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Stormlock
2012-04-22, 11:27 PM
So, the only thing required for us to confuse one character for another is to obscure their face, pretty much. But, does this apply to the characters in comic too? I mean, Thog is GREEN. They (or at least Durkon) should be able to notice that his arms/hands/legs/whatever isn't. Is Tarquin wearing full body armor head to toe, not just helmet + chest armor? Wouldn't that be kind of weird for a barbarian? Did Thog wear gauntlets and such before?

Or is this and actual OotSverse thing. Like, if Halley put on a helmet and Elan's clothes nobody would know it was her.:smallconfused:

As an aside: why is the Order even bothering to gang up on him? I mean, Elan could scare him off with some trivial illusion or trick all by himself. It's how they've dealt with Thog pretty much every time before.

ti'esar
2012-04-22, 11:29 PM
It's a stick-figure comic. "Thog's" arms and legs are two-dimensional lines, with no obvious way to distinguish them from those of the real Thog.

Quarion Nailo
2012-04-22, 11:44 PM
I'm going to assume that the characters wear pants, and not merely square rectangles upon their asses.

Headcanon: characters have sleeves and pant legs, they're all on their arms/legs and not actually drawn because that would not look as good.

Forikroder
2012-04-23, 12:29 AM
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0675.html

just assume hes wearing gloves, long sleeves and pants

twinkletoes
2012-04-23, 12:31 AM
And if Haley put on Elan's clothes and a helmet, she MIGHT look like Elan... Elan with boobs who has a suuden desire to wear a helmet, that is:smallamused:

torugo
2012-04-23, 12:35 AM
and the voice...if the bubble over the head is white, means everybody has the same voice.

size, voice, skin color, talking too much for thog, riding a pterodactil (is thog proficient in that?)...lots of clues there.

KoboldRevenge
2012-04-23, 12:57 AM
Yeah I think that the characters see each other legs as thin black lines. Since they seem to work as one. See Belkar cutting a ninjas leg off with a knife. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0042.html) In one swing.

Raven777
2012-04-23, 11:52 AM
The characters are stick figures and see each other as such.

Forikroder
2012-04-23, 11:55 AM
Yeah I think that the characters see each other legs as thin black lines. Since they seem to work as one. See Belkar cutting a ninjas leg off with a knife. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0042.html) In one swing.

belkars cut people in half with that knife

pendell
2012-04-23, 12:22 PM
Remember that the OOTS has just had two acid bubbles dropped on them and they are now fighting for their life. It's likely their brains are entirely taken up with surviving for the next few combat rounds and they're too busy to notice fine detail.

I expect that if they engage "Thog" for any significant number of combat rounds they will eventually twig that something is amiss. A round is 6 seconds. So far they've been engaged for -- three rounds? Four? Two acid blobs and a wind attack to prevent them flying? This is the first round they've encountered "Thog" up close , so figure they've had less than twelve seconds all told to figure it out.

I don't think it's unreasonable for them to have been taken in by the deception up to this point. They didn't have the benefit of seeing the disguise being put on as we did, and they aren't sitting in front of a computer with all the time to spot fine details. They're fighting for their lives.

Respectfully,

Brian P.


Respectfully,

Brian P.

Beanjamish
2012-04-23, 01:22 PM
As an aside: why is the Order even bothering to gang up on him? I mean, Elan could scare him off with some trivial illusion or trick all by himself. It's how they've dealt with Thog pretty much every time before.

Because it's cool.

Really though the illusions are a pretty temporary way to deal with Thog. Roy said he wants Thog taken down. Hard.

Inyssius Tor
2012-04-23, 01:30 PM
Is Tarquin wearing full body armor head to toe, not just helmet + chest armor? Wouldn't that be kind of weird for a barbarian?

Probably not as weird as a leprechaun costume. :smallwink:

pendejochy
2012-04-23, 03:27 PM
Obviously, he intended to pretend to be Thog for quite awhile, and had the foresight to paint his arms and legs green beforehand to make his disguise more convincing.

