OOTS #673 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[xocist]

Yayyy!!!!!

[Robert Paulson]

Awesome return! Great strip. :)

[Iferus]

Hmm. Pickpockets again...

I love the first panel! The rest... well... not so much.

[Nutmegger]

"Not on my watch, pigtails."

[Ghastly Epigram]

6th panel, the speech bubble is pointing to the lizard instead of the girl. >.>

Yay! OOTS returns! I didn't expect to go straight into the desert, but thinking about it that's probably a good thing. A nice fun strip to start us off. :smallcool:

[Starlong]

Switching the purse is one thing, but making time to write the note too...

Nice. :smallsmile:

[Evil DM Mark3]

OK, why do I want rascaly sidekicks?

[TriForce]

awesomesause! :)

[BatRobin]

6th panel, the speech bubble is pointing to the lizard instead of the girl. >.>

Yay! OOTS returns! I didn't expect to go straight into the desert, but thinking about it that's probably a good thing. A nice fun strip to start us off. :smallcool:

It's pointing at the lizard. As it should be.



Awesome strip Rich! Poor Elan.

[Zanaril]

Oh OOTS, how I've missed you.

[Robert Paulson]

I can't wait to see what new moves Roy does during the random encounter in the desert. :)

[Fitzclowningham]

Ahh, the anticipated desert scenery! Welcome back, Rich!

[Deme]

Haley is approaching some scary levels thievery, here. I guess, though, it makes sense, taking level into account.

Also, my hope of seeing some important Western Continent NPCs has been disproven. But at least it's more of the Order together. Not a great page, but hey, it's the end of a hiatus, it updated when I was online, and it shall fortify me for the first day of classes today. I'm satisfied.

[Ghastly Epigram]

It's pointing at the lizard. As it should be.

But the lizard's mouth is closed, and the girl's mouth is open, and Durkon is talking to the girl not the lizard, implying it was her that spoke. <.<

[khoregate]

whee new strip my oots side of my brain has frozen up

i like elan arguing about dibs on the string :)

[Zanaril]

Just noticed, Blackwing is on V's shoulder!

[BatRobin]

But the lizard's mouth is closed, and the girl's mouth is open, and Durkon is talking to the girl not the lizard, implying it was her that spoke. <.<

Oh, *facepalm*.

Thought it was the lizard who had an open mouth. I'mmmm an idiot.

[tcrudisi]

Oh Haley, if you keep up that level of awesomeness, you will soon replace Elan as the best character in OOTS.

[Mauve Shirt]

And we're back!
And it's an excellent strip!

[Pandabear]

had to snicker for a good ten minutes before I recovered to post :smallbiggrin:
awesome!

[Teddy]

Poor Elan, Mr Scruffy got all the string:smallfrown:

[Ganurath]

Heh... Mr. Scruffy wins because, unlike Elan, he can kill commoners.

[The Giant]

The speech balloon mistake should be fixed now. Refresh the comic if you need to.

[Andore Mordre]

Sweeeeeeeeeeet.

Welcome back!

[Jarawara]

Welcome back, Rich!

[Etcetera]

Nice! Good to see more parts of the world.

[Goldfly]

Excellent strip, and I loved (as usual) all the little details. :smallsmile:

[PirateMonk]

Yay! OOTS is back!

Not much plot advancement, but very entertaining.

[Vercon]

Great to have you back Rich. Reading other web comics is like drinking sewer water when you're used to sweet ambrosia.

[TengYt]

Haha, awesome comic. Updated whilst I was online too!

[Carteeg_Struve]

It feels like classic times again. *sniff* :smallsmile:


Edit: Man, I just noticed the long line of people coming into town in the first panel. This is like Gen Con SoSudan. :smallbiggrin:

[Ur-Quan]

Long wait, but sure worth it, great job giant!

[AxeD]

Has anyone else noticed that Roy's armor is slightly different? It has a different collar/neck-piece. How does that work?

[Often Normal]

Great to see you back writing Giant, hope your break gave you some relax time.

[Ghastly Epigram]

Has anyone else noticed that Roy's armor is slightly different? It has a different collar/neck-piece. How does that work?

Yeah, I noticed that too. Looks more like he's wearing a shirt now. :smallconfused:

[Dark Faun]

Cute update. Glad to see Blackwing on V's shoulder too. Little V's all grown up. :smallsmile:

[Redikalus]

Nice to see Blackwing sitting on V's shoulder. Looks like we'll be seeing more of him from now on.

[Etcetera]

Yeah, it looks more like a shirt now.

[Trixie]

Hmmm, I wonder when discussion about Wind Walk not working like that will start :smalltongue:

So what if the winds are too strong? They can regain their physical form at any time, then V can featherfall them for safe descent :smallbiggrin:

[Dark Faun]

But then they're stuck in the middle of a desert with no idea where to go. :smallwink:

[Anthea]

But then they're stuck [..] with no idea where to go. :smallwink:
That's nothing new ;)

[Purple_cloack]

Interesting. Its quite great-looking place. I liked the art on the sky.

So, they're going to the desert, eh?

Also, loved the little-lizard. cute.

[SteveMB]

whee new strip my oots side of my brain has frozen up

i like elan arguing about dibs on the string :)

Mr. Scruffy spoke up first....

[Solara]

Just noticed, Blackwing is on V's shoulder!

I came here to post this! It's such an awesome little detail but barely noticeable, I thought I would be the first. *pout*

Anyway, hope you enjoyed your vacation, Giant, but it's sooooo good to have you back!

Literally laughed out loud at the note, and just friggin' lost it at Elan's disappointment about the string. :smallbiggrin:

I guess that brown is going to be the new blue now...

[DnDgeek13]

That's the Haley we know and love,

But, good new comic.

[TheBibliophile]

Woot! Haley is awesome!

Also, I do believe this is the first strip that came up while I was online. So everything is wonderful!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[whitemane]

OK... First... My shakes have now subsided since I've gotten my dose of the order...

Second... Welcome back Giant! I hope you enjoyed your little hiatus.

Third... Haley is truly awesome! Not only did she steel Durkons purse back, not only did she replace it with a fake purse, but she also had time to write a note to the thieves within a round or two!!! That's approaching epic level thievery!!!!

Fourth... Poor Elan, I would suggest he battle Mr. Scruffy for the string, but I would put my money on the Scrufster in that battle...

[Dark Faun]

I'll admit, I'd have liked Haley to have given the lizardfolk's purse back to him. They need the 12 silver more than she does. :smallfrown: :smallwink:

[RMS Oceanic]

It's nice to see the Order as a whole interacting with each other. I missed that.

And it seems Blackwing might become more than a recurring character. I like this idea.

[Captain Alien]

Outstanding, as always.

Now Roy's armor seems more like a light armor.

[otakuryoga]

yay...the long nightmare of withdrawl is over---thank goodnees i didnt have to stand in that line going out the gate to view the comic!!

and i believe Mr Scruffy has pre-emptive dibs on all feathers/strings/small balls with bells in them/and pieces of fish that are found in any treasure hoard

[Teddy]

Seems as if the Western Lands are more integrated than the other countries we've visited. Is it lizardfolks that move around freely in the town?

WaXPs bonus comic spoiler:
Azure City only granted citizenship to people with human blood, as written in the travel guide.

[AxeD]

I'll admit, I'd have liked Haley to have given the lizardfolk's purse back to him. They need the 12 silver more than she does. :smallfrown: :smallwink:

Rather than thinking of it as Haley robbing the lizardfolk, regard it as her giving him/her a valuable lesson in thieving: don't try to pickpocket a high level rogue's marks party members.

