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My guess is that he's been optimized as a purely combat-focused character, and therefore didn't bother with maxing his ranks in Search since it wouldn't have been relevant for his build. Or he traded out Trapfinding for some alternate class feature, so he can't even search for traps even if he had ranks in Search.
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Feb 23, 2012 22:27
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Well, this certainly sheds new light on why there was so much friction between Draketooth and Soon.
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Feb 29, 2012 18:48
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404GoonNotFound posted:Can we all just agree that the Dragon strip with 4e Roy as a Tactical Warlord was awesome? DrakePegasus posted:As was Vaarsuvius' reaction to hir eladrin self... and the shiny travesty that is the Feywild. These wouldn't happen to be posted somewhere they can be read online, would they?
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Apr 9, 2012 21:10
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Yeah, I think they're mummies, too, not zombies. These guys still have their eyes X'd out, zombies have regular eyes. Compare against the zombies in the crowd at the bottom of this one: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0300.html
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Jun 21, 2012 19:25
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Zonekeeper posted:The solution is to make the fighters quadratic too. Incidentally, that rulebook gives them abilities that wouldn't be out of place in Fist of the North Star. Yes, but then you run into players bitching about making the game too anime, players bitching about it making fighters overpowered, players bitching that fighters shouldn't get cool super powers the way wizards and CoDzilla do, and GMs bitching about how they don't want to learn a new magic system to integrate into their campaign.  Which is a shame, because I thought the stuff in there was pretty cool. 
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Jun 21, 2012 23:47
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Wanderer posted:My take on it is that Redcloak is fully cowed at the end of SoD and is genuinely on his back foot right up until the siege of Azure City. At that point, actually managing to accomplish one of his major goals is enough that he reasserts a certain amount of control. The bit with his eye then pushes him over the edge a bit further, and now he's doing a lot of backroom dealing and scheming. He's not the boss in the partnership, because the raw power division's too uneven for that, but he's now more focused on the endgame than he's been for the entire strip so far. Yeah, this was pretty much my take on it, too. If I had to guess, I'd say the actual turning point during the battle of Azure City would be when that hobgoblin sacrificed himself to save Redcloak. That snapped him out of the downward spiral he'd been in since the end of SoD and got him to re-evaluate his priorities.
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Jul 6, 2012 04:12
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Colonel Cool posted:If you've got someone along who can cast Greater Magic Weapon you can just load up on the misc bonuses and let them make your weapons have an appropriate level enhancement bonus too. Or you could just take a short break while they solo the encounter because spellcasters are broken. There's a reason why Rich keeps finding ways to write V out of the story whenever a fight scene comes up. Speaking of which, I wonder how our elf buddy's doing right about now?
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Jan 12, 2013 03:47
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Actually, wouldn't Malack have a level adjustment and racial hit dice in addition to whatever Cleric levels he has? That could put him at around the same effective character level as Tarquin while leaving him at around Durkon's level in terms of his actual caster level, possibly. Or I might be misremembering how all this works; it's been ages since I've dealt with 3rd/3.5 mechanics.
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Jan 13, 2013 22:17
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cafel posted:This is one of my biggest peeves in OOTS. Wouldn't it have been infinitely more effective to just order Durkon to cloister himself? It's got the same lawful weight with much less risk. In fact tell him why and tell him not to tell anyone, or even to take a vow of silence or something. All within the realm of being lawful and part of a religious order with none of the risk of allowing him to leave. Because the high priest was interpreting the prophecy to literally mean "as soon as Durkon returns to the building where he lives". Eventually, Durkon would need to leave whatever building he lives in for SOME reason and when he returned, it would bring disaster. Hell, technically just stepping outside the front door to grab the newspaper could be construed as "leaving and returning". So better to just send him far, far away and make him swear never to return. In other words, the former high priest was a blithering idiot.
