What we Know About the Mitd

[RAGE KING!]

sorry. I know there have been so many threads on the mitd. but i thought i'd create my own for this specific purpose. Pooling all info on the mitd. No theories, just reference to them (like, his dr his really high, so maybe the tarrasque theory was right?). The MiTD was introduced in comic 96. and goes to comci 477.



edit: do tarrasques have D.R.? or is it just that subdual damage thing?

Also, the MiTD is probably homebrew.

[Bucephalus]

he can make earthquakes, and when he gets attacked it doesn't hurt him at all

[Binary Stars]

Well, I found it kind of strange how he suddenly got hungry after making said earthquake. :smallconfused:

[Alyais]

he can make earthquakes, and when he gets attacked it doesn't hurt him at all

Well, I think we're attempting to figure out what he is with D&D termonology and abilities. Thus far, he has had enough DR to shrug off a paladin's smite evil attacks. (Which in an of itself doesn't have to be much, Paladin's aren't damage factories). He has had the strength to quake the ground and not to mention the strength to send Miko and a half-ton horse flying across the land.

As well, I assume he has tremendous speed as in that same strip he was very close to Miko, very quickly.

So speed, strength, and DR. His personality isn't becoming of any particular monster I'm aware of as a veteran player and his lack of knowledge of his abilities as well isn't a trait known to me.

Though there are a few things I need to point out.
1. I hate to think that Rich isn't leaving us clues like he, as well as any writer, does. The dragon at the tea party in my mind is a clue. Its out of place. He's had the demon roaches all this time, but that dragon, no matter how simple, is a clue.
2. The demon roaches. They've been around as long as team evil and as long as Mitd but I do believe they take a liking to Mitd. Perhaps his presence has corrupted them? A lich can't do that, nor would xykon WANT to "gate" demon roaches. They're a clue.

Thats my two-cents.


Edited: Fixed a typo.

[RAGE KING!]

I like the dragon idea, because i remember when xykon broke roys sword, and it showed a flashback to roys childhood, he took his fake sword and whacked a toy dragons neck with it. The toy dragon had high enough dr to take no damage (form a 5 year old with a fake plastic, tiny-size sword).

Foreshadowing!

[Snipers_Promise]

Mabye the titile should be changed to "What we know about the Mitd", so people dont just pass it off a a speculation thread.

[dragoncmd]

and his natural environment is a jungle, can't forget that (SOD).

[Porthos]

and his natural environment is a jungle, can't forget that(SOD).

Actually....

It's the precise opposite. :smallsmile: "I never expected to find one of these in this part of the world".

Also, the CitD's dialogue immediately precedding his capture suggests that he just happened to come across this place.

As for what he is, it's something that isn't instantly recognizable by everyone, but is recognizable by High Level Clerics (Redcloak) and High Level Big Game Hunters (but not circus owners :smalltongue: ). So some sort of Knowledge Check is required. Knowledge (The Planes), Knowledge (Religion) and Knowledge (Arcana) immediately spring to mind.

As for Xykon knowing what it was, the fact that he questioned the CitD on what he can do to be terrifying would lead me to believe that he doesn't initally know what it is. Now this could just mean that Xykon failed his Knowledge (Arcana) roll, but if we want to narrow this down, I propose that we restrict the CitD to monsters that would be covered by Knowledge (The Planes) and Knowledge (Religion).

That, at least, would somewhat restrict the playing field when it comes to what it is. :smallsmile:

[Regneva]

I believe we will know more when (if) we see:

The V versus MitD combat

[ingtar33]

small start of dark note, and MitD theorizing:

(spoiler)


The MitD was found in a jungle, he's not "from" a jungle. he's clearly recognizable by people familiar with monsters, and voluntarily stayed in a "cage" even though he could break out at will.

No one at the circus called out "dragon" when they saw it, and i think dragons are far and away one of the most recognizable monsters around.

since Xykon doesn't seem to know what it is, yet his one command to it in SoD, was to eat redcloak if redcloak betrayed him, we have to assume it has a nice gaping mouth

-the toy dragon isn't a clue, it was in SoD, as a plushy toy the MitD was playing with a goblin child.

