OOTS #932 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Lord Ruby34]

They remembered him!

[Cuthalion]

Beard on bat

Blackwing

Yaaay

[Accountant]

It's crazy go nuts!

[Morph Bark]

BLOODFEAST! Aw yeah.

[Forikroder]

no wonder Tarquins gone through so many wives

[Porthos]

Called it! :smallcool: :smallcool: :smallcool:


So if the Order were to take the Mechane and escape while Julio was fighting Tarquin in an appropriately climatic duel, would that make Julio a...

Wait for it....

Dude ex-Mechane. :smallcool:

OK, Julio will probably use the capret to catch up with them. The pun was too good to pass up though. :smalltongue:

[Sylian]

Belkar getting some more character development! That's pretty cool.

[Vedhin]

Belkar... semblance of compassion... can't understand the madness...

[McDouggal]

Time for the classic "If you strike me down" moment? Nah. AFAIK, Rich doesn't do that.

[Prospekt]

Ahahaha, love the title and how it applies.

"I'm your #1 fan... I'm your #1 fan..."

(Has recently watched Misery for the first time :smalleek:)

[Shale]

Oh man I really hope this means Belkar gets his own pocket-sized dinosaur as a permanent thing (or at least as permanent as anything about Belkar turns out to be).

LOL at Blackwing's dinosaur fanboyism.

And now we know Julio and Tarquin's history! Wonder if it was just the one bride-to-be that he rescued...

[Cuthalion]

Belkar getting some more character development! That's pretty cool.

Where's Scruffy?

[Burnerpower]

Nice! Looks like Scoundrel will survive this. I love bat Durkon as well, he looks awesome. Glad they didn't forget Bloodfeast as well. More signs that Belkar is slowly becoming a better person. Also Blackwing continues to be helpful!

Edit: Oh! Just realized the implications of what Julio said. He said his history with Tarquin was wedding crashing. Perhaps he is referring to Elan's mother and that is how she and Elan got away! :smallcool:

[Flame of Anor]

Okay, everything's going alright so far...

I'm just holding my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop, though. Please don't die, Julio!

[Tsyndrome]

I'm just wondering how well a full-sized dinosaur would work out on the Mechane after a restoration spell...

[Deepbluediver]

SQUEEEEEEEEE!
Bat-Durkon is so adorable!

[Forikroder]

Oh man I really hope this means Belkar gets his own pocket-sized dinosaur as a permanent thing (or at least as permanent as anything about Belkar turns out to be).

LOL at Blackwing's dinosaur fanboyism.

And now we know Julio and Tarquin's history! Wonder if it was just the one bride-to-be that he rescued...

considering hes complaining about running out of ideas im guessing its a regular occurence

[tadkins]

Almost missed the Bat-Durkon. That's a stroke of genius. xD

[Chookster]

I am so unbelievably relieved that someone has been rescuing Tarquin's "wives".

That was preying on my mind a bit.

[Cuthalion]

Elán has better puns than Scoundrél.

[Harbinger]

I love little bat Durkon. He's so cute. :smallbiggrin:

Who's an adorable little bloodthirsty killer? You are, you areeee!

[cctrackstar]

Where's Scruffy?

Roy's got the cat.

BTW, what does it take to undo a baleful polymorph? Because having an add water TRex might come in handy in the end battle.

[The Zealot]

Way to keep your eye on the big picture, Roy!

And I thought for sure the "biggest fan" would involve Julio in some way :smalltongue:

I'm a bit worried about Laurin though. Who knows how many ways she could shut down the carpet crusader?

[Dragonus45]

First off, i love that Julio seems to be so so much batter at the punning than elan is it makes that bad vocabulary joke work. Vampire bat Durkula looks amazing, and Bloodfeast Blackwing OTP.

[Cuthalion]

Just realized this is how they get Lord Bloodfeast to the north.

[DaggerPen]

Julio being involved in Tarquin's wives mysteriously disappearing is totally obvious in retrospect and also fantastic.

Blackwing saving Bloodfeast is FANTASTIC. I love Belkar's concern for the little guy, too.

[BannedInSchool]

Julio cheerfully annoying the heck out of Tarquin is delicious. :smallsmile:

[Nogster]

Yes! Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator saved! Love Belkar's panic.

[DaggerPen]

Oh my god, I just caught bearded bat!Durkon. That's amazing.

[Silva Stormrage]

Interesting to see Belkar's character development a bit. He really does seem to care more for animals now at least.

Also Durkon's bat form with the beard is hilarious.

[littlebum2002]

LOL at all of Belkar's little critters that the Order has to keep track of now.

[Spoomeister]

Wow, this is the closest to real-time I've been online for an update.

Very nice job weaving in how Julio is being a distraction, and the OOTS picking themselves up and dusting themselves off. Quite the stunner (pun semi-intended) to see just how badly knocked out of it Haley was.

And the more comics go by without a mention of Julio or Tarkie again, the more I think that Tarkie's ultimate comeuppance will have been delivered... because it will mean that Tarquin was relegated to the status of B-plot, side villain, side adventure, backstory and NOT part of the "real" story at all. Which makes me happy on multiple levels (the meta points about storytelling, Tarquin's obsession with steering the plot towards himself, and me generally being ready for the story to move on to other plot points).

AND DURKON USED A VAMP POWER! Bat-Durkon is freakin' adorable!!!

Now I'm worried about how Laurin might intervene to stop Our Heroes. Or hey, perhaps she won't, and call in her favor... which goes against my second paragraph above a little... but yay, we're leaving the desert! We're leaving the desert! We're ending the book!

Yay!!!!

:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:

[oppyu]

I'm pretty sure I read someone earlier predicting that the Order would fly away in the airship, leaving Julio and Tarquin fighting while Tarquin realises just how unnecessary he is to the main plot. Whoever you are, epic prediction.

[HalfTangible]

I am so unbelievably relieved that someone has been rescuing Tarquin's "wives".

That was preying on my mind a bit.

It helps, yeah. I kept trying to reconcile just how many he's had since Elan's birth, and kept thinking Tarquin was not only forcing them into marriage... but killing them after a year or two :smalleek:

At least this way we know at least some of them got away alive. And one of them (maybe more) got to live a happy life with a cleric.

[Crustypeanut]

Durkula is so cute as bat! OMG HE HAS A LITTLE BEARD!

[CoffeeIncluded]

Okay, bat Durkon was rather cute, as was Bloodfeast. I suppose THIS is the actual end of the book now?

Hah, I first found out about this comic and website at the end of book 4. It's been a long time, in a good way.

[MonochromeTiger]

Where's Scruffy?

he's being carried by roy in panel 6. and I've seen nothing that says rangers and druids can't tame/get character development from more than one pet/animal companion.

[Forikroder]

Durkula is so cute as bat! OMG HE HAS A LITTLE BEARD!

takes more then magic to rob a dwarf of his beard

[Morty]

It looks like Tarquin is going to survive this encounter. I don't think he'll give up on Elan, so we're more than likely going to see him again...

[Shale]

Okay, bat Durkon was rather cute, as was Bloodfeast. I suppose THIS is the actual end of the book now?

Gods, I hope so. This fight scene has been pretty great, but it's also very close to wearing out its welcome. And I can't think of a more infuriating (for Tarquin) way for this to end than for Scoundrel to fly away on his carpet without so much as a single scratch on him.

[Yana]

Show of hands, would anyone else buy a Bat!Durkula plushie?

[Grey Watcher]

Man, I actually kinda wish this was drawn out more. Watching Tarquin and Julio fight is really fun!


At least this way we know at least some of them got away alive. And one of them (maybe more) got to live a happy life with a cleric.

Wait, how do we know what any of Tarquin's surviving wives did afterwards? To what Cleric do you refer?

[Spoomeister]

I'm pretty sure I read someone earlier predicting that the Order would fly away in the airship, leaving Julio and Tarquin fighting while Tarquin realises just how unnecessary he is to the main plot. Whoever you are, epic prediction.

Proud to say that was one of mine. If it actually seems to be working out that way over the next few panels I might go back through comment history to dig it out. :smallsmile:

I do wonder how often Julio's crew have to just kind of meander around somewhere while Julio is off fulfilling some plot thread or other. They must be used to getting a lot of random directions.

"No really - I'm going to swoop down there. You pick up these half dozen adventurers plus critters and take them wherever they want to go. I'll find you later. No, you'll know how. No, you'll know when. No, I DON'T think you're just a limo service, stop being butt-hurt about these things, you should be used to it by now..."

[Frosty]

The comics are coming at a good pace nowadays!

[cctrackstar]

I'm a tad bit annoyed that they ran away, it's almost as if Roy is trying to save his own bacon. While V is low on spells, I'm sure he still has some, Haley is perfectly fine if she can come out of her dizzyness, an Elan has only one wound. They could turn the tide, especially with the psion still out there. Oh, and Durkula is perfectly fine, at least as a fighter.

[Svata]

Nice touch with the bat-durkon, and I'm glad to see the (potential) source of the rivalry between Scoundrél and Tarquin. He's been saving Tarquin's wives!

[Porthos]

I'm pretty sure I read someone earlier predicting that the Order would fly away in the airship, leaving Julio and Tarquin fighting while Tarquin realises just how unnecessary he is to the main plot. Whoever you are, epic prediction.

I made a comment about how the Order could escape via the Machane while Tarquin and Julio were fighting. I didn't add the bit about Tarquin realizing his unimportance though.

So might be what you were thinking of, might not be.

[WindStruck]

Yes, getting close to the end of the book I guess. They do need to ride off into the sunset after all. :smallbiggrin:

Bat Durkon IS kinda cute. At the same time the beard is hilarious!

Scoundrel crashing weddings.... it SORT OF reminds me of that other final fantasy game where the guy with the airship (dressed somewhat similarly) had a habit of kidnapping female performers from the opera?

[Apricot]

Good to see that with Durkon a little out of things, Belkar has stepped up as the team's moral compass.

[Spoomeister]

Show of hands, would anyone else buy a Bat!Durkula plushie?

Sounds like a great incentive prize for the next kickstarter.

[thatSeniorGuy]

This strip is firing on all cylinders! I love bearded bat-Durkon, and the last three panels! I just really hope that Tarquin doesn't go ballistic on Julio next strip.

Thanks Giant!

[Knight.Anon]

Now all they have to is get Bloodfeast's, enchantment broken, get him awakened, and then have Durkon vampire him. An intelligent vampire allosaurus, no god of war should be without one.

Its nice to see Durkon use some of his vampire abilities.

There's nothing stopping Laurin from following them aboard the airship, Julio is going to be pissed when the Order manage to blow it up.

[Everyl]

The title made me think it would be something relevant to Julio, so I love the way it turned out to be about Bloodfeast.

I also love the way Bloodfeast still has his allosaurus reins dangling from his mouth.

[Kariccia]

And here I thought the title referred to Julio. Nope. :smallbiggrin:

[Dracon1us]

owww but I wanted Tarquie to get killed now :smallfrown:
plane A, complete (almost)!

durkon is just awesome

[Quackenbush]

Belkar's finally starting to seem more like a ranger, what with all his animal companions.

On another note, I don't think Tarquin has fired a single pun at Julio. He's off his game.

[Dragonus45]

Belkar's finally starting to seem more like a ranger, what with all his animal companions.

On another note, I don't think Tarquin has fired a single pun at Julio. He's off his game.


That and i think the rug based puns are harder to battle against.

[oppyu]

I made a comment about how the Order could escape via the Machane while Tarquin and Julio were fighting. I didn't add the bit about Tarquin realizing his unimportance though.

So might be what you were thinking of, might not be.
Not the one I was thinking of, but you guessed it as well so you can have an 'epic prediction' as well. :smallsmile:

Also, did anyone else notice on a second read-through that Lizard Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator is seriously cute? Something about the tiny fangs you can see if you look really closely.

[Dracon1us]

and V has stolen cechov's whip!

[orrion]

What's a chaos sabre?

[Grey Watcher]

Yes, getting close to the end of the book I guess. They do need to ride off into the sunset after all. :smallbiggrin:

Bat Durkon IS kinda cute. At the same time the beard is hilarious!

Scoundrel crashing weddings.... it SORT OF reminds me of that other final fantasy game where the guy with the airship (dressed somewhat similarly) had a habit of kidnapping female performers from the opera?

Eh, vaguely. Setzer doesn't get to duel anyone though. And Maria isn't going to be forced to marry anyone against her will. To say nothing of Ultros and all of his weird shenanigans.

Also, while both wear long coats, Setzers outfit is considerably more gilded and elaborate:

https://www.google.com/search?q=setzer+gabbiani&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=sEWNUriMAu3B4AONnYCoDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1241&bih=596

[Knight.Anon]

Belkar is freaking out over leaving a comrade behind? He may as well has get a t-shirt that says Chaotic Neutral.

[holywhippet]

Edit: Oh! Just realized the implications of what Julio said. He said his history with Tarquin was wedding crashing. Perhaps he is referring to Elan's mother and that is how she and Elan got away! :smallcool:

I don't think so, the back story as given is that they divorced due to incompatible alignments. They did have a pair of kids together which suggests they were married for a while. Elan's mother being CG might not have cared about marriage but his father was LE and would have required it.

Looking at Durkon in bat form (aside from it being awesome) makes me realize, after all the guides on having a spell caster be "Batman" we have a caster in the comic who is almost literally Batman.

[MonochromeTiger]

Belkar is freaking out over leaving a comrade behind? He may as well has get a t-shirt that says Chaotic Neutral.

having played chaotic evil quite a bit I have to say...you'd be upset too if you were leaving behind something that's one break enchantment away from being an army crushing weapon of pure awesome. also being evil doesn't mean you can't like, love, or respect something.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Yes, getting close to the end of the book I guess. They do need to ride off into the sunset after all. :smallbiggrin:

Bat Durkon IS kinda cute. At the same time the beard is hilarious!

Scoundrel crashing weddings.... it SORT OF reminds me of that other final fantasy game where the guy with the airship (dressed somewhat similarly) had a habit of kidnapping female performers from the opera?

Well, considering that the comic before Julio's introduction was basically a prolonged final fantasy 6 cameo, and that technically Elan has been cosplaying as Locke this whole time...

[Metahuman1]

This is awesome. I personally love the idea of Julio running away after the orders away and Laurin telling T "Yeah, no, I held my end of the bargain, It's not my fault you didn't factor in dealing with a competent mentor and paying attention to this being an open world game and setting where ANYTHING can happen! Now do you want a porthole back or do you want to walk?"

[GregTD]

Doesn't Polymorph maintain mass?

[MonochromeTiger]

I don't think so, the back story as given is that they divorced due to incompatible alignments. They did have a pair of kids together which suggests they were married for a while. Elan's mother being CG might not have cared about marriage but his father was LE and would have required it.

Looking at Durkon in bat form (aside from it being awesome) makes me realize, after all the guides on having a spell caster be "Batman" we have a caster in the comic who is almost literally Batman.

now he just needs the gravelly voice, a sneak check worth the time it took to level it, and a nemesis who routinely outshines him in fan appeal.

[Jackson Spades]

:smallcool:
Loved it. Especially bat-Durkon and Blackwing at the end. :smallbiggrin:

So I guess this is just about the end of the book. Is that it for this Desert plot line? I hope so, but I get the feeling they aren't done with Tarquin just yet...

[Cuthalion]

Julio being involved in Tarquin's wives mysteriously disappearing is totally obvious in retrospect and also fantastic.
Did anyone see it coming? We should have...

Doesn't Polymorth maintain mass?

It turns you into a 1 HD creature...

[AdmiralCheez]

So, now the Order has a cat, a bird, a dino-lizard, and a bat. There's almost as many animals now as humanoid members!

Given how enthusiastic Blackwing is, I wonder if Bloodfeast is regretting being saved by his number one fan.

[Porthos]

Not the one I was thinking of, but you guessed it as well so you can have an 'epic prediction' as well. :smallsmile:

Considering what my batting average is when it comes to predicting where this comic is headed, I'll take it. :smallwink:

[Gnoman]

now he just needs the gravelly voice, a sneak check worth the time it took to level it, and a nemesis who routinely outshines him in fan appeal.

Gotta say that nice, shady trees seem to be pretty popular.

[GregTD]

Oh man I really hope this means Belkar gets his own pocket-sized dinosaur as a permanent thing (or at least as permanent as anything about Belkar turns out to be).

LOL at Blackwing's dinosaur fanboyism.

Are you sure that's Blackwing talking? I can't tell for sure, but I figured it was BloodFeast thanking him for the pickup. :smallsmile:

[rs2excelsior]

Vampire Bat Durkon=:smallbiggrin:

Also, Belkar is showing legitimate concern for the well-being of another living creature?:smalleek:

Great strip, Giant, as usual!

[GregTD]

Nice! Looks like Scoundrel will survive this. I love bat Durkon as well, he looks awesome. Glad they didn't forget Bloodfeast as well. More signs that Belkar is slowly becoming a better person. Also Blackwing continues to be helpful!

Edit: Oh! Just realized the implications of what Julio said. He said his history with Tarquin was wedding crashing. Perhaps he is referring to Elan's mother and that is how she and Elan got away! :smallcool:

No, Elan's mom divorced Tarquin, after living with him for some time.

[drazen]

Question: Is Haley just recovering from a harsh stun, or did she take serious Charisma damage? She looks... grumpy.

Great use of conveying lots of details: Durkon re-cast Protection from Daylight on himself, and is a bearded little bat. And you can see Roy indeed grabbed Mr Scruffy.

[Dandria]

I really love the interaction between Tarquin and Julio. It's nothing short of perfect.

[RMS Oceanic]

It's nice to see Tarquin looking so thoroughly thwarted and pissed off about it, but if this is the last we see him, I admit it's not what I expected. I felt his hand as a character was fully played in attacking the Order like that, and I'm not sure how he can remain interesting if he indeed becomes another side in the larger struggle, even if it's not about the gate for him. I did expect him to either die or be permanently thwarted here.

However all that is my personal expectations, and I'm not going to begrudge being wrong. I've been wrong about how the comic would progress before. Assuming that he doesn't try to get Laurin to Wormhole aboard the Mechane, I have confidence in Rich keeping Tarquin interesting. Just because I can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there!

And Belkar gets to keep Bloodfeast! :smallbiggrin: Wonder how long he will remain travel sized?

[DaOldeWolf]

Finally, the Order manages to et away and I wonder how many ways are there to crash a wedding and steal the bride. :smallbiggrin:

[FinnLassie]

Yup. This settles it. There's no turning back from my squeeing Belkar fangirling.

[rodneyAnonymous]

Doesn't Polymorth maintain mass?

No, the target still has the same hit point total (and retains a few other traits), but mostly it "takes on all the statistics and special abilities of an average member of the new form (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/balefulPolymorph.htm)" (including mass).

[Cuthalion]

Yup. This settles it. There's no turning back from my squeeing Belkar fangirling.

I'm going to be decimated when he dies. :smallfrown:

[Knight.Anon]

Is Julio implying that Tarkies hair is magically enhanced? He did have staff at the ready to help Haley with her hair.

[SaintRidley]

I am so unbelievably relieved that someone has been rescuing Tarquin's "wives".


Indeed. And by such a dashing swordsman, too.

[GregTD]

I'm pretty sure I read someone earlier predicting that the Order would fly away in the airship, leaving Julio and Tarquin fighting while Tarquin realises just how unnecessary he is to the main plot. Whoever you are, epic prediction.

Julio has a flying carpet, and TT has sucked at long range. So once OOTS gets on the Mechane, Julio can follow.

[jogiff]

There's an interesting parallel between Blackwing's reaction (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0178.html) to the baleful polymorphed (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0177.html) V and the way he reacted (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0932.html) to the baleful polymorphed (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0926.html) Bloodfeast the Extreminator.

I have no idea what it means or whether the Giant was even thinking about this when he wrote these scenes, but it is interesting to me.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

At least this way we know at least some of them got away alive. And one of them (maybe more) got to live a happy life with a cleric.Wait, how do we know what any of Tarquin's surviving wives did afterwards? To what Cleric do you refer?

Panel 6 of the comic: "I heard [Mandy] married a cleric and spit out a few rugrats"

[Porthos]

I just realized how much like a stereotypical lecturing parent Tarquin sounds like in Panel Seven. It's like he's about to threaten to send Elan to bed without supper. :smalltongue:

[Zelkon]

Great comic as usual. I think we're back to the smart, fun part.

[oppyu]

Indeed. And by such a dashing swordsman, too.
And now we know that Scoundrel regularly rescues innocent women from a fate worse than death at Tarquin's hands. Enough for a Chaotic Good alignment?

EDIT: Derp, nevermind, I remembered this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15667889#post15667889)shortly after posting. Still, yay Julio Scoundrel!

[JosephOrJoe]

Wonderful and awesome. Love Julio. Love Durkon the Bat.

Been having a rotten nasty no good day, but it is a bit better now. Thank you.

[Zejety]

What's a chaos sabre?

I think it is enchanted to deal extra damage to lawful opponents.

[Grey Watcher]

This is awesome. I personally love the idea of Julio running away after the orders away and Laurin telling T "Yeah, no, I held my end of the bargain, It's not my fault you didn't factor in dealing with a competent mentor and paying attention to this being an open world game and setting where ANYTHING can happen! Now do you want a porthole back or do you want to walk?"

Yeah, as obsessed as Tarquin is with his own importance in both his son's life and the narrative of the world he's in, he does still have an Empire or three to run, and that scheme is a man down to boot. It's really hard to imagine that his friends will let him just drop everything to go chase his son through another continent. Plus, I dunno, it kind of seems karmically just for him to just have his plotline left hanging. No dramatic death scene, no climactic battle, no nothing. The Order flies of on the Mechane and Tarkie's left to mundane day-to-day business of politicking his way through life.

[Clyner]

Belkar's panicking is kinda cute *hides from halfling retaliation*

[Gift Jeraff]

Blackwing's obviously hinting that he himself is a polymorphed dinosaur of the Huge size category.

[oppyu]

Belkar's panicking is kinda cute *hides from halfling retaliation*
Awwwww, the jowwy widdle hawfwing wuvs his widdle lizard! How cute!

[MonochromeTiger]

Blackwing's obviously hinting that he himself is a polymorphed dinosaur of the Huge size category.

obviously he is a winged black alosaurus with a magical acid breath attack (line of course) that walks on four legs instead of two and the front legs are usable as arms *nod nod*.

[Kish]

So, it appears--bearing in mind that any of this could be reversed before the end of the book:

The Order will go north on the Mechane; Julio will accompany them but probably just drop them off there.
The Grim Reaper will continue to stalk Belkar but will not lower that scythe yet.
Durkon will not thoroughly explore his vampiric nature or get resurrected yet.
The Laurinear Guild (tm Gift Jeraff) will stay in control of the continent, and almost certainly show up again before the end of the comic.
Just when they think they've gotten away, the continent will curl up and the rift will swallow both the Order of the Stick and the Laurinear Guild. That strip will be titled, "You Didn't Really Think They Would Get Out Of This Book Without Going Through The Rift, Did You?"

[Lheticus]

Holy--Belkar actually legitimately caring about another living organism?!

I think Lee, Cedric, and Nero better find some cold weather clothes... O_O

[Canuck617]

BWAhahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!

Blackwing is hilarious!!

And wook at the wittwe Bwoodfeast the Extweminatow. Who's a booga booga? You're a booga wooga, a booga wooga wooga! So Cute!! (I know he's a gaint allosaurus. I don't care. It's awesome.)

I freaking love this comic. It almost never fails to surprise me.

Also, big ups to the Highwind references; I should have realized it sooner. *Cue Final Fantasy post-airship world music of your choice.*

And yes, I think that I may never see a thing as wacky as a bearded bat indeed. (Close enough.)

[zimmerwald1915]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, V. You haven't got much time left...

There's an interesting lack of "The Order of the Stick will return on..." I don't think we've reached book5's finale yet.

[Benthesquid]

I'm going to be decimated when he dies. :smallfrown:

One out of every ten of you will be destroyed? You... you should get that checked out. :smalltongue:

/pedantry

[The_Tentacle]

There is a bat. With a beard.

I think we're done here.

[snikrept]

And now they have fast transport to the North for the final battle

[ooOoo]

Gotta say that nice, shady trees seem to be pretty poplar.
FTFY :smallbiggrin:

[MonochromeTiger]

One out of every ten of you will be destroyed? You... you should get that checked out. :smalltongue:

/pedantry

well, think of it this way, the worst he has to worry about are losing one finger, and one toe, those are the only parts that even count up to 10...wait unless we count bones, muscles, and anything being measured numerically instead of individually..

[BaronOfHell]

Is it just me or is everyone forgetting about Ian and the bounty?

Great strip, btw. A joy to read as usually. Thank you.

[orrion]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, V. You haven't got much time left...

Um, he immediately figured Belkar was talking about his cat and hastened to reassure him that the kitty was safe.

NOBODY except Belkar thought of the dino, so the fact that V didn't think of it either isn't a callous disregard of anything.

[Gusion]

New comic is up.

Edit: No, nevermind. I guess not. That could be him just changing to bat form.

[Math_Mage]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, V. You haven't got much time left...
I don't think anyone else would have immediately realized who Belkar was referring to, either...

[Porthos]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, V. You haven't got much time left...

What callous disregard? :smallconfused: Or if you are referring to him forgetting about Bloodfeast, everyone but Belkar forgot about him. Including his so-called Number One Fan.

This one.... seems a bit of a stretch. :smallwink:

[rodneyAnonymous]

Well that answers if the D-Vamp can recast his protection spell...

I thought so too, but that was already answered when he tried to in #929 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0929.html).

[Forikroder]

I'm a tad bit annoyed that they ran away, it's almost as if Roy is trying to save his own bacon. While V is low on spells, I'm sure he still has some, Haley is perfectly fine if she can come out of her dizzyness, an Elan has only one wound. They could turn the tide, especially with the psion still out there. Oh, and Durkula is perfectly fine, at least as a fighter.

they have a fighter whos almsot dead, a ranger whos almsot dead, a cleric with no spells a rogue and a wizard with spells left

and you think there in a positoon to do things?

[Grey Watcher]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, V. You haven't got much time left...

There's an interesting lack of "The Order of the Stick will return on..." I don't think we've reached book5's finale yet.

I think this is definitely the last big hurrah for the action, or very close to it. There's usually a few pages of denouement at the end of a book anyway (ie Sabine breaking Nale and Thog out of Prison while Miko gets assigned to capture the Order, the Order enjoying the favors they extorted out of Shojo while Team Evil goes on the march, the various sides taking stock of their situations after the fall of Azure City, or the Order getting a few reflective moments while they prep for and journey to the Western Continent.)

So, I figure we've got however many strips it takes to wrap up this fight with Tarquin plus another half dozen or so?

[zimmerwald1915]

Um, he immediately figured Belkar was talking about his cat and hastened to reassure him that the kitty was safe.

NOBODY except Belkar thought of the dino, so the fact that V didn't think of it either isn't a callous disregard of anything.

When youi are comparing a character's regard for other's unfavorably with Belkar's you are not defending them. At least not well. And the fact that the rest of the Order was also not up to Belkar's standard doesn't mitigate anything.

[Porthos]

Is it just me or is everyone forgetting about Ian and the bounty?

Not me. It's why I think we're not quite done with the Western Continent quite yet. :smallsmile:

[orrion]

When youi are comparing a character's regard for other's unfavorably with Belkar's you are not defending them. At least not well. And the fact that the rest of the Order was also not up to Belkar's standard doesn't mitigate anything.

Try this, then:

V didn't know who Belkar was talking about when he said "Bloodfeast," because V was, y'know, flying and not within earshot when Belkar named him.



On another note, Zimmer, didn't you just say something about being charitable in another thread? Yet here you go condemning V instantly without even a little bit of examination.

[Porthos]

When youi are comparing a character's regard for other's unfavorably with Belkar's you are not defending them. At least not well. And the fact that the rest of the Order was also not up to Belkar's standard doesn't mitigate anything.

*tries to parse*

People aren't saying that Belkar is an exemplary figure. They are saying he's the one mostly likely to have a reason to remember.

If you want to cast aspersions here, it should be at Blackwing, not V.

Personally, it just feels like a cheap shot against V. And this is from someone who will grudgingly admit you have the occasional point about the elf. :smallwink:

[Kish]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, Order of the Not-Belkar?

Seriously, it is noteworthy that Belkar is the only one who cares about Bloodfeast. At this rate, he may fulfill the entirety of his class description, rather than behaving like a particularly stupid dual-wielding fighter, before he dies.

[MonochromeTiger]

they have a fighter whos almsot dead, a ranger whos almsot dead, a cleric with no spells a rogue and a wizard with spells left

and you think there in a positoon to do things?

well..even if they were I think the situation they're in makes getting out the best decision. xykon already said he's porting directly to the entrance to the last gate's dungeon, they just got delayed by a gigantic sand elemental as well as fighting an army and an evil adventuring party that seems, even with fewer numbers, to be their equals if not betters in a fight. and no one else (that we know of) seems to have the resources or knowledge to counter xykon's move on the good side. they either drop a non plot centric fight to go save the world or stick there risking lives and time while xykon and redcloak get to the last gate and kill everything.

[oppyu]

Try this, then:

V didn't know who Belkar was talking about when he said "Bloodfeast," because V was, y'know, flying and not within earshot when Belkar named him.



On another note, Zimmer, didn't you just say something about being charitable in another thread? Yet here you go condemning V instantly without even a little bit of examination.
Zimmer is the Leader, Treasurer, Vice-Leader, HR Rep and Unpaid Intern of the Vaarsuvius Hateclub.

[boolean]

Also, while both wear long coats, Setzers outfit is considerably more gilded and elaborate:

It looks pretty similar to me:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0388.html

[YourNewOverlord]

Excellent strip- especially Bat Durkon. And Blackwing. Not sure how the airship will handle having an Allosaurus on board if Bloodfeast gets unpolymorphed.


As for what happens to Tarquin after this, since he seems somewhat likely to survive now, my personal theory is still that he's going to try to conquer the Rift World. He certainly wouldn't have any qualms about the Snarl destroying souls, and has mooks to spare if he needs to test it, and it would keep him in Elan's story in a very direct way.

[Everyl]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, V. You haven't got much time left...

There's an interesting lack of "The Order of the Stick will return on..." I don't think we've reached book5's finale yet.

V was fully aware that Mister Scruffy was the only other living thing Belkar has ever expressed genuine concern over to date. V was still catching up from the Wormhole-allosaurus chase when Belkar added Bloodfeast to that list (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0926.html).

Being out of earshot of a single line that contradicts most of Belkar's known personality is not the same as callous disregard for the well-being of others. If anything, having already checked on the status of Mister Scruffy so he could answer about him without looking shows the exact opposite.

Edit: Minor typo fixes

[Gusion]

I thought so too, but that was already answered when he tried to in #929 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0929.html).

Maybe/sorta. 929 strongly implies it but since he didn't cast it *successfully* we don't know that he actually can.

But I changed my mind anyway - the magic could be him changing into bat form and not definitive to any particular magic.

[orrion]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, Order of the Not-Belkar?

Seriously, it is noteworthy that Belkar is the only one who cares about Bloodfeast. At this rate, he may fulfill the entirety of his class description, rather than behaving like a particularly stupid dual-wielding fighter, before he dies.

Yeah. The noteworthy part for me was Belkar caring, not everyone else forgetting.

This says nothing about V specifically, especially as he had a perfectly legitimate reason to say "Who?" when Belkar said "Bloodfeast."

[Smolder]

First reaction: I'm excited that the Chekhov's pocket allosaurus is still in play...

[Aolbain]

So Tarquin didnt murder his wives? Thats nice.

[oonker]

Best punchline evah!

"I'm a huge fan of your work."

(while we're on it, can anyone instruct me on how do I use a :Blackwing: emoticon? :smallsmile: )

[FinnLassie]

I'm going to be decimated when he dies. :smallfrown:

N-no! Don't you dare to say such things! I'm going to marry him, I am! :smalleek:

[Porthos]

Maybe/sorta. 929 strongly implies it but since he didn't cast it *successfully* we don't know that he actually can.

But I changed my mind anyway - the magic could be him changing into bat form and not definitive to any particular magic.

Being in bat-form wouldn't protect him from the sun though.

[Kish]

Zimmer is the Leader, Treasurer, Vice-Leader, HR Rep and Unpaid Intern of the Vaarsuvius Hateclub.
Hey. I am Vice-Leader.

(Possibly also Treasurer.)

[HZ514]

Roy's leadership, Julio's needling of Tarkie, V's usages of Bigsby's Grasping Hand, and Belkar's continued character development are all wonderful highlights of this strip.

Guess we're approaching the end of book 5, huh? It's taken on a very nice mood overall for where we are in the story. An airship escape from the desert would/will be a nice parallel to the boat escape from Azure city.

(Edit: All this hate of V. Well, well. My favorite character certainly does receive V's fair share of contempt.)

[rodneyAnonymous]

Being in bat-form wouldn't protect him from the sun though.

It's also before anyone said anything about flying, which is ostensibly why he changed into a bat. Pretty sure he was casting PFD there.

[RNGgod]

I suppose it's conceivable that Laurin might try to wormhole herself and Tarquin aboard the Mechane, but I think it more likely that the Order is finally safe.


That said, Julio might not be. Laurin might come back and help fight him.


Anyway, my personal prediction is to bring back a theory I had from before Nale died: it is Tarquin who enters the rift, after the Order escapes. We'll see. It does sound to me like a good way for Tarquin to remain both relevant to the main plot and likely to meet his well-deserved demise.

[Grey Watcher]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, Order of the Not-Belkar?

Seriously, it is noteworthy that Belkar is the only one who cares about Bloodfeast. At this rate, he may fulfill the entirety of his class description, rather than behaving like a particularly stupid dual-wielding fighter, before he dies.

Well, that depends heavily on whether he cares about Bloodfeast himself, or is just more concerned with "When am I ever gonna succeed on a Handle Animal check against a frickin' allosaurus again!?"


It looks pretty similar to me:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0388.html

The coats have similar cuts, and the art-style certain reinforces that, but I always imagined Scoundrel's look to be much more of a rugged, rough-n-ready kind of thing, as opposed to Setzer's over-the-top finery, what with the ruffled shirts and gold trim and such.


I thought so too, but that was already answered when he tried to in #929 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0929.html).

Well, he's casting it from the staff in both cases. Hard to imagine what else he could be doing, given that turning into a bat isn't a spell, it's just a vampire power, and when Malack turned into mist, he didn't need a black magic glow, so I imagine turning into a bat doesn't either. Now, whether he'll be able to cast it all by himself once he can refresh his spells....

[Porthos]

It's also before anyone said anything about flying, which is ostensibly why he changed into a bat. Pretty sure he was casting PFD there.

Considering that the staff itself is glowing, I think that's a safe bet. :smallwink:

[Falbrogna]

Between Durkon, Haley, Julio and V they could have finished off Tarquin with relative ease.
Oh well.

[GregTD]

they have a fighter whos almsot dead, a ranger whos almsot dead, a cleric with no spells a rogue and a wizard with spells left

and you think there in a positoon to do things?

Thank you, my thought exactly. While it would be nice to kill TT and keep them from framing Halley's father, only Elan and Halley even know about that, and, frankly, it pales to insignificance compared to stopping Team Evil.

Time to beat feat.

[MonochromeTiger]

It's also before anyone said anything about flying, which is ostensibly why he changed into a bat. Pretty sure he was casting PFD there.

the staff had charges of the spell in it..he uses the staff and has an aura of magic around him in panel 2 long before the panel where he shows his bat form, I'm sorta curious how people think he went into sunlight without casting it first.

[StLordeth]

Nice comic. I think Julio might die now lol. With how saddened Elan is.

[Cirin]

Na na na na na na. . .Bat Dwarf!

He is vengeance, he is the night, he is Batdwarf!

[GregTD]

No, the target still has the same hit point total (and retains a few other traits), but mostly it "takes on all the statistics and special abilities of an average member of the new form (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/balefulPolymorph.htm)" (including mass).

Thanks, I was confusing the Hit Points with the mass.

[RNGgod]

Between Durkon, Haley, Julio and V they could have finished off Tarquin with relative ease.
Oh well.

And Laurin?

If she returned they might very well be able to kill her too. But the odds of them doing it without any casualties are low. And the Order's goals are to survive to fight Team Evil. Not to kill these two.

[HZ514]

the staff had charges of the spell in it..he uses the staff and has an aura of magic around him in panel 2 long before the panel where he shows his bat form, I'm sorta curious how people think he went into sunlight without casting it first.

Never doubt the possibility of people missing obvious details in the strip, no matter how illogical or random the alternative might be. If the Giant doesn't devote text to specifically address that something happened, there will be people who miss it and yet more people who still somehow doubt it despite it being explained after the fact.

[oppyu]

Between Durkon, Haley, Julio and V they could have finished off Tarquin with relative ease.
Oh well.
Haley's still pretty out of it, even as she's flying Elan to the airship. Durkon could be useful, but he's vulnerable as long as he's relying on Protection From Sunlight against Laurin. And true, while V's fine, the Order still has two members teetering on the brink of negative hitpoints, and Elan's not exactly unwounded either. So while they could have defeated Tarquin, they stood to lose a lot more by staying than they could have gained.

[toapat]

So Tarquin didnt murder his wives? Thats nice.

the only wife we have confirmation being dead is his 10th wife, and V might have outright obliterated her soul.

In other news, in panel 7, bob and weave should be highlighted, not just weave.

[Knight.Anon]

Something tells me that Julio may have the rug pulled out from under him.

[ScrapperTBP]

I'm worried that Laurin will lock Julio down but we'll see

[zimmerwald1915]

On another note, Zimmer, didn't you just say something about being charitable in another thread? Yet here you go condemning V instantly without even a little bit of examination.
Just because I'm generally willing to give characters the benefit of the doubt doesn't mean that characters can't waive that privilege by their actions.


Being out of earshot of a single line that contradicts most of Belkar's known personality is not the same as callous disregard for the well-being of others. If anything, having already checked on the status of Mister Scruffy so he could answer about him without looking shows the exact opposite.
Caring about the well-being of others should be someone's default state. One shouldn't have be reminded, by Belkar of all people, to do so.


Zimmer is the Leader, Treasurer, Vice-Leader, HR Rep and Unpaid Intern of the Vaarsuvius Hateclub.

Hey. I am Vice-Leader.

(Possibly also Treasurer.)
Considering you recruited me, I'm pretty sure you're the HR Rep as well. But who's the Secretary? :smallbiggrin:

[Porthos]

the only wife we have confirmation being dead is his 10th wife, and V might have outright obliterated her soul.

In other news, in panel 7, bob and weave should be highlighted, not just weave.

Bob isn't really the pun there. The weave of the carpet is. Throughout the whole page, Julio is making puns based on his carpet.

[rewinn]

Between Durkon, Haley, Julio and V they could have finished off Tarquin with relative ease.
Oh well.

Hrm. I dunno. Haley's stunned, Durkon's out of spells, V's got to be getting low. Thanks to Roy's lampshading we see Julio's fighting to distract, not to win. Perhaps (speculating here) that's due to Julio's assessment of their relative power, but perhaps it's more that Julio's motivation is to make great stories, not to kill Tarquin. Tarquin makes a GREAT recurring villain for Julio!!! so why help the Order finish him off?

Now maybe in an all-out to-the-death battle the team would have on last person standing, but that would be pointless: defeating Tarquin gains OOTS nothing except a chance to continue the quest, which is exactly what they get by escaping, and a lot cheaper.

PLUS we don't know how much juice Laurin has left - probably enough to wormhole Miron back or perhaps the rest of the army. All-in-all, it's really time to use the Order's classic strategy: RUN AWAY!

[Muenster Man]

Bat-form Durkon looks surprisingly adorable. It's probably the beard :smallsmile:

[HZ514]

the only wife we have confirmation being dead is his 10th wife, and V might have outright obliterated her soul.

In other news, in panel 7, bob and weave should be highlighted, not just weave.

Familicide, not Familisnarl. There's no mention whatsoever of any of their souls being obliterated or otherwise harmed, unless of course you consider being forcibly ejected from the Material Plane as harm.

[rodneyAnonymous]

Caring about the well-being of others should be someone's default state. One shouldn't have be reminded, by Belkar of all people, to do so.

Vaarsuvius didn't know who Belkar was talking about, whereas "callous disregard" implies s/he did (or should) know and didn't care.

[jidasfire]

Caring about the well-being of others should be someone's default state. One shouldn't have be reminded, by Belkar of all people, to do so.



Yeah, what a jerk. V's only carrying Roy, and Belkar, and by proxy Mr. Scruffy, at least one of whom s/he's inclined to hate. Ever heard of the moving goalpost fallacy?

[Forikroder]

So Tarquin didnt murder his wives? Thats nice.

julio only said he crashed tarquins weddings more then once, i imagine after there already married Julio wouldnt bother rescuing them not enough pizaz

[quasit]

Yes, getting close to the end of the book I guess. They do need to ride off into the sunset after all. :smallbiggrin:

Bat Durkon IS kinda cute. At the same time the beard is hilarious!

Scoundrel crashing weddings.... it SORT OF reminds me of that other final fantasy game where the guy with the airship (dressed somewhat similarly) had a habit of kidnapping female performers from the opera?

Seen before: Here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0388.html). Even the ship is named blackjack. :smallbiggrin:

[MonochromeTiger]

Familicide, not Familisnarl. There's no mention whatsoever of any of their souls being obliterated or otherwise harmed, unless of course you consider being forcibly ejected from the Material Plane as harm.

considering familiacide affected the draketooths as well and THEY still had resurrect (unsuccessfully) and speak with dead (successfully) used on them I'd say the spell did nothing to their souls, plus with the soul present in the, then undead, dragon the spell was cast on if it had the indicator would've been her suddenly just going blank instead of having to be disintegrated a final time.

[Gorbad Ironclaw]

Looks like the very end of this arc is starting. I think this was one of the longest story arcs yet.

[zimmerwald1915]

Hrm. I dunno. Haley's stunned, Durkon's out of spells, V's got to be getting low.
By my count she's got one level 8 spell, one level 7 spell, two level 6 spells, two level 5 spells, four level 4 spells, five level 3 spells, five level 2 spells, and all her level 1 spells and cantrips left uncast. Whether that's "low" is in the eye of the beholder.


the only wife we have confirmation being dead is his 10th wife, and V might have outright obliterated her soul.

Familicide, not Familisnarl. There's no mention whatsoever of any of their souls being obliterated or otherwise harmed, unless of course you consider being forcibly ejected from the Material Plane as harm.
Er, yeah. Familicide was a lot of things, but soul-reaving? Probably not.

[Zmeoaice]

Now I want to see what Malack would have looked like as a bat.

[Gwynfrid]

Phenomenal punchline here. Go Blackwing!

[chillmynaga]

Belkar has an amazing arsenal of pets. Im interested to see the final TE vs TT vs Oots battle at the last gate. Shoulder Pads guy might even be introduced, who knows.

[rodneyAnonymous]

Yeah, unfortunately I don't think Julio rescued any wives, he talked about crashing weddings and rescuing brides. "Wife" implies "after the wedding". I suppose the rescues could have happened after the marriage ceremony but before the wedding is over, but that seems like a stretch...

[Forikroder]

Just because I'm generally willing to give characters the benefit of the doubt doesn't mean that characters can't waive that privilege by their actions.


Caring about the well-being of others should be someone's default state. One shouldn't have be reminded, by Belkar of all people, to do so.



Considering you recruited me, I'm pretty sure you're the HR Rep as well. But who's the Secretary? :smallbiggrin:

so V didnt remember the name of the allosaurus they stole from Tarquin is that really THAT big of a deal?

its odd that you didnt seem to have a problem with roy having Durkon mnd controlling the soldiers and the huge body count the OoTS racked up escapeing but because V forgot the allosaurus he becomes a terrible person

[joela]

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Re: Laurin. Gang-up with Tarquin against Julio? Escape with Tarquin? Both? Or 'port up to the airship to continue harassing the OotS?

And could Miron 'port back after recovering? :smallconfused:

[Commander672]

I'd almost be scared for the fate of reality if Belkar hadn't used a living, thinking humanoid as a litterbox a few hours ago.

[orrion]

Just because I'm generally willing to give characters the benefit of the doubt doesn't mean that characters can't waive that privilege by their actions.

My point was that you didn't bother to examine the actions. You jumped right to callous disregard.



Caring about the well-being of others should be someone's default state. One shouldn't have be reminded, by Belkar of all people, to do so.

Except, again, V had no idea who Belkar was talking about. He wasn't reminded of anything, he was informed.

Even we grant that V should have somehow inherently known who the heck Bloodfeast was, you should be condemning the Order as a whole and not V specifically.

[pendell]

Still an awesome great strip.

Okay, got a question: Haley is still stunned. Mechanically, how does that work? Everybody else has recovered but she's still out. I'm guessing they made saves she failed -- fortitude, maybe ?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[SnowballMan]

That and i think the rug based puns are harder to battle against.
Sounds like a challenge has been laid.
I know in such a contest it is easy to get burned.
Others just can't cut it.
The shame of losing would be hard to bear with so much looming over you.
But it's not worth pulling your hair out for.

[Knight.Anon]

I think :vaarsuvius: is past her low point. She's been useful in battle, admitted her guilt, given good tactical advice. She anticipated :roy:'s order and retrieved his sword, and even had Blackwing help :belkar:.

[Shining Wrath]

So now we know what Tarquin and Julio's past relationship is - Julio is a serial Tarquin wedding interrupter, a la The Graduate.

Yeah, I think we can bet that Tarquin is NOT Julio's biggest fan.

VERY surprised that V isn't doing anything offensive, but perhaps she/he figured out Roy's decision before Roy announced it - that would not surprise me.

Julio obviously had a whole thread of carpet puns prepared. I just hope he doesn't wind up getting laid out.

Blackwing is a huge fan of the dinosaur's work - but what happens if Laurin dispels the Baleful Polymorph? Can the Mechane handle the weight without capsizing?

[HZ514]

Sounds like a challenge has been laid.
I know in such a contest it is easy to get burned.
Others just can't cut it.
The shame of losing would be hard to bear with so much looming over you.
But it's not worth pulling your hair out for.

Booo, time to sweep this pun train under the rug.

[Kish]

There is a point here: Empathy doesn't come naturally to Vaarsuvius in general, particularly empathy for animals. It took committing a life-altering atrocity and nearly being killed by a lich for her/him to start treating her/his sapient familiar like anything other than an annoyingly disobedient appendage. S/he is struggling to do better now, of course. Not only toward "Bird-That-Ms.-Starshine-Named" but toward other people's animals as well. But, while I would under the circumstances understand if no one else in the Order went hey, wait, we shouldn't leave the allosaur-lizard to her/his fate at the hands of the Laurinear Guild (hey, they forgot Durkon a while ago; one must make allowances for idiots to act like idiots occasionally)...Remembering to pick up the animal who helped them and who would probably rather not remain a tiny lizard speaks better of the one who did than failing to do so speaks of any of the ones who didn't.

I think :vaarsuvius: is past her low point. Considering how epically low Vaarsuvius' low point was, I certainly hope so.

There is, however, still a lot of room between "actively committing mass murder of uninvolved innocents at this moment" and "don't frown at her/him, Zimmer."

[Cirin]

Julio referred to his weapon as a "Chaos Saber".

I'm usually pretty up on 3.5e D&D rules and such, but I've never heard of that item. Does anybody know what book it's from, what it does, or is it a homebrew item Rich cooked up for the setting?

[Oko and Qailee]

10/10 on that last panel

[Shining Wrath]

Oh man I really hope this means Belkar gets his own pocket-sized dinosaur as a permanent thing (or at least as permanent as anything about Belkar turns out to be).

LOL at Blackwing's dinosaur fanboyism.

And now we know Julio and Tarquin's history! Wonder if it was just the one bride-to-be that he rescued...

At least Jenella and Mandy - two.

[rodneyAnonymous]

Okay, got a question: Haley is still stunned. Mechanically, how does that work?

Her stun lasted longer, but no, she is not "still stunned": she is walking in the second panel, and carrying Elan in the sixth panel.

The most likely mechanical explanation is that the power Laurin used had a variable-duration stun, each target is stunned for 1d4 rounds say, and it happened to affect Haley longer. She is not the only person who was affected.

[Oko and Qailee]

Julio referred to his weapon as a "Chaos Saber".

I'm usually pretty up on 3.5e D&D rules and such, but I've never heard of that item. Does anybody know what book it's from, what it does, or is it a homebrew item Rich cooked up for the setting?

Maybe he just meant an anarchic weapon?

[Gift Jeraff]

Now I want to see what Malack would have looked like as a bat.

I imagine a pterosaur without hind legs.


The Laurinear Guild (tm Gift Jeraff)

This will catch on!

[Shining Wrath]

Man, I actually kinda wish this was drawn out more. Watching Tarquin and Julio fight is really fun!



Wait, how do we know what any of Tarquin's surviving wives did afterwards? To what Cleric do you refer?

Julio's dialogue, panel 6, as Elan sings to encourage him.

[Joseph_Lavode]

I love seeing Tarquin get more and more furious. The calm composed evil genius is all but totally gone now. :smallbiggrin:

[IW Judicator]

So THAT'S how Julio earned his levels as a Dashing Swordsman...Farming exp and loot off of Tarkie. :smallbiggrin:

[Oko and Qailee]

And, wow, is Belkar caring about something alive for some reason other than "I can ride him to slaughter soldiers?"

(Yes I know he already cared about Mr. Scruffy)

[Porthos]

Remembering to pick up the animal who helped them and who would probably rather not remain a tiny lizard speaks better of the one who did than failing to do so speaks of any of the ones who didn't.

Two points. I think most people here are reacting to the 'callous disregard' charge. It's just overkill for describing what happened, at least IMO.

Secondly, only one person can remember Bloodfeast first. If, and I stress if, Rich wanted to use someone remembering to save Bloodfeast as character development, perhaps he felt the character development should be Belkar's not V's.

That someone didn't get character development in this instance doesn't say quite as much as the person who did get it.

======

ETA::::

*points below*

I ninja'ed The Giant!!! :smalltongue: :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:

End ETA:::

======

....

You know, if after just reading the comic anyone had told me that we would be debating on whether or not V was once again acting in a callous manner, I wouldn't have believed them.

It's just not something I would have guessed happening. :smalltongue:

[The Giant]

Caring about the well-being of others should be someone's default state. One shouldn't have be reminded, by Belkar of all people, to do so.

The fact that Belkar worries that Tarquin will take the time to look for a tiny desert lizard in the desert and take it home and punish it does not mean that is actually what would happen. Other, smarter people might reasonably think that Tarquin would have bigger concerns and Bloodfeast would go on to live a normal lizardy life. Or they might think that, as a highly valuable piece of military equipment (limited enough that they use the same one for war and arena duty), Tarquin would simply de-polymorph the dinosaur and return it to its duties. This wasn't a black-or-white, save-the-dinosaur-or-be-willfully-condemning-it-to-die-painfully sort of thing. There are a lot of valid options for what someone could think was going to happen.

But just beyond that…you do understand how stories work, right? That the point of that particular scene was to show that Belkar cared? And that this would be impossible to do if anyone else thought to rescue the lizard before he did? I know that you're going out of your way to attack Vaarsuvius as much as possible, but when you get to the point of blaming him/her for not having Belkar's character growth instead of Belkar, it makes you sound sort of…overzealous.

[HZ514]

I think Porthos just ninja'd the Giant about V not getting Belkar's character growth because only one of them could get it.

Mental snapshot, and....click.

[zimmerwald1915]

Now I want to see what Malack would have looked like as a bat.
Probably something like this:

http://i40.tinypic.com/moeic.png

Though that's assuming his bat form grew legs even though his lizardfolk body didn't have any.

Changes made to Durkon's bat form:
1. removed the beard and fangs
2. elongated the snout and added fangs where Malack's fangs were
3. changed the body color to Malack's body color, the wing color to the color of Malack's outer cloak and hood, and the fingerbone color to the color of Malack's inner robe
4. changed the eyes to Malack's milky pink with no outline

It's a pretty hack job on my part, really :smallredface:


You know, if after just reading the comic anyone had told me that we would be debating on whether or not V was once again acting in a callous manner, I wouldn't have believed them.

It's just not something I would have guessed happening. :smalltongue:
*looks at join date*

Really?

[Knight.Anon]

Imagine how freaky and unnatural :vaarsuvius:'s spell of a giant floating hand would look in a stick figure based universe. It would cause peasants to run and children to start crying.

[quasit]

I'm worried that Laurin will lock Julio down but we'll see

Agree. Loks a bit like the order fleeing gives Tarquin and Laurin the chance to shot him down. Hard.
Too bad, Julio was such a dashing rogue...:smallsigh:

[Orm-Embar]

Just wanted to say I love this episode.

It's got a bearded bat, rug-based puns (is Tarkie even trying to counter-pun?), V stealing Tarkie's whip and using a spell rather than a free hand to pick up Roy's sword (typical wizard! oh no wait it gets better now I see the Bugsby's [sic] Hand being used to pick Roy up and fly with him), backstory between Tarkie and Julio, the Order using their time-tested strategy of RUN AWAY NOW, and Belkar showing actual concern for another living thing. And Blackwing's fanboy moment in the last panel.

Also I'm happy to see Bloodfeast is, after all, going with the Order.

This is a fun beginning of the end.

Thanks Giant!

[Porthos]

I think Porthos just ninja'd the Giant about V not getting Belkar's character growth because only one of them could get it.

Mental snapshot, and....click.

*mentally savors WIN* :smallcool:


*looks at join date*

Really?

What can I say? This board constantly surprises me. :smalltongue:

[Caex]

Phew, I was really concerned for Bloodfeast. It's good to see that Blackwing has grown since his days of trying to eat Vaarsuvius lizard.

[Gift Jeraff]

Imagine how freaky and unnatural :vaarsuvius:'s spell of a giant floating hand would look in a stick figure based universe. It would cause peasants to run and children to start crying.

Sir Thumb is actually an eldritch horror.

On a somewhat related note, I just realized V's hand spells only have 4 fingers (or 3 fingers and a thumb).

[Shining Wrath]

obviously he is a winged black alosaurus with a magical acid breath attack (line of course) that walks on four legs instead of two and the front legs are usable as arms *nod nod*.

In other words, he's a black dragon that survived the Familicide and is waiting for the best moment to strike for DRACONIC VENGEANCE!:smallcool:

[Falbrogna]

And Laurin?

If she returned they might very well be able to kill her too. But the odds of them doing it without any casualties are low. And the Order's goals are to survive to fight Team Evil. Not to kill these two.

That's why I excluded Belkar and Roy, and if their goal is to survive slaying their foes would be much better than running away, expecially if higher level than you and with a lucky chance to bring them down.


Julio referred to his weapon as a "Chaos Saber".

I'm usually pretty up on 3.5e D&D rules and such, but I've never heard of that item. Does anybody know what book it's from, what it does, or is it a homebrew item Rich cooked up for the setting?

Weapons can have lawful, evil, chaotic etc. alignments too, dealing additional damage to the other extreme (in Julio's case, the sabre would deal additional damage to lawful beings).
The... alternative (http://dungeons.wikia.com/wiki/Chaos_Sword_%283.5e_Equipment%29) is a bit hard to imagine. :smallbiggrin:

[Shining Wrath]

Keep up the callous disregard for the wellbeing of others, V. You haven't got much time left...

There's an interesting lack of "The Order of the Stick will return on..." I don't think we've reached book5's finale yet.

The V who didn't know what Belkar had named his dinosaur, but whose first act was to return Roy's sword to him?

I see no callous disregard for anyone shown here, except maybe by Roy leaving Julio.

[AstralFire]

I think my favorite thing about this discussion is that it makes me feel totally okay about disliking Vaarsuvius; I might be grumpy, but at least I am not that grumpy.

[RNGgod]

if their goal is to survive killing their foes works much better than running away.

That's your opinion. Regardless of whether it's correct, the Order has to
a) agree with it,
b) believe four of them could kill Tarquin and Laurin, and
c) actually be able to kill Tarquin and Laurin


All of those have to be true for your plan to make sense, and there's no evidence of a) and b), even if we were to come up with an answer for c).

[HZ514]

As an addendum to the discussion about V, I'd like to point out that V's hatred is a great success in terms of characterization. The Giant started with the very simple, one might even label as cliched motivation of "I want all the power" and took it to its maximum potential in Vaarsuvius.

If you hate V, it's because V deserves that hatred. V as a being made a human (elven) mistake based on V's very personal and very deep flaws, and now V needs to find redemption and hopefully absolution. But V as a character achieved what very few can: realizing a lifelong goal without being rendered inert or redundant afterward.

I just hope that the people who dislike V are able to remind themselves that V is a great character and that the people who are defending V remember that the contempt is meaningful.

[Knight.Anon]

I hate to say it but the there has to be a fight on the Millennium ....Mechane. I hope Julio not so chaotic that he isn't flying without insurance.

[LasVegasLawyer]

Wait, is Julio wielding a sabre or a rapier? Doesn't the Dashing Swordsman PrC require a rapier (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0390.html) when punning to get the benefit?

[Shining Wrath]

Between Durkon, Haley, Julio and V they could have finished off Tarquin with relative ease.
Oh well.

