The Order of the Stick

Clearly V just swiped Z's spellbook. Or should have.

Are there magic items that give you permanent flight? Would have been handy for Roy to buy one, if there are any that aren't very rare or expensive.

Very few, and none to my knowledge that will make Roy able to zip around like a stabby Superman.

There's the Boots of Levitation, which would be the best bet in that regard. On command, the boots allow the wearer to levitate, which is the really shitty version of flight. You can move 20 feet per round but only straight up or down.

Trying to make attacks while levitating destabilizes you. You get a -1 to your first attack roll, a -2 to your second, etc. until you max out at -5.

For the sake of not being murdered by gravity, a better option would probably be a Ring of Feather Falling. If you fall 5 feet, the ring auto-activates and casts Feather Fall on you, lightening your descent until you reach the ground.

The third and easiest option is for Roy to not put himself into situations where falling to his death is a likely consequence.

edited 23rd Aug '17 2:24:48 PM by TobiasDrake

Hm, a thought occurred to me: How would Nale's multiclass setup work in 5e? I forget the specifics offhand but I know he's got himself set up with needless complexity (since that's his thing)

Ooh, you got my brain tickled. Okay, so in order to recreate Nale according to the GITP Class and Level Geekery Thread's analysis of him, the important notches to tick are:

• Human
• Fighter/Rogue/Sorcerer
• Has Evasion
• Has Improved Disarm
• Able to cast Dimension Door
• Able to use longswords and wear chain shirts
• Skill ranks in Bluff
• Level 15 total

So in terms of 5e, this means:

• Human
• Fighter/Rogue/Sorcerer
• 7th+ level Rogue
• Either 3rd+ level Battlemaster Fighter, or the Martial Adept feat
• 7th+ level Sorcerer
• Longword/martial weapon proficiency, medium armor proficiency
• Proficient in Deception
• Level 15 total

My result:

• Race: Human (Variant): +1 to two ability scores of choice (Dex/Cha), proficiency in one skill of choice (Deception), and one feat of choice (Martial Adept).
  • Martial Adept: Learn two combat maneuvers from the Battlemaster Fighter's list. Usable 1/rest. List includes Disarming Attack.
• Classes:
  • Rogue 7 (Starting Class)
    • Equipment Proficiencies: Light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, and thieves' tools.
    • Skill Proficiencies: 4 of choice from Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth.
    • Expertise: Double proficiency bonus in two skills of choice. Choose 2 more at 6th level.
    • Sneak Attack: +4d6 damage when you have advantage on the attack or an ally within 5 feet of the target, 1/turn.
    • Thieves' Cant: Coded language known only to rogues.
    • Cunning Action: Take Dash, Disengage, or Hide actions as bonus actions.
    • Roguish Archetype: Mastermind (Sword Coast Adventure's Guide)
    • Master of Intrigue: Bonus proficiencies with disguise kits, forgery kits, a gaming set of choice, two languages of choice, and gain ability to flawlessly mimic speech patterns and accents after observation.
    • Master of Tactics: Use Help action as bonus action from up to 30 feet away.
    • Uncanny Dodge: Use reaction to halve attack damage against you.
    • Evasion: Half damage on failed saving throw, none on success.
  • Fighter 1 (Multiclass)
    • Multiclass Equipment Proficiencies: Light and Medium Armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons.
    • Fighting Style: Dueling: +2 damage with one-handed weapons when not wielding another weapon.
    • Second Wind: Bonus action to recover 1d10+Fighter level HP, 1/rest.
  • Sorcerer 7 (Multiclass)
    • Cantrips Known: 5
    • Spells Known: 8
    • Spell Slots: 4 1st, 3 2nd, 3 3rd, 1 4th.
    • Sorcerous Origin: Favored Soul (Unearthed Arcana)
    • Divine Magic: Add cleric spells to sorcerer spell list.
    • Supernatural Resilience: +1 HP/sorcerer level.
    • Favored by the Gods: Add 2d4 to failed attack or saving throw, 1/rest.
    • Font of Magic: Gain Sorcerery Points as a resource spent for recovering expended spell slots or fueling metamagic.
    • Metamagic: Choose 2 from Careful Spell, Distant Spell, Empowered Spell, Extended Spell, Heightened Spell, Quickened Spell, Subtle Spell, Twinned Spell.
    • Blessed Countenance: Double proficiency bonus for Charisma skills.