And it only cost him/her 12 sp!

EDIT: Btw, correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming that Vaarsuvius is a 14th level wizard (from Class and Level Geekery IV), shouldn't he/she have access to limited wish? If that was the case, they'd be able to "Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, even if it’s of a prohibited school", such as teleportation. Then they wouldn't have to resort to Wind Walk.

[dish]

The desert is obviously very hot (umm, yeah, obviously). Do you think we're going to be seeing these washed-out colours all the time we're in the Western Continent?

[Kilarny]

Welcome back, Mr. Burlew sir!
As always, you have delivered the funny. Love that expression on Elan's face...no string for Elan! :smallfrown:
:smallbiggrin:

P.S. Ready to buy two copies of the next book...*drool*

[waterpenguin43]

Yay!! You're back!!
Nice:
:haley:: Not on my watch pigtails.

[RMS Oceanic]

Btw, correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming that Vaarsuvius is a 14th level wizard (from Class and Level Geekery IV), shouldn't he/she have access to limited wish? If that was the case, they'd be able to "Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, even if it’s of a prohibited school", such as teleportation.

True, but we don't know if Vaarsuvius has learnt Limited Wish.

[Lamech]

Owned!
Go Haley

[Rhuna_Coppermane]

Yay new comic!

Not huge and awe-inspiring, but very worth the wait anyway.

Go Haley!

[waterpenguin43]

True, but we don't know if Vaarsuvius has learnt Limited Wish.

Well, (s)he would be wise to do so.

[Berserk Monk]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Haley is a master thief and I love Elan's comment.

[RMS Oceanic]

I just noticed a nice little art detail: In the first two panels we see the pickpockets, we can see the Lizardboy's purse, but as they run away it's gone.


Well, (s)he would be wise to do so.

Vaarsuvius has not demonstrated great wisdom when it comes to magical selection.

[Teddy]

I just noticed a nice little art detail: In the first two panels we see the pickpockets, we can see the Lizardboy's purse, but as they run away it's gone.

Yes, i noticed that too. Haley managed to steal it when he passed by, as well as replace the purses.

[Ellye]

Ah, I love desert sceneries.

Great line from Belkar, and Haley is as awesome as ever.

Nice to see Blackwing on V's shoulder..

[RMS Oceanic]

Yes, i noticed that too. Haley managed to steal it when he passed by, as well as replace the purses.

I know that's what happened, I just like that it was a little detail in the art. Like when Haley retconned her Sneak Attack damage.

[Croverus]

I'm glad to start of my morning with an update. Really makes my day easier, and I need all I can in the military. Especially with it being Blues Mnday, ugh, hate wearing blues.

Anyway, awesome to see the group dynamics, love Belkar's comments about the town. And calling Durkon names, Belkar is awesome.

Haley has mad Theiving skills. But not surpirised. The character are in the teens now right? Writing a note is like a minor action so she could totally pull it off.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Hee :smallbiggrin:

[Robert Paulson]

Third... Haley is truly awesome! Not only did she steel Durkons purse back, not only did she replace it with a fake purse, but she also had time to write a note to the thieves within a round or two!!! That's approaching epic level thievery!!!!

It seems likely that Haley wrote the note and placed it in a decoy purse before they even entered town.

[Eran of Arcadia]

It seems likely that Haley wrote the note and placed it in a decoy purse before they even entered town.

Assuming that whoever robbed them would have pigtails?

[Teddy]

It seems likely that Haley wrote the note and placed it in a decoy purse before they even entered town.

Because she knew that Durkon would get robbed by a pigtailed girl...?

EDIT: Ninja'd. Stupid wireless network...

[HUMVEE Driver]

Wow, that was so worth the wait of 23 days.

[chiasaur11]

String?

Man. This is the height of civilization.

[Bianco]

Ooh, it's back!!

I, for one, am very happy to see a "gag" strip. We've had so many awesome, plot-advancing, epicness-filled strips lately, that I think it's time for some of these.

[brandr]

OOTS is back! I am a happy man.
also, lighthearted humor is always appreciated.

[Woodsman]

Glad to see the Giant's up and running again.

Last panel is quite funny. "Aww, man!"

[Rhuna_Coppermane]

Vaarsuvius has not demonstrated great wisdom when it comes to magical selection.

Put the period in that sentence after "wisdom" and it's just as true.

[silvadel]

Welcome to the pirate set, V.

It all starts with the bird on the shoulder .....

[oxinabox]

It's good to have it back.
mmmh desert, err dessert

[ref]

OK, First things first. Welcome back, Rich. Hope you're feeling fine.

Now the title: Too slow because 1) the pig-tailed girl was too slow in stealing Durkon's purse. 2) Elan was too slow on calling dibs on the string. And 3) Starting strips on each book go slow, then pace is picked up.

Also, seems like skies in this world are also color-coded for YOUR convenience, hehehe. I expect maybe one more setup strip and then 675 to move us somewhere else, but then again, what do I know?

[Needle]

Nice to see the Order again :smalltongue:

Let's see how the townpcers will interact with the party, and what random encounter will they face :smallsmile:

[PhallicWarrior]

It seems likely that Haley wrote the note and placed it in a decoy purse before they even entered town.

And apparently wrote the note then, too.

High-level adventurers: violating the laws of causality every which way since the 1980's.

[Weimann]

I think it's clear that Haley saw what was coming the moment those two came rushing towards Durkon. They do stay to chat for a few moments; she would have time to write a short notice if the Rule of Cool supplied pen and paper readily available. Then she'd "just" pickpocket Durkon's money back from Pigtails' palm.

Eh. Remind me to not check the comic with my wallet on any more.

[Kroy]

Yes, OOTS is back!

[NerfTW]

Nice to see Blackwing sitting on V's shoulder. Looks like we'll be seeing more of him from now on.

I like that. A visible indication of V's new found humility. Acknowledging a "simple" familiar.

[Mugen Nightgale]

Pr0tip: Stay away from high level adventurers.

Awesome comic, glad to have you back Mr.Burlew.

[Protecar]

*Checks for wallet* *sighs in relief*

Nothing like a light-hearted return to OotS to alleviate the pains of college classes on a Monday. Well played! And nice seeing the crew on the road, together, again! :smallbiggrin:

[Kaytara]

Wonderful. I didn't realise how much I missed OotS.... :)
A reminder of Haley's supernatural thief skills is always welcome and Blackwing on V's shoulder is a very nice touch.

[The_Void]

Very nice comic. Not particularly epic, but nice nonetheless. Good to see the Order all back together again.

[kusje]

Belkar should have stabbed those thieving fools.

How dare they!

[Anthea]

As for the notice to the two kids: When they unfolded it, I half-expected that script to be in exploding runes :smallbiggrin:

[xelliea]

Great to have the OOTS back.


Cute update. Glad to see Blackwing on V's shoulder too. Little V's all grown up. :smallsmile:

Yeah, maybe blackwing won't be forgoten by V now. :smallsmile:

[bueagle]

Nothing like a light-hearted return to OotS to alleviate the pains of college classes on a Monday. Well played! And nice seeing the crew on the road, together, again! :smallbiggrin:

Ditto :smallbiggrin:

Glad OotS is back. :smile:

[Kobold-Bard]

Nice comic. Before I realised she was a kid I thought Durkon might be getting another love interest. Needless to say I felt quite foolish afterwards.

Still, good comic, Thanks as always Giant.

