How many PCs in OOTSworld?

[Mr. Snuggles]

How many PCs are there operating in OOTSworld? We just saw one mentioned, the stone giant gladiator, who has probably rolled up a new character by now. The half-ogre spiked chain guy was a PC. All members of the four known adventuring groups are PCs (OOTS 6, LG 3, OOTScribble 2, Tarquin's party 6). Who else? Lord Shojo explicitly said he was an NPC. The main villains, Xykon and Redcloak, are probably played by the DM and therefore NPCs. So, a total of 18 PCs in the world so far.

Further speculation: (Character list for reference (http://oots.wikia.com/wiki/Characterlist_according_to_OOTS_forum))
The Chief - maybe? Or was he just an elite mook?
Miko - Hmm, an antagonist. Plus, she had to act in a certain way to make the plot continue. Not a PC.
Various Azurites - maybe?
Celia - not really a PC, just a representation of a normal person thrust into OOTSworld.
Pompey - recruited into the Linear Guild which could make him a PC. Unlike other LG members he survived. Presumably off adventuring with Leeky Windstaff somewhere.
Leeky Windstaff - see Pompey.
Julio Scoundrél - Elan's older mentor figure. Definitely NPC.
Priest of Loki - Typical NPC other than he tried to recruit Belkar, which if successful would have meant he was a PC the whole time. A failed ascension? Or would Belkar have become an NPC?
Greysky thieves - PC rivals and antagonists, so they're NPCs.
Daigo & Kasumi - made the successful jump from cookie cutter mooks to fully functional NPCs.
Relatives of PCs - probably all NPCs. It would be weird to roleplay a guy in prison, or a ghost trapped in a demiplane, or an apprentice baker.
Samantha - Could be? She died, though. Plus, a PC antagonist.
Tsukiko - Could be?
Girard & Serini - retired PCs used as NPCs by the DM?
The Champ - Who knows? A PC antagonist, though, so probably NPC.

:belkar: "I thought we weren't actually representing a game campaign, we were just living in a world where the laws of-" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0606.html)

Yeah, I know OOTS isn't a "real" D&D campaign world, but it sure acts like one sometimes. Crazy fan theory: the same person played Samantha, the half-ogre, and the stone giant gladiator and keeps getting killed by a sadistic DM. :smallbiggrin:

[EmperorSarda]

This ogre (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0217.html) probably had class levels.

[martianmister]

There is many PCs in OOTS world, but still greatly less than NPCs. According to this strip, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0708.html) eighteen of 112 prisoners in Gobbotopia prison have adventurer class levels.

[Zerg Cookie]

You know, NPC are allowed to have class levels...

PCs are whatever characters that are controlled by players, or in OotS case, the ones the story revolves around.

There are 6 PCs, now let's make a thread to guess which ones are PCs :P

[grimbold]

You know, NPC are allowed to have class levels...

PCs are whatever characters that are controlled by players, or in OotS case, the ones the story revolves around.

There are 6 PCs, now let's make a thread to guess which ones are PCs :P

yes
its clearly marked in the DMG that this is the case
however it would be cool if there were other actual pcs

[ThePhantasm]

The answer is 42.

[EmperorSarda]

Thog (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0064.html) has levels in fighter and barbarian. Nale is a Sorcerer/Fighter/Rogue.

So clearly more than the Order of the Stick and Scribble have pc classes.

Heck, Miko was a monk/(fallen)paladin.

I think what makes a PC a PC is heroism, of going out of what they are prescribed to do; such as when Hinjo is planning the war and tells the general what the clerics (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0413.html) should be doing. (15th panel)

[Gift Jeraff]

There was at least one other thread discussing how many other PCs there are and what makes a PC a PC.

My take: The PCs are the protagonists of a currently running "campaign" (yes, OOTS is not an actual "game" and there are no players, but just bare with me), and that's it. There can be only one party of PCs at a time, or at the very least, per campaign/separate story. I'm guessing the Order of the Scribble were PCs, but now are NPCs.

There really is no logic to it. There being a small group of certain individuals in their universe is as alien and incomprehensible to us as being 3-dimensional and not cracking fourth wall jokes would be alien and incomprehensible to them.

[veti]

How many PCs are there operating in OOTSworld?

Six. The reason being, there are six "players", and each one is only allowed one character.

The distinguishing feature of a PC is not to be found on their character sheet. You can have any number of class levels and racial cheese, and still be an NPC. It's in their behaviour. Some kinds of lives are just boring to roleplay.

Telltale signs include:

If a character has been in one place for more than a week, unless they're actively exploring and trying to escape, they're an NPC. (Although they may have previously been PCs, like the Scribblers.)
If a character has a steady job, with any kind of boss or responsibility, they're an NPC.
If a character defines his purpose in life in relation to another character, then they're an NPC. No PC would be willing to devote that much time and energy solely to hating or persecuting one other character, as Crystal and Nale do.

I think Celia was temporarily a PC, a stand-in for Roy's player while he was dead. (That's why she vanished the moment he was raised.) But PC status is the only thing that would explain, to my satisfaction, why Haley treated her as an equal when she first appeared, and was willing to go with her.

Characters who may have formerly been PCs include: the Scribblers, Eugene Greenhilt, Julio Scoundrel, Xykon. But they're all firmly NPCs now.

Edit: It'd be fun to speculate if Eugene was formerly played by Roy's player, or Tarquin by Elan's. Maybe Miko was originally conceived by Belkar's player, Julio by Durkon's...

But I think, given that all the players are imaginary anyway, that'd be stretching things a bit too far.

[Dr.Epic]

The Stone Giant had LEVELS in a PC class.

As for the number of PC's, there are 6. Take a guess who they are.

[Irony]

I would think at LEAST 6, but there could be more. Possibly there are several groups of "PCs" in the OOTSworld.

[Hiro Protagonest]

The Stone Giant had LEVELS in a PC class.

As for the number of PC's, there are 6. Take a guess who they are.

Exactly. Having levels in an adventuring class and being an adventurer doesn't make you a PC.

[Kish]

I'll third: Six. "PC" is synonymous with "protagonist" in OotS, and there are exactly six protagonists.

[SPoD]

I would say that it's possible there are other PCs, but we will never hear about them or see them, because they're off doing some other story.

Personally, I like to think Frudu and Samwose are PCs, due to their epic journey to destroy the Ming.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I would say that it's possible there are other PCs, but we will never hear about them or see them, because they're off doing some other story.

Personally, I like to think Frudu and Samwose are PCs, due to their epic journey to destroy the Ming.

You forgot the guys in a gladiator adventure who were unoriginal with names and named all their characters Spartacus.:smalltongue:

[Maxios]

The Stone Giant had LEVELS in a PC class.

As for the number of PC's, there are 6. Take a guess who they are.

It never said the Champ is a Stone Giant. He KILLED a Stone Giant.

[Gray Mage]

It never said the Champ is a Stone Giant. He KILLED a Stone Giant.

No, but "the champ killed a giant. With class levels. PC class levels even." The stone giant had PC class levels.

I think there are more PCs then the order, Frudu and Samwose (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0415.html) were in possession of a "plot-central artifact", so I think they'd qualify.

[Toofey]

If we're calling PC's based on who has players playing them than it's the OOTS O'Chul (who I think in the "meta" story, was being played by whomever play's roy) I think Kasumi and Diego were being played by people in the party (although I'm not sure who was missing at the time, but I think they were temporary PCs because I'm pretty sure there were normal PC's character missing the entire time they were active as PCs but I can't think of who now.)

There was one other time where I thought players from the group had taken over characters that were otherwise NPCs but I'll be damned if I can remember whom now.

[Gnome Alone]

Geez, guys, there ARE NOT "players." It's totally nonsensical to say "Roy's player" and stuff like that. I mean, besides how it would be tacky, it was pretty explicitly stated during Belkar's hippy vision quest that they're not representing a game campaign.

So, let me just throw my vote in for "PC" just means protagonist. Or sometimes it seems to be used to mock the tropes associated with PCs - "I don't want anyone acting like a PC out there."

[FujinAkari]

If we're calling PC's based on who has players playing them than it's the OOTS O'Chul (who I think in the "meta" story, was being played by whomever play's roy) I think Kasumi and Diego were being played by people in the party (although I'm not sure who was missing at the time, but I think they were temporary PCs because I'm pretty sure there were normal PC's character missing the entire time they were active as PCs but I can't think of who now.)

There was one other time where I thought players from the group had taken over characters that were otherwise NPCs but I'll be damned if I can remember whom now.

Except, of course, that Rich has explicitly stated that there are no players controlling anything, or a DM for that matter. OOTS does not tell the story of an actual campaign, but is instead a campaign setting with inhabitants that follow the D&D ruleset.

[Sarco_Phage]

Guys, you don't need to be a PC to have class levels. If that was some kind of rule, then all my BBEGs would be taken out in a single hit from the 3rd level fighter.

[Tass]

Geez, guys, there ARE NOT "players." It's totally nonsensical to say "Roy's player" and stuff like that. I mean, besides how it would be tacky, it was pretty explicitly stated during Belkar's hippy vision quest that they're not representing a game campaign.


Except, of course, that Rich has explicitly stated that there are no players controlling anything, or a DM for that matter. OOTS does not tell the story of an actual campaign, but is instead a campaign setting with inhabitants that follow the D&D ruleset.

Sigh. We know that. That doesn't mean that it is not fun to pretend once in a while. If you don't think so you are not forced to post in the thread.

Your complaints are even mentioned in the OP:


:belkar: "I thought we weren't actually representing a game campaign, we were just living in a world where the laws of-" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0606.html)

Yeah, I know OOTS isn't a "real" D&D campaign world, but it sure acts like one sometimes. Crazy fan theory: the same person played Samantha, the half-ogre, and the stone giant gladiator and keeps getting killed by a sadistic DM. :smallbiggrin:

[yldenfrei]

Hear hear, Tass!

Me, I've thought about this What If scenario, too. And I came up with the speculation that anyone beyond the OotS 6's 1000ft radius who gets "screen time" (excluding cutaways for one shot jokes) is a possible PC.

My reasoning behind it is that why would a GM bother with expositions out of the 6 PC's vicinity unless it was meant for the ears of another PC. If we view the comic as what's going on the table (again, one shot jokes excluded) then it is counter-productive to the gameplay to give the PCs unecessary info on the development of their enemies and consequently possible metagaming.

So that would mean O-Chul is possible (for their rift scene with Redcloak), Team Evil (Or at least, Xykon, Redcloak, MitD), LG (Or Sabine and Nale, Thog I'm not so sure) among others.

Also, I am of a mind that the world is a Sandbox Campaign, which allows for PC antagonists and PC-PC rivalry. I imagine the DM asks some players to step out for a moment so he could play out a section to certain other players.

[Mordaenor]

Actually, the OOTS world is actually SEVERAL Play by Post RPG games, run by the same DM, but on different message boards so that each group thinks theirs is the only game being run, not knowing that when the DM post the actions of the major "NPC's" he's actually RE-posting the actions taken by characters in another game! DUN-DUN-DUNNNNN!!!

And the Comic Update schedule of several updates in a row, followed by weeks of silence only confirms my theory!


And before you start, no I'm not being serious.

[Gnome Alone]

Sigh. We know that. That doesn't mean that it is not fun to pretend once in a while. If you don't think so you are not forced to post in the thread.

You're right. I'm sorry. Have your fun, I'll go and get annoyed by something else trivial.

[Mr. Snuggles]

The evil adventuring party that plane shifted were PCs of some sort.
The Chief explicitly says he's an NPC.
Julio Scoundrél had a third-party sourcebook. I guess the DM could give an NPC an obscure prestige class, but it's the kind of thing that a player would bother a DM about until he agreed.

[Toofey]

Except, of course, that Rich has explicitly stated that there are no players controlling anything, or a DM for that matter. OOTS does not tell the story of an actual campaign, but is instead a campaign setting with inhabitants that follow the D&D ruleset.

I don't think that there are actually players playing, I do think (and perhaps am wrong) that in his story there's players who's characters are not on the scene taking over npcs here and there to play in important fights. I may think that because that's something that I enjoyed reading into it as a DM reading the strip. If I'm just reading that into it and it's not intended so be it.

[Dvandemon]

Guys, you don't need to be a PC to have class levels. If that was some kind of rule, then all my BBEGs would be taken out in a single hit from the 3rd level fighter.

Guys, please take the whole OP into account, read through the thread and stop trying to stop our fun

Hear hear, Tass!

Me, I've thought about this What If scenario, too. And I came up with the speculation that anyone beyond the OotS 6's 1000ft radius who gets "screen time" (excluding cutaways for one shot jokes) is a possible PC.

My reasoning behind it is that why would a GM bother with expositions out of the 6 PC's vicinity unless it was meant for the ears of another PC. If we view the comic as what's going on the table (again, one shot jokes excluded) then it is counter-productive to the gameplay to give the PCs unecessary info on the development of their enemies and consequently possible metagaming.

So that would mean O-Chul is possible (for their rift scene with Redcloak), Team Evil (Or at least, Xykon, Redcloak, MitD), LG (Or Sabine and Nale, Thog I'm not so sure) among others.

Also, I am of a mind that the world is a Sandbox Campaign, which allows for PC antagonists and PC-PC rivalry. I imagine the DM asks some players to step out for a moment so he could play out a section to certain other players.


Actually, the OOTS world is actually SEVERAL Play by Post RPG games, run by the same DM, but on different message boards so that each group thinks theirs is the only game being run, not knowing that when the DM post the actions of the major "NPC's" he's actually RE-posting the actions taken by characters in another game! DUN-DUN-DUNNNNN!!!

And the Comic Update schedule of several updates in a row, followed by weeks of silence only confirms my theory!


And before you start, no I'm not being serious.Those are...AWESOME ideas :smallbiggrin:

[Sarco_Phage]

Guys, please take the whole OP into account, read through the thread and stop trying to stop our fun

I did read through the thread before making that post. People seemed to be assuming that "has class levels" is equivalent to "PC" or "Player Characters".

It was weirding me out.

[Seraphem]

I just always figured "PC" was just in universe shorthand for "adventurer". Basically that the cause and effect are inverted, they don't go out and do adventurous stuff because they are PC's (like in a real game), they are PC's because they go out and do adventurous stuff.

[Kish]

I just always figured "PC" was just in universe shorthand for "adventurer".
No good, we've seen lots of NPC adventurers.

[Who149]

Technically there are only 6.

However, I've run different games that are in the same world (mainly when I create a world that I like with a good world map as well as more to explore), so the Order of the scribble were probably PC's.

As mentioned, Celia probably was a stand in. As well as Miko (one can say that everyone got fed up with the person playing her they got and kicked out, leaving Miko as an NPC)

The named Paladins who are trying to retake Azura City could be considered PC's. They have a plot line and campaign.

Soon the guy who plays Belkar is probably moving or something which is why he is going to die.

Yes, I know technically nobody "plays" the characters and that its just a world in which the rules apply.. its still fun to guess at this stuff up though XD

[Sarco_Phage]

Technically there are only 6.

Redcloak was complaining about a dearth of opponents for high-level Evil PCs (this was when they were retrieving Serini's diary) so it's entirely possible that Redcloak and Xykon are both PCs.

EDIT: Apparently, it was Xykon, not Redcloak. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0194.html)

[Kish]

And he said "evil characters." Not "evil PCs." The villains are not PCs.

[Sarco_Phage]

And he said "evil characters." Not "evil PCs." The villains are not PCs.

Point. Though one could argue based on the syntactic composition of Xykon's words, he is in fact implying that they are adventurers.

[Kish]

Well, yes, they are adventurers. They're just not PCs.

(Redcloak even complains about being an NPC in the introduction to--something. On the Origins of PCs?)

[ThePhantasm]

Point. Though one could argue based on the syntactic composition of Xykon's words, he is in fact implying that they are adventurers.

But as Kish pointed out, we've already seen plenty of NPC adventurers.

So your point is. . . ???

Edit: Ninja'd!

[Sarco_Phage]

Well, yes, they are adventurers. They're just not PCs.

(Redcloak even complains about being an NPC in the introduction to--something. On the Origins of PCs?)

Gah, I should order that book some time. All I have is Start of Darkness.


But as Kish pointed out, we've already seen plenty of NPC adventurers.

So your point is. . . ???

Edit: Ninja'd!

My point is, that, as I said earlier in this thread, class levels =/= PC

[ThePhantasm]

My point is, that, as I said earlier in this thread, class levels =/= PC

Ok, I see. Missed that somehow.

[martianmister]

Are NPC can get XP for killing other creatures? Are they can get extra levels for what they did?

[G-Man Graves]

Are NPC can get XP for killing other creatures? Are they can get extra levels for what they did?

Um, could you run that by me again, coherently?

If you mean what think you mean, then yes, they can gain experience for what they do. As demonstrated in strip.

[martianmister]

Um, could you run that by me again, coherently?

That was a question. :smallconfused: