New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123
Results 61 to 88 of 88
  1. - Top - End - #61
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    hamishspence's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2007

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by factotum View Post
    Multiclassing doesn't affect XP gain? It would mean he'd be a level lower in Ranger than he otherwise would be because he'd obviously have the level in Barbarian, but the actual amount of XP he gained would be the same as for everyone else of his effective character level.
    He's a halfling. Halfling favoured class is rogue, not ranger or barbarian. Thus he takes multiclassing XP gain penalties.
    Last edited by hamishspence; 2020-03-01 at 04:15 AM.
    Marut-2 Avatar by Serpentine
    New Marut Avatar by Linkele

  2. - Top - End - #62
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Morty's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Poland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    It's a rule I'm pretty sure no one has ever used, but technically it applies.
    My FFRP characters. Avatar by Ashen Lilies. Sigatars by Ashen Lilies, Gullara and Purple Eagle.
    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? See our Discord server.

  3. - Top - End - #63
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    ClericGuy

    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Bristol, UK
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by hamishspence View Post
    He's a halfling. Halfling favoured class is rogue, not ranger or barbarian. Thus he takes multiclassing XP gain penalties.
    3.0 had Ghostwise Halfling, which had Barbarian as its favored class, maybe Belkar is one of them? He doesn't appear to be telepathic, but maybe his psychopathic tendencies meant that he never developed Speak without Sound, or maybe he was born without it, and the social isolation contributed to his violent nature?
    Quote Originally Posted by Maat Mons View Post
    "Look, Monk training involves toughening the body with repeated blows. That includes toughening the head with repeated blows to the head. A little brain damage is unavoidable, and I'd thank you not to mock my medical condition."

  4. - Top - End - #64
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    hamishspence's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2007

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Ghostwise Halfings are Faerun-only - they don't occur in Greyhawk, Dragonlance, or Eberron, so one wouldn't expect them to occur in OOTS either.
    Marut-2 Avatar by Serpentine
    New Marut Avatar by Linkele

  5. - Top - End - #65
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Manchester, UK
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by hamishspence View Post
    He's a halfling. Halfling favoured class is rogue, not ranger or barbarian. Thus he takes multiclassing XP gain penalties.
    OK, this is annoying. I specifically went onto the SRD to look up multiclassing in case there was some aspect I was missing before I made my post, and the page on multiclass characters doesn't list anything about an XP penalty. However, the page on Races specifies "A character’s favored class doesn’t count against him or her when determining experience point penalties for multiclassing.". Apparently you're supposed to guess what those penalties actually are, or else they're on an entirely different page...

  6. - Top - End - #66
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    hamishspence's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2007

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    The SRD doesn't include everything. Notably, the XP tables are left out.

    The details on multiclassing penalties are on page 60 of the PHB. Each class that's not within 1 level of your highest level class, causes a 20% penalty to XP gained.
    Marut-2 Avatar by Serpentine
    New Marut Avatar by Linkele

  7. - Top - End - #67
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    RatElemental's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Gender
    Male2Female

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    It is, as pointed out, a rule hardly anyone ever actually uses, hence Pathfinder doing away with it and making favored classes do something else. I don't expect it to have even crossed the giant's mind while doing anything even tangentially related to writing the strip, unless maybe it was going to feature in a joke that got cut.
    Last edited by RatElemental; 2020-03-02 at 05:49 AM.

  8. - Top - End - #68
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    ClericGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    To respond to the original post, any 15th level TWF ranger with high strength (higher when raging) will pretty much kill any level appropriate enemy in reach in a single round.

    They do a lot less damage when they have to move+attack (Belkar doesn't seem to have any of the feats that let him move+full attack - the combos are rare and often require several feats or weird multiclassing), but most scenes with Belkar stacking up bodies have him surrounded by enemies or the enemies are quite weak (like at Azure City or vs the Thieves Guild).

    I find Belkar's power level to be about what you'd expect if you assume he has favored enemy goblinoid, undead and probably human. (or maybe giant. he likes the thumping sound of ogres hitting the ground), and you assume he's a strength-based ranger, using the ranger bonus feats to get TWF all the way up without having to invest as much in dex as you'd have to do as a straight fighter. He isn't as strong as Roy, but he also probably could have held that rope in the storm in spite of his tiny mass.

    I've straight up played Belkar expies in a variety of CRPGs as primary protagonist and they worked quite well from low levels to epic (Various versions of Neverwinter Nights and various games using Balder's Gate infinity engine - he works pretty well as a TWF fighter under 2nd edition rules too, and usually works fine even in a "short" party but lacks flexibility enough for solo play).

    CRPGs tend to feature more fights with weaker opponents than the typical "3 encounters per day" of 3.x tabletop, but I've seen similar performance in tabletop from fighters built along his lines in the level 1-15 range too.
    Last edited by Seward; 2020-03-10 at 02:06 AM.

