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sebmojo posted:Not being able to work it out was really eating her up It was all Wight in the end.
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Jan 26, 2021 01:14
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sebmojo posted:Don't confuse not caring with not knowing Raenir Salazar posted:Xykon has shown that level of cleverness even back in Start of Darkness and I'm sure there's been other times, he's just lazy.
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Jan 26, 2021 01:14
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Xykon's given literally no evidence that he knows any of the details about what Redcloak has done. He wanted Tsukiko to cut Redcloak out of the deal, and maybe he doesn't buy Redcloak's story that she just went crazy raiding Redcloak's quarters, but that just means that Xykon knows that Redcloak knows what Xykon was planning. Or maybe he knows that Redcloak values his part in the scheme enough to kill Xykon's favorite new pet in retaliation for the plot. Maybe Tsukiko ran her misgivings about Xykon's half of the spell by him before deciding to commit suicide by goblin, but that seems unlikely, and even if she did, Xykon doesn't stress the nerd stuff about magic.
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Jan 26, 2021 01:48
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Yeah but Xykon is bright enough to know that Redcloak considers him intimical to his stated goal of better lives for goblins. Xykon spends of bunch of his time killing goblins for no reason other than boredom and guess what will get a lot worse should he win? He doesn't need to know the specifics of the betrayal to know that it is planned.
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Jan 26, 2021 01:51
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sebmojo posted:Don't confuse not caring with not knowing
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Jan 26, 2021 01:56
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I think Xykon has some respect for Redcloak, it just varies. When it seemed like Xykon might die for real by the Sapphire Guard Xykon actually seemed to genuinely appreciate Redcloak's presence there with him.
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Jan 26, 2021 02:23
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ConfusedUs posted:More specifically, the knowledge of the ritual is granted by the red cloak itself. Put it on, say, Jirix, and he would know it instead. Too risky. Xykon doesn't know how the inheritance of the crimson mantle works, and if he kills Redcloak and the goblin he puts it on next doesn't become the next high priest, the Plan's shot. Way easier for him to bet on beating Redcloak in a magical duel after the ritual, especially since he has MitD.
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Jan 26, 2021 02:42
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Tsukiko's irrelevant, Xykon put safeguards in place against Redcloak back in Start of Darkness. he's always known it might end up coming to blows
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Jan 26, 2021 03:01
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SlothfulCobra posted:Xykon's given literally no evidence that he knows any of the details about what Redcloak has done. He wanted Tsukiko to cut Redcloak out of the deal, and maybe he doesn't buy Redcloak's story that she just went crazy raiding Redcloak's quarters, but that just means that Xykon knows that Redcloak knows what Xykon was planning. Or maybe he knows that Redcloak values his part in the scheme enough to kill Xykon's favorite new pet in retaliation for the plot. he knows that it's important enough for redcloak to drop his cover, and that whatever tsukiko found is enough for xykon to kill him, that's plenty to ruminate on.
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Jan 26, 2021 03:11
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There's a reason why Xykon attempted to put his phylactery in his astral fortress rather than give it back to Redcloak.
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Jan 26, 2021 03:48
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Omobono posted:Possibly? They could have or find a way to cast Legally Distinct from Mordenkainen's Disjunction, or Xykon could research Xykon's Epic Disjunction, or something. It seems like it'd be weird for Xykon to have Disjunction since he already knows and frequently (relatively speaking) uses Superb Dispelling. Kinda redundant.
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Jan 26, 2021 05:58
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Acerbatus posted:It seems like it'd be weird for Xykon to have Disjunction since he already knows and frequently (relatively speaking) uses Superb Dispelling. Kinda redundant.
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Jan 26, 2021 06:08
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Disjunction in 3.5e iirc does nasty things to magic items so I think usually the DM refrains from introducing it as long as the players also refrain. V using it to break through a anti-magic field notwithstanding I can imagine Xykon not having it because it kinda skews how an encounter can go.
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Jan 26, 2021 08:26
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PMush Perfect posted:He didn’t have Superb Dispelling when it was time to learn his 9th level spells, though. Who knows if he got a chance to retrain it. Despite his carefree appearence we know he spends a lot of effort staying relatively optimal and spends the full eight hours daily crafting items to give himself an advantage, apparently, so he'd probably have planned well. MikeJF fucked around with this message at 13:35 on Jan 26, 2021 |
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Jan 26, 2021 13:32
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People are overestimating how much Xykon knows about the actual Plan. He's suspicious, but his real irritation with Redcloak stems from the loving about in Gobbotopia and nearly getting his phylactery destroyed.
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Jan 26, 2021 15:44
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PMush Perfect posted:He didn’t have Superb Dispelling when it was time to learn his 9th level spells, though. Who knows if he got a chance to retrain it. I'm under the impression OotS sorcerers don't pick their spells themselves. I can't remember something to cite in support of that though.
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Jan 26, 2021 16:20
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habeasdorkus posted:People are overestimating how much Xykon knows about the actual Plan. He's suspicious, but his real irritation with Redcloak stems from the loving about in Gobbotopia and nearly getting his phylactery destroyed. Start of darkness has made it clear that Xykon isn't dumb and unaware of plots against him, he doesn't care until it directly causes him trouble. He's more likely to respond to someone thinking they're better than he is than to someone who intends to literally stab him in the back. It's a great characterization because it makes him a bit inscrutable without being either a pointlessly mysterious or an uncanny always-one-step-ahead mastermind. It gives Rich narrative flexibility without descending into tropes. To me it reads as "Why bother trying to predict and outmaneuver everyone when you can just use overwhelming force and disproportionate response, which helps keep the other minions in line anyways?" A logical extension of power is power; all you need is to be the biggest, baddest dude, and the rest will take care of itself.
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Jan 26, 2021 16:29
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That also means that Xykon is very good at dealing with short term threats but he's completely unprepared for someone playing a long game against him.
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Jan 26, 2021 16:53
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ultrafilter posted:That also means that Xykon is very good at dealing with short term threats but he's completely unprepared for someone playing a long game against him. He spends a lot of time accumulating a lot of power, that leaves him a lot more prepared than others might be. The only thing he has completely missed and can't really fix via having more power or making some last minute adjustments is the phylactory being a decoy.
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Jan 26, 2021 17:58
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GlyphGryph posted:He spends a lot of time accumulating a lot of power, that leaves him a lot more prepared than others might be. Well that and he's using a bigger and badder force than him as a weapon. Which is an act that exactly requires redcloak's style of finesse. I don't think Xykon has ever even once, gone against an opponent actually stronger than him. And in spite of that, he's lost several important conflicts. *An unspecified band of plucky adventurers *Some bacteria *A disarmed fighter *A prisoner with no gear or class abilities borrowing a friend's sword *A bird.
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Jan 26, 2021 20:13
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ikanreed posted:I don't think Xykon has ever even once, gone against an opponent actually stronger than him. He does a couple times in Start of Darkness. By the time the comic rolls around, though, he's probably one of, if not the strongest character in the world, except maybe Serini (if she's still alive.)
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Jan 26, 2021 20:16
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Gwyneth Palpate posted:He does a couple times in Start of Darkness. By the time the comic rolls around, though, he's probably one of, if not the strongest character in the world, except maybe Serini (if she's still alive.) Yeah, Dorukan was roughly even with him in that prequel fight. I'm sure most of the people in Tarquin's party would also give him some trouble, and V's master is implied to be one of those wizards that are high enough level to basically break reality over their knee.
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Jan 26, 2021 21:22
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AnoHito posted:Yeah, Dorukan was roughly even with him in that prequel fight. You know - if V, back when he was disclosing his fiend adventure to Roy, had mentioned that his master could have one-shot an ancient black dragon without much effort, Roy would have absolutely insisted to have Durkon send him a Sending asking him to come join them to save the world. And V would never have refused since his downfall came from being too proud to do exactly that.
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Jan 26, 2021 21:38
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NihilCredo posted:You know - if V, back when he was disclosing his fiend adventure to Roy, had mentioned that his master could have one-shot an ancient black dragon without much effort, Roy would have absolutely insisted to have Durkon send him a Sending asking him to come join them to save the world. And V would never have refused since his downfall came from being too proud to do exactly that. Didn't Rich say that there's a character who'd only appeared in one panel who's going to become important?
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Jan 26, 2021 23:12
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PMush Perfect posted:... Two panels for Aarindarius. https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0630.html https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0634.html
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Jan 26, 2021 23:19
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He also appeared in one of the prequel books.
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Jan 26, 2021 23:20
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Xykon's flaw is that he tends to focus on one thing at the expense of awareness of what's going on around him. When he's focusing on the right thing that works out well for him, when he focuses on the wrong thing (where he gets distracted during... both fights in Azure city) things either go bad for him or he doesn't get what he wants. That I presume will be how Rich writes his downfall.
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Jan 26, 2021 23:23
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Has anyone ever used Xykon as a campaign villain for their own RPG, or otherwise added a dash of Oots to their games?
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Jan 27, 2021 07:00
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TheAceOfLungs posted:Has anyone ever used Xykon as a campaign villain for their own RPG, or otherwise added a dash of Oots to their games? I tried to recreate him in City of Heroes.  (he was a villain)
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Jan 27, 2021 08:43
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 https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1224.html
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Jan 27, 2021 14:47
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Rich is more than okay!
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Jan 27, 2021 14:48
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I can't come up with an in universe or d&dish meaning for yellow fog.
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Jan 27, 2021 14:57
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The party having a well thought out strategy is the least D&D thing Rich ever put into the comic.
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Jan 27, 2021 15:02
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ikanreed posted:I can't come up with an in universe or d&dish meaning for yellow fog. Some rogue element of the northern pantheon? Other than Hel, that is
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Jan 27, 2021 15:03
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ikanreed posted:I can't come up with an in universe or d&dish meaning for yellow fog. Piss mist
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Jan 27, 2021 15:15
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Dare you enter this magical realm?
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Jan 27, 2021 15:16
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It's actually smoke from delectable halfling cooking. You see the mystery kidnappers are Serini and her confederates and furthermore
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Jan 27, 2021 15:21
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I'm wondering if it's something like Mind Fog? Seems like something that mashes a Will save would be a useful thing to hit Paladins with if you're planning to interrogate them.
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Jan 27, 2021 15:32
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it's cloudkill
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Jan 27, 2021 15:59
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Mordenkainen's Ominous Ambience
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Jan 27, 2021 16:15
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