The place for over-analysis...

[Sundog]

Now, how did that Dragon get through that little tunnel? I don't think it was powerful enough to polymorph itself, and it also had to transport all the gold.

[Mictlan]

I don't have the actual stats for a 3.5 black dragon. But if I recall coreetly they use to have the shrinking spell in 2th edition :D

I still remember a module out of Dungeon magazine, where the BD hoard was located exactly like Giant picture in this comic. You had to find and underground tunnel in a swampy pool (overgrown with plants and alage, THKS to the plant control spell availbale to BD). My playing party didn't found it :D as there were two tunnels leading out of the dragon lair......

[The_King_of_Durf]

No, black dragons can't shrink in 3.5. Or at least I think so, I looked it up like 3 days ago to find out heir spell-like abilities

[Vik]

Thanks guys. I'm just hoping that someone who Knows About Dragons will tell me that one had hps comparable to, er, 22d6 * 2. (which has an expected value of 154, right?) Or can we assume that the dragon was slightly wounded already? As the dragon did fight the OotS for 2 or 3 rounds, yes, we can assume he was wounded, and more than slightly.

[silvadel]

Nice heal spell there from Durkon...

[Mictlan]

Nice heal spell there from Durkon...

Well that will mean that Durkon is at least level 11....So that will be in line that in the start all characters were level 9th nad now they are 11th :D

[Kish]

Since he used to use Cure Serious Wounds in situations like this one, it also means the Giant actually does mean him to be higher level than he was at the beginning.

[Adghar]

The headband of intellect can't be +3, since all such modifiers are even. Also, it's been indicated on the forums that the headband is probably just a fashion choice, and isn't any more magical than Roy's tunic or Belkar's feet.

The headband of intellect could easily give +3, because: "All such modifiers are even." +6 int = +3 int bonus since you get +1 int bonus every 2 int. Hokay, that was hard to understand. Let's assume that V's INT score is 12. This makes for an int mod of +1, correct? A headband of intellect adds +6 to the INT score. That makes it 18. The int mod of an INT score of 18 is +4, which is +3 from +1. Thus, 3 more is added to the DC of the spell.

Where does it say that the headband is probably a fashion choice? I can't see V, a self-respecting power-hungry wizard not wishing to gain +6 or so int though I suppose it's possible?

[drothgery]

Where does it say that the headband is probably a fashion choice? I can't see V, a self-respecting power-hungry wizard not wishing to gain +6 or so int though I suppose it's possible?

Besides, she either has items that increase her Int score, or he's 12th level; she cast two disintegrates in consecutive rounds to kill the dragon.

[SummerRomance]

*cou-RING OF WIZARDY-gh*

http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=130

Now, I don't know that much about D&D, but perhaps that answers your question?

By the way, any items the OotS party are wearing can be magical, even if you don't hear about it. That's why Rich leaves everything so open ended.

[The Glyphstone]

Well, if the RoW doubles his 6th-level spells, as I think I've pointed our previously, that makes it an EPIC item (Ring of Epic Wizardry VI) with a cost of 360,000 GP, a bit out of treasure allotment for a supposedly 11th-level party.

[Winter_Wolf]

I'm gonna have to do some intrathread necromancy ;D and bring up the age thing. I think Elan is younger than Haley. She seems kind of conflicted over her feelings for him in a way that I figure means she thinks of herself as his older sister or something so she's weirded out by being attracted to him. I say she feels like his older sister because she calls him 'sweetie' in that episode where Elan can't add 6+6, and it just sounds like something one might say to a slow child: 'Now don't run with scissors in you hands, sweetie' for example.

I'd put Elan at about 20-21. There's just something about the way he keeps talking about his 'mommy' and his amazing talent to be completely oblivious to most things. Also, I don't know why anyone would add 1d6 years to his starting age when he makes that statement about 'coasting through a few weeks of barding camp' to pick up a first level of bard (#126) to V.

I'd call Roy 34, just because 35 starts to affect ability scores. He's bitter, feels unfulfilled with his life, and has an MBA (which I figure must be "Monster Bashing Accreditation ;D). No comment on the demihumans. I mean, their lifespans are so bloody long it doens't *really* matter does it?

