Hatchling Cockatrice Slawbug Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 X was horrendous. X even seemed horrendous to me in Exile: a cheaply made cardboard mwahaha wizard in a world full of wizards with normal names like Linda and Erika, and normal personalities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Understated Ur-Drakon Sudanna Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I always thought of him as a weird borderline-autistic kid that does that because it's how he thinks wizards are supposed to act. And then when he does something weird, all the other wizards groan and cover their faces and are just super embarrassed for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Randomizer Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 X was the opposite of the cautionary tale that was Linda. X recognized that giving powerful magic to those that were able to control it could lead to disaster. He reluctantly aids the adventurers. Then X goes off on his pet research project dropping anvils on his enemies. He seems a bit strange but keeping all that knowledge has made his research efforts "different." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Slawbug Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Solberg was clearly the opposing counterpoint to Linda. X1 is pretty clear in stating that Linda went overboard and was crazy, while Solberg opposed her use of dangerous magic but was cowardly. X, meanwhile, was lost in his own research and didn't pay attention to any of that. Also, he doesn't reluctantly aid the adventurers, he corruptly trades deadly secrets for (ultimately useless) assistance in crafting an eccentric spell that's a waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Alorael at Large Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The thing that always bothered me was X's role in the Triad. He couldn't be politically astute. He didn't seem to impress anyone. Unless the administrative positions were given out for sheer power or depth of knowledge, which would be possible among mages but not a terribly good idea, he probably should have been relegated to a lab in a quiet corner of the Tower of Magi where he could hurl anvils in peace. —Alorael, who can only assume that the other mages decided that it was better to give him a spot in the Triad and some responsibilities to ground him. The other alternative might have been another crazy lone wizard, but more powerful than most other crazy lone wizards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Dantius Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I just assumed that X was simply the most powerful non-Erika/Garzhad wizard of the Five by enough of a margin that the others simply had t give him the position because of his skills. And then he squandered it making a spell to kill people with anvils instead of becoming Sarda. What a pity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Slawbug Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 If politics were involved in picking triad mages -- and based on Kelner's comments in A4, that seems a safe assumption -- maybe X's lack of political appeal is exactly why he was chosen: maybe nobody liked him, but nobody disliked him either. Memories of Erika's vengeful plots, which got her ejected from the triad and the tower, were probably still fresh in people's memories. Solberg says that even Linda's summoning of Adze-Haakai doesn't make him wish for Erika's return! Plus, there may not have been much competition. Most of the powerful mages we meet in X1/2 are antisocial and in hiding. Additionally, in X1, X is the triad mage in charge of teaching. Maybe he was actually a good teacher: certainly, there are some eccentric professors who are very popular with their students. And he does teach spells to the party in most of the series. EDIT: X was not in the Five. The Five are quite clearly Erika, Patrick, Solberg, Rone, sometimes Aimee, and possibly Linda as a later addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unflappable Drayk ĐªгŦĦ Єяŋϊε Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 When X was a kid was he known as x? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Dantius Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Originally Posted By: HOUSE of S Additionally, in X1, X is the triad mage in charge of teaching. Maybe he was actually a good teacher: certainly, there are some eccentric professors who are very popular with their students. And he does teach spells to the party in most of the series. So you're saying we should really be referring to him as... ...Professor X? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Slawbug Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Mr. X, actually. Mr. X of X Industries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Lilith Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 keep in mind that the real explanation for X is that he is A Dude Jeff Knew and wanted to give a cameo in Exile and it just kind of snowballed from there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrulous Glaahk Kyronea Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Originally Posted By: Dikiyoba Yeah, but X wasn't a great character either. His saving grace is that you aren't expected to interact with him much. With Nicodemus, you are expected to interact with him all the time. (Also, none of X's items attempt to outright murder the moment you step into the game, which is another plus for him.) Dikiyoba. True but it wasn't really my point that X was all that great of a character. Rather, it was the exact opposite: X was a rather silly character, and so is Nicodemus, only even more so, because an Expy, by nature, is generally not as good as the character they're based on. Although that is not always true... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Slawbug Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Originally Posted By: Lilith keep in mind that the real explanation for X is that he is A Dude Jeff Knew and wanted to give a cameo in Exile and it just kind of snowballed from there Yes, Mr. X of X Industries. He was a personality on talk.bizarre, not a RL friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Dantius Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Originally Posted By: Lilith keep in mind that the real explanation for X is that he is A Dude Jeff Knew and wanted to give a cameo in Exile and it just kind of snowballed from there Isn't there a whole list of Jeff's friends who got cameos? Just about everyone in the Five except Erika, for starters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Slawbug Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Yes, there is. Erika, Patrick, and probably Aimee were both named after RL acquaintances. Solberg and Rone were both named after talk.bizarre inhabitants, as were the bulk of the NPCs in Exile 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Dantius Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Ah, I was looking for that. Forgot it was in General, my bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Jerakeen Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I find it interesting that the single most aggressively useless item - the Reproducing Bulwark - is the runaway favourite, with a clear plurality of the vote at 31%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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