OOTS #343 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[AmberVael]

'I go both ways'. *Snicker*
Holy cow! First post!

[Tyche]

Bwahaha that one made me laugh out loud!

[Lord Iames Osari]

First page! And this one was great.

[Zzarchov]

woodsy flavour eh, wonder what caused that.

Nice "Swing both ways" innuendo.

[Dhavaer]

Mmm... both ways. Definately hot.

[Aurorax]

Deep Woodsy Flavor...heh.

Can't believe another is already up...not that I'm complaining.

[Daedrous Avari]

Whoa! First page, Sweetness, and... I saw this and it suprised me so much. Sweet, Giant. You're the best. Being true neutral must be hot.

[Eldritch Knight]

Sweet one. Brilliant!

True Neutral is one of the best Alignments to have!

[WarriorTribble]

Lovely comic great work. Heh, life force connoisseur.

[Gamaliel_the_Bard]

True Sibling Love at its best...ROFLMAO

[mec]

Roy and Sabine looks like an even fight. But Pompey versus Julia ... that poor boy is 0wned.

[Winter_Wolf]

And they say there's no innuendo skill in 3.5. (I know it's folded into something else, but come on.)

Last panel is hilarious.

[sednanalien]

HAHAHA

True Neutral...

[Hario]

wow that explains sooo much about his sister ;)

[Seerow]

In before the Haley x Roy's Sister jokes.

[Tawkis]

Awesome

"Hope you left room for Dessert *****"


I love Roy in behind paddleing mode

the swing both ways was a nice touch. But How is Julia dear old Dad's favorite? Or is this just Dad being blind to the fact that his daughter is both shallow and two faced....


wait that could be just teenageritis...

[Kedrot]

wow... what a treat! I just fineshed read 342, refresed and 343 was up! i was like "Huzzah!"
both great

[chaospet]

whoah, back to back comics? sweeeeeet....

[Wanderlust]

That was like 2 back to back comics.


I can't wait to see the new Linear Guild members!!

[Arian]

Last panel: ;D

[Axl_Rose]

Wow comics are coming out FAST!

[tiroskassie]

haha I go both ways.. Love that..

[KewlKat]

TN...

Hehe, it's funny because it's true.

[Felinoid]

Wow, they're coming at a breakneck pace now. I hadn't really thought that Rich would keep his promise, but I am SO glad to be wrong. :D

And yay for alignment establishment! Roy's sister is getting so hot you'd think she'd burst into flame. :P

[Xenon]

certainly a unique approach to true neutral... seems more chaotic to me.

[silvadel]

Yep looked like true chaotic to me...

And if that was an equal fight -- it isnt any longer after the level drain....

[SiegeMachine]

Hahaha awsome, pure gold =)

[Gralamin]

Pompey, you horrible little man...

[Deckmaster]

Wow! Another comic already?

And a great one, too.

Pompey is right, that is hot.

EDIT: Page 2 WOOT!!!

[Eriol]

If this one isn't locked by page 10 for the same reason 309 was, I'll be surprised.

Very odd one IMO.

[Spiky]

I feel sorry for him. Poor Pompey and his 11 year old maturity. (is that a D&D attribute?) She will chew him up, spit him out, laugh on his grave. And that's before they even start fighting!

Back to back to back......I think I love you, Rich.

[Nashua]

I can't wait until the rest of the Linear Guild shows up! Of course something entirely unexpected has to happen that causes tOotS to win the day. Sabine is right, the fight has just begun!

Edit: Seeing everyone's posts reminds me I really need to get an avatar picture.

[Spiky]

Oh, I forgot.

I see a definite....."Only I get to kill my brother, bitch"......attitude in someone.

[Screech]

Haha that is one of the greatest comics

I really did lol this time.
Cant wait for Roy to kick her arse

Pure Comic Genius great work

[Scion_of_the_Light]

I feel sorry for him. Poor Pompey and his 11 year old maturity. (is that a D&D attribute?) She will chew him up, spit him out, laugh on his grave. And that's before they even start fighting!

Back to back to back......I think I love you, Rich.


11 year old maturity? Oh...half elf...

Julia's getting hotter and hotter. More devious, too.

Good strip overall! Funny, a good balance of plot and action!

[Brickwall]

And he did it without revealing whether or not Sabine was Diabolical or Demonic.

I hope that last line gets used in my self-referential campaign *glares at people who know what he's talking about*.

Okay, so they're outside now, there was a huge crash of a wall...I can see help coming soon.

[theswarm]

Pompey is okay, but I hate Julia already (and shes only been in 4 or 5 comics...)Roy needs to stop playing the hero and leave her. She desearves it.

[Flame_Drake]

Ohhh boy, the next few strips are gonna be fun. The strip was great ;D

Drake

[TekGoNos]

Hehe, I love it .. interesting definition of "true neutral".

Poor boy, he's probably mind-warped now (or, if having a Belkar-brain, he might suddenly see Julia as an ally (hot->love->ally ?).

I'm looking very forward to the fight.

Oh, and :
1. "Hello World!". ;-)
2. Third page on first post :D

[Eloco]

Less Cons, more comics, sweet!

[ncriker]

an interesting turn of events

[Kish]

Having a +5 sword is likely to make a much bigger difference to Roy's fighting ability than Sabine is expecting.

[Morchaint]

holy cow. what a great comic. and the last one was great too

[Marcyss]

oh. oh.

PRICELESS!

;D

[Chesny]

Nice to see the comics coming at a much quicker rate - suspence is nice, but only to a point....

[warmachine]

How come Roy is still up after being level drained but Durkon fell unconscious?

[kits.dm]

Yaay for Roy making his Fort Save!

How come my players don't give witty banter like that?

[Max_Sinister]

Uh! Did Roy lose a level now, or only life points?

[Yorkiebar]

Classsic. Thanks Mr. Burlew!

Looks like Pompey isn't going to remain faithful to the Linear Guild for long... Although from OOTS#254 it looks like he's like that with all the chicks he meets.

[dabone]

very funny comic :p, take her out roy!!! :p

[pendejochy]

Heh heh, yes, excellent last panel!

The half elf gave me a bit of a Belkar vibe, even though he is a V-woman 'evil twin.'

Bring on the other members of the Linear Guild! :)

[orcmonk89]

LOL. It all makes perfect sense now....

'True Neutral women go both ways.' Would make excellent RPG Tavern banter...

[CockroachTeaParty]

Woah! Two snuck under my nose! Finally, some action. WOO!

[Nikolai_II]

certainly a unique approach to true neutral... seems more chaotic to me.



Alignment is not a straightjacket, it is a tendency. Roy blatantly insulted her fashion sense and she assumed he would be able to survive being taken down a peg or two. Maybe a bit presumptive on her part, but leaping to conclusions is not chaotic, merely stupid ;)

[Sc00by]

I know Roy is a fighter, but he's supposed to have a decent INT, you'd think that he would've put a couple of ranks in spot!

But obvioulsy not ;)

[Overelemental]

Heh, excellent comic :) Been some great ones lately :) A very good week this is :)

[houseofcommons]

It seems to me that Pompey has been kind of useless so far. No Enchantment and no Evocation can put a damper on your offensive potential, though.

Maybe he's a buffer. Oooooh, that makes the hurting even worse.

[Freelance Henchman]

GO ROY! WHUP HER GOOD!
;D

[Delgarde]

Despite the appearance of the ropes, Julia's apparently got a foot loose... Pompey might want to stand back a bit, if he knows what's good for him.

[Ronald_saveloy]

Yeah, thats another way do define neutral:

Be one day good and another day evil!

[Albion]

"That is SO hot!" Oohhh NO hahahaargh. ;D Gotta like the action, and the woodsy flavour
Yeh, Julia is annoying, but in an ok and funny way. I don't need to sympathize every character.

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

Daaamn, Roy's getting his ass kicked.
He really, really deserves it though - not taking a closer look at the other hostages, going in ALONE with no better plan than "He's got to have a trap! Better walk right into it! Maybe he'll change his mind about that if I call him names and backhandedly appeal to his famous sense of fair play!"...not bothering to -untie his sister-, which, uh, isn't that about the entire reason he's there?
It would be kind of awesome to see the OotS get kicked around like rag dolls and then see the NPCs save the day XD

[Noneoyabizzness]

hmmmm the other side of true neutral... saucy wench...

[Soepvork]

Maybe a bit presumptive on her part, but leaping to conclusions is not chaotic, merely stupid ;)

True wizards can't afford to be stupid :P

[Antina]

I´s quite nice to see pompeys 1ear-ness again.
Half-Elf - half-Ear - again in a strange way kind of funny :)

And I really do like the interpretation of "truely neutral"

But what a HIT!
When Sabine hits Roy on the floor - even the floor shatters...

[faerwain]

What the...? Another comic? :o Giant is really in the race now, isn't he? And as far as I'm concerned he doesn't need to use the brake :D

Fine piece of work, too. Although I enjoyed the calmer part round New year's eve in Azure City I'm glad to see some Whoop-ass again ;D

I did not find the True Neutral sentence as funny as most of you obviously did, but the description of Roy's taste gave me a big smile..and revealed some deeep insights in his character. But, really, after his dad, now learning to know his sister, too - is it any wonder Roy decided to become a travelling adventurer?

[Keldar]

Having a +5 sword is likely to make a much bigger difference to Roy's fighting ability than Sabine is expecting.
Not being flat-footed will probably help, too.


It seems to me that Pompey has been kind of useless so far. No Enchantment and no Evocation can put a damper on your offensive potential, though.
Well, Nale and Thog haven't done anything yet, either. There really hasn't been an opportunity for him to do much - Sabine pretty well kicked Roy's ass in the surprise round. May as well save his magic and see which of Roy's allies show up to save him. If (when) Roy starts winning the fight, I'd also expect him to intervene.

[fithi]

Wow, this one came up fast. Yay for new comics...

Let's see Roy cause some carnage!

Oh, and last pannel? *snicker*

[M._A._Foxfire]

That sword-kicking panel? Awesome.

I think I'm a little in love.

[Blaznak]

Hey, a not too shabby fight scene!

I think Sis is probably a touch on the resentful side she needs to be rescued. Heck, I'm not even convinced she NEEDS to be rescued. She could probably do it her self...

Fun stuff.

Later...

[Nasrudith]

True wizards can't afford to be stupid :P

Though they can afford to have a low wisdom score.

[Furin_Mirado]

YES! I was laughing so hard after the punchline on this one. The Giant still has the goods. ;D

[EmeraldRose]

Oh how cool! I'm out of town (and wireless range) all weekend, and come back to not one...but two new comics!!!!
Yay Giant!

[Krytha]

Roy has a few hp. Just one or two. Wow.

[Miklus]

Wow, Sabrine throws Roy though the air like a doll!
How strong are Fiends anyway? Not even Roy could
throw Roy like that.

And three comics in a row, go Giant!

[EmeraldFire]

HAHA, great comic. Loved the True Neutral part.

I wonder where the rest of the Linear Guild is hiding.

[Shea Landford]

Excellent comic. I think I read the fight panels too quickly, because i didn't get any detail out of them it seemed. But it was very good. "I go both ways.." *Snicker*

[battleburn]

Since Pompey can magically disband the ropes, so can Julia. She just didn't yet because of the presence of the whole of the linear guild. Now it is just her and the half-breed. Pompey is of guard, I think it will take three rounds tops to take him out.

I liked the innuendo.

[Corp]

Hmm...ok Roy is a fighter who travels all over the place so this would explain the woody taste (spends all that time in woods) but where does the sage come from? ;)

[Hyrael]

Does anyone find it weird that Sabrine is fighting in a plad skirt? not to mention that she seems to be beating roy? a succubus only has a strength of 12, and no particular combat ability. If she's an Erines, she lacks all the trappings (whip, sword, bow, feathered wings). Is there some sort of Neutral Evil Outsider somewhere that fits the dark angel mold?

as for pompey, what do you mean he has no offensive potential? Just because he cant Fireball or Scorching Ray? Pompey has specialized in one of the most broad and versatile schools. He can Port, Spam the battlefeild with multiple monsters, and cast Black Tentacles. plus, If you factor in Complete Arcane, he also has the Orb spells. at OotS level, that means around 12d6 ranged touch energy damage, plus a save against a nasty effect.

Never Underestimate the power of the following:
the Force
A woman scorned
SV_cheats 1
Conjuration

[The_Kobold_Hero]

You know what? Pompey is right. True Neutral IS hot!

[DaveJoha]

Roy got hurt so bad his boots cracked!

[Krytha]

Did Roy get level drained?

[Max_Sinister]

I also asked, noone seems to know... I hope not.

BTW, for one moment I had wondered who the other girl except Julia was... didn't remember Sabine's abilities.

[Invisigoth]

Since Pompey can magically disband the ropes, so can Julia. She just didn't yet because of the presence of the whole of the linear guild. Now it is just her and the half-breed. Pompey is of guard, I think it will take three rounds tops to take him out..

I woundn't think that would neccesarily follow. It's likely that Pompey had the opprotunity to memorize some spell that would free him with the Still Spell feat attached to it. I find it highly unlikely that the Linear Guild would have allowed Julia the opprotunity to re-memorize any spells and I'm not going to speculate on why she might have had spells ready that would get her out of ropes...

A page or two back, somebody expressed surprise that Julia would be Dad's favorite. I can't imagine why that would be so. She's training to be a wizard. Roy went to Fighter College. Nothing that Roy has done has disappointed his father as much as that.

I'm eagerly looking forward to finding out who the new members of the LG are. We still haven't seen who Nale got as "evil opposites" for Belkar and Durkon. I've finally given up on my fantasy as Miko showing up as Belkar's opposite. Although she would be just about perfect as a foil for him individually, I can't see how she could manage to work with the Guild.

[Tobimaro]

It seems to me that Pompey has been kind of useless so far. No Enchantment and no Evocation can put a damper on your offensive potential, though.

The only decent attack spells outside of Evocation are a couple of Necromancy spells (Enervation being one of them), Acid Arrow, or Disintegrate. Of course a Black Tentacles spell could still be possible, with it being a Conjuration spell and all.

One random quote from the comic I have to talk about:

"Your life energy...no bitter aftertaste." Something tells me that there will be an aftertaste real soon, and it will be at the edge of a greatsword. ;)

[Shott]

One word: lawlz.

[Nekkira]

Thank you Giant for the 3 in a row comics!
Love the 'no aftertaste' comment.
I think Roys Dad was Neutral too, so that could be another reason she's his favorite.

[xyzchyx]

Did Roy get level drained?

I also asked, noone seems to know... I hope not.It certainly looks that way. Sabine does seem to be a succubus, after all... and she succeeded a grapple attempt, so bye-bye to Roy's highest level.

But it doesn't spell certain defeat for Roy... in 24 hours, he gets a DC 21 save against the negative level to get it back, and even if that fails, a Restoration spell can bring him back to full.

But as it sits... Roy is gonna be fighting this battle at least one level lower than he was when he started.

[Bilbo27]

Love it, now lets see some real butt kicking!!

GO ROY!!

[Bruck]

I have to admit that I could not follow your discussion.

Reading the last Panel I thought "Poor Pompey, you are going to regret THAT conection."


I didn't take it as a self-statment from Julia.

[Ephir]

Hahaha!

20 minutes later and I'm still chuckling!

[TroyXavier]

That was a fun little comic. Sabine was at her usual fiendish best, our little half-elf has the typcial comment after Julia mentioned her TN. I am just waiting for the big battle to start. ;D

[_JM_]

Of course she is True Neutral...aren't all teenage skank brats? Competely self-centred, unconcerned how their actions affect others, willing to break the law or hide behind it, be kind if they feel like it or indulge in mindless cruelty...

Right now Roy needs Durkon to fix him up and hammer Pompey in the noggin. V's cheap-brand Sphere of Invisibility would probably work far better with just V and D.

Shaping up for a good fight.

[Fillbert]

LET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMMMMMBBBBLLLLLEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edit: Hmmm Catholic School Girl Outfit, Julia's true nutral comment?... hmmmmmm and I thought this was a family strip ;)

[Saucetenuto]

as for pompey, what do you mean he has no offensive potential? Just because he cant Fireball or Scorching Ray? Pompey has specialized in one of the most broad and versatile schools. He can Port, Spam the battlefeild with multiple monsters, and cast Black Tentacles. plus, If you factor in Complete Arcane, he also has the Orb spells. at OotS level, that means around 12d6 ranged touch energy damage, plus a save against a nasty effect.And in this same vein, Evard's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion is probably a Conjuration spell. I doubt they teach it at school, but if his success with Julia are any sign he probably had lots of free time for extra-curricular scroll scribing.

[Seerow]

The only decent attack spells outside of Evocation are a couple of Necromancy spells (Enervation being one of them), Acid Arrow, or Disintegrate. Of course a Black Tentacles spell could still be possible, with it being a Conjuration spell and all.

But who cares? Attack spells suck. As was said earlier, don't underestimate the power of conjuration.


And in this same vein, Evard's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion is probably a Conjuration spell. I doubt they teach it at school, but if his success with Julia are any sign he probably had lots of free time for extra-curricular scroll scribing.

Actually.... V specifically said she has Conjuration as a Banned School, but is the only caster we've seen to use said spell. While traditionally Spiked Tentacles should be Conjuration, mechanically it can't be.

[Castamir]

and even if that fails, a Restoration spell can bring him back to full.Except, after the whole starmetal side-quest and Miko's story arc, the party should be about to level. Restoration sets you at the very minimum exp, thus it would make Roy lose nearly the whole level worth of XP.


Actually.... V specifically said she has Conjuration as a Banned School, but is the only caster we've seen to use said spell. While traditionally Spiked Tentacles should be Conjuration, mechanically it can't be.Black Tentacles are Conjuration, what V used was a house spell named Evard's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion.

[Kish]

Except, after the whole starmetal side-quest and Miko's story arc, the party should be about to level. Restoration sets you at the very minimum exp, thus it would make Roy lose nearly the whole level worth of XP.
He still has 24 hours to receive the spell before however many negative levels Sabine gave him actually give him a chance of losing levels, however.

[Dudukain]

Awesome.

[LurkerBeneath]

I believe that's Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion. The other name might be cause for legal action by a certain seaside company of arcane spellcasters.

[KaroLunel]

I'm surprised that Sabine didn't break Roy's back with the way she rammed down into him...

[Kish]

I have to admit that I could not follow your discussion.

Reading the last Panel I thought "Poor Pompey, you are going to regret THAT conection."


I didn't take it as a self-statment from Julia.
Didn't take what as a self-statement from Julia? Are you saying you think Pompey said everything in the last panel, or what?

[The Extinguisher]

Good stuff.

I roffled, whatever that means.

[Zedd]

He's saying she didn't mean any sexual innuendo.

[ElfLad]

It's official: Pompey is my new favorite character.

[5tephen]

Rolling updates are teh AWESOME!!!!!

[Lord]

NOOOOOOOOOOO ROY DON'T DIE. Oh he's still fighting in that case KILL THAT DEMON.

[Shara_Littlebottom]

In 342 Pompey seemed to be casting a spell (he had glowy hands). I wonder what he cast? Maybe we'll find out next time.

Enjoyed the comic. :)

[charik]

I think Pompey signed his own death warrent with that last comment.

And it's to be expected that the LG would win the initial confrontation, but the Order will scrape up a victory in the end.

[Taren]

Heh...you know, I sorta expected this from her earlier behavior...

Taking necromancy classes, (Not NECESSARILY evil, because she's prolly a generalist wizard and they learn everything, but definately not a sign of being angelic in behavior) being a tad shallow and pretentious, very little regard for most people's feelings other than her own... yeah, she's the poster girl for true neutrality!

She doesn't go out of her way to make other people feel miserable, or cause trouble, but she's a young teenage snob. The picture cheerleader model, except smart. She's full of herself and probably not very respectful of others yet. She may not even be aware yet that there ARE more important things than herself.

In other words, it may just be a phase, and she may grow out of it. Heh.

[Sol]

Heh...you know, I sorta expected this from her earlier behavior...

Taking necromancy classes, (Not NECESSARILY evil, because she's prolly a generalist wizard and they learn everything, but definately not a sign of being angelic in behavior) being a tad shallow and pretentious, very little regard for most people's feelings other than her own... yeah, she's the poster girl for true neutrality!

She doesn't go out of her way to make other people feel miserable, or cause trouble, but she's a young teenage snob. The picture cheerleader model, except smart. She's full of herself and probably not very respectful of others yet. She may not even be aware yet that there ARE more important things than herself.

In other words, it may just be a phase, and she may grow out of it. Heh.

err....Where are you getting that she took necromancy classes?

We haven't seen her cast anything or even talk about casting anything yet. She's still tied up.

I fully expect her to destroy pompey anyway though.

[spectralphoenix]

In Comic 256, Julia says "Well hurry it up, I'm late for Necromancy 101."

That said, using Necromancy is not necessarily evil. Raising undead is (at least according to RAW, but let's not have that particular arguement here) but most combat necromancy (finger of death, fear spells, blindness, and so forth) aren't aligned. BTW, all of those are nice non-Evocation spells. For that matter, so are Acid Fog, Evard's Black Tentacles, various Orb spells, andsummoning spells. Not sure what game whoever said non-Evocation spells are useless in a fight is playing.

[theKOT]

Feh. Not really funny, and no important action. Yawn, 3/10.

[Darth_Cow]

Not to mention Evard's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion.

[Varian7]

Roy needs to leave Julia to her fate, although being LG he won't do that. Sigh.

[LurkerBeneath]

I suspect the reason Roy's life energy has "just a hint of sage" is because Wisdom was his dump stat.