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This is the thread for discussion of The Order of the Stick plot, characters, etc. We have a separate thread for discussing game rules and mechanics. Excessive rules discussions here may be thumped as off-topic.

OP edited to make this header - Fighteer

edited 18th Sep '17 1:08:08 PM by Fighteer

Crinias from The Bleak Academy Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Mu
#21551: Jul 21st 2013 at 6:21:34 PM

Alternate Form (Su) A young or older bronze dragon can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day. The dragon can remain in its animal or humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.
Alternate Form (Su) A gold dragon can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day. The dragon can remain in its animal or humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.
Alternate Form (Su) A silver dragon can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day. The dragon can remain in its animal or humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.
IIRC an Eberron supplement added in an alternate racial ability that dragons of different colors than bronze, gold and silver to gain alternate forms. Dragons can also cast spells as sorcerers as they grow up, so it's entirely possible for them to cast Polymorph to gain a human form.

Edit: On the whole, though, it's not exactly an important issue. Magic can solve almost anything. Half-Human Hybrids are a dime a dozen in D&D. It's more complicated to explain away half-elementals, half-vampires or half-illithids.

edited 21st Jul '13 6:26:55 PM by Crinias

God_of_Awesome Since: Jan, 2001
#21552: Jul 21st 2013 at 7:00:35 PM

IIRC, illithids reproduce by implanting a larvae into a humanoid host that slowly transforms the host. A half-illithid results from said humanoid only transforming half-way.

Arha Since: Jan, 2010
#21553: Jul 21st 2013 at 7:11:14 PM

Aren't half vampires the result of making some kind of check successfully and being able to mostly control your bloodlust?

Crinias from The Bleak Academy Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Mu
#21554: Jul 21st 2013 at 8:31:18 PM

[up][up] Kinda? The way illithids work it raises many questions. They're less powerful, so supposedly they're used as slaves, but considering the limited amount of brains they have for their own you'd think they wouldn't bother. Well, at least it raises less questions than having illithid heritage, as described in the Complete Psionics book.

[up]Nah. Libris Mortis:

In rare circumstances, a vampire that has recently consumed a significant quantity of blood gains the ability to breed successfully with living humanoids or monstrous humanoids, creating half-vampire offspring. Also, in the unusual case of a pregnant humanoid or monstrous humanoid who survives a vampire’s blood drain attack, the child may be born “tainted” by the attacker’s vampirism. Regardless of the origin, the children produced by such events are typically branded as outcasts, welcome neither among the living or the undead.

Of course, none of these examples consider the problem of what would happen if many of these templates would stack. What exactly is supposed to be the result of an elemental and a dragon breeding? A half-elemental dragon? Half-dragon elemental? Half dragon half elemental dragon? Half dragon half elemental elemental?

Some theoretical discussions of this tend to end up with some truly ridiculous creatures, with biology left to cry in the corner.

Wryte Since: Jul, 2010
#21555: Jul 21st 2013 at 8:58:19 PM

^ Sheesh, and I thought Warcraft's half-human-quarter-orc-quarter-draenei shamageadin was ridiculous.

odafangirl Indeed. Since: Oct, 2010
Indeed.
#21556: Jul 22nd 2013 at 4:07:59 AM

Update? I think?

Despite my screen-name, ranting to you about One Piece is not my top priority.
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#21557: Jul 22nd 2013 at 4:15:15 AM

Damn. All my precious hopes and dreams... shattered. sad It's alive. tongue

Geostomp In the name of the POWER, I will punish you! from Arkansas, USA Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
In the name of the POWER, I will punish you!
#21558: Jul 22nd 2013 at 4:41:24 AM

On the plus side, V now has a significant amount of intel to bring the Order. Not enough to explain the full plan or prevent falling under the control of the last two fiends, but it's better than nothing. Given that the major players on the evil sides are starting to take more notice of them and the final battle is drawing near.

Assuming s/he can own up to how that info was obtained.

edited 22nd Jul '13 4:42:23 AM by Geostomp

"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all" Futurama, Godfellas
Geoduck Bivalve from Pacific NW (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
Bivalve
#21559: Jul 22nd 2013 at 5:01:58 AM

[up]And assuming s/he remembers all this.

