So... Is Belkar...? [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Irbis

2009-09-09, 05:27 AM

Ancalagon

2009-09-09, 05:36 AM

No, he's just stupid.

If you hear those words the first time and had no idea what they actually meant... what would you hear? Just think what (to you unknown) words you misheard when you were a small kid and you have the picture...

RoninAngel

2009-09-09, 05:43 AM

Vizen

2009-09-09, 05:48 AM

A customer at work today failed her listen check. I said "Seven-twenty change" by the way" and she heard "Steven's bringing change by the way".

Eldan

2009-09-09, 06:14 AM

On the other hand, I can now totally imagine the players at the table, one of them with a huge :smallbiggrin: on his face as he explains how ihs character (Belkar) misunderstands everything.
(Yes, yes, I know, there are no players playing the Oots, but the idea is amusing.)

pita

2009-09-09, 07:22 AM

...just deaf, or (as Shojo's ghost advised him) he is just playing Roy like a two string guitar? :smallamused:

Two whole incident with Belkar hitting on female-Roy and then freely admitting to Durkon that he knew all along is leading me to suspect that he become much more devious :smalltongue:

And finally: is it morally justified? :smallbiggrin:

I think it's absolutely morally justified :).
Also, I think he's playing Roy like a guitar. He shouldn't stab him any more, so he's getting his kicks the only way he can.
Alternatively, we know his WIS score is lower than a table's and a table doesn't even hear, so there's also a chance he didn't hear.

Berserk Monk

2009-09-09, 07:31 AM

No, he's just stupid.

Stupid like a crazy, evil, homicidal fox.

SnowballMan

2009-09-09, 07:33 AM

Two whole incident with Belkar hitting on female-Roy and then freely admitting to Durkon that he knew all along is leading me to suspect that he become much more devious :smalltongue:
With regard to Belkar knowing it was Roy, I do believe that had more to do with his exceptional sense of smell then having overheard anything.

I'm just thankful he heard "taint" rather then "Ent". THAT would be a horrifying mental image. Not to mention the potential sliver damage.

Spiryt

2009-09-09, 07:59 AM

So, the job for the Class&Level - Belkar apparetnly doesn't know many words, but on the other hand can find cart full of gophers in the middle of tent town. :smallwink:

Cleverdan22

2009-09-09, 08:04 AM

No, he just failed his listen check. Look at the title. Did you fail your spot check?

The Vorpal Tribble

2009-09-09, 08:08 AM

Oh man, funniest thing my best friend ever said was after failing a listen check (she was born almost deaf).

It was something like, 'I'd like a bagel' and she turns and gives me a look like I creeped her out and goes, 'Lactating babies?'

From then on, whenever she miss-hears something it's a 'lactating babies' incident.

Spiryt

2009-09-09, 09:00 AM

No, he just failed his listen check. Look at the title. Did you fail your spot check?

Nah, he totally heard "sextant" few times, he just didn't know what it is till Roy explained him.

Now with cartographer it's certainly listen check... but I have feeling that being oblivious to the word could have "helped". :smalltongue:

General Valter

2009-09-09, 09:19 AM

I'm pretty sure he's just messing with Roy, as part of his new role pretending to be sincere (while still actually being a total jerk).

Haven

2009-09-09, 09:50 AM

He could be f---ing with him, but I think it's much funnier to think that Belkar thinks Roy actually requested a "sex taint", and a "cart of gophers". :smallbiggrin:
The best part is, to me, that Belkar is like, totally not judging. :smallwink:
Edit: And it's Belkar, so it's probably not morally justified.

Agreed. I think this is Belkar taking Shojo's advice and trying to fit in with the party and be a more helpful member. And that this is what happens when Belkar tries to be helpful. XD

Spiryt

2009-09-09, 10:05 AM

I'm pretty sure he's just messing with Roy, as part of his new role pretending to be sincere (while still actually being a total jerk).

This is also possible, although, I ( *gasp*) now have suspicion that it just isn't supposed to make sense, and just be funny.:smallamused:

Optimystik

2009-09-09, 10:21 AM

Nah, he totally heard "sextant" few times, he just didn't know what it is till Roy explained him.

He didn't hear "sextant," he heard "sex-taint" two terms which are pronounced very differently and are therefore evidence of Belkar's awful listening skills.

Spiryt

2009-09-09, 10:43 AM

He didn't hear "sextant," he heard "sex-taint" two terms which are pronounced very differently and are therefore evidence of Belkar's awful listening skills.

:smallconfused:

So maybe this is the explanation of his acute uberhalfling scent - compensation for being deaf. :smallwink:

Threeshades

2009-09-09, 10:49 AM

He didn't hear "sextant," he heard "sex-taint" two terms which are pronounced very differently and are therefore evidence of Belkar's awful listening skills.

more precisely listen skill.

"Painfully low wisdom score" is the four words everyone should remember about Belkar.

Kaytara

2009-09-09, 10:55 AM

He didn't hear "sextant," he heard "sex-taint" two terms which are pronounced very differently and are therefore evidence of Belkar's awful listening skills.

Awful listening skills? Definitely. I don't think the words sound that different though, given that Roy wasn't putting special effort into pronouncing them clearly and was likely speaking over the din of a very busy trading community. It takes a special kind of person to think someone is talking about a sex taint after hearing "sextant", but it shouldn't be exactly surprising that Belkar's mind would jump to that sort of thing.

On a different note, I think you guys are taking Belkar's intelligence too seriously. :) After all, Belkar is not exactly smart... He is cunning, sure, but that just means he has a special kind of savvy to everything that concerns surviving and satisfying his immediate urges. He is not intelligent and he does not have a good attention span.

Just recall his conversation with Roy about tracking the chimera (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0022.html), or the way he repeatedly kept losing track of the conversation about the ogres (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0179.html)... or, more recently, the way he missheard the word "acuity" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0674.html). XD No, I have no problem that he really IS sincere about this. XD

Optimystik

2009-09-09, 11:10 AM

more precisely listen skill.

"Painfully low wisdom score" is the four words everyone should remember about Belkar.

Not to mention "sensory a cutie of loose gravel."

(His sense of SMELL seems quite sharp though, so maybe he'll end up being a decent tracker after all.)

Croverus

2009-09-09, 11:14 AM

Awful listening skills? Definitely. I don't think the words sound that different though, given that Roy wasn't putting special effort into pronouncing them clearly and was likely speaking over the din of a very busy trading community. It takes a special kind of person to think someone is talking about a sex taint after hearing "sextant", but it shouldn't be exactly surprising that Belkar's mind would jump to that sort of thing.

On a different note, I think you guys are taking Belkar's intelligence too seriously. :) After all, Belkar is not exactly smart... He is cunning, sure, but that just means he has a special kind of savvy to everything that concerns surviving and satisfying his immediate urges. He is not intelligent and he does not have a good attention span.

Just recall his conversation with Roy about tracking the chimera (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0022.html), or the way he repeatedly kept losing track of the conversation about the ogres (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0179.html)... or, more recently, the way he missheard the word "acuity" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0674.html). XD No, I have no problem that he really IS sincere about this. XD

Listen is based on Wisdom, which we are all aware that he has a ridiculously low score, so much so that HE CAN'T CAST SPELLS! Meaning he's taking penalties,a nd probably points only a couple points so he rarely gets good rolls. Also the "failing his listen check" joke was made way back with the ninja goblins in the early days of this comic, and Belkar hasn't inmproved his Wisdom score or his ranks in Listen (or Spot) since then.

Trobby

2009-09-09, 11:36 AM

...

"Did you just call me a cutie?" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0674.html):smallbiggrin:

Yoyoyo

2009-09-09, 12:02 PM

Awful listening skills? Definitely. I don't think the words sound that different though, given that Roy wasn't putting special effort into pronouncing them clearly and was likely speaking over the din of a very busy trading community. It takes a special kind of person to think someone is talking about a sex taint after hearing "sextant", but it shouldn't be exactly surprising that Belkar's mind would jump to that sort of thing.

On a different note, I think you guys are taking Belkar's intelligence too seriously. :) After all, Belkar is not exactly smart... He is cunning, sure, but that just means he has a special kind of savvy to everything that concerns surviving and satisfying his immediate urges. He is not intelligent and he does not have a good attention span.

Just recall his conversation with Roy about tracking the chimera (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0022.html), or the way he repeatedly kept losing track of the conversation about the ogres (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0179.html)... or, more recently, the way he missheard the word "acuity" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0674.html). XD No, I have no problem that he really IS sincere about this. XD

I think he's sincere too and has a poor vocabulary as well, so when he mishears words, he grabs hold of the most likely word he knows. Which makes the sextant slip-up that much more disturbing. :smallsmile:

Haven

2009-09-09, 12:02 PM

...

"Did you just call me a cutie?" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0674.html):smallbiggrin:

Support for his theory continues to accrue at an alarming rate.

chiasaur11

2009-09-09, 12:09 PM

Stupid like a crazy, evil, homicidal fox.

A stupid, crazy evil homicidal fox with hearing problems.

Kaytara

2009-09-09, 12:24 PM

Support for his theory continues to accrue at an alarming rate.

The disturbing thing is that Belkar actually thinking of V as in his "Lust" category would perfectly explain why he's so deeply curious about the elf's gender... He wants to remain "secure in his manhood (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0244.html)", after all.

Lkctgo

2009-09-09, 01:01 PM

A customer at work today failed her listen check. I said "Seven-twenty change" by the way" and she heard "Steven's bringing change by the way".

What did you say boy? Timmy is down by the well?

