Upcoming Major Plot Point

[mertol]

It's 38 ways exactly the number psimax is vulnerable to...

[WearsHats]

This here is my thumb. I call it "the 38 special."

[Bad At Jokes]

Well, he knows about the kins messing with his toy and he can teleport. I think at least three kins are going to die next page.

[Rogbull]

Well, he knows about the kins messing with his toy and he can teleport. I think at least three kins are going to die next page.

Correction, he knows about A Kin messing with his toy.

[Bad At Jokes]

Well, he knows about the kins messing with his toy and he can teleport. I think at least three kins are going to die next page.

Correction, he knows about A Kin messing with his toy.

True, but it will have the same outcome.

[mertol]

How come he never teleports into someone? There are quite a lot of people in this room now he might end up into someone.

[RidcullyJack]

How come he never teleports into someone? There are quite a lot of people in this room now he might end up into someone.

Psimax will probably have "studied carefully" the tower room, and so has a 94% chance of arriving on target, 3% chance of arriving off-target (arrive safely with 1d10x1d10% error, and it's not too far from tower room to treasure room), and 2% chance of arriving in a 'similar' area to the tower room (but I doubt a similar area exists in the MoM - no teleportation or damage). Mishap damage (splinching? ) is a 1% chance, for 1d10 damage (Psimax is high level, so that's no big deal).

Teleport mechanics

Also, Psimax only teleported into the bussling tower room once; even if bumping into people is possible, he could have just been lucky. He also teleported a couple other times to confront FMK while they were bolted to the walls, but he doesn't teleport all that much.

Well, he knows about the kins messing with his toy and he can teleport. I think at least three kins are going to die next page.

Correction, he knows about A Kin messing with his toy.

True, but it will have the same outcome.

Not quite the same outcome. When he teleports back and sees more Kins, he'll be surprised by another 'impossible' situation. Psimax couldn't figure out how Forgath and Kin got all three (probably useless) keys and accessed the final corridor; he won't understand how 3K got there either. Being confronted with seemingly impossible events seems to give Psimax at least a moment of stunned disbelief; it might be enough to let someone win initiative.

[unkultur]

Maybe "our" Kin figures Psimax is going to use her to provoke Minmax to draw Oblivious, so she throws herself into an oblivion hole.
Thus, when Psimax tries a) to teleport her into the tower room or b) just tries to tell Minmax what he did to her,
she will no longer be a possible referent.

I don't know what would be awesome about this, though. Except maybe Psimax' look on his face when he's all "Minmax 156, look what I... did - - - not? to.... none?"

[RidcullyJack]

Maybe "our" Kin figures Psimax is going to use her to provoke Minmax to draw Oblivious, so she throws herself into an oblivion hole.
Thus, when Psimax tries a) to teleport her into the tower room or b) just tries to tell Minmax what he did to her,
she will no longer be a possible referent.

I don't know what would be awesome about this, though. Except maybe Psimax' look on his face when he's all "Minmax 156, look what I... did - - - not? to.... none?"

There aren't that many oblivion holes: the nearest one we know about is the one FMK carefully climbed past to escape the zombies. We haven't seen any in the reality engine room, and the corridor outside it is almost certainly oblivion-hole-free; if an oblivion hole was central to the plot, I think Thunt would have been careful to show it already.

[Morrack]

As cool as it would be, I doubt the surprise in next comic will be MinMax killing PsiMax with his thumb (at least, not yet).
Simply because explaining MinMax Psimax's weakness, combined with MinMax defeating him, should take more than one comic (and it would feel rushed otherwise).
Also PsiMax is about to start a conversation with MinMax now, that should be resolved first.

I personally think it's gonna be Kin making the decision to sacrifice herself by removing her collar (not knowing MinMax's '38 thumb killings' secret she thinks all is lost), so the oblivion machine will be destroyed.
MinMax will then defeat PsiMax (becoming blue as 'Kin blew herself up for me').

Then MinMax will blame Forgath for not having saved her thus love fuels hate and friends become enemies.
They exit the dungeon together, meet the GAP, will end up fighting Kore together with the goblins (as MinMax has now learned monsters aren't always evil) where Forgath, perhaps to redeem himself, will get killed by Kore.
Perhaps MinMax too, forfilling the prophecy that 'when they find the GAP, things will end badly'.
Kore's role is unsure, though I'm pretty sure he's some kinda Forgath and that meeting MinMax, when he appears with the GAP, will reveal this. Perhaps the explosion of the oblivion machine will have something to do with this, as Forgath will be in its radius, might time-warp him or the like or allow an alt Forgath to enter their realm).

Aaanyway, moving way too much forward here but these are my guesses .

[Fen]

What if Forgath dies?

"...friends will become enemies..."

The "friends will become enemies" could refer to the alternate versions of the party in the maze. An alternate Forgath would look like Minmax's friend, but be his enemy. A lot of people think Kore is going to be the dwarf that kills Forgath, what if it's an alternate version of himself?

[LooksAndSmiles]

Nice catch on that thumb + 38 connection, that seems to be a likely theory. If it will be the case indeed, then +1 internets for you.

Also,

"Damn, that sucks hard."

Oh wait, was I too early? :S

As an apology, please accept this totally off-topic screenie I took on the marathon livecast of Thunt:



I think this Senora Vorpal Kin'asso is more than relevant to the upcoming plot. Or maybe not.

[Shadowolf]

At no point has it been said that Minmax will immediately jump to GAP after MoM. My half-baked theory time now.

After Kin, Minmax, and Forgath win the MoM and leave the sword, they will meet Kore before Kore catches up with the Goblins. Since without a tail, Kin seems human, Kore won't immediately attack. They all become friends, Kore and Minmax both hunting the same goblins, until Kore figures out Kins real identity. Kore then kills Forgath (and possibly Kin) in a situation where friends become enemies, and then Love (of Forgath or Kin) will fuel Hate. Minmax on the run (and Kin if she is still alive) watches while Kore attacks the GAP, and will teleport using the teapot to the only possible allies he could have against Kore... the GAP.

[RidcullyJack]

At no point has it been said that Minmax will immediately jump to GAP after MoM. My half-baked theory time now.

After Kin, Minmax, and Forgath win the MoM and leave the sword, they will meet Kore before Kore catches up with the Goblins. Since without a tail, Kin seems human, Kore won't immediately attack. They all become friends, Kore and Minmax both hunting the same goblins, until Kore figures out Kins real identity. Kore then kills Forgath (and possibly Kin) in a situation where friends become enemies, and then Love (of Forgath or Kin) will fuel Hate. Minmax on the run (and Kin if she is still alive) watches while Kore attacks the GAP, and will teleport using the teapot to the only possible allies he could have against Kore... the GAP.

I like the theory - definitely more than half-baked, great story potential, but I think Kin's green hair and 3 fingers on each hand might just hint to Kore that Kin is not human.

[Shadowolf]

A polymorph to human spell would give her legs and change her hands. Why human and not back to Yuan-ti? She is a halfbreed, maybe she will ask for human after she recognizes her love for Minmax. Could also be a way to break the power of the leash and collar, since it is tied to her Yuan-ti abilities.

[stevedj]

I personally think it's gonna be Kin making the decision to sacrifice herself by removing her collar (not knowing MinMax's '38 thumb killings' secret she thinks all is lost), so the oblivion machine will be destroyed.

I'll stop your prediction there, and suggest that she takes the collar off, and... nothing happens! Now, our Kin has full use of her powers, to do ... whatever cool thing she is about to do.

I can see some people saying "Awesome" because they finally get to see Kin exercising her powers. And I can see others saying "Lame" because they all wanted a big-ass explosion from the collar.


REMEMBER PEOPLE -- When you make a prediction about that plot point, please explain how you think some people will like it, while others will not. Trust me, it makes predicting this thing a lot harder...

[Genius Supreme]

*Bursts through wall of the Forum*

HAY GAIZ.

So! I decided that I would make an account and inflict my big, stupid opinion on all of you! Now, now! Don't run yet.

*leans in conspiratorially*

So...I had this crazy idea when I first saw psionic Minmax. At the time I thought it was TOO INSANE tell but now...I think I'll give it a shot.

I think that, maybe, psionic Minmax might fuse with our Minmax.

Whoa! Whoa! Put down the pitchforks! Let me see if I can explain this.

So let's go back niiine years (as this is when Thunt said he started wondering about this idea). It's the year 2004! Napsters are napping! Frosted tips abound! Most importantly though, Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 has been chilling in our bookshelves for about a year now. In April 2004, a glorious thing happens...Wizards of the Coast releases the Expanded Psionics Handbook, one of the most broken pieces of gaming hardware in gaming history! And in that book is one of the most broken, most obscure powers of all: Fusion. It's here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/fusion.htm for your purusal thanks to the open gaming license. Yes, you read that right. It's straight up the fusion dance, right out of dragon ball z.

So: We have an obscure, broken power built for psionics. We have a psionic Minmax, who wants to get the sword from regular Minmax. Well, notice how that power grants control of the new form to the initiator of the power? Psionic Minmax, wounded and desperate, would do it simply to control the new body and hopefully summon the sword himself. However, I think instead - since Thunt likes messing with D&D rules to create drama and improve the narrative - he will have it trigger a power struggle within the new Minmax. Or something. I can't predict from there, the point is I think Psionic Minmax will use fusion to try and get Oblivious.

Summary!

1. Nine years ago, the psionic power Fusion came out. Thunt says he's been contemplating this plot point for nine years.
2. Psionic Minmax is well, psionic, and desperate to gain Oblivious.
3. He is wounded and wants to end this now.
4. He cannot simply take control of Minmax's mind because he gave up the ability to do that as a psion.
5. By using this desperate move, he could get around his weakness, controlling the fused body and forcing it to summon Oblivious.
6. C'mon, it's Minmax! No matter the Minmax, he'll use broken and obscure rules to win!
7. Depending on your reasoning, this is one way for Psionic Minmax to stop existing. He gives control to our Minmax, and, now a fused being, he doesn't exist anymore as an individual. Then he touches the jade teapot and POOF they're both gone. (This one is a little thin, I must admit. It would require Thunt to change the fusion to be permanent.)
7. Oh BOY HOWDY would this divide the fans. Fusion is always a weird topic. On the one hand, this could be a crowning moment of awesome for the Minmax arc. The ultimate powergaming choice: Fusing two opposite Minmaxes to eliminate weaknesses in the character. On the other hand, it's fusion. It could be seen as lame and a deus ex machina. Some might accuse the comic of jumping the shark. Others might love it to bits. Just like in DBZ, it will divide the fan base.

And that's it! Thanks for taking this journey with me, and I must admit, this is a pretty long shot. Still, I hope you were as entertained as I was by this ZANY idea!

[ForgetsOldName]

It has to be the 38 ways to kill a man with his thumb. Thunt has show us in the past that he remembers all this piddly little stuff and pulls it back in (not-Walter, Senor Vorpal's mustache, the Drow). There's no way he came up with 38 as the magic number and doesn't remember the 38 ways to kill a man. If he didn't want it to match, he'd just have changed it to reality number 39. The comments he apparently made on the cam clinch it for me. It's cheesy, it's a bit arbitrary, and he laid the stage a long time ago.

[kida]

I think PsiMax will let FMK out of the maze. Either by teapot or by letting them win (and resetting the maze). That way he could create true oblivion without interference.

[Zingbat]

And in that book is one of the most broken, most obscure powers of all: Fusion. It's here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/fusion.htm for your purusal thanks to the open gaming license. Yes, you read that right.

There's just one, teensy-weensy problem with this wacky idea. First sentence of the SRD description:

"You and another WILLING, corporeal, living creature of the same or smaller size fuse into one being." (emphasis added)

[hidesinshadows]

And in that book is one of the most broken, most obscure powers of all: Fusion. It's here: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/fusion.htm for your purusal thanks to the open gaming license. Yes, you read that right.

There's just one, teensy-weensy problem with this wacky idea. First sentence of the SRD description:

"You and another WILLING, corporeal, living creature of the same or smaller size fuse into one being." (emphasis added)

Perhaps, but remember what Genius wrote.

However, I think instead - since Thunt likes messing with D&D rules to create drama and improve the narrative - he will have it trigger a power struggle within the new Minmax. Or something. I can't predict from there, the point is I think Psionic Minmax will use fusion to try and get Oblivious.

[Alvarin]

PsiMax could promise to restore Kin's tail, so MinMax156 will be willing.

[brnforce]

PsiMax could promise to restore Kin's tail, so MinMax156 will be willing.

Or just a straight threat.

Psimax: Fuse with me or I kill your kin as painfully as possible.

Forgath: Don't do it Minmax! Just kill him!

MM: Ok, I'll fuse.

Forgath: I hate you for forever now... (or something to that effect)

[WearsHats]

I'll give you one thing: friends would become enemies.

[Genius Supreme]

I'll give you one thing: friends would become enemies.

Or...dare I say it...FRENEMIES!?! *laughs maniacally and foolishly*