MitD XIX: The Potted Plant Is Starting To Look Reasonable

[Tubercular Ox]

The language one certainly.

They can speak and understand the language of any other creature. It's only surprising when the Therblewurkersaurus speaks common.

The intelligence

And the Therblewurkersaurus has Knowledge (arcana), so Tsukiko's ritual is covered.

detect thoughts at will for some of the others.

If it's so easy for it to use detect thoughts that Rich doesn't even have to signal that it's using any ability at all, why can't it use detect thoughts in the scene where it's trying to please Xykon and can't figure it out? I guess the Therblewurkersaurus doesn't have detect thoughts?

Others I do not understand how they are a question. ("How does it shout 'STOP'?" With a voice, which it has.) Others yet I don't think necessarily have anything to do with its species, or even will be answered. ("What did Xykon read that made him think the Monster in the Dark wants to eat dwarves?" Who knows? What does it matter? Xykon and Redcloak think the MitD eats a lot and will eat anything, we know that.)

The Therblewurkersaurus has a powerful voice. The Therblewurkersaurus has books written about its love for dwarves. The Therblewurkersaurus is always hungry.

Your story is that Rich wrote a Therblewurkersaurus that sometimes looks like a Protean.

"If the MITD is a Protean, why hasn't Rich shown us the most defining and distinctive characteristic of that species, which he is trying to keep a secret?"

Then maybe he should've shown some of the less obvious features of the Protean, instead of writing a Therblewurkersaurus:

Spoiler: Fitting the story without giving it away

Show

spell resistance
destabilize form

Its entire SLA list: detect thoughts, dimension door, ethereal jaunt, knock, nondetection, plane shift, suggestion.

Its entire skill list: Bluff +59, Diplomacy +53, Disguise +59, Hide +35, Intimidate +47, Jump +29, Listen +55, Move Silently +35, Sense Motive +29, Spot +55

Its entire feat list: Alertness, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Endurance, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam), Blinding Speed, Devastating Critical (slam), Overwhelming Critical (slam)

If Rich isn't going to show the most defining and distinctive characteristics, and he prefers to invent useless details instead of using actual details of the Protean, then the guessing game is dead.