OOTS #353 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[LyronMage]

First post...and first page, woot!

EDIT: Nice comic, got to love Wild Shape.

[Blood]

Once again an awesome job, Giant. I love how Durkon lectures Julia and she actually listens. ;D

[Knight13]

So that's what is needed to knock Julia down a peg, a dwarven cleric with a friggin huge lightning bolt.

[Sky_Schemer]

"...and I'm not sure it can actually DO that..."


Hahahahahaha!

Ah, Thor. Oh how we love thee!

[killfxx]

Ah right, Druid.
Too funny!

[Haarculaneaum]

Told y'all it was THOR
Haar

emm wootish

[Mattaeu]

Damn bearsdruids!

[Brickwall]

Thor made me laugh. So did Durkon's realization of Wild Shape mechanics.

[ElfLad]

...Wow.

That's what Stephen Colbert means when he says bears are a threat to America.

[Gamaliel_the_Bard]

Ohhhhhhh.....Craappppp......

Gotta give Durkon a hand for how he handled the trees, and Julia, and for even getting a good "bop" to the nose on the gnome in first......but.....a druid in bear form is going to be a little tougher.

W.W.T.D.?

[Eriol]

It's been so long since Thor. I missed him so.

And I agree with what was said above: demonstrate massive power -> win Julia's respect.

[Abthek]

heh.. nice comic

there is the giants response to the whole control weather question and argument.. don't argue with thor.. lol

and...


W00T!!!! First time ever on the first page!!!!

[Ted_Stryker]

Always a pleasure to see Thor in action. Good Durkon strip, too. Nice one.

[Fillbert]

WHUNK!!!!!!!!!!!

edit: Loved the whack right to the face...

edit: Woot

[Finwe]

Once again, "special abilities more powerful than your entire class" strike! Hehehe


But why didn't Durkon toss a heal at V before engaging Leeky?

[Filatus]

Heheh, I so love Thor. Keep it simple, kill the enemies, get drunk and find a lady.

[Gamerofthegame]

Wow... THat was... wow...

Thor comes back, Yay!

Durokon acts like a person with lots of wis! Yay!

Durkon gets pwnt! Ya- Crap.

Karma is a b-...

[houseofcommons]

Poor Durkon. This may be a bit more than he can chew. . .

[kits.dm]

oh man... last three panels!
Why do I now have a voiceover in my head...

Something about "Lets get ready to Ruuuuuumbleeee!"
And that is a dire bear that Leaky shifts into isn't it? Not a giant badger like I first imagined? ;)

[Lykan]

Y'know, I always thought a direct hit to the face witha hammer would kill you... Or at least knock you out...

Ah well... Not complaining. Can't wait to see how that fight turns out. ;D

[Shara_Littlebottom]

Wooot! What a great comic. ;D

Loved Thor, oved the scolding of Julia, loved the black eye Leeky gets!, loved the wildshape transformation panel.

Keep the awesomeness (is that a word? it is now...) coming!

[Silvios]

got to love durkon, specially with his "parent talk" ::)



woot! second page (just one more to go!)

[Fillbert]

D and Julia against a Dire Bear Druid... should be interesting.
{Spoiler} Julia casts hold animal, D does more face whacking. {End}

[Faramir]

"Nice shooting sir."

Hilarious.

[Fishies]

Oh, right. Druid.

[Gralamin]

That was great.

And go thor! who said chaotic Deities had to follow the rules?

[The_Last_Night]

Druids: winning D&D since 3.5.

Stars of such hits as "I'm A Giant Bear Who Can Cast Spells" and "I'm A Full Caster And A Tank (And You're Not)".

[Deuce]

Divine magic, always a winner, because there really isn't much a god or godess can't do if they wish. Saved the plot of many a module gone horribley wrong.

Here's hoping Durkon can get a Thor's Might off real quick.

[Krytha]

YES! hmmm druid-zilla versus cleric-zilla... I love Thor... He's so awesome...

[LordOfNarf]

Great Comic, I especially liked the planetar holdig a copy of the handbook of a certain roleplaying game ;) ;), that was really funny. Score 1 for Thor!

[Rama_Lei]

"Ah right. Druid. Ne'er mind then." classic, a new favorite. Well done.

[theKOT]

Well Done! I love seeing Durkon in action. Don't mess with a dwarf on a mission! This scenario is well played, and depending on what happens might turn into the best-written part of OOTS so far. 8/10


Might we see a second casting of Thor's might?

[Krytha]

I love how Thor is seriously Durkon's guardian angel 24/7

[Leo_Forestclaw]

That. Was. Awsome.

And Thor continues to be the most inane, self-absorbed diety in any pantheon.

You ROCK, Rich!

[Blaznak]

Wow! Great dialogue with Julia and Durkon! Pretty cool what strong father figure can have in a person's life (Grin). I enjoyed the "yes sir" - it was like a million things being stated all at once.

I also truly enjoyed Thor being questioned on rules - BIG GRIN! Heh. I liked his "paw Sif" comment, too!

Finally, seeing the Druid do the shape change routine was pretty nifty as well (although, once again, Druid-Cheese!)!

Well, that's enough for my 100th post! WOOT!

oh. and NOT page one (grin)!

[StickMan]

OH my god ever sqaure of that one was great. I think its going in to my top 10.

[sakusha]

SA-WEEEEET! ^_^ Praise Thor! ;D

That angel was so awesome with the PHB ^^; "I said 'Nice shooting sir.' " AND the Wildshape was an awesome non-verbal booyah.

[Holy_Knight]

Wow, between shattering the treants and now putting Julia in her place, Durkon's respect level just skyrocketed. Great stuff! For some reason, the funniest part of this strip to me was the "Whunk", with Durkon just almost casually walking up and smacking him on the head. :)

[a1057soul]

...Wow.

That's what Stephen Colbert means when he says bears are a threat to America.

okay:
a.) bawahahahaha Colbert would soooo appreciate.
b.) awesome Zeppelin Icon
c.) "Legendary" cracked me up out loud... is that Korean Elvis?

hehehehehehe Awesome! Hypothetical Hi-Five.

;-)
Dan

[Grunjon]

Nice.


"BOOYAH! Direct Hit!"



Also, gotta love the line about Roy and Julia having the same eyes. Yep...they're both black dots!

The final punchline rocked my world, though. ROFL!

[Sergeantbrother]

Thor saves the day . . . might Thor be in the machine here? ;)

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

I loved those last words to Julia before headin' to battle. Plus the punchline. All in all, the awesomeness continues to fail in failure. Whichm inceidentally, is a double negative.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Ah... my love for Durkon is at an all-time high at this moment.

[charik]

Like it. Durkon leveled the playing field, but there's still a ways to go.

As to the impending battle, Julia can still cast any spells she may have had memorized when she was captured, or she could find a cure potion on V and use that. Also, anyone think Haley may have inflicted enough damage yet to overcome Kitty's Stoneskin?

[EmeraldFire]

I loved the simple WHUNK to the face, then the transformation into a bear, great work :)

[Selgeron]

"I'm A Full Caster And A Tank (And You're Not)".

Technically, with his 3/4th attack bonus, better weapon and armor selection than the druid also make Durkon a 'Full Caster and a Tank'

Divine casters have always made me feel sort of bad for the arcanes :/

I think druid vs cleric should be a pretty even fight

[gooddragon1]

Heres what Durkon has to say to the druid's shapechange
Thor's Might!
http://giantitp.com/comics/oots0111.html
If julia happens to know enlarge person...
@ selgeron: Disintegrate, Huge Spell Selection, Archmage class to override Resistances/Immunities, Bonus Feats, and... that little feeling of self-reliance

[phlip]

"Him and ye have the same eyes"... but so does everyone else (except maybe Xykon...)

Is there some "Spot (Distinguishing Eyes)" feat I don't know about?

[Felinoid]

I am getting quite a bit freaked out. :o Colbert came on as I was reading the strip. And then there's the strip consistently answering the discussion of the last one for the past few strips, and I've got to wonder if:

A. The Giant actually IS reading the boards and is tailoring the story accordingly, in contradiction to what his previously stated wishes.
B. The Giant is skillfully leading us around by the nose with subconscious (or something like that) foreshadowing, making us think of these things just before he solves them.
C. The planets are moving into alignment and we will soon all feel the wrath of Cthulu.
D. All of the above and two other things as well, with inconsistencies ignored by DM fiat. :P

[Solmage]

Hahahahahahahaha!

I LOOOOVE Thor! So glad to see a comback! And I really chuckled at the entire comic! The control weather thing, the god being too overeager (and likely a little drunk), the dressdown, and the druid!

That bear looks awesome! And hungry enough for a tasty dwarven treat! :D :D :D.

[Kinneus]

Fantastic comic. So much humor, and more Durkon awesomeness, and a pretty good visual gag/punchline at the end. Definitely good stuff.
Also, what exactly did Leeky turn into? A Dire Gopher or something?

[ref]

Easy come, easy go!

[mikeyq6]

Hehe... ;D

I've never seen Durkon take on that kind of fatherly role, but it is so fitting after all. This has made my day, thanks Giant!

[Dabble]

What can I say,

It just keeps getting better!

Can't wait to see the end of this battle, the continuation of Roy's fighting the fiend Belkar running from Mandy Patakin (I mean the kobold) and all the other fun stuff!

Until the next comic

[bosssmiley]

The advantages of DvR ("That's Mr Thor to you!"), the previously unknown Dwarven multitasking capability and comment on the spawniness of Druids.
GJ Giant. ;D

[J_Muller]

Excellent.
I've been saying Durkon just cast Control Weather and trusted Thor to make sure nothing bad happened, and it looks like I was right after all.

[Ellindrill]

But if you look at the Erratta we can see that the druid may have a phenomenal strength after wildshaping but his constitution did not improve.

