Roy's dad is a future psychic?

[fizzybobnewt]

Or, not technically future psychic, but you know what I mean. I mean how did being dead allow him to make a prophecy?

[PsychedelicBard]

He was probably watching Roy and also noticed Nale in the dungeon. Or something.

[fizzybobnewt]

And knew both that the goat would turn and that red would strike true?

Also, wow that was fast.

[factotum]

One of the devas probably told him to pass the message along--I doubt he came up with the prophecy himself.

[Mando Knight]

Divination. It's kind of a wizard thing. Look it up.

[Zevox]

Oh, you weren't aware? Whenever an old dead guy says something cryptic about the future, the future makes sure to accommodate him by having something that would match his ramblings occur. I mean, duh - this is a world where being someone's rival gets you free level ups whenever they gain a level, what'd you expect?
Seriously though, best not to think too much about it. It was an early strip, and cryptic hints of the future from old and/or dead guys is a staple of fantasy stories, so I imagine it just got used without much thought for D&D rules.
Zevox

[NerfTW]

Oh, you weren't aware? Whenever an old dead guy says something cryptic about the future, the future makes sure to accommodate him by having something that would match his ramblings occur. I mean, duh - this is a world where being someone's rival gets you free level ups whenever they gain a level, what'd you expect?
Seriously though, best not to think too much about it. It was an early strip, and cryptic hints of the future from old and/or dead guys is a staple of fantasy stories, so I imagine it just got used without much thought for D&D rules.
Zevox

+1

Also, Roy asks Eugene why, if it's a warning, he didn't just say it clearly. Eugene replies... well, I'll just link to it http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0078.html.

It's a perk of being dead, or something to do with being an oath spirit. My money is on the latter, which is why it had to be cryptic.

[137beth]

Oh, you weren't aware? Whenever an old dead guy says something cryptic about the future, the future makes sure to accommodate him by having something that would match his ramblings occur. I mean, duh - this is a world where being someone's rival gets you free level ups whenever they gain a level, what'd you expect?
Seriously though, best not to think too much about it. It was an early strip, and cryptic hints of the future from old and/or dead guys is a staple of fantasy stories, so I imagine it just got used without much thought for D&D rules.
Zevox

win!

I find it more likely that another being with divination told him, rather than Eugene using divination himself. Coming up with cryptic messages to help Roy doesn't seem like the kind of thing he would do, especially since he probably thinks Roy has no chance whatsoever of beating Xykon (after Roy died he was relieved that the quest was passed to Julia).

[factotum]

Well, the other hint that things aren't quite as they seem back then is Eugene's comment that Roy never contacts him or his mother. How would he know, considering he hasn't seen Roy's mother since being up there?

[Phishfood]

Well, the other hint that things aren't quite as they seem back then is Eugene's comment that Roy never contacts him or his mother. How would he know, considering he hasn't seen Roy's mother since being up there?

He knows roy can't cast spells such as speak with dead. Being a big dumb warrior with a pointy bit of metal and all.

[Roderick_BR]

+1

Also, Roy asks Eugene why, if it's a warning, he didn't just say it clearly. Eugene replies... well, I'll just link to it http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0078.html.

It's a perk of being dead, or something to do with being an oath spirit. My money is on the latter, which is why it had to be cryptic.
I always thought it funny how Eugene mocks Roy for being "useless" against a lich... yet, he choose a wizard path that makes him almost as useless, namely Illusionism. And being useless, for a wizard, is even worse than for a fighter.

[hamishspence]

Illusion can be made very, very useful. That said, most of the best ways to optimize illusionist stuff tend to be gnome-specific.

[Starbuck_II]

win!

I find it more likely that another being with divination told him, rather than Eugene using divination himself. Coming up with cryptic messages to help Roy doesn't seem like the kind of thing he would do, especially since he probably thinks Roy has no chance whatsoever of beating Xykon (after Roy died he was relieved that the quest was passed to Julia).

Wait, if the quest is passed to Julia and Roy does it, is the father still forbidden from eternal rest?

[LuPuWei]

he choose a wizard path that makes him almost as useless, namely Illusionism.

