Who should replace Roy?

[Person_Man]

Assuming Roy is dead, who will take over his place as the party leader, meat shield, and a primary protagonist?

Also, props to Rich for not having Roy's final words be "I am a leaf on the wind."

[Baalzebub]

I'd vote for Hinjo

[jindra34]

No one ROy ain't gona stay dead...

[Legendary]

Elan. He's the only one with any chance of keeping the group together, sadly, because he's the only one everyone is on good terms with. Besides, a lot of this might be Roy's story, but a significant amount of effort goes into making this about Elan, moreso than anyone else. Thus, both logically and dramatically, it has to be him.

[BisectedBrioche]

I could see Miko joining them on a quest (or possibly being sent on her own :smallgrin:) to retrieve an apropriatly valued gem to ressurect Roy with in order to atone.

[Friv]

Roy, but wearing glasses and a fake mustache so that people don't recognize him.

[Gitman00]

My cursor hovered over Celia, but I had to go with Hinjo. I've got a feeling in my gut that Azure City is doomed, and that would be a natural move for him if he survives. Also, he would fit nicely into Roy's party niche. LG strong warrior, with good all-around stats and solid leadership/diplomatic skills.

EDIT: Oh, and he did a pretty good job of inheriting Miko's enmity, too. :smallamused:

[Fawkes]

What, no option for Julia Greenhilt?

In the unlikely event of Roy's permanent death, the Blood Oath would pass to her. She would have no choice but to take up Roy's mantle.

[Closet_Skeleton]

What, no option for Julia Greenhilt?

In the unlikely event of Roy's permanent death, the Blood Oath would pass to her. She would have no choice but to take up Roy's mantle.

She's not old enough. In a few years and 10 or so level ups maybe.

[Mad Scientist]

No one because Roy will be back! I hope. . . *sniff*

[Marek Haldir]

Roy's gota come back man!

or else we'll get a little of what happened in Aliens

"Where's Apone!, Where's Apone!, the Sagre is gone man"

[Assassinfox]

I say Julia!

And why the heck do people keep saying Hinjo's gonna be their new leader? HE HAS A CITY TO RUN!

[mockingbyrd7]

I say Julia!

And why the heck do people keep saying Hinjo's gonna be their new leader? HE HAS A CITY TO RUN!

NOT IF THE CITY BURNS TO THE GROUND! BWAHAHA!

I think Roy will be back, but ASSUMING that he won't, I think Hinjo is a very likely option. And Hinjo might lead until they can get Roy back...

[jindra34]

I say Julia!

And why the heck do people keep saying Hinjo's gonna be their new leader? HE HAS A CITY TO RUN!

They say it because they beleive the city will fall...

[Assassinfox]

Ooooooh, that completely slipped my mind. Still, Hinjo's a jerk. I'm still hoping he dies along with the rest of the paladins. :smallsmile:

[Ave]

Roy or Julia.

[Lord_Tightpants]

Roy CANNOT be replaced. I think Hinjo is a #%&ing awesome character, but there's no way he could journey with the party, since he's in charge of Azure City. As noted above, some think that he'd be free to adventure if AC is destroyed. But no paladin-king worth his salt would flee the siege of his home city. Either Azure City will survive, or Hinjo will fight to the death defending it.

[Godmouth]

Shouldn't "Undead Roy (until he is ressurected)" be in the poll too? Just a thought.

[Scudboy]

I'd like to see Miko in as the meatshield (but NOT leader) for a limited time, on the model of any number of cop movies. Although having Miko and Belkar in the same group might be a bit too much even for cop-movie-cliches to overcome.

[Scudboy]

Oh, yeah, and if Hinjo were to survive the destruction of AC (which I keep reading as "Astro City", but that's just me), he'd definitely be leading & looking after the refugees or trying to raise an army to recapture the city.

[Gitman00]

Ooooooh, that completely slipped my mind. Still, Hinjo's a jerk. I'm still hoping he dies along with the rest of the paladins. :smallsmile:

Huh? Hinjo? A jerk? The only evidence of that I could see was when he gave Belkar the six year sentence. It could be interpreted that he did it to score a point off Roy. But seriously, Roy and Belkar were discussing how to subvert the justice system within Hinjo's earshot, and I don't think it's unreasonable for Hinjo to want Belkar to spend some time in prison for murdering a guard. He was, all things considered, very lenient in that case. Hinjo has, otherwise, been a levelheaded, kind, compassionate individual.

If he's a jerk, then I have a hard time seeing how it's possible to NOT be a jerk.

Unless... you were being sarcastic. In that case, I salute you! I took the bait hook, line, and sinker.

[Assassinfox]

Huh? Hinjo? A jerk? The only evidence of that I could see was when he gave Belkar the six year sentence. It could be interpreted that he did it to score a point off Roy.

Hinjo has every right to give Belkar a six year sentence. What makes him a jerk is threatening to leave Belkar with a debilitating curse on him for the rest of his life unless he puts his life in danger by going to a battle he's magically prevented from helping in.

[idksocrates]

At first, I agreed that Elan was the most likely one to take the mantle, and I was disappointed that he was not on the poll. But being a bit more realistic, I felt that Haley would probably take over the group, and was even more disappointed that he wasn't on there. Then I realized no one in the actual party was selected.

And BTW, killing off Roy sounds like exactly something the Giant would do. Its what makes him such an awesome writer. The very fact that the Giant says the comic has a finite lifespan very easily could mean that major plot events lead to the death of a character.


I don't see Hinjo joining the party. Even assuming that the city burns down, and Hinjo decides to quest to stop Xykon, I'm not sure if the party would follow him more.
Assuming that, what could they do against him? unless they decided to go and find some mystical artifact to defeat him. that has quest written all over it

Miko is right out the window. If ever there was an unrepentent character, its her. She doesn't even think she's done anything wrong - that some greater force has conspired to remove her of her powers.

[Quikngruvn]

No one's replacing Roy. He'll be back. Unless the Giant changes the website's logo for the Comics section....

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

I was planning to vote for Belkar, but Thog will have to do.

go thog!

[Creeter]

Roy!!!!!!!! Don't follow the light!!!!!!!

[Gitman00]

Miko is right out the window. If ever there was an unrepentent character, its her. She doesn't even think she's done anything wrong - that some greater force has conspired to remove her of her powers.

Quite. A quote from C.S. Lewis occurs to me:

"Those who torment us for our own good will never stop tormenting us, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."


Hinjo has every right to give Belkar a six year sentence. What makes him a jerk is threatening to leave Belkar with a debilitating curse on him for the rest of his life unless he puts his life in danger by going to a battle he's magically prevented from helping in.

Ah, I see. I look at that from a different angle, though. The mark's placement was done as part of a favor to Roy, done outside Azure City's law, and Hinjo had nothing to do with it. Ergo, Hinjo isn't obligated to remove it. He offers to do so as part of another favor to Roy, and under the (presumably mistaken) assumption that Belkar has undergone some character-building. It doesn't really qualify as a threat since he doesn't have to do anything to carry it out, but he does have to cast a spell to NOT carry it out. Offering to remove the mark as a reward for Belkar's cooperation in the battle, rather than doing it with nothing in return, is just good politics.

Now, I admit, I was scratching my head as to how he expected Belkar to participate in a battle considering the mark's conditions. But presumably Hinjo knew that either there would be plenty of undead on whom Belkar could work his stabbity mojo, or a good portion of the battle would happen outside the city walls. Turns out he was right on both counts.

EDIT: Graduated to Dwarf! NOW WHO'S THA SHORT ONE!!!

[Brickman]

I haven't played DnD so I don't know, but considering all the armor, that he's a dwarf and the healing/buff spells couldn't Durkon take over as meatsheild? Or Belkar--he's got some levels of barbarian now and he charges straight into melee anyways.

New leader is a question, but they've got leadership potential left in their group even without Roy. Haley, V and Elan could all potentially take over.

There will be no more "primary" protagonist. Perhaps the Giant intentionally killed Roy to make sure there would continue to be five main characters rather than one, since the further the plot with Xykon went the more Roy would become the focus. But this is a story about the party, and that's now five people, not one.

[Willahad]

oh you meant long term. I voted for Thog, but I think Roy will come back after the battle

[Khoran]

Roy.

Remember, death is not permenent in D&D unless you die naturally or choose not to return. That sure wasn't natural and Roy probobly isn't too happy about being dead, seeing as he is rather dedicated to stopping Xykon.

That and none of the other presented ones make sence:
Thog: No, Thog is too stupid to lead the OoTS and has no reason to
Hinjo: Soverign ruler of Azure City, he dosn't have the luxury of being able to go on an adventure.
Miko: No one in the Order likes her, she's crazy and who would follow a paladin who's fallen and still thinks that they are in the right?
Celia: While possible, she dosn't seem much like the leaderly type, nor the adventuring type.

[Threeshades]

I voted Thog for the sake of voting Thog. But Roy isnt going to be replaced.

[Gitman00]

I haven't played DnD so I don't know, but considering all the armor, that he's a dwarf and the healing/buff spells couldn't Durkon take over as meatsheild? Or Belkar--he's got some levels of barbarian now and he charges straight into melee anyways.

New leader is a question, but they've got leadership potential left in their group even without Roy. Haley, V and Elan could all potentially take over.

There will be no more "primary" protagonist. Perhaps the Giant intentionally killed Roy to make sure there would continue to be five main characters rather than one, since the further the plot with Xykon went the more Roy would become the focus. But this is a story about the party, and that's now five people, not one.

I'm with you on the literary aspects of Roy's death. It would greatly lessen the impact of 443 if he was resurrected. However, I see that you've never played DnD, so it bears mentioning that the ease of resurrection and accompanying meaninglessness of death is one of the running jokes of the game, and by extension, the comic.

There are three versions of the spell: Raise Dead (5th level) needs the corpse to be present, uses 5000 gp worth of diamonds, and brings them back at 1 hp, a level lower than when they died.

Resurrection (7th level) only needs a part of the corpse (a tooth or a hair will do), brings them back at full hp, still minus 1 level, and uses 10,000 gp worth of diamonds.

True Resurrection (9th level) uses (I think) 20,000 gp in diamonds, doesn't need any part of the corpse to be present, and brings them back at full hp with no level loss.

Players of the game often find it amusing that a character can have a glorious death in battle (or, alternatively, a tragic, pointless death by stupidity), and the other party members don't mourn, but divide up his possessions and gripe about spending the party's loot to have him resurrected. That's why most people on this forum think Roy will probably be back at some point.

[mikeejimbo]

True Resurrection (9th level) uses (I think) 20,000 gp in diamonds, doesn't need any part of the corpse to be present, and brings them back at full hp with no level loss.

As my party's resident cleric, I can say that I believe it is 25,000. But other than that, you are right. Resurrections are a dime a dozen. A dime worth 300,000 gold, but nevertheless...

[Aramis_fan^^]

If I had to choos from the list then I agree with Gitman00 on the following

My cursor hovered over Celia, but I had to go with Hinjo. I've got a feeling in my gut that Azure City is doomed, and that would be a natural move for him if he survives. Also, he would fit nicely into Roy's party niche. LG strong warrior, with good all-around stats and solid leadership/diplomatic skills.

However I think Elan should be the leader if it comes to it because he seems to be getting more into the hero swing of things hmself now, plus it would be quite funni to have him as leader anyway even if just for 1 sidequest. Plus it it would match up to Nale being leader of the Linear Guild.

Of course thats if it came down to it, but it could turn out that Roy comes back... Im keeping my options open

[Deckmaster]

I voted for Thog, but I actually think that if Roy stays dead (and that's a big if) then Haley or Elan would take over the order, most likely Haley, since she has lead the party in Roy's absence before (albeit not too successfully; I'm thinking of the bandit fiasco). I think Thog would make a good replacement meatshield only, since no one else would qualify.

I think Hinjo would make a terrible replacement for Roy. They may seem to have a lot in common, but Hinjo's latest appearances show me that, as a paladin, he does have the "stick-up-your-ass" class feature. He probably wouldn't be as understanding as Roy to some of the group's idiosyncracies and skewed morals. Not as bad as Miko, but just bad enough. Besides, as a Paladin, he can't willingly consort with an evil companion (Belkar).

[Lizard Lord]

If Roy does get replaced (which I don't think he would) it won't be any of those options. At least not right away.

I could see Nale ditching thog since he doesn't have a good oposite anymore, and while Elan might like thog to join, I don't think the rest of the order would be to keen on trusting him right away.

Miko still beleives the Order of the Stick is evil. I don't think Roy's death will change that. It is possible that she will change her mind on Haley, Elan, V, and Durkon, but even then it is unlikly she would be willing to work beside Belkar.

Hinjo has a city to rule, though if Azure City falls and the gate is destroyed he might join the order.

Class wise, I don't think Celia would be a good replacement.

[MReav]

Haley as leader (she is second in command), Durkon as Meat Shield.

[Knight_Of_Twilight]

Hinjo has every right to give Belkar a six year sentence. What makes him a jerk is threatening to leave Belkar with a debilitating curse on him for the rest of his life unless he puts his life in danger by going to a battle he's magically prevented from helping in.

Oh yeah, not being able to kill people within a cities' radius. How horribly debilitating.

The world really only benefits with the curse on Belkar.

Speaking of which, Belkar. Now theres a JERK.

[archon_huskie]

You are not supposed to capitalize the T in thog.

[Ellisar]

Personally I see no reason for NOT raising Roy after the battle, as Durkon is surely capable of doung that, because Roys earthly remains is still in one piece and therefore subject to the Raise Dead spell, and because the party can easily gather 5000 gc for a diamond.. why woulnt they? Unless of course Roy is zombiefied or pulverized before the battle is over, and... wait, Durkon is 13th level, so he can cast 7th level spells, right? That means a Ressurection spell for Roy, and that works no matter if he have been eaten, zombiefied, pulverized or whatever. Roy will be back.

I look forward to see Roy and his farther having a quarrel in heaven. "Why didnt you just cast Feather Fall, son? Oh right, fighter...." :smallbiggrin:

I wonder if Roys death has any effect on Belkars MoJ...

[belboz]

Shouldn't "Undead Roy (until he is ressurected)" be in the poll too? Just a thought.

Yes! Zombie Roy!

"Roy, Xykon has taken over the Sapphire Gate and is about to release the Snarl!"
"Graaagh!"
"Roy, the Linear Guild has escaped and is terrorizing the countryside!"
"Graaagh!"
"Roy, Belkar's picking on me again."
"Graaagh!"

Forget the resurrection. The possibilities for a mindless undead protagonist are endless.

[Gitman00]

You are not supposed to capitalize the T in thog.

Sure you are. The only one who doesn't is Thog himself.

:nale: Thog! This isn't working.

:thog: thog reluctantly forced to agree!

[Dectilon]

If I might follow up on the Location line of the previous poster: "...doesn't really matter to meeeeeeee"

People have pointed out that Haley was second-in-command so that kinda makes it easy.
I don't think Elan even wants the leadership position. He probably wouldn't take it even if someone offered.
V would take it if asked, but otherwise I think s/he prefers to stay in the background.
Durkon would be a good leader in theory, but in practice he would abandon the hunt for Xykon to lead random skrimishes against nearby forests.

Belkar shall never lead. Ever.

Miko would most likely rather kill the oots than lead them, and they would most likely not accept her as leader even under spearpoint.

Celia is an interesting option, but I don't think she feels its her fight. She's a lawyer after all, not a warrior.