Class and Level Geekery XI - Can Now Argue Three Times Per Page

[Flame of Anor]

Channa masala.

You heard the man. Put this in the stat block!

[Gnome Alone]

Wow, I would've pegged Vaarsuvius as more of a palak paneer. Learn somethin' ever' day.

[Kornaki]

Giant in the Playground presents…A Brief Insight Into the Creative Process:



Me: Hmmm. That seems too high.



Me: Done! Who wants Indian food?

~Fin~

This is exactly what someone trying to hide detailed character stats would say.

[Avaris]

This is exactly what someone trying to hide detailed character stats would say.

While I'm sure you're not serious, I feel this strip is the only possible response to that...

[Ted The Bug]

Channa masala.

I too had a chickpea-based dinner tonight. Does this mean that I can dictate V's level? Or is falafel too far removed for me to gain the knowledge bonus?

[Shale]

Argument From Hummus may be a fallacy, but it's a delicious fallacy.

[Living Oxymoron]

The speculations about Xykon's magic items probably persists because a) we know he has magic items and - perhaps more importantly - b) we know he can craft magic items and has spent in-comic time doing so. For months. He also has the prerequisite feat.

I just think that if he was using an use-activated item, the effect would be more clear, like when Haley activates the Boots of Speed.

[zimmerwald1915]

I just think that if he was using an use-activated item, the effect would be more clear, like when Haley activates the Boots of Speed.

The effect on the boots of speed was part of the general art upgrade between this book and the last.

[Shale]

How can you tell? She never wore them in the earlier books.

[b_jonas]

I just think that if he was using an use-activated item, the effect would be more clear, like when Haley activates the Boots of Speed.

Only if she used it on-screen. But you never saw the flight spells cast on screen, so you can't say it was a spell instead of a scroll or potion or ring or something.

[SaintRidley]

Is channa masala spicy? Maybe it's a clue to V's level. Take the first two digits in the dish's average Scoville unit count and boom, we've got this.
I kid, of course.

[Chronos]

I know that the Giant says that he's just eyeballing all of this, and maybe it's even true, but if so, damn, that guy has some serious D&D intuition built up. Because based on everything else we've seen, "in excess of 25" really is just about right, where "30" wouldn't be, and "20" would be V selling emself short.

Is channa masala spicy?

Dude, it's Indian food. In Western cooking, when we feel like a sauce needs thickening, we add flour, or starch. In Indian food, when they feel like a sauce needs thickening, they add more spice.

Dang, now I'm getting hungry.

[zimmerwald1915]

I know that the Giant says that he's just eyeballing all of this, and maybe it's even true, but if so, damn, that guy has some serious D&D intuition built up.

He wrote sourcebooks and settings before The Order of the Stick. He has years - it would be decades, but writing this story and managing the business that goes along with it would tend to eat into gaming time - of GMing under his belt. Of course he has a good eye for this sort of thing.

[Hecuba]

Dude, it's Indian food. In Western cooking, when we feel like a sauce needs thickening, we add flour, or starch. In Indian food, when they feel like a sauce needs thickening, they add more spice.

Dang, now I'm getting hungry.

There are actually many great dishes from India that are far more mild, but they haven't been "exported" widely like the Punjabi and South Indian cuisines. If you ever get the chance, I heavily recommend the Kashmiri and Bengali cuisines: they have plenty of spicy recipes available if you want them, but they don't make up the huge majority like you would find in a restaurant serving a South Indian menu.

[Crusher]

Giant in the Playground presents…A Brief Insight Into the Creative Process:



Me: Hmmm. That seems too high.



Me: Done! Who wants Indian food?

~Fin~

Well, ok, fair enough, its a lower degree of precision than I'd been thinking. But it still doesn't entirely negate my point. Why does 30 spells seem high? Because you (Giant) know what V's level and stats are, and you know (maybe because its all written out in your notes somewhere, but probably just because you've been around AD&D forever) that a level 16 specialist wizard with a 24 INT has ~45 spell slots instead of 50.

You probably haven't specified all of V's spell choices for today, because why bother? And if you're off by a spellslot or two its not a biggie. But the level and stats and such? Totally.

[sam79]

[B]

Me: Done! Who wants Indian food?

~Fin~

Me! Prawn biryiani. You buyin'?

I moved from the UK to France recently, and while the culinary culture in my new home is vastly superior to my native land, it is nigh on impossible to get a good curry at a reasonable price on this side of the channel.

Notwithstanding the author's simply awesome intervention here, I must say I tend to think Crusher and Chronos are not far from the mark. The number of spells that V announced in 935 was maybe spitballing, but based on the author's estimation of what a wizard of her level and her intelligence would have left at this point. I think he knows these numbers.

[Kurald Galain]

Please note that I will be online only sporadically until after christmas. Any updates may be postponed until then. Happy holidays!

[Conte_Vincero]

I don't know about you, but AFIK curries are usually ordered by their menu number to save on having to pronounce the name. If we can get the menu, can we therefore get V's level, through a sort of reverse Skellig.

[Flame of Anor]

I don't know about you, but AFIK curries are usually ordered by their menu number to save on having to pronounce the name. If we can get the menu, can we therefore get V's level, through a sort of reverse Skellig.

I think the number thing is mostly at Chinese restaurants.

[Emanick]

They do it at restaurants in Spain, too, or least some of them (like the one I was literally just at).

[b_jonas]

I just want to mention that while I appreciate the Giant's insight to the creative process here, it doesn't really influence our discussion in this thread.

The goal of this level geekery thread is to decide how the story can be best interpreted in terms of DnD rules, even when that involves details the Giant haven't worked out. When the Giant specifically mentions concrete details about DnD stats, such as Nale and Elan having the same Str, Dex, Con, we of course have to go with his decision, but when he says he hasn't worked out some particular detail about the stats of characters, we should still collect evidence for it in the comics. I know some of you already think this way, but I'd like to make it explicit.

[SaintRidley]

Dude, it's Indian food. In Western cooking, when we feel like a sauce needs thickening, we add flour, or starch. In Indian food, when they feel like a sauce needs thickening, they add more spice.

Dang, now I'm getting hungry.

I know next to nothing about Indian food. Hence the question.

[Reddish Mage]

Giant in the Playground presents…A Brief Insight Into the Creative Process:



Me: Hmmm. That seems too high.



Me: Done! Who wants Indian food?

~Fin~

Thank you for once again for reminding us once again that this thread is based on treating the comic much more seriously than the author himself.

[SaintRidley]

Thank you for once again for reminding us once again that this thread is based on treating the comic much more seriously than the author himself.

You mean differently. Rich treats the comic quite seriously. Just because he doesn't crunch every number does not at all mean that this thread treats the comic more seriously than he does.

[Crusher]

I wish I got to take Indian food seriously. Mrs Crusher doesn't like it so I only get to have it when she's out of town. I only get to eat it when I'm sad. :(

[Shale]

It treats consistent application of the D&D rules much more seriously than Rich does. The way I see it, we're coming up with character sheets that fit what we see in the comic. If that matches up with what's in the author's head, even better - but it's not necessary, because we'd almost never finalize anything if that was a requirement.

[allenw]

Channa masala.

What a wonderful phrase!

[Dark Matter]

We have a lower bound for Laurin's psi pool based on what she spent, that should be in her stats.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

We have a lower bound for Laurin's psi pool based on what she spent, that should be in her stats.

Unfortunately, we do not have an agreement on the cost of the wormhole power, which restricts the math that can be done.

GW

[Fan67]

Nothing in the World will persuade me that in the Story with such astonishing level of details the author hasn't developed the key aspect of character's existance.

But nonetheless I admire the effort Mr.Giant puts to make readers see the story rather than the numbers.