OotS #661 is up!

[elawai]

The MitD could have used a wish or miracle to pull off that teleport - doesn't need to be a new ability. I'm leaning this way because the MitD certainly phrased it the way you would a wish or miracle.

 

[PoeticJustice]

Yeah, but core monsters with Wish as a spell-like ability are pretty rare. You've got your Efreets and Genies, who don't appear to have the requisite strangth score to be MitD, or Glabrezu, which don't seem like they'd spit out babies when they eat them.

 

[aboyd]

Pit Fiends can do it.

 

[blargney the second]

How about something with plane shift?

 

[Asmor]

Someone on the official boards pointed out this obvious-in-retrospect foreshadowing: first panel.

Wow, great catch!

 

[GMforPowergamers]

ok, so what if a pit fiend click here was walking around, and got hit by the feeblemind spell click here spell and started walking around with a cha and int of 1...I mean at that point it is a 2 year old, maybe less mentaly, but still has all of it;s spell like and physical abilities...

 

[Blackrat]

I actually got the feeling it was a coincidence. Now okay, I have nothing to base this on but my gut feeling, but it just seems that something else teleported them away, and the MitD just happened to say those words at the same time. But, I try not to make guesses when it comes to OotS, since Rich has a tendency to scew expectations...

 

[Dausuul]

Of all the things I did not see coming, I so didn't see that coming that I still haven't seen it now that it's come.

Someone on the official boards pointed out this obvious-in-retrospect foreshadowing: first panel.

Nice catch there, whoever caught it.

Okaaay, let's see here. What do we know about the MitD?

• As we have just seen, it can teleport people away by "hoping really hard" - but not always. Either it has to hope extraordinarily forcefully, or there's some other limiting factor.
• It has very high damage reduction and is extremely strong.
• It has (or had) a "dad" who was really big and ate a lot.
• It can make an earthquake by stomping.
• It was found in the jungle and was "always there," but it wasn't born there and that's not where its parents are from.
• When it was shown on stage in "Start of Darkness," comments included: "It's horrible!" "And yet... beautiful!" "Mommy, I feel funny looking at it." "I've never seen anything like it!" (The last came from a robed bald fellow who was presumably a wizard.)
• Right-Eye says that aside from the goblins, everyone else who sees it "recoils in abject horror at the sight of you."
• Redcloak recognizes it on sight, saying, "I know what you are," and seems familiar with its capabilities.
• Xykon, on the other hand, does not appear to know what it is; he has to ask a lot of questions about what it can do.
• It is subject to mind-affecting spells.
• Rich has known what it was since strip 100 or so, and has been dropping hints since.
• It is possible to guess what it is; it isn't something Rich Burlew made up just for the story. (Direct quote from "War and XPs.") It is also strongly implied that it is something "someone else made up."

If it weren't for the last item, I would agree with the guess that it was a baby Snarl. But it seems pretty conclusive that it's not specific to OotS.

A pit fiend is a possibility, although pit fiends are normally a bit brighter than that. Still, the once-a-year wish dovetails perfectly with what we just saw. (Then we have to ask, who was its dad?)

Of note, in the same page of "War and XPs" with the above quote, there is a little side cartoon showing the monster talking to Jirix. The monster says, "I know! Maybe I'm a kobold!" Jirix replies, "You're pretty tall for a kobold." Monster: "Maybe I'm two kobolds?"

This could be a hint that the MitD is actually Pun-Pun. I kinda doubt it though. That would take way too much explaining to the non-optimization geeks in the audience.

...yeah, not coming up with much. Although, wait a sec. Just because it's something "someone else made up" doesn't mean it's a creature out of the D&D rules. That's something to think about.

 

[ryryguy]

Now that was completely unexpected, or totally expected, depending on your point of view...

Or "least expected"?

Damn. I really thought the MitD was finally gonna bust out there.

It did bust out O-Chul and V. It finally did something! As we've been long expecting. But it barely did. Path of least expectation?

 

[blargney the second]

I'm starting to think it might be an epic monster, like an abomination of some sort.