I’m TheMagicalC or cwg1231 on most platforms, and sudo-nano on github.

I like electronics, amateur radio, physical and digital security and penetration testing, video games, intellectual property and civil rights law, and programming.

I’m a college student and work at a nuclear research reactor.

My current programming hobby project is quartermaster, a logistical calculator designed to help you cook for a large number of people while meeting their varied dietary restrictions. Quartermaster uses the digitized recipe format, another project of mine.

Making drinks (coffee and tea) makes me happy. Making them for other people, and getting it down to a science, makes me happier. See the coffee tag for my coffee science. (At present, no posts have been published under tea or alcohol.)

This site is hosted with GitHub Pages, using the Jekyll static site generator and the Chirpy theme.

Why is this blog called Flash of Stupid?

In Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition (the most recent at the time of writing), the Artificer class has an ability called Flash of Genius.

Starting at 7th level, you gain the ability to come up with solutions under pressure. When you or another creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an ability check or a saving throw, you can use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to the roll.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Notably, this ability doesn’t specify that the modifier must be positive, or that the creature must be willing. If you get another spellcaster to cast feeblemind on your artificer, their intelligence is reduced to 1, and their intelligence modifier to -5. This allows the artificer to subtract 5 from an ability check or saving throw of anyone they can see that’s within 30 feet, even an enemy.

As with flash of genius, sometimes you have to come up with solutions under pressure. Sometimes those solutions are terrible, but hilarious, like the above strategy. Hence, flash of stupid.

Contact

Please send correspondence to themagicalc on Discord or @cwg1231@defcon.social on Mastodon.