OOTS #310 - The Discussion Thread

[gnownek]

Don't slyphs lure that lovers off cliffs and lay an egg in the steaming entrails that explode from their ledge impaled corpses.

[Blaznak]

Yes, I know D&D treats humans as "default" and anything else as weird. My point (or opinion, if you prefer) is that that sucks and shouldn't be the case, not that it isn't the case.



Hey, I hear ya! However, I look at it this way: The players are the HEROES! They are the ones stepping up to the plate, doing the job, happened to be in the wrong place at the right time, etc. So... they already disproportionately represent the planet/continent/nation/city/house's inhabitants.

To me, that's why you might have a party of six elves in a town that only has .5% elf population, or 5 humans and a dwarf travellilng through gnomish lands. They already ARE the anomollies.

Well, just my opinion!
Later...

[aaronbourque]

Yes, I know D&D treats humans as "default" and anything else as weird. My point (or opinion, if you prefer) is that that sucks and shouldn't be the case, not that it isn't the case.
. . .

Well, of course, lots of things shouldn't be.

Arguing over the demographics of fictional species in a fictional setting (which can pick and choose it's own demographics as necessary) is kind of wasting time, though.

Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque

[Psychomancer]

So! Who wants to start betting on how long before Celia is brutally killed by Xykon and his evil minions? I say within 40 strips.

[Kanashimi]

So! Who wants to start betting on how long before Celia is brutally killed by Xykon and his evil minions? I say within 40 strips.


That's awful.

she's too cute to be an undead.

[Neopolis]

A battle of reflexes between Redcloak and Durkon, who can resurrect her first!?

He first needs to get those 1000 gp gems, though...

[Gleanerizer]

Don't slyphs lure that lovers off cliffs and lay an egg in the steaming entrails that explode from their ledge impaled corpses.
If I saw that depicted in OotS I'd just about die laughing, mostly due to the humorous effect of the simplified OotS art style.

Now that I think about it, a really random and darkly humored comic drawn in this style would be pretty friggin' hilarious. I'm fairly certain that's not Rich's modus operandi though.

[Freeman333]

So! Who wants to start betting on how long before Celia is brutally killed by Xykon and his evil minions? I say within 40 strips.

I'll claim the ten strips between 50 and 60 from now. I got a feeling about those strips...

[Gri]

I dont think she'll get killed. That would be to sweeet.

[Hawkeye]

If Celia does the cuteness thing a bit more we're gonna have a fan club starting soon ::)

[Cancermage]

Wow. I wonder how Miko's going to feel about this... She was kind of attached to him. ???

Great comic though! I love the flirtyness and of course the hint of pinning...

[Swashbuckler]

Miko was in NO way attached to Roy. Where do people get these delusions?

[EscherEnigma]

Well, right after the inn's destruction and Roy apologized for Miko for how he had treated her, she pretty much said "Ask me out on a date." Course, then he turned around and blew THAT idea out of the water. But for a moment there, it DID look like Miko was considering a relationship with him.

Anyway, re: V and Durkon. If they get it on this 'date' series of strips at all, which I'm ambivalent about, I imagine that it'll be more of a 'guys night out.' Even though since we don't know V's gender it'll be more of a 'guy and it's night out.' Perhaps it will come included with a bit of drunken dwarven ranting about love and relationships (some bitterness over the Hylga thing?) with commentary from V, who will of course ask for iced tea, but get long island tea on accident. Drunken amusing chaos ensues.

[Hegel]

Very good! It's a great episode!

[Diz]

Date, date, date, date the comely sylph!

A well-worked comic strip that manages to be comedic and cringeworthy at the same time.

Although I loved the final panel: "Fail enough of them and you may end up Pinned..."

While Roy could use the romantic distraction, I'm sure everyone's favourite paladin/monk would disagree.

I like that shade of blue, too, it goes well with the whole air-elemental thing. I shall have to persuade my female players to wear something similar ;)

[Carrion_Humanoid]

What would be great is

Spoiler:
Celia gets killed as they are about to kiss, and then roy is under attack while celia gets dragged away by redcloak while roys screams "NOOOOOOOO CELIA!!!" Then V comes in and fireballs the zombies surrounding him, and Roy is crying on the floor"Celia. . .No. . ." and then he collapses from the damage

For the record i have never watched a opra ever, and im a dude.

[Sir_Nate]

I'm not even going to TRY to read this whole thread, so if this has been said before, my humble apologies.

Celia: Is she really Celia? Sabine has showed us some nifty transformations before. Why not again?

[Siansonea]

I really liked this strip. It made me smile, gave me warm fuzzies, the whole bit. :D

[Alekxander]

If Celia does the cuteness thing a bit more we're gonna have a fan club starting soon ::)
*Claims the first open member spot* ;D

[jmaccabeus]

*Claims the first open member spot* ;D

Ooh, any officer positions available? :D

[Sabishii_Kouen]

I liked this strip, it was sweet and cute. I like Celia x Roy <3

[Amithyst67]

Wow best comic in a long time, I loved the geek flirt, any guy said that to me and i'd be his forever hehe.

[n11]

Wow best comic in a long time, I loved the geek flirt, any guy said that to me and i'd be his forever hehe.

Hmm... I probably should let that one pass. ;D

I did a little hunting in 2nd edition to find out about a sylph's habitat and society, or at least how it was in 2nd edition.

Apparently, sylphs mate with humanoids, preferring elves, but sometimes accepting humans or halflings, the result always being a young sylph. There are more details that might be considered spoilers.

Of course, sylphs are not in the SRD, so the Giant would be basing the sylph on mythology not the MM2, so anything would be fair game. I just found this interesting.

[Platinum_Mongoose]

Of course, if he finds out she is the President of Burundi after all, he could always tell her his grandma's on fire and take off. ;D

And Roy is secretly an action transvestite! Which would make V an executive transvestite, assuming we ever get a solid answer on his/her gender. (Which we hopefully never will. Like Maris on Fraiser, y'know?)

I guess that leaves Belkar to fill the weirdo transvestite position.

Yay for Eddie Izzard! And all the disturbing imagery I just conjured! I'll go away now...

[Athelis]

All I have to say about this comic is as follows:
Whoa, somethings gonna happen. ;)

[arkwei]

Well, she did pretty much nuke Nale and Thog in strip 70 (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=70)


Yes, I didn't remember this strip when I posted it...

Still, It's not like Nale is hurt much from his expression. Considering that he has to have failed his Ref save (he is tied down) and is treated with the full damage, Celia's spell might not be very powerful.

According to MMII, Sylph has a CR of 5, but if we consider Advancement, Celia can actually be slightly more powerful than V (Sylph can have a max CL 13, self-invisible, which is not likely in her case, though).

So...I don't know. She might.



For you guys thinking Celia might die and be raised...She cannot. She is outsider, and she CANNOT be raised by normal methods. Still, Mr. Burlew might bend the rules in that situation, though.

[Leo_Forestclaw]

That's awful.

she's too cute to be an undead.

Why am I left with the horrible image of Roy finally getting to see that "special starmetal effect" on his sword for the first time as he has to use it on the newly undead Celia...?

*shudder*

It's so ghastly, I don't even consider the need for a spoiler, but does provide enough information about me to confirm why *I* don't write the comic...

[Leo_Forestclaw]

And Roy is secretly an action transvestite! Which would make V an executive transvestite, assuming we ever get a solid answer on his/her gender. (Which we hopefully never will. Like Maris on Fraiser, y'know?)

I guess that leaves Belkar to fill the weirdo transvestite position.

Yay for Eddie Izzard! And all the disturbing imagery I just conjured! I'll go away now...

But do you have a flag...?

[Lloyd]

With Giant writing this comic, do you honestly think they're going to get a night off? heheh


True, true. A pity, though. They really deserve it.

[Soul_Selim]

My Friend just uh... Well, he went out with someone in DnD, And while Throwing daggers were her specialty, Piercing weopns were his.[/innuendo]

Leaving that beside, wonderful. Although The white shirt, in some cartoonish shows or comics, might just make Roy look a little... Fruity.

[radioKAOS]

Nicely done.

[Ted_Stryker]

For you guys thinking Celia might die and be raised...She cannot. She is outsider, and she CANNOT be raised by normal methods. Still, Mr. Burlew might bend the rules in that situation, though.
By similar reasoning, if Sabine is an SRD succubus, she can't take the form of an arbitrary Outsider, only a Small or Medium Humanoid.

Of course, the Rule 0 of artistic license can trump this, but by the SRD succubus write-up, it can't happen.

[WNxArrakis]

Funny thing is I joke like that with all my friends all the time.. its great fun if you think about it.

Arrakis

[Starla]

Actually refering to Celia as a sylph just reminded me of Magic Kingdom: for sale sold by Terry Brooks. The main character was a human and he married a sylph. Just thinking out loud here...not conjecturing or predicting anything

[kit]

Yes, I know D&D treats humans as "default" and anything else as weird. My point (or opinion, if you prefer) is that that sucks and shouldn't be the case, not that it isn't the case.

(Not that it's limited to D&D. Anyone ever watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine? A Bajoran space station, clear and explicit large majority population of Bajorans, partially staffed by the Federation, a coalition of literally hundreds of races of which humans are only one. The main cast: One Trill, one Ferengi, one changeling, one Bajoran, and four humans, including, of course, the captain.)

Yeah, you'd think humans would have gotten the knack of birth control in *some* universes... ;)

[EscherEnigma]

but... without their overwhelming numbers, how would humans compete with the superior abilities of other species? I mean, if commercialism has taught us anything, its that it's the specialists who make a crap load of money... and since pretty much every other main race is really damn awesome at SOMETHING, while humans are merely good at everything, they'd get pushed out of the job market. So the only way humans can keep a competitive edge is by spawning massive numbers of flunkies to die on the front lines of the commericial wars.

That, or alot of humans think 'but that sin feels better without that sin...' when talking about sex and birth control.

[Nightmarenny]

Yeah, you'd think humans would have gotten the knack of birth control in *some* universes... ;)
They did but without over population the sociaty was too drunk and stupid to learn interplanetary travel.

[5tephen]

Hmm... EscherEnigma: do I hear the voice of another s*p fan?

And Kish: I completely agree with you, but it's not just in 1st and 2nd ed.
The most striking example I can think of is that in the current online SRD there are races referred to as "Half Elf", "Half Orc".

Well, what is the other half?

Note, the answer is just 'assumed'. But let's face it, if humans can breed with elves and orcs, then it's not crazy to think that elves and orcs can breed.

And if you are a half-dragon, or half-fiend, what if THOSE other halves are elf, or orc. Or hell- in the case of celestials and infrenals, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to breed with Dwarves and Halflings and Gnomes....

[Thortok2000]

When I read this one, I got a big goofy smile on my face.

I love OotS. I'm so glad you did that guest strip for PvP or I wouldn't've found it. Almost every strip is hilarious.

And I think the art is great. It matches the style of the comic perfectly. There's enough nuance to get your point across, and you can make bigger, longer strips, with better jokes. Not to mention the story arc is great, it's like a campaign all its own.

You now have a new reader. ^_^ Just a question though, in the archives, it seems to have started off 'mid-adventure', so to speak. The very first strip is the conversion to 3.0 rules. Where does the story truly begin? I'm guessing in the book that's for sale, but I'd like to know before I spend money, no offense.

[Barungar]

Hi,




You now have a new reader. ^_^ Just a question though, in the archives, it seems to have started off 'mid-adventure', so to speak. The very first strip is the conversion to 3.0 rules. Where does the story truly begin? I'm guessing in the book that's for sale, but I'd like to know before I spend money, no offense.

You're quite right. The story begins in the book "On the Origin of PCs".

Bye, Barungar

[EscherEnigma]

Hmm... EscherEnigma: do I hear the voice of another s*p fan?
yep. but I thought that the statement was appropriate to the question. so my paraphrasing was acceptable. I hope.

[Lauren]

I'm another one of those wacky people who makes silly D&D comments when flirting with my partner.

As for those of you who are discussing who might be the next to pair off, you're overlooking the obvious: Durkon/Belkar/V threesome!

[The Doctor]

Wow best comic in a long time, I loved the geek flirt, any guy said that to me and i'd be his forever hehe.

Amithyst67, I think your pirate outfit is forcing a Will saving throw.

[5tephen]

Oh, acceptible, sure.

It's nice to come across another fan.
Still, roleplaying + webcomics + two of the best writers going around in this medium, is bound to make for a fairly cross polinating fan base.

[Sc00by]

I hate to be the (possibly) 1st person to do this, but is there any news on 311?

I don't see a post saying that it's going to be late, or any indication that the Giant is AFK this weekend.

Of course I might have just missed the announcement...

I am not, in any way, moaning about tardiness or passing comment on schedule. Just wondering when I should check back in the hope of seeing an update.

Hope all is well, looking forward to 311 being V, Belkar or Durkon (or Julia (with Linear Guild), Xylon, Roy's Dad, etc...) Possibly all of them - at a party ;)

**edit - typos

[Charity322]

As for those of you who are discussing who might be the next to pair off, you're overlooking the obvious: Durkon/Belkar/V threesome!

I would just like to say ... Ewwww! ;D

[Finwe]

I would just like to say ... Ewwww! ;D


As V once said, "sweet merciful gods, my poor useless eyes!"

[RBloom0566]

Saturday morning & no Friday comic.
Glad I didn't stay up till Midnight last night waiting for it.

[DreadSpoon]

And if you are a half-dragon, or half-fiend, what if THOSE other halves are elf, or orc. Or hell- in the case of celestials and infrenals, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to breed with Dwarves and Halflings and Gnomes....


You can. Half-races in the monster manual are almost always given as templates which you apply to a base race. So you can apply half-dragon to orc, to half-orc, to triceratops, etc.

As to why PC races aren't templates... here's some reasons:
(a) It would make PC creation a lot more complex.
(b) Half-races are a throwback to old, and removing the half races would've upset a lot of players.
(c) It is *not* logical to assume that all races can interbreed; there are plenty of examples in nature of species that can interbreed, but only with a few other select species (i.e., horse and donkey, wolf and dog, etc.). You can thus assume that humans are capable of inter-breeding with elves and orcs, but that no other combination of PC race is physically capable of inter-breeding.
(d) Half-elves and half-orcs are balanced against both of their parent races, but as templates it might not be easy to do that. If you apply a template to Human, you get all the human abilities (bonus feats and skill points) *plus* whatever abilities the template grants. Any half-race templates would need level adjustments (which themselves are fairly broken rules, IMO).

[MMad]

Adorably geeky strip.

My thoughts exactly. :)

[Ubeor]

"As to why PC races aren't templates... here's some reasons:"

It's also worth noting that half-elf and half-orc have pretty much become their own races. In many campaigns, it's more common for a half-orc to be the child of two half-orcs than to be the child of a human and an orc. Thus, they deserve their own stats instead of templates.

The mongrelfolk (from Races of Destiny) are another great example of this. They're what happens when PC races crossbreed too much.

[Starla]

Saturday morning & no Friday comic.
Glad I didn't stay up till Midnight last night waiting for it.

Too true I was up until 11:30 cleaning and listening to Shakespeare's "As you like it" on tape, but I was checking regularly. It seems when I keep checking over and over the later the comic is but when I don't think about it at all and check at some random point late in the day (like between 5pm and 11pm Pacific time) I manage to get it pretty soon (within the first four pages here) after it is posted. That watch pot doesn't boil seems to apply here. At least I have 4 other comics to vote for when I check so it isn't just Oots anymore.

[saraswati]

Where does the story truly begin? I'm guessing in the book that's for sale, but I'd like to know before I spend money, no offense.

Actually Thortok, "On the Origin of PC's" goes over the story from the beginning, but The Giant is really careful to write the webcomic so that it's not necessary to know what's in "Origin" to understand or follow the plot points in the webcomic.

However, as a fellow fan, I would say spend your money on the book, just cause it's freakin hilarious ;D

Welcome!

[n11]

Where does the story truly begin? I'm guessing in the book that's for sale, but I'd like to know before I spend money, no offense.

The "Plot Exposition" in comic #13 (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=13), plus comic #78 (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=78) should be sufficient to set the context of the entire webcomic.(#110 (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=110) also has some details of the past.)

There are two books:
OOTS: Dungeon Crawlin' Fools, is a full-color collection of first 121 strips, plus 9 bonus strips scattered throughout the adventure, plus another 9 bonus strips introducting the characters which also describe the journey to the Redmountain dungeon.

OOTS: On the Origin of the PCs, is a black-and-white collection of backstories, including how the party came together, and how they got their name: Order of the Stick.

The humor in the books is just as good as the comic, so you will not be disappointed if you really enjoyed the comic.

[Starla]

When you think about all stories begin in the middle. There is always a past that needs explaining. How short or long the explanation depends on what applies to the conflict that is the focus of the story.

edit:sp

[Deuce]

When you think about all stories begin in the middle. There is always a past that needs explaining. How short or long the explanation depends on what applies to the conflict that is the focus of the story.

edit:sp


When you think about it, stories that begin at the begining are rare - like Shojo's story of the Snarl or perhaps Tolkin's Silmarillion. Not many beging "At the dawn of time when the world was young . . . "

So starting in some sort of middle is actually the norm.

[Fillbert]

I hate to be the (possibly) 1st person to do this, but is there any news on 311?

I don't see a post saying that it's going to be late, or any indication that the Giant is AFK this weekend.

Of course I might have just missed the announcement...

I am not, in any way, moaning about tardiness or passing comment on schedule. Just wondering when I should check back in the hope of seeing an update.

Hope all is well, looking forward to 311 being V, Belkar or Durkon (or Julia (with Linear Guild), Xylon, Roy's Dad, etc...) Possibly all of them - at a party ;)

**edit - typos

It's 5:19p EDT and I haven't heard/seen anything myself. Hope all is well w/ the Giant. Guess I'll check back L8r tonight. And a party would be a great scene. Elan telling bad jokes, Belkar hitting on every girl there, V and Durkon commenting on how tacky human social gatherings are, and then... [Spoiler] Xykon attacks with hordes of undead hobgoblins and celestial zombies [Spoiler]

[Nightfall]

I love the interplay between Celia and Roy. It doesn't sound like he's trying very hard to resist! ;D

Poor Haley! Pouring her heart out to Elan and she still can't speak coherently! Life just isn't fair, is it?

[Drizzt_Fanboy_74]

Hmm... EscherEnigma: do I hear the voice of another s*p fan?


S*P ftw.

[mimicgogo]

Is Rich OK? Does anybody know? I'm worried...

[chaospet]

Is Rich OK? Does anybody know? I'm worried...

I wouldn't worry too much... it's not like a late/missed comic is exactly uncommon here. Not that I'm complaining.

[The_Librarian]

I'm quite content to look at Roy and Celia in their civvies for a bit *girlish sigh*. And another S*P fan says hi.

[TinSoldier]

I wouldn't worry too much... it's not like a late/missed comic is exactly uncommon here. Not that I'm complaining.
It's not about complaining. I know I wouldn't...

It's just that he usually lets us know if something will delay the comic. I'm starting to get a little worried myself.

Comic or no comic, I hope everything is ok with him and his family.

Edit: By the way, what's s*p?

[ref]

yes, Rich always warns us... And sadly, it wouldn't be the first time if the Giant got some kind of injury... So, of course hoping I'm totally wrong and all is fine, I'm too being somewhat worried.

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

I wouldn't worry too much... it's not like a late/missed comic is exactly uncommon here. Not that I'm complaining.


Yeah, but usually if it's not up by midnight he leaves a note. I hope he's not so incapacitated that he couldn't do that much...it's prolly no biggie, but still.

[humanpylon]

With all the concern about the Giant's health everytime he misses a deadline I'm half expecting someone to start up a fund to provide him with 24 hour protection! :D

[DOOM2099]

I am getting a little worried my self. I cant remember him ever being this late without some kinda excuse reason. Anyway, Im sure its just a case of ISp failure or some mundane thing.

I hope.

[missymoo]

Edit: By the way, what's s*p?
Something Positive
from somethingpositive.net
webcomic ...dark humor
gaming and geeks and alcohol abound


Here's hoping that Rich is okay

[zimri]

When he is unable to get a message to us usually he calls rawbear or some other local to get a quick piece of info out to us.

Here's hoping Rawbear, Giant, and Lily weren't all travelling together, or socializing together or anything.

[captheather]

To be honest, I'm worried too. I figured stuff came up and that it just didn't post by midnight when I logged on this morning. But by the afternoon, I checked to see if there was an explanation post. Now I know he doesn't owe any of us an explanation, but I do worry. It's my job as a mother. And I can't seem to turn it on and off for just my baby girl! ;)

However, I don't really blame him for not posting an explanation. Every time he does there's a long debate with some people saying he should be on time since it's his business, then the arguments of "He doesn't owe us anything!". Of course followed by the first set of posters getting all ticked off and defensive, followed by the rabid hordes of Burlewites attacking, and finally ending with the grand Poobah himself posting that he appreciates the support, but the way that it all devolves into senseless bickering is why he doesn't like to post explanations anyway.

I am going to try and placate my mother-worry self by telling myself that this is an experiment on his part to see what happens when he just doesn't post the explanation when it's going to be late.

[Mal_the_Mad]

its a portent of doom!!!!!

or the army is on the march and he's still drawing heads....

[Starla]

Yes I am finding myself checking too often right now. But mainly for a lack of motivation to do more productive things. I could be working on my quilt right now, or cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming. But here I sit checking the comic and message boards....I think I will go read another chapter of my Parenting book. The sooner I finish it the sooner--oh phone! Yea my husband is coming home. Now we can watch the movie I rented. See you all tomorrow!

[TinSoldier]

Well, right now I'm grilling a London Broil, reading a book (In Fury Born by David Weber), listening to Air Supply on CD, and checking my two favorite webcomics forums and comics.

Oh, and occasionally listening to my wife and daughter. My two sons are at Boy Scout camp this weekend.

[Serina_Spellbinder]

Yes I am finding myself checking too often right now. But mainly for a lack of motivation to do more productive things. I could be working on my quilt right now, or cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming. But here I sit checking the comic and message boards....I think I will go read another chapter of my Parenting book. The sooner I finish it the sooner--oh phone! Yea my husband is coming home. Now we can watch the movie I rented. See you all tomorrow!

I've been following the NFL draft. I try to watch as much of it every year as I can (God, I am a geek on so many levels it isn't funny :P).

Perhaps Rich is working on something critical for the spooooky wizard. ;)

[RBloom0566]

*LOL* Maybe we should all chip in and get him a Life-Call system. Just the touch of a button and help is on its way!

They're not expensive, either. Got one for my mom. We could easily afford it as accident prone as the guy is.

Or do like that guy in the insurance commercial--wrap him in bubble-wrap.


With all the concern about the Giant's health everytime he misses a deadline I'm half expecting someone to start up a fund to provide him with 24 hour protection! :D

[Tyrasius]

>:( God @#$% it!

I was perfectly fine, if a bit confused about Rich not posting yet, when I went and read this thread to see if there was an explanation.

Now I have an image of Rich in a burning wreck of a car along with the other mods at the bottom of a mountain, and when I get that out of my head, he is, shot, or died of some sort of freak disease, and everyone is too busy mourning / doesn't know yet, to tell us fans.

GRRR, I wass planning, on sleeping here, people, now I cant stop worrying about Rich. Does this make me a freak I wonder?

This is really annoying. Whenever anyone I know or even don't know in Rich's case, is a small bit late doing something, my imagination goes into overdrive with ideas on the horrible things that happened to them.

:P MUST SHUT DOWN OVER ACTIVE IMAGINATION

[tothecornfield]

I will admit to being disappointed every time the comic is later than expected. I really can't complain though. It's not like I can demand my money back.
I would like to hear something if the comic will be "late" though. If only to stop me from worrying about Rich.

[reebchan]

I registered for an account on this board just to say that you guys are so sweet in how you care for Sir Giant, it's amazing. :) (And it's just as adorable as the comic itself. ;) )

On another note, I think "initiating a grapple attempt" is going to become part of my personal lexicon. ;)

[RBloom0566]

Holy Poop!!! It's 1am. Still no Giant?
That must've been one hell of a party!

[Felinoid]

Things seem to have conspired to get me registered, so here I am. ;) I wouldn't worry too much about the Giant, but instead about his family. I seem to recall him saying recently that if something happened to his family, he'd just drop everything and we shouldn't expect a comic until the next update. I may be jonesing bad for an OotS fix, but I definitely respect his decision and I'd do the same in a heartbeat. So I'll just wait and hope for the best. :)

On topic: That was some of the best geeky flirting I've ever seen. It didn't seem the slightest bit overdone or awkward/shy to me; more comfortable with each other to a degree where these things can be said easily. It is a bit fast, but remember that they both faced death, dependant on each other. Roy (and his group) saved Celia when she was turned to stone, and Celia saved Roy (and his group) when he was on trial. I really think those two are meant to be. (Or are they?) *dun dun DUN!!!!* Dang it Elan! :P

And big props on the sexiness of Celia. The obviously intentional side-boob and showing hip just reinforce what I assume is the Giant's desire to show Celia as a major babe. And this after her impressive showing at the trial. She's turning into quite the developed character instead of the pathetic waif of a temp she started as.

[Lauren]

As V once said, "sweet merciful gods, my poor useless eyes!"

Excellent. I always like to get off to a good start on new message boards, and making people's eyes bleed is a good way to achieve that.

[abc.d]

Sunday morning here and still no comic....bah ;x guess the giant rolled twenty naturall 1's on some chick's grapple check or something...

[CelestialStick]

Yes, I didn't remember this strip when I posted it...

Still, It's not like Nale is hurt much from his expression. Considering that he has to have failed his Ref save (he is tied down) and is treated with the full damage, Celia's spell might not be very powerful.

According to MMII, Sylph has a CR of 5, but if we consider Advancement, Celia can actually be slightly more powerful than V (Sylph can have a max CL 13, self-invisible, which is not likely in her case, though).

So...I don't know. She might.



For you guys thinking Celia might die and be raised...She cannot. She is outsider, and she CANNOT be raised by normal methods. Still, Mr. Burlew might bend the rules in that situation, though.

If sylphs originate on an elemental or para-elemental plane, most likely they have the elemental rather than outsider type. In any case a wish, miracle or true resurrection will return to life both an elemental and an outsider.

[arkwei]

If sylphs originate on an elemental or para-elemental plane, most likely they have the elemental rather than outsider type. In any case a wish, miracle or true resurrection will return to life both an elemental and an outsider.


I understand. I was merely suggesting that as OotS's level, they have no access to those spells yet, thus the "raised by normal method." By "normal," I meant raise dead or resurrection.

And by the way, wish and miracle CANNOT bring back Outsider/Elemental, because they can only dublicate 8th level spells or lower. "A wish can bring a dead creature back to life by duplicating a resurrection spell." That's not True Resurrection. In the case of mircle, it is not stated clearly: "Swinging the tide of a battle in your favor by raising fallen allies to continue fighting."

Check out here:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/miracle.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wish.htm

[Farseer_George]

Possible reasons why the comic is late:

1) The Giant is dead
2) The Giant is ill
3) The Giant is injured
4) The Giant's friend/family member is injured/dead/ill
5) The Giant is at a convention
6) The Giant is lazy

My money's on 6)

[Baloo]

If sylphs originate on an elemental or para-elemental plane, most likely they have the elemental rather than outsider type. In any case a wish, miracle or true resurrection will return to life both an elemental and an outsider.

Elemental is for creatures whose bodies are primarily composed of an element (or a mix of elements). Sylphs are made of flesh and bone, they just live on the plane of Air (sorta like djinn), so they are outsiders. Also, stats for sylphs are in MM2, IIRC.

[abc.d]

Possible reasons why the comic is late:

1) The Giant is dead
2) The Giant is ill
3) The Giant is injured
4) The Giant's friend/family member is injured/dead/ill
5) The Giant is at a convention
6) The Giant is lazy

My money's on 6)

Agreed. ;P
Though you forgot that his cat/dog/parrot/pet spider/whatever might also be injured/ill/dead...

[Invariel]

Although, 6) is the reason that Rich -has- an update schedule to begin with. To paraphrase, "If the comic's schedule were Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, you'd get the comics on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday instead."

With any luck, all's well and Rich is taking a weekend off. If not, then there is a reason, and it's probably better that he's dealing with it than earning more love and adoration from his already loyal fans.

As for the comic, I wish I had as much luck with Roy and grapple checks. If I tried to initiate one with a female, the only response I'm likely to get is an unarmed strike.

[The Doctor]

He could, of course, also be really busy with a deadline for the spoooooky wizard.

[Torias]

I understand. I was merely suggesting that as OotS's level, they have no access to those spells yet, thus the "raised by normal method." By "normal," I meant raise dead or resurrection.

And by the way, wish and miracle CANNOT bring back Outsider/Elemental, because they can only dublicate 8th level spells or lower. "A wish can bring a dead creature back to life by duplicating a resurrection spell." That's not True Resurrection. In the case of mircle, it is not stated clearly: "Swinging the tide of a battle in your favor by raising fallen allies to continue fighting."

Check out here:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/miracle.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wish.htm

technically, a miracle can do anything the cleric's deity can / wants to do.

"Alternatively, a cleric can make a very powerful request", those things listed are just examples of such requests. restoring an outsider to life would certainly be possbile for a deity....

Not that Durkon can CAST miracle...

[5tephen]

Well, it goes without saying, that we are all a little worried about Rich at this point.

Personally, I send my hopes and prayers that everything is alright. Whatever has happened, I hope you will be alright.

(But more than anything, I hope that it was just that your dog ate your computer.)

[Nerd-o-rama]

Hmm...I'm a little worried myself, since Mr. Giant usually posts an excuse. I think I'll share my favorite Douglas Adams quote to lift my spirits a bit.

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they go past"
-Douglas N. Adams

[CelestialStick]

I understand. I was merely suggesting that as OotS's level, they have no access to those spells yet, thus the "raised by normal method." By "normal," I meant raise dead or resurrection.

And by the way, wish and miracle CANNOT bring back Outsider/Elemental, because they can only dublicate 8th level spells or lower. "A wish can bring a dead creature back to life by duplicating a resurrection spell." That's not True Resurrection. In the case of mircle, it is not stated clearly: "Swinging the tide of a battle in your favor by raising fallen allies to continue fighting."

Check out here:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/miracle.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wish.htm

Check out the Monster Manual, pages 308 (elemental) and 313 (outsider). The descriptions of both types of creature specifically state that the life can be restored to a creature of that type by use of a limited wish, wish, miracle or true resurrection.

[CelestialStick]

technically, a miracle can do anything the cleric's deity can / wants to do.

"Alternatively, a cleric can make a very powerful request", those things listed are just examples of such requests. restoring an outsider to life would certainly be possbile for a deity....

Not that Durkon can CAST miracle...


I have no idea what level the party members are, as they sometimes seem substantially weaker than at other times. Belkar claimed in one of the strips that Durkon could cast raise dead "like four or five times a day." If the claim is true, then that would place him at least somewhere in the mid-teens. Of course Belkar might not know what he's talking about.

[NeuroSci]

Possible reasons why the comic is late:

1) The Giant is dead
2) The Giant is ill
3) The Giant is injured
4) The Giant's friend/family member is injured/dead/ill
5) The Giant is at a convention
6) The Giant is lazy

My money's on 6)

Nah- you forgot at least one: "Something more important than a web-comic about a game came up." The quote above is an example of "false logic": a few possible cases are spelled out, then one is selected, even though the evidence doesn't (necessarily) support it.
Personally, I agree with the Giant on his methodology. Any (good) manager knows, it's hard to change behavior, so instead of wasting effort trying to overcome his adversion to deadlines with willpower, he (seems) to accept things are going to be late, and moves on with life. It's unlikely that "fixing" this problem is worth it, especially to him. He's (evidently) bringing in enough revenue to satisfy himself, within his means and he's happy this way.
What could be better?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Nah- you forgot at least one: "Something more important than a web-comic about a game came up."
Something more important than his job, you mean?

You do have a point, though. My money's on personal-life emergency, whether its a health crisis or his car broke down or his internet got cut by some jerkwad municipal construction worker.

I've also come to accept that Order of the Stick is a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday comic. The Giant simply calls it a M/W/F comic since he knows he's going to always be about a day late anyway. Think of it as the reverse of Scotty's Miracle Method ("Mr. Scott, do you always overestimate your timetable by a factor of four?" "Aye, Captain. How do ye think I got my reputation as a miracle worker?").

[Bakta]

Possible reasons why the comic is late:

1) The Giant is dead
2) The Giant is ill
3) The Giant is injured
4) The Giant's friend/family member is injured/dead/ill
5) The Giant is at a convention
6) The Giant is lazy

My money's on 6)

Buuuuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


Wrong answer my dear, the comic is late because ...

It's very hard to depict Miko and Belkar's dating.

...As it involve whipped cream, a female Byahkee, adult toys from some aforementionned hentai shop, Thog crosdressing as french maid and Sabine in leather straps.

All this suitable for anyone to see of course.

Quite a daunting task, give him some time.

or something else

[Drizzt_Fanboy_74]

He could, of course, also be really busy with a deadline for the spoooooky wizard.


I concur.

[NeuroSci]

Something more important than his job, you mean?

You do have a point, though. My money's on personal-life emergency, whether its a health crisis or his car broke down or his internet got cut by some jerkwad municipal construction worker.

Yes, exactly, something more important than his job. He's not a prison guard, pilot, fireman or neurosurgeon. He writes a comic strip. Being late may cut into profits a bit, but if he's willing to accept that, there's no point in pretending the concequences are any more dire than that.
People call off work all the time- so don't put them in charge of important stuff. (Remember, Myers-Briggs Personality Type theory says half of people are work oriented- but half aren't.)
He's happy, noone is hurt by his shortcomings, we get an excellent comic strip- what could be better?

[zimri]

Quick everyone order the books NOW. The prices will go through the roof once the tragedy is revealed. Thats how it goes with works of art after the author is dead right ?

[Tyrasius]

Okay, I concur that the Giant is by no means obligated to obey his schedule, or keep us totally up to date, but that still doesn't stop me from worrying, and it still doesn't stop my mind racing through the possible horrific things that may have happened to him.

I hope he's okay. (note that said worrying kept me up till 2 in the morning hitting the refresh button on the home page, and comic page

[RebelRogue]

This thread is getting a bit morbid, even if it's done in jest...

I certainly hope this is nothing serious.

[RBloom0566]

I still think it was just one hell of a party and he's barely risen to the level of conscious from an alcohol-induced coma from Friday night.

But then, just call me an optomist (with a good eye for partying).

[Tyrasius]

But then, just call me an optomist (with a good eye for partying).
Okay if you insist, your an optomist (with a good eye for partying)

There I did it, happy now?
:)
Edit: that was optOmist in your post so I should change mine to match

[Bork]

Possible reasons why the comic is late:

1) The Giant is dead
2) The Giant is ill
3) The Giant is injured
4) The Giant's friend/family member is injured/dead/ill
5) The Giant is at a convention
6) The Giant is lazy

My money's on 6)

In addition to options other people pointed out, you also forgot "The Giant is conducting a social experiment to see just how freaked out the people on this board will get." Probably has side bets going with the mods too. I wonder what the over/under was on "time someone posts wondering about Rich's health."

:)

[Faramir]

Or maybe he's putting the finishing touches on a new book. Best of all worlds, he's getting work done, no one is hurt, and we get new OOTS stuff.

[egomann]

I bet he is glued to ESPN and working on revising his mock draft.

[Old_el_Paso]

Ohhhhhh YES! TWENTY-FOURTH PAGE!!!!!! BEAT THAT!

EDIT- He's probably gonna have a splash page or something to make up for it.

[The Doctor]

Something more important than his job, you mean?


Actually, I dion't think that posting a free webcomic to the boards 100% defines the Giant's job.
There are lots of other things he does, such as freelance writing for the bigger gane corps out there. I bet the one page in Dragon each month pays a lot more direct money than the web comic does (since the latter first needs to be gathered and put in print, and then sold).
And don't forget that he also does non-comic stuff, and it is important to spend time on that if you want to be considered a serious author.
Yes, it is possible somethign dreadful happened, but seriously, someone would have mentioned that if it were. The man has plenty of friends.
And wikipedia hasn't mentioned his demise yet, so there!

Don't worry. And be patient like me.

*starts up TARDIS set for monday evening*

[ZacK88]

One of the things i'm worried about is, that he'll make one on monday, make it double standard size, and then we are stuck till thurday ;D

[Carrion_Humanoid]

Actually, I dion't think that posting a free webcomic to the boards 100% defines the Giant's job.



Yes he is, he sells things, and has a donate button, its like his job man!

[Starla]

Things seem to have conspired to get me registered, so here I am. ;) I wouldn't worry too much about the Giant, but instead about his family. I seem to recall him saying recently that if something happened to his family, he'd just drop everything and we shouldn't expect a comic until the next update. I may be jonesing bad for an OotS fix, but I definitely respect his decision and I'd do the same in a heartbeat. So I'll just wait and hope for the best. :)


That is definitely the best perspective by far. I really don't expect to see a comic on Sunday since I have never seen him update the comic on Sunday if he missed it on Friday. He has been usually informative since January about comic lateness and I think we have all gotten used to his considerateness.

Since he has not posted anything since...April 27 we can probably assume that he has not gotten to his computer but stressing and worrying like this will just freak him out when he sees the message boards. I mean no one has cared if I have gone for a week with out posting anything (which is fine because I am not the creator of this website) but I would be concerned if when I came back there was a thread discussing possible ways I had died. That is creepy. :-X

I am sure Rich is fine wherever he is. He will probably get back by Monday with the new comic because that is what he has done in the past when he completely missed a Friday comic. Time to make breakfast. See you all tomorrow. Don't worry.

[Trog]

Possible reasons why the comic is late:

1) The Giant is dead
2) The Giant is ill
3) The Giant is injured
4) The Giant's friend/family member is injured/dead/ill
5) The Giant is at a convention
6) The Giant is lazy

My money's on 6)

Don't forget that he could be doing a rewrite for the comic. The Giant has stated before that when everyone starts predicting what will come next he hates to have it be something that someone has already posted (it makes it much less fun for him). If he was nearly through with the strip and somebody posted the idea he planned to use he might have to start all over again - thus a delay.

Keep that sentiment in mind the next time you post what you'd like to see/think will happen next. ;)

[theKOT]

Actually Trog, that's just a myth. He has said he is tempted to change it, but has never yet.

It has been vastly overplayed that I allow myself to be moved by what is posted on the message boards. This has NEVER been the case. What I said in the FAQ is that I am TEMPTED to change the plot, because I hate the feeling of being upstaged. However—and this is crucial—to date, I have NEVER altered the plot based on fan speculation or input. Ever. No, not even then. I hate the feeling, but as of yet I have resisted that temptation in every case.

[Flak_Razorwill]

Actually Trog, that's just a myth. He has said he is tempted to change it, but has never yet.


So, does the spoiler tag make the Giant skip the threads?

[spite48]

Yes he is, he sells things, and has a donate button, its like his job man!


I really don't understand why people think it is helpful to criticize the Giant for being late with comics.

If I were the giant I would react by saying "Fine, I'm now publishing approximately two times per week, and not on any particular schedule, and those of you who have prepaid for timely comic delivery (which is nobody) can sue me.

Now it turns out that we are all lucky that the Giant is not as reactionary as I am, but really, do you think your complaints help?

I'm as disappointed as anyone when a comic isn't posted, but really, I'm more grateful when they are.

[Trog]

I stand corrected.

[RAMPAGE]

Comics,like wizards are never late. He arrives precisely when he means to. :D
Just relax the comic will get here when it gets here and crying about it will not speed it up.

[GypsyThorn]

Comics,like wizards are never late. He arrives precisely when he means to. :D
Just relax the comic will get here when it gets here and crying about it will not speed it up.

(I apologize if this sentiment has already been posted. I didn't have time to read through the 25 pages in the thread.)

Come on, if this group can post two to three dozen pages of comments on a single comic, surely five or so pages on a comic that doesn't even exist would be about par. It's not the crying that's important, it's the sense of community.

(All together now....Kumbaya now, my Lord, kumbaya.....)

[HypnoticMonk]

I would suggest that anyone who thinks tht the comic isn't here yet because of laziness should be beaten severely over the head with a stupid stick, but that act ends up being redundant (after all, the new levels of stupid wouldn't stack with the overwhelming old ones)

[Trog]

Sadly, I believe that stupidity bonuses do stack. ;)

[RAMPAGE]

"The difference between genuis and stupidity is that genuis has its limits." A. Einstein

[Al]

Hi

Me, I'm just gratefull for ANY OotS that I can get. I'm concerned when a post-day passes, but the concern isn't for me or the comic.

There's a few things... a very few things... for which I would interfere with my income, and I suspect that holds true for anyone here. Those of you that don't feel like that... well... I figure you just haven't examined all the possibilities.

I hope everything is working out Ok, Rich.

Also: If he's going to leave us hanging on, THIS is the comic I'd most like to be left hanging on! I've waited my entire LIFE (54 years and counting, thank you - 55 as of 2 May) for a cute girl to talk to me like this!

....

Okokok - so she's not talking to ME like this. Since I'm living my life vicariously anyhow (I don't HAVE a real life, but I have several virtual ones), her talking like this to Roy is about as close as I'm ever going to get!

(A slight correction: I have wated my entire LIFE for a cute girl WITH WINGS to talk to me like this!)

[terrainmonkey]

yes, you are right, stupid bonuses do stack. in this case the stick would grant a -2 magical stupidity bonus to intelligence, and stack with the innate -10 natural bonus to intel. Then, you could also stack on a -2 circumstance bonus to int for jumping to conclusions. :)

[Schattenengel]

I'm in agreement with Al... except the being old part... and the waiting for girl with wings part... and the not having a real life part...

Okay- I love reading OotS, but guys, seriously, chill. It's almost summer, and Mr. Giant-Man is probably relaxing on a beach somewhere with gorgeous Tahitian babes.

Remember to wear sunblock, dude!

[codemartin]

-14 int so good chance unless you are a wizard you are frozen (what happens at 0 int) anyway relax the gaint is probally fine or as a previos poster said he is making bets with the mods on how freaked out people get when there is an oots missing and no explantion. (put my money this thread stops on page 42 :) )

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

Just relax the comic will get here when it gets here and crying about it will not speed it up.

Guys, maybe I am just missing something, but (having read since like the 20th page) is anyone actually doing this? All of the posts that I see (with the exception of that one who said "he's lazy", boo to that poster) have just been concern over the fact that if it's not up by now he usually leaves a message - even when he's sick, or his hand's injured, or he is (horror of horrors) in a <i>land without the internet</i>. Therefore, given the variety of conditions under which he -has- left a message at this point, the absence of one is understandably drawing concern.

In other words, I am pretty sure you're strawmanning here. Go ahead and carry on, just make sure you're aware that no one appears to be as ungrateful as the scarecrows you are targeting.

[Morchaint]

I really dont think something bad has happened to our glorius webcomic leader,
and hes just got something that has snafu'ed his schedule.

when the webcomic gets here, It'll get here.
I'll go do something else in the meantime and check back
every... 12 hrs or so... ( or 6.. :P )

hope this next one is as stupendous as usual. :D

edit: define strawmanning. plz have not heard of that before.

[6079smithw]

Stupid strawmen. They're the real cause of all of our problems anyway. Why shouldn't I attack the stupid jerks?

[jaxal1]

Strawmanning means to refute a flawed argument no one has made. Frequently, it is a way to display 'victory' in a debate without actually having to refute the real arguments made by an opponent. Instead, you defeat the witless and defenseless 'straw man'.

In this case, almost no one is mad at the Giant for being late, but lots of people get to feel superior about being calm about it, because they yell at these supposed ingrates who do not actually exist.

[Schattenengel]

ROY HAS BOOBIES!

[6079smithw]

Strawmanning means to refute a flawed argument no one has made. Frequently, it is a way to display 'victory' in a debate without actually having to refute the real arguments made by an opponent. Instead, you defeat the witless and defenseless 'straw man'.

In this case, almost no one is mad at the Giant for being late, but lots of people get to feel superior about being calm about it, because they yell at these supposed ingrates who do not actually exist.

Yeah, I know. I was kidding- by literally and hyperbolically attacking the proverbial straw man, I thought I could create humor. Unfortunately, such things don't come across on the internet. I really need to write a note to that effect and staple it to my forehead.

[6079smithw]

ROY HAS BOOBIES!

Actually, I think you'll find that Roy does not, in fact, have boobies, and that any manifestations of such were a purely temporary phenomenon. Jeez. (Is this an appropriate time for ;) ? I'm bad with emoticons.)

[a1057soul]

ROY HAS BOOBIES!

Actually I think what the purple, poka-dotted, pirate was referring to was that Roy may in fact (after being on his date with Celia for FOUR DAYS), now have boobies... accidentially of course... he fumbled a grapple check. yeah that's what happened...

and you have to love those fighter Fort saves and bonuses... but ask yourself, does he have Endurance?

Go Roy!
;-)
Dan

[6079smithw]

Let's just hope he has Weapon Finesse.

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

Maybe Celia's taken Animal Handling :o

[Sarahphina]

Dating (and other things) put so well in D&D terms lol. ;)

As for Giant I do hope everything is all ok.

<---- Mom of 4 worrying is natural

[a1057soul]

Roy would be insulted... Monkey Grip if anything!

;-)
Dan

(although it might expalin the Great-sword if you're psychoanalyzing... but it really is a better weapon if you're not worried about defense... again the Con bonus)

[The Glyphstone]

What about Power Attack?

[General_Ghoul]

Also several ranks in Tumble.

[Finwe]

Sure hope he's taken some ranks in Knowledge (Plumbing). Maybe he's got manyshot? (Hopefully not rapidshot :-[)


Just in case he decides to use his "Rod of Lordly Might"

Maybe Celia has quickdraw - then they can get goin even faster. Or maybe she has

[Tyrasius]

I'm not complaining and apolagize if I come off that way. I am stating my concern for the Giant, and for those of yall saying Im over reacting, well your right. I cant help it though.


Since he has not posted anything since...April 27 we can probably assume that he has not gotten to his computer but stressing and worrying like this will just freak him out when he sees the message boards. I mean no one has cared if I have gone for a week with out posting anything (which is fine because I am not the creator of this website) but I would be concerned if when I came back there was a thread discussing possible ways I had died. That is creepy.

I am sure Rich is fine wherever he is. He will probably get back by Monday with the new comic because that is what he has done in the past when he completely missed a Friday comic. Time to make breakfast. See you all tomorrow. Don't worry.

the reason it wouldn't be noticed with you, is because you dont have a regular schedule of posting on certain days, that you nearly always follow, and when you don't give a reason why.
And I agree he is probably fine. I have always been wring despite doing this all the time.

And I agree that if someone in his family got hurt or somesuch, he shouldn't have to tell us or anything, but thats the whole point of my worrying, what if somesuch DID happen

[a1057soul]

What about Power Attack?


Power Attack might be bad... would cause non-leathal damage...

Improved Critical would probably be better... with a natural weamon.

:-)
Dan

[ZacK88]

Expertise may come in handy too

[Renrik]

WEAPON FOCUS

[Schattendrache]

I'm going to have to step in here and say Monkey Grip...

;D

[RyanL330]

Why haven't we said the obvious:

Technical Difficulties

Adobe Illustrator is a fickle mistress....

[watermammal]

Okay, I have read through more posts than is good for my homework, and more than anything else, I have really enjoyed learning about the real variety of Rich's fans. Most recent examples are the 54 (about to be 55) founder of the kiss an ogre foundation and the mom of four. Kinda makes one proud to be a part of a group within which lie perhaps a better representation of America than most other groups. Well, this 30yr old father of one year old has to finish his lecture for tomorrow. I say, better than discussing possible scenarios for why Rich hasn't enlightened his public regarding his absence, why don't we list (as much as comfortable) how we are different?

Just an idea.

[watermammal]

Granted, my previous post is completely off topic and therefore should be somewhere else, but hey, this is page 27 and I have read through a whole lot of other non-pertinent threads, so heck with it. Speak my brothers and sisters!

[terrainmonkey]

here's a few of my ideas for feats in this situation
first off all you give him
acrobatic
agile,
deft hands
quick draw
endurance
die hard
he's going to need great fortitude,
lightning reflexes
nimble fingers
and then mounted combat.
when that is done, rapid reload does the trick
followed by weapon finesse
weapon focus
spirited charge
then finally toughness

either that or self sufficient if it doesn't go the way we're thinking ;)

[Matuse]

How many ranks of tumble (or maybe escape artist?) do you need to reliably put your ankles behind your head?

[6079smithw]

How many ranks of tumble (or maybe escape artist?) do you need to reliably put your ankles behind your head?


The more relevant question is 'How many points of charisma do you need reliably to get someone else's ankles there?'

[Zeekar]

So this is what happens when Rich misses an update? 27 pages of comments in what is allegedly the discussion of #310, and the latter 2/3 of them are all "OMG what happened to Rich?"

Considering this is the umpteen zillionth time he's been late with an update, chances are very good that Rich is just fine, thankyouverymuch. On the off chance he's not, of course, I'll feel terrible about saying that, but moving on..

Maybe the Giant should back off of the thrice-weekly schedule until his workload on other projects subsides a bit? If he were to go back to twice-weekly, he'd probably miss a lot less often, which would mean less codpiece-twisting on the boards.

Just a thought. :)

[n11]

Call me crazy, but I would rather have the three strips a week, with the occasional miss, than two strips a week that run like clockwork. Just my preference.

I'm hoping our beloved Giant is working on some extra bonus strips for the next book, which I think he was trying to put together for the summer con season.

And... in an effort to get back on topic. Try reading the strip (#310) as if the DM were female and the player playing Roy were male. How many times do shy gamers flirt through their characters? Puts an interesting perspective on the comic even if that is not what the Giant intended.

[spite48]

Guys, maybe I am just missing something, but (having read since like the 20th page) is anyone actually doing this? All of the posts that I see (with the exception of that one who said "he's lazy", boo to that poster) have just been concern over the fact that if it's not up by now he usually leaves a message - even when he's sick, or his hand's injured, or he is (horror of horrors) in a <i>land without the internet</i>. Therefore, given the variety of conditions under which he -has- left a message at this point, the absence of one is understandably drawing concern.

In other words, I am pretty sure you're strawmanning here. Go ahead and carry on, just make sure you're aware that no one appears to be as ungrateful as the scarecrows you are targeting.

Well, for myself I will say that this is the exchange that I was reacting to:

Nah- you forgot at least one: "Something more important than a web-comic about a game came up."

Something more important than his job, you mean?

Actually, I dion't think that posting a free webcomic to the boards 100% defines the Giant's job.

Yes he is, he sells things, and has a donate button, its like his job man!

[Maxymiuk]

So this is what happens when Rich misses an update? 27 pages of comments in what is allegedly the discussion of #310, and the latter 2/3 of them are all "OMG what happened to Rich?"


And don't forget the two pages of turning core content into something straight from BoEF. ::)

[jaelis]

With any luck, Celia picked up a level of monk at some point. A flurry of blows can be highly effective.

[Legasus]

I live here in Queens, New York. A quick scan through the obituaries yields nothing pertinant.

Ha ha ha!

[ZacK88]

Thats good to hear lol ;)

[fwiffo]

I live here in Queens, New York. A quick scan through the obituaries yields nothing pertinant.

Ha ha ha!

Giant never updated his profile when he moved to Philadelphia.

[Neopolis]

Makes me wonder if V has Spell Penetration to go along with those Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion.

Aren't we the nerdiest? :D

[Torias]

One problem for Roy, he only has 1 rank in the Ride skill, so his Mounted Combat options may be limited...

And he's lucky they changed to 3.5 ed... might be misremembering, but I thought in 3rd ed you could only attack with a Tiny Weapon during Grappling...

[Silencer]

How utterly, pathetically nerdy to use RPG references to express love...

And yet, it happens all the time.