OOTS #436 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Rusty]

Mmmm...Reaping. :]

[Andiamo]

The Death Knight looks freakin' awesome!

[The Great Skenardo]

I like the ending for the poisonous arrow. :smalltongue:

[Captain "Fluffy"]

So that's where the arrow went...

Good job, Giant, as always.

[S.ilver]

Nice way to end the rumors about the arrow Giant! :P

And that death knight is just sweet! Hooray for reaping!

[Drekhan]

A rare logical miss by V :-p

[Generic PC]

And that silences the omnouis poisonus arrow questions and theories. the Death knight, with flames coming out of his eyes and his horse rearing up is cool, but what is the rip sound there for?

[Hallavast]

Why does a halfling fall faster than a severed human head? Marvelous comic, giant.

[Gallanoth]

Awsome strip by the Giant... Death Knights Kick!!
I'm guessing that V must have already buffed with protect from arrows.
*EDIT* Oops missed the buff at strip # 422

[Ezlo]

I love the Death Knight, I hope he sticks around after the battle.

[garylian]

Ah, poor V. All that intelligence, but she doesn't understand seige tactics that well.

This should be interesting.

And kudos to Rich for having fun with all the arrow comments! That was brilliant.

[MReav]

I wonder if this was an answer to all the speculation threads on the arrow.

Go Death Knight.

[Psychonaut]

I love how the arrow just missed everyone it was speculated to hit. Though I wasn't expecting it to cause any of Belkar's prophecied kills, I was thinking it would play some important role in the battle somehow - but I like the way it turned out instead much better than that idea.

[Xenon]

love the prot arrows... so much fun :)

and armor under a robe is awesome :) let the carnage begin!

[pendejochy]

Hahahaha! Good work with the arrrow. It was a satifiying comic just for that.

The fake Xykon on the skeleton horse is icing on the cake. ^^

[CDRrules]

I think I someone needs to start a Death Knight fan club. "THEN LET THE REAPING BEGIN!"

[ref]

OK, two questions: Who are you? and What have you done with Vaarsuvius? It's not normal for her to making such a misjudgement...

[SPoD]

And that silences the omnouis poisonus arrow questions and theories. the Death knight, with flames coming out of his eyes and his horse rearing up is cool, but what is the rip sound there for?

He's ripping off the blue "Xykon" robe to reveal his ass-kicking death knight armor.


Awsome strip by the Giant... Death Knights Kick!!
I'm guessing that V must have already buffed with protect from arrows.

Yup, he/she cast it in this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0422.html).

[Shade]

So now, the important question: are those ghasts or ghouls?

[Maerad of Pellinor]

It seems like the fake Xykons are smarter than the real one....:smallamused:

[Blaznak]

Hah! The arrow bounces off of V!
Now THAT is a fine wrapping up of a plot thread...

I also like the use of troops for no other purpose that to build a ramp for the leader and the elite troops to use. Nice!

[synnerman]

My heart! I've been worried about that damned arrow for ages. Now I'm worried that someone was going to pick up the bloody thing and nick someone.

The McGuffin is in play.

[MReav]

I think I someone needs to start a Death Knight fan club. "THEN LET THE REAPING BEGIN!"

NOOO!!! That's the last thing we need.

For every time someone starts a new fanclub, God kills a catgirl...

Wait, sign me up.

[Solara]

the Death knight, with flames coming out of his eyes and his horse rearing up is cool, but what is the rip sound there for?

That was him ripping up the blue robe that he was wearing to imitate Xykon.

And the arrow's destination got a LOL out of me. Apparently karma is working in Belkar's favor...it's just too bad that pesky protection from arrows got in the way.

[Alex Knight]

Actually, there was never a real chance of the arrow hitting V, as one of the first things she cast was "Protection from Arrows" when the horde arrived. :smallsmile:

[Sky_Schemer]

I am reminded of Zaf Brannigan. I can hear him devising his strategy now: "We'll send wave after wave of our own soldiers in until we have enough corpses to scale the walls!"

[NecroPaladin]

The Death Knight had better become a named character. He's just THAT awesome.

And very much in the image of his masters, what with the kill-your-minions-for-trivial-use tactics.

[LiteYear]

Nice to see Redcloak continuing to sacrifice Hobgoblins whenever he can.

[Black_Light83]

o no the giant solders are dooomed... dooomed i say!

[MReav]

The Death Knight had better become a named character. He's just THAT awesome.

And very much in the image of his masters, what with the kill-your-minions-for-trivial-use tactics.

I vote Zap.

[Sotextli]

OK, two questions: Who are you? and What have you done with Vaarsuvius? It's not normal for her to making such a misjudgement...

Dunno about that. Like V said, the only "rational" reason is because they're too stupid to know better. The problem is that the tactic is irrational. Not a misjudgement, but a mis-not-being-an-evil-badassment.

[Ariko]

poor Belkar. He may never know how close he came to killing V :smallbiggrin:

[TroyXavier]

You can tell while V is intelligent she lacks wisdom. This comic is a prime example.

[Naltyrr]

hmm, V's arrogance is gonna come back round and bite him/her...

[Maxymiuk]

You can tell while V is intelligent she lacks wisdom. This comic is a prime example.

Or it could just be that V, being a Good character, and without any ranks in Knowledge: Siege Tactics either, simply can't grasp the concept of sacrificing wave after wave of cannon fodder to create an opening for your crack troops.

[brionl]

Boy, Lars sure got some pretty good english on that arrow. All that bouncing around, and it fails it's job. :smallwink:

[Sturmjaeger]

So much for the arrow. Thunk. Heh.

[Turcano]

Hurray for violations of Chekhov's Law!

And the death knight is doing a very good job of emulating Xykon's awesomeness.

[Felinoid]

Heheh. Got me on the arrow, there. When the comic loaded, I could only see the first row and went "Oh, fudge!" The rest of the comic seemed a bit stretched out, but it did make for a nice punchline at the end. Nicely done once again, Giant.

[MReav]

Or it could just be that V, being a Good character, and without any ranks in Knowledge: Siege Tactics either, simply can't grasp the concept of sacrificing wave after wave of cannon fodder to create an opening for your crack troops.

More likely s/he doesn't have Sense Motive.

Well, the fear aura won't be freaking out the Super Soldiers because they have 5 HD and the fear aura only affects things with less then 5 HD. The clerics though...

Of course, there's the unholy fireball ability

[Maerok]

Favorite Scene (119x117):
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/pwned101/deathknight.jpg

[Guildorn Tanaleth]

Ooh, that's not good.

Has Miko been praying this whole time?

[2.5 cats]

V should still enough heavy spells left to take down the death knight, plus a fireball for all the lesser undead. Might not be that bad a fight. (Though I don't have that sourcebook--what's the challenge rating on a Death Knight anyway?)

[Innis Cabal]

V is in for a very bad night

[Xi-1]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums, but if anyone guesses what he is about to do and he happens to glance over it, he CHANGES what's going to happen, if only out of spite. Rich also points out that he will never reveal Vaarsuvius's sex (biological) or gender (role). That's for those addressing V as 'she.' Now that my rant is done...

