OotS #6662 is up

[MichaelK]

My reading of it is that Xykon usually doesn't care about anything because nothing is a threat to him. If he were to die, he'd just resurrect himself next to the phylactery.

He wasn't really an idiot or fun guy before, just operating under a rather alien mindset of an eternal creature with no compassion, mortal needs or time limits.

Now that the phylactery is gone, his life is on the line. Things are suddenly starting to hit him very personally and close to home.

 

[freyar]

I hope I don't sound like an idiot here but... what is "Start of Darkness"?

No worries! Start of Darkness is one of the OotS prequel books, which explains the origins of the Xykon-Redcloak alliance. The other prequel is On the Origin of PCs, about the beginning of the Order of the Stick (and the character backgrounds).

 

[Sonny]

I wonder if the sleeping monster is a clue as to what it is....

I think the monster is just faking being asleep to avoid suspicion for the escape.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

What would that be? Xykon has certainly done some stupid things in the past, but I don't recall any significant blunders here. He got blindsided by O-Chul, but then so did just about everyone else, Redcloak included.

He made a big blunder not letting Redcloak regrow his eye. Not only does that make Redcloak less effective (permanently, this isn't some administrative punishment) but it also causes his chief minion to hate him (more -- I've read Start of Darkness).

It's like shooting at your bodyguard's grandmother, and then keeping them on as your bodyguard. Not a smart move.

 

[Andor]

Totally random thought but ... did any of you ever watch a cartoon called Kim Possible on the Disney channel (okay, i know, not the same audience demographic as enworld) ... ? Kim had a nemisis named Dr Drakken voiced by the same guy that did Bender on Futurama.

Bender and Drakken are the same voice actor? O_O I had no idea.

And wow, now that you have both of them in my head at the same time I see a lot of parallels between the Drakken/She-go relationship and the Xykon/Redcloak one. It's not a perfect parallel but...

 

[JoeGKushner]

I keep waiting for Redcloak to command Xykon. As a lich, # of hd isn't a strong point.

 

[Bumbles]

Bender and Drakken are the same voice actor? O_O I had no idea.

John DiMaggio. He's excellent. He also did Fu Dog on American Dragon and played Steve Ballmer in another movie. Never really noticed his voice that much, as opposed to Nicole Sullivan who when I heard her on the Secret Saturdays just got me confused about what show I was watching! Oddly enough, she was cast as Leela on Futurama.

hmm, voice actors for the OOTS crew...

Patrick Warburton would be too obvious a choice, but I'd love for Keith David to have a role.

 

[wingsandsword]

I keep waiting for Redcloak to command Xykon. As a lich, # of hd isn't a strong point.

Well, since Xykon is an Epic-level Sorcerer that can cast a number of above 9th level slots, including at least 12th level Spell Slots (Maximized Energy Drain, plus Still Meteor Swarm) and the Epic spell Superb Dispelling (Spellcraft DC 59!), he's going to be at least 24th level at a bare minium (Epic Spellcasting and Improved Spell Capacity x3, that's 4 epic feats, so his 21st and 24th level feats, plus his Epic Sorcerer bonus feats at 23rd level), and probably at least 26th level for Epic Skill Focus (Spellcraft) as an Epic Sorcerer Bonus Feat at that level to get close to being able to cast Superb Dispelling, not to mention that Liches have Turn Resistance 4, so he's effectively 28 to 30 HD for turning purposes.

In terms of being able to cast Superb Dispelling, if he's 26th level then he could have 29 ranks in Spellcraft, +2 from Skill Focus, +10 from Epic Skill Focus, +2 from Magical Aptitude, and +2 Synergy (for 5+ ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) for +45 easily. If he's 27th level then he could have taken Epic Skill Focus (Spellcraft) again and have a +56 and be able to make that spell on a roll of 3 (or a 1 if he has another +2 bonus from somewhere, I have trouble believing it is from Int though).

Redcloak, we don't know how powerful he is, but the highest spell we've seen him cast is Extended Summon Monster VII (8th level), so he's probably a 15th or 16th level cleric. If he's higher level, we have no direct evidence of it.

So, we have no evidence that Redcloak could even theoretically Rebuke/Command Xykon

 

[Dausuul]

He made a big blunder not letting Redcloak regrow his eye. Not only does that make Redcloak less effective (permanently, this isn't some administrative punishment) but it also causes his chief minion to hate him (more -- I've read Start of Darkness).

How does it reduce Redcloak's effectiveness? As far as I know, there's nothing in the D&D rules about penalties for missing eyes. It's strictly a cosmetic detail, albeit a really painful one.

As for making Redcloak hate him more... meh. I just can't see Redcloak turning on Xykon over this. After everything that happened in Start of Darkness, if Redcloak didn't betray Xykon then, he certainly isn't going to do so now. Redcloak has already sacrificed his own beloved brother for the sake of the Plan; compared to that, an eye is nothing.

I keep waiting for Redcloak to command Xykon. As a lich, # of hd isn't a strong point.

Redcloak would have to have twice as many Hit Dice as Xykon in order to command him. Xykon being a lich, that means Redcloak would have to be twice Xykon's level. Not bloody likely.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

How does it reduce Redcloak's effectiveness? As far as I know, there's nothing in the D&D rules about penalties for missing eyes. It's strictly a cosmetic detail, albeit a really painful one.

I'm not talking metagaming.

As for making Redcloak hate him more... meh. I just can't see Redcloak turning on Xykon over this. After everything that happened in Start of Darkness, if Redcloak didn't betray Xykon then, he certainly isn't going to do so now. Redcloak has already sacrificed his own beloved brother for the sake of the Plan; compared to that, an eye is nothing.

Redcloak could find another master, work on a surprise, something. Xykon doesn't know a lot of Redcloak's reasons for hooking up with him in the first place.

If you have a valued minion, you don't treat them like dirt. It always ends badly.