Intelligent conversation

[Desmond Tiny]

In this latest strip it seems like the MItD is more intelligent than he let on before or at least capable of noticing some small details like only half of a ritual.

[Bobmufin52]

I think it's it less he's hiding that's he's smart and more that he has a born talent for magic that he is aware of.

[Sky-Moon]

Or...this is the first chance he's had to demonstrate his intelligence.

[Hatevah]

I'm going to suggest that he's gotten smarter/more aware than before, at least more than he was 401 strips ago (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0299.html)...

[Darius Rae]

My thought was that he is magical by nature, and him noticing the ritual was just an aspect of his nature.

[Croverus]

Actually, I think he just has an abysmal Wisdom score, not noticing obvious things, easilly forgetful as well as easilly distracted.

[someonenonotyou]

mabey he just got a natural 20 on his spot check

[golentan]

I'm going to suggest that he's gotten smarter/more aware than before, at least more than he was 401 strips ago (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0299.html)...

But he's under orders not to leave his umbrella. The hobbos probably couldn't fit in there with him, which makes it even sadder.

Of course, what would make that strip "Now, with extra Irony" is if MitD really does have Wish as an SLA and thus could have raised a huge number of undead.

[Shale]

mabey he just got a natural 20 on his spot check

Natural 20s count for exactly zilch on a skill check. If it's a DC 30 check and your skill bonus is +5, you can't pass it no matter what you roll. The classic example is that even with a natural 20, you still can't jump to the moon.

[Mystic Muse]

you could jump to the moon if you had a jump skill of 5,044,659,840

at least according to the figures I found.

[someonenonotyou]

Natural 20s count for exactly zilch on a skill check. If it's a DC 30 check and your skill bonus is +5, you can't pass it no matter what you roll. The classic example is that even with a natural 20, you still can't jump to the moon.

But (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/15/episode-373-critical-hit/)

but really its not jumping to the moon it noticing some words how would that be DC 30

[Croverus]

But (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/15/episode-373-critical-hit/)

but really its not jumping to the moon it noticing some words how would that be DC 30

Noticing some words on an old scroll from roughly 5ft away and recognizing with little effort that they are half of a ritual. It's not a spot check, its a spellcraft or knowledge check.

[Shpadoinkle]

He's inexperienced and young. Neither of these things mean the same thing as stupid.

[factotum]

But (http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/01/15/episode-373-critical-hit/)

but really its not jumping to the moon it noticing some words how would that be DC 30

Firstly, how does linking to another webcomic--one that isn't even based on D&D--proving anything? Secondly, it's not "noticing the words", it's "reading the words and understanding they're half of a magic ritual". It's like the difference between a child's ABC and "War and Peace"--one is a little trickier to read than the other! Thirdly, the linked strip is talking about critical hit damage on an attack roll, which doesn't work the same as a skill check in D&D.

[Alysar]

He has class levels and just hit a x4 level.

[Sky-Moon]

He has class levels and just hit a x4 level.

Because we all know how much experience playing Go gives.

[Ancalagon]

He has class levels and just hit a x4 level.

Because a few levels increase Int and Wis by... 10 each? ;)

[Water-Smurf]

He probably just knows that it's half the ritual because Redcloak and Xykon talked about it so much in front of him. The 'What Gate?' joke was just a joke. He is at least partially aware of what goes on around him.

[Ancalagon]

He probably just knows that it's half the ritual because Redcloak and Xykon talked about it so much in front of him. The 'What Gate?' joke was just a joke. He is at least partially aware of what goes on around him.

As I said before, I also support this theory.
Also, based on what the monster actually is, it might have Knowledge(Arcana) quite high and thus be able to understand it's just the half of a ritual with nothing but a casual glance (an example of a creature that could do that and that could be the monster would be a pit fiend).

[TriForce]

my guess is that either somewhere in the years he has been with team evil, they talked about the ritual now and then, and he simply heard it. otherwise, it could be that the MitD took o-chuls advice to "start thinking" and THIS is the difference it makes

[Serpentine]

My theories:

- He simply had a flash of insight. Even idiots get something right at some point. Possibly supported by something about his nature, possibly supported by the fact that he just glanced over it quickly, took it at face value, and didn't over-think it

- Reasonable-to-high Intelligence, extremely low Wisdom. He has a really quick mind, he's just incapable of deliberately applying it, or realising when he should apply it, or even realising that he's capable of being clever. Because he's oblivious, everyone treats him like he's stupid, and he just assumes they're right.

[Optimystik]

- He simply had a flash of insight. Even idiots get something right at some point.

