OOTS #1020 - The Discussion Thread

[Rogar Demonblud]

Well, don't forget the stuffing. And the cranberries on the side.

[8BitNinja]

Now I will ask myself forever the kind of stats Belkar has to be a taco
We know he has a wisdom score reserved for lemmings.
He must be decently high in charisma, even if lower than Elan's, since he scores with girls quite easily (the girl of the thief guild, the gnome girl)
But intelligence? What is the intelligence of a taco, compared to the delectable 18 hamburger of V?
It will remain a mystery... or maybe not! Dun-dun-dun!

(I've got hungry, too!)

1. He seems to be getting wiser, but definitely not a King Solomon

2. Can you please give a citation

3. The intelligence of a taco is probably 1/2, They aren't too smart, my dog is smarter than it, and that is SERIOUSLY saying something

[zoofroot]

Blackwing didn't need to fail intentionally. The DC for this UMD check is between 27 and 36, depending on the caster level V chose for the scroll. V's maximum ranks in Use Magic Device are 9, and Blackwing has a -2 Charisma bonus, for a check of D20+7. He could only have succeeded on this check with a 20, and then only if V decided to make the scroll at minimum caster level.

[davidbofinger]

First the explosion happening when? The round after the failed use? It they have time to take cover, I suppose it is so.

Scrambling for cover doesn't need to be an action, it might just be the visible element of a DEX-based saving throw. (I have no idea if such a saving throw should occur.)

[KorvinStarmast]

Scrambling for cover doesn't need to be an action, it might just be the visible element of a DEX-based saving throw. (I have no idea if such a saving throw should occur.)

Might that depend upon which spell or spell effect is about to go off? We don't know what spell effect it was yet, beyond not being Locate Creature.

[Manty5]

And this is the strip which reveals the identity of the Mitd:

A paper golem constructed of semi-legibly-written spell scrolls. He must remain in the dark lest people close enough to read him set us up the bomb.

[Lordchoculla]

And this is the strip which reveals the identity of the Mitd:

A paper golem constructed of semi-legibly-written spell scrolls. He must remain in the dark lest people close enough to read him set us up the bomb.

Hmm.. I think it might be one of the dead gods of Vulcan, Hades, Ares or Zeus. In zombie form as they were killed by the Snarl. Alternatively, it is the Snarl or a very small giant. Or Kraagor.

As for scrolls... probably been ninja'ed, but here we go... The next chapter of the saga is called The Right Scroll

[Lordchoculla]

Use Magic Device.

Thank you kindly, dear "sir or madam or it" ...

[Dr.Zero]

Therefore, I conclude:

Wisdom is "filling."

Charisma is "sweet."

Intelligence is "savory."

Belkar is something savory but not filling or sweet, pushed by his anger in the direction of "I'd get heartburn." Vaarsuvius, with higher Intelligence, is also savory but not filling or sweet, but is tasty enough to be worth considering as a meal anyway.

Like IRL where we have healthy food, candies (good, sweet, but "useless", aside the calories) and spicy and salty food. It seems completely reasonable.

The only problem I see is with Belkar ability to score with girls. Btw, I always thought D&D is lacking about this -yeah, not only about this, but we are talking of this- since Charisma should be only personality based -so Belkar should suck (even if he is pretty funny), as probably Elan, to be honest, since he is horribly annoying to travel with- and then there should be Beauty, physical based. But I'm digressing. :)

2. Can you please give a citation

Of the ability of Belkar to score with girls?
Well, like I said, there was the thief guild girl. Sorry, but I don't remember her name now.

And the gnome girl.

Not as good as Elan, who seduced the sorceress hot chick, has girls hitting on him at the party in Azure City, made Haley fall in love with him and then had a whole solo quest/romance with the half orc ninja, but still...

[pendell]

Bravo! What a cool and innovative use of DND rules to overcome a problem by blackwing. I had to read the thread to understand he was intentionally botching Use Magic Device in the hope of getting someone's attention. Again, Bravo!

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Kantaki]

Like IRL where we have healthy food, candies (good, sweet, but "useless", aside the calories) and spicy and salty food. It seems completely reasonable.

The only problem I see is with Belkar ability to score with girls. Btw, I always thought D&D is lacking about this -yeah, not only about this, but we are talking of this- since Charisma should be only personality based -so Belkar should suck (even if he is pretty funny), as probably Elan, to be honest, since he is horribly annoying to travel with- and then there should be Beauty, physical based. But I'm digressing.

Elan's high charisma is reflected by the fact that he is likeable despite his various quirks. Most of those are related to his other mental stats that are indeed rather low. It's similar with his speeches, they usually are pretty convincing (charisma) he just tends to say everything that comes to his mind, even if is the opposite of what he intents (wisdom I think) making the results pretty devastating. Or his illusions, that got much more useful after he learned to think about what he creates(intelligence).

And sure, charisma is mostly personality, but I think the appearence is a big enough factor to make a individual stat unnecessary.

[Storm_Of_Snow]

And sure, charisma is mostly personality, but I think the appearence is a big enough factor to make a individual stat unnecessary.

And we certainly don't want to go back to 1st edition Unearthed Arcana's Comeliness stat...

[KorvinStarmast]

And we certainly don't want to go back to 1st edition Unearthed Arcana's Comeliness stat...

Why not? Helen of Troy, whose face was so beautiful that it launched a thousand ships ...
Epic.

Comeliness was fun to mess around with, though when all is said and done, it not staying in later editions was the better decision.

[8BitNinja]

Thanks for referring me to comic 969 Dr. Zero

I remember the thieves guild one, but I didn't remember the gnome one

Probably because I don't really care about the amount of scoring done in anything, including real life

[Skull the Troll]

Neither I did.
But to be honest, because in most sessions it would not be allowed. ;)
First the explosion happening when? The round after the failed use? It they have time to take cover, I suppose it is so.
Second, the explosion being clearly thought as the most probably outcome. It had proper foreshadowing, of course, when V was trying to teach to Haley to use wands, and we saw that there have been some explosions (I'm in no mood to search for the exact strip, but I'm sure it is there, somewhere ).

But still, these two together will be easy to abuse as backup fireballs (or whatever effect the explosion has) to throw when needed.

Moreover the fact that a low UMD fails and gets a predictable result, means even a high UMD can fail, if so he wishes, and get likely the same predictable result (just think about a bomb disposal expert and a commoner: if the commoner can make a bomb explode, just messing randomly with cables, when he wants, all the more reasons for the bomb disposal expert to be able to do the same... even if his work is usually to deactivate them).

So I think it was hardly a thing we could guess by ourselves, because we would have been too biased by the fact that in a regular session it won't be allowed to happen.

Anyway it was too much awesome to worry about these details.

As long as you assume the homebrew rules that allow an explosion if you fail to cast from a scroll its alright. I think the explosions isn't a fireball in the sense of the spell, but a much more minor explosion. It may only do a few hit points of damage. That's probably enough to do in some rats.

[Rogar Demonblud]

The only problem I see is with Belkar ability to score with girls.

I always figured that was a reference to the Irresistible Bad Boy trope.

[Roderick_BR]

Hah! I can honestly say I've never seen someone deliberately botch a UMD check to get this result before! Now let's hope it doesn't burn the ship down.

Also that might be one of my favorite lines from Blackwing so far.

The forums had a lot of talk about doing it with Explosive Runes in a way or another. Looks like this works just as well.

[8BitNinja]

Why is there a problem with Belkar's attractiveness?

I think it could be considered a redeeming quality to be a chick magnet

I am one, but the repelling kind magnet

[KorvinStarmast]

I may be forgetting a 3.5 rule, but why cant Blackwing just pop out and then back in to V the way it was done here.

Is the pop in action on screen in the strip a reflection of V summoning the familiar?

[Keltest]

I may be forgetting a 3.5 rule, but why cant Blackwing just pop out and then back in to V the way it was done here.

Is the pop in action on screen in the strip a reflection of V summoning the familiar?

Its an (overused) joke about how most wizard players will only interact and, indeed, remember their familiar at all when it is beneficial for them to do so, and when they don't do that they might as well not exist.

[DaggerPen]

I am one, but the repelling kind magnet

You're a magnetic monopole??

[kaoskonfety]

Its an (overused) joke about how most wizard players will only interact and, indeed, remember their familiar at all when it is beneficial for them to do so, and when they don't do that they might as well not exist.

When I first started playing 3rd it was partly a survival tactic hold over from 1st and 2nd editions where having the DM realize you were 'foolish' enough to actually use a cool iconic spell could actually kill you...

[Keltest]

When I first started playing 3rd it was partly a survival tactic hold over from 1st and 2nd editions where having the DM realize you were 'foolish' enough to actually use a cool iconic spell could actually kill you...

I had a frost giant nail my wizard's scouting Pseudodragon with a thrown boulder. Critical hit. Killed it in one hit. Totally legitimate except he and I both forgot they had innate camouflage abilities.

[Jasdoif]

I had a frost giant nail my wizard's scouting Pseudodragon with a thrown boulder. Critical hit. Killed it in one hit. Totally legitimate except he and I both forgot they had innate camouflage abilities.

That sounds like a really convenient thing for a frost giant to forget....

[Keltest]

That sounds like a really convenient thing for a frost giant to forget....

To be fair to the frost giant, it had been a couple months since we had last played.

[F.Harr]

Oh dear. What did he do?

Interestingly, some birds are hard to sex. Unless you operate. And then it's still hard.

So Blackwing is a bit like V in that regard.

Oh dear. What did they do?

[Deliverance]

I had a frost giant nail my wizard's scouting Pseudodragon with a thrown boulder. Critical hit. Killed it in one hit. Totally legitimate except he and I both forgot they had innate camouflage abilities.

"You notice a camouflaged smear on the wall where your Pseudodragon used to be. Do you want to investigate Y/N?"

[Shining Wrath]

Why not? Helen of Troy, whose face was so beautiful that it launched a thousand ships ...
Epic.

Comeliness was fun to mess around with, though when all is said and done, it not staying in later editions was the better decision.

The milliHelen is sufficient beauty to launch a ship. Negative values indicate that the ships travel away from the face in question.

[8BitNinja]

You're a magnetic monopole??

If so, there is no experimental evidence that I exist (x-files music)

[Pyrous]

The milliHelen is sufficient beauty to launch a ship. Negative values indicate that the ships travel away from the face in question.

Neleh of Yort, whose face was so ugly that it launched a thousand ships...