I had something else I was going to comment on but had some chores to take care of and forgot. :P

[kriklaf]

Let's assume that V's INT score is 12.

It doesn't change your point, but we know that V has an Int of 18:
http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=31

[Kish]

I'd call Roy 34, just because 35 starts to affect ability scores. He's bitter, feels unfulfilled with his life, and has an MBA (which I figure must be "Monster Bashing Accreditation ;D).
You're actually close. In one of the bonus strips that comes with the book, he tells Belkar it stands for "Master of Battle Administration."

[manscatha]

Elan does seem young. Keep in mind, though, that however old he is, Nale must be the same age--and that at least part of Elan's innocence supposedly comes from being hit on his undeveloped baby skull.

[silvadel]

Actually I find it kind of odd that they have the age categories raising the mental abilities of characters as they get old...

Any of us who have been through an age category or two know that the only mental category that might go up is wisdom... Intelligence certainly doesnt raise with age -- knowledge might but intelligence no -- there is a reason why most important discoveries happened while scientists were 35 or younger.

---

I mean I would have age take away 1 int at middle age, old, and venerable... 1 charisma at middle age and venerable...

I would compensate for the age differences by giving players more level based stat increases -- say every 2.5 instead of every 4 levels.

[The_Shadow]

Hmmm. I think #206 kinda destroys the theory that V is lawful. Darn. I thought that was pretty well sewn up.

At least we have final confirmation that Belkar is evil. As if we needed any.

[Poeir]

For added complications, since wizards have no alignment requirement, Vaarsuvius' alignment can change during the comic, and there's no definitive way to tell when it has.

[BurntOfferings]

Wow, I came to this thead to read others' analyses of Miko, and <gasp> no one's made any! :o

Important features:
Is a paladin of at least 5th level, since she has a special mount.
Has evasion, which means she has two levels of rogue or monk.
Has the Stunning Fist feat, and therefore must have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat as well.
Has good saves all around.
Fights with two weapons (apparently a katana and wakisashi), and appears to get five attacks, so she either has the Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feats, or six levels of ranger.
Calls herself a samurai, acts like a samurai, fights like a samurai.


Here's my take:
2nd level samurai, 3nd level monk, 7th level paladin.

Two levels of samurai (from Complete Warrior) give her proficiency with the katana and Two-Weapon Fighting when using a katana and wakizashi. Three levels of monk give her Improved Unarmed Strike, a bonus feat that can be used on Stunning Fist, evasion, +3 to her Reflex and Will saves, and an additional +2 on Will saves vs. Enchantments. Seven levels of paladin give her all her paladin abilities (including divine grace, which lets her use her CHA bonus as a bonus to saves, and her special mount), and raises her BAB to +11, giving her three primary attacks. She'd have to take the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat at 9th or 12th level (she wouldn't meet the BAB prerequisite at 6th level because of the monk's BAB progression).

Since she's human, she could pull this off without any XP penalties for multiclassing.

The samurai class is not strictly necessary. She could simply be a monk/paladin that took Exotic Weapon Proficiency (katana) and Two-Weapon Fighting. The Ascetic Knight feat from Complete Adventurer would be especially useful for her if that's the case. But I think she has two levels of samurai, so I'm sticking with it. ;)

I can't say much about her stats, other than her DEX is at least 17 (required for Improved Two-Weapon Fighting), and that she probably has a high CHA (she's a paladin, after all).

At 12th level, she'd have five regular feats (one of which must be Improved Two-Weapon Fighting), two monk bonus feats (one of which is almost certainly Stunning Fist), plus one bonus feat for being human. Improved Unarmed Strike, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (katana) and Two-Weapon Fighting are all acquired as class features. So she has five feats that could be almost anything, plus either Combat Reflexes or Deflect Arrows. Anyway, I'd put my money of Weapon Focus (katana), Weapon Focus (wakizashi), Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, and ... something else. ???

Wow.

[Nightmarenny]

She need not be a Monk. Ring of evaision.

[BurntOfferings]

She need not be a Monk. Ring of evaision.

Stupid ring. >:(

Well then, she could be a straight paladin, 11th level or higher, with Exotic Weapon Proficiency (katana), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, and Two-Weapon Fighting. But her base Ref and Will saves will be only +3. Even with divine grace, I don't think she'd be so dismissive of Hold Person spells. Maybe she was just lucky. Or, since we're including equipment, maybe that blue cloak is a cloak of resistance +5.

