Class and Level Geekery XIV - We are the Geek Pantheon

[unbeliever536]

I don't know; this is a very poorly written rule. "Balancing" is never defined by the rule, and I see two reasonable possibilities. If it means "making a Balance check," then the frost giant isn't balancing (and hence not flat-footed) until she tries to take an action (i.e., tries to move) that requires a balance check. If "Balancing" means "standing somewhere that would require a Balance check to move," then she would be flat-footed.

The latter makes more sense to me, but not so much that I'd think the former interpretation flat out wrong.

You don't need to bother with Balance at all, though. The scene could easily be run as forcing the giant to make a Balance check (or maybe a Reflex save) to avoid being flat-footed (plus other penalties, probably). Roy either doesn't need to make the check because the maneuver is timed for when he's in the air, or gets a bonus that renders it trivial for the same reason. It even works as a jacked-up Aid Another attempt by Bandana and the pilot, giving Roy the bonus he needs to succeed on his Bull Rush.

ETA:

On an entirely separate topic, has anyone ever suggested compiling a list of the more detailed analysis posts and adding them to the OP? That would probably help people who think they have new arguments for things, or otherwise haven't read the backlog. Obviously we link things that come from more in-depth analysis, but there are quite a few items which just link to pages from the comic without explanation.

E2: Look what handy resource just reappeared that I couldn't find yesterday. Thanks Lord Torath and Mark Hall!

E3 (um...): O-chul's Paladin level is at most 4, as he has no special mount, but could still get one.

[Ephemera]

Also, the footnote on the sloped or angled floor says "only if running of charging, failure by 4 or less means the character can't run or charge but can act normally." Given that the DC is the same as uneven lagstone or hewn stone, I think it's likely that this is only meant to apply to apply in that case, meaning it's Roy who is flat footed if anyone.

However, I thought we'd pretty well established that the attacks of opportunity rules are applied unevenly enough that we don't take the fact that someone didn't make one to be evidence of anything.

[unbeliever536]

According to the FAQ:

Q: If a character makes a special attack like grappling, and his victim does not make an attack of opportunity, can that be evidence of a feat like Improved Grapple?
Yes, assuming the victim is armed, and otherwise capable of making AOOs. It is clear that the rules for attacks of opportunity are used in the comic, and there is no reason to assume that grappling/tripping/sundering is an exception.

That said, we've got very good reason to believe that this isn't a normal situation.

[Ephemera]

Well, apparently I failed my Knowledge (thread consensus) check, oops.

On a meta level, I feel that Rich has increasingly ignored the opportunity attack rules as he's moved away from d&d jokes, since they often don't fit with more common narrative tradition. I'm not advocating taking that into account formally, just commenting bough. But when was the last time someone in the strip actually _did_ make an attack of opportunity during someone else's maneuver, just out of curiosity? Of course, this might just mean no one is using untrained maneuvers...

[Chronos]

On Durkon's domains, remember that he can also cast Thor's Lightning. We've never been able to pin down just what spell that is, and hence what published domains could account for it, but it's definitely not granted by Good or Healing.

Thor's Might (presumably a re-named Righteous Might) might also be a domain spell, but we can't be sure on that because it's also a standard cleric spell. But I don't think the standard cleric list contains anything, from any source, that could be Thor's Lightning.

[Reboot]

Also, the footnote on the sloped or angled floor says "only if running of charging, failure by 4 or less means the character can't run or charge but can act normally." Given that the DC is the same as uneven lagstone or hewn stone, I think it's likely that this is only meant to apply to apply in that case, meaning it's Roy who is flat footed if anyone.

Roy jumps *when the floor is still level*, so he wouldn't have any penalty.

As for the giantess, it's less that she's standing on a slope, and more that the floor is (unexpectedly) angling under her feet.

[dsollen]

So my D&D ignorance may be showing, but is Roy not allowed to have stat boosts from multiple items at once? The way this thread discusses his Str it implies that's the case, but I can't find anything forbidding it with a quick google search.

If Roy can have str boosts from multiple items then I would think his Str being 29 would make sense as being justified by an unknown additional item boosting it?

[Peelee]

So my D&D ignorance may be showing, but is Roy not allowed to have stat boosts from multiple items at once? The way this thread discusses his Str it implies that's the case, but I can't find anything forbidding it with a quick google search.

If Roy can have str boosts from multiple items then I would think his Str being 29 would make sense as being justified by an unknown additional item boosting it?

Most of the time, in 3.5 same-type bonuses don't stack unless explicitly stated.

[hamishspence]

Bonuses of the same type don't stack, generally speaking:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm

Magic items typically grant Enhancement Bonuses.

So if Roy, in addition to his Belt of Giant Strength:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems...fGiantStrength

also had Gauntlets of Ogre power:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems...etsofOgrePower

they wouldn't stack - only the highest one would apply.

[Douglas]

So my D&D ignorance may be showing, but is Roy not allowed to have stat boosts from multiple items at once? The way this thread discusses his Str it implies that's the case, but I can't find anything forbidding it with a quick google search.

If Roy can have str boosts from multiple items then I would think his Str being 29 would make sense as being justified by an unknown additional item boosting it?

It's a major part of the core basics of the game that bonuses of the same type to the same thing don't stack. And, while not strictly required by the rules, in most cases almost all things that give a bonus to any particular thing all give the same type of bonus (except for Armor Class, where there are four or five common bonus types).

Roy's belt gives an enhancement bonus to strength. If he got another item that gave an enhancement bonus to strength, only the highest bonus of the two would apply. If he got an item that gave a bonus of some type other than "enhancement" to strength, then he would get to combine the bonuses - but items that do that pretty much don't exist.

[Peelee]

A great meta example is right here! My comment had +1 to understanding, hamishspence's comment gave a +5 to understanding, and then Douglas chipped in +4 to understanding. So even though all three posts answered the question, and even though Douglas' reply came after hamishspence's, they don't stack, because they are all the same "type" (in this case, they give the same information, just varying levels of detail). Your understanding is now +5, not +10.

[Crusher]

A great meta example is right here! My comment had +1 to understanding, hamishspence's comment gave a +5 to understanding, and then Douglas chipped in +4 to understanding. So even though all three posts answered the question, and even though Douglas' reply came after hamishspence's, they don't stack, because they are all the same "type" (in this case, they give the same information, just varying levels of detail). Your understanding is now +5, not +10.

If this were shorter, it would be sig-worthy.

[Peelee]

If this were shorter, it would be sig-worthy.

Sadly, I'm usually not very good at brevity.

[danielxcutter]

Sadly, I'm usually not very good at brevity.

That is what extended signatures are for.

(May I?)

[Peelee]

That is what extended signatures are for.

(May I?)

Absolutely. Far as I'm concerned, anyone can sig anything I say anytime.

[Ephemera]

Absolutely. Far as I'm concerned, anyone can sig anything I say anytime.

As a meta example, someone should sig this...

[Peelee]

As a meta example, someone should sig this...

I dunno about all that.

[Emanick]

As a meta example, someone should sig this...

Let the record show that I was going to do this even before you posted to suggest as much; I was just quasi-AFK and didn't have time to edit my Settings. :P

[Reboot]

So, do we know what (buff) spell Elan casts on Roy in panel 2 of #1076?

[zimmerwald1915]

So, do we know what (buff) spell Elan casts on Roy in panel 2 of #1076?

Given that Roy was cut up and bruised last strip, and that panel 2 was the first moment he appeared in strip 1076, that's pretty clearly a cure spell. Probably cure critical wounds, even if it might be overkill, since that's Elan's sole confirmed single-target heal.

[danielxcutter]

Given that Roy was cut up and bruised last strip, and that panel 2 was the first moment he appeared in strip 1076, that's pretty clearly a cure spell. Probably cure critical wounds, even if it might be overkill, since that's Elan's sole confirmed single-target heal.

Yeah, I think so too.

[unbeliever536]

Given that Roy was cut up and bruised last strip, and that panel 2 was the first moment he appeared in strip 1076, that's pretty clearly a cure spell. Probably cure critical wounds, even if it might be overkill, since that's Elan's sole confirmed single-target heal.

Unless he's casting Cure Moderate from his wand, but in that case we'd probably see the wand.

[Ephemera]

Unless he's casting Cure Moderate from his wand, but in that case we'd probably see the wand.

Has anyone but Haley seen Elan's wand? (Since Dungeon Crawlin' Fools, anyway)

[JumboWheat01]

Has anyone but Haley seen Elan's wand? (Since Dungeon Crawlin' Fools, anyway)

Everyone say Elan's "wand" when he believed going naked would make him the stealth master.

I think he did it again during one of the times in the big Sapphire City place.

[unbeliever536]

Everyone say Elan's "wand" when he believed going naked would make him the stealth master.

I think he did it again during one of the times in the big Sapphire City place.

Yeah, he's pretty happy about the thing.

[Quartz]

Does #1077 help us with Roy's Spellcraft skill? Locate Object is a 2nd level spell. Granted Roy could have rolled a 1 on his Spellcraft roll, but assume he didn't.

[Jasdoif]

Does #1077 help us with Roy's Spellcraft skill?

I don't see anything in the strip that would call for a Spellcraft roll.

[Quartz]

I don't see anything in the strip that would call for a Spellcraft roll.

Knowing of the Locate Object spell?

[hamishspence]

That would come under Knowledge (Arcana). Spellcraft is for identifying a spell as it is cast.


I would guess that Roy, being a single-classed fighter, never took any levels in wizard, regardless of Eugene's "You'll be back to cantrips within a week"

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0113.html

Unless he took a level and then retrained it. Or counted as "0th level" with a very limited cantrip-casting ability, when he was a teenager.

[JumboWheat01]

Roy has always seem dedicated to the pure fighter route to me. Unless there's a feat involving it (cause the man has had feats to burn,) I doubt anything he has anything involving magic outside of wearing and smacking things with a pointy stick.