If anything the MitD has to be a "young" something. The one consistent trait about it is it's child like behavior, love of toys, ravenous hunger (anyone with a kid will tell you they eat 10 times more then an adult, because they're growing).

I'm liking the tarrasque theory best (it's not perfect but it's pretty good), mostly because there is only one in each D&D universe (uber rare), so it will be rarely recognizable, it's also immensely powerful (strong enough a lvl 13~ish ranger/bard with we can assume with level appropriate eq, couldn't harm it, nor could a lvl. 15 paladin/monk).

as to the localized earthquake, I'm figuring that's a statement of it's strength not a mystic power.

The Demon roaches do have an affinity for it... which leads me to think it might also be a demon of some sort... but i don't know the varied demons and devils in the d&d universe.

[jamroar]

1. Medium or Large in Size
2. Has two eyes and one mouth(that we know of)
3. Leaves tracks when it moves, so not a hovering creature.
4. Has appendages (hands, tentacles, whatever) for holding objects.
5. Probably has feet as well, implied by the ability to 'stomp'.
6. Possessed of incredible strength.
7. Has incredibly high damage resistance or AC. Neither Miko or Belkar succeeded in dealing any damage to the creature with a full attack.
8. May possess ability to cause an earthquake by stomping, or that may be effect caused by its freakish strength.
9. Intelligent enough to learn and carry out a conversation in Common.
10. Child-like in mentality, may be a young member of its species, or maybe just a low WIS.
11. Insatiable appetite, the monster is hungry all the time (or maybe Xykon just forgets to feed it).
12. Lack of discerning taste. Will eat just about anything, and appears to digest anything without problems.
13. Rare but not unique creature.
14. Probably not a typical humanoid, given the weird tracks it leaves.
15. Unable to spot Gates for some reason. Low Wis+no ranks in spot, or related to Snarl in some fashion?
16. Attracts Demon Roaches for some reason, filthy eating habits, or clue?

Anything else?

[Studoku]

15. Unable to spot Gates for some reason. Low Wis+no ranks in spot, or related to Snarl in some fashion?
If I recall correctly, being permanently hidden in magical darkness gives a penalty to spot checks.

[the_tick_rules]

what we now, DR, high strength, few supernatural powers, an idiot, i dunno what he is.

[RAGE KING!]

also, maybe it has a learning defiency, cant learn but has a similiar feature (liking adapting). or has short term memory loss.

[Spiky]

#15 is mostly just a running gag. It could mean that MitD doesn't know what this kind of a gate is (expects to see chain link or something), or can't see it, or a few other related possibilities that are easily answered by some of his other traits.

[Faramir]

4. Has appendages (hands, tentacles, whatever) for holding objects.


sod spoiler:

If you look closely in the panel where Mitd is trying to grab one last bucket of stew before Redcloak steals him from the circus it seems that it has at least one finger or claw which it uses to snag the bucket.

[The UnderKing]

One thing that bothers me is that people think that it's a child of some sort.
(not a human child mind you) But couldn't just have it have a child-like personality. (I know other people think this. I just wanted to get it out on to this thread.)

[TDG]

Erm, the MitD was introduced in comic 82 I believe [Link] (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0082.html)

I always thought the roaches hung out with him because his filthy eating habits (see: Popcorn) attracted them

[jscheibel]

I'm not super familiar with the latest and greatest DnD rules so I gotta ask about this ...


Thus far, he has had enough DR to shrug off a paladin's smite evil attacks.

Doesn't smite evil only work on evil creatures.... ie her innate attack is all that hit (granted she probably had a decent magical sword), if he was any sort of neutral alignment. Which would explain why it tickled.

I'ld also ask are there many creatures these days that can only be hit by magic items? 'cause, belkar's daggers may not be magic, hence the MitD ignored them completely. I'ld be surprised but ya never nkow. Miko's blade was almost certainly enchanted... heck Mitd might not even have damage resistance if only the bonus damage hit him. just a ton of hit points.

I really need someone who is "up on the latest monster lore and game mechanics" I'm so woefully out of touch I don't know if what I'm saying is even plausable in 3.5

*edit*
I should say, belkar's stuff was taken from him when he was imprissoned, but I figure they did return his orginal weapons.

also a 2nd question is possible to be only hurt by the magic damage bonus AND have damage resistance? I mean it wouldn't take much to basically make all but the best sword really useless (though magic would still work well)

[factotum]

The demon roaches were around long before MitD turned up--in fact, it's Xykon they followed at first, at least according to SoD.