Sylvius

2009-09-09, 01:42 PM

A customer at work today failed her listen check. I said "Seven-twenty change" by the way" and she heard "Steven's bringing change by the way".
Not uncommon. I was DMing a game many years ago and I asked a player to "make your Move Silently roll."

He heard "Moose Antler roll."

Blue Ghost

2009-09-09, 06:17 PM

Now, I'm just wondering why Belkar interpreted "sextant" as "sex taint" rather than "sex tent," which is not only phonetically closer but the obvious choice for a desert setting.

Dark Faun

2009-09-09, 06:35 PM

He misheard and misunderstood because he was still thinking about V calling him a cutie. :smallwink:

Malkar Grumbo

2009-09-09, 06:41 PM

I say it's a little of column A, a little of column B. He probably doesn't know what the words mean, but he also doesn't ask Roy what they do mean either.

Janmorel

2009-09-09, 07:56 PM

At this rate, "I think I failed a Listen Check" will probably be Belkar's last words.

Either that or "I don't see any ninjas."

Hitorijun

2009-09-09, 08:48 PM

I would like to throw my 2 copper pieces into the pot with ...

He's playing with Roy like a kitten with a ball of yarn.

He wouldn't have tried the second time if he could leave Roy to stubble around and try to find the right place. He's messing with him. :)

whitelaughter

2009-09-10, 02:51 AM

playing with Roy. Sure it's entirely possible that Balkar doesn't know what sextants and cartographers are, but he can play with Roy's brain whether he knows or not.
Remember that Belkar get shis favoured enemy bonus(lifeform) to Listen checks.

Besides, consider the title: "more than one to fail a listen check". He can fail due to a poor roll - or fail deliberately.

Amarsir

2009-09-10, 04:33 AM

People mishear things all the time, and convince themselves of what they heard, even when it doesn't make sense. I give you all the misheard lyrics in the world:

"There's a bathroom on the right"
"Hold me closer Tony Danza"
"Scuse me while I kiss this guy"
"Here we are now, in containers"
"It's not fair to deny me of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me"

and many others.

It's especially true when the listener doesn't know the actual word. I recall once saying that I liked something because it was "arcane", and about a minute later I noticed the guy sitting next to me was looking behind me sort of puzzled. When asked, he said he didn't remember me having a cane when I walked in, and didn't see where I'd put it.

So no it makes perfect sense that Belkar interprets things in his own way. This is fairly consistent for him too.

Dark Knight Renee

2009-09-10, 07:52 AM

Now, I'm just wondering why Belkar interpreted "sextant" as "sex taint" rather than "sex tent," which is not only phonetically closer but the obvious choice for a desert setting.

Given the flexibility of vowels and subtle accents, especially when not enunciating clearly, it's debatable whether "sex tent" is really phonetically closer...

Personally, I think the sextant thing was certainly Belkar being stupid. The cart of gophers on the other hand... :smallamused: The straight face says he might really be that stupid twice in a row, but expression in the previous panel leaves room for suspicion.

Trixie

2009-09-10, 08:40 AM

People mishear things all the time, and convince themselves of what they heard, even when it doesn't make sense.

I'd like to give an alternate explanation: when you are talking with someone using your not-native tongue, you have to struggle to hear correctly. It is far more difficult to hear something right when talking to someone with not quite perfect accent, too.

Therefore: Belkar is struggling because Common is his secondary language, first one being of course Halflingese, or whatever WotC is calling it those days :smalltongue:

Ippolit

2009-09-12, 08:28 AM

I'm prone to agree with the theory that Belkar is just messing with Roy, partly because I find it to be completely in accordance with what we already know about him, low wisdom score notwithstanding,
but also because I find it unlikely that his vocabulary would include words like "diaphanous", as proven by strip 665 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0665.html), but not "sextant" and "cartographer".
Although do I suppose rule of funny could account for that.

Spiky

2009-09-12, 07:15 PM

I'd like to present an alternate theory.

"Some of us tell jokes for a living."

Optimystik

2009-09-12, 07:24 PM

I'd like to present an alternate theory.

"Some of us tell jokes for a living."

And since Roy's job is the perennial Straight Man, they must be raking it in. Hopefully, Belkar is giving him a fair cut for his trouble. :smalltongue:

Sewblon

2009-09-18, 12:32 PM

He is stupid, but it is mainly that wisdom is his dumb stat so he has abysmal adjusted spot and listen checks, like in strip #3

Harr

2009-09-19, 12:01 PM

Now, I'm just wondering why Belkar interpreted "sextant" as "sex taint" rather than "sex tent," which is not only phonetically closer but the obvious choice for a desert setting.

Ha, that *would* have been a lot funnier and made more sense, at least IMHO.

I think the Giant probably just didn't think of it... or maybe he just preferred "taint" for whatever reason, although I have trouble picturing it (for all the various meanings of "taint").