Serini's / Kraagor's gate - the dwarven plans

[Fyraltari]

Iomedae. Are you not reading this?

Is this an incomplete deletion of a sentence or a ‘‘Oh my gods!’’-type joke?

[Kish]

Neither. It's perfectly straightforward swearing.

[bookguy]

I think this is the critical part, really. The Order know where Xykon and Redcloak are, because Lirian and O-Chul are spying on them. They don't need to go to the Gate, they need to go to where Team Evil is and figure out a way to defeat them before *they* happen across the gate. I'm entirely unclear on how going directly to the final Gate would help them in that aim--after all, they reached Girard's Gate before the villains did, and ended up having to destroy it, so getting there first isn't necessarily an advantage.

The Order of the Stick had a plan for when they arrived at the gate:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0865.html

Roy ended up smashing it because he didn't have any spellcasters available. With the Order of the Stick at full strength (stronger now because Haley gained a level, multiple members have acquired magic items, and perhaps one or more additional powerful newly-recruited members will come along) they can set up in front of the gate as a medium-term solution. Playing defense is much easier than playing offense.

Of course, this isn't likely to happen because they don't know the location of the gate and it doesn't make for as dramatic a story.

[Anymage]

The Order of the Stick had a plan for when they arrived at the gate:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0865.html

Second to last panel of the comic you just linked mentioned that the plan would have little effect when Xykon came along, and Hayley's objection is that any moderately competent spellcaster could undo it with Dismissal spells. Given that a major component of Kraagor's Tomb is being stuffed with super strong monsters, I don't know that anything Durkon or V could summon would be a meaningful addition.

If they just had to hold off the Linear Guild, that'd be one thing. Preparation gives you an edge against near-equals. Less effective against someone who can squish you like a bug.

[Fyraltari]

Neither. It's perfectly straightforward swearing.

Really? What does it mean? Because all my google-fu gives me is pathfinder articles.

[Anymage]

Y'know how people use the name of real-world divinities as mild curse words? Think like that, except using fantasy ones.

[Fyraltari]

Yes that's what I called a "Oh my gods"-type joke.
But Kish said that wasn't that, so...

[factotum]

The Order of the Stick had a plan for when they arrived at the gate:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0865.html

As pointed out by Anymage, that plan only worked so long as Xykon hadn't found his phylactery. As soon as he did the plan became useless, as Durkon says. Any plan which does not involve the destruction of Xykon is a non-starter here.

[RatElemental]

As pointed out by Anymage, that plan only worked so long as Xykon hadn't found his phylactery. As soon as he did the plan became useless, as Durkon says. Any plan which does not involve the destruction of Xykon is a non-starter here.

Roy does have something of a plan for actually fighting Xykon too.

[Fyraltari]

Broadly speaking though, having more information than the ennemy is always a good thing. Someone mentioned that if they knew which door led to the Gate they could mark it and so have a lot of time to prepare the final battle (which therefore won’t happen because rule of drama, etc).

If they knew what kind of monsters lived where they could maybe use that to their advantage by luring specific monsters to Team Evil to counter their strengths, etc, etc.

[Fish]

Clearly, Serini was working with somebody, because she's talking to that being. One wonders which being or beings that might be.

[Peelee]

Clearly, Serini was working with somebody, because she's talking to that being. One wonders which being or beings that might be.

Could be golems, for all we know.

[hroþila]

Clearly, Serini was working with somebody, because she's talking to that being. One wonders which being or beings that might be.

As Anymage said, "dwarves" is a very plausible answer to that question, but that doesn't mean we can just assume that is the case. The same argument, worded in a way that acknowledged we don't know that dwarves built this dungeon, would have gone over better.

(Except that, even if we had confirmation that it was built by dwarves, "the very dwarves we're dealing with right now are the ones who built the gate and the dungeon, and they have the blueprints" would still be a stretch)

[Squire Doodad]

To quote myself as to what Serini is currently doing:

She got an Amulet of Limited Immortality, an Artifact Shotgun, a tripwire and an Ancient Half-Gold-Dragon Half-Gold-Dragon Half-Gold-Dragon Half-Gold-Dragon Half-Gold-Dragon Half-Gold-Dragon Elder Greater Hellhound at her side, ready to blast the skull off o' any foolish would-be-conqueror that got the beans to bust into her gate room.

Oh, and 50 Scrolls of Summon Supplies. They're self-replicating.

[Fish]

It’s also possible that the number of helpers is not plural. All we know for sure is a) there is at least 1 which understands (or at least obeys) her instructions and b) Rich decided not to show us anything definitive. Whether b) is a deliberate withholding of crucial detail, or a casual elision of trivial minutiae, I don’t know.

[CriticalFailure]

Has there been any discussion of the multidimensional stone used in the gate?

I wouldn't be surprised if the gate is somehow encased in the stone itself and getting to it requires smashing through some of it. You get the brute force for the barbarian and the double bluff for the rogue. And the multidimensional stone was specifically brought up.

[Squire Doodad]

Has there been any discussion of the multidimensional stone used in the gate?

I wouldn't be surprised if the gate is somehow encased in the stone itself and getting to it requires smashing through some of it. You get the brute force for the barbarian and the double bluff for the rogue. And the multidimensional stone was specifically brought up.

Interesting idea, I like the duality bit.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Second to last panel of the comic you just linked mentioned that the plan would have little effect when Xykon came along, and Hayley's objection is that any moderately competent spellcaster could undo it with Dismissal spells. Given that a major component of Kraagor's Tomb is being stuffed with super strong monsters, I don't know that anything Durkon or V could summon would be a meaningful addition.

If they just had to hold off the Linear Guild, that'd be one thing. Preparation gives you an edge against near-equals. Less effective against someone who can squish you like a bug.

No competition beteween a celestial dire half dragon half dragon half dragon hammer and a glass nail.