If the bigger blade is a longsword or other martial weapon, then she doesn't need Exotic Weapon Proficiency (katana). She could take Iron Will or Lightning Reflexes instead. Bump her to 12th level and she could take both.

But I still think she's a samurai/monk/paladin. You just can't get any more lawful than that. ;)

[drothgery]

Wow, I came to this thead to read others' analyses of Miko, and <gasp> no one's made any! :o

There's an entire thread dedicated to analyzing the Blue Guy, err, Gal, err, Miko...

[Gilganarz]

Durkon: isn't LG.
He is only there helping the lads because he has been sent to the human lands and has nothing better to do.
At best he is Lawful Neutral. Doesn't care where he is sent just likes following his God. He chose to turn with positive energy (as a nuertal can if he chosen)
I agree with:
Roy: LG. Definitely.
Elan: CG. He has a mum that taught him right from wrong...he also has a moral compass that leads the way.
Haley: CN. She stealing only to help her father (a Nuetral act). She likes Elan so that is a bonus but its still neurtal... she seems like a nice girl... But I'll have to give her Nuetral till she proves herself.
Belkar: CE. He is Evil, but with mild acts of nuetral too (never good yet lol)
I disagree with yur idea of V:
Vaarsuvius: LN. We haven't seen V act good. Good is not the absence of evil. Good is the pursuit of good.
She only has the pursuit of laws and magic with her.

Now the Linear Guild:
Yikyik: CN. Unlike Belkar he just likes to fight. Now killing, but fighting. Belkar was his only freind... :'(
Zz'dtri: LE. He was Lawful with his dicipline, but his demeanor was evil. He was what V will be if he shifts ever so slightly.
Thog: CN. Thog is Neurtal, but Nale has told him to kill a creature before it acts is smart. So he slayed hundreds that have stood in his way because he feared they might attack. (Nale was smart to tell him that)
Helgya: CE but now CN. Selfish and impetoius to the core, but lately she has stopped some of her evil. However, just stopping your actions ofevil isn't enough to make her good.
Sabine: LE. She has been sent to cause trouble. She knows the laws of her plabnes and they say to do it.
Nale: LE. He has a good planning ability, but he chose evil for his way.



Sorry if someone has comented o this, but you're wrong on two counts:
Haley is definitely good, the seals had to be touched by someone 'pure of heart' (meaning good, not alignment extremes in this case).
Durkon is good. Complaining about poor conditions is not nuetral (everyone complains some of the time) and he is compassionate.

[Tarlonniel]

Don't forget that Durkon is sickened by Unholy Blight => he's good.

[Winged One]

New over-analysis threads are cropping up, therefore...

*casts Animate Thread*

[Jades]

But I still think she's a samurai/monk/paladin. You just can't get any more lawful than that. ;)

She's not a Samurai. She already said that how many times in #209. Miko has a few levels in Monk, then switched to Paladin. I'm one to say that she has 3 levels in Monk, she did have a nice save against the sorceress' "Hold Person" spell.

Assuming that the party is level 12, and she is as well, then I'd have her pegged as a

3 Monk/9 Paladin

HP: 3d8+9d10+12ConMod
BAB = +11/+6/+1
FORT = +9
REF = +6
WILL = +6 (+8 againstspells and effects from the school of enchantment)

[Kish]

She's not a Samurai. She already said that how many times in #209.
...which came out after the post you're replying to was posted.

[Jades]

Sorry, I am unaffected by the standard laws of Temporal Mechanics. (I don't bother myself with minor details such as date of post or anything like that...)

[Aereshaa_the_2nd]

I'm saying that the English language often uses "he" for the pronoun when no gender is specifically known.
True.
Although some people might dispute this, I firmly beleive that old english was better.

[imagelesskink]

Wow... can't believe this hasn't been locked or posted to...
As for an earlier comment:

If V is 12th level, and is a Grey Elf...
Good idea, except for the fact that V isn't, oh I don't know, GREY. (taken from OOTS #9)

*Casts Animate Thread (again)

[Roland St. Jude]

Sheriff of Moddingham: Please don't revive old threads...