[Xerxos]

1. Medium or Large in Size
2. Has two eyes and one mouth(that we know of)
3. Leaves tracks when it moves, so not a hovering creature.
4. Has appendages (hands, tentacles, whatever) for holding objects.
5. Probably has feet as well, implied by the ability to 'stomp'.
6. Possessed of incredible strength.
7. Has incredibly high damage resistance or AC. Neither Miko or Belkar succeeded in dealing any damage to the creature with a full attack.
8. May possess ability to cause an earthquake by stomping, or that may be effect caused by its freakish strength.
9. Intelligent enough to learn and carry out a conversation in Common.
10. Child-like in mentality, may be a young member of its species, or maybe just a low WIS.
11. Insatiable appetite, the monster is hungry all the time (or maybe Xykon just forgets to feed it).
12. Lack of discerning taste. Will eat just about anything, and appears to digest anything without problems.
13. Rare but not unique creature.
14. Probably not a typical humanoid, given the weird tracks it leaves.
15. Unable to spot Gates for some reason. Low Wis+no ranks in spot, or related to Snarl in some fashion?
16. Attracts Demon Roaches for some reason, filthy eating habits, or clue?

Anything else?
Let's see... High strength and Damage Reduction, low wis, child like mentality... rare Race... Ah! I've got it! It's probably

A Powergamer! :smallbiggrin:

[Megatron]

I'm not super familiar with the latest and greatest DnD rules so I gotta ask about this ...



Doesn't smite evil only work on evil creatures.... ie her innate attack is all that hit (granted she probably had a decent magical sword), if he was any sort of neutral alignment. Which would explain why it tickled.

I'ld also ask are there many creatures these days that can only be hit by magic items? 'cause, belkar's daggers may not be magic, hence the MitD ignored them completely. I'ld be surprised but ya never nkow. Miko's blade was almost certainly enchanted... heck Mitd might not even have damage resistance if only the bonus damage hit him. just a ton of hit points.

I really need someone who is "up on the latest monster lore and game mechanics" I'm so woefully out of touch I don't know if what I'm saying is even plausable in 3.5

*edit*
I should say, belkar's stuff was taken from him when he was imprissoned, but I figure they did return his orginal weapons.

also a 2nd question is possible to be only hurt by the magic damage bonus AND have damage resistance? I mean it wouldn't take much to basically make all but the best sword really useless (though magic would still work well)

My guess is that the Smite was the only thing that "damaged" the MitD. Hence why that tickled him (for probably a very tiny bit of his probably tremendous HP), yet Belkar's weapons did absolutely nothing.

It is possible to be hit by Smite Evil's holy-type damage yet ignore the damage of the weapon altogether. Say, for example, you need a +3 or greater weapon to strike a certain entity, the Smite will still land if the enemy in question is evil, but if your sword is not +3 or greater the weapon damage itself will still be ignored.

...at least I'm pretty sure that's how it would work, and I'm pretty sure that if the MitD is as powerful as he seems to be, that it would require a strong magical weapon to even damage him - possibly even a +3 to +5 enhancement bonus requirement.

[Swordguy]

Let's see... High strength and Damage Reduction, low wis, child like mentality... rare Race... Ah! I've got it! It's probably

A Powergamer! :smallbiggrin:


If that's true, that would be totally awesome. Goodbye, 4th wall...

[RAGE KING!]

Erm, the MitD was introduced in comic 82 I believe [Link] (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0082.html)

I always thought the roaches hung out with him because his filthy eating habits (see: Popcorn) attracted them

true. but technically he was introduced before that, in one comic. i think #82 was the next time he did stuff.

[Gravedjinn]

OK ihave to bring up my theroy about MiTD being very old not very young ...


Look at him ... this is no child. This is an old lonely being whom take on a child like nature and a submissive stance on things because he is soooo feared that if he doesnt he wont have any friends.

His logical thinking - to advanced in some cases no child thinks in his manner... childer are still driven by the want greed emotions only.
MiTD does not he ussually does but has shown traits that show he is able to use anylitical deduction to make a descion.

His level of power- Most monster classes gain strength as they age. To DATE noone has been able to provide a legit template for a child monster that could have the level of power MiTD does.

The way MiTD plays - think about this... MiTD watches dwarf dirtes for fun
yet he plays tea party. Now i dont know of any kid in the world hat watches pr0n and plays tea party unless they are getting ready to play doctor too...
if ya catch my meaning.

MiTD is definately not a power gamer-- never refered to the jedi, Pwning joo,or his l33t hax.... definately not a powergamer.

feel free to add to the list but the MiTD whatever he is .... is either very clever or very disturbed ...

[Archonic Energy]

Goodbye, 4th wall...

i think Rich waved goodbye to that some time ago!

[Freelance Henchman]

I think in a previous thread someone said it cant be a tarrasque because those have only animal intelligence and cant speak.

[fatninjacow]

It can't be a tarrasque they are enormous look up it's size in the MM it would be 50 times bigger then everybody!!!

[jamroar]

His level of power- Most monster classes gain strength as they age. To DATE noone has been able to provide a legit template for a child monster that could have the level of power MiTD does.

Well, could it be this (speculation about what the MiTD is)


horrifying CR 23 doggie (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/brachyurus.htm)?
However, it's too smart by far to be the MiTD. Maybe it's a scaled down tame brachyurus puppy?

The Brachyurus is a typically Large sized Fenris Wolf creature from the Epic Level Handbook, if you were wondering what it looks like.

And if he happens to be one, will he get to eat Odin (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/images/RGvEYryyXmASnQhdBUE.gif) by the end of the strip :smalltongue: ?

Edit: From the ELH flavor text missing from the SRD entry, it gets wolf and Common as its automatic languages. Its usual ranges are in the outer planes, but are also rarely found as individuals living on the material plane. In addition, there's a footnote about suicidal exotic wildlife hunters sometimes hunting it for its pelt, so it's feasible that an experienced hunter with Knowledge: The Planes would recognize it by sight.




The way MiTD plays - think about this... MiTD watches dwarf dirtes for fun
yet he plays tea party. Now i dont know of any kid in the world hat watches pr0n and plays tea party unless they are getting ready to play doctor too...
if ya catch my meaning.

He's not a dwarf (and probably not even a humanoid). It's about as pornographic as watching slugs mating (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSW9kWIRCOQ) on the Discovery channel for humans.

[Ceres]

It can't be a tarrasque they are enormous look up it's size in the MM it would be 50 times bigger then everybody!!!

Well, Xykon could have magically shrunken him for conveniance, but I do agree that the Tarrasque is too stupid, even by MitD standards. I'm currently keeping a finger on the snarl-theory.

[Freelance Henchman]

It's about as pornographic as watching slugs mating (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSW9kWIRCOQ) on the Discovery channel for humans.

Urgh. So vile, yet so hard to stop watching. *munches popcorn*

[Gravedjinn]

Well, could it be this horrifying CR 23 doggie (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/brachyurus.htm)?
However, it's too smart by far to be the MiTD, maybe a scaled-down puppy?

It's a typically Large sized Fenris Wolf creature from the Epic Level Handbook, if you were wondering what a Brachyurus looks like.

And if he is one, will he get to eat Odin (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/images/RGvEYryyXmASnQhdBUE.gif) by the end of the strip :smalltongue: ?


He's not a dwarf (and probably not even a humanoid). It's about as pornographic as watching slugs mating (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSW9kWIRCOQ) on the Discovery channel for humans.


correct me if i am wrong buit the templat you posted is for a full grown doggie not a child doggie and i dont think it can talk :D

[mkill]

Guys...

*GIANT* in the *PLAYGROUND*

Giant...

Stomp is a racial ability of the Half-Giant. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/halfGiant.htm) This also explains the easy Bull Rush on Miko (powerful build) and the "I didn't expect any of those around here" comment, as Half-Giants are usually found on Athas (Dark Sun campaign setting).

Playground...

It's a damn kid!

MitD is the Giant in the Playground.

:wink:

[mause]

come on:
the most reasonable plot line would be that he is the snarl by itself...

