MitD X: If I told you, you wouldn't believe me

[Grey_Wolf_c]

WARNING: This Thread WILL contain spoilers.
Smallprint: If you are unwilling to hear what MitD might be, or segments from the published books (specially SoD) then this is not a thread for you.
Everyone else: don't bother spoilering or hiding that stuff in this thread. It is what we are here for

ATTENTION: Newcomers, please read:

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This thread has, over the last 500 pages, accumulated a lot of knowledge about MitD. However, you don't need to read the whole thread (and the previous nine) to get up to speed. So long as you are reasonably familiar with these first five posts, you can jump right in, with no need to read more than the last few pages. On the other hand, please don't be surprised if your insight has been proposed before.

• For relevant MitD canon and in-depth analysis of central MitD scenes, check section 1
• For specific characteristics of MitD, check section 2
• To see all suggestions so far (and particularly, if your idea has been mentioned before), check section 3
• Thread rules and FAQ, check section 4

If you want to propose a new creature, consider using the following question template:

1) How did [insert suggestion here] punch Miko and her horse through a wall?
2) Why didn't Miko or Belkar's weapons hurt [insert suggestion here]?
3) Why wouldn't a wizard recognize [insert suggestion here]?
4) Why would humans become nauseous at seeing [insert suggestion here]?
5) How did [insert suggestion here] teleport V and O-Chul to the beach with Hinjo?

Section 1: General Information

Section 1a: Directly from Rich

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Rich's Words on MitD

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I've been imagining the scene for MITD's eventual reveal for like nine years now

So, just so everyone is clear: I know exactly what the Monster in the Darkness is. I have (almost) always known. Its first two or three appearances were before I had worked out much of the plot's details, so at that point, I just figured it was a mystery I would never answer. Once I started developing the real story that I was telling, around strip #100, I figured out what the monster really was and have been dropping hints ever since. (Note that nothing from before strip #100 actually contradicts the truth of what it is, either.) [...]I now know exactly when and why the monster will reveal itself, too ... don't expect it any time soon, though. Sorry. There's a lot of story left, and that little tidbit will need to wait to close to the end.
I will say this much: It is possible to guess.
That is, it isn't something I just made up for the story. It wouldn't be any fun for the answer to a mystery to be something I invented just for one purpose, would it? I won't finally throw back the darkness and have someone say, "Look! It was a therblewurkersaurus the entire time!" or some other made-up monster.
I realize that the line between something I made up and something someone else made up is a pretty fine one, but I trust that someone will figure it out eventually.

[O-Chul] breaks himself out of the cage, he drives off Redcloak with a lucky shot, and most importantly, he has won the trust of the monster in the darkness over the course of months. So much so that the monster digs deep and discovers powers that he didn't even know he had in order to save him.

A lot of people have asked me whether there is any actual answer to the mystery of the Monster in the Darkness that could possibly satisfy after so many years of wondering and guessing and weighing characteristics against existing monsters and otherwise just generally thinking about it.
The answer to that question is yes. Yes, there is.

I was able explore the idea that the monster itself isn’t really aware of all of its capabilities. In #374, it tries to tap Miko lightly, but fails.

Notes:

• Strip 100 came out Sep 2, 2004, so no creature first published after that time can be considered.
• "It is possible to guess." Any number of people have jumped to the conclusion that it means that MitD must be a famous or iconic creature. The phrase warrants no such conclusion. Instead, all it says is that MitD exists listed somewhere outside OotS - nothing more and nothing less. As such, the iconic status of an idea, or lack thereof, is of no weight whatsoever when considering its fitness as MitD's species.
• "someone will figure it out": related to the above, it specifies that what Rich means by "guess" is not "throwing darts while blindfolded" type of guess, but a rational, follow the clues to a conclusion process. "A potted plant that was eaten and spat out by the Snarl, giving it eyes, a horrible appearance, great strength and the ability to teleport, and look, it can be guessed- I just did!" might fit the first meaning, but not the second.

Rich's Words on Fidelity to D&D Rules

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I barely even reference the 3.5 rules anymore, using them just to determine what sort of spells or class abilities a character might have and then ignoring them the rest of the time.

Notes:

• Rich has made mistakes with the powers a character can have (Tsukiko's extra school), but has admitted they are mistakes. The fact he admits it is one, in addition to this quote, indicates that Rich does not routinely give characters powers they wouldn't normally have. In addition, MitD's guessing game would require him to be more careful, not less, about what abilities and powers it displays, such as immunity to mind control.

Published Canon

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Stereotyped Big Game Hunters, when they capture MitD:

Monocle: "My gods, is it talking? In Common, no less!"
Jenkins: "Unbelievable!"
Monocle: "Well, that will surely fetch a fine price."
Jenkins: "Indeed!"
Monocle: "I tell you, Jenkins, I never expected to see one of these in this part of the world."
Jenkins: "Quite!"
Monocle: "One-in-a-lifetime catch, Jenkins[...]"

Circus, when the public looks upon MitD:

Human male: "Oh my gods..."
Human Male: "It's horrible!"
Human Female: "And yet... beautiful!"
Human Female Child: "Mommy, I feel funny looking at it"
Human Male: "Blerrch!" (throwing up)
Human Male in wizard's clothing: "I've never seen anything like it!"
Goblin Female Child: "Wooooooo!"
Goblin Male Child: "YEAH!"
Rest of the public:
3 Human Males, 2 Human Females and 1 Halfling Male look:
1 Human Male has "queasy" mouth, as if about to throw up
1 Human Male has closed his eyes and is attempting to cover them with his hands
2 Goblin Males (RightEye and his oldest son) are unimpressed

RedCloak, admitting he knows what MitD is:

I know what you are. You could kill them all if you wanted.

Xykon's first look at MitD:

"My you're one ugly sonofabitch, aren't you?"

Xykon's wording of the mind-controlling spell on MitD:

"And if Redcloak ever betrays me, you will devour him whole and spit out that gold amulet he wears."

Nature of the darkness around MitD:

Xykon: Did you see him yet?
RedCloak: He's permanently shrouded in magical darkness. How exactly was I supposed to "see him yet"?

Section 1b: The Circus Scene

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The circus scene is, as befits the most MitD-centric moment in the comic, full of clues:

• The public's reactions: note they are not fear, but disgust. Vomiting, queasy faces and exclamations of ugliness do not match reactions of people scared (that would be brown pants, yellow pools under the stands, and attempts to run away).
• MitD's Actions: none. it is quite explicitly told he is doing nothing. Activated abilities thus are unlikely to explain this scene
• Recognition: The show depends on MitD not being recognisable (billed as such), and this aspect reinforced with the guy in robes saying he's never seen anything like MitD before.

Section 1c: The Escape

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• Link to the scene
• It can't be dimension door or blink because those spells have pityable ranges.
• Teleport and Greater Teleport in the standard rules require the caster to go along with the other subjects of the spell. We have seen teleport work this way in OOTS here and here, and also here we get to see two teleports work this way. In fact there, there are two casters, presumably one divine (raise dead) and one arcane (teleport). Then Soul Spliced V casts (presumably) Teleport and travels along too (though we don't actually see the spell cast, just the resultant "pop"). Finally when we see Epic Teleport, even then the caster (and his spliced spirits) go along for the ride. So although it doesn't absolutely prove that Rich insists the caster always goes along when they Teleport, it really seems to suggest that is the way it works in OOTS, which is the standard D&D rules. Teleport also requires the caster to know the destination, although when that is not the case, a lucky (i.e. plot-induced) roll in the missed teleportation table could have delivered V & O'Chul to the right place anyway.
  
  • It has been suggested that a dimensional anchor/lock cast on MitD's box would prevent him from teleporting, but not from casting it. There is no evidence that such spell has been cast on the box, since the visual effect is a green aura and coloring that is not present on either, but MitD himself may have been hit by the stray (Quickened) Dimensional Anchor cast by V during the preceding battle.
  • Alternatively, the Forbiddance spell provides a similar effect to that of dimension lock without the visual component, but would require it to be awkwardly placed to only cover MitD's box, since it doesn't hurt V - this would be a very strange use of a spell designed to cover a whole area from teleport. The chance of MitD remembering the password are slight, too, which would mean he'd be damaged every time he entered the box.
  • Standard teleporting rules do require the caster to touch any other travelers, but the rule is not observed in OotS (see any of the prior examples)
• Standard 3.5 edition D&D rules say Plane Shift can be cast so that the caster does not travel along for the ride. However it also says you MUST go to another plane, not another place on the same plane and that "precise accuracy as to a particular arrival point on the intended plane is nigh impossible". Also that "creatures must find their own way back". O-Chul and V make no mention of "getting back" and have no apparent means to plane shift. Note that in most occasions plane shift has been depicted with a kind of "window" opening, but not always.
  • It has been suggested that MitD could have plane-shifted them to a good plane (e.g. Souther Gods' domain), and then where teleported back by an agent of good.
• Wish and the psionic ability "reality revision" are stated as being able to "Transport Travelers. A wish can lift one creature per caster level from anywhere on any plane and place those creatures anywhere else on any plane regardless of local conditions".
• Miracle can "Move you and your allies along with your and thier gear from one plane to another through planar barriers to a specific locale with no chance of error".
• Limited Wish doesn't say anything about travelling or transportation explicitly.
• The Epic Spell "Dreamscape" could be interpreted as providing the "Escape" capabilitiy, (see Dream Larva)
• Psionics has equivalent teleportation abilities to all of the above. DaggerPen compiled a fairly complete list here.
• Creatures who have the ability might have captured Ganonron after he was expelled from V, and forced him to cast the teleport (other than being theoretically possible, no monster has been found capable of doing so other than the Parshendi that came out in 2014, and there is no evidence that this scenario took place)
• Selecting the Destination: Wish and Miracle have no issues with the destination of the escape. Teleport and Greater Teleport, on the other hand, do not easily explain how MitD was able to send them to a place he does not know about (teleport can only target places, not individuals). Possibilities:
  
  • MitD also used some form of Trace Teleport to send them to where V came from
  • MitD "rolled" on the Mishap table due to False destination, and got 'Similar Area', which placed them in the right place

Section 1d: The Tower Scene

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Link to the scene
It is likely that Rich bent the rules of D&D to show the point about MitD being both amazingly strong and a credible threat to the OotS. Nevertheless, Nerdanel has done an analysis of the feats and strength necessary for the scene to work in accordance to the rules. Find the relevant posts here, here and here.

Section 1e: MitD's Alignment

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The best that can be said about MitD's species' alignment is that it is unlikely to be Good, since RedCloak would not have recruited a Good creature to protect the goblin village given his rather dim views on the Good alignment.

This, however, is a very weak argument, since it can be argued that MitD was not, at the time, Good. Also, consider that MitD's alignment and his species' need not match. As such, knowing MitD's actual alignment brings us no closer to knowing his species' alignment and, thus, for the purposes of this thread, this is a barren path of inquiry.

The only exception to this is alignment when applied to morality plane denizens (i.e. angels, demons, etc.). Rich commented on this topic in DStP:

It's important to note that this doesn't necessarily make Celia right in her views. Heck, they're not even all that consistent, considering she has been known to fly off the handle and zap people from time to time. Because, see, Celia isn't a deva or an angel; she's not an embodiment of Law or Good. She can mistakes and screw up, and she can fail to live up to her own ideals, as she does later when she finds herself cheering while Haley shoots people. She wants to be a pacifist, but she can get caught up in the excitement of battle the same as anyone else.

The entire point of their organization is to blur the lines between the the three fiendish races (demon, daemon, devil) and depict cooperation where normally one would expect backbiting and betrayal. So here, we have a slightly less neutral daemon, a slightly more chaotic devil, and a slightly more lawful demon (one who went to college with devils, even).

From the above, we know that angels and demons (unlike other outsiders) are embodiments of their own morality planes. Yes, they can change their alignment, but only slightly, and when doing so it serves the purposes of their other alignment. And even then, it is a very rare and line-pushing experiment. The embodiments of the morality planes are as follows:

Lawful Evil: Baatezu/Devils	Lawful Neutral: Formians, Inevitables, Modrons	Lawful Good: Archons
Neutral Evil: Yugoloths/Daemons	True Neutral: Rilmani	Neutral Good: Guardinals
Chaotic Evil: Tanar'ri/Demons	Chaotic Neutral: Slaadi	Chaotic Good: Eladrin

Since MitD has performed both good and evil acts, it is very unlikely he is an embodiment of either Good or Evil.

Section 1f: MitD's Scores

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It has proven almost impossible to nail down what MitD's scores might be. The general agreement is that his strength must be past 30, his INT must be high (to account for his ability to learn quickly), his Wisdom be low (to account with his innocence and bad judgement) and his Charisma high (to account for the "beautiful" comment).

However, it is equally likely that he will be a near-epic creature, and as such his scores are going to be all-around high (by human standards).

Section 1g: (Not) Seeing the Gates

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MitD's inability to "see" the gates is felt by several participants to be a "clue" about MitD (rather than the alternative possibility, Rule of Funny). However, no explanation that ties MitD's species to the gates has been forthcoming, except when contemplating the idea of MitD being part of the Snarl.

Alternatively, it has been proposed that since the demiplane in which the Snarl is trapped is designed to null divine magic, and it is third-handedly established in SoD that the gods have difficulty in detecting the rifts, there might be some connection between MitD and the gods that makes him, too, unaware of the rift. Note, however, that MitD has an issue seeing the definitely-not-Snarl-related gate that Xykon installed to stop his zombies from walking into and being destroyed by the rift, so this connection is quite far-fetched.

Finally, it must be pointed out that MitD doesn't have a problem actually seeing the physical object that is the gate. Instead, his words seem to suggest that he doesn't know it is one. It has been suggested this might be because he thinks the only definition of "gate" is the portal that opens when the spell gate is cast. If he has been told that is a gate (and he probably had seen the spell before, when he previously saw the Astral Plane), he would be confused as to why he can't see one near the massive wooden thing Xykon and RC keep pointing at.

Section 1h: Recognising MitD

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There have been two alternative explanations for the Hunter's + Circus scene and the differing reactions to MitD when looked at.

On one hand, the Hunter's scene can be seen as a lampshade hanging of MitD's ability to talk, i.e. an express admission of Rich that he shouldn't, just to get it over with and ignored thereafter. The hunters see a creature that is rare, powerful, strangely non-threatening and decide to sell it. They mention it talks, and from then on Rich need not keep pointing out this fact. The circus scene builds on this, letting us know MitD is revolting to look at (or smelled, or some other passive characteristic).

On the other hand, MitD could be a shifter. The Hunters may have seen a creature that couldn't talk, because MitD was adopting the shape of one, and was sold under the guise of one such creature. The circus crowd would likewise see either a revolting creature, or one that is shifting uncontrollably, such that the change is both revolting and, for some, beautiful (like a kaleidoscope). RC would recognise MitD for what he is, a creature that both shifts and can talk, explaining why he is not surprised by this last fact. Note that while this works on paper as an explanation, no creature that fits it has ever been proposed.

Section 1i: Suspicion of MitD's involvement in the escape

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Why wasn't MitD suspected for the escape beyond the demon roaches? RC, the resident know-it-all and most likely to connect the dots was not present for the escape - he used Word of Recall and only returned once the action was over. We also do not know how much Xykon knows about MitD. We only have MitD's word that Xykon knows what he is, and even then, given Xykon's attitude towards book knowledge, he probably only knows MitD's species name and the fact that he is strong, and thus powerful (power is all Xykon cares about). If so, Xykon would not know MitD can teleport, and likely thinks him too incompetent (and too asleep) to be responsible. All in all, the scene seems carefully orchestrated so that MitD could save O-Chul and V without giving himself away.

Section 1j: The meaning of Fine Line

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For a wide variety of reasons, a number of participants feel that the "fine line" comment is meant to be a clue about MitD's authorship:

I realize that the line between something I made up and something someone else made up is a pretty fine one

The reasoning goes that the phrase itself is unnecesary, the general understanding of it (i.e. Rich didn't create MitD) is addressed well enough in the context, and thus the retreading of the point actually hints to something not quite so clear cut - usually interpreted that Rich did have a hand in MitD's creation (because he helped craft the manual it is in, for example) or because he created it, but not for OotS.

On a strictly logical way, it is true that the sentence is somewhat redundant in context. However, it is also Rich's way of admitting that, to most of his readers, his assurance that he personally didn't create MitD is a cop-out since when MitD is revealed, he might as well have - the line he intends to draw between fantasy monsters created by him and others is fine indeed.

As a practical matter, even if the above interpretation is correct, and it is a subtle hint that Rich did in fact create MitD is some indirect way, it has never as a theory born fruit. To date no creatures have been brought forth with "partially authored by Rich" as a point in their favour.

Section 1k: MitD's Hand in #555?

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Unfortunately, what we see in Panel 1 in strip 555 is not MitD's hand, but the bucket's handle

Version History

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1 - MitD - What We Know
2 - MitD II: Lighting a candle in the Darkness
3 - MitD III: You are likely to suggest Tarrasque
4 - MitD IV: I Can't Believe it's Not Tarrasque
5 - MitD V: MitD and the Templates of Doom
6 - MitD VI: The Undiscovered Creature
7 - MitD 007: GoldenEyes
8 - MitD VIII: Everything we know about MITD (but were afraid Tarrasque)
9 - Summon MitD IX: Roll in Section 3a
10 - MitD X: If I told you, you wouldn't believe me

10.0 - New Thread created
10.5 - Updated to page 30

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Section 2: MitD

Section 2a: Physical Characteristics

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Age

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MitD's first appearance in SoD happens "29 years ago" (SoD pg. 49). This is measured back from comic 1, so MitD is at least 30 years old.

From his keeper's comments about how long he has been fed stew every day, we know MitD spent more than five years in the circus.

Appearance

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MitD's appearance is both disgusting and beautiful, to judge from the reactions of the circus crowd (see 1a SoD Canon). It is ugly enough to provoke vomiting in the stands, but still cause someone to exclaim "And yet... beautiful".
Oona the Beastmaster compares him to a creature out of a spicy meat-induced nightmare, although she also calls him magnificent.

It has been suggested it could be because in 1st edition, an evil creature with CHA -1 had the same CHAR bonus as a good one with CHA 24

Body

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RedCloak suggests that he could use MitD as material to create undead, which suggests he has a physical body (e.g. not a fire elemental)
MitD's ability to laugh indicates he has lungs

Diet

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MitD is almost constantly hungry, thus probably indicating a species that requires food (but it isn't stated).
Take into account:

• He is not at all picky about his food, having been shown to eat almost anything ("His palate can't be that refined", dibs on a moldy cheeseburguer in sock drawer).
• He has preference for stew (See SoD, and here).
• He feels weird to eat babies (including veal), but not adults.
• He has eaten scrabble tiles, and apparently didn't find them to his taste (but he was expecting donuts)

Gender

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MitD self-identifies as male, forming clubs that don't allow girls. Also, O'Chul calls him "a good man"

Head

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• Eyes: MitD has two yellow eyes, next to each other. They are consistently drawn as larger than those of medium-sized creatures, closer to that of ogres (while still being more or less at medium-sized height, but he might be crouched under the umbrella)
• Face: RC makes reference to stabbing him in the face (War and XPs, page 415a)
• Mouth: MitD presumably has a mouth, since he has a tongue and teeth (that leave toothmarks in a taco in SoD). It must be rather large, since Xykon instructs him to "devour [RedCloak] whole"
• Olfactory organ: smells by sniffing while holding the bag close to below his two eyes (but could be his mouth, rather than a nose)
• Teeth: munches its food. And its voice is deformed while speaking with its mouth full

Limbs

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MitD has got stomping ability while holding an umbrella. No specific limbs are identified (feet/paws/tail?), but the use of the verb stomp requires physical limbs, whatever they are. The limbs are also dextrous enough to hold crayons (War and XPs page 415a) and draw (lack of quality may indicate clumsy apendages, or lack of maturity).

Since he was able to both step on and pull on the rope at the same time, he must have or be able to produce at least two limbs, one of which must be prehensile.

He is capable of holding a bucket of paint and a brush on opposite sides of his face, suggesting he probably has two symmetrical prehensile appendages.

In the Earthquake scene, the stomp suggests he is either bipedal and crouched over, or quadrupedal.

Finally, what is visible in Panel 1 of strip 555 is not a limb, but the bucket's handle.

Maturity

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MitD has consistently acted in very immature fashion, which could be his personality, or it could indicate he is a child of his species.
Take into account:

• Oona the Beastmaster believes he will grow bigger
• He is over 30 years old (see Age)
• He hasn't changed all that much in size or personality since his earliest appearance
• Many creatures (including demons and angels) have a really hard time fitting as MitD because of his child-like behaviour.
• Rich is unlikely to have him be too young - he dislikes the idea of creatures with the personality of a 4 year old having an alignment. MitD acts more like a 12 year old.

Personal Odor

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MitD has frequently apologized for his personal odor. This could explain the reaction in the circus, although it would need to address the reason why the odor doesn't affect the public until after he is lighted up.

• It has been suggested that MitD's personal smell could be a hint towards the Stench ability

Size

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Since his first appearance, MitD has fit in a box this size, and under this umbrella. This makes him human-sized or large. He is also shorter than Oona, who is Medium sized.
Take into account:

• Rich has been known to mess around with sizes of creatures in the comic (Inexplicably large faeries), but to this date he has only made small creatures larger, never larger ones smaller than they should be.
• MitD could be a young member of his race (see Maturity)
• Oona the Beastmaster believes he will grow bigger
• He's probably taller than a kobold:
  

  Mitd: "I know! Maybe I'm a kobold!"
  BlueCloak: "You're pretty tall for a kobold"
  MitD: "Maybe I'm two kobolds?"

• If you do not object to using templates (see 3a: Templated Creature), the Dungeonbred template can be used to reduce his size by one category, theoretically allowing for huge creatures (but does carry the disadvantages of templates)

Sleep

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MitD has been shown sleeping in various occasions (in SoD, and after O'chul's and V's teleportation), and has admitted to becoming sleepy, so it is reasonable to assume he requires sleep (but it isn't stated).

Weight

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RC was able to lift both MitD and his box onto a cart. This is almost certainly an exaggeration of RC's lifting ability for the purposes of moving the plot forwards, but a detailed examination of the issue was attempted starting here. The conclusion reached is that if Rich wasn't bending the rules, and if the box was made of a light wood (such as pine), and RC was using a spell to boost his strength [Divine Power gives +6], and he has average or slightly above average strength for a goblin (he is unlikely to have more than that, since he is a pure caster), MitD's weight should be that of a medium creature, tops. (See my numbers here)

Section 2b: Abilities

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Attack

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MitD attempts to "hit as lightly as possible" and still sends both Miko and her horse flying through a wall, off a tower and long distance (the tower in nowhere to be seen, the mountains are far away).
Take into account:

• If proposing a "child" or "runt" of a species known for great strength, the dissonance between his undeveloped personality and adult strength needs to be addressed.
• See here a post examining possible ways the punch could have happened by the rules.

Defences

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MitD did not notice 5 attacks from Belkar and feels tickles when attacked by Miko.
Take into account:

• It could indicate piercing/slashing resistance, DR, high AC, high HP or a combination thereof.
• He got a paper cut from trying to eat a letter, indicating he can hurt himself (e.g. overcoming epic resistance, if he himself is epic, or indicating a natural armour that doesn't protect his insides), or Rule of Funny
• Miko believes he has DR
• RC knows he cannot possibly injure MitD by stabbing him in the face (see War and XPs, page 415a)

Earth Cracking

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MitD cracks the earth by stomping on it.
Suggestions:

• Consequence of his great strength: sending horses flying through walls and for kilometers take about as much strength as causing the Earth to crack.
• Earthquake ability: like that of an Earth Elemental, or some other specific spell-like ability in that sense such as Wreck Earth

Knowledge

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Even though MitD displays lack of maturity (see 2a: Maturity), he has displayed flashes of brilliance:

• O'Chul's comment he learnt Go! quickly
• His ability to tell that a ritual was only the second half of a whole
• His right-on-the-money Political Analysis
• He admits he doesn't actually try to think, and that he lets Xykon and RedCloak think for him
• If MitD is psionic, it can be explained by hypercognition

O'Chul's Escape

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We know from Rich's words (see section 1a) that MitD was responsible for O'Chul's and V's escape.
Suggestions:

• Teleportation Spell: in D&D, teleportation requires the spell caster to travel with the targets, and more often than not to be touching the other targets.
• Wish: Very few creatures can cast wish, but would explain the situation well. In its favour, MitD is surprised when his wishes don't come true (but that could be his child personality).
• Plane shifting: Many creatures have this spell, but has most of the disadvantages of teleportation, plus O'Chul's and V's escape does not match the effect of plane shift (in that they ended up in the same plane)
• See also Section 1b for an in-depth analysis of teleportation options in D&D

Take into account:

• MitD may have been hit by V's missed dimension anchor, explaining why he didn't go along if it was a teleportation effect.
• Plane Shift, in particular, doesn't necessarily affect the caster (it has succesfully been used offensively in OotS)
• It has been pointed out that if it were a spell, MitD would have had to say its name out loud, which typically a spell requires (but not an extraordinary, spell-like ability or supernatural ability, nor a psionic power). On the other hand, not all spells have been said out loud in-comic (example: Xykon's mental suggestion in SoD, Redcloak passing his Trial Of Becoming A Hobgoblin with a silent Slay Living), so it doesn't discard a spell either.
• Other systems have spells or abilities named "Escape"

Psionics

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It has been suggested that MitD may have psionic abilities since we never see his limbs holding up objects, and as an avenue to explain his other powers. If he only starts to actively use psionics at the time of escape ("unshackling" his mind due to the stress of the situation), it would also tie with Rich's comment about discovering powers deep inside himself (see Section 1a - Rich's Words). Also, it would explain why he tends to be tired after using his powers.
Take into account:

• Most psionics featured in the comic (goblin mind reader, the story of the little psion that could and a guest appearance in SSaDT), had a purplish aura around their entire heads. However, Laurin has a yellow aura. In both cases, though, the aura surrounds the entire head, where MitD, at best, illuminates his eyes briefly.
• During the Go game, his turn starts and end, and yet we don't see him place a counter. Rich may have skipped the dialogue where MitD told O'Chul were to place his counter just to reduce the wordiness of that page, though. There is also no psionic effect line like the ones radiating from Laurin
• MitD is unaware of most of his powers, which doesn't suggest his mind is making them happen (so it would only explain the escape, if at all).
• RedCloak, who knows what MitD is, had to research if psionics existed in OotS-verse. If MitD is psionic, why was it so difficult to know? (it has been suggested he may have templated psionic ability, and as such his psionics not be part of his species). On the other hand, creatures can be psionic or not depending on the setting. RC could have known about the mind flayer in Dorukan's Dungeon, and still not know if psionic powers did exist.
  
  • If MitD wasn't actively psionic until the escape, it would also constitute an explanation: RC tested him for psionic powers and, finding none, couldn't decide if psionics existed or not.
• The lack of visible limbs is likely a combination of the minimalistic drawing style of the comic and Rich's desire to not show us what MitD is.
• MitD had to tip the circus cage to get to the bucket of stew; presumably a psionic creature could simply levitate the bucket (but MitD may be unaware of his abilities)
• The fact that no hand is seen holding the umbrella is a style issue where the hand is behind the object, rather than around it. Belkar holds his daggers in the same way

Rain

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It has been suggested that MitD could have (inadvertently) caused rain to help O'Chul rest

Raising undead

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MitD probably does not have the ability to raise undead, but might be used as raw material. At the very least, he does not have 5 levels of cleric, although it has been pointed out he may have the capability but due to his innocence/incompetence he has never used it, leading RC to believe he cannot without gaining cleric levels first. That said, RC would probably have checked MitD's MM entry, and be aware of all its powers, regardless of which one MitD uses.

Sight

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MitD's sight is keen enough to be able to recognise Xykon on top of a dragon a catapult-max-range away, without the benefit of a telescope

Speech

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The Stereotyped Big Game Hunters were surpised MitD could speak, and in common (see 1b SoD Cannon)

• This is usually interpreted as a lampshade: his species can't or won't talk, but Rich changed it for plot purposes.
• Alternatively, MitD's species could have been confused with a similar species, which while rare and valuable, is not capable of speech.
• Note that the wording could indicate both species incapable of speech, and species that normally wouldn't talk (like Zodars).

It has been pointed out that MitD's speech bubbles are black text on white background, unlike demons, who tend to have red-on-black and undead, who tend to have white-on-black. However, there is one demon who has a normal voice, Sabine, so it is probably not a good indicator of species. Rich has confirmed that voice "colour" can mislead.

Shout

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MitD can shout loud enough that it gives Belkar pause. This may or may not be an actual shout attack, although neither Belkar nor Haley were damaged, but they may have been Shaken, as in Frightful Presence.

Summoning Demon Roaches

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MitD was not responsible for the Demon Roaches following team evil - as per SoD, they first attached to Xykon and RC in an evil dinner where Xykon used to get his coffee (in his pre-Lich days). MitD may have attracted more of them, but not the original group. As such, it is unlikely that their presence indicates anything about MitD. That said, the Demon Roaches are 4th-wall breaking rule of funny most of the time, regardless of their origin.

Swallow Whole?

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In SoD, Xykon orders a mind controlled MitD to devour whole RC if RC double-crosses Xykon. This might indicate that MitD has a swallow whole ability.
Take in account:

• Xykon uses the word devour, not swallow, which allows MitD to chew.
• Xykon had only just met MitD, and since he isn't interested in reading, he probably would not know what MitD is precisely. Nevertheless, something about MitD (probably a big mouth or similar) suggested to Xykon that MitD would be able to carry out the order.

Section 2c: Other Characteristics

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Categories

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MitD cannot belong to any of the following without being an exception to the listed characteristic:

• Not a deity (vulnerable to mind-affecting effects)
• Not Construct (eats, and desires to eat; sleeps)
• Not Elemental (eats, and desires to eat; sleeps)
• Not Ooze (has a body)
• Not Plant (vulnerable to mind-affecting effects)
• Not Undead (eats, sleeps, etc)
• Not Vermin (vulnerable to mind-affecting effects)
  
  Several people have remarked that Oona's knowledge of MitD makes it unlikely he is an Outsider - but Oona may have better-than-average knowledge skills from her extended familiarity with Kraagor's Tomb.

Challenge Rating

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• Rich intends the MitD to be a credible challenge for the heroes - the watchtower scene was included for that reason, as explained by Rich. Since Rich likely has a target level the party will achieve by the time they face MitD, MitD must have a CR at or above this level. As a rule of thumb, CR18 or higher is preferred, Epic levels being better.
• See also lothos' analysis of MitD's CR

Connection to the Astral Plane

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MitD seems to know the Astral Plane's characteristics.
Considerations:

• He doesn't remember having been there
• Xykon is surprised at this
• It could be just a successful knowledge roll, or that he was taken there at some point in the past
• In the past, it displayed extreme ignorance of the planes

Darkness

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As per NCftPB (see section 1a - Published Canon), the darkness that surrounds MitD is magical in its nature. Xykon's instructions imply that they are independent of MitD, since he can step or leap out of them (i.e. leave them behind).
Note that D&D rules for line of sight allow for creatures at the edge of magical darkness to see out of it, while remaining concealed.

Drawing Clues

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Even though MitD is always in darkness, it has been suggested that by carefully noting the placement of his eyes, and of anything he manipulates, his general shape can be deduced. The general consensus is that he is either walking crouched or has four legs on the floor (from the placing of the stomp), and that he has a long reach (as when pulling on the rope: 9th panel). Take into account that this is debatable, and that MitD has not necesarily been drawn consistently

Since he can turn his eyes around (panel 11) without turning his entire body, it is possible that MitD has a neck or similar (such as eyestalks) that can move independently of the rest of the body.

Also, it has been brought up multiple times that the go board is a cryptoclue about MitD. Unfortunately, there is no agreement on what image they show, with people having identified it as Tarrasque, PvP's Skull, a demon, or an 8-bit sprite from some NES game (also, one jokingly suggested it looked like Pepe le Pew due to the color scheme). It is likely a case of pareidolia

Environment

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The Stereotyped Big Game Hunters were surprised to find him deep in a rainforest. This discards rainforest as his environment, but leaves everything else open.

Family

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MitD remembers his dad "sort of" as BIG and even a bigger eater than he is.
Considerations:

• MitD could have been "adopted" (or even created) by a member of another species completely, just as he is in the wrong environment. If this adoptive parent is of a different alignment from MitD's base species, it could explain MitD's conflict between good and evil.
• MitD is still young and will eventually be as big as he remembers his father to have been
• MitD might have a warped mental image of his father, from remembering as "big" when MitD himself was smaller; as such, he may already be as big as his father used to be.
• MitD is mixed breed, and his father is larger than he will ever be

Knowledge of MitD

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MitD is very difficult to identify. Only a few individuals have claimed to know what he is:

• The Stereotyped Big Game Hunters (SoD) knew he was "one of those" and that it was surprising he could talk (and in common, even)
• RedCloak (SoD) stated he knew what MitD is
• Oona compared him to a majestic monster comparable to a kebab-induced nightmare, but smaller than he could be
• O-Chul, after his long imprisonment and friendship with MitD, still needed the help of the most knowledgeable scribe available to the Azurites, and even after that, he only has "a theory" (which he does not think Lien or MitD would believe).
• MitD believes Xykon also knows what he is, but it's likely Xykon only cares about MitD's strength and looks, rather than detailed knowledge of what MitD can do
• What looks like a wizard (SoD) in the circus audience admits he'd never seen anything like it.

It has been suggested that the hunters may have confused MitD with a different, less powerful but similar looking species that nevertheless is still rare. There have been no practical examples of this yet. Stereotypical Big Game Hunters, however, are seldom wrong about their prey.

Mental Resistance

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In SoD (pg.96), Xykon was able to command MitD (as evidenced by MitD's swirly eyes), indicating MitD is not immune to mind-affecting spells.

Reach

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MitD cannot reach stew or meat left outside his box, but can reach the doors in Kraagor's wall enough to paint them, suggesting his reach is based on free movement rather than long appendages or telekinesis.

Species

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MitD was declared by the Stereotyped Big Game Hunters to be "one of these", indicating that there are more than one of him.

Tracks

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MitD leaves tracks, which Belkar can't identify (but he's a lousy tracker, and even if he wasn't, MitD might have been carrying table, chairs, stuffed animals and a paralized O-Chul at the time, which might have obscured the tracks). However, he leaves no tracks in the snow.

Section 2d: Abilities Augmentation: Templates, Class Levels, etc.

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A number of ways to increase creatures capabilities to match those shown by MitD have been proposed. All of them have the same general problem: they likely violate Rich's assurance that he didn't invent MitD and that it can be figure out. To illustrate these issues, consider two examples:
Bingosaurus

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The argument most commonly cited in favour of augmentations is that it is not a Rich creation if Rich merely uses already existing rules to create MitD, such as adding tempaltes, feats, class levels, etc. But there are rules for making your own monsters, spells, etc.

Nothing is stopping Rich from making what is for all intents and purposes a Bingosaurus* complete with an insatiable hunger for stew and yellow eyes, using rules that were published prior to comic #100. He will then furnish it with Bingo's epic earthquake (which functions like a regular earthquake except it is much more awesome and can be aimed in a direction), Wish and Bingo's Commanding You To Stop ability, DC100, at will

*Named after Lord Bingo, original proponent of this counterexample.

Binks' Mystery Sword

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Related to the above, the second most common argument in favour of augmentations is that since the rules exist, it can be figured out. By the same logic, a DM could hand a character a custom magic item like Binks' Mystery Sword* and not tell his player what it does because the DM didn't invent it, instead followed the rules, so clearly the player can figure out what it does on his own.

*Named after Binks, original proponent of this counterexample.

The augmentation ideas presented so far are:
Feats

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When a creature is promoted beyond its base CR, with every 3 HD added, the DM can also add a feat. Of interest to this thread are the two following feats:

• Mighty Roar: allows a creature, once per day, to make a dreadful roar that renders everyone nearby shaken for x rounds. Pre-requisite: be an animal or magical beast of at least large size.
• Stamp: allows a creature to make a shockwave with a radius of a number of squares equal to their HD. Creatures within the radius that fail a balance check vs the stamper's attack roll are knocked down; structures are also damaged by the shockwave, which could explain the ground being torn up if one is generous with the definition of 'structure'. Prerequisites: have feet, be at least huge size, and have the trample attack.

Cons:

• No Wish feat
• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words (see Section 1a) since the exact number of extra HD added by "the DM" is not really guessable.
• Size issues: MitD is likely Medium sized; while large is possible, huge is likely too big.
• MitD is clearly lazy, and thus has little canon support for the idea that he has developed beyond the average of his species (quite the opposite, in fact). His father being bigger than he is also argues against this (more HD eventually makes the monster bigger).

Templated/Mixed lineage Creature

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In D&D, a template is not a creature, but rather a number of changes that can be made to any creature meeting the requirements. The changes usually are around a theme. For example, the half-dragon template (applied to creatures with partial draconic parentage) make the creature more draconic, giving it a breath weapon, claws, a bite attack, and some draconic immunities, along with making the creature physically and mentally stronger.

Some templates function more generally, the fiendish template, for example, is used to create races of fauna native to the lower planes, and never originally were the base creature, but instead are a separate (but similar) species. Therefore, not all templates are once-in-a-lifetime combinations fluff-wise (although a half-fiend, half-celestial, half-red, half-blue, half-green, half-silver, fiendish living fireball could hardly be considered anything but a once-in-a-lifetime combination.

More practically, templates can provide practically every ability the MitD has demonstrated (teleportation, strange appearance, physical defenses, great strength, etc). Due to the ability of templates to make practically anything the MitD, this thread has moved away from analyzing specific monster template combinations (of which there are many), and instead will evaluate templates alone as what they could contribute (if there is a published example of a creature with a template, it can be proposed as a creature).

However, templates, like all augmentation, has its drawbacks:

• No Wish template before strip #100 (Amidah and other Immortal's Handbook variants came out later)
• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words (see Section 1a) since the exact base type and templates use is not really guessable.
• Unless the exact combination of templates and base creature has been used elsewhere, it can be argued that an original template stack would be a Rich invention.
• Its unlikely that a one-in-a-lifetime combination of templates would be so common that the hunters call it "one of these" (although not all templates require mixed parentage)
• No actual evidence of MitD having different species parents (although not all templates require mixed parentage)

Below is a list of templates that can provide abilities the MitD has demonstrated.

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Beast of Xvim (Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn)

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Summary: A monster blessed by Xvim (and evil god in Forgotten Realms). While it doesn't give any abilities that make it a good candidate to be the MitD, it has a Feed ability similar to that of the Barghest (only increases HD, but the HD increase is uncapped). See the entry on Phrenic Creature for how this is useful. The fluff would need to be redone, as Xvim does not exist in OoTSverse, although the Dark One could be a suitable replacement. Has moderate DR that might be able to explain tower scene defenses, although on its own it cannot explain any other scene.

• Advances HD by 1 automatically, gains an additional HD per 8 HD of humanoids slain and eaten.
• Makes explicit mention of glowing green eyes. The eyes of the MitD glow yellow. With the adaptation to a different god, arguably the appearance like this could be altered.
• In any case, there would be some alteration (which could violate the "not Rich's creation" rule) to make a Beast of Xvim without Xvim.
• Gives moderate DR (scaled on HD, /+1, +2, or +3, so unclear what would overcome it after upgrade, which could explain tower scene defense.
• Can be applied to any creature, although Xvim prefers "bats, black dogs, black cats, hawks, and vultures, or in monsters such as beholders, green or blue dragons, hell hounds, cockatrices, imps, dark nagas, and undead creatures."

Dungeonbred (Dungeonscape)

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Summary: Creature was raised in a dungeon and is smaller than normal. Applied to corporeal aberration, animal, magical beast, or vermin. Makes the creature slightly weaker physically. Doesn't explain any scene, but can allow the MitD to fit in the box or under the umbrella.

• Rich was involved in the creation of Dungeonscape, therefore could be his creation, no real way to figure out.
• Essentially gives -4 Strength, so it is harder to fit the tower scene.
• Eats less than a normal member of his race, as the MitD eats a lot, not all that good a fit.

Fiendish Creature (SRD/MMI)

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Summary: Like normal creature, but native to lower planes. Gets DR/magic, energy resistance, SR, and Smite Good, all scaled with HD. Always evil. Doesn't explain any scenes, although the DR arguably could help provide defenses for Tower Scene (although it is at most 10/magic, so not unlikely Milko would overcome it). Can be applied to corporeal nongood aberrations, animals, dragons, fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, oozes, plants, or vermin. Animals and vermin become magical beasts.

Half-Dragon (SRD, MMI, various other books)

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Summary: Applied to any corporeal living creature to make it more draconic. Gets breath, claws, bite, and some draconic immunities (paralysis, sleep). Also gets wings if large or larger. Big bonus to Strength (+8), small bonuses (+2) to Con, Int, and Cha. There is a type of half-dragon for practically each type of true dragon, although none of them really do much. The +8 Str means if the base creature's strength is ≥22, it'd have get sufficient tower scene offensive, but other than that, the template doesn't generally help much (there are a bunch of types, it is possible one of them adds something else, if so, bring it up).

Half-Elemental (Manual of the Planes)

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Summary: Creature has various elemental traits. Doesn't change appearance much (minor elemental themed things, like an half-earth elemental might get gemstone eyes. Gives a number of SLAs based on HD, none of which really are useful (with the exception of half-earth, which gives earthquake at 13 HD, and could explain the stomp scene). Earth and Water give minor boosts to strength. Can be applied to any corporeal creature with an Int of 4+. Changes type to outsider, gives appropriate elemental subtype. With the exception of the strength boost (+4 and +2 for earth and water respectively), doesn't allow creatures to explain the big scenes, although Half-earth can explain the the stomp with earthquake.

Half-Troll (Fiend Folio)

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Summary: Boosts strength, gives a bit of fast healing, bite attack, claw attacks. Can be added to any animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider, and changes type to giant. Strength boost (+6) lowers the required strength of the base creature (with this template) to explain the tower scene to 24. The fast healing (5) arguably could explain the tower scene defense, although somewhat dubious. The changing type away from outsider allows lots of template stacking, if one so desires. Furthermore, half-trolls are pretty ugly, which could explain the circus scene (but what kind of wizard hasn't heard of trolls?).

Monster of Legend (MMII)

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Summary: An animal, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid has a divinely appointed task, and special powers to back it up in accomplishing said task. Changes type to outsider (native). They are unique, so all those things kind of make the (seemingly purposeless and lazy) MitD not seem to fit. The template increases physical strength (+10), and can give fast heal 5 and DR 10/+1 as well, which arguably could explain the escape scene (the strength boost certainly helps, although the fast healing and DR is rather on the low end). Nothing to explain escape. Can get frightful presence, which could explain circus scene, although it is triggered by making "a loud sound (a roar, growl, or other sound appropriate to its form)," hardly what the MitD did.

Paragon Creature (SRD/ELH)

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Summary: Generally makes the creature stronger, better faster. Gives fast healing and DR which can explain the tower scene. Boosts ability scores, attacks, damage, AC, saves, skill checks which can qualify an otherwise weaker monster (ex: Genie) as a threat to a near epic-level party. Does not change physical appearance or grant teleportation ability, so cannot explain escape or circus scene. Does not change creature type. Can be added to anything.

• +15 Strength allows any base creature with Strength ≥15 meet strength requirement for tower scene offense.
• Fast healing 20, DR 10/epic, maximized HP, +15 Con, and +12 HP/HD on top of that (along with +12 luck and +12 insight bonus to AC) can explain the defenses in the tower scene for pretty much anything.
• The +25 luck bonus to hit and +20 luck bonus to damage could be argued to be a cause for the MitD "accidentally" hitting a horse through the wall.
• There is no real evidence of the MitD being exceptionally competent for a member of his species. In fact, Team Evil seems to think of him as sort of a disappointment. Without saying the MitD is exceptional, there is no real way to convey it is Paragon.

Phrenic Creature (SRD/Expanded Psionics Handbook)

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Summary: The creature happens to be psionic. It can be applied to any not mindless creature that doesn't already have the psionic subtype. It provides various PLAs (Psi-like abilities) based off HD. The important thing for the MitD is psionic teleport 3/day (just like normal teleport, but psionic) at 15+ HD, which can explain the escape scene. It does not say it alters appearance (although larger than normal brains is a common trait to denote psionic ability), but probably cannot explain the circus scene, and provides no boosts to physical attack or defense to explain the tower scene.

• Gives PLAs, ML=HD. At 15 HD, gives psionic teleport 3/day which serves as an adequate explanation (likely arriving at a "similar area", possibly the MitD originally had a false destination making it more likely.
• It has been argued the MitD's eyes glowing with the Escape are more similar to psionics than other magic.
• We had no real evidence of the MitD being psionic, and the template makes no physical distinction between the base creature, potentially violating "can be figured out" even more than templates in general.

Pseudonatural Creature (SRD/ELH)

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Summary: Makes the creature a cosmic horror. Explains circus scene with alternate form. It can fit tower scene for ~90% of proposed candidates (Strength ≥8), but can't explain the escape. Can be applied to any corporeal creature. Makes the creature an Outsider (extraplanar)

• Can be added to any corporeal creature.
• Gives +22 strength, at least 35 natural armor, and DR/epic scaling with HD. This allows pretty much any creature with over 8 strength to fit the tower scene (although the more HD initially, the better).
• Has an alternate form specified to be "a grotesque, tentacled mass (or another appropriately gruesome form)," which can explain the circus scene. Alternate form imposes morale penalty on attacks against the monster, but nothing huge like dying of fright or confusion.
• Does not provide explanation for the Escape (its Dimensional Door ability has a range of 1200 ft).

Radiant Creature (DR321)

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Summary: Creature native to the "plane of radiance." Gets DR/magic and fast healing 2 (while in light), which kind of poorly explains defenses in tower scene. Gives some light-based SLAs (nothing we've seen the MitD use). Main draw is dazzling aura (dazzles creatures within 30 ft that fail a will save) to explain the circus scene. Boost to charisma (+6) might make it more beautiful. Strobe lights can cause dizziness and other such things, so that could explain why some people had a negative reaction. The template can be added to any Aberration, Animal, Dragon, Fey, Giant, Humanoid, Magical Beast, or Monstrous Humanoid, and changes type to outsider.

Proposed combinations:

• The Adversary: a illithid merged via "faulty ceremorphosis" with a powerful sorcerer.
• Half-giant war troll of legend
• Half-Earth Elemental Half-Dragon (Crystal) Tarrasque
• Baby Awakened Fiendish Half-Efreeti Tarrasque
• Paragon!something
• Phrenic Ephemeral Hangman
• Phrenic Half-Dragon (Crystal) Tarrasque Wilder 1
• Phrenic Tarrasque Wilder 1
• Half-Orc Half-Dragon
• Radiant Phrenic Half-Earth Elemental Half-Dragon (Crystal) Tarrasque
• Pseudonatural Phrenic Tarrasque
• Pseudonatural greater barghast servitor of the Dark One
• Paragon Phrenic Pseudonatural Tauric Werewolf Lord Hybrid Form/Chimeric Giant Giant Shadow Awoken Bonsai aka Potted Plant

Pimp my Tarrasque

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Given the huge number of such combinations suggested for the Tarrasque, this approach is also known as Pimp my Tarrasque:

Class Levels

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Only useful to explain the escape scene, it suggests MitD has 18+ class levels of Sorcerer, which would allow him to cast wish even if the base creature normally wouldn't (assuming it has at least 18 CHA).
Cons:

• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words (see Section 1a) since MitD has not shown any other spell from those 18 levels
• It is unexplained how MitD would even gain 18 levels, given his general lazyness
• It would require MitD to have forgotten he gained those levels ("discovers powers that he didn't even know he had")

Proposed class levels:

• 18 levels of sorcerer would give him access to wish.
• 2 levels of fighter with the alternate class feature Dungeoncrasher might be used to explain the tower scene (although he would have had to rush Miko and her horse, which doesn't quite fit the "hit lightly" rule he himself imposed).

Reincarnation

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This idea suggests that MitD used to be a powerful spellcaster (level 18 or more) that dies and used a Reincarnation spell to reincarnate as a rare animal.
Cons:

• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words (see Section 1a) since there has been no mention of the possibility of reincarnation in the comic, and it would make figuring out what MitD almost impossible

Abomination

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It has been claimed that there is a way for Rich to create his own abomination. Some abomination traits are similar in their description to MitD's eating habits.

Cons:

• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words
• Almost certainly violates the "didn't create it" clause in Rich's words
• Abominations are immune to mind control

Psychic

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From a third-party book published just months before strip 100, if offers a number of powers similar to teleport and others, except using "psychic powers".

Cons:

• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words (see Section 1a) since MitD has shown no psychic abilities, and if he did, they are too easily confused with psionics

Unbridled Shapeshifter

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By RAW, a shapeshifting creature can gain a large number of abilities by successive shapeshifting into the correct creatures, gaining their magical powers and access to ways to make those changes permanent. The ur-example of this is Pun Pun, the shapeshifting all-powerful kobold. Combined with some form of convenient amnesia you could create a creature very much like MitD, no matter what powers MitD turns out to posses.

Cons:

• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words (see Section 1a)
• Rich has been very outspoken about his views on this kind of shapeshifting, including a series of articles on how to fix it.

Book of Vile Darkness Demon Lord

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As per BoVD, demon lords each have a unique look and a unique set of abilities. While a few examples are given (such as Demogorgon, a demon prince), they are explicitly by no means exhaustive. The proposed demon lord, as such, fits the big scenes in whatever way we wish.
Cons:

• Probably violates the "figured out" clause in Rich's words (see Section 1a)
• Demons may or may not have parents in OotS (general cosmology used doesn't have them, but the demon summoned by Qarr claimed to have one - but he was under the Despair spell, and therefore his idea of being a disappointment to his father might have been spell-induced)
• Demon Lords are embodiments of their respective Evil plains, and as per Rich's words on the topic, should not be able to change their moral position more than slightly - nowhere near the range demonstrated by MitD (see section 1e)

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Section 3: Proposed Ideas

Section 3a: Suggestions that Fit the Big Scenes (FBS)

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This category groups ideas that fit the clues in the major scenes of MitD, with the following characteristics (as per thread consensus):
1) Has a plausible explanation for the Escape
2) Has a plausible explanation for the Tower (both his attack and his defence)
3) Has a plausible explanation for the Circus (both his act, and the reactions)
4) Isn't one of the impossible categories (unless it is an exception)
5) Existed before strip #100 in a form accessible to Rich.
6) Size no bigger than Huge ("fits in the box")
7) Is vulnerable to mind-affecting effects (SoD)

The proposals may still have other objections (such as that the above explanations require stretching the rules of D&D).

Athasian Nightmare Beast

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Pros:

• 30 Strength
• Psionic teleport
• Fairly ugly and unique
• CR18, decent defences
• Dominated by its voracious appetite, can eat anything
• Despite spell-like abilities and intelligence appears to have no listed languages or even forms of communication

Cons:

• Huge
• Posted publicly a few months after MitD's decision, but the designer could have sent an advance copy to other designers, such as Rich.

Glabrezu (SRD or MM 43)

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Pros:

• Access to wish 1/month, explains the escape and why the goblin wasn't teleported. It also cannot grant its own wishes, further explaining the lack of later success.
• 31 STR
• 20 CHA, but still rather disturbing looking, while not being immediately recognisable as a demon
• Surprising it can speak common (not in its language list)
• The stronger limbs are probably not dextrous. The human-like ones are probably not strong enough to pull on a rope.

Cons:

• Huge would not really fit under the umbrella
• Not surprising it can speak
• Depending on canon interpretation, cannot have a parent
• Embodiment of Chaotic Evil plane - should not be able to be as Good as MitD is.
• Low CR

Hagunemnon (Protean) (SRD or ELH 196)

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Pros:

• Great strength (53)
• Access to Planar Travel through convenient partial shapeshift into e.g. Umbral Blot, which includes greater teleport
• As a psionic creature, it may have been converted by the means described in the Expanded Psionics handbook, which would give him psionic teleport
• adequate size
• his shapeshifting sounds disturbing, but has 34 CHA.
• Normally speak only ever-evolving language impossible for any non-protean to understand, thus being surprising it talks in common.
• Its psionic ability to detect thoughts would explain his knowledge of the ritual, probably having heard RC's thoughts on the subject.
• Fluff implies there are protean newborns, so presumably they have some form of parentage ("Even newborns are tides of flesh, ever changing")

Cons:

• Plane shift doesn't fit well with the escape as shown (see 1b: The Escape), and while greater teleport fits slightly better, it requires a timely shapeshift into the exact appropriate creature. There is no evidence that psionic-class creatures have been converted as per EP handbook.
• Its constant shapeshifting has not been reflected in a change of MitD (mouth and eyes stay roughly the same)

Hunting Horror (CoC)

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Pros:

• CR 20 - powerful enough to be MitD.
• Strength of 34 - on the lower side, but within acceptable bounds for the tower scene.
• Hideous form - looks like a "black ropy worm or serpent, rather like a legless dragon... with a single wing rising from the middle of the back and a long sinuous tail trailing behind," but are also "mutable, as some have reported them with two wings instead of one, or two eyes instead of a single three-lobed yellow eye." 6th edition of CoC describes them as "hard to look at" and "continually changing, twitching and writhing".
• Accompanied by a permanent foul stench that causes Nausea.
• Has a Roar ability, but that causes damage, so perhaps that doesn't explain the "STOP" after all.
• Can understand speech, but "rarely speaks," according to the D20 version.
• Has a Swallow Whole ability, so more than capable of devouring Redcloak.
• Has a tail that it can use as an appendage, allowing him to smack the ground and "punch" Miko and Windstriker through a wall, but making pulling things or holding small objects difficult.
• Rare to see it on Earth at all, let alone in a rainforest in the middle of the day.
• Acquires spells by rolling dice, and picking from a list

Cons:

• Defences not that great: AC of 19, plus DR 5/+1, fast healing of 10 - only the last can help explain the "tickle" comment, and not well at that.
• Acquires spells by rolling dice, and picking from a list
• Access to teleportation a bit dodgy - some older versions give it more random spell access, but D20 specifies a list of spells that does not include teleportation
• Damaged by light - explanations vary as to whether it can tolerate a few hours worth of light or if light damages it outright, but a problem either way
• Too big to fit under either umbrella or box.
• The total lack of non-wing limbs in the official description doesn't fit the art clues. It's of variable form, though, so it might have limbs.

Alternatively, it has been suggested that the HH could be following the CoC rules, rather than the d20 rules, in which case he could use Avert Harm to resist the attacks, but in that case, the creature does not have a means to explain the escape. As a workaround, it has been suggested it could have learnt a heavily modified Word of Recall that teleports to a random destination, although this has no canon support (that such WoR exists, nor that MitD has learnt it).

Schlock Mercenary's Carbosilicate Amorph

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Pros:

• Can interface with a teraport to teleport
• Incredible strength and fighting abilities. Invulnerable to anything short of plasma weapons.
• Looks like a pile of poo
• Endearing and adorable
• Fits under the umbrella easily, but his dad could have been bigger if he had eaten recently
• Famous for his unbridled appetite.
• As per Shining Wrath's Weak Carbosilicate Amorphic principle, "If MitD is in fact a Carbosilicate Amorph, it is because Rich has brought Carbosilicate Amorphs into OotSverse, and therefore they are as recognizable as any other monster of similar rarity"
• Rich could probably secure copyright from Howard Tayler, since they are friends

Cons:

• Rich probably wouldn't use a SF character from another comic in his fantasy comic.

Slaad (ELH 217)

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White/Black slaads only.
Pros:

• Very strong, epic defences
• Can teleport others
• Disgusting appearance (humanoid toad)
• Not inmune to mind-affecting spells
• White one fits in the box/umbrella. Black only in the box.

Cons:

• Tricky reproduction cycle means black/white slaads are unlikely to have a "father" (unless it is of the foundling variety).
• MitD would have to be over 300 years old, having evolved through green, grey and death slaad varieties. This does not mesh well with his mental characteristics. (unless Rich has bent the reproduction flavor text)
• It may be Product Identity (listed as such in d20.org, but not in the WotC legal documentation).
  
  • Even if it is, it may not be impossible for Rich to use it for free, unlike trademarked creatures.
• Can talk common, and thus wouldn't surprise the hunters that he can talk. Unless, that is, slaads usually talk like this (but this is probably Rule of Funny)
• It may be too recognisable as a humanoid toad to fit the wizard's comment in the circus scene.

Uvuudaum

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Pros:

• greater teleport available 3 times a day as an SLA explains the escape
• very high strength (39), is very ugly but has extremely high charisma (46)
• large bonuses to knowledge:arcana and spellcraft explains understanding of the ritual
• Large size, so fits in the box (not so much under the umbrella)
• Normally communicates with telepathy, not by speaking, so it's surprising it talks.
• A confusion aura could explain reactions in the circus, particularly if it's weakened by MitD being a youngster of the species.

Cons:

• Might not have eyes or mouth (unmentioned in description, not present in pictures)
• His confusion aura should give everyone missing saves around him swirly eyes, but no such thing is visible in the circus scene.

Section 3b: Frequently Proposed Unlikely Ideas

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These ideas have been frequently brought up, but they fail in a major way that presents a major problem. If you are considering them, please address the problem listed in your initial post.

Deity

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First, note that "a god" is not a specific proposal. There are hundreds to pick from, many with wildly different capabilities. Furthermore:

• If they have D&D stats, they will have Divine Ranks, which automatically gives them immunity to mind control (see Section 2c: Categories). This applies even to demigods (rank 1-5).
• They can speak every language - unsurprising they can talk
• Why would the SBGH think there is a market in selling deities?
• Any deity RC would consider appropriate for his team (Evil/Neutral ones) can Animate Dead, or copy it through Miracle.

Grue

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Can challenge any lone adventurer, has insatiable appetite and sparse descriptions mention it being horrible. However, it wouldn't desire to be lighted as MitD does, and it is not known to have magic (e.g. teleportation). Note that MitD has been in the light before joining team evil, both in the jungle and specially in the circus, and has never shown any discomfort from being in the light.

Pun-Pun & Family

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Pun-Pun isn't really something that can be classified as "one of those", and it seems likely that Rich made a joke of this idea when MitD suggested he might be a kobold, only to be told he's to tall for a kobold

Rich "The Giant" Burlew

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Rich does not fit any of MitD's characteristics - neither physical (e.g. great strength), nor mental (e.g. personality), nor supernatural (e.g. teleportation powers). Claims that he could give himself the powers needed because he is the author are effectively accusations that MitD is a Mary Sue (unfounded), but also if that were the case, it would be something Rich invented for the story.

A frequent defence is that OotS people would react poorly to people from our world, but we have seen RL people in the comic, and they are stickified, so Rich would not fit the circus scene. Claims that he'd retain his RL nose are baseless, and furthermore the reactions to noses in-comic do not match the circus scene anyway. Rich is also a vegetarian, while MitD eats meat

Snarl jr

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Probably the #1 proposed idea, the "son-of-Snarl" has a major problem: it does not match Rich's words that MitD is a monster someone else (i.e. not him) invented (see Section 1a: "it isn't something I just made up for the story" & "I realize that the line between something I made up and something someone else made up is a pretty fine one, but I trust that someone will figure it out eventually"). Snarl has also not displayed any form of teleportation magic, nor any particular appetite, nor need to sleep.

Furthermore, Snarl has been kept a major secret - it's unlikely that the hunters would know, or that they have seen so many Snarl Jr.s running around they can talk about not having seen "one of these".

Tarrasque (SRD or MM 240)

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Tarrasque is an iconic creature, famed for eating a lot and sleeping a lot. Unfortunately, there is no particular reason to think that MitD is an iconic creature, and Tarrasque brings several other issues to the table, the most important of which is its lack of teleportation/wishing abilities. Other issues: Tarrasque is traditionally unique and non-reproducing (not part of a species) and far bigger than can fit under an umbrella.

Section 3c: Copyrighted Ideas

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All ideas listed here, regardless of how well they fit, have a major problem: they are trademarked, or otherwise unavailable for Rich's use due to legal issues (see Section 4a: Inappropriate Topics)

Boggart (Harry Potter)
Claydol(Pokemon™)
Danica (Star Power)
Diawolf
Domo-kun (NHK)
Father (KND)
Black Mage (Final Fantasy)
Red Mage (Final Fantasy)
Godzilla & pals (Godzilla)
Goku (Dragon Ball)
Gozer (Ghostbusters)
Haggunenon (HHGTTG)
Heffalump(Winnie the Pooh)
Kirby(Kirby)
Pervect (MYTH Adventures)
Plastic Man (DC Comics)
Lord Ochu (FinalFantasyX)
My Little Pony(My Little Pony)
Q (from Star Trek)
Rawhead Sidhe (Dresden Files)
Roger Rabbit (Who framed Roger Rabbit?)
Snorlax (Pokemon™)

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A great fit, since:

• "They can throw incredibly powerful punches and cause immense earthquakes",
• is known for its huge appetite (including his ability to eat moldy food) and its sleeping.
• It grows from a much smaller pokemon, Munchlax, and fits in the box as an adult (6' 11'').
• Using Metronome, it could have a plot-casuality induced access to "escape from battle" abilities.
• When not drawn anime style, pokemons can be downright disturbing (non-Snorlax example).
• When you fight a static-encounter Snorlax in the games, if you do not capture it, when the fight ends the game text tells you that it has 'stomped off back to the mountains.'
• Has Fissure as an egg move, whose in-game description reads: 'The user opens up a fissure in the ground and drops the foe in. The target instantly faints if it hits.' (picture)

Shadow (Babylon 5)
SMT3 and Persona 3 and 4 (Megami Tensei)
Skull (PvP)
Tonberri (Final fantasy)
Vatch (Witches of Karres)
Vorlon (Babylon 5)
Weeping Angel (Dr. Who)
Ygramul (Neverending Story)
Yoshi (Super Mario Brothers)
Zoidberg (Futurama)

Section 3d: Light-Hearted Ideas

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These ideas are not meant to be taken seriously, and were added to this post only because they amused me enough I wanted them recorded for posterity. Please don't read too much into them (or what they say about my sense of humour)

• Inmune to blades, including scissors, but suffers from papercuts?
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  Must be a Rock
• The most dangerous box ever
• The fearsome Gazebo
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  HotAndCold explained:
  

  • A gazebo is obviously a powerful monster, devouring the story's PC without any chance of rebuttal.
  • It takes no damage from a +3 arrow, just as MitD apparently takes no damage from Miko's or Belkar's attacks.
  • Would you recognize a gazebo's tracks?
  • Or expect to find one in a jungle and even speaking in Common, for that matter?
  • It is, of course, a juvenile gazebo, explaining its roughly Medium size, rather than its being large enough for, y'know, people to hang out in it.
  • I... guess he could be a particularly ugly gazebo? Although technically speaking, the gazebo's never actually described in the story beyond its dimensions, color, and the pointiness of its top. So I guess one could argue the gazebo's horrific appearance.
  • The description states that the PC "awakened" the gazebo, implying that it was sleeping. Perhaps it had recently used one of its mighty and tiring abilities!
• A Fanboy
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  Truly grotesque creatures, Fanboys have been known to consume vast quantities of whatever they get their hands on (including mouldy cheeseburgers), while skulking in the darkness of their 'boxes'. When inserted into fantasy fiction, they often wield great quantities of inexplicable power (Mary Sue Syndrome) and have difficulty remembering minor plot details (Gate? What gate?) They are truly the most fearsome creature any Creator can face, and yet are beautiful in that a Creator would be nothing without them. And of course, the monstrous and twisted exterior hides an innocence ill-befitting a horrendous beast, and a niceness of character little understood by those around, often causing them to be bullied by lesser souls in the vicinity.
  
  We are all MitD in the quiet corners of our souls.
• Grey_Wolf_c
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  1) How did Grey_Wolf_c punch Miko and her horse through a wall?
  - She suggested a Tarrasque should be added, and her horse said Snarl Jr. An adrenaline-fueled rage took over.
  2) Why didn't Miko or Belkar's weapons hurt Grey_Wolf_c ?
  - Maintaining these threads has made him impervious to pain.
  3) Why wouldn't a wizard recognize Grey_Wolf_c ?
  - Keeping up with the thread means he doesn't have time to keep up his appearance so looks like a human-sasquatch mix wearing clothing.
  4) Why would humans become nauseous at seeing Grey_Wolf_c ?
  - No time to shower either.
  5) How did Grey_Wolf_c teleport V and O-Chul to the beach with Hinjo?
  - Well, you got me there.

• The Giant
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  No, not that Giant, this Giant Former WCW World Champion. Latterly The Big Show, and played by Paul Wight.
  
  An actual fairy-tale Giant, a wild-haired mountain-savage, who wrestled in World Championship Wrestling from 1995 to 1999, and was booked as the son of the late Andre The Giant.
  
  1) The Escape: Can The Giant teleport?... Bizarrely enough, yes. The Giant debuted in 1995 in World Championship Wrestling as part of the 'Dungeon Of Doom' stable, portraying a similar role that the MITD has in OOTS. The powerful dragon controlled by 'The Taskmaster' Kevin Sullivan. In this role, he actually could teleport. And teleported to and from the titular 'Dungeon of Doom.'
  
  2) The attack and defense portrayed in the tower scene: At Halloween Havok 1995, he attacked Hulk Hogan on the roof of the Cobo Arena in Detroit. He fell from the roof of a 12,000 seater stadium straight to the concrete parking lot below, and not only lived to tell the tale, but wrestled later that night. Talk about damage reduction. As for attack? Well... He's been showed to flip cars and throw "350 Pounds, solid steel ring-steps" in his time... I think you'd need at least a Strength of 28 to do that last one if you had the Hulking Hurler Prestige Class's ability 'Really Throw Anything.' He's choke-slammed two large men at once, in real life, where the men are resisting, rather than helping you lift them up, that's basically dead-lifting around 500 pounds at once.
  Also, he beat Hulk Hogan. No one beats Hulk Hogan. Ever. Seriously. Because Hulk Hogan is an arrogant, selfish old c-... Never mind.
  
  3) Has a plausible explanation for the Circus: He's been portrayed as gross, scary, impressive and interesting. And plenty of people paid to watch him.
  
  4) Isn't one of the impossible categories: He's definitely a humanoid.
  
  5) Existed before strip #100 in a form accessible to Rich: Debuted on US TV in 1995
  
  6) Size no bigger than Huge: Only seven foot tall, 484 or so pounds.
  
  7) Is vulnerable to mind-affecting effects: Yup.
  
  8) Smaller and eats less than his father: He was portrayed as the son of Andre The Giant a seven foot four, 520 pound man who is said to have consumed 7,000 calories a day in wine alone.
  
  9) Small, but will get much bigger: The Big Show is significantly fatter now than he was when he was known as The Giant.
  
  10) Could he eat Redcloak whole?: Well... He has the appetite of a Giant, soon after his debut, he became tremendously fat, and since he was booked as a literal Giant, a mountain-dwelling savage from 'Parts Unknown,' he probably isn't above eating moldy cheeseburgers.
  
  11) 'Wouldn't expect to see on of these here [In The Jungle]': You wouldn't expect to bump into a wrestler in a jungle... Well, you wouldn't! Would you? I wouldn't!
  
  12: Surprised he can speak, and in common?: Weirdly enough, despite speaking English very well, the interviewers and commentators would often pretend that they couldn't tell what The Giant was saying, kind of like Stewie in Family Guy.
• Half-Green-Dragon Half-Green-Dragon Half-Green-Dragon Half-Green-Dragon Half-Green-Dragon Young Adult Green Dragon
  
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  The MitD is a green dragon that also has five different green dragon ancestors in his family, so he has five instances of the Half-Dragon template.
  
  Pros:
  

  • Template combination is guessable, because it's not unusual for the Stickyverse. Half-dragon hybrids are common: Girard is half-dragon, Enor is half-dragon ogre. The ancient black dragon says in #628 that she's expected that her son invites "that nice green dragon girl", showing that green dragons sometimes interbreed with dragons.
  • 63 strength to explain tower scene.
  • Two claw attacks for 1d6 damage and a bite attack of 1d8 damage, weaker than the attacks of an ordinary young adult green dragon. Lets Miko and horse survive tower scene.
  • 36 natural armor, 25 base armor class, 5/magic DR explains why Belkar's and Miko's attacks fail. Half-Dragon template says "Natural armor improves by +4" so the bonus from multiple instances will stack.
  • "Elongated features […] and exaggerated teeth and claws" and "more formidable" both stacked five times to explain circus scene. The wizard in circus has seen green dragons, but not one with such grotesque features. He's just the kind of misshapen mutant that a freak show wants to show off. Xykon finds him ugly.
  • Misshapen features explain why Belkar can't recognize his tracks.
  • Overly long claws and 10 dexterity makes it difficult to pull the rope.
  • People can still recognize that he is a dragon, explaining "one of these".
  • 29 intelligence, 19 wisdom, and 29 charisma, may have skills in Bluff and Knowledge. That is why he can bluff Xykon once he actually starts to think, and recognize the half a ritual.
  • Large size to fit in box.
  • Can fly, which is how he can get up to the entrances higher up in the mountain without leaving a trace.
  • Dragons grow as they age, which explain that MitD's father was BIG.
  • Two eyes.
  • Not immune to mind affecting effects.

  
  
  Con:
  

  • Doesn't explain escape scene.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Section 3: Continued

Section 3e: Proposed ideas

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Ideas that have been proposed, but cannot explain all major MitD scenes (See 3a)
Aboleth Mage

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Pros:

• 28 Strength
• Effective caster level 10th would allow him to have teleport
• Appearance: "The aboleth is a revolting fishlike amphibian" but charisma 14 could count as "beautiful" for someone that isn't too nauseated by fish-like beings
• Can only speak languages that are used underwater - would be surprising to hear him speak out of the water, and in common no less.
• Very rare to be found outside of their natural environment (water)
• Grows bigger as it ages - father would be bigger than MitD
• Eating creatures gives him their memories, which would explain why he doesn't like to eat babies (no memories - bland and boring food) and why he likes stew (he never knows what he's going to get, it's a big surprise!)

Cons:
This creature could be considered the "almost" FBS suggestion.

• Strength is almost to the 30 used as rule of thumb for the tower scene, but not quite there
• Huge, almost small enough to fit in the box - and if made any smaller by age or template, he'd be too weak
• CR17 is almost to the rule of thumb expected power level
• 3 eyes - almost the right amount - vertically stacked.
• Study-based spellcasting is a poor fit for MitD, who is never seen studying spells

Akvan Div Prince

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Too tall. probably not ugly enough. Might be too recent.

Alhoon

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Undead, not strong enough

Anaxim (SRD or ELH 158)

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Construct, no teleportation.

Andeloid

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Can absorb the powers of other creatures, virtually explaining everything with the right set of creatures, but seems unlikely that MitD has had a chance to do so

Angel of Decay

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Undead

Astral Dragon

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Too big when powerful enough (if it ever is powerful enough - top strength of 24 is insufficient); too weak when the right size. Too recognisable due to being a dragon for it to fit the circus scene. Fluff about staying a child until mating does fit MitD.

Astral Dreadnaught

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only one eye, gargantuan, can't explain the escape

Asura (high CR homebrew)

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Can cause earthquake, looks weird. Can't explain the escape. Unsurprising to hear it speak in common. Too many eyes.

Atropal (SRD or ELH 159)

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Undead: doesn't eat or sleep.

Audrey II

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Not that ugly (people flock to see it), unclear if it can teleport others/grant wishes (up for interpretation), unclear if its strength is sufficient to punch people through walls and send them flying.

Bauhei

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Unclear if it can be called "one of these". Doesn't fit the circus scene (awe doesn't induce vomiting)

Aurumach Rilmani

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Too humanoid looking to fit the circus scene.

Baku

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28 STR, probability travel works as teleport or a critical roll, fairly unrecognisable. However, also not specially disgusting looking.

Barghest (SRD or MM 22)

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Pros:

• Eats a lot, and gets stronger as he eats (reference)
• Greater Barghest has dimension door

Cons:

• Not really all that strong, (max 20)
• No earthquake ability
• Dimension door doesn't explain the escape well
• can speak (but not in common)

Black Troll

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Large, ugly as every troll, but looking demonic on top. Can cast Teleportation without error, explaining the escape (but not what the hell a troll is doing with that spell and 10 INT and CHA). Unfortunately, not quite strong enough.

Brachyurus (SRD or ELH 170)

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Strong and relatively ugly, but can't explain the escape

Brainstealer Dragon

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Old ones are strong and have spells that can explain the escape, but are too big to fit in the box. Young ones that do fit are too weak. All of them can explain the circus scene. Published a year after strip #100

Braxat (MM2 37)

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Not particularly strong, CR9 and can only explain the escape with Dimension Door.

Brood Keeper (MM3)

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Can't explain the escape, the fear aura doesn't fit the circus scene, too big, not strong enough. Rich may have had a hand in their creation.

Bigfoot

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Very strong, presumed ugly even though no-one ever manages to see him. However, no magic, and thus doesn't explain the escape.

Cerebrilith

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Can´t explain the escape. Insufficient Strength

Centaur (SRD or MM 32)

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Not strong enough, can't explain the earthquake, the tower scene, the circus scene or the escape.

Cherub (four-faced version)

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Pros:

• Strength of 36.
• "four-sided head with the faces of a lion, ox, eagle, and man," which can be disgusting
• Wish as an SLA, easily explains the escape
• Has earthquake as a power, could explain the stomp.
• Large size
• Can be advanced to gargantuan, meaning that MitD's "father" could be either another larger cherub who was raising him or just a god specifically.
• Strange to find a cherub in a rainforest.

Cons:

• Like most angelic hosts and demonic armies, it is hard to understand how it went unrecognised in the circus act - most people would have heard of them at their religious service of choice.
• OotS Cherubs don't look like that.
• Four sets of eyes
• Unsurprising it can talk common (can talk all languages)
• SBGH would probably not likely sell divine beings into slavery
• Immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities.
• Doesn't really fit with why Xykon and Redcloak expect him to be "scary" and eat children

Chi You

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Vaguely defined. Weird looking, but not particularly revolting. Can speak.

Chichimec

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No explanation for the escape

Coeurl

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CR4, nowhere near powerful enough. Can't explain the escape

Concordant Killer (MM4)

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Created too late to be MitD. Not strong enough. Can't explain the escape

Corpse Tearer Linnorm (MM2 141)

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Strong and with access to miracle, but only through cleric spells, which would give him Animate Dead, which MitD is known not to be able to cast

Couatl

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Cannot explain the escape (caster level not high enough) the tower or the circus (not particularly revolting). CR10, nowhere near powerful enough. Since it has cleric abilities, should be able to help RC

Crypt Thing

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Undead, can't explain the tower scene. Unclear how somone could claim not to have seen a human skeleton before. Unsurprising it can talk

Crystalle

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Can cast Wish, but limited since the ioun stone has limited charges. STR 33. Cons: appearance not particularly disgusting; Elemental: doesn't eat or sleep.

Dao (MoP 172)

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aka "earth genie". Pros:

• Can grant wishes
• Can cast earthquake
• Has a "shove" ability to push enemies

Cons:

• Unsurprising it can talk
• CR6, little strength, no defences
• Not unusually ugly
• Unclear how father would be "bigger and hungrier"

Deus Ex Machina personified

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Would be a Rich creation

Disenchanter

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Not strong enough, cannot explain the escape, not powerful enough to be Xykon's Ace in the Hole.

Displacer Beast (MM 60)

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Can't explain the escape, not strong enough

Dragon (SRD or MM 68 + most MMs)

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Pros:

• Decent defences
• they like to eat and sleep

Cons:

• They don't get the kind of strength and powers needed until they are way too big for the box.
• They are very recognisable, and thus don't match the circus' reactions.

Draknor

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Sprouts from the ground, but we have seen MitD in high floors of towers.

Dread Linnorm (MM2 141)

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Pros:

• Huge Strength
• Wish (Sorcerer Levels)
• Ugly (with high Charisma)

Cons:

• Colossal - requires him to be a runt, which brings problems re: high-level spell access
• Two Heads - requires a reason why it lost one (e.g. decapitation)
• Immunity to all spells of the enchantment school

Dream Larva (SRD or ELH 161)

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Pros:

• Worst Nightmare ability explains circus' reactions (as long as it is a 'young' dream larva, so that it is not immediately lethal)
• Very strong (42), high CR, defences and DR
• Dreamscape allows teleportation, with a certain amount or rules bending (see here for an explanation)

Cons:

• Immune to mind-affecting effects
• Dreamscape doesn't explain the escape all that well
• Not known for its appetite, or its need to sleep
• Unclear if a young dream larva can even exist, and would be less lethal than an adult one.

Earth Elemental (SRD or MM 97)

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Unstated how it would cause the escape, it cannot provide material for undead

Efreet

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Not powerful enough in D&D, regardless of how powerful they were in the original mythology

Empyrean

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5e monster, and therefore published way too late for MitD

Enveloper (1e FF)

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Insufficient strength, it's main ability of absorbing powers (thus explaining the escape scene), would also give MitD knowledge that would be at odds with his known naïvety and ignorance.

Ephemeral Hangman (ToM 161)

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Pros:

• Looks like a mass of black tentacles centered around a large maw and a trunklike body.
• Large, but when in darkness or shadowy illumination, it can fit into spaces that appear too small for it
• The base species prefers eating children "and others too small and weak to fight back"

Cons:

• Can't explain the escape scene
• Probably too weak: CR7, STR 22

Epic Dragon (SRD or ELH 181)

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Pros:

• Have access to Wish
• Very strong
• Like most dragons, it likes to eat and sleep

Cons:

• They don't get the kind of strength and powers needed until they are way too big for the box.
• Beautiful (sp. prismatic)
• They are very recognisable, and thus don't match the circus' reactions.

Fhoimoren Giant

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No explanation for the escape. Weak defences.

Fiendwurm (MM2 99)

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strong and known for eating constantly, can't talk, can send people to the Abyss, but that explains the escape very badly if at all, and lack of limbs and gargantuan size are problematic.

Fihyr, Greater

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too many eyes, not strong enough, not challenging enough, can't explain the escape.

Formian Myrmarch

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Not strong enough to explain the tower scene

Gelatinous Cube

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Fits none of the major scenes

General Ox

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Sorcerer with access to 9th level spells, and STR 36. Doesn't quite match the circus scene's public reactions

Genie/Djinn (SRD or MM 114)

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while able to cast wish, they can talk, they are not particularly ugly, and they're nowhere near powerful enough for MitD

Geriviar

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No good explanation for the Escape. Not strong enough.

Ghour

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Decently strong, but insufficient CR and too big. Being a demon, it's morality and 'father' doesn't match well MitD's.

Giant Snowman

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Large strength and high HP, but no other known powers to explain the other scenes (especially the escape).

Giant Space Hamster

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Not strong enough, no magical powers, not ugly enough for the circus scene

Gibbering Orb (SRD or ELH 191)

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Can't stomp due to lack of limbs. Shouldn't leave tracks. Too many eyes and mouths. No explanation for Escape, except far-fetched "ate someone with access to wish the day before".

Girard (Member of the Order of the Scribble)

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Unsurprising it can talk, wouldn't be exhibited as a circus freak, wouldn't be hunted by the SBGH, is now known to be dead.

Gloom

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Fairly strong, very powerful, but has no eyes, shadow walk isn't quite good enough to explain the escape and "tall, very dark, elf-eared person with a cloak" is not exactly "I've never seen anything like it before"

Goristro

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Huge, and can't teleport, or explain the escape in any other way. See also Pit Fiend.

Gray Render (SRD or MM 138)

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can't explain the escape, or the tower. Not particularly good at explaining the circus. Too many eyes (6).

Grendel

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Original text says it is immune to weapons. Unclear how it accounts for the escape scene, except if it were demon-spawn due to conversion to D&D, which is a very big stretch. Difficulty addressing its strength (enough to break benches, but not the full hall).

Grey Slaad (MM 231)

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can teleport people both within a plane and between planes, but so-so strength

Grootslang

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Cannot explain the escape. Did not exist when #100 was posted

Guardinal, Leonal

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Not strong enough, aura of fear for evil creatures should have been seen in the comic.

Gug (CoC)

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(From Call of Cthulhu) Very ugly, and causes loss of sanity when looked at. Has a small chance of knowing how to teleport, but is not strong enough, particularly if young version is assumed due to size problems.

Ha-Naga (SRD or ELH 195)

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Access to wish, and fairly strong although, being gargantuan, too big for the umbrella (when moving), and lack of limbs make several scenes difficult to explain (like pulling on the rope). Not particularly vomit-inducing. Proposing a child version reduces the strength bellow appropriate amount. Psionic powers could explain the earthquake, but not the tower scene.

Half-Giant (SRD or XPH 200)

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Strong and psionic, but can talk, unclear how it accounts for circus scene and the escape.

Hellfire Wyrm (MM2 125)

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Dragon, and thus can't explain the circus scene properly. Too big (huge)

Hephaestus

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God: Immune to mind control

Hoary Hunter (SRD or ELH 197)

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Very strong, can plane shift, but not revolting enough to explain the circus' reactions

Hollyphant

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Not quite strong enough, can't explain the escape, too adorably cute for the circus scene

Hunefer

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Undead; due to paralysing aura can't explain the circus scene.

Illithid

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Not strong enough, can't explain the escape

Illithid Elder Brain

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Has good explanations for the Escape and Circus, but not quite enough strength for the Tower (while still having good defences). Does not have teeth or eyes. Requires a pool of water to live in.

Illurien (MM5)

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Female, Insufficient strength

Ilsidaur

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Demonic (difficulty explaining alignment, probably no parent), difficulty explaining the circus scene. Specific stats linked are too recent for MitD (older versions may exist, but have not been presented)

Incubus

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Not powerful enough, difficulty changing alignments, can't explain the circus scene

Infernal (SRD or ELH 164)

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Immune to mind affecting spells, unclear how it accounts for the escape scene (it's greater teleport is self-only). Can animate dead, which RC claims MitD cannot.

Intellect Devourer

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Strength too low. No explanation for the Escape

Jabberwock

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Difficult to gauge if it fits or not, since the jabberwock is never really described. However, being unique, it doesn't fit the comment of MitD being "one of these". D&D versions tend to be too weak, and lack teleportation.

Juiblex

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Pros:

• High strength.
• High DR
• Teleport without error
• Appearance matches the Circus scene and there is even the fact that some people get obsessed with Juiblex and become thralls to explain the bit about beauty.
• Eats everything. Yeah. Everything.
• High knowledge skills that would explain the MitD knowing unexpected things. i.e. the ritual.

Cons:

• Unique creature (likely, his children wouldn't have the above powers)
• No reason, assuming the BGH were not confused, for it to be surprising he can speak common.
• Attacks are always acidic in nature - does not match the Tower scene
• Too many eyes, no teeth
• Alignment issues (see section 1e)

King-Kong descendant

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Problem addressing strength and size at the same time. Cannot explain the escape scene.

Klicker

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No explanation for the escape, didn't exist before comic #100

Klurichir

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Several versions exists: the one that are strong enough cant explain the escape, and viceversa. Demonic, so has some issues with Mit'd morality.

Kyton, Eremite

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Can't explain the escape, since it can only self-teleport. Created after strip #100

Lammassu, Celestial

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Not strong enough, can cast cleric spells.

Lammassu, Greater

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The 2e 'Greater Lammasu' looked promising, but the 3 or 3.5 versions that have been reviewed fell short across the board.

Laogzed

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Demigod: can be mind controlled

Lava Children

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Can't explain the circus scene (neither ugly nor particularly strange), unclear if it can explain the escape

Lethus Dragon

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publication date 7 years after strip #100. Otherwise, fits the FBS rather nicely, but not the general fluff of MitD

Li Lung (Earth Dragon) (OA)

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Pros:

• Yellow eyes
• Reasonably strong, potentially challenging, and correctly sized up to young adult
• Damage reduction
• Earthquake AND a powerful roar
• Plane Shift

Cons:

• plane shift doesn't explain the escape well
• Personality (sleepiness, constant desire to consume, etc) doesn't match typical li lung's description
• As a young adult, it is not powerful enough

Marut

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Construct, has a vendetta against undead, embodiment of a morality plane

Nabassu (WotC book previews or Fiendish Codex 1)

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Not particularly strong, can only teleport themselves, and kill any level-1s that look at them, thus having difficulty explaining its success as a circus act.

Neh-Thalggu (SRD or ELH 206)

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incorporeal - meaning it has 0 STR and can't explain the punching of Miko or her horse (it could have bitten them, but not hit them)

Neo-otyugh (2e MM?)

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Can't explain the escape. Unclear strength (otyugh is definitely too weak). Too many eyes (3).

Neothelid (SRD or XPH 204)

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Pros:

• Fairly high strength (30)
• Psionic Teleport at will
• Vomit-inducing, since it's a gigantic worm with tentacles
• Heavy eating
• Rarely communicates in a meaningful way
• Its ability to Trace Teleport would explain how it knew where to send O'Chul and V

Cons:

• Difficulty explaining the earthquake and the stomp, lacking legs.
• Defences not that great
• No eyes
• Gargantuan

Nessie the Loch Ness Monster

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Too big for the umbrella, can't explain the escape scene, difficulty existing in dry land

Nightmare Beast (MM2 161)

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Pros:

• Fairly strong
• spends most of its time looking for food, and then sleeping
• Dimension door
• Can't talk

Cons:

• Not defensively impressive - Miko would not have had trouble hurting it.
• Dimension door doesn't explain the escape well.
• Red eyes
• Everyone in the city should've been having terrible nightmares

Nightscape Battlemage

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Can't explain the circus scene or the tower scene. Unsurprising it can talk

Nycaloth

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Insufficient strength, no good explanation for the circus scene or the tower scene.

Oni, Go-Zu and Me-Zu

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Several varieties, none really strong enough, and with no way to explain the escape.

Onyx Worm

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not strong enough, can't explain the escape.

Ophan Angel

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Good stats, but hundreds of eyes, and no good explanation for the escape.

Outsider, The (H.P. Lovecraft)

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undead

Paizo Golem

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Construct. Can't explain the escape scene or the circus scene. Created 5 years after strip #100

Phaerimm (Monsters of Faerun 70)

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Very, very ugly, access to wish through sorcerer levels, but not strong enough for the tower scene, and has no eyes.

Phasm

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Telepathic, so surprising it can speak. Not strong enough, can't explain the escape.

Pit Fiend (SRD or MM 57)

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Pros:

• Strong, good defences
• Highly skilled in Knowledge Arcane, -Religion, -Planes and in Spellcraft which would explain how the MitD could identify the ritual with merely a glance.
• Access to Wish

Cons:

• Pit Fiends probably don't have children and aren't child-like. (From Roy's Archon's words here, it seems OotS-verse has normal "advancement" of celestial beings. On the other hand, two demons have mentioned parents)
• It is not surprising it can talk.
• It can reanimate the dead
• Circus scene presents two problems: demonic creatures are not difficult to recognise (in a broad sense, if not the specific type), and the reaction one would expect is fear, not vomiting.
• Rich's comments in W&XPs seem to indicate that morality planes creatures can't change alignments more than slightly.

Planetar Angel (SRD or MM 11)

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Has cleric levels

Pooka

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No good explanations for the escape or the tower, being of the trickster fairy archetype

Prismasaurus

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No explanation for the escape, immune to mind-affecting "attacks" (which may or may not include what Xykon did to MitD). In the circus scene, people aren't being blinded or hit by prismatic sprays

Psammead

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Can grant wishes, but is not strong, is too small and being damage by water is something that does not match well with MitD's life in the rainforest. Also, Psammeads cannot grant their own wishes, so it cannot explain the earthquake or the tower scene.

Qlippoth

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Specifically, the Augnagar: explains circus and tower, but can't explain the escape. Immune to mind control.

Quaraphon Bully(MM3)

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Not strong enough, no explanation for the Escape, too many eyes.

Reality warper (e.g. Superman's Fifth-Dimensional Imp)

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Their reality revision power would explain the escape scene, but not the tower scene. A reality warper can cause anything they desire to become true, but in the tower scene, the exact opposite of MitD's desires (to hit as lightly as possible) happened.

Sarrukh

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Not strange enough for the circus scene. Not strong enough for the Tower Scene. Not surprising it can speak.

SCP-682

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Published in 2007, didn't exist during comic #100. Can't explain the escape (except by an undefined unrestricted ability to adapt). The personalities are very different. Arguably too powerful to be MitD.

Shade

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Can't explain the escape, nor the tower scene. It only fits the circus scene if it is a shade with no light sensitivity. Don't eat, breath or age. Their lack of metabolism means they also do not emit odors. The best fitting version is also a homebrew which didn't exist when MitD was picked.

Shadow Dragon (Draconomicon 191)

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Pros:

• It can cast Dimension Door as a supernatural ability once per day.
• Its size is Large as a young adult and adult, and Medium if it is juvenile.
• It has damage resistance 5 when it becomes a young adult.
• It's Shadowy and gets 9/10ths concealment from this....

Cons:

• Not incredibly strong
• Doesn't explain the earthquake or the escape

Shadowcloak Elder

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Shadow Blend doesn't match MitD's instructions to stay in the shadows (other than in Xykon's tower), not quite strong enough, can't talk, can't explain the escape.

Shedu, Greater (FF)

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Not strong enough. Unclear what its stats are in 3.5. Not surprising it can talk.

Shoggoth (CoC)

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Unclear if it can explain the escape, it may drive the public of the circus insane.

Shirokinukatsukami

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Not enough strength (20), can't explain the escape due to only self-teleporting

Siabrie

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Insufficient strength, female, beautiful, can't account for the escape.

Slime Child

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Published after #100

Smiling Medina

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Homebrewed after strip 100. Not strong enough for the tower scene.

Snark

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Cannot explain the escape scene, and most likely cannot explain the earthquake or tower scenes (although the descriptions are vague)

Solar (SRD or MM 12)

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Cons:

• Solars don't really have children and aren't child-like.
• It is not surprising it can talk.
• It can reanimate the dead

Sphinx (SRD or MM 232)

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Not really strong enough; the suggested idea was a kind of rock sphinx, but that can't be found in the stat'ed lists.

Starspawn (aka Son of Cthulhu)

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Drives people looking at him insane, thus having difficulty explaining its success as a circus act. Strength high, but not impressively so.

Stench Kow

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With a CR 3-4, it is not a credible threat to the order. Can't explain the escape or the tower scenes.

Sun Wukong

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Talks, no father, not part of a group, vegetarian.

Titan (SRD or MM 242)

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Pros: High Strength, mythologically, the Titan Uranus ate his children.
Cons: The only way to rescue O'Chul is by using Maze, which fits badly. It wouldn't be surprising it can talk.

Titan, Elder

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Not surprising it can talk. Can't explain the circus.

Troll

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Not strong enough, can't explain the escape, has difficulty explaining the circus (trolls are fairly common creatures, not something that unrecognisable).

Truly Horrid Umber Hulk (MM 248)

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Fairly strong, confusing gaze might explain the circus' reactions. However, doesn't have teleportation abilities, or earthquake.

Tulani Eledrin

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Too pretty and elf-looking for the circus scene. Not quite strong enough. Can cast clerical spells.

Two-headed Cyclops

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Two heads, but only one eye each, lazy & fairly ugly, but can't explain the escape and are not that strong. They can also speak, but only elven, not common.

Ulgurstasta Sorcerer

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Undead. Eats (swallows whole) bodies to produce undead, so should have been able to help RC. Gargantuan. Defences too weak to explain the Tower scene or Belkar's attack.

Ultroloth

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Demonic (morality problems), insufficient strength & defences, can't explain the escape

Uluu Thalongh

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Not surprising to be found in a jungle/rainforest. Unclear if it accounts for the escape.

Umbral Blot (Blackball)

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Construct, too weak (Str 10) for the tower scene. Can't explain the earthquake's stomp. Appearance doesn't match circus reactions.

Umpleby (1st ed FF)

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Can't explain the circus scene, or the escape.

Unbodied

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Cannot explain the escape nor the tower

Utukku

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Insufficient strength. 2nd ed version has poor defences, 3rd ed. version can't explain the escape.

Vasuthant (MM3 182)

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Undead. Can't explain the escape

Vaarsuvius

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Created for the comic. Doesn't eat meat. Not strong enough. Explanation that turns a wizard into MitD by means of the Snarl is completely unlikely and unsupported by evidence

Vermiurge (SRD or ELH 226)

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revolting sight, but can't explain the escape, can speak and is immune to mind-affecting spells.

Velociraptor

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Cannot explain the escape or the tower scene

Void Yai Oni

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Can't explain the escape

Warforged (Eberron or MM3 190)

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Construct

Wendigo (FF 186)

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Very strong, fairly ugly, famously hungry creatures. However, no magic, and thus doesn't explain the escape.

Wharlysk

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Lives in the rainforest. Huge. No explanation for the escape. Not strong enough

Wild Things

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Cannot explain the escape

Wolf-in-sheep's-clothing

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Can't explain the escape. Can't explain the circus, since he explicitly does nothing during his act, so all the public would see is a tree stump with maybe a dead animal on top. Can't explain the tower scene (STR 17, CR 8)

Wumpus

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Doesn't explain the escape.

Yali

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Strong, can psionic teleport, but cannot explain the circus scene.

Yeti

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Very strong, presumed ugly even though no-one ever manages to see him. However, no magic, and thus doesn't explain the escape.

Xor-Yost (Planar Handbook 122)

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Can't explain the escape

Zodar (FF 199)

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Pros:

• Very strong
• Can cast wish once in a lifetime, and any spell three times in a lifetime
• Human-sized
• Invulnerable to all damage except bludgeoning explains his resistance to Belkar's and Miko's attacks.

Cons:

• Does not explain the circus scene, since it basically looks like a man in a black armor
• The official version of Zodar is a construct, which would discard him; there is, however, an unofficial version that retains the 2.0 version that was monstrous, and that existed before the official one.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Section 4: Thread Information

Section 4a: Thread Rules

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This is a curated thread, and as such obeys the following rules:

Curator

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I, Grey Wolf, am the curator of the thread.
Responsibilities:

• Maintain the thread
• Remember arguments and canon
• Answer polite questions about MitD and the thread

What I can't do

• I have no official authority
• I am not a moderator
• I cannot ban discussion of issues I consider settled
• I cannot prevent certain topics from being discussed (but I can publicly withdraw from them); however, see also section on Inappropriate Topics below
• I cannot prevent any given poster from participating (but can Ignore them)
• I cannot make executive decisions on what is or is not included in the first post outside the guidelines stated in this post.

Adding information to the first post

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To add something to the first post needs two positive votes to do so. "Positive votes" means two more people in favour of the idea than against it.

In normal operation, that essentially means convincing me to add it. The original proponent and me make the 2 votes, assuming no-one objects. If I disagree, the proponent will then need two other posters to agree with him/her (assuming no-one else but me disagrees). And so on: if 3 people are opposed, five need to be in favour, etc.

Why not simple majority? Because that is perilously close to a draw. With only one vote up or down, someone might come in a day later and vote against the idea would mean that we open the door to having to continually add and remove things from the first post - I want to prevent that as much as possible. This way, a vote against the change coming after the change still leaves a simple majority in favour of it (if would take two votes against the change after the fact for it to be reverted).

The only exception to the rule is the refreshes. When I do a refresh of the first post (usually at the end of every page divisible by 10), I will not require to get anyone to agree with me; instead, I will publish a list of all changes as I make them, and when it is over, two objections will be enough to remove a change. For those doing the math at home, that is only one positive vote to remove it (I'd naturally be opposed, since I just added it), but since it got added only with one vote (mine), it's fair to remove it also with only one vote.

For major reworking of the first post, such as the issue with the definition of FBS, removing or adding whole sections, etc, it will need to be put to general vote. To request a vote to make a change to the OP, a proponent must obtain the backing of two other participants. The vote will then be held when the curator can set it up, or at refresh, whichever comes soonest.

Inappropriate Topics

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The following topics are considered by consensus inappropriate for the thread. Note that no mod has weighted on either, so the easiest way forward if you want to discuss them is to first get mod approval:

• Intellectual Property ("copyrighted") creatures not belonging to WotC. Due to section "Inappropriate Topics", subsection "Professional Advice" of board rules, discussion of laws is verboten in this forum. Since the biggest objection to copyrighted creatures is whether or not Rich would be legally allowed to use them, every such creature proposed quickly devolved into a discussion of applicable laws, which is not allowed. For the purposes of this thread, any creature created after Mickey Mouse (1923) is currently under copyright in the US.
  
  • Please also see this post explaining the rationale behind the blankiet ban on all copyright and copyright discussion, and especially the section on fair use.
• MitD's personal alignment: not that of his species, but his personally. Consensus is that his alignment cannot be tied to that of his species (see section 1e). It is a separate enough topic that it should have its own thread. If V can have a thread for gender and a separate one for alignment, MitD can have one for his species (this one) and a separate one for his alignment. At least until the mods say otherwise.

Section 4b: Voting Rules

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Major changes to the first post may be put to consensus vote. In those cases, the following rules will be followed:

• Semi-public vote: votes will be PM'ed to me, the curator, to prevent the thread from being spammed by multiple short "vote for X" posts. I will compile all votes in the original voting post for verification and record keeping. To prevent fraud, please be ready to reaffirm your vote if someone else PMs you to ask about it.
• Multiple votes per person: you can vote for more than one option. Do so in order of preference.
• Vote counting: will not be first past the post; instead, alternative vote system will be used.
• Vote length: Until a day passes without anyone else voting.
• Voting is binding: if you vote for extra work, be prepared to do the extra work. If extra work is voted for, but no-one does it, the option will be discarded and runner-up will be done instead.
• Voting options: If you feel the options are not to your liking, you can vote for a new option by describing it in your post. Give it a letter for ease of voting (and pithy name, if you can think of one).
• Changing Votes: You can change your vote at any time before the end of the voting.

Section 4c: FAQ

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Do I have to read all of the first post before jumping in?

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No, but you should exercise good sense and read the sections most likely to be related to what you are about to post.

If you want to propose a creature, scan the proposed creatures list to see if it is already there, and read both section 3a (to see how your idea stacks up against the current "best of the crop") and the frequently proposed (in case your idea is already there - in this last case, you need to address all the cons listed in your first post).

If you want to propose an explanation for a MitD characteristic, check section 2 for it, and see what the general consensus of the thread for the characteristic is. If it is a scene, rather than a characteristic, you may have read the whole section to see where that scene is involved.

For other situations, reading section 4 and this FAQ is a good start. If in doubt, you can ask me, the curator, for guidance to the best sections to read.

When is the first post updated?

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Updates of details that strike me as important, typos, small corrections and other quick things can happen at any time. But, time permitting, every ten pages (at the end of page 10, 20, 30 & 40) I do "first post refreshes" where I add all new proposed ideas, and I may add entire new sections. See rules for the refreshes in section 4a.

When is a proposal added to the first post?

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Proposals are added during first post refreshes (every 10 pages, unless I am very busy). For a proposal to be added, it needs to meet the following:

• Be minimally defended. If just the name is mentioned, it won't get added
• Not meant as a joke. If it was meant as one, it will only be added if I find it exceptionally funny (or with two positive votes).
• Not retracted by the author. If the author retracts it and no-one else is in favour, it won't get added.

Why is my idea not a FBS?

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Probably because it doesn't meet the requirements which by current consensus are:
1) Has a plausible explanation for the Escape
2) Has a plausible explanation for the Tower (both his attack and his defence)
3) Has a plausible explanation for the Circus (both his act, and the reactions)
4) Isn't one of the impossible categories (unless it is an exception)
5) Existed before strip #100 in a form accessible to Rich.
6) Size no bigger than Huge ("fits in the box")
7) Is vulnerable to mind-affecting effects (SoD)

Wouldn't a non-D&D copyrighted creature be legal under fair use or parody?

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A detailed answer would count as legal advice, and can't therefore be further discussed (see Section 4a - Inappropriate topics). Thread consensus is that neither fair use nor parody are applicable to MitD, but agree or disagree, discussion of IP non-D&D monsters is not allowed in this thread per the board rules.

Can't a non-D&D copyrighted creature be discussed, ignoring the legal status and only discussing its pros and cons?

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In theory, yes, but in practice the biggest con is its legal status, especially if the creature is a half-decent fit. The fact of the matter is that in practice, any non-D&D IP creature quickly descends into a legal discussion.

Isn't every idea guessable? I mean, if someone just guessed it?

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"Guess" has two meanings. One is "random chance", like throwing a dart at a board. The other is "deduce". Rich intended the second one, as he clarified when he says "I trust that someone will figure it out eventually". He is dropping clues, and excepts us to be able to eventually figure it out, presumably once we have all the clues.

Since you haven't found the solution yet, is it possible you are doing something wrong?

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Not necessarily. Ideas come to this thread slowly. For example, our current best fits were not suggested until late in the second thread and early third, and the explanations for the escape only included the stray dimensional lock as of start of the fifth thread. Besides, there is no way to know if we have found the solution. Balloons won't fall from the ceiling the moment someone says the correct species; for all we know, we have already found the creature Rich thought of.

Haven't you checked all D&D creatures by now?

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Not even close. There are literally thousand of official creatures, and beyond counting for third-party creatures published in all manner splatbooks. To illustrate just how deep the search space goes, consider that Crusher, in the space of an afternoon, checked one new source and found 5 new better-than-average candidates, and then repeated the feat a few pages later. There remains a lot of material to explore.

Does MitD have to be a D&D creature?

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No, not at all. Rich has never said that MitD is a D&D creature, only that, whatever he is, he didn't make his species up.

Does MitD have to be a 3.5 D&D creature?

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If he was updated to 3.5, yes, since conversion is automatic. But if he was never updated, he could be a 1st Ed or 2ed creature (although the latter would need a reason why he wasn't trapped in Dorukan's Dungeon with the rest of never-updated creatures).

[Grey_Wolf_c]

(Post Reserved for future use)

[Crusher]

Tracking MitD guesses

We've been thinking about the MitD's identity for quite some time now. The unmasking is probably not nigh, but its definitely getting closer. Since the last thread ran for just over 2 years, its entirely possible the great unveiling will occur before this thread finishes so its time to get formal about it.

This spot will track the guesses of anyone who cares to make a guess, along with when they made the guess (and I'll probably track people's guess history as well, unless people object). If you want to make a guess, you can either post it in the thread or message me. I'm pretty thorough about reading the thread, but I miss things so feel free to remind me.

For now, I'll organize them chronologically by guess but I may switch to alphabetical. Date is whatever day the forum tells me it was when the note was posted. Also, I'm already getting tired of typing out "Athasian Nightmare Beast", so it will be abbreviated ANB. You can guess up to three candidates.

List of guesses
DaggerPen - Protean 5/21/16, Protean > Hunting Horror 5/28/16, Protean > ANB > Hunting Horror 4/29/2018
Ranagrande - Extremely heavily templated Giant Space Hamster 5/22/16
Grey_Wolf_c - Protean > Zodar > Aboleth 5/22/16
Kish - Infernal > Slaad 5/22/16, Infernal > Slaad > Protean 7/17/16
Ron Miel - Púca 5/22/16
Sniffnoy - Uvuudaum 5/22/16
TraceHyde - Protean > Barghest > Something copywrited 5/23/16
Magesmiley - Prismatic Dragon (very young or young) 5/23/16
Michaeler - heavily templated Protean 5/23/16, young Protean = something Snarl-related (perhaps a Protean) 4/20/2018
RWeird - Protean > Neh-Thalggu > Uvuudaum 5/23/16
nihil8r - Glabrezu 5/24/16
Yanisa - ANB 5/27/16
Crusher - ANB > Prismasaurus > Glabrezu 5/27/16, ANB > Glabrezu > Neh-Thalggu 6/22/2016, ANB > Glabrezu > Slaad 1/11/17, Slaad > Glabrezu 1/23/17
HarryMcB - Protean 5/28/16
Lord Bingo - Zodar 5/29/16
Lombard - Couatl 5/31/16
Quartz - ANB 5/31/16
Halfeye - Boojum 6/1/16
Ruck - Protean > ANB > Snorlax 6/2/16
GM_3826 - Protean > ANB > Uvuudaum 6/2/16
dancrilis - Grey Render 6/3/16
Vendanna - Half-dragon 6/3/16, Half-dragon/demon 11/15/17
IrishMusician - Protean 6/22/16
thereaper - Protean 6/22/16
ReaderAt2046 - Protean > Zodar > Carbosilicate Amorph 6/22/16, Protean > ANB > Carbosilicate Amorph 7/17/16, ANB > Carbosilicate Amorph 11/17/17
theinsulabot - ANB 6/22/16
Onyavar - Protean 6/22/16
Dark Matter - Protean 6/22/16
Humanist Geek - Protean > ANB > something templated 6/22/16
littlebum2002 - Protean 6/23/16, Slaad > Protean 8/25/2017
voiceofreason - the author 7/1/16
SirKazum - Slaad 7/12/16
Bestigle - Protean 7/12/16
ShiningWrath - ANB 7/17/16, Dread Linnorm (runty, minus a head) 4/28/18
Qwertystop - Protean > Zodar 7/17/16
Hardcore - Imentesh (its a kind of Protean) 7/17/16
Darth V - Protean 7/20/16
Peelee - Protean 7/20/16
Throknor - Uvuudaum > Glabrezu 7/28/16
Knight.Anon - Young Titan 8/3/16
Rosstin - Protean 11/22/16
Outliar - ANB 11/23/16
Darth Paul - Slaad 1/20/17, Slaad > ANB 11/19/17
Kythia - Slaad 8/9/17
Sniccups - Slaad = ANB 10/15/17
Thermophille - Slaad (White > Black) 11/6/17
Monation - Protean 11/15/17
Zenzis - Glabrezu 11/15/17
Shashakiro - ANB 11/15/17
Clockshock - ANB 11/20/17

I will also compile a list of the top vote-getters, which I will update infrequently. If you have 1 guess, it gets 1 point. 2 ordered guesses split 0.6/0.4 and 3 ordered guesses split 0.5/0.3/0.2. 2 non-ordered guesses "It is either X or Y, with no favorite" will be awarded 0.5/0.5 and 3 non-ordered guesses will go 0.33/0.33/0.33. If you guess more than 3, I'll discard 4th and after if possible. If not possible ("its one of these 5...") then I'll exclude the entire guess.

This is a slight change from the previous scoring system to make the point progression a little smoother. The impact is minimal, its just that the previous system's slight improportionality in points awarded based on numbers of monsters guessed and their ordering bugged me, so I fixed it.

Last updated 11/20/17

A couple shifts, and we have an actual top 3 again, so back to a ranking. The ranking currently goes:

#1 - Protean (or some variant of Protean) - 17.5
#2 - ANB - 9.4
#3 - Slaad - 6.0
#4 - Glabrezu - 2.8
#5 - Uvuudaum - 2.0

[DaggerPen]

Since the idea of the MitD being a dragon came up again last thread, to the list of the many, many reasons the MitD can't be a dragon (unless maybe some rare draconic subspecies that looks absolutely nothing like a dragon, like the brainstealer dragon, etc.) - MitD knows what his father looks like and probably knows what he looks like, and has a toy dragon and shows familiarity with dragons as a whole, but has no idea what he is.

[Peelee]

Puca (I don't know how to do the accent mark, aka Pooka)

There's the alt codes, but if you don't know them offhand, a lazier way is to google the word and copy/paste the word/letter needed. And personally, I'm all about the laziest way to do things. Púca!

[Grey_Wolf_c]

There's the alt codes, but if you don't know them offhand, a lazier way is to google the word and copy/paste the word/letter needed. And personally, I'm all about the laziest way to do things. Púca!

This, however, is quite hard to do in mobile. Instead, just hold your finger on the base letter, and in iOS at least, you get a selection of diacritics that letter can have.

Grey Wolf

[DaggerPen]

Two quick things -

1. As a minor fluff note in favor of the Protean, I just realized that, given the destabilizing nature of a Protean's slam attacks, the MitD may well consider substituting a regular attack for the slam attack trying to hit 'lightly' - which is neat because the Protean's statblock explicitly says they can do that.

2. While googling around for more Protean stuff, Google had some entertaining search suggestions I thought the people here might get a kick out of -



ETA: ... huh. Would you look at this little Protean variant I just found in the Pathfinder bestiary?

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/protean/protean-keketar

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/bestiary2/protean.html

If it weren't for that "self only" restriction on that teleport... heck, it even specifies the eyes remain consistent (though also that they're violet) and an odd movement pattern that could potentially explain the lack of tracks.

ETA: Whoops, and Pathfinder postdates the MitD. Still, makes me wonder if there weren't protean variants being tossed around in Rich's circles at the time of MitD's creation.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Ah, a new thread: lovely! Let's hope that's this one is the recipient of as many clues in a short period of time as the last one.

[MrHatAndCloak]

So has anyone noticed that in strip #259, the hobgoblin apparently knows? This means MitD is something that a Hobgoblin can recognize with a "good look." Has anyone pointed out/ speculated about this before? (Sorry if someone has I haven't read every single thread cover-to-metaphorical-cover.) I mentioned this in the last forum but it was ignored, due to the migration to here.

[Yendor]

If it weren't for that "self only" restriction on that teleport... heck, it even specifies the eyes remain consistent (though also that they're violet) and an odd movement pattern that could potentially explain the lack of tracks.

ETA: Whoops, and Pathfinder postdates the MitD. Still, makes me wonder if there weren't protean variants being tossed around in Rich's circles at the time of MitD's creation.

It does say its eyes can also be amber. And it occurred to me that shifting, multicoloured scales could induce nausea in onlookers, yet still plausibly be described as beautiful to the right sort of mind.

---

A general thought on modified monsters: it shouldn't be necessary, simply because Rich can write the story to fit the characters, not the other way around. If the MitD's base creature doesn't have a certain ability, then we don't get a scene with that ability. At most, there's some artistic license with how abilities are portrayed, same as with any other character.

Regarding the Zodar: the extremely rare speech and total lack of emotion are pretty strong points against it.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

So has anyone noticed that in strip #259, the hobgoblin apparently knows? This means MitD is something that a Hobgoblin can recognize with a "good look." Has anyone pointed out/ speculated about this before? (Sorry if someone has I haven't read every single thread cover-to-metaphorical-cover.) I mentioned this in the last forum but it was ignored, due to the migration to here.

It has been mentioned. The general agreement is that it is quite clearly meant as a joke (what with the breaking of the fourth wall and everything else); even if we take it seriously, we don't know that he actually could tell the species, or if he was just going to say "a sort of green-purple platypus thing" - i.e. a description, rather than an actual recognition.

Grey Wolf

[nleseul]

A general thought on modified monsters: it shouldn't be necessary, simply because Rich can write the story to fit the characters, not the other way around. If the MitD's base creature doesn't have a certain ability, then we don't get a scene with that ability.

Unless, of course, the modification is in some way important to the story as well. (MitD probably wouldn't be given a half-Earth Elemental template just so he can use an earthquake ability, but he might be given that template if his Earth Elemental parent is going to be narratively relevant.)

[Kornaki]

I don't have an idea of a monster, but perhaps this will jog someone's something. A popular theory is that MitD was hit by Xykon's Dimensional Anchor. What if he has no innate casting powers, but instead has an ability like 'when you are struck by a spell, you absorb it and do XYZ'. Unfortunately most spell stealing in dnd allows you to copy the spell or reflect it, which wouldn't fit the scene, but there must be a number of monsters that can absorb magical power in other ways.. Especially something outside of dnd might have something like absorbs a spell and then does its opposite.

[Crusher]

There's the alt codes, but if you don't know them offhand, a lazier way is to google the word and copy/paste the word/letter needed. And personally, I'm all about the laziest way to do things. Púca!

Copy-paste ftw! Thanks, Peelee!

[Crusher]

Ah, a new thread: lovely! Let's hope that's this one is the recipient of as many clues in a short period of time as the last one.

I think its entirely possible it will, but I fear it'll happen in 2018 when this thread is on page 12.

Then again, I thought something similar when the last thread was getting started and boy was I wrong.

[ReaderAt2046]

Crusher, I'd like to change my guess to Protean>ANB>Carbosilicate Amorph, please.

[Crusher]

Crusher, I'd like to change my guess to Protean>ANB>Carbosilicate Amorph, please.

Sure thing.

[Shining Wrath]

I shall cast a vote for ANB with the caveat that I'm not confident recent information jibes with any of our leading candidates. Why wouldn't Lien believe a Nightmare Beast? Also, a CR of 22 is on the low side from my perspective, and ANB don't seem to reproduce (created by vile magic).

[DaggerPen]

The more I read about the typical fluff for Proteans and Protean variants, the more I become quite convinced of Protean as the one. There's a lot of fluff about Proteans as related to the primordial chaos before the gods shaped the world, etc., which means the MitD could absolutely be tied into the main plot in a fashion both he and Lien would find unbelievable without ruining the guessability.

[Qwertystop]

Mark me down for Protean first and Zodar second.

And... hm. Just realized something that puts even less weight on O'Chul's assertion about "breaking the status quo" - marking extra doors would only be bad for Team Evil if the Gate is actually behind one of those doors. If not, it just means they've got less to search through. As long as MitD hasn't marked more than half, the odds are actually that the extra markings are inadvertently helpful, which shows reduced accuracy in O'Chul's reading of the actual action as a good thing.

[Kish]

I'll submit "Protean" as my third guess, as well.

[Darth Tom]

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but while reading Don't Split the Party I realised that MitD says Xykon always tries to make it eat kids. Clearly, this is an Evil act. Recently, O-Chul implied that MitD's Good acts could be significant. As if MitD is neutral and malleable.

This reminded me of the Creatures from Black and White, which are naturally Neutral but can be taught Good and Evil. Could this be a clue to MitD's identity? Is there anything in D&D that this applies to?

[ZeroL]

I think that a major problem with Protean is that people recognize the MitD by looking at it, but recognizing a Protean would require watching several transformations plus extensive knowledge. Also, there is a narrative issue with it being a Protean as well, in that it would be revealed as X, but then turn into Y, and then everyone would just be confused and many wouldn't know what it was. Also, when Xykon was planning for MitD to come out of the shadows, he knew that the heroes would recognize it immediately. Also, I think it's almost certain that MitD is or resembles some kind of aniimal or beast, due to the fact that big game hunters viewed him as a prize catch and the bugbear tamer wanted to take him from Xykon, albeit jokingly. I am certain that he is a non-D&D creature from some myth, and that everyone will know what he is once they see him.

[Kish]

People, present tense, recognize the creature in his every appearance because he looks like a pair of glowing yellow eyes peering out from the darkness under an umbrella. Xykon never said he counted on the heroes recognizing what the creature is; indeed he never even said that he knows what the creature is.

[hamishspence]

Xykon never said he counted on the heroes recognizing what the creature is; indeed he never even said that he knows what the creature is.

"We all know how powerful you are" seemed to me like a hint that he knows, though:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0191.html

[Kish]

It certainly suggests that he knows something, but I still object to jumping from there to "he counted on all the members of the Order knowing what the creature was on sight."