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Jan 19, 2013 03:14
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Neraren posted:There are feats and variants and classes and spells and equipment that could account for that. Yes, but the comic in question implies that he's normally against the creation of undead minions. He only made an exception because he took the abundance of mummified remains as a sign from Nergal that it was okay to do so this one time.
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Feb 7, 2013 23:17
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The only relevant stuff about changing alignment in 3.5 I can find is in the DMG, page 134.DMG 3.5 posted:Changing Alignment So yeah, as far as I can tell, there's no experience penalties for alignment changes. I might have missed something somewhere else, but that's all I could find looking it up in the index.
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Feb 11, 2013 20:47
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Yeah, I'm also pretty stoked that you managed to get everything worked out so that you could keep the comic going and get the Rusty plushes out to the Kickstarter backers. Major props to Mr. Golden, your attorney, by the way.
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Feb 14, 2013 02:53
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My Lovely Horse posted:And Mr. Scruffy trying to drag Belkar away from Malack is heartbreaking Not to mention him gnawing on Malack's tail two panels before that. Despite getting brushed aside like he's nothing, Mr. Scruffy's doing everything he can to try and save Belkar, even though it's futile. 
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Feb 18, 2013 20:17
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So given Malack's sudden willingness to restart his family line, as it were... ... what are the chances of Durkon also becoming undead, either from him or Belkar, before the arc is over? Or do we trust Rich not to pull the same loophole in regards to Durkon returning home "posthumously?"
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Feb 18, 2013 22:09
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MonsterEnvy posted:It should be noted that Belker is not going to become a full vampire. He is going to become a vampire spawn. Which are weaker then full vampires but they still get quite a few benefits. That's only if he's killed by Malack's energy drain, which Malack isn't doing. He's using his Blood Drain ability, which drains Con. The SRD Vampire entry posted:Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampire’s energy drain rises as a vampire spawn (see the Vampire Spawn entry) 1d4 days after burial. Belkar obviously has way more than 5 HD.
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Feb 19, 2013 01:03
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The Rooster posted:No, this is to perfect of an opportunity for the Universe to continue to poo poo directly on Roy's head. He's all stoked because he thinks soon, Belkar will be taken off his hands. Now he has to babysit new vampiric, potentially eviler or angrier Belkar. Nah, newly created vampires are enslaved to the vampire that created them. Malack gets to be Belkar's new babysitter from here on out. ... unless he's either killed or stupid enough to free Belkar from enslavement.
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Feb 19, 2013 01:39
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ConfusedUs posted:I really like Team Tarquin. Malack and Tarquin are both smart, reasonable, and nuanced. They have Evil goals but they're not cardboard cutout villains. I would be thrilled to see them have a continuing role. Or, failing that, a Start of Darkness -2, detailing the origins and wacky adventures of Team Tarquin.
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Feb 27, 2013 02:24
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Also, for those who missed it, Rich posted a status update about his thumb yesterday:quote:One of the downsides of now having a Twitter account is that it seems I'm forgetting to make announcements over here, too. So let's play catch-up:
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Mar 2, 2013 03:27
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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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Zereth posted:What makes you say that? I don't think the cat's sex has ever been mentioned. Because his name is Mr. Scruffy.
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Mar 4, 2013 06:55
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ZnCu posted:And would Belkar be aware of the transformation if it happened while he was dominated? I don't see why he wouldn't be. Domination just means you're under the mental control of another entity; it doesn't say anything about you not having awareness of what happened while you were under their control. Makes me wonder if Belkar's silently freaking the hell out inside his own head at what's happening and being unable to stop it... or if he's just pissed that now Durkon's going to get sweet vampire powers and he isn't.
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Mar 4, 2013 07:27
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Zereth posted:Never seen kids name cats before it was clear what equipment they had and the name stuck or things like that, I take it? You're the one who wanted an explanation for why people assumed the cat is male. If you don't want an answer, don't ask the question. 
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Mar 4, 2013 08:19
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Lot of stuff going on in this one. Durkon's accent is gone. It's weird how sad that makes me. One of Malack's lines has some interesting ramifications. "I spare your life and release you from my dominion. My final token to the Durkon that was." In other words, Malack is expecting some kind of shift in Durkon's personality when he eventually releases him from thralldom. Also... "I do not care to linger where tragedy visited a friend." Guy's got some balls saying that, given that he's the one that killed Durkon.  The thing that really interests me here though is Belkar's reaction. He's genuinely freaking out about what just happened there. I suspect that pre-Vision Quest Belkar would have just bitched about missing out on the opportunity for kick-rear end vampire powers (hell, we may still get that joke when he reports to Roy and the others what happened). But seeing as how he's alone except for Mr. Scruffy at the moment, there's no need for him to fake a reaction or put on a facade for others; he's legit freaked out about this, and is actually trying to hurry and warn the rest of the group as fast as he can. It's amazing that everyone's been touting this as the huge change for Durkon that's totally going to finally add some depth to his character... and yet so far it seems like it's had a much bigger impact on Belkar than Durkon. (Though I expect that will change once Malack gives Durkon his free will back.)
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Mar 6, 2013 17:25
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Cliff Racer posted:So what happened at the end of the strip anyway? I know Durkon drained Belkar most of the way but look at the background of the panel where he keels over, it looks like he activated a trap. I think it's just supposed to represent him getting dizzy and lightheaded from blood loss.
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Mar 7, 2013 02:31
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sebmojo posted:That's a very broad conclusion to draw on not much evidence. Don't forget Xykon was about one round from choking Jirix to death when his phylactery got elfnapped. Plus, he's an all-powerful CE psychopath. Jirix has no reason to love things (like the roaches) that are associated with Xykon. Roland Jones posted:You seem to be confusing Jirix with Redcloak. Jirix was dead when the phylactery was stolen, and Xykon actually had him Raised for it because he was the only useful person there. He's referring to when the hobgoblins found it in the sewers and promptly lost it to the Resistance, not when it was dropped into the sewers during V's attack. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0824.html http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0831.html
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Mar 7, 2013 02:41
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greatn posted:The world in the rift is Eberron, and the snarl is Baker, because it destroyed Rich's campaign world from becoming an official setting! Nope; the Snarl can't be Baker. Check out SoD for details.
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Mar 7, 2013 18:00
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MikeJF posted:Hey, when in the run of the main comic was Start of Darkness released? The date on the inside cover of my copy says "First Printing: May 2007."
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Mar 8, 2013 03:23
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Speaking of Start of Darkness, I just finished rereading it last night, and this morning I had an epiphany about how Malack's been disguising his voice to hide his undead nature. SoD spoilers: Immediately after his transformation, Xykon notices his voice has changed and asks Redcloak what the deal is. Redcloak responds that because Xykon is a lich and doesn't "have a trachea or a larynx, much less lungs to expel air through them," that his voice is created magically by the negative energy powering him. But Malack is a vampire, not a lich. So he still has all those fleshy bits that Xykon now lacks. And even though he doesn't need to use them anymore, that doesn't mean he can't use them. So when he's talking with the normal white bubbles with black text, he's drawing air into his body and expeling it to talk just like a living person would; when he switches to the black boxes with white text, he's forgoing that and using the negative energy-created voice. 
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Mar 8, 2013 18:12
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Well, the first one is quoting and talking about an actual scene from the book. And the second one is a hypothesis based off of what was talked about in the first one. Plus goons tend to be weird about what does and doesn't constitute a spoiler, so I figured better safe than sorry.
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Mar 8, 2013 19:01
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Cat Mattress posted:Some of the fights early in the story had Roy going on after "better built" fighters. There's this one and I believe there was another where Roy and his opponent discussed about whether there was a point to stay a single-classed fighter after the second level (to which Roy replied something along the lines of "Weapon Mastery"). I think that's this one here, with Thog back in the first Linear Guild story arc.