Unless the psion a few hundred feet away intervened with another "all of your brain cells are belong to me" blast.

[headhoncho]

Apologies, I feel kind of clueless here... but can someone explain the punchline in the last panel to me? Not understanding why it's so funny. Thanks.

[Falbrogna]

That's your opinion. Regardless of whether it's correct, the Order has to
a) agree with it,
b) believe four of them could kill Tarquin and Laurin, and
c) actually be able to kill Tarquin and Laurin


All of those have to be true for your plan to make sense, and there's no evidence of a) and b), even if we were to come up with an answer for c).

As they say, attacking is the best defense.


Unless the psion a few hundred feet away intervened with another "all of your brain cells are belong to me" blast.
While Durkon could simply walk to her and finish draining :smalltongue:

[Shining Wrath]

Caring about the well-being of others should be someone's default state. One shouldn't have be reminded, by Belkar of all people, to do so

In case you missed the point:

V CARED ABOUT THE CAT BEFORE BELKAR SPOKE.

That's how V was able to tell Belkar immediately where the cat was.

Hate is one thing, but dumb hate gets under my skin.

[bguy]

I suppose it's conceivable that Laurin might try to wormhole herself and Tarquin aboard the Mechane, but I think it more likely that the Order is finally safe.

Are we sure the Order will be safe on the Mechane even if Laurin doesn't pursue them? Julio is a CN pirate and thief, and he's shown a willingness to attack good aligned people before (his fire bombing Azure City's siege engines.) He's also explicitly not there to help the Order but just to glorify himself, and he probably wouldn't mind breaking his mentor connection to Elan (since it has the potential to get him killed someday.) As such while I don't think he would kill the Order, I wouldn't put it past him to rob them and then leave them stranded somewhere.

[Alaska Fan]

Rich, your ability to continually defy your readers' expectations, develop the characters and inject humor in both ironic and subtle ways makes me your Number One Fan.

Brilliant stuff.

Best,

/Alaska Fan

[Porthos]

Apologies, I feel kind of clueless here... but can someone explain the punchline in the last panel to me? Not understanding why it's so funny. Thanks.

It's continuing the birds are evolved from dinosaurs joke that has been playing off and on throughout this arc. In this specific case, Blackwing is commenting that he was a huge fan Bloodsoaks actions as seen in the last few strips.

Even more specifically things like that are what fans often say when they meet people they admire. Which also ties back into the title of this update. :smallsmile:

[HeeJay]

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/6719/scoundrel.png: I was running out of ways to crash your wedding and rescue your bride anyway.

THIS IS THE BEST WEBCOMIC EVER!!!

[zimmerwald1915]

But just beyond that…you do understand how stories work, right? That the point of that particular scene was to show that Belkar cared? And that this would be impossible to do if anyone else thought to rescue the lizard before he did? I know that you're going out of your way to attack Vaarsuvius as much as possible, but when you get to the point of blaming him/her for not having Belkar's character growth instead of Belkar, it makes you sound sort of…overzealous.
Sorry, missed your post in an effort to ape your art and post the derivative...piece as quickly as possible.

As for zero-sum opportunities for character growth, I've stated before that I can't imagine the rest of V's arc fitting into the space remaining in the story. Part of the reason for that is that she keeps getting opportunities to grow, but either missing them, as here, or moving on some tangent, in fits and starts. But just because I can't imagine it doesn't mean anything for you.


As they say, attacking is the best defense.
And as they also say, you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, and know when to run.

[Knight.Anon]

Now we know why Julio in the area. Tarquin was getting married again.

[quasit]

Unless the psion a few hundred feet away intervened with another "all of your brain cells are belong to me" blast.

Well, cross your fingers for Dashing Swordmen getting his charisma bonus to all saves...:smalltongue:
[Edit: Nope: Checked it, though they have a limited form of re-rolling.]
Wich I don't find so unlikely, as the one who twarts Tarquin's plans on regular basis he may be somewhat near to his level. And Tarkin has no-sell quite a few attacks this far.

[Shining Wrath]

Now we know why Julio in the area. Tarquin was getting married again.

You win, at a minimum, this page of the comments.

[JSSheridan]

Thanks Giant!

[AstralFire]

As an addendum to the discussion about V, I'd like to point out that V's hatred is a great success in terms of characterization. The Giant started with the very simple, one might even label as cliched motivation of "I want all the power" and took it to its maximum potential in Vaarsuvius.

If you hate V, it's because V deserves that hatred. V as a being made a human (elven) mistake based on V's very personal and very deep flaws, and now V needs to find redemption and hopefully absolution. But V as a character achieved what very few can: realizing a lifelong goal without being rendered inert or redundant afterward.

I just hope that the people who dislike V are able to remind themselves that V is a great character and that the people who are defending V remember that the contempt is meaningful.

I actually disliked V as both a character and as an individual long before that specific sub-arc; I found him just kind of an annoying, useless, petty person. I've only started to appreciate him as a character a bit after that arc, since its consequences had some emotional depths for him.

In general, I think the comic has reached new heights of quality with the Western Continent, making Nale, Sabine, V, and Belkar members of the cast that I actually don't want to see disappear off the page, introducing the strongest villain, and furthering Durkon and Elan's growth.

[DaggerPen]

Sounds like a challenge has been laid.
I know in such a contest it is easy to get burned.
Others just can't cut it.
The shame of losing would be hard to bear with so much looming over you.
But it's not worth pulling your hair out for.

*applause*


Apologies, I feel kind of clueless here... but can someone explain the punchline in the last panel to me? Not understanding why it's so funny. Thanks.

Blackwing appreciates Bloodfeast's rampages. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0784.html)

[orrion]

As for zero-sum opportunities for character growth, I've stated before that I can't imagine the rest of V's arc fitting into the space remaining in the story. Part of the reason for that is that she keeps getting opportunities to grow, but either missing them, as here

V didn't miss anything.

Analogy: if you had spent an evening with a friend and someone else you didn't know but they did, and then afterwards said friend referred to that person by a nickname you didn't know, your first reaction would likely be "Who are you talking about?"

I have firsthand experience with this. I had a nickname during team sports in college, and new members on the team were unfamiliar with it at first. So when someone else called me by the nickname instead of my real name, the new members were like "Who?"

That's all that happened here.

[DaggerPen]

Now we know why Julio in the area. Tarquin was getting married again.

Ha! Oh man, you're totally right. It also explains Tarquin's "not NOW" reaction.

[Spoomeister]

The V who didn't know what Belkar had named his dinosaur, but whose first act was to return Roy's sword to him?

I see no callous disregard for anyone shown here, except maybe by Roy leaving Julio.

It's an unfortunate side effect of how ignore lists work on this forum that I ended up seeing this tangent anyway... but in support of Shining Wrath's point here, note in the only other place before 932 where Bloodfeast's name is mentioned, V is not in the panel, and was rather far away at the time, as established in the 5th and 6th panels (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0926.html).

[Oko and Qailee]

. Part of the reason for that is that she keeps getting opportunities to grow

, but either missing them

, as here

Dude, I don't mean to be mean, but this is such a stretch. I'm not a big V fan at all, She's probably my least favorite of the Order, but man, you're looking for too small of details to hate her.

IMO she didn't do anything wrong here that Roy didn't also do. No one but Belkar asked for Bloodfeast.

Edit: As for her character arc, OFC it wont last til the end of this comic

[rodneyAnonymous]

IMO she didn't do anything wrong here that Roy didn't also do.

I would go a little farther and say that Vaarsuvius didn't do anything wrong here period.

[Oko and Qailee]

I would go a little farther and say that Vaarsuvius didn't do anything wrong here period.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear

I don't think she did anything wrong.

I was indirectly saying, that if V abandoning bloodfeast is wrong, then so is Roy and everyone else conscious at the time

[KoboldRevenge]

I'm your number one fan?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uiarJGT9bk8/S7m-18A7aaI/AAAAAAAAAeo/W8oEK8gu9ik/s400/misery+kb.jpg

[Angel Bob]

Gosh, that was great to read. If this is the last we see of Tarquin, I'll be totally satisfied. :smallbiggrin:

But can we talk about misleading strip titles for a moment? :smalltongue: My first thought was "Thog?! That would be ridiculous!" Of course, that was ridiculous, so it didn't happen. Then I wondered if it meant Laurin's appreciation for Julio Scoundrel -- or could it be that (gasp!) Tarquin was once a huge fan of Scoundrel, which led to his narrative worship? Of course it wasn't any of those, which just goes to show that I can't predict the workings of the Giant's mind.

[HZ514]

I actually disliked V as both a character and as an individual long before that specific sub-arc; I found him just kind of an annoying, useless, petty person. I've only started to appreciate him as a character a bit after that arc, since its consequences had some emotional depths for him.

In general, I think the comic has reached new heights of quality with the Western Continent, making Nale, Sabine, V, and Belkar members of the cast that I actually don't want to see disappear off the page, introducing the strongest villain, and furthering Durkon and Elan's growth.

Oh for sure, V was a pretty flat character before that story arc. I liked V for completely personal reasons before then, since V's verbose, didactic nature and general pettiness resonated with me, but I couldn't argue with anyone who felt otherwise. It was just amusing to me how my favorite character's introduction into the deep end of the characterization pool was coupled with such a mass outpouring of hatred. I'm glad you don't hate V as a character even if you still dislike V as an individual :smalltongue:

Right with you on the edit. It's been a blast in general to experience the story and characters progress and be able to watch everything bloom. Hard to believe how long we've been on the Western Continent in terms of real-life time, now that I think about it. Kind of wistful that we might be / probably are leaving it behind in a few strips.

Every time I see it, I get the urge to finally buy a DS and Pokemon X/Y. But I'm in Italy for the semester and it would cost the same raw number of Euros as it costs in Dollars back in the States, and that's just an insane waste of money. You keep making me want to scratch that itch, man.

[Gift Jeraff]

While some people joked about everyone who hates Tarquin being on the Mechane,* I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone actually suggest that Ian knew Julio was in the area and was going to meet up with him. It makes a lot more sense than the idea that Ian was heading to the Windy Canyon. Though I don't think either is the case.





*I can personally confirm that this is false, as I have never been on any airship.

[jere7my]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear

I don't think she did anything wrong.

I was indirectly saying, that if V abandoning bloodfeast is wrong, then so is Roy and everyone else conscious at the time

Well, keep in mind that Vaarsuvius had just said, off-panel, "I don't regret Familicide, and wish it had killed Bloodfeast as well. Furthermore, I oppose all that is right and good in the world, I was secretly allied with Malack, and I would like to kick Mary Poppins in the teeth."

There's at least as much support for that as for the idea that she did anything wrong by overlooking a nonsentient desert-dwelling lizard.

[Cirin]

Weapons can have lawful, evil, chaotic etc. alignments too, dealing additional damage to the other extreme (in Julio's case, the sabre would deal additional damage to lawful beings).
The... alternative (http://dungeons.wikia.com/wiki/Chaos_Sword_%283.5e_Equipment%29) is a bit hard to imagine. :smallbiggrin:

I am quite aware of aligned weapons, including anarchic and anarchic burst (and the Epic version of Anarchic Blast), but the way he said it made me think it was some kind of named specific item, not just a +5 Anarchic Saber (or something like that).

Given how he handed Elan a +3 Keen Rapier (presumably because his own weapon is substantially better), I'd think it would have to be a rather potent weapon for it to be his personal weapon.

[sparkyinbozo]

I *really* want a Bloodfeast plushie now.

[Oko and Qailee]

Oh for sure, V was a pretty flat character before that story arc.

I disliked V more as a person after the Arc because how messed up what she did was. As a character she became more interesting IMO.

I'm not a big V fan though. I found her annoying as a character then abhorrent as a person.

[Oko and Qailee]

Well, keep in mind that Vaarsuvius had just said, off-panel, "I don't regret Familicide, and wish it had killed Bloodfeast as well. Furthermore, I oppose all that is right and good in the world, I was secretly allied with Malack, and I would like to kick Mary Poppins in the teeth."


Oh right, forgot about that.

My bad then. I lose again :*(

[Sylian]

As such while I don't think he would kill the Order, I wouldn't put it past him to rob them and then leave them stranded somewhere.It doesn't seem like something he would do, though. While he may be Chaotic Neutral, he seems to have leaning towards Good, favoring the heroic, even if he's not willing to sacrifice too much to help others. He describes himself as a "dashing action hero", robbing the good guys wouldn't be very heroic of him. Plus, y'know, he probably likes Elan.

[zimmerwald1915]

I was indirectly saying, that if V abandoning bloodfeast is wrong, then so is Roy and everyone else conscious at the time
Roy would probably agree with you.

:roy: I learned in Fighter College that a good commander doesn't abandon one of his people in the face of the enemy. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0285.html)

:roy: I abandoned Elan for what, a few hours? Then I came to my senses. I realized what a putz I was being and rescued him. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0488.html)

Roy has already had a character arc that turned on developing his loyalty to his group. If he was forced to leave one of them behind, I'd at least expect him to feel guilty afterword. After this strip, I have no reason to believe the same of V.

[rodneyAnonymous]

Bloodfeast is neither a person nor part of the group.

[cgdi]

Apologies, I feel kind of clueless here... but can someone explain the punchline in the last panel to me? Not understanding why it's so funny. Thanks.

Well, at reading the comic I was totally sure it isn't a punchline at all, but the Giant himself is giving respect to his favorite dinosaur artist - though I couldn't really decide if it was Zdenek Burian, Doug Henderson or Charles R. Knight.

I came to the forum to see if anyone knew, but it seems I was completely wrong from the start.

[zimmerwald1915]

Bloodfeast is neither a person nor part of the group.
His contribution to their escape was on a par with any of the others', and sapience is not a prerequisite for consideration.

[AstralFire]

Oh for sure, V was a pretty flat character before that story arc. I liked V for completely personal reasons before then, since V's verbose, didactic nature and general pettiness resonated with me, but I couldn't argue with anyone who felt otherwise. It was just amusing to me how my favorite character's introduction into the deep end of the characterization pool was coupled with such a mass outpouring of hatred. I'm glad you don't hate V as a character even if you still dislike V as an individual :smalltongue:

Every time I see it, I get the urge to finally buy a DS and Pokemon X/Y. But I'm in Italy for the semester and it would cost the same raw number of Euros as it costs in Dollars back in the States, and that's just an insane waste of money. You keep making me want to scratch that itch, man.

Hmm, how can I put it...?

I'm optimistic about seeing where the story takes Vaarsuvius as a character now. As an individual, while he's committed vile atrocities, I always try to preference where someone is going to where they have been. He still frequently annoys me as an individual, but I appreciate that he is making earnest efforts to get better.

It really is just absolutely great. Hold off a few more months with that price, but it's the best entry in the series. Flawed, to be sure, but great. I have a lot of hours clocked.

[konradknox]

So V is carrying Belkar, Roy, and Scruffy by proxy. Haley carries Elan being under V's spell.

This very moment would be an EPIC time for the Fiends to recall V's soul again. If they wanted the Order to fail anyway.

[rs2excelsior]

having played chaotic evil quite a bit I have to say...you'd be upset too if you were leaving behind something that's one break enchantment away from being an army crushing weapon of pure awesome. also being evil doesn't mean you can't like, love, or respect something.

That wasn't what he was concerned about, though. He was concerned about what Tarquin would do to Bloodfeast in retaliation for helping the Order.

Old Belkar would have said something along the lines of "If we leave him, I can never crush someone under a dinosaur's feet again!"

[rodneyAnonymous]

His contribution to their escape was on a par with any of the others', and sapience is not a prerequisite for consideration.

Contributing to the Order's escape is not really relevant to being part of the Order.

Maybe not, but sapience is a prerequisite for drawing a direct analogy with what Roy was talking about, because that was an important part of it. Seriously, intentionally leaving Elan behind and not knowing the name Belkar gave to the allosaurus are, like, completely different.

[zimmerwald1915]

So V is carrying Belkar, Roy, and Scruffy by proxy. Haley carries Elan being under V's spell.

This very moment would be an EPIC time for the Fiends to recall V's soul again. If they wanted the Order to fail anyway.
Nah, it's much too soon. What would they have to say that contributed anything meaningful or new to the story?

[jere7my]

Roy has already had a character arc that turned on developing his loyalty to his group. If he was forced to leave one of them behind, I'd at least expect him to feel guilty afterword. After this strip, I have no reason to believe the same of V.

We're still talking about a nonsentient lizard that technically belongs to the guy they were leaving it with, right? If Vaarsuvius had thought to scoop up the lizard, you'd be saying, "Typical that Vaarsuvius would be the one to commit Grand Theft Allosaur."

The self-parody angle is fun, but I think you need a YouTube channel.

[Oko and Qailee]

Roy would probably agree with you.

:roy: I learned in Fighter College that a good commander doesn't abandon one of his people in the face of the enemy. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0285.html)

:roy: I abandoned Elan for what, a few hours? Then I came to my senses. I realized what a putz I was being and rescued him. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0488.html)

Roy has already had a character arc that turned on developing his loyalty to his group. If he was forced to leave one of them behind, I'd at least expect him to feel guilty afterword. After this strip, I have no reason to believe the same of V.

So Roy abandoning bloodfeast here is just as bad as V doing it then, both are committing some evil?

I just want to make sure I don't read into anything too much.

Other than that though I can't think of anything else to discuss. I don't think Roy or V not first speaking up about bloodfeast is wrong, but at that point we simply have a difference in opinion about right and wrong... and I realize I can't convince you otherwise.

[Raenir Salazar]

D'awwwwww, vampire bat durkan is so adorable, yes you are, yes you are you bloodsucking adorable vampire bat you, yes you, awwwwwwww.

[HZ514]

I disliked V more as a person after the Arc because how messed up what she did was. As a character she became more interesting IMO.

I'm not a big V fan though. I found her annoying as a character then abhorrent as a person.

How could you not? She committed genocide, after all. I'm really interested in where V ends up as far as redemption goes, though. I guess the smart money would be on V somehow attaining it in dramatic fashion, but I could see an equally--or perhaps more--poignant message given by her failing to ever do so.

I think everyone who finds V annoying in general is out of luck though, unfortunately. No matter who V's soul belongs to, V will be likely remain a petty, condescending jerk. And I'll continue to love V for that.

[DaggerPen]

Roy would probably agree with you.

:roy: I learned in Fighter College that a good commander doesn't abandon one of his people in the face of the enemy. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0285.html)

:roy: I abandoned Elan for what, a few hours? Then I came to my senses. I realized what a putz I was being and rescued him. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0488.html)

Roy has already had a character arc that turned on developing his loyalty to his group. If he was forced to leave one of them behind, I'd at least expect him to feel guilty afterword. After this strip, I have no reason to believe the same of V.

Have you considered that you are being just a little overzealous here? V has many flaws, but not thinking about a new addition to the group that V barely even saw and whose name V didn't have any opportunity to know is not really a damning flaw here. If anyone who wasn't Belkar had reason to care about Bloodfeast, it was Blackwing, and even he clearly forgot about bringing Blackwing with him.

The Order is a little bit scatterbrained, and Bloodfeast is a new addition to the group. V was already attentive enough to make sure that Mr. Scruffy was well in hand when V picked up Belkar and Roy - V didn't really have any reason to keep track of Bloodfeast's location after the polymorph.