Kilkil: Replacement Kobold

[Gift Jeraff]

Tarquin seemed willing to set off without Kilkil, or at least that's how I read it. Even if Tarquin doesn't know about the kobold running gag (all we know is that he knows Yikyik), he may have simply been smirking at the idea of an ancillary character acting as cannon fodder.

I suppose he could be thinking "Good, I was just about to ask for him" or "ah yes, we could certainly use his <special ability/power/quality/skill/trait/etc.>."

[Marlowe]

, he may have simply been smirking at the idea of an ancillary character acting as cannon fodder.

So it really comes down to "Is Tarquin that much of a jerk?"

[Finagle]

So it really comes down to "Is Tarquin that much of a jerk?"

I don't agree. Tarquin has shown concern for the welfare of his soldiers. Not out of a sense of altruism, but conservation of scarce resources.

I'm going with 'high-level Factotum' for my guess. It seems to fit the best of all alternatives.

[KillianHawkeye]

So it really comes down to "Is Tarquin that much of a jerk?"

I believe this question was answered with 100-ft. tall flaming letters.

[Marlowe]

Nope, that just showed he's a monster.

How you treat a useful, loyal subordinate is different from how you treat a bunch of escaped slaves.

[ti'esar]

I'd note that even if we assume Tarquin was pleased because of some special skill Kilkil could bring to the table, that skill isn't necessarily combat-related. Perhaps he wanted a methodical bureaucrat to organize a search if needed, for instance.

[Marlowe]

How is "bureaucrat" a relevant skill for conducting a search in a trap-filled pyramid? Or chasing high-mid level adventurers through it? Does Tarquin expect Roy or Belkar to be carrying several reams of unsorted paperwork?

[ti'esar]

Basically, he can handle the tedious details. He won't be much use against the Order, true, but what if (for instance) they need the Draketooths' records for solving some of the illusions that supposedly protect the Gate? It's not like Tarquin knew that those wouldn't be an issue, and despite his stated intention to pull a Belloq, he clearly didn't intend to wait forever for the Order to find the Gate first, so it seems quite possible that he anticipated having to do some searching himself.

Anyway, it doesn't have to be this specifically - my point is just that Tarquin wanting Kilkil along for some specific talent doesn't necessarily equate to Kilkil as a combatant.

[Marlowe]

How are they going to get to the records to help solve the illusions without solving the illusions to get to the records?

OK, I see your point that Kilkil need not have combat-related skills. I'm also thinking that William of Occam is crying.

[Lord Bingo]

Like Fenice I am inclined to think he got recruited because the Linear Guild was short of a Kobolt (for the Belkster to kill). It is a running gag.

I see nothing that makes me think he has any special abilities apart from the wings.

[Chessgeek]

I doubt Tarquin brought someone along if they didn't have any combat useful skills unless he wanted to kill said creature. Given that there is no evidence of bad blood between the two, I think it's more than likely that Kilkil is a more formidable foe than meets the eye.

[Particle_Man]

He is intelligent.

His name is Kilkil (Kill! Kill!).

I am going with Assassin. (Hey it is even OGL!).

I will further speculate that he is a bit undercover and really works for the dragon queen, not Tarquin, when push comes to shove. Heck, it might barely be possible that the kobold was spying on the Tarquin/Malack/Nale conversation and "happened" to arrive at the right time to be recruited.

The easiest would be Rogue/Assassin but I suppose other entry level classes are possible, including Expert.

[Gift Jeraff]

Huh. I like the idea of assassin levels. Fits the name, goes well with the political environment, fits his mundane appearance better than most PC classes IMO (a good assassin isn't obvious), and I totally forgot that their Death Attack and spells use Int. I guess you can blame Crystal for that.

[ti'esar]

...That's the best suggestion I've heard all thread.

[Particle_Man]

(a good assassin isn't obvious)

An evil one even less so.

[kickassfrog]

Nale says bards are a weak class. Who told him that? Tarquin.

Anyway, he's probably an expert.

Tarquin also said bards should be ruling the cosmos by now.

[Fenice]

Should be ruling the cosmos... If they weren't an underpowered class.

[Marlowe]

Should be ruling the cosmos... If they weren't an underpowered class.

The implication was that Bards are "underpowered" in the sense that they have less status in the world than what their class abilities should grant them, not that their abilities are inadequate.

The irony is that this is precisely the complaint Nale makes about Tarquin; that T should be ruling the world right now, but prefers to remain in the shadows.

[Finagle]

He is intelligent.

His name is Kilkil (Kill! Kill!).

I am going with Assassin. (Hey it is even OGL!).

Huh. That's a really good idea. A mild-mannered character doesn't get a name like "Kill kill" for no reason.

[Particle_Man]

The implication was that Bards are "underpowered" in the sense that they have less status in the world than what their class abilities should grant them, not that their abilities are inadequate.

The irony is that this is precisely the complaint Nale makes about Tarquin; that T should be ruling the world right now, but prefers to remain in the shadows.

It does make one wonder why Tarquin didn't take bard levels . . . or maybe he did . . . ?

[ti'esar]

It does make one wonder why Tarquin didn't take bard levels . . . or maybe he did . . . ?

Bards cannot be lawful... which, in a way, is exactly what Tarquin is ranting about.

[Umberhulk]

Shape-changed dragon.

[Particle_Man]

Bards cannot be lawful... which, in a way, is exactly what Tarquin is ranting about.

Ex-Bard, then?

[Kish]

There's no indication that Tarquin was ever any alignment but Lawful Evil.

That doesn't mean it's impossible, but I won't be betting on him having ever been a class that can't be that alignment, m'self.

In any event, if Tarquin never took bard levels, then "Bards can't be Lawful" would be the answer to why he never did so, no matter how powerful he thinks bards are.

[Euodiachloris]

Tarquin still has the soul of a bard, even if he couldn't actually be one due to alignment issues. It also kind of explains his bitterness towards the class, his first love (well, that we know of) being a barmaid in a lovely little tavern in the relative middle of nowhere, both Nale and Elan's class-choices, etc.

And, because of all that... yeah: Kilkil isn't just some nerd with a filing complex. Dramatic imperative insists he has something hidden in there: crouching kobold, hidden dragon?

[Kish]

People said that about Vaarsuvius' nameless-at-the-time mate, too, from the time strip #629 came out to the time #630 came out. "Surely V's mate will be able to beat the dragon!" they said. Lots of them, right up until Vaarsuvius told Qarr "...apprentice baker!"

[Marlowe]

"People have been wrong before" is an argument that supports absolutely nothing and disproves absolutely nothing.

And V's mate being able to solo an ABD without prep WOULD have been an absurdity and WOULD have been a nonsense of the entire story arc.

[Kish]

"People have been wrong before" is an argument that supports absolutely nothing and disproves absolutely nothing.

Good thing that isn't the argument I made then, isn't it?

I'll spell it out, then: "Dramatic imperative" does not mean that the character who appears to be weak is anything but weak. Rich's usual style is for the character who appears to be weak to be exactly as weak as he or she appears to be. Kilkil is a secretary. He may be more than that, but "dramatic imperative" doesn't particularly support it.

[Marlowe]

"People have been wrong before" is the argument you made.

If Kilkil is just a secretary, and is competely ineffectual in a High-Midlevel combat situation, we have Tarquin pointlessly endangering a competent underling for no reason other than an unfunny running gag. A gag Tarquin's not even aware of as far as we know. This would be a cheap trick would undermine Tarquin's character and the seriousness of the situation. It would be an especially cheap trick considering the recent shenanigans with Yukyuk.

If Kilkil actually does have character levels to make him dangerous, no such problem.

[Stormlock]

Calling it now: Kilkil is a high level barbarian. Someone will step on his glasses or something and we'll have an awesome berserker deathmatch between him and Belkar.

There's no reason this COULDN'T be true.