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Brannock posted:I always figured she was a woman after we met Inkyrius who is pretty clearly a man. You are just forcing your own gender-perceptions onto a species and culture that you don't know about.
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Mar 3, 2013 23:17
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What are the odds of Malack being a former Yuan-ti Holy Guardian? He's got a huge serpent tail, he's completely devoted to following orders, he avoids attacking those he considers his equals (Durkon), he's prone to philosophical discussion, and would have a good reason to hide his identity since he's technically "gone rogue" and would be hunted down by his kin. Note: I know very little about Yuan-Ti, so I apologize if I made a stupid guess.
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Mar 3, 2013 23:21
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Brannock posted:I always figured she was a woman after we met Inkyrius who is pretty clearly a man. Why would that matter? Moreover, V. has referred to the kids as "adopted progeny".
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Mar 3, 2013 23:23
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my dad posted:If so, then which species with a reason to conceal themselves would fit what we've seen so far? Since Rich is sticking with D&D v3.5, I'd have to back up everyone who guessed Yuan-Ti. They can pass for other species, use charm person as an ability, they can turn into a tiny to large viper, and they're naturally stealthy. They have no level adjustment and they age at the same pace as humans. fake edit: Glad we're in agreement then
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Mar 3, 2013 23:26
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Brannock posted:I always figured she was a woman after we met Inkyrius who is pretty clearly a man. Yeah, Inky struck me as a bit masculine, too...although, so does V, a little. (Of course, this perception could just be an effect of all the anime/manga I used to follow).
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Mar 3, 2013 23:28
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my dad posted:What are the odds of Malack being a former Yuan-ti Holy Guardian?
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Mar 3, 2013 23:32
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Okay, assuming Durkon does get turned, how exactly would the alignment change manifest? Does he simply get a new personality, is he the same person but suddenly thinks that killing and murdering is all in all a swell idea or is it your typical, drug addiction like struggle with his own cravings for blood.
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Mar 3, 2013 23:42
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e X posted:Okay, assuming Durkon does get turned, how exactly would the alignment change manifest? There are no rules for that, so it's up to the DM's (or in the case, the author's) interpretation. The only vampire we've seen was an imaginary one when the rest of the party was speculating about Roy's possible fate during the war. In that case imaginary vampire Roy was conflicted by having to kill to exist but also had done so easily and was distracted by the taste. If we take that as a guide, then likely vamp-Durkon would be remorseful and conflicted when not affected by vampiric hunger, but a stone cold killing machine when hungry...or whenever Malack tells him to kill. Likely Malack has some kind of program that he runs his new kids through to wean them off human morality and get them used to vampirisim, but of course for that to happen, Malack will have to survive the rest of the way, including through the arrival of Xykon and Redcloak, and that's by no means guaranteed.
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Mar 3, 2013 23:55
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TunaSpleen posted:Since Rich is sticking with D&D v3.5, I'd have to back up everyone who guessed Yuan-Ti. They can pass for other species, use charm person as an ability, they can turn into a tiny to large viper, and they're naturally stealthy. They have no level adjustment and they age at the same pace as humans. That's a Yuan-Ti Pureblood which are the most human looking of their species looking completely human other they having stuff like a forked tounge or slitted eyes. The more powerful and intelligent Yuan-Ti are Half bloods which look human other then suff like a complete covering of scales and a snake head or a tail or a tail instead of legs. The most powerful and intelligent Yuan-Ti are abominations which are completely snake like other then having arms. They are about 8 to 12 feet long.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:18
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Colon V posted:sebmojo said a cut, as in leaving Durkon's fate a cliffhanger. Yes, that was what I meant. To the point I'll be surprised if it's anything else - there've been so many (fantastic) twists and reversals I'm not sure how much more room this scene has for them. Let's get back to our favourite angsty gender-indeterminate elf who still hasn't worked out the fiends can claim his soul whenever they want. (Rich has said that characters in the strip just go with their best guess as to his gender, so I've followed suit.) Edit: Is it relevant whether he's a Yuan-Ti? 'Humanoid lizard creature' seems as much detail as we need unless I'm missing something?
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Mar 4, 2013 00:19
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xcheopis posted:Why would that matter? Moreover, V. has referred to the kids as "adopted progeny". Oh, I didn't realize they were adopted, I must have missed that line. There goes the basis for that assumption then.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:19
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Brannock posted:Oh, I didn't realize they were adopted, I must have missed that line. There goes the basis for that assumption then. It goes by fast.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:24
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my dad posted:Yeah, V isn't evil. Although, while her* remorse seems to be honest, I don't think she learned the lesson. We're going to see her encounter a power/morality choice at least one more time, and it's quite possible that she'll pick power yet again. I'm actually fully expecting a power/morality choice where V, having been burned, chooses morality and then has cause to regret it extremely. Not a sell-your-soul type thing, but a situation where (after the fact) they find out that the "power" option had no actual downside.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:24
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Colonel Cool posted:I think the Giant has specifically said V is true neutral. Originally? I could buy it. This strip is pretty heavy on the "V is now evil", as is this one my dad posted:What are the odds of Malack being a former Yuan-ti Holy Guardian?
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Mar 4, 2013 00:25
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I've always maintained Varsuvius is a male because, being such a pedant and know-it-all, it would drive "her" insane to have a grammatically masculine Latin name.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:32
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Fried Chicken posted:Originally? I could buy it. This strip is pretty heavy on the "V is now evil", as is this one Well, yeah, while she was on the power trip. But afterwards, she learned from her experience, and is trying to become a better person. That's intent. And just as in Roy's case, that clearly matters in the Oots-verse. Besides, evil people don't freak out when they learn they've killed dozens of people on accident. That's a large part of what makes them evil, the inability to appreciate or care about the suffering of others. For all her faults, Vaarsuvius does care.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:38
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Fried Chicken posted:Originally? I could buy it. This strip is pretty heavy on the "V is now evil", as is this one He said she was true neutral after the whole Darth Vaarsuvius incident, that is. Presumably it's because she has both good and evil tendencies.
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Mar 4, 2013 00:47
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Effingham posted:I've always maintained Varsuvius is a male because, being such a pedant and know-it-all, it would drive "her" insane to have a grammatically masculine Latin name. Could be, though the "What's japan?" debunk thing with Miko's name probably applies here too
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Mar 4, 2013 01:08
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RentACop posted:Could be, though the "What's japan?" debunk thing with Miko's name probably applies here too Yeah, plus it sort of spoils the joke if it's a puzzle. I think it's completely indeterminate, and will always stay that way.
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Mar 4, 2013 01:25
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Please let O-Chul replace Durkon in the party line up. This is pretty much the one and only thing I could ask for from OOTS, I think.
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Mar 4, 2013 01:32
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I thought that the Rusty&Co problem was about the plush-toys.  So much about my theory.
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Mar 4, 2013 02:16
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So I guess I'm the only one rooting for Durkon to, you know, NOT die.
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Mar 4, 2013 02:19
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I also assumed that V is female, because otherwise this joke holds no weight.
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Mar 4, 2013 02:34
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my dad posted:I thought that the Rusty&Co problem was about the plush-toys. The Rusty and Co. thing was basically a clusterfuck of WotC changing their mind every few days about what they were suing over.
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Mar 4, 2013 02:40
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inthesto posted:I also assumed that V is female, because otherwise this joke holds no weight. The other characters (Haley possibly excluded) don't know V's gender either. This is addressed more than once.
