Things You Never Noticed V: Your Familiar

[KillingAScarab]

I just noticed the elf and human in panel two of #706 are translucent and Than has a grappling hook in panel four.

[Laurana]

I can't believe I never saw that before, because it's one of the most renowned strips ever, but I just noticed that in 763, on the second to last panel there's the Empress on her throne.

[KillingAScarab]

I can't believe I never saw that before, because it's one of the most renowned strips ever, but I just noticed that in 763, on the second to last panel there's the Empress on her throne.

Yes, she is there. The questions you must now ask yourself are...
Did she hear Tarquin spell out exactly how she's a puppet?
Did she understand Tarquin spelling out exactly how she's a puppet?
Did she care that she's a puppet?

[ti'esar]

Yes, she is there. The questions you must now ask yourself are...
Did she hear Tarquin spell out exactly how she's a puppet?
Did she understand Tarquin spelling out exactly how she's a puppet?
Did she care that she's a puppet?

I think it's pretty clear that she either knows and doesn't care, or she's too stupid to understand.

[Yendor]

When Nale disguises himself as Elan, he puts Elan's sash on backwards, but he also puts his own sash on Elan backwards.

[ChillerInstinct]

It's weird, but as much as I love #301 for how insane it is as a one-off parody, I only now made the connection that the Soy Latte ranger is the same one that shows up in the gag panel of #350.

I mean, how did I not realize that the only two bow-wielding takeaway mugs in the comic were one and the same?

[ArkenBrony]

in 429 in the 9th panel. xykon energy drains Haley! I never noticed that... I assume darken then restorations her off panel.

[KillingAScarab]

in 429 in the 9th panel. xykon energy drains Haley! I never noticed that... I assume darken then restorations her off panel.

Could just be a generic spell doing damage to Haley, but yeah, it's probably in retaliation for the three arrows she was able to shoot at the zombie dragon. Also, betraying-archer-dude might not be able to take a shot from Xykon and live.

[asphias]

in 326, Belkar says "look at me - i'm Robespierre".

I just so happened to be reading up on the French revolution lately. the name never rang a bell before

[Vinyadan]

This maybe has more to do with headcanon, but in 903 Sabine tells V that she has seen "more righteous mortals" than V taken down by the three fiends.

Now, V is the kind of person who really feels entitled. And the difference between entitled and righteous is a thin one, if that's your defining characteristic. You probably feel entitled because you think you are righteous.

Now, V hearing in a offhand comment that there are more righteous people around, and being told this by a fiend, who is at the same time a revolting being of malevolence opposed to righteousness and, because of this, a true expert on what righteous means? That's quite the slap in the face. Something you'll think about before smoking the next bound guy. Especially since V officially despises alliance with the denizens of the lower planes.

[Keltest]

This maybe has more to do with headcanon, but in 903 Sabine tells V that she has seen "more righteous mortals" than V taken down by the three fiends.

Now, V is the kind of person who really feels entitled. And the difference between entitled and righteous is a thin one, if that's your defining characteristic. You probably feel entitled because you think you are righteous.

Now, V hearing in a offhand comment that there are more righteous people around, and being told this by a fiend, who is at the same time a revolting being of malevolence opposed to righteousness and, because of this, a true expert on what righteous means? That's quite the slap in the face. Something you'll think about before smoking the next bound guy. Especially since V officially despises alliance with the denizens of the lower planes.

V has never struck me as particularly entitled, nor especially unaware of his neutral alignment.

[Ruck]

V has never struck me as particularly entitled, nor especially unaware of his neutral alignment.

Yeah, at first glance I agree. I need supporting evidence for this.

[ti'esar]

I see where he's coming from - V is arrogant and dismissive of others (though somewhat less so as the story goes on) - but I'm not sure I'd consider that synonymous with entitled.

[lazydemon]

In Start of Darkness, only Xykon seems outwardly affected by the anti-magic virus. Was he keeping his baldness and skin condition in check magically, and these spells were shut down by the virus?

[Keltest]

In Start of Darkness, only Xykon seems outwardly affected by the anti-magic virus. Was he keeping his baldness and skin condition in check magically, and these spells were shut down by the virus?

Wasn't he also locked in a cave eating nothing but fungi?

[hroþila]

Wasn't he also locked in a cave eating nothing but fungi?

The effect lazydemon is talking about applied almost immediately and before being locked up, though.

I always thought that yes, Xykon was keeping the worst effects of old age at bay with magic.

[SirKazum]

I rather thought the skin problems and hair loss were side effects of the disease. You know, some symptoms to let us readers know he's sick, aside from the simple loss of spellcasting.

[KillingAScarab]

I rather thought the skin problems and hair loss were side effects of the disease. You know, some symptoms to let us readers know he's sick, aside from the simple loss of spellcasting.

That is my interpretation, as well, as one of the physical ailments is a rash.

[snowblizz]

A wizard is an intellectual caster, I guess a divine caster similarly, so only the brain is affected. A sorceror has "magic in their blood" sort of. I'd think they'd be harder hit by the curse. That's how I always viewed it.

[Kish]

Spoiler: Start of Darkness

Show

In Start of Darkness, only Xykon seems outwardly affected by the anti-magic virus. Was he keeping his baldness and skin condition in check magically, and these spells were shut down by the virus?

Who else would have been affected by it? Redcloak was immune. Redcloak's brother wasn't a spellcaster (though I do wonder if the Guardian Virus left him effectively unable to multiclass as a spellcaster for the rest of his life, had he ever desired to do so). A handful of nameless goblins survived to be locked up with those three. It would be a mistake to put too much weight (as in any) on the lack of visible symptoms in a random goblin priest who might or might not have even existed.

[snowblizz]

Spoiler: Start of Darkness

Show

Who else would have been affected by it? Redcloak was immune. Redcloak's brother wasn't a spellcaster (though I do wonder if the Guardian Virus left him effectively unable to multiclass as a spellcaster for the rest of his life, had he ever desired to do so). A handful of nameless goblins survived to be locked up with those three. It would be a mistake to put too much weight (as in any) on the lack of visible symptoms in a random goblin priest who might or might not have even existed.

Spoiler

Show

There are 3 goblin clerics shown on panel having their spells fizzle.

[Kish]

Okay then. Guess I didn't remember that scene well.

[Peelee]

In fact, on the same page, Lirian describes the effects of the virus:

Spoiler: Start of Darkness

Show

The end result? Permanent loss of all spellcasting powers. Turning you from an evil engine of pure destruction into a feeble bald old man with a bad skin rash

Also, the rash starts appearing almost as soon as he loses his Fly spell. Seems as if his skin and hair problems are the result of him no longer being able to magically sustain his appearance.

[Gift Jeraff]

The discussion of Redcloak's holy symbol made me realize he also had the old symbol design in the calendar.

[Ruck]

We get the followup on Nale's comment regarding the Dungeon of Dorukan that "there were budget issues towards the end of dungeon construction. Water got cut out entirely" in the Order of the Scribble history.

[Aldarin]

Seeing as the Linear Guild members are the same classes as their OOTS counterparts, Nale's class (fighter/rogue/sorcerer) could be a nod to how in earlier editions (and to some extent, in current editions) Bards really were just fighter/rogue/sorcerer hybrids.

[snowblizz]

Seeing as the Linear Guild members are the same classes as their OOTS counterparts, Nale's class (fighter/rogue/sorcerer) could be a nod to how in earlier editions (and to some extent, in current editions) Bards really were just fighter/rogue/sorcerer hybrids.

I'd say it very specifically is so. Notice Nales says his daddy taught him bards were a bad class (or that's how he perceived it, Tarquin just seems disappointed with how bards are using their powers), yet he ends up being one in a roundabout way.

[Laurana]

I'm not well versed in the game. Could you please tell me in what way bards are similar to rogues? Fighter/Sorcerer I can see.

[Gryffon]

I'm not well versed in the game. Could you please tell me in what way bards are similar to rogues? Fighter/Sorcerer I can see.

Mechanically, they also had breadth of skills. I don't remember for certain, but likely access to rogue abilities like picking locks and hiding well.

[SirKazum]

I'm not well versed in the game. Could you please tell me in what way bards are similar to rogues? Fighter/Sorcerer I can see.

In 1st edition D&D, "bard" wasn't a regular character class like the others. It was a bit similar to 3E prestige classes, except that the concept didn't exist as such back then. In order to become a bard, you had to do a significant amount of dual-classing (similar to 3E multiclassing, except there were tight restrictions and you couldn't switch back) - IIRC you started out as a fighter, switched out to rogue at a certain level, and then you switched to druid (not sorcerer, which didn't exist back then) at a certain level. When you did so, instead of a regular druid, you became a bard, and had access to the special abilities of bards. So I guess Nale's multiclassing could be seen as a nod to that, only using sorcerer rather than druid, as in 3E, bard spellcasting works the same way as sorcerer spellcasting (although with a different spell list).

And bards have the skill use and general "sneakiness" of rogues (this was more apparent in earlier editions, where there was a wholly separate set of rules for rogue-type skills), which is why rogues are widely regarded as an integral part of the mix that makes up the bard class. In fact, my own opinion is that the bard is much closer to a rogue/sorcerer than a fighter/sorcerer, as its fighting ability is rather middling...