I believe the arrow glanced off or near almost everyone people were guessing it would hit: Roy and Xykon on the zombie dragon; near Miko's cell; off of V's 'Protection from Arrows.' So now it's there for future use.

I thought Redcloak would be sending the undead hobbies over the wall following the living ones, not using their corpses as a ramp. Is there a limit to how many they can zombify, and that's why they need the ramp?

Sure, the Death Knight is cool, but any anti-necro spells that've been prepared will break him down too. Oh well, here we go. No use speculating when Rich'll just change things on us again.

[UglyPanda]

That death knight seems quite badass. It also appears to share Xykon's sense of morality.

[Mr Teufel]

Chekhov's musket was loaded with blanks! Yay for the comedic anticlimax! Works especially well in light of all the speculation.

[Kanthalion]

NOOO!!! That's the last thing we need.

For every time someone starts a new fanclub, God kills a catgirl...

Wait, sign me up.

I thought that was for every time someone brings real world physics into a fantasy discussion. You just have something against catgirls, don't you?

[Professor Tanhauser]

So I take it the death knights are tough characters. I mean, is this skeletor ripoff going to be able to whack all the giant warriors V put up there, even with medic spell support? Will V be able to dissmiss it, or will durkon finally get a chance to do something in this frakking battle by turning it?

[Dausuul]

V should still enough heavy spells left to take down the death knight, plus a fireball for all the lesser undead. Might not be that bad a fight. (Though I don't have that sourcebook--what's the challenge rating on a Death Knight anyway?)

Death knight CR starts at 9 and goes up from there. It's a template, like lich, only death knight applies to fighter-types.

Though I don't think the +3 to CR is really warranted by its stats.

[PaladinBoy]

After reading the end, there was just one thing that popped to mind....

:eek:

[Xi-1]

Turcano, are those Data's, Riker's, and Picard's heads you've got bobbing? 'Cause that looks wicked-funny! And Kanthalion, nice Spike (Cowboy Bebop).

OotS has only room to become more awesome than before.

[CGM3]

For every time someone starts a new fanclub, God kills a catgirl...

Then in the name of all that is just and good, we must start a separate fan club for each and every valiant defender on the walls of Azure City, as well as each and every vile attacker fighting under the banner of Xykon!

It'll be a start... :smallcool:

[Professor Tanhauser]

Turcano, are those Data's, Riker's, and Picard's heads you've got bobbing? 'Cause that looks wicked-funny! And Kanthalion, nice Spike (Cowboy Bebop).

OotS has only room to become more awesome than before.

Well, heck, you like cowboy bebop? Why didn't you say so? I was thinking of switching to a Fay avatar....

[baerdith]

Doh!

I guess Rich does read the forums!

[Midnight Lurker]

Ah, the ripped clothes scene. It's now time for the DK to bust out the Hundred Crack Fist of the North Star!

[Azzurus]

Watch out V! Oh... whew.

[Xi-1]

Then in the name of all that is just and good, we must start a separate fan club for each and every valiant defender on the walls of Azure City, as well as each and every vile attacker fighting under the banner of Xykon!

It'll be a start... :smallcool:

Shouldn't be a problem: God likes creating new catgirls. I'm sure he'll put the dead catgirl souls into new bodies.

EDIT: Yeah, I enjoyed watching 'Cowboy Bebop.' I only read the 'Shooting Star' volume of the manga though. And it's far from the only manga or anime that I enjoy. It's a LONG list.

[Kanthalion]

Turcano, are those Data's, Riker's, and Picard's heads you've got bobbing? 'Cause that looks wicked-funny! And Kanthalion, nice Spike (Cowboy Bebop).

OotS has only room to become more awesome than before.

I appreciate the compliment, but I cannot claim credit for it: Quincunx created it in response to a request I made in the OOTS avatar thread.

[MReav]

I thought that was for every time someone brings real world physics into a fantasy discussion. You just have something against catgirls, don't you?

God needs very little incentive to kill catgirls.

[erewhon]

Oh, MAN.

Lookin' bad for poor V, a Death Knight with a wave of Ghouls is not a good thing.

Where's Durkon?!

[Loyal2NES]

My thoughts for the comic:

That arrow will go nowhere. It's head has been lodged in the ground, and therefore will find no use whatsoever. Only Elan's neon sign could make this more obvious.Death Knight should totally have ordered the Hobgoblins to attack in such a way that their corpses would form a jumping platform/stairwell pattern for his horse to jump by. That the final success of it would probably take till dusk would make it better.

His victorious final leap over the battlement remains would be far more terrifyingly awesome if he had a sillhouette to accompany his death knight mojo. :D

[Tach13]

While most strips are funny, the path of the arrow was beyond normal limits considering all the guesses on the forums of late, very,very funny twist on what everyone expected, whether as a foil to discussion or whether planned well in advance.

I also thought that the "reason" for them sending wave after wave was that they could just animate them again later, but the actual reason is just twisted. Hoping Belkar is fairly close, then he could use the ramp and help hold the breach (he can "kill" undead within the walls, after all.)

[Knight13]

That Deathknight is cool, but he's got nothing on Lord Soth from Dragonlance.

[EvilElitest]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums, but if anyone guesses what he is about to do and he happens to glance over it, he CHANGES what's going to happen, if only out of spite. Rich also points out that he will never reveal Vaarsuvius's sex (biological) or gender (role). That's for those addressing V as 'she.' Now that my rant is done...

I believe the arrow glanced off or near almost everyone people were guessing it would hit: Roy and Xykon on the zombie dragon; near Miko's cell; off of V's 'Protection from Arrows.' So now it's there for future use.

I thought Redcloak would be sending the undead hobbies over the wall following the living ones, not using their corpses as a ramp. Is there a limit to how many they can zombify, and that's why they need the ramp?

Sure, the Death Knight is cool, but any anti-necro spells that've been prepared will break him down too. Oh well, here we go. No use speculating when Rich'll just change things on us again.

While their is a limit, i think they are using a ramp to be on equal height to the giant soilders, so the death knight can get up to them. Once this wave is over, the body ramp will be zombied to keep attacking
OH and cat girls are created every time a fan boy/girl takes tries to use logic from a comic/anime/movie/show/manga/book to surrport real life situations. Like the people who think seph could really lift a sword like that.

from,
EE

[Xi-1]

Belkar's probably having too much fun slaying the remaining living hobbies to care very much about the undead ones just yet. Wait until he runs out of living targets outside the walls, and we'll see where his flesh-seeking daggers go. Just remember that he has no IR/FF function.

EDIT: I suppose it would be nice to hit the giant soldiers in the head, but who says you can's slice their feet apart first? Smaller also has its advantages, as Belkar can attest.

[Shade]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums, but if anyone guesses what he is about to do and he happens to glance over it, he CHANGES what's going to happen, if only out of spite. Rich also points out that he will never reveal Vaarsuvius's sex (biological) or gender (role). That's for those addressing V as 'she.' Now that my rant is done...

I'm pretty sure everyone knows that. It's just that saying he/she all the time is a pain, so people pick a pronoun, any pronoun, and stick with it. Like the way I call my psicrystal "he" even though its a) a genderless rock, and b) technically a part of my mind, so it should be she if anything. Pronoun of choice.

I doubt V would have too much trouble with just the death knight. But the horde of ghoul/ghasts? d4 hit dice... and the pre-battle lesson on criticals. Do we know if they're ghouls or ghasts (remember comic 107 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0107.html))?

[Solo]

Well, since there are clerics, I don't see the undead being much of a problem.

And V is a wizard. And wizards win DnD. Therefore, V will win.

[Nahmer]

It's a pity that Necromancy is probably V's other banned school: Undeath to Death would make short work of the opposition (as would many other necromancy spells).

[Xi-1]

I doubt V would have too much trouble with just the death knight. But the horde of ghoul/ghasts? d4 hit dice... and the pre-battle lesson on criticals. Do we know if they're ghouls or ghasts (remember comic 107 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0107.html))?

I don't think we know that yet, but I figure if V's gonna show any more intelligence in this fight, it's that V'll have learned from the OotSers' last encounter with the Xykonic Army. I know I would, and I'm not so smart. I'd be aghast if V didn't learn from that experience (sorry, I must be tired - couldn't help myself).

[MReav]

It's a pity that Necromancy is probably V's other banned school: Undeath to Death would make short work of the opposition (as would many other necromancy spells).

Dude, a Lightning Bolt would do that.

I'm holding out for a Chain Lightning Bolt. Won't hurt Zap, but will charbroil the ghoulies no sweat.

[Kanthalion]

Whoo Hoo! I just noticed, I'm a dwarf!

[Vox]

*Laughs hysterically at arrow sequence*

Not that this was THAT funny in and of itself, but with all the speculation about what it would hit......hilarious. And it actually did hit V in the end....but had absolutely no effect.

*Continues to laugh at irony of it*

*Proclaims a crusade against all of catgirl-kind*

*Laughs harder/more maniacally*

[Itdano]

I really love the affirmation of V's awesomeness followed shortly thereafter by the tearing down of said awesomeness.

[Turcano]

Turcano, are those Data's, Riker's, and Picard's heads you've got bobbing?

Yes.

And stuff.

[Nightwing]

In my opinion I think the best character in this comic was :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius: :vaarsuvius:

[Mawhrin Skel]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums, but if anyone guesses what he is about to do and he happens to glance over it, he CHANGES what's going to happen, if only out of spite.
Rich has posted previously that he had never actually changed the plot in response to the forums, and on the FAQ he meant he was tempted to do so. I expect that this is still the case. Likely the vast majority of his readers don't read the forums anyway.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I think I have a new favorite character: the death knight Xykon clone. How awesome is that? I've always wanted to order the start of a reaping.

LET THE RED HARVEST BEGIN! SERVE THE HIVE! BLARG! *FROTH*

[silvadel]

All I can really say is -- at least the arrow tried -- A for effort but a failing mark for execution. <ba dum bum>

[Moik]

Bonus points for the "Fate of the Arrow"

I like how we built that issue up into this massive mountain, and then Rich turns it into a complete triviality. The way it's laid out it's like he called it that we were gonna fixate on where the arrow would go.

[fractal]

Rich has posted previously that he had never actually changed the plot in response to the forums, and on the FAQ he meant he was tempted to do so. I expect that this is still the case. Likely the vast majority of his readers don't read the forums anyway.
This isn't the plot anyway, though, this is just the content of a few panels. I'm positive that the Giant frequently changes a few panels in the comic to respond to the forums. Furthermore, I'm glad he does. I think it makes for a better comic in the long run.

[Xi-1]

I think I have a new favorite character: the death knight Xykon clone. How awesome is that? I've always wanted to order the start of a reaping.

LET THE RED HARVEST BEGIN! SERVE THE HIVE! BLARG! *FROTH*

Not a clone, just a skeleton. As Redcloak says, all human skeletons look alike. Which isn't to say Death Knight isn't cool. He is.

And yes, when you notice your status changing it IS awesome.

[Hushdawg]

ROOOOOCK!!!!!!

Methinks next strip is where Durkon is gonna come in handy; what with all those ghasts/ghouls/undead-ish types running around

[Devoured_Dude]

Why is the Death Knight promoting that awful Hillary Swank movie?
:smallwink:

[Friv]

Man, as soon as V started speaking, I was like "Man, V. Don't you know enough about physics to know that the phrase "There's nothing to worry about" instantly alters reality so that there is?"

Although I thought the plan was going to be a mass Animate Dead to suddenly overwhelm the giant soldiers. This plan was much more entertaining.


And on the bright side, the soldiers there are still almost completely intact; only the giant ones are in the path of doom.

[Plugh]

Protection from Arrows provides DR 10. It doesn't deflect the hit. So V would still have needed to make that high fort save. But I'm sure the arrow bounced off hir mage armor.

[NeonRonin]

RICH BURLEW IS GOD.

Loved the arrow sequence; like watching a billiard ball. Perfectly done... and it was so perfect the way Mr. Death Knight shucked his disguise prior to executing a charge. I am wondering what V-Man's reaction is going to be when s/he sees the oncoming charge, and how they deal with it.

Oh, and nice cameo by Miko in her jail cell... and she isn't even paying attention to the siege; just keeps praying away in her own little world. Good job as always.

[Azukar]

To: Giant in the Playground
Re: Poisoned Arrow

Body: Oh ha, ha, ha, very funny.

Yrs sincerely,
Azukar

[Roderick_BR]

Now I'm sure that the Giant is aware of everything that happens in the forums... XD

Edit:
Plugh, Protection from Arrows give DR 10/-, yes, but if the damage is reduced to 0 or less, the attack's special effects is nullified. That's just the visual effect Rich used.

[NecroPaladin]

Favorite Scene (119x117):
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/pwned101/deathknight.jpg

Sigged. So sigged.

[Haruspex]

That death knight. Skeletons with swords are always cool. Wonder where he's planning on jumping to. Over the giant soldiers, or towards them?

[Lizard Lord]

I love how the arrow almost hits Roy, Miko, and V as they are the three people that Belkar was said to cause the death of.

Also love the Death-knight thing and V's miscalculation.

It's not really an intelligence thing as it is a wisdom thing (and I suppose he also lacks a military mind). V simply underestimates the monster type creatures.

This also goes back to when the mind flayer choosing Roy over V as I believe Roy would not make such a mistake.

[Big_Robot]

Ah, now we know, and knowing is half the battle.

[Bluefin]

This comic was all sorts of cool. From the arrow to the ramp. Let's go Death Knight Xykon Decoy With Skeletal Steed Guy!

[MReav]

Protection from Arrows provides DR 10. It doesn't deflect the hit. So V would still have needed to make that high fort save. But I'm sure the arrow bounced off hir mage armor.

Actually, a poison that delivers it via injury must be delivered on a weapon that injures the relevant individual.

[Toper]

Ha! Perfect ending for the arrow.