So here's hoping the sonic boom and whunk to the face keep the druid at few enough hitpoints that Durkon won't get grappled and sat upon by the Dire Bear with improved Grab.

[ShadeMoon64]

I know of a certain druid and a cleric in my gaming group that have been arguing about which is better in a one on one fight. Now the truth shall be known. Kick his gnomish butt, Durkon!!! :D

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

Man, OOTS has been nothing but home runs lately.

My heart actually sunk right along with Durkon's when Leeky got to his feet and shapeshifted though. I was all ready for him to get his ass whupped by the hammer of righteousness...

But, well, "features more powerful than your entire class" indeed. :P

[firespitter]

I can't wait to see what happens next! Go Durkon! Wait...What's the rest of OOTS upto?

I bet you 10 xps Julia flashes the bear her boobs and gives Durkon another attack initiative.

[Aerysil1]

Yeesh, dire bear. I smell a grapple check coming.

[EthanAlshire]

"About wha' and wha' not is proper for a young lady..."

I love it! It's nice to give Durkon some character here.

[Molary]

Uh oh!

Should'a whunk'd 'em harder!!

Now it's almost a fair fight! Maybe better if there were two bears but it should still be good...

8)

[Toric]

CoDzilla fight!!! Bweeee!!!

[Nazzo, the 102nd]

And then there's the strip consistently answering the discussion of the last one for the past few strips, and I've got to wonder if:

A. The Giant actually IS reading the boards and is tailoring the story accordingly, in contradiction to what his previously stated wishes.
B. The Giant is skillfully leading us around by the nose with subconscious (or something like that) foreshadowing, making us think of these things just before he solves them.
C. The planets are moving into alignment and we will soon all feel the wrath of Cthulu.
D. All of the above and two other things as well, with inconsistencies ignored by DM fiat. :P

I completely agree, Felinoid. Though item B scares me... :D

On to the comic comment, I think this battle is far from ending. Not sure if V is awake, but there is Julia there.

A one-on-one battle between a Druid and a Cleric about the same level might be even, but what about a battle between a Druid and a Cleric backed up by one (two?) arcane spellcasters? Hmmm...

"Are you saying a GOD can't bend the rules?"

[ADZAELL]

This reminds me of one of the first campaigns i was in. The party was going through a dungeon after the mastermind of a cult. I was playing a druid as a spell-casting wiseman, and rarely entered combat, and only wild shaped into eagle form for flight. We found the mastermind, an Illithid wizard. his minions were dead from a fireball and a flamestrike, but not before throwing "IMPROVED" tanglefoot bags and entangling everyone but me. Then the mindflayer stunned everyone but me (lucky). The mindflayer charged at me, DM smiling (i was the only player who hadn't lost a character as yet). His face when i wildshaped into a tiger AND FINISHED IT OFF INT TWO ROUNDS WAS GREAT.

Also, first post.

[reorith]

yay codzilla!

[Nashua]

This is why I love the Druid! ;D You can stay in the fight after a lot of the team has fled. But I hope Durkon doesn't run from Leeky-the-Bear, because it would really be 'gainst his dwarfish nature to stand down from a melee. At least, I hope so.
Plus, YAY THOR!

[Mr._Wilson]

Well played, Giant, well played indeed. Personally, I think he was anticipating all the questions regarding the spell used. But that's just me.

[fractal]

On to the comic comment, I think this battle is far from ending. Not sure if V is awake, but there is Julia there.

A one-on-one battle between a Druid and a Cleric about the same level might be even, but what about a battle between a Druid and a Cleric backed up by one (two?) arcane spellcasters? Hmmm...
That is a good point. We have two members of the LG on Elan, two on Roy, one on Belkar (who is handicapped), and Leeky is responsible for the other THREE members of the OotS.

By that count, Leeky is as powerful as the rest of the LG put together? How did Nale ever manage to recruit him?

[Lilly]

Mmmmmm, druids. They're way shiny.

And you gotta love the planeatar with the PHB. There's also some interesting subtext and foreshadowing going on here.

[Alsadius]

Re "Him an' ye haf tha same eyes":
Erm...don't just about all the characters in the strip have the same eyes? Don't get me wrong, I love the art style, but it's not exactly the most detailed artwork in the world.

;)

[Eldritch Knight]

I Like. Good Strip... Thor is always Cool!

[Hototo]

Its good for our friendly negihborhood dwarf to get some fighting in finally. Yay!
Also, what was that about V? It's gotta suck when your strongest weapon is out cold in what seems to be the beginning/middle of a battle.

Also, [possible spoiler... probably not] whats this about the "dwarf lives or dies?" Could this be the near demise of our esteemed hero?

[ElfLad]

Bang, Bang, Durkon's Silver Hammer came down upon his face...

[Eriol]

Druids: winning D&D since 3.5.

Stars of such hits as "I'm A Giant Bear Who Can Cast Spells" and "I'm A Full Caster And A Tank (And You're Not)".
lol


Edit: and re-reading that comic, I think we should call that Celestial the "Roy-Celestial" or something, since they seem to have that same furrowed-brow thing happening for both of them. ;)

[TinSoldier]

Its good for our friendly negihborhood dwarf to get some fighting in finally. Yay!
Also, what was that about V? It's gotta suck when your strongest weapon is out cold in what seems to be the beginning/middle of a battle.

Also, [possible spoiler... probably not] whats this about the "dwarf lives or dies?" Could this be the near demise of our esteemed hero?I think that it is Thor showing that his concern for Durkon's fate ended after the thunder-strike.

[Winged One]

CoDzilla vs. MechaCoDzilla! ;D

[Zelc]

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!









Hmm, what class is Julia again? What are they good at dealing with?

This fight might be a bit one-sided...

[TheDRaconicLord]

BOOYA! Direct Hit!

Finnaly Thor returned and made my freakin' day. And he was cool enough to make a certain Angel shut up about rules (like I dunno, "The Gods Know How Many OOTS Forum Guys").

And like if it wasn't enough we have the scould of Julia and now one of my best scenes ever..."Ah, right. Druid. Ne'ermind, then."

[sakusha]

So this image just popped into my head and I just had to share ...

I had a vision of Thor entering the forums and screaming out in his booming god-o'-thunder voice, "Ye wanna know why tha' spell worked? B'cause I SAID SO, that's why!"

;D

[Jefepato]

(spoilers snipped because beige shows up in quoted text)


{Spoiler response}Wouldn't work. As of the latest errata, wild-shaped druids don't change creature type (it works like the alternate form ability), so Leeky isn't an animal even when he's an animal.{End}

[Sebastian]

Don't worry, don't forget that there are two classes in CoDzilla. :)

Looks like it is inukchuck (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0111.html) time.

[5tephen]

Oh, nice.

I am sure gald this is all happening at once. Lots of action, means lots of resolution.

Oh, and by the way, that is one MEAN looking Bear/Were-rat/Giant-Weasel thing.

[Charity322]

Poor Durkon; I wonder if he knows what his God actually gets up to lol. He'd be reading him the appropriate behaviour lecture. ;D

Never thought I'd hear Julia call anyone Sir; guess you should never presume someone can't hear you. ;) She's been asking for it thugh, and Durkon telling her off was totally cool.

And lastly, is it really a bear? Aww, I thought it was a dire lemming lol.

[Martok]

I really liked this strip. It's been a while since we've seen Durkon have his moment in the sun (so to speak), so today's and Monday's strips were particularly enjoyable. I love how he didn't mince words, and just walked right up the druid and wacked him with his hammer! ;D

Also: Thor rules! 8)


Never thought I'd hear Julia call anyone Sir; guess you should never presume someone can't hear you. ;) She's been asking for it thugh, and Durkon telling her off was totally cool.
Yeah, I was impressed with that too. Julia actually seemed genuinely contrite after Durkon's mini-lecture--and "contrite" isn't an adjective I would ever have thought to ascribe to her (even if it's only temporary)!

[mmm_grape_juice]

Funny how a dwarven cleric with a huge freakin lightning bolt can make even Julia listen

[Ragan]

I am getting quite a bit freaked out. :o Colbert came on as I was reading the strip. And then there's the strip consistently answering the discussion of the last one for the past few strips, and I've got to wonder if:

A. The Giant actually IS reading the boards and is tailoring the story accordingly, in contradiction to what his previously stated wishes.
B. The Giant is skillfully leading us around by the nose with subconscious (or something like that) foreshadowing, making us think of these things just before he solves them.
C. The planets are moving into alignment and we will soon all feel the wrath of Cthulu.
D. All of the above and two other things as well, with inconsistencies ignored by DM fiat. :P


Nope. None of the above. The Giant is just *that good*.

[Dragon_Rider]

Of course he predicted our reactions.

Hell, I predicted our reactions and the Giant is far mroe clever than I. He's knows his audience, and for that I have even more respect for him.

[Zeb The Troll]

I am getting quite a bit freaked out. :o Colbert came on as I was reading the strip. And then there's the strip consistently answering the discussion of the last one for the past few strips, and I've got to wonder if:

A. The Giant actually IS reading the boards and is tailoring the story accordingly, in contradiction to what his previously stated wishes.
B. The Giant is skillfully leading us around by the nose with subconscious (or something like that) foreshadowing, making us think of these things just before he solves them.
C. The planets are moving into alignment and we will soon all feel the wrath of Cthulu.
D. All of the above and two other things as well, with inconsistencies ignored by DM fiat. :P
As has been mentioned, I suspect that the answering of the questions on the forums was built into the strip. To wit, Rich knows that Control Weather doesn't work that way so he knows that when he uses it that way in the strip, people are going to speculate about how it worked.

Beyond that, it's totally feasible that Rich just thought "This'll be cool. I'll have Durkon do Control Weather because the lightning bolt worked last time but then I'll have Thor step in and tweak it to make this really cool BOOM effect which will coincidentally save V's arse." And he drew them in the order he did for purposes of dramatic/comedic presentation without any consideration whatsoever about the inevitable forums discussion. I mean really, something would have been lost if he had shown Thor tinkering with the Control Weather spell while it was being cast.

Just my thoughts on it.

Zeb

[Cythraul]

It was a wonderful setup to have large chunks of the forum arguing about what control weather can and can't do, and then completely move the argument into the strip! Giant = Thor for this one, I'm feeling!
Loved it.

Edit: Also, "Him an ye haf tha same eyes"
Durkon gets all the best lines...

[Zeb The Troll]

Another thing I noticed about this thread...

I only counted four woot's on the first page (of fourteen posts, not counting Rich's). This has to be a record low. It's a downward trend I'd like to see continue. :)

Zeb

[TreesOfDeath]

I am getting quite a bit freaked out. :o Colbert came on as I was reading the strip. And then there's the strip consistently answering the discussion of the last one for the past few strips, and I've got to wonder if:

A. The Giant actually IS reading the boards and is tailoring the story accordingly, in contradiction to what his previously stated wishes.
B. The Giant is skillfully leading us around by the nose with subconscious (or something like that) foreshadowing, making us think of these things just before he solves them.
C. The planets are moving into alignment and we will soon all feel the wrath of Cthulu.
D. All of the above and two other things as well, with inconsistencies ignored by DM fiat. :P

The giant supposdly doesn't read threads, but I have seen at least 2 counts (and likely more that I have missed) of him responding to stuff the readers have said.
At the end of the Miko arc, where the board was filled with people bitching about Miko and saying how much they hated her, and some even saying they would outright stop reading the comic if Miko joined the OOTS, he had that line about Miko not being part of the OOTS (I guess this one is not clear, but its been speculated it was more for the readers than anything else).

The other time is far more blatant, though it was something that had flooded the boards.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0319.html
.

Still, I'm not 100% sure if the Giant planned this befroehand or not

[battleburn]

That was awesome. Devine intervention after all.
So how is Durkon going to handle this little situation...

he is going to use Thor's migh again (comic 111) to get at the same height again.

I loved the title!!
Where is V anyway. If she was knocked out cold, should she lay on the ground somewhere?

[KayJay]

I loved the comic, from the appearance of Thor to the wildshape at the end :)
I guess we may be seeing Durkon doing his "grow into a giant" thing that he did against Xykon... that'd be a fun fight to watch :)

[bexie]

Brilliant strip, as always.

"Him an' ye haf tha same eyes."

Durkon can control her. He says something, and she actually listened! With a Sir on the end. I bet he feels important.

Nice big WHUNK to the face there. Yay. :)

[LE4dGOLEM]

Yeah, but s/he'd argue that becuase elves don't sleep they can't be knocked unconcious, and so s/he couldn't have been knocked out... or was off-panel.

Server Name: OOTS353
Server Open
Match open in 3..
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Durkon Casts Control Weather
Durkon Thundered Treeants
Durkon pwned Julia
Durkon Initiates melee combat with Leeky
Leeky Wildshapes into Bear
Durkon: Ah, right.
Durkon: Druid.
Durkon: Ne'er mind, then.

[Pvednes]

Yes! Yes!

That's exactly how you deal with people like Julia. :D

[Solmage]

Poor Durkon. This may be a bit more than he can chew. . .

I think Durkon is more worried about being more than a dire bear - that's looking particularly hungry - can chew :D

Edit: Meh, someone beat me to this.

[Freelance Henchman]

Fantastic!

- I like the annoyed angel who has to put up with overgrown frat boy Thor

- Durkon gets R.E.S.P.E.C.T. from Julia!

- WHUNK to the face!

- Bear season!

[Ikkitosen]

Give it up for the D-Man!

Gimme a D! D!

Gimme a U! U!

Gimme an R! R!

Gimme a K! K!

Gimme an O! O!

Gimme an N! N!

Whaddya ya spell? DURKON! ;D

[Albion]

Hahaha, return of Thor! He really likes Durkon. "Booya".. :-/
Uncle Durkon ;D Priceless
Druid... :-/
This is turning just wonderful, I'm just impressed. :)
Give it up for the D-man!!

[Snake-Aes]

All Hail Durkon! \o/

And I don't have any special likely for dwarves, but Durkon just did it!
Poor Julia was caugh flat-footed on her check against Dwarven Scolding XD She should be attending to V I guess.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Good strip.


Now I wonder if Thor's bolt was a Divine Blast or a use of his Alter Reality or Mastery of Nature.

[Antina]

NICE TOUCH how Julia HOLDS HER SKIRT while climbing down in the "right" position for proper behavior... ;-)

GOOD ONE

[M._A._Foxfire]

Wow, Julia got owned right there...

Of course she has the same eyes. So do Elan, Miko, Belkar, and half the golldurned cast.

EDIT: Oh man. XD Good eyes, Antina. Just when I think I can't love Julia more.

[Freelance Henchman]

What "unproper behavior" by Julia is Durkon refering to anyway?

[faerwain]

Give it up for the D-Man!

Gimme a D! D!

Gimme a U! U!

Gimme an R! R!

Gimme a K! K!

Gimme an O! O!

Gimme an N! N!

Whaddya ya spell? DURKON! ;D


:D Wooo-hhhooo--- :D *Joins-La-Ola*

It's definetively great to see the good ol' loyal walking chest, who was so trustworthy that he could be left behind without anyone noticing(everybody would have recognised missing troublemaker Belkar immediately) doing the big show here.

Sadly, I notice that my timezone isn't helpful to say something original .. Felinoid, Zeb and Trees o. Death already pointed out about Giant's mind reading abilities..I hope the reason is that Rich really does secretly read the boards...otherwise it would be really scary how predictable we are to the Master (or maybe RPGers are?)

[Snake-Aes]

What "unproper behavior" by Julia is Durkon refering to anyway?



<egocentric teenager's voice> "Look, boobies! Do'nt you like boobies?"

[Freelance Henchman]

<egocentric teenager's voice> "Look, boobies! Do'nt you like boobies?"

Oh, right... I guess I was still hypnotized by that :)

[mazurek]

I wonder if Durkon decided to climb down the ladder first in hope of peeking under the Julia's dress.

[Delgarde]

Yay Thor. Yay Durkon.

And yay Giant.

[Mr_Shrubber]

Here's hoping Durkon can get a Thor's Might off real quick.
Yep, it be time to bring out tha big guns ("We have big guns?" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0111.html)). Durkon won't have any slots left, but no matter - Thor will just bend the rules again ;D

[Pegasos989]

All Hail Durkon! \o/

And I don't have any special likely for dwarves, but Durkon just did it!
Poor Julia was caugh flat-footed on her check against Dwarven Scolding XD She should be attending to V I guess.

If she had more levels in the Rouge from homebrew forums, this might not have happened.



Seriously though, awesome strip once again. Best in a long time, I would say.

Druids are powerful, but cleric's aren't practically useless either!

[tiroskassie]

haha that's great, i was thinkin isnt thor the god of thunder in last strip.. lol I love seeing the dwarf kick some booty

[Adeptus]

Awesome! Go Durkon!

(And a great punchline too.) :D

[battleburn]

NICE TOUCH how Julia HOLDS HER SKIRT while climbing down in the "right" position for proper behavior... ;-)
I just reread the strip and noticed Durkons improper behaviour of climbing down first. And then came the nice touch of Julia protecting herself for people looking up her skirt.
Brilliant indeed.
I am still hoping for a dispell magic from Julia on Leeky, but she can't really have time to prepare anything probably.

[Damon_Caskey]

Greetings all.

I have to admit, with a setup like this, one cannot help but think of the police and citizens standing in awe as they watch wild shaped gnome Druid Leeky grapple with Divine *cof* Thor’s Might powered Cleric Durkon in the city midst.

“Oh no! It’s CODZILLA!!! Run for your lives!”

DC

[fithi]

*snicker* All hail to Thor! It was great seeing him again.

I love Julia's reaction to Durkon's scolding... priceless!

Here's hoping that Durkon can hold his own against Leeky.

[Varian7]

It will be interesting to see how Durkon responds to Leeky's Dire Bear. And I loved it when he scolded Julia about "proper behaviour" for a young lady of her age! Go Durkon!

[Kanashimi]

Go Druids! that's one rather high level druid to shapechange to something that big. This should be interesting. A 1-on-1 cleric vs druid. Bets anyone?

[Rubo233]

Very funny can't keep reading these when im at school lest i burst out in laughter..and i laugh very loudly...go cleric go!

[TheUdjat]

Awesome comic. Wonderful joke in the title, nice jab at the Weather Control criticism, and Druid pwnage. Beautiful.

Leeky just gets cooler and cooler.

(I registered just to say that last part)

[Ebonwoulfe]

This is going to be like Godzilla v. Mecha Godzilla, except it's going to be CoDzilla v. CoDzilla.

I hope Durkon has knowledge of divine metamagic.

[GKBeetle]

Thor is so much cooler in OOTS than the stiff from Marvel Comics. Marvel should definetly get Rich to write Thor from now on. I would start reading it. We definetly need more 'BOOYAH's in comics.

[Elcaz]

Durkon! YOU ROCK!

And Giant, I'm always impressed how you snap back at critics in your own comic, in this case with just three panels providing much merriment. It's a gift.

[warmachine]

As Durkon's magic is Thor's actions and Thor appears to be a singular entity who doesn't pay attention to his followers, where does Durkon's magic come from when Thor is drinking and seducing females (or whatever floats his boat)? As there must be a large number of clerics of Thor, so much work ought to make an overworked entity.

It can't be Thor doing all the magic - he has to delegate. We must assume that most divine magic is the result of Thor's helpers, not Thor himself. I wonder if Durkon, who loves Thor with all his heart, knows how much attention he really gets?

[battleburn]

His answering machine (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0007.html) is what it was delegated to

Thor has shown exeptional interest in Durkon. Giving him such an incredible spell and afterwards he even said he wanted to keep posted on his well-being.

[JennyMasters]

To just walk up to the druid and smack him in the face like that. With a warhammer no less! You have to love it.

[Swashbuckler]

This is simple, really. All Durkon has to do is cry out, "Ehnekchok!!" (or 'Thor's Might' for you younger kiddies) and get big, ala this! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0111.html)

Whammo! One dead druid.

[ampcptlogic]

And lastly, is it really a bear? Aww, I thought it was a dire lemming lol.
I think dire lemmings have red eyes, not green.

Also, first post.

[Nekkira]

Yeah for Dire Bear form!! That's my fav wildshape!
Kinda mad at Durkon for destroying those lovely trees. Sigh.
I want to cheer for OOTS, but come on ya gotta love a druid! Go Leeky!

[MrNexx]

I have to say, that's one of the best representations of a miracle (not Miracle, the 9th level spell, but direct divine intervention) I've ever seen.

[Miklus]

Julia got a nice talking-to by Durkon! She had it comming!

@ Antina -> Nice spot on the skirt-thing, I didn't even see that.

[geez3r]

Something tells me that there are going to be some good battle scenes coming up. Nice comic Giant, and Thor is awesome.

[Doug_Lampert]

Well played, Giant, well played indeed. Personally, I think he was anticipating all the questions regarding the spell used. But that's just me.
Me too. Rich knows the rules, IMAO he knows them better than most posters to this board.

So he actually didn't suffer some massive brain fart and suddenly forget that Control Weather ISN'T a do as much damage as you like of whatever type you choose to whoever you want to target anytime you want spell.

Given this he presumably had an explanation in mind, and while other possibilities were concievable Thor was far and away the most likely; and, more important for the strip, it being Thor makes a good joke.


Of course he predicted our reactions.

Hell, I predicted our reactions and the Giant is far mroe clever than I. He's knows his audience, and for that I have even more respect for him.

Bingo. Almost any regular player and reader is gonna read the 352 strip, laugh his ass off, and then say, "wait a minute, Control Weather can't do that can it?" Seriously, what other reaction would anyone expect?

DougL

[TheWinterBard]

So.... how many people actually went to look up the Control Weather spell description between 352 and 353 and were confused? :) Excellent clarification.. :P Lovely comic!

Errr... yay, tenth page?

[MrNexx]

This is going to be like Godzilla v. Mecha Godzilla, except it's going to be CoDzilla v. CoDzilla.

I hope Durkon has knowledge of divine metamagic.

CoDzilla v. Steel CoDzilla?

[Gamebird]

Haha!

Nice save. I got to hand it to you, Giant, that was a good one.

[Pegasos989]

I have to say, that's one of the best representations of a miracle (not Miracle, the 9th level spell, but direct divine intervention) I've ever seen.

I once saw a DM who said that he gives faith points to PCs. Every time a character is created, DM rolls secretly 1d6. When PC is in REAL trouble, he can start praying, spend a faith point and be helped out of it. If they run under 0 in faith points, the intervention takes them from the giant's pan on his stove instead, so it seems as if it helps at first, but it really won't. It is interesting as they don't know how much points they have left...

Anyways, that comic seems like perfect example of how these would work in practise. I must reconcider adding them to my games.

[fangthane]

Go Druids! that's one rather high level druid to shapechange to something that big.
Just means he's about the same level as the OotS - he needs to be level 12 to Wildshape into a dire bear (12 HD).
Edit 2 -Gotta wake up... it DOES limit it on HD... But he could still be a plant if he preferred.

I'd be concerned about the outcome of the fight if it weren't for a few things though...
1. The druid has eaten a load of sonic damage and a smack to the head and isn't likely to be much over half hit points or so.
2. Durkon hasn't taken any damage so far this combat
3. Unless the druid has invested heavily in feats and/or items, his AC is now 17 and he's unable to cast.
4. Unless Thor's lecherous advances impede his ability to provide (or delegate) power to Durkon, our bearded friend has a good deal more power at hand than the druid (who's buffed and animated trees and stoneskinned his pet.

Advantage: Durkon. Granted, the balance could always swing the other way but it's not looking bad long-term.

Now I have to ask one thing though... Direct hit on what? Was Thor referring to some target the lightning obliterated, or the trees which were the actual victims of the damage effect? We may never know... I'm almost positive he's already forgotten the incident.

I'm gratified that those of us who believed the effect was just Thor doing what Thor loves to do were vindicated too. I'd have to think Rich knows that we're a geeky enough bunch to over-analyse the Control Weather effect and had this planned in advance. I don't rule out the possibility that he reads this stuff anyhow, since he's effectively admitted that the "I don't read this stuff" is more to reduce expectations that he will, than a strict policy - but it seems to me that it hardly takes a Nostradamus to predict that geeks will be geeks, and plan around them... :)

[KIDS]

I do wish I could shapeshift into bears of THAT SIZE in world of warcraft for example... :) But it's immensely fun episode, only Durkon will maybe have a dodge bonus vs. giants since bear is that huge :P

[HBlast]

It could've been worse, Leeky could've wild shaped into CATform!

[Nerd-o-rama]

Ah, Druids. Will we ever get tired of mocking the brokenness of Wildshape?

The answer is no.

Also, I appreciate the sheer literalness of the Deus ex Machina moment. Also, apparently that Planetar reads the message boards here...

[Doug_Lampert]

Just means he's about the same level as the OotS - he needs to be level 12 to Wildshape into a dire bear (12 HD).

3. Unless the druid has invested heavily in feats and/or items, his AC is now 17 and he's unable to cast.

He probably used animate plants on the trees, which makes him level 13+.

He's a Druid and I think we can safely assume he's at least level 6 :) and natural Spell is in core. Therefor he can still cast spells as well as ever.

Now as you point out he has taken damage, and used a LOT of level 2 and 3 slots (elemental resistance or protection spells). He's used a level 5 slot for Stoneskin, and a level 7 slot to animate the trees. But he's still got all his level 6 spells, most of his level 5, all his level 4, and I wouldn't bet too much on him being out of level 7 spells. So he may well have a Heal for all that damage (for example).

OTOH Durkon is one of the heroes, and Leaky's one of Nale's minions, so it looks bad for Leaky.

[Kesnit]

We saw V cover his/her ears in the last strip, so (s)he may have been able to withstand the sonic damage (especially if (s)he was ready and waiting for it).

So in theory, we have Durkon (CoDzilla), a LVL 12-13 wizard, and a LVL 1 wizard against Leaky (CoDzilla 2). 3 against 1, even if one of the 3 is low level, should be an easy fight for the OOTS-ers. Esp if Thor is still partially paying attention.

[Krytha]

Well played, Leeky. Well played indeed...

[tmacdevitt]

Hey did anyone else read Thor's message as "plow" Sif instead of "paw" Sif? Or do I just need to read less magna??

[Damon_Caskey]

The comic will go where the comic will go, but technically I wouldn’t worry too much.

Durkon is still the C in CoDzilla, he’s got what it takes to knock the tree hugger down a peg or too. I’d feel more sorry for Roy, the most statistically useless member of OOTS (Elan might be a few bricks short of a load, but Bards are really quite effective if played as such), or poor V man, who seems to obsess more then anyone for power but will always languish in 2nd place behind the CoDs.

DC

[Orzel]

Good o' near broken Wildshape.

BURN HIS FUR!

[_JM_]

I’m not sure what domains Durkon took but Thor does include strength and (in NWN at least) Divine Strength is a once-a-day boost rather than filling a prayer slot. Does not last long but would let Durkon bash Leeky nice and hard a few times. Agree that another possibility is Thor’s Might (my NWN cleric always keeps a Righteous Might handy for where there is not time to make other prayers or where more power is needed).

Favourite part though is Durkon telling Julia off, followed closely by Thor “BOOYAH!”

[innovan]

It's not "Ye". It's "Thee".

"Ye" is plural. "Thee" is singular.

Durkon should have said, "Him and thee and me".

Unless he starts taking a fancy after Julia. In which case he can start using the more intimate "thou".

And if he asks "Thou God" only one shows up. But "Ye Gods", he gets trampled by the crowd, since that's the plural pronoun.

You can see a desire for a plural pronoun version of "you" to be returned to the language as "y'all", a contraction of "you all", continues to slowly grow in acceptance through American culture. "y'all" and "ye" are interchangable plural pronouns. (But for some reason northern yankees insist on misusing "y'all" in the singular case when they try to talk southern, which just grates).

http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/bacon-theethou.html

[Snake-Aes]

I do wish I could shapeshift into bears of THAT SIZE in world of warcraft for example... :) But it's immensely fun episode, only Durkon will maybe have a dodge bonus vs. giants since bear is that huge :P
The bear isn't THAT huge, they're both Dwarf and Gnome, the frame was closer to them than when there's a medium-sized(bigger than a dwarf) around

[TheQuestionable]

Love the bear, love the God making a reappearance, love it when the dwarf smashed the druid atop the head. Can't wait to see the next chain of events. As always, it's unpredictable and hillarious.

[the_tick_rules]

well the strip certainly ended discusion of wether or not control weather could do such and effect. Nope, but when your god doesn't care the rules become more flexible lol.

[Yobgod]

Krytha said:
I love how Thor is seriously Durkon's guardian angel 24/7
Kanashimi said:
Thor has shown exeptional interest in Durkon. Giving him such an incredible spell and afterwards he even said he wanted to keep posted on his well-being.

I just don't see it that way... "I'm going to go get tanked and make out, let me know if the dwarf lives or dies." is NOT a sign of exceptional interest or good guardianship. It's, at best, a sign of idle curiosity.

Thor was just happy a cleric requested such a fun, Thor-appropriate spell. That done, he's out of here. Go Thor! I very much enjoyed the one full round casting action last episode, by the way.

[Aliquid]

It's not "Ye". It's "Thee".

"Ye" is plural. "Thee" is singular.

Durkon should have said, "Him and thee and me".

Unless he starts taking a fancy after Julia. In which case he start using the more intimate "thou".
All valid points if Durkon was speaking old English......

But he isn't. As accurate as your statement might be, it isn't relevant.

[Kruul]

Green little winged book-pricks... There is one in every RPG group...

[Wolfram]

Poor Durkon. This may be a bit more than he can chew. . .

The issuse is whether Durkon is more than the Druid can chew. Literally.

[houseofcommons]

I'd be concerned about the outcome of the fight if it weren't for a few things though...
1. The druid has eaten a load of sonic damage and a smack to the head and isn't likely to be much over half hit points or so.
2. Durkon hasn't taken any damage so far this combat
3. Unless the druid has invested heavily in feats and/or items, his AC is now 17 and he's unable to cast.
4. Unless Thor's lecherous advances impede his ability to provide (or delegate) power to Durkon, our bearded friend has a good deal more power at hand than the druid (who's buffed and animated trees and stoneskinned his pet.



Granted, Durkon does have the protagonist forcefield, but as an armchair discussion, there are a couple of points to be considered;

1) Using wildshape means that Leaky just have himself a lil' healing boost equivalent to one night's rest. . .not the same as a heal spell, mind, but much better than a kick in the teeth.

2) It's very possible that Leaky also spent some time buffing himself.

3) Leaky no longer has to outcast Durkon. Initiate a grapple check, and crush away is a remarkably effective strategy when youhave a base Strength of 31 and size Large.

[lor_mike]

Love It!

"sir im not sure if control weather can actually do that" "what did you say" "nevermind"

"ah oh right druid"

good durkon/thor comic

[JepDeiod]

Durkon got some good face time. He is just a honorable little fella who doesnt speak out all the time. It is good to see him saving V and smacking the druid around. Go Durkon (and Thor)!

[kaairn]

It's not "Ye". It's "Thee".

"Ye" is plural. "Thee" is singular.

Durkon should have said, "Him and thee and me".

Unless he starts taking a fancy after Julia. In which case he start using the more intimate "thou".

And if he asks "Thou God" only one shows up. But "Ye Gods", he gets trampled by the crowd, since that's the plural pronoun.

You can see a desire for a plural pronoun version of "you" to be returned to the language as "y'all", a contraction of "you all", continues to slowly grow in acceptance through American culture. "y'all" and "ye" are interchangable plural pronouns. (But for some reason northern yankees insist on misusing "y'all" in the singular case when they try to talk southern, which just grates).

http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/bacon-theethou.html




Uh, you do realise that Durkon is NOT speaking olde English. He is speaking and has always spoken in a scottish accent, with "ye" being the phonetic spelling of the way that the scottish say "you".

[fangthane]

He probably used animate plants on the trees, which makes him level 13+.

He's a Druid and I think we can safely assume he's at least level 6 :) and natural Spell is in core. Therefor he can still cast spells as well as ever.

... of course, this is also what I was referring to specifically when I mentioned feats; items would potentially allow him to use some of his magic items when wild-shaped and possibly increase his AC somewhat beyond the basic 17.

Speaking of which, Shifters with wilding clasps own.


Now as you point out he has taken damage, and used a LOT of level 2 and 3 slots (elemental resistance or protection spells). He's used a level 5 slot for Stoneskin, and a level 7 slot to animate the trees. But he's still got all his level 6 spells, most of his level 5, all his level 4, and I wouldn't bet too much on him being out of level 7 spells. So he may well have a Heal for all that damage (for example).

OTOH Durkon is one of the heroes, and Leaky's one of Nale's minions, so it looks bad for Leaky.
I'd generally think he's probably mostly out of level 2 spells, possibly level 3's if he hedged with Protections; I'd expect he's out of level 7 spells but I suppose he could be 14th level; I'm assuming his natural wisdom's not high enough to grant a bonus level 7 spell. In any case, he's blown a far greater portion of his power and is in my view unlikely to have any single healing spell better than cure crit. Also bear in mind that while Durkon can spontaneously channel to heal himself in a pinch, the druid can only summon one-round delays (ok, SNA5-6 might last two rounds, but anything lesser is toast in one round of attacks, tops)

You're right though; ultimately, it's the difference between hero and encounter, and if Leaky's smart he realises that he's the displacer beast. I'd tend to think he's that smart because he's a gnome, but then Roy's a fighter - so who knows...

[Shott]

All I know is that the "whunk" panal is amazing. It should be made into a wallpaper or something.

[Shara_Littlebottom]

Wilding clasp? Never heard of it... a google search seems to turn up that they are items that let you keep your amour bonus from your armour even in wildshape. Is this correct?

[Gdrad]

Durkon has used a SCROLL. Shouldn't he be full up on spells?

[TheUdjat]

It's not "Ye". It's "Thee".

"Ye" is plural. "Thee" is singular.

Durkon should have said, "Him and thee and me".

Unless he starts taking a fancy after Julia. In which case he start using the more intimate "thou".

And if he asks "Thou God" only one shows up. But "Ye Gods", he gets trampled by the crowd, since that's the plural pronoun.

You can see a desire for a plural pronoun version of "you" to be returned to the language as "y'all", a contraction of "you all", continues to slowly grow in acceptance through American culture. "y'all" and "ye" are interchangable plural pronouns. (But for some reason northern yankees insist on misusing "y'all" in the singular case when they try to talk southern, which just grates).

http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/bacon-theethou.html




...Or how about he's a Dwarf?

It's kinda silly to apply real-world linguistic practices with a fantasy world. Ultimately, it's a matter of the author's personal preference. Though, as others have pointed out, Durkon is stylized for a phonetic spelling of a Scottish-like accent, rather than properly speaking Olde Englishe. Or not-so-Olde, as your article claims.

Speaking of which, there are some flaws in it. Your article is geared towards a very specific topic (translations of the bible), and fails to captured the vastly fluctuating linguistic trends of the English language (in all its varying forms). For instance, 'Ye' was also often used as a substitute for 'The' (thus explaining the classic 'Ye Olde Magick Shoppe', which is a stellar example of having no rigid law for the common spelling of words). Another point the article fails to capture is the hierarchical usages of 'thee', 'thou', and 'you'. There was a time when the pronoun used depended strictly on whether a person was higher up on the social ladder than you or below you on the social ladder.

Your article also takes pains to say that these usages are still commonplace today. My opinion of that statement notwithstanding, it is contradictory to attempt to use this same article as a means to correct midieval-era fantasy language use, especially when your article itself mentions Chaucer (and not the article itself) as a better example of 'true' Olde Englishe.

In short, I think your correction of the comic's use of a different linguistic structure has a lot of holes in it.

And I didn't even get into the fact that it's dialogue, and therefore subject to the character's freedom to mangle the English language if he so desires. :)

[Shara_Littlebottom]

Yup (or at least I think so, lol).

[Fuzzy_Logic]

You was never exclusively plural. AT least, not recently. Shakespeare uses "you" for singular.

"Thee" is singular AND INFORMAL. It's not appropriate for superiors or recent acquaintances.

"Ye" for "the" came about, IIRC, because of the old charcted "thorn' which resembled a "Y" but was pronounced as "th".

[firespitter]

It's not "Ye". It's "Thee".

"Ye" is plural. "Thee" is singular.

Durkon should have said, "Him and thee and me".

Unless he starts taking a fancy after Julia. In which case he start using the more intimate "thou".

And if he asks "Thou God" only one shows up. But "Ye Gods", he gets trampled by the crowd, since that's the plural pronoun.

You can see a desire for a plural pronoun version of "you" to be returned to the language as "y'all", a contraction of "you all", continues to slowly grow in acceptance through American culture. "y'all" and "ye" are interchangable plural pronouns. (But for some reason northern yankees insist on misusing "y'all" in the singular case when they try to talk southern, which just grates).

http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/bacon-theethou.html



Actually "YE" is not prounced with a hard "Y" sound in period. The "Y" was a printer's adaptation of the letter "thorn" which was a soft TH sound as in "THIS". 'Ye' as is seen on old coffee shoppes would have, in period, been prounounced as "THE OLD COFFEE SHOP". Pronounciation of YE with a hard Y instead of soft TH is another modern idiot-ism (like thunder travels 1 mile per minute) that seems to constantly be re invoked.
Ye has no plaural or singular form or gender, it was and is used as we use the THE today just spelled strangely.

Not trying to be a know it all. Just trying to keep the dissemination of false information to a minimum.

[chibibar]

hehe.. I love it!! :) Yea.. Thor is a god and thus can pretty do anything (hehehe..... "I can't do what?")

[Elurindel]

Proof positive that The Giant listens to the rantings of fans when it comes to the rules. Gotta love being able to bend them once in a while. ;D

[rashambo]

No biggie. Stoneskin can equalize that fight

[Tussy the Druid]

Woo! Go druid power! "Sir, i'm not exactly sure you can DO that?" "Huh?'' "....Nice shooting..."

[WeaponMasterLDO]

Love the comic, one of my new personal favorites.

[Allandaros]

People keep thinking that Durkon's going to get demolished in this fight. I'm going to hold the opposite - he'll stand a pretty good chance. I honestly dunno if these carried over into 3.5ed, but I distinctly remember dwarves getting bonuses to their fights with big tall things, just because they were so short they had the big guys at a disadvantage.

Eh? Eh?

[Doug_Lampert]

I'd generally think he's probably mostly out of level 2 spells, possibly level 3's if he hedged with Protections; I'd expect he's out of level 7 spells but I suppose he could be 14th level; I'm assuming his natural wisdom's not high enough to grant a bonus level 7 spell.

He could be level 14, or with an item he can have +7 wisdom bonus even starting with the default elite array (starts at 15, adds 3 for levels, adds 6 for item). A plus six item costs less than a level 13 NPC's equiment value even before the discount for making it yourself.

Alternately since he knew well in advance what he was going to cast pre-combat EVERYTHING he's thrown so far could be from scrolls.

So he can easily have a level 7 left.

As for level 2-3, Drd13 gives six or seven level two spells and five or six level three spells. Protecting 4 trees against 4 elements each burns 16 out of his 13. Since for something that low level I'd RATHER burn slots (I'm unlikely to really need them in combat), he presumably used all 13 slots and 3 scrolls or charges from the staff to cover the trees.

But it can't all be cast slots of level 2. He simply doesn't have that many slots. So he's probably out of level 3, but could easily have level 7 left.

[Axl_Rose]

Sorry, I didnt read the past 12 pages so I'm sorry if this was already brought up...

spoiler:
Maybe Durkon will do that thing where he grows uber large.

[Doug_Lampert]

People keep thinking that Durkon's going to get demolished in this fight. I'm going to hold the opposite - he'll stand a pretty good chance. I honestly dunno if these carried over into 3.5ed, but I distinctly remember dwarves getting bonuses to their fights with big tall things, just because they were so short they had the big guys at a disadvantage.

Eh? Eh?
Who thinks Durkon is gonna loose?

BtW, Dwarfs do get a bonus against Giants. Gnome Druids in Dire Bear form aren't Giants.

But Durkon doesn't need that bonus.
Durkon'll will win because he's a PC. Because Durkon loosing wouldn't be funny. Because Leaky is outnumbered (even if V is out I wouldn't discount Julia completely). Because Kitty isn't there and is a non-negligable part of Leaky's fighting strength. Because Leaky is badly hurt, depleted in spells, and short a staff, while Durkon is fresh. Because at level 13 I think Clerics are at least as strong as Druids, if Durkon is also level 13 then Harm isn't even one of his best spells (he could easily have Destruction prepared, make your fort save and still take 10d6 damage, and you really don't want to fail...). Because while we don't know what Durkon's domains are Strength is a good bet and Thor's Might + Strength Domain stacks for a +21 to Strength for one round at level 13 plus the other benefits of Righteous Might.

[Allandaros]

I counted at least six people betting on Leeky in the first four (or so) pages of the thread, is all.

I defer to people's superior knowledge of 3.5e mechanics. Heck, of mechanics of high-level characters in general. I didn't get anything beyond 5th/5th level or so in 2e...

[okpokalypse]

Druids: winning D&D since 3.5.

Stars of such hits as "I'm A Giant Bear Who Can Cast Spells" and "I'm A Full Caster And A Tank (And You're Not)".

Nah, I think a well prepared Cleric trumps a Druid. After all, the errata has taken a lot away from Druids.

They no longer get the Con of the shape they assume. They Lose all Item Bonuses in WildShape now. (Meaning he may have lost a significant amount of +Stat Pts - and subsequent bonuses - during that shift).

All Durkon needs is a Divine Power and a Thor's Might and he's much beefier than any Druid Shape. In fact, he'd have a Fighter's BAB, +2 HP/Level, +10 Strength (+6 Enhance, +4 Size), 10' Reach, Large Sized Damage, and DR 10 / Evil.

I think Cleric wins.

[okpokalypse]

Who thinks Durkon is gonna loose?

BtW, Dwarfs do get a bonus against Giants. Gnome Druids in Dire Bear form aren't Giants.

But Durkon doesn't need that bonus.
Durkon'll will win because he's a PC. Because Durkon loosing wouldn't be funny. Because Leaky is outnumbered (even if V is out I wouldn't discount Julia completely). Because Kitty isn't there and is a non-negligable part of Leaky's fighting strength. Because Leaky is badly hurt, depleted in spells, and short a staff, while Durkon is fresh. Because at level 13 I think Clerics are at least as strong as Druids, if Durkon is also level 13 then Harm isn't even one of his best spells (he could easily have Destruction prepared, make your fort save and still take 10d6 damage, and you really don't want to fail...). Because while we don't know what Durkon's domains are Strength is a good bet and Thor's Might + Strength Domain stacks for a +21 to Strength for one round at level 13 plus the other benefits of Righteous Might.

Well put.

I think a nice Blade Barrier could likely drop the Druid after all the Damage he's already taken. Level d6 Slashing - and I don't think he's got DR ;)

[Daedrous Avari]

LETS AGO and find out.

[sakusha]

3) Leaky no longer has to outcast Durkon. Initiate a grapple check, and crush away is a remarkably effective strategy when youhave a base Strength of 31 and size Large.

One spell: Freedom of Movement.


Speaking of which, Shifters with wilding clasps own.

Shifters were taken out of 3.5D&D if memory serves. They were in Masters of the Wild and I haven't seen them in Complete Divine and I know it's not a Core prestige class.

However ... there is of course the equally broken Nature's Warrior and Master of Many Forms (I think? The one that after 3-4 levels makes you immune to crits...)

One really bizzarre option would be for Leeky to have taken the Druid Levels out of the PHB2 which are for those druids that love wildshape-combat. They can't cast while in wildshape form no matter what (yes, even if they took Natural Spell), but get uber stat bonus while in their forms plus the normal wildshape rules.

And what on earth is NWN?

[KeiranHalcyon]

NWN = Neverwinter Nights.

You know what annoys me more than "w00t, n-th page"? "I'm sorry if this was mentioned already in the first k pages (which I didn't read), but Q", where Q is some prediction/observation that has been mentioned at least once every other page in the thread, often on the very page being posted to.[/rant]

But anyway, I think that the Giant, possessing a gamer mentality himself, was well on top of the "how did control weather do THAT?" issue without reading the forums, and had the resolution preplanned accordingly. The resolution was borderline predictable, but then, it's not the resolution itself that was funny, it was the delivery. "BOOYAH!" The jab at the inevitable controversy was the icing on the cake.

[Shea Landford]

He and Ye and Me be having a talk about how awesome of a comic that was!

[Werebear]

Well, I've been folloing OoTS for a long time... but I just HAD to join here after seeing this one.

This comic is one of the most amazing out there... it's funny, and these stick people sometimes have more expression than a 'realistic' one. The expressions on 337 - (the episode with the "25 words per scroll") as well as the writing... fantastic.

Anyways, well, thanks. :)

[innovan]

>He speaks scottish.

"Bonnie Scotland I Adore Thee"

(Singular pronoun, only one country is loved)

http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_bonnie.htm

"Cam' ye by Athol?"

Which uses both ye and thee correctly.

"Follow thee, follow thee, wha wadna follow thee?"
(Singular pronoun, only one Prince Charlie)

http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_atholl.htm

[charik]

Sorry, I didnt read the past 12 pages so I'm sorry if this was already brought up...

spoiler:
Maybe Durkon will do that thing where he grows uber large.
Yes, yes it was.

Why do people want to be heard without bothering to listen? :'(

[Nightfall]

Oh...my...Goddess! That was SO funny! I'm still laughing! :D

My favorite part:

"An' incident'lly, him 'n ye 'n me will be havin' a conversation when this be over aboot wha is an' wha is not proper behavior fer a young lady o' yer age. Do I make myself clear?"

".....Yes, sir."

Giant, can Durkon come over to MY house when he's done with Julia? Pleeeease??

[the_tick_rules]

well if durkon had time to buff himself before battle things would be much more even. But remember V and Julia are around, so the druid potentially has a 3 on 1. Are we sure it's a dire bear and not a regular bear? Durkon is pretty small.

[JoseB]

Cam' ye by Athol?

Which includes the lyric "Follow thee, follow thee, wha wadna follow thee?"

(Singular pronoun, only one Prince Charlie)

http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_atholl.htm

Although in the title and the first stanza of that song "ye" seems to be rather clearly used with the meaning of "you" (singular):

"Cam' ye by Athol, lad wi' the philabeg,
Down by the Tummel, or banks of the Garry?
Saw ye the lads, wi' their bonnets an' white cockades,
Leaving their mountains to follow Prince Charlie."

There is only one "lad" mentioned in the first line, which is addressed to by means of "ye" (according to the webpage, "philabeg" means "a small kilt", btw).

So I would say that "ye" is acceptable as singular "you" in Scots dialect, according to that song you showed as an example, at least.

[Spit_Dog]

If she had more levels in the Rouge from homebrew forums, this might not have happened.

Actually I suspect Julia has enough levels already in "Rouge"..."Rogue" on the other hand is entirely up to speculation.

[innovan]

Although in the title and the first stanza of that song "ye" seems to be rather clearly used with the meaning of "you" (singular):


I disagree. To me the plural "ye" that he's talking to are us, the audience, the listeners to the song, asking if we've seen the lads wearing white white cockades in these many different locations.

The same "ye" spoken to in the song's title, ""Cam' ye by Athol?"" The same use as in "Come All Ye Faithful".

[Drerek]

I just love that Thor's little celestial peon is holding a copy of the Player's Handbook. I'm such a rules lawyer, but I love what the Giant did with that spell. Darn trees!

[Ironers]

I like the scene where they are climbing down the ladder and Julia's hand is just coming down from the top of the panel, apparantly to keep her skirt from hanging loose, like she's expecting Durkon to do something unlawful and sneak a peek.

It's the little details like this that keeps drawing me back. That and Belkar stabbiness, he's so stabby.

[Aliquid]

I like the scene where they are climbing down the ladder and Julia's hand is just coming down from the top of the panel, apparantly to keep her skirt from hanging loose, like she's expecting Durkon to do something unlawful and sneak a peek.
I interpreted it a bit different.
I thought she was holding her skirt, because she was scared Durkon would get mad at her if she didn't. Especially after he told her off about "proper behavior for a young lady o' yer age"

[theKOT]

I interpreted it a bit different.
I thought she was holding her skirt, because she was scared Durkon would get mad at her if she didn't. Especially after he told her off about "proper behavior for a young lady o' yer age"
I didn't notice that at first, but I definitely think your explaination makes more sense.

Or her hand could just be their for no reason. Meh.

[Solmage]

Give it up for the D-Man!

Gimme a D! D!

Gimme a U! U!

Gimme an R! R!

Gimme a K! K!

Gimme an O! O!

Gimme an N! N!

Whaddya ya spell?
LUNCH!

[chibibar]

Durkon is bad at math... so he might think he lost when actually he really won.

It would be interesting.... Durkon does have good ac and CAN fight pretty well when need be. Also Durkon is probably full up on heal spells.

[yuccadude]

I don't know, the druid wildshape kinda lookds like a feral sloth to me, slothy, but cool

[Krytha]

I hope Julia is well past cantrips...

[KeiranHalcyon]

I was hoping this wouldn't be necessary, but apparently I was wrong.

It is commonly accepted in America, whether correctly or incorrectly, that "you" is pronounced "ye" in Scottish (or the Scottish accent of English; I'm not sure which description is proper). It is also common stereotype that Dwarves speak with Scottish, or at least faux-Scottish, accents (perpetuated no doubt by the portrayal of Gimli in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films). In Durkon's case, his pronunciation of "your" ("yer"), his dialogue with Leeky (more "ye"s and "yer"s), and countless other examples of his speech support that what he actually said, sans accent, was "him and you and me," and that he was not, in fact, attempting to use "ye" in any semblance of a grammatically correct fashion.

~blinks, shakes head~ Oh, sorry, I think I channeled V there for a moment. ;)

[Vargtass]

I hope Julia is well past cantrips...

I see no reason why she should not be. She is (was) in the same class (approximately) as Pompey, who holds his place in the Liniear Guild. There is no reason Julia could not be quite a capable wizard in her own right.

[taraxia]

Actually "YE" is not prounced with a hard "Y" sound in period. The "Y" was a printer's adaptation of the letter "thorn" which was a soft TH sound as in "THIS". 'Ye' as is seen on old coffee shoppes would have, in period, been prounounced as "THE OLD COFFEE SHOP". Pronounciation of YE with a hard Y instead of soft TH is another modern idiot-ism (like thunder travels 1 mile per minute) that seems to constantly be re invoked.
Ye has no plaural or singular form or gender, it was and is used as we use the THE today just spelled strangely.

Not trying to be a know it all. Just trying to keep the dissemination of false information to a minimum.


That's completely true of "ye" when it means "the". It's completely untrue of "ye" when it's the archaic nominative case of the second-person plural pronoun in Early Modern English (that is, originally "you" corresponded to "me" and "ye" corresponded to "I"). The fact that the two get confused nowadays does not negate the existence of "ye" meaning "you". In fact, that usage was rather more common than the written form of "the" as "ye" with the thorn replaced by Y, which is why it was such a natural misunderstanding to assume "Ye Olde Magic Shoppe" was referring to something like "Your Old Magic Shop".

Durkon's using "ye" here is completely grammatically correct. It's confusing, since you'd think "ye" would be the analogue of "me" and "I" the analogue of "you", but it's the opposite. "I hate you", and "Ye hate me".

Moreover, it's the formal plural, which was in wide use by the time English sounded anything like modern English -- yes, Julia is one person, but Durkon is nothing if not a proper gentleman when speaking to a stranger, especially if that stranger is the young, unmarried sister of his best friend.

Ironically, it's the "him" and the "me" that are ungrammatical here -- it's the nominative case since it's the subject of the sentence, so it should be "he and ye and I" in proper Early Modern English.

On the other hand, it's important to note that this is a dialect that generalized "ye" to cover the bases of "you" and "ye" while most other English dialects picked "you" to stand for both. Also, a Scotsman who's actually saying "you" may sound like he's saying "ye" anyway, at least to American ears, because of those Scottish vowels.

Not trying to be a know it all. Just trying to prevent the dissemination of false information. Especially when it's being disseminated by arrogant know-it-alls who don't seem to know that much.

[taraxia]

It's not "Ye". It's "Thee".

"Ye" is plural. "Thee" is singular.

Durkon should have said, "Him and thee and me".

Unless he starts taking a fancy after Julia. In which case he can start using the more intimate "thou".

And if he asks "Thou God" only one shows up. But "Ye Gods", he gets trampled by the crowd, since that's the plural pronoun.


*deep sigh*

No. The usage of "ye" and "you" as formal versions of "thee" and "thou" dates back to the Norman Conquest. What linguists call the T-V split was firmly entrenched in English by the time it took the form of Modern English. If what the person is speaking sounds *anything like* recognizable English to your ear -- anything after Chaucer's time, like, say, Shakespeare -- then the people who spoke it used "ye" and "you" to address people formally and "thou" and "thee" to address intimate friends. The reason the King James Bible always uses "thou" is that this was a *conscious affectation* when it was written -- the original Hebrew and Greek texts from which the Bible was translated had a very clear distinction between singular and plural second-person pronouns, and the KJV translators wanted to keep that distinction in the text. It's the same reason Ernest Hemingway used "thou" in the translated Spanish in For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Furthermore, "thou" and "thee" are not a different pronoun. They are the *same* pronoun -- one is the nominative case (thou) and one is the objective case (thee). Neither one is more or less formal than the other -- they are *equally* intimate, and which one you use depends on whether it's the subject or object of the sentence. "Thou lovest me", but "I love thee". See? Just like the Spanish "tú" and "te".

Finally, while the fact that it's different from "thou" and "thee" and "I" and "me" confuses people, "ye" is actually the nominative case in Early Modern English and "you" is the objective case. "Ye love me" but "I love you". I'm guessing the Giant was mistaken about this too, since he wanted Durkon to be using the ungrammatical objective case in the subject to go with "him and me" (which is a common nonstandard usage that many people use -- "Me and my brother are going now"). Even so, I'm just pointing that out in case people harp on that too.

[taraxia]

I disagree. To me the plural "ye" that he's talking to are us, the audience, the listeners to the song, asking if we've seen the lads wearing white white cockades in these many different locations.

The same "ye" spoken to in the song's title, ""Cam' ye by Athol?"" The same use as in "Come All Ye Faithful".


Sorry, doesn't fly. Did you actually *read* the song's first line?

"Cam' ye by Athol, lad with the philabeg/
Doon frae the Tummel or banks o' the Garry". There's no hidden clause reading "and did you see the" in there. "Came you by Athol, lad with the philabeg, down from the Tummel or banks of the Garry?" is what it's asking, and the person being addressed is clearly the lad with the philabeg. There's no two ways about it -- this is a singular addressee being addressed with the pronoun "ye".

Which is unsurprising, because *we* address singular individuals with the pronoun "ye" *all the time*. You do it every time you say "Can I help you?" to one guy standing by himself. It's just that we've generalized "ye" and "you" to be the same word. To a Middle English speaker, we'd all sound a bit like Thog, as though we were constantly saying "Me want to go to the store" or "Me am hungry". The only difference between the Scots dialect and most dialects here is that it picked a different case to generalize (or it picked the same case but pronounces it funny, take your pick).

Interestingly, this song actually illustrates the T-V split very well. The person being addressed in the song is a stranger, being desperately inquired for news about the war (Bonnie Prince Charlie's rebellion), and then shifts to addressing Prince Charlie directly -- dropping his title and simply calling him "Charlie" -- in a plaintive, intimate cry of love and devotion ("Who wouldna' follow thee?").

It's interesting to note, though, that later versions of this song do, in fact, replace the "thee" with a "ye" as "thou/thee" passes out of use in English as time goes on. There's nothing grammatically bad about unilaterally replacing "thou" with "ye" at all, unless you think nearly every English speaker in the world is speaking incorrectly.

[Durin]

Scottish is not a language it's an accent english speaking scotts like mesef have! Scottsmen speak Gaelic a celtic language that we spoke before we even knew what america was.

Unfortunately less than 60% of the population speaks it anymore and it's more commonly heard in the highlands.

P.S. It's good to be back

[Soepvork]

I see no reason why she should not be. She is (was) in the same class (approximately) as Pompey, who holds his place in the Liniear Guild. There is no reason Julia could not be quite a capable wizard in her own right.



On the other hand, all we have seen him do is a Summon Monster II, which is a second level spell.. (and unnamed touch buffs of course :))

[Zeb The Troll]

I disagree. To me the plural "ye" that he's talking to are us, the audience, the listeners to the song, asking if we've seen the lads wearing white white cockades in these many different locations.

The same "ye" spoken to in the song's title, ""Cam' ye by Athol?"" The same use as in "Come All Ye Faithful".

People, people!

This has NOTHING to do with grammar! It's just written that way so that if you read it out loud you might almost accidentally affect a fakish Scottishy accent. Period. Just like his saying "cannae" and "dinnae" instead of cannot and did not. They aren't real words, they're affectiations of pronunciation. Spelling out "you" wouldn't convey the accent.

Though I have to admit that I find all the linguistics and history discussion highly engaging. Feel free to continue to enlighten, just ditch all the argue-ey stuff. ;)

Zeb

[houseofcommons]

One spell: Freedom of Movement.




Sure. . .IF he's prepared it, IF he hasn't cast it, and IF he can get the spell off without getting whaled by an AoO. That's too many ifs there, mate.

[Solmage]

Sure. . .IF he's prepared it, IF he hasn't cast it, and IF he can get the spell off without getting whaled by an AoO. That's too many ifs there, mate.

I wonder if you eat something that has freedom of movement cast on himself, does it help digestion? 8)

[Heloisa]

I hope Banjo will help Elan aswell... :-/

Great job Giant... please give us some info about Elan!!!!

[innovan]

Did you actually *read* the song's first line?

Actually, yes. Yes I did.

And the rest of the song. And many other songs I chose not to add to this thread. And about 40 pages of material on this topic from google.

I'm a fast reader.


There's no two ways about it

Really, how unimaginative. I can with no effort at all produce three supportable positions for the first line of this song:

1) The "Ye" addresses the plural audience. (ie "Come all ye faithful")
2) The "Ye" addresses three lads in three different locations. (ie "Come here ye three lads")
3) The "Ye" address is ungrammatical and addresses one single lad with a pack, at the tunnel or the bank of a river.

I'm still waiting for a celtic grammarian who would know to actually enter the discussion. But my position is hardly made or broken by one song's lyrics that I grabbed from the top of google, since there are so many other examples in google still left.

Googling on Robert Burn's poetry alone turns up page after page after page of usage of Ye, Thee and Thou used properly as plural and singular.

http://www.robertburns.org/works/378.shtml

http://www.robertburns.org/works/481.shtml

http://www.robertburns.org/works/85.shtml

http://www.robertburns.org/works/43.shtml

etc etc.

But mostly I'm aware of the Ye and Thee distinction having recently watched lecture 7 of Seth Lerer's course on the History of the English Language (frequently on sale for $99 for the DVD version -just wait a few weeks)

Which for language geeks, is an excellent course indeed.

http://www.teach12.com/ttc/assets/coursedescriptions/800.asp?id=800&d=History+of+the+English+Language

Taraxia does make a good point though. There was a weird fad that arose among the nobility to always refer to themselves as a plural group --hence Queen Victoria's"We are not amused".

There's some speculation that this fad of insisting on being referred to at all times in the plural, as it spread from the nobility class into the rest of society, is why "you" arose and the usage of "ye" and "thee" declined.

[kaairn]

[snip]


Oh dear god! How many times do people have to say in the context of this strip "Ye" the the PHONETIC SPELLING for the way that people with a SCOTTISH ACCENT PRONOUNCE the word "you"? Why is this so hard for you to understand and accept?

Please, you're trying to be the Intellectual and instead you're coming across like a complete prat... Please drop it before you make an even bigger fool of yourself.

[Greebo]

Innovan:

Durkon has spoken in the strip on numerous occasions to an individual and used the word "ye", where it is contextually transparently and unambiguously obvious that he is referring to an individual in the singular.

The Giant is using artistic licence. He is not following celtic grammatical rules, he is spelling out the phoentic pronunciation of how stereotypical scottsmen pronounce "you". You can be singular or plural.

Now will ye stop bein so obtuse laddie?

[Snake-Aes]

Everyone, for that matter. I don't see absolutely any reason to continue with this bashing against the wall of grammer. Durkon has a funy accent and that "ye" is in it. Period.

[Greebo]

Everyone, for that matter. I don't see absolutely any reason to continue with this bashing against the wall of grammer. Durkon has a funy accent and that "ye" is in it. Period.
Grammar.

(Sorry, could not resist ) ;)

[innovan]

How many times do people have to say in the context of this strip "Ye" the the PHONETIC SPELLING for the way that people with a SCOTTISH ACCENT PRONOUNCE the word "you"?

What you're asking here is, "How many times do I have to say 1+1=3 to make it true ?"

The answer is never. No matter how many times you repeat it, it will never be true.

How many times does the mob have to shout to make crap into fact?

The answer is never. Sorry.

[Snake-Aes]

Grammar.

(Sorry, could not resist ) ;)
Oh, the tragedy!
<stabs himself to death for the mistake>

<notices how Emo it sounded>

Huh... Cure Moderate Wounds!
hum, much better


Sorry, my mistake.

[Lilly]

The Fairy Modmother: No more grammar discussion. Period. End of story. Go make a grammar thread over in Friendly banter if you wish to continue discussing it.

[kaairn]

What you're asking here is, "How many times do I have to say 1+1=3 to make it true ?"

The answer is never. No matter how many times you repeat it, it will never be true.

How many times does the mob have to shout to make crap into fact?

The answer is never. Sorry.


*sigh* you know something Snake-As. I think I will stop arguing with this knowitall-knownothing.It's obvious that he's going to continue to push this "debate" until it turns into a full on flame fest.

I apologise to the mods of the site for my vehemence on this issue... I just really dislike people who believe they know more than they do, and then wont back down once they have been told they are wrong... especially when a good level of common sense that such people never seem to have, show how wrong they are.

I did have a couple of links to post on the subject, but I don't think I'll bother, for those interested, look up "scots" and "Scottish English" on Wikipeadia.

Thank you for your time, and I apologise again

[kunou126]

I got a feeling Durkon isn't going to walk away from this fight. We already know he's going to die at some point so he can make his journey home. He's the father figure who's played out his backstory, faced his greatest enemy - the trees, and now is set in a one on one epic battle. Not to mention, Julia is in a position to take up his spot in the order.

:( Poor Durkon. Yet another victim of a Forshaddowing plot device.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Woot, fuzzy bear tank.

[KeiranHalcyon]

And on that note, I predict that this thread won't make it to page 17 before the next comic is released.

But to contribute something else to the topic-as-intended, regarding Julia's potential as a mage... Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. Been more focused on the fact that she's 16 than the fact that she was (apparently) in the same class as Pompeii. Then again, she was in necromancy 101, but I suppose that could merely be a cross-interest (or gen ed) course instead of a core course, which would indicate that she's more proficient with some other school of magic. (Illusion, perhaps, if she followed in the mold of the favored child.)

[MrNexx]

I got a feeling Durkon isn't going to walk away from this fight. We already know he's going to die at some point so he can make his journey home. He's the father figure who's played out his backstory, faced his greatest enemy - the trees, and now is set in a one on one epic battle. Not to mention, Julia is in a position to take up his spot in the order.

:( Poor Durkon. Yet another victim of a Forshaddowing plot device.

Uh, I thought she was a wizard, not a cleric.

[Finwe]

Uh, I thought she was a wizard, not a cleric.


Yeah, she wouldn't fill up Durkon's spot very well at all.

[Shara_Littlebottom]

In roleplaying games characters sometimes die. OOTS is a comic about a roleplaying game so might we see a character die and a new character get rolled up and inserted into the storyline? Or are the members of the Order always all going to survive ???

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

And on that note, I predict that this thread won't make it to page 17 before the next comic is released.

But to contribute something else to the topic-as-intended, regarding Julia's potential as a mage... Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. Been more focused on the fact that she's 16 than the fact that she was (apparently) in the same class as Pompeii. Then again, she was in necromancy 101, but I suppose that could merely be a cross-interest (or gen ed) course instead of a core course, which would indicate that she's more proficient with some other school of magic. (Illusion, perhaps, if she followed in the mold of the favored child.)

You will notice that the highest-level spell Pompey cast was summon monster II.

[AyuVince]

Yes, but that doesn't mean it is the highest-level spell he CAN cast. Come to think of it, if the police chief himself is only a sixth-level warrior (an NPC class with abilities way below those of the fighter), you don't have to bother summoning anything more powerful than a few fiendish centipedes.

[Solmage]

Yes, but that doesn't mean it is the highest-level spell he CAN cast. Come to think of it, if the police chief himself is only a sixth-level warrior (an NPC class with abilities way below those of the fighter), you don't have to bother summoning anything more powerful than a few fiendish centipedes.

I don't think his orders were to destroy the police but just distract them and delay them a little bit.

[Durin]

with thors might and every other spell at durkons disposal it's bound to be one hell of a fight though

[Finwe]

I don't think his orders were to destroy the police but just distract them and delay them a little bit.


And if Pompey's orders HAD been to destroy the police, he probably would have used a more powerful spell.

[Bilbo27]

This was by far your best comic ever!!
This one was funny from the start to the end, with Thor's humor, Durkons Wit, and the banter with the Druid. This was awesome!

[teratorn]

I see, after checking 16 pages of comments that no one tried to answer the question giving the name to this strip " If a Druid Falls in the City, Does He Make a Noise? ". We only know that when hit on the head he goes WHUNK!

[Dragon_Rider]

Of course he makes a noise.

The real question would be "If a druid falls in a city, and no one's around to hear it, does it make a noise?" But thats a rather long comic title.

Also, he hasn't fallen yet.

[ShornKnight]

All I can say is, this:

1. Durkon owned Julia. Hard. (Her use of the word "sir" actually made me laugh harder than the rest of it.)

2. Windstaff owned Durkon. (Ought to be interesting seeing how our Dwarf worms his way out of this one.)

3. Loved it.

4. Actually... there is no number four.

[Finwe]

Yeah, Julia's "Yes, sir" made me laugh too. Don't mess with the guy who just used thunder to shatter trees.

[xyzchyx]

And on that note, I predict that this thread won't make it to page 17 before the next comic is released.Good call.

(w00t! Last page! :) )

[Fintago]

I wonder why Durkon didn't take his attack of opportunity on the druid for standing up?

[humanpylon]

We saw V cover his/her ears in the last strip, so (s)he may have been able to withstand the sonic damage (especially if (s)he was ready and waiting for it).



Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't sonic damage work because of sonic vibrations, not so much the volume? Meaning that covering your ears doesn't help. I seem to remember that even being deaf isn't defence against sonic damage. Then again I just turned 30 so I may be going senile. ;D

[Felinoid]

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't sonic damage work because of sonic vibrations, not so much the volume? Meaning that covering your ears doesn't help. I seem to remember that even being deaf isn't defence against sonic damage. Then again I just turned 30 so I may be going senile. ;D

Eh, you're both wrong and right. It is sonic vibrations, but the vibrations in air and other things are what produce sound, so they're pretty much the same thing. Volume is linked to the magnitude of the sound waves. Covering your ears only helps your ears somewhat because the molecules in your hand are harder to move than air molecules, thus dampening the effect a tiny bit. It's just providing a barrier between the sound and your ears to help slow it down, but the sound will get there more or less intact and shake the hell out of your aural organs.