So, about the Sphinx Pox

[Jasdoif]

Herring, the Red.

I'm totally stealing that.

Peelee, the Red-Handed.

[KorvinStarmast]

Even when the fix is merely a third level spell?

Hmm, if they are all headed North, can't Lien or O'Chul just lay on hands and cure disease, or did 3.5 drop that?

[The MunchKING]

Hmm, if they are all headed North, can't Lien or O'Chul just lay on hands and cure disease, or did 3.5 drop that?

I thought Laying on hands curing disease was a Pathfinder thing...

[Doug Lampert]

Hmm, if they are all headed North, can't Lien or O'Chul just lay on hands and cure disease, or did 3.5 drop that?

3.5 Paladins get Remove Disease 1/Week at level 6 (2/week at 9, 3/week at 12). Because having Paladins actually be able to protect a group of any size from disease would be overpowered or something.

O'Chul doesn't have enough Paladin levels to have a mount, so he's out. Lien may well have it more than once a week as she's probably got quite a few Paladin levels.

[The MunchKING]

I looked it up, I'm surprised they don't get cure disease as a spell in 3.5 SRD.

[The Pilgrim]

I agree that Fyron's son is a never mentioned again, but I'd be genuinely shocked if Redcloak's Niece was a dropped plot thread. The utter insanity of some of the speculation about her has become a forum in-joke, but that doesn't mean she isn't going to be relevant in the future. Who wastes perfectly good foreshadowing like that?

Well, I do not rule out that Redcloak's niece may end up playing a role in the main comic. Problem is, she was a character of a prequel book, and The Giant already stated that no information from a prequel book would be mandatory to follow up the main comic. Therefore, for her to play a significant role in the last book, she needs to have been mentioned before in the main strip. Which, after 6 books, hasn't happened.

I suppose we could get an info dump at the beggining of Book 7, but The Giant has planned this stuff long enough to not having to rush it at the last moment. He could, for example, have got her mentioned by Redcloak during his interactions with Jyrix back in Gobbotopia. Like MitD casually mentioned Right-Eye to O-Chul.

Besides, I think she already fulfilled a role, in the prequel

Spoiler: Start of Darkness. Though, really, you should have already purchased it, at least the PDF. It's totally worth it

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Right-Eye being able to smuggle her out, saving her life, serves as a small cushion for Right-Eye's tragic outcome, in the sense that at least he was able to save one of his children.

But, no, I do not rule out that she can pop up in the main strip, though I think it's highly unlikely, for the reasons I stated.

[The Aboleth]

Besides, I think she already fulfilled a role, in the prequel

Spoiler: Start of Darkness spoilers. Though, really, you should have already purchased it, at least the PDF. It's totally worth it

Show

Right-Eye being able to smuggle her out, saving her life, serves as a small cushion for Right-Eye's tragic story, in the sense that at least he was able to save one of his children.

But, no, I do not rule out that she can pop up in the main strip, though I think it to be highly unlikely.

Not only that, but

Spoiler: Start of Darkness

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it hammers home just how desperate their situation had become that Right-Eye feels the safest place for her is with humans. Life under Xykon had become THAT bad!

[KorvinStarmast]

3.5 Paladins get Remove Disease 1/Week at level 6 (2/week at 9, 3/week at 12). Because having Paladins actually be able to protect a group of any size from disease would be overpowered or something.

I am glad we had this exploration into 3.5 Paladin cure disease stuff, since 5e (which I play) gives the class a cure disease option through lay-on-hands. One can heal hit points or cure a disease ... but the 3.5 method is a bit more controlled and is a lot more like the AD&D 1e Paladin:

The ability to cure disease of any sort: this can be done once per week for each five levels of experience the paladin has attained, i.e. at levels 1 through 5 one disease per week, at levels 6 through 10 two diseases, at levels 11 through 15 three diseases, etc.

So it looks like Lien is the likely source of any cure disease efforts up at the Pole.

[D.One]

So it looks like Lien is the likely source of any cure disease efforts up at the Pole.

You mean besides Durkon and his tons of slots that can be used for a Remove Disease spell...

[KorvinStarmast]

You mean besides Durkon and his tons of slots that can be used for a Remove Disease spell...

Indeed, I was focusing the Paladin angle, and hadn't realized until this side discussion that O Chul likely isn't able to.

[Quebbster]

Well, I do not rule out that Redcloak's niece may end up playing a role in the main comic. Problem is, she was a character of a prequel book, and The Giant already stated that no information from a prequel book would be mandatory to follow up the main comic. Therefore, for her to play a significant role in the last book, she needs to have been mentioned before in the main strip. Which, after 6 books, hasn't happened.

Crystal killing Grubwiggler happened in a bonus story and was covered in a single panel, despite main comic-only readers not even being aware that Grubwiggler having been dead.
The Brewmaster's Tale recaps information from prequel books that is about to become plot relevant.
So she could probably pop up if that's what the story required it.

[Darth Paul]

Indeed, I was focusing the Paladin angle, and hadn't realized until this side discussion that O Chul likely isn't able to.

For the record, my speculation is: Not having seen O-Chul's mount yet, is not the same as him not having the levels to summon one. I don't recall anywhere in the text where it's shown he's actually not high enough level to summon a Paladin mount yet. Although it's very possible I missed that somewhere, but as far as I know it's just our joint speculation. (I'm holding out hope that he'll summon a celestial rhinoceros in Book VII.)

[Quebbster]

For the record, my speculation is: Not having seen O-Chul's mount yet, is not the same as him not having the levels to summon one. I don't recall anywhere in the text where it's shown he's actually not high enough level to summon a Paladin mount yet. Although it's very possible I missed that somewhere, but as far as I know it's just our joint speculation. (I'm holding out hope that he'll summon a celestial rhinoceros in Book VII.)

"If I had [a paladin mount] we would already be riding it."
It's not quite the same as saying he does not have one, but they have made a very long journey on Razor and on foot. So if O-Chul had a paladin mount it would need to be something that is of no use on water or land - and it shouldn't fly either. That limits the options quite a bit.
On the other hand, he might be able to level up a bit and get a paladin mount during book VII...

[Darth Paul]

"If I had [a paladin mount] we would already be riding it."
.

Memory goes the older you get. Thanks for the link.

[Quizatzhaderac]

Even when the fix is merely a third level spell?

Yes, I'm measuring from the significance of the problem, not the significance of the solution. Rich explained Belkar surviving falling off the mountain, even though that's not too difficult in universe.

There's also all sorts of ways that the disease could manifest at an inopportune time.

Party is split for ten minutes? Disease manifests, crucial information cannot be relayed.
Durkon has it prepared less than five times, someone is stuck like that for a day.
The entire ship manifests on the same day. Durkon then prepares remove disease twenty times the next day, and there's a random encounter.

[Peelee]

Yes, I'm measuring from the significance of the problem, not the significance of the solution. Rich explained Belkar surviving falling off the mountain, even though that's not too difficult in universe.

Falling killed Roy. He was injured, but also shown to be tougher than Belkar, so it's reasonable to expect he may have been killed by the fall. Also, there was significant build-up to that; Durkon tossed Belkar off the ship multiple times, which was why Belkar got that ring, which then saved him on the mountain. Sphinx pox this far has only a single last-panel joke dedicated to it, so I would contest that the mountain and the disease are close to the same significance.

[Quebbster]

The Feather Fall item also became relevant during the frost giant ambush. It could be useful in the future too. It needed to be introduced.

[Fyraltari]

I read the ‘Sphinx Pox’ scene as the Giant ‘showing obvious tactics not working’ [will include link when not on phone]. Thor tried to crash the Mechane using his powers only to be stopped by Durkon* but the Order had no such défense at the time so why wasn’t Hel using her divine powers to stop them? Well, she’s trying.

[Jasdoif]

I read the ‘Sphinx Pox’ scene as the Giant ‘showing obvious tactics not working’ [will include link when not on phone].

This one?

Apparently Haley doesn't have particularly good ranks in Knowledge(Arcana) to have identified a flesh golem but still try to use a wand that SR applies to against it.

Psssst! Sometimes, characters take suboptimal actions in the comic for the express purpose of showing less D&D-familiar readers that a certain tactic is useless, to avoid constant comments like, "Haley is so dumb, why doesn't she use the wands she just bought on it?"

[Fyraltari]

This one?

Probably. I remembered something else but I might just have a bad memory.

[unluckiest13]

Falling killed Roy. He was injured, but also shown to be tougher than Belkar, so it's reasonable to expect he may have been killed by the fall. Also, there was significant build-up to that; Durkon tossed Belkar off the ship multiple times, which was why Belkar got that ring, which then saved him on the mountain. Sphinx pox this far has only a single last-panel joke dedicated to it, so I would contest that the mountain and the disease are close to the same significance.

I thought falling killed Roy the same way sneezing would have killed crystal after her fight with belkar. I mean yeah, the fall was the nail in his (literal) coffin, but only after a finger of death and a meteor swarm to the face.

[woweedd]

I thought falling killed Roy the same way sneezing would have killed crystal after her fight with belkar. I mean yeah, the fall was the nail in his (literal) coffin, but only after a finger of death and a meteor swarm to the face.

Well, yeah, but, as Peelee said, he also had way more HP then Belkar. It may well be, at this high a level, mathematically impossible for a full-HP Roy to die from falling damage. The same cannot be said for Belkar.

[unluckiest13]

Well, yeah, but, as Peelee said, he also had way more HP then Belkar. It may well be, at this high a level, mathematically impossible for a full-HP Roy to die from falling damage. The same cannot be said for Belkar.

you know...I had a point when I posted this, but for the life of me, I cant remember what it was...probably something about if a joke disease is more significant than a Flumphless fall...so im just gonna say I misunderstood Peelee.

[Svata]

There. It's done. Resolved. By a cleric with the spell, as predicted

[Dion]

Reading this thread makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

[littlebum2002]

Why did they cut to Roy? Is Rich trying to imply that he isn't cured?

[Peelee]

Why did they cut to Roy? Is Rich trying to imply that he isn't cured?

Because cutting to Roy to show what he's up to, like we saw with the rest of the Order, made for a better beat panel than showing Durkon and Mateo looking at each other in silence, is my guess.

[Squire Doodad]

Because cutting to Roy to show what he's up to, like we saw with the rest of the Order, made for a better beat panel than showing Durkon and Mateo looking at each other in silence, is my guess.

Actually, Roy isn't cured! Not until tomorrow, when Durkon refreshes his spell list and does the second round of curing.

[The Pilgrim]

Damn it, I had just updated my sig.

[Gift Jeraff]

Why did they cut to Roy? Is Rich trying to imply that he isn't cured?

It's supposed to be like a "record scratch" moment. The montage scene is proceeding as usual but then it goes back to reflect Matteo's "wait a minute, WHAT?" reaction.