[BigDumbFighter]

Oh, you did that whole arrow bit just to mess with our brains, didn't you? :smallbiggrin:

Anyway, great comic. V's nonexistant reaction to almost getting hit by an arrow was freakin' awesome, as was the entire arrow sequence. and wow, even fake Xykons like sacrificing hobbos. I would like to point out two things:

Is it really wise wasting minions like that, in the middle of a battle. I would say it's a foolish tatical move, but considered the person ordering it has screamed about death every comic, I actually wouldn't be surprised if he didn't care who's side was dieing.
Also, just how did that arrow manage to get from the south end of the wall, reach the jail, and then make it's way to the north end of the wall? GLG must has surprisingly good range on his bow. :smalltongue:

[Fighteer]

Ah, silliness with the misfired arrow, more giant soldier goodness, and V finally making a tactical error. Durkon's disruption spell might come in handy soon.

[Pvednes]

Sacrificing minions: Is there any problem it can't solve?

[KBF]

In regards to the first part-

Rich DOES care!

[Krytha]

Totally... Frickin... AWESOME!!

[Aerysil]

I think that arrow rolled 3 20's to ricochet so well. Still won't get through a protection from arrows spell, though. A wizard is the perfect target to cause Con loss to, since they don't have high enough of a hit die to compensate. Causing them a mere loss of 8 Con points could very well kill them.

Hence, my sigh of relief :)

[Swashbuckler]

Too bad the arrow missed Miko.

What else can I say, but ... LET THE REAPING BEGIN! :biggrin:

[Helgraf]

Protection from Arrows provides DR 10. It doesn't deflect the hit. So V would still have needed to make that high fort save. But I'm sure the arrow bounced off hir mage armor.

If the arrow inflicts 0 damage (say, because of the DR), the poison isn't introduced into the body and the save is unneccesary.

[Erathia]

I loved this comic to little tiny snack-sized pieces, but is anyone else wholly confused by what it is those low-level clerics are standing on? Is it the capes of the soldiers? The perspective is just too askew for me to tell.

[Faltenin]

Excellent twist!

Although I'm pretty smug for correctly predicting the arrow would hit the dragon (at least first) :smallcool: , I definitely hadn't predicted this!

Note that the arrow barely misses all three characters that the Belkster is prophesised (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html) to cause the death of...

I'm having flashes of the Death Knight shouting "You fool. No man can kill me. Die now!" with http://www.giantitp.com/forums/images/smilies/oots/vaarsuvius.gif replying "I am no man..." while http://www.giantitp.com/forums/images/smilies/oots/belkar.gif slits him from behind.

[kreszantas]

A history note Alexander the Great used the ruined mainland city of Tyre, built a causeway out across the sea to capture the island city of Tyre at that time was the richest nation in the world. A thread can be drawn to the bodies being used as a anti-siege tactic as well neato Giant :)

[factotum]

Well, since there are clerics, I don't see the undead being much of a problem.


LOW LEVEL clerics. I doubt they have anyone in that breach who's capable of Turning a Death Knight, even if it's the lowest level possible for its template--and I wouldn't be surprised if Redcloak made sure it was a bit higher level than that!

As far as V is concerned, he's going to have to deal with the Death Knight--no-one else on his section of the wall high enough level to do that, so the normal troops will have to deal with the ghasts (or ghouls, or whatever they are).

[skinkatlarge]

Oh, MAN! As one of the speculators about the tellingly yellow-fletched arrow, I laughed long and hard at that opening. No one makes me happier to be consistently wrong than the Giant. :smallbiggrin:

It seems like the fake Xykons are smarter than the real one....:smallamused:
QFT. Also, not that hard. :smalltongue:

Man, as soon as V started speaking, I was like "Man, V. Don't you know enough about physics to know that the phrase "There's nothing to worry about" instantly alters reality so that there is?"
Haha, yeah, I had the same sinking sensation.


Is it really wise wasting minions like that, in the middle of a battle. I would say it's a foolish tatical move, but considered the person ordering it has screamed about death every comic, I actually wouldn't be surprised if he didn't care who's side was dieing
Have you been reading OOTS long? :smallwink:

I loved this comic to little tiny snack-sized pieces, but is anyone else wholly confused by what it is those low-level clerics are standing on? Is it the capes of the soldiers? The perspective is just too askew for me to tell.Big chunks of titanium-elemental-smashed city wall.

Awesome strip!

[Solmage]

Perfectly logical .. and perfectly wrong. Heh! :)

[Nightmarenny]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums, but if anyone guesses what he is about to do and he happens to glance over it, he CHANGES what's going to happen, Am I the only one that reads the FAQ? Do you just glance over it? Giant says he is tempted to change something, not that he does. Infact in a forum post(by the way he does read the forum sometimes) he stated that he's never really changed something in a comic, just that he fealt the urge.

[Zienth]

puh-ting!
puh-toong!
puh-tang!
thunk.

The life of an arrow.

Well done, as usual, Giant. :)

Zienth

[Eldhrin]

While their is a limit, i think they are using a ramp to be on equal height to the giant soilders, so the death knight can get up to them. Once this wave is over, the body ramp will be zombied to keep attacking
OH and cat girls are created every time a fan boy/girl takes tries to use logic from a comic/anime/movie/show/manga/book to surrport real life situations. Like the people who think seph could really lift a sword like that.

Seph could lift a sword like that - if the sword was made of enchanted cardboard!

Fantastic comic Rich. Nice way to make sure the arrow doesn't hang around as a Chekovian gun on the mantlepiece.

Can't wait to see what happens with the Death Knight!

[Hinton]

Wow; very cool comic. Seeing that arrow headed for V made me a bit concerned, but when it went "puh-tang", I thought: "Oh yeah, Protection From Arrows at the beginning of the battle." Definitely looking forward to all the ways that this battle is going to unfold.

And a "hey all" to all the other Cowboy Bebop fans that I've seen posting in this thread (love the new avatar Prof.).

[Rift_Wolf]

I think the main contenders for poisonous arrow-hittery were suggested; Roy, then Miko, then V. Of course, everyone should've remembered V had cast Protection from Arrows at the start of the battle (It's almost like the Giant plans these things out!). But I kinda figured the poisonous arrow was gonna be a joke like that, with it just hitting the ground next to somebody.
Also Death Knights ftw! Nice to see he uses the theory that no problem can't be solved by sacrificing a lot of minions!
Is someone still keeping score with the death count on each side?

[Tobrian]

Whoot, anti-climactic ending for the poor arrow! His 15 seconds of fame are over.:smallsmile:

Ah yes I forgot that V always casts Protection from Arrows on himself. Heh. And it nearly hit Miko... the Giant is toying with us. :smallwink:

Uh oh... the Death Knight is coming, and 3.5 rules are working against V: so many spells have been reduced in duration from hours to mere minutes or rounds. Are those vampire hobgblins? That's why generals either love or hate necromancers: You get twice the army for the cost of one, and don't have to worry about wounded soldiers afterwards. Really, V must've rolled a 1 on a Sense Motive: Enemy check, considering that the OotS know that Redcloak and Xykon are necromancers. :smalleek:


And V is a wizard. And wizards win DnD. Therefore, V will win.

Please let's not start that nonsense again! *headdesk* Wizards do run out of spells, and a full-scale battle/siege takes far longer than any normal encounter.

[Bel_Bel]

I knew it would hit another OOTS member! Ha!

And, :smallbiggrin:, good comic

[TheAnimal]

Whew, that was close... thrice! :smalleek:

The strip's title kind of says it all about V's shortcomings.

And yes, :xykon: : "THEN LET THE REAPING BEGIN!!" is the most badass line in the whole comic so far.
(Well, :vaarsuvius: : "Apparently." is a close second.)

[Vargtass]

I do not think that The Giant responded to Forum discussions with the arrow. He had already foreshadowed the arrow by showing V's Protection from Arrows spell at the beginning of battle. By using the arrow in this way, he accomplished two things (at least) from a storytelling perspective:

1. The action was smoothly tranferred from Belkar to V.
2. All readers (not only fanatical forum readers) was reminded of Belkar's prophesy.

If anything, I would be worried. I suspect there is a reason why the Giant made the reminder now...

From within the story, too, it is ominous to see how fate seems to conspire against the possible targets of Belakrs prophesy. Even though unsuccessful this time, Fate (capital F this time) really had a go at them. If all potentially lethal random effects that Belkar causes will try to hit target fropm now on, my hope sinks...

[Casinodwarf]

Death Knight :xykon: "THEN LET THE REAPING BEGIN!!" I will admit I geeked out when I read that line.

:vaarsuvius: "It" will have a hard time once "it" figures it all out and sees the Death Knight :xykon: That should make for an interesting battle.

For the record I love undead. I use all sorts of them in most of my campaigns. I have an idea... Rage Hobgoblins inpired by the movie "28 Days Later." That would be the sauce.

[Eldritch_Ent]

Oh no, Mr. Grand Larceny has poisoned teh earth! I hope it has a high enough fort save to resist- or at least enough of a CON score to soak the damage up. :(

[happyturtle]

V's arrogance is usually justified, but in this case, she thinks she has a better grasp of the situation than General Chang, who has actually fought hobgoblins. Poor V... go back to telling the laws of physics to sit down and shut up, and leave the military planning to the experts!

[tis_tom]

I wonder how many high-damage spells V has left... He/She often seems to run out quite early in battles and Belkar's already mentioned his/her use of fireballs.

Because if he/she's out I really don't see how any of them are going to get out alive :smalleek:

[Green Bean]

Well, looks like it's time for V-on-knight action! This should be fun. :smallbiggrin:

[Jeff_the_pirate]

I like how Rich just has the arrow nearly hit every target speculated based on the prophecy of Belkar causing the death of one of them. :smallbiggrin: The Death knight ought to be interesting too, looking pretty cool

[BobCat]

Cool strip...
But I can't w8 for Giant to go back to Belkar's story. I want to see my favorite psycho and his karma out of the MoJ area.

[Fingolfin]

Wow, interesting technique of transferring the plot with the arrow. And maybe a doomsday approaching for Azure city. Very exciting.

[Closet_Skeleton]

That death knight is badass. Then again, they all are.

Nice to see that he was wearing armour under that robe.

A nice cameo of Miko as well.

[Threeshades]

Ah this strip was made of awesome. I already laughed hard after the first 6 panels. But the end with the death knight rocked as well. Cant wait to see him beating all kinds of stuff out of the AC soldiers

[lord_khaine]

yeah those soldiers are more or less done for. the ac of a deathknight is usualy a bit higher than what a lv 5 fighter might hit, and to ad insult to injury, deathknights are as i recall immune to fire, cold, lightning and turning.

but now im thinking about it, V does have 1 spell thats the perfect weapon against a corporal undead like the deathknight.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0186.html

since the lack of con does limit his fortitude save.

[Mummy king]

That's what i was gonna suggest, khaine.

Anyway, this comic was awesome. Anybody else wanna see Hinjo and Death Knight jousting? Cos of how they both have awesome mounts and all

[Freelance Henchman]

Things are getting dire. There is only one thing left to do: UNLEASH MIKO!

[factotum]

but now im thinking about it, V does have 1 spell thats the perfect weapon against a corporal undead like the deathknight.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0186.html

since the lack of con does limit his fortitude save.

Yes and no. Undead are immune to any spell requiring a Fortitude save, UNLESS that spell also affects inanimate objects--so in the normal course of events a low Fortitude save would be irrelevant. But, of course, Disintegrate *can* affect inanimate objects, so it ought to work just fine against a Death Knight.

[Shadow of the Sun]

I thought that was for every time someone brings real world physics into a fantasy discussion. You just have something against catgirls, don't you?

For every catgirl you don't kill, I'll kill three.

Except for Ego. Because she is goddamn scary.

[Rat_Summoner]

Was anyone else reminded of a certain Samurai Jack quote when they saw the Death Knight?
"Once upon a time there was a little girl in a red hood with GREAT FLAAAAMING EYEBROWS!"

[Caledonian]

Warfare is such a stupid thing that Vaarsuvius' great brain is unable to comprehend it.

Sending in hordes of soldiers so that their corpses form a ramp is an insane waste of resources. Ironically, because reasonable minds wouldn't even think of the possibility of such a tactic, the insanity will tend to overcome the sanity because of lack of preparation.

And Taoism wins yet again...

[Blaznak]

I can't believe I didn't see it first time through, but sure enough, there's Mikko sitting in Jail.

I couldn't tell if she was contemplative, reflective, angry or just taking a cat(girl) nap... but there she is!

[pendell]

Sacrificing minions ... is there any problem it can't solve?

Way to build anticipation over the weekend, Giant! I'm looking forward to the continuation of V's plotline!

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[pendell]

BTW re: catgirls -- do we get XP for that?

'Cause everyone knows that the arrows flight was obviously inspired by the laws of comedy, not the laws of physics.

*Listens to the scream in the distance*

I love the sound of catgirls screaming in terror in the morning. It sounds like ... victory!

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Miklus]

I do not think that The Giant responded to Forum discussions with the arrow. He had already foreshadowed the arrow by showing V's Protection from Arrows spell at the beginning of battle. By using the arrow in this way, he accomplished two things (at least) from a storytelling perspective:

1. The action was smoothly tranferred from Belkar to V.
2. All readers (not only fanatical forum readers) was reminded of Belkar's prophesy.

If anything, I would be worried. I suspect there is a reason why the Giant made the reminder now...

I still say the Giant is mocking us! I was so looking forward to that arrow hitting Roy in the butt.

[Mad Scientist]

I LOVE that the arrow almost hits Roy, the dragon, Miko, and V, but ultimately just ends up hitting the ground. LOL!
The death knight fake Xykon seems to have the real Xykons taste for using minions to solve any problem.

[Estelindis]

As many others have said, the arrow-pinging was fantastic - a great way to tantalise us and then end the speculation (I honestly thought it was going to hit V for a sec before I scrolled down and was reminded of the Protection from Arrows buff). :smallwink:

As for the goblin ramp... This can *only* go well. :smallsigh:

Fantastic strip. :smallsmile:

[InuSaga]

Cool comic, but I can't help but wonder.

I can't help but suspect that they're going to get desperate enough to let Miko out of prison to help in the battle. That way she could resume her "reoccurring villain" status. And I guess the liner guild could trick their way out of there when they let Miko out. Hmmmmm. Ponderific."

[Rift_Wolf]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums, but if anyone guesses what he is about to do and he happens to glance over it, he CHANGES what's going to happen, if only out of spite. Rich also points out that he will never reveal Vaarsuvius's sex (biological) or gender (role). That's for those addressing V as 'she.' Now that my rant is done...

I don't like that idea that the Giant makes plot twists out of spite. It also suggests he doesn't plan very far ahead (Two days at the most). I think he planned all along for the arrow to thunk harmlessly into the ground (Or at the very least rebound off V's shield), that's why he had V raise her Prot.Arrows at the beginning of the battle. Besides, if he HAD changed it last minute, what would the outcome be?
Roy gets hit and dies: The giant spends the next two weeks redesigning the website so Roy isn't one of the icons anymore.
Miko gets hit and dies: Forum threads deplete at a rate of 2d4 per round.
V gets hit and dies: Everyone on the thread bitches about how s/he'd cast Protection from Arrows.
Belkar gets hit and dies: God walks through the land of the catgirls, swinging his +6 keen longsword of catsbane (Which he can have, on account of being God) indiscriminately, slaying village after village of mewling innocent feline.

[Conners]

Fantastic job with the comic!

I was afraid that Rich just decided to write hobgoblins off as being the same as their rabble cousins. At least now they have the excuse that their leaders are just too stupid/evil/lazy to bother with an actual plan.

My respect for Vaarsuvious:vaarsuvius: has lessened since s/he dissed Hobgoblin intelligence. I figured V was knowledgeable enough to know of their military brilliance.

[Webwalker]

:vaarsuvius: Pardon me, Sir Death Knight, but I don't believe you have permission to enter this city, due to the Articles of Surrender in Azure City v Goblenoid Swarm. Specifically, Section 17, subsection 3, paragraph 4.
:xykon: What on earth are you talking about, elf? *takes the paper, reading it over" I have prepared Explosive Runes this morning? That doesn't say anything about my permission to en...
**BOOM**

[skinkatlarge]

Going back over the strip again, I'd just like to mention my appreciation for the little details: the poison dripping from the arrow in the first panel, the triple hob-kebob in the 8th, and especially the period after the "thunk" as the arrow hits the ground. Just... masterful.

[Aramil Liadon]

Wow. This is probably my favorite strip in a while. I loved seeing the arrow heading at V and then... Poink! Also, the last panel was just awesome. Great work!

[AyuVince]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums,

Then how come he posts answers in threads from time to time? Do you think the mods call him when he needs to answer an important question?

Anyway... :vaarsuvius: is always overrationalizing situations, that's why I like zir. Ze is like me :)

[Fighteer]

:vaarsuvius: Pardon me, Sir Death Knight, but I don't believe you have permission to enter this city, due to the Articles of Surrender in Azure City v Goblenoid Swarm. Specifically, Section 17, subsection 3, paragraph 4.
:xykon: What on earth are you talking about, elf? *takes the paper, reading it over" I have prepared Explosive Runes this morning? That doesn't say anything about my permission to en...
**BOOM**
This idea is full of win. (I hate myself for even thinking of using that expression.)

[Loyal2NES]

:vaarsuvius: Pardon me, Sir Death Knight, but I don't believe you have permission to enter this city, due to the Articles of Surrender in Azure City v Goblenoid Swarm. Specifically, Section 17, subsection 3, paragraph 4.
:xykon: What on earth are you talking about, elf? *takes the paper, reading it over" I have prepared Explosive Runes this morning? That doesn't say anything about my permission to en...
**BOOM**I concur. :smallamused:

[Porthos]

Okay, before I get to the strip please allow me to refer everyone to the FAQs, where Rich points out that not only does he NOT read the forums, but if anyone guesses what he is about to do and he happens to glance over it, he CHANGES what's going to happen, if only out of spite.

A lot of other people have chimed in, so I might as well pile on. :smallwink:

Point A) The FAQ was last updated over two years ago. Things change. :smallwink:

Point B) 95+% of the board thought Miko would Fall after she bisected Shinjo. According to your theory, Rich would have to have changed what happened.

Point C) The whole point of the FAQ entry is so that people don't email/PM Rich saying, "ohhhh you should do this. It would totally rocxers!1!" (at least that's how I read it :smallsmile: )

Point D) Do you really think Rich will change aspects of his Masterplan/Metaplot, just because Joe McPostsalot thought of part of it ahead of time? (Ex: Well, I was going to kill Roy with the poisioned arrow. But I'll totally rework my next 15 strips because Joe McPostsalot guessed it would happen).

So you'll pardon me if I don't exactly take the whole "Rich changes the comics to screw with us" argument as gospel. :smallsmile:

[SteveMB]

Rich has posted previously that he had never actually changed the plot in response to the forums, and on the FAQ he meant he was tempted to do so. I expect that this is still the case. Likely the vast majority of his readers don't read the forums anyway.

The bottom line is that when you have a lot of fans reading your work, and paying attention to it, somebody is likely to guess where you're going with any given plot thread.

The only real way to prevent that from spoiling surprises is to generate enough plot threads and clues that people also make a lot of wrong guesses, thus leaving a fog of uncertainty as to which predictions are on target. Rich has been fairly successful in that, IMO.

[CurlyKitGirl]

:smallsmile: Wow, loving this comic so much, especially the way the forum guesses all NEARLY came true LOL.I don't think V could have thought of the *pile of corpses ramp* idea because V is logical, the Death Knight isn't. :smallwink: I've been wondering though don't ghasts paralyse V? If so the undead things had better not be ghasts or :vaarsuvius: is in one hellava lot of trouble.

Best quote "LET THE REAPING BEGIN" Nice to see henchmen disregard in the evil ranks:smallsmile:

[silvadel]

Anyone else find it odd that undead goblins lose their ears?

And good one loyal2nes.

[Bilbo27]

Dang, the arrow missed Miko.

[Varachan]

What happens now depends quite a lot on what level those clerics are.

If a significant portion of them are 5th level and have prepared searing light, they could blast the death knight down with it. The ghouls or ghasts don't really worry me that much, since they have no DR and will likely get skewered by AoO's from the soldiers. (Their AC is also pretty bad, so power attack = win.) The clerics could also just turn them.

Potions of Heroism give a +2 bonus to base attack bonus, no? Does that give all the 5th level fighters an extra attack?

The death knight is more of a problem. Unless the clerics can searing light him into dust, it's going to take a disintegrate from V or similar to take him down. I don't have my reference handy; what's Death Knight DR?

[Mawhrin Skel]

I think that arrow rolled 3 20's to ricochet so well. Still won't get through a protection from arrows spell, though. A wizard is the perfect target to cause Con loss to, since they don't have high enough of a hit die to compensate. Causing them a mere loss of 8 Con points could very well kill them.

Hence, my sigh of relief :)

Protection from Arrows was represented the same way here:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0240.html


Am I the only one that reads the FAQ? Do you just glance over it? Giant says he is tempted to change something, not that he does. Infact in a forum post(by the way he does read the forum sometimes) he stated that he's never really changed something in a comic, just that he fealt the urge.
He says he feels an "uncontrollable urge", which could be interpreted as saying he is compelled to follow that urge. Not, I think. the best use of language Rich has produced.

[Hushdawg]

Anyone else find it odd that undead goblins lose their ears?



Part of the sacrifical rite to become raised?

Maybe that's why they are aGhast when raised.. they can't hear anything...

I dunno.. it would shock me...


*ducks from the pummel of bad puns*

[Malhavok]

SWEET !

Let the reaping begin !

[Cruxador]

Um... That was a fairly basic Goblinoid tactic...

[Hushdawg]

I really wish people would stop arguing over whether or not Rich reads the damn forums.

It's obvious that he does because he has mandated that people post predictions of the comic under the "Spoiler" label so that it wouldn't mess him up. Therefore he does not read anything under a "Spoiler" label.

Go read the instructions and rules on posting spoilers like I did (albeit last week, but I still read it) and you'll get a much clearer idea of what's going on.

Though, to be honest I doubt Rich reads EVERY post.. but he probably scans over the posts just to see what reactions are and how people are appreciating the storyline.

If you read the books he discusses the way that he has turned stories in the past to challenge himself based upon reader reaction to previous story turns.

I strongly doubt that he would read the forums for input on the next strip. The storyline is much more complex and the art is much too smooth to be slapped together in a couple of days.

I would wager that he has a rough storyline written out for a very long term and then as each strip goes on more is added to the short-term strips. It would not surprise me if he had the basic story outline plotted for two weeks in advance and the preliminary artwork two strips in advance.

So speculate all you want... it's not going to make OOTS change any more than you speculating what will happen in the next episode of "Smallville." I'd wager you would have the same success rate in prediction.

[the_tick_rules]

Boy that arrow had a journey, good thing V had that arrow protection. Boy those hobs just can't find a good job can they?

[lord_khaine]

death knight Dr Was as i recall 10/+1, and i hasnt seen any official upgrades to 3.5 yet.

[Black of Night]

Seriously, yay for the arrow! (Waits for someone to start an "Arrow" fanclub.... kidding!)

As cool as the DeathKnight is, it just made me miss Dead Like Me....

[K'tai]

about the arrow...did anyone else notice that all of the people it came near were ones who belkar wants to cause the death of?

[Professor Tanhauser]

If we couldn't speculate about what we thought would happen or what we'd like to see happen, there'd be no frakking point to the forums, really.

[Fighteer]

What happens now depends quite a lot on what level those clerics are.

If a significant portion of them are 5th level and have prepared searing light, they could blast the death knight down with it. The ghouls or ghasts don't really worry me that much, since they have no DR and will likely get skewered by AoO's from the soldiers. (Their AC is also pretty bad, so power attack = win.) The clerics could also just turn them.

Potions of Heroism give a +2 bonus to base attack bonus, no? Does that give all the 5th level fighters an extra attack?

The death knight is more of a problem. Unless the clerics can searing light him into dust, it's going to take a disintegrate from V or similar to take him down. I don't have my reference handy; what's Death Knight DR?
We already know that the majority of the clerics on Azure City's side are lower than 4th level - read a few comics back to see. This means they can't automatically destroy zombies with a turn check, and they are also going to have to roll pretty high to turn a ghoul (2 HD) or ghast (4 HD), since they have +2 turn resistance.

I suspect that Durkon is about to make an appearance; he's spent a lot of time off page so far. Either that or V will simply disintegrate the death knight and walk away whistling. But that seems too easy a way out given the setup Rich is using.

Edit: some more RAW. Heroism potions give a morale bonus, which does not count as BAB for the purpose of multiple attacks. I don't have Death Knight stats handy, though.

[Conners]

:vaarsuvius: Pardon me, Sir Death Knight, but I don't believe you have permission to enter this city, due to the Articles of Surrender in Azure City v Goblenoid Swarm. Specifically, Section 17, subsection 3, paragraph 4.
:xykon: What on earth are you talking about, elf? *takes the paper, reading it over" I have prepared Explosive Runes this morning? That doesn't say anything about my permission to en...
**BOOM** LOL! That seems quite possible.

The only problem with the idea is that, A: Explosive Runes only do 6d6 damage, for a max of 36, and a minimum of 6. That's an average of about 21 damage. Although that's sure to do him a good hit, it's unlikely to destroy him outright. B: It seems highly unlikely for Vaarsuvious:vaarsuvius: to have prepared explosive runes for a war. I mean, even if you put it right in front of the enemy, it's doubtful they'll just stop to read it (although, considering the coconut tactic in strip #432, I guess most anything is possible....). C: The Death knight would probably just say something like, :xykon:: "FOOL! I have no care for your laws! After your city is burned and its people enslaved -- I will personally desecrate every tome of law and honour that exists within these shattered walls!" or something along those lines. Other than that, it seems quite possible.

[Delgarde]

Or it could just be that V, being a Good character, and without any ranks in Knowledge: Siege Tactics either, simply can't grasp the concept of sacrificing wave after wave of cannon fodder to create an opening for your crack troops.


That can't be it, since V has no problem with such acts as using Belkar as an unwitting and unwilling experimental subject. No, I think V just considers the enemy tactics to be a validation of his/her prodigious intelligence - the enemy is obviously not as smart as V, so such a blatantly unintelligent tactic is exactly what you'd expect. It's arrogance, plain and simple.

[Ave]

So now, the important question: are those ghasts or ghouls?

They talk! :smallconfused:

[Ave]

Fantastic job with the comic!

My respect for Vaarsuvious:vaarsuvius: has lessened since s/he dissed Hobgoblin intelligence. I figured V was knowledgeable enough to know of their military brilliance.

He was right about hobbos, he just somehow didn't count with the fake Xykon.
Well, considering the initial cavalry rush, no one expected that the Death Knight :xykon: will use cold blooded strategy.

[Varg]

Do you think the mods call him when he needs to answer an important question?

Who ya gonna call...?

:smallbiggrin:

[Baalzebub]

Now you're in trouble, enlarged soldiers!!

[Conners]

Just looked at Death Knight in MM2. Apparently, then have spell resistance of 20 + 1 for every character level beyond 10. Looks like V:vaarsuvius: is very much done for..... Disintegrate allows spell resistance....

*** *** * *******************************************

Are there any official rules for war combat? I was just curious of what Rich might be basing the war rules off (if he has any beyond the basics of dnd).
The only war system I know of is the one from here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36361 ....

[shaddy_24]

This comic was funny because V gets contradicted and will end up in a lot of trouble because of it. Also, the giant had to have planned that out ahead of time with the arrow. It went after the right people and led straight to V and the next part of the story

HEY! I'm a halfling! YAY!

[Nightmarenny]

They talk! :smallconfused:So do they http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0107.html (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0107.html)

[Pantler]

I'd just like to say that I laughed so friggin' hard at the arrow joke. :biggrin:
Keep up the good work, Giant!

[Faramir]

Sacrificing minions: Is there any problem it can't solve?

Thank you. I was reading through the entire thread just to quote this if no one else had. Now I can stop :)

[rgoodfellow]

o no the giant solders are dooomed... dooomed i say!

Doom is for first level clerics. Have no fear.

[Silveralex]

Sacrifical Minions.

Xykons personal swiss army knife of problem solving.

[Icewalker]

LET THE REAPING BEGIN

Hehehe, nice.

[Mr Teufel]

Ah, now we know, and knowing is half the battle.
Oh, I think the battle's going to last a little longer than that.

Oh, you did that whole arrow bit just to mess with our brains, didn't you? :smallbiggrin:
Yes. Yes he did.

[Niveus Candidus]

I know I come from a highly twinked group of kick in the door style players, but come on people! A death knight, if run via the rules, runs right through a small army of NPCs with ease. The clerics cannot turn them, and they have SR up the wazoo. They are surrounded by Fear (Which does not cap at 5HD, that's cause fear), have great AC, immunities and nasty attacks both mundane and spell-like. Read the template fully, and remember that Rich could be using one of two possibile ones here - and see that V is about to learn what symbol or a power word spell to the face feels like.

This thing is CR 12 minimum. Do not expect to see a minor league Monster Manual I wimp storming through those doors. Rich worked on the Monster Manual III - he knows how to stat a baddie as well as he wants.

Edit: Allow me to note one thing. OoTS has never been about accurately displaying the mechanics of DnD, nor of presenting the tweakability of the system. The Order PCs are actually presented as being kind of weak, for proper story enhancing elements. That being said, the post was related purely toward people looking at a very nasty template (Which are in and of themselves nasty) and pretending it was pudding for any wizard to squash. If the story is bettered by it, so be it - but a death knight is no one's but my bitch.

[GKBeetle]

Poor poisonous arrow, we barely knew thee.

[archon_huskie]

That was the hardest counting I have had to do. but I counted 63 hobgoblins.

[warmachine]

For an intellectual, Vaarsuivius is being dense about other cultures. Hobgoblins are a militant society. Dealing with gung ho idiots on a battefield will be part of their culture. Any officer who continues with a failing attack without an apparent plan will be knifed, an enemy arrow stuck in him and the next ranking officer will be asked for his battle assessment. The new officer will usually get the hint.

In other words, hobgobllins aren't orcs. If the hobgoblins aren't aborting the attack, they think there is a greater plan or tactic (even if it turns out to be stupid). Vaarsuivius should know better.

[JT]

I'd just like to say that I laughed so friggin' hard at the arrow joke.


But now we have a new puzzle -- where did the drops of poison land, and does this poison act on contact, or does it have to enter the bloodstream????
:smallbiggrin:

[PerryTatchett]

I was really sad the arrow missed Miko...

[Fighteer]

But now we have a new puzzle -- where did the drops of poison land, and does this poison act on contact, or does it have to enter the bloodstream????
:smallbiggrin:
Now you're just being silly. :smalltongue:

[PlasticSoldier]

For an intellectual, Vaarsuivius is being dense about other cultures. Hobgoblins are a militant society. Dealing with gung ho idiots on a battefield will be part of their culture. Any officer who continues with a failing attack without an apparent plan will be knifed, an enemy arrow stuck in him and the next ranking officer will be asked for his battle assessment. The new officer will usually get the hint.

In other words, hobgobllins aren't orcs. If the hobgoblins aren't aborting the attack, they think there is a greater plan or tactic (even if it turns out to be stupid). Vaarsuivius should know better.

Where'd you get that from?

P.S. If it's from D&D oops I don't play.

[Fighteer]

Where'd you get that from?

P.S. If it's from D&D oops I don't play.
You can place a pretty safe bet that whenever someone on these forums talks about the characteristics of a particular race, class, spell, or feat, that they are using D&D references, since that's what OotS is based on.

Now, lest we anger the spooky wizard who lives by the coast by violating his copyrights, the canonical ruleset reference is at http://www.d20srd.org/.

[PlasticSoldier]

You can place a pretty safe bet that whenever someone on these forums talks about the characteristics of a particular race, class, spell, or feat, that they are using D&D references, since that's what OotS is based on.

Thanks for the quick response.

[consul]

And that silences the omnouis poisonus arrow questions and theories. the Death knight, with flames coming out of his eyes and his horse rearing up is cool, but what is the rip sound there for?

Tearing off the cloak

[lord_khaine]

Niveus you are overstating the fixed power of the deathknight.
yes it is a very powerfull template, but thats also the only thing it is, a template.
if the base class of whatever you swap it on is weak and lowlv, then you really wont get that much bang out of your death knight.

[Niveus Candidus]

Not entirely true with this particular template. It gives access to any power word spell once per day. That, in combination with their immunities that render then poor gank targets, makes even the worst Death Knight a potential kill threat since assuming they get to their initiative is usually a safe bet. The comments were in regards to the post about the third level clerics wasting him with wimpy first and second level divine spells or, even more ludicrous, turning him.

As long as Rich wants him to lay some hurting he could be atop a 9th level Warrior and still cause some major problems. He could be killed via some heavy railroading as well and I am sure it would be present hilariously as everything in the comic has always been - but if we're going to view this NPC via the rules (As many posts were) overlooking him because the most powerful of the order is nearby is foolhardy.

I actually discussed this with a former collaborator of mine, asking him if my play style had left me jaded. He admonished me as a PC killer (I have more permnant red X's on my battle map than any DM in the history of Living Greyhawk) and a twink, and then we went to discussing the capabilities and virtues of a Kraken with Rogue levels.

[eilandesq]

Just looked at Death Knight in MM2. Apparently, then have spell resistance of 20 + 1 for every character level beyond 10. Looks like V:vaarsuvius: is very much done for..... Disintegrate allows spell resistance....

That's not so bad: unless he's got more hit dice than V--which would put its CR into the stratosphere--it's not likely to have an SR higher than 23, which would give V (presumably 13th level) at least a 55% chance to pierce its SR, and the fort save will not be an easy one for the constitution-lacking DK. The main question is how many Disintegrates V has racked up--it's not an obvious choice against an invading army, but it's actually a rather vicious spell against, say, a smart-alecky lich with lousy fort saves and no SR, so he might have two or three ready to go, as chain lightning is a bad choice against a bunch of hobgoblins, ghouls, and zombies.

[warmachine]

Where'd you get that from?
From reading hobgoblin society in the Monster Manual and a little extrapolation. Hobgoblins are militaristic, disciplined, tribal and violent. Sacrificing themselves for the glory of their tribe makes sense from their description whereas pointless death would not. It is not unknown for soldiers to attack their officers in real life. An officer that continues a failing tactic with no apparant reason will discover hobgoblin violence and belief in tribal reputation. That the failed tactic is continuing means the hobgoblins must have a plan. Vaarsuvius, like any intellectual, should know how other cultures think.

[sertaki]

:vaarsuvius: Pardon me, Sir Death Knight, but I don't believe you have permission to enter this city, due to the Articles of Surrender in Azure City v Goblenoid Swarm. Specifically, Section 17, subsection 3, paragraph 4.
:xykon: What on earth are you talking about, elf? *takes the paper, reading it over" I have prepared Explosive Runes this morning? That doesn't say anything about my permission to en...
**BOOM**


Oh man, you made me laugh

It's really time for a new explosive runes "accident":smallbiggrin:

[jindra34]

Oh man, you made me laugh

It's really time for a new explosive runes "accident":smallbiggrin:
In truth its over due for a runes joke but ok :biggrin: