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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

MLP D&D: Twilight Sparkle


Name: Twilight Sparkle
Race: Unicorn pony 
Alignment: Lawful Studious
Class: Wizard

Twilight Sparkle couldn't be any more of a wizard if you painted the word "wizard" on her in primary colors.

She is the first pony we meet in Friendship is Magic, and at that moment she's studying a book of either prophecy or forgotten lore. She then races back to her home, which is part library, part laboratory, and part observatory, and enlists Spike, her pet baby dragon, to help her confirm a prediction that the Mare in the Moon is the dreaded Nightmare Moon. Let me repeat that: she has a dragon assistant.

My little grimoire, my little grimoire...

Twilight Sparkle is incredibly book-smart and organized to the point of obsession, but has such poor social skills that her mentor -- who also happens to be Princess Celestia, ruler of all Equestria and essentially Goddess of the Sun -- has to outright order her to make some friends. (This is essentially her first quest. We've all seen versions of the "straighten up and fly right" plot, most recently in Thor, but this is the first time I've ever seen a quest to "Loosen the heck up and get a life.")

Due to her superb organizational skills and unmatched intellect, she is not only the brains of the group but also its natural leader due to her ability to match problems to ponies with the proper skills for overcoming them. And while other unicorn ponies have some mild magical abilities relating to their raison d'être  (see: cutie marks) as well as weak telekinesis, Twilight Sparkle's magical ability is for, well, magic. She uses her horn the way Harry Potter uses his wand.





Oh yes, did I mention she frequently wields incredible arcane power?




To summarize:
  • Intelligence is her core stat.
  • Charisma is her dump stat.
  • She has tons of knowledge skills.
  • She has a baby dragon who serves as her improved familiar.
  • And she totally rocks the wizard look.

Shown: robe. Not shown: wizard hat. I blame Trixie for making them unfashionable.

Key "Twilight Sparkle is a wizard" episodes:
  • Assembles the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon in The Mare in the Moon
  • Tranquilizes an Ursa Minor in Boast Busters
  • Leads her PC to fight a dragon in Dragonshy
  • Fights a hydra -- solo! -- and defeats it with strategy in Feeling Pinkie Keen
  • Casts spells that enable non-flying ponies to visit Cloudsdale in Sonic Rainboom
  • Has her magical origin in Cutie Mark Chronicles

This isn't canon, but it should be. Kick her flank, Twilight!


Tomorrow: is Wednesday, and that means Wacky!

13 comments:

  1. Now shown: Wizard Hat.

    http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/29/wizardpony.png

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  2. I tend to prefer this for my pony alignment chart...
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Naj-oxAZQXU/TW8mfXGox7I/AAAAAAAAAB4/wLI7jzfsYt0/s1600/tumblr_lhgsvi4se11qc1at6o1_500.jpg

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  3. Actually, wouldn't she do equally well as a sorcerer? She showed great innate potential as a child, something wizards usually cannot do.

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  4. Don't forget she gets an owl familiar in "Owl's Well That Ends Well". Merlin would be proud of her.

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  5. Except that Sorcerers use Charisma as their core stat and Twi has abysmal social skills.

    She may have had the potential but did not have the control, which is why Princess Celestia became her personal tutor and taught her the disciplined art of wizardry.

    Or it could be argued that the process of earning one's Cutie Mark gives you an automatic, epic success at whatever you're attempting to do when it happens.

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  6. I considered this, but Spike is far more of a familiar than Owloysius ever was. I think the owl was just a henchman.

    Thanks for reading!

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  7. Also dont forget that she telekinisesed (?) a whole orchard of apples off multiple trees in Applebuck Season

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  8. You forgot teleportation. That seems to be a unique special ability that other unicorns don't have. Unless it's just a spell, I'm not sure.

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  9. It's spelled "Wizzard" if you're painting it in large letters.

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  10. Actually, that was Nightmare Moon's special ability. She just learned it after she saw NM use it.

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  11. I think tying Twi's bad social skills to a lack of Charisma is
    erroneous.  She actually has rather exceptional Charisma - all the mane 6
    are instantly drawn to her, in Winter Wrap-Up the Mayor immediately
    lets her take charge, and everyone always seems to be looking to her for
    solutions; she may not be as beautiful as Rarity or have the instant
    need to shelter and protect her as Fluttershy, but everyone
    instinctively turns to Twi for guidance - even, on occasion, Celestia
    herself. 



    Twi shows far more weakness in physical abilities - unable to catch
    herself when Luna tumbles the cliff, teleporting around instead of
    walking in later episodes, and often complaining about having to do
    physical (instead of magical) work.



    Twi has bad social skills because she is completely untrained in any of
    them, and possibly because she has an "introvert" trait, boosting her
    research skills at the cost of social skills.  

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  12. your images are broken!
    derpibooru has replaced ponibooru. here: http://derpiboo.ru/37168

    ReplyDelete