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Mar 11, 2013 20:24
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I'm willing to give Roy a pass on this one. Given Roy and Durkon's history together (go read On the Origin of PCs), it's easy to believe that Roy would rather assume Belkar's just loving with everyone for some sick joke than accept the idea that his best friend and the guy he's been adventuring with the longest is now an unholy abomination. Roy's face in the last panel is absolutely heartbreaking.
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Mar 13, 2013 17:57
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Colonial Air Force posted:What alignment was the kobold? Shouldn't matter; the act of torture itself is always an Evil act, regardless of the victim's own alignment.
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Mar 13, 2013 18:22
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tripwood posted:Died? Or was taken by the rift? The Snarl hasn't been seen since any of the rifts re-opened. I choose to believe this is because it was stupid enough to consume Kraagor, only for Kraagor to tear it apart from the inside out. 
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Mar 14, 2013 20:04
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Danzou posted:While we know that Xykon will end up within 1000 feet of Girard's gate first, what we don't know is why Recloak has focused in on that gate over Kraagor's. He doesn't interrogate O-Chul over what monsters are guarding the tomb, he asks about Girard's illusions. By the time they're ready to teleport out, it's apparently been settled that Windy Canyon is their destination. It feels like since we already knew the plot sequence, Rich didn't feel the need to show the villains coming to the foregone conclusion, but it's slightly mysterious. Back in strip 300 when they were picking between the last three gates, Girard's was ruled out because it was across the ocean and getting 88 legions of hobgoblins across the ocean was a logistical nightmare. Kraagor's, on the other hand, would've required fighting their way through 8 human nations. Again, a bit of a logistical nightmare and a timesink, which is why they went for Azure City. Now that they're traveling light, they don't have to worry about the hobgoblin army anymore, but presumably, they figured it'd be easier for the three of them to just travel to the Western Continent and overcome Girard's illusions than to travel through a bunch of human-controlled territory and then have to clear out a labyrinth full of nasty monsters on top of that.
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Mar 23, 2013 00:51
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This DDOS thing has been going on for, what, three days now? Who are these assclowns and what exactly did Rich do to piss them off enough to DDOS him, anyway?
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Apr 24, 2013 19:41
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I'm personally wondering if they're all even seeing the same thing. The scene Roy saw involved Belkar dying, but in the last panel we see he's under the effects of the illusion along with the rest. And despite having a terrible Will save, you'd think seeing yourself die would provide a massive bonus to the save to break the illusion.
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May 5, 2013 17:30
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jng2058 posted:If everyone is having the same dream, it could be an illusion. But then it means that Belkar and Mr. Scruffy are dreaming about being dead. However if it is, as we have suspected, an individual dream for each victim, then it is classified as a phantasm, which Undead are explicitly immune to. I'm gonna bank on it being a non-illusion, mind-affecting spell. Rich usually portrays illusions as semi-transparent images; mind-control effects he tends to display as the affected character getting the swirly-eyes like everyone has in the final panel.
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May 5, 2013 19:34
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I've been sitting here thinking about the Belkar's impending doom and wondering if there isn't a loophole that would allow him to get brought back without violating the letter of the prophecy that doesn't involve him becoming undead. If he were killed and then brought back with a Reincarnate spell, would he technically still be Belkar?
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May 17, 2013 21:19
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Roland Jones posted:Since it's the only word Haley said in that strip, it's not really one that can be figured out (unless the print comics translated those, I don't remember because I don't have the physical copies). The translation note for that particular cryptogram in the printed collection is: No Cure for the Paladin Blues posted:Strip #250: (The translation of this four letter word is left to the imagination of the reader.)
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May 29, 2013 01:52
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Roland Jones posted:Ah, huh. Well then, I appear to be wrong. That is disappointing. Well, seeing as how it's been left to the imagination of the reader, and I happen to be the reader who read the translation note, I choose to interpret it as Haley calling Miko a jerk. This is now canon. 
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May 29, 2013 02:17
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