[Verge Of Chaos]

Well- my two cents, for what they're worth- I don't think the creature necessarily has Damage Reduction, but even if he does, he's got a really high AC, as well as cover from the darkness... If you notice in the last comic (477) when Belkar attacks him, the demon-roach says "0 for 5, sucker!" implying that Belkar misses all 5 times. This could be due to a super high AC, or the miss percentage for full concealment, as I doubt that Belkar has the blindfight feat, or a combination of both.

Just 2 cents- maybe only worth one- but hey- it's MY 2 cents ;)

[KAZMYR]

for its personality read the description on a gray render on the SRD site or your monster manual...

[AKA_Bait]

I suppose the grey render is possible but I'd think perhaps a grey render 1/2 dragon of some sort might do the trick better.

[Balance]

He's not a dwarf (and probably not even a humanoid). It's about as pornographic as watching slugs mating (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSW9kWIRCOQ) on the Discovery channel for humans.
I would point out that the MitD commented that the aforementioned dwarf pr0n was "actually pretty hot" in that strip. Presumably, that means it was at least aware of the scene's prurient nature, and was possibly affected by it.

Of course, given that it may well not be humanoid, this could just mean that it's really, really kinky.

[Maratanos]

This is sad. Nobody has gotten the MitD's first appearance right yet.


#96

No...


#82

Nope. Closer, but not by much.




The correct answer is...

#23: Meanwhile... (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0023.html)

[jamroar]

correct me if i am wrong buit the templat you posted is for a full grown doggie not a child doggie and i dont think it can talk :D

Well,

From the ELH flavor text missing from the SRD entry, it gets wolf and Common as its automatic languages. Its usual ranges are in the outer planes, but are also rarely found as individuals living on the material plane. In addition, there's a footnote about suicidal exotic wildlife hunters sometimes hunting it for its pelt, so it's feasible that an experienced hunter with Knowledge: The Planes would recognize it by sight.

[Einkil]

Guys...

*GIANT* in the *PLAYGROUND*

Giant...

Stomp is a racial ability of the Half-Giant. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/halfGiant.htm) This also explains the easy Bull Rush on Miko (powerful build) and the "I didn't expect any of those around here" comment, as Half-Giants are usually found on Athas (Dark Sun campaign setting).

Playground...

It's a damn kid!

MitD is the Giant in the Playground.

:wink:

That´s really a good option i think..
But i also think the "sanrl2 theory is good..

[fangthane]

Nearly nothing is what we know about the MitD.

We suspect it's got a high strength because it punted Miko and Windstrider a good distance. Or it could have a Popeil Pocket Ejector (leaving aside the notion that it may not actually have pockets).
Some of you suspect it's got a high DR (or AC, or better than the typical 50% miss chance) because Belkar missed 5 times in a row; but with crap rolls, poor percentiles and minimal DR it's not inconceivable to receive the same result. Belkar does what, 1d3+strength+magic (half strength for offhand) when he hits? That could easily have happened with a DR 5/evil (or almost anything else) and some bad to-hit rolls.
Some suspect that he's a child because he's got a bit of the childlike innocent about him, despite occasionally seeming far too mature.

So given that this entire thread is speculative on that basis, why not - here (in the spoiler tags for those who don't want to hear it) are my thoughts.

I don't think anyone honestly believes it's Martha Stewart, but it'd be amusing in any case. If not, it probably watches her show. Just sayin'. :smallbiggrin:

He could be a slaad of some sort; perhaps a death, white or black. They're very powerful (even the non-epic weenies) and have huge mouths. I don't see this being the case though.

He could be.... Eric Cartman. Knowledgeable about certain aspects of adult life? Check. Does tea parties? Check. Quick to anger when balked? Check. Massively powerful? Well, not normally, but there was the Trapper Keeper episode... So, an outside shot.

The most likely possibility, and one I just realised would be absolutely perfect for his appearance here, is this....
He's THE Monster Under the Bed. Not just one; he's the only one. It explains almost everything perfectly, and not only that - it predicts the future. Specifically, it predicts that when the big reveal happens, he disappears to somewhere else. Because the Monster Under the Bed can't stand up to direct light and always hides elsewhere when parents come in the room. Sometimes the closet, sometimes he's skinny enough to hide behind a bedpost as the light swings past - but flood the room and he disappears, biding his time until the unwary child's night-light burns out.