For example. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0645.html)

[Larkspur]

I'm with Water-Smurf. There's only one ritual that Team Evil talk about with any frequency; he probably just extrapolated. Or he's seen the write-up before- Redcloak exposits at him sometimes, so if the MitD asked him what he was doing when he was writing down the ritual for Xykon, he might have explained.

[Alysar]

Because we all know how much experience playing Go gives.

He was right on the edge of leveling, and using his spell-like ability help O-chul and V escape pushed him over the top.

[Protecar]

[QUOTE=factotum;7735481]Firstly, how does linking to another webcomic--one that isn't even based on D&D--proving anything?QUOTE]


I remember a day when humor was appreciated and not taken seriously or as an offense.

On topic: Mitd seems pretty darn awesome in regards to being magical. Maybe he's just got all kinds of ranks in Spellcraft or knolwedge(arcana) or whatever that roll would've been. :smallbiggrin:

[Skorj]

Identifying a spell from a scroll without using read magic is Spellcraft (DC 20 + spell level), so INT based. Spot is WIS based. Monster-san also learned Go in a hurry, which isn't easy.

What we've seen of him suggests an INT quite a bit higher than his WIS.

[Ancalagon]

I remember a day when humor was appreciated and not taken seriously or as an offense.

Wow. You must be at least... 5000 years old. Probably even more! ;)

[warrl]

MitD is inexperienced and young - but not as young as he was a hundred strips ago.

Maybe he changed age bracket in the meantime, upping his stats including Int and Wis. And with the higher stats his racial innate spell-casting ability and spellcraft skill awakened.

[Protecar]

Wow. You must be at least... 5000 years old. Probably even more! ;)

Haha, may I sig that? I don't usually have much cause to make a sig(I'm lazy) but that made me smile. :smallbiggrin:

[Kobold-Bard]

It probably is very intelligent, with the Wisdom/Charisma of a goldfish. But given it's inherent magical abilities, It may just have a Racial +30 bonus to Spellcraft.

[Ancalagon]

Haha, may I sig that? I don't usually have much cause to make a sig(I'm lazy) but that made me smile. :smallbiggrin:

Feel free to do that.

[Reogan]

you could jump to the moon if you had a jump skill of 5,044,659,840

at least according to the figures I found.

Did you factor in the fact that the moon's gravity would begin to outweigh the earth's at close range? You'd probably only need a 5,000,000,000. Maybe less.:smallwink:

[Tass]

Did you factor in the fact that the moon's gravity would begin to outweigh the earth's at close range? You'd probably only need a 5,000,000,000. Maybe less.:smallwink:

Earths escape height is only 6379 km (http://xkcd.com/681_large/), thats the distance you should use. (It is not much more difficult to jump away from the earth entirely and enter orbit around the sun, than it is to jump to the moon.)

[ChrisFortyTwo]

Earths escape height is only 6379 km (http://xkcd.com/681_large/), thats the distance you should use. (It is not much more difficult to jump away from the earth entirely and enter orbit around the sun, than it is to jump to the moon.)

6379 = 20 928 477 ft, which means a jump check of 83,713,908. I don't even think the Character Optimization boards can get that without going Epic.

Also, isn't it great that one webcomic can be linked for humor and another to be linked for information. While, really, both of them move further off-topic on a question about a third.

[Ancalagon]

Please drop the "escape height". There is no such thing as an "escape height".
xkcd made a very nice and visual comparision but it has not much to do with how it actually happens!

[factotum]

Earths escape height is only 6379 km (http://xkcd.com/681_large/), thats the distance you should use.

What the heck is escape height? If you're not travelling at escape velocity (which is around 25,000 mph for Earth) then you ain't escaping the Earth's gravity, whether you're at ground level or 7000km up. (Escape velocity is probably slightly lower if you're starting at 7000km, but it isn't zero, and never will be zero no matter how far away from the Earth you get).

[Ancalagon]

Escape Heights don't exist.

What the xkcd-strip did was compare the energies you'd need reach escape velocity with the energy you WOULD need for a jump in CONSTANT earth-gravity.

It's a quite awesome way to compare things visually but has no real use in physics. Some people did not get that.

[veti]

The MitD is Yog-Sothoth. At a subconscious level, he knows absolutely everything there is to know about gates and rituals. He'd open the damn' thing himself in about three seconds, if he could see the point.

The "what gate?" gag is a clue. To Yog-Sothoth, everything is a gate - there's nothing special about the "gates" that everyone else keeps talking about, they're just like any other part of the world as far as he's concerned.