"It lay between Girard's buttcheeks"

[Bedinsis]

So, in #845 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0845.html) the clue for finding Girard's rift was that "It lay between Girard's buttcheeks.". Yet the gate was located at the interior (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0892.html) of the pyramid. What gives?

Is it simply a case of the word "rift" having several meanings, one possibly being the referring to somebody's a-hole? Or is it something else entirely?

[Murk]

Yeah, that's about it.

There has been some discussion of whether the ass-joke would turn out to have a meaning after all, but as far as I know it didn't.

[Porthos]

Rich has played a little fast and loose with Speak with Dead, but it's close enuf for jazz.

Thus...


Speak with Dead (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/speakWithDead.htm)
Necromancy [Language-Dependent]
Level: Clr 3
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: 10 ft.
Target: One dead creature
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates; see text
Spell Resistance: No

You grant the semblance of life and intellect to a corpse, allowing it to answer several questions that you put to it. You may ask one question per two caster levels. Unasked questions are wasted if the duration expires. The corpse’s knowledge is limited to what the creature knew during life, including the languages it spoke (if any). Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive. If the creature’s alignment was different from yours, the corpse gets a Will save to resist the spell as if it were alive.

If the corpse has been subject to speak with dead within the past week, the new spell fails. You can cast this spell on a corpse that has been deceased for any amount of time, but the body must be mostly intact to be able to respond. A damaged corpse may be able to give partial answers or partially correct answers, but it must at least have a mouth in order to speak at all.

This spell does not let you actually speak to the person (whose soul has departed). It instead draws on the imprinted knowledge stored in the corpse. The partially animated body retains the imprint of the soul that once inhabited it, and thus it can speak with all the knowledge that the creature had while alive. The corpse, however, cannot learn new information.

Indeed, it can’t even remember being questioned.

This spell does not affect a corpse that has been turned into an undead creature.

In this case, the follower of Girard intentionally decided to misinterpet Roy's question and follow "ass comedy" (as Elan put it) instead. This was lampshaded by Haley in the very next strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0846.html) when Roy insisted on checking it out anyway when they found Girard's corpse.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

It was a very funny response, but certainly not the one Roy was looking for.

[Jay R]

It's very common for a DM to exploit any potential ambiguity in an information-gathering spell. This is similar to the Oracle answering "In his throneroom" to the question "Where is Xykon?"

I consider the powers that answer such spells to be equivalent to the worst kind of tech support. Their answers are usually completely true, and no help at all.

[Keltest]

It's very common for a DM to exploit any potential ambiguity in an information-gathering spell. This is similar to the Oracle answering "In his throneroom" to the question "Where is Xykon?"

I consider the powers that answer such spells to be equivalent to the worst kind of tech support. Their answers are usually completely true, and no help at all.

Its the classic "Get around the lie detection spell" routine. Whenever someone is asking a question you don't want to answer, give an answer that is technically true, but not remotely helpful.

[Quild]

Rich has played a little fast and loose with Speak with Dead, but it's close enuf for jazz.

Thus...



In this case, the follower of Girard intentionally decided to misinterpet Roy's question and follow "ass comedy" (as Elan put it) instead. This was lampshaded by Haley in the very next strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0846.html) when Roy insisted on checking it out anyway when they found Girard's corpse.

I don't find it fast & loose.
Roy was really aware about how it works for the oracle the second time he came to see him (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html).
He wasn't cautious enough while asking his questions. Not sure if the fact that the draketooth had absolutely no intention to help matters here. These guys are totally paranoid you know.

[Keltest]

I don't find it fast & loose.
Roy was really aware about how it works for the oracle the second time he came to see him (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html).
He wasn't cautious enough while asking his questions. Not sure if the fact that the draketooth had absolutely no intention to help matters here. These guys are totally paranoid you know.

Ultimately, it does. The corpse can be as obtuse or helpful as the imagination of the soul allows for.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Ultimately, it does. The corpse can be as obtuse or helpful as the imagination of the soul allows for.

Technically, as Porthos quoted above, you're not speaking to their soul.

[Keltest]

Technically, as Porthos quoted above, you're not speaking to their soul.

Semantics. The corpse will be as creative as the soul was in life. Hows that?

[Porthos]

When I said "A little fast and loose", I was more referring to this strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0095.html). The usage in #845 is much closer to RAW, I agree, though there's still room for ambiguity. :smallsmile: