MitD XI: A good man

[Potatopeelerkin]

-snip-

Saying "You are clearly reading a different comic... it is pointless to discuss it with you" and "your ignorance of the actual canon is not my problem" to anyone you disagree with- and it's not just me you do this to, either- is very condescending. Either choose to make an argument or choose not to. Don't spend your words lamenting over how the person you're talking to is obviously too stupid to understand any of the arguments you make, so you just won't bother.

It doesn't matter what you're trying to be. What matters is what you are being.

Saying I take issue with your tone isn't an ad hominem. I have responded to your arguments, and I've ignored the ones which obviously aren't relevant arguments but are just aspersions on my comic-reading ability. It does make me question why I've done that much, though.

Regardless, I'm not going to have a long meta-argument with you about how you're acting condescending. You can reply if you want, but that's the last I'm saying on the matter. I think we've all moved on, anyway.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Thinking about the goal of the thread, I believe that we have nothing about the reading stuff that stands out enough to be a clue. By D&D rules, reading would be mostly trivial (even if that doesn't quite match RL). And at no point we have anything in the lines of "WHAT! You can read!?!". So, MitD reading doesn't seem to be indication of what he is.

As Ruck pointed out, if anything, it's be part of the "how can it speak common" clue. I do not expect it will ever be explained, though. It feels like a lampshade to me, and lampshades exist to not have to explain the unexpected.

That said, it is true that - especially lately - Rich has been working the early installment weirdness into the plot (say, the anthropomorphised (sp?) snacks), so I am less sure that it will remain a lampshade. But I most definitely do not expect an explanation for the reading part of the language knowledge.

Grey Wolf

[Crusher]

This is a world where Roy can hold a rope single-handedly that multiple people strained to hold, because he fought more monsters.

While that's true, its really only a small part of the answer. He did get better at rope-holding because of fighting monsters (which makes some sense. Fighting is strenuous and he probably did get stronger doing it) but a lot of it (perhaps most, I'm unsure of the proportion) is because he got a magic belt that makes him stronger.

Also, this is probably pedantic, but the rope is at a significant angle. I don't have a sine table handy, but I'm comfortable saying it'd need a lot more force than his weight to get him off the ground especially with friction from the deck.

[zimmerwald1915]

(perhaps most, I'm unsure of the proportion)

Roy is somewhere between level 12 and level 16, and as such gained three stat boosts from "fighting monsters." Some or all of these may have gone into Strength. His belt of giant strength grants him either a +4 or +6 enhancement bonus to Strength. So the proportion of Strength gained from fighting monsters to Strength gained from magic belt is anywhere from 0:6 to 3:4. Probably 1:2, on the assumption that all Roy's stat boosts went into Strength and that his belt grants a +6 enhancement bonus. More comes from the belt than the boosts in any case.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Roy is somewhere between level 12 and level 16, and as such gained three stat boosts from "fighting monsters." Some or all of these may have gone into Strength. His belt of giant strength grants him either a +4 or +6 enhancement bonus to Strength. So the proportion of Strength gained from fighting monsters to magic belt is anywhere from 0:6 to 3:4. Probably 1:2, on the assumption that all Roy's stat boosts went into Strength and that his belt grants a +6 enhancement bonus. More comes from the belt than the boosts in any case.

If we assume a nat 18 strength, he will also get a +4 from it, so his training + his genes provide somewhere in the neighborhood of +6-8.

Make of that what you will.

Grey Wolf

[Crusher]

I'm late to the party, but I feel like the whole literacy thing is kind of an argument in search of a purpose.

Is it kind of weird MitD can read? Yeah, probably, though because of the way D&D rules work its a lot less weird than it seems like it should be. The fact that its about the 50th most weird thing about him is irrelevant, because we've spent pages arguing even less important things (medieval carpentry being the gold-standard, though I'm proud of my contribution "How feasible is it that the paper which gave MitD a paper cut on his tongue overcame his DR by being a blessed or good-aligned sheet of paper?").

However, we have to find a way in which his literacy could be relevant. Potatopeelerkin is starting from the assumption that the literacy itself is weird and noteworthy. Unfortunately, its not.

In the D&D world, which Stick-verse isn't 100% based off but its the default until proven otherwise for any particular circumstance, almost everyone and everything (with a non-awful INT) can read. Sometimes its clear because they went to school or something, and sometimes its just hand-waved away with a vague "Oh, they must have picked it up from a wandering trader at some point" even if that's not super plausible.

So, the way to make it relevant is to first find an exception. Like Barbarians. They can't read. Why can't they read? Because they can't, that's why. There are probably other examples of races or other conditions causing illiteracy. I don't know of any others, but I'm sure there are some.

If anyone can find some examples of illiteracy, then tie them to the MitD, THEN its weird that he's literate and explaining why becomes interesting. Until then, to me, not so much.

I'm pretty nuts-and-bolts. Sure, its fun to talk in circles sometimes, but for me it mostly comes back to whether or not an idea (like MitD being literate) helps us figure out what the MitD is by including or excluding candidates. Sometimes weird things end up being surprisingly useful in this regard. Usually not, but sometimes they are. In this case, more leg-work needs to be done before it gets to that point.

[Jasdoif]

So, the way to make it relevant is to first find an exception. Like Barbarians. They can't read. Why can't they read? Because they can't, that's why. There are probably other examples of races or other conditions causing illiteracy. I don't know of any others, but I'm sure there are some.

The Illiterate trait from Unearthed Arcana comes to mind. Of course, Unearthed Arcana is all rules variants, so it's unclear where/if/how it could apply here.

[hroþila]

The Illiterate trait from Unearthed Arcana comes to mind. Of course, Unearthed Arcana is all rules variants, so it's unclear where/if/how it could apply here.

Obviously they ran out of ideas when they got to the drawback for Saddleborn.

[hamishspence]

Obviously they ran out of ideas when they got to the drawback for Saddleborn.

There are fictional characters (some of Black Beauty's owners) which might fit the aforementioned Saddleborn trait- a good rider, but somewhat lacking in consideration for the animal's needs.

[Hardcore]

Any suggestions that would explain the different reactions of humans and goblins in the cirkus scene?

[Emanick]

Any suggestions that would explain the different reactions of humans and goblins in the cirkus scene?

The MitD is TDO’s twin brother, The Bright One, and as such is immensely popular among all goblinoids.

[Peelee]

The MitD is TDO’s twin brother, The Bright One, and as such is immensely popular among all goblinoids.

New headcanon.

[Riftwolf]

Any suggestions that would explain the different reactions of humans and goblins in the cirkus scene?

Can't remember the kid goblins' reactions, but could it tie in with the 'boys love gross stuff' trope?

[Hardcore]

Yeah, that is the explanation i was looking for. But what about the adult goblins?
They were not reacting to it at all.

[martianmister]

Can't remember the kid goblins' reactions, but could it tie in with the 'boys love gross stuff' trope?

One of them was the Redcloak niece, If I remember it right.

[woweedd]

One of them was the Redcloak niece, If I remember it right.

Goblins have different standards of beauty? After all, they make "no beautiful things, but many clever ones", which, viewed form a world where they aren't inherently Evil, sounds like a matter of having different standards then other mortal races.

[hamishspence]

The goblins never call the Monster beautiful - they just cheer. The person whose response to "It's horrible" was "And yet beautiful" appears to be a female human - I think in armour.

[woweedd]

The goblins never call the Monster beautiful - they just cheer. The person whose response to "It's horrible" was "And yet beautiful" appears to be a female human - I think in armour.

Well, yeah, but they clearly aren't disgusted, is my point.

[Gift Jeraff]

I don't care for these MITD threads anymore, but just thought I'd share this exchange from the 2019 calendar:

Spoiler

Show

Do you like my brand new Belt of Many Pockets?
Aha! So you're a monster with a waist! ... That really doesn't narrow it down as much as I was hoping.

[woweedd]

I don't care for these MITD threads anymore, but just thought I'd share this exchange from the 2019 calendar:

Spoiler

Show

Do you like my brand new Belt of Many Pockets?
Aha! So you're a monster with a waist! ... That really doesn't narrow it down as much as I was hoping.

That...Is that canon?

[martianmister]

I don't care for these MITD threads anymore, but just thought I'd share this exchange from the 2019 calendar:

Spoiler

Show

Do you like my brand new Belt of Many Pockets?
Aha! So you're a monster with a waist! ... That really doesn't narrow it down as much as I was hoping.

I guess he's not Snarl jr after all...

[Emanick]

Does the protean have a waist? I'd expect not, honestly.

[Kish]

Sometimes.

[Laze]

Well, he is probably not Neothelid in that case. Except if he wear the belt of his main tentacle body thing...

[Hardcore]

In the calendar for 2017 it is stated they are not Canon. Except when they are. See month of August.

[Synesthesy]

IF that was canon, it wouldn't rule out almost anything, as you can wear a belt in other suitable places, and almost every creature has a round place in his body where you can wear a belt. The only monster that cannot wear anything is a monster whose shape is changing all the time........ :P

[Potatopeelerkin]

IF that was canon, it wouldn't rule out almost anything, as you can wear a belt in other suitable places, and almost every creature has a round place in his body where you can wear a belt. The only monster that cannot wear anything is a monster whose shape is changing all the time........ :P

The hobgoblin says it means he has a waist though, so he probably has a waist. It would be pretty cruel for Rich to make a character say MITD has a characteristic he doesn't.

I mean, yeah, he could say that the hobgoblin was just wrong, but it's not really in the spirit of the game.

[Synesthesy]

The hobgoblin says it means he has a waist though, so he probably has a waist. It would be pretty cruel for Rich to make a character say MITD has a characteristic he doesn't.

I mean, yeah, he could say that the hobgoblin was just wrong, but it's not really in the spirit of the game.

I think it too, I just wanted to troll the protean a little :)

[Quebbster]

I think it too, I just wanted to troll the protean a little :)

Who says a Protean can't have a waist? As I understand it, they can even have several waists at once.

[Peelee]

I think it too, I just wanted to troll the protean a little :)

Eh, I'm sure the proteans trolls a bit every so often itself.