Dude, Jack Snipe, Erfworld. I cannot agree with your statement. :smalleek:

[Phishfood]

Wait, if the quest is passed to Julia and Roy does it, is the father still forbidden from eternal rest?

It doesn't matter who fulfils the blood oath in the end, so long as it is done. I think. Of course, this being the ootsverse the rules are whatever Rich says at the time.

[Swordpriest]

I think the original topic can be answered by the old, old (and I mean oooold) trope of people coming from beyond the grave to give cryptic warnings. It's nothing to do with D&D, it's just a parody of that kind of stuff in general legends, and there's no point in trying to figure out what kind of game mechanics were involved because that wasn't the point of it at all.

Anyway, those early strips aren't as tightly plotted -- it was more of a joke-a-day thing that evolved into the current story. So trying to read too much into them is either going to lead to bizarre, incorrect theories, or frustrating dead ends.

Just enjoy it as a joke about "strange warnings from beyond the grave" and don't try to ponder its deep story significance, because IMO, there isn't any deep story significance in it.

[Red XIV]

I always thought it funny how Eugene mocks Roy for being "useless" against a lich... yet, he choose a wizard path that makes him almost as useless, namely Illusionism..
When Eugene picked his specialization, Xykon wasn't a lich. And for that matter, Xykon hadn't killed Eugene's mentor yet either.

[factotum]

He knows roy can't cast spells such as speak with dead. Being a big dumb warrior with a pointy bit of metal and all.

Obviously, which is why he said, "There are no clerics where you are?"...he knows Roy could quite easily ask a cleric to cast the spell, heck, Roy has been hanging around with just such a cleric for a good three or four years now!

[MoonCat]

Look, that whole first strip has not matched with anything since then. That was around the first bit of foreshadowing and planning the Giant did, it's not like it had occurred to him then that it would be rather inconvenient eight years later that Eugene appears to have the ability to see the future and isn't using it to help his son's quest. In that strip it seems Eugene and Roy's mom live together, that Roy's MOM was the one who wanted him to be a wizard, and that he needs to have a cleric to find out what his sons been up too. If the Giant got sick of this thread and popped down to make up an explanation, he'd say a deva told him to send it along, as once a quest you can have a minor foreshadowing. The truth is, it was just some implanning, but if you need an explanation, that one works.

[Qwertystop]

AS for the possibility of Divination, Eugene barred Divination when he specialized. OoPCs, Roy at Eugene's grave, immediately after graduating Fighter College:
:roy:: "...Actually, you said I would only become a fighter over your dead body, so I guess you weren't barred from Divination after all." (note: Eugene's ghost wasn't present, he was monologuing about graduating while in front of his father's grave)

[zimmerwald1915]

AS for the possibility of Divination, Eugene barred Divination when he specialized. OoPCs, Roy at Eugene's grave, immediately after graduating Fighter College:
:roy:: "...Actually, you said I would only become a fighter over your dead body, so I guess you weren't barred from Divination after all." (note: Eugene's ghost wasn't present, he was monologuing about graduating while in front of his father's grave)
How did he bar Divination? Isn't barring Divination itself barred?

[Qwertystop]

How did he bar Divination? Isn't barring Divination itself barred?

I don't think so. The only difference in the rules for Divination instead of others is that when specializing in Divination, you must only bar one other school, not two. As far as I know, there are no special rules for the barring, or lack thereof, of Divination.

[zimmerwald1915]

I don't think so. The only difference in the rules for Divination instead of others is that when specializing in Divination, you must only bar one other school, not two. As far as I know, there are no special rules for the barring, or lack thereof, of Divination.
Yes there is:


The wizard must choose whether to specialize and, if she does so, choose her specialty at 1st level. At this time, she must also give up two other schools of magic (unless she chooses to specialize in divination; see below), which become her prohibited schools.

A wizard can never give up divination to fulfill this requirement.
This probably doesn't apply in the Stickverse, though, given Origins (I don't own Origins).

[Gift Jeraff]

You were able to in 3.0, which is what Origins was in. However, that doesn't matter since Eugene using divination spells was a major plot point in the last book.

[Prowl]

Given that Eugene was dead before the strip started, and we saw the transition from 3.0 to 3.5 in strip #1, it only makes sense that Eugene was playing by 3.0 rules when he was alive.