OOTS #935 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

There are some slight changes in color and font rendering from normal, due to the fact that I'm working on a different machine with different versions of all the programs I usually use. I'll try to iron these out as we go forward.

[The Pilgrim]

and another one goes down

[BadAndyMk3]

Caster Fiiiiight!

[StLordeth]

Good comic. Expected a bit more from Laurin but whatever.

Tarquin all alone now. I fully expect him to die now without Laurin.

[Niwrad]

CAAASSSSTTTTERRRR FFFIIIIGGGGHHHHT!!!!

BIRD TO THE FACE!!

That was great.

[Mauve Shirt]

So easy to run out of power points. :smallamused:

[RNGgod]

Blackwing is awesome!


Sabine is awesome!


Laurin is...smarter than Tarquin! (Not that we didn't know that already)


Anyway, that was certainly more exciting than our last caster fight.

[PirateMonk]

So, does Laurin still get her favor, or will Tarquin refuse because she withdrew too early?

[Prospekt]

Woo! Go Vaarsuvius!

Also, hrm... which kind of Ioun Stone did Blackwing manage to snatch?

[Shale]

I totally called V's strategy! Keep hitting her with spells that have to be dispelled or escaped from and let her run herself out of PP. Which had to happen sooner-or-freaking-later, I guess.

Now everybody dogpile on Tarquin! See how he likes it with no casters to save his sorry rear.

(Also, good on whoever said Blackwing would steal an Ioun Stone. I know somebody did.)

[RMS Oceanic]

So easy to run out of power points. :smallamused:

Such is the price of going Nova. Hence that "big guns" quip.

So Sabine got her revenge after all. :smalltongue: Very satisfactory.

[Pokonic]

Heh, Blackwing snagged one heck of a 'bauble'. :smalltongue:

[Seerow]

V still managed to get loot despite Laurin running away. A good day indeed.

[Sajiri]

Bird to the face! I laughed at that so much

The character with V in the last panel, all 5 times he shows, something's not right with his hair and bandana..looks like magic wand mess-up :smalleek:

[Thokk_Smash]

Aw yeah, V! It was nice to see V get help from Sabine; good use of flashback.

[Mordae]

That was awesome. V is putting his strategic mind to good use.

[Lord Denyuar]

I wonder what that particular bauble does.

[JesusCraig]

I was just about to post that I felt that v was going to win through attrition, why else encourage Roy to make her use pp on wormhole earlier when they had no way of escaping.

[eusticepious]

Excting comic. Thanks Giant. Go Blackwing.

[Snowfire]

Bird to the face. The best attack call in the history of OotS.

Nicely played V, nicely played.

[The Pilgrim]

So, does Laurin still get her favor, or will Tarquin refuse because she withdrew too early?

I doubt Tarquin will be alive long enough for that to matter.

[endiku]

I wonder what that particular bauble does.


Looks to me like an orangey pink stone is closest to blackwing's claw when he strikes?

[Taelas]

Woo! Nice work, V.

[Shining Wrath]

And now I wonder if Tarquin is still on board. Did Laurin leave him to his fate?

Mad props to every Laurin psionic power point calculator on the board, and all the "how many spells has V cast" comments, because you guys were right - that was the key.

BTW, I think V is using "intelligence" in the military sense, as in "information regarding the capabilities of the enemy".

And Blackwing has a bauble. I wonder which ioun stone he grabbed? Hopefully one useful for V.

[Pokonic]

The character with V in the last panel, all 5 times he shows, something's not right with his hair and bandana..looks like magic wand mess-up :smalleek:

Or, it's way to give definition to his droopy dreadlocks without it sort of merging with the bandanna.

[Killer Angel]

Amazing comic!

the predictions of many playgrounders (about the lots of mana points spent) confirmed.
Sweet sort of Sabine's regenge.
Blackwing and the bauble.
And victorious V.! :smallsmile:

Ah, let's see what your're going to do now, Tarquin. :smallamused:

[StLordeth]

So, does Laurin still get her favor, or will Tarquin refuse because she withdrew too early? She ran away. I'd say no. The deal was broken. At least that's how I take it

The more interesting question is, does Miron? He didn't run away "technically". Does he still owe Tarquin?

[Shale]

For reference, Blackwing's bauble seems to be an Orange Ioun Stone, which gives +1 to the user's caster level. (Luckily there's only one variety of orange stone, so there's no quibbling over shapes)

[Joe the Rat]

Raven Familiar vs. Floating Baubles: Point Raven.

All that time, V was counting point expenditures.

[Quorothorn]

I really do like V these days.

And Blackwing, too. Not a poor decision, just a questionable one in terms of your own safety, good familiar.

Quite worth the wait.

[DaggerPen]

CASTER FIGHT!

Also: "I assure you, my companion's decisions are reflective of nothing - least of all, rational planning." Oh, V.

Anyway, nice to see Sabine getting some payback. She's literally made of evil and all, but it's still very satisfying.

[Argok]

Blackwing wins the big prize

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Mwahahahahahahaha!

[Sajiri]

Or, it's way to give definition to his droopy dreadlocks without it sort of merging with the bandanna.

I thought that at first too but then I dont recall it ever being done with any other character? I don't know, it just kinda stood out to me

[Osiris]

FINALLY! AFTER 2 WEEKS!

And Blackwing stole an ioun stone, and V scared Laurin away- no favor for you!

[pendell]

That's it? She runs out of power points and just 'ports out on the word of a caster? Why should she believe V?

Awfully convenient that all of Tarquin's major allies have so far survived the battle.

Ah, well. A win is a win. Now it's time to deal with Tarquin.

And I'm glad to see the Giant is back up and running!

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Mike Havran]

That was a nice fight, and nice to know Sabine helped V.

Was it a bluff on V's part with the remaining spells? At any rate, it worked. Tarquin now needs to let go and enjoy a bit of skydiving with the d10 parachute.

[Shining Wrath]

Aw yeah, V! It was nice to see V get help from Sabine; good use of flashback.

Those who said Sabine would kill Tarquin can claim moral victory.


That was a nice fight, and nice to know Sabine helped V.

Was it a bluff on V's part with the remaining spells? At any rate, it worked. Tarquin now needs to let go and enjoy a bit of skydiving with the d10 parachute.

Bluffing a mind reader is a low probability bet.

[Uryse]

The only orange ioun stone I saw was the orange prism which grants +1 to caster level.

[snowblizz]

So so loving this strip. And if I hadn't been taxfree shopping this would have been first page. Back to re-reading the strip.

[Sethala]

Nice comic, good to see one more caster out of the mix!

I'm curious if V really had that many spells left, or if he was just bluffing, however. He was out for most of the action, but I've never fiddled around with casters this high level, so I'm not really sure how many spells they can get.

[Shale]

Was it a bluff on V's part with the remaining spells?

Doubt it. V has done very little casting today by virtue of missing the earlier Linear Guild fights; even though the battle with Tarquin ate a lot of high-level spell slots, mid-level spells are still enough to force Laurin to spend PP countering or dispelling their effects.

[Shining Wrath]

That's it? She runs out of power points and just 'ports out on the word of a caster? Why should she believe V?

Awfully convenient that all of Tarquin's major allies have so far survived the battle.

Ah, well. A win is a win. Now it's time to deal with Tarquin.

And I'm glad to see the Giant is back up and running!

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Because she can read minds, and perhaps did so in the motionless panel 7 of page 2.

[smuchmuch]

I wonder what that particular bauble does.

I'm wondering too.
checking the SRD (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ioun_Stone).

... Unholy smoke, according to it Orange ioun stones give +1 caster level. 3 of them gotta be a serious advantage for a caster, no wonder Lauryn seemed so powerfull. (Although... how do 'caster level' work for psions anyway ?)

[rbetieh]

It seems really odd to me that every member of Tarquins group seems to think they know what other members of the group ought to be doing during fights....Miron, Malack, Tarquin, have all commented on the actions of their other teammates...

[shadowpriest]

This is funny on SOOO many levels!
Moreover, I like "Intelligence" 's double meaning.
Well played, Giant!

[Shining Wrath]

I'm wondering too.
checking the SRD (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ioun_Stone).

... Unholy smoke, according to it Orange ioun stones give +1 caster level. 3 of them gotta be a serious advantage for a caster, no wonder Lauryn seemed so powerfull. (Although... how do 'caster level' work for psions anyway ?)

So will V claim it? (S)he can make good use of that.

[Quakes]

Oooh, nice prize. 30k gold is not shabby at all. Though the other ioun stones would be nice buffs too, looks like +2 dex (red) and +1 to saves/skills/etc (pale green)?

[aabicus]

I'm personally hoping Tarquin bails and takes his chances on fall damage. Though I can understand that if Giant wanted him to live, he'd had knocked Tarquin off during the Evasive Maneuvers this strip.

[DaggerPen]

For reference, Blackwing's bauble seems to be an Orange Ioun Stone, which gives +1 to the user's caster level. (Luckily there's only one variety of orange stone, so there's no quibbling over shapes)

Ooh, I didn't even notice Blackwing snagging that stone the first go 'round. Now THAT is quite the bauble indeed. Main question is, is it more useful for V or Durkon? Durkon will have a hard time earning XP from now on, after all - might it be better off in his hands? V will probably keep it, though.


I thought that at first too but then I dont recall it ever being done with any other character? I don't know, it just kinda stood out to me

No, it looks kind of weird to me too. I think that a few of the background characters' lines are green vs. black, and it's especially apparent there. Not sure if the Giant usually fades lines for background characters or if it's a new computer thing, though.

EDIT: Wait, no, he has the off-color lines in a close-up panel, too. So yeah, not sure what's up with that. Still, not knocking it.

[Icewraith]

I'm wondering too.
checking the SRD (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ioun_Stone).

... Unholy smoke, according to it Orange ioun stones give +1 caster level. 3 of them gotta be a serious advantage for a caster, no wonder Lauryn seemed so powerfull. (Although... how do 'caster level' work for psions anyway ?)

Most DMs rule they don't stack (absent RAW debates) and the other stones appear to be other colors.

So I assume that's Tarquin falling off the ship after the midair maneuver?

[RMS Oceanic]

I'm wondering too.
checking the SRD (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ioun_Stone).

... Unholy smoke, according to it Orange ioun stones give +1 caster level. 3 of them gotta be a serious advantage for a caster, no wonder Lauryn seemed so powerfull. (Although... how do 'caster level' work for psions anyway ?)

With Magic-Psionics Transparency, it would raise her manifester level by 1, allowing her greater augmentation of her powers.

[Araon]

This is funny on SOOO many levels!
Moreover, I like "Intelligence" 's double meaning.
Well played, Giant!

Yeah. That was great and made me actually laugh aloud. Well done Giant. Well done.

Btw, do members of the OotS finally see Blackwing? I'm confused now.

[Etheolin]

Brilliant, Giant!

Loved Blackwing especially, "..totally snagged a bauble..." :smallbiggrin:

[AJH]

Pretty pretty bauble... next up, dislodge that other stowaway who's hanging on... although I think the "seas" are going to get rougher before they get easier...

They're out of healers, given Count Durkula... I forget if, since he's a vampire now, if he's able to prepare the higher level heals to fix Haley's arm.

[pasko77]

I love the silent panel in which Laurin decides to bail out :smallcool: AND the strip's title!

[xroads]

My feathers hurt. How come my feathers hurt?

ROFL! Nearly fell out of my chair. :smallbiggrin:

[Shining Wrath]

I want to point out that the first thing Vaarsuvius did after the fight ended was check Blackwing's health, and the strip closes with hir gently cradling Blackwing.

Some people seem to think V is indifferent to others. This strip utterly destroys that assertion, now and forevermore. (S)he has changed since the family tree in the pyramid.

[Shale]

They're out of healers, given Count Durkula... I forget if, since he's a vampire now, if he's able to prepare the higher level heals to fix Haley's arm.

He can prepare any healing spell he wants, he just can't spontaneously convert some non-healing spell that he prepared into a Cure, like he could when he was alive.

[DaggerPen]

Pretty pretty bauble... next up, dislodge that other stowaway who's hanging on... although I think the "seas" are going to get rougher before they get easier...

They're out of healers, given Count Durkula... I forget if, since he's a vampire now, if he's able to prepare the higher level heals to fix Haley's arm.

He is - he just can't cast healing magic spontaneously anymore.

[Iamyourking]

I'm personally hoping Tarquin bails and takes his chances on fall damage. Though I can understand that if Giant wanted him to live, he'd had knocked Tarquin off during the Evasive Maneuvers this strip.

I doubt Tarquin is going to win here, but it's unlikely he's out for good. We have two members of his team we haven't even seen yet, Miron and Laurin know where he is and can probably recover his body should he die, and I'm sure he knows more clerics capable of casting resurrection than just Malack.

[Shining Wrath]

Most DMs rule they don't stack (absent RAW debates) and the other stones appear to be other colors.

So I assume that's Tarquin falling off the ship after the midair maneuver?

No, he's shown hanging on page 1, panel 9, as Elan sings. That's Julio at the end of his rope in panel 8.


I doubt Tarquin is going to win here, but it's unlikely he's out for good. We have two members of his team we haven't even seen yet, Miron and Laurin know where he is and can probably recover his body should he die, and I'm sure he knows more clerics capable of casting resurrection than just Malack.

If Tarquin thought that was a good bet, he'd have let go. Either he doesn't think he can survive the fall, or (more likely) he still thinks he can win.

[Tom Lehmann]

So I assume that's Tarquin falling off the ship after the midair maneuver?
No one's falling in that panel; that's Julio holding onto the rope...

[Whelk]

Go Bandana! She definitely deserves a cheer for keeping Tarquin out of it.

Blackwing is climbing (or rather, flying) his way toward the top of my favorite character list.

[HandofShadows]

Blackwing has a bauble! But what color is it? Yellow, Gold or maybe Amber? :smallconfused:

[137beth]

Revenge of Sabine!
Unfortunately for Tarquin, with Laurin gone Durkon doesn't have to worry about being destroyed.

[Clistenes]

I wonder what that particular bauble does.

It's orange, so it probably grants +1 caster level. V is going to love it so much that (s)he is going to make love to that ioun stone. All night long.

[Shining Wrath]

Blackwing has a bauble! But what color is it? Yellow, Gold or maybe Amber? :smallconfused:

Orange adds one to caster level...

[Sharoth]

YES!!! Awesome!

[Joe the Rat]

Looking at the fight, that was about 6 rounds (assuming V cast each round, and bird-to-the-face was an independent round). Between enough time to chug potions, and the warning signal of wacky maneuvering, Sir Greenhilt may be making an appearance soon.

Also, I just noticed Scoundrel still hanging on the rope. Heh.

[Rift_Wolf]

To everyone talking about ioun stones; maybe its a psy-crystal? Because she's a psion? Th-that's how psionics works, right?
Wait was well worth it. Though I doubt this will be the sum total of Sabine's revenge. Even if Tarquin does get killed, we can guess where he's headed...

[Hullabaloo]

Looks to me like an orangey pink stone is closest to blackwing's claw when he strikes?

and still in his claw at the end. my guess

+1 caster level
http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ioun_Stone

[SaintRidley]

Now that was a caster fight.

[DaggerPen]

So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

[Metahuman1]

Whelp, there goes my theory that Lauren was using a recharge/action economy abuse trick to get unlimited PP.

On the bright side, now Tarquine's gonna have to deal with an opponent who has info on him and spells at the ready as well as possibly having to fight Scoundrel and Greenhilt with a bard supporting on top of that. Might or might not also be dealing with Belkar and Durkula.

[Shining Wrath]

Looking at the fight, that was about 6 rounds (assuming V cast each round, and bird-to-the-face was an independent round). Between enough time to chug potions, and the warning signal of wacky maneuvering, Sir Greenhilt may be making an appearance soon.

Also, I just noticed Scoundrel still hanging on the rope. Heh.

I wonder if Tarquin thinks he can take V while V flies above him?

He's got to be counting on talking his way out of this.

[super dark33]

So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

It makes your spells stronger, as if cast by a higher leveled person.

[Hullabaloo]

So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

iirc it makes saves against the casters spells roughly 5% harder ( ie the DC of the spell is +1)
A spell’s power often depends on its caster level, which for most spellcasting characters is equal to your class level in the class you’re using to cast the spell.

You can cast a spell at a lower caster level than normal, but the caster level you choose must be high enough for you to cast the spell in question, and all level-dependent features must be based on the same caster level.

In the event that a class feature, domain granted power, or other special ability provides an adjustment to your caster level, that adjustment applies not only to effects based on caster level (such as range, duration, and damage dealt) but also to your caster level check to overcome your target’s spell resistance and to the caster level used in dispel checks (both the dispel check and the DC of the check).

[Anarion]

That was great. Very focused, calm, and some nice effects (certainly an upgrade from the great duel between clerics). Blackwing was amazing. I didn't even notice the missing orange ioun stone on my first read.


So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

Some spells are stronger (more damage or more difficult to resist) and all spells become harder for others to dispel.

[The Giant]

Fixed the problem with dreadlock dude's linework. Looks like it somehow switched to non-rich black while I was drawing.

[Yendor]

And finally Laurin bails. Looks like Tarquin's out of escape options.

Plus, Blackwing got a shiny!

[Shining Wrath]

So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

Many spells allow you a saving throw of some sort. The difficulty of the saving throw often includes the caster level. For example, Disintegrate:
A creature or object that makes a successful Fortitude save is partially affected, taking only 5d6 points of damage. Also, some spells have an effect proportional to caster level. For example, Disintegrate:
Any creature struck by the ray takes 2d6 points of damage per caster level (to a maximum of 40d6).

So if V is level 15, instead of hir disintegrate doing 30d6 damage it would do 32d6 damage.

[jidasfire]

This strip had a lot of good moments in it. For one thing, V just burning out Laurin's power points was a clever way to battle, showing V's growth as a caster and strategist. Plus, Bandana got to do something cool. I have always enjoyed how even the minor characters in the strip still get to be interesting people in their own right. Also, I like the odd friendship that V has with Sabine. They somehow always end up helping each other out, inasmuch as it's possible to do so given who they are. Blackwing continues to impress, and he finally got his shiny bauble! Good man. Finally, it's interesting to note Laurin's hostility towards the elves. Hard to say if that's apropos of anything other than what she states, but I just get the impression there's so much about Tarquin's team that remains unsaid. I do hope they get some spotlight in the possible prequel.

Now all that remains is Tarquin, who is unarmed and hanging off the ship. Despite that, I suspect he's not completely out of the fray, but it's hard to say how it will go down, considering Haley's injured, Elan's unarmed, and V's spells have generally not proven effective against the general. Time will tell, I suppose.

[RMS Oceanic]

So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

No, it mainly affects numerical variables inside a spell.

For example, Vaarsuvius is a (minimum) level 15, which means Disintegrate from them deals 30d6 damage (2d6 per level). Donning an orange Ioun Stone means it will now deal 32d6 damage, as well as hit from an additional 40 feet away. The spell now pretends V is level 16 for all those variables.

[YohanLeafheart]

+1 to caster levels? Uhhh. very nice bauble!

[Tom Lehmann]

Because she can read minds, and perhaps did so in the motionless panel 7 of page 2.
Actually, I think she is either reading minds or detecting truth in panel 6 as V speaks. Notice how her eyes in panel 6, not 7, are glowing yellow.

Panel 7 is the "reaction" panel as she absorbs the fact that V does indeed have that many spells left.

[Naomi Li]

So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

None of the above. Caster level makes each spell more powerful in general (longer range, longer lasting, and quite often with slightly improved effects until it hits hits the spell's ceiling.) In addition, it makes the spells more likely to get past spell resistance (first line of defence against direct-effect magic for the creatures that have it) and makes the spells harder to dispel. I think that's at least most of the effects of caster level.

[RMS Oceanic]

Fixed the problem with dreadlock dude's linework. Looks like it somehow switched to non-rich black while I was drawing.

Another colour quibble: I don't think Laurin's eyes were ever green when manifesting a power before today, but they seem to be in several (but not all) panels here. Is that deliberate?

[Oddity222]

Loved the caster-fight, and how V ended it using her intelligence. I wonder if Tarquin will survive? I mean, he probably could be ressurected if died here, but I wonder if he will be arrogant enought to still fight against the order, while outnumbered so much.

[Poppy Appletree]

I laughed as soon as I saw the title. :smallbiggrin:

Also, Julio Scoundrél dangling from the rope is a nice detail.

[Squall83]

Am I the only one who thought Boot To The Head when Blackwing shouted "BIRD TO THE FACE!" ? :smallsmile:

[Clistenes]

I'm personally hoping Tarquin bails and takes his chances on fall damage. Though I can understand that if Giant wanted him to live, he'd had knocked Tarquin off during the Evasive Maneuvers this strip.

He's going to try to take at least Haley first, to make sure Elan comes back for revenge. He probably doesn't believe that he can die now, since he has just met the hero and all the "secondary villains" are alive; it wouldn't fit the narrative in his head if the the "main villain" died right after meeting his heroic nemesis and before any of the "secondary villains" die, it wouldn't make sense, story-wise (but he's wrong, because he's just a tertiary character, not the "main villain").

I think Durkula will be the one giving him the coup of grace, or maybe Belkar, or even Scoundrel, unless Elan does something that manages to show him that he's not the main villain in Elan's story, which would be worse that death for him.

[strijder20]

So Laurin teleporting means Tarquin has no means of escape? Unless he has some of those magic items around he always seems to have. Although I think his current emotional state will cause him to stay.

Also, 2.5 comic is totally worth the wait.

[Seerow]

So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

Makes the spells more powerful. It doesn't raise save DC as the other person said, but caster level factors into a number of things, usually dependent on spell. For example, Disintegrate deals 2d6 damage per caster level, to a max of 40d6. +1 caster level boosts the damage on it by 2d6. Haste lasts 1 round per caster level, so +1 caster level makes it last a round longer. Caster level also makes spell effects harder to dispel, and makes it easier for the caster to overcome spell resistance.

[The Giant]

Another colour quibble: I don't think Laurin's eyes were ever green when manifesting a power before today, but they seem to be in several (but not all) panels here. Is that deliberate?

Nope, not intentional. I'll look into it.

If anyone else sees anything that strikes them as weird about the art, let me know. There are dozens of hidden settings in AI and PS that could affect the art, and since I'm starting over with new programs on a new machine, they're not all configured properly.

EDIT: Looks like the eyes were set to overprint. Should be fixed now.

[Shining Wrath]

Fixed the problem with dreadlock dude's linework. Looks like it somehow switched to non-rich black while I was drawing.

So that's where our money goes - rich black.

[Chaotic Queen]

So Tarquin's all alone now. Normally, I'd say he's screwed. But since this is OOTS, it's also possible that Tarquin's more dangerous than ever since he's one man against a small army.

Yeah, I do not know how to call this one.

[Etheolin]

So I assume that's Tarquin falling off the ship after the midair maneuver?

Nice catch there, Icewraith! I'd read the comic and re-looked at it while reading the comments, but that's the first time I noticed "someone" falling off. heh:smallcool:

edit: Never mind, Julio hanging off anchor rope. Would've been nice though...

[DaggerPen]

Now all that remains is Tarquin, who is unarmed and hanging off the ship. Despite that, I suspect he's not completely out of the fray, but it's hard to say how it will go down, considering Haley's injured, Elan's unarmed, and V's spells have generally not proven effective against the general. Time will tell, I suppose.

... how many spells has V *cast* against Tarquin? All I can think of is Chain Lightning (donno if he took any damage, and he probably regenerated it if he did), Prismatic Spray (he got hit with one of the less effective rays, IIRC, and probably made his save) and the pushing hand spell (which worked very well against Tarquin, but which Laurin could dispel.) V is, sadly, probably out of Forcecages and Resilient Spheres, but with 25 spells remaining, I imagine V can put some serious hurt on Tarquin, or at least shake him off the ship.

Also, thanks to everyone in the wall of people above explaining the caster level deal. XD

[Shining Wrath]

Actually, I think she is either reading minds or detecting truth in panel 6 as V speaks. Notice how her eyes in panel 6, not 7, are glowing yellow.

Panel 7 is the "reaction" panel as she absorbs the fact that V does indeed have that many spells left.

We are in violent agreement; she read V's mind and realized the doo-doo was deep.

[DaggerPen]

Nice catch there, Icewraith! I'd read the comic and re-looked at it while reading the comments, but that's the first time I noticed "someone" falling off. heh:smallcool:

Alas, that's actually just Julio hanging off the rope waiting for someone to pull him up; we can see that Tarquin retained his firm grasp on the railing in the subsequent panel.

[Shale]

Nice catch there, Icewraith! I'd read the comic and re-looked at it while reading the comments, but that's the first time I noticed "someone" falling off. heh:smallcool:

Tarquin's shown holding on in the next panel - that's Julio, still holding tight to the rope that pulled him away from his duel with Tarquin.

[Shining Wrath]

Makes the spells more powerful. It doesn't raise save DC as the other person said, but caster level factors into a number of things, usually dependent on spell. For example, Disintegrate deals 2d6 damage per caster level, to a max of 40d6. +1 caster level boosts the damage on it by 2d6. Haste lasts 1 round per caster level, so +1 caster level makes it last a round longer. Caster level also makes spell effects harder to dispel, and makes it easier for the caster to overcome spell resistance.


To make a caster level check, roll 1d20 and add your caster level (in the relevant class). If the result equals or exceeds the DC (or the spell resistance, in the case of caster level checks made for spell resistance), the check succeeds.

Not save DC, but overcoming SR; I mistyped. Although it would not shock me to find a spell where the save DC involved caster level.

[jidasfire]

... how many spells has V *cast* against Tarquin? All I can think of is Chain Lightning (donno if he took any damage, and he probably regenerated it if he did), Prismatic Spray (he got hit with one of the less effective rays, IIRC, and probably made his save) and the pushing hand spell (which worked very well against Tarquin, but which Laurin could dispel.) V is, sadly, probably out of Forcecages and Resilient Spheres, but with 25 spells remaining, I imagine V can put some serious hurt on Tarquin, or at least shake him off the ship.

Also, thanks to everyone in the wall of people above explaining the caster level deal. XD

V hasn't cast that much at him, but Tarquin's a dodging machine and has protective magic items out the behind. I'm not saying V can't hurt him, but I doubt it will be that simple, considering V has already done a fair bit this fight.

[JessmanCA]

Was V bluffing about having 25 spells?

[RMS Oceanic]

Was V bluffing about having 25 spells?

Not really V's style to bluff. I think it was an accurate summary. As well as a great example of one of Psionics' weaknesses.

[Everyl]

I hope to see that bauble floating around Blackwing from now on.

Edit: I just realized - if Sabine was giving V intel on the Laurinear Guild, then V might actually know Shoulder-Pad Guy's name and class. I hope we find out some day, too.

[WindStruck]

What? Laurin left just like that? You think a one-panel flashback and lampshade conversation will fix your gross story-telling mistake?! I see it for what it truly is! Deus ex Machina! DEUS EX MACHINA! DEUS EX MACHINA!!

lol, just kidding, though I'm sure someone will have those sentiments...

[Shale]

Bluffing? Nope, but most of those spells are low-to-mid level at this point. Good for keeping a caster with low HP on the ropes, not so much against a tanky fighter who hasn't failed a save yet in the comic.

[CoffeeIncluded]

She ran away. I'd say no. The deal was broken. At least that's how I take it

The more interesting question is, does Miron? He didn't run away "technically". Does he still owe Tarquin?

How could he repay her if he dies? Which I'm fully expecting now. You had your chance to be a repeating villain and an epilogue ridiculously difficult post-final-boss-fight (we all know the bonus boss is generally tougher than the final boss). But no. I hope you die now, ignominiously and maybe by falling in the sandworm's mouth a la Boba Fett. And you brought it on yourself.

And see, this is like one of the only things that spellcasters have to deal with, though it's a pretty big thing. Barbarians can go all day. Fighters and rogues can go even longer.

Also, I love Blackwing's choice to help out and Sabine just gave me a malicious grin.

[rewinn]

It was nice to see Blackwing bravely charge in and make a difference, at some peril. Snagging a stone AND making the enemy caster waste power was a useful tactic.
It's also nice (although not unexpected) that V did not order the attack - unlike the earlier V who was willing to use Blackwing as a tiny meat shield. Blackwing may have jumped into the fray just because of their growing friendship and respect.

[Ridureyu]

And now we know she was low on PP!

Vaarsuvius just defeated a caster several levels more powerful than he/she is, by using his/her brain. Yay, V!

[Gift Jeraff]

Sabine's awesome. "Tarquin has to live so he can be brought down by Sabine" seems less likely now.

[Ivrytwr]

Awesome!
Totally loved the dialogue:
"Rough Seas Ahead!"
"Superior Intelligence"
"Totally Snagged a Bauble"

Down to Tarquin. I cannot imagine he is going to survive V, and the return of Roy and Durkon.
Plus if this was the Third Act Duel, the Epilogue is not far behind.
I don't think Laurin is going to be able to collect on her favor!

Thanks Giant!

[t209]

So should Elan kick out Tarquin to his death or someone should do the honor?

[DaggerPen]

It was nice to see Blackwing bravely charge in and make a difference, at some peril. Snagging a stone AND making the enemy caster waste power was a useful tactic.
It's also nice (although not unexpected) that V did not order the attack - unlike the earlier V who was willing to use Blackwing as a tiny meat shield. Blackwing may have jumped into the fray just because of their growing friendship and respect.

All of this. (Though I imagine the stone's general shininess and baubleiness may have helped encourage Blackwing's decision.)

[NihhusHuotAliro]

Casterfight~! CXasterfaight! Casterfights!

Blackwing, no! No! Why did you have to be so brave?

[Ron Miel]

Fixed the problem with dreadlock dude's linework. Looks like it somehow switched to non-rich black while I was drawing.

You have your own black? Everyone else's black isn't good enough for you?

Was that the first time V has actually used BW's name?

[ThePhantasm]

For some reason my odd sense of humor found Julio's appearance in this particular strip to be very funny.

[RMS Oceanic]

So should Elan kick out Tarquin to his death or someone should do the honor?

Someone else doing the honor would be a great Bugsby's Expressive Single Digit to Tarquin's desire for a case of Patricide. However I think it would be a more subtle digit if Elan is the one to do it - but not before pinky swearing everyone on the ship to never speak of this again, denying Tarquin his story.

[Shining Wrath]

Bluffing? Nope, but most of those spells are low-to-mid level at this point. Good for keeping a caster with low HP on the ropes, not so much against a tanky fighter who hasn't failed a save yet in the comic.

One unblocked lightning bolt from a level 15 caster can ruin your whole day. I don't think Laurin wants to eat 10d6 too many times. Wrapping Wall of Fire around her would also not be pleasant.

[ThePhantasm]

BTW, extra thanks Rich for this strip. As someone who has lost their work before to technical difficulties, I know how frustrating and tedious it can be to reconstruct that work again from scratch.

[Turgon9357]

For reference, Blackwing's bauble seems to be an Orange Ioun Stone, which gives +1 to the user's caster level. (Luckily there's only one variety of orange stone, so there's no quibbling over shapes)

I was hoping somebody knew. Thanks!

[JessmanCA]

Is it possible V has a disintegrate spell left for Tarquin's corpse?

[Ron Miel]

Am I the only one who thought Boot To The Head when Blackwing shouted "BIRD TO THE FACE!" ? :smallsmile:

Nah, I thought of cat to the face (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0520.html)

[ThePhantasm]

Nah, I thought of cat to the face (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0520.html)

Nice catch.

[AutomatedTeller]

Excellent comic!! I think Tarquin bails, though he kept on coming after Miron was forced out. I don't think Tarquin can take even a depleted order by himself (Laurin saved his ass from the hand)

I also think that Elan lets him go - the order isn't really in shape to persue.

But Tarquin may be foaming, so he may stay around, i dunno.

[Shining Wrath]

So should Elan kick out Tarquin to his death or someone should do the honor?

Tarquin should climb back on board and be casually defeated by V. Something like levitating him, letting the ship sail out from under his feet,and dropping him.

Either that or Roy comes back on deck and defeats Tarquin in single combat after figuring out where he keeps his healing gadget and sundering it.

[Lettuce]

I LOVE how Blackwing dove in to help, and then V's very first thought after the battle was of his dear familiar's state. The bond between them has really remarkably grown--so different from the old days where the Blackwing literally did not exist for most of the time.

I also like the double-meaning of the word 'intelligence' at the end. Very clever!

And of course: GO SABINE! :smallbiggrin:

[Ridureyu]

Tarquin is going to take these developments as the chance for the main villain to really shine on his own, and then STILL try to get what he wants.

[Joe the Rat]

T Blackwing was amazing. I didn't even notice the missing orange ioun stone on my first read. I'd noticed she only had two stones after Bird to the Face, and kept watching to make sure it wasn't an art error or it was hiding. "Did he get one? Did he get one? Aw yeah..."



We are in violent agreement; she read V's mind and realized the doo-doo was deep.I think she did it the old fashioned way: Does it look like this elf is lying? (aka Sense Motive).

I find it interesting that Laurin was on the defensive the entire battle (I'd call zapping Blackwing more a defensive strike than an actual attack). Also note that V focused mostly on trapping/debilitating, forcing Laurin to use power rather than giving her the option to eat damage and go on the offensive. Warding against the Cone of Cold was the only time she could have opted to go on offense - She opted not to take 87 (average for 15d6, or half damage if she succeeds on one of her bad saves). That's a tactical choice as that puts her in range of death via disintegrate. No coming back from that.

[Xelbiuj]

Bluffing? Nope, but most of those spells are low-to-mid level at this point. Good for keeping a caster with low HP on the ropes, not so much against a tanky fighter who hasn't failed a save yet in the comic.

Well who knows what she has left but the forcecage she just used against Laurin could lock Tarquin down without a save.

[Bubble]

I'm predicting that Tarquin is going to be tagging along to Kraagor's Gate as a prisoner. No one from the Western Continent will care enough to try rescue him now that Malack is gone. He will be forced to watch and comprehend his own insignificance and wrongheadedness Javert style.

[E^G]

Love it!
Man, I'd love one of their baubles!

Having initiative in that fight made all the difference of course.
It seems like Laurin must have used some swift/free actions on the rounds she mentally attacked though (albeit the first round with attack the fast action was probably used on defense; and in the second on the attack).

[SmartAlec]

This comic made Julio's precarious position worryingly clear. Kind of worrying for him - all Tarquin needs to do is get to Julio's rope, and cut it.

[Shining Wrath]

Well who knows what she has left but the forcecage she just used against Laurin could lock Tarquin down without a save.

As could levitating him 6 inches above the deck, which happened to a ranger of mine once.

[Mike Havran]

Edit: I just realized - if Sabine was giving V intel on the Laurinear Guild, then V might actually know Shoulder-Pad Guy's name and class. I hope we find out some day, too. I think Sabine was giving intel only on those they saw on the HDTV.

[Vectner]

I knew right away that Blackwing went for an Iuon stone! Good bird! I wonder which kind it is?

[ThePhantasm]

This comic made Julio's precarious position worryingly clear. Kind of worrying for him - all Tarquin needs to do is get to Julio's rope, and cut it.

Good thing he didn't swing up into one of the propellers!

[NihhusHuotAliro]

I want to point out that the first thing Vaarsuvius did after the fight ended was check Blackwing's health, and the strip closes with hir gently cradling Blackwing.

Some people seem to think V is indifferent to others. This strip utterly destroys that assertion, now and forevermore. (S)he has changed since the family tree in the pyramid.

Oh, wow.

I didn't... I didn't even notice that.

Wonderful post, Shining Wrath.

[Shining Wrath]

I knew right away that Blackwing went for an Iuon stone! Good bird! I wonder which kind it is?

Forum conclusion is Orange, which adds +1 to caster level.

In other words, V is going to love Blackwing with a deep and abiding love if Blackwing gives hir that bauble.

[Ted The Bug]

The lines seem a little thinner, and sometimes bordering colors seem to clash a little more. But nothing too noticeable, I'm just glad you're back in action!

And does this mean that Laurin is out for good, or just withdrawing to find an easier target?

[Harbajar]

Thank you Rich. Made my day for a new comic. Following the twitter feed has been informative.

Go Blackwing - start the wild bauble speculation now (or 37 posts ago).

Now for Tarquin.

[Quartz]

Very interesting: now Tarquin is alone. I wonder if V was bluffing?

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

Bluffing a mind reader is a low probability bet.

She's not a telepath, she's a nomad.

[Takver]

Like others have said, I'm really satisfied that Sabine played a role in Tarquin's death, which might not have happened yet strictly speaking but definitely will in the next few comics. No way he's giving up now. He's invested much too much in this. He's going to pay for his stubbornness and pride. I also continue to really like V and how she's grown as a character.

I hope we get to see Sabine again at some point down the line--maybe we'll see her each time V's debt is called in, and the last time she'll lend a hand against the fiends or join in the fight against Xykon.

[BenjCano]

That was disappointing. Laurin did nothing but react, resist, and dispel. Boring and bad strategy.

[Lheticus]

Superior intelligence, Vaarsuvius?

iseewhatyoudidthere.jpg ^_^

[The Zealot]

:smallamused: And now it's just dear old dad vs the Order. No more magic (with any luck), no more army, just one Mid-Boss and the heroes who will take him down.

:smalltongue: As for the caster duel...

(Power) Point: Vaarsuvius!

[RMS Oceanic]

Like others have said, I'm really satisfied that Sabine played a role in Tarquin's death, which might not have happened yet strictly speaking but definitely will in the next few comics. No way he's giving up now. He's invested much too much in this. He's going to pay for his stubbornness and pride.

The crucial thing is that with Laurin gone, Tarquin has no means of retreat. He is now fully committed to this battle. With his shield or on it.

[Arkku]

Hmm, typo? Missing second 'i' in Resilient Sphere?

[Eldest]

Is it wrong that I want Blackwing to keep the bauble, either at his, V's, or both their insistences?

[Mike Havran]

Technical question: When Bandana made that evasive manoeuver, did the Forcecage fall out of the ship?

[Shining Wrath]

She's not a telepath, she's a nomad.

And she confirmed that Nale killed Malack by reading his mind, so regardless of what flavor of Psion you wish to slot her into, the ability to read minds is already established in #913 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0913.html).

[St Fan]

(Also, good on whoever said Blackwing would steal an Ioun Stone. I know somebody did.)

I did, at least. Too lazy to seek out my exact quote, but I certainly remember it. Not much merit, though, since Blackwing's attraction to baubles is well-known.

I expected it more as an attrition method to reduce Laurin's powers, but it works just as well as a fight trophy.

[Ridureyu]

V has gone from failing miserably against a caster way below hir power level, to defeating a caster way above hir power level. Somebody learned from the Xykon duel!

[AKA_Bait]

The crucial thing is that with Laurin gone, Tarquin has no means of retreat. He is now fully committed to this battle. With his shield or on it.

We don't actually know that. He may well have an item or items that provide him with Feather Fall. He may also simply be able to take the max falling damage and live if he jumps over the side.

[Shining Wrath]

That was disappointing. Laurin did nothing but react, resist, and dispel. Boring and bad strategy.

Not true; page 1, panel 3, we see V make a save. Thereafter, V and Blackwing kept her tied down countering, which is perfectly legitimate if V won initiative.

If you have caster fight!!!, someone has initiative, and the other side often has to react for a while.

[Kurald Galain]

That's it? She runs out of power points and just 'ports out on the word of a caster? Why should she believe V?

Awfully convenient that all of Tarquin's major allies have so far survived the battle.

Well, at first I was disappointed to see this. Then I thought, this makes perfect sense. Barbarians and rabble fight to the bitter end. Highly intelligent strategic casters? They know when to fold 'em; this is why chess matches between good players rarely get to checkmate, because one player will concede long before then. Let's face it, if Laurin and her team were the type to fight until the last drop against an elf they don't even care about, they would never have controlled the whole desert region for such a long time.

And why should she believe V? Well, she's a scheming manipulator with likely good Sense Motive skills, and more to the point, a mind reader. V is known to have low charisma and pretty bad social skills, and probably couldn't bluff xis way out of a paper bag. It's not bluff, and Laurin knows it.

That's good tactics, and fitting to these characters. V is rapidly becoming a match for Roy in terms of tactics.

[rs2excelsior]

Allow me to say...

HELL YEAH, V!

V has come a long way--using the threat of force, rather than the force itself. Knowing an enemy's weak points and exploiting them. That's the weakness of a favor-based, almost mercenary compact like Tarquin's got. There's minimal personal loyalty, so when things go bad allies might jump ship.

Also, Tarquin is now unsupported and, so far as I can tell, still on the ship. Against a now-alerted Order. NOT a good place to be.

[Nueamin]

Thank You Giant. I really enjoyed this strip. One of my favorites.

Now that 2013 is ALMOST behind us I can say this year has been my favorite year of OOTS comics. I am loving the story, where you have taken it and your execution. Thank You and Happy Holidays!!

[Yoyoyo]

Blackwing rules! And smart tactical fighting from V! S/he learns! And why am I using so many exclamation points!?!

[Nightsbridge]

I'm predicting that Tarquin is going to be tagging along to Kraagor's Gate as a prisoner. No one from the Western Continent will care enough to try rescue him now that Malack is gone. He will be forced to watch and comprehend his own insignificance and wrongheadedness Javert style.

I can't agree with that. It is at least inconvenient to team Tarquin's plans to a have a key piece in their game removed. They would at least consider a rescue.

[Takver]

So, when Tarquin told Laurin to "Just nova it already!" he was saying she should break out a big offensive psionic attack, right? Laurin's response of "Shut up and let me fight!" tells us (and I'm pretty sure V picked up on it too) that she's too low on juice to risk spending most of it on a nova. After all, what good does it do her to defeat V and not have enough PP left to get away from an airship full of enemies?

Also, her monologue about those dratted elves seems a little random, but I suppose it's another piece of her motivation for joining up with Tarquin's scheme; she's referring to what the cartographer said here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0680.html).

[toapat]

The only orange ioun stone I saw was the orange prism which grants +1 to caster level.

a quick search of prism cut shows its a round, flat cut similar to what people would call the top of a diamond mirrored on the bottom.

Oddly, the red stone is a +2 Dex deep red one, not a scarlet and blue +2 int.
that is unless Rich was intending it to be a Scarlet and blue stone in which case i wonder why he didnt use a blue outline for the gem.



I'm wondering too.
checking the SRD (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ioun_Stone).

... Unholy smoke, according to it Orange ioun stones give +1 caster level. 3 of them gotta be a serious advantage for a caster, no wonder Lauryn seemed so powerfull. (Although... how do 'caster level' work for psions anyway ?)

She only had 1 orange one in orbit of her head, the others are providing other effects.

the game has no RAW way of providing manifester levels to her that she could use, what with the hardcap being your Hitdice, and so far we have only seen her be a single class Psion. I feel Rich is just bending the Psycho-magic Transparency rules though to allow for it


So will V claim it? (S)he can make good use of that.

Obviously, otherwise it would just be mentioned and not visible outright.
granted, i am pretty certain that you are restricted from using greater then your hitdice as casterlevel.


(S)he has changed since the family tree in the pyramid.

actually the Supeona is what reminded V that there is more then just omnipotence


So for the less D&D savvy among us - what all does adding one to caster level do? Does it actually give you access to spells of a higher caster level, or do you just get to prepare more spells, or?

nothing if you have CL=HD, otherwise you can cast say, fireball as a 6th level wizard if you have 5 wizard/1 rogue

[Tygros]

Any idea who it is asking "You wanna dispel something? Dispel this-" and what they are hoping to have dispelled?

[Dandria]

It was about time she ran out of power points. Also, great strip: it was worth the wait.

[gerryq]

Was it a bluff on V's part with the remaining spells?

Arguably it was a bluff on Laurin's part. She knew she was nearly out, but hoped that V was too. V called it, so she bailed.

[Takver]

We don't actually know that. He may well have an item or items that provide him with Feather Fall. He may also simply be able to take the max falling damage and live if he jumps over the side.

Sure, but I still don't think he will choose to retreat. He's too committed. He probably thinks he can take the entire airship down by himself.

[Spoomeister]

Very, very nice touch with Sabine. "Knock 'em dead, elf" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0918.html), indeed. Now THAT turned out to indisputably, non-deus-ex-machina, not-even-the-common-usage-incorrect-application-of-deus-ex-machina, be good foreshadowing / stage setting in 918 for a great payoff here in 935. Very well done!

This also just felt like a true caster fight. At that high a level, even if they were dueling at dawn with a full complement of points and spells, at some point it isn't a Xykon-style slugfest, or a giant fireworks show. They don't survive to be the levels they are, and can't be in the classes they've chosen, without having high intelligence. And they used it. Nice back and forth between Laurin and V, in backstory, strategy, spell choices... and the little panel of Laurin's "Teepy Eyez" flicking off to normal before bailing was a nice bit of pacing there.

I can even set aside knowing that we're unfortunately guaranteed to see at least one more comic with Tarquin in it.

Although, interesting choice of pronoun from Tarquin in the 6th panel. I'm surprised more people haven't given up on the "he or she" bit and just used a genderless pronoun.

And while we're on word choices: "my companion". Not "my familiar". V's friendship with and reliance on Blackwing is pretty entertaining to look back upon.

Harmless mild speculation for 936:
I'm also wondering if this all took long enough for some potion-downing and hurried running up stairs from below decks. Well, not for Durkon, I'm sure he's mid-meditate. But Roy and Belkar should be back up and fully healed. Perhaps Roy forces the equivalent of a caster fight but for high-level fighters.

Bravo! Fun update.

[Kish]

Any idea who it is asking "You wanna dispel something? Dispel this-" and what they are hoping to have dispelled?
Blackwing. He speaks after Laurin dispels the Dimensional Anchor from herself and is making fun of the fact that "Bird to the Face" is not actually something that can be dispelled.

[Ezekiel]

A great surprise after a very long day! Now if we can just have Tarquin land on the sand shaking his fist as they fly away... :smallbiggrin:

[Math_Mage]

BTW, I think V is using "intelligence" in the military sense, as in "information regarding the capabilities of the enemy".
I think V is using it that way, but letting Saber Guy think she meant it the other way. Sneaky elf.


That was disappointing. Laurin did nothing but react, resist, and dispel. Boring and bad strategy.
Forcecage and Resilient Sphere block line of effect, and most of the guns Laurin has shown require it, so she may have had to deal with them first. The only time she didn't have to worry about either those or a bird to the face, she did blast V in the face, so she wasn't necessarily employing the strategy you describe so much as just being constrained by V's spell choice.

More to the point, Laurin went into the fight with mistaken expectations about V's remaining spells. The strategy is 'bad' in hindsight only.

[Tundar]

Blackwing is getting more and more adoreable.

Tarkie is in for a fight now. Or will he know he is booped and surrender?

[gerryq]

I doubt Tarquin is going to win here, but it's unlikely he's out for good. We have two members of his team we haven't even seen yet, Miron and Laurin know where he is and can probably recover his body should he die, and I'm sure he knows more clerics capable of casting resurrection than just Malack.

Unless he really loses it and stays fighting against the odds, and ends up as dinner for Durkin.

[RMS Oceanic]

Any idea who it is asking "You wanna dispel something? Dispel this-" and what they are hoping to have dispelled?

Blackwing. He wants her to dispel his attack on her, which of course she can't.

[Shining Wrath]

Any idea who it is asking "You wanna dispel something? Dispel this-" and what they are hoping to have dispelled?

Blackwing, and asking Laurin if she could "dispel" a face full of raven.

Unfortunately, she could, and therefore Blackwing's feathers hurt.

[Dr. Gamera]

Ohh, the font. Reminds me of this post from the Giant about OOTS #G001 in Gygax magazine:

Also, I think this officially makes me the first person in the history of the internet to get criticism for NOT using Comic Sans.

[Kish]

That was disappointing. Laurin did nothing but react, resist, and dispel. Boring and bad strategy.
No accounting for tastes.

Personally, I prefer noting, "Hm, Laurin has a real psychological weakness in her unwillingness to let any spell influence her even if letting one through wouldn't ultimately matter and blocking them all costs her the fight." I have no emotional investment in Laurin fighting like a perfectly-optimized murderbot. To put it mildly.

*And, of course, while Vaarsuvius wasn't bluffing about the sheer number of before-cantrips spells per se, casting Scorching Rays and Magic Missiles at a level 18+ spellcaster would not be a way to win a caster-fight against an enemy who didn't feel a pathological need to block everything.

[CaDzilla]

This strip makes Laurin kind of a hypocrite. She berates the elves for their luxury, while also helping to perpetuate a system of massive power imbalance. She spends a lot of time in a sauna while most people are leading in some form of dystopia.

[Chantelune]

Great strip as usual. Love the fact that Laurin does indeed goes from 3 to 2 ioun stone after Blackwing "bird to the face" attack. :smallamused:

[Arrowstorm122]

I'd be surprised if Mr. Magic Item For Any Situation would be the member not to have a means of escaping if things go south.

[Tiiba]

If Tarquin lives long enough to see Laurin again, they will have a spirited debate.

[ReggaeMortis]

Tarquin's already healed from the stab wound Haley gave him, so I think we can rule out the people speculating that she palmed his Ring of Regeneration.

[Shining Wrath]

Very, very nice touch with Sabine. "Knock 'em dead, elf" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0918.html), indeed. Now THAT turned out to indisputably, non-deus-ex-machina, not-even-the-common-usage-incorrect-application-of-deus-ex-machina, be good foreshadowing / stage setting in 918 for a great payoff here in 935. Very well done!

This also just felt like a true caster fight. At that high a level, even if they were dueling at dawn with a full complement of points and spells, at some point it isn't a Xykon-style slugfest, or a giant fireworks show. They don't survive to be the levels they are, and can't be in the classes they've chosen, without having high intelligence. And they used it. Nice back and forth between Laurin and V, in backstory, strategy, spell choices... and the little panel of Laurin's "Teepy Eyez" flicking off to normal before bailing was a nice bit of pacing there.

I can even set aside knowing that we're unfortunately guaranteed to see at least one more comic with Tarquin in it.

Although, interesting choice of pronoun from Tarquin in the 6th panel. I'm surprised more people haven't given up on the "he or she" bit and just used a genderless pronoun.

And while we're on word choices: "my companion". Not "my familiar". V's friendship with and reliance on Blackwing is pretty entertaining to look back upon.

Harmless mild speculation for 936:
I'm also wondering if this all took long enough for some potion-downing and hurried running up stairs from below decks. Well, not for Durkon, I'm sure he's mid-meditate. But Roy and Belkar should be back up and fully healed. Perhaps Roy forces the equivalent of a caster fight but for high-level fighters.

Bravo! Fun update.

Regarding the spoiler: what ails Belkar cannot be healed with normal potions. I would not put it past Rich to set this up as Roy (plus V buffs, perhaps) versus Tarquin, and Roy takes him down by outsmarting him.

[JSSheridan]

Thanks Giant!

[Kish]

I'd be surprised if Mr. Magic Item For Any Situation would be the member not to have a means of escaping if things go south.
Who said anything about the Oracle not being able to escape? :smallconfused:

On another note, I wonder if the other things Sabine said to Vaarsuvius included some variation on, "Miron has the fewest hit points of their group, and he's kind of cowardly too."

[Shining Wrath]

This strip makes Laurin kind of a hypocrite. She berates the elves for their luxury, while also helping to perpetuate a system of massive power imbalance. She spends a lot of time in a sauna while most people are leading in some form of dystopia.

What? An evil-aligned character putting their own needs on a higher level than those of others?

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you! And there's gambling in Rick's Cafe American!

[Othniel Edden]

Woo! Go Vaarsuvius!

Also, hrm... which kind of Ioun Stone did Blackwing manage to snatch?

The orange kind. Had to go back and check when it disappeared. Looks like +1 caster level for V.

[Metahuman1]

So, show of hands, who wants to see them use some more evasive action to avoid letting Tarquin get back on board for a couple of rounds while V drops Bulls Strength and Enlarge Person on Hayley and Elan drops bard song effects on her and SHE'S the one who drop kicks Tarquin off the ship to take a 20d6 fall and then live to never have his story after all?

[NihhusHuotAliro]

Ohh, the font. Reminds me of this post from the Giant about OOTS #G001 in Gygax magazine:

Wait, you guys read OOTS in the font of almonds?

Yuckyuckyuckewwwwwwwnononobadbadnobadnuh-uhscrewthatnowaybadbadnobadyuckyblechyucknon!

[Arrowstorm122]

Who said anything about the Oracle not being able to escape? :smallconfused:

On another note, I wonder if the other things Sabine said to Vaarsuvius included some variation on, "Miron has the fewest hit points of their group, and he's kind of cowardly too."

Wouldn't part of that have been included instead of the thing about Tarquin?
(And I meant Tarquin! >:P)

[AKA_Bait]

Sure, but I still don't think he will choose to retreat. He's too committed. He probably thinks he can take the entire airship down by himself.

Maybe. But maybe he'll settle for offing the mentor figure buy cutting the rope and then cutting and running now that he is out of allies. It really boils down to just how crazy Tarquin has actually gone.

[DolGrenn]

One of the (many) things that I love about this comic is the little details that the Giant puts into every strip.
For example, Julio still dangling from the maneuvering Mechane. :smallbiggrin:

[Shining Wrath]

Maybe. But maybe he'll settle for offing the mentor figure buy cutting the rope and then cutting and running now that he is out of allies. It really boils down to just how crazy Tarquin has actually gone.

I think if Bandanna is willing and able to keep Tarquin from climbing aboard, she is also willing and able to keep Tarquin from reaching Julio's rope.

[veti]

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but... are we sure Laurin's gone? Gone gone, as opposed to "just lurking below decks somewhere while she abuses some rules (http://community.wizards.com/content/forum-topic/3106476) to restoke her powers"?

[Squall83]

Nah, I thought of cat to the face (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0520.html)
OBJECTION!!!
Just kidding, it works, too. :)

[DreadArchon]

Sweet fight. I think it's hilarious Rich actually named the strip "Caster Fight" :smallcool:

[Arrowstorm122]

I think if Bandanna is willing and able to keep Tarquin from climbing aboard, she is also willing and able to keep Tarquin from reaching Julio's rope.

I doubt she could stop Tarquin.

[Shining Wrath]

OBJECTION!!!
Just kidding, it works, too. :)

And did that hurt Laurin's felines?

[Snails]

V possesses some kind of Ring of Wizardry, captured from Xykon from Dorukan's dungeon. S/he could very easily have 25+ non-cantrip spells left at this point, even if the details are hard to assess.

Not a bluff.

[Shining Wrath]

I doubt she could stop Tarquin.

She DID stop Tarquin, as evidenced in panels 7 through 9 of page 1. Tarquin was climbing aboard, and she stopped him.

[mucat]

Truly awesome double-ending...both the "superior intelligence" bit and Blackwing's bauble.

I remember being a little disappointed in how fast Sabine went from a blistering rage to meekly doing housework for her bosses...I guess she can be angry and smart at the same time!

[Math_Mage]

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but... are we sure Laurin's gone? Gone gone, as opposed to "just lurking below decks somewhere while she abuses some rules (http://community.wizards.com/content/forum-topic/3106476) to restoke her powers"?
I'm sure the Giant doesn't want that sort of cheese in his story...so yes.


I doubt she could stop Tarquin.
She's in control of the vehicle he's riding. I'm reminded of a Larry Niven short story where a guy getting robbed by a hitchhiker demonstrates that a car is a more deadly weapon than a gun.

[Nightsbridge]

Who here thinks that V is going to want that bauble, but allow Blackwing to keep it as a measure of how he has grown?

[Mike Havran]

I remember being a little disappointed in how fast Sabine went from a blistering rage to meekly doing housework for her bosses...I guess she can be angry and smart at the same time!Indeed, cooling down quickly after a temper tantrum in front of some of the more powerful beings of Pure Evil is quite smart :smallwink:

[CoffeeIncluded]

Random question: How do you think Sabine will react if Haley's the one who finishes Tarquin?

[Fshy94]

Have I mentioned how much I love Blackwing?

Because I do.

[happycrow]

Nice. Worth the wait!

[Shining Wrath]

Random question: How do you think Sabine will react if Haley's the one who finishes Tarquin?


With gratitude. I think she wants Tarquin filling someone's inbox and doesn't care much who sends the message.

[The Pink Ninja]

Now please oh lord, kill Tarquin.

He really needs to die

Right now

And don't forget to destroy the body and scatter it to the four winds.

Likely he will... and Sabine will get to torture his damned soul

[Ridureyu]

Random question: How do you think Sabine will react if Haley's the one who finishes Tarquin?


"Hey, thanks."

[Canisius]

Hooray, Giant!

[mucat]

Indeed, cooling down quickly after a temper tantrum in front of some of the more powerful beings of Pure Evil is quite smart :smallwink:
True...but there's "saving my own skin" smart, and there's "saving my own skin while enacting a deadly-effective revenge right under my bosses' nose" smart. Sabine impressed me here.

(As did V, Blackwing, Bandanna, and poor Julio's grip strength. Impressive day for stick people!)

[Shining Wrath]

True...but there's "saving my own skin" smart, and there's "saving my own skin while enacting a deadly-effective revenge right under my bosses' nose" smart. Sabine impressed me here.

(As did V, Blackwing, Bandanna, and poor Julio's grip strength. Impressive day for stick people!)

I would not be surprised to learn Julio is quite airsick, Dashing Swordsman or no :smallbiggrin:

[Canisius]

That's it? She runs out of power points and just 'ports out on the word of a caster? Why should she believe V?


Laurin is a Psion. Prolly read V's mind..

[Vinsfeld]

Gotta love Blackwing.

Also, I really cracked when Laurin fled. Priceless.

[Canisius]

The only orange ioun stone I saw was the orange prism which grants +1 to caster level.

I should probably read the rest of the thread first but I'm lazy - Rich said that he's having trouble with color/font matching on the new machine. Makes me dubious that we can clearly ID what color the stone is supposed to be.

[Haldir]

My bet is the Ioun Stone is either the Caster Level boost or one of the spell-absorbing varieties, based on the color. Either one is going to be a great benefit against Xykon. I imagine using a spell absorb to make Xykon think that he's taken V out of the fight, only to give V and open shot to change the battle.

[Porthos]

The thing is, Laurin was indeed getting close to being empty. Now we'll (probably) never know her exact level thanks to that well timed panel cut, but she had probably blasted well over 300 power points by that point.

Even higher level psions are gonna start thinking twice about continuing an engagement under those circumstances. :smallwink:

[Sith_Happens]

Well, after much speculation and calculation, I think we can now safely estimate Laurin's remaining PP at "less than ~200.":smalltongue:

Also, +1 caster level for V. Good birdy!:smallbiggrin:

[Maryring]

Not sure if disappointed by its lack of flashiness and Laurin not being dead, or satisfied with V having superior intelligence, Blackwing snatching a bauble and T now being all alone.

[mucat]

Random question: How do you think Sabine will react if Haley's the one who finishes Tarquin?
If Sabine interacts much more with the Order, then the "V is best friends with Hayley, who is bitter enemies with Sabine, who has a weird sort of friendship with V" triangle will be an interesting dynamic.

Especially since Sabine knows V's darkest secret, and Hayley (as yet) does not...

[FolcoTook]

Character growth from V: Instead of continuing to wear down Laurin knowing she would probably run out of Power Points before V ran out of spells and could then be blasted at will, V instead just takes an opening to point out to Laurin the losing nature of her situation and lets her escape. This eliminates the possibility of collateral damage (important when one is on an airship) and leaves V better situated to deal with any other threats that come along today (which seems to be the running theme).

And... save or suck spells for the win.

[ManicOppressive]

Y'know, if I was in Laurin's shoes, I would've taken the Dimensional Anchor round to go on the offensive. Unless you're imminently losing, DA is not a spell that you have any reason to care about.

[DavidBV]

Not exactly a problem or error with the art, and maybe it's intentional even, but Forcecage looked different in the past (versus the ancient black dragon).

I may even like this one better, however. Simpler and more realistic :)

Awesome update, worth the wait, and more.

[kravaros]

It's nice and all, but I get this feeling it's not going to end well. Why would Laurin teleport away? She might as well port bellowdeck, nuke the ship core, or maybe the baloon, and then teleport away. And I'm pretty sure her int is not that shabby.

Also, Scoundrel is still dangling. Also, Tarquin is dangling now. And Scoundrel is dangling bellow Tarquin. I truly hope that I'm mistaken in my predictions.

EDIT: The forcecage has different versions according to casters choice. That's why it differed against the dragon.

[nogall]

I don't know if this has already been pointed out, but I find it very likely that the flying maneuvers might have an important effect: Roy and co. may want to come up to see what caused such a wreckless flight path.
Then, hilarity a big fight scene ensues with everybody against Tarquin.

[bguy]

Y'know, if I was in Laurin's shoes, I would've taken the Dimensional Anchor round to go on the offensive. Unless you're imminently losing, DA is not a spell that you have any reason to care about.

Laurin knew that Durkon was somewhere on the ship though, so she probably didn't want to take the chance on getting grappled by a vampire and not being able to immediately escape.

[ellindsey]

Not exactly a problem or error with the art, and maybe it's intentional even, but Forcecage looked different in the past (versus the ancient black dragon).

I may even like this one better, however. Simpler and more realistic :)

Awesome update, worth the wait, and more.

Forcecage may be cast in one of two different forms: either a closed box, or a barred cage with gaps that can be shot through. You're just seeing the two different versions of it.

[Ghosty]

I'm with Veti: how do we know she's gone? My guess is that she dimension doored, not to blow up the ship or cheese her way back to full power, but rather to appear next to Tarquin and give him one last chance to live to fight another day. Depending on how the Giant wants to play this, Tarquin'll take her up on her offer or shove her aside and get the butt-kicking he so richly deserves.

EDIT: Oh, and if she'd cut and run, wouldn't we have heard about it from Tarquin? He certainly had a lot to say when Miron was involuntarily removed from the scene.

[littlebum2002]

+CL for V. Hooray!

Also, congrats that she FINALLY fought without just plain blasting.

[Stabbey]

"I have in excess of twenty-five spells remaining. Not counting cantrips."
"..."
*pop!*


That was great, probably one of the rare times when a mid-scene event makes me laugh more than the punchline.

[Boogastreehouse]

I Think it looks nice with a little space

And did that hurt Laurin's felines?

You stop that right meow!


I Think it looks nice with a little space

[Silverionmox]

Laurin definitely did NOT wormhole away, but dimension doored. This fight is far from over yet - though I suppose that it may indeed just be a last stop before heading for safer ground.

[Azurome]

Ioun Stone (bauble) = Orange Colour

Maybe the caster level one?

[djones520]

I should probably read the rest of the thread first but I'm lazy - Rich said that he's having trouble with color/font matching on the new machine. Makes me dubious that we can clearly ID what color the stone is supposed to be.

The stone is orange in this comic, and it was orange in previous.

She's always had an orange, reddish, and greenish stone. The stone taken was orange, and the two remaining were reddish and greenish.

[DavidBV]

Forcecage may be cast in one of two different forms: either a closed box, or a barred cage with gaps that can be shot through. You're just seeing the two different versions of it.

Thanks for clarifying, I should have read the spell description :P

[zimmerwald1915]

What we learn from this strip is that Laurin has no confidence in the teatherball special (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0166.html). Seriously, eight pages in and nobody pointed out this particular callback?

[The_Tentacle]

Because she can read minds, and perhaps did so in the motionless panel 7 of page 2.

I doubt it, since her eyes aren't all glowy anymore. Plus, there was that scene where she read Nale's mind, and there was glowy stuff around her head plus yellow eyes. So yeah, she probably didn't read V's mind (does it take PP? If so, that could be why).

[Canisius]

She's not a telepath, she's a nomad.

Hm - but she was able to read Nale's mind when he boasted about offing Malack.

[BroomGuys]

Squee. That is all.

[Vladier]

This strip makes Laurin kind of a hypocrite. She berates the elves for their luxury, while also helping to perpetuate a system of massive power imbalance. She spends a lot of time in a sauna while most people are leading in some form of dystopia.

Perhaps she just really hates saunas. Or maybe she likes lush forests and there are none on the Western continent except for those in the Elven lands.
Or maybe, just maybe, she was so blinded by her evil that she doesn't think about it that way. Sort of reminds me of Yuthura Ban from Star Wars KotOR who became a Sith to obtain power to free slaves yet you can say her that your companions are your slaves and she won't even notice.

[Newwby]

That's it, Blackwing for favourite character 2013. :smallbiggrin:

[Psyren]

Hm - but she was able to read Nale's mind when he boasted about offing Malack.

Psions aren't pigeonholed like that; below 9th-level powers, it's not possible to tell who is what discipline just by what they can do because they can cherry-pick powers from the various disciplines.

Nomad is most likely for her because her Wormhole is almost certainly a 9th-level discipline power, given the fact that she can transport an entire army with it. (It's also thematic since she lives in the desert, though that last one is minor.)

[Canisius]

The stone is orange in this comic, and it was orange in previous.

She's always had an orange, reddish, and greenish stone. The stone taken was orange, and the two remaining were reddish and greenish.

I swear, we have some real Sherlock Holmes' in this forum. =)

[Shining Wrath]

It's nice and all, but I get this feeling it's not going to end well. Why would Laurin teleport away? She might as well port bellowdeck, nuke the ship core, or maybe the baloon, and then teleport away. And I'm pretty sure her int is not that shabby.

Also, Scoundrel is still dangling. Also, Tarquin is dangling now. And Scoundrel is dangling bellow Tarquin. I truly hope that I'm mistaken in my predictions.

EDIT: The forcecage has different versions according to casters choice. That's why it differed against the dragon.

Why teleport away rather than below decks? Because she's low on power points. Teleport + mischief + V finds her after mischief reveals her location could result in a dead psion.

[zimmerwald1915]

I swear, we have some real Sherlock Holmes' in this forum. =)
It is necessary, on these boards, to state one's case as precisely as possible, to avoid the rash of nitpickers.


Why teleport away rather than below decks? Because she's low on power points. Teleport + mischief + V finds her after mischief reveals her location could result in a dead psion.
Quite.

[Shining Wrath]

Psions aren't pigeonholed like that; below 9th-level powers, it's not possible to tell who is what discipline just by what they can do because they can cherry-pick powers from the various disciplines.

Nomad is most likely for her because her Wormhole is almost certainly a 9th-level discipline power, given the fact that she can transport an entire army with it. (It's also thematic since she lives in the desert, though that last one is minor.)

The question was whether or not she was capable of doing so, so you support that it doesn't matter whether or not she's a Nomad, she can still read minds.

As demonstrated in #913.

[drazen]

I just hope Laurin didn't go to bring back Miron. He should have had plenty of juice left? Although given that he used the Wormhole reach the desert, I guess he had no teleportation today, other than Contingency?

Where did Laurin go, anyway? Below decks or to the ground?