This is actually a fairly respectable build, although Nale would be better off wielding a rapier than a longsword, as they have the same damage die, but the rapier is a finesse weapon and can be used with Dex instead of Str for the attack and damage rolls (the longsword's advantage, that it can be used with two hands for a higher damage die, is less optimal with the Dueling fighting style and presumed focus on Dex over Str).

The Mastermind archetype allows him to approximate a bard's Bardic Inspiration feature (bonus action to grant an ally an extra die to add to 1 attack roll, skill check, or saving throw within 10 minutes, Cha mod/rest) through the Master of Tactics feature (bonus action to grant an ally advantage [roll twice, take the higher result] through the Help action, unlimited). Sneak attack damage also makes up for the lack of an extra attack, which he would have to put 4 more levels into Fighter to achieve.

The Favored Soul origin, while not terribly thematically linked to him (none of the options are, frankly), could be easily enough refluffed to reflect his unwitting connection to the IFCC, and allows him access to the healing and recovery spells a bard would normally be expected to be capable of providing.

In the end, we have a character with some solid skill versatility, particularly strong charisma skills, decent offensive output, and strong support options for their party members. All in all, actually quite playable.

Well, there's a new entry under Hilarious in Hindsight on the YMMV page.

Anyone else notice that teardrop-looking blob to the right of the second panel? Art error?

So something similar to this:

https://orcpub2.com/pages/dnd/5e/characters/17592203074643

Yeah, pretty much.

I may be misunderstanding the trope, but most of the instances listed for that trope seems to be more like foreshadowings to me.

Yeah, only the last example is correct IMO.

I'm definitely using that Nale build sometime

Hadn't seen the Mastermind archetype before, that's so perfectly Nale (or what he thinks of himself) and I like how the impersonation focus fits with his extended impression of, er, his own identical twin. Was a bit skeptical of Favoured Soul but I like the idea of fluffing it as the IFCC granting him power without his knowledge. (Do we know how he originally met Sabine? Maybe he made a pseudo-Warlock pact for magical power with her as an intermediary and didn't ask enough questions.)

And that character sheet creator is brilliant, how have I never seen this??

I don't know how recent orcpub is, but I think it's relatively new because I think that it's still sort of in beta. Still phenomenally idea, though.

There's also a print option that puts everything on printable PD Fs, up to and including creating spell cards (though info on spells being players handbook and elemental evil may be lacking)

edited 24th Aug '17 5:39:09 AM by sgamer82

Someone should go and remove the bad examples, then. I'll do it if no one else feels like it.

"Your words are sweet, but your breath is pungent."

I love that Elan's garlic-eating really did turn out to be helpful, and he didn't even gloat about it.

NPCs and PCs talking things out and being generally reasonable. What's next, the Snarl eating everyone?

Yes.

Reasons to snarf inordinate amounts of garlic bread...

It's garlic bread. Who needs a reason to snarf inordinate amounts of it?

Garlic bread makes you fat.

edited 26th Aug '17 8:06:20 AM by Discar

Bread makes you fat?

Some people seem to think garlic breath makes people not want to kiss you. My response to that is that it only makes people who don't like garlic not want to kiss you, so really you're just saving yourself a lot of time.

Postscript: onion breath, on the other hand, is revolting... for some reason.

edited 26th Aug '17 11:45:27 AM by johnnye

The way certain chemicals in garlic break down makes the smell unappealing even to many who do like garlic.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

A garlic a day keeps everyone away.

And then there's people like Wario who don't care either way.

Would the strip title "Clever-Blasting God-Stoppers" qualify as an example of a Feghoot?

EDIT: On second thoughts, while it's in the shape of the punchline to a feghoot, I think the trope itself is more to do with the overly-elaborate setup to the joke.

edited 26th Aug '17 1:59:24 PM by johnnye