OOTS #794 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Yuki Akuma]

...So, wait, did Elan put stat points into Intelligence again?

[ThePhantom]

That was actually clever. Sure, that had a price in levels, but nothing that Durkon can't fix later. Use that charisma Elan! :smallsmile:

[EyethatBinds]

Perfect timing, I was just checking the site.

[dogfish44]

Holy snogging lord....

[Shale]

Or at least Knowledge (Vocabulary).

[Welf]

:smallbiggrin:
I hope she doesn't do the Tsukiko and falls for Xykon.

[Steward]

so Sabine can take away class levels by kissing people? Why doesn't she rule the world?

[Ruduen]

I wonder who Haley's options are.

I think the crack pairing threads would've had a field day.

[Mastikator]

Elan is silly, not stupid! I told you people! I told you!

[otakuryoga]

pure awesomeness as usual

[tomandtish]

Reminds me of the old song...

One negative level... Two negative level... Three negative level ... Floor.

Let's hear it for the Bard. Elan Bard.

[Orzel]

*clicks comic without looking due to combo of exhaustion, heat, and headache inducing blurriness*
Yeah. Tsukiko

*actually reads tittle this time*
GET OUT MY HEAD!!!
GET OUT MY HEAD!!!

[Seerow]

Well that's one way to escape.


Also, agree with the comic title.

[MammonAzrael]

Hahaha, best use of Elan's bardness yet! That was incredibly genre-savvy of him!


so Sabine can take away class levels by kissing people? Why doesn't she rule the world?

Succubi can cause negative levels with a touch...which can be kissing. The level-drain isn't permanent...unless you fail a save the following day (or just have your cleric heal you!.

[CrazyBlue]

Wow, the title is my recommendation as well!

[Whammydill]

Haley has a pulse, ergo not Tsukiko's type.

[Dr.Epic]

They can get the diamonds, I hope she chooses Samantha.

[electricbee]

Elan, clever, on the fly, under pressure. Who'da thunk?

[Dusk Eclipse]

:slow clap: pure awesomeness, and yeah I agree with the title :smallcool:

[zyphyr]

Haley has a pulse, ergo not Tsukiko's type.
Perhaps Haley can convince Tsukiko to go both ways (Living AND Dead).

[Steward]

Hahaha, best use of Elan's bardness yet! That was incredibly genre-savvy of him!



Succubi can cause negative levels with a touch...which can be kissing. The level-drain isn't permanent...unless you fail a save the following day (or just have your cleric heal you!.

That's pretty awesome. All she has to do is set up a high-five booth outside of a dungeon or something then!

As for Haley's choice, why not this guy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0100.html)? Or that fruit snack sorcerer?

[Adeptus]

Great comic, and loved the title! :elan:

[Katana_Geldar]

Hahahaha! Way to go, Elan!

[Richard J.]

We Recommend TsukikoDo it. Do it and sell T-shirts of it! This I command! :smallamused:

Okay, Elan has really raised himself up from the complete idiot he once was to someone shockingly useful. (Now if he can figure out a way to get some volumes reprinted, we'll be set.)

Nice to see the parody of "girls love bad boys" too. Reversing the morality drive there makes for quite the amusing set of lines.

Reliable mass murderer. Heh. :smallbiggrin:

[lord pringle]

YES. Totally worth the wait.

[t209]

Dashing Swordsman- So charming that even succubus can be seduced.

[Lord Bingo]

Haley + Tsukiko, you say?

He should have gone for third base...

[Duos Greanleef]

Best comic title since I've been reading them new.
Well-played, Giant. Well-played, indeed. :smallamused:

[Who149]

Kiss a succubus, drain levels, gain intelligence.

Page was win.

[dsavereide]

Charisma for the win!

[Acero]

Why do girls always want the good boy?!?

great strip :smallbiggrin:

[Psyren]

He seduced a succubus. I am speechless.


Haley has a pulse, ergo not Tsukiko's type.

Also, this. Sorry shippers.

[Thanatosia]

Also, this. Sorry shippers.
You have a poor understanding of shippers if you think that is in any way gonna hold them back for even a second!!

[TheSummoner]

The title made this one for me. It was already awesome before I read the punchline and connected it to the title, but after that... A whole new level of awesome.

[Crisis21]

He seduced a succubus. I am speechless.

As am I, but that's more due to laughing so hard I can't breathe.

[Salbazier]

Elan has been steadily improving these days. :smallbiggrin: Way to go Elan! And I completely agree with the title as well. :smallbiggrin:

[Who149]

The Elan/Sabine shippers and Haley/anybody else (most likely Tsukiko) shippers are going to have fuel for there cannons now.

[rewinn]

Under normal circumstances, "we were always able to bond over that" and "pluckosity constant" would be pretty good punchlines. But the sheer awesomeness of Elan seducing his evil twin's girlfriend ... is awesome!

[Gift Jeraff]

Am I the only one who recommends Sabine? At least she can shapechange into Tsukiko!

[fibonacciseries]

This was just made of win--both the strip itself, and the title.

Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

[Ranger Mattos]

He seduced a succubus. I am speechless..

This. Go Elan!

And either Tsukiko or Samantha

[Pheehelm]

Oh my goodness. XD That was certainly a creative fulfillment of the bard charter.


Say, by DnD rules, can victims of the Flesh to Stone spell still perceive what's going on around them? That is to say, will Haley know what Elan did?

[MBI]

Was I the only one who laughed at "My pluckocity is constant!"?
Overall, great strip.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Nale is so wrong about Tarquin and how to think long term. Nale thinks Tarquin is a shortsighted fool who isn't seizing full power, even though he is totally in control of the Empire of Blood. Apparently, Nale thinks the only way to have true power is to fully display his position as absolute ruler, with no thoughts about the consequences. Tarquin isn't the shortsighted one, Nale is.

[Iruka]

I must confess, I didn't entirely get what's going on.
Panel 6: Elan gives Sabine a big kiss that makes her spread her wings.
Panel 7: Still kissing, Elan has lifted Sabine off the ground, Nale stands nearby.
Panel 8: Elan is suddenly gone, Sabine is (understandibly) confused(I love how her tail is all twirly :smallbiggrin:), Nale still stands there.
Somewhere between 7 and 8, Elan dropped Sabine and ran away while Nale just stood there ... right next to them ... I am confused.

[Pokonic]

Nearly spit out my coffee while reading this.:smallbiggrin:

The crack paring threads would of had a great time with this one.

[Randomguy]

This was just made of win--both the strip itself, and the title.

Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

Yes. Thog. :smallbiggrin:


All the past few comics have been so awesome, it's like the Giant has an average-awesomeness-per-panel quota to fill.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Somewhere between 7 and 8, Elan dropped Sabine and ran away while Nale just stood there ... right next to them ... I am confused.

It's something called "shock".

[Forum Explorer]

Now That's how you roll a diplomacy check! :smallbiggrin:

Great strip.

[ORione]

This was just made of win--both the strip itself, and the title.

Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

Hmm... Half of Thog?


I must confess, I didn't entirely get what's going on.
Panel 6: Elan gives Sabine a big kiss that makes her spread her wings.
Panel 7: Still kissing, Elan has lifted Sabine off the ground, Nale stands nearby.
Panel 8: Elan is suddenly gone, Sabine is (understandibly) confused(I love how her tail is all twirly :smallbiggrin:), Nale still stands there.
Somewhere between 7 and 8, Elan dropped Sabine and ran away while Nale just stood there ... right next to them ... I am confused.

Nale was distracted by his girlfriend and hated rival/twin brother kissing.


Haley has a pulse, ergo not Tsukiko's type.

I don't think Haley has a pulse *now*.



Random thought: Sabine is probably the last person Haley wants kissing Elan.

[scienceguy8]

Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

Thinking.

Thinking...

You know, I don't think there is one. The only male human villains met so far have only appeared in a single strip or a single arc.

[Rhasimir]

I would choose Miko myself. :smallbiggrin:

[thubby]

elan did something clever? and effective?!:smalleek:

RUN FOR THE HILLS! THE END IS NIGH!

[Lycan 01]

Nice to see the memory of the Crack Pairing Thread lives on in infamy. :smallcool:

This comic was great. Elan was simply brilliant. "My pluckocity is constant!" was great, but making out with Sabine to cause a distraction was genius. And the title joke... I laughed so hard when I put it together. :smallbiggrin:

[Zocelot]

Shouldn't panel 5 be "to remind him of his current bind" instead of "to remind me of his current bind"? Cause Elan seems to be the guy doing the forgetting.

[Occasional Sage]

I would choose Miko myself. :smallbiggrin:

Oddly, that's how I read it, and cringed at the collective Playground apoplexy that loomed....

[Draxonicar]

Dundundun-dun

[Iruka]

It's something called "shock".

Hm, the transition is a bit too sudden for my taste. Would have worked a bit better for me if Sabine was sitting on the ground (after all, she had completely lost her footing) and some part of Elan was still visible while exiting the panel.

[Querzis]

Hm, the transition is a bit too sudden for my taste. Would have worked a bit better for me if Sabine was sitting on the ground (after all, she had completely lost her footing).

She can fly. Completely losing her footing woudnt make her fall.

But anyway, I missed seeing Nale and Elan interacting, the twins are always hilarious. And Nale and Sabine are still the cutest evil couple I ever saw.

[Icedaemon]

I would not call planting an unexpected kiss total seduction - a succubus does go for pleasure if and whenever it is readily at hand, after all. That said, I do agree that Elan is becoming much more competent.

[tribble]

Succubi can cause negative levels with a touch...which can be kissing. The level-drain isn't permanent...unless you fail a save the following day (or just have your cleric heal you!.

Ah, I was wondering about that. So, If Durkon heals Elan right away, will Elan regain those levels immidiately?

[DBear]

When I first saw the new title, I thought "Wut, Tsukiko's working for Nale now?" :smalleek: Glad to see that wasn't the case :smallbiggrin:

[Mindfreak]

Actually, Haley already got to kiss a reacurring villian, Nale. Back when she couldn't speak. So really, Elan was getting what had to happen to balance it out.

Also, I love the edgy "good" guy thing, made me laugh.

[Whiffet]

... Whoa.

Sorry, I'm kinda speechless at the moment. That was too great for words.

[Tvtyrant]

Best solution ever.

[Lvl45DM!]

That.
Was.
AWESOME
from the actual jokes like 'my pluckosity is constant' to Elan's masterful use of his charisma to the details like her tail curling, cos, lets face it, who hasn't had something curl after kisses like that.

[dps]

Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

Why would she limit herself that way? The shipper sure won't.

[JonestheSpy]

Yay Elan! Talk about playing to your strengths!



Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

I don't think so, but let's face it, 'human' doesn't count for much in this world. And let's not forget Haley's Latent Bisexuality...

[mistformsquirrl]

I'm laughing so hard that I'm in pain lol >_<

[Scutilla]

Those wishing to play a "dashing rogue" in their campaign, take notes. Elan's doing it right.


I don't think so, but let's face it, 'human' doesn't count for much in this world. And let's not forget Haley's Latent Bisexuality...
Especially considering that at least two Order members have already had sex outside their species, it's not really a fair question.

[Belsirk]

Now... that is think fast...
Good maneuver for get free... though on a 3d system... pretty bad all that penality got from those hard, evil kiss

[holywhippet]

Haley has a pulse, ergo not Tsukiko's type.

I get the impression that Tsukiko has had real people hurt her in the past which is why she turned to undead. If Haley can kiss well enough it might make her switch teams in more ways than one.

Well, at least Haley will know she needs to use cold iron and not silver from now on.

[Lvl45DM!]

I get the impression that Tsukiko has had real people hurt her in the past which is why she turned to undead. If Haley can kiss well enough it might make her switch teams in more ways than one.

Well, at least Haley will know she needs to use cold iron and not silver from now on.

*insert joke about Elan's cold iron here*

[Akal Saris]

Heh...I love Sabine's little tail curl after the kiss :P

[Kish]

Of course, both Tarquin and Nale find Elan comparing them offensive, not realizing that, to Elan, they're both equally disgusting, and the differences that seem all-important to Tarquin and Nale aren't worth mentioning.

[Kancsar]

"Edgy good guy", ftw.

t-shirt please.

[Bastian]

My pluckiness is constant.

[Cerlis]

Ah, I was wondering about that. So, If Durkon heals Elan right away, will Elan regain those levels immidiately?


A loss of vital energy resulting from energy drain, spells, magic items, or magical effects. A successful energy drain attack bestows one or more negative levels on the opponent. A creature takes the following penalties for each negative level it has gained.


-1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
-1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
-5 hit points.
-1 effective level (whenever the creature's level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).

If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell. (If she has more than one spell at her highest level, she chooses which she loses.) In addition, when she next prepares spells or regains spell slots, she gets one less spell slot at her highest spell level.

Negative levels remain for 24 hours or until removed with a spell, such as restoration. After 24 hours, the afflicted creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 attacker's HD + attacker's Cha modifier). (The DC is provided in the attacker's description.) If the saving throw succeeds, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. The afflicted creature makes a separate saving throw for each negative level it has gained. If the save fails, the negative level goes away, but the creature's level is also reduced by one.

A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight.

A creature gains 5 temporary hit points for each negative level it bestows (though not if the negative level is caused by a spell or similar effect).


from wizard website.

Basically negative levels are a status effect that have a potential for actually losing a level. In fact it seems that one doesnt even loose special abilities and only one spell per negative level.

So its entirely possible for a lvl 10 wizard with 8 negative levels to have -3 to attack rolls (8 -1s but only +5 BaB) but still have all his feats only only losing 8 spells. (as opposed to only having the spells a lvl 2 wizard could have. so if he was a focused Specialist with a high int he may even have his middle range spells left)

that is assuming he doesnt die from the -5 hp per negative level. just pointing out by Raw you can loose more skill and attack bonuses than you have and you arent treated like a low level character and if you are lucky you can still use many of your class features.

that is until you possibly fail the save and actually lose a level.

[Morquard]

Wow, that was actually a sort of smart move on Elan's part, in a somewhat stupid way.

As for the title, yeah definitely .)

[Syklone]

That... was...
PERFECT!!!!

[Dalek-K]

Wow Tarquin is a good parent... A few days and he helped push Elan into a effective Bard.

And by good parent I mean effective :)

[Giggling Ghast]

:sabine: Sure, women like me swoon for a hero, but that's only because deep down, we think we can change them.

I think they call that Catwoman (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DatingCatwoman) syndrome.

[TechnoScrabble]

That...was...hilarious!

I gotta pull that in a campaign sometime, just to surprise the GM!

Also, I gotta admit, Tsukiko+Haley would be hot.

[Zjoot]

Well played, Elan, well played. I wonder if he was expecting that little argument to cover his escape.




I don't think so, but let's face it, 'human' doesn't count for much in this world. And let's not forget Haley's Latent Bisexuality...

And if human isn't important, I think we can take out living too. That means Xykon becomes an option, and If Tsukiko catches Haley with Xykon, well I don't think the "Has a pulse" issue will get in the way anymore. :smallamused:

[Gift Jeraff]

I gotta say, if Nale knows about Tarquin's desire to become a legend, he has a point. Who's going to be remembered more, the ruler of one third of a continent who was killed by his son, or the ruler of the world who was killed by his son?

[Miketheweird]

Interesting move by Elan
Let's just hope that kiss doesn't come back to bite him later.

As for Haley's options, well there's always Elan's dad, he is both human and likely to be recurring. There's also Z'dritti who while not human, is unambiguously male. Thog is terrified of "pretty girls" so he's out of the equation entirely.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I gotta say, if Nale knows about Tarquin's desire to become a legend, he has a point. Who's going to be remembered more, the ruler of one third of a continent who was killed by his son, or the ruler of the world who was killed by his son?

It doesn't matter. Tarquin's plan is long-term, while Nale's is shortsighted. Nale, of course, with all his ego, thinks it's the other way around.

[FoE]

Wow. Both legs wrapped around him too.

[137beth]

My pluckocity is constant=best line ever:smallsmile:

[druid91]

Hahaha, best use of Elan's bardness yet! That was incredibly genre-savvy of him!



Succubi can cause negative levels with a touch...which can be kissing. The level-drain isn't permanent...unless you fail a save the following day (or just have your cleric heal you!.

Technically it has to be a kiss or an "act of passion" IIRC.

[Pterocards]

"You were just playtesting the grapple rules with my brother's tongue!"
Haha this one was great! :D

[Julian84]

It's nice to see Elan being awesome :smallbiggrin:

Great as always, Giant.

[Owl]

For a minute there, I was very very startled by Elan actually doing something clever at a critical moment. Go Elan! Woo!

Then I realized Elan just played the same trick he always plays: seducing the bad guy/gal. Usually it's done badly with an illusion, occasionally he attempts it personally (Samantha, Therkla when she got mad), but this is the first time it's really worked.

Go Elan! Woo!

[StClair]

A further note about negative levels: kids these days had it easy. Under early editions of the rules, drained levels were just gone, period. Players feared draining undead far more than most other monsters, and for good reason: they could, in just a few rounds, undo weeks of progress and work/play.

[Fitzclowningham]

"I want a nice, safe, reliable mass-murderer that I can depend on."

Don't we all?

[Krosta]

I'm the only one noticing that Sabine doesn't possess a belly button? Every other character had one! It's weird!
But fridge logic kicks in: maybe she doesn't have a belly button because she never had an umbilical cord, since she spawned from the chaos of the Abyss :smallbiggrin:

[Sengoku]

The last 3 panels are made of pure LOL!!!

Nice relationship, Nale and Sabine...finally a mature woman whose experience taught her what she really wants :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:.

(I wish there were more, ofc without the energy drain ability!)

[IronWilliam]

Nale said "his dwindling DAY in luxury". Not days, day. Does Nale plan to topple Tarquin from his throne before the day is out? Or is it just a typo? Hmmm.........

[joela]

I want "I promise, when this is over, you can make out with any of our recurring villains you want." on a shirt! :smallbiggrin:

[CoffeeIncluded]

Brilliant idea, but a risky one.

[Skavensrule]

Wonderful!
I admit I am having a pleasant time picturing Haley and Tsukiko together.


Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

I have just gone through the books and I could only find one other Male evil human, who should be alive other than Nale and Tarquin that has been named. Chuck the Rogue/Mage with aspirations of Arcane Trickster. He was named in Book #0 (Origins), and was scheduled to be raised by the thieves guild (though we have not seen him since #611 when Mr. Scruffy and Belkar used him as a scratching post. Human males seem to have short life expectancies on this world.

[MoonCat]

YES! YES YES YES!

YES!

I love you Giant! This is too funny!

[veti]

I love it. Once again, Nale underestimates his enemy.

What's interesting is that most of us on the forum underestimated him, too. I didn't see anyone foreseeing that Elan engineer his own escape without help from anyone.

[RndmNumGen]

That was amazing.

...

PURE AMAZING! :smallbiggrin:

[DaggerPen]

Personally, I'm voting for Therkla. Then we can have a Therkla/Haley/Elan threesome. Resurrections aren't that hard, after all.

... what? Don't look at me like that.

(But yes, awesome comic. Very clever of Elan, astonishingly enough. I laughed out loud several times, and then again when I reread the title.]

[Nimrod's Son]

Nale said "his dwindling DAY in luxury". Not days, day. Does Nale plan to topple Tarquin from his throne before the day is out? Or is it just a typo? Hmmm.........
I'm going with typo. It looks to me that there's a double space before "day", as well.

[Vectner]

Classic Chaotic Good.
I only kissed her because it was for the greater good!

[Grey Watcher]

I must confess, I didn't entirely get what's going on.
Panel 6: Elan gives Sabine a big kiss that makes her spread her wings.
Panel 7: Still kissing, Elan has lifted Sabine off the ground, Nale stands nearby.
Panel 8: Elan is suddenly gone, Sabine is (understandibly) confused(I love how her tail is all twirly :smallbiggrin:), Nale still stands there.
Somewhere between 7 and 8, Elan dropped Sabine and ran away while Nale just stood there ... right next to them ... I am confused.

I think part of the of NOT showing something like Elan exiting the panel was to make it appear more sudden and, yes, a little confusing. Otherwise, it's less plausible that Sabine doesn't notice he's gone.

Also: Woooooo! Go Oddly Effective Elan!

[Lurkmoar]

The chase is on! A few other posters noted that since Elan doesn't have his papers any more, all sorts of things can happen now. Elan might get held up for jaywalking!

Enjoyed the strip.

[Alaska Fan]

Ah yes, the Captain Kirk Solution!

[herrhauptmann]

TL,DR:
So anyone else notice how Sabine's tail is all curled in panel 7?

So Elan's successful genre-blindness gives Nale a migraine, and with a little smooches he successfully delays Sabine and Nale for a round or more while he makes his escape trying to find Durkon...
Elan leveled up in semi-badass when he took that last level in bard.

Owl, when did Elan try to seduce Therkla? She was going after him the whole time, and he turned her down in favor of the absent Haley.

[Ridureyu]

So, what level is Elan at now?

1?

[Blaznak]

Awesomeness

[dtilque]

I'm the only one noticing that Sabine doesn't possess a belly button? Every other character had one! It's weird!
But fridge logic kicks in: maybe she doesn't have a belly button because she never had an umbilical cord, since she spawned from the chaos of the Abyss :smallbiggrin:

Gannji and Enor don't have them either (see here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0738.html)), so it probably is the lack of umbilical cord.

[Anarion]

I concur with the title 100%
Other candidates would be
Miko:smalleek:
Samantha :smallcool:
Kubota :smallyuk: (he was a male antagonist)
Therkla:smallconfused:
Tarquin :smallwink:

[Pheehelm]

Owl, when did Elan try to seduce Therkla? She was going after him the whole time, and he turned her down in favor of the absent Haley.I think he means the last panel here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0582.html).

[SamBurke]

Awesome! New comic...

I have to say, Tsuikio would be nice. Something tells me that the Slash Pairings thread is now under heavy attack.

[rewinn]

:smallconfused: How big is Elan's "Pluck Constant"?

:haley: 6.6 megajewels Tee-Hee!

[JSSheridan]

Thanks Giant!

[DnDgeek13]

smart way to play a bard. way to go elan!

hey, fair's fair. haley kissed nale, elan kissed sabine, all is even.

[SPoD]

I'm the only one noticing that Sabine doesn't possess a belly button? Every other character had one! It's weird!
But fridge logic kicks in: maybe she doesn't have a belly button because she never had an umbilical cord, since she spawned from the chaos of the Abyss :smallbiggrin:

Take a look at this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0355.html) and notice that Sabine does not have a navel...until she shifts back to "human" form in Panel 7. So yeah, she doesn't have a belly button because she's a demon.

[Aquillion]

That's pretty awesome. All she has to do is set up a high-five booth outside of a dungeon or something then!To be clear, she doesn't gain anything by draining others. All she does is weaken them.


Ah, I was wondering about that. So, If Durkon heals Elan right away, will Elan regain those levels immidiately?Strictly speaking, he hasn't even lost any levels yet. Negative levels are like... penalties to a wide variety of things, intended to roughly take away the advantage of one level. Strictly speaking, the penalties are:

-1 on all skill checks and ability checks.
-1 on attack rolls and saving throws.
-5 hit points.
-1 effective level (whenever the creature’s level is used in a die roll or calculation, reduce it by one for each negative level).
If the victim casts spells, she loses access to one spell as if she had cast her highest-level, currently available spell.

This is similar to, but not identical to, going down a level (for instance, he doesn't lose feats, or level-dependent class abilities, or anything like that.) They can turn into actual lost levels in 24 hours if you fail the save, but even then, Restoration will still return permanently lost levels if cast within one day per caster level.

[thubby]

on the subject of elan's suddenly leaving the panel, its worth mentioning that hide and move silently are both bard class skills

[MoonCat]

Take a look at this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0355.html) and notice that Sabine does not have a navel...until she shifts back to "human" form in Panel 7. So yeah, she doesn't have a belly button because she's a demon.

Gwah! That's really creepy, I don't know how I never noticed that before.

[Skavensrule]

Gwah! That's really creepy, I don't know how I never noticed that before.

Spooooky, disapearing navel! Agreed, that is creepy and I didn't notice before as well.

[FlawedParadigm]

What really makes this work is that if Belkar, Durkon, Roy, or V had ended up in this situation somehow, none of them would have picked that solution. Roy's turned down the opportunity before, V would use magic or possibly try to talk the way out, and...well Belkar and Durkon are too short to have tried that one. It couldn't have been the same scene with anyone else.

[brionl]

I get the impression that Tsukiko has had real people hurt her in the past which is why she turned to undead. If Haley can kiss well enough it might make her switch teams in more ways than one.

Well, at least Haley will know she needs to use cold iron and not silver from now on.

I think the joke isn't supposed to be that Haley doesn't know that Sabine is a succubus, but that she can never remember which "obscure alchemical metal" works on demons and which works on devils.

[KoboldRevenge]

Second time suducing the bad girl.

[holywhippet]

A further note about negative levels: kids these days had it easy. Under early editions of the rules, drained levels were just gone, period. Players feared draining undead far more than most other monsters, and for good reason: they could, in just a few rounds, undo weeks of progress and work/play.

Not true. AD&D had the restoration spell - it was a huge pain though. Firstly, it only took you up to just enough XP for you to get your level back - so if you were one XP away from level 10 when you were drained, you'd be restored to exactly the amount of XP needed to reach level 9. Secondly, it only worked one level at a time. Thirdly, with every casting both the caster and the target would get 2 years older. Finally, it was a level 7 spell which means it would only become available to a priest type at level 14 - well past when you'd have started meeting life draining undead. Unless you found some scrolls of it before then. Negative plane protection was only level 3 though - but it required a save vs. death magic, would only work if you succeeded, would double damage if you failed and only works for a single hit.

On another note, in theory Elan might be able to outrun Sabine if that haste spell is still active since his base movement speed will be faster than either of her movement or fly speeds (unless she starts teleporting).

[derfenrirwolv]

AWSOME

Competent Elan is scary.

[ricorum]

Well done.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Ahahahahaha oh, Elan.

[rakkoon]

The page title is hilarious. Are they also present in the book form?

[sun_tzu]

Oh, wow. Is Elan channeling Fluttershy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp2CPz308IE#t=4m42s)? :smalleek:

[Gift Jeraff]

The page title is hilarious. Are they also present in the book form?Yep, at the bottom of each page.

[Grommen]

A further note about negative levels: kids these days had it easy. Under early editions of the rules, drained levels were just gone, period. Players feared draining undead far more than most other monsters, and for good reason: they could, in just a few rounds, undo weeks of progress and work/play.

A-men my brother. You could walk into a room with 18 levels, and find a Specter. Walk out a level 1, and never know what hit you.

Kiss the Demon. Stick out your young and get a taste of Devil on your breath. ----- Mercyful Fate "Kiss the Demon"

[Hydro]

It's not just about the gambit's success or lack thereof, it's also about the sheer oneupsmanship of making your arch-rival's girlfriend swoon.

[herrhauptmann]

I think he means the last panel here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0582.html).

I dunno what your courtships look like, but to me, that looks like frantic backpedaling trying to avoid a shanking... Seriously, when is "A slice of pizza on friday" attempting to seduce someone?

This is a much better attempt... http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0156.html


Anarion: Everyone but Tarquin on that list is dead. Haley's not like Tsukiko.

[JonestheSpy]

Who's going to be remembered more, the ruler of one third of a continent who was killed by his son, or the ruler of the world who was killed by his son?

I dunno. We got on this world an undying legend about a guy who was King of some backwater island and was killed by his son, and chapters in history books about "yet another guy who tried to rule the world and failed".

[Ramien]

For the people wondering why Elan wasn't shown dropping Sabine on her tail and running:

Elan is too polite to drop anyone he's just kissed on their rear.

It also makes the "No, I mean literally. Go chase after him. He's escaping." line actually work. It falls flat if we see him escaping instead of just sitting there slack-jawed for a moment at the thought of Elan kissing Sabine well enough to twitterpate her, and then realizing he escaped.

[spectralphoenix]

I figured he finished the kiss more or less conventionally, and escaped while Nale and Sabine were busy arguing.

[Gift Jeraff]

I dunno. We got on this world an undying legend about a guy who was King of some backwater island and and was killed by his son, and chapters in history books about "yet another guy who tried to rule the world and failed".Well, failing is a whole other story.

[krossbow]

I dunno. We got on this world an undying legend about a guy who was King of some backwater island and and was killed by his son, and chapters in history books about "yet another guy who tried to rule the world and failed".


Well, at the risk of treading dangerously close to godwins law, ask yourself this:

Who do is more famous: King Arthur, or Hitler?

[FujinAkari]

Well, at the risk of treading dangerously close to godwins law, ask yourself this:

Who do is more famous: King Arthur, or Hitler?

King Arthur.

Everyone knows who he is 1000 years later... do you think anyone is gonna remember Hitler in the year 3000?

[krossbow]

I'd argue hitler myself. While arthur certainly is well known to westerners, Hitler is well known anywhere where the second world war touched, and is a bogeyman that is almost synonimous with evil.


Moreover, Arthur's been lagging behind in the movie and comic appearances compared to the big H as well. :smalltongue:


But getting away from the controversial nature of he who must not be named on the internet, Napolean was an one of those millions who tried and failed, but has been immortalized; stalin, lenin, many who have tried and failed are yet remembered almost in legendary terms. You don't have to SUCEED to be a legend, and it doesn't matter if there are alot of other imitators. All you have to do is do it WELL.

[Icedaemon]

It doesn't matter. Tarquin's plan is long-term, while Nale's is shortsighted. Nale, of course, with all his ego, thinks it's the other way around.

Exactly. Nale has no self-evaluation skills, which is why he will never succeed for a long time, since he will always believe his hand to be better (and others' worse) than it really is.


King Arthur.

Everyone knows who he is 1000 years later... do you think anyone is gonna remember Hitler in the year 3000?

A very good point. People will know him from history books, just like people know other would-be conquerors, but it is not improbable that Alexander the Great would be a more spoken-of conqueror at that point, with Arthur's legend still circulating.

[Ghill]

Elan is tricky when it comes to kissing girls.

Also, the page title is the best joke I have encountered all week. :smallbiggrin:

[Pantler]

Elan rocks. More fanservice, please.

[Ramien]

But getting away from the controversial nature of he who must not be named on the internet, Napolean was an one of those millions who tried and failed, but has been immortalized; stalin, lenin, many who have tried and failed are yet remembered almost in legendary terms.

The trick is not to just try and succeed or fail... the trick is to do so with style.

Now that I think about it, Tarquin may have actually miscalculated in a very important way with his cunning plan: He isn't playing the role of the evil overlord. He and his group have always played the advisers to various puppet rulers. If he's not careful, and Elan remembers that the victors write the histories, than Tarquin will only ever become a footnote as the chancellor to the wicked dragon empress that were defeated by a group of heroes. There's certainly no reason for Elan to make the familial connection known when he tells the stories, and telling Tarquin to his face that he's going to be written out of the story could be a useful psychological advantage. And while a case can be made for Hitler being 'famous', would someone like Tarquin settle for being Himmler, to stretch the analogy just a tad?

[Burner28]

Alright!!:smallsmile:

[Shoelessgdowar]

The trick is not to just try and succeed or fail... the trick is to do so with style.

Now that I think about it, Tarquin may have actually miscalculated in a very important way with his cunning plan: He isn't playing the role of the evil overlord. He and his group have always played the advisers to various puppet rulers. If he's not careful, and Elan remembers that the victors write the histories, than Tarquin will only ever become a footnote as the chancellor to the wicked dragon empress that were defeated by a group of heroes. There's certainly no reason for Elan to make the familial connection known when he tells the stories, and telling Tarquin to his face that he's going to be written out of the story could be a useful psychological advantage. And while a case can be made for Hitler being 'famous', would someone like Tarquin settle for being Himmler, to stretch the analogy just a tad?

Actually, forget Himmler, Hitler, the 3rd Reich, let's discuss this more accurately.

Who is more famous, The Legendary King Arthur, or Cesare Borgia? Arthur ruled part of an Island and over a millennium later is still known about, Borgia despite being worshiped by Niccolò Machiavelli (This is the guy the man who wrote the book on scheming and masterful planning wanted to be like and used as the example of the best of the best) and technically having one of the most recognized faces on the planet even today (seriously, more people will know Borgia's face then will know Oprah or really anyone, and it is all because Borgia had a plan to make his face famous... and it worked...) but that is because most people think he is someone else entirely... the comedic thing is Borgia's scheme to be famous was sheer elegance in his simplicity, he was a wealthy Patron for a guy named Leonardo Di Vinci (that means he gave Di Vinci money so Di Vinci could do art) and in trade Leonardo only had to use Borgia's face in one painting, a religious piece called 'The Last Supper'... Borgia made his face famous by having a Legendary Figure made to look like himself... But despite his brilliant schemes, despite being powerful, influential, and technically making himself a figure who had authority over most of the world, he is not only forgotten in general, but mistaken for a guy who'd been dead for nearly 1.5 millennia (nearly 2 now).

Or perhaps we should ask about how famous is the guy who invented the pointy stick, the first ruler of the world... I don't even know his name, but he ruled everything... do you know his name?
Do you know the name Darth Vader? Some 2nd in command over a portion of the known regions who was killed by his son?


Those wishing to play a "dashing rogue" in their campaign, take notes. Elan's doing it right.


Especially considering that at least two Order members have already had sex outside their species, it's not really a fair question.

Roy and who else? Belkar with no one... V with mutual Elven Mate, Durkon with Helgya a fellow Dwarf (albeit with a different patron deity), Elan with Haley, Haley with Elan, Blackwing with no one, and Mr Scruffy with no one... so who is the second

[zyphyr]

Roy and who else? Belkar with no one... V with mutual Elven Mate, Durkon with Helgya a fellow Dwarf (albeit with a different patron deity), Elan with Haley, Haley with Elan, Blackwing with no one, and Mr Scruffy with no one... so who is the second

Have you forgotten Belkar's little adventure in the Thieves Guild?

[Francis Davey]

Now that I think about it, Tarquin may have actually miscalculated in a very important way with his cunning plan: He isn't playing the role of the evil overlord. He and his group have always played the advisers to various puppet rulers. If he's not careful, and Elan remembers that the victors write the histories, than Tarquin will only ever become a footnote as the chancellor to the wicked dragon empress that were defeated by a group of heroes.

I think its all about style. Cardinal Richelieu is rather more famous than Louis XIII, and Bizmarck is probably better known than Frederic III. Sometimes it is chancellors that get remembered.

Talleyrand managed to work as a senior minister in the French government for the majority of the period from 1780-1834 despite the fact that several different dynasties, one empire, a republic and various forms of dictatorship existed during that time. Sadly I doubt it was planned that way, otherwise he might be a candidate for Tarquin.

More obviously I think the reason Tarquin is infinitely cooler than Nale is that Nale's plans never seem to get him very far. Wishing and hoping won't get him fame, he actually has to do something worthwhile. Of course these recent strips may be a part of that, but my money would be on Nale being thwarted yet again. He's just an idiot.

[faustin]

I don´t understand the title joke... Why should be Tsukiko (beside the point both Samantha and Crystal are R.I.P) :smallconfused:?

[The Succubus]

Somewhere, in the afterlife for locked and banned threads, the Crack Pairing & Shipping Threads are laughing their butts off.

[rockdeworld]

Aw, bad title-joke Giant! Bad! :smallamused:

(kidding, if it wasn't obvious)

[Killer Angel]

Definitely, no one can say that Elan got no style. :smallcool:

[twinkletoes]

Great. Just great.:smallbiggrin:

[ThePhantasm]

I don´t understand the title joke... Why should be Tsukiko (beside the point both Samantha and Crystal are R.I.P) :smallconfused:?

Maybe because her and Haley are both hawt with a capital HAW. (It's just a title joke, don't think too hard about it)

Loved Elan's line: "My pluckicity is constant!"

[Morph Bark]

Nale is so wrong about Tarquin and how to think long term. Nale thinks Tarquin is a shortsighted fool who isn't seizing full power, even though he is totally in control of the Empire of Blood. Apparently, Nale thinks the only way to have true power is to fully display his position as absolute ruler, with no thoughts about the consequences. Tarquin isn't the shortsighted one, Nale is.

Nale used to adventure a lot with his father though, and he was a baby when his scheme first began, so it is possible that he knows of it and simply thinks his father should not be satisfied by secretly ruling one continent, but should openly rule all of them.


I dunno. We got on this world an undying legend about a guy who was King of some backwater island and and was killed by his son, and chapters in history books about "yet another guy who tried to rule the world and failed".

I dunno, but we have a lot more movies on the latter guy, even more on the events he caused and also a ton of personal stories handed down by people who lived back then. Sure, in a thousand years the latter won't be around anymore, but it's not impossible for the movies to still be around then.


Or perhaps we should ask about how famous is the guy who invented the pointy stick, the first ruler of the world... I don't even know his name, but he ruled everything... do you know his name?

This points to either so much ignorance or sarcasm that I don't even know where to begin.

[le Suisse]

I vote than we'll call this move the "Elan's trick" and it'll aded to the Evil Empress List.

Elan is the boss.

[H Birchgrove]

I'd argue hitler myself. While arthur certainly is well known to westerners, Hitler is well known anywhere where the second world war touched, and is a bogeyman that is almost synonimous with evil.


Moreover, Arthur's been lagging behind in the movie and comic appearances compared to the big H as well. :smalltongue:


But getting away from the controversial nature of he who must not be named on the internet, Napoleon was an one of those millions who tried and failed, but has been immortalized; Stalin, Lenin, many who have tried and failed are yet remembered almost in legendary terms. You don't have to SUCCEED to be a legend, and it doesn't matter if there are a lot of other imitators. All you have to do is do it WELL.

Say what you want about Lenin and Stalin; they didn't fail at what they were doing.

[squidbreath]

As a longstanding supporter of crack pairings, I highly approve of the title =D Foe yay FTW!

[Crod]

I love how Sabine literally wraps her legs around Elan in panel 7 and the resulting curly tail in panel 8. I can see why Nale is rather upset :smallbiggrin:

[Closet_Skeleton]

Immunity to negative kissing based effects does sound like it might be a dashing swordsman class feature.

[k_bukie]

Heh, nice.

Keep in mind, Haley already kissed Nale a while back.

[Kato]

Thanks for the comic, Giant!

And now the doors have opened to pair Elan with every female in the cast, if only for a night or so, hooray... May the fanfics be written... :smalleek:

[faustin]

I love how Sabine literally wraps her legs around Elan in panel 7 and the resulting curly tail in panel 8. I can see why Nale is rather upset

You know, It´s kinda stupid for Nale to show jealousy at this point, given Sabine´s open lust:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0394.html

Even with a sworn enemy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0355.html):

To date a succubus and expect loyalty from her it´s like go to bed with a porcupine and expect not to be pinched.

[Faramir]

Those wishing to play a "dashing rogue" in their campaign, take notes. Elan's doing it right.


Especially considering that at least two Order members have already had sex outside their species, it's not really a fair question.

Don't forget the bard charter:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0160.html

[Azuyomi244]

Hooray for useful Elan! :smallbiggrin:

[Leolo]

My new all time favourite strip...go Elan!

[Tannhaeuser]

Way to pick up on an established trait of Elan's character, and make glorious grist of it. "Character derailment," my tuchus!

[ORione]

Heh, nice.

Keep in mind, Haley already kissed Nale a while back.

Although that was before she and Elan were dating, and she thought it was Elan.


Immunity to negative kissing based effects does sound like it might be a dashing swordsman class feature.

That makes sense. If it is, it's probably at a higher level than Elan's at though, judging from his reaction to Sabine's kiss in the last strip.

[Aldrakan]

Regarding the Tarquin/Nale method, I think Nale does have a point. Tarquin's method of gaining power is more certain and safer, but slower, and also makes him very obscure. With him constantly swapping around serving forgettable leaders if something doesn't change he's liable to just become a footnote in the history book. Also, his plan involves dying. Given what happens to evil people in D&D, that seems kind of a big flaw. (Admittedly we don't know if Nale has anything in place to cover that eventuality, but at least he's developed a, ahem, friendly contact on the other side.)

From what we've seen Tarquin's plan is in fact to lounge around, die, and, given that they've deliberately recruited idiots who couldn't possibly handle ruling competently on their own, let everything fall to pieces afterward. It's not hard to see how that could be judged as unambitious, and I think it is at least a legitimate evil choice to want to do more with the available resources.

[Shoelessgdowar]

I think its all about style. Cardinal Richelieu is rather more famous than Louis XIII, and Bizmarck is probably better known than Frederic III. Sometimes it is chancellors that get remembered.

Talleyrand managed to work as a senior minister in the French government for the majority of the period from 1780-1834 despite the fact that several different dynasties, one empire, a republic and various forms of dictatorship existed during that time. Sadly I doubt it was planned that way, otherwise he might be a candidate for Tarquin.

More obviously I think the reason Tarquin is infinitely cooler than Nale is that Nale's plans never seem to get him very far. Wishing and hoping won't get him fame, he actually has to do something worthwhile. Of course these recent strips may be a part of that, but my money would be on Nale being thwarted yet again. He's just an idiot.

Juan Peron would be a good example... Just listen to the this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xueIOACk0iw) it talks about a little place where governments kept changing and yet somehow one guy was a part of ALL of them, and he kept being a part until he decided to try to take the lead, then he had a glorious yet short lived time in charge then fell and afterwards it was his wife who is the legend and more famous one... the question is would he have been better off just staying in the background of regime after regime, ruling by proxy, or was his decision to take charge the right one?

[zmasterofjersey]

It isn't stated how long the conversation between Nale and Sabine has taken, but unless Elan got out of the roofless construction area, Sabine will catch him with her 50ft flying speed. Even though it looks like he did make it under a roof making flying harder if not impossible.

I also loved "my pluckosity is constant"

[MoonCat]

I don´t understand the title joke... Why should be Tsukiko (beside the point both Samantha and Crystal are R.I.P) :smallconfused:?

Because Girl On Girl Is Hot, Redcloak wouldn't be interested, she HATES Crystal, and most importantly, crack pairing aren't supposed to make sense, they're supposed to be awesome.

Hey, what is going to happen if Sabine starts asking Nale to shave off his goatee so she can fantasize that's he's Elan?

Think this is going to be a brick joke next time we meet Tsukiko?

[legomaster00156]

In regards to the succubus-immunity that is supposedly a Dashing Swordsman feature, yes, it probably is. However, as has also been stated, it is highly unlikely that Elan has it. We've never seen him take more than one level in Dashing Swordsman, and this would be outright broken.

Level 1: You may use CHA instead of STR for attacks, given that you say a pun or catchphrase during the attack. You gain immunity to damage from broken glass. You ALSO gain immunity to ability drains from acts of passion, such as the succubus' level-draining touch.

[ShenCS]

{{scrubbed}}

[le Suisse]

To date a succubus and expect loyalty from her it´s like go to bed with a porcupine and expect not to be pinched.

Not really. It's more like going in a delicious but poisonned all-you-can-eat-for-a-buck buffet, expecting than nobody will have their part,
and than the buffet won't kill you with its delightful foods.

[Cizak]

Elan is too polite to drop anyone he's just kissed on their rear.

He kissed her where? :smallwink:

[Snails]

Regarding the Tarquin/Nale method, I think Nale does have a point. Tarquin's method of gaining power is more certain and safer, but slower, and also makes him very obscure. With him constantly swapping around serving forgettable leaders if something doesn't change he's liable to just become a footnote in the history book. Also, his plan involves dying. Given what happens to evil people in D&D, that seems kind of a big flaw. (Admittedly we don't know if Nale has anything in place to cover that eventuality, but at least he's developed a, ahem, friendly contact on the other side.)

From what we've seen Tarquin's plan is in fact to lounge around, die, and, given that they've deliberately recruited idiots who couldn't possibly handle ruling competently on their own, let everything fall to pieces afterward. It's not hard to see how that could be judged as unambitious, and I think it is at least a legitimate evil choice to want to do more with the available resources.

Nale, I believe, has aspirations of seizing control of the Snarl. Tarquin presumably has solid information about Girard (based on his comments to Elan), but holds it close to his chest and avoids using it.

That is a safe choice -- just sticking with living the life of the above average successful adventurer. And probably wise. Because honking off a ~21st level CG Illusionist with minions is probably the fastest possible way to see his clever political game upended.

Nale sees this as a worthwhile gamble.

[Toofey]

HAHAHAHA I love it.

although Durkon really has his work cut out for him now.

[grimbold]

does this mean that Elan will be really really weak now?
as in
less competent than usual?

[BlackDragonKing]

I find it kind of hilarious that Nale thinks that Tarquin's way of doing things is short-sighted and doesn't give him real power...

To be honest, I'd be very surprised if Nale's attempt at conquest actually worked. Tarquin has been demonstrated to be a good deal more competent than Nale is, and Nale and Elan have roughly equal fighting abilities if the D&D rules are making sure Nale stays around Elan's level; hell, last time Elan fought Nale, Nale got his ass handed to him.

Tarquin effortlessly defeated Elan with a tiny knife, so I can't see Nale exactly doing much better, given that Tarquin has an army, a very high-level cleric, and a variety of magical items Nale lacks. Plus, even if Nale did manage to take over this particular area, it still falls apart when the other two thirds of Tarquin's party both come with THEIR armies and kick his ass in retribution.

Tarquin controls most of the continent and is steadily expanding his power base. Nale's been scheming for years with absolutely nothing to show for it, so I really don't see where his confidence he's any match for his old man comes from.

[Doug Lampert]

does this mean that Elan will be really really weak now?
as in
less competent than usual?

In a party of 6 with only a blaster mage and healbot cleric for the only other casters a moderately well played bard of level 14 or so is the most useful single party member.

This doesn't actually require out of core feats or prestige classes or non-core spells or any particularly skillful optimization, just the ability to sing and give everyone else a +3 to hit and to weapon damage is golden in a mostly weapon using large party (V is the only non-weapon user). The fact that he can do that AND cast spells AND fight himself is icing on the cake.

Elan's use-impared state is a result of his being Elan, not of his class or level, so losing a couple of levels won't seriously effect it. Played at all well he's still fairly useful even if you hand him a dozen negative levels, played poorly he's still fairly marginal.

DougL

[The Pilgrim]

I support the Giant's proposal in the strip's title. :smallbiggrin:

I suppose a hundred or more people will already wrote that in this thread, so:

+1

Regarding the strip... well played, Elan, why do you want those class levels if you can't do anything with them anyway?

[JSSheridan]

Heh, nice.

Keep in mind, Haley already kissed Nale a while back.

But she thought she was kissing Elan, so it's counts as kissing Elan. :P

[pendell]

That ... was actually quite intelligent. Elan is useless in a fight anyway, so negative levels are meaningless so long as he stays above level zero :smallamused:

Tongue-in-cheek,

Brian P.

[Almaseti]

Love it. Loveitloveitloveit. Elan is just so adorable.

[le Suisse]

Sabine should take levels in Dashing swordman... well, Dashing swordsuccubus.

[HappyBlanket]

Oh Elan :smalltongue:

...Anyway. What are we calling it? TsukiHaley? Haliko?

[King of Nowhere]

Oh, man i read it five minutes ago and I just stopped rolling on the floor.
:smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbi ggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:
Totally worth waiting ten days for it. This is one of the best oots EVER!

[aart lover]

wow, that was actually like something from crack pairings. Haley/Tsukiko fanfiction anyone?:smallamused:

[Roland Itiative]

Looks like the Dashing Swordsman training lets Elan use his Charisma bonus for more than just rapier attacks :smalltongue:

[ORione]

Oh Elan :smalltongue:

...Anyway. What are we calling it? TsukiHaley? Haliko?

I like the sound of Haliko.

[Roland Itiative]

He seduced a succubus. I am speechless.
Actually, it's not the first time I saw something like that happen. Something similar happened in a campaign I played a few years ago (except instead of a kiss there was rape).

[le Suisse]

Herr, rape doesn't count as "seducing", man.
Never.

[Roland Itiative]

Herr, rape doesn't count as "seducing", man.
Never.
I didn't want to imply that. Still, it's not something you'd expect people to do with a succubus :smalltongue:

[Adicted To]

Nale, I believe, has aspirations of seizing control of the Snarl. Tarquin presumably has solid information about Girard (based on his comments to Elan), but holds it close to his chest and avoids using it.

That is a safe choice -- just sticking with living the life of the above average successful adventurer. And probably wise. Because honking off a ~21st level CG Illusionist with minions is probably the fastest possible way to see his clever political game upended.

Nale sees this as a worthwhile gamble.

True, but without knowing it Nale is working for the 3 archfiends. They want him to go after the snarl. What they don't want is him to succeed. By failing there will be conflict. If he wins there won't be any more conflict. Meaning it would be the worst possible outcome there can be (according to the archfiends) . So they probably think he will fail. And in the slim chance that he actually succeeds the archfiends have fail safe’s in place (Sabine & Qarr) to stop him if necessary.

As an extra, Nale knows the gate's exists. Tarquin has only admitted that he knows of Girrard’s existence. (either that or he is good at guessing what he looks like) As far as I know Tarquin doesn't know the gate's exist. At most it is implied because he knows Girrard exists.

[Adicted To]

This was just made of win--both the strip itself, and the title.

Out of curiosity, are there actually any living, male, human recurring villains aside from Nale?

Thog? :smalleek: not human but neither is Sabine.

[Rules Lawyer #1]

Wow Tarquin is a good parent... A few days and he helped push Elan into a effective Bard.

And by good parent I mean effective :)
I agree. Elan has been matching wits against Tarquin for many strips now. Even though he's been losing at every turn, he has grown stronger (Tarquin doesn't want to kill Elan).

Go Elan! Save the Party!

[holywhippet]

I think the joke isn't supposed to be that Haley doesn't know that Sabine is a succubus, but that she can never remember which "obscure alchemical metal" works on demons and which works on devils.

Nope. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0062.html She knows Sabine is an outsider but doesn't know if she is a demon or a devil - and thus doesn't know if she is a succubus or an erinyes. Succubi are the only ones who have the level draining kiss though so with a decent knowledge: the planes check she'll know which she is in future.

Hmm, on second thought, if she was able to make that knowledge check she should have known as soon as Sabine threatened to drain levels from her.

[Snails]

As an extra, Nale knows the gate's exists. Tarquin has only admitted that he knows of Girrard’s existence. (either that or he is good at guessing what he looks like) As far as I know Tarquin doesn't know the gate's exist. At most it is implied because he knows Girrard exists.

It is reasonable to assume that Nale has a fairly accurate guess about Tarquin's knowledge and resources. You are right, though, what Tarquin actually knows is unclear at this point.

[Sijo]

Really enjoyed this strip. I like it when Elan shows he's more than just an idiot. Though that was quite a risk he took by losing levels just to knock Sabine off her socks with a kiss (I expected it to turn out to be a Dashing Swordman ability). Also the inversion of the "Girls always want bad guys" speech was genius. Can't wait to see what happens next.

[holywhippet]

Did he actually lose more than one level though? I thought one kiss = one level drained (unless you make your save) regardless of duration.

[harmsc12]

Effing BRILLIANT, Elan. Did you put some points into your INT stat?

[t209]

That's pretty awesome. All she has to do is set up a high-five booth outside of a dungeon or something then!

As for Haley's choice, why not this guy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0100.html)? Or that fruit snack sorcerer?

Well , that goblin became owner of Hydra Head BBQ (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html)

[Shoelessgdowar]

Did he actually lose more than one level though? I thought one kiss = one level drained (unless you make your save) regardless of duration.

2 so far as I can tell... 1 from the initial grab and 1 from the kiss... though who knows... Nale's comment does seem to hint that she was draining a level a round of the kiss... so a 30 second kiss would have been 5 levels (for a total of 6 when adding the level loss from the grab)

[ORione]

Well , that goblin became owner of Hydra Head BBQ (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0326.html)

Are you sure they're the same goblin? That one isn't as pimply, and anyways the kid probably got killed when the dungeon blew up.

[Ramien]

I think its all about style. Cardinal Richelieu is rather more famous than Louis XIII, and Bizmarck is probably better known than Frederic III. Sometimes it is chancellors that get remembered.

Talleyrand managed to work as a senior minister in the French government for the majority of the period from 1780-1834 despite the fact that several different dynasties, one empire, a republic and various forms of dictatorship existed during that time. Sadly I doubt it was planned that way, otherwise he might be a candidate for Tarquin.

More obviously I think the reason Tarquin is infinitely cooler than Nale is that Nale's plans never seem to get him very far. Wishing and hoping won't get him fame, he actually has to do something worthwhile. Of course these recent strips may be a part of that, but my money would be on Nale being thwarted yet again. He's just an idiot.

Oh, without a doubt, Tarquin is far cooler than Nale (Elan is far cooler than both, though). And while you do have a point about Richelieu and Bismarck, they did have a few things Tarquin didn't - they were more open about who was in charge, based on what I know of the respective histories. Tarquin only seems to be well known to the people who are involved in the plotting, since he does try to stay behind the scenes (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html) - and Elan, as the one who would be doing the storytelling afterwards, may have a good reason to keep his overall involvement out of the story, just as another way to foil Tarquin's evil plan.

And Tarquin can't be as well remembered as Vader - at best, he'll end up like his namesake, I think.

[Absol197]

And Tarquin can't be as well remembered as Vader - at best, he'll end up like his namesake, I think.

You know, I love those movies, and yet even with all the Star Wars references when Tarquin was first introduced, I never saw that until now. :smallbiggrin:

[DougTheHead]

You know, I love those movies, and yet even with all the Star Wars references when Tarquin was first introduced, I never saw that until now. :smallbiggrin:

Actually, I think the OP was referring to Tarquin the Proud, the last of the Roman Kings, who was overthrown by Junius Brutus, a nephew of Tarquin's who, unless I'm confusing him with Emperor Claudius, had faked mental deficiency for much of his adult life, only showing the true depth of his intelligence when raising a rebellion against his uncle. Brutus's actions led to the founding of the Republic of Rome (and, a few hundred years later, helped convince his namesake and direct descendant to assassinate Julius Caesar in an attempt to prolong it!)

EDIT: Turns out I had it right. "Brutus" initially wasn't a family name, it was a nickname that translated into "dimwit." Yeah, ten gold pieces says that Tarquin will be overthrown by his (apparently) mind-addled younger relative, like his namesake.

[Hithros]

...nice job by Elan.

Well, meeting up with Durkon is more useful now, too.

[tcrudisi]

on the subject of elan's suddenly leaving the panel, its worth mentioning that hide and move silently are both bard class skills

And very much unnecessary. This strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0025.html) and the one after it both indicate that Elan can tumble away from Sabine and go invisible.

[Zorgophlats]

And very much unnecessary. This strip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0025.html) and the one after it both indicate that Elan can tumble away from Sabine and go invisible.

I'm just going to assume Elan learned a level of Forth Wall Ninja. He can make the reader fail a spot check :)

[Scarlet Knight]

YES! YES YES YES!

YES!

{{scrubbed}}

[LOTRfan]

{{scrubbed}}
No. Just no...

[Laeranu]

I didn't know Tsukiko was bi

I thought she was necro-sexual

[MoonCat]

I didn't know Tsukiko was bi

I thought she was necro-sexual

She is necro sexual, and in this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0700.html) strip it just seems she didn't intend to.

[ThePhantasm]

I didn't know Tsukiko was bi

I thought she was necro-sexual

The title doesn't mean she is bi. It is just a joke. Don't read too much into it.

[rewinn]

Looks like the Dashing Swordsman training lets Elan use his Charisma bonus for more than just rapier attacks :smalltongue:
Perhaps Elan's Stunning Kiss works sort of like a counterspell does. He launched it at the moment Sabine that was initiating a kiss-based attack on him; I doubt that the effect came from redirecting the energy of her attack, but at least some of the effectiveness may have come from the fact that she had no defense against being kissed. Her intention was used against her in the finest tradition of the marital (err, I mean martial) arts.

[Aquillion]

I didn't know Tsukiko was bi

I thought she was necro-sexualShe's a Mystic Theurge, they swing both ways.

[ORione]

She's a Mystic Theurge, they swing both ways.

Like True Neutrals?

[Adicted To]

Yes, Both devine and arcane :wink:

[BillyBobJoe]

That describes many a man's reaction to women: utterly divine, but their ways are completely arcane:smalltongue:.

[Shoelessgdowar]

Oh, without a doubt, Tarquin is far cooler than Nale (Elan is far cooler than both, though). And while you do have a point about Richelieu and Bismarck, they did have a few things Tarquin didn't - they were more open about who was in charge, based on what I know of the respective histories. Tarquin only seems to be well known to the people who are involved in the plotting, since he does try to stay behind the scenes (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html) - and Elan, as the one who would be doing the storytelling afterwards, may have a good reason to keep his overall involvement out of the story, just as another way to foil Tarquin's evil plan.

And Tarquin can't be as well remembered as Vader - at best, he'll end up like his namesake, I think.

Hey, Grand Moff Tarkin is epic... if for no other reason then he destroyed Alderaan. Thrawn, Vader, Xizor, Isard... none of them can compare with wiping a planet off the space charts, and irrevocably altering the way the force flowed in the process.


Actually, I think the OP was referring to Tarquin the Proud, the last of the Roman Kings, who was overthrown by Junius Brutus, a nephew of Tarquin's who, unless I'm confusing him with Emperor Claudius, had faked mental deficiency for much of his adult life, only showing the true depth of his intelligence when raising a rebellion against his uncle. Brutus's actions led to the founding of the Republic of Rome (and, a few hundred years later, helped convince his namesake and direct descendant to assassinate Julius Caesar in an attempt to prolong it!)

EDIT: Turns out I had it right. "Brutus" initially wasn't a family name, it was a nickname that translated into "dimwit." Yeah, ten gold pieces says that Tarquin will be overthrown by his (apparently) mind-addled younger relative, like his namesake.

It could be both... heck.. Tarkin could have had his name based off Tarquin the Proud... Tarkin was taken out by his own ego and the son of one of his allies.

[luc258]

We all are expecting that the comic arc will go towards another complicated Nale plan to take over power, but wouldn't it be really funny if the whole arc moved towards a
jealousy drama between Nale, Elan, Haley and Sabine?

[kojar]

So I guess this means Nale has a magic item to prevent him from getting his levels drained.
As for what happened:I was expecting another energy but was I sure not expecting such a great use for charisma, and I think this chase will Sabine`s head stuck in a wall or smething, As long as Elan escapes.

[Tobimaro]

Loved the whole "playtesting the grappling rules with my brother's tongue" bit. :smallbiggrin:

[Hiro Protagonest]

So I guess this means Nale has a magic item to prevent him from getting his levels drained.

I think succubi can suppress their ability to drain. If not, plot > rules.

[LOTRfan]

Savage Species makes it clear that they can suppress it at will.

[Luklan]

Haley has a pulse, ergo not Tsukiko's type.

Haley does not currently have a pulse. She is, in fact... :smallcool:

Stone cold.

YEEAAAAAAHHHH!

(Forgiveness begged if that joke's already been done)

[MoonCat]

Loved the whole "playtesting the grappling rules with my brother's tongue" bit. :smallbiggrin:

Especially considering Haley said something similar to Elan hundreds of strips ago.

[BillyBobJoe]

And remember Celia's sage advice:

"Fail enough of those grapple checks, and you may end up pinned."

[Adicted To]

Haley does not currently have a pulse. She is, in fact... :smallcool:

Stone cold.

YEEAAAAAAHHHH!

(Forgiveness begged if that joke's already been done)

I already mentioned that!!!

[One Step Two]

Excellent strip. It would appear that our Dashing Swordsman can also use his Charisma for grapple checks in the right circumstance.

[Tannhaeuser]

As for Haley's choice, why not [...] that fruit snack sorcerer?

Someone actually recommended Haley and Fruit Pie the Sorcerer (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0091.html)? I thought they had closed the Crack Pairings thread.

Though I suppose he could have had very warm fillings for her...

[fibonacciseries]

Someone actually recommended Haley and Fruit Pie the Sorcerer (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0091.html)? I thought they had closed the Crack Pairings thread.

Though I suppose he could have had very warm fillings for her...

Of course--she was the apple of his pie!

[Tannhaeuser]

Of course--she was the apple of his pie!

Good, good -- I'm glad he didn't fall for some tart.

[fibonacciseries]

Good, good -- I'm glad he didn't fall for some tart.

She might not want a crusty old geezer like him though.

[Gift Jeraff]

Haley/Fruit Pie the Sorcerer? That'd be sweet.

[runescaper123]

YAYZ!!!!!!!!
LOVED THIS COMIC
But what will Haley do when she becomes un-stoned...

[Scarlet Knight]

Haley/Fruit Pie the Sorcerer? That'd be sweet.

You don't think she'd find him a little flakey?

[MoonCat]

YAYZ!!!!!!!!
LOVED THIS COMIC
But what will Haley do when she becomes un-stoned...

Probably nothing. Haley's not Dora from QC, and she was very understanding about Therkla, which would be freak-out material for many women.

[Adicted To]

Probably nothing. Haley's not Dora from QC, and she was very understanding about Therkla, which would be freak-out material for many women.

Yes, she is Chaotic good, so the entire "ends justify the means" idea ain't that strange for her. Besides he was doing it to save her (and himself).

[Procyonpi]

Because Girl On Girl Is Hot, Redcloak wouldn't be interested, she HATES Crystal, and most importantly, crack pairing aren't supposed to make sense, they're supposed to be awesome.

I'm sure someone's written a Crystal / Haley fanfic

Also, at this rate, pretty soon Elan will be tricking Xykon into smashing his own Phylactery.

[runescaper123]

OMG!
Someone commented on my comment!
*Runs around and burns down house in panic*

[MoonCat]

I'm sure someone's written a Crystal / Haley fanfic

Also, at this rate, pretty soon Elan will be tricking Xykon into smashing his own Phylactery.

Yes, but the Giant can't go around writing fanfic! Someone might mistake it as canon!

And I'm pretty sure Xykon is less seducable seductable seducuctable interested in Elan's charms, I doubt he'd get seduced by him.


OMG!
Someone commented on my comment!
*Runs around and burns down house in panic*

I sense much newbness within you. :smallbiggrin::smallwink::smalltongue: