Class and Level Geekery VIII (spoilers ahoy!)

[Math_Mage]

I need to apologize for much of my previous stridence, since the rules actually don't make it clear that characters' actions in the afterlife don't translate into XP when resurrected until you get down into extremely detailed RAW analysis. Instead, the spell descriptions simply take for granted that characters don't do anything that would gain XP in the afterlife. It's only when it discusses corner cases, like raising level 1 characters, that the SRD explicitly says the new reduced level keys off the level at time of death, implying that hypothetical afterlife XP doesn't count:

Level Loss
Any creature brought back to life usually loses one level of experience. The character’s new XP total is midway between the minimum needed for his or her new (reduced) level and the minimum needed for the next one. If the character was 1st level at the time of death, he or she loses 2 points of Constitution instead of losing a level.

Without reading to that level of detail, it's not at all clear that the rules preclude afterlife XP. While this does not negate the fact that the rules DO support my position, it certainly increases the chance that Rich might have simply bypassed the extreme nitty-gritty technicalities in favor of story.

I do maintain that Horace's statement, and Roy's, show that this technicality was followed. But I thought I was harping on a point that should be obvious to everyone, when that's not the case at all. So for that, I apologize.

Having already stated that I'm tired of this argument, I'm doubly reluctant to continue it now that it has been properly merged into the C&LG thread. So I'll be brief:
-3.5 ruleset IS the default. This cannot be questioned. Rich HAS demonstrated his willingness to DEPART from the rules on occasion, but by and large this comic is marked by its consistency in that regard, even in details most would overlook (and this is hardly a detail as far as the story is concerned).
-Levels do not imply competence in OotSworld. Levels give characters power and options (some more than others; the difference between 14th and 16th level matters far more to a Wizard than a Fighter). Competence is the measure of how well a character uses that power. That is the manner in which Roy has demonstrated his competence.
-The problem with the assertion "Roy is higher level than the rest of the party" is that it conflicts with the rest of the comic if you follow the rules. Roy was the same level as the rest of the party at the start, he was at most one level above when he died, and he came out at least one level below the next lowest-leveled member of the Order. The differing burden of proof comes in when we start arguing about whether or not we should ignore the rules; I do not have any obligation to prove that the rules were followed, since that is the default.
-I do not think Roy will defeat Xykon by force of arms, so it does not matter that he is more martial than Frodo. The narrative point stands.
-I've already stated my opinion on Eugene's scolding: it places Roy at 13th or 14th level, depending on how you think Roy would respond if he was 13th level. Myself, I don't think Roy would bother snapping back just because V is also 13th, because he's unambiguously V's leader and therefore assumes responsibility anyway.
-The first attack of the claimed four in #795 is ambiguous.