alts. march 15 2013

[Marnath]

Care to explain the reference then?

No.

► Show Spoiler

The chantry is from Dragon Age. They are responsible for keeping magic users under control by making them all live under supervision in giant towers. Mages are prone to demonic possession so when you are ready to end your apprenticeship they purposely expose you to a demon in the dreamworld. You either overcome it by force of will or it tries to possess you and they cut your head off. The game series features a lot of templar on mage violence. When in doubt about whether a mage has gone bad or is trying to learn forbidden magic, put your sword through their chest. They definitely aren't doing anything wrong then!

[BuildsLegos]

In the Dragon Age games, by order of the Chantry (Dragon Age's Catholic Church), mages are either locked in a tower or hunted to death for fear they might learn blood-magic from demons. But that happens in their dreams; so even in the Mage's Tower, Templars (Chantry soldiers) can only put down mages that (presumably) already learned blood-magic. Put down, in this context, means killing the emotional part of their brain so that they neither dream nor cast magic again.

Only after I post do I notice the spoiler tag; but I think I explained it better anyway.

[notimportant]

Minmax 53 hasn't got a scar, maybe because they couldn't attack the goblin camp without a license. But Forgath 53 has still lost a horn! I wonder how it happened...

[T-RexWithTourettes]

Notimportant, Minmax's spin attack while breaking all the vases should have done that

[Alarikun]

Curiously... is this the Friday update? Or are we due an actual comic? I'll deal either way, I'm just wondering.

[willpell]

Thunt said this wouldn't replace the regular update.

[Orga the Strange]

Wait, so are Humans and Dwarves just really big and bugbear looking in 169 or is that after they've hulked out? Assuming they do hulk out. Or are they just commenting that the rest of the alt look human but are too small, and I feel really dumb and confused.

[willpell]

It seemed as though they were permanently in hulk mode - remember that in the comics, Hulk thinks of himself as a separate person from Bruce Banner, the two of them fighting for control of the same body. But if this is "Hulk world", then all people might lose the battle against their inner Hulk during early childhood, and never have a chance of reasserting their meeker self - after all, everyone else around them is a Hulk, and they all hate puny Banners, so if you managed to keep your own Hulk in his box long enough to step outside your door, your neighbor would probably kill you for being everything he hates in himself.

[SamWiser]

Congrats Willpell. You ninja'd the ninja.

► Show Spoiler

I don't think they hulk out, I just think they are a reality of hulks with the intelligence of Bruce Banner. They are surprised about the large differences between their reality and all of the others. I really like how he used messed up grammar for the first half, so everybody thinks they are big stupid creatures, then starts talking about quantum physics and all that. Thunt is very droll.

[Rorrik]

Minmax 53 hasn't got a scar, maybe because they couldn't attack the goblin camp without a license. But Forgath 53 has still lost a horn! I wonder how it happened...

For that matter, how did Minmax 169 get a scar if using weapons is considered extremely cowardly in their universe? I guess that's a reason for hating Complains, but if the chest had weapons in it, why would they want it? Forgath 169 also appears to have a horn cut off rather than torn off.

These Altsplanations appear far easier to write than a normal strip, I'd be ecstatic to get 2 of these a week and 1 regular comic.

[Exile]

Well if you cant be an adventurer without a license you could never legally level up as a magic user. You would be stuck at level 1. Whats a 'high' damaging spell for a level one wizard?
Ray of Frost: Ray deals 1d3 cold damage.

Hitting someone with a torch would be more effective.

Not true while Magic Missile does 1d4+1, and you can still roleplay to gain experience.

[willpell]

For that matter, how did Minmax 169 get a scar if using weapons is considered extremely cowardly in their universe? I guess that's a reason for hating Complains, but if the chest had weapons in it, why would they want it? Forgath 169 also appears to have a horn cut off rather than torn off.

The chest was full of gold, so that alone is a reason to go after it. Also it's possible that goblins don't hulk out in that world, which would only make them more sneaky and treacherous in an attempt to save themselves.

These Altsplanations appear far easier to write than a normal strip, I'd be ecstatic to get 2 of these a week and 1 regular comic.

Agreed.

[LongshotLink]

I would like to point out that even without weapons, Reality 53 has managed to get this far. That's pretty impressive. They made it all the way to the tower room, through who knows how many challenges and other incursions with other alts, just using their hands as weapons. That's really neat.

[DrinksTooMuchCoffee]

I would like to point out that even without weapons, Reality 53 has managed to get this far. That's pretty impressive. They made it all the way to the tower room, through who knows how many challenges and other incursions with other alts, just using their hands as weapons. That's really neat.

They beat out the realities where no one has thumbs, where people are deathly afraid of being touched, and where shadow puppets are real (but don't work in the MoM so they're disarmed too).

[predator]

There is nothing in it about the players who control them. I wonder if the players are from an alternate reality aswell

[Web_MST3K]

Sorry, but I can't help but speculate what some of the other alts might be like. Maybe from a world that uses some other RPG system instead of D&D, such as the Hero System, originally used in superhero campaigns . . .

Character Name: Ultimax
Character Type: Brick
Summary Description: Ultimax's great strength is his primary power. If it yields to force, it will yield to him. In addition to his strength, a halberd would inflict no more damage to his nearly impenetrable skin than a paper cut would.

Character Name: Cannonball, the Dwarf Wonder
Character Type: Speedster
Summary Description: Not only an incredibly fast runner, Cannonball has the power to run up walls and across pools of liquid. (Purchased as Flight, no altitude.) Stone walls crumble under the force of his jackhammer fists. (Purchased as Energy Blast, no range.)

Character Name: Snakewoman
Character Type: Martial Artist
Summary Description: Possessing the reflexes and striking speed of a viper, her hands are potent weapons and her Tail Whip attack can take out multiple opponents. (Purchased as Energy Blast, spread only.)

How would such fighters do in a dungeon crawl?

Not good. Among their weaknesses, they all selected Code Against Killing, total commitment.