I'm currently midway through Part 3 of the Extinction Curse adventure path. My party has just reached level 11, but they're complaining about having "only Level 6 gear," other than the stuff they find, of course. But on the Isle of Kortos, where the campaign is currently set, the highest-level settlement they have access to is Level 6.
I'm tempted to have a travelling merchant come in to let them buy and sell higher-level gear, but it also occurs to me, if Extinction Curse is built around not getting to upgrade their gear until later, it might break the game if I let them do it too soon. What should be done about this?
Hi Reddit! We are Rikki and James.
Working in wildlife conservation is an incredibly varied job. One day you are coding to predict catastrophic extinctions, and another you’re getting chased by rhinos, searching for crocodiles, or training villagers in conservation to protect local endangered species.
Our research focuses on the conservation of the tree of life and addressing the huge amounts of evolutionary history that are under threat from human activity.
Ask us Anything! We'll be live answering your questions 4-6 PM UK time / 11am-1pm Eastern time
Evolutionary history is a measure of how genetically distinct a species is. Those with large amounts of unique evolutionary history often have little to no close living relatives. They are often ‘alone’ on their branch of the evolutionary tree of life.
However, this way of categorising species is not just a novel feature of their genetic past. It can determine species’ vulnerability to population loss today, and tell us what their extinction might mean for the ecosystems they inhabit. Also, the greater the diversity of the tree of life, the more it tends to benefit humanity.
As a result, evolutionary history has become a handy tool for conversation prioritisation. Previously unheralded species like Pangolins and Tapirs are being highlighted for protection due to their unique importance to their fragile ecosystems.
But how can we better quantify the tree of life and measure the number of evolutionary years threatened by the impact of human activity? In 2007, the “EDGE of Existence” programme was launched to do just this and identify some of the most under-threat species. As part of this programme, our team work on “EDGE lists” to identify key species, and then work with conservationists to implement conservation action.
During this AMA we’d be happy to discuss biodiversity loss, conversation prioritisation, our collective experiences working in the field and with local communities, and also, what we all, as individuals, can do to protect these valuable species through our own daily lives and consumer choices.
Further information:
- Homepage of the EDGE of Existence programme - https://www.edgeofexistence.org/
- Recent news story on evolutionary history in conservation from the EDGE of Existence programme - [https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/197797/50-billion-years-evolutionary-history-threatened/](https://www.imperial.a
In London, UK, right now, climate activists with the Extinction Rebellion are getting ready to march on London and shut down public spaces and roads until the government addresses the reality of the climate crisis. There will be an escalating series of acts of civil disobedience this month until the UK government negotiates with them.
This Extinction Rebellion is beginning in London but has a detailed and workable road map for starting this rebellion fresh in your home country. Watch THIS VIDEO for information on their methods and goals (maybe in an incognito tab lol).
This is the most well-organized movement for global change to appear in this century. They truly seem to pass the ideological sniff test - I don't think they have any optimistic futurism like a one-size-fits-all solution to the all of the problems we face, or a particular villain they want to tar and feather. Instead, they seem to really be attempting to shift the power dynamics of the world away from favouring corporations and towards ecological responsibility. If you're looking for a symbol to start spreading everywhere - this is IT.
>Watch this video for their roadmap on civil disobedience
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>Check out the website here
r/collapse, this is the most active subreddit regarding the impending climate crisis - we are connected to collapsniks all over the world. If we all do our best to spread awareness of this campaign, and reach out to help, we can potentially stop human extinction. There has never been a better time to try something like this movement. Let's fucking do it