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Mar 4, 2013 03:04
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jng2058 posted:Well, yeah, while she was on the power trip. But afterwards, she learned from her experience, and is trying to become a better person. That's intent. And just as in Roy's case, that clearly matters in the Oots-verse. Besides, evil people don't freak out when they learn they've killed dozens of people on accident. That's a large part of what makes them evil, the inability to appreciate or care about the suffering of others. For all her faults, Vaarsuvius does care. There'a pretty significant difference here though. The "trying" was about the means to an end while you are doing them, not how you acted after they were done. Roy was doing things for a good cause, though his methods often left much to be desired. Hence, you know, he was trying to be lawful good when he made those mistakes. That is not the case with V. V did things out of pride - too proud to admit the idea wasn't his own, too proud to let the even end with the death of the dragon, the freeing of O'chul being a side effect of a pride driven attack rather than the goal. And he chose an evil means to achieve them. He very much wasn't trying. Now he has changed since then, but that makes it a different case from the "trying" bit. This is more of a "Redemption is a rare and special thing, after all" case. Look at the 3 qualities of redemption Soon points out. V has admitted he is wrong, and shown remorse. Now he needs to atone for it. But redemption requires falling in the first place. ZearothK posted:I think it's more likely that Xykon kills Malack during the gate confrontation, freeing Durkon to accompany the Order and giving Tarquin a reason to get all his gang together to seek out the last gate for revenge and profit. Possible, but I don't think that will be it (or another character intervening), and here's why: Character growth requires a choice to be different.* The character has a pattern of behavior. That pattern of behavior leads to the character suffering in some fashion because of that behavior. Then the character must choose to be different to resolve it. Roy was headstrong. Because he is headstrong, he attacked Xyklon alone, and died. He learned he needs to out think his opponents rather than outfight, and has decided to follow that since Belkar was an indiscriminate killer who antagonized everyone out of spite. Because of that, he killed the Oracle, and was cursed. He learned the need to work as a team player and delay his gratification, and has decided to follow that since. V was driven by pride and ambition. Because of that, he lost his family and his soul. He learned the need for humility and patience, and has decided to follow that since etc. Anyway, look at the situation here: Durkon has always been very binary and literal about things, letting that drive his interactions with others. It is the same thing that lead to this confrontation - fight Malak right here, right now because he is a vampire, not because he is fantasy lizard Hitler who it would be better to fight in a situation where the odds better favor him. Now, he is being punished for it. It will require a decision and action on Durkon's part to change things to resolve this. * in good writing at least
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Mar 4, 2013 03:18
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 #877: The Bright Side
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Mar 4, 2013 03:19
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Durkon, nooooooo! 
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Mar 4, 2013 03:22
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or, you know, that.
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Mar 4, 2013 03:25
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Durkon, Welcome to the deep end of the alignment pool!
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Mar 4, 2013 03:29
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Nooooo
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Mar 4, 2013 03:33
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... holy crap... I can't believe that actually just happened... 
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Mar 4, 2013 03:33
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Mocha Frost posted:Durkon, Welcome to the deep end of the alignment pool! Well. That bites..  Seriously, what next, maybe both of them vamped, going up against the rest of the Order?
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Mar 4, 2013 03:33
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Wow. I'm glad I was wrong, that was quite a thing. The expression he gives Malack at the end... tender. How the poo poo he does that with stick figures, I just don't even know. sebmojo fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Mar 4, 2013 |
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Mar 4, 2013 03:35
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It will take hours to days until he turns, so probably not any time soon. A simple ritual or low level spell can also prevent it.
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Mar 4, 2013 03:35
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Snake kills humble dwarf.
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Mar 4, 2013 03:42
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Oxxidation posted:Snake kills humble dwarf. You motherfucker.
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Mar 4, 2013 03:50
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poo poo, even expecting that, still a total gut punch. At least he died with a smile on his face
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Mar 4, 2013 03:51
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Oxxidation posted:Snake kills humble dwarf. Argh!
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Mar 4, 2013 03:51
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I think the saddest part is how Durkon really has no clue what happens next.
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Mar 4, 2013 03:53
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