! You’re the second line. Use your swift action for <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Arcane Armor
Training</code>, buff yourself, move in. Do that again, maybe moving in for a flank.
Third round, swift action for <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Arcane Strike</code>, and unload with a <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Power Attack</code>
Eldritch Knights lag behind for base-attack bonus, so at level 8 (which is the
level for all my builds) it’s only 1 attack a round. At level 9, you get two
attacks a round. You can also fall back on a composite longbow, which you can
also use <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Arcane Strike</code> with for 1d8 + strength bonus + 2 (<codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Arcane Strike</code>),
which isn’t as impressive as that big sword, but can still contribute. And, if
weapons won’t due, you’re a wizard! Keep your prepared spells flexible. <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Scribe
Scroll</code> allows you to have certain spells available at all times. <codeclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Craft
Wonderous Items</code> can allow you to create plenty of gizmos and gadgets that give
you once-per-day options. Crafting is powerful; use it!</p>
<p>I’ve always had fun with this build. I have, no joke, lost sleep just figuring
out cool spells to add to the spell book, worthwhile scrolls, and just imagining
scenarios. Despite the apparent short-comings, the Eldritch Knight can
definitely hold it’s own, though it does require a ramp-up time.</p>
</ul>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Building My Eldritch Knight]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Pathfinder Characters: Let’s Make a Druid</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/09/06/pathfinder-druid.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Pathfinder Characters: Let’s Make a Druid"/><published>2020-09-06T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2020-09-06T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/09/06/pathfinder-druid</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/09/06/pathfinder-druid.html"><![CDATA[<h1 id="lets-make-a-druid">Let’s Make a Druid</h1>
<p>Pathfinder has been the tabletop game of choice for my longest-running group.
One of my favorite activities is creating characters. I love theory crafting,
pouring through source material, and setting limits. While I’ve made many,
<em>many</em> characters, once class I haven’t touched is druid. The first character I
ever made, back in a D&D Second Edition, was a druid. I don’t remember much from
that character, except that I had a double-scimitar (think Darth Maul
lightsabre, but scimitars). Since that, I haven’t done much with druids, which I
think is a shame, because it’s a fascinating class that ticks many of the boxes
I look for in a character. I love characters with options, that require a bit of
mastery to play. Many characters I like the most are multi-classed, mixing
spellcasting with melee combat. Some classes, though, provide all this
out-of-the-box. From the core book, both cleric and druid satisfy my demands. I
hold, still, that cleric is the most powerful class. I had this belief in D&D
Third Edition, and I carry it forward into Pathfinder and D&D Fifth Edition.
That’s a topic for another post, though.</p>
<h2id="concept">Concept</h2>
<p>All of my characters come from a concept. Sometimes the concept is really
straight forward: I want a “realistic” fighter. I want a “proper” Eldritch
Knight. Sometimes, the concept is more story based, as is the case with this
druid. I read a story about a moose in Alaska that ate some apples which had
fermented, and wandered into a town drunk. I thought, “that would make a fun
animal companion!”, and thus the idea for a druid. The full backstory for the
character will be around here somewhere. For now, I’ll spend the rest of this
post focusing on the build.</p>
<h2id="build">Build</h2>
<p>Drunk moose. Drunk… spirit moose! OK, now we’re getting somewhere. As I
fleshed out the story, and spoke with a friend about druid, I liked the idea of
dipping one level in barbarian, then continuing with druid. That one level gets
me quite a bit: d12 hit dice (and max at first level!); +1 BAB; +10 movement
speed; and rage. The biggest downside is a delay in spellcasting, but I think
it’s a fair trade-off. Considering the build is equally focused on spellcasting
and melee combat, the rage will provide an additional resource where spells and
standard attacks may not be sufficient. Obviously, druid will be our favored
class.</p>
<divclass="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><divclass="highlight"><preclass="highlight"><code>Barbarian 1, Druid X
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2id="skills">Skills</h2>
<p>Druid’s aren’t reknown for being particularly skillful, but they get some great
class skills. Of note, we get Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge(Nature),
Perception, and Survival. At 4+INT skill points, we can reliably grab most of
these. Throw a point of two into Fly, Climb, and Swim, and between having a
great strength, and wild shape, we can deal with whatever obstacles those skills
<li><ahref="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PXamF43boZgYtCUlyJAMojfrPaAdYyjPOaGOo1vfqdM/edit#heading=h.nxj7sifd7tvs">Prometheus Guide to the Druid</a></li>
<li><ahref="https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AcNyxDTKvAmqZGRtZzhzdjZfNDZnNHpzcmdodA&hl=en">Treantmonk’s Guide to Druids</a></li>
</ul>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[Let’s Make a Druid]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Brief Exploration of Syncthing</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/07/19/syncthing-part-1.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Brief Exploration of Syncthing"/><published>2020-07-19T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2020-07-19T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/07/19/syncthing-part-1</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/07/19/syncthing-part-1.html"><![CDATA[<h1 id="a-brief-exploration-of-syncthing">A Brief Exploration of Syncthing</h1>
<p>Syncthing is an incredible tool. Many days past I stumbled upon it as an
alternative to Dropbox. It’s different from Dropbox, or similar services,
though, in a number of ways. For one, Syncthing is a peer-to-peer
synchronization program, whereas Dropbox is a centralized file storage and
synchronization service. When you setup and use Syncthing, the files only ever
live on whichever peers you setup. This is different from Dropbox, or similar
services, where files live on their servers. There’s more to it, and for all the
details, the <ahref="https://syncthing.net/">Syncthing</a> website provides plentiful
information.</p>
<p>In this post, I want to discuss how to setup Syncthing, and some use-cases for
it. In future posts, I want to explore setting up custom relay servers, and
perhaps some more use-cases as well.</p>
<h2id="setup">Setup</h2>
<p>Install the appropriate package for your operating system. Syncthing is
available on just about every OS out there. Syncthing already has <ahref="https://docs.syncthing.net/intro/getting-started.html">thorough
installation
documentation</a>, so I
won’t re-write what’s already available. I will discuss how I setup my Syncthing
instead.</p>
<p>On my desktop, running Arch Linux, I installed the necessary package:</p>
</ul>]]></content><author><name>Bill Niblock</name></author><summarytype="html"><![CDATA[A Brief Exploration of Syncthing]]></summary></entry><entry><titletype="html">Pathfinder One-Shot: The Crater of Igrevor</title><linkhref="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/07/10/crater-of-igrevor.html"rel="alternate"type="text/html"title="Pathfinder One-Shot: The Crater of Igrevor"/><published>2020-07-10T00:00:00-05:00</published><updated>2020-07-10T00:00:00-05:00</updated><id>https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/07/10/crater-of-igrevor</id><contenttype="html"xml:base="https://www.theinternetvagabond.com/2020/07/10/crater-of-igrevor.html"><