  9. - Top - End - #69
    Troll in the Playground
     
    Flumph

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Meridianville AL
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Seward View Post
    They do a lot less damage when they have to move+attack (Belkar doesn't seem to have any of the feats that let him move+full attack - the combos are rare and often require several feats or weird multiclassing),
    The easiest way to get pounce in 3.5 is to take three levels of Barbarian with an alternate class feature in place of fast movement.

    We know alternate class features are in play, Thog is a dungeoncrasher. We know Belkar has one or more levels of barbarian. He could have pounce, and wearing light armor would put him at the same speed as the heavy/medium armor wearers, I don't think anything in the comic has ever referenced him having fast movement.

    So, he could have pounce if he needs it for anything he's been shown to do.

  10. - Top - End - #70
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Flumph

    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    There is also a very obvious Doylist answer:

    Belkar has to be good at fighting, or else there would be no reason for Roy to tolerate his existence in the team. This is also why he suddenly became competent at tracking and other ranger stuff.

  11. - Top - End - #71
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Fish's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Olympia, WA

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Synesthesy View Post
    Ok it's true, but what's the point?
    Mods, please pin this quote to the top of the Internet.
    The Giant says: Yes, I am aware TV Tropes exists as a website. ... No, I have never decided to do something in the comic because it was listed on TV Tropes. I don't use it as a checklist for ideas ... and I have never intentionally referenced it in any way.

  12. - Top - End - #72
    Dragon in the Playground Moderator
     
    Peelee's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Washington D.C.
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fish View Post
    Mods, please pin this quote to the top of the Internet.
    The Elders of the Internet told me to stop doing that.
    Cuthalion's art is the prettiest art of all the art. Like my avatar.

    Number of times Roland St. Jude has sworn revenge upon me: 2

  13. - Top - End - #73
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    ClericGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Lampert View Post
    The easiest way to get pounce in 3.5 is to take three levels of Barbarian with an alternate class feature in place of fast movement.

    ...
    , I don't think anything in the comic has ever referenced him having fast movement.

    So, he could have pounce if he needs it for anything he's been shown to do.

    Without fast movement Belkar would need to be carried in all the "run away" scenes. Halflings have only 20' movement speed, and when he was teamed with Haley in Don't Split the Party he had no trouble keeping up with her.

    By contrast we've never seen him move+full attack, although we have seen him spring attack. So nice as that alternate class feature would be, I don't think he has it.
    Last edited by Seward; 2020-03-13 at 06:30 PM.

  14. - Top - End - #74
    Troll in the Playground
     
    Flumph

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Meridianville AL
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Seward View Post
    Without fast movement Belkar would need to be carried in all the "run away" scenes. Halflings have only 20' movement speed, and when he was teamed with Haley in Don't Split the Party he had no trouble keeping up with her.

    By contrast we've never seen him move+full attack, although we have seen him spring attack. So nice as that alternate class feature would be, I don't think he has it.
    20', that would be the same speed as Roy and Durkon? So why does he need to be carried if they don't?

    I agree that there's no particular reason to assume pounce, for that matter, there's no particular reason to assume Barbarian is as high as 3, but Belkar is as fast as much of the order even if he does not get a speed boost.

  15. - Top - End - #75
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Manchester, UK
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Lampert View Post
    20', that would be the same speed as Roy and Durkon? So why does he need to be carried if they don't?
    He said specifically that Belkar was able to keep up with Haley when they were paired in Don't Split the Party, and Haley presumably wears light armour, so she'd have a speed of 30'. What happens when he's with Roy and Durkon is irrelevant.

  16. - Top - End - #76
    Troll in the Playground
     
    Flumph

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Meridianville AL
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by factotum View Post
    He said specifically that Belkar was able to keep up with Haley when they were paired in Don't Split the Party, and Haley presumably wears light armour, so she'd have a speed of 30'. What happens when he's with Roy and Durkon is irrelevant.
    Or that indicates that Haley doesn't gratuitously abandon a party member she hasn't yet, at that time, decided is a negative value.

  17. - Top - End - #77
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    ClericGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by factotum View Post
    He said specifically that Belkar was able to keep up with Haley when they were paired in Don't Split the Party, and Haley presumably wears light armour, so she'd have a speed of 30'. What happens when he's with Roy and Durkon is irrelevant.
    Well also Hobgoblins have 30' of movement too, and they didn't instantly catch Haley+Belkar.

    I mean you can argue other ways but the default assumption is the simplest, which is that after he had the Barbarian level he moved at the same speed as Haley, V and Elan. (when Nale got him to sing musical songs while chasing other party members, I don't think any of them simply outran him effortlessly)

    Plus - the extra movement is +4 to his jump skill. Yes he has a ring of jumping but he does like to jump as part of his combat style and it's not a trivial bonus.

