Aye. V should have read up on his wizard tactics. She couldn't have scryed on Xykon, but Scry Buff Teleport isn't prevented in this case. He should've buffed herself to the nines.
OOTS 652: No Respect for the Wicked
- Thread starter Remus Lupin
- Start date
wingsandsword
Legend
I'd imagine they are pretty uncommon, the three fiends certainly implied as such and V had never heard of them, and I'd think they aren't done very often.
Xykon and Redcloak are both epic level spellcasters (Redcloak also being one was mentioned in Start of Darkness, even if there has been no clue in the main run of the series that he is epic), they can both believably have skills well around +30 with ability scores, feats and all. Even a DC 35 to 40 Knowledge (Arcana) check if a Soul Splice is a very exotic magical procedure would be reasonable for a low-epic level level lich-sorcerer or cleric (and generally out of V's mid-teens level range except on a particularly good roll).
yesnomu
First Post
Redcloak's fairly high level (he's used SMXIII), but I doubt he's epic. That battle with the Cleric would probably have been a lot shorter if he had even had ninth-level spells.
Relique du Madde
Adventurer
You do realize that if Red Cloak was epic he probably didn't over kill the cleric since it is fun to mess with the victim's head (and make him think he has a chance) before you out right humiliate then kill him with a full powered spell. After all, isn't that a standard villain trope?
Where in Start of Darkness does it say Redcloak is epic? I don't recall anything like that being mentioned. In fact, in Lirian's dungeon he says he's not high enough level to cast heal, which is only a 6th-level spell. (Granted, he's leveled up a bit since then.)
That would be totally out of character for Redcloak. Redcloak has no sense of humor and is not a playful combatant; he consistently uses whatever tactic he thinks will crush his enemy most efficiently. You'll note that even once Azure City is conquered, he doesn't take part in Xykon's sadistic games with O-Chul and the undead gladiators, despite his hatred for the paladins. Redcloak keeps his eye on the big picture.
Xykon would absolutely play such tricks (and did, in the throne room). Redcloak, no.
Lurks-no-More
First Post
Well, Redcloack is the high priest of an evil deity, and Xykon's an epic-level lich. IMO, they're among the people who would most plausibly know about things like soul splices.
wingsandsword
Legend
It's been a while since I've read it (and I don't have it, I was reading a friend's copy), but I thought that. . .
the big master plan to manipulate the Snarl required one Epic level Arcane caster(Xykon) and one Epic level Divine caster (Redcloak) for the Epic spells it would take .
Redcloak said two "sufficiently powerful" casters. He didn't say how powerful was "sufficient."
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Per Start of Darkness, Xykon didn't even know what a lich was until shortly before he came one, so I don't think his Knowledge skills are so great. I can see about Redcloak, but somehow I got the impression that the IFCC had kind of invented the soul splice, though maybe I was just mistaken. I think I'm in Rechan's camp, though; something may be up here.