The Mansion of E
Yuanchosaan antic disposition from Australia Since: Jan, 2010
antic disposition
#21560: Jul 22nd 2013 at 5:43:32 AM

Heh, Sabine seems to be maintaining her surprisingly friendly attitude towards V.

"Doctor Who means never having to say you're kidding." - Bocaj
Maridee from surfside Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#21561: Jul 22nd 2013 at 6:57:02 AM

...V would love hanging out with Hannibal.

ophelia, you're breaking my heart
MusikMaestro from Ireland Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Heisenberg unreliable
#21562: Jul 22nd 2013 at 7:18:43 AM

What does Zolbie Durkon mean by "second pyramid"?

KSonik Since: Jan, 2015
#21563: Jul 22nd 2013 at 7:20:59 AM

[up]Reference to the double bluff.

Guys, where do you think Tarquin is now?

edited 22nd Jul '13 7:21:35 AM by KSonik

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#21564: Jul 22nd 2013 at 7:34:27 AM

[up]Probably fled on his pterodactyl.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#21565: Jul 22nd 2013 at 7:52:40 AM

Tarquin wasn't anywhere near here. wild mass guessUnless it turns out that he, of all people, got caught in the blast and killed. That might well be the "ironic and anticlimactic death" that he dreads. I highly doubt it, though.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
vifetoile Since: Jan, 2001
#21566: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:17:53 AM

I find it hilarious how calm Malack is about the loss of the Gate. He doesn't even look annoyed. I suppose setting the Doomsday Clock to Daylight Savings is totally worth it to see Nale rage at the plot.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#21568: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:31:25 AM

Some of those are a bit of a surprise. I would have expected Bozzok and Hank to be Lawful.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#21569: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:31:27 AM

[up][up]Why should he care? He has no personal stake in the gate. he just came along because Tarquin made him.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#21571: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:39:21 AM

Some of those are a bit of a surprise. I would have expected Bozzok and Hank to be Lawful.

That was my first thought too, albeit more for Hank than Bozzok, but it does kind of make sense, since we're talking about a Thieves Guild that makes up arcane rules about who they're allowed to rob and how many times people who pay them protection money can be robbed in a year, only to sometimes break those rules anyway when it suits their needs.

Kind of like a villain I remember from a book I never finished years ago who said something along the lines of "The good thing about having a reputation for always keeping your word and respecting an agreement is that when you absolutely need to... you can break your word or agreement and no one who didn't see it firsthand will believe that you would do so."

edited 22nd Jul '13 9:40:20 AM by TheWanderer

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#21572: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:47:33 AM

It's rather difficult to imagine any member of a thieves' guild being particularly Lawful.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#21573: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:48:27 AM

It's actually kinda heartwarming to see how much Sabine seems to care about Nale — it would be all too easy to assume that, as a succubus, she's just using him.

My Games and Asset Packs
MusikMaestro from Ireland Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Heisenberg unreliable
#21574: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:50:25 AM

Especially since her using him would be an even greater parallel between Élan and Haley.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#21575: Jul 22nd 2013 at 9:52:35 AM

[up][up][up] I can imagine it pretty well, personally. My understanding of Lawful is that you don't necessarily have to be faithful to the Law of This Nation to be Lawful; you just have to have a code or set of rules that you very firmly abide by. Sort of like how Clerics can exist even if they have no god.

A Thieves' Guild, by definition, is an organization of thieves who abide by strict rules and regulations for when and how they can operate. It's only natural that the chief of such a regulated organization would be Lawful Neutral or Lawful Evil; probably not Lawful Good except in the case of a Robin Hood type that places emphasis on organized structure rather than the band of bandits that Robin Hood himself operated on.

Also: I'm thrilled to see that Right-Eye is True Neutral. This, if anything, should confirm that goblins are not actually considered to be Always Chaotic Evil by the writer, only by the people in the setting.

edited 22nd Jul '13 9:54:25 AM by TobiasDrake

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