Vaarsuvius

Telepathic Bond

In Strip 1220, Vaarsuvius casts Telepathic Bond on everyone present. This includes the entire party, as well as Minrah and Blackwing. Telepathic Bond targets the caster, as well as one additional person per three caster levels. Before this point, V was believed to be level 16 (and caster level 17 because of the ioun stone Blackwing carries). This is not enough to encompass everyone.

There are multiple explanations for this.

Status Quo

Some argue that Rich has previously treated targeting rules flexibly when the story required it. Under this view, Telepathic Bond is not read strictly in this scene, and V’s level does not need to change.

However, the premise of the Geekery thread is that the possibility of homebrew should not be used to exclude a RAW-based argument from the first post.

Strict Head Count

In this interpretation, the spell includes V and seven additional creatures: the rest of the party, Minrah, and Blackwing. This requires V to be level 20 or higher.

A 20+ reading means V had access to 9th-level spells for four levels, without using them on-panel. Some readers see that four-level gap as significant, because V is otherwise portrayed as using more and stronger magic when it becomes available, even after V committed to using magic more strategically. For those readers, that gap is evidence that 20+ does not fit the story as presented.

With a Familiar

Familiars have a feature called Share Spells. A spell cast on V can also affect Blackwing without Blackwing counting as a separate target. Under this reading, Telepathic Bond includes as targets V, the rest of the party, and Minrah. That total requires V to be level 17 or higher.

Some readers are uncomfortable with V having access to 9th-level spells at all. However, 17th level places V at the point of just gaining access to that tier, rather than having had it for four full levels. For other readers, that distinction matters.

Share Spells requires the familiar to remain within 5 feet of V or else the spell ends and won’t come back even if the familiar returns. Blackwing leaves that range immediately after the spell is cast, then continues to use the bond, which creates a RAW objection to 17+.

The 17+ interpretation asks that Telepathic Bond be read as written, but puts V’s characterization ahead of a missable cross reference.

With an Enspelled Familiar

Dragon Compendium includes a feat, Enspell Familiar, which would let Blackwing count as touching V at any range up to one mile. This preserves the RAW interpretation of Share Spells while removing the distance objection to the 17+ reading. The feat is obscure, but Geekery focuses on the rules as written that explain the story as presented.

Enspell Familiar would also help explain a previous scene with shared spells. Blackwing shares a spell with V in comic 1117, leaves V’s side in comic 1119 (which should end the spell), and then has the spell dispelled in comic 1122. Thank you to Atomburster for pointing this out.