[Faramir]

What a nice start to the new arc. Welcome back!

[Murdim]

Nice comic. Before I realised she was a kid I thought Durkon might be getting another love interest. Needless to say I felt quite foolish afterwards.If by "quite foolish", you mean "like if my brain would be tainted forever by such a vile mental image", I agree with you.

[Conuly]

Every time Belkar does something nice for Mr. Scruffy, whatever his motives, I awww a little bit. I know he's evilly evil, but it still melts my little heart.

Also, *I* expected not to see this strip until TOMORROW (viewing this as the last day of the hiatus), so I was pleasantly surprised :) Yay!

[KIDS]

It's great to have Rich back! And this one was pure win too, Haley's talents and everything :)

[Aaron]

Awesome!!! Go Haley!

[hamishspence]

Would you say the child with the tail is more likely to be a trogolodyte than a lizardfolk?

I've seen the pic of troglodytes in Origin of PCs when Elan and his boss are seen in flashback on a diplomatic mission "We were their last, best hope for peace" and they are more sharp-snouted than the lizardfolk in Start of Darkness.

We also see lizardfolk ressurrecting the Oracle- they are a brighter shade of green.

[One Skunk Todd]

I guess it would be cruel to do to children, but Haley should get V to prepare a bunch of explosive runes notes to slip into decoy pouches. :)

I wonder if it's going to matter that the city wall is incomplete. Looks like one big tent facing the well. Town hall?

And are those little tan blobs camels? I have this great image of Belkar on a camel. :)

[spectralphoenix]

EDIT: Btw, correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming that Vaarsuvius is a 14th level wizard (from Class and Level Geekery IV), shouldn't he/she have access to limited wish? If that was the case, they'd be able to "Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, even if it’s of a prohibited school", such as teleportation. Then they wouldn't have to resort to Wind Walk.

In order to teleport, you need to have an accurate mental picture of where you're going. The Order doesn't know anything about Girard's gate other than it's location.

[The Tygre]

Good comic! Actually had me grinning ear to ear. And welcome back, Giant!

[Querzis]

EDIT: Btw, correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming that Vaarsuvius is a 14th level wizard (from Class and Level Geekery IV), shouldn't he/she have access to limited wish? If that was the case, they'd be able to "Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, even if it’s of a prohibited school", such as teleportation. Then they wouldn't have to resort to Wind Walk.

It doesnt matter how much character development V get. Hes still NEVER gonna get a spell that got a XP cost.

[Horst]

Oh, man this strip was so ingenious.

I always hate how kleptomaniac kids are glorified in the movies. But here they weren't only tricked but completely humiliated. That is so awesome. As is Elans part in the last panel.

[Murdim]

I guess it would be cruel to do to children, but Haley should get V to prepare a bunch of explosive runes notes to slip into decoy pouches. :)Nonlethal substitution Explosive runes ?

[Scarlet Knight]

I'll admit, I'd have liked Haley to have given the lizardfolk's purse back to him. They need the 12 silver more than she does. :smallfrown: :smallwink:

"He who steals from a thief is twice blessed."

[Kish]

EDIT: Btw, correct me if I'm wrong, but assuming that Vaarsuvius is a 14th level wizard (from Class and Level Geekery IV), shouldn't he/she have access to limited wish? If that was the case, they'd be able to "Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, even if it’s of a prohibited school", such as teleportation. Then they wouldn't have to resort to Wind Walk.
As Vaarsuvius is a wizard and not a super wizard/sorcerer prestige class (can you tell I've responded to "why didn't Vaarsuvius cast Spell X" posts before?) the only spells we know Vaarsuvius has in his/her spellbook are the spells we know Vaarsuvius has in his/her spellbook.

Circular reasoning that may be, yet Limited Wish is not one of them.

[Acero]

Welcome back Rich! Great comic!:smallbiggrin:

V was surprisingly quiet

[Cerrakoth]

Oh this was the funniest comic in a while 'Not on my watch pigtails' classic :P

[yubel]

أنت تصنع الصور الجيدة قراءة الف وشكرا

[Linkavitch]

That was an awesome return from hiatus.

[shylocxs]

Hurrah! A new strip! Hope you're feeling better, Giant! Everyone deserves a good vacation/rest!

[Darkroot]

أنت تصنع الصور الجيدة قراءة الف وشكرا

Uhm, is that Arabic? It looks like it, but I could be totallly wrong...

Anyway, good to see the book starting on a light, fun, "joke" strip rather than a serious story strip - although it still helps setup the atmosphere of the place (many thieves, what looks like a lot of immigration, etc).
Welcome back Rich!

[Starbuck_II]

Belkar should have stabbed those thieving fools.

How dare they!

But then he would have lost the Game.

[Ted The Bug]

LOL, appreciated this one. After V's really dark story arc, it's good to see that the humor isn't gone.
Love that Elan called dibs on the string as well.

[the_tick_rules]

Haley's showing the new kids how to thieve like a professional. Why would Elan want string?

[Elfey]

أنت تصنع الصور الجيدة قراءة الف وشكرا

The blind idiot translation has this translate to "are making good pictures and read a thank you"

[Dark Faun]

Why would Elan want string?
Banjo wants it.

[Squark]

That was pure awesome, Rich. Glad to have OotS updating again.

[Murdim]

Banjo wants it.Puppets for the Puppet God ! Strings for the String Throne !

[Renegade Paladin]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/RenegadePaladin/Owned/Owned-truck.jpg

:smallbiggrin:

[kc0bbq]

That was worth the wait. You can tell the Giant is back to being tanned, rested, and ready.

[zql]

Nice strip, beautiful dessert art and hilarious gag.
I love the way Mr. Scruffy is asking for the string :smallbiggrin:

[B.I.T.T.]

Good comic, Rich, welcome back.

Oh and keep in mind, y'all, Haley probably had time to write that note to Pigtails during Durkon's speech.

[Kobold-Bard]

Haley's showing the new kids how to thieve like a professional. Why would Elan want string?

Because Elan is a child, and string amuses children. Or so I'm told.

[Athaniar]

At last, the Return of the King, ehm, Giant. I salute thee on a most satisfacotry first comic after your hiatus, and I do hope you are feeling better.

[pendell]

Awesome. +1 to Haley.

And +1 to Rich Burlew, back from his vacation. Hope all is well.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Enlong]

So, who was "too slow", the kids or Elan?

[k_bukie]

So, who was "too slow", the kids or Elan?

The correct answer, of course, is both.

[kybarsfang]

Just noticed, Blackwing is on V's shoulder!

I didn't notice until you pointed it out. :smallredface:

Welcome back, Giant! We missed you!

[factotum]

I imagine all the people who got sick of blue during the Azure City arc are now going to get the chance to get thoroughly sick of yellow and brown... :smallwink:

Good strip. Start the book off with a light gag before moving into the heavy stuff!

[Sholos]

I love the fact that the lizard kid is drawn with a purse in his/her(?) first two panels, but doesn't have it as he/she runs away. Absolutely fabulous attention to detail there!

[NakedCelt]

You know, Haley doesn't have to have written the whole note on the spur of the moment -- just the word "Pigtails".

[daggaz]

Yayyy!!!!!

Damn ninjas!!! :smalltongue:

[kamuishirou]

LOL, that was awesome! Good to see the Order back together. :D

[David Argall]

So far, this is not looking well for my predictions. However, there are plenty of options still.



I'll admit, I'd have liked Haley to have given the lizardfolk's purse back to him. They need the 12 silver more than she does.
There are plenty of cultures where they take off a pickpocket's hand for the first offense, and the head for the second. The kids get off lucky.

Now since it is bound to get suggested anyway, I'll note the possibility that we will be seeing these kids fairly often in the near future. The odds are quite high their gig is done, but the party getting saddled with a couple of cute kids, sometimes by the brats' thievery, is a common enough cliche.



See the FAQ. The party can't/won't do things the easy way because that is the easy way and there is no story. So V doesn't have the spell, there is arcane interference, or ... Anyway, the party will have to trek thru a hundred strips of travail to reach the gate, not magic their way in one.

[QUOTE=Robert Paulson;6833272]It seems likely that Haley wrote the note and placed it in a decoy purse before they even entered town.
As noted, Haley would have almost no way to know the thief would have pigtails. However, she may well have made duplicate purses in advance.

[Cleverdan22]

Sweet! Good to see a new location in the strip. Man, its been a good long while since the actual "setting" of the strip has changed.

[Herald Alberich]

I was hoping the sea voyage would be a bit more eventful. Pirates or something. Oh well, this is awesome too. As has been pointed out numerous times, details like the "new" notch in Roy's armor, and especially Blackwing, are greatly appreciated.


In order to teleport, you need to have an accurate mental picture of where you're going. The Order doesn't know anything about Girard's gate other than it's location.

Right, and only Roy knows that. So, first V would have to get as accurate a description as possible from Roy, then scry the place, then burn 300 XP on his Limited Wish, and he'd still only get a 75% chance of getting it right (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleport.htm), with possibly serious consequences of failure, including being stranded in a random spot in the desert. That's assuming that V has both an appropriate scrying-type spell and Limited Wish, and that all the illusions around the Gate don't spoil the scrying.

Yeah, it's easier to just walk.

[maxon]

Brill - back on time and poor Elan doesn't get the string.

"Not on my watch, Pigtails." Even if she had the note prepared, she'd still have to write in Pigtails before swapping it with Durkon's real purse. My, Hayley's quick.

Hope you're feeling well-rested Giant.

edit:

Just noticed, Blackwing is on V's shoulder!
oooo hadn't noticed. Nice catch. Also: Outstanding.

[RdMarquis]

Whoohoo, a new OotS! I was about inches from going into withdrawal.

Look at that line, by the way. It must be nearly a mile long, a person, without exaggeration, could quite literally die of thirst waiting to get in.

Glad to see pickpocketing those kids wasn't a total loss. Mr. Scruffy got string to play with. :smallsmile:

Speaking of which, I really hope they don't tag along. The Order has enough problems without a couple of pesky kids hanging around (to inevitably get captured by whatever villains they run into).

[Vectner]

Rich, you sir are a man of your word. Welcome back and congratulations on a fine strip featuring the newly reunited order. Feels like old times.

[Squirrel_Token]

Aww man! :smallbiggrin:

[Herald Alberich]

Look at that line, by the way. It must be nearly a mile long, a person, without exaggeration, could quite literally die of thirst waiting to get in.

I'm pretty sure that's not a line waiting for entrance, but a trail with people traveling in both directions. Besides, based on the direction the Order is walking and they fact that they arrived by boat, they entered the city from the other side.

[Elfin]

Welcome back, Rich!

[spargel]

There are plenty of cultures where they take off a pickpocket's hand for the first offense, and the head for the second. The kids get off lucky.


Yes, those cultures are what I call "Backwards cultures". It's not a good thing to judge your own culture using that as a standard.

[hamishspence]

I notice that this principle does not seem to be applied across the board. If "the thieves got of lucky" by being robbed themselves, same could apply to armed murderers getting lucky by being beaten into unconciousness and tied up.

That said, even in Renaissance England/Scotland, people made a distinction between "stealing" your own property back from thieves, and stealing their property in revenge.

The "hot trod" was the rule that if you caught people thieveing from you, you could pursue them and retrieve your stolen property.

By contrast "reprisal raids" were generally somewhat frowned on.

[Omergideon]

Yay, it's back.

I think it's a good call to start things off with a simple humourous strip. No major plot or anything, but a decent joke, the reintroduction of OoTS banter, and a chance to get a look at the new details and scenery. Overall neat choice.

That being said pretty soon I'm gonna start to want plot.

[Mojique]

The RSS still don't work.

[Conuly]

"Not on my watch, Pigtails." Even if she had the note prepared, she'd still have to write in Pigtails before swapping it with Durkon's real purse. My, Hayley's quick.

Not necessarily. Hayley could've been REALLY bored on the trip over and written several such notes for any potential occasion - one for "Pigtails", one for "Baldy", one for "Beard-o Weird-o", one for "Dude", one for "Ancient Black Dragon with a Vendetta"....

[Erts]

Great strip, hope Rich had a good vacation.

Great desert art as well.

[Starscream]

Love it.

Great thieving from Haley, a nice Elan moment, and even a Pet the Cat moment from Belkar.

Feels like OOtS Classic. And I love the desert scenery. Here's to never seeing a blue city again!

[Kish]

Not necessarily. Hayley could've been REALLY bored on the trip over and written several such notes for any potential occasion - one for "Pigtails", one for "Baldy", one for "Beard-o Weird-o", one for "Dude", one for "Ancient Black Dragon with a Vendetta"....
I think, "Not on my watch, Ancient Black Dragon with a Vendetta" would be excessively cocky.

[Ikialev]

Holy jesus, at last NOT blue scenery.

[Mike_the_Mystic]

My question is (And please forgive me if someone already asked this):

Is that a Lizardfolk or a Dragonborn?

[Nevitan]

The OotS scenery matches the site design now!

[Starscream]

The OotS scenery matches the site design now!

Holy cow, it does. Wonder if that's intentional.

I'm going to carefully look in all desert scenes for any Giant footprints.

[Optimystik]

"Not on my watch, Pigtails." Even if she had the note prepared, she'd still have to write in Pigtails before swapping it with Durkon's real purse. My, Hayley's quick.

Entirely plausible. Remember that Haley was standing behind Durkon, giving her both a great view of the action (she is taller than Durkon and the kids) and the optimal position to punish the youngsters (they run past her while making their escape.)

1) Girl collides with Durkon (and presumably, nicks his purse at the same moment.) Haley notices, possibly rolls her eyes and gets out some paper.
2) She starts, and finishes the short note while Durkon is lecturing the youngster and puts it in an empty purse.
3) She swaps the purses as the girl runs by her.
4) She nicks the lizard-boy's purse as he runs by.

All done in moments.


My question is (And please forgive me if someone already asked this):

Is that a Lizardfolk or a Dragonborn?

Given that his skin is green and green dragons don't live in deserts, I'm going with lizardfolk. (There's an adult one in panel 2 as well.)

[hamishspence]

Main reason I suspected Troglodyte and not lizardfolk is that, in the strip, lizardfolk generally have blunter snouts. In SoD the Lizardfolk who are fighting the paladins are blunt-snouted, and in the crayon strips the reptilians with the same look are a much brighter shade of green than this one.

We see similar looking beings resurrecting the Oracle.

in Origin, we see Troglodytes- they are a different shade (within the limits of a black-and-white strip), and have pointy snouts (a bit like kobolds) and crests (which kobolds don't have.)

The thief could be a lizardfolk, I suppose, but the different colour and look makes me suspect Troglodyte. Only puzzling thing would be- what's a troglodyte doing in the desert? Neither they, nor lizardfolk, are associated with desert regions.

Asabis from Faerun setting combine lizardy appearence with desert dwelling, but this isn't Faerun, so I doubt it.

[Gamerlord]

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!! *dies of laughter*

EDIT: Those two kids remind me of some NPC's in fallout 2.....

[Crafty Cultist]

One-upsmanship is always entertaining when done right

Good work Mr B.

[Laketh Stadt]

Welcome back!
Fresh continent, new start..

[Deuce]

I was hoping the sea voyage would be a bit more eventful. Pirates or something. Oh well, this is awesome too. As has been pointed out numerous times, details like the "new" notch in Roy's armor, and especially Blackwing, are greatly appreciated.


It may have been eventful - we didn't see it, and they have not stated that is was uneventful. Maybe we'll get some flash-backs of the trip.

[Optimystik]

I was hoping the sea voyage would be a bit more eventful. Pirates or something. Oh well, this is awesome too. As has been pointed out numerous times, details like the "new" notch in Roy's armor, and especially Blackwing, are greatly appreciated.

The beginnings of books are fertile ground for bonus material, as DCF and Paladin Blues have shown. So leaving a timeskip there may have been intentional. He can therefore slip in bonus strips without spacing out the narrative with filler.

[farty_brando]

lmao at elan

[otakuryoga]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Conuly View Post
Not necessarily. Hayley could've been REALLY bored on the trip over and written several such notes for any potential occasion - one for "Pigtails", one for "Baldy", one for "Beard-o Weird-o", one for "Dude", one for "Ancient Black Dragon with a Vendetta"....
I think, "Not on my watch, Ancient Black Dragon with a Vendetta" would be excessively cocky.
__________________posted by Kish

besides...what black dragon is gonna come for revenge...all related ones are dead remember.....

[Dark Faun]

It's possible the young black dragon's uncle mentioned by the mother black dragon in 628 is his father's brother and therefore not a target of the familicide.

Ah, yes, topic.

Pigtails is adorable. :smalltongue:

[Rustic Dude]

Yeah, I noticed that too. Looks more like he's wearing a shirt now. :smallconfused:

It's...


da...


CLEAVAGE!!!!

:smallbiggrin:


(And it's great)

[Conuly]

besides...what black dragon is gonna come for revenge...all related ones are dead remember.....

V killed 25% of the black dragon population! It's entirely possible that she killed of a relative or friend of one of the remaining 75% of them, or that one or more of them will be resurrected by grieving loved ones.

Of course, it sounds like the IFCC convinced Tiamat not to sanction any actions against V, but there's no promise that none of them will try god-defying.

[Selene]

Main reason I suspected Troglodyte and not lizardfolk is that, in the strip, lizardfolk generally have blunter snouts. In SoD the Lizardfolk who are fighting the paladins are blunt-snouted, and in the crayon strips the reptilians with the same look are a much brighter shade of green than this one.

We see similar looking beings resurrecting the Oracle.

in Origin, we see Troglodytes- they are a different shade (within the limits of a black-and-white strip), and have pointy snouts (a bit like kobolds) and crests (which kobolds don't have.)

The thief could be a lizardfolk, I suppose, but the different colour and look makes me suspect Troglodyte. Only puzzling thing would be- what's a troglodyte doing in the desert? Neither they, nor lizardfolk, are associated with desert regions.

Asabis from Faerun setting combine lizardy appearence with desert dwelling, but this isn't Faerun, so I doubt it.

Clearly, it's a Gila monster folk. The green is just a disguise. :smalltongue:

[Katana_Geldar]

It's great to see the Order back adventuring together. I guess Elan wanted the string for something?

[Dark Faun]

It's...


da...


CLEAVAGE!!!!

:smallbiggrin:


(And it's great)
In other words, Roy has boobies (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0102.html)? :smallwink:

[Sijo]

Aah, OOTS is back! Nice to read it again, even if it wasn't a particularly funny or interesting beginning (to me anyway.) I find deserts boring. Just sand and more sand. Of course this being D&D maybe we'll run into giant worms or Egyptian ruins with undead mummies in them. We'll see.

I agree that Haley wrote that note WAY too fast. And why didn't she sign it with her full name? She's what, level 13? Time to start the international reputation of Haley, The Magnificent! :smallwink:

Oh, and that "can't use Wind Walk here because of the wind" excuse? LAAAME. I mean, unless I remember wrong, Wind Walk doesn't just turn you into mist, it creates its own wind for you to ride- and quite fast as well. Unless that desert has sandstorms 24/7, I doubt it can counter such a spell. But whatever.

[skywalker]

This harks back to the olden days...

A good, classic joke without the plot getting in the way!

[MoonBeam]

Oh, poor Elan! :smallfrown:

Also, I like new environment.

[Matherdon]

Oh, happy day! OOtS is back in.. brown. :)

[Kish]

besides...what black dragon is gonna come for revenge...all related ones are dead remember.....
Oh, gee, let me think. The one she was out of her lair visiting, who isn't a blood relative of hers? Any of the evil chromatic dragons Tiamat could give a mission to (that would be...all of them)?

[Blaznak]

It seems the rest was good... Fun stuff!

[ref]

I agree that Haley wrote that note WAY too fast. And why didn't she sign it with her full name? She's what, level 13? Time to start the international reputation of Haley, The Magnificent! :smallwink:

So, you complain she wrote the note too fast, and then you suggest she should have written her full name? Hmm, interesting...

But can't have your cake and eat it too.

[BlueWizard]

It's Back!!!!

[derfenrirwolv]

You know 12 sp is kind of a lot of money for a kid, thats 12 days pay for a laborer, so around 8 or 9 hundred bucks.

[Jagos]

Dude, that's just awesome. They already solved Durkon's pick pocketing problem and Haley gets a few moments.

XD

[Aerysil]

I feel like I'm playing Diablo II, suddenly ending up in the desert, except with, you know, funnier jokes. Er, jokes.

[gamerboy6000]

I don't know why, but I just started cracking up at the end of the comci.

[Faleldir]

Haley's note was written in brown ink; like sand. Clearly that means she bribed the local Sandshaper to write it in -5 rounds.

[silvadel]

I was hoping the sea voyage would be a bit more eventful. Pirates or something. Oh well, this is awesome too. As has been pointed out numerous times, details like the "new" notch in Roy's armor, and especially Blackwing, are greatly appreciated.

.

Only ONE random encounter going from point A to point B no matter how long the journey is...

[Richard J.]

"Mr. Scruffy calls dibs on the string." Best :belkar: line ever. No, really, even better than "SSGoW." It's kinda creepy though to see him seem to actually care about another living thing.

Makes me wonder if this is a build up to a sacrifice to save the kitty or a brutal subversion of Pet the Dog Cat (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PetTheDog).

Elan and Haley always deliver the awesome.

Wonderful to have the comic back after a well-earned author break.

[Lkctgo]

Mommy Mommy, The Giant's back, The Giant's Back. And now my life goes back to normality. Heh!

[derfenrirwolv]

You call THAT normal?

:smalltongue:

[Tobimaro]

I really think that Durkon needs to put ranks in either Spot or Sense Motive, just to be able to stop being the target of all of the world's pickpockets.


I'll admit, I'd have liked Haley to have given the lizardfolk's purse back to him. They need the 12 silver more than she does. :smallfrown: :smallwink:

And go against her usual nature? :smallbiggrin:

Otherwise it is an expensive lesson for the kids. Keep your eyes open, for you never can tell if you are in the area of someone who is much better (or more powerful) than yourself. Looks like the kids need to put ranks into Sense Motive. :smallwink:

[Lerky]

Haley's is beautifully badass.

I love it when commoners feel like they can bully around PCs and then end up getting their asses handled to them. It's really funny, 'specially in video games and in real life:smallbiggrin:

[Evaine]

OOtS returned, and there was much rejoicing! (yay)

Strips like the one for today are what make Haley my favourite character.

[SteveDJ]

Yea, it's back!

So, is it too early to make a prediction? I would say I'm first with this, but I haven't read all nearly-200 posts before this one, and maybe someone else said this, but probably not...

After months of too much blue in Azure City, it looks like we are now in store for months of too much beige/brown color. Ah, well, at least the comic is back!

[Optimystik]

I feel like I'm playing Diablo II, suddenly ending up in the desert, except with, you know, funnier jokes. Er, jokes.

Hey now... Geglash and Greiz were pretty funny.

[Lakitu Pirate]

im glad haley to back to being awesome again

[Kish]

Otherwise it is an expensive lesson for the kids. Keep your eyes open, for you never can tell if you are in the area of someone who is much better (or more powerful) than yourself. Looks like the kids need to put ranks into Sense Motive. :smallwink:
What conceivable rank of Sense Motive could help them against Haley's skill ranks? The only lesson for them here is "life isn't fair."

[objectionator]

This is the kind of thing a good DM lets your high-level thief do to show that he or she has made it. My DM once let me pick a lock with a stick with my 17th level thief (I had picks, but I wanted to show off).

[whitelaughter]

Hmmm, I wonder when discussion about Wind Walk not working like that will start :smalltongue:

So what if the winds are too strong? They can regain their physical form at any time, then V can featherfall them for safe descent :smallbiggrin:

*IF* V make the concentration check to cast Featherfall (sandstorm? Ouch), the PCs are swept along by the winds - remaining in the air until the spell duration expires. Then they plunge to their deaths:

Roy is down a level due to falling out of the sky, and hasn't had a chance to replace it. While he hasn't been meteor-swarmed this time, he would have needed healing last time around to 'hope for minimal falling damage'.

V, Haley and Elan will have low hit points anyway. Mr Scruffy will also be toast.

The only two party members who would expect to survive the fall are Durkon and Belkar.

[hellsfireydeath]

Man Haley is awesome, those kids didn't stand a chance!

[whitelaughter]

What conceivable rank of Sense Motive could help them against Haley's skill ranks? The only lesson for them here is "life isn't fair."
how is it unfair for a pick pocket to have their pocket picked? (Although granted, Haley probably considers "life is unfair" to be an important lesson).

But no matter - a single rank of Spot or Sense Motive would have been sufficient:
1) Belkar is a psychotic killer Ranger, who can Track you. (Higher levels would be needed to realise that he didn't have the Survival skill*).
2) as a Guild trained Thief, Haley would be using what ever 'high sign' the Guilds use to indicate that they're passing through.
3) to see the flying familiar who can just circle the camp and report your location.
4) the party is discussing using high level spells, so clearly is not to be touched until the kids have many more levels.

*Given you've got people wandering out into the desert in the middle of the day it's pretty obvious that Survival is not a valued skill around here.

[squidbreath]

Woot! Oots is back :cool: Nice to see that blackwing is perched atop V's shoulder (heh, cute, seriously.) No more poofing in and out of existence then..? :smallsmile:

[Optimystik]

What conceivable rank of Sense Motive could help them against Haley's skill ranks? The only lesson for them here is "life isn't fair."

Or more accurately, that it is.


how is it unfair for a pick pocket to have their pocket picked? (Although granted, Haley probably considers "life is unfair" to be an important lesson).

But no matter - a single rank of Spot or Sense Motive would have been sufficient:
1) Belkar is a psychotic killer Ranger, who can Track you. (Higher levels would be needed to realise that he didn't have the Survival skill*).
2) as a Guild trained Thief, Haley would be using what ever 'high sign' the Guilds use to indicate that they're passing through.
3) to see the flying familiar who can just circle the camp and report your location.
4) the party is discussing using high level spells, so clearly is not to be touched until the kids have many more levels.

Given you've got people wandering out into the desert in the middle of the *day* it's pretty obvious that Survival is not a valued skill around here.

None of those are Sense Motive. Spot and Listen, maybe, but Sense Motive only applies if someone is speaking to you and trying to deceive you directly.

[Herald Alberich]

The beginnings of books are fertile ground for bonus material, as DCF and Paladin Blues have shown. So leaving a timeskip there may have been intentional. He can therefore slip in bonus strips without spacing out the narrative with filler.

Good to know. That possibility did occur to me, but I don't have the books yet, so I didn't know how likely it was.


Only ONE random encounter going from point A to point B no matter how long the journey is...

True, but they're stopping in Sandsedge for supplies, so Point B has already been reached. The sea voyage should have had a random encounter.

[Enlong]

I notice that this principle does not seem to be applied across the board. If "the thieves got of lucky" by being robbed themselves, same could apply to armed murderers getting lucky by being beaten into unconciousness and tied up.

That said, even in Renaissance England/Scotland, people made a distinction between "stealing" your own property back from thieves, and stealing their property in revenge.

The "hot trod" was the rule that if you caught people thieveing from you, you could pursue them and retrieve your stolen property.

By contrast "reprisal raids" were generally somewhat frowned on.
Aaaand Haley's Chaotic. What does she care about "proper" retribution when it applies to a simple matter of pickpocketry?
They stole a purse from her team, she stole that back, plus a little more to dissuade them from trying again.

[FoE]

I think that happened to my rogue in a campaign once ... :smallbiggrin:

[Kish]

Or more accurately, that it is.
They're just lucky it was Haley the Chaotic Goodish rather than Xykon.

how is it unfair for a pick pocket to have their pocket picked? (Although granted, Haley probably considers "life is unfair" to be an important lesson).

Okay, my wording was careless. Try this:
The only lesson for them is, "If someone 12+ levels above you wants you to be screwed, then you're screwed." This isn't World of Warcraft. No one in the Order wears their levels on their sleeves. There is no indication of a "high sign" used by thieves (nor would Haley want to advertise her affiliation with the Cliffport thieves' guild if there was).

However, for the general points that the thieves could have observed that they were talking about fairly high-level spells, or even that low-level thieves should really watch for and avoid all adventuring parties, you're right, I stand corrected.

[lothos]

It's wonderful to see OOTS back with strip 673. A different pace for the start of the new book.

Thanks to those who pointed out Blackwing on V's shoulder, I didn't notice it myself, but after reading this thread it's so nice to go back and see that tiny detail in there. This is a part of why I keep coming back to this site.

So when I saw the new strip, I felt hungry for more, but it also made me think about the day when the last ever OOTS strip is posted.

I'm glad that Rich has a clear idea of how the strip will end and that he has an idea of when that will be. Some of the better TV series I have watched recently have had a clear time line for a specific story arc they wanted to tell. Many series that just try and spin things out forever usually seem to loose their way. Knowing what the big picture is probably helps Rich to pace the story and organise the plot in ways that wouldn't be possible if he was just trying to make this last as long as possible, perhaps for pure commercial reasons.

The thing is, after OOTS ends, what then ? I mean life will go on (for those of us lucky enough to have lives :-)) and of course it won't for Belkar. But seriously it's become one of the highlights of my on-line week when a new OOTS strip is posted.

Maybe Rich will do a George Lucas and do a prequel... oh wait, he already has...

OK, now I'm kind of wondering, will Rich have any other projects when OOTS ends ? He doesn't owe us anything so if he wanted to retire that is certainly his right. I just hope there might be something afterwards.

Hopefully it's still many years away, but the Hiatus just got me thinking about that.

[Tussy the Druid]

Panel Four Belkar's right foot is missing the lines that make his toes. Just wanted to point that out, and sorry if it had been mentioned.

Anywho, great comic, full of giggles. I'm excited to get another arc with the "new" order (character development and whatnot)

[CheezItMan]

Good to have you back Giant!

Interesting start to the new chapter... now it's time for me to start, "contributing to society again."

[BriarHobbit]

Hurray! OOTS is back. I liked how Mr. Scruffy gets his share of the treasure.

[Silverraptor]

It's just got to be said.

Way to go, Haley!:biggrin:

[Killer Angel]

Mr. Scruffy for the win! :smallbiggrin:

[spectralphoenix]

Right, and only Roy knows that. So, first V would have to get as accurate a description as possible from Roy, then scry the place, then burn 300 XP on his Limited Wish, and he'd still only get a 75% chance of getting it right (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleport.htm), with possibly serious consequences of failure, including being stranded in a random spot in the desert. That's assuming that V has both an appropriate scrying-type spell and Limited Wish, and that all the illusions around the Gate don't spoil the scrying.

Yeah, it's easier to just walk.

Actually, even if V has Scrying, s/he still can't use it to teleport. Scrying targets a specific creature - you can't just Scry on "200 miles west-southwest of Sandsedge" or wherever the Gate is.

[JoseB]

Oh, and that "can't use Wind Walk here because of the wind" excuse? LAAAME. I mean, unless I remember wrong, Wind Walk doesn't just turn you into mist, it creates its own wind for you to ride- and quite fast as well. Unless that desert has sandstorms 24/7, I doubt it can counter such a spell. But whatever.

There is a problem with the "creates its own wind" aspect of the spell. As per the D20 RSD...

"If desired by the subject, a magical wind wafts a wind walker along at up to 600 feet per round (60 mph) with poor maneuverability."

I interpret this as meaning that, if you use this "strong wind", you cannot manoeuvre easily, or get out of the path of incoming sandstorms. And if you stop it, you become more vulnerable to the desert winds.

Alternative possibility: Remember that Durkon appeared to be terrified of heights when he last used Wind Walk (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0647.html). It is not out of the realm of possibility that Durkon will think of *any* excuse (lame or otherwise) to avoid having to go through that kind of ordeal again :smallsmile:

[farty_brando]

V killed 25% of the black dragon population! It's entirely possible that she killed of a relative or friend of one of the remaining 75% of them, or that one or more of them will be resurrected by grieving loved ones.

Of course, it sounds like the IFCC convinced Tiamat not to sanction any actions against V, but there's no promise that none of them will try god-defying.

whoa whoa hold up. I'm pretty sure the familicide thing was pretty clear that it destroyed every black dragon that was related in ANY WAY to the guy he just killed. That means there's almost no chance there was any surviving relatives, unless one of them happens to be a black dragon god immune to the spell or something.
friends is possible though, in the unlikely event that black dragons make friends with each other.
loved ones? relatives are dead. black dragons are an evil selfish lot, its unlikley any of them love their 'friends' enough to be considered loved ones and do a raise dead or something.

i dont think that counts as god-defying either. I mean if the US government says they will do nothing against some other country like Egypt, that doens't mean some angry US citizen can't strap a bomb to his back and blow up an egyptian city.

as far as i could tell tiamat just didnt ORDER any attacks, whether or not she ordered them all not to attack, and whether or not they'd care, is up in the air.


Actually, even if V has Scrying, s/he still can't use it to teleport. Scrying targets a specific creature - you can't just Scry on "200 miles west-southwest of Sandsedge" or wherever the Gate is.

He could use a real Wish. like a wish ring or something. that'd solve it. kablam.

[HOLEkevin]

Glad to see we're back… and back with the funny!

[Ninja]

Yes, the OOTS is now back to regular irregular posting, rather than the irregular irregular.

[Freelance Henchman]

Woo, Desert Adventures for the OOTS *fistpump*. This area in the comic sort of gives me a Diablo2 Act 2 vibe.

[Zordrath]

Ah, finally an OOTS strip dedicated solely to humor again... awesome :smallbiggrin:

I love Belkar's line on Sandsedge's status as town :smallamused:

[factotum]

whoa whoa hold up. I'm pretty sure the familicide thing was pretty clear that it destroyed every black dragon that was related in ANY WAY to the guy he just killed.

No. V specifically said that Familicide kills anyone directly related to the target, and anyone directly related to THOSE creatures. What that means depends what you class as "directly related", but nonetheless we have dragons at the third remove who will have lost relatives because those relatives are more closely related to the ABD than they were!

[Armitage]

No. V specifically said that Familicide kills anyone directly related to the target, and anyone directly related to THOSE creatures.
Actually, what V said was "Every living creature that directly shares your bloodline is dead.
Every living creature that is directly related to any of those creatures is also dead."

I assume that the "directly related" from the second sentence means the same as in the first sentence: Blood relatives.

So while every black dragon that was related by blood is dead, their spouses are (possibly) still alive and pissed off.

[Zordrath]

That would make sense. I'd wager necromancy is much better at recognizing bloodlines than marital relationships.

[Conuly]

friends is possible though, in the unlikely event that black dragons make friends with each other.
loved ones? relatives are dead. black dragons are an evil selfish lot, its unlikley any of them love their 'friends' enough to be considered loved ones and do a raise dead or something.

Before we continue this, you might want to go look up and read Rich's perspective on evil beings having friends (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/rTKEivnsYuZrh94H1Sn.html) (scroll down). You might disagree (although I do not), but as this is Rich's comic I wouldn't be surprised if he runs with that concept again. OUR Ancient Black Dragon, after all, was clearly still upset over the loss of her mate - and what is a mate but a long-term friend you have sex with?


No. V specifically said that Familicide kills anyone directly related to the target, and anyone directly related to THOSE creatures. What that means depends what you class as "directly related", but nonetheless we have dragons at the third remove who will have lost relatives because those relatives are more closely related to the ABD than they were!


I assume that the "directly related" from the second sentence means the same as in the first sentence: Blood relatives.

So while every black dragon that was related by blood is dead, their spouses are (possibly) still alive and pissed off.

Yes, that (2x!)

[Armitage]

Yes, that (2x!)
If I understand that comment correctly and you're implying that only two degrees of blood relatives where affected, I beg to differ.

V goes on saying "Anyone who could possibly make a claim to be part of your family is gone now."
To me that means that familicide didn't stop at two degrees but affected every blood related dragon. Every single one.

The pictures in #639 seem to imply this as well, if you assume (as I do) that every row symbolizes one degree/generation.

[Conuly]

If I understand that comment correctly and you're implying that only two degrees of blood relatives where affected, I beg to differ.

No you don't, I meant I had two comments I agreed with there. However, I *do* think only a few degrees of blood relatives were affected, so I suppose it's moot.


V goes on saying "Anyone who could possibly make a claim to be part of your family is gone now."

Part of that dragon's family - sure. Part of every other killed dragon's families...? Not so much. That V said it doesn't make it true. V is/was an arrogant fool, especially then, and never given much to thinking through the consequences of V's actions - especially right at that moment. It'd be just like V to make a huge misstep right then.


To me that means that familicide didn't stop at two degrees but affected every blood related dragon. Every single one.

If so, wouldn't that ultimately wipe out ALL the black dragons, not just a quarter of the population?

[Katana_Geldar]

Ah, finally an OOTS strip dedicated solely to humor again... awesome :smallbiggrin:


Well, the Haley with the short hair cut DID just want to stop all the emo stuff and go back to comedy :smallbiggrin:

[Adeptus]

Welcome back OotS, we missed you

[Sijo]

So, you complain she wrote the note too fast, and then you suggest she should have written her full name? Hmm, interesting...
IF she's going to go around leaving notes to boast of her skill, might as well leave her full name (or a nickname) on them. That has nothing to do with how believable it is that she whipped it up in seconds.


I interpret this as meaning that, if you use this "strong wind", you cannot manoeuvre easily, or get out of the path of incoming sandstorms. And if you stop it, you become more vulnerable to the desert winds.

Possibly, but given that sandstorms can be seen coming from miles away, they'd have more than enough time to veer away.


Alternative possibility: Remember that Durkon appeared to be terrified of heights when he last used Wind Walk. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Durkon will think of *any* excuse (lame or otherwise) to avoid having to go through that kind of ordeal again This makes more sense. Though it is kinda unfair to delay your group during a very important mission (not to mention exposing them to desert hazards) just because you'd rather not fly.

[silvadel]

"Mr. Scruffy calls dibs on the string." Best :belkar: line ever. No, really, even better than "SSGoW." It's kinda creepy though to see him seem to actually care about another living thing.

Makes me wonder if this is a build up to a sacrifice to save the kitty or a brutal subversion of Pet the Dog Cat (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PetTheDog).

Elan and Haley always deliver the awesome.

Wonderful to have the comic back after a well-earned author break.

Actually Belkar is sounding more and more like Shojo... "Mr Scruffy this" "Mr Scruffy that"....

[Optimystik]

Actually Belkar is sounding more and more like Shojo... "Mr Scruffy this" "Mr Scruffy that"....

Clearly, the cat has gotten to him now too. It'll be hijacking their quest any moment!

[Herald Alberich]

Actually, even if V has Scrying, s/he still can't use it to teleport. Scrying targets a specific creature - you can't just Scry on "200 miles west-southwest of Sandsedge" or wherever the Gate is.

That's why I said "scrying-type spell" - in retrospect, I should have been more general and said "divination" instead. I don't know whether V would have access to a divination that would allow him to teleport somewhere he's never seen. Although, I suppose Eugene's inability to find Roy's body even using the View From Above should have answered that question.

In any case, the point stands: Even if V has Limited Wish, he could not teleport the Order to the Gate.

[AzSteven]

Clearly, the cat has gotten to him now too. It'll be hijacking their quest any moment!


Well, they ARE in a giant sandbox - surely the cat sees that as a victory of sorts.

[Beren]

Actually, what V said was "Every living creature that directly shares your bloodline is dead.
Every living creature that is directly related to any of those creatures is also dead."

I assume that the "directly related" from the second sentence means the same as in the first sentence: Blood relatives.

So while every black dragon that was related by blood is dead, their spouses are (possibly) still alive and pissed off.

Well, unless they had offspring. Then, the spouse becomes related to someone related to the ABD. Though, then again, what you're saying still holds once you count the dead from the "related to related" part. The spouse of a related dragon will die if they have offspring, but the spouse of a dragon related to a related dragon would not, even if they do have offspring.

I have a hard time seeing V's logic in killing off 1/5 of the black dragons. Unless that 1/5 was a very tight community that never mated outside of its bounds, there are bound to be a whole bunch of relationships severed, no matter what the rules the spell follows. Though I guess he/she is right in that no one is going to come to avenge the ABD's death. They'll come to avenge all the deaths occurring on the fringes of the spell's reach.

[Eran of Arcadia]

Every human being on earth is related to every other human being by blood. Unless several sets of black dragons were created separately it's the same way.

[yubel]

Uhm, is that Arabic? It looks like it, but I could be totallly wrong...

yeah thats arabic mate

[Trixie]

However, for the general points that the thieves could have observed that they were talking about fairly high-level spells, or even that low-level thieves should really watch for and avoid all adventuring parties, you're right, I stand corrected.

And just how exactly they can tell that? 0 ranks in Spellcraft, case closed. It's not like every commoner is a walking PHB, you know.

[Optimystik]

And just how exactly they can tell that? 0 ranks in Spellcraft, case closed. It's not like every commoner is a walking PHB, you know.

Spellcraft is only used in OotS to identify ongoing spell effects. Because the verbal components of magic in this setting are spoken in Common, anyone and their mother can identify spells by name even without breaking the already crumbled 4th wall. For instance, Rogues discussing fog spells. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0604.html) (One of them does have a pointy hat though.)


Although, I suppose Eugene's inability to find Roy's body even using the View From Above should have answered that question.

Eh? Eugene never had trouble finding Roy or his body.

[David Argall]

So while every black dragon that was related by blood is dead, their spouses are (possibly) still alive and pissed off.
The ship has sailed and we missed the boat, which is not coming back for another voyage. There is not going to be another dragon comes around looking for revenge chapter in this story. It's done, over, finished. It doesn't matter how many clever ways you think up that get around the spell. It is story complete and any surviving dragons are indifferent, scared of V, obeying orders from Tiamut, or whatever. They will not be bothering the party. There are loads of other themes to be used, and our writer is not going to be returning to this one.

[Ridureyu]

David, thank you. Unfortunately, people will still obsess over new dragons.

[HandofShadows]

Glad to see OotS is back and as good as ever. I hope the Giant enjoyed his vacation.

[Trixie]

David, thank you. Unfortunately, people will still obsess over new dragons.

*Notes your names to gloat later* :smalltongue:

[Selene]

IF she's going to go around leaving notes to boast of her skill, might as well leave her full name (or a nickname) on them.

A nickname like... "-H" perhaps?

Generally, if you're going to go about robbing people, it's best not to leave a business card with contact information.

[Kaytara]

Eh? Eugene never had trouble finding Roy or his body.

You have no idea how funny that line seems when you've just stolen a peek at the Crackfic thread.

[Optimystik]

You have no idea how funny that line seems when you've just stolen a peek at the Crackfic thread.

I did peek in there. Later, my shrink said if the electroshock doesn't work, we can try hypnosis :smallsigh:

[Herald Alberich]

(One of them does have a pointy hat though.)

Eh, that's just 'cause he's a gnome. The spice peddler had one too.


Eh? Eugene never had trouble finding Roy or his body.

I am referring to http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0510.html. If Eugene, with the Epic scrying power of the View From Above, does not have a divination capable of finding a dead body, it is unlikely that V has one that will let him view a hidden location. Anyway, that was an extra point in support of a topic that I think has concluded (V's inability to teleport to the Gate), so I'll stop beating the dead horse.

[Wanderer]

Only ONE random encounter going from point A to point B no matter how long the journey is...

No one ever told my DM that back in college. We were getting one random encounter roll PER HOUR (in game), on one campaign. That's 24 potential random encounters in a day. Needless to say, the world did not get saved.

[Hrairoo]

hooray! oots is back! it's nice to see that they're still on top of their game, even though they're still in a preparatory mode

anyone wondering where the azurites are in this whole picture?

[Katana_Geldar]

You know what would have been funnier? If V had written the note instead of Haley.

[fractal]

You know what would have been funnier? If V had written the note instead of Haley.
Or if the whole party besides Durkon had signed it?

[Katana_Geldar]

Well, V may have justiably prepared the note earlier. Say, that morning...