As a side note... The Cure's 'Lullabye' started running through my head while I wrote that... creepy. :smallbiggrin:

[Surfing HalfOrc]

The MitD is:

Minya, son of Godzilla.

Seriously, he is. (SoD Spoiler, but posted so many times it's not really a spoiler anymore) Famous monster type, but not where he belongs? Easy:

All monsters are supposed to stay on Monster Island. In the movies Minya never actually left Monster Island, the boy Ichiro went to Monster Island.

Ground-pounding? Watch the movies. It happens, several times. Sort of Japan's take on its earthquakes.

But what about its breath weapon?

Minya didn't have his father's breath weapon yet, unless his father stomped on his tail.

I expect to see its breath weapon used sometime in the next arc.

And the age is right... About 6-7. Usually acts like a child, but occasionally acts far more mature, before reverting to childlike behavior.

It's not a dragon, it's not a baby Tarrasque, it's not a child-demon from the pits of the Abyss, and it's not a Half-Giant from Dark Sun.

[MReav]

I just want to point out to those that say that it's DR kept it from being hurt by Smite Evil, I will point out that A: Smite Evil ignores DR of evil creatures (because it's a supernatural attack and thus bypasses DR, but doesn't work against non-evil creatures), B: Miko never used Smite Evil against it.

[Drust]

One thing nobody's mentioned: the Mitd has golden/yellow (possibly glowing) eyes. Rich may just have chosen that color randomly, and depicts the eyes in the magical darkness because he felt he needed some means of representing the Mitd, but I think this is actually a big clue about his identity.

[Adeptus]

One thing nobody's mentioned: the Mitd has golden/yellow (possibly glowing) eyes. Rich may just have chosen that color randomly, and depicts the eyes in the magical darkness because he felt he needed some means of representing the Mitd, but I think this is actually a big clue about his identity.

Doesn't everything in OotS art have eyes like the monster? At least when depicting eyes in darkness.

[Efogoto]

true. but technically he was introduced before that, in one comic. i think #82 was the next time he did stuff.

He's first seen in #23 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0023.html) uttering the line "What about me master? Let me smash the hated Order of the Stick for you!"

He then showed up in #37 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0037.html) and #47 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0047.html).


EDIT: Sorry Maratanos, missed your post the first time through where you had this info first. Woulda saved me a post.

[Maratanos]

Doesn't everything in OotS art have eyes like the monster? At least when depicting eyes in darkness.

Well, maybe. But not everyone in darkness has visible eyes (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0181.html), soo....

[Winterwind]

1. Medium or Large in Size
2. Has two eyes and one mouth(that we know of)
3. Leaves tracks when it moves, so not a hovering creature.
4. Has appendages (hands, tentacles, whatever) for holding objects.
5. Probably has feet as well, implied by the ability to 'stomp'.
6. Possessed of incredible strength.
7. Has incredibly high damage resistance or AC. Neither Miko or Belkar succeeded in dealing any damage to the creature with a full attack.
8. May possess ability to cause an earthquake by stomping, or that may be effect caused by its freakish strength.
9. Intelligent enough to learn and carry out a conversation in Common.
10. Child-like in mentality, may be a young member of its species, or maybe just a low WIS.
11. Insatiable appetite, the monster is hungry all the time (or maybe Xykon just forgets to feed it).
12. Lack of discerning taste. Will eat just about anything, and appears to digest anything without problems.
13. Rare but not unique creature.
14. Probably not a typical humanoid, given the weird tracks it leaves.
15. Unable to spot Gates for some reason. Low Wis+no ranks in spot, or related to Snarl in some fashion?
16. Attracts Demon Roaches for some reason, filthy eating habits, or clue?

Anything else?You might also add that monsters of its kind are terryfing (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0191.html) (even though the MitD is the exception which is not). So if the MitD looked like a typical member of its race, which it apparently does not, it would probably be a fairly nasty sight if the shadow was removed.

Also, if you compare the distance between its eyes with, for example, Redcloak, it seems like it is quite a bit larger.

[Guild Member #6]

Two more attributes that may or may not matter...

He doesn't like/is tired of the dark;

Merely raising his voice makes the world shake.

Minor point: Not only does it get hungry after the stomp, but suddenly tired as well.

[RAGE KING!]

Stuff we know:

1. Medium or Large in Size (probably large, or powerful build.)
2. Has two eyes and one mouth(that we know of)
3. Leaves tracks when it moves, so not a hovering creature.
4. Has appendages (hands, tentacles, whatever) for holding objects.
5. Probably has feet as well, implied by the ability to 'stomp'.
6. Possessed of incredible strength.
7. Has incredibly high damage resistance or AC. Neither Miko or Belkar succeeded in dealing any damage to the creature with a full attack.
8. May possess ability to cause an earthquake by stomping, or that may be effect caused by its freakish strength.
9. Intelligent enough to learn and carry out a conversation in Common.
10. Child-like in mentality, may be a young member of its species, or maybe just a low WIS.
11. Insatiable appetite, the monster is hungry all the time (or maybe Xykon just forgets to feed it).
12. Lack of discerning taste. Will eat just about anything, and appears to digest anything without problems.
13. Rare but not unique creature.
14. Probably not a typical humanoid->possibly not humanoid, given the weird tracks it leaves.
15. Unable to spot Gates for some reason. Low Wis+no ranks in spot, or related to Snarl in some fashion? - or thats just comic relief
16. Attracts Demon Roaches for some reason, filthy eating habits, or clue? - or thats just comic relief
17. low int.
18. has a few supernatural powers (probably)
19. apparently has short term memory loss.
20. possibly gets tired/hungry after using its supernatural abilities.
21. Doesnt use its powers on purpose (they come automatically.)
22. Doesn't know about its own powers.


One thing nobody's mentioned: the Mitd has golden/yellow (possibly glowing) eyes. Rich may just have chosen that color randomly, and depicts the eyes in the magical darkness because he felt he needed some means of representing the Mitd, but I think this is actually a big clue about his identity.

yellow contrasts better with black than any other colour, so maybe thats why rich chose that colour.


- also gray renders have 6 eyes, so it couldnt be a gray render.
- it also couldnt be a half gray render 'cuz gray renders are asexual.

[ingtar33]

Gray Render does have a lot of the same traits...

including the gaping maw... but I'd hardly call that terrifying. however it does meet all the other requirements, including being strong, and out of it's environment (it's typically found in temperate swamps), as well as it's willingness to stay in the circus or even be captured, as grey renders tend to search for an adopted family of sorts. And i can say i'd be stunned too, like the hunters if a GR spoke suddenly.

that said, im still liking the baby-Tarrasque theory. it fits better then the grey render.

and it's not the snarl. SoD nixed that theory completely.

[RAGE KING!]

so its not the snarl, its not a tarrasque.

Read. About. Tarrasques. Its. Not. A. Tarrasque.


its probably homebrewed or something, and anyways, this thread was for what we know about it, not theories.

[Fitzclowningham]

Some more from SOD:

It smells very bad. It refers to itself as thrifty and trustworthy (don't have SOD handy, so please correct me if I'm wrong). It is disturbing to look at, but oddly compelling.

[Callos_DeTerran]

I think something overlooked...perhaps making the world shake and earthquake causing footsteps are probably spell-like abilities. As for the MitD getting tired after it, most likely because it can only use earthquake once per day. (People may not acknowledge it but spellcasting and what not are tiring activities.)

So add that to the list of possible things known: What has some verison of shout and earthquake as spell-like abilities.

[Rat Bastard]

As for the "shaking the world when it yelled" thing, I have to say that I didn't interpret it that way at all. When I read it, I assumed from everyone's reaction that it was using something like the Command spell or its equivalent (or possibly Suggestion), and the vibration effect was just artistic license to show "ooh, magicy bits happening."

[Nathander]

true. but technically he was introduced before that, in one comic. i think #82 was the next time he did stuff.

Correct. MiTD's very first appearance is way back in #23, here:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0023.html

[DreadSpoon]

Well, maybe. But not everyone in darkness has visible eyes, soo....

Not relevant. The linked-to strip was in magical darkness, which cancels all light sources, magic or otherwise. A light source (like glowing eyes) in regular darkness would be visible, but would not be visible in magical darkness.

[Korias]

The MITD is, without a major doubt, The Giant.

Think about it. You might understand.:smallamused:

[Wyborn]

Is there any way to estimate his strength based on him stomping the ground and shattering it for the radius illustrated in 477? Would that count as "killing" the ground?

If we take a big leap and try to estimate the depth of the shattering effect, and from the fact that it shatters instead of depressing we can assume the ground is made of some kind of stone....

I dunno, I don't know the formulas.

[Toriko]

I am totally sure the MitD is a gazebo!

[Freelance Henchman]

I'm wondering if it's a super-powerful version of a Shadow. A Shadow because it's silly that it stays in the dark all the time, and also because its apparently very hard to hit with normal/enchanted weapons. I think. No clue how a Shadow could be that strong though, and if there are "child" shadows.

[Max_Sinister]

I also believe it might be a baby tarrasque. Note that they're of neutral alignment, and the MitD isn't really evil. Or it seems so.

[DreadSpoon]

As just another random few points, any of which may simply be art issues and not any kind of definitive proof:

You can't see his hand on the umbrella. Other characters have finger lines wrapped around whatever they're holding. Entirely possible Rich just didn't decide to draw fingers for artistic reasons.

He appears to be holding both O'Chul and the umbrella with the right side of his body, implying he has more than two arms. This is even shakier than the prior one, since we can't tell body shape/position and he might simply be holding his arms funny.

[RAGE KING!]

1. Medium or Large in Size (probably large, or powerful build.)
2. Has two eyes and one mouth(that we know of)
3. Leaves tracks when it moves, so not a hovering creature.
4. Has appendages (hands, tentacles, whatever) for holding objects.
5. Probably has feet as well, implied by the ability to 'stomp'.
6. Possessed of incredible strength.
7. Has incredibly high damage resistance or AC. Neither Miko or Belkar succeeded in dealing any damage to the creature with a full attack.
8. May possess ability to cause an earthquake by stomping, or that may be aneffect caused by its freakish strength.
9. Intelligent enough to learn and carry out a conversation in Common.
10. Child-like in mentality, may be a young member of its species, or maybe just a low WIS.
11. Insatiable appetite, the monster is hungry all the time (or maybe Xykon just forgets to feed it). - May be related to #20.
12. Lack of discerning taste. Will eat just about anything, and appears to digest anything without problems.
13. Rare but not unique creature.
14. Probably not a typical humanoid->possibly not humanoid, given the weird tracks it leaves.
15. Unable to spot Gates for some reason. Low Wis+no ranks in spot, or related to Snarl in some fashion? - or thats just comic relief
16. Attracts Demon Roaches for some reason, filthy eating habits, or clue? - or that's just comic relief
17. Low intelligence
18. Probably has a few supernatural powers (or extraordinary, or spell-like, or whatever).
19. Apparently has short term memory loss.
20. Possibly gets tired/hungry after using its supernatural abilities.
21. Doesn't use its powers on purpose (they come automatically.)
22. Doesn't know about its own powers.
23. Has some version of shout and earthquake as spell-like or natural abilities.
24. Toriko believes it's a gazebo!
25. Possibly Half giant or other creature with stomp. (however, see #14).

[tenguro]

I thought he was a half giant since it has stomp as well.

[RAGE KING!]

okay i added that, but bear in mind that belkar couldn't identify the tracks.

[Ecalsneerg]

okay i added that, but bear in mind that belkar couldn't identify the tracks.

Belkar has no Survival ranks. We can sorta assume that he wouldn't know anyway.

[David Argall]

3.5 is rather lacking in false answers to skill checks. When Belkar says the tracks are not X, he has made a successful skill check and is giving us valid information that MitD is not type X. Of course, given MitD is pretty weird, the possibility that it is a standard type with the oddity that it has weird tracks can not be dismissed. But our general presumption has to be that Belkar is correct and MitD is not any of the types Belkar rejects.

[RAGE KING!]

wow, those last 2 posts were enlightening.

I was all like, "wow! i hope they found out something new!"

great.

[Banjulhu]

Has anyone noticed that its eyes keep being visible and shiny and all, but the Hello Kitty Umbrella gives Magic Darkness? So the light of its eyes is probably even more magical then the darkness of the umbrella. Or something

[LM TR]

I always thought of it as some kinda dragon...