  18. - Top - End - #78
    Colossus in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Manchester, UK
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    I'm puzzled here--what you just said appears to be agreeing with my viewpoint, but it's worded as if it's disagreeing? I'm on the side of Belkar having native 30' speed at this point.

  19. - Top - End - #79
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    ClericGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2013

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Sorry that response sort of conflated various replies.

    I think he has Barbarian Fast Movement and thus can't have the Barbarian Pounce option.

    Not only is it the simpler (less splatbook) option, we've seen a lot of scenes that imply he moves as fast as Haley, Elan and V (when V isn't flying) and none that indicates he's slower than other opponents that probably have 30' movement speed.

    Plus no scenes that would imply he has a move+full attack ability beyond 5' step range.

  20. - Top - End - #80
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    AssassinGuy

    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    A Michigan Far, Far Away
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Seward View Post

    I think he has Barbarian Fast Movement and thus can't have the Barbarian Pounce option.
    He has the Barbarian Fast Movement and uses his Ring of Jumping to pounce with.

    Alternatively, he has whatever the author wants him to have, for the purposes of making the scene look good; since Belkar has clearly pounced to the attack a time or two that I can recall.

    Or maybe he cheated on his character sheet when levelling up as a Barbarian and took the bonus starting feat for a 1st level character when he wasn't entitled to it. That's certainly in character for Belkar. And it would fit in with the advice Lord Shojo gave him later (well, the imaginary ghost of Shojo, anyway).
    Quote Originally Posted by Grey_Wolf_c View Post
    Also, everything Darth Paul just said.
    Namer Of MitD Threads
    Charter Member and Head Ninja of Peelee's Lotsey Ninjas
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    [furiously scribbles notes on how Darth Paul is the MitD]

  21. - Top - End - #81
    Titan in the Playground
     
    ElfRangerGuy

    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Imagination Land
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Darth Paul View Post
    He has the Barbarian Fast Movement and uses his Ring of Jumping to pounce with.
    A Ring of Jumping doesn't do what you apparently think it does.
    "Nothing you can't spell will ever work." - Will Rogers

    Watch me draw and swear at video games.

  22. - Top - End - #82
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    RatElemental's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Gender
    Male2Female

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by KillianHawkeye View Post
    A Ring of Jumping doesn't do what you apparently think it does.
    I dunno, Leap Attack kind of makes sense. Explains the high damage and lets him use his jump skill in combat.

  23. - Top - End - #83
    Troll in the Playground
     
    Gluteus_Maximus's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    A Humorous Location
    Gender
    Male2Female

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by AchtungNight View Post
    There's a feat in 5th Edition D&D called Fury of the Small that allows you to add your level in damage to larger creatures. The game says it's for goblins, but when I heard the description I immediately thought to myself "Belkar has this feat."
    It's not a feat, it's a Goblin feature.
    Quote Originally Posted by Requilac View Post
    Wow, i can’t believe it, WotC actually made the rules compatible for a situation in which an ape demon is leaping into the air to knock a vampire out of a Poylmorphed T-rex’s jaws who is flying 120 feet above the ground.
    Amazing Avatar by Smutmulch

  24. - Top - End - #84
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGuy

    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Germany
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by RatElemental View Post
    I dunno, Leap Attack kind of makes sense. Explains the high damage and lets him use his jump skill in combat.
    It happened at least once already after all.
    The "use his jump skill in combat" part I mean.

    Wait. At least twice. There was escaping Azure City's prison.
    Last edited by Kantaki; 2020-04-17 at 03:27 AM.
    "If it lives it can be killed.
    If it is dead it can be eaten."

    Ronkong Coma "the way of the bookhunter" III Catacombium
    (Walter Moers "Die Stadt der träumenden Bücher")



  25. - Top - End - #85
    Orc in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

    Join Date
    Mar 2020

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Strength is pretty relative, yeah none of the Order's members would be particularly impressive against any equally leveled character that was even a bit optimized, but quite clearly the only people that seem to particularly care about optimization are one-off joke characters, and none of the main players of the story have ever shown to care all that much about it. Also, this world clearly plays Calvinball as far as the game mechanics go, so why should it even matter? It's been shown numerous times that it's much more reliable to bank on your media literacy and knowledge of narrative structure than to try and get ahead by using mechanical knowledge

  26. - Top - End - #86
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    a quote from one of my favourite authors

    "Suspend your disbelief"

  27. - Top - End - #87
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    The explanation is rule of cool and this isn't actually a real DnD campaign.

  28. - Top - End - #88
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: How is belkar so good at fighting?

    Quote Originally Posted by Procyonpi View Post
    The explanation is rule of cool and this isn't actually a real DnD campaign.
    This is the essence of the matter
    Get your physics out of my D&D!

    Proudly Chaotic

    Optimism is delusion pessimism will save the world

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •