OOTS #1298 - The Discussion Thread

[The_Weirdo]

Welcome back to the allosaurus!

That's not an allosaurus, it's a small harmless glrkt.

[137beth]

Oh heck yeah, the dinosaur is back!

[Rockphed]

I agree with Belkar: the dinosaur returning to full size and chomping on the smug dragon is cool. It would also be cool if it had never been mentioned in comic before. It will still be cool if it happens a second time later on. It would even be cool if the response to unveiling himself was to throw a small lizard who turned into a dinosaur and started biting it. Throwing dinosaurs into people's faces is an underutilized comedic element.

[Qwerty Shrdlu]

It's like Roy said: Belkar is dangerously good at this adventuring biz when he tries, and he brought his - and Bloodfeast's - A-game to this fight! :D

I wouldn't count Calder out yet, but this should definitely cramp his style for a round or two. More if Bloodfeast manages to hang on and keeps doing damage.

Hmm... If Bloodfeast is too heavy for Calder to lift, they're both going to hit the floor with Calder landing on top of Bloodfeast who may or may not let go.

Calder's too big for Bloodfeast to shake around, but normal predator behavior would be to either hold on and crush the neck or clamp down and pull, trying to rip his throat out. No matter how well it works, I think Bloodfeast has Calder's undivided attention for a while.

Does Bloodfeast revert to being a wild untamed dinosaur in the anti-magic field? If so it's a good thing he probably actually likes Belkar. And we know he really likes Mr. Scruffy.

[Scottzg]

when did belkar mention Bloodfeast earlier-- what elan is complaining about?

[Angel Bob]

Three years! Three years since this was set up and now paid off. And it still slaps.

I recommend listening to the Jurassic Park theme with the T. rex roar while reading.

[Faldrath]

when did belkar mention Bloodfeast earlier-- what elan is complaining about?

He tried to pull Bloodfeast out of the bag of holding when the Order first fought Sunny and Serini.

[Shining Wrath]

Hmm... If Bloodfeast is too heavy for Calder to lift, they're both going to hit the floor with Calder landing on top of Bloodfeast who may or may not let go.

Calder's too big for Bloodfeast to shake around, but normal predator behavior would be to either hold on and crush the neck or clamp down and pull, trying to rip his throat out. No matter how well it works, I think Bloodfeast has Calder's undivided attention for a while.

Does Bloodfeast revert to being a wild untamed dinosaur in the anti-magic field? If so it's a good thing he probably actually likes Belkar. And we know he really likes Mr. Scruffy.

I think taming is an extraordinary ability, not a magical one. Belkar's wisdom is too low to cast any Ranger "be my animal buddy" spells. I think Bloodfeast is Belkar's buddy even in an AMF. And it would suck beyond all comprehension if Bloodfeast finishes off Calder, Belkar steps forward to pet him, and Bloodfeast eats Belkar. Rich wouldn't do that to me.

Agree, once a predator gets its jaws around a prey's throat, the usual instinct is to keep on biting. Calder has no choice but to get Bloodfeast to let go, and that probably means inflicting a lot of damage. In the meantime the rest of the Order is going to go to town on him.

[KorvinStarmast]

Throwing dinosaurs into people's faces is an underutilized comedic element.

True enough.

when did belkar mention Bloodfeast earlier-- what elan is complaining about?

See strip number 1239.

[Ruck]

when did belkar mention Bloodfeast earlier-- what elan is complaining about?

This:

https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1239.html

[chy03001]

Belkar was right, it was definitely still cool now :-D

[DavidSh]

There's a guy from the funny pages we all know….

It has been ages since I last followed the Alley Oop comic strip, but I seem to recall Mr. Oop consorting with a brontosaurus. Or maybe an apatosaurus. But not an allosaurus.

[Metastachydium]

FLYING DINOSAUR ATTACK! (I like dinosaurs. This one made me happy.)

Hmm... If Bloodfeast is too heavy for Calder to lift

Without Reinforced Wings (a feat Clader had no reason to take), he can only stay airborne while carrying a light load. Depending on whether he is Huge or Gargantuan, as well as his age category, that's a value between roughly 6400 and 39168 lb., assuming elite array with the 15 dropped unti STR. Given that we have no clear idea what size each of our scalies is (although I'd like to stress that Bloodfeast is not neccessarily larger; he's just differently proportioned, with that massive head of his giving that impression – meaning they can both be Gargantuan, a size category Allosaurs can be advanced to)… That tells us very little in itself, but I wanted to mention it anyhow.

[Agi Hammerthief]

Bloodfeast is a dinosaur, not a lizard. (Where in the taxonomy dragons fall is more up in the air.)

it won’t be up in the air for much longer.

[The MunchKING]

If I may mix systems a bit, dragon-type attacks are super-effective against dragon types.

But dinosaurs are usually Rock Type.

*nods seriously*

[bunsen_h]

And that's a helluva lots of d6 damage being done right there in one big chomp. Ouch!

And at least one rear-claw rake. What are the damage stats in question?

Even more overjoyed than I thought I would be to watch Chekhov's Polymorphed Dinosaur in action

Chekhov's Gums (and Teeth).

And now, Sunny continues carrying out instructions given by Calder as he's pulled to the floor, the Allosaurus continues to chomp into his neck and he can't speak. It's a brutal fight but Calder dies horribly because of the command he issued because now he can't even retaliate or escape with his own magic. Seems like it might be too easy of a victory, but on the other hand it is a lot of irony!

Would Calder still be able to issue commands telepathically in an AMF?

Also, I don't remember D&D 3.5 allosauri having a "bite and keep on biting without making attack rolls" feature, but that doesn't mean Bloodfeast the Extreminator can't do it with Belkar's coaching.

Would "maintain grapple and keep raking with a to-hit bonus" be an option?

YES! Go Bloodfeast! All of us are rooting for you! We love you! As a wise bugbear once said: CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP! (Somebody really should look out for V, though. That ground is so not gonna feel good.)

Especially if a dragon and allosaurus land on top of them.

I'd be surprised, but I wouldn't quibble either. I was answering a question about concentration per-the-rules, whatever happens in the conics happens.

The conic AMF?

Considering Calder's M.O. of dominating people to worship him, and his default response to anyone who does not start off groveling when they meet him, I would not mind seeing Bloodfeast rip his head off one little bit. I just hope red dragon meat won't be too spicy for him, nor Calder's flesh too gamey from age.

The Domination of Sunny persists, but are any new Mindbender operations blocked while Calder is in the AMF?

[Tubercular Ox]

So, if Rich agrees with Elan, then why did he have Belkar blow it back in 1239? And if he doesn't agree with Elan, why did Elan blow it?

[AstralFire]

But dinosaurs are usually Rock Type.

*nods seriously*

Tyrantrum is Rock/Dragon and Tyranitar learns dragon moves. >:D

[Doctor West]

So, if Rich agrees with Elan, then why did he have Belkar blow it back in 1239? And if he doesn't agree with Elan, why did Elan blow it?

For the sake of this comics punchline, of course.

[Goremplotz]

Back in 1239.

Thank you!

[Breccia]

Best.

Album cover.

Ever.

[KorvinStarmast]

So, if Rich agrees with Elan, then why did he have Belkar blow it back in 1239? And if he doesn't agree with Elan, why did Elan blow it?

Dumping the INT stat may explain that. (per Belkar's observation on that matter).

For the sake of this comics punchline, of course.

That also.

[Dire Moose]

Am I the only one who was reminded of the ending of Jurassic Park?

[WookieBush]

Someone mentioned that we cant see the sword drop on the first page and I have a horrible feeling that the dragon's hand holding the sword being conveniently hidden along with the fact that Bloodfeast's eyes are wide now rather than angry signify something sinister for our dino friend...

[axledawes]

The sword in Calder's left hand makes me a little nervous. Anyone else feel like the placement of the arm in the big panel (with Roy's sword hidden out of view) makes it look like Bloodfeast just took a greatsword to the heart? The dino's expression looks awfully surprised..

[axledawes]

Someone mentioned that we cant see the sword drop on the first page and I have a horrible feeling that the dragon's hand holding the sword being conveniently hidden along with the fact that Bloodfeast's eyes are wide now rather than angry signify something sinister for our dino friend...

Yes!! I had the exact same thought (and at the exact same time according our forum posts...)

[Grendelkin]

Calder could have eaten the pointy-eared monkey. I am impressed by his restraint. Too bad Roy failed his diplomacy check at the start.

Nah, Calder's eager to rebuild his creepy dragon cult. A high-level wizard, once dominated, would become a very powerful asset.

The black dragon mother's restraint was more impressive. Of course, if she'd been satisfied with just mauling V, some truly awful things would not have had a chance to happen, so... Yeah.

Hmm... If Bloodfeast is too heavy for Calder to lift, they're both going to hit the floor with Calder landing on top of Bloodfeast who may or may not let go.

Unless Calder manages to seriously injure Bloodfeast, my money would be on not.

Calder's too big for Bloodfeast to shake around, but normal predator behavior would be to either hold on and crush the neck or clamp down and pull, trying to rip his throat out. No matter how well it works, I think Bloodfeast has Calder's undivided attention for a while.

Another point to consider, while Bloodfeast is clamped onto Calder's throat, the dragon can't talk. Sunny is going to keep that big, beautiful eye locked onto him, no matter whether he manages to stay airborne or gets dragged to the ground, so he can't cast spells to shake the allosaurus off or fight off the Order.

Does Bloodfeast revert to being a wild untamed dinosaur in the anti-magic field? If so it's a good thing he probably actually likes Belkar. And we know he really likes Mr. Scruffy.

Why would he? Animal handling isn't a magic spell or a supernatural power; its a technique with lasting effects on an animal.

[Shining Wrath]

Am I the only one who was reminded of the ending of Jurassic Park?

Calder is a smidge larger than a velociraptor, but we're in the same general territory.

Wasn't there a throw-away scene where a large aquatic beastie grabbed a Pteranodon?

[Scottzg]

thank you Faldrath, KorvinStarmast, Debatra, and Ruck for refreshing my memory about fighting serini in the anti-magic field.

that joke probably works when you're reading the archive, but daaang that happened several years ago in my timeline. i was all prepped to feel stupid and i don't at all.

[Liquor Box]

It seems Calder's spell actually didn't do much damage to V after all.

I notice Calder still has Roy's sword, I wonder if he can wield it against Bloodfeast.

I can't find Allosaurus stats for 3.5e, but the T-rex entry allows for Gargantuan size with enough HD advancement. All we have to do to make sense of older that Mature Adult (which is kind of necessary for him to be a challenge for an Epic party) is assume that Bloodfeast is an extra-strong dino. Tarquin's sense of the dramatic would likely encourage him to make sure his showy arena dino was as big and tough as possible, particularly when he's the type to view "the attraction is eating the audience!" as bonus entertainment.

Why would we have to make sense of him being a challenge for an epic party? The Order is not an epic party (with the exception of Serini, who hasn'tdone anything).

MM2 specifies that Allosaurus are huge. They are smaller dinosaurs than Tryanosaurus.

Everything else fits nicely with Calder being huge size. If he's a mature adult, he's a reasonable CR for the party (with its extra members), or he might be younger with levels in mindbender (explaining any spells he knows which a dragon wouldn't usually).