Killer Angel
2012-04-23, 03:53 PM
and the voice...if the bubble over the head is white, means everybody has the same voice.


Anyway, the voice in that full helm, must sound strange, so less suspicions should arise.

Valyrian
2012-04-23, 04:54 PM
Obviously, he intended to pretend to be Thog for quite awhile, and had the foresight to paint his arms and legs green beforehand to make his disguise more convincing.
Exactly. Because Tarquin is genre-savvy. The fact that he was prepared to pun-duel to fight an obscure prestige class clearly establishes that he's smart enough to always carry green paint on his person in case he ever wants to impersonate a half-orc.

kickassfrog
2012-04-23, 05:03 PM
Exactly. Because Tarquin is genre-savvy. The fact that he was prepared to pun-duel to fight an obscure prestige class clearly establishes that he's smart enough to always carry green paint on his person in case he ever wants to impersonate a half-orc.

What about when Elan brings the pun-ishment.
We know Tarquin to be able to pun duel. Thog most probably cannot.
Of course, Tarquin could just let the attack land, but that would be kind of stupid.
Guess we'll see next comic day.

Forikroder
2012-04-23, 05:25 PM
What about when Elan brings the pun-ishment.
We know Tarquin to be able to pun duel. Thog most probably cannot.
Of course, Tarquin could just let the attack land, but that would be kind of stupid.
Guess we'll see next comic day.

its possible hell block elans puns while being completely in character

of course the awesomeness of that would make most readers head explode

most likely hell be more worried about blocking/dodging roy belkar and durkon that he would put elans rapier on the bottom of the list

rbetieh
2012-04-23, 06:08 PM
its possible hell block elans puns while being completely in character

of course the awesomeness of that would make most readers head explode

most likely hell be more worried about blocking/dodging roy belkar and durkon that he would put elans rapier on the bottom of the list


Oh gods, not more Thog Unstopperable jokes.....:smallbiggrin:

Chronos
2012-04-24, 12:30 AM
Other characters can't even tell that Haley's wearing pants (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0675.html).

Surfing HalfOrc
2012-04-24, 12:43 AM
Read Terry Pratchett's Masquarade. It's one of the Discworld novels, this time about opera. He comments (in ways only Terry can) about the "disguises" used in opera. A single, tiny mask, no changes in clothing, but NOBODY can identify the person thus disguised.

Actually, read any and all Terry Pratchett books. Time well spent.

Killer Angel
2012-04-24, 02:25 AM
Read Terry Pratchett's Masquarade. It's one of the Discworld novels, this time about opera. He comments (in ways only Terry can) about the "disguises" used in opera. A single, tiny mask, no changes in clothing, but NOBODY can identify the person thus disguised.

Actually, read any and all Terry Pratchett books. Time well spent.

Another example is Superman. Remove the glasses, and Clark Kent is unrecognizable!

Sith_Happens
2012-04-24, 02:39 AM
Another example is Superman. Remove the glasses, and Clark Kent is unrecognizable!

Well, technically there's been remarks at various points in the comics to the effect that Clark also changes his voice and mannerisms while in his civilian dress, but that just reinforces what Surfing HalfOrc was saying: Slight obscuring of face + acting = disguise.

Surfing HalfOrc
2012-04-24, 07:49 AM
Another example is Superman. Remove the glasses, and Clark Kent is unrecognizable!

You know, I read an issue of Superman comics way back in the 1970's that explained how that worked...

Superman had a new villain in town, whose name I forgot, but his power was that of super hypnosis. He would enter a bank, play this record he had strapped to his chest, then everyone would obey him and carry the loot out to his car.

Superman had to build a giant TV, then fly it over the city, whereupon he hypnotized everyone in Metropolis to NOT be hypnotized. But when "Clark Kent" put on his glasses, everyone recognized him as Superman, wearing glasses.

It turned out that Superman had also been hypnotizing everyone using the power of the Kryptonian lenses in his glasses, which he salvaged from the rocket ship that had brought him to earth.

In the end, Superman had to undo his "Don't be hypnotized" hypnosis so that everyone would then be hypnotized into seeing Clark Kent once Superman put his glasses back on. :smalleek:

Jay R
2012-04-24, 09:11 AM
Oh, come on. Shrek is green, and Fiona couldn't tell until he took off his helm, remember?

Forikroder
2012-04-24, 09:51 AM
Oh, come on. Shrek is green, and Fiona couldn't tell until he took off his helm, remember?

she also didnt find it odd a guy the size of a vovlo had the dexterity of gymnast

Jay R
2012-04-24, 01:40 PM
Oh, come on. Shrek is green, and Fiona couldn't tell until he took off his helm, remember?
she also didnt find it odd a guy the size of a vovlo had the dexterity of gymnast

He was her valiant and gallant knight, who had come to save her and sweep her off her feet in an extravagantly romantic way. Of course he was tall and stalwart, and of course he was graceful and nimble.

Jaros
2012-04-24, 02:17 PM
You know, I read an issue of Superman comics way back in the 1970's that explained how that worked...

Superman had a new villain in town, whose name I forgot, but his power was that of super hypnosis. He would enter a bank, play this record he had strapped to his chest, then everyone would obey him and carry the loot out to his car.

Superman had to build a giant TV, then fly it over the city, whereupon he hypnotized everyone in Metropolis to NOT be hypnotized. But when "Clark Kent" put on his glasses, everyone recognized him as Superman, wearing glasses.

It turned out that Superman had also been hypnotizing everyone using the power of the Kryptonian lenses in his glasses, which he salvaged from the rocket ship that had brought him to earth.

In the end, Superman had to undo his "Don't be hypnotized" hypnosis so that everyone would then be hypnotized into seeing Clark Kent once Superman put his glasses back on. :smalleek:

I caught an episode of The 90s Superman once where some kind of robot sent to kill Clark Kent attacked Lois because she was trying on his glasses.

Euodiachloris
2012-04-24, 03:41 PM
I caught an episode of The 90s Superman once where some kind of robot sent to kill Clark Kent attacked Lois because she was trying on his glasses.

OK -- that's taking identity confusion a little too far...

Tarquin's little gambit looks positively iron-clad in comparison, now. :smallbiggrin:

King of Nowhere
2012-04-24, 04:49 PM
Since we're quoting other books and stuff I guess I can mention this...

in "alloy of law" wayne remarks that 80% of a good disguise is about voice and mannerism. When entering the ccity, he even spend a couple of weeks just listening to peopel and learning the different speeches of places and social calsses, and he pulls some really neat trick after.

So, Tarquin got thog's mannerism right, and he probably even got a good imitation of the voice.
Add that the oots are figthing and may not be prone to noticing some fine details, it's perfectly believable

Forikroder
2012-04-24, 06:10 PM
Since we're quoting other books and stuff I guess I can mention this...

in "alloy of law" wayne remarks that 80% of a good disguise is about voice and mannerism. When entering the ccity, he even spend a couple of weeks just listening to peopel and learning the different speeches of places and social calsses, and he pulls some really neat trick after.

So, Tarquin got thog's mannerism right, and he probably even got a good imitation of the voice.
Add that the oots are figthing and may not be prone to noticing some fine details, it's perfectly believable

the only details are a slightly better grammar and vocabulary and (possibly) different smell

Killer Angel
2012-04-25, 08:45 AM
You know, I read an issue of Superman comics way back in the 1970's that explained how that worked...


Don't know about hypnosis, but it certainly hurts brains... :smalltongue:

phantomreader42
2012-04-25, 10:38 AM
What about when Elan brings the pun-ishment.
We know Tarquin to be able to pun duel. Thog most probably cannot.
Of course, Tarquin could just let the attack land, but that would be kind of stupid.
Guess we'll see next comic day.

Would it work on a target too stupid to comprehend the puns (like, for example, Thog)?

Oscredwin
2012-04-25, 12:41 PM
Pun dueling doesn't work on creatures too stupid to understand the puns. Elan would have to dumb down his puns for them to work on Thog. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0506.html)

pendell
2012-04-25, 01:30 PM
That ... doesn't quite make sense. Elan's combined INT and WIS scores (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0031.html) have been compared to a bottle of diet soda -- almost nothing there. So is it *possible* for him to dumb down his puns any further?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Gift Jeraff
2012-04-25, 01:39 PM
Maybe Tarquin's limbs are green because he has orcish blood. Be more open-minded, people.

kpenguin
2012-04-25, 01:46 PM
What is he? Quarter-orc? A quark?

Jay R
2012-04-25, 01:49 PM
That ... doesn't quite make sense. Elan's combined INT and WIS scores (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0031.html) have been compared to a bottle of diet soda -- almost nothing there. So is it *possible* for him to dumb down his puns any further?

True, he seems mentally slow, except when discussing anything bard-related. He is quite genre-savvy, and since puns are (allegedly) a form of entertainment, he should be quite capable of doing them well.

Forikroder
2012-04-25, 02:14 PM
That ... doesn't quite make sense. Elan's combined INT and WIS scores (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0031.html) have been compared to a bottle of diet soda -- almost nothing there. So is it *possible* for him to dumb down his puns any further?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

are you going to say that roy had higher int then Vaarsuvious?

as crazy as it sounds maybe int and wis scores have nothing to do with how appetizing a brain is to an illithid

Gift Jeraff
2012-04-25, 02:44 PM
are you going to say that roy had higher int then Vaarsuvious?

as crazy as it sounds maybe int and wis scores have nothing to do with how appetizing a brain is to an illithidhttp://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=211493&postcount=201

Cuvalwen
2012-04-25, 04:15 PM
the only details are a slightly better grammar and vocabulary and (possibly) different smell

There's a thought- might Belkar notice that this guy smells like Tarquin, not Thog? Belkar's sense of smell is pretty keen...

Forikroder
2012-04-25, 04:46 PM
There's a thought- might Belkar notice that this guy smells like Tarquin, not Thog? Belkar's sense of smell is pretty keen...

he didnt reconize Nales smell until he showered and changed why would he reconize Thogs (or tarquins)

rgrekejin
2012-04-25, 05:32 PM
he didnt reconize Nales smell until he showered and changed why would he reconize Thogs (or tarquins)

Right. He didn't recognize Nale's smell ONLY because he was wearing clothes that smelled like Elan. Once he washed up and changed clothes, Belkar could tell right away. But Tarquin NEVER wore any of Thog's clothes, so there is nothing to mask his scent. Tarquin would just smell like Tarquin. As far as I know, the illusion on his armor does not extend to smells.

Forikroder
2012-04-25, 05:44 PM
Right. He didn't recognize Nale's smell ONLY because he was wearing clothes that smelled like Elan. Once he washed up and changed clothes, Belkar could tell right away. But Tarquin NEVER wore any of Thog's clothes, so there is nothing to mask his scent. Tarquin would just smell like Tarquin. As far as I know, the illusion on his armor does not extend to smells.

it doesnt have to, Thog said he was wearing stolen armour so Belkar would assume whatever he was smelling was the previous owner of said armour

rgrekejin
2012-04-25, 06:40 PM
it doesnt have to, Thog said he was wearing stolen armour so Belkar would assume whatever he was smelling was the previous owner of said armour

Presumably so. Belkar may find it suspicious that Nale managed to steal armor directly from Tarquin himself, I don't suppose he'd think too hard about it.

Cuvalwen
2012-04-25, 06:41 PM
it doesnt have to, Thog said he was wearing stolen armour so Belkar would assume whatever he was smelling was the previous owner of said armour

Oh, of course. Tarquin's little speech as Thog would explain why he smelt like Tarquin and not Thog. Neat.

Man on Fire
2012-04-25, 07:13 PM
I'm pretty sure that the armor covers his entire body.

Squark
2012-04-25, 07:31 PM
it doesnt have to, Thog said he was wearing stolen armour so Belkar would assume whatever he was smelling was the previous owner of said armour

One thing I'm not sure of; Does Belkar know Nale's smell specifically, or did he just put 2 and 2 together when "Elan" no longer smelled like Elan? If the latter's the case, especially in the wind, it's unlikely Belkar would be able to distinquish between 2 people he's never spent much time with, unless Half-Orcs have a very different type of smell than Humans.

Forikroder
2012-04-25, 07:46 PM
One thing I'm not sure of; Does Belkar know Nale's smell specifically, or did he just put 2 and 2 together when "Elan" no longer smelled like Elan? If the latter's the case, especially in the wind, it's unlikely Belkar would be able to distinquish between 2 people he's never spent much time with, unless Half-Orcs have a very different type of smell than Humans.

well never know, im leaning it more as "he doesnt smell like Elan but looks exactly like him so muct be Nale"

AgentofHellfire
2012-04-25, 07:55 PM
Exactly. Because Tarquin is genre-savvy. The fact that he was prepared to pun-duel to fight an obscure prestige class clearly establishes that he's smart enough to always carry green paint on his person in case he ever wants to impersonate a half-orc.



...Or just have the glamered armor have an effect on his skin. Or carry a scroll of alter self or disguise self...many things.

Cynric
2012-04-25, 08:12 PM
On page 339 when the sketch artist does the mug shots, the other cops don't know what the "bumpy thing between the eyes" is. This kinda suggests that they see each other as stick figures.

Forikroder
2012-04-25, 08:15 PM
On page 339 when the sketch artist does the mug shots, the other cops don't know what the "bumpy thing between the eyes" is. This kinda suggests that they see each other as stick figures.

ya that was also shown a couple other places like when they got to the desert and tha armour store clerk doesnt realise shes wearing long pants

Cynric
2012-04-25, 08:18 PM
ya that was also shown a couple other places like when they got to the desert and tha armour store clerk doesnt realise shes wearing long pants

Which must be really awkward for someone who makes a large part of their living by selling pants.

Kish
2012-04-25, 08:33 PM
thread title wrong. should be "not-thog hurt stormlock's thinky spot."

Cuvalwen
2012-04-26, 07:25 AM
One thing I'm not sure of; Does Belkar know Nale's smell specifically, or did he just put 2 and 2 together when "Elan" no longer smelled like Elan? If the latter's the case, especially in the wind, it's unlikely Belkar would be able to distinquish between 2 people he's never spent much time with, unless Half-Orcs have a very different type of smell than Humans.

Well, back in the double-figure days of the comic when the two groups first met Belkar did spend a bit of time around both Nale and Thog and so might have got a handle on their smells then- but whether Belkar would remember the different smells clearly enough is another question.

Jay R
2012-04-27, 12:53 AM
On page 339 when the sketch artist does the mug shots, the other cops don't know what the "bumpy thing between the eyes" is. This kinda suggests that they see each other as stick figures.

Yup. Either that, or this is a stick-figure comic strip that often makes jokes by breaking the fourth wall and admitting it's a stick-figure comic strip.

coineineagh
2012-04-28, 09:51 AM
Thog is GREEN. They (or at least Durkon) should be able to notice that his arms/hands/legs/whatever isn't. Is Tarquin wearing full body armor head to toe, not just helmet + chest armor? Wouldn't that be kind of weird for a barbarian? Did Thog wear gauntlets and such before?

I don't know if it was mentioned already, but Thog took 2 levels fighter (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0064.html). So he can effectively wear heavy armour despite being primarily a barbarian. I'm guessing the stick figure represents full body armour; a complete disguise. I hope that helps to unhurt your thinky spot.:smalltongue:

Snails
2012-04-28, 01:58 PM
It is genre convention in many kinds of heroic fiction that mistaken identity is common, especially when purposefully changing or hiding one's appearance.

It is ambiguous whether this particular switcheroo makes much sense when adhering to the rules of D&D. However, given that OotS has always had terrible Spot and Sense Motive skills, we should give the Giant a lot of leeway here.

Palthera
2012-04-28, 02:12 PM
True, he seems mentally slow, except when discussing anything bard-related. He is quite genre-savvy, and since puns are (allegedly) a form of entertainment, he should be quite capable of doing them well.

Punning is clearly a Perform (one-liners) check, thus based on charisma not intelligence. Tracking your puns to your audience is like a comedian judging his audience, so if you're good at entertaining a room you're good at ranking your puns. :)

kickassfrog
2012-04-28, 04:35 PM
Would it work on a target too stupid to comprehend the puns (like, for example, Thog)?

No.it didn't work on the trolls or the half ogre half dragon. Dual precedents. But Tarquin would still understand, and thus could still be harmed.

Edit: possible they were harmed but didn't notice because they spent all their free thought capacity on 'getting' the pun

Double edit: the puns didn't work on the hobos at azure city because they were of low quality

MeanMrsMustard
2012-04-28, 11:27 PM
First, I assume that a shirt is worn under the armor to make it more comfortable.
Second, I don't think we should assume that everyone who has a white speech balloon with no bolding has the same voice. I think that variations on the standard speech bubble (different font and background colors) don't indicate how they sound, but something else: Fiends (and Darth V, and Teevo) have a black background and colored text, the gods, Roy's Archon, and the bureaucratic deva have a colored background and black text, Celia and the other sylphs (and the dragons and Oracle when in the oracular trance) have a colored background and white text, and undead have a black background and white text. (Basically, Tarquin didn't "get the voice right" by using bold text, the bold text reflects him changing his voice.)

dtilque
2012-04-28, 11:34 PM
No.it didn't work on the trolls or the half ogre half dragon. Dual precedents.

But the puns did work on Enor. Notice the two red marks (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0714.html) on him that appear in panel 4. Furthermore, Enor had no problem recognizing the puns. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have said what he said in panel 6.

As for trolls, I don't recall Elan encountering any since he took the Dashing Swordsman prestige class. Perhaps my memory needs refreshing.

ti'esar
2012-04-29, 01:09 AM
First, I assume that a shirt is worn under the armor to make it more comfortable.
Second, I don't think we should assume that everyone who has a white speech balloon with no bolding has the same voice. I think that variations on the standard speech bubble (different font and background colors) don't indicate how they sound, but something else: Fiends (and Darth V, and Teevo) have a black background and colored text, the gods, Roy's Archon, and the bureaucratic deva have a colored background and black text, Celia and the other sylphs (and the dragons and Oracle when in the oracular trance) have a colored background and white text, and undead have a black background and white text. (Basically, Tarquin didn't "get the voice right" by using bold text, the bold text reflects him changing his voice.)

We know from SoD that Xykon's white-on-black speech bubble represents a "hollow, booming" voice, or something like that. So I'd assume 'odd' speech bubbles represent some kind of similar vocal effect, not that everyone with normal speech bubbles sounds alike.


But the puns did work on Enor. Notice the two red marks (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0714.html) on him that appear in panel 4. Furthermore, Enor had no problem recognizing the puns. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have said what he said in panel 6.

As for trolls, I don't recall Elan encountering any since he took the Dashing Swordsman prestige class. Perhaps my memory needs refreshing.

The trolls were here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0506.html). Note, though, that Elan still manages to kill the one he's fighting; the only time we've actually seen his puns prove ineffective outside of the pun-duel with Tarquin was against these hobgoblins (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0438.html), and that was most likely because Elan himself had no faith in the puns.

JackRackham
2012-04-29, 04:04 PM
Apologies if this has been pointed out already (I only made it to page 2), but Tarquin is wearing armor that casts disguise self on the wearer (this is Rich using a VERY loose reading of the item - which he is wont and well within his rights as a writer to do). He should be in every sensory way disguised as Thog.

Now, technically, glamered armor is just supposed to look like either normal armor or, when activated, a pair of normal clothes. But, the way Rich is using it, he obviously read it as armor enchanted with Disguise Self (the spell required to make the armor) and took some liberties.

Glamered

A suit of armor with this ability appears normal. Upon command, the armor changes shape and form to assume the appearance of a normal set of clothing. The armor retains all its properties (including weight) when glamered. Only a true seeing spell or similar magic reveals the true nature of the armor when disguised.

Moderate illusion; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, disguise self; Price +2,700 gp.


http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm

Of course, Rich is pretty open about convenient interpretations of the rules. If he thinks it's funny for Belkar to smell through the disguise, he will. If he thinks it's funny or dramatically appropriate for nobody to recognise Tarquin, that's what will happen. I personally think it'd be a convenient way to have Elan unwittingly kill his father.

Jay R
2012-04-30, 08:46 AM
From Plautus in classical Rome, through Commedia dell-Arte and Shakespeare in the Renaissance to Bugs Bunny and beyond, disguises that wouldn't work in real life actually do work in fiction. This is called "willing suspension of disbelief".

That helm covers more of Tarquin than a pair of glasses covers Clark Kent. If nobody recognizes Superman, then nobody will recognize Tarquin, either.

Magesmiley
2012-04-30, 11:25 AM
You know, I read an issue of Superman comics way back in the 1970's that explained how that worked...

Superman had a new villain in town, whose name I forgot, but his power was that of super hypnosis. He would enter a bank, play this record he had strapped to his chest, then everyone would obey him and carry the loot out to his car.

Superman had to build a giant TV, then fly it over the city, whereupon he hypnotized everyone in Metropolis to NOT be hypnotized. But when "Clark Kent" put on his glasses, everyone recognized him as Superman, wearing glasses.

It turned out that Superman had also been hypnotizing everyone using the power of the Kryptonian lenses in his glasses, which he salvaged from the rocket ship that had brought him to earth.

In the end, Superman had to undo his "Don't be hypnotized" hypnosis so that everyone would then be hypnotized into seeing Clark Kent once Superman put his glasses back on. :smalleek:

Superman #330 (December 1978) for those truly curious.

thereaper
2012-05-12, 03:03 PM
I heard once that Superman vibrates his face for cameras, so that photos of him are blurred, and that he and "Clark Kent" have been seen in the same place at the same time.

Incom
2012-05-12, 03:17 PM
^Depends on the author: see TVTropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClarkKenting). Notably, there are quite a few non-mundane ways to pull off what seems to be a terrible disguise, I'm sure some of them work in DnD.

King of Nowhere
2012-05-12, 04:32 PM
Apologies if this has been pointed out already (I only made it to page 2), but Tarquin is wearing armor that casts disguise self on the wearer (this is Rich using a VERY loose reading of the item - which he is wont and well within his rights as a writer to do). He should be in every sensory way disguised as Thog.

Now, technically, glamered armor is just supposed to look like either normal armor or, when activated, a pair of normal clothes. But, the way Rich is using it, he obviously read it as armor enchanted with Disguise Self (the spell required to make the armor) and took some liberties.

Glamered

A suit of armor with this ability appears normal. Upon command, the armor changes shape and form to assume the appearance of a normal set of clothing. The armor retains all its properties (including weight) when glamered. Only a true seeing spell or similar magic reveals the true nature of the armor when disguised.

Moderate illusion; CL 10th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, disguise self; Price +2,700 gp.


http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm

Of course, Rich is pretty open about convenient interpretations of the rules. If he thinks it's funny for Belkar to smell through the disguise, he will. If he thinks it's funny or dramatically appropriate for nobody to recognise Tarquin, that's what will happen. I personally think it'd be a convenient way to have Elan unwittingly kill his father.

I guess tarquin has some kind of empowered glamered armor, just in the same way that belkar was cursed with a greater mark of justice.
It apparently can change the kind of armor you seem to wear, but it don't disguise you, or the mask would not be needed.
On the other topic, the op was right, the disguise was quite shacky and in fact it didn't last long. Except, the oots are fighting for their life against a much stronger opponent, and I don't think knowing who said opponent is would help them much...