Page 8 - Extreme Lore

23rd Aug 2011, 6:00 AM
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Extreme Lore
Average Rating: 5 (5 votes)
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Author Notes:

Newbiespud 23rd Aug 2011, 6:00 AM edit delete
Newbiespud
Meanwhile, across the table...

Our DM is running a "brand new" campaign setting, so there's undoubtedly tons of lore written for this game. But even when using an established, official setting like Eberron or Forgotten Realms, it's best for the DM to have the most relevant lore on hand in case the players start getting curious. The last thing a DM needs is for the players to ask a question that he or she can't even improvise an answer for.

19 Comments:

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Sirrus 23rd Aug 2011, 1:01 PM edit delete reply
I like it when my players carefully avoid all the dialog possibilities I've prepared for and ask completely unexpected questions, forcing me to stumble into ad-hoc roleplaying. The horror!
TheDoomBug 23rd Aug 2011, 3:11 PM edit delete reply
Laconic version: Be prepared for EVERYTHING.
Flatline 24th Aug 2011, 4:20 AM edit delete reply
I feel for Fluttershy here. Getting a low knowledge roll makes me feel like a derp. I always imagine my poor character focusing all of their attention on wracking their brain for information, and what do they get for their effort? "Cave bears live in caves."
Chris 24th Aug 2011, 11:50 AM edit delete reply
Oh, man. If this comic makes it as far as 'Boast Busters,' I REALLY want to see the ponies all making their 'bear lore' checks.

*roll*

-Woot, natural 20! What do I know about the ursa?

*checks book*

-Okay...you know that they attack with their claws and fangs.

-...Really? I wasted a critical hit for that?
Newbiespud 24th Aug 2011, 1:54 PM edit delete reply
Newbiespud
Well, if the group's good-natured about it, out-of-combat failures can be pretty funny. The first party I played with contained a druid who had the most awful luck outside combat.

"We've been ambushed in the dead of night! What do we do? *roll Initiative* ......The druid falls back to sleep."

"It's snowing? *roll Nature* ......Thanks to your 'innate druid senses,' you know it's not supposed to snow in Spring."
dzamie 26th Oct 2011, 4:27 PM edit delete reply
I would usually play as a Dragonborn warlock who would have the worst time ever with anything unrelated to setting fire to stuff.
"I search the wall for a key" (our rogue was dead at that point) "A rock falls on your head."
"I lob a fireball into the darkness to light a path." "It hits a sleeping Red Dragon."
Bvega 25th Sep 2011, 8:31 AM edit delete reply
I hate posting stuff like this, but is Alicorn used in the right context her? Because I think that Alicorn is just a unicorn's horn, the the unicorn itself... Sorry >_< I love the comic so far though :D
Lugbzurg 25th Sep 2011, 8:10 PM edit delete reply
I know I've heard that, too. I'm a bit confused, myself. I don't know which is right, either.
Fatali 26th Sep 2011, 11:56 AM edit delete reply
While it does generally refer to the horn, Alicorn is also the word MLP:FiM uses for winged unicorns. So, maybe not technically the right word, but definitely the right word in context.
Nezumi 23rd Feb 2012, 10:51 AM edit delete reply
It's the word the fandom uses, not sure it's ever being used canonically. The use of Alicorn in this sense seems to come from a Piers Anthony novel.
Strategist14 19th Aug 2013, 6:01 PM edit delete reply
Actually, in the season 3 finale, Rarity does say "Alicorn".
Lady Chaomii 30th Jun 2012, 7:01 PM edit delete reply
The correct spelling is Alacorn. Ala meaning wing, and corn meaning horn. It's just that bronies can't spell.
Dopneus 4th Feb 2013, 5:19 AM edit delete reply
And since Magic Duel the term Alicorn is canon as Trixie bought the Alicorn Amulet.
Colin 12th Oct 2013, 11:11 PM edit delete reply
Actually, for all we know, the Amulet's name refers to a unicorn's horn, maybe because it adds to/amplifies its power - it could just as easily refer to granting a mortal unicorn an Alacorn's godlike power, though. Seems it'll be left to headcanon.
Tanuki Tales 19th Apr 2014, 8:02 PM edit delete reply
Seriously? You're going to ignore the canon and label it headcanon? Especially since your post is from October 2013 and the first direct reference to their species as Alicorn (yeah, that's how it's spelled in the series, get over it) is from Feb of that year (the end of Season 3).
Tatsurou 16th Nov 2014, 10:03 PM edit delete reply
Tatsurou
Actually, in Magic Duel, the Amulet is described as "raising an ordinary pony's magic power to that of an Alicorn."
Vegetalss4 5th Oct 2011, 12:41 PM edit delete reply
Personally I am a tiny bit disappointed that the DM called for a History instead of a Religion check.
Kyman201 5th Oct 2011, 9:48 PM edit delete reply
Well, look at it this way. Religion would be pertaining to the laws and lore surrounding a godlike figure. But Princess Celestia doesn't have a church, or any religion dedicated to her. She's a current monarch, alive and interacting personally with the populace. So learning about her, the pony/alicorn/physical god would be more suited for a History check instead of Religion.
Carvin 10th Jan 2013, 11:48 PM edit delete reply
There should never, ever be a question you can't improvise an answer for. That was what I loved about